re: Reclaiming life - My Tata Safari TCIC. 13 years, 1,23,000 kms and counting Here is an overall summary of my vehicle after about 6 years (11 years total) and 50k of my usage.
Pros: Space, comfort, great for long dives, like little touches like hydraulic hinge for rear door & bonnet, door pads where I rest my hand during long drives etc.
Reliability: Have been stranded only twice in city. Third time there was a loose gearbox cover, although did not not take chance and called helpline, it would not have resulted in any problem whatsoever.
Otherwise, cannot question the reliability. I have taken this car to the remotest of the places, no issues.
Reason for problem: Initially it was the steering hose pipe. But service center should have noted it before the failure. Second time alternator belt which was replaced about 12 months back only failed. Probably the spare parts quality is an issue. Third time we would guess it was the fault of the service center as they did some work before we started for the long drive.
Maintenance cost: high.
Parts replaced: Fuel pump head, radiator, front grill, both bumpers, steering column and assembly, a number of hoses, timing belt, headlight assembly, headlights, horn.
Parts serviced: Alternator, Fuel pump, Brake system, Front hub
Periodic maintenance: Suspension, clutch, greasing, wheel bearings
Tires: Changed twice (second time it was an upgrade). Currently running Michelin LTX AT with nitrogen - excellent tires.
Experience with A.S.S.: Concorde is great. But most of the times they would not attend to minor details properly. For example, they did the steering work, but in high beam, left indicator switch is not getting into the slot.
Memories: Many. This was my first SUV. It brought us back safely from many remote places in the country. I have driven this car overnight continuously for 15-16 hours, never got tired or any other issues. Same goes for passengers as well. Nobody ever complained of tiredness. We were also chased by a wild elephant in the jungle, but nothing happened.
Build quality: Solid. Once a pickup rammed into my vehicle from front left. All I had to do is to pull the dent up to its original position in a local garage. Once an auto rammed from behind. There is a slight dent, hardly noticeable.
Availability of parts: Not an issue. Some parts may require advanced notice though. As long as you have good rapport with your service center, should not be a problem.
Power: Not inadequate unless you are a racer. May feel slightly underpowered at uphill drives. But then you have 4wd anyway. Very very powerful in 4wd low, can take any terrain up to 50 degrees I guess.
Need to keep the car in power band(more than 2000 rpm) to get the maximum out of it.
Mileage: About 7.5-8 kmpl in city with 100% AC. Highway, the maximum mileage I got was about 14.8 with 100% AC.
Conclusion: Inexpensive to maintain. A used one is a real value for money as a first car.
Current mileage: crossed 96k.
Engine oil top-up: rarely required. Oil change interval is about 5k. Using mobil delvac MX for now, which feels better than Castrol. Thanks to this forum for the recommendation.
Time-for-change: May be. Difficult to find another vehicle for the same space and comfort. Reluctant to buy another safari as there are many problems reported. Took a test drive of scorpio, did not like it.
Last edited by sumannandy : 19th March 2011 at 10:15.
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