[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by Sommos

When you press the unlock button only the driver side door opens. All the other three doors remain unlocked and cannot be opened from outside. You press the unlock button a second time and all the other three doors open up.

No need to worry - that's the Selective Unlocking feature, which can be enabled or disabled in Settings. Single press to unlock the driver's door and the boot lid and two presses to unlock the rest of the 3 doors - the co-passenger's & both the rear doors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLudOlV5XMs

Find it in Settings and disable it if you don't require it.

[Sommos]

Replacement of the Lower Control Arm :

During the Second Free Service (on 05-01-2023), the service centre refused to change the lower control arm even after my complain. I was very dis-satisfied with this and had even recorded my comments on the RO. I waited for about a week, hoping that someone from the service centre would read the comments and reach out to me; but that did not happen. Then on 13-01-2023 I twitted to Mr. Anand Mahindra, narrating the whole issue and also raising the question about the rear sequential lights. From my experience I have seen that this is one very effective way of getting instant response from M&M. The tweet was forwarded from the Chairman's Office to the customer care and I received a call on my mobile within 2-3 hours.

My dealer had not submitted any requisition for the LCA kit and hence no kit was supplied to this dealer. M&M somehow arranged for a kit from UTKAL AUTOMOBILES, Bhubaneshwar to be tranferred to this dealer and I was called for the replacement on 17-01-2023. Initially I refused to visit till both the parts are received, but ultimately I had to visit because my dealer told me that my case was being followed-up at the senior level and they were keen to replace the LCA and submit an action taken report to HQ.

17-01-2023 -

Soon after I entered the service centre, my car was taken in and the replacement of the LCA was done on priority. On this date I observed a stark difference in the attitude of the SA as-well-as the workshop manager. The tyre rotation was voluntarily done by them and they also did the WA. The car was taken out twice for checking and they detected a fault with the RHS ball joint kit. This too was not in stock.






I had also reported a rattling noise near the B-pillar and I thought that there was something loose inside the cover that must be the cause of the rattling sound. To my surprise, the workshop manager, after two test drive detected that the RHS rear door was rattling and that caused the noise. The door screws were tightened and that sorted out the problem.

The car was handed over after washing and cleaning with a promise to follow-up about the Rear Sequential Indicator and the ball joint at the earliest. There is a substantial improvement in the performance of the car after replacement of the LCA.

After some days I was informed that the dealer has received 7 sets of RSI but some lights have been damaged in transit and not a single set could be completed. They are following up with the Plant for replacement. This story continued for another two weeks and then again on 04-02-2023 I re-tweeted my earlier post to Mr. Anand Mahindra with an update that this is still pending.


Rear Sequential Indicators :
09-02-2023 -

This time I did not receive any immediate call but on 07-02-2023 I got a call from the GM-Services that one pair will be reaching the dealer by next day and I can visit the showroom on 09-02-2023 for the rear sequential indicators.





This time I saw that one pair of the light (four boxes) has been arranged from Paramount Automotives, Jeypore, Odisha. The original tails lights were taken-off and replaced by a new set with sequential indicator lights. Some software update was also done by the Co-tek, which took around one hour. Thereafter, the inner ball joint assembly was replaced and WA was done.

All the jobs were done under warranty and hence no charges was billed to me. After a test drive the car was handed over to me. They insisted on washing the car but from my experience I know that it waould take more than one hour to wash the car, so I refused. Now my car delivery is complete after seven months and nine days.

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by abirnale

There is never a dull day in the life of M&M Vehicle owners!

After owning my first M&M vehicle for the last eight months, I can safely second the above opinion. I did encounter some software glitches during the first 7 months but the issues never persisted for long. Shut down and restart the car after a couple of minutes and whatever issues were there used to go away. Thus I never had much of a complain.

But after the last software update done by the SC on 09-02-2023, I have started noticing the blank screen issue very often - 3 times in the last one month, to be exact.

First time : (don't remember the exact date) It happened at my residence. The issue did not sort-out after a restart and I had no idea what to do next. So I dumped the car and took the Activa to wherever I was going. Next day morning, the car started as usual.

Second time : Date : 28-02-2023. This happened on the way to my office in the morning. I had stopped to pick up a colleague and when I started the car, both the screens were blank. Re-started the car twice but nothing changed. It was around 09:00 hours and the SC would only open around 10:30 hours. In utter frustration I slowly started driving the car, thinking somehow to reach office first and then contact the SC later and get the thing checked properly.

Hardly had we moved 200 mtrs., both the screens lit up, followed by the HHC sign. The following picture was taken after reaching office.




Third time : Date : 07-03-2023. The same issue croped up again today morning. Learning from the last experience I started driving the car cautiously. Just as it happened last time, within 200 - 250 mtrs. both the screens lit up followed by the HHC sign in the RH screen. After the things settled down, I took the following picture.

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by Sommos

…But after the last software update done by the SC on 09-02-2023, I have started noticing the blank screen issue very often - 3 times in the last one month, to be exact….

That “error” seems like “divide by zero” exception in the code that wasn’t code reviewed/ unit tested in the name of “release date” and upstream activity delays eating up into downstream activity timelines and causing the quality glitches!

I have just become more immune to this car’s tantrums - I know she needs attention and creates all these scenes every now and then. Twice my long trip was “almost washed” out - thankfully i was holding onto my nerves and continued. Hope someone from M&M is listening to these issues and doing what needs to be done. And prayers for all owners to not get stuck anywhere on the road due to these nonsense software glitches. Wish there was aswitch that said - “turn off bling to keep engine running”!

[steadfast]

Originally Posted by abirnale

That “error” seems like “divide by zero” exception in the code that wasn’t code reviewed/ unit tested in the name of “release date” and upstream activity delays eating up into downstream activity timelines and causing the quality glitches!

I have just become more immune to this car’s tantrums - I know she needs attention and creates all these scenes every now and then. Twice my long trip was “almost washed” out - thankfully i was holding onto my nerves and continued. Hope someone from M&M is listening to these issues and doing what needs to be done. And prayers for all owners to not get stuck anywhere on the road due to these nonsense software glitches. Wish there was aswitch that said - “turn off bling to keep engine running”!

With all cars becoming so much digitally dependent, I sometime fear that someday hope a small 0 error does not become a May Day for driver.

[Sommos]

Chilpi Ghati & Bhoramdeo Temple :

Went for a short ride to Chilpi Ghati so that my son could have the experience of driving in the ghat section. It was at a distance of 150 KM from our place on NH 30 near the Kanha Forest Range. The weather was overcast with some light drizzle at some places – overall a very good one for a family outing. The route was through some village roads (SH) till we catch NH 30 at Bemetara. The SH in the state has been recently recarpeted in Dec’22 – Jan’23 in view of the state election in Nov’23 and all roads were in very good condition.

We though could not reach the destination because of an accident on the road between a truck and a pick-up van. The accident had happened just 5-10 minutes before we reached the spot and there was no way to cross the spot. The vehicles can be removed only after a “Panchnama” is done by the police and several trucks were waiting on both sides of the accident spot. Without waiting further we came back to the nearest roadside dhaba and thought what we could do next.

Nearby is the BHORAMDEO temple, which is very famous in CG – and we decided to visit the temple.

History / Background :

Bhoramdeo Temple is a complex of Hindu temples dedicated to the god Shiva in Bhoramdeo, built at the foot of the thickly forested scenic backdrop of the Maikal range of hills, in the Daksina Kosala region, which is in the present day Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It comprises a group of four temples of which the earliest is a brick-temple. The main temple is the Bhoramdeo temple built in stone. The architectural features with erotic sculptures has given a distinct style akin to the Khajuraho temple and the Konarak Sun Temple in Odisha, and hence the Bhoramdeo complex is known by the sobriquet the “Khajuraho of Chhattisgarh”.

The temple complex, highlighted as a “scintillating poetry in stone”, is credited to Nagwanshi Kings who practiced tantrism and who ruled in the then Southern Koshal region, which is now the state of Chhattisgarh. As the Gond Tribals of the area worshiped Lord Shiva whom they called Bhoramdeo, the temple was also named Bhoramdeo with the Shiva Linga deified in it. Bhoramdeo temple, built of stone, and dated to the 11th century, which is older than the Khajuraho Group of temples is considered an “outstanding structure”. It has profusion of carved images on its exterior walls.

A few pictures of the temple :-





























The Orion




The mileage -

http://youtu.be/bWHIoCzcQNc

https://youtu.be/tnpIYAldmr0

Latest update on the car :

After the tantrums that were reported on my earlier post no # 48, I went to the SC and had another round of software update. The Co-tek was very helpful on that day, he listened to the problems and personally did the software update. The issues have not repeated any further (touchwood).

However, the media monitoring team of M&M suddenly picked-up my one-and-half month old post and forwarded the same to the local ASM and SC on 26-04-2023. In the evening I was suddenly flooded with 3/4 phonecalls and I had to painfully explain to each one that it was a thing of the past, the software has been updated after that and the issue has not repeated again during the past one month.

[Sommos]

Drive to Pune - M&M plant visit

One fine afternoon (28th April) received the above invitation from M&M. I Dialled the toll-free number as soon as possible and booked a slot. In the evening, I narrated the whole thing to my spouse; I knew she would be very excited, as visiting Pune meant a chance to meet and stay with our son.

During May, I was busy with Annual Accounts Closing and Statutory Audit, and there was no further communication from M&M. Sometime in the third week of May rang up the toll-free number again and asked for confirmation. They verbally confirmed our booking on 27th May (the fourth Saturday) and informed us to proceed with hotel booking and other planning for the journey. Our stay was booked at Courtyard Marriott, Chakan, which was very near to the M&M factory. The route would be Bhilai-Nagpur ORR-Samruddhi Mahamarg up to Shirdi-Pune (Chakan). I had read about accidents and the lack of facilities on the Samruddhi Mahamarg – so I was in a bit of a dilemma. Sufficient dry fruits, sweets and other snacks were carried in anticipation.

The Journey :-

We started just before midnight of 24th May from our home, and Bhilai to Nagpur drive was smooth. However, I had to search to fill the tank before entering the expressway. Finally, we found a BPCL pump that was open just before entering the Hyderabad by-pass and filled the tank. Crossed the toll booth on Nagpur ORR at 03:56 AM and may have entered the Samruddhi Mahamarg 15/ 20 minutes after that.

At the entrance of the expressway, there is a huge roundabout (I noticed this only while returning), and the road is illuminated for quite a distance, which makes it prominent at night. I had heard many stories of police checking the vehicles, especially the tyre conditions at the entry to the E-way. Frankly, I did not witness any such checking at the Nagpur or the Shirdi entrance during the return journey. There was very scarce traffic from the Nagpur side, and the triple lane E-way was empty. The lanes are clearly marked; the left lane is for HV, the middle is for LMV, and the right is overtaking lane. There are several signboards with the above instruction showing the max speed limit for each class of vehicles. Set the ACC at 105 KMPH and had a cool journey for about six hours on the Samruddhi Expressway. Though this is an access-controlled E-way, I did notice a couple of bikes – I don’t know how they managed to enter. The e-way was blocked with barricades at Shirdi, indicating the end of the road – which was opened up the next day till Mumbai. Overall it was an extremely soothing experience. The toll from Nagpur to Shirdi was Rs. 900.00, and the exit time at the Shirdi toll gate was 09:55 AM.

We realised we should have carried tea/coffee in a flask as you would not get any decent tea/coffee on the route. We decided to have breakfast at the Marigold Regency, where we stayed earlier. After a refreshing breakfast with a cup of tea & coffee and an hour's break, we started for Pune. There were several crossroads in this part, and I had trouble staying on route as the Vi sim of the XUV700 lost connection, and the maps started behaving erratically. Finally, my wife’s Android mobile came to the rescue, and we reached Courtyard Marriott, Chakan, Pune, at around 02:00 PM. The check-in at the hotel happened at 03:00 PM, and we had to wait one long hour at the lounge; however, the hotel gave us a complimentary upgrade to a suite.

Some pictures of the morning sun on the route:-







26-05-2023:- For the next two days, I did not get to drive the car as the keys had been taken over by my son. In the end, he was thrilled to have driven such a big car on the busy roads of Pune without any words of caution from me. We spent our time in the Phoenix Mall and also went to Tiger Point, Lonavala, to enjoy the sunset. On our return from Lonavala in the evening, we also had an experience with the horrific traffic on the Mumbai-Pune H-way.

Mahindra plant visit (27-05-2023) :-

We were instructed to park our car in an area earmarked for visitors just after entering the plant gates. The reception was just opposite the parking area, where we had to enter our details (KYC documents were already submitted to M&M earlier). They had arranged a bus to carry the visitors, but since we were early, we were taken in an XUV500 to the Body Parts Shop, where they had arranged breakfast. There were 42 confirmed bookings, out of which 36/37 turned up. Slowly everyone arrived by 09:30 AM, and there was a brief introduction with a presentation and instructions. The team provided some guests with safety shoes and aprons, and we finally started the visit at 10:15 AM.

The team offered the following shops, and the group can choose any three :
a. Press Shop,
b. Body Shop,
c. Paint Shop and
d. Assembly Bay.

A test drive on their internal test track with a demonstration of all the ADAS features (mainly for those who have not received their car yet) was also part of the programme. The group decided to skip the Press Shop and visit the rest.

The Body Shop : The monocoque structure consists of three parts – the rear (from second-row seat to the boot), the mid (front of the second row to the dash) and the front (i.e. the engine bay). All three parts are fed to the production line from three different conveyors from the sides and welded together by robotic arms to form one single piece.

In the second part, the sides are fitted in place and welded; in the third part, the roof is fitted in place. Each car body is machine-checked after this stage.

The paint shop:- The Electrocoating area was not shown to us. The group was taken straight to the area where the sealants were applied to the cars. The sealant application was manually inspected and corrected by manual intervention at an intermediary stage. One floor above this is the ultimate production line where the base coat and the clear coat are applied, and the whole line is vacuum sealed. A group of technicians manually checks the final product for certification/rejection.

The certified painted bodies are stored in a huge multilayered frame sort-of structure within the same building.

The Assembly Shop/ XUV 700 Shop:- This area was huge in size and spread, and the group was allowed to walk in only one straight path where we could observe men working on both sides. Here the production line keeps moving at a set speed, and each group moves with the vehicle (up a small distance) and performs their job simultaneously. Each group/workstation consists of four to eight technicians, and each team is entrusted with performing one job; one team fit the engine & front suspension, the next fit the dashboard etc. Each workstation is fed with the required/ designated assembly from the side. Every team works in such unison and cohesion and also completes the job within the scheduled time – it was really beautiful to watch the groups perform.

At the end of this production line, we saw how a naked automobile body transforms into a beautiful piece of engineering marvel. One batch of KUV100 cars was also being assembled in the assembly shop. They were LHD and for export purposes. This is the shop where the group photo was taken, and we also took the liberty to snap a couple of shots.

The Test Track:- After coming out of the assembly shop, each vehicle is tested in the test track to check the suspension set-up, the alignment and the ADAS features and finally certified as “ready for dispatch”. M&M has a small 2.5 KM test track within the plant. Our group was taken to the test track before the Assembly shop visit, and the purpose was to explain and demonstrate the ADAS features in real-world driving conditions. The prospective buyers were excited to experience a live demonstration of these advanced safety features – mainly the Lane Keep Assist, AEBS and the ACC.

The plant visit was followed by lunch at the Courtyard Marriott, Chakan, and each of us was gifted with an M&M coffee mug and leather key chain before they parted.




Return on 28-05-2023:- We returned to Bhilai the next day via the same route. Despite all our efforts, we could start only at 10:00 AM and reached home half an hour past midnight. Our return journey to Nagpur was uneventful, but after that, we lost two hours due to road blockage at three different spots by the local administration (for reasons unknown to me), plus we had to stop for dinner on the way.

During our return, we saw an accident (which may have occurred some 10/15 minutes before our arrival). The car was a grey-coloured hatchback, which had turned 180 degrees, and the front left hub seemed broken. Six / seven cars were already there, and people were helping the victims out of the vehicle. One aged lady, with multiple cuts & bruises on her body, had just been taken out of the back seat and was sitting on the road. Another lady was still there in the rear seat.

At the end of the day, Orion brought us safely home after a memorable driving experience.

The Shirdi and Nagpur toll :


Road ahead :


Onward & return journey stats :


Lonavala :


Short video of the trip :

https://youtu.be/RuXDr9jIJPg

[Sommos]

Toll details for the Pune trip :

Pune 2023 toll.pdf


Meanwhile the car continues to behave as earlier - mechanically perfect and lovable but electronically weird and unpredictable at times and M&M is not doing anything to help the misery of the customers by stabilising the Apple Carplay. The sim disconnect message has started flashing lately and that too within the city - never happened before within city limits.




The old (and now common across the forum) issue of the screen going blank, has also repeated itself many times. However, I have learnt not to be perturbed by this. I start the car and continue to drive and the screen comes back on-its-own after driving for 200/ 300 mtrs., followed by the HHC sign across the screen and then things become normal as shown in the picture below -




On saturday midnight, while we were travelling to Nagpur, suddenly both the screens went completely blank. My wife was also taken aback by this sudden incidence. Fortunately both the screens came back after 4 - 5 seconds. This was a new one for me.

The car is nearing 19K (12 months period) and the third service at 20K is coming soon. Also I have a drive planned to Gurgoan in the first week of August - need to complete the 20K service prior to this. I have planed to take up the following issues with the SC during my next visit :-
a. Replacing the silver box - to see if that makes any difference.
b. The "football-in-the-boot" issue - at times it becomes very irritating.

[tp_dominator]

Originally Posted by Sommos

During our return we saw an accident (may have occurred some 10/15 minutes before our arrival). The car was a grey coloured hatchback, which had turned 180 degrees and the front left hub seemed broken. Six / seven cars were already there and people were helping the victims out of the car. One aged lady, with multiple cuts & bruises on her body, had just been taken out of the back seat and she was seating on the road. Another lady was still there on the rear seat.

I have been silently following your thread for the updates you post. I hope all the issues with your Orion are resolved in the 20k service.

I think you meant to write the dates as May instead of June. I guess we crossed each other on the Samruddhi Mahamarg (opposite directions though) on the same day as I also saw this accident from the opposite side (plus I was also travelling on 28th May). The car was a Grey Tata Tigor. But since many had already stopped and saw an ambulance nearing as well, I continued.

Everytime I am on Samruddhi, I have seen a few accidents. Makes me drive a little bit more cautiously. You wasted precious time on the day though. While coming from Raipur, I never encountered any blockages though. Started at 11 AM from Raipur, was at Pune home by 12 AM.

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by tp_dominator

I have been silently following your thread for the updates you post. I hope all the issues with your Orion are resolved in the 20k service.

Thanks for your good wishes.

Originally Posted by tp_dominator

I think you meant to write the dates as May instead of June.

That was a glaring mistake on my part - thanks for pointing out. I have reported the same to the Mods, and that has been corrected.

Originally Posted by tp_dominator

Everytime I am on Samruddhi, I have seen a few accidents. Makes me drive a little bit more cautiously. You wasted precious time on the day though. While coming from Raipur, I never encountered any blockages though. Started at 11 AM from Raipur, was at Pune home by 12 AM.

The XUV 700 has transformed me into a defensive driver. I always keep the ADAS features on - I don't find any justification not to use the safety features for which I have paid. I know that my car will brake suddenly even if a pedestrian comes in front of the car. So I always try to drive in such a way that the car does not have to apply AEBS (auto emergency brake).

[Sommos]

Snippets from the M&M plant visit :

1. Apart from me driving 950 KM for the plant visit, there were few other owners who had travelled long distance to attend the meet.
   Two owners had driven a single car from Bangalore.
   A couple had travelled from Hyderabad.
   A father-son duo had travelled some 470 KM - don't remember which place.
   Three friends had travelled from TN.
   Two couples had driven from Mumbai.
   Rest were from Pune.
   
2. Most of the people in the group have already received their delivery, but there were also a few who have already booked and awaiting delivery.
   
3. The M&M team repeatedly told us that the selection process was random, but when we discussed amongst ourselves, we noted that almost all have booked/ own the L variant.
   
4. Some owners reported the suspension noise in their car. The replacement of the LCA has been rejected by their respective dealers. The Sales team assured to take-up the matter with their respective dealers.
   
5. Others were also asked to report if they encountered any specific issue with their vehicle with a promise to follow up with the respective dealer.
   
6. From the suggestions received from the group, the Sales team readily accepted the proposal to fit the SD card right from the factory, as it involved minor cost. The request for the auto dimming IRVM and the ventilated seats, stable software etc. were noted with a promise that it will be placed before the management.
   
7. Since I had the intention of replacing the space saver spare with a full sized one in the future (cost Rs. 30K approx), I discussed the issue with the production head at the assembly shop. The idea was strongly discouraged as it would reduce the departure angle of the vehicle.
   
8. During the visit to the different shops, we saw only three different cars (personal segment) being processed/ manufactured - the XUV700, ScorpioN and the LHD KUV100.
   
9. M&M presently produces 200 nos. of XUV700 per day in the assembly shop. The KUV100 is also assembled in the same shop in batches.
   
10. The issue of increasing production was also discussed and the group was informed that the constraint is sourcing of critical parts from the OEM suppliers as well as the volatality in the world market. The L variant is still produced in fewer numbers due to the semi-conductor shortage and the AWD variant sometimes get stuck as the AWD kit is imported from Germany. These were examples given to the group.
    
11. The M&M plant at Chakan is the biggest and is spread over an area of approx. 636 acres of land.
    

[Sommos]

Third Service :

The Screen blanking issue at start was a recurring issue in the car and I had learnt to live with it, but off-late the screen went blank while the car was being driven and incidentally both the time it was midnight and we were driving to Nagpur. The screen came back within 3/4 seconds but nonetheless it was scary. So I had escalated the issue. I was assured from the RO-Bhubaneshwar that a new software update is due shortly and it would take care of these type of issues and I should wait till mid July. The new software release was first informed on the forum by @abirnale and on 12-07-2023 I was also informed by CC-RO and requested to book a service. The car had already crossed 19800 KM and so I booked for the Third Service on 14-07-2023.

On arrival at the SC found that my car has been assigned to a new SA - Mr. Vikash Goswami. After inspection the SA reported a couple of issues in the car even before I could tell him. That was a very pleasant surprise for me - so started a conversation with the fellow and came to know that he has joined only a week before after working for 5 years in MS.

Engine Oil : I insisted for the engine oil change at every 10K, as I have been following this routine for the last 10-11 years in my diesel cars. Last time the Maximile Ultra was used and I noticed an increase in the engine noise sometime after the 10K service. This time found that M&M has directed the SC to use Maximile Ultra V4, synthetic oil for all BS6 engines. Picture of the new engine oil can :-



Software Update : Learnt that the main co-tek (Mr. Ghule) has been shifted to Raipur and he visits this showroom only on Monday and Friday. This would be a great loss for the customers at Bhilai for he is a very knowledgable person. Luckily he was present on that day and the software update on my car was personally done by him.

Brake Pads : I was particularly worried about the remaining life of the front brake pads, as many have shared about front brake pad change in 15K KM approx. The mechanic opened up both the front pads and showed me that 7mm thickness (out of a total of 11mm) is still left in them.

Tyre rotation was also done by the mechanic but they did not opt for WA and WB.

Others issues : One major issue that is continuing from the last two / three visits is the driver side window not functioning properly. First time they updated some software, second time they lubricated the internal mechanism, but still the issue persists as-it-is right from the beginning. This time also they were not willing to change the motor and insisted on changing the steel lining/ beat on the door. However, the steel lining that they had was damaged and they promised to place order for the lining as-well-as the motor. Have to wait for the parts to arrive and another visit to the SC is due.

The football-in-the-boot issue is present in my car but could not replicate the same in the SC.

Six litres of DEF fluid was also filled and the DEF tank is now at 96%.

Casually requested them for the headlight levelling and found that the low beam was slightly down towards the ground than the recommended height. So got the same fixed.

As expected, washing the car took 2.5 hours. The car was really dirty due to the monsoons and I had already taken leave for the day - so decided to wait it out. The SA promised me to get the washing done within 1 hour and I cannot blame him - for twice I went to the washing area and I saw he was standing there trying to place my car ahead of the queqe.

Before I end, I must appreciate the efforts put in by the new SA (Mr. Vikash) and the difference in attitude from the existing SAs was perceptible. How far he can maintain this or if he also will adapt the existing culture - only time will tell.

[Sommos]

The ASC visit continues :

After the latest software update, the blank screen issue re-appeared again after exactly a week. The M&M CC at RO-Bhubaneshwar asked for a feedback about 10 days after the software update and I sent them a date stamped picture of the blank screen. The RO persued the ASC for reloading the software. In the meantime the ordered parts for the driver side window arrived on Monday (24-07-2023) and I was again requested to book a service. So visited the Service Centre on Friday (28-07-2023) for the driver side window and the software update (second time).

Driver side window : The technician told me that first the rubber glass runner channel would be replaced. They took out the existing peice and showed me that the rubber channel indeed was cut at one place. So the rubber channel was replaced and the window glass function was checked. The glass was still not functioning properly - one-touch up was not happening.

They made a detailed video of the glass movement and finally decided to replace the runners and motor. After the replacement, the window is now working properly. The warranty replacement approval was pending and they decided to let me go via a manual gatepass. Finally when I received the tax invoice on my mail, I noticed that only the rubber runner replacement was mentioned and the motor replacement was not mentioned in the invoice.

Pictures of the replaced parts :




Software update : A new co-tek has now joined this dealer and he has come from Lucknow. While the driver door job was being done, he was busy trying to reload the software. First attempt failed and he had to de-install the latest version from the ECU and then re-load the whole update patch. It took almost 3.5 to 4 hours, but finally the job was done.


Engine oil / engine noise : After running the car for 15 days with the synthetic Maximile Ultra V4 oil, the engine noise has certainly reduced. The engine is now almost as quite as it was at the beginning.


It is time to make another long journey to Gurugram for a family function and the Orion is now ready to streach it's legs.

[Sommos]

The 20000 KM update.

The way I drive, the way I handle a car, is an expression of my inner feelings.

- Lewis Hamilton.


Some men take good care of a car; others treat it like one of the family.

- Evan Esar

Orion has completed 20K KM in thirteen months and the journey has been both extremely enjoyable and safe. Orion did face its fair share of niggles but most things are sorted now and hope that the journey ahead would be more enjoyable. The LCA has been replaced under warranty and so is the driver side window (complete mechanism). The second key fob and the rear sequential turn indicators, which were omitted during the delivery of the new car, has also been provided subsequently by M&M. But sadly for getting each of the above jobs done through the M&M ASC, I had to create some noise and even resort to complaining at the highest level i.e. CMD.


My first experience with the local ASC was that I was not allowed to enter the premises, even though I had a valid service booking. During the last 13 months, Orion has visited the ASC 12 times – an average of almost one visit every month and out of these only three were for schedule services. Every time I complained, the GM-Service had to bear the burnt and except for him I have never seen any of the other staff/ members to be sensitive towards a premium customer - they simply do not have it in their DNA. I sincerely hope that M&M take note of this situation (specially in small cities with single dealership) and does something to improve the customer experience.

One thing that I absolutely enjoy with Orion is the refinement and power of the 2.2 L mHawk engine combined with the ease of driving. The max distance that I have driven is 1100 KM (1080 KM by Adrenox) at one go and the max speed that I have driven is 165 KMPH for a short burst on the Samruddhi E-Way. The things that need special mention are as follows :


Engine : The 2.2 L Turbo diesel CRDi engine with max power of 136KW/ 182 BHP @ 3500 RPM and max torque of 450NM @ 1750 RPM is superbly refined, and while the engine note is audible as you pile on the revs, it isn’t really harsh or intrusive. Performance is very impressive and clearly is a strong point of the car. Drivability is very good too, there’s ample torque, making the engine very tractable. The gear ratios are well spaced but seem a tad shorter geared, more for performance rather than efficiency.

Orion has returned fuel efficiency of 12-13 KMPL in 100% city drive and 15 KMPL in the highway drives. The overall mileage from start till date is 13.26 KMPL. Considering that Orion is AT + AWD variant, I am satisfied with the mileage.


EPS : The electronic power steering is extremely light at crawling speeds, which makes maneuvering this SUV easy even in the busiest of roads. It though weighs up with speed but is in no way comparable with a proper HPS system. Like most electronic power steering units, there’s not much feel or feedback from the EPS and this is one area where I feel the void. Members who have owned and driven a Fiat will easily understand this. But I can understand the logic and reason of M&M going for the mass market appeal and I am getting used to this.


Suspension : The XUV700 is sure-footed, composed even in triple digit speeds, easy and predictable to handle. The key to the XUV700’s transformed ride and handling is the superb suspension system, which has a McPherson strut suspension at the front and a multi-link independent suspension at the rear. Both have a stabilizer bar, while the dampers share high-tech frequency selective damping, similar to the Jeep Compass. The car is pretty much stable at high speeds and doesn’t feel nervous.


The multi-link suspension at the rear does its job to control the body roll and quick direction changes are handled properly. The car holds its line well through fast curves; it’s only when you push really hard that understeer starts coming in. The Bridgestone EP 850 does a fairly decent job - compared to the MRF and Appolo, this tyre does not make much noise and has a nice wet grip too.


AT gearbox : Orion carries a 6-speed Aisin torque-converter AT gearbox which is butter-smooth in normal/ day-to-day operation. It is not fast as a DCT but neither too slow and in daily driving conditions or even in slightly spirited drive it does its job just fine. There is only a slight change in the pitch when gear shift happens and very frankly most of the times I do not even notice the same. Never did I feel the need to shift to manual mode. However, when you press the accelerator hard, a discernible pause between shifts can be noticed and a very slight lag is felt below 1400 RPM.


ADAS : Orion carries level 2 ADAS features and I have used this right from the beginning, except only for the first 10-12 days. I now understand exactly how my car would behave under various conditions and I decisively act to avoid any emergency braking situation in real life conditions. After having driven manual cars without any / much electronic controls for over 34 years (approx.) I have now adapted to the electronic safety features provided in this car and I do find them helpful to reduce the stress on long highway drives.


I got the car at the launch price, which was an added incentive for me. There are some missing features like the auto dimming IRVM and ventilated seats (never had them in any of my earlier cars), as well as some niggles in the infotainment system and the software stability, but all these are insignificant in front of the brilliant engine, the drivability, the ride comfort and the handling. If these are not enough to say WOW!!! then I would bring out the incredible list of tech and safety features for discussion. This is indeed a killer product from M&M.

[Sommos]

I have been away from the forum for about six months now and I have failed to update this thread. The reason being I have been transferred from Bhilai Steel Plant, at Durg, Chhattisgarh, where I have worked for 23 years, to Chandrapur Ferro Alloy Plant (earlier called Maharashtra Electrosmelt Limited) at Chandrapur, Maharashtra. Professionally I have gone back by 12 years. Socially also, we are cut-off from all our friends and find ourselves in an old historic city with narrow lanes and unruly traffic and no accquaintance.

The plant, at Chandrapur, is located in the buffer zone of Tadoba (TATR) forest spanning over an area of 550+ acres, which also houses the guest house, employee’s and executive’s quarters etc. Leopard, sloth bear, peacock visit the guest house and adjacent residential area regularly. Even the executives living here are accustomed to such animal sightings. But the idea of crossing path with a leopard early in the morning or even in the darkness of the evening makes me very uncomfortable and I am not accustomed to living such life. Such instances really do happen once-in-a-while but the security team do find evidences like carcass of animals etc. in the vicinity of the guest house which shows that the leopards do visit the area on a regular basis. During my stay here I have seen many different species of spiders, some as big as my palm and insects. Some insects make an unbearable shrill noise at night that sometimes I wake up from my sleep. The only solotion is to spray some insecticide in the direction of the sound and hope that the chemical works - mostly it has worked for me. There is not a single shop inside the boundary area, except for an SBI ATM, and for everything one needs to go to the town, whose nearest boundary limit is around four KM.

I have stayed in the guest house for the past six months, like a forced bachelor, while my wife had mostly stayed back at Bhilai. Recently I have got a rented flat and we are supposed to move there in a couple of days. Amidst all these turmoil / topsy-turvy in my life, the Orion has performed it’s duty like a trusted steed and has clocked 34K KM - 14K in the last 6 months.

Some brief incidents in the life of Orion during the past 6 months :-

• Change of Brake pads : The first set of brake pads were changed at 26583 KM. This part was fine compared to many others who had to change the brake pads in their car at 14 – 15K KMs. But the strange part was that all the four discs were also changed by the ASC as they had developed some waviness in them. This thing baffled me, as I have not read this in the forum anywhere. Anyway, I felt the waves developed in all the four rotors and agreed for the change but it put a dent in my pocket. I did not have to change the rotors in my Linea even once in 10 years of ownership.
  
  
• 30K service was smooth and I insisted on changing the engine oil, even though the same was changed at the 20K service. I had to come back once from the ASC as V4 Ultra was not available with the ASC and I refused to use Ultra engine oil instead. The ASC arranged the V4 Ultra from some nearby ASC and I was called to the ASC again after two days for the regular service.
  
  
• I had ordered the 18” alloy wheel rim with the ASC couple of months back. After regular follow-up, the ASC finally delivered the brand new alloy rim @ 10100.00 plus GST after discount. Searched the tyreshops for Bridgestone Ecopia tyre but the same was not readily available in the market, so decided to go with the Yokohama BluEarth RV02. The cost of the tyre with balancing came to 16K approx.. Orion now has a full sized spare in place of the space saver. I haven’t got the time to fix the TPMS sensor in the spare.
  
  
• My daily drive to office at Chandrapur is only 2 KM x 4 times and I know that it is not ideal such a huge diesel engine for this sort of distance. But very luckily I never had faced the issue of DEF clogging. During the 30K service, the co-tek detected some soot residue and Orion had to endure the first ever forced re-gen. The ASC used a portable OBD port linked to a mobile app (min ismart) to do the re-gen. This appeared as very handy and useful tool to have to overcome such DEF issues in remote location.
  
  I had driven around 300 KM to Bhilai only four days back and any amount of soot should have been completely burnt during that journey. I am not sure how much soot accumulation was there or whether the re-gen was actually required at-all.
  
  
• I had to undergo a surgical procedure and was on medical leave for 6 weeks. During this time for 4 weeks the Orion was sitting idle in the garage. One day when I was fit enough, just went to check the car; though mentally I was ready to call the ASC. The car came to life at the second crank - so much for the battery drain stories floating in the internet.
  
  
• A couple of my colleagues at Bhilai were facing DEF issues in their diesel 700. One of them particularly was very frustrated as his car was clogging at 300 - 400 KM intervals. He raised the issue with the CC team right upto the plant level and mentioned my car as reference (with my permission, offcourse). Later on he told me that M&M had remotely accessed both the cars for one month period to extract driving dynamics, speed etc. and made a graphical presentation to him. No data was shared with him, so there is no evidence, but I have no reason to doubt my colleague.

Fixed this in the car :-




With two fast charging ports, it takes care of the mobile charging issues during long journeys. The device actually comes with 1 mtr. length of chord. Had to cut the chord and add heat resistant & fire retardant electrical wire to increase the length.