[samarjitdhar]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

It's only 2 days since I landed in Chennai and I can hardly wait to get back on the road! 5k km trip is a good plan - so where are you planning to go?

There's something in Kerala which I might have to attend. But given the fluid situation in my workplace nothing finalized yet. Will only come to know a week or two before it is happening. Keeping fingers crossed.

[ninjatalli]

Ok.Trip done :- Check.
Car in one piece :- Double Check.
Driver in once piece :- Still checking! Body here! Mind lost! (Somewhere in Goa or left on the road I guess)
Pics taken :- So - So (and hence the disclaimer!)
Travelogue done :- Err. Umm. Ahhhh. Maybe over the weekend?

Fact File:

• Number of driver(s) : Single
• Total Kms Traveled : 3000 Kms
• Total Fuel Consumed : 160 Liters
• MID Fuel Efficiency : 18+ kmpl(Approx)
• Actual Fuel Efficiency : 18.75 kmpl (Tank to tank)
• Food Costs : Still to be estimated
• Boarding Costs : 3,280 Rs
• Toll Costs : 1,378 Rs
• Average Speed : 61kmph/76kmph (To / Fro)
• Maximum Speed : 140kmph

On the trivia matter, here's a few facts:

• Cities visited: Goa, Bangalore, Chennai
• States visited: Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh (passed through), Tamil Nadu (and of course, Maharashtra)
• Number of times spotted (by bhpians): None!
• Number of times stopped by RTO checks : None!
• Number of times I faced GC issues : 3
• Number of times I had punctures : None!
• Drive into rural Karnataka on mountain trails : Check
• Bath in a waterfall all alone in a forest area : Check (Now don't get any ideas)
• Drive in torrential rains with absolutely no visibility : Check
• Get lost in hills with no mobile connectivity : Check
• Work (from home) during holidays : (Unfortunately) Double Check!

P.s. Current Odometer : Just a shy away from 22k!

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Ok.Trip done :- Check.

And the thread is up!

Chennai Trip

Boy, writing this thread is not easy. I literally feel like getting out and going back on the road!

[ninjatalli]

So the appointment was taken for monsoon checkup at B U Bhandari workshop for today. Not that anything specific was required, the car was running perfectly. However with the recent trip being made, I felt this customary check would be a good alternative, just to be safe.


Monsoon checkup list

Also I wanted to raise another issue with the car. Recently before I left for the Chennai trip, I had noticed a lot of tiny spots/bubbles (?) all over the bonnet. These bubbles were not that clearly visible unless one looked for them, or when the car was completely washed. Tried removing these by waxing/polishing, however this had no impact on them.

During the trip, I met up with a friend who had been part of the auto-industry. I showed him these bubbles - he immediately raised concerns about the painting quality on the bonnet, and told me to show this to the workshop. And so here was I.

The SA (Manish Singh - excellent fellow!) showed the car to the person in charge for paint-work and he confirmed what my friend told me. So images of the bonnet are being sent to VW, and once validated, the bonnet should get replaced/repainted under warranty.

Oh, btw the monsoon checkup results are out - no issues (as expected). The SA informed me that they will be doing top-up of 1 litre engine oil as the level was a bit low. Raised a few questions on how will a gap of 500ml-1litre impact the running of the car, considering the entire oil will be changed again (in a few months from now) during the second servicing, he could not give me a credible answer. Since the amount wasn't that much, didn't argue any further and asked him to go ahead.

[ninjatalli]

So the lady is finally back with me - and did I miss her or what! I finally had to resort to become the driver of Gautam's Black Mamba over the weekend, just to get back to the attachment I have with my car. Funny point - this was the first time he sat in his rear seats - during the entire drive, he could not stop gushing on how comfortable the rear seats were!

As for the car, overall the paint work on the bonnet seems top-notch, couldn't find any issues with the work quality. The car was cleaned inside & out, and driven down to my office (Yes, now I have a bike and a car in the office campus!) Ironically my car was ready since Saturday, but as Manish (SE) was not in office for the past 3-4 days, weirdly the other guys weren't ready to hand over the car, quoting idiotic reasons. I could have escalated the same but I decided not to; thankfully the rains had relented over the weekend allowing me to survive on my bike.

So with a relatively lesser work-schedule and a ready car, I wonder what's up on the cards next!


Edit: The driver did bring a set of documents including the job card that needed my signature for the acceptance of the car without any problems. I did look for the final tax invoice that would state how much moolah BUBhandari would be charging VW for the warranty claim, but I couldn't find any such invoice. While handing over the car, the SE had mentioned the quote to be around 10k. I'm pretty sure the final amount would have been higher.

Also I opened the bonnet to check if they had done any painting to the inner side - to my astonishment, I found a rag hanging next to the engine!! Probably one of the cleaners was dusting the engine bay before the final delivery and forgot his rag cloth there itself!

[souravc]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

So the lady is finally back with me - and did I miss her or what! I finally had to resort to become the driver of Gautam's Black Mamba over the weekend, just to get back to the attachment I have with my car. Funny point - this was the first time he sat in his rear seats - during the entire drive, he could not stop gushing on how comfortable the rear seats were!

hahaha , I don't even know how comfortable the rear seat of the Vento is - never been there , at least not in a moving car

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Also I opened the bonnet to check if they had done any painting to the inner side - to my astonishment, I found a rag hanging next to the engine!! Probably one of the cleaners was dusting the engine bay before the final delivery and forgot his rag cloth there itself!

Thats symbolic - showing the bull the rag , maybe an expressway sprint to Mumbai round the corner ? You should do a speed check on how the paint is holding up at high speeds Happy that the paint is done and dusted ! Cheers

[samarjitdhar]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

he could not stop gushing on how comfortable the rear seats were!

He was not that far off. In fact I have found the rear seat comfort miles ahead of the Fluidic Verna or the New Fiesta. This means that I confess that I am confined to my rear seat at times because I let my driver do the driving in the city and deal with the craziness of the insane people let loose on the city roads because of lack of space in mental institutions. On highways of course I take over since my driver is not going to accompany us on road trips. I have been on the rear seat of the Manza and I think those are the best.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by souravc

hahaha , I don't even know how comfortable the rear seat of the Vento is - never been there , at least not in a moving car

Ah, you should try it. Especially with the hand rest out and a cup full of *fluids* in your hand over a long drive - trust me, you'll enjoy it like anything!

Originally Posted by souravc

You should do a speed check on how the paint is holding up at high speeds Happy that the paint is done and dusted ! Cheers

Ah, we do think alike there! Already thinking of options available to me - as of now the only option seems to be the *boring* Mumbai - Pune drive over the weekend!

Originally Posted by samarjitdhar

This means that I confess that I am confined to my rear seat at times because I let my driver do the driving in the city and deal with the craziness of the insane people let loose on the city roads because of lack of space in mental institutions. On highways of course I take over

Couldn't choose a better self/driver setup A friend of mine who used to do a daily drive from Jadavpur to his plant on NH2 near Singur kept a similar setup, but mostly on the highways the driver would be pushed to the passenger seat!

I have been on the rear seat of the Manza and I think those are the best.

Do give the Optra Magnum a try if you get an opportunity - I felt it had better rear seats than any other C/C+ sedan. However I haven't sat in this car while in motion.

[ninjatalli]

And finally I'm all game for a short drive on the highways. As of now, it's going to be the taxi service on the Pune - Mumbai expressway. Customers - Maulik, a colleague and another friend. I'm hoping it rains like crazy on the highways, something atleast to spice up the boring drive! But like most of my earlier drives on this stretch, the only action I'm going to experience is Mumbai traffic once I head past Panvel! Anyway, anything's better than the daily city jams on my office route!

Interesting story: My day during the week starts with an hour of tennis at a nearby court. The lady hadn't been washed today, however I decided to take it for the morning tennis session, usually I just use the bike for these short trips. She was quite dusty & it was clearly eating my mind (I generally give it a clean swipe with the Jopasu duster first thing in the morning). Post the session, as we come out, one of my tennis partner (who didn't know it was my car) comments - What a clean car! Seems to be brand new!

Ah! That just made my day!

[scofield]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

And finally I'm all game for a short drive on the highways. As of now, it's going to be the taxi service on the Pune - Mumbai expressway. Customers - Maulik, a colleague and another friend. I'm hoping it rains like crazy on the highways, something atleast to spice up the boring drive! But like most of my earlier drives on this stretch, the only action I'm going to experience is Mumbai traffic once I head past Panvel! Anyway, anything's better than the daily city jams on my office route!

Ninja, even me hoping for a great drive in rains and sans the Mumbai traffic. As discussed, lets try to leave by 16 30.
Shall call you after lunch.

[ninjatalli]

Imp Q - when does a thread be considered to be moved to the Long Term ownership section? Do they consider the kms value as an indication? Because technically, I have crossed the kms of my parent's 7 year old Alto within a span of 7 months! So my car = 7 year old Alto = Long term ownership? Hope one of the mods can answer this query of mine!


25,000 Km update
When one starts spending time with a guy like @mikon, these landmarks really don't feel important. Here's a recent conversation with him

Me: Yay! Finally I crossed 25k! \m/ \m/
Him : Oho.
<short pause>
(I wait for some kind of congratulatory message from his side)

Him: Btw what's the plan for the weekend? Blah blah blah...
Me: Err... Didn't you hear me? I just crossed 25k!

Him: Oh yea, good for you!
Me: Eh!
Him: Arre... You didn't answer my question! Btw had been planning to ask you this - which tires should I get next? I had decided to change them when I cross 40k, I'll be done by this week. The grooves on the Continental are nearly done.
Me: ***!

---------------------------------------- X ---------------------------------------- X ----------------------------------------

Btw the other day I got my first puncture for the Apollos on the weekend trip to Bombay. 3 out of 4 tires had maintained pressure at 30+, the fourth had dropped to 20! Clearly that was a puncture if nothing else. Idiotically I decide to make the return trip back to Pune without getting the tire checked.

Having heard of several "puncture scams", I was all gung-ho not to fall for that. So when I handed over the car to the puncture guy, I tagged along him like a shadow. Not sure how the other puncture guys do the work on a tubeless tire, this guy was using the basic dip-tire-in-water-look-for-bubbles method. Find one, mark it, and use the kit asap.

Surprise surprise - 9 of them! Was observing the puncture guy keenly (also getting drenched in the rain too for that) there were 9 punctures, 5 of them in the sidewall. The 4 on the main section I could understand, I couldn't figure out how does one get a puncture on the sidewall. Got the explanation - driving on the punctured tire for prolonged distance (in my case the drive from Bombay to Pune over the previous weekend) causes this.

Still one (set of) puncture for 25k kms is acceptable by all my standards, so didn't fret much.

---------------------------------------- X ---------------------------------------- X ----------------------------------------

And the travel pangs are back, in full swing! It's been less than two months since I did this, I can't spend one day without thinking about getting back on the road. Given the work schedule and the pittance of holidays left, the only trips I can plan are the Mumbai - Pune drives. If only I could take up a role that involves traveling around the country! (on my Vento, not a truck ) But one aspect is clear - I do not want to travel on the GQ - it's the state highways for me! If someone would ask me if I want to do the Chennai trip again, I'd say yes only for the section (Goa - Bangalore - Chennai) I did on the state highways.

Trivia Question - I'll be traveling to Ahmedabad 2 months from now (for sure). Any alternate route other than the Mumbai - Vapi - Surat - Baroda - Ahmedabad GQ route? Am so bored of that route!

[mikon]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

25,000 Km update
When one starts spending time with a guy like @mikon, these landmarks really don't feel important. Here's a recent conversation with him

Me: Yay! Finally I crossed 25k! \m/ \m/
Him : Oho.
<short pause>
(I wait for some kind of congratulatory message from his side)

Him: Btw what's the plan for the weekend? Blah blah blah...
Me: Err... Didn't you hear me? I just crossed 25k!

Him: Oh yea, good for you!
Me: Eh!
Him: Arre... You didn't answer my question! Btw had been planning to ask you this - which tires should I get next? I had decided to change them when I cross 40k, I'll be done by this week. The grooves on the Continental are nearly done.
Me: ***!

I've already done 40,000 km. So my question still persists.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Still one (set of) puncture for 25k kms is acceptable by all my standards, so didn't fret much.

so with sidewall punctures, do you intend to change the tyre?

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

If only I could take up a role that involves traveling around the country! (on my Vento, not a truck )

Taxi driver. Highway dhaba food reviewer. Toll booth inspector. Highway patrol. take your pick.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Trivia Question - I'll be traveling to Ahmedabad 2 months from now (for sure). Any alternate route other than the Mumbai - Vapi - Surat - Baroda - Ahmedabad GQ route? Am so bored of that route!

trivia is used for quiz nights. you can choose:
- Pune - Nashik (NH50) - Saputara hill station - Bharuch - Vadodara -Ahmedabad, or
- Pune - Nashik (NH50) - Dhule - Shahada - Vadodara - Ahmedabad

[nileshch]

Congratulations on the 25k mark!! You having travelled down south recently, are still itching for another trip. Imagine my condition not having touched the car in the last one and a half month!!

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

But one aspect is clear - I do not want to travel on the GQ - it's the state highways for me! If someone would ask me if I want to do the Chennai trip again, I'd say yes only for the section (Goa - Bangalore - Chennai) I did on the state highways.

Exactly! I am already almost bored of the Blr-Mum GQ. Now that I am back from my South American sojourn, I am planning to do a long drive soon to Bhusawal and back. But instead of the usual route of Blr-Pune-Aurangabad-Jalgaon, I want to do a Hyderabad-Nanded-Akola detour. Hurray to the state highways!

[samarjitdhar]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Imp Q - when does a thread be considered to be moved to the Long Term ownership section? Do they consider the kms value as an indication? Because technically, I have crossed the kms of my parent's 7 year old Alto within a span of 7 months! So my car = 7 year old Alto = Long term ownership? Hope one of the mods can answer this query of mine!

First of all belated congratulations for turning Senior BHPIan . Long term I think would imply a time period rather than no. of kilometers. I guess it should be at least 4/5 years of ownership of a car which is the period after which the car's true characters are revealed, just like marriage.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Surprise surprise - 9 of them! Was observing the puncture guy keenly (also getting drenched in the rain too for that) there were 9 punctures, 5 of them in the sidewall. The 4 on the main section I could understand, I couldn't figure out how does one get a puncture on the sidewall. Got the explanation - driving on the punctured tire for prolonged distance (in my case the drive from Bombay to Pune over the previous weekend) causes this.

9 punctures . You will shoot the life of your tire driving like that aside from the risk of getting into an accident if the tire bursts. Never do that again I guess. My Apollos are still going good and I have had only 2 punctures till now in two separate wheels. In both cases the tires lost pressure overnight so no rough riding on them. I had the last one during my Odisha trip when I saw the front right one come down to 18 PSI. I then used my portable tire inflator to fill in air and traveled about 2 kms to the next puncture repair shop from where I was staying to get it fixed immediately. The Apollos on mine have handled well even though they are noisy. I will only replace them when they reach end of life so all tire research done by Ventoheads here is turning out to be very useful.