[SDP]

A Run-In drive on Sunday morning

After a week of mostly bumper-to-bumper traffic, the Duma needed to stretch his legs. So went for a ~40km drive on Sunday morning on Ghodbunder road. Took care of a couple of errands also.
Paid full attention to the RPM needle. The XUV idles at around 750-800 rpm. Drove mostly in 3rd and 4th.. in 1500-2250 rpm range with a few bursts to 2500 rpm. The engine does feel sort of 'restrained'. In 2nd gear, it won't go to 2500 rpm at all. Liked the linear power delivery. Couldn't figure out at what rpm the turbo kicks in. Overall good exercise for the Duma.

Noticed that, the ride-quality does get better with speed.

On a separate note, I was testing my new 16GB HP pen-drive which I picked up yesterday. Somewhere on TBHP, I had read that the infotainment system struggles with higher capacity USB drives. I also experienced the same. Couple of times I struggled to select a song from the list. Once, the songs stopped playing abruptly. Another time, it took forever to read the USB drive. Conclusion, I need to a buy a 8GB HP pen-drive.

[fundagenie]

Originally Posted by SDP

The D Day (D = Delivery):

Pressed the fuel-lid open button in the dash and the button went inside and vanished! I was looking at a gaping hole. Took it in the stride and did not let that incidence spoil our happiness.

Congrats SDP on the Duma.. Your color red is good.. however am more of a fan of the ferrari red. I always wished M&M had a yellow color like the one displayed at one of the road shows.. It would have been killer for a cheetah inspired car...

Am still waiting for my beast to come.. Whenever I see one XUV on the road I wish it comes soon and at times on reading the niggles, I dont mind the delay hoping more of the niggles would be sorted out..

So could you post a snap of the gaping hole before you get it repaired.. Is it on the remote key or on the dash.

FundaG

[SDP]

Originally Posted by SDP

...
Its time to head home. Around 3:30PM we started from the dealer - me with entire family in the XUV and the driver in my Alto. Filled up diesel at the nearest bunk. Felt weird to instruct "diesel" to the pump-attendant. Got my first experience of Mahindra interior quality. Pressed the fuel-lid open button in the dash and the button went inside and vanished! I was looking at a gaping hole. Took it in the stride and did not let that incidence spoil our happiness.
....

Originally Posted by fundagenie

Congrats SDP on the Duma.. Your color red is good.. however am more of a fan of the ferrari red. I always wished M&M had a yellow color like the one displayed at one of the road shows.. It would have been killer for a cheetah inspired car...

Am still waiting for my beast to come.. Whenever I see one XUV on the road I wish it comes soon and at times on reading the niggles, I dont mind the delay hoping more of the niggles would be sorted out..

So could you post a snap of the gaping hole before you get it repaired.. Is it on the remote key or on the dash.

FundaG

Thanks FundaG. Although I found the yellow gaudy initially, knowing the XUV closely now, I think, it would look dashing in yellow as well. The color-combination I like the most is from the 2 XUVs that participated in the Desert Storm 2012 - Love that white and orange.

Here's a pic of the gaping hole.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by vinjosep

Congrats SDP, wonderful choice as well as writeup!

Could you add a few details about the reverse camera? Where is it mounted? And is it compatible with the infotainment display? A few pics would be nice.

Sorry for the late reply. Here are some pics clicked over last 2 days:

The reverse camera is mounted (thankfully) on the black portion of the bumper and interfaces with the infotainment system well.


Let me share a few snaps that give an idea about the picture quality in various lighting conditions.

This is the clarity you get in broad daylight.


Snap taken in a covered parking during daytime.


Snap taken at night in street-light.


Snap taken at night in the building compound (not very well lit).


This one was purely for fun! Taken while waiting at a traffic signal.

[vinjosep]

Originally Posted by SDP

Sorry for the late reply. Here are some pics clicked over last 2 days:

The reverse camera is mounted (thankfully) on the black portion of the bumper and interfaces with the infotainment system well.

Thank you very much - remembering the request for one and then beautifully following it up with pics!

Is this a factory fitted camera? or an aftermarket? Coz the official site doesn't mention anything about the same.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by vinjosep

Thank you very much - remembering the request for one and then beautifully following it up with pics!

Is this a factory fitted camera? or an aftermarket? Coz the official site doesn't mention anything about the same.

Hopefully its a Mahindra Genuine Accessory. None of the XUV variants come factory-fitted with a reverse-camera. The infotainment system does have pre-built functionality for connecting a camera and it was a just a 15 minutes job at the dealer to get the camera installed and the system flashed.

[SDP]

Sharing a few pics of the "red lounge" clicked at night:















It really looks beautiful at night, with the lounge lights on!

[F150]

SDP,

Forget all the rules, enjoy the drive. Remember the following while you enjoy.
1. This is diesel, so upshift early,no point in revving a diesel. Enjoy the torque band and keep the turbo spooling.
2. Remember to idle the car for few mins before you switch off. Very important for the life of the turbo.
3. Take the car out on highways,once in a while to get rid of the carbon soot deposits. Comes out under hard acceleration.
4. Keep the air filter clean. Replace it every 5Kms. I don't know the price of air filter of an XUV. For Swift Ddis and VENTO Tdi it a meagre Rs 300.

Fantastic upgrade from a ALTO. Will send you a PM, we can discuss the upgrade story.

Congratulations ! Drive Safe !

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by SDP

Hopefully its a Mahindra Genuine Accessory

SDP - in the bill/receipt, is it mentioned as "Mahindra Genuine accessory" ? you can verify this with the R.M and customer care. Each accessory comes with a Mahindra genuine accessory part number and is track-able. The part number will help you identify the same.

Secondly, The dealer is liable to sell the genuine accessory if available from the company. They can sell 3rd party accessories like say GPS tracking, Autocop anti-theft system etc, when not offered as a Factory O.E Accessory. Camera, bull-bat, roof-carrier has to be Mahindra accessory only and all they can do is to provide addresses of some dealer who sell the same.

On another note - I really liked the "mood-lighting" snaps. I really liked it very much - kudos. They are very nice

[himadrimondal]

SDP, red looks so cool, infact stunning at night. You must be basking in 'wow' after the shift. Just an objection, why did you make the 'Lord' sit on the dash and in direct sunlight (as seen in one of the pics) while you will be enjoying the plush leather upholstery?

[CARDEEP]

Belated Congratulations. Red is vibrant colour & not many people pick that for an S(X)UV.

That gaping hole in the instrument cluster caused by switch pushed by you is scary for Indian company's (barring Tata) QC.

Wish you have happy miles ... :-)

[SDP]

Originally Posted by F150

SDP,

Forget all the rules, enjoy the drive. Remember the following while you enjoy.
1. This is diesel, so upshift early,no point in revving a diesel. Enjoy the torque band and keep the turbo spooling.
2. Remember to idle the car for few mins before you switch off. Very important for the life of the turbo.
3. Take the car out on highways,once in a while to get rid of the carbon soot deposits. Comes out under hard acceleration.
4. Keep the air filter clean. Replace it every 5Kms. I don't know the price of air filter of an XUV. For Swift Ddis and VENTO Tdi it a meagre Rs 300.

Fantastic upgrade from a ALTO. Will send you a PM, we can discuss the upgrade story.

Congratulations ! Drive Safe !

Thanks F150 for the guidelines. Definitely helps. Would keep in mind.

Originally Posted by himadrimondal

SDP, red looks so cool, infact stunning at night. You must be basking in 'wow' after the shift. Just an objection, why did you make the 'Lord' sit on the dash and in direct sunlight (as seen in one of the pics) while you will be enjoying the plush leather upholstery?

Thanks himadrimondal! The 'Lord' although in direct sunlight, is seating in a relaxed position. Reminds me constantly to relax and enjoy the drive!

Originally Posted by CARDEEP

Belated Congratulations. Red is vibrant colour & not many people pick that for an S(X)UV.

That gaping hole in the instrument cluster caused by switch pushed by you is scary for Indian company's (barring Tata) QC.

Wish you have happy miles ... :-)

Thanks Cardeep. Red is indeed rare on Mumbai roads. I have spotted just 2 in last 6 months. I was at a service center today and 8/10 were white XUVs, W8, with blank tints and a political party flag as part of the number-plate.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

SDP - in the bill/receipt, is it mentioned as "Mahindra Genuine accessory" ? you can verify this with the R.M and customer care. Each accessory comes with a Mahindra genuine accessory part number and is track-able. The part number will help you identify the same.

Secondly, The dealer is liable to sell the genuine accessory if available from the company. They can sell 3rd party accessories like say GPS tracking, Autocop anti-theft system etc, when not offered as a Factory O.E Accessory. Camera, bull-bat, roof-carrier has to be Mahindra accessory only and all they can do is to provide addresses of some dealer who sell the same.

On another note - I really liked the "mood-lighting" snaps. I really liked it very much - kudos. They are very nice

Thanks scorpiobharath for the guidance! The dealer had given me a donation-type receipt - "Received 3100 Rs from so and so" types. So I was a bit worried about whether the reverse camera that I got installed is genuine or not. I neither have a proper bill, nor a box saying "Mahindra Genuine Parts".

Searched in my glove compartment and found a warranty card for the reverse camera. Again no reference to Mahindra on the warranty card, it just says that the camera is from a company by the name RD (RajaDeep overseas pvt ltd). Finally, today, when I was at the service center, noticed that a couple of reverse-camera boxes were displayed in the lounge. They had proper Mahindra Genuine Accessory branding. Opened one of the boxes and found a warranty card exactly like the one that I have.

So looks like my reverse-camera is genuine Mahindra Accessory after all! One mystery solved.

[SDP]

Duma goes to the health-clinic (service-center) for the first time:

I had noted down some 6-7 issues for which a service/repair was needed. Since this would be my first experience with Mahindra Service Center, did not wanted to do it on a working day. So Saturday it was when Duma went to the clinic for the first time. I felt (almost) as concerned as when taking my new born for the BGC vaccination.

Had verified the location of the service center last week itself. The location is inside a industrial compound. The heavy truck-traffic and the rains have ensured that there are no road lefts inside the compound - just huge craters filled with mud and dirty-water. Would upload a pic later today.

Reached the service center at 9:10AM and my RM was still not there. When inquired, was told that he would turn up at 10! Called him up and he said that he is reaching in 5 minutes. He indeed turned up in next 5 minutes. Took a token in the mean time, emptied the vehicle and deposited the key with the security guys. Then the RM went through the service booklet and made entries into his system. He asked me about what issues I am facing and I read out from the list that I head on my mobile. He typed in every point and printed the service request. It was already 10 by now. In my opinion, the basic data entry and creation of service request took much longer than expected.

Here's the list that I gave:
1. Fuel lid opener switch had caved in.
2. USB does not play videos.
3. Steering wheel off-center by around 5 degrees.
4. Vehicle drifts to the left.
5. Second row RHS AC vent not blowing any air.
6. Red dome light has a couple of non-working LEDs.
7. Right side static bending light may not be working. I wasn't sure, wanted them to test.
8. Bluetooth SMS not supported. I use a Blackberry, which gives me this problem.

Asked about the headlight throw being clipped on the right hand side. The RM confirmed it to be a feature. So was noted down in the service request.

The RM asked me if I am interested in installing a reverse-camera and informed me that the accessory prices have come down by quite a bit (e.g. reverse camera now costs 3500Rs as against 4500Rs earlier). I told him, I already have one.

Finally, my XUV was brought inside and parked at the last bay which did not had a fork-lift. All the other bays (except one) had other XUVs, most of which were raised, front tyres removed and some or the other work being carried out. Myself and Duma were scared at that sight - too early to have an operation. Another observation was - 8/10 cars at the service center were white with really dark films and a political party map on the number plate. There was a black one which apparently belonged to a Dentist. Duma was the only red one that I observed in the entire day.

I asked the RM about how much time its going to take and he said, if the system needs to be flashed, 2-2.5 hours for that and about an hour for wheel-alignment etc - overall ~4 hours. My own guesstimate was around 2 hours. Felt good that I did not bring the kids along, they would have lost patience in 4 hours. Additionally there is no decent hotel nearby where we could have had lunch.

Asked the RM if it was OK to be next to my vehicle while it is being worked upon. He said - no issues. So spent most of time watching the repairs and very little time watching the TV in the customer lounge.

I went out around 12:30 and had a mediocre lunch at the nearest hotel (around 7-8 minutes of walk, half of which was through mud).

Cutting a long story short, got the vehicle back after the repairs and a wash at 3:30PM! 5.5 hours after the job-card and 6.25 hours after reaching there.

Status of work done:
1. Fuel lid opener switch -> Fixed
2. USB does not play videos. -> Fixed. Apparently there is a problem with specific file extensions and my pen-drive.
3. Steering wheel off-center -> Fixed
4. Vehicle drifts to the left. -> Fixed
5. Second row RHS AC vent -> Fixed
6. Red dome light has a couple of non-working LEDs. -> Not fixed. Part ordered.
7. Right side static bending light may not be working. -> Fixed. Bulb replaced. Rs 145 charge
8. Bluetooth SMS not supported. I use a Blackberry, which gives me this problem. -> Not fixable. Apparently an issue with s/w on specific handset models. Apparently Nokia works like a charm. Samsungs face the maximum issues.

Thane Service Center:
1. Location -> 4/10
2. Facility and ambiance -> 8/10
3. Time Estimate v/s actual time taken -> 3/10
4. Attention to detail -> 5/10
5. Knowledge - mechanical -> 8/10
6. Knowledge - Infotainment system -> 4/10
Overall -> 6/10

Was very tired by the time I reached home and had a headache (most likely because of the compressor noise in the wash area).

It makes sense to accumulate a few issues and then go the service center. Won't be able to spend half-day for one or two minor issues. Wasting (?) a full-day once in 4-6 weeks should be doable.

[princey]

Nice to hear that the few niggling issues of your DUMA have been sorted out.
Are you facing any other commonly identified niggles like-
1.Notchy gearshift-1st and 2nd gear engaging difficulty-1st gear slippage.
2.Brakes-Grinding noise-Hard brake pedal-Sudden brake bite.
3.Infotainment Restart-Hanging.
4.Hard clutch pedal press.
5.Scratches on windscreen due to wiper movement.
6.Spherical shadows in the headlights from where the light passes through.
7.Hand brake does not engage.
Thanks.
Wish your DUMA remains issue free always!

[SDP]

Originally Posted by princey

Nice to hear that the few niggling issues of your DUMA have been sorted out.
Are you facing any other commonly identified niggles like-
1.Notchy gearshift-1st and 2nd gear engaging difficulty-1st gear slippage.
2.Brakes-Grinding noise-Hard brake pedal-Sudden brake bite.
3.Infotainment Restart-Hanging.
4.Hard clutch pedal press.
5.Scratches on windscreen due to wiper movement.
6.Spherical shadows in the headlights from where the light passes through.
7.Hand brake does not engage.
Thanks.
Wish your DUMA remains issue free always!

1.Notchy gearshift-1st and 2nd gear engaging difficulty-1st gear slippage.
1st gear needs a semi-firm push to get engaged. No issues with slippage.

2.Brakes-Grinding noise-Hard brake pedal-Sudden brake bite.
No. I have not driven with windows open. Brakes have never surprised me.

3.Infotainment Restart-Hanging.
Not a single hang-restart during the one month.

4.Hard clutch pedal press.
The clutch is OK. Its a matter of individual liking. I like the way it is.

5.Scratches on windscreen due to wiper movement.
No. Working smoothly. Am taking extra care of the wiper blades to ensure that they are clean.

6.Spherical shadows in the headlights from where the light passes through.
When you see from the front at the headlight, it does show a small dark spot on the transparent plastic area. Its not a problem though as the light throw is normal.

7.Hand brake does not engage.
Not seen this issue reported by anyone till now. Did I miss?