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-   -   Review: 1st-gen Mahindra Thar (2011 - 2019) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/94711-review-1st-gen-mahindra-thar-2011-2019-a-105.html)

It will not fit directly, you will have to do a lot of mods on the base model IP to fit it.

Spike

Can someone point me in the correct direction.
If i get the Thar now, and keep aside 1L seperately, can i make it creature-comfortable to whatever extent possible, or should i wait for a V2?

^^

I guess Spike / DB / VN are the correct persons to guide you in totality on this matter.
PM them.

Whats the status of Thar AC fitment. Is it doable now?

Today afternoon an aquantance in bangalore is telling me that Mahindra Workshop has no idea about AC fitment and have not received any communication from Mahindra in this regard.
It will be great if correct status is posted on this thread.

Are dealers aware that Thar is AC ready.
If yes, do they know how to fit the AC.

The detailed instructions were provided here, but why were they not communicated to the workshops.
If there is indeed a dealer in Bangalore who has gotten the instructions, can somebody give the name of the dealer and the contact person?

You will need a really sharp hacksaw like the one they use in the Mahindra plant to cut the sides and back of the Bolero dash. Then take the end covers and put it over the beige dash. An easier option would be to get beige art leather covering for the dash.

1.25 Lakhs will get you AC and a decent metal hard top. I think that is pretty much what the Thar needs.

I dont think the THAR is AC ready. There's a massive thread going on about a botched up AC job with a dealer in Bangalore. Haven't you seen it?

Dear Fellow_BHPians,

I respect your opinion regarding the Mahindra Thar.

Most of the members posting in this thread have way more knowledge/experience than me about the automotive/technical aspects of the vehicle than I do. Most of your greviances are probably justified as far as the material comforts regarding the Thar go.

My humble submission is, how many of you have driven the Thar for an extended period of time (TD's don't count)?

I know, you might say, we don't need to drive the Thar for an extended period of time and that going by the feedback (mostly hearsay) and also some very minor initial niggles with owners such as me not to mention the AC installment issues, Thar is a flop and that M&M need to seriously introspect on the product that they have launched, a product that was eagerly awaited by many in India.

I know where everybody is coming from. Given the anxious waiting period and the speculations doing the rounds regarding the Thar, when it was finally 'unleashed', most thought it was a damp squib! Was it really?

I absolutely agree that a HT & an AC should have been an option in the Thar. As of now, AC can be installed as per BD Sir's post and a hard top is still an issue.
Now I will get to the nitty gritties.

My 'two cents' (popular Team-BHP lingo) - I don't know how corporates work. But it seems the corporate world is also inflicted by myopic thinking and petty egos. Sometimes, very trivial (but detrimental) issues become a rallying point that snowballs into a great product that had the potential to be a success, not attaining its full potential and thereby, probably suffering failure.

If you ask me, this is exactly what is happening to the Thar. A great product (with shortcomings that are easily rectifiable) not getting the support of the company at all.

Example, AC installation. BD Sir has posted a well informed thread on how to go about it. If you ask the local M&M dealership today regarding the same, they will tell you that they have no information about any AC in the Thar! When I provide the concerned person at the dealership with the information provided by BD Sir regarding the installation of the AC, they requested for some time to get things in order.

Later on, I get a call telling me that AC kits for the Thar are not available from M&M and that the dealership had no idea when it would be available.
This can mean only two things. Firstly, either M&M have a supply chain issue. Secondly, there are people within M&M who are proving to be an impediment for the Thar to be a success. I strongly lean towards the latter theory.

Friends, please drive the Thar for a couple of days and then you would know what it is all about. Bad interiors, lack of AC and a HT option are a given. But tell me, how many of my 'Jeeper' friends can sincerely boast of a Jeep capable of being driven without a hitch across India? Highway cruising (due to IFS) is a dream. Serious off-roaders will argue about the lack of articulation and the vulnerability of the IFS is a serious set back. My argument - Thar can best be described as being a combination of a true-blue tarmac mile-muncher and a very serious off-roader. Some compromises have to be made to make it a solid all-terrain vehicle. Exactly what BD Sir and his team have done.

I am no expert. I drive a vehicle and form an opinion. I have driven the Thar for almost 5K (4 trips to the hills & two off-roading trips) and have never found the Thar wanting in any way. It is due for its first service, but I can sense that the engine now is more refined than when I bought the Thar home. It is a sublime ride that gives me immense pleasure everytime I drive it.

So, I would sincerely request all my fellow BHP-ians to atleast have a first hand experience with the vehicle before trashing it completely. I am sure after an extended period of usage, most of you will change your opinion regarding the Thar.
For people like me, who do not have the expertise or the knowledge to restore Jeeps, Thar is a Godsend. Enjoy it for what it is, and don't fret for what it could have been.

Maybe newer versions of the Thar are already on their way (AC & HT), who knows. But I still believe, the Thar is aeons ahead technology wise (LSD/Lockable Differentials aside) than most of the Jeeps available in the market today and one can be assured of a headache free ride all the time. How many can sincerely vouch the same for their rebuilt Jeeps?

I will be attending the AKC & the EXAMM this time. I will be driving down to Pune from Chandigarh in my Thar. I have no trepidation regarding my trip because I know the Thar is more than capable of doing this and my mind is at ease.

Here is looking forward to meeting all you fantastic BHPians then and I sincerely hope that you take my post in good spirit and be assured that I had no intention of offending anyone's opinion or judgement.

Warm regards.

clap:, Bhalle Bhalle! Can't agree more with you Janjua. Conversations don't provide the same experience as driving one!! way to go.:Cheering:.

Hi Janjua, A good post by you. However if the above were true, most cant post about most vehicles on the forum as one hardly drives all vehicles for extended periods of time. :D

Also, the experience of a driver should help one gather enough about a vehicle even if he does not drive one for extended periods of time.

Am hoping THAR comes with a HT and AC to cater to a wider section of enthusiasts.

Last I heard few days back, Mahindra is trying to ensure all their dealers in Bangalore are well trained in installing the A/C's. It is only after the training will the dealers officialy accept and execute A/C orders for Thar.

Having waited for few months, few more weeks does not really matter. Happy someone is trying to ensure dealers don't screw up the A/C installation.

Anyways thanks to DB sir, we have the short version of the SOP. I intend to be there in person during the A/C installation for my Thar. I am getting it done with Sireesh.

Regards

Excellent, detailed review with pics! Just read through it all. Had been to Mahindra with a friend to check it out but it hadn't arrived at the local dealer here yet. Will test drive one soon.

Great do document the whole process and try getting some pictures for us please.

Dear Sandeep - thanks for your comment. I understand. At first service, please drive after the engine oil and the oil filter are replaced. Just get out of the dealership workshop, drive for 1/2 kilometer and then post your comment. Yes, you read correctly, only 1/2 kilometer.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Dear Sir,

If you want to convey that it will run much refined after around 5 K after service , I regret there is something terribly wrong in manufacturing process - every manufactures gives importance to proper running in and that includes not just engine but brakes and other parts as well but no where will you find difference in refinement of engine , maybe M&M is keeping tolerances on upper side of mating parts - i remember my school days about 25 years back - we used to keep our Bajaj or Vijay super engine started after engine was re-bored ... but a new engine in year 2011 getting refined after 5 K - sorry

Yes I agree with Janjua - you should not crib for things you don't have and instead enjoy the advantages of such car .

Dear Turbonator - I am not an engine designer / engine specialist. I have not said that the engine will run better after 5000 kms. It is running well even now. I have only shared what I know to actually happen not only in M&M vehicles but in other vehicles as well. I have observed it thousands of times to the extent that the car actually tells me one morning to change the oil. If you collate this data over and over again for a particular model, this is the distance to be covered between oil changes. Change the oil, analyse it in the tribology laboratory, you will be amazed at the results, especially copper content.

After reading this, you will feel that I am mad, but I would rather be mad and have this unique capability of listening to the car when it talks to me. I once again request you to try it, you will be amazed at your own car's communication capability. :D.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar