Got my Bolero Storm : First Black VLX in India | 15,000 KMs done...

[Spinnerr]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

What is this ? Can you elaborate a bit more please!

Its called a Roof Tent, and this is how it is

[MileCruncher]

Do we get this thing in India.

Can the roof take load of two people?

[NIP]

that last one looks amazing ! even the a/c can be used ! are these available in india !??

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Can the roof take load of two people?

It's funny this thing came up.

Small history: Before i got married i used to drive long distances alone. And since most of the time the trips were unplanned i used to park the Bolero on the side of highways and get a good sleep. But next day morning woke up to a lot of aching bones and body parts.

So one day while having tea at a stall on the highway - i am thinking: whats the area that has maximum area for me to sleep comfortably - "THE ROOF".

So i thought of adding roof rails that would take loads upto 100 kgs and a sliding folding mechanism that would be easy to attach and remove.

To check i climbed on the roof to see if it takes my weight. I was 70+ then and there were no issues. With strategically placed roofrails to bear the weight uniformly - i am sure a weight of 150 odd should be possible.

The idea stayed just that.

[Spinnerr]

I dont think they are available off the shelf here in India. But from the looks of it, I am sure an importer can get you a piece. It would be worth a try. On the other hand, if there are any 'adventure / off road' equipment store near by, check with them, they sure can get you good quality stuff.

Or may be you can get in touch with ppl doing the 'LEH' trip, they will tell you where to source one.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by Spinnerr

Or may be you can get in touch with ppl doing the 'LEH' trip, they will tell you where to source one.

I'm one of those people doing the LEH trip, LOL

[NIP]

I'm sure folks like Ozone (Adventure gear manufacturers) and the like can custom build one like that ? Man i'm getting wild ideas !! These things are too cool !

[MileCruncher]

After the tank-full yesterday, I calculated my Mileage which came to 9.73 KMPL with 100% AC, sporadic instances of aggressive driving, 100% City Driving.

I have completed 6400 Kms and the 1st Service is over. The dealer and M&M service fellows told me that I should get about 13-14KMPL. The mileage I'm getting is nowhere close. Is this the maximum I can get in city or is there something wrong?

I'm unhappy with the mileage but if it can be improved, then I would like to try.

Cheers

[sriku]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

After the tank-full yesterday, I calculated my Mileage which came to 9.73 KMPL with 100% AC, sporadic instances of aggressive driving, 100% City Driving.

I have completed 6400 Kms and the 1st Service is over. The dealer and M&M service fellows told me that I should get about 13-14KMPL. The mileage I'm getting is nowhere close. Is this the maximum I can get in city or is there something wrong?

9.73 kmpl is pretty much average or slightly below average for the CRDe, as far as I know. The most a friend gets is 11, when he's alone and does the mumbai-pune run every monday morning. My SLX DI Turbo has given me 15-16 in the city with 100% A/C and aggressive driving. I've averaged out the readings from 4 full tanks to get close to 16 kmpl. All in the city. The economy has improved after my first service, before which 13 was the best I could manage in the city.
How can you improve the mileage? an open filter/ffe would probably void warranty, and I'm sure you keep your air pressure at recommended levels. Is there any CRDe trick anybody knows?

Cheers,

[MileCruncher]

Yesterday due to sudden downpour in Hyderabad, most of the places had waterlogging. I took my Storm through one such stretch which had about 1 foot of water in First Gear.

Just wanted to know what are the chances of water getting sucked into the engine in such situations

[MudMover]

Hey MC, this is the bolero I was talking about. Clicked it with my phone, sorry I couldn't get a better shot. The 'carrier thingy' on the roof appears to be too solid/well-built to be a carrier only. It looks tough enough to act as a base of some sort, so I'm thinking it's a base for a roof tent. Off-roaders in B'lore should know this guy.

[rockyb]

This is exactly what I was talking about - inferior built quality. Mine has not come off but may any time. These problems were not there in my older GLX.

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Lot of old Bolero owners keep telling me that the quality of the new Bolero is not as good as the old GLX or Armada. My Storm is about 2.5 months old. Plastic items that have already given up are

1. Plastic Cord that holds the diesel cap. Snapped apparently not being able to hold the weight right in the first week itself.
2. The plastic grasp clip to hold the power steering hose became loose in the first week itself. Had to put a wire to keep the hose fastened to the clasp.
3. The plastic panel that house the gear lever and various cubby holes for knick knacks have been coming out in thefirst month itself. On telling this to the Service Centre fellows, they just stuck it fevikwik.
4. On the front passenger side, there is a plastic panel covering the metal l angle. The rivets holding the panel to the metal angle snapped yesterday for apparently no reason.

These small small niggles leaves a bad taste for other wise a decent vehicle.

I hope Mahaindra is listening.

Cheers

[rockyb]

Hi Sriku

Not to worry. It is one is Mahindra "cost saving" tactics. The coolant refill tank is filled by them but I suspect the radiator is not - very dangerous. I too got the shock of my life when I bought my VLX. First trip out of town (300km odd). Came back and checked - coolant level was below "Low". Frantically topped it up. Next 500km and again went to low. Older GLX - I used to check - it remained in almost same level for 6000km.

Crawled below - no leaks. I was like.. hmm - new engine - new technology - drinking more coolant.

Then finally I day I opened the radiator and saw the level was really low. Bought coolant - mix recomm water - filled the radiator till brim. Drank almost 1.2 litre.

All these much before my 1st service (5000km)

now at 8300+km. Level has not moved.

Originally Posted by sriku

Thanks for sharing your service details MC Sir, my SLX is due for service this weekend, after close to two months of use and 4970 kms. I will need to investigate the coolant tank as the level dropped to Low by the time I reached Bangalore from Mumbai. I suspect some coolant leak in either the supply tube or the tank itself. Will post my service details in the other thread.

Cheers,

[rockyb]

There a similar WWF Bolero Camper in Blr too. I think the roof is custom made. In fact it extend all the way to the bonnet. Reminds me to Safari Jeeps

Originally Posted by MudMover

Hey MC, this is the bolero I was talking about. Clicked it with my phone, sorry I couldn't get a better shot. The 'carrier thingy' on the roof appears to be too solid/well-built to be a carrier only. It looks tough enough to act as a base of some sort, so I'm thinking it's a base for a roof tent. Off-roaders in B'lore should know this guy.

Attachment 177554

[sriku]

Originally Posted by rockyb

Hi Sriku
Not to worry. It is one is Mahindra "cost saving" tactics. The coolant refill tank is filled by them but I suspect the radiator is not - very dangerous. I too got the shock of my life when I bought my VLX. First trip out of town (300km odd). Came back and checked - coolant level was below "Low". Frantically topped it up. Next 500km and again went to low. Older GLX - I used to check - it remained in almost same level for 6000km.

Crawled below - no leaks. I was like.. hmm - new engine - new technology - drinking more coolant.

Then finally I day I opened the radiator and saw the level was really low. Bought coolant - mix recomm water - filled the radiator till brim. Drank almost 1.2 litre.

All these much before my 1st service (5000km)

now at 8300+km. Level has not moved.

Thanks a lot for that information Sir! I'm off to check the radiator level. The coolant tank has been at High for the past 3k kms, ever since I topped up with water in Bangalore.

Cheers,