[sid_hilldriver]

Hey Docsaab.
I happened to see your Youtube video and also left a comment. Anyways, how is the Thar running now? I hope its condition is stable now. I was of the view that the refreshed version of Thar will be free from petty niggles. I am planning a Thar too but I am apprehensive of the build quality and reliability issues in Thar. I am confused between a used Fortuner and a new Thar.

Could you please enlighten me in the issue?


Regards.

[Dr_MNC_SK]

40,000 kms 3 years Update and Yearly Maintenance

Hi folks,

I am writing after a long time. Busy schedule in hospital and life and bound by deadlines everywhere. Then I realised i need to write something on my thread lest I forget what I have been doing to my Thar.

The 404 completed its 3 year of being with me today the 20th Sept 2018
Drove down to Siliguri for the yearly maintenance schedule. Straight forward professionals in Sona Wheels and a whole day of labour for one technician. Things done included Front HUB Greasing and Oil Seal Change, Engine Oil & Filter change, AirFilter Change. Brakes Pads & Oil and Clutch Oil Change. Plus 3 ball socket change (Both Tie end rods and one upper arm ) Front Bar and Rear Silicone Biscuits Bush Change. Total cost was close to 13K (Bills attached) Vehicle smooth now, was literally choking at rpm >3500 before that.

Things that happened before this scheduled service.

1. Got 5 New Yokohama Geolander AT 235/70/16 (stock)
2. Steering Intermediate Shaft changed.
3. Main windshield rubber changed for leaking. Still leaked. Readjusted, the windshield broke, had to put TharDis windshield as only resort for availability.
4. Got Metalhouse Clutch protection in underbody

Issue now is Alignment. No more space to put shims. Have to change upper arm suspension bushing and do alignment again. Have been running well otherwise. Dash board and foglamp fuse keeps going quite often. Small noises appear here and there. Rest is unremarkable. Looking for another year of great niggle free awesome ownership.
"Live Young Live Free"

[DirtyDan]

Originally Posted by Dr_MNC_SK

[b]

Got Metalhouse Clutch protection in underbody

Please, what is this exactly? Some type of skid plate for the clutch and/or clutch linkage?

[CAPTAIN REX]

Originally Posted by DirtyDan

Please, what is this exactly? Some type of skid plate for the clutch and/or clutch linkage?

I guess it is the plate that protects the clutch slave cylinder hydraulic pipe, which is pretty well exposed to the terrain when OTR.
Heard of guys having had this pipe broken during OTRs, where the belly scrapes the terrain, and had to be towed out.

Below is the protective plate and the hydraulic pipe for your reference.

[Dr_MNC_SK]

An update after long.

Well, haven't really got some interesting kinds of stuff to share hence haven't posted for a long while now.

The Thar has run close to 45K now and I have had quite a share of niggles and good times along the way.

Goodtimes: Did a Gangtok- Kakarvitta- Pokhara- Jomsom- Kagbeni -Muktinath- Kathmandu and back trip recently. (Lower Mustang Circuit)

Upgraded Foglamps to Hella Rallye 4000 and moved the Comet 500 to the windshield.

Niggles:

1. I ended up changing the Clutch plate and Pressure plate and slave cylinder for clutch at around 40 K primarily for the hardness and secondarily for some kind of sound that was coming when revved hard and no other issues were identified. Cost me approx 17K in total with labour and the clutch is soft as butter now.

2. Water leakage from underneath the footwell area was a major irritation. The entire canopy was removed, the winshield lowered on its hinges and the horizontal rubber underneath was reinforced with sealant. 90% Cure Rate, 10% still problematic on passenger side. Labour Cost- Intensive

3. Some miscreant cut my rear canopy vinyl: Repaired in locality hood works: The canvas bears a scar.

4. Coolant Reservoir Bottle develops cracks. Changed twice. Still needs a change. Is it the quality or the weather here?

5. Alignment issues were neverending but touchwood a FNG fixed it at last.

6. Mileage is 12kmpl on highways with AC and 9-10 here with No AC

7. Some rattles on the front dashboard after the water leak job. Sob Sob.

Looking forward to some upholstering upgrades now. Probably the Tembo Hardtop.

[ralto]

Mighty impressed by the sleek rooftop carrier you got there. However, seems to the recent pics.

Can you please share long term review of it ?

How has it held up and any other practicality issues etc ?

I'm thinking of getting similar one fabricated so looking for inputs.

[abhikb]

Originally Posted by Dr_MNC_SK

Upgraded Foglamps to Hella Rallye 4000 and moved the Comet 500 to the windshield.

Hey doc,

Have been following your thread for quite sometime now.

Can you throw some light on how the wiring was done for the lights installed below windshield.

Thanks
Abhik

[DirtyDan]

Originally Posted by abhikb

Hey doc,

Can you throw some light on how the wiring was done for the lights installed below windshield.

I will butt in. You could drill holes right thru the sheet metal at the lower corners of the windshield. If you use heavier gage wires you will tend to eliminate any chafing of the wire due to vibration of the jeep running.

You can get a good brand of silicon, from a hardware store, in a tube like toothpaste, and use this to plug the wire holes and make them waterproof. It goes on like toothpaste but hardens to a rubber like consistancy via exposure to air. It is waterproof and plugs holes nicely.

Switches are easy to find and install. Below is the switch I use to operate my
auxiliary front lights. A good electrical shop near me installed this heavy duty switch. It is from an old Amby as a matter of fact. It pulls out and pushes in. That's it in the middle of those 3 black plugs. The wire's connection to the lights are in a 1" plastic tube to protect them from the elements and the wires run under the left bumper into the engine compartment. And, the wires run thru a pre-existing hole in the firewall to the switch on the dashboard.

The camera angle exagerates my two marker stalks on the ends of my front bumper, by the way. They don't stick out passed the vehicle's width in reality. They are hard rubber mounted on spring stalks. You will see them used on trucks from time to time. They give nice visual reference of where the left and right bumpers are. They are nice to have in a crowded market street and in other tight places. Mounted on spring stalks and lightly bolted on pipe, they will not skewer pedestrians, mostly.. They are very handy and visible also at night.

[abhikb]

Originally Posted by DirtyDan

I will butt in. You could drill holes right thru the sheet metal at the lower corners of the windshield.

Hey Dirty Dan,

Thanks for giving your inputs. I am somehow little apprehensive on making any sort of holes to the body. (Maybe since I am have just completed 1 month of ownership).

Let’s see will decide in due course of time. Anyways thanks again for the helpful post.

Regards
Abhik

[KkVaidya]

Originally Posted by Dr_MNC_SK

2. Water leakage from underneath the footwell area was a major irritation. The entire canopy was removed, the winshield lowered on its hinges and the horizontal rubber underneath was reinforced with sealant. 90% Cure Rate, 10% still problematic on passenger side. Labour Cost- Intensive

Do you have any pictures to where exactly you put the sealant? I am trying to find the exact area from where the water leaks in

[Dr_MNC_SK]

Originally Posted by abhikb

Hey doc,

Have been following your thread for quite sometime now.

Can you throw some light on how the wiring was done for the lights installed below windshield.

Thanks
Abhik

Hi there. Wiring has been done without any drilling. Engine bay to cabin through the original holes in firewall, behind the dash and out through the door hinge area via sleeved tubes and to the brackets. Gets impinged while closing door but nothing has happened for the last 2 years. But just keep adequate length for flexibility while closing doors. Too much of panel gap in the doors does the trick.

Originally Posted by KkVaidya

Do you have any pictures to where exactly you put the sealant? I am trying to find the exact area from where the water leaks in

The entire winshield folds down after requisite steps. I.e. hood to be removed, targa to be removed, and the horizontal portion above door to be disarticulated from from top of windshield. Then winshield with bracket folds forward. At the base of fold long rubber strip is there which needs to be reinforced with silicone or changed if readily available. I need to hunt photographs in my phone back up and shall dm it to you soon when if i find it. Water leakage issues are the most irritating headache in this breed i guess.

[Dr_MNC_SK]

UPDATE AFTER LONG TIME

Hello folks, finding some time to update the thread. Odometer is closing on to 55000 kms now, short of say 500. Some minor and some major issues in between.

1. Engine Check light came at 52000 after a new years eve trip to Pokhara, was found to have AC Malfunction, the ASC topped up gas and it disappeared to reappear again in a week. Culprit is the hose at the AC Core assembly which needs to be replaced. Awaiting for spares, the entire assembly with fan is readily available but the core only probably not. Waiting for a month. No AC but temperatures here still are very low hence not much of a concern. Does anyone know if a AC leak can be fixed reliably without changing the assembly?

2. The front bumpers and fenders were damaged by a hit by a scorpio when I was parked, luckily happened to be a known and he repaired it, Lost my Drive Himalayas sticker but the Fibre bumpers having taken a toll for 5 years look fresh and new now.

3. Did a double din Android Headunit installed and Seats rebolstered and new covers stitched. Also the bonnet had a long standing scratch by some moron and got the bonnet repainted in ASC along with the winshield frame which was showing some signs of rusting. It also got a fresh coat of underbody antirust, silencer coating and engine bay coating from Mahindra Maxicare.

4. The fuel return hosepipe had left its receptacle and grated against a metal and got ripped off, had to change it.

5. Oh and I installed seatbelts in the rear seats, 2 of them.

[Dr_MNC_SK]

Update.

(Sorry for back to back post)
Don’t actually know if its allowed, no one seems to be replying to my thread now since all focus is on the All New Thar.

Changed my soft top to the ones by Armoro.

This is the Black Armoro Openable Soft Top for the current generation Thar.

It has good vinyl on the side which can be YKK zipped down on the sides and top and is attached to the bottom part.

The thickness is better than the stock canopy.

Installation is almost same. Except the front part clips are not visible like stock.

There are ties on the rear inside to keep flapping down. Rear vinyl is bit smaller than stock but zippers are all YKK and the tie up mechanism is nice unlike the velcro in stock. Fit is not as tight as the stock but looks good overall.

Lets see how it holds our Sikkim rains. The stock held up 5 years and still fair enough but i wanted a change especially for the windows.

Also added rear wheel canvas cover from them. Was difficult to put on. The elastic snapped and was a task to put it back again.

[Kosfactor]

What is the cost difference between Armoro vs stock canopy? I have seen them in a few videos the colors are good but I'm sceptical about the fit.

[abhikb]

Originally Posted by Dr_MNC_SK

Update.

Changed my soft top to the ones by Armoro.

This is the Black Armoro Openable Soft Top for the current generation Thar.

The new canopy looks nice on the Thar, how much did the entire thing cost along with spare wheel cover?

Pls post few more pics of the canopy.