[vasanthn21]

Want to start with apologies for not updating this thread in a long time. It was mostly office work that kept me away from team-bhp. However it is time for an update. Our Zest completed 1 lakh kms on the odo some time back, and I have been wanting to post an update ever since. Finally found the time to do it.



MODS: Please edit the title to "My Tata Zest XT 1.3L Quadrajet - EDIT - 7 years, 1,00,000 kms update"

Long term ownership review:
While we were in the process of finalizing on the Zest, my wife was suggesting buying a pre-owned car (she had seen the sheer value we got from the earlier pre-owned Maruti Zen), while I was insisting on a new one. One of the points I put forward to convince my better half was - to drive the car until at least one lakh kms on the odo! I really didn't know then, that I would actually do it.

A look back at the "Tata Zest : Official review" by Team BHP in 2014 https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...al-review.html (Tata Zest : Official Review). I read this review multiple times before finalizing on the zest.

Most of miles on the odo were covered in the first 4.5 years of ownership. In Oct 2019, I had to travel abroad on work. I considered the option of selling the car before the travel. I visited a few re-sellers, but probably the fact that (a) Zest was no longer in production, and (b) the mileage on the car was nearing 1Lakh kms; meant that the quote provided was too low for my liking. I was going abroad for about 2 years, but family could not travel with me, and I planned to return in about 6 months to take family along with me (after the academic year). So we decided to retain the car.

My wife would start the car and let it run for a few minutes once in 4-5 days. But she was not comfortable driving it around as she was out of practice (for a few years now). We requested a very helpful neighbour to drive the car around once in a fortnight or so. This way, when I would be back in 6 months, I would have the car to drive around instead of relying on cabs or self-drive rental cars.

Come Mar 2020, Covid was quite rampant all across the world. We had to change our plans. I decided to move back to India, rather than risking my family traveling. But office formalities, project responsibilities and travel restrictions prevented me from travelling back immediately. Managed to come back to India in Nov 2020 after almost a year. I was glad that we had decided to retain the car as it was in good running condition. I would have to shell out a few big ones to buy a new car, had we not retained the car.

Its been WFH mostly since then, and most of the action our Zest has seen since then is from a couple of trips to my native.

Service:

Over the years the statement in team BHP review about TATA's after sales service has changed from "sub-par after-sales service quality" to "service quality is a hit or miss. Remains a gamble". Listing below some of my experiences with TATA's service.

(1) "Tak" noise on turning the steering completely to the right. This happened, when the vehicle was about 8 months old. I took the vehicle to AADYA motors in Hebbal. The service engineer was not keen to look into the issue. In fact, he mentioned this is normal with most Zest cars! I told him categorically that this did not happen in the first 8 months of ownership, so he had to look into it. Although he accepted reluctantly, the issue was resolved in 2 days, and I have not faced this problem ever since.

(2) Engine work mid 2016 - One and half years after I bought the car, with the odo reading approximately 30K, this happened. It was a visit to the dentist. Right before the clinic, I took a right turn. Right after I took the turn, I heard some kind of a strange noise coming from under the car! Stopped the car, got down on all fours to investigate. There was a huge rock-like strcuture under the car, right in the middle, under the belly of the car! I tried pulling it to the sides of the car, but it was stuck. It could only be removed either from the rear or front center portion of the car. I decided to slowly drive the car forward, hoping it would come out from the rear around the middle without scraping the underbelly anymore. The plan worked (little did I know then, that the damage was already done!). After crossing the "object", I realized that it was a dried bag of cement which was kept in the middle of the road. It was placed there by workers carrying out some repair work little ahead on the road. They had kept it to indicate that the road was closed. Not sure how I completely missed spotting it (because I didn't expect anything in the middle of the road) or it was in my blind spot (can't be the case, strangely even my wife didn't see it from the co-passenger seat), but somehow I ended up driving over it.

I parked the car after this incident as it was right in front of my dentist's clinic. I did a quick visual check under the car for any signs of damage, and couldn't spot any. After the appointment (A good one hour later), we sat in the car and drove away. While driving, I started hearing a faint clicking noise coming from somewhere in the car. I didn't realize it was the engine dying! The car stopped in the middle of the road, I cranked it many times, but it refused to start. Pushed the car to the side with the help of some good Samaritans and called the road-side assistance number. Had the car towed to the service center from there. (Yes, I did not check the instrument cluster, I did not see the Engine oil indicator lighting up!). While the car was being towed, I got some time to think and could put the sequence of events together in my head.

The rock-like cement bag had hit a spot near the engine causing the engine oil to leak out. When I inspected the under-belly after parking the car, I could not see this. Then we spent about an hour in the clinic. Came out of the clinic and started driving (By this time probably, some engine oil had leaked). In retrospective, if I had checked the underbelly once again after the appointment at the clinic before starting the car, I might have been able to spot some leakage.

After a few days of leaving the car at the service center, I got these gruesome pictures from the service engineer!







After the initial shock, next few days were spent in making calls to all known vehicle experts to understand the available options. One option suggested by the TATA service engineer was to get a new "half block". It would leave a big hole in our pocket, but we felt it was better than trying to repair the engine and cheaper than getting a complete new engine. In a way, even the half block would mean we almost got a new engine. Although we were not sure how long it would last (depended completely on how good a job the TATA service engineers did). Didn't know how well it would perform after the open heart surgery, but we decided to take a chance.

Fast forward to 2021, 5.5 years and 75,000+ kms later, our gamble paid off (touchwood) Still very much in love with the FIAT 1.3 Quadrajet engine!

I was worried about the long term reliability of this work. Any small mistake in the assembly, and I would have to lose my peace of mind. But, I was pleasantly surprised with the experience. There are no issues with pickup, mileage, no unusual engine noise, no excessive oil consumption, no oil leakage, no excessive heating or anything else. The engine just performs as it should. After this experience, I was (and still am) confident about TATA's service engineers' ability to carry out service/repairs of any mechanical parts.

(3) Steering mounted audio controls goes kaput- Around early 2019, the SMAC stopped working all of a sudden with no likely triggers (service, or driving fast on bad roads or crashing into a big pothole etc). I did not worry too much about it as I guessed it might be a simple loose connection. I mentioned about this in my next service, hoping it would be a simple fix, but the service engineer could not figure out why it stopped working. As a last resort, I was told they will have to open the steering, and send the system to Harman in Delhi (If I remember the city correctly). This would mean I could not use the car for 2-3 weeks. I couldn't do that, and hence decided against getting it rectified.
Recently, I tried my luck again in another authorized TATA service center. After a lot of promises, they said the same thing (about sending it to Harman for a few days/weeks). I have given up any hopes of this getting repaired now.

Although, this doesn't hinder my driving, the ability to use audio controls to make a call, or something as simple as changing the radio station with the flick of a thumb without taking hands off the steering (and eyes off the road) is a good option that I miss, at times.

(4) Door rattle - After crossing 1,06,000 kms on the odo, I started getting some rattling noise from the door while driving on bad roads. It was rectified and hasn't come up since. This is something I love about the car. 1,08,000 kms and counting, and not a single rattle! This was my biggest pain point with my earlier car. In fact, every time the vehicle went in for a regular scheduled service, it came out with a new rattle! And I hate rattles. I cannot drive peacefully if there is any rattling noise coming from anywhere in the car.

(5) Bonnet cladding - During the reduced usage period (when I was abroad), rats got into the car, and managed to eat through a bit of the cladding under the bonnet. Thankfully there is no damage to any wiring or plastic parts. I tried to get this replaced during the last service, but the cladding was out of stock. I was told the the SE that they have placed an order, and was promised a call once it was available. And I am still waiting for that call (even after 30 days)!
I can hear a bit of the engine noise in the cabin while driving now, but it is something that I can live with.



(6) General cleaning after service - I faced this problem in the last two services only. Some kind of oil/cream is applied to the plastic parts. After some tome, this somehow forms a sticky foggy layer on the windscreen that doesn't come off easily. I am assuming, the cream vaporizes when the car gets heated under the sun, and the vapors settle on the windscreen. I should remember to ask the service team not to apply this cream the next time I get it serviced.

(7) Service cost and experience - I find the service cost much lesser than the Maruti hatch I owned earlier. Also, I do not see the service engineers hinting at unnecessary part replacements/repairs. In my personal experience, Maruti service engineers did that every time I went for service.

Having said this, in the last service, I felt like I was travelling with second class tickets when compared with the Nexon and Harrier owners who were travelling in First class AC compartments!

I do not want to pass a judgement here on the after sales service quality, but leave it to you to conclude from the above experiences. Let me know what you think of it.

Build quality, fit and finish -
Transitioning from a Maruti Zen to a Tata Zest, it undoubtedly felt like a big upshift in terms of build quality. I have driven relatively fast on some real bad roads and have done this for a few years now. Despite this, there isn't a single squeak or rattle in the car. It is definitely put together well. The doors close with a re-assuring "thud". The bonnet is heavy and the body is also not flimsy. The boot lid is the only tinny part in the car. The lack of cladding makes it lose more points.

Fit and finish - In my personal opinion, it is good for a car at this price point. The parts have held on well and do not show signs of excessive wear and tear.

Ride and handling:

Balanced suspension offers compliant ride quality mated to neutral handling.

Quoting from the official review by Aditya. This statement summarizes it perfectly.

I have changed the suspension bushes around 70k kms. I will probably have to do it again in the next 30-40k kms.

On really bad roads (almost no road) - there is a good cushioning effect. Passengers will not feel the jerks so much, but the car does go a bit into "boat" mode.
On moderately bad roads, it is best to drive in third gear at about 30-35 kms, the shocks do a good job and the car doesn't wobble so much.

Kithna deti hai?
I compared the MID FE with the full-tank to full-tank method, and always found the latter to be about 1 kmpl higher than the MID FE. I assume the full-tank to full-tank method is more accurate.

City: The least FE I have seen on the MID with bumper to bumper traffic is around 13 kmpl. And the maximum I have seen is about 16 kmpl (actual FE of 17 kmpl).

Highway: With sedate driving and moderate use of AC, maintaining a max speed of 120 kmph, the mileage has been around 18 kmpl on MID. If I touch higher speeds, the highway mileage comes down to 16 kmpl as per MID. Note that I drive very rarely at speeds higher than 120 kmph. I do it only when the road is broad and good with very clear visibility, not only of the road ahead, but also beyond the edges of the road (to catch any two-wheeler or canine accidentally running across the road)

No doubt, I am very happy with the FE considering the current fuel prices.

The mechanicals

The engine performance is still very satisfactory. Take the foot off the clutch in first gear, and it crawls immediately. Most speed breakers are maneuvered in second gear. For overtaking maneuvers on highway, downshifting to fourth gear is mostly sufficient. I believe the engine still has a good amount of life in it.

The gearbox has aged well. No issues to mention here. Occasionally the rear gear doesn't engage fully, but then this was happening even when the car was new.

The clutch hasn't got hard. I have driven in extremely bad traffic, constantly shifting between 1st and 2nd gears for a long distance (those in Bangalore who know the Manyata exit "exercise" in the evenings; especially when the white topping work was in progress, will know what I mean). My legs never got tired enough to ask for an automatic.

Other points:

• The horn pad has been a bit hard from day one. Thankfully it has remained the same, and has not become harder
• The blower noise has remained the same. With the fan at "1" speed, it is not something one would call silent!
• AC is still super effective (albeit with a lot of noise at higher fan speeds)
• Bluetooth pairing works seamlessly now. Initially there were some niggles. Probably got fixed with some software upgrades
• Almost non-existent turbo lag.
  

Conclusion:
Overall, I have had a good ownership experience barring the engine's near-death experience (I only have myself to blame for that).
I look forward to a trouble free ownership for some more years, and god/luck willing, another 40-50K kms at least. So far it has been a real value-for money car with rock-solid reliability. Yes, it has its flaws, but then every car does. Probably, I am not too bothered by the flaws and can live with it. (Depends on one's preference). Practically, it meets all my needs perfectly well and don't see the need for a change in the near future.

Will my next car be a TATA car? Probably - it depends on what I am looking for in a car when I want to change ,and what is on offer. Looking at the newer offerings from TATA, it is looking promising. Probably even an EV from TATA if I have a trouble-free ownership experience for a few more years. (Will wait for the EV technology and infrastructure to mature a bit before I jump on to the EV bandwagon).









Hopefully, will update this thread more frequently now on.

[Cool-Shine]

Nice write up @vasanthn21. Tata Zest was a capable car. Especially the national diesel engine (Fiat sourced multijet diesel engine) was a gem!! It was very competent and fun to drive. I also have an Indica Vista Quadrajet which was bought in 2011 and still going strong even after 10 years!!!

Wishing you many more years of happy ownership with this car.

[vasanthn21]

Thanks @Cool-Shine. 10 years is a long time. How many kms have you covered? It would nice to see a few pics of your ride!

[Neversaygbye]

As someone who owns a Tata car with about 85k kms on the odo and the same Fiat MJD engine, I can completely relate to your ownership experience.

Tata cars, especially the diesel ones, punch much above their weight (no pun intended ). Their ruggedness and ability to take abuse is really something. I realized the difference when I drove other cars. The only issue is that they tend to spoil you - for example I am now used to not slowing down much on bad roads and it has become a habit that my co-passengers hate when I'm driving their (non-Tata) cars.

I will be posting my own long term ownership review once my car crosses 100k kms but I think it will be very similar to yours.

Here's a photo of my Beast (a name given by one of my friends )

[vasanthn21]

Originally Posted by Neversaygbye

As someone who owns a Tata car with about 85k kms on the odo and the same Fiat MJD engine, I can completely relate to your ownership experience.

Tata cars, especially the diesel ones, punch much above their weight (no pun intended ). Their ruggedness and ability to take abuse is really something. I realized the difference when I drove other cars. The only issue is that they tend to spoil you - for example I am now used to not slowing down much on bad roads and it has become a habit that my co-passengers hate when I'm driving their (non-Tata) cars.

I will be posting my own long term ownership review once my car crosses 100k kms but I think it will be very similar to yours.

Here's a photo of my Beast (a name given by one of my friends )

Will look-out for the 100k ownership review of the "Beast".

[arjab]

Originally Posted by Neversaygbye

As someone who owns a Tata car with about 85k kms on the odo and the same Fiat MJD engine, I can completely relate to your ownership experience.

Sold off our 100,000+kms run Indica Vista Quadrajet, bare bones, base model (with manual winding windows!), in 2019 and replaced it with a Nexon petrol.

In the 11 years of Vista ownership, it never failed. Delivered 12.5 to 13kmpl in horrendous Calcutta city traffic conditions and a consistent 18+kmpl on highways.
It was much used and abused, driven all over India on all sorts of roads.
Family members still rue the absence of the Vista's plush ride,(Nexon ride is far stiffer), the commodious rear seat and the ease of ingress and egress, (getting into the Nexon rear for the elderly is an issue due to the high sill dropping rear roofline).

My experience with Tata Motors Calcutta service centres have not been unpleasant. Honestly speaking I did not find their diagnostic capabilities to be worse than Maruti or Hyundai, (the marques owned by other close family members), or to be very expensive either. Maruti and Hyundai servicing is no longer "cheap" at authorised service stations with labour rates increasing many fold.

[condor]

Congrats on completing the milestone ! The Zest is an under-rated car. If Tata had given it better clothes, then it would have seen much more success than it did. This is one of the few cars that I have liked.

Wishing you many more happy km's with this. The new cars may have more features, but this one can still hold a candle to them. Space, build, comfort, and that reliable engine make it a keeper.

[Neversaygbye]

Originally Posted by arjab

Sold off our 100,000+kms run Indica Vista Quadrajet, bare bones, base model (with manual winding windows!), in 2019 and replaced it with a Nexon petrol.

In the 11 years of Vista ownership, it never failed. Delivered 12.5 to 13kmpl in horrendous Calcutta city traffic conditions and a consistent 18+kmpl on highways.
It was much used and abused, driven all over India on all sorts of roads.
Family members still rue the absence of the Vista's plush ride,(Nexon ride is far stiffer), the commodious rear seat and the ease of ingress and egress, (getting into the Nexon rear for the elderly is an issue due to the high sill dropping rear roofline).

I fully agree with you and share a similar experience both in terms of usage and service. Funnily enough, just today one of my friends told me that whatever I do, I should hold on to the Vista and not sell it as it is not possible to get such a gem of a car anymore. To put matters into perspective, he used to own a Polo which he still rues selling. He has been in my car umpteen times and has said that it reminds him of the Polo in terms of build and high speed stability. None of his later cars (Swift and Venue) matched the Polo. The Vista was and is a highly underrated car - if only Tata had given more attention to the looks and fit and finish at that time and kept updating it like Maruti has done with the Swift, probably it would still have found takers today. It is truly Sedan class. Relaunching it as the Bolt killed the brand and that was a mistake.

[vasanthn21]

Originally Posted by arjab

Sold off our 100,000+kms run Indica Vista Quadrajet, bare bones, base model (with manual winding windows!), in 2019 and replaced it with a Nexon petrol.

In the 11 years of Vista ownership, it never failed. Delivered 12.5 to 13kmpl in horrendous Calcutta city traffic conditions and a consistent 18+kmpl on highways.
It was much used and abused, driven all over India on all sorts of roads.
Family members still rue the absence of the Vista's plush ride,(Nexon ride is far stiffer), the commodious rear seat and the ease of ingress and egress, (getting into the Nexon rear for the elderly is an issue due to the high sill dropping rear roofline).

My experience with Tata Motors Calcutta service centres have not been unpleasant. Honestly speaking I did not find their diagnostic capabilities to be worse than Maruti or Hyundai, (the marques owned by other close family members), or to be very expensive either. Maruti and Hyundai servicing is no longer "cheap" at authorised service stations with labour rates increasing many fold.

Relate with your experience in terms of ownership and service. Hopefully will use my Zest for a few more years before I upgrade to another car.

Originally Posted by condor

Congrats on completing the milestone ! The Zest is an under-rated car. If Tata had given it better clothes, then it would have seen much more success than it did. This is one of the few cars that I have liked.

Wishing you many more happy km's with this. The new cars may have more features, but this one can still hold a candle to them. Space, build, comfort, and that reliable engine make it a keeper.

Yes, it is a real value for money car. Was surprised to see it was discontinued. Maybe the Altroz/Nexon/Harrier plan was laid out and Zest did not fit in there.

Originally Posted by Neversaygbye

I fully agree with you and share a similar experience both in terms of usage and service. Funnily enough, just today one of my friends told me that whatever I do, I should hold on to the Vista and not sell it as it is not possible to get such a gem of a car anymore. To put matters into perspective, he used to own a Polo which he still rues selling. He has been in my car umpteen times and has said that it reminds him of the Polo in terms of build and high speed stability. None of his later cars (Swift and Venue) matched the Polo. The Vista was and is a highly underrated car - if only Tata had given more attention to the looks and fit and finish at that time and kept updating it like Maruti has done with the Swift, probably it would still have found takers today. It is truly Sedan class. Relaunching it as the Bolt killed the brand and that was a mistake.

Have to give to Maruti for extracting the maximum juice out of a model that augurs well with the public. No wonder we see the Wagon-R being sold even today in different avatar. Tata is doing a bit of that with Safari, not with the other cars.

[indiradhanush]

BHPians, I need your advise and guidance. I was scouting for a pre-owned Tata Zest XT Diesel (in Mumbai) and came across one that was registered in 2014 (120k on the odo). There are a few rusts and dents (which are acceptable). The existing owner has changed the front suspensions, timing belt and related bearings (I'm guessing this is acceptable too at over 100k kms). There are some jobs which need to be addressed though eg. the LHS front and rear door handles feel pretty jammed, the doors close more like a Maruti than a Zest, some rust treatment required as well. But my FNG mechanic says those shouldn't bother me much. The owner is asking for 2.5L for her. What is your opinion?

P.S : I've not been able to verify any accidents, but my mechanic says the vehicle handles well and the engine is in good shape.

EDIT : Forgot to mention, the headlights are faded and..believe it or not...a stray dog chewed off the roof antenna (that is what I'm given to believe). In the process, the dog apparently left a nice depression on the roof of the car.

[condor]

Originally Posted by indiradhanush

I was scouting for a pre-owned Tata Zest XT Diesel (in Mumbai) and came across one that was registered in 2014 (120k on the odo).

I would say skip this one. Do look around, may be even Pune for something that has run a little less. I too like the Zest/Bolt, but I dont think it is a car that can be taken when it has a 1.2L running.

[srvm]

Originally Posted by vasanthn21

.......
(5) Bonnet cladding - During the reduced usage period (when I was abroad), rats got into the car, and managed to eat through a bit of the cladding under the bonnet. Thankfully there is no damage to any wiring or plastic parts. I tried to get this replaced during the last service, but the cladding was out of stock. I was told the the SE that they have placed an order, and was promised a call once it was available. And I am still waiting for that call (even after 30 days)!
I can hear a bit of the engine noise in the cabin while driving now, but it is something that I can live with.

......

Hello. Did you get your bonnet cladding replaced at TASS?
I too had some part of my Zest's cladding chewed by rats. TASS (KHT Motors) could not source it for me. So I procured one from JC Road ( Tata Genuine Part) in Feb-2022. Cost me about Rs.880. Fixed it today myself DIY. Had to buy some plastic clips from TASS and some trim/clip removal tools from Amazon.
If you still haven't replaced the cladding, PM me. I can share details and some photos of my DIY.
Hope this helps.

[vasanthn21]

Originally Posted by srvm

Hello. Did you get your bonnet cladding replaced at TASS?
I too had some part of my Zest's cladding chewed by rats. TASS (KHT Motors) could not source it for me. So I procured one from JC Road ( Tata Genuine Part) in Feb-2022. Cost me about Rs.880. Fixed it today myself DIY. Had to buy some plastic clips from TASS and some trim/clip removal tools from Amazon.
If you still haven't replaced the cladding, PM me. I can share details and some photos of my DIY.
Hope this helps.

Why don't you post your DIY with pictures here?

No, I haven't heard back from TASS. I will have to go the J.C Road route like you.

[srvm]

Originally Posted by vasanthn21

Why don't you post your DIY with pictures here?

No, I haven't heard back from TASS. I will have to go the J.C Road route like you.

Ok. Here goes.
This is the damaged bonnet cladding due to rats.






Bought new cladding from Manu Automobiles, near J C Road, Bangalore. Ordered by phone. Picked up few days later. Cost Rs. 880 approx. Came neatly packed. Need car/taxi to pick it up due to size.



Bought some plastic clips from TASS (KHT motors, Whitefield). Costs Rs. 10 per clip. You'll need 18 for Zest. Buy extra, just in case you break some while installing. Pic shows old clips which broke during removal.




Removing old clips is a bit tricky and little pain. You'll need trim / clip removal tools. I bought some from Amazon. If you go this DIY route, don't buy these. Instead borrow mine. I broke some old clips while removing. YouTube has many videos on how to remove them, yet almost all agree that clips do break despite utmost care.

Ta da. After installation of new cladding.





I bought the cladding in February 2022. But installed only in June 2022.
Good luck.

[vasanthn21]

Originally Posted by srvm

Ok. Here goes.

Ta da. After installation of new cladding.

Thanks so much for sharing your DIY here. And, thanks for all the tips. I might not have as much patience as you to do it myself. I might end up buying the cladding from JC road and get it installed by a local mechanic.

Thanks again.