[Mudhalaipatti]

And the XUV Crosses the 9000 KM Mark

9000km Update

Right after I descended down the hills and on to the plains, the driver side front suspension gave out a "Takk/"Thud". Every time I climbed a speed bump or started the vehicle from standstill or turned the wheel full, this sound would come out. On Monday the vehicle was at the service centre and the cotech mumbled something like "We had to adjust the torque ....". Now the noise is gone. But don't know what the root cause is and how could a brand new vehicle "loose it's torque". Unanswered questions. Two days of driving since and the suspension feels as good as ever.

The FE for the whole trip stood at a healthy 10.3 kmpl, which is not bad. Not bad at all.

The tire pressure in the hills dropped by a good 3 psi and started a warning chime. These days my tyre inflator goes with the car and after refilling confirmed that there was no puncture in the tyre. Just some pressure loss at this altitude. Something to keep in mind when this vehicle goes to the Himalayas.

Has my likes and dislikes of the vehicle changed after 9K ? Not really. Here is the top 5

Top 3 Dislikes (not many. Couldn't add 2 more to make it 5. Good job Mahindra)

1. Door Handles - This continues to be annoying till date. So I bought a keychain with lights.
   
   
   
   
   Sometimes, the handles don't retract and driving with unretracted door handles attracts a lot of attention.
2. Climate Control - This is providing to be nagging. XUV500 AC was fantastic. It was not just blowing arctic air in the cabin. It cooled the whole cabin. Not the offspring though. Yes, it does spew out cold air. But that's about it. The cabin doesn't cool down at all. No matter how many hours the AC is on. The moment the airflow is away from your body/face, you feel the heat. The moment you switch off the AC, you feel like sitting in an oven. Placement of the AC vent for the second row is just plain stupid. People sitting by the windows barely get any air.
3. Second Row Middle Seat - If the CIA sees the setup, it would lift the seat and use it for interrogating terrorists. No-one stands a chance to endure the middle seat for more than a few minutes. Don't know who uses the cup holder in the middle seat, which makes the seat back-rest hard. The bump on the floor doesn't help the discomfort.

Top 5 Likes

1. Engine - Enough said. This is just brilliant. (Barring the evap issue of course, which hasn't resurfaced yet)
2. Suspension/Ride Comfort - If a 600 km at a stretch drive doesn't make you tired, you have good company or a fantastic car. The driver side seat and passenger seat are heavenly. (barring the torque issue I experienced after the ghats run)
3. Breaking - Enough said already. Just great.
4. Quiet cabin - I get to hear my heart beating sometimes. The windshield is sound dampening. Little things that adds pleasure to your drive.
   
   
5. Overall Build Quality - No rattles till date which is a huge achievement. Even after driving through craters, there's no loose trim/plastic in the vehicle. Impressed.

[impala]

Originally Posted by impala

Issue is back

Thought I should give a quick update - they replaced purge valve, canister and tank on Sunday, and I took the car back yesterday. Immediately filled full tank and now waiting to see if the issue reoccurs. Unlike originally planned, they changed the purge valve also as they apparently learned that purge valve need to be changed once liquid petrol gets in it!. As per the SA, the tank is not updated but just a new piece! Only way to learn if the fixes worked seem to be wait-and-watch!

[Mudhalaipatti]

Originally Posted by impala

…… As per the SA, the tank is not updated but just a new piece! Only way to learn if the fixes worked seem to be wait-and-watch!

Thanks for the update. The explanation that the fuel tank was replaced with a similar design is disingenuous at best. I’m pretty sure Mahindra has a new tank design with the purge valve position changed. I can’t confirm with the pictures as my fuel tank is already mounted. Please see if you can PM me the part number of the new tank once you get the vehicle back.

[impala]

Originally Posted by Mudhalaipatti

Please see if you can PM me the part number of the new tank once you get the vehicle back.

Originally Posted by callmeneo

Is the vent line which is open to the surrounding at least at a higher position or location than the highest fuel level?

Did a little more digging around; sharing here just in case more folks are interested in knowing the details.

I believe you meant vent valve; purge valve is connected to the intake manifold. Spare part number for the tank in the repair order is 1001AAC00401N. Digging around boodmo, I do not see an old/new spare part number. Probably they did not change the number?

Looking at the diagrams that I took from boodmo, changing the fuel tank, only affects the vapour inlet to the canister. Vent line is connected to a separate part 'Fuel Filler Assembly'.

Fuel tank assembly (external link) with vapour inlet to the canister marked.



Fuel filler assembly (external link) with vent line marked.

[_DON_]

It's a different story that I am following this thread for the details on the XUV700, what I am learning more is the excellence with which metaphors are used

@Mudhalaipatti You are a master of metaphors and I have had a great time reading your threads so far.

Thanks for providing good information and being an excellent entertainer at the same time ��.

Originally Posted by Mudhalaipatti

And the XUV Crosses the 9000 KM Mark

9000km Update

Right after I descended down the hills and on to the plains, the driver side front suspension gave out a "Takk/"Thud". Every time I climbed a speed bump or started the vehicle from standstill or turned the wheel full, this sound would come out. On Monday the vehicle was at the service centre and the cotech mumbled something like "We had to adjust the torque ....". Now the noise is gone. But don't know what the root cause is and how could a brand new vehicle "loose it's torque". Unanswered questions. Two days of driving since and the suspension feels as good as ever.

The FE for the whole trip stood at a healthy 10.3 kmpl, which is not bad. Not bad at all.

The tire pressure in the hills dropped by a good 3 psi and started a warning chime. These days my tyre inflator goes with the car and after refilling confirmed that there was no puncture in the tyre. Just some pressure loss at this altitude. Something to keep in mind when this vehicle goes to the Himalayas.

Has my likes and dislikes of the vehicle changed after 9K ? Not really. Here is the top 5

Top 3 Dislikes (not many. Couldn't add 2 more to make it 5. Good job Mahindra)

1. Door Handles - This continues to be annoying till date. So I bought a keychain with lights.
   
   
   Attachment 2298739Attachment 2298729
   
   Sometimes, the handles don't retract and driving with unretracted door handles, attracts a lot of attention.
2. Climate Control - This is providing to be nagging. XUV500 AC was fantastic. It was not just blowing arctic air in the cabin. It cooled the whole cabin. Not the offspring though. Yes, it does spew out cold air. But that's about it. The cabin doesn't cool down at all. No matter how many hours the AC is on. The moment the airflow is away from your body/face, you feel the heat. The moment you switch off the AC, you feel like sitting in an oven. Placement of the AC vent for the second row is just plain stupid. People sitting by the windows barely get any air.
3. Second Row Middle Seat - If the CIA sees the setup, it would lift the seat and use it for interrogating terrorists. No-one stands a chance to endure the middle seat for more than a few minutes. Don't know who uses the cup holder in the middle seat, which makes the seat back-rest hard. The bump on the floor doesn't help the discomfort.

Top 5 Likes

1. Engine - Enough said. This is just brilliant. (Barring the evap issue of course, which hasn't resurfaced yet)
2. Suspension/Ride Comfort - If a 600 km at a stretch drive doesn't make you tired, you have good company or a fantastic car. The driver side seat and passenger seat are heavenly. (barring the torque issue I experienced after the ghats run)
3. Breaking - Enough said already. Just great.
4. Quiet cabin - I get to hear my heart beating sometimes. The windshield is sound dampening. Little things that adds pleasure to your drive.
   
   Attachment 2298738
5. Overall Build Quality - No rattles till date which is a huge achievement. Even after driving through craters, there's no loose trim/plastic in the vehicle. Impressed.

[Mudhalaipatti]

Originally Posted by impala

....

I believe you meant vent valve; purge valve is connected to the intake manifold. Spare part number for the tank in the repair order is 1001AAC00401N. ....

Sorry about that and you are right. The part number for my fuel tank is 1001AAC00391N. Part manufactured by Yapp India.

[impala]

Originally Posted by Mudhalaipatti

The part number for my fuel tank is 1001AAC00391N. Part manufactured by Yapp India.

Thank you for checking. I am unsure how to interpret the difference in part numbers; I think I have to wait and watch.

[sweetvar26]

Originally Posted by Mudhalaipatti

Lisk is the kind of place, you go to when you have a million rupees in your wallet and a few million rupees left in your glove box as spare change. Chocolates are like wine for me. I can't differentiate between a $10 wine to a $1000 one. All taste the bloody same. Anyway bought some so called "exotic" dark chocolates and a hot chocolate drink. The drink tasted much nicer. But not so nice after they charged me Rs.25 to pour it in to a paper cup with a lid. I might have as well poured it in my rain jacket pocket and drank out of it. The Almighty, as expected was livid at my comment and marched us out of the shop.

Beautiful pictures and had few laughs reading your travelogue. Thank you.

[Mudhalaipatti]

Red Rage gets a Calm Cover

From a sporty black and blue, the Red Rage gets a smoothing, calm car cover.

The sports cover was nice, it served it's purpose. But then, I ripped it while trying to dust it. What started off as a small rip, grew in to a long one and looked like a rag cloth on the car. Finally fed it to the dogs, who were happy to shred it to pieces.

I don't know what I was smoking the day I ordered the premium car cover from m2all. Perhaps I was thinking Amazon 2 day delivery. Didn't realise m2all operates with the same numeric, but a different qualifier. Took them just 2.............2 months to deliver. This after 4 agonising phone calls. I could have stitched it myself in 2 months.

Is the cover worth the Rs.3800 price tag ? Don't know. Yet. The Red Rage has been wearing this white cover for the last few days and is holding up ok. Looking at the car with this cover on, feels like looking at our Heroines in.........(Why risk the family friendly nature of this thread...I leave it to your imagination). You could see the paint color and curves and undulations.

Also the fit is a little too tight, unlike the other one. Also this one has only one strap. Not sure how well it would hold up in heavy winds. This cover is advertised as helping keep the car not get very hot in summers. In the last few days, I couldn't feel the difference. It felt the same - Walking in to an oven. I better get my oven mitts in the glove compartment. Who wants to be part of the change.org petition to change the name of the Glove Compartment to Oven Mitts compartment ?

Pics from some other angles.

As expected it attracts fair bit of dust and has already accumulated stains. I'll let it collect some more of dirt...err...poop..and then report back.

Initial verdict - Not very impressed, especially having to wait 2 months for this premium peace flag.

[Mudhalaipatti]

Red Rage Completes the 2nd Labour Free Service at 10K and bill amount is Rs.3539.

Engine Oil - 6L
Oil Filter
Carbon Filter

Tyres were rotated and balance checked.

Just before this service - For the first time in a very long time, got to drive to Chennai and Back all alone.... this vehicle is definitely built for the highways. Usually when I take this road, a BWM or an Audi would cut in to me and zip, zoom past me. Naa, not this time. If I mentioned the top speed here, I would be perma banned and so will let you ride your imagination.

I can't praise the braking on this vehicle enough. Phenomenal for such a heavy vehicle. The stopping distance is unbelievably short. Coming from the 500, this is a quantum leap in bite. I know, I know. I sound like a broken record here. I'm awe with the braking and handling.

Driving this behemoth on the narrow lanes of Trichy is akin to shoving an elephant through a needle hole. And its driving me mad, especially when the almighty pronounces that I love the car more than anything else, when I drop her off a half a km from the destination and ask her to walk in 40C pleasant weather. I don't think she was being fair. What do you think

And so after much discussion, where I get to present the case and the Almighty says a lengthy "No", the almighty now agrees that we need a second car, just for the city commute. And so wise souls of TBHP, what car should I buy ? Here are my requirements

• Size - This is the most crucial one. Should fit 4 adults and have a smallish footprint, errr tire print, for easy city commute.
• Price - Under 5L
• Manual Vs Automatic - Prefer an automatic
• Used Vs New - Doesn't matter as long as I spend bare minimum on maintenance. At the same time, want to avoid the immediate depreciated cost associate with a new car.
• Petrol Vs CNG - Undecided. While I like to keep the fuel cost to the lowest, both fuel prices seem to be climbing up in tandem. Will probably use for it for 4 years and then switch to EV. Current price of EV is prohibitive.
• Daily commute of probably less than 20km.
• Creature Comfort - Power Windows, AC (Climate Control if it's available in this price range). Not looking for any other bells and whistles.

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by Mudhalaipatti

Here are my requirements

• Size - This is the most crucial one. Should fit 4 adults and have a smallish footprint, errr tire print, for easy city commute.
• Creature Comfort - Power Windows, AC (Climate Control if it's available in this price range). Not looking for any other bells and whistles.

Get a used Wagon-R AMT. It will be the best fit for your needs as a beater car.

[sanman18]

Originally Posted by Mudhalaipatti

And so after much discussion, where I get to present the case and the Almighty says a lengthy "No", the almighty now agrees that we need a second car, just for the city commute. And so wise souls of TBHP, what car should I buy ? Here are my

You can try S-presso. Powerful engine with good FE. AMT is very easy to drive. Footprint is very small .

[niteshsharmab]

Dear Sir. Extremely interested thread and your car in red looks awesome to say the least.

Can you highlight how much fuel efficiency are you getting in city and traffic conditions. Thank you

[fazalmirza]

Originally Posted by Mudhalaipatti

And the XUV Crosses the 9000 KM Mark

9000km Update

Right after I descended down the hills and on to the plains, the driver side front suspension gave out a "Takk/"Thud". Every time I climbed a speed bump or started the vehicle from standstill or turned the wheel full, this sound would come out. On Monday the vehicle was at the service centre and the cotech mumbled something like "We had to adjust the torque ....". Now the noise is gone. But don't know what the root cause is and how could a brand new vehicle "loose it's torque". Unanswered questions. Two days of driving since and the suspension feels as good as ever. [/list]

What's the latest on this sir ji?
Please tell me the nasty thud has vanished!

[Mudhalaipatti]

Originally Posted by niteshsharmab

Can you highlight how much fuel efficiency are you getting in city and traffic conditions. Thank you

City FE in bumper to bumper traffic is around 10 KMPL
Highway FE, keeping under 2k rpm is around 13 KMPL

Originally Posted by fazalmirza

What's the latest on this sir ji?
Please tell me the nasty thud has vanished!

It's been a while since I last updated. I have been busy relocating to coimbatore, which consumed almost a full month. The Red Rage has now clocked almost 13K and I must start with the 10K service.

I gave the vehicle for 10K service to Shiva Automobile service centre in Trichy and the vehicle came back the same day with the usual items

1. Engine Oil Replacement
2. Engine Oil Filter Replacement
   And
3. Tyre Rotation/Wheel Alignment

The last one was interesting and this was not a recommended item in the service manual. Anyway I received the vehicle and start driving it. Right off the bat or rather clutch, the vehicle feels different. The steering is haywire. The steering wheel is hunting. Doesn't stay in one place. Earlier while driving over the same potholes, it felt like I was flying over them. Not anymore. The steering feedback is jut too much. It's tiring to keep the steering steady.

Also I sense uneven resistance to turning, uneven return to centre position and what not. One of my most liked feature is this steering setup and having lost it, feels like loosing a limb. I think of taking it to Shiva Automobiles to correct it, but then I'm not too convinced of the capabilities and decide to wait it out. I was going to Coimbatore anyway in a few weeks time and so I drive with this strange setup.

But then the steering feedback is just too much. I steer extremely light and so this uneasiness is palpable. Take it to a Tyre shop for wheel balancing and alignment, thinking that it could be a case of improper alignment. But even after this third party alignment, the vehicle feels the same. i.e uneven steering.

And finally I'm in Coimbatore and the folks at CAI were prompt in returning my call to take a look at the vehicle. Man, the traffic in Coimbatore needs a separate thread in itself. I was not prepared for this, would be an under statement. Anyway, take the vehicle to CAI Coimbatore at 9.30 and the Service Head had already briefed the Co Tek and another technician and we take the vehicle for a ride.

During the initial 5 minutes, I take time to explain the issue to the Co-Tek and he listens intently. Barely 30 seconds after I finish, he tells me that he knows what the problem is and asks me if I can stay for an hour to get the problem corrected. Uh what - under an hour for correcting the steering issue and the software flashing ? Back in Trichy, those guys would have a full day. Anyway I was pleasantly surprised and wait in the lounge. Just past the 45 min mark, the Service Manger walks in and tells me that the job is complete and we can go for a test ride.

This is amazing. First the Co-Tek acknowledged, understood and diagnosed the issue within such a short time and going well beyond, delivered the fix under an hour. So take the vehicle and I could sense the steering had improved, but wanted to drive on some craters to validate. I was short on time and got back home. And have been driving for a couple of weeks now and the steering is back to it's normal self.

Some key observations from this interaction.

XUV700 has EPS - Electronic Power Steering. I.e steering has it's own motor and the torque delivered by this motor is controlled by the ECU. And as you can imagine, the torque is higher during lower speeds and lesser in higher speeds and it's finely calibrated.

10K service doesn't mandate a tyre rotation. However if it's done, there's a SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)/SRS that involves taking a baseline before wheel alignment and then calibrating using the software. In my case, the wheel alignment at the Trichy Service Center was done without the software calibration and that resulted in inconsistent steering feedback and subpar driving experience in general.

While it appears that this SOP/SRS is standard process and should be followed for all vehicles with EPS, being a new vehicle, I suppose the Service Center missed to follow it.

And so the vehicle is back to it's normal self, no suspension sounds, no uneven steering feedback.

Got to wash the car after a while and noticed tiny scratches and streaks in the rear bumper. Looks like quite a few butt kissing happened in Coimbatore and I didn't feel anything.

Almost always I use the power washing method and don't touch the car unless it's heavily soiled. And when I do have to use the manual method, I go with the two bucket method, taking extreme care to avoid swirls. Even with this precautions in place, the vehicle has visible streaks in one unlikely place. Not the metal surfaces, not the front facia. But rather on the rear brake light plastic casing. Uh !!

Sorry guys for the boring text only post. It would take a few more weeks to get in to a rhythm and I shall post some pics of the Red Rage in action.