[dhuli]

Hello Team-BHP.

It is my privilege to be part of this no nonsense online community.

I am Bangalore based and contemplating buying the Fortuner right now (bookings re-opened today). My first car is a Santro (sep 2000, white, 60k odd kms, no great memories other than driving up and down to Electronic city in Bangalore, presently it is sitting in my mom's garage in Hyderabad). In Bangalore I drive a silver automatic WagonR (May 2005, 40k odd kms, many wonderful, memorable drives to Coorg, Munnar via Mysore and Ooty, Tirupati). I also use a Activa for covnenience. Before cars, I drove a friend's Yezdi and enjoyed some wonderful drives.

I have postponed getting a bigger car for too long, and now it is imperative I get one, given that my 2 kids aged 7 and 3 are proving to be a handful in a small car - what with them discovering their strong individualities! And so I have been spending a lot of time on Team-Bhp to get a honest opinion on whats in this market. Till last week, since the Jan Autoshow, it was Tata Aria. Before that it was a used Innova that I planned to fit Petes box, new Michelins, etc. Last week, my wife ratcheted up her opposition to second hand cars and (sadly) doutful reliability of say an Aria from Tatas. I like Tatas since I did my plus two in Jamshedpur. So it was a brand new Innova. Then I thought, if I am spending 14.7 lakhs onroad for 2.5V. Why not a new Fortuner instead. I will post my queries on that separately.

About myself: Schooling was in Madras, Hyderabad, Rourkela, Calcutta, Jamshedpur. Did Mech Engg from Hyderabad. Followed with Product Design from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. Started my working career with BPL's marketing HO in Bangalore in 1993. Been a resident of Bangalore since then. Worked with Infosys for 12 years. Quit in 2006. At present, am in startup mode along with couple of friends building a software search product. I am approaching 45. I believe the average startup is, contrary to popular perception, not out of a garage, not from a college dropout, not a bachelor but actually people in 40s, stable 10 year plus careers, with families. I fit that bill.

My interests are mainly to drive and see places. I prefer older 2 lane, tree lane highways to the 4 lane high speed ones that cut through empty spaces. I don't like arbitrary speed breakers on highways. I use all three mirrors to see besides looking out front. Driving is a pleasure and I hate to give up the drivers seat. Fortunately, my family doesn't compete.

Other interests include writing, which I intend to do when I move out of active IT career.

I look forward to getting the most out of this forum and its members. I will attempt to share my knowledge and experiences in the Indian auto world whenever I can.

Glad to be on Team-BHP. Till date, I have seen only couple of Team-BHP stickers in Bangalore! Maybe we can survey that!

Cheers.

Dhuli

[aargee]

Welcome to the forum Sir.

I prefer older 2 lane, tree lane highways to the 4 lane high speed ones that cut through empty spaces. I don't like arbitrary speed breakers on highways. I use all three mirrors to see besides looking out front. Driving is a pleasure and I hate to give up the drivers seat

Ditto here on my interests; but then, the convenience of saving time & threats are less on 4/6 laned NH's than the SH or country roads isn't it?

Heartiest welcome to Team-BHP, Dhuli. From Wagon R to Fortuner is more than a double-promotion. Advance congratulations and best wishes.

[dhuli]

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

From Wagon R to Fortuner is more than a double-promotion. Advance congratulations and best wishes.

Thanks Ravi. I am eagerly reading up on toe and heel techniques to handle the promotion, in case I do step off the road. I will look up this forum too for tips on off road driving.

- Dhuli

[raj.barcode]

Welcome aboard, please read all the rules section

we would love to see you in the drive meets we have very often.

Cheers

[MX6]

Ensure that the fortuners that will be hitting the roads have proper brakes now and don't have those useless brakes they used to come with earlier.

Welcome to the forum. By the way, I read your title in a hurry and mistook it to be dhulia from bangalore. I was wondering what's route query doing in introduction thread!

[pramod]

Welcome to Team-bhp Dhulia.
Your explanation of yourself fits you right in the middle of this forum.
Referring to the liking towards "2-laned highways" and watching 3 mirrors!

[dhuli]

Originally Posted by MX6

By the way, I read your title in a hurry and mistook it to be dhulia from bangalore. I was wondering what's route query doing in introduction thread!

LOL. Dhulia is somewhere near Jalgaon, Maharashtra I think. Dhuli is a shortened version of my last name, Dhulipala - supposedly a place in Andhra somewhere. Dont know if it still exists. I happen to be from AP.

I checked about the Fortuner brakes. The dealer - Nandi Toyota, mentioned this lot will have the brake problem fixed. He didnt specifically mention if the brakes are larger or the callipers have been changed.

[Rehaan]

Welcome aboard dhuli!

Originally Posted by dhuli

...Glad to be on Team-BHP. Till date, I have seen only couple of Team-BHP stickers in Bangalore! Maybe we can survey that!

Survey is currently ongoing
Though i think the results are quite different from your findings!
Link to thread

Originally Posted by dhuli

I checked about the Fortuner brakes. The dealer - Nandi Toyota, mentioned this lot will have the brake problem fixed. He didnt specifically mention if the brakes are larger or the callipers have been changed.

I don't think you'll face any problems with this. Its been a while now.
Here's a thread on this topic : LINK

cya
R

[mallumowgli]

Hi Dhuli - Welcome to T-BHP. And enjoy your stay here

Originally Posted by dhuli

Hello Team-BHP.

It is my privilege to be part of this no nonsense online community.

But who said we are a no-nonsense community? We also talk a lot of nonesense. Check out the shifting gears section. After all what's life without a little bit of nonesense? And you can start your writing career contributing there

Happy motoring

Praveen

[dhuli]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Welcome aboard dhuli!
Survey is currently ongoing Though i think the results are quite different from your findings!

Thanks Rehaan. Those were my impressions as a I move mostly in the East to South corridor via Koramangala. The call to action is to put them on my vehicles and add to the presence...and then say the "force is with me".

[dhuli]

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

Hi Dhuli - Welcome to T-BHP. And enjoy your stay here But who said we are a no-nonsense community? We also talk a lot of nonesense. Check out the shifting gears section. After all what's life without a little bit of nonesense? And you can start your writing career contributing there
Praveen

Praveen, That was revealing. Thank you. I never checked "Shifting Gears". What had attracted me to this great community are a few threads on Aria etc. Almost only automobile. I must have seen what - an iota. Being on the inside, it is fantastic to have these non-auto sections. Clearly a great place to be totally off topic without getting ticked off. Feel like a "Highway Star" - Nobody gonna take my car...Oooh its a killing machine! Inspiring. Will take your suggestion on the writing.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by dhuli

Praveen, That was revealing. Thank you. I never checked "Shifting Gears". What had attracted me to this great community are a few threads on Aria etc. Almost only automobile. I must have seen what - an iota. Being on the inside, it is fantastic to have these non-auto sections. Clearly a great place to be totally off topic without getting ticked off. Feel like a "Highway Star" - Nobody gonna take my car...Oooh its a killing machine! Inspiring. Will take your suggestion on the writing.

Shifting gears sets up order in chaos, a sense in a nonsensical world.
Welcome aboard.

Based on your dislikes, I feel you dont like driving to Mysore.

[dhuli]

Originally Posted by ampere

Shifting gears sets up order in chaos, a sense in a nonsensical world.
Welcome aboard.
Based on your dislikes, I feel you dont like driving to Mysore.

Thanks Ampere. Bang on. I dont care too much about driving to Mysore. I look forward to places beyond it - Coorg, Bandipur, Coonoor, etc. especially when I suddenly discover locals indiscriminately place unmarked speed breakers on a national highway, the number of which is directly proportional to the product of their paranoia and local political weight.
Secondly, when you build great roads using newer technologies I am often surprised to see signs that indicate max speed limit of 40km/hr for 4 wheelers.
While many of us ignore and prefer to go faster, the other thing that surprises me is the 'naka bandh' arrangements placed indiscriminately that creates scary situations where two seemingly suicidal drivers are aiming to be the first to hit the bend in between the two twisted metal grills that create a constriction. These sort of local, adhoc solutions are aimed at 'taming' speedsters and perhaps the occasional errant yellow plate vehicles.

And, so when I hit an idyllic tree laned, albeit pot holed road passing through the lives of local villages, I begin to enjoy the drive.

Caveat emptor - It is not my nature to be so seemingly hard and position drawing. Far from it I am quite easy going, really. It is unfortunate that in my introduction I highlighted these strong sides and I regret that. Normally, when I am driving, most of the time I am enjoying the scenery or the music (at lower driving speeds), or wonder about why in a city after driving at 30 to 40kmph, when you get an open stretch and hit 60kmph, it feels very fast....and on the other hand when one slows down on a nice highway from 120-130kmph (i have touched 145kmph in my wagonR once), to 60kmph, this 60 kmph feels much slower than the 60kmph on the slower city road. Never mind!

[chaostheory]

Hi Dhuli
Welcome to Team BHP. I was excited when I saw your nick in the hopes that you might be an old friend of mine with a similar name (Dhulipala from a particular Institute in Gurgaon). Though you are not he, none the less, its good to see you on Team BHP.
Also share your views on start ups being created mostly by 40 somethings, and I am approaching a similar state in my life in about 5-10 years myself.
Nice write up about your likes and dislikes in the motoring sense, have fun and keep us posted about your "endeavours".
Happy driving. Ciao.