[jealousdiamond]

Just returned yesterday from the above said TASS(Pandit Autos , Bhosari ) after getting a voluntary oil change service,ahead of a long distance travel due next month .

Things that needed attention :

Blown off turbo hose
Vehicle running rough ( 9.5 K on the odo since last oil change )
AC control assembly having problems
Oil dripping issues
Ride feeling bumpy .

Took a day off and headed staright to the service center on Wednesday ( considering that the workload would be less since Thursday happens to be a weekly off here at this center )

In time : 11:00 AM
Out time : 06:00 PM
Service Advisor : Amol (always the one who attends my vehicle )

Drove the vehicle in and met Amol and asked him to attend to the complaints . Started with the job card and listed down the problems . Was told no need for an oil change , and was told can drive for another 8 K kms without the change . We as team BHP'ians understand what happens to oil with driving for 8 K kms in Bumper to bumper traffic (daily office commute ) . I could understand his sentiments with the unnecessary cost of oil change but made him understand a bit of it . He was humble enough to accomodate the request since it was a self paid oil change and no burden for the workshop . We love to keep our cars happy and oil is the backbone of it . He very well knew I would be waiting there only and would take the vehicle with me .

The Job card was prepared , estimates given and the vehicle was taken in to the workshop .I was offered a seat in the waiting lounge , but as always chose to be in the workshop . All the staff seemed to be busy with the existing work being done on previously taken vehicles . No worries after a wait for approximate an hour , one of the hydraulic jacks got free . The vehicle was lifted and drain plug removed to let the oil out . The normal replacement of the reported hoses was carried out and new oil and other top ups were performed .

Then came the lunch time , I moved outside the campus and got hold of some chai - sutta (tea - smoke ) etc . Post lunch vehicle was checked for more faults and the idler arms seemed to be unwell , a replacement was immediately ordered . This was a a good sight to see as I didnt report(just forgot ) the problem of stiffness and the khat sound (induced due to wear of the idler arm ) , though it was there . It was a good sight to see the staff being competent and understanding and curing problems which failed to get reported .

Meanwhile post luch the notice board displayed a score sheet for a technical assesment that every SA / technician had to go through . The questions though being simple were the basics to build technical competency among the workers . All the staff was evaluated in the test and the scores displayed . Ref attached pics .




Around 4:00 PM , some management folks dropped in to announce and felicitate the winners probably of the quiz .

Later learnt from the SA ( Amol ) that its a monthly initiative and every month there is a technical competency test conducted for the workers .

Must say thats one good TATA initiative . The team should know what are the specifications of the vehicle they are working on .

All said and done it was revealed that TATA motors has come up with a ECU Remap version 1.4 for Safari / Aria that has solved the jerk / krr noise / smoke puff problem .

The ECU remap is available free of cost for all vehicles (BS stage III onwards , under warranty ) .

The TASS team's statement on the remap (verbatim ):
We have almost remapped the ECU for around 20 odd Safari / ARIA till now and have cross checked with the customers .
No problems reported so far and all are happy with the " No jerk problem ".
The new vehicles that have been rolled out for last 2/3 weeks are already updated with this version of ECU mapping and
the existing vehicles on the road are being updated when they land in for service .
Have been advised to suggest fellow Safari/Aria owners ,cross checking with individual service centers on the remap availability since its only been 2/3 weeks that vehicles have been updated with it .

The ECU was remapped / flashed with the new version (1.4 ) and the vehicle was sent for alignment (since the idler arms had been changed ) . Meanwhile the clock had already ticked 5:30 PM( workshop closing timings ). The SA Amol was standing next to me and getting the work done . The alignment thing done and the vehicle was ready for a test drive . Had a quick TD with the SA next to me and all well called it an evening . Returned to the TASS and got a quick wash and wipe done on the car and off to home .

The Oil dripping problem is under evaluation after all cleaning for possible Intercooler leakage problems .

AC control problem still needs to be taken care of though would have loved to get it accomodated in the same day schedule .


Personal ride feel after Remap :
The ride has become much smoother and feels to be running rich on fuel .
The above said establishment (TASS) has till now updated almost 20 odd vehicles with the new ECU remap and said all customers are happy with performance .
My drive after ECU remap has been around 100 odd kms and I could NOT reproduce the jerk and puff problem alongwith the krr noise till now .
This is a case when my truck used to produce this pattern every morning / every crank/drive after a cold start .

The ride feels much smoother now , almost on lines of a sedan (partial could be due to the oil change ).
Having said that my personal feeling is since the ride feels to be running rich on fuel , there might be a drop in fuel efficiency.
Though I am yet to establish the actual facts , the remap for sure feels to have taken care of the krr / jerk problem .

More about the TASS experinece :

This has been declared / designated as a Safari / Aria ( SUV only ) workshop . They dont service cars now .

This still remains one of my preferred TASS merely due to its non-arrogant behaviour . Though the technical competency is not at par , its good to see a change happening .

Some things which needs to be improved on ( totally personal views ) :

* Techincal competency - the staff should be advised to use correct set of tools and not 'jugaads' (workaorunds )
* Money Fleecing tendency - One should understand what are the specs etc ( Ex : How can a customer be billed for 8.5 lts of engine oil when the total intake capacity of the engine is 7.5 lts for a particular vehicle ) Its not only about 300 odd bucks it just makes it a perception in the minds/market .
* Avoiding the " chalta hai " attiitude - Not everything has a jugaad .
* Time management - Would feel nice to get small niggles rectified quickly

The above said has been reported since I am aware that Mr Ragunath Pakhre ( Works Manager ) at the said workshop knows about Team BHP and takes these things positively for possible improvements .

After multiple visits to this TASS , my personal opinion is it can be a truly example setting TASS if they put in a bit more effort .

Fellow BHP' ians , Safari / Aria Owners who plan /need to go in there , please reach out to Amol and let him know you are from Team BHP .

Needless to say , I dont have any perosnal interests in this establishment/persons and just narrating my experiences with them . All in all this is not a 100 % fool proof thing , but probably the best techincally competent TASS in Pune .

Adding to it , no personal grudges but would advise ,refrain from giving your vehicle to Mr Abhay ( SA ) at the above center . Have faced some serious issues with him regarding the job done etc on my other/friends vehicles .

Happy Motoring !!