[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by chetans

The service engineer just called me to inform that the battery has gone weak. He is quoting 6.5k with exchange for new amaron battery. as the tank is 4.5years old, i am thinking to proactively get this done.

As mentioned by Comfortablynumb 6.5K is on the costlier side if it is after the deduction of the old battery price. I replaced my battery in June last year. It was an Exide one. 6400 - 800 (old battery). Net Rs 5600/-. You can refer the invoice below. Amaron must be definitely cheaper than Exide.

[AutoIndian]

Last week got a chance to stretch the legs of my Orange Tank after almost a year's hiatus. Couple of functions were lined up at my native place & I had planned my vacation from 25th Dec 2020 to 3rd Jan 2021. Travelled Pune-Dhule-Jalgaon-Bhusawal-Malegaon-Mhasdi (Dhandai)-Nasik-Pune, covering 1100 kms in 6 days. The Orange Tank was as reliable as ever. Did 2 tankfulls during the course of the trip averaging 15.36 & 14.59 kmpl. 6 adults, one kid and loads of luggage, it was a cakewalk for the TUV. Sharing some pics of the 14th century Mankeshwar Temple @ Zhodage bang on Mumbai-Agra highway.

[architect]

Your TUV seems to be doing well on reliability front, how many kilometres have you covered?

Except the coolant leakage and the resultant change of Intake Manifold under warranty, mine has not given me any trouble now. I am now at 37 months, 55,000 km

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by architect

Your TUV seems to be doing well on reliability front, how many kilometres have you covered?

My TUV has covered 52K kms in 62 months. It is exactly 5 years and 2 months old.

Except the coolant leakage and the resultant change of Intake Manifold under warranty, mine has not given me any trouble now. I am now at 37 months, 55,000 km

Even my TUV has never left me stranded any point in time. Having said that it had its fair share of issues and warranty replacements, which were handled well by the MASS. As a matter of fact I bought the TUV within 2 months of its launch. It was a conscious decision then knowing that I would be one of the guinea pigs. However I was very confident about the MASS that the initial niggling issues will be handled efficiently and I wasn't wrong in that assumption. Below is the list of issues

During first service @ 3K kms, following parts were replaced under recall

1. RESONATOR VACUUM
2. VACUUM MODULATOR EGR
3. FUEL DELIVERY MODULE (FDM)

Coolant leakage problem fixing and coolant replacement under warranty @ 13,292 km

Left door rattling issue - Foaming & 75 point check-up (Mega Service Camp) @ 19,751 km

Co-driver side belt replacement (under warranty) @ 40.5K km

LHS Fog lamp replacement @ 42,336 km

Battery replacement @ 44,000 km

[AutoIndian]

The left hand side brake lamp of my TUV was not working for last couple of weeks. I was ignorant about it until my son pointed that out during our Christmas trip. I tried to reach out to Kundan Motors, Chinchwad, but came to know that they have stopped servicing Mahindra cars as the owner has taken up OLA servicing. The person there suggested me Shiv Autowings, which is at a stone's throw distance. Unfortunately they didn't have the TUV brake lamp in stock and even after repeated follow up for 2 weeks they were not bothered to procure one. I then turned to Sahyadri Motors, Wakad, near Balaji Nursery. Got an appointment within 3 days of calling them. Went there today morning and job was done within 45 minutes. This is a very good facility. Ample parking space in front and backyard. Driver lounge area is pretty decent and all bays on the shop floor are completely visible from here. Staff was also found to be very courteous and professional. I am planning to do my next servicing from this facility. Only issue is that it is 10 kms away from my home.

The job estimate and the final invoice was of the same amount Rs 387/- Strange part was that the bulb itself costed a meagre Rs 17/- and the major chunk of the bill Rs 370/- was on labor, removing the tail lamp assembly and putting it back. . Mahindra, not a fair way of making money.

[AutoIndian]

I can't believe myself that my last post on this thread was in Jan-2021 (exactly a year ago). Well there's not been much updates and the Orange Tank is just chugging along. Meanwhile since Jan-2021 (i.e. last one year), the tank has covered only 4K kms and the odo now stands at just a shade over 56K. The car really came in handy over the Christmas weekend where, 6 of us (my friends) travelled to Konkan on a trek to Nageshwar & Vasota. This was a 553km round trip, which had some really winding ghat roads in Konkan and also no roads in the jungle at the footsteps of Nageshwar. The roodf rack above happily gulped the luggage of 6 people and we could sit comfortably inside throughout the journey. Sharing few pics below from that trip.


First pit-stop for breakfast at Hotel Arana at Ghotawade Phata


Car parked on the outskirts of friend's village as the bridge connecting to his village (seen in the background) was washed away in the recent rains.


A beautiful cow shed in front of the RamVardayini Temple


At the foothills of Nageshwar Caves


Tank ready to take on the jungle road.

[AutoIndian]

Over the last weekend did a 754kms round trip to my native place, Malegaon & Dhule. Before the trip did a tankful and when I returned, dash was still showing DTE of 125kms. Did another tankful and the tank gulped 50 litres of diesel (for 754 kms) giving me a mileage of 15.08 kmpl, not bad for a 1.6 tonner. Speeds maintained were 90-100kmph for most part of the trip. During the onward journey I was alone and during the return, my parents accompanied me with their luggage. The tank performed flawlessly throughout the journey

I have another round trip to Nasik over this weekend. Seeing the increasing trend of my highway trips, I wanted to get the tyres replaced sooner than later. Hence today I got the 4 tyres replaced. Fitted the Apollo Apterra HT (same as stock tyres) for Rs 6100/- per piece. The dealer bought back the old tyres for Rs 400/- per tyre. So net effective price per tyre for me was Rs 5700/-. Fortunately all the 4 tyres had "0422" embossed for the date. This means each tyre manufactured in the 4th week of 2022, fresh from the factory. The dealer told me that these were billed from the company just a day ago. So I was very luck to get the latest manufactured tyre. Further details on tyre replacement can be found in the post mentioned below on TUV Official review thread.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post5248405

Now looking for the odo to cross the 60K mark so that I can get the car service done, which is long overdue. The 50K service was done exactly 2 years ago (Feb-2020)

[AutoIndian]

Yesterday afternoon I ordered the Jopasu Car Duster Combo from Amazon (for Rs 949/-. MRP was Rs 1078/-) & today morning it arrived at 10:00am, happy with the superfast delivery. May be since Jopasu manufacturing happens here in Pune itself, I got a quick delivery.


Here is the Jopasu Duster Combo pack with nice packing.


The bigger duster for car exterior cleaning. Its very light in weight & easy to handle.


The smaller duster for car interior cleaning. When you insert your hand, it has a nice velvetty feel


The older duster now retired after 15+ years of usage. It served me well for 3 cars, Indica, Innova & TUV

[AutoIndian]

Quoting myself from the previous post.

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

Now looking for the odo to cross the 60K mark so that I can get the car service done, which is long overdue. The 50K service was done exactly 2 years ago (Feb-2020)

Almost after 2 years and 3 months, the odo crossed the 60K mark (just 10K running in last 25 months, coutesy COVID restrictions). So on June 4th, I got the 60K service done from Sahyadri Motors, Wakad. It was a regular service with no major complaints (touchwood). Dropped the car at 11:30am & got it back at 08:00pm. Below is the break-up of parts & labor costs. Total hole in the pocket Rs 9317/-.

[drsingh]

Dear AutoIndian,
I am in the market for a vehicle again. There are three contenders. Ertiga vxi , Kia Carens base petrol , Bolero Neo T8. Would really appreciate your input as to pros and cons of the Diesel Bolero Neo vs the petrol MUVs.

Regards
Dr.Singh

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by drsingh

Dear AutoIndian,
I am in the market for a vehicle again. There are three contenders. Ertiga vxi , Kia Carens base petrol , Bolero Neo T8. Would really appreciate your input as to pros and cons of the Diesel Bolero Neo vs the petrol MUVs.

Regards
Dr.Singh

Hello Dr.Singh, nowadays I am quite disconnected from the world of automobiles. So I am not in a position to comment on the pros and cons of the Diesel Bolero Neo vs the petrol MUVs. I would only say that both Ertiga & Bolero are old designs (more than 7-8 years old), whereas the Kia Carens is very fresh. Aesthetically also its very pleasing to the eyes. Cannot comment the same for Bolero Neo & Ertiga. Also not aware about the engine options, but you can rest assured on that part.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by drsingh

Dear AutoIndian,
I am in the market for a vehicle again. There are three contenders. Ertiga vxi , Kia Carens base petrol , Bolero Neo T8. Would really appreciate your input as to pros and cons of the Diesel Bolero Neo vs the petrol MUVs.

Regards
Dr.Singh

Hi,

I own a TUV 300 too. Here's my take.

Since you're comparing apples to oranges at the moment (Ertiga and Carens have more usable 3rd row seats compared to the Bolero Neo) - I would suggest waiting for the Bolero Neo Plus 7 seater variant to launch this year. And then, you could be comparing apples to a different sort of apple in the Bolero Neo Plus - assuming in the 7 seater guise, the Neo Plus will come with front facing 3rd rows seats, as with the erstwhile Xylo.

The Neo Plus will be a different sort of apple for sure. The Ertiga and Carens will run rings around a Body on Frame vehicle for starters, on the highway. I feel the TUV 300 being pulled in different directions, aside from its vertical movements, on the open road. Monocoque vehicles such as the Ertiga and Carens will behave in a point and shoot manner; you'll seldom feel sideways movements. You can hold higher cruising speeds with them.

The Neo Plus will stick to the 2680 mm short wheelbase (from the older Scorpio), whereas the Ertiga and Carens come with longer specs on this front. Legroom will be better, but they will get in trouble when loaded and going over speedbreakers exactly due to this reason!

Where the Neo Plus will excel is on bad roads or when you load up or overload - it won't bottom out. Plus - there's all that always-available torque. Even with 8 people on board my TUV 300, I can pull from a stop effortlessly by merely lifting my foot off the clutch - that's stupendous! Please juxtapose that versus the 1.4 Turbo Petrol Caren's anemic behavior in 1st gear, for instance, as reported by many on the Carens official review thread.

[drsingh]

Originally Posted by locusjag

Hi,

I own a TUV 300 too. Here's my take.

Since you're comparing apples to oranges at the moment (Ertiga and Carens have more usable 3rd row seats compared to the Bolero Neo) - I would suggest waiting for the Bolero Neo Plus 7 seater variant to launch this year. And then, you could be comparing apples to a different sort of apple in the Bolero Neo Plus.

The point is to go shopping for fruit.Apples and Oranges are all on the table. By and large the limiting factor is the budget. Under 10 lakhs ex showroom. The mid variants of Ertiga/Bolero Neo and base variant of Kia Carens fit the budget.

Will not be selling existing WagonR or Linea. Therefore the Bolero Neo is a favourite due to RWD capabilities,as well as under 4m length. This makes for easier parking in the house.

As I usually go to Delhi once a month, The petrol options have an edge.

The other factor is to leech off Autoindians ownership experience as I did before when he drove an Indica.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by drsingh

The point is to go shopping for fruit.Apples and Oranges are all on the table. By and large the limiting factor is the budget. Under 10 lakhs ex showroom. The mid variants of Ertiga/Bolero Neo and base variant of Kia Carens fit the budget.

Will not be selling existing WagonR or Linea. Therefore the Bolero Neo is a favourite due to RWD capabilities,as well as under 4m length. This makes for easier parking in the house.

Well, if you don't really need the 3rd row, then go for the Bolero Neo. It has a way better Variable Geometry Turbo (compared to our TUVs' Fixed Geometry Turbo). Out on the highway, this helps in comparatively relaxed cruising.

The Bolero Neo has a slightly lowered ride height and is a bit lighter in weight too.

[AutoIndian]

Friends, 2 updates on my TUV. In the first week of Jan this year when I had been to my native place, the right front wheel of my TUV went into a 2' X 2' feet wide open chamber at parking speed with a loud thud. Fortunately, I could stop my car in the nick of the moment before the rear wheel could enter that chamber and prevent a catastrophe. I reversed the car but the damage was done. Front bumper was dislocated and the RHS fog lamp was dangling around. I wanted to start my 300km return trip but was apprehensive if the front wheel alignment has been disturbed. I removed the dangling fog lamp after 30 mins struggle and started my journey on NH3. Though the steering was stable and car going straight on plain road, I was hesitant to take it above 60 kmph speed. After I covered the 100km distance from Malegaon to Nasik, I got some confidence back and continued the further 200km journey at usual speed. I really admire the ruggedness of this tank and its ability to take any kind of beating, the front wheel alignment was intact and the tyre undamaged.

On reaching Pune, I went to Sahyadri Motors, Wakad to check if the bumper and fog lamp can be fitted back. Unfortunately the housing of fog lamp was broken and there was no other option but to replace both bumper and fog lamp. I went through the insurance claim route & within 4 days, new bumper was fitted and painted. Damage to the pocket was Rs 11,848/- and claim was approved for Rs 4720/-, the balance of 7.1K, I had to shelve out. Below is the invoice of the job.


For the last couple of months I was contemplating on some minor repair work. There was fuel leakage from diesel filter body, both the remote key fob's plastic had worn out and the inner circuit was visible, so wanted to replace the key fobs if it could not be repaired or upper plastic could not be replaced. Also wanted to change the rear wiper due to the onset of monsoon. Took an appointment of the nearby Shiv Autowings and went there this Monday. Told the SA about the repair work. Fortunately, he mentioned that the key fob cover was available separately (for Rs 100/-) and there was no need to replace the whole key fob as the key was working perfectly fine. That was really good news, and I got the upper plastic cover for both my remote key fobs replaced just for Rs 200/-. Fortunately, I was carrying the spare key as well and they had 2 quantities in stock. The leaking diesel filter housing was replaced with a new one, new rear wiper was fitted. Although front wipers were working fine, they were 3 years old, hence got them replaced as well. Car was handed over back to me within 1.5 hours, really good job by Shiv Autowings. Planning to get my next servicing done from them only. Damage to the pocket Rs 3.9K, below is the break-up. I had initially thought that the leaking filter housing was not causing any impact on car's performance but after I got it replaced, I could see a tremendous jump in the pickup. Earlier the car used to be a bit hesitatnt on second and 3rd gear but not anymore. I am also thinking this could have a positive impact on fuel mileage. Last 4 tankfuls fuel efficiency has been around 13.3 kmpl. Let's see if there is any improvement in that figure. That's it for the moment from the Orange Tank. Hoping and praying that it keeps chugging along & continue to give me trouble-free service.