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My Altroz Diesel turns 2; Maintenance costs, issues faced after 58k km

3rd November 2023, 19:00 by Brij Gawde

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I love the strong, practical package that the Altroz diesel is. It meets my needs perfectly. I do a lot of highway miles, at very good triple digit speeds consistently.

BHPian PrasannaDhana recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

2 Years & 58,000 km with the Tata Altroz 1.5 Diesel

Today marks the 2nd Anniversary of my altroz.

Odo: 58,000 km

I have extensively shared the positives and negatives of the altroz in this thread.

This post will only focus on some important data points from the last 2 years of Ownership.

Total distance I had driven since 27th October 2021 -

Altroz diesel - 58,000 km
Storme v400 - 19,000 km
Celerio K10C - 3000 km

Totalling 80,000 km in the last 2 years. My work has gone up as I have 2 new schools that need my presence frequently. If Altroz wasn't there, the wear & tear on Storme would have been thrice as much. It has run 72,000 km in 5.5 years now. I plan to retain the storme till year 10.

Days taken every 5000 km, the last 15000 km have been taking longer as I have been driving my storme more too.

Overall Ownership Costs for Altroz diesel

Close to 4 lakhs in total, approximately INR 7 per km (including maintenance, insurance, tyre replacement & fuel)

Break up of different categories of Maintenance and misc expenses:

That 35200 was tyre replacement expense. Insurance for this year has been more than that of. last year as I lost NCB as I claimed insurance for the windshield replacement.

Overall Actual Fuel Efficiency: 17.97 kmpl

I did switch to xtragreen diesel for 5 tankfuls or so, but then switched back to normal diesel. Preferred Outlet - BP

Number of DPF clog issues : 0

Total Number of Scheduled Visits to Service Center: 8

The car has been serviced regularly every 7500 km as per OE guidelines, with oil changes every 15,000km.

Total Number of Unscheduled Visits to Service Center: 5

Number of Warranty Replacements - 2

Both times, it was AC recirculation motor damper valve

Number of Insurance Claims - 1

I had to claim insurance for the first time in the last 20 years. It was for a windshield replacement due to a heat crack (totally my fault)

Details of Unscheduled Visits to Service Center and Reasons

1. Jan'23, Odo: 37,500 km - Steering Column calibration - It was during the scheduled service at 37500 km that I replaced the AC damper under warranty. The A.S.S. had to remove the dashboard and steering column to do the replacement. They hadn't properly set the steering column back. The steering kept turning right on its own. I took the car the next day to the service center and they rectified the issue.

2. Feb'23, Odo: 40,000 km - Windshield Replacement - This isn't technically the fault of Tata or A.S.S. I was not mindful when I started washing the car when it had been standing under the hot sun for hours. This developed a heat crack and I replaced the windshield at Windshield Experts.

3. Mar'23, Odo: 42xxx km - Cabin Air Filter clogged
AC airflow was very very reduced. Level 4 blowed the same air volume as the usual level 1. The cabin air filter was dirty and clogged. This was a 20 minutes job and the A.S.S cleaned the filter.

4. Sep'23, Odo: 53xxx km - Water sloshing sound & AC damper issue again
While accelerating hard, I started to hear a water sloshing sound behind the dashboard occasionally. AC/ windshield wash drain lines were checked in the 52.5k scheduled service, and they were not clogged. Hence I had to get the coolant lines and heater coils checked for blockages. A.S.S took 2 days to check and I was told everything was fine. AC recirculation mode changes again and starts to make sounds when pressed. The damper was changed again this time, under warranty. The issue was resolved. The sloshing sound has disappeared for a while now and occurs very rarely.

5. Oct'23, Odo: 56xxx km - Oil sprayed over engine cover - Loose intercooler hose
The Intercooler hose was loose. A.S.S rectified the issue and the problem hasn't reoccurred.

Verdict after 2 years of Ownership :

I love the strong, practical package that the Altroz diesel has. It meets my needs perfectly. I do a lot of highway miles, at very good triple-digit speeds consistently. The car stays at 3250 - 3500 RPM for hours every week and inspires much confidence at those speeds.

The economy, strong build, great high-speed dynamics, nice interiors, and a super strong AC with HK stereo make every day enjoyable, given that I spend 3+ hours daily in the driver's seat.

It is definitely not totally reliable like my previous Ciaz diesel. But the issues aren't major. I have made 4 extra Visits to the dealership for the niggles/issues. But every time, the dealer has been very prompt and sincere. I know I will face a few issues in the coming years too, but hey, for my extensive usage and speeds, I am happy to spend a few days a year at the service.

Kudos to Kaveri Tata for being helpful through all small issues

An example-

I am lucky that one of the Kaveri Tata dealerships is located just 2km from my home and I have a very good rapport with all the service personnel.

While I am very happy with the Altroz diesel, I might not recommend the car to others. We have been seeing a lot of stories in our forum about defective Altroz diesels and indifferent Tata A.S.S. If you don't have much usage, a petrol car is a lot safer option than the Bs6 diesels.

A few pics from the Ayudha Pooja last week :