[esteem_lover]

Are the xetas only petrol models ?

[greenhorn]

yes. especially the recent ones. Even the older petrol indicas look much, much younger than their diesel brethren, possibly because they dont run so much, as salilpawar posted earlier

[revhappy]

Here's my take on it :

There are 2 kinds of abuse you spoke about
1) Not idleing thing: I think this is plain ignorance, even though it is mentioned in the manual, people dont really know about the funda about oil reaching the turbocharger and all that and unless they know the seriousness people dont follow it.

2) With regards to not fixing dents/ broken orvms/ tyres without thread left/ headlight broken/ horn not working: These owners are not really passionate about the car like we guys are. They have a mindset that they need to extract as much out of the car with as little money as possible. You can call them "conjus marwadis" or whatever. Hence they wont fix an issue as long as the car is running. Remember, they bought the indica in the first place because it is cheap to run and cheapest diesel money can buy

Cheers,
Nitin

[esteem_lover]

Probably that is the reason. A person buying a diesel Indica is using it like his 100 buck rubber chappal while the person buying a petrol Indica would use it as his 1000 buck leather wear.

[malgudi]

I have a 2003 Indica which has done ~35K KMs and a 2006 Getz which has done ~30K Kms. I am a typical salaried individual and my cars are not run heavily for commercial pupose. I try to maintain my cars as clean and shiny and in proper shape mechanicaly and cosmeticaly as possible. While the getz has been trouble free so far(the only reason I visit authorised service center is for the periodic service), the same is not with Indica. So far I have already changed my entire front suspension, Clutch, Engine gaskets, Starter moter, Glow plugs(inspite of waiting for heat light to go off before starting), Power steering related components and my rear suspension is also on the verge of being changed. All this in a car that has been driven only 35K Kms on excellent roads (no potholes). Every week a new issue crops up in Indica and practicaly it is not possible to spend a day every week trying to resolve the issues. Add to that the incompetence of the authorised service centers. Hence I have now started to wait typicaly for a month or two for issues to collect and then get them resolved. With so many issues, somehow the passion for maintaing the Indica has taken a backseat.

[SAMUDRA]

I would say that as most of indica's that's used for personal use, are more likely to enjoy the creature comfort's that other well maintained cars and they will be well maintained. but most of the other lot are with the "fill it, shut it, forget it" attitude.

[SAMUDRA]

also what worries me most is that, once we have the nano launch, we might have a super thread " Why do so many nano owners mistreat their cars?"

[pulsar56]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Probably that is the reason. A person buying a diesel Indica is using it like his 100 buck rubber chappal .

Well said, esteem_lover.

Seeing the response of malgudi, I think the other Indica/Indigo owners also must have reached the saturation point of frustration and stopped caring for their cars!

[kiren]

Originally Posted by revhappy

Here's my take on it :

There are 2 kinds of abuse you spoke about
1) Not idleing thing: I think this is plain ignorance, even though it is mentioned in the manual, people dont really know about the funda about oil reaching the turbocharger and all that and unless they know the seriousness people dont follow it.

2) With regards to not fixing dents/ broken orvms/ tyres without thread left/ headlight broken/ horn not working: These owners are not really passionate about the car like we guys are. They have a mindset that they need to extract as much out of the car with as little money as possible. You can call them "conjus marwadis" or whatever. Hence they wont fix an issue as long as the car is running. Remember, they bought the indica in the first place because it is cheap to run and cheapest diesel money can buy

Cheers,
Nitin

I have an Indica Turbo DLG 2006 April 99500 km run car.

1. I donot necessarily idle my engine everytime. I was told that incase we drive our car in low gear & low RPM for few mtrs also is sufficient to lubricate the necessary components. I donot ever accelerate or increase the engine rpm immediately & harshly though whenever i get a chance on highways i drive fast. Have touched 155kmph.

2. I service my car at 5000kms & get my car repaired for any jobs except dents. I have 3 dents on my car though not major which has happened due to a coconut tree leaf , autorickshaw & an unknown dent. If you look at my car from a distance its dent less.

Cheers,
Kiren

[kreddy]

Originally Posted by pulsar56

Well said, esteem_lover.

Seeing the response of malgudi, I think the other Indica/Indigo owners also must have reached the saturation point of frustration and stopped caring for their cars!

Converserly, if others cars were treated and maintained like Indicas what would be their fate?

[rkavthekar]

I have 03 Indica DLS and today it completed 97K. Though it has small dents over it (accumulated over years) my Indica is is washed 6 days in a week, once internally and turtle waxed every six months. It still looks very fresh (after 6 years).

99% of time I idle it for 30 seconds every morning when I start, however, do not idle it while shutting down, primarily, becoz, it isn't a turbo engine.

I get her serviced every 5 months with oil change. She hasn't given me any major troubles so far. I haven't changed my clutch, nor changed my suspension. I know, I need to pamper her with new timing chain change at 1L servicing and I will also pamper her with complete suspension change. Engine is still very clean and I do not see any drops where my car is regularly parked.

I got her AC completely serviced and gas filled again, but apart from that, there was never any major issue with the car. On well laid out roads, she is absolutely rattle free, however, on rough surface or on tar roads without seal coat, she does rattle a bit from dash and tyres make lot of noise on such roads.

Well, I may not have abused my Indica, but she has done so many drips with 5 adults + 1 child and she has never ever stranded me on the road.

Actually, the more time I spend with her, its becoming increasingly difficult for me to think about replacing her. I guess, thats what has happened to me with my 10 year old HH Spendour and I guess, history is going to repeat itself (albeit, its Indica this time).

However, the observation by one who started this thread is completely true and I am seriously amazed by the abuse taken by Indica/Indigo's in their stride.

takecare and drive safely

[harry10]

If we look back at history we will see the initial tata vehicles - Tata Mobile, Tata Estate, Tata Sierra all were solid built and were mostly used roughly (am speaking with the memories of roaming around in Tata mobile and Estate all my childhood).

Probably since then its gone into everyones mentality Tata vehicles are rough and tough and also as they are cheap to own in comparison to competition maybe thats why not many people take proper care of them.

In my case we have an Indigo LX. Whenever i drive i follow all the procedures like waiting for yellow light to disappear and then start the engine, the idling one minute time while starting car first thing in morning and while switching it off at night. However my father and driver rarely follow these procedures and dont bother much about the car. Its mainly not because its a Tata but the lack of interest in cars is the reason.

So i feel if you like cars and are passionate for them and have bought it with your hard earned money you will take care of it no matter its a Tata or not. Just my opinion.

[sudheeshnairs]

My INDICA V2 DLS (2002) gets a wash on the outside body 7 days in a week and once in two weeks interior cleaning. I do service every 5000 kms, and have so far done 85k km. My first set of tyres lasted for more than 4 years, till 2007. I changed the shock absorbers at 60k+ and clutch at 72k. I bought it when I was an entry level management professional. I use it for my daily commute to work and other long trips in between.

Anyway the 'nature' of people using Indica's when compared with other B segment cars seems to be different. They tend to travel lot also more long distance travels. When I bought my Indica, I had friends & relatives who bought Santros, Wagon Rs, and Zens. They were mostly used for city travel only while I use to tread across different regions. When a trip is planned to Kodaikanal or Munnar from Trivandrum with my best friend who had a Zen, the choice would be my Indica.

The dimensions of Indica would tend to scrape it in tight spots. Infact for new drivers, the aerodynamic and bulging shape would create many blind spots.

So apart from reasons like these, I do not think the owners of Indica mistreat their cars.

See my Indica (KL-01 Z 7341 ) which is getting in to its 7th year on the Bangalore-Hyderabad highway.

[harry10]

Quiet a valid point Sudheesh. Because its diesel and cost of fuel is less so its driven more in comparison to its petrol counterparts and that leads to more wear and tear of the vehicle.
BTW you have maintained it nicely

[revhappy]

Originally Posted by sudheeshnairs

My INDICA V2 DLS (2002) gets a wash on the outside body 7 days in a week and once in two weeks interior cleaning. I do service every 5000 kms, and have so far done 85k km. My first set of tyres lasted for more than 4 years, till 2007. I changed the shock absorbers at 60k+ and clutch at 72k. I bought it when I was an entry level management professional. I use it for my daily commute to work and other long trips in between.

Anyway the 'nature' of people using Indica's when compared with other B segment cars seems to be different. They tend to travel lot also more long distance travels. When I bought my Indica, I had friends & relatives who bought Santros, Wagon Rs, and Zens. They were mostly used for city travel only while I use to tread across different regions. When a trip is planned to Kodaikanal or Munnar from Trivandrum with my best friend who had a Zen, the choice would be my Indica.

The dimensions of Indica would tend to scrape it in tight spots. Infact for new drivers, the aerodynamic and bulging shape would create many blind spots.

So apart from reasons like these, I do not think the owners of Indica mistreat their cars.

See my Indica (KL-01 Z 7341 ) which is getting in to its 7th year on the Bangalore-Hyderabad highway.

Attachment 112935

Attachment 112936

Looking at your tail lamps, it reminds me that the indica has come in 4 different types of tail lamps.
1)The one in your pic, I think it is the oldest
2)The round ones that the indicabs have
3)The red and transparent alternate bars that I think the zeta has
4)The outer red strip and inner transparent strip that I think the turbo version came in.

I think it is a record for any car with the variety of tail lamps

Cheers,
Nitin