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-   -   A Biker to a Jeeper - Mahindra Thar Crde (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-vehicles/129361-biker-jeeper-mahindra-thar-crde-10.html)

BD Sir, I'm in touch with those guys and they're waiting for three parts to arrive which are getting shipped today/tomorrow. Given that I don't use the jeep everyday I'm in no hurry to get it done. As long as it is done to my satisfaction, I'm good with it.

My funda in life is very clear, you can't go beating everyone all the time. M&M has been very responsive about the whole situation so I've got no big complaints. Sometimes even as a customer it's okay to be patient. :D

PS> I've dealt with their spares dept earlier when I ordered the SA Roll cage. So I know what type of monkeys are employed there, and I'm sure they'll mess up if put under pressure.

This maybe slightly OT so apologies, but when is the Sakleshpur event scheduled? Is it open for all? Me and friend of mine were interested in joining with his Gypsy.

Its the Mahindra Great Escape event on 31st Aug/1st Sept, only Mahidnra vehicles allowed to participate. Unfortunately, the Gypsy won't be eligible.

Oh I didn't realise it was one of the Great Escape events. Guess we will have to wait for some other OTR meet. But hope you get your Thar on time for it.

Let me begin by saying that "All izzz well" with the jeep and I'm still excited to have bought it.



Now coming back to reality stupid:

The past 10 months haven't been without issues, but we've been able to work it out quite well I feel. I am beginning to feel the connection with my jeep and the feeling of keeping it forever is growing. I have the same feeling for my bike which is more than a decade old and aging, but yet it brings a smile on my face when I ride it.

The Pleasures of Owning a Thar:

• Offroad Membership: I'm pretty happy with the fact that I was able to participate on most of the OTR events so far, even though I missed a few, namely the Wayanad event which seemed like a lot of fun. The objective of getting the jeep was to feel the adrenaline rush while off-roading and I've had a lot of doses of it till now. Can't call myself a seasoned off-roader, but given the experience gained so far, I'm no longer a newbie either.
  
• Conversation Starter: The classic Jeep styled vehicle commands attention both onroad and offroad. It's a good conversation starter as well, you can always notice a lot of eyes fixated on it as you drive along or park it somewhere. If the other person happens to be a jeeper too, then the topics are more to do with how do you fix this issue versus that issue etc. This is very similar to the conversations I've experienced with my Thunderbird as well.
  
• Customized Look and Feel: The joys of owning jeeps is to make sure no two jeep look exactly the same. The endless possibilities of adding or removing stuff enable you to hit a sweet spot which you can identify with your personality. I am right about there as of now, there are no plans to change the looks and I can feel that the jeep reflects pretty much my taste, preferring function over form!
  

The Accompanying Headaches to Deal With:

• Time and Money Investment: The jeep is a sucker for both, time and money! And if you agree that time is money, then you can simplify the statement and say Jeeps suck Money! Its difficult to keep the modifications out of your head, there's just so much to do with it and yet it never is enough. But honestly, I've learnt how to make better choices now so it's not all bad.
  
• Managing the ASC: You need some really good influencing skills to manage the people at the workshop and get work done. For a first-timer, this can be a nightmare and can cause blood pressure problems if not dealt properly. Luckily for me, things have been manageable and even though there are still some issues, I've learnt to make peace with them.
  

Here's a quick list of mods I've done so far (will try and post some pictures later)

• Front Bumper from Swastik Fabs - superb investment, no regrets
• Rock Sliders from Swastik Fabs - Another good investment, no regrets
• Rear Bumper from Swastik Fabs - Mixed emotions since it broke, will wait and see how the new one performs.
• Hella 4000FF spot beams - Excellent daylight kind of light, but would be very harsh for oncoming traffic. I've used it only a couple of times on double laned highways but am happy so far.
• JCB worklamps - excellent VFM fog lamps. Cheap to replace in case of breakage (i've broken one already)
• Maxxis Bighorn tires - Super choice in MT tires, they work like a charm
• Alloy Wheels - This had become more of a necessity than a choice because the tires were touching when mounted on stock wheels. Happy with the choice so far, but would have preferred steel wheels.
• Hilift Jack (Extreme) - Very convenient in offroad situations!
• 12V Socket Expander - Gives three sockets instead of just one. Very helpful to charge multiple things at once.
• JBL Bluetooth Speaker - sits on the dash in it's own clamp and provides good quality music. No system, no wiring, no box speakers etc - peace of mind.
• Rugged Ridge Front facing rear seat - Very comfortable and good quality finish. Folds double and can be removed easily and thus very convenient when going offroad etc.
• SA Rollcage - better quality than the accessory rollcage. Fits the Thar like a glove.
• Warn M8000 winch - Super build and has lived up to its reputation.
• Headlamp and Tail lamp grills - Adds some protection and looks good as well.
• Insect mesh - keeps the bugs away, but affects the classic jeep looks in the front
• 3M CR70 - excellent visibility and helps keep the cabin cool.
• Hella Red Grill horns - compliments the menacing look of the jeep
  

Now for some of the issues I've seen so far and the resolutions:

• Issue #1 -Coolant Leakage: Apparently this was one of the really complex issues to fix for the ASC. It took them 3-4 attempts to plug all the holes/gaps and make sure that the plumbing isn't going to drip any more of the precious coolant on the ground. The coolant reservoir used to go from high to low in a matter of 500-600kms, but now it behaves normal and there's been no complaint after the last fix.
  
• Issue #2 - Brake Pedal Sinks In: This isn't the classic complaint of poor braking in the Thar. This is basically a phenomena where the brake line loses pressure and the pedal just sinks to the bottom without any significant braking action. The pedal behaves normally once pumped and overall braking is normal (read poor) like other Thars. This is a split second situation and can lead to disastrous consequences if it happens at high speeds. Luckily, I've only observed it in lower speeds (Less than 30kph) and there was enough time to respond with a quick pumping action which stopped the vehicle. The issue has been highlighted more than twice already and recently the jeep was left at the ASC for 3 days just to fix this problem. I'm told that it's taken care of, but I haven't driven it much after the service to comment whether it's 100% resolved.
  
• Issue #3 - Handbrake Not Working: The handbrake just refuses to be pulled into service. The ASC conveniently has forgotten to fix it for the last 2 times and are on the verge of getting beaten up when I visit them next time. Even when it worked, it never really "worked" so I've just gotten used to parking it in gear which isn't what I'd do on other cars usually.
  
• Issue #4 - Poor braking: This is one of the most common complaints with the Thar and there is no clear resolution from Mahindra apart from BD's guide to upgrading the brakes to Scorpio ones (at a price and loss of warranty). Now, I know that because of the MT tires the braking would be poorer than the HT or AT tires. But the jeeps inability to lock the wheels anytime testify the fact that the braking is poorer inherently and the tires are not to be blamed. If this weren't India, Mahindra could be looking at a class action law suit being filed for millions of dollars, but that isn't going to happen! I'm hoping that Mahindra will actually Rise to the occasion and fix this issue before my warranty gets over.
  
• Issue #5 - Front Left Wheel broke off :Shockked:: This was a rather embarrassing and a potentially dangerous failure that highlights the quality of components in the Thar. I've never really gotten a good answer from the service center on why it should happen but there are multiple theories ranging from incorrect fitment of the wheel to a cracked hub casing as a manufacturing defect. I should say that the ASC and the regional office did live up to my expectations in managing through this repair, however in the end it was the Mahindra Spares division that needed some spanking to get the vehicle delivered on time. The entire left wheel transmission and hub assembly has been replaced, only relief was that it was covered under warranty.
  
• Issue #6 - Rear bumper with the tire carrier fell off: This was also one of the other shocking natural history moments. The tire carrier door fell off with the spare wheel and hilift jack mounted on it while the jeep was doing near triple digit speeds. Thankfully there was nobody behind us at that time and there was no further incident because of it. This was identified as a faulty weld joint at the hinge and the bumper is being replaced with a new one. Hopefully, the new one won't give me any trouble.

Tastefully done up Thar,Braking issue is a serious one with Thar and Mahindra should rise up to the occasion and do the needful to rectify it.
Issue 5&6 which you have mentioned sent shivers down my spine, I wonder how difficult it is for a company like Mahindra to improve their quality of manufacturing, is it the lack of interest in a low selling volume vehicle?

Amen brother! I'm hoping to see this issue being taken care of by Mahindra vs outside mechanics.


A few more updates since last week:

- Finally the rear bumper is now installed back on the jeep, although it's not 100% complete. Vijay sir from Swastik fabs was able to modify the design to introduce an additional locking and support mechanism to take care of the shaky tire carrier door. Not that it's any more convenient than before since there's an additional locking point that needs to be opened before using that door, but it's a bit reassuring in terms of the vibration than earlier. The sad part is that I can't test the ruggedness of the new design because apparently the bracket for the tire mounting has gone missing and I'm left with no choice but to leave the spare wheel at home till I get a replacement for it. Hopefully, there'll be some closure to this in the next few weeks.

- One of the front fog lamps had a broken glass due to a stone on the highway. This was replaced with a new one since I couldn't manage to find only the glass lens on JC road. These are the Neolite 714 JCB work lamps, and I have to trash a working lamp if there's no way I can get a fix for the glass. Anyways, for now it's done, but if anyone has leads on how/where to procure the glass lens for the lamp, let me know.

- In the last couple of OTRs, there was a need felt for limb risers to keep the branches away while going through thick tree cover etc. This was also necessary since I usually mount the GoPro camera on the outside of the windshield and it's best to keep distractions away. So a pair of limb risers were installed over the weekend.

- A new spare tire cover was bought since my old one was torn to pieces when the bumper fell off. Will have to wait for the spare wheel to be back in its place before I can use it though.

- Recently found out that the ASC hadn't forgotten the handbrake issue, they just couldn't fix it because of unavailability of parts. I got a call yesterday stating that the cable has arrived and that I could drop in and have it fixed.

- Since the jeep has done about 10k, I thought I'd get the alignment and balancing done along with tyre rotation. Went to Madhus on Saturday evening to get it done. Opted for the Road Force balancing but ran into issues with one of the wheels where the suggested weights were more than 175gms to get it balanced. The other three wheels required weights under 100g and were balanced correctly whereas the fourth wheel was left unbalanced as per the advise of the personnel there.

- The unbalanced wheel is now at the rear right position and I was told that it shouldn't affect the driving dynamics too much. However, later I realized that the steering is no longer centered and has quite a left bias. Have to keep it turned rightwards to have a straight line track, also there is a definite left pull when the hands are off the wheel. This just means more rework to get it fixed and another weekend wasted. :Frustrati

- The guy also identified a cross thread issue on one of the stud bolts which has to be replaced - another action item for the ASC visit.

Phew! That turned out to be a lot longer update than what I had originally thought of. For now, let me just finish this bulletin with a picture post installing the limb risers. :)

Is that rust on your lower-arm?

Nah, not yet. Its just dirty with all the mud from the potholed city of Namma Bengaluru :)

Sorry for my ignorance could you please explain me the use of installing limb risers?

The limb risers are steel cables running along the side fender which help in deflecting tree branches away from the windshield while driving through thick tree covered trails. Since I use a camera on the windshield it will help in keeping the line of sight free from distractions and also save it from some random hits which it has endured so far. The only thing it won't protect is from branches hanging from above which is still a risk.

Thanks for the explanation sir, but isn't it dangerous to drive with limb raisers on highways or city if you happen to collide with a pedestrian,wouldn't that cause serious injuries to the opposite party?

You bring up a good point but unfortunately there's no easy answer to it. I don't intend to keep it on all the time since it attracts a lot of unnecessary attention and secondly my wife doesn't like it. Moreover its not an everyday use vehicle for me.

As far as the safety angle is concerned, one must remember that they are driving a potentially hazardous vehicle, both for self as well as others. There is absolutely no sense in driving the jeep like an SUV, both in the city and highways alike. Reason being there are no engineered crumple zones to save the occupants during high speed collisions and there's enough metal all around to cause significant damage to others even in slow speed dashes.

Believe me, I've had someone rear end me once at a signal and their bonnet wasn't looking pretty anymore while I didn't even have a scratch. Similarly, I just rolled into someone in standstill traffic and the front bumper caused a dent on the boot lid (thankfully it was an old premier padmini so it could take it much better than modern day aluminium kinda panels). I wouldn't want to take any risk with higher speeds on the jeep anytime, there's always another car for that.

Please have this carefully inspected. I had the same issue with my Thar yesterday. Today the brakes gave up completely in the middle of the highway :Shockked:. The RH caliper hose had fractured and was spewing brake fluid all over. All this happened in a matter of minutes and exactly 2 days after its 20,000km service.

This is SHOCKING!!!

Do they have no preventive maintenance systems in place to check for signs when the service is done? Is it all down to the owner to do? I am appalled to see such shoddy production and then to top it with even shoddier Control systems.

What a wonderful vehicle destroyed by plain and simple callousness!

Hope you get this problem sorted out and infact I would recommend you to go to the root cause of the rupture of the hose. Was it extreme bending or was it just a manufacturing defect? For which I would suggest moving to a better brake hose, maybe even a steel braided one.