[abirnale]

Originally Posted by Vasuki

The root cause may be keeping AEBS ON or driving style.
…..
@abirnale What's the service center's take on this brake pad wear

Nope - the AEBS isn’t that much the cause here. Hardly 2-5% if at all. The ASCs in fact have a clear guideline/ SoP to “inspect and replace” the front brake pads every 10K kms. In all my connects and observations from other owner’s talk, seeing it on other cars, 12-14K is a descent life for front pads. The ATs are little faster to deplete the life than MTs. Some rare highway only cars ahve done about 15-17K kms too. So of course it’s a driving style, terrain and how much brakes you use.

Happy New year - 2024!
The second half of 2023 was painfully slow and without much action. Here is to the hope of having much more fun-filled and adventurous 2024!

May your life in 2024 be a smooth ride over all undulations that life will throw at you in 2024:

https://youtu.be/TmPvxGfVTgQ?si=qCvU4q4eH7tLmsiB

Kick-starting the year with a small ride on our town outskirts:















Have a great year ahead!

[astro-wolf]

Have you dechromed front grill? It looks fantastic in the picture! And also matches the "Thar+ grill modification" vibe.

I am someone who has to research a lot before making even a small decision and hence I've not been able to do anything on my black(which is a dark magenta tint and not the black) XUV700 apart from the OEM rain visor on windows.

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by astro-wolf

Have you dechromed the front grill? It looks fantastic in the picture! And also matches the "Thar+ grill modification" vibe.

Yes, you are right! This was long due, got it done while I was waiting to pick up my son from the cricket match last weekend.

Another milestone - 55,555 on the odometer!
This came after a long time - longer than I imagined. #TheRedSparkle is 23 months old and this morning on the way to Ranganathitu Bird Sanctuary near Mysore, it crossed this mark



The five-fives came almost 10,000 km later than I imagined. On its first birthday, #TheRedSparkle had crossed about 35K kms and I hoped to hit around 65-70 by the second birthday. Seems like that is not going to happen!

Nevertheless, an impromptu drive to enjoy the early morning sunlight boat ride in the Ranganathitu Bird Sanctuary gave us a reason to enjoy the leisurely Sunday morning. Me and my son went for this short drive - had the opportunity to take the boat ride with a couple of friends there and clicked some winged miracles - enjoy the pictures!









































The pictures are in random order - currently, there are a lot of migratory pelicans and storks. In the morning time, you can watch them in action. They take beautiful flights, spoon the fish from the water while flying, and eat or feed their chicks. You can spot the Eurasian spoonbills in good numbers now. Early morning is also a good time to take a walk inside the bird sanctuary park - you can easily spot the tickels blue flycatchers, fantails, and a lot of grey hornbills. We did sight a pair of pied kingfishers too. We could also hear the bird-calls of a nightjar but they are hard to locate in thick vegetation and morning low light. Mornings are generally cloudy this week.

And two quick videos of a River Tern Call and the Rock Swallows singing the morning ragas:

https://youtu.be/4BEHiwXrOac

https://youtu.be/rWmVTqNv9hw

See you soon with another update sometime by the end of this month!

[abirnale]

The winter mornings and sunrises are mesmerising! The fog around forming the layer on the lakebed, numerous birds active for their morning food hunt, cool breeze reminding you to get a nice hot cup of coffee… this is how I love to spend my weekend mornings during winter.

And while entire town heads out “on parole” for long festival weekend, the lakes in our outskirts are pure bliss to visit. If you aren’t an early bird, you are missing on a great experience without spending money on costly homestay or long drives. Bengaluru and almost all towns have these lakes that offer great morning experience.

We just added another such lovely morning to our memory - our Lake Hopping continues:













We are also seeing some good bunch of birds including the migratory pelicans, terns apart from usual local ones! We are excited to make such short and some long trips for spotting those winged miracles!

Stay tuned for more updates - talking about the car, we are slowly inching towards 60K Kms mark (now at 56K Kms).

[tzasch]

Always enjoy reading your updates and travel pics. I have got a lot of insights about the car and learnt about new places! Thanks!

Can you make a post on the lakes in and around Bengaluru, it will be helpful for someone like me who is interested to go to such places

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by tzasch

Always enjoy reading your updates and travel pics. I have got a lot of insights about the car and learnt about new places! Thanks!

Thank you

Can you make a post on the lakes in and around Bengaluru, it will be helpful for someone like me who is interested to go to such places

Sure, good suggestion. I want to be extra-careful to post publicly - once you have your PMs enabled, ping me, I will share the list - as you explore, you will see more being shared with you! This thread is publicly available for viewing to anyone on internet. Please don’t mind - I don’t want to see this below sight to be common across our lakes, places to explore, hence not posting exact destinations I visits unless they are already well-known on for public. I am really sorry to disappoint you.

[tzasch]

I totally understood and agree with you. The pic you have posted says everything. It is our responsibility to make sure that these places wont end up like other popular places! I remember few lakes that me and my friends used to visit some 10/15 years back. It used to be so serene and away from crowd etc. But, now we can hardly recognise it, they are either gone or in a very bad state!

I will figure out how to enable DM and ping you, as I really want to explore the nature close to home!

Originally Posted by abirnale

Thank you


Sure, good suggestion. I want to be extra-careful to post publicly - once you have your PMs enabled, ping me, I will share the list - as you explore, you will see more being shared with you! This thread is publicly available for viewing to anyone on internet. Please don’t mind - I don’t want to see this below sight to be common across our lakes, places to explore, hence not posting exact destinations I visits unless they are already well-known on for public. I am really sorry to disappoint you.

Attachment 2560441

[abirnale]

Payment times!

It’s that time of the year - Insurance renewal, Adrenox subscription renewal and PUC! While we still have two weeks, insurance renewal is something various companies start you chasing 45 days in advance. And that is a good thing as you get enough time to use all quotes to negotiate better with each other, and get the best deal.

I switched from Tata AIG to Reliance for this year’s own damage part - third party is vaid for three years. And the all inclusive package costed me: INR 30,144.



On the Adrenox application, the complimentary subscription is ending in two years - first 25K batch customers had two years of adrenox given free. Third year onwards, we need to renew ourselves. The annual subscription fees are now slashed down to 2499 - so took that chance to renew Adrenox too.



We will do PUC test on the anniversary day - so it stays active for a year: we still have two weeks! And thus we are all set again for another year of ownership.

[abirnale]

Two years!

Whatever goes up generally ends up coming down too - the year that went by saw a lot of slowing down, a lot of rest, and easy-going schedules for #TheRedSparkle. The first year we ended the odometer at 35k km whereas the second year ended at 56789 km on odometer. That’s about 15k kms less than what we clocked in year 1. The slowness mostly owing to some family commitments and work situations. Regardless, #theredsparkle continued to be a fun and relatively stress-free ownership year! Of course, everyone loves their car and thinks it’s the world’s best car - nothing different with my car too!

For records, I would want to reiterate things that I am not happy with the car: probably my top 3 are:

• ICE is not the ideal setup. The gorgeous single-panel dual-screen display is wow at first sight but then the fun ends there. Frequently disconnecting Apple CarPlay, the worst ever integrated phone interfaces into the MID console for CarPlay and that occasional HHC error and blinking screen seem to be the gremlins M&M will never be able to fix. I meant never!
• TheRedSparkle is on its third set of tires now. The first one was low speed and noisy ones hence changed early. The second one from Continental lasted for only 35k km. The latest ones are Yoko H/T. It’s just next to impossible to procure nice A/T tires for the AWD. This tire size though now common seems to be extremely rare to have A/T support. Why do manufacturers choose such specs?
• Howsoever I drive the car, the front brake pads won’t last beyond 15k km. Though they work beautifully and inspire confidence, the running cost is higher! More importantly, it contributes to the reason that M&M ASCs wants to see you no later than every six months! With overflowing ASCs and not-so-very-skilled personnel across the country for these modern cars, it's an owner's nightmare to find quick support when you need it the most.

The availability of spares (sometimes things trivial like the synth engine oil and air filters run out of stock at ASCs!) is a big concern. It was ok to have scarcity in the first 6 months - it's a new model, a new car. Now even after 2.5 years, more than a lakh cars are on the road, and the issues with spares and consumables availability are a huge concern. The only positive side of this story is - that if someone is holding the M&M Auto stocks, keep holding on to them. Their order book is strong and you will get good returns on your investments!

The cost of the vehicle so far is:
OTR Price: 29,05,000
Total service cost: 71,628
Insurance renewal for second year: Rs. 34,613
Insurance renewal for third year: Rs. 30,140
Fuel cost: 4,77,594
KMs run 57,000 KMs

Overall FE: 10.71 KMPL
Fuel Cost per KM: Rs. 8.44
Service Cost per KM (including DEF and minor accessories if any): Rs. 1.26
Approximate Fastag/ Toll Tax: Rs. 40K
[Not tracking the cost of dual tone/ CR70 films, Washing and Cleaning, and Minor Accessories bought outside the M&M network]

Total ASC visits recorded: 26
Total Recalls on this variant and model: 03 (LCA, O Ring, Battery Connector Sleeve)
In-Drive trouble: 02 (brake pad issue owing to cut sensor wire, OBD light last Feb)
Abandoned trips: ZERO

My concerns at the time of buying that proved to be uncalled for:

• Zero issues with DEF so far. The car has done all kinds of roads, fast and slow drives. Has spent months altogether not going beyond 40Kmph speeds and none of this has ever caused any issues with DEF.
• No major safety issues and recalls on the car
• Warranty claims are super easy: LCA suspension was a major one that changed the character of the car!
• AT/ AWD is a great combo. I don’t think I will crave MT in the future (I want paddle shifters for sure though)
• New launches of M&M and Tata are buggy: contrary to this, my car from the very first batch of AWDs has fewer issues than some of the latest ones rolled out of the factory even today! For once the early adopters are treated with better quality! And yes, I don't need to put up with some stupid features such as smart-hybrid auto-start/ stop!
• A lot of folks ask me about FE. While I am not at all focused on this factor, I have always had numbers of 8-10kmph achieved during Bangalore city drives whereas 15-17kmpl is what I have seen on highways with sane driving. The problem with this car is, that it has got a nice engine mated with optimum TC that gets you carried away into a spirited drive before you know it!
• The AWD is a great to have utility. It has helped me go to places otherwise I would have avoided. Glad that I chose AWD over FWD.

And now to record the milestones, here is the fancy-looking odo number and clean PUC:





And few more pictures from last weekend stroll:



Thanks for reading - hope to bring you more stories and updates from drives soon!

[nova.19_exe]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Two years!

Whatever goes up generally ends up coming down too - the year that went by saw a lot of slowing down, a lot of rest, and easy-going schedules for #TheRedSparkle.

Whatever you say, but that dechromed grille just looks amazing! Better than any grille I've seen out there! It's just tastefully done! Cheers on the milestone brother! Here's to many more worry-free years with #TheRedSparkle!

[UNSC117]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Attachment 2571635
Attachment 2571634

Thanks for reading - hope to bring you more stories and updates from drives soon!

I've not really seen any red xuvs around. But I've got to say, that car looks goddamn incredible especially with that grill. Wishing have more happy kilometres.

[wadewilson]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Two years!

Whatever goes up generally ends up coming down too - the year that went by saw a lot of slowing down, a lot of rest, and easy-going schedules for #TheRedSparkle.

Dear abirnale, as a fellow XUV700 AWD owner, I wanted to ask:

• After the LCA upgrade, did the suspension setup really improve that much? I am asking because after the LCA replacement, the car still "crashes" over some patches of road. I am okay with the sound but really very concerned with the way the car crashes whenever I go over some bad roads. Does the suspension crashing issue occur with you as well or is that something only I am facing. Many have said that after LCA replacement, suspension improved significantly however, I haven't witnessed any such changes. I would love to hear your thoughts and inputs on this.

Thank you

[rpmmachine]

Could you please explain in detail about the LCA upgrade? I'm not aware of this, and the suspension on my XUV is bad too. But the dealer always ignore it, saying this is normal behavior.

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by nova.19_exe

Whatever you say, but that dechromed grille just looks amazing! Better than any grille I've seen out there! It's just tastefully done! Cheers on the milestone brother! Here's to many more worry-free years with #TheRedSparkle!

Thank you so much!

Originally Posted by UNSC117

I've not really seen any red xuvs around. But I've got to say, that car looks goddamn incredible especially with that grill. Wishing have more happy kilometres.

Thank you, thank you 🙏

Originally Posted by wadewilson

Dear abirnale, as a fellow XUV700 AWD owner, I wanted to ask:
After the LCA upgrade, did the suspension setup really improve that much? I am asking because after the LCA replacement, the car still "crashes" over some patches of road. I am okay with the sound but really very concerned with the way the car crashes whenever I go over some bad roads. Does the suspension crashing issue occur with you as well or is that something only I am facing. Many have said that after LCA replacement, suspension improved significantly however, I haven't witnessed any such changes. I would love to hear your thoughts and inputs on this.

Yes, the LCA has smoothened things for good. I can feel the difference of day and night. I generally don’t go too fast over bad roads but definitely maintain slightly more than normal speed - just the suv things. I can hear the crash sounds rarely. There is one thing that probably you also want to try: Keep the tire pressure all around to 35psi and see if it makes the difference. if not tried already. Or try experimenting with a PSI lower or higher. You would be surprised how much of difference that makes in ride quality. The specs are generic for pressure - based on the load you carry in car, it’s ok to make some variations to your liking. Also, once you arrive at the optimum PSI, just stick to the same place to top up air accordingly.

If the problem is still not sorted, I would worry about checking LCA one more time if there was something else also to be paid attention too. Maybe a rubber bush or two worn out on any suspension components? I am not sure if that could be the reason but you can also try taking the ride in some other similar variant car and “feel” the difference. After all it is also possible that some of us might not even ke realising that problem isn’t actually solved with LCA!

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by rpmmachine

Could you please explain in detail about the LCA upgrade? I'm not aware of this, and the suspension on my XUV is bad too. But the dealer always ignore it, saying this is normal behavior.

Sorry, I missed responding to your message. The details of LCA are well documented on the XUV7OO Review thread here: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post5581001 (Mahindra XUV700 Review)

It’s basically a slightly different design of Lower Control Arm Assembly that has smoothened out the noises for many cars. The ride has become better too. A test drive of your car with the ASC personnel who can understand the suspension working should be good enough to confirm if your car needs LCA replacement.

And just because I am anyway posting here, adding a few pics from another lake-hopping drive















Have a great week ahead!