9-month-old XUV700 suffers DPF issues twice: No resolve found!

The whole affair set me back around Rs 30,000.

BHPian rnkgrg recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi guys,

This is probably my first time writing such a long post here. And I am quite dismayed that it has to be one with a rant about the issues.

We purchased an XUV700 AX7 Diesel about 8-9 months ago. While the car has fared us well in most of the aspects so far, there is one issue that is particularly coming up time and time again. And we see no resolve ahead - DPF.

While this is our first BS6 diesel car purchase, and (consequently) our knowledge of the subject is limited, I believe that this is more of a Mahindra Design & Engineering issue than anything else.

So far in our ownership of just 9 months, we have been a victim, not once but twice. And each time it is putting a dent in the pocket.

Once in July, just a day before we were supposed to leave for a ~200km road trip, I saw some fluid leaking under the car. Fearing that it was a fuel leakage, that too just before an impending road trip, the car was sent to the workshop immediately, only to find out that the DPF Pipe had been bitten away by stray dogs leading to all of the DPF fluid to be spilt. The folks at the service centre failed to reason how the pipe was so fragile/flimsy and yet left exposed that it could be torn away due to stray dogs exposure (not even rats), which is A VERY COMMON occurrence all across the country.

Rubbing it off as a one-off incident, I just paid for expenses (the pipe and the DPF Fluid replacement) out of pocket. However, that didn't seem to be the case.

About a week ago, we were again greeted with a DPF error on the screen. To be precise, it was the E22 error. It said that the car would stop working in about ~600 kms and the km count only dropped thereafter, that too probably at an exponential rate.

While I am yet to receive a video proof for this, the SA, upon inspection, told the chauffeur, that this time the wires leading up to the DPF sensor had been bitten by the dogs and needed to replace. The cost for the whole affair shall come to approximately ₹30,000.

He further told, that the wires have been left exposed at several points in the underbody of the vehicle and hence they are prone to such biting. And they have had several vehicles come in because of this.

This seems to be a case of bad engineering and vehicle design to me rather than negligent use of the vehicle. However, the folks at the workshop say that this cannot be covered under warranty and hence I am forced to get it repaired under the Insurance.

Even if I do get it repaired this time under insurance, there is no guarantee that the issue will not prop up again, because of the virtue of the design of the vehicle. The people at the service centre seem to be clueless about any workarounds for this.

What should I do here?

Here's what BHPian Karaboudjan had to say on the matter:

How can the Service Center brush it off by saying that dogs have chewed on the wires and pipes? Are they now vets who specialise in animal bites? Where do you park your vehicle? Do you have a stray dog menace in your locality? Have dogs developed an affinity towards the DEF? Have any other car owners faced such an incident in your locality?

I suggest you take your car to some other workshop for any further maintenance.

If it is a rat menace, suggest putting some chewing tobacco (not zarda/pan masala) in a plastic bottle. Make a few holes in the bottle for ventilation and attach it to the underside of the vehicle and inside the engine bay with the help of cable ties to keep the rodents away.

Hope you can get these problems resolved soonest and enjoy your car to the fullest.

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