5th January 2011, 00:36
| #1141 |
| Team-BHP Support   | Re: Mahindra CJ340 joins Team-BHP family BTW, I forgot to mention that the Jeep is back. It started at first crank although I started it after 10 days of inactivity. The engine is very smooth and feels very light. Almost like a new engine. Looks like I will be driving it again back to Bangalore (400Kms) for the annual OTR. Such is the confidence level now.  |
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5th January 2011, 09:05
| #1142 |
| Team-BHP Support | Re: Mahindra CJ340 joins Team-BHP family I had also asked the mechanic to replace the hood latches that have rusted. But he didn't replace them. When asked he said he couldn't source good quality latches. He said M&M latches are really bad ones. Today when I saw this photo in Thar thread, I remembered it.  The latch has already nicked the paint even before delivery. I have seen good quality steel latches with a plate on the back, so that the sharp part of the latch doesn't touch the body. But the M&M OE latches are just pathetic, as you can see above. |
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5th January 2011, 10:11
| #1143 |
| BHPian  | |
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6th January 2011, 01:17
| #1144 | |
| Team-BHP Support | Re: Mahindra CJ340 joins Team-BHP family Quote:
Amazon.com: Bestop 51291-01 Replacement Hood Latch Kit: Automotive | |
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6th January 2011, 13:58
| #1145 |
| BHPian | |
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6th January 2011, 14:37
| #1146 |
| Team-BHP Support | Re: Mahindra CJ340 joins Team-BHP family Shekaran, those latches don't belong to CJ series Jeeps. I am no purist, but I don't want the most modern part of my Jeep to be a hood latch.  Right now, the tyres are the only modern technology on my Jeep. |
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6th January 2011, 17:22
| #1147 | |
| BHPian  | Re: Mahindra CJ340 joins Team-BHP family Quote:
 We Jeepers! Does Amazon ship to India? This does open up an interesting option to purchase Jeep knick-knacks! | |
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7th January 2011, 07:40
| #1148 |
| Team-BHP Support | |
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25th January 2011, 18:48
| #1149 |
| Team-BHP Support | Re: Mahindra CJ340 joins Team-BHP family One of the biggest challenges of owning a Jeep in India is the parts quality. Even if you are willing to spend quality money, you can't get quality parts. Some you get from Mahindra, some you can get from independent parts makers, but some you can't get at all. For example, independent parts makers make better water hoses than Mahindra OEM. They are even properly tagged unlike the Mahindra OEM part. After going through multiple water hoses, I know that now. When I got my Jeep completely rebuilt last year, I could buy front grill, hood, fenders from independent makers. But there was one part that was not available. The hood latch! Neither the rebuilder, nor my current mechanic could replace the hood latch, because good hood latches are not available. I was told that, if they ever see a good hood latch, they will let me know. So I was managing with the bad rusted hood latch all this time. Now, you might think hood latch is a hood latch, why do you need a good one? This is what happens with a bad hood latch:  The brand new paint was scratched once the hood latch was connected. The scratch on the left side was caused by the side pointy thing, since the latch couldn't sit straight. The scratch in the middle is dug all the way to the metal. That has happened at all latch points. When the hood is open, it doesn't always stay out of the way. By mistake if somebody had pushed it forward, it can further scratch the paint when the hood is closed. This is what happens if the latch is leaning forward when the hood is being closed.  If you see few posts behind (post #1142), you can find even the brand new Thar coming out with sub-standard latches which has already nicked the paint. So there was no hope for my old Jeep. Mahindra obviously has no plans to make high quality latches. Recently shekaran mentioned the idea of getting the latches from Amazon.com, and I jumped at it right away. Yesterday, the imported latches were installed when I had given the Jeep for greasing after the Sunday drive. As I went to pick up the Jeep, first thing Prakashanna (our master mechanic) pointed out was the spring action of the imported latches. He was mesmerized by it. It moves out of the way when disconnected. If you look from the top, you'll notice that it is not touching the body, also it stays parallel to the bodyline.  Yes, it is just a hood latch, from an independent part maker. But, notice the attention to details, how such a minor part is engineered. If the whole Jeep is crafted this way, can you imagine how reliable even a Jeep can become? One can only wish. All the above photos were taken with the new latch, that is why they are so shiny and neat, down to the bolts that came with it. The 4 hood latches cost me $19, shipping was free. Somebody carried it for me from USA. Last edited by Samurai : 25th January 2011 at 18:57. |
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25th January 2011, 19:07
| #1150 |
| Senior - BHPian  | Re: Mahindra CJ340 joins Team-BHP family Nice simple part which makes so much sense. Only on Team-Bhp included with a video review. |
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25th January 2011, 19:25
| #1151 |
| Team-BHP Support  Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 20,215
Thanked: 15,906 Times
| Re: Mahindra CJ340 joins Team-BHP family Shall promptly carry a star screw driver for aavalconda Super stuff Samurai, really worth it!! I will get a set when DwArF is ready for a paint job. EDIT: Your mech is not alone, am watching the video in loop lol |
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25th January 2011, 19:42
| #1152 |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Germany
Posts: 2,854
Thanked: 1,532 Times
| Re: Mahindra CJ340 joins Team-BHP family Sam, those are really good quality hood latches. Thanks for sharing! Spike PS- You can try M6 x 1.0 screw with a different head (that would make it difficult to steal) |
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25th January 2011, 22:17
| #1153 |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Pune
Posts: 1,357
Thanked: 1,092 Times
| Re: Mahindra CJ340 joins Team-BHP family To avoid the scratches by the hood latch, one can add a steel plate or a rubber strip as shown below (in green color)  Anyway this will still not solve the paint scratches created at other spots as shown in Samurai's photo. |
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25th January 2011, 23:07
| #1154 | |
| BHPian | Quote:
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26th January 2011, 00:05
| #1155 |
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