[Aditya]

Pratik Pareek shares this information and drops in a query via this Team-BHP share page!

My car details:

Tata Hexa XTA (December 2017)

Sequence of events:

The first time I faced an issue with the car’s gearbox was in the last week of March 2022. The AT would not shift more than once with the engine switched on. E.g. If I start the car, I would be able to shift from P to say R or D once, but then, would have to turn off the engine and shift to P and then again, start the engine and go to, say, D after reversing the car.

The car was sent to a Tata authorised service station and checked for 2-5 days (as automatic cars are checked only online by the Pune team). They said that some oil seal was torn. So they replaced it on chargeable basis for Rs. 1,500.

The second time I faced a problem was at the end of May / start of June. This time, the AT would put an extreme amount of load in 1st gear and reverse gear and would feel as if the brakes were stuck.

Again, the car was sent to a Tata authorised service station. The diagnosis took extremely long for same reason and I was told that the AT oil and coolant line had been damaged leading to this. So, the only way out is to replace the gearbox as repair was not possible.

The last week, I was told that the cost of the gearbox was Rs. 3,17,000 (including GST). Some part called a cooler would cost ~ Rs. 11,000 (including GST) plus labour charges. But, they were talking to seniors and trying to see how company could help me.

The final resolution was that they would supply me a gearbox at company price and waive off the dealer margin bringing the cost of the gearbox down to Rs. 2,40,763 (including GST + consumables etc.). I have tried talking to Chandraday Dey, Regional Office – Kolkata.

The gearbox failure in such a short period with car having run 54,500 km and being ~ 4.5 years old is just a colossal failure. Had it been normal part, it would ok, but if the engine or gearbox fail, and they expect the customer to pay, this is purely lack of regard for customers. Their only answer is that the car is out of the warranty period and nothing can be done.

I have attached the invoice of the last repairs (March 2022) and conversation with Tata Motors employee, Dimple Mehta. The head of Tata Motors customer relations didn't even respond to the mail.

I had no option as I need the car. So, I have told them to repair and it should be ready by tomorrow. I told them that I will escalate the matter to the court and on the forum, but they seemed totally fine with it.

What astonishes me is that when I bought the Hexa, Tata wasn't a brand where many people were ready to spend Rs. 20 lakh for their cars. If people like me have shown trust in their car, they should support the first risk-takers who have practically helped them reach the spot of the number 2 car seller in India today.

If Team-BHP can help me with this, I would really be very thankful. I have seen and followed the Team-BHP Hexa threads religiously and I know how passionate people are about the Hexa in the forum.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line.

[Kosfactor]

Lifetime sealed AT gearbox that needs no maintenance - well that is the corporate marketing speak.

With the increase in number of AT vehicles , it would be good to have AT gearbox specialists in the aftermarket who can repair them rather than replace them every 5 years. I doubt if any of the ASCs are trained to repair an AT.

[GTO]

Quite concerning to me as torque-converter ATs are usually known to be the most reliable.

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

it would be good to have AT gearbox specialists in the aftermarket who can repair them rather than replace them every 5 years.

Spot on, man. If engines can be repaired and overhauled, I don't understand why AT gearboxes cannot. I feel dealerships themselves don't have a clue how to repair, hence they only "replace".

Am fairly confident we'll see the rise of AT-repair specialists in the market, as sales of AT cars overall are increasing. An opportunity just waiting to be tapped (including the repair of AMTs).

[Porcupine]

Originally Posted by GTO

If engines can be repaired and overhauled, I don't understand why AT gearboxes cannot.

Speaking with experience of having dealt with AT gear box issues multiple times in India and the UK, it's more a question of time and money than can or cannot.

In general it's no secret that there are far fewer mechanics out there who can repair an AT gear box. The ones who can, usually do admit that it's a very tedious and time consuming job given that AT boxes have many small and important parts and are ultimately just a pain in the rear to fix and get right.

And next is the question of cost. The more parts and hours you need, the more money you spend in procuring those parts, and the labour. What I've experienced and also been told is that the cost difference between repairing an AT box to a good quality, is nearly negligible. And given the extra amount of time required, it's often the easier option to just replace it.

I know the cost angle is hard to believe, but that's generally the case as far as I've experienced.

[TheARUN]

Agonising to read your story. It could happen to any one of us, bad luck.

Appreciate you paying out of your pocket for the new gear box. I would have done the same if I was in your place. The Hexa is a brilliant vehicle, I immediately recollect the conversation I had with a Hexa owner a few months back whose chest swelled with pride as he spoke about his ride. A person in our society has also bought a used Hexa automatic, I never miss to stop and give the vehicle a second look whenever I pass that side. If I were to sum up my thoughts on the Hexa in one word, its a 'Locomotive'.

Wondering what would happen to the old gear box. I think you should take possession of it. Two things, it will help you as evidence when you reach the Courts, and maybe some hot shot mechanic would be able to put it back together again. Worst case scenario, it should be worth a few pennies as scrap once you have no other plans for it.

Hope you have negotiated for a warranty on the new gear box. How does one trust them after this failure.

I'm sure it would help if you looked up various used spare forums like Olx etc. Its a needle in a haystack situation but you might get lucky and find a good used one though the Hexa AT sold in small numbers. Functional parts of unlucky vehicles that get totalled reach the junk yards and maybe Delhi or Bombay would be worth a look.

Also, the Dealer might be able to source a used gear box of any other Hexa that is standing in a dealership yard totalled, by contacting his colleagues over the country. They must have a WhatsApp group or something like that.

[batish]

Oh man! Mind boggling is the margin a company has on a single gearbox. If VW can do it I don't think why Tata cannot do it on goodwill basis?
54k is nothing for a gearbox. Even manual transmissions have longer life than this and this being "Sealed for life" wounds up in just 54k kms.

They couldn't even ascertain why and how did the oils got mixed up. I don't have much clue about this but could that O ring replacement be a reason for this? Now I have a conspiracy theory here, I think the workshop guys didn't have much experience in automatic transmissions hence, they messed up and they covered it up somehow which worked for few days and boom, after a while whole thing wounded up.

Generally automatic gearboxes do not give up so early. It is not a new technology, various companies have been using this since years. People have clocked a MILLION MILES in gearboxes like these in almost the same timeframe and still going strong. This seems to be a workshop mistake somewhere. They couldn't even respond properly as to how it got mixed.

[locusjag]

Toyota charged around 4 lacs for a Innova owner last year, to replace a burnt out TC AT gearbox. Nissan charged a 5-6 lac amount for an accident-totaled Magnite's CVT to be re-built/replaced.

On the other hand, the outgoing ancient 4 speed AT TC Jattco gearbox on Maruti's vehicles costs only Rs.80,000 to replace (but I'm not counting labor costs). At least, that's how much the gearbox costs on Boodmo.

On the whole, I am glad that I know a good FNG in Chennai who can handle reasonable repairs/servicing of TC AT gearboxes and CVTs. These are rare, few and far between, if you were to search the city of Chennai fully. You can probably count the number of genuinely capable FNGs who can repair these "exotic" gearboxes. I mean, every FNG out there can handle repairs of manual transmissions. The same isn't true for automatic transmissions sadly.

And does any FNG repair DSGs? I haven't heard of one as yet.

[Benoit]

Engines and gearboxes should have a 7-10 year/ 1L km warranty. The govt should enforce that. A gearbox that fails at 54k km and one that costs 2.4L Rs to repair / replace should be a responsibility of the companies. Only then, manufacturers will improve the reliability.

In this case, such an explosive bill would devastate any customer and increases the hatred towards the brand. Cases like these only justify the product failure.

[pram_ind]

Originally Posted by batish

They couldn't even ascertain why and how did the oils got mixed up. I don't have much clue about this but could that O ring replacement be a reason for this? Now I have a conspiracy theory here, I think the workshop guys didn't have much experience in automatic transmissions hence, they messed up and they covered it up somehow which worked for few days and boom, after a while whole thing wounded up.

.

The mixing could have happened in TC Gearbox cooler/radiator. It consists of input/output for both coolant and gear oil. The mixing happens if the metal between the coolant and oil has corroded. I would suggest the OP to check this cooler for any corrosion and if it is, question the company for using low graded parts.


Was the coolant changed at ASC, with the company recommended coolant?

[SoumenD]

Damn that’s steep

This is the reason I am sticking to prescribed service schedule of 6 months on my Jazz CVT inspite of ultra low running (2000-2500 kms approx in 6 months) to keep my warranty intact. Intend to keep taking extended warranties till my ownership continues. Heard replacement costs ~1.5L

[AZT]

The email chain was frustrating to read:

What led to the gearbox failure I’m 4.5 years and 54k kms ? The missing of oil and coolant damaged the gearbox assembly.
What is the cause ? The mixing of oil and coolant damaged the gearbox assembly?
What led to oil and coolant mixing ? It is due to users fault or internal and mechanical failure of the above mentioned components
Will there be a guarantee for the new gearbox ? Only warranty of 6 months / 10,000 kms

OP would be bashing his keyboard when he said please go ahead as I have no other option. I hope someone in Tata reading this steps in and helps you.

[landcruiser123]

Unfortunate case, but not worrying. Nothing inherently wrong with the transmission.

Consider a case of bad luck. This should be a perfect example why people must take all extended warranties possible.

Originally Posted by GTO

Am fairly confident we'll see the rise of AT-repair specialists in the market, as sales of AT cars overall are increasing. An opportunity just waiting to be tapped (including the repair of AMTs).

Sorry, that's getting closer to impossible. These transmissions (TC, CVT) run on pressure differentials with planetary gearsets, internal clutches, and some complicated electronics like shift solenoids. Even in the US, a majority of rebuilt transmissions fail.

Trucks and other popular vehicles have a factory remanufactured transmission market.

[busydrive]

In the Tata Hexa telegram group I saw some cases of engine coolant and gear oil getting mixed. Maybe under certain circumstances it happens. Have heard of few gearbox failures as well so it's not a one off case but rare one. I think the car might be out of extended warranty. Not sure how consumer court can help if it's out of warranty. The key thing for other owners is to keep a check on this aspect during service. I have also seen some owners proactively changing the gearbox oil but those were 1lakh plus km driven cars. But issues can happen. I have had engine issues in few of our Maruti made cars which were less than 1lakh km driven.
I think the OP did the right thing by going for a change of gearbox, still makes financial sense. Hope there is a warranty on the new gearbox.

[Sounak04]

Man that's a very steep price to pay considering that the has done only 54k kms.
I'm just wondering what would have happened had OP taken the Engine and Gearbox cover option in his insurance? I guess that would have helped him getting the Gearbox replaced through insurance.
Usually the premium for Engine and Gearbox coverage is quite less in comparison to Zero Dept. coverage.
So just wondering why didn't he ticked mark that option in his insurance or if the Coverage is valid only when the car's gearbox gets damaged in an accident?