[Sawyer]

I agree on the lower highway safety thing - I would be very careful if I had to take mine there in the absence of options. The small turning circle and parking ease are no longer needed, so that big advantage isn't of use.

It might actually be safer in the rains/low light conditions if those mean a general reduction of speeds of all the traffic. And I can see it doing well on narrow state highways as long as you can keep from getting run over by oncoming ST buses.

[knaveen]

A week back noticed that the car was bouncing a lot at the rear. First thought it was a wheel balancing issue. Took it to a local tyreshop and noticed that the rear left wheel has bulged at one spot. The tyre is unusable and could not rule out the possibility of a blow out. Checked the service center folks, they can try and check with JKtyre for a warranty replacement, but since the tyre has run for 19k, the amount covered in warranty might be very less. These are OEM JKTyre. The front tyres were replaced at 10k due to a wheel balancing issue at ASC resulting in uneven wear. It was covered under warranty at ~60% cost. Replaced with JKTyre again.

While checking the tyre, noticed that the date of manufacture was stamped as "4212" meaning 42nd week of 2012!. The car was manufactured early 2014 and i had bought it on Jan 2015 (hence a huge discount). But cannot understand why a 2012 manufactured tyre is fitted on a 2014 car.

Should i push for the warranty and get JkTyres again or should i go for any other better ones like Bridgestones?

[john doe]

Just buy a new tyre. Its only 2,200 odd bucks. YOur time is worth more. Just buy Bridgestone.

[suzuki san]

Hi Knaveen,

I would tend to agree with "john doe". Just buy a new tyre. "Bridgestone" would be your best choice, the other two being MRF, JK. I had a similar issue with my Nano front tyres where the ASC messed up the alignment but even after several emails, calls and proof from another wheel alignment service place etc they were not willing to agree to it being their fault. Finally, MRF changed one tyre (as part of their customer relations exercise) at 60% of original cost even though I had run barely 6000 Kms. I used the stepney as the other "new" tyre and the worn tyre is now a stepney. The fault was totally Tata's not MRF. In India, sad to say, the consumer has no rights. Just accept it and move on.

Regards,
SS

[knaveen]

Originally Posted by john doe

Just buy a new tyre. Its only 2,200 odd bucks. YOur time is worth more. Just buy Bridgestone.

Originally Posted by suzuki san

Hi Knaveen,

I would tend to agree with "john doe". Just buy a new tyre. "Bridgestone" would be your best choice, the other two being MRF, JK.

Regards,
SS

Thank you John Doe and Suzuki san. Got the two rear tyres replaced at 50% cost under warranty. Got the replacements as Bridgestone B290 . Got the 20k service done and now the car is very smooth after the oil change. Had an issue with the camber angle on the front left wheel, mentioned it on the service. The SA informed that the steering "L" angle joint was bent and was replaced, he gave me the old part. Looked fine to me, but he said it is bent at a very minute angle. Had accepted and came took the car out, the car was pulling mildly towards the right. Took it back again, the folks rotated the front tyres and said it is fine now. Drove it back home as it was getting late. The car was better but somehow didn't feel right.
Took it back to an alignment shop, the camber issue is still there and the service center guys have messed up the toe angle as well . Got the toe angle corrected.
Need to take the car sometime later this week to service center again!

[suzuki san]

Hi Knaveen,

I see Tata standards are the same all over the country. Third class. I now refuse to let them touch my alignment settings.

On another note, the windscreen of my Nano has been broken by a monkey who fell on the garage roof and broke the tiles.
A.S.S. are quoting 7000 to replace the windscreen.
The split is : 3k for the glass, 2.6k for sealant , 1.4k for labour.
Seems like India's cheapest car is not really so cheap after all. (Alto windscreen replacement costs 6k)

Regards,
SS

[Nissan1180]

Originally Posted by suzuki san

Seems like India's cheapest car is not really so cheap after all. (Alto windscreen replacement costs 6k)

Regards,
SS

Try Windshield Experts. They offer better rates for replacements.
Also you could try FNGs to save on the labor costs. Thanks.

[suzuki san]

Originally Posted by Nissan1180

Try Windshield Experts. They offer better rates for replacements.
Also you could try FNGs to save on the labor costs. Thanks.

Thanks Nissan 1180.

Sadly there are no Windshield Experts outlets in Goa.

Regards,
SS

[knaveen]

Originally Posted by suzuki san

On another note, the windscreen of my Nano has been broken by a monkey who fell on the garage roof and broke the tiles.
A.S.S. are quoting 7000 to replace the windscreen.
The split is : 3k for the glass, 2.6k for sealant , 1.4k for labour.
Seems like India's cheapest car is not really so cheap after all. (Alto windscreen replacement costs 6k)

Regards,
SS

Really unfortunate. Replacement costing 7K . When i saw the windshield cost in 99RPM.com, was surprised it was too low. Looks like it is not the case as the the total cost is more than the windshield replacement for an Alto.

[knaveen]

Originally Posted by knaveen

Took it back to an alignment shop, the camber issue is still there and the service center guys have messed up the toe angle as well . Got the toe angle corrected.
Need to take the car sometime later this week to service center again!

Attaching the wheel alignment reports. First one is from TATA Service center, second one is from a local alignment shop.
Not sure whose calibration is off!

[suzuki san]

Hi Guys,

Went for my 2 year service of the Twist.

Initially they did not want to take the car as I have only completed 10k Kms in 2 years and they wanted it to be 20k. I explained to them that I am not always in Goa or even in India and had to get the servicing done or else the warranty would expire - what their own service people told me on the phone.

Only issue was an oil leak from the engine. Difficult to see exactly where from unless one crawled under the car which I was not going to do.
I kept a check on the oil level just in case.
Anyway, they identified the leak and I was told they changed the top cover gasket and the drain plug was also loose.
They also changed the engine oil and filter, gear oil, brake oil and coolant.
Total bill : Rs. 0.00 as I had a Gold AMC.
When driving out the SA told me to keep an eye on the leakage and had the nerve to tell me to mark him as 10/10 when I get the feedback call.

Drove back home and next morning I found a few drops of oil had leaked again.
I was furious as it meant that I would have to drive back to the service centre (a total of 100 Kms).
Meanwhile, I decided to open the engine bay to have a look for myself and was shocked to find that the engine bay had not been cleaned at all.
Opened the bonnet - same story. Not washed.
Anyway, now in a foul mood, I drove back to the service centre in Margao and insisted I went into the workshop to see what was the problem. They put the car on the ramp with the engine running and after cleaning the engine cover etc with a rag there was no oil leakage at all.
The leakage I had noticed was from the old oil because they had not washed the engine compartment. So, a totally wasted trip and a totally wasted day.
I asked to see the manager whose story was that the radiator fins get damaged if they wash the engine section.
The SA story was that there are many sensors which cannot get wet so we don't wash the engine bay.
I have never heard such nonsense before. Funny that in their other garage in Mapuca all Nano's are lifted on a ramp and washed from the bottom.
Real story : They don't have a ramp in the washing section!! This is at the main Tata dealer's biggest service centre in Goa.

The car was handed back to me - still unwashed - and they refused to do it!!

What can one say about Tata???

Regards,
SS

[Nissan1180]

Originally Posted by suzuki san

The SA story was that there are many sensors which cannot get wet so we don't wash the engine bay.

This is partially true. Washing the engine bay is not recommended. It can cause issues because the walls get cooled too fast (the engine is hot when the car is runing), in addition to the possible ingress of water into the sensors. I know a cab driver who faced issues in his Dzire when the folks at a MASS washed the engine bay with a pressure jet.
It is usually advisable to clean it with a wet cloth or with an air pressure jet to remove the dust.
The space under the bonnet should be cleaned though. Their excuse doesn't work for that space.

[bhandary]

Use the feedback form to put down your observation and mail the scanned copy of the same to TATA for whatever it is worth. If sizable owners put in their observations TATA are bound to take corrective actions by way of change in their systems and procedures like say update the car manual with instructions on washing the engine bay, handling of leaks through checklist during maintenance etc

You are fortunate that the oil leak is from the engine. Would the service centre have said that same thing if there was a leak in the brake fluid?

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by suzuki san

I kept a check on the oil level just in case.

What can one say about Tata???

How does one check the oil level? By unbolting the rear covers? Under warranty, I just don't bother; I assume that Concorde has filled in the right amount in annual service, and I make sure that the garage floor shows no evidence of a leak, but that is all I can be bothered to do given how difficult it is to check the level.

As to the rest, Tata - again - is saying they are trying to change. The only thing in life that doesn't seem to change is this one thing!

I would send this entire post in a quote unquote to Cyrus Mistry, and let him know that the comment is already in the public domain. It may work, it may not, but it won't cost you a paisa.

The late Karl Slym was very responsive to customer communication, and his departure was a big setback. But that it Tata took years to fill the vacancy is another reflection on their problems.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by Nissan1180

This is partially true. Washing the engine bay is not recommended. It can cause issues because the walls get cooled too fast (the engine is hot when the car is runing), in addition to the possible ingress of water into the sensors. I know a cab driver who faced issues in his Dzire when the folks at a MASS washed the engine bay with a pressure jet.

I don't agree; I have used cars from many makes and have never come across such issues even when an independent like 3M does engine pressure washes. Perhaps they know the areas where the nozzle should not be directly pointed to. And I have never seen a car engine being washed with the engine running.

Perhaps the Nano is a more delicate animal than other cars, I can't speak to that.