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Old 3rd November 2012, 12:19   #256
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Re: Tata Nano vs Maruti Alto vs Chevrolet Spark

Quote:
Originally Posted by aabidansari View Post
Wow, how do you know this?
It can be decoded from the VIN number.. 10th Character denotes year and 12th character denotes month. There is a thread from WILDON which explains decoding VIN for most of the manufacturers.

Quote:
Originally Posted by torquecurve View Post
Sathya dont fret.
Dont worry though, the car has not run (other than the short factory test drive) and should be perfectly fine.
Yes. My NANO is in transit, as of now. Expecting the best.

Quote:
Originally Posted by honeybee View Post
The Nano has a digital odometer, so tampering with it should be difficult. Also the month and year of manufacturer is marked on the windshield (front passenger side) which can be read from outside.

@aabidansari, I hope you continue the practice of wearing seatbelts all the time, and not just because of the poor braking of the Nano.
The one in the windshield indicates when the windshield was manufactured. VIN must help in decoding the month and year of cars' manufacture.

Also, on 31st Nov, I invoiced the car. But to my surprise, now the spl edition of Nano is available in Chennai too. Will have to see if I can get any benefits out of the spl edition in my alloted car. Lets see.

Last edited by Sathya_sc : 3rd November 2012 at 12:20.
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Old 22nd November 2012, 17:37   #257
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Second Car : Tata Nano vs Maruti Alto 800 vs Old Alto

Hi Friends,

We are going through a similar dilemma which Sathya_sc went through about a month back. We recently bid adieu to our trusted companion for 9 years (Fiat Palio NV Sportz) which my wife was driving lately and are now looking for a replacement. The only reason why we sold of the Palio was to have a control on the rising fuel costs otherwise it was in excellent condition. The new car will be used only for my wife's commute to office (16km per day) and for short trips for grocery and other shopping. Our primary workhorse for road trips and family outing will continue to be our Xylo E6. So to summerize our requirements:
1. Fuel efficiency
2. Low initial investment and maintenance cost
3. Max 500 km per month and almost entirely within the city limits.
4. Ease of use in Hyderabad - notorious for its traffic sense.
5. Mostly will be carrying the driver alone, but occassionally 4.

Having gone through this entire thread and other threads on the forum, Tata Nano is a strong contentor to suit our requirements. The special edition vehicle now available here is a great deal with music system, alloys and glove box. We have taken test drives on Nano, Alto 800 and Eon. We dropped Eon immediately due to the cramped interiors and the pickup issues, now the real fight is between Nano, Alto 800 or a second hand Alto.

Initially my wife had concerns about the lack of power steering in Nano. But after the TD, she is comfortable with the steering as well as the cute looks and colors of the vehicle. Now the biggest blocker is the noise of the engine heard inside the cabin especially in the back seat. We feel it is especially loud and sounds like an Autorickshaw. Also the way the engine portion of the vehicle shakes while starting gives us that feel. Now we would like the valuable inputs from the forum on this aspect of the vehicle.

1. Is this sound something that we would get used to after a while? Tata says they have made specific changes on the 2012 Nano to improve NVH levels.
2. Can the music system provided with the Special Edition dampen this noise? Even our Xylo's engine noise is audible when the music system is off.
3. I have read elsewhere in the forum that people have used gym mats over the engine compartment to dampen the noise. Does that really work? Can someone give us a first hand update on this?

Thanks for reading through the long post.
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Old 23rd November 2012, 14:48   #258
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Re: Tata Nano vs Maruti Alto vs Chevrolet Spark

@rknair, you get used to the sound in a few days. Actually the sound isn't that audible all tje time. My nano is actually quiet in its sweet spots and when the engine has reached operating temperature. The 2012 nano already has extra sound dampening and you could always use something. I haven't noticed any out-of-ordinary sound or vibrations yet.
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Old 23rd November 2012, 23:38   #259
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Re: Tata Nano vs Maruti Alto vs Chevrolet Spark

Booked my Nano.

Details about it here:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post2967726

But now I have a problem:

About the Decals

I have bad news - Tata Motors rejected my appeal - this design is their proprietary design and they are using this on all the event / demo Nano cars outside India.
Thus I cannot even opt to use the ditto same pattern - even if I get it sourced from some other decal manufacturer.

As for the Indian flag - I intend to use ONLY the stripes of saffron & green.
No chakra. No blue. (MNS guys do that).

I believe that should not be a problem as it is just a 2 colour stripe and not necessarily implicating the National flag.

And I have to think of some other pattern now.


So - if anyone here knows of some seriously good decal manufacturer - customized decals in Mumbai. Please let me know.
I am going to think of some other way to do this.
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Old 24th November 2012, 06:40   #260
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Thanks @honeybee. That is something I wanted to hear. Right now I am busy with some guests around. Will visit the showroom again after they leave. Also thinking if December will get me some additional offers.
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Old 26th November 2012, 12:54   #261
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Re: Tata Nano vs Maruti Alto vs Chevrolet Spark

Quote:
Originally Posted by rknair View Post
Thanks @honeybee. That is something I wanted to hear. Right now I am busy with some guests around. Will visit the showroom again after they leave. Also thinking if December will get me some additional offers.
Have you also considered going for a pre owned Nano since there are many of them on the block and at very attractive prices. My cousin is also contemplating for one since there may be a chance of getting a year old Lx at a price of a brand new base model.

If you have time, you can try checking out various dealerships and see for yourself the deals for used Nanos in your city before deciding one. If pre -owned is a big NO then, the special edition available now is of great value.

Last edited by girishglg : 26th November 2012 at 13:01.
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Old 26th November 2012, 13:38   #262
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Re: Second Car : Tata Nano vs Maruti Alto 800 vs Old Alto

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Originally Posted by rknair View Post
Hi Friends,

Also the way the engine portion of the vehicle shakes while starting gives us that feel. Now we would like the valuable inputs from the forum on this aspect of the vehicle.

Its not the engine, it is the silencer which shakes.Watch closely.
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Old 26th November 2012, 13:57   #263
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Re: Tata Nano vs Maruti Alto vs Chevrolet Spark

Quote:
Originally Posted by selfdrive
Fog in Chennai?! sounds unlikely
Actually very likely during the "winter" months of Nov-Jan. Around 10 years ago, I left Chennai early (around 4:30AM) on a trip to Kerala, with the idea being to cover a few hundred kms before the sun rises. But after travelling just 10kms from home, I was on the GST road (opposite airport) unable to proceed any further due to absolutely no visibility. Cooled our heels in the car for an hour or more before we had the visibility to proceed. Ofcourse not sure how much the OE 'fog lamps' would have helped in that scenario.
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Old 26th November 2012, 14:34   #264
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Re: Second Car : Tata Nano vs Maruti Alto 800 vs Old Alto

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Originally Posted by girishglg View Post
Have you also considered going for a pre owned Nano since there are many of them on the block and at very attractive prices.
I have my reservations against pre-2012 Nanos, since I have read that Tata has made several improvements on the 2012 version, including mileage, engine noise which are two of our key aspects of this car. Also pre-2012 cars do not have a Left OVRM, and we cannot imagine driving such a car.

Quote:
Originally Posted by girishglg View Post
If you have time, you can try checking out various dealerships and see for yourself the deals for used Nanos in your city before deciding one.
Yes, we will try that. My wife will need more convincing to go for a Nano.

Quote:
Originally Posted by silverado View Post
Its not the engine, it is the silencer which shakes.Watch closely.
Yes, you are right, it is the silencer. We see the similar effect in Rear engine autorickshaws, so that is the concern.
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Old 26th November 2012, 16:48   #265
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Re: Tata Nano vs Maruti Alto vs Chevrolet Spark

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Originally Posted by supremeBaleno View Post
Ofcourse not sure how much the OE 'fog lamps' would have helped in that scenario.
They help but not significantly (for speeds upto 20kmph only). They are of more help when the roads have white marking dividing the lanes.
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Old 28th November 2012, 22:36   #266
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Re: Tata Nano vs Maruti Alto vs Chevrolet Spark

The fog lamps aren't meant to illuminate the road ahead like the headlights, are they? They do provide better illumination in the vicinity of the car, for e.g. when travelling on the Mumbra bypass, they help me see the contours of the road (and specially the divider) better.

On the highways, I do see a difference in the immediate vicinity, but then it's not an area I keep looking at always, so the effect of the same on the night driving is limited. However within the city in bumper to bumper traffic, they do a pretty good job of showing up the rear of the vehicle in front of you.
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Old 29th November 2012, 14:06   #267
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Re: Tata Nano vs Maruti Alto vs Chevrolet Spark

^^^What comes as OE on most cars are not "fog lamps" in the true sense/function. They are "driving lights" which are intended for the purpose you mentioned - better illumination in the immediate frontal area of the car.

Actual fog lamps are different and are for visibility ahead in foggy conditions.
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Old 30th November 2012, 15:21   #268
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Re: Tata Nano vs Maruti Alto vs Chevrolet Spark

Okay guys. I booked a Mohito Green Nano LX. Delivery is on 2nd December 2012. This Sunday.
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Old 30th November 2012, 16:49   #269
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Re: Tata Nano vs Maruti Alto vs Chevrolet Spark

Fog lights have a wide spread beam to enable the driver see the road kerbside easily. As light does not penetrate fog (due to dispersion by the moisture droplets) it is pointless to have a high power "search light".

A good fog light has a wide and low beam with a range of not more than 50m.
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Old 3rd December 2012, 10:29   #270
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Re: Tata Nano vs Maruti Alto vs Chevrolet Spark

Wonder if there is any info available on the Nano's electrics. I mean, if I were to install additional lights, or louder horns, some electrical stuff inside, etc...would they work.
I would not want to overload the battery if all these devices work at the same time. I am keen to know this as I am looking to install two devices -

1. A louder horn. The factory fitted horn does not have the "get out of my way" sound. I would like something with a greater decibel level.

2. A charger, (cigarette lighter, if you may). Though there is a empty slot provided I would like to install a multi-socket charger to charge my phones, ipod, ipad, and other gizmos in my car (I simply forget to put them on charge at home or office).

Would Tata hand over the Nano's electrical wiring diagram or such?
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