[13thpsycho]

Hello Bhpians
I want to share an incident that took place on 24th February 2021, Patna.

I was on the lookout for a new car since November last year and finally got my hands on the All New Mahindra Thar mystic copper colour. This colour was never my first choice but my cousin had booked the Petrol automatic in this colour so I didn't mind it as long as I got a new car. The more I look at the colour the more I like it. It was the same feeling when I saw the Brown Superb or the Brown Duster for the first time, over time it starts to look more and more unique. The plan was to get it delivered to me on my birthday, 13th Feb but I thank my stars that it didn't come that day!

I had to get the booking transferred to my name to get this car delivered. Here is where the problems started to arise.
Problem 1
My cousin had booked the car in October so he had got a deal to get the car at the introductory prices. The dealer then told me that they will have to open a booking under my name and they cannot offer me introductory prices. Mr. gopal mentioned either you take the car with new prices or car cancel. Eventually I had to agree with them. Problem resolved!
Problem 2
The second issue was that I told them that I have my own insurance agent, who does insurance for all my cars and bike, I will get it done through him. He had offered me insurance that was 26000/- cheaper than the dealer prices. The salesman at Leader Automobiles, Patna, Mr. Gopal, told me that the company does not allow insurance from other companies. I would have to take it from them for the first year. I told them to give this to me in writing. He made me speak to his GM and I told him the same thing. He said he will discuss with management and get back to me. Eventually they agreed and told me I can get my insurance done. Problem resolved!
Problem 3
A day or two before my birthday Mr. Gopal calls me up and tells me what are you doing with the booking are you taking the car or not? I was stunned, when did I say I wasn't taking the car? My bank had already cleared my funds even before I spoke to Mahindra. So the delay is from their end and he is telling me this? He then goes on to tell me that I have customers who are willing to give me One lakh in black to get the car delivered to them and the dealer will not hold the car for long and the dealer will cancel your brothers booking and give the car to someone else. What amazing hospitality I have to say and well trained Mahindra sales staff!
Problem 4
He then called me up and told me that you take an extended warranty for 4 years 1,20,000 kms. I told him straight away ok for it. Little did I know it was an extended warranty for one additional year not four. Three years warranty comes with the car. Maybe I misunderstood or the famed Mr. Gopal tried to trick me into buying it.
Problem 5
I had visited the showroom on the 19th of Feb as they had mentioned I can drive my car for a bit and get a feel of the petrol engine. I was excited to drive my new baby, arranged a time and reached there only to find out the car wasn't there. They had sent the car to the workshop for anti rust coating etc. Before this they had sent me an invoice which had the break up of the cost. Everything was in place but their was an additional charge of 9500/- for anti rust coating and paint protection. I told them specifically I don't want it, I will get it done from someone I know. Mr. Gopal tells me that anti rust coating is already done and I will have to pay 3500 for it. Guys do you see what is happening here?

The Delivery
I got a message around 2 pm on 24th Feb that the car is ready and number plate has arrived. I finally got the car delivered to me yesterday at around 4 pm. The car had an ODO reading of 135 kms. I found it to be reasonable considering the commute they have to do from the yard to the showroom and workshop before delivery, mostly for PDI, cleaning and washing, I am assuming. I was ready to forget my sales experience as soon as I drove out of the gates of this dealership but guess what happens next?
There was very little fuel in the car so the first thing was to go fuel up. After about 2 kilometres of driving there was a ding on the instrument cluster. The check engine light came on. I thought it is going to go away after I stop and fuel up. The petrol pump was close so I decided I will stop and check there. On reaching the pump I noticed white smoke coming out of the front grill. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I quickly called up the showroom and informed the sales team of this trouble. They got me connected to the workshop and soon I was driving back to the workshop. So I got the car delivered to me, filled petrol and gave it back to the company.

While driving back to the workshop a few more things started cropping up. The instrument cluster lit up with traction control, hill hold/decent control, engine check and cruise control lights. The car wasn’t moving over 50-60 km/hr and was stuck in one gear at around 2000 rpm. Apart from this the gear indicator on the MID was blank in manual mode. The car refused to shift up or down. The AC wasn’t working as well. Blower came on but there was no cool air from the AC.

Did I make a mistake buying a Mahindra Thar? How is it possible that within a couple of kilometres from the showroom the car electronics start going crazy? Who is to blame, is Mahindra providing shoddy goods and robbing us of our money? Or is it the dealers, who haven’t done proper PDI or training? No matter what the case is I am the one to lose. I need your help and suggestions as to how I should proceed with this matter. I have already registered a complaint with Mahindra through their customer care number. Any and every help would be welcome.

[2000rpm]

Shit! Thats really horrible.

I have had one poor delivery experience which was for my first cycle, it went to the repair shop on Day 2. Could never feel the same way for the cycle and fought with the shopkeeper to change it!

P.S. This was in 1998. Had bought a double shock-up cycle, which was a big deal in those days. Changed it to a Cannon Barrel and lived happily ever after.

[lsjey]

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[AMG Power]

Sorry to hear about issues on your BRAND new car. This is one of the worst situations that an enthusiast can face. Some responses to your queries.

Originally Posted by 13thpsycho

Did I make a mistake buying a Mahindra Thar?

I wish you had asked the question before you bought a Mahindra Thar, but the short answer is yes.

Originally Posted by 13thpsycho

How is it possible that within a couple of kilometres from the showroom the car electronics start going crazy?

Extremely bad quality in every area of engineering which is only to be expected from a crappy company except the superficial styling which is a rip off on Jeep’s IPR.

Originally Posted by 13thpsycho

Who is to blame,

Mahindra, of course!

Originally Posted by 13thpsycho

is Mahindra providing shoddy goods

Yes.

Originally Posted by 13thpsycho

and robbing us of our money?

Yes.

Originally Posted by 13thpsycho

Or is it the dealers,

Them too.

Originally Posted by 13thpsycho

who haven’t done proper PDI or training?

Most probably yes.

Since it’s straight out of the dealership scenario, leave the car with the dealer and walk away. Ask for a replacement. You have enough ammunition in your arsenal to get it.

A Mahindra is a lemon. This is a lemon redefined.

[Iyencar]

Anyone who has watched the new Golmaal movies will stay away from the Gopals of this world. Anyway, have you put any of this in writing to Mahindra and what was their response? If not do so asap. Keep the petrol receipt with you and ensure they haven't pilfered it at the time of returning the car.

[VRJ]

Man, when will Mahindra learn about QA and QC? Ridiculous is an understatement. I’m getting my delivery in March (Oct booking) and I’m worried. I got a Verna diesel back in 2014 and there was engine oil leaking the very next day and I had to send the car to the service centre. I hope this doesn’t repeat with my Thar. Your case worries me. I’ve been in your shoes and I know how it feels like. Brand new car heading to the service centre just hurts mentally.

Two of my friends got the Thar in December 2020 and they haven’t had any problems so far. Couple of 5000km reviews on YouTube and no major problems reported other than the usual. I guess it all depends on luck. Few cars have been good, few with niggles and few with major problems.

First, Mahindra screws up manufacturing and blames semiconductor shortage. Yes, true there is a shortage, but not at the extent that Mahindra claims. How does Hyundai, with fancy screens, deliver 20,000 (Seltos+Creta) and 25,000 (Venue+Sonet) every month? It’s just poor planning by Mahindra. 5-8 months of waiting for the car and Mahindra delivers lemons. Preposterous.

[Cyborg]

Feel for you brother, this happening with a brand new vehicle is not acceptable. Having said that, hopefully it’s some sort of sensor glitch which will be resolved easily and you can forget about this unpleasant experience and enjoy your vehicle to its fullest.

What was the explanation given by the workshop when you gave the car to them. They must have said something after an initial inspection. Please put your terrible experience on all modes of social media like Twitter, Facebook etc, shame them publicly for what you had to go thru after shelling out close to two million rupees.

Hope things get sorted to your satisfaction soonest. Keep us updated and all the best.

Cheers

[manishk123]

This is just not acceptable behaviour by the Dealer and the company must take action against him. I think you should send a message to Anand Mahindra on Twitter - he is very active on it.

Further, I'm really surprised by the build quality of the Thar if it could break down just out of the showroom. These are supposed to be tough, go anywhere vehicles.

[gkveda]

What is the manufacturing date of the car you received? When did the dealer receive the car? And lastly, how many days did the car was lying in open yard?

All the problems mentioned by you are not related to each other.

So, my guess is, some bunch of cables have got bit by rats and mice while the car was in yard.

These specialists have washed the car thoroughly and done under chassis coat(I have my own doubts) and have delivered the car to you.

After few kms, sensors have started showing up the issues.

Suggest to check all cables and electricals and electronics once and get the cables replaced. Most likely your problems will be solved.

All the best for your new car rides in future. Nothing to worry.

[GTO]

Coincidentally, we just took the Thar Niggles Thread (2nd-gen Mahindra Thar | Niggles, Problems & Solutions) live today! You should probably subscribe to that . Jokes apart, I hope your problems are sorted.

However, anyone who is buying a brand new Thar should be doing so with their eyes open. I don't think its possible for them to have a niggle-free experience. Read the Official Review thread & the aforementioned niggles thread, and there is quite a list of niggles! If this is happening in brand new cars with 500 - 5000 km on the odo, more problems will surely crop up as these cars cross 25,000 - 50,000 km and over.

If you buy the new Thar, be ready for these issues. Or, do the smart thing and wait a year or two so that all the beta testers sort them out for you. Sad, but that's how it is with a freshly baked Mahindra and we had warned everyone as such in our reports.

[lurker]

Originally Posted by VRJ

How does Hyundai, with fancy screens, deliver 20,000 (Seltos+Creta) and 25,000 (Venue+Sonet) every month?

Samsung Semiconductors of Korea is a global major chip manufacturer. So neither Kia nor Hyundai will be affected by chip shortages.

[shortbread]

Is there a way one can find out if a car has passed the beta testing phase and a model is consequently rid of it's niggles?

Years back when I was involved with Bajaj Auto, whenever they launched an 'improved' variant of an existing model it was designated UG or UG1 etc. Another example was the improved Indica which carried the V2 moniker and went on to become a big success.

I ask this so that future customers of the Thar whether new or used, know what to look out for and perhaps stay clear of the initial batch of vehicles.

[stallmaster]

Hello OP, did you make any audiovisual documentation of the issues? It significantly increases the reach of your post.

[Bibendum90949]

I feel so sorry to hear about your ordeal. With so much electronics playing funny, I suspect there's a high pressure wash done(against the guideline) in the engine bay which may have resulted in water entry to key electronic components. As someone mentioned earlier in one of the posts, it could be a case of rat bite too. Hope your car would soon be back with you and devoid of any issues.

[kiku007]

People when they review or buy cars.


Also people when they buy a Thar.

Originally Posted by AMG Power

Extremely bad quality in every area of engineering which is only to be expected from a crappy company except the superficial styling which is a rip off on Jeep’s IPR.

which cannot be resolved by the last mile quality checks or PDI.

Originally Posted by AMG Power

A Mahindra is a lemon. This is a lemon redefined.

Anywhere else it world, Mahindra would be facing class action lawsuits but it's the TBHP car of the year.

It's a joke to see major issues being brushed off under the section, "niggles".