[Trueintrepid]

Originally Posted by amolpol

These are shot with a Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 24-105 F4 L IS + Canon 580 EX II flash.


Attachment 1017734

Great gear! I know it from experience. Which is how I think your photos strike a chord with the viewer.

I almost bought the rear bumper from Viji for my Thar; perhaps, order it sometime in the future. These are similar to the WARN bumpers.

[Car-e-ok]

Originally Posted by amolpol

Dear DB sir, the eyesore bumpers are gone and new ones from Swastik Fabs are installed for both front and rear. The rear bumper has the tyre mount as well since I wanted to keep the load of the spare wheel away from the body to avoid squeaking in the long run. I didn't post any pictures showing the rear because I still have to get the number plates fixed. Right now I have the original rear plate hanging by the spare wheel and have gotten the smaller version of the IND plates made for both sides. Will have them up once I've figured it out and will post some pictures at that time to show how the final product looks.

Here's what I was thinking about positioning the rear number plate above the RHS rear lamps. I was going to get a bracket done for it which can be fixed using the bolts on the upper door hinge, so no new holes need to be drilled. But those nuts are painted and opening it would mean that the paint would come off and hence there's still hesitation on doing it. There is another option to put it on the spare wheel but that is if this one doesn't work out.

Another option to consider was put them on the lower bumper plate, however, the bumpers are angled inwards and hence just sticking it on the bumper will mean that it won't be upright on installation.

Any other ideas are welcome.

Attachment 1017732



Wow, you're the first person I know that could tell the brand of the camera gear correctly by looking at the pictures. Was that an educated guess or is there something that gave it away.

These are shot with a Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 24-105 F4 L IS + Canon 580 EX II flash.



Thanks for noticing it. I did find it a bit odd, but now I will get it checked during the first service. Could you tell me what they did to fix the issue and do you think I need to get it done asap or it can wait till the service.



Thanks ashis89. Both of us are crazy travelers and always rely on our heart when it comes to such decisions. Afterall, you live only once!



Thanks mallumowgli. Your description reminded me of the pic which is worthy of going in this thread again.

Attachment 1017734

Here is the idea for your number plate relocation. I had applied all sorts of permutations and combinations in the past to find a location appropriate for number plate . To be honest everything looks out of place other than this. It may be just my personal opinion . Excuse me for the tape job around the number plate. I just used double tape to stick the number plate. Sand in rajasthan ruined my plan so now its bolted with the screw.
I have used my MT's for 10 k km's. I bought Thar this january 20 k kilometers done already. There are grey areas here and there. But i love thar like anything. Trust me very soon you will start loving the bits you are complaining about. In these few months of ownership i have been to chandigarh-rohtang(MT tires),chandigarh- jaisalmer(MT tires) and chandigarh- delhi(many times). No problems on long drives. It went through a lot of abuse and it came out of it at ease. So once again thanks BD sir. I was a sedan lover and my opinion has changed for life now. And by the way i must compliment you for your camera skills. The pics are very nice . Mahindra should steal them for marketing thar.

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Originally Posted by Car-e-ok

I have used my MT's for 10 k km's. I bought Thar this january 20 k kilometers done already. There are grey areas here and there. But i love thar like anything. Trust me very soon you will start loving the bits you are complaining about. In these few months of ownership i have been to chandigarh-rohtang(MT tires),chandigarh- jaisalmer(MT tires) and chandigarh- delhi(many times). No problems on long drives. It went through a lot of abuse and it came out of it at ease. So once again thanks BD sir. I was a sedan lover and my opinion has changed for life now.

Dear Car-e-ok - if your Thar tail lamps get flicked, you know who to send a PM to. . They look just fantastic. The number plate also looks superb in the correct location.

You were a Sedan lover, you have purchased Thar and you are enjoying it. I can imagine the three "S" syndrome you must have experienced between Chandigarh / Ambala / Karnal and Delhi - "Smooth Silent Surge" of Power! The effortless overtaking in third gear and then the quiet slotting into fourth and fifth gears. Then you stop for Parathas at a Dhaba, the Thar stands there all poised, ready to pounce and you can't get your eyes off it, isn't it? Wow! What more can I ask for, you have made my day! .

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[johny_desparado]

With all due respect to you sir , After paying close to 8 lakhs on a vehicle ,i see that you advise customers to keep throwing parts away as thought it came free ! Are you aware that all these modifications that you mention are not available in each and every part of India? Are you aware that we , as customers cannot keep taking our vehicles across various places in search of mechanics to fix something as basic as a "BRAKE".
Sorry to vent out my frustration but this is absolutely ridiculous and please remember not all customers can afford to keep spending all that you say after buying a new vehicle . How are you going to help each and every customer across India?
I am new to this forum but i have been following all your posts about "THAR" . Though you step up and try to solve problems , i dont see that this method is ever going to be helpful to everyone! You have advised this customer to buy a SA roll cage , i would love to get one as well by simply walking into a mahindra showroom and buying it off the shelf without having to import it after paying exorbitantly.

[Rajith]

Originally Posted by johny_desparado

With all due respect to you sir , After paying close to 8 lakhs on a vehicle ,i see that you advise customers to keep throwing parts away as thought it came free ! Are you aware that all these modifications that you mention are not available in each and every part of India? Are you aware that we , as customers cannot keep taking our vehicles across various places in search of mechanics to fix something as basic as a "BRAKE".
Sorry to vent out my frustration but this is absolutely ridiculous and please remember not all customers can afford to keep spending all that you say after buying a new vehicle . How are you going to help each and every customer across India?
I am new to this forum but i have been following all your posts about "THAR" . Though you step up and try to solve problems , i dont see that this method is ever going to be helpful to everyone! You have advised this customer to buy a SA roll cage , i would love to get one as well by simply walking into a mahindra showroom and buying it off the shelf without having to import it after paying exorbitantly.

SA roll bar is not imported back to india.Its manufactured at Nasik and one can get it,if ordered at a mahindra showroom.Unfortunately nothing in our country, one can get off the shelf especially for a jeep, as its built , not brought of the shelf..

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Originally Posted by johny_desparado

With all due respect to you sir, after paying close to 8 lakhs on a vehicle, I see that you advise customers to keep throwing parts away as thought it came free! Are you aware that all these modifications that you mention are not available in each and every part of India? Are you aware that we, as customers cannot keep taking our vehicles across various places in search of mechanics to fix something as basic as a "BRAKE". Sorry to vent out my frustration but this is absolutely ridiculous and please remember not all customers can afford to keep spending all that you say after buying a new vehicle. How are you going to help each and every customer across India?

I am new to this forum but I have been following all your posts about "THAR". Though you step up and try to solve problems, I don't see that this method is ever going to be helpful to everyone! You have advised this customer to buy a SA roll cage, I would love to get one as well by simply walking into a mahindra showroom and buying it off the shelf without having to import it after paying exorbitantly.

Dear Johny Desperado (good name!) - I agree with your point of view because there is merit in it. Let's take three cases, as follows:

Tandem booster - this was not given because the 10" booster "met CMVR" and saved some money (around 800 bucks, somebody met his "target" for the year!) in each vehicle produced with respect to tandem booster, but nobody bothered to see the whole thing from the customer's view point, and then people also make it convenient not to listen naa! People who matter have never even driven, how will they know? I knew that most of the customers will complain. I hope good sense prevails and something happens. This is the result of people who matter being in "Perpetual Denial Mode". I trust you will understand. I have explained this more than once before also.

South Africa Rollover Bar - this rollover bar is manufactured in Ambad which is an industrial area of Nasik, 180 kms north of Mumbai and fitted to South Africa RHD and Europe LHD vehicles when they are manufactured in Nasik. The vendor is located 4 kms away from the plant. You don't have to import it from South Africa, but somebody has to have the sense and business acumen to first realize that it is a better product, make it available to customers at dealerships and do jolly good business out of it. Arre baba. forget the company, I had told the vendor, but even he does not understand that there is business standing at his doorstep! I again hope that good sense prevails and something happens. I wonder and I am sure you will agree, do I have to tell even this much to people to do?

Hard Top - there was this vendor in Ambad who could not see hard top business offered to him on a platter. I had sent a bodyshell to him. I had to offer design cues and progress the work in his factory. What more can I say! By now, people would have queued up outside his factory for the product! Do you want me to post photographs? Oh, come on now!

All said and done, Thar is a product on the Jeep platform. Therefore, in keeping with its timeless need, it lends itself to being purchased by people who basically like to tinker with it even when nothing is required to be done. I am just sharing ideas, take it or leave it, that's all.

Your question - "how are you going to help each and every customer across India"? - I am trying my level best to help each and every customer by at least making him aware of his choices. Isn't this what "CUSTOMER-CENTRICITY" is all about? I hope that good sense prevails and something happens. On price, I think 8 lacs is ridiculous, that's why I am not buying it. I will buy it on my terms at my price. I have also clarified this point.

I hope I have been able to answer you, at least to some extent. At the end of the whole thing, to each his own.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[Skyline GT-R]

OT !

@ Johny Desperado

Try working with an Indian automobile company & i am sure you will appreciate what DB has been doing.

Atleast he is giving some solution albeit at customers cost than sitting mum with "Thar is my baby & it is perfect too" attitude.

[Car-e-ok]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Car-e-ok - if your Thar tail lamps get flicked, you know who to send a PM to. . They look just fantastic. The number plate also looks superb in the correct location.

You were a Sedan lover, you have purchased Thar and you are enjoying it. I can imagine the three "S" syndrome you must have experienced between Chandigarh / Ambala / Karnal and Delhi - "Smooth Silent Surge" of Power! The effortless overtaking in third gear and then the quiet slotting into fourth and fifth gears. Then you stop for Parathas at a Dhaba, the Thar stands there all poised, ready to pounce and you can't get your eyes off it, isn't it? Wow! What more can I ask for, you have made my day! .

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Hello BD sir,

Thank you for attending my posts always. It also encourages me to update my own thread which is http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-ve...ce-report.html . I will soon get back to it with some more questions and discussions with you once i get back home (Sailing somewhere in blacksea). All i can say is i am all praises for thar and its reliability. I did chandigarh-delhi-amritsar-chandigarh stretch just before coming to work.The best part is all these stretches were continous with no breaks so you can imagine jaisalmer to chandigarh took me 28 hours. The point i am trying to make is i would have never done these stretches in another vehicle ,Its just the raw power and the feeling of "it can take it!!push the pedal" always pumps the adrenaline and you just keep going.
Regards,
Kunal Walia

[amolpol]

Originally Posted by Car-e-ok

Here is the idea for your number plate relocation. I had applied all sorts of permutations and combinations in the past to find a location appropriate for number plate . To be honest everything looks out of place other than this.

Thanks, I agree that the LHS positioning works well. However, in my case there wouldn't be enough place to mount it that way. I won't be changing the tail lamps to make more place for the plates since I got the OE grills fitted for them already.

Originally Posted by Car-e-ok

And by the way i must compliment you for your camera skills. The pics are very nice . Mahindra should steal them for marketing thar.

They don't have to steal them, just simply ask for them!

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

South Africa Rollover Bar - this rollover bar is manufactured in Ambad which is an industrial area of Nasik, 180 kms north of Mumbai and fitted to South Africa RHD and Europe LHD vehicles when they are manufactured in Nasik.

It's been two weeks and Mr Chandrashekhar is still waiting to get the right parts. They sent the wrong part for the center column which basically renders it useless till the correct one arrives.

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

All said and done, Thar is a product on the Jeep platform. Therefore, in keeping with its timeless need, it lends itself to being purchased by people who basically like to tinker with it even when nothing is required to be done.

So very true, the jeeps are often built to suit everyone's personality, liking and needs. So even if the company built them to perfection as commuting vehicles, they will still go under the knife to adapt to the owners' needs. Why else would people modify their Wranglers when we consider those to be miles ahead of the Indian jeeps.

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

I hope that good sense prevails and something happens. On price, I think 8 lacs is ridiculous, that's why I am not buying it. I will buy it on my terms at my price. I have also clarified this point.

8.4 lacs is daylight robbery for the Thar, but given that there is no other viable option in the market, it is a one-sided win for Mahindra to price it to what they feel is right. Hopefully, there will be some options for consumers in the future, but until then Mahindra is going to continue looting us on the Thar.

[Dry Ice]

Your Jeep looks great Amol! And you rightly said, with all the shortcomings of this Jeep, it does seem like daylight robbery. But, part of the fault is with govt. too for charging such exorbitant taxes for the non-existent infrastructure!

That said, I have started liking the Thar more with each passing day for what it offers. Though my D-day is atleast a year away, I am already in the requirement gathering stage! Kinda confused between the Safari and Thar (Yes, you do seem to be enjoying the best of both worlds here! ). For a lakh or so more than the Thar, I get a great 5 seater highway cruiser, which is where I'll be using the vehicle most. But then, I understand, Thar can also be a competent cruiser. Where Thar trumps the Safari is its 4WD (I am looking at the Saf LX). How much 4WD worthy terrain I'll be visiting is what I need to decide on!

Now coming to the customization part, I see it does require extensive time and money (??) to mod it to ones tastes. Having said that, the 2 most essential mods for me would be the hard top and the brake upgrade (This will be my only ride). This alone brings it closer to the Saf's price. Including the other cosmetic mods it might even surpass it! Damn, this is confusing!

[johny_desparado]

Originally Posted by Skyline GT-R

OT !

@ Johny Desperado

Try working with an Indian automobile company & i am sure you will appreciate what DB has been doing.

Atleast he is giving some solution albeit at customers cost than sitting mum with "Thar is my baby & it is perfect too" attitude.

Sorry , it isn't enough . I have/own the vehicle and i know that BD has put in a lot of effort to realize his dream . I agree. I can forgive mahindra for the poor body work ,rusty parts and poor service but cannot and will not forgive them as an organization for having installed a poor braking system for a vehicle which has a top speed of about 160/hour . Sorry its "unpardonable" ! Do u realize that there are many thar owners across India who are unaware of these upgrades that has been mentioned here and it's extremely hard for all the owners to fix it at any mechanic . A responsible company would organize a recall and fix this rather than put the onus on the customer to get it fixed .

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Originally Posted by johny_desparado

Sorry , it isn't enough . I have/own the vehicle and i know that BD has put in a lot of effort to realize his dream . I agree. I can forgive mahindra for the poor body work ,rusty parts and poor service but cannot and will not forgive them as an organization for having installed a poor braking system for a vehicle which has a top speed of about 160/hour . Sorry its "unpardonable" ! Do u realize that there are many thar owners across India who are unaware of these upgrades that has been mentioned here and it's extremely hard for all the owners to fix it at any mechanic . A responsible company would organize a recall and fix this rather than put the onus on the customer to get it fixed .

Dear Johny Desperado - I totally agree with you on the brake issue. Nothing is more important than safety of the customers as well as of all other road users. After all, the Thar CRDe is essentially a Scorpio in disguise, it is lighter than the Scorpio so it is faster than the Scorpio. "What brakes Thar CRDe ought to have" is a "no brainer". This is where "RWUP testing" becomes imperative. RWUP stands for "Real World Usage Pattern".

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

PS - Obviously, MH01V521 had the "full treatment" brakes. I used to do 150/160 kmph with full confidence on the Mhow Indore bypass in the full winter chill of a foggy January morning. Continuous cruise @ 140 kmph was very common. By the way, it had the "full treatment" many other things also! .

[Enigmatic]

Awesome looking thar you got there. Many congratulations

We also have a thar in the family,And what a beast it is.
Sharing a pic of the beast :-

[codelust]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

PS - Obviously, MH01V521 had the "full treatment" brakes. I used to do 150/160 kmph with full confidence on the Mhow Indore bypass in the full winter chill of a foggy January morning. Continuous cruise @ 140 kmph was very common. By the way, it had the "full treatment" many other things also! .

Call me curious, but what would be a ballpark figure for recreating this legendary MH01V521 with a stock Thar today? I'm aware that all the required odds and ends may not be available off the shelf and it may not be possible to give an exact representation of costs (including labour), but it will be really helpful to a lot of us if we can, to the extent possible, have an idea of cost and parts availability.

I'm also guessing here that those who undertake these mods will probably void the warranty?

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Originally Posted by codelust

Call me curious, but what would be a ballpark figure for recreating this legendary MH01V521 with a stock Thar today? I'm aware that all the required odds and ends may not be available off the shelf and it may not be possible to give an exact representation of costs (including labour), but it will be really helpful to a lot of us if we can, to the extent possible, have an idea of cost and parts availability. I'm also guessing here that those who undertake these mods will probably void the warranty?

Dear Codelust - like you, there are many other TeamBHPians who want to know what was there in EP5 (Engineering Prototype 5), aka MH01V521. You will observe that I am stopping short of disclosing the details. As I do not work there anymore, it would not be correct for me to list the changes. I can tell you only one thing. Every single change done in MH01V521 is very much doable, not sacrificing reliability at all. I had mentioned this before also. The ballpark figure would stop just short of being completely insane as you would deal with spare parts cost which go through the roof for all sorts of inexplicable reasons. One TeamBHPian attempted to do the brakes but then backed off after knowing the cost. I could do it as I had to demonstrate the prowess of the platform to myself and moreover I did not have to pay for it! clap. .

The above reasons + the almost total lack of "Auto Passion" downstream into the supply chain (which includes dealerships), prevents dream products from making it to the showroom floor and into your hands! I knew this, therefore, however much people tried, on the highways, nobody could catch MH01V521. I remember that sometime in early 2010, an Audi Q5 had tried between Shahpur and Nasik in the middle of the night but could barely keep up. When I stopped at the guest house, he stopped as well, we shook hands and then both of us had a hearty laugh. The time was 2AM.

I am posting a photograph of MH01V521 for reference. This was taken on 25 June 2010 during the EXAMM.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar