[comfortablynumb]

Went out of town after a long, long time on a half day trip to Bhimashankar and enjoyed some lovely green vistas.

Started at 6 AM from home, and was back by 2 PM in time for lunch. Route taken was Pune - Manchar - Ghodegaon - Bhimashankar. Surprisingly, there wasn't much of a crowd at the temple itself, though I could see an increased flow of vehicles going towards Bhimashankar while I was on the way back.

The recently 4 laned Nasik Road is brilliant, with only a few rough patches near Rajgurunagar & between Ghodegaon - Bhimashankar. While going, the roads were almost empty, but I got caught in 2 traffic jams at Rajgurunagar and Moshi on the return trip. Still, a pleasant short drive to break the monotony of the normal grind!





Cheers,
Vikram

[comfortablynumb]

Another 1 day trip to recharge my batteries

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post4253628

Road was quite iffy, so will need to get alignment checked soon.

Cheers,
Vikram

[comfortablynumb]

It was battery replacement time yesterday, as the one in my vehicle (Exide MI700, 65 Ah) finally gave up the ghost on Sunday. Checked several options in Exide/Amaron and finalised Amaron 105D31R 80 Ah (comes as OE for XUV500, I think). Cost me Rs.5500/ after exchanging the old one. This is the 3rd battery in 7 years, 8 months of my vehicle ownership.

Cheers,
Vikram

[comfortablynumb]

Put some decent mileage under Scout's belt after a long time, on a 3 days trip to Dandeli over the Diwali weekend. Vehicle will complete 9 years in Feb 2019, with the odo nearing 70k.



Cheers,
Vikram

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Put some decent mileage under Scout's belt after a long time, on a 3 days trip to Dandeli over the Diwali weekend. Vehicle will complete 9 years in Feb 2019, with the odo nearing 70k.

Attachment 1822668

Cheers,
Vikram

Great going, Vikram. Good to see you still have the Scorp. How has the MHawk been treating you?

Are you looking to upgrade soon, or hold on for as long as it goes?

EDIT : Updated title to reflect number of years of ownership.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Great going, Vikram. Good to see you still have the Scorp. How has the MHawk been treating you?

Are you looking to upgrade soon, or hold on for as long as it goes?

EDIT : Updated title to reflect number of years of ownership.

Thanks for the title edit!

MHawk is chugging along just fine, touch wood! Usage is mostly during weekends or on the occasional outstation trip. Only major hiccup was the infamous slave cylinder failure earlier this year, due to which I incurred an expense of approx. 13-14k for changing all the clutch components at my FNG. Otherwise an annual oil change and check up service is more than enough to take care of the vehicle's very limited running.

No plans to upgrade yet, partly due to financial constraints, and partly due to my "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality

Hope you & family are in good health and cheer down under!

Cheers,
Vikram

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

MHawk is chugging along just fine, touch wood! Usage is mostly during weekends or on the occasional outstation trip. Only major hiccup was the infamous slave cylinder failure earlier this year, due to which I incurred an expense of approx. 13-14k for changing all the clutch components at my FNG. Otherwise an annual oil change and check up service is more than enough to take care of the vehicle's very limited running.

Kinda sad that the failure came up way past the warranty period. Anyway, with that out of the way, you should be ok for a more peaceful ownership experience now.

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

No plans to upgrade yet, partly due to financial constraints, and partly due to my "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality

Totally agree. Till the itch kicks in.

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Hope you & family are in good health and cheer down under!

Cheers,
Vikram

All's good. Thanks for asking.
In case you missed it, this is what we have been upto recently:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...-brisbane.html (Exploring new frontiers : Trip to the Bribie Sand Island, off Brisbane)

[comfortablynumb]

Crossed 70k kms on the odo during a long awaited Goa trip last week. Scout will complete 9 years in the last week of Feb 2019. Annual servicing, engine oil + oil filter change and insurance renewal time coming up.



Cheers,
Vikram

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Scout will complete 9 years in the last week of Feb 2019. Annual servicing, engine oil + oil filter change and insurance renewal time coming up.

Insurance renewed for Rs.12,518/- (IDV Rs.290,000/-) with New India Assurance and annual service done at my usual FNG last Saturday:

1. Changed oil filter, air filter, fuel filter
2. Changed engine oil, gear oil, differential oil
3. Checked and topped up other fluid levels.
4. General check up, under body check up and tightening of nuts/bolts as needed.
5. Resolved "front LHS window stuck" issue with a couple of loving thumps by the mechanic on the inside of the door.

Bill for the above came to ~ Rs.7400, including labour. Need to take the vehicle for a tyre rotation / alignment session on the upcoming weekend now.

Cheers,
Vikram

[comfortablynumb]

With it raining cats & dogs for the past few days, it was time for a 1 day outing again. Route taken was Pune-Bamnoli-Mahabaleshwar-Pune. Some pics from yesterday's trip:

































Cheers,
Vikram

[comfortablynumb]

Scout took us on a much needed break to South Goa in the week before Diwali. Surprisingly, there was hardly any (tourist) crowd and we had the resort pool and beach pretty much to ourselves (whenever it wasn't raining). During the return trip, the torrential downpour till Belgaum, plus the ripped up roads in Chorla ghat led to some heart-in-mouth moments, but thankfully we reached Pune unscathed.





Cheers,
Vikram

[comfortablynumb]

Completed 10 years of ownership a couple of days ago. It's been a mostly enjoyable ride (touchwood!) with the odd hiccup, but no regrets about buying her at all.



Leading up to this milestone, I was in two minds whether to keep or sell, due to not having read any clear info about BS3 vehicles running on BS6 fuel. However, after reading this post (Why I think BS6 / BSVI diesel won't harm BS4 / BSIV engines), I've now decided to keep her for as long as it's practical. Que Sera Sera!

Cheers,
Vikram

[Kosfactor]

Wow! Way to go Scout!

This one's a keeper, they don't make them like this anymore Vikram.

It's surprising to many people when they travel in this vehicle that despite all the bad press it receives about ride and handling, it's comfortable for long distances and so it is for the driver too, effortless and often the fastest way to go cross country.

[comfortablynumb]

Completed the annual servicing today. Engine oil change, oil filter change, front wiper motor replaced as the old one had conked out, little bit of coolant top up, general check up, under body check up, road trial. Cost me Rs.3990/- including labour.




Also renewed the insurance with Digit Insurance in last week of Feb, cost me Rs.11,243/- for an IDV of Rs.260,000/-.

[krish3]

Congrats on 10 lovely years with the Scorpio. Its one vehicle along with Safari that still entices me even after all these years.

Servicing costs are still cheap after all these years. Keep going.

One query, how much does insurance cover after so many years? Isn't it better to just take third party insurance now?