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-   -   My 2023 Mahindra Thar 4x4 Petrol AT Hard-Top Ownership Review | Rex | EDIT: 20,000 km up! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/270221-my-2023-mahindra-thar-4x4-petrol-hard-top-ownership-review-rex-edit-20-000-km-up-5.html)

From Ebay US. It was advertised as a Wrangler cover but it has perfectly fitted on my Thar.

So day before was a very rainy day in Mumbai and no surprises there was water logging everywhere.

While I had no problems wading through deep water, other cars had stalled and motorcycles were lying around in the floods. One thing I learnt that even though I have a Thar, I cant do anything with others around me breaking down.

So I took a U turn after covering some distance and after coming out of the water I started hearing a sound and the steering became tight. I stopped the car by the side and bent down to take a look.

There was a thick log of wood stuck in the tie rod ends of the suspension. I took it out. Another lesson here is even if we can drive to water with our big SUVs, you have no idea what trash lies beneath the flood waters.

I started driving but the steering alignment had gone for a toss and the traction control and hill descent control light also popped up on the instrument cluster.





I reached work and put the car on the ramp. Turns out the log had bent the tie rod ends of the suspension.

Sent the Thar to Mahindra Modi in Thane. My SA Gaurav Dalvi was nice enough to take it in without prior appointment that too at 4 pm in the evening. They changed both, the left and right tie rod ends and ball joints but kept the car overnight so that the alignment can be done the next day.

Pics of the tie rod ends:

This the bent one.





Got the Thar back next day evening with everything sorted. Filled up at the Shell pump nearby and headed home.



A big shout out to my SA Gaurav and the quick turn around by the Mahindra Modi team. :thumbs up

This is the exact reason why I avoid the side roads specially in the city. Its very easy to take and overtake everyone from the side where noone goes. One cannot imagine what kind of stuff lies in the water. Stones, steel rods, rods jutting out of nowhere. Plus with metro constructions any kind of debris will do lot more damage.

Sorry about your ordeal. It must have been nerve racking seeing those warning lights pop up.
Did the SA at Mahindra give any reason as to why the ESP/traction control and Hill Descent control warning lights came on even though the issue was with alignment and tie rods?

I ask because I had given my 2012 Mahindra XUV 500 for routine service and alignment at an FNG. Two days after getting the car back, I took it to an outstation work trip and it too threw up similar warning lights that you encountered and continues to do so for almost the past 1 month since the service. Mine however come on after driving about 12-15 kms and go away after turning off the car and turning it on again. But sure enough they return after the next 12-15 kms of driving. Another thing is that now, even when the warning lights are off, Hill Hold and Hill Descent Control are not working. I haven't tested the traction control though.
It was raining here too, the day after I got my car back from the FNG, however it was parked and not driven through any puddles.
Could the issue with my car be caused by a short circuit either from rain water getting into the sensor/couplings or rats climbing onto the car to get away from rain water and cutting the wiring. Or does the car need the sensors to be
calibrated/?reset after alignment which was probably not known by my FNG?

I have intimated the FNG but am yet to take it there to get this rectified.



P.s. Sorry to take the thread off track, but if someone knows the reason for this it would be great to read your inputs.

Thanks,
hmansari

Sharing a pic of the error lights.

With my Storme I usually slow down and never take it in a lot of water even though it can take them with ease is that the water goes into places along with dirt and those parts start to rust. Plus with all these abs sensors and other sensors, you never know which will start behaving funky and show some weird error on the console.

Agree, though it’s tempting to get into water in these 4x4/AWD SUV’s.

However a simple equation to keep in mind is that always avoid standing water and wade into it not because you/your car can but only if you must.

Agree to both points. After this episode I would think twice before just going into the water. The garbage underneath the water can cause serious damage. My car may be capable but its just not worth it unless I dont have a choice.

It been a couple of months since I updated this thread but how time flies.

My Rex (Yes the official name now :D ) turned one on the 28th of July and the odo now stands at a shade above 17000 km. Here is a pic from when the odo hit 17k:



What a year it has been. From driving around in the city, night drives, highway trips and a couple of off-roading excursions, Rex puts a big smile on my face every single time I take to the wheel. Mahindra Modi has been great with the service they offer and I will be sticking to them for all my future services. A very professional bunch.

It has so far been a hassle free ownership experience save for a couple of niggles like the instrument cluster going blank for a second once in a blue moon etc.

Also the black paint from the grille has gone off. Will have to give it a respray soon:



A couple of pics of Rex:







I recently joined a Thar owners community based in Mumbai called 'Terrain Conquerers' . Its quite an active group full of enthusiasts who do regular drives in the city and out of it.

Here are pics from when we met up for a breakfast drive in Mumbai this Sunday:







I was recently asked if I would will be upgrading to the Roxx. My answer is in the negative. Sure the Roxx is a great and sorted product but a 3 door SWB 4x4 is a different breed all together. With the number of Roxx slated to be on the roads in the future, it will make the 3 door just more special.

Also I am now the only driver in the house since my brother has moved abroad. So the Thar and the Polo GT are just perfect for me.

I am however looking to see what bolt on parts I can fit from the Roxx onto Rex, especially the tail lights.

That's all for now :)

Fully concur with you! I'm a owner of 3 door Thar P MT and honestly speaking, not once did I feel the urge to check out the ROXX. It's been 3 years now and it's an absolute joy to ride it. Done about 34k on it and I look eagerly forward to long trips on it. It's not a true Jeep if its not a SWB Jeep.

@You've built a beautiful Thar, @Dippy. Considering how far your Rex has come in terms of the aesthetics and functionality from the stock Thar, I see how tasteful modifications can change everything about a jeep.

I got my hands on the Thar RWD in December last year, and have already clocked close to 16,000 kms. With the amount of fun I've been having with a 1.5-litre diesel RWD vehicle, I can only imagine how it must be living with that 150-bhp go-anywhere AT beast in your garage.

I'm looking to add a few things to my Thar, which are as follows:-
1. Long antenna
2. Model-O Bumper
3. Headlights and Taillights from the Roxx (will wait to test them out at night)

The first two look so good on your Rex. Please share the link and price of the antenna, and the final amount you had to pay for the bumper.
As for the lights, I've currently got a similar setup to yours with the ring-DRL-indicator LED lights, and LED lights in the stock housing for the foglamps. I'll either get a projector setup for the fogs, or just change everything altogether.

Also, I've seen a few Thars with the updated Wrangler 2024 grille, and it looks SO much better on white than any other colour. Might be worth a consideration.

Hi there,

Sorry I just saw this post. Thanks very much for the words of appreciation for Rex. I got my stuff from Futurz 4x4 Mumbai. You can look them up online or give them a call. Ashish there is very helpful.

As fas as I remember I had paid approx 25k for the front bumper and Rs. 1800 for the long antenna.

Have yet to see the 2024 Wrangler grille, but will take a look at that.

A Happy Diwali for underprivileged kids:

Last weekend our Thar community Terrain Conquerers organised a Diwali event for underprivileged children from the Asasra NGO. Around 15 Thars and owners were present and we were hosted at the Mahindra Modi dealership in Thane.

We distributed goody bags to around 30 kids and organised lunch for them as well. Two young girls from a local school were also awarded scholarships for their education.

There was also a drum circle session and we also showed the little kids what the Thar is capable off by demonstrations on the in-house off-road track that Mahindra Modi has made inside the dealership premises.

All in all a great Sunday spent to put a smile on some little kid's faces and brighten up their Diwali . The excitement on the children's faces seeing the Thar doing its thing was priceless.

Sharing a few pictures of Sunday:

Installed underbody proctection:

This was something I skipped installing post delivery as I wasn't sure how much off-roading I would be doing. However now that I'm part of an active Thar owners group who often drive out for adventure, finally got this done.

This kit protects everything from the radiator, the gearbox to the 4x4. The fuel tank protector was installed post delivery itself.

Got the job done at Futurz 4x4 and Ashish as usual was very prompt with his work. Was in and out in just over an hour.

Thanks for the update on underbody protection. I am also looking forward to install the underbody protection kit. Tried reaching out to Arka, no luck. Futurz are very helpful, they don't have no outfit to install these closer to where I live. They been very helpful over whatsapp. The fuel tank protection kit that you have installed, was it installed from dealership. Thank you again.

The fuel tank protection was also installed by Futurz at their workshop. Infact if you check my initial posts, I have mentioned that I did all the modifications at Futurz immediately the day after delivery. Only the under body protection was done this week.

Another update is that Futurz is now launching their own product brand under Futurz 4x4. They are starting with stuff for the Hilux and Jimny followed by the Thar.

3rd service update:

Rex is now nearing the 20,000 km mark soon, and because its also a year since the last service, thought it was the right time to get the scheduled 3rd service done.

Booked the appointment on the Mahindra app for 9.30 am at Modi Mahindra Thane and reached the service centre at 9.15 sharp. Was promptly attended to by the service advisor and Rex was taken to the service bay at 9.45.

Some pictures:



The essentials.



Up on the ramp.



Fresh oil going in.



And finally a wash.



This service was also labour free and the total amount came to Rs. 4,431/- . However, I also got the driver's side AC vent changed because the small black trim on the knob had fallen off. Only that piece isn't available separately, so changed the full vent.

Final amount paid Rs. 5,084/-.

Car was delivered back to me by 1.30 pm. As mentioned in my 10k service post, very happy with Modi Mahindra. Makes it worth driving all the way to Thane for getting the service done. Its a 60 km round trip.

Ending the post with some misc pics I clicked recently:











That's all for now.