Team-BHP - View Single Post - Indica V2 DLS 37000Kms report(100000kms update)

tsk1979 · 10th February 2005, 11:38

It was in April 2002 that i suffered a minor disc problem, and the doctor told me no two wheelers for 6 months. Thats when i started looking for a car. And being just a year into the job, i was on a real low budget. I was looking for a car that would not dent my pocket more than 7K month on the lease route, and that capped my budget at around 3.5. Moreover it had to be a diesel, considering the rocketing fuel prices. I did not have much choice, except for the indica. But having driven the car extensively back home, i was wondering wether i should go for the Alto/800, petrol notwithstanding.

It was the Autocar India May 2002 edition which swayed me. It was all praises for the Petrol version, and gave it a higher rating in Drivability, handling, power, comfort than the Palio 1.2! In diesel i could have everything except the power part, so i made my choice. There are times when i regret it, and wish i had bought a santro instead. But every time i go the fuel pump i smile, and as i glance at the service log and the costs involve, and then compare them to the fuel costs, i am actually saving quite a lot.

Coming back to the subject in question, she has done about 37000kms since June 2002. Like every car there are good things and there are bad things. Lets start with the good part.

The car is good. It may be noisy shaky underpowered, but it delivers what it promises. It delivers it much better than many midsizers and other expensive cars. Bigger cars, expensive machines may be better in absolute terms, but if you compare what is promised and what is given, Indica is way above the industry standard. It is fuel efficient. I get 14+/litre in bumper to bumper bangalore traffic with the AC on most of the time, 17-18 on the highway when i am in maniacal "floor it" mode and 19-20 in relaxed 80-90kmph cruising mode. Fuel efficieny is the best part about this baby, and all of you guys having oil burners, the SystemD from BP does wonders. I havent noticed much difference with the turbojet thing. Maybe because most pumps give you ordinary diesel and charge for turbojet?

Next on the list comes the drivablity and the comfort of driving. If you want to take off at the light, burn some rubber and show them at the drag, this is not the car for you. It is torquey but its no scorcher. It can barely beat an Omni, and that too you have to keep the engine in midrange. From a standstill all petrol cars will run away from the indica, but in curves its entirely different. ACI guys were not wrong when they said that the tata guys have sacrificed rear ride quality in favour of handling. It is actually true. According to their road test indica beats Palio/Santro/Zen and most midsizers in the handling department. Mind you, we are talking about the June 2002 - Dec 2004 models. The new indica is believed to have a softer ride. The other advantage i find is the shape. Its very very aerodynamic, and that is what ensures a better than expected top speed. The engine really opened up after the 15000 Service and i could see speedo reading 142-143 on straights, which with the error makes it around 130-135.

But pure speed is dangerous. The car should actually be able to handle it too. This does it. I have never felt more safetly planted to the road in another car. In the Handling part its better than Santro, Gypsy, Esteem, 800, WagonR(Those being the cars i have driven). Even when i took the speedo needle beyond the 160 mark and close to the 0 on a downhill after hosur, she was planted firmly on the tarmac.

The other good part is the build quality of the mechanicals. I have driven on very bad roads, driven 800 kms from morning to evening, but nothing has given up. the shocks are in top notch condition, the struts are good inspite of the torture. Infact around the 10000 kms mark the front right rim went over a huge concrete block lying in the middle of the road. The rim was ruined completely and bent out of shape, but the shocker/strut is perfectly fine. The number of rattles and sqeeks are exactly the same as in the new car. Yes friends the new car also made funny noises and now also it makes the exact same funny noises.

What else do i like.. The AC, its really super cool. Cools evenly, the blower is powerful.

But then owning the indica has been a mixed bag, and surprisingly the problems i have faced have been faced by many other indica users also. The biggest problem is not the car itself. Its the service guys. No they are not rude, and its not that they try to con you or something, its just that they are "dumb". If you dont tell them whats the problem they cant tell many times that what is the problem. The second bad part about them is that the only good workshop in bangalore(Concorde) takes about 2-3 days to service your car. And since they are so overworked, minor things get overlooked. For example your brake oil may beed topping but they forget since you didnt mention it in the job card.

Coming to the car, the biggest problem is the electricals and electronics. They suck big big time. For example on 2 consecutive servies the alternater had to be sent for service because it was overcharging. The problem, a small chip which controls the current amount was faulty. It was replaced by i got charged 400Rs. The next time also they wanted to charge me and i told them to shove it which they politely did.

The next faliure was the thermostat. The AC would cut off when it was really hot. Went to Concorde 10 times and they would service the AC and say saar we fixed it. They could not find out the problem until i mentioned that the Temparature needle stays above the half mark. Then the mechanic figured it out that the thermostat gives the wrong reading, and due to this the automatic cutoff happens.

And this does not end with that. The AC blower resisitor developed a fault wherein speed one would not work. They replaced it under warranty. As the warranty got over it again went faulty with the same fault. This time they did not shove it and i had to cough up 400Rs because it was six months since they replaced the older resistor. And surprise surprise, a day later i discovered that the new resistor also had a fault. I went to the workshop. Voila, product not in stock. This was in August, and that item is still not in stock.

The other electrical problem which came was the glow plugs. They failed together. All 4 of them. So you cant start when the car is cold. They cost around 1500Rs for the set.

The only mechanical problems i have faced are the wheel bearings which started humming after 15000kms, and the engine mounts getting screwed up due to the vibrations. The former got replaced under warranty. But the latter cost 500Rs, and not only that the vibrations also damaged the clamp which holds the silencer. 500Rs for that.

On a sidenote, one problem with this car is the weight. The 13inch rims are too delicate, esp with stock 165/65. I have replaced 3 Rmis which cost me 2100Rs total. Bangalore roads are very unforgiving. Tata needs to use thicker steel or fatter tyres.

So this about somes it all. The Indica has been a really mixed bag. If you ask me wether i would buy the indica again? Well I would not buy a tata again unless i cant afford anything else. Infact thats the reason most people buy tata, there is not competetion. Even with indica's monoply, Santro is the largest selling car, that says a lot about the quality of Tata vehicles. I bought the indica coz it fitted my budget. If i had 4lacs and wanted a diesel i would buy the indica. If i had 5 lakhs and wanted something with a boot, i would buy an indigo, but if i had more i would buy the Crdi.

When people ask me for advice on what to buy. I tell them dont buy a tata unless you cant afford anything else. If you want an oil burner i guess you have to buy tata, but if you are looking for petrol, look elsewhere, unless you want a 3.5lac car that performs.

But if we look at the car, the car is not bad. Its the quality of serice. Tata suffers from the Fiat disease, but to a lesser extent. The cars are good, but could have been better. How much effort does to take to hold the wires etc with a good clamp rather than tying a thread. Ever seen an indigo jacked up on the ram. Underneath you will see a bunch of cables which have been tied up with a simple nylon thread. How much cost is it to provide a decent clamp on the underbody.

Coming to the indica, the sump guard is a piece of flimsy plastic which is fixed only on one end. so it hangs and as car gets older it hangs some more. One screw is all it takes to fix that thing on the other side too. But Tata does not care.

There are people who will disagree with my judgement, but availability of spares is a problem. For a company that is always in improvement mode, if your car component got replaced by a better designed one, best of luck finding it. This is what happened with the blower resistor, this is what happened witht he indigo owners whose fuel pipe is leaking since months.

Well thats about it folks. You can curse the indica, you can abuse it, you can get irritated by the niggly things, but you cant ignore it. Its trustworthy, dependable and "CHEAP" to run. Real cheap. If you aint got no money for fuel and love to drive, this is what you should get. It is the true indian car, the height of cheapness and economy!

Log book :
Spares :
Blower resistor = 400
Glow plugs = 1500
Thermostat = 400
Engine mounts/Silencer mounts etc = 1000
Avg service cost(Without oil) = 2000Rs.

Mods :
130/100W lamps, 185/60R13 tyres replaced at 36500kms

10th February 2005, 11:38	#1 (permalink)
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Noida, New Delhi Posts: 8,793	Indica V2 DLS 37000Kms report(100000kms update) It was in April 2002 that i suffered a minor disc problem, and the doctor told me no two wheelers for 6 months. Thats when i started looking for a car. And being just a year into the job, i was on a real low budget. I was looking for a car that would not dent my pocket more than 7K month on the lease route, and that capped my budget at around 3.5. Moreover it had to be a diesel, considering the rocketing fuel prices. I did not have much choice, except for the indica. But having driven the car extensively back home, i was wondering wether i should go for the Alto/800, petrol notwithstanding. It was the Autocar India May 2002 edition which swayed me. It was all praises for the Petrol version, and gave it a higher rating in Drivability, handling, power, comfort than the Palio 1.2! In diesel i could have everything except the power part, so i made my choice. There are times when i regret it, and wish i had bought a santro instead. But every time i go the fuel pump i smile, and as i glance at the service log and the costs involve, and then compare them to the fuel costs, i am actually saving quite a lot. Coming back to the subject in question, she has done about 37000kms since June 2002. Like every car there are good things and there are bad things. Lets start with the good part. The car is good. It may be noisy shaky underpowered, but it delivers what it promises. It delivers it much better than many midsizers and other expensive cars. Bigger cars, expensive machines may be better in absolute terms, but if you compare what is promised and what is given, Indica is way above the industry standard. It is fuel efficient. I get 14+/litre in bumper to bumper bangalore traffic with the AC on most of the time, 17-18 on the highway when i am in maniacal "floor it" mode and 19-20 in relaxed 80-90kmph cruising mode. Fuel efficieny is the best part about this baby, and all of you guys having oil burners, the SystemD from BP does wonders. I havent noticed much difference with the turbojet thing. Maybe because most pumps give you ordinary diesel and charge for turbojet? Next on the list comes the drivablity and the comfort of driving. If you want to take off at the light, burn some rubber and show them at the drag, this is not the car for you. It is torquey but its no scorcher. It can barely beat an Omni, and that too you have to keep the engine in midrange. From a standstill all petrol cars will run away from the indica, but in curves its entirely different. ACI guys were not wrong when they said that the tata guys have sacrificed rear ride quality in favour of handling. It is actually true. According to their road test indica beats Palio/Santro/Zen and most midsizers in the handling department. Mind you, we are talking about the June 2002 - Dec 2004 models. The new indica is believed to have a softer ride. The other advantage i find is the shape. Its very very aerodynamic, and that is what ensures a better than expected top speed. The engine really opened up after the 15000 Service and i could see speedo reading 142-143 on straights, which with the error makes it around 130-135. But pure speed is dangerous. The car should actually be able to handle it too. This does it. I have never felt more safetly planted to the road in another car. In the Handling part its better than Santro, Gypsy, Esteem, 800, WagonR(Those being the cars i have driven). Even when i took the speedo needle beyond the 160 mark and close to the 0 on a downhill after hosur, she was planted firmly on the tarmac. The other good part is the build quality of the mechanicals. I have driven on very bad roads, driven 800 kms from morning to evening, but nothing has given up. the shocks are in top notch condition, the struts are good inspite of the torture. Infact around the 10000 kms mark the front right rim went over a huge concrete block lying in the middle of the road. The rim was ruined completely and bent out of shape, but the shocker/strut is perfectly fine. The number of rattles and sqeeks are exactly the same as in the new car. Yes friends the new car also made funny noises and now also it makes the exact same funny noises. What else do i like.. The AC, its really super cool. Cools evenly, the blower is powerful. But then owning the indica has been a mixed bag, and surprisingly the problems i have faced have been faced by many other indica users also. The biggest problem is not the car itself. Its the service guys. No they are not rude, and its not that they try to con you or something, its just that they are "dumb". If you dont tell them whats the problem they cant tell many times that what is the problem. The second bad part about them is that the only good workshop in bangalore(Concorde) takes about 2-3 days to service your car. And since they are so overworked, minor things get overlooked. For example your brake oil may beed topping but they forget since you didnt mention it in the job card. Coming to the car, the biggest problem is the electricals and electronics. They suck big big time. For example on 2 consecutive servies the alternater had to be sent for service because it was overcharging. The problem, a small chip which controls the current amount was faulty. It was replaced by i got charged 400Rs. The next time also they wanted to charge me and i told them to shove it which they politely did. The next faliure was the thermostat. The AC would cut off when it was really hot. Went to Concorde 10 times and they would service the AC and say saar we fixed it. They could not find out the problem until i mentioned that the Temparature needle stays above the half mark. Then the mechanic figured it out that the thermostat gives the wrong reading, and due to this the automatic cutoff happens. And this does not end with that. The AC blower resisitor developed a fault wherein speed one would not work. They replaced it under warranty. As the warranty got over it again went faulty with the same fault. This time they did not shove it and i had to cough up 400Rs because it was six months since they replaced the older resistor. And surprise surprise, a day later i discovered that the new resistor also had a fault. I went to the workshop. Voila, product not in stock. This was in August, and that item is still not in stock. The other electrical problem which came was the glow plugs. They failed together. All 4 of them. So you cant start when the car is cold. They cost around 1500Rs for the set. The only mechanical problems i have faced are the wheel bearings which started humming after 15000kms, and the engine mounts getting screwed up due to the vibrations. The former got replaced under warranty. But the latter cost 500Rs, and not only that the vibrations also damaged the clamp which holds the silencer. 500Rs for that. On a sidenote, one problem with this car is the weight. The 13inch rims are too delicate, esp with stock 165/65. I have replaced 3 Rmis which cost me 2100Rs total. Bangalore roads are very unforgiving. Tata needs to use thicker steel or fatter tyres. So this about somes it all. The Indica has been a really mixed bag. If you ask me wether i would buy the indica again? Well I would not buy a tata again unless i cant afford anything else. Infact thats the reason most people buy tata, there is not competetion. Even with indica's monoply, Santro is the largest selling car, that says a lot about the quality of Tata vehicles. I bought the indica coz it fitted my budget. If i had 4lacs and wanted a diesel i would buy the indica. If i had 5 lakhs and wanted something with a boot, i would buy an indigo, but if i had more i would buy the Crdi. When people ask me for advice on what to buy. I tell them dont buy a tata unless you cant afford anything else. If you want an oil burner i guess you have to buy tata, but if you are looking for petrol, look elsewhere, unless you want a 3.5lac car that performs. But if we look at the car, the car is not bad. Its the quality of serice. Tata suffers from the Fiat disease, but to a lesser extent. The cars are good, but could have been better. How much effort does to take to hold the wires etc with a good clamp rather than tying a thread. Ever seen an indigo jacked up on the ram. Underneath you will see a bunch of cables which have been tied up with a simple nylon thread. How much cost is it to provide a decent clamp on the underbody. Coming to the indica, the sump guard is a piece of flimsy plastic which is fixed only on one end. so it hangs and as car gets older it hangs some more. One screw is all it takes to fix that thing on the other side too. But Tata does not care. There are people who will disagree with my judgement, but availability of spares is a problem. For a company that is always in improvement mode, if your car component got replaced by a better designed one, best of luck finding it. This is what happened with the blower resistor, this is what happened witht he indigo owners whose fuel pipe is leaking since months. Well thats about it folks. You can curse the indica, you can abuse it, you can get irritated by the niggly things, but you cant ignore it. Its trustworthy, dependable and "CHEAP" to run. Real cheap. If you aint got no money for fuel and love to drive, this is what you should get. It is the true indian car, the height of cheapness and economy! Log book : Spares : Blower resistor = 400 Glow plugs = 1500 Thermostat = 400 Engine mounts/Silencer mounts etc = 1000 Avg service cost(Without oil) = 2000Rs. Mods : 130/100W lamps, 185/60R13 tyres replaced at 36500kms __________________ Reclaiming.....!