Tata Indica at 100000kms..

[superboy44]

Hey guys,
finally I am going to write a long term review of my deeply cherished and loved but now slightly ignored baby- indica.
Well the day I brought it home was one of the few really perfect moments of my life so far, being an avid tata fan since the time indica was launched way back in 1998 this car was something special to me.
Also cause of the fact that I got it as a gift from my parents.
The car was delivered to us on 1st dec. 04 and I still remember very clearly that when I saw it standing there at the dealership in all its glory it left all smiles.
Straightaway from the dealership went to get the alloys and wider tyres that were pre-decided.
From then on its been my daily companion and practically have lived my college life in it. Really fond memories that i am going to cherish for all my life.
Got this baby when I entered college and now writing this review when I am finished with my graduation.
The car has run about 103200kms to date and still its going fairly strong. Though I have had my fair share of troubles but still it has managed to somehow never to get on my nerves.
LIKES-

• well the first thing that strikes me about this car is the way it looks, the smiling grill, the flowing shape and the vertical tail lamps and above all the sturdy outlook this car manages
• next the highway stability and fantastic braking
• roominess and airy cabin

DISLIKES-

• Well almost everything is falling apart and this is what irritates me the most about tata cars, the car no longer drives the way it did when relatively younger.
• The suspension has become as if it does not exist, interior plastics have started showing their age, especially the fascia plate which has developed cracks.
• The car demands more attention now.

But its not as bad as it sounds, its still quite fine but not as fun as before.
And sadly its going through an ignored phase right now as I have my exams so it does not get serviced on time ,washed ,or its rattling attended as of now.
But as soon as I am done with them I am gonna get it back to its former glory

[ph03n!x]

Congrats on the ton mark! From what you have said, the mechanicals appear to be pretty reliable- what seems to be falling apart is the plastics, which are known to be of less than acceptable in quality. And at 1 lakh on the clock, its only fair that the ride demands attention

Can you brief us on maintenance and repairs you have done thus far please?

[hrag]

Welcome to the 100K km club!

[Trapezio]

Congrats...

But as far as my little knowledge goes normally cars needs a routine suspension check/rework around 1 lakh kms. That is if you want to stick to manufacturer schedule regardless of the state of suspension. I think often they ask to recheck the pressure in dampers etc after 1 lakh kms.

I must say your car does not look that old in the pictures even after 1 lakh kms.

[kannan666]

Were the pics taken after it had covered 1L kms ? If so, the car looks in great shape superboy44 ! Like hrag says, welcome to the 1L club, I already own 4 vehicles which have crossed that mark and are still going strong !

[Dippy]

Our first car is always very special. Be it the one you buy yourself or gifted by your loved ones. Very well written review. Just service the car regularly and replace the worn out parts on time and it will serve you well for many more kms to come. Why tyre upsize are you running?

[superboy44]

thanks a lots guys and yes it feels good to reach this milestone and regards the maintenance and repairs here goes the long list.
well it all started on the very first day,
after getting the car decked up with alloys and the music system we went to the mandir to seek blessings from high up, now was the time to tank up the car as it was almost done with drinking up the complimentary 5lt drink provided to it by the dealership.
so i chose the farthest filling station from home and off i went, tanked up happily but sadly on the way back something unexpected happened.
a small stone came flying from the tyres of the car in front and struck the windshield and i could see but did not want to believe that there was a crack in the windshield, got down from the car and confirmed that it indeed was a crack.
that really managed to steal all the smile from my face.
somehow managed to get through the day but this was just the beginning of a torrid time ahead, went to a friends place and when i was about to leave the car would not start, it would crank but refused to roar to life, after a few agonizing moments it did start.
but by now i had started changing color with anger and disgust, next morning took the car straight to the dealership and somehow kept my cool as the service advisers were pretty helpful. the problem was traced to a defective self, which was changed the same day and then it was up and running the way i hoped for but still the new car experience was dented by now.

from then on it was running absolutely fine, got it serviced from the authorized center at the stipulated intervals till the time i noticed a huge pool of engine oil beneath the car, at this time the car had run about 47000kms.
got it towed to the dealership who kept it for a whole day and informed me that the cylinder head had cracked and that they would have to replace a good number of parts, but as the car was under warranty i did not have to pay anything except for the oil. the car was returned to me after almost 15 days and was asked to run it in as i would have done when it was new.
then on it felt quite eager and responsive than before and has served nearly flawless.
got the clutch assembly changed at 87000kms and had the same starting problem as before again around this time.

the car would start perfectly in the coldest of the mornings but would not start when warmed up. the problem was traced to the armature in the self assembly by a local mechanic of a good repute. he changed the original faulty armature with a new one specified for the indigo as he said it worked much better, then on it has been working fine.
these are the major troubles i have faced with my car but i guess with tata cars this much is bearable.

@ dippy i am running on apollo acceleres 185/60 r13 at the moment
the car has had three tyre changes, first had federal"s which were fine then changed them at about 50000km to goodyear venturas which lasted just 30000kms, apollos are doing good as of now.

[GTO]

Absolutely wicked looking Indica. Nice alloys & tyres, though the overall diameter seems smaller than stock?

Originally Posted by superboy44

From then on its been my daily companion and practically have lived my college life in it. Really fond memories that i am going to cherish for all my life.

As Dippy posted, always something special about our first cars. Heck, leave aside first cars, I get emotionally attached to all my cars. Thats one of the reasons why I don't sell them after only 5 years of ownership.

Well almost everything is falling apart and this is what irritates me the most about tata cars, the car no longer drives the way it did when relatively younger.

True & unfortunate. Tatas age quickly, my Indigo @ 25,000 kms feels a lot different than at the time when she was new.

But as soon as I am done with them I am gonna get it back to its former glory

Might I suggest an upgrade to the Vista Quadrajet, once your car has logged on some more miles?

[superboy44]

@gto i feel the overall diameter has increased as per my calculations, the car originally came with 165/65 r13 bridgestones and as of now i am running 185/60 r13 accelers.
correct me if i am wrong

my Indigo @ 25,000 kms feels a lot different than at the time when she was new

wish you all the luck with her for a hassle free ownership.

Might I suggest an upgrade to the Vista Quadrajet, once your car has logged on some more miles?

yes i do have that in mind but it wont be an indica for sure as this was our second one, we owned one previously from 99 to 04, have an inclination towards the i20 cause of the features on offer in the asta models.

[greenhorn]

@ superboy - wait for the vista ignis

[superboy44]

@greenhorn
it would definitely be a hot hatch once it is launched, but is it going to have a diesel powerplant or just the petrol 1.4 engine?
and vista sure has every potential to look like a million bucks on the roll once coupled with the right alloys and stuff, the works i mean..
a powerful diesel heart would be perfect.

[.anshuman]

Reminds me of my Indica, My car was going good at 150k when i sold it. Though most tata cars have give their share of trouble i was extremely lucky to have only minor problems. I had 205/60R13 G3 potenzas on my indica, they surely were overkill.

[sgiitk]

This puts paid to all those who claim that the engine conks out in under 50,000km! As for suspension and tautness what else did you expect. I think that a good suspension overhaul will put 80-90% of the new car feel back!

[superboy44]

I had 205/60R13 G3 potenzas on my indica, they surely were overkill

i am pretty sure they were, but must have looked great.. if you have a pic do post it, would love to see it.

This puts paid to all those who claim that the engine conks out in under 50,000km!

sure its been pretty reliable, and hopefully the new tata cars would been even more reliable..

[superboy44]

some fun in the mud

as you can see its all scratched and small dings and dents here and there, really need to get them set right

plastics by tata

apollos doing good even after 20000+kms

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