[princey]

SDP, Feel fuel average gotten by you is pretty low.
The lowest I got was 13.2 that also with a very heavy foot on the accelerator.
Perhaps its the driving style ?
Have you gotten it checked ?
Wiper Niggle - could be kachra stuck in the pipe, had a leaf stuck in mine earlier once.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by princey

SDP, Feel fuel average gotten by you is pretty low.
The lowest I got was 13.2 that also with a very heavy foot on the accelerator.
Perhaps its the driving style ?
Have you gotten it checked ?
Wiper Niggle - could be kachra stuck in the pipe, had a leaf stuck in mine earlier once.

princey, I am keeping a closer eye on the FE now. Experimenting with AC usage as well (besides the up-shift and down-shift rpm). Let's see. Have not got it checked yet, but planning to do that during the second service or may be earlier.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a separate note, a almost normal footpath surprised me when I parked the XUV diagonally. A pic is attached below. See how close the bumper's bottom is from touching the ground. I have to be a bit more careful while parking.

[carzone]

Originally Posted by SDP

On a separate note, a almost normal footpath surprised me when I parked the XUV diagonally. A pic is attached below. See how close the bumper's bottom is from touching the ground. I have to be a bit more careful while parking.
Attachment 1029351

Do you always get the bumper on the footpath? I prefer to park it with a little bit of gap, couple of cms maybe, between the footpath and the bumper.
Reasons:
1. Its a hatchback, and the bumper might touch the footpath.
2. It gives me some space, if the ground is a bit sloped, and the car moves a bit forward when I release the hand break and don't have a foot on the break, or by any other reason.
3. People moving on the footpath(those some good souls), are at a safe distance from the car. U never know what a kid with a stone/key in his hand might do to your car!

Always preferred that.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by carzone

Do you always get the bumper on the footpath? I prefer to park it with a little bit of gap, couple of cms maybe, between the footpath and the bumper.
Reasons:
1. Its a hatchback, and the bumper might touch the footpath.
2. It gives me some space, if the ground is a bit sloped, and the car moves a bit forward when I release the hand break and don't have a foot on the break, or by any other reason.
3. People moving on the footpath(those some good souls), are at a safe distance from the car. U never know what a kid with a stone/key in his hand might do to your car!

Always preferred that.

Some good points there. Let me follow that advice.

On this particular road where the photo is taken, cars are parked on both sides and BEST buses "fly low" between them. So I am sometimes scared of my car's big behind getting knocked by a superfast bus.

[carzone]

Originally Posted by SDP

Some good points there. Let me follow that advice.

On this particular road where the photo is taken, cars are parked on both sides and BEST buses "fly low" between them. So I am sometimes scared of my car's big behind getting knocked by a superfast bus.

Its natural for us(who love or cars) to have that feeling. I too, when ever parked on the road, am a bit concerned about those "low flying" red painted jets.
It being a hatch, gives some kind of an advantage, there are always sedans, muv's beside me. That gives some kind of an assurance, that before my car being hit, there are ones to bear the blunt of it.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by SDP

...
Gujarat trip -> Drive from Ahmedabad to Somnath

2:30pm -> Its pretty hot outside. Easily 35+ degrees. Practically everybody in the car is dozing off after the lunch. Even I am a bit sluggish. And then out of nowhere an alert pops up. High pressure in front -right tyre ..48+ psi.
Attachment 1023888

I have never seen this alert, but heard about it in the niggles thread. I have no pressure gauge to verify the actual pressure and there is no puncture shop in sight, where I can check the pressure. I look for a tree with good shade and pull over.

I check the tyre, its warm, but nothing really serious to worry about. The car has been on the road in harsh sun for last 6 odd hours. I decide to wait for a few minutes and let the tyre-pressure drop. In five odd minutes, the alert vanished and we started back. (Two days later I checked the pressure at a puncture shop and it was indeed high ~40psi. In heat that must have gone up to 48psi.)
Attachment 1023889
...

After the high-pressure alert during the Gujarat trip, I was a bit skeptical about the TPMS sensor. Although I got the pressure checked 2 days after the incidence and it was indeed 40psi, we engineers always believe ONLY our own measurement.

I found my misplaced tyre-pressure-gauge yesterday and promptly went down to check the pressure. The cold-pressure itself was 38psi and its been almost 4 weeks since the high-pressure-alert incidence. So looks like, at that point, the cold-pressure was indeed ~40 and went all the way upto 48+ when driven in harsh sun for 6 hours in a stretch.

Hope it is safe to conclude that the TPMS is working fine.

[Heavy Horse]

Originally Posted by SDP

On a separate note, a almost normal footpath surprised me when I parked the XUV diagonally. A pic is attached below. See how close the bumper's bottom is from touching the ground. I have to be a bit more careful while parking.
Attachment 1029351

SDP another reason to not touch the kerb or go very close was told to me by my tyrewallah. He said that's where a lot of "kachra" is thrown and that very often includes bits of glass, nails, screws etc.

[SDP]

A few snaps with the 50mm prime lens.











This one is my favorite angle!




A snap similar to my avatar-pic, this time with the XUV. I like the Alto one better. So no change in my avatar-snap.

[F150]

Wow are these photos processed ? I dont see any swirl marks on DUMA.

If the photos are not processed then the paint quality looks amazing. How many KMS did DUMA complete ?

[SDP]

Originally Posted by F150

Wow are these photos processed ? I dont see any swirl marks on DUMA.

If the photos are not processed then the paint quality looks amazing. How many KMS did DUMA complete ?

The Duma has clocked 7700kms till now.

Although I wash the car myself (once a week in the winter), the car has manged to get micro-scratches - most likely from the Jopasu duster. My place is just too dusty and I use the Jopasu duster at least twice a week. Fortunately, Duma does not have to bear the torture from the neighbourhood car-wash-boys and their dirty rags. So the paint is still in decent shape.

On the other hand, the 50mm prime lens and its really narrow depth of field at f/1.8 does help to hide the few imperfections.

But, that reminds me. Its time for a thorough wash and wax session. I have been postponing it for a couple of weeks now due to the unusally low temperatures in Mumbai this winter.

[SDP]

Running repairs on 12th Jan 2013

Had taken an appointment 4 days back.
Had called up my RM before taking the appointment. Call went un-answered at 9:30am. Tried to call 2 more times during the day, but got the message that he is busy on another call. Gave up and called up reception for the appointment. The RM did not bother to call back. Not even sure if my number is stored in his cell.

Anyways, visited the service center today.

Reported the following problems:
1. Front windshield water-spray not working.
2. Security (& reverse) Hooter not working.
3. Feeble gad-gad sound from suspension (?) while driving at slow speed. Noise from suspension in general.
4. Low FE (got ~12.4 during the 2800km Gujarat trip)
5. Minor rattles inside the car (cowl above dials)

A new SA took a longish test ride with me. He agreed to the gad-gad sound at low speed, but for the overall suspension, he mentioned that there is nothing wrong. Since I don't have a frame of reference as far as the suspension-noise is concerned, I did not argue and let it go. Besides the issues mentioned by me, he noted down the following:
6. Check all door setting.

Took about 4-4.5 hours. Here's the end result:
1. Front windshield water-spray not working -> Some connector had come loose. No problem with motor as such. Repaired.

2. Security (& reverse) Hooter not working -> Again a issue with something loose. Fixed.

3. Feeble gad-gad sound from suspension (?) while driving at slow speed. Noise from suspension in general. -> A new RM was ready for a detailed investigation if I could leave the vehicle for a day. I wasn't ready. So he promised that he would get the suspension visually inspected and fix if there are any problems. They replaced the balancer bar bushes for the 3rd time under warranty. Retorqued the suspension. I still believe that the problem persists.

4. Low FE (got ~12.4 during the 2800km Gujarat trip) -> The RM told me that he would investigate by using the diagnostic module. Would look out for engine parameters. The mechanic did not find anything extraordinary. Flashed the system. Flashed the Infortainment system as well. Cleaned the air-filter. Need to verify if there is a positive effect on the FE.

5. Minor rattles inside the car (cowl above dials) -> Fixed.

6. Check all door setting. -> Adjusted. No noticeable difference from how it was earlier anyways.

I was charged some 160 odd Rs for consumables - some rust-remover and disposable seat-cover.

Duma got a thorough wash and was gleaming when we started back! Today's RM was noticeably better as compared to my regular RM. I am planning to take my issues to him from now onwards.

[SDP]

FE Update

Here's the latest after tanking up today morning:


1. I have avoided any highway outings after returning from Gujarat as I wanted to check pure city mileage.

2. The last tankful has given me ~800 kms and all of these were clocked in Mumbai, mostly to office and back. My daily commute is around 24-25kms (return trip) and half of that is on the Eastern Express highway between Vikhroli and Mulund, which is a dream stretch even by non-Mumbai standards.

3. I have been watching my driving style more carefully and up-shifting closer to 1800-1900 rpm. Shifting to 3rd (from 2nd) at 2000rpm. Never driven at 110+ during last 6 weeks. Gradual acceleration and braking. AC was not used at all. Kept a constant eye on the FE shown in the infotainment system, resetting it regularly. The tyre-pressure was unintentionally kept at 38psi. The ride was harsh and quite bouncy. But did not change the pressure as I wanted to get concrete FE number for city-driving without changing too many parameters.

4. With all the caution taken, I was expecting the city mileage to be between 12.5 to 13.

5. A bit disappointed to get 11.54 kmpl after all of this. What this means is that, if I use AC (which I have to) and if I lower the tyre-pressure to 32 and 30 psi (again, which I have to), the city mileage is going to be worse than 11.5.

6. Have reported FE concerns to Mahindra A.S.S. over the weekend. They have cleaned the air filter and flashed the system. Will keep a tab on the FE and update. I will lower the tyre-pressure to the recommended 32 and 30psi for this cycle, but would avoid AC usage. Let's see.

[F150]

Dear SDP,

That is a 0.5 Km deviation from your expected FE. Were you expecting 12.5 Kmpl with AC ?

[SDP]

Originally Posted by F150

Dear SDP,

That is a 0.5 Km deviation from your expected FE. Were you expecting 12.5 Kmpl with AC ?

To be really frank, I do not know what to expect. I have no frame of reference as I have not owned either a SUV or a Diesel vehicle in the past.

Currently I am basing my expectations on what others are reporting for the XUV.

With 0% AC, 13 kmpl in city, 17 kmpl on highway.
With 50% AC (25 degrees), 12 kmpl in city and 16 kmpl on highway.
With 100% AC (25 degrees), 11 kmpl in city and 15 kmpl on highway.

Not sure, if this is a realistic expectation for the XUV5OO. Any opinions?

[Vasuki]

Originally Posted by SDP

Currently I am basing my expectations on what others are reporting for the XUV.

With 0% AC, 13 kmpl in city, 17 kmpl on highway.
With 50% AC (25 degrees), 12 kmpl in city and 16 kmpl on highway.
With 100% AC (25 degrees), 11 kmpl in city and 15 kmpl on highway.

Not sure, if this is a realistic expectation for the XUV5OO. Any opinions?

It also depends upon the speed and engine rpm. If you are cruising @ 80 km/h to 90 km/h about 1600+ rpm in 6th gear mileage is more or less 18 kmpl with ac turned on.

The trick is to maintain about 1500 - 1600 rpm in all gears to get most mileage.


O' boy I'm confused here then it leads to question, whether it is necessary to be @ 2000 rpm to change gear up?