[jacobvarughese]

Good luck with the 20k service abirnale ! I just finished my 10k service and was befuddled to find the bill amount to be only just Rs.1072 (included also proactive replacement of a wiper valve for Rs.18)- I compared this with my used Beemer of bills running upto 30k INR

Thanks for also letting me know that there is an infotainment software update- allows me to keep the Service Advisor on their toes. Request you to please let us know what it encompasses, if possible.

Glad to hear that you also now have an OBD diagnostics device- it could prove 'handy' at times.

My latest software version below:

[abirnale]

So here is the most important milestone - 20K Kms Service Update, The last free service!

In a day the service was completed and here is the snapshot of what was achieved in this service -



Oil change being the most important activity, various filters including AC were changed too. I had explicitly asked not to do the WA and WB and just rotate the tyre. But seems like they did all of that and added sticker weights this time. Not sure if the WA/WB is a charged activity in this last free service but I am sure it wont hurt checking it one more time independently at Madhu's/ Tyre Professionals.

During the service request, following things were asked explicitly -
High Beam alignment - it lights up overhanging boards on the highway at distance and not much on the road. Now it is fixed and aligned well.

• Brake Cleaning - completed.
• Clutch Spring noise - the SA said it is fixed but I see it is not!
• Infotainment Upgrade to latest version - Not Done.

Brakes - The SA was insisting that the brake pads would need to be changed at this milestone. But I told him to check the thickness remaining and consult with me before changing. Seems like only around 1.5 to 2 mm thickness is remaining. But instead of changing the brake pads, I decided to keep them as is, I will not change them unless - either I notice degrading in braking performance or the infotainment unit throws up the "Change Brake Pads" warning. Of course whichever comes first. Meanwhile I also looked around to see if I can source the Brembo brake pads. It appears that Brembo pads are not available for any Mahindra products. They recommend to stick to OEM. Anyone here knows otherwise or suggest different higher quality pads?

Infotainment Firmware Upgrade There seems to be newer version of the firmware that will be rolled out soon. The GM at service station told me that they received it this week only from R&D department for trying on few cars. Since they cautioned that there could be some issues with this version as it is not cleared for mass rollout, I chose not to apply this update. My XUV infotainment unit is pretty stable and other than bluetooth in-call noise and rare restarts there are no other issues.

I am assuming that in another 3-4K Kms the brake pads would need to be changed and this would be ideal time to get the newer infotainment firmware upgrade too.

The point of highlight in this service is - I reached early to the service station and ended up giving vehicle into a completely new SA/RM than the one I interact with every time (Zaid Iqbal). But later on I called up Zaid and GM to make sure that he still pays attention to the car and ensures things are in proper condition. Glad there is nothing to worry about yet and things are working just as expected

So in short the list of things to be done on the car when I visit the service station next would be -

• Fixing that irritating Clutch Spring noise (no safety concern, just proper lubrication is needed to stop that small noise)
• Change front Brake Pads
• Upgrade infotainment firmware to latest versions
• And since I turned in vehicle for service just before 20K was completed, they must not have cleared the service reminder flag which I need to clear by visiting them!

Cheetah is doing just fine and looking forward to enjoying a month of heightened action since it's handler becomes temporary bachelor - thanks to summer holidays

Ciao until next update!

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by abirnale

So here is the most important milestone - 20K Kms Service Update, The last free service!

Hey Avinash, Is the Maxicare engine coating a compulsory point in the service?

They spray something in the engine bay after a pressure wash that makes it look clean and tidy. Am I right?

Have you asked for this treatment costing 600 bucks in total?

EDIT:

What is that Rustavenger?

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Is the Maxicare engine coating a compulsory point in the service?
.....
What is that Rustavenger?

Anurag, there are two Maxicare things they have for coating in the engine bay. One that is a lacquering kind another one is to be used on electrical wires/ pipes etc. The former one is mostly used on the intercooler plastic cover and parts of the similar nature. That was done in 5K Kms service itself so this time I gave go ahead for the next one.

The plain answer is - It is not required. But does not hurt too. It would at the max help protect those pipes and hanging wires etc from any corrosion/ exposing to humidity/ salty weather etc. Bangalore does not need any of these but my Cheetah runs more outside Bangalore than in side. So Rs. 600 is no big deal to spend. Gave a go ahead. It was done only after my go ahead.

The Rustavenger is something I did not notice. Not sure what it is but I assume they used some spray to apply on any metallic body parts exposed and prone to rusting in the engine bay. But this is something I did not notice since the price was too tiny. I will speak to the SA and find out where it was used and why!

EDIT -
Just spoke to SA - he said since I asked for brake dust cleaning, while doing that job they found some bolts on the callipers and wheels were too tight and were about to gather rust. So they used this product to spray on all four wheels, bolts and areas prone to rust. According to him this is preventive and nothing to worry about.

[jacobvarughese]

Hi Avinash, thanks much for the update on infotainment- I had actually checked with my Service Advisor if there was an update (based on your previous post) and he asked me to get it installed.

However, based on what you just said let me explore further on this - they had said the 'look and feel' is what has now been enhanced.

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by jacobvarughese

They had said the 'look and feel' is what has now been enhanced.

Seems like this will also address the bluetooth in-call disturbance. Some minor stability fixes added for non-responsive events.

But trust me, having done mobile apps for last 15 years myself for living and knowing Mahindra well, not everything will be fixed. It like they will fix a few and open some new! If you are not the kid of person who gets irritated and frightened with loosing the reverse cam due to sudden restart of unit, you can still give it a try.

[jacobvarughese]

Thanks again Avinash. I just called up my Service Advisor and asked him specifically if this is part of a mass roll-out or R&D. He goes onto say that it's the former- all the customers have been informed (in Trivandrum region) and circa 8-10 cars were updated. Furthermore, I referenced our Team-BHP discussion and showed the thread as well.

Seems like not all the dealerships are on the same page from what I gather. GOD save us !

[abirnale]

When there is free time at hand, what do you do?

I just clean my car, care her a little and take it out on a drive. Yep, exactly. Over the weekend, I reclaimed my temporary/ seasonal bachelor status - thanks to summer vacations, Kids and wife are off for a long holiday and I am all alone with my Orange Cheetah.

With a few friends I had made on facebook who owns XUVs since long. They decided to come meet up in Bangalore to put a face on a name. I too joined the meet which was close to city and nothing much to drive. So I decided to head early, drive on Nice Road-NH4-NH46 for some time take a few picture and call it a weekend after meeting new friends!

Here is a picture taken of the XUV basking in the evening sun -



Noticed a few things -
- The new iOS BlueSense App I had downloaded did not work with my car. I guess I need to do the infotainment upgrade for new release.
- The Apollo Tyres are making too much noise. On the nice undulations they were so noisy that I pumped up music volume to a level I couldn't hear honking No safety incidences but goes on to tell that I also need to put together plan to upgrade tyres in another 3-5 months may be.

As usual, the drive was fun.

And hey the shell diesel top up at Bannerghatta is much better now - they accept Amex cards as well! Time to change my regular fuel station from HP JP Nagar to Shell Bannerghatta!

Ciao until next update!

[abirnale]

Extra Pair of Eyes - Aux Lights Setup
After my fiasco with HID lights and all the frustration, I gave up on HID and reverted to stock - details here.

A friend of mine with new gen XUV suggested the aux lights and directed me to - http://www.moto95.in/products/40W-On...led-aux-lights I had a nice interaction with Tanmay - owner of the Moto95.in and I made the purchase. He answered my questions very promptly. And upon lacing order, within a day the shipment was dispatched. I got it the very next day! Super fast service. I did test the lights and all was well. But then the hunt to do the right fitting started.

I was wary of pulling the control switch from engine compartment into driver cabin. That is when I bumped on this thread - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...-no-holes.html This is exactly what I needed! So the immediate next step was to inform my friend in USA to procure this and send to me.

Everything arrived within 2 weeks but I was unable to find correct installer as well as free time to do this setup. Many accessory shops i had approached did not want to work on this setup for reason it was not bought from them or they were scared of XUV setup going wrong.

But finally today was the day this was supposed to be completed. I reached out to the nearby accessory shop and they agreed to do setup but needed 4-5 hours time to complete job. This was fair considering removal of bumper, welding of clamps and fitting testing. Kumar Gowda, the owner of the accessory shop was personally spending time on the setup while their expert electrician was flawless in executing the job. For a charge of Rs 1700, they did all fitting including welding, connections etc.

Given below are some of the pictures for work in progress and the finished setup with light spread/ throw.

Front bumper was almost completed to be removed -





The front cross member was removed, taken to a welding shop and attached the clamps -




Considering future need, if at all for more lights, i chose to weld wider and stronger clamp -







This clamp can hold much more weight than one can imagine.

When the fitting was completed (tested and bumper put back) this is how it looks -



This is the remote to operate the lights.



The final setup before aligning the light was almost scary and dazzling -



The low beam on stock looks like this -



When only LED light guides and LED Aux are switched on -



I momentarily drove on the relatively dark road. This is how it looks when only AUX LED is ON -




Aux LED with Low Beams -



And the comparison in the already well lit parking lot -

Just Low beam -


Low Plus High beam -


Low beam Plus LED Aux -


The pictures are taken with mobile phone and don't do full justice to the light. But to sum up the experience - the LED are very bright. They have adjustable throw which I can adjust by physically/ manually using an allen key. The straight line is fixed with tight nuts and bolts on the clamp while the up/ down is kept flexible for me to play with as per my need. There are two remote keys - and both of them work like a charm.

I will take a longish ride on highway and do a quick review of the experience soon.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Extra Pair of Eyes - Aux Lights Setup

Finally you got some extra eyes for better view-ability during night drives.

Just checked the specifications on the website link you posted and IMO wouldn't it have been better if the colour temperature would have been near or below 4200K??

A 6000K lamp is not of much use in rainy time and IMO it would dazzle even though you have adjusted it more onto the road rather than keeping it parallel. Sorry I am a noob hence the doubt (No offence Sir!).

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Just checked the specifications on the website link you posted and IMO wouldn't it have been better if the colour temperature would have been near or below 4200K??

Of course. 4200 K is much like day light and works well in rain as well. But then these lights are not the all time use lights. They are used for two reasons - on deserted highways to see through for longer distances and to tell morons coming on to me with their high beams - I got it too, you better put yours down to low beams! In the rains the speeds reduce and the stock high/ low combination will do just fine.

The way clamps are fitted, you can notice that I can put another horizontal steel strip connecting both clamps externally and host another pair of hellas or something like that So in no way this is the end of lights saga. The mantra is just let there be more light, in all possible sanity of course!

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by abirnale

The mantra is just let there be more light, in all possible sanity of course!

I have a basic doubt regarding your lighting fiasco. Please bear with me.

The OEM setup is:

Head Lamp - High Beam = 55W H7
Head Lamp - Low Beam = 55W H7
Fog Lamp - Front = 12V 35W H8

Why can't you try and upgrade them to 80W or 90W or 100W for low beam and high beam + 55W H11 in fog lamps?

Shouldn't this be enough?

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

The OEM setup is:

Head Lamp - High Beam = 55W H7
Head Lamp - Low Beam = 55W H7
Fog Lamp - Front = 12V 35W H8

Why can't you try and upgrade them to 80W or 90W or 100W for low beam and high beam + 55W H11 in fog lamps?

The higher wattages would need proper relay. For all three lights - high, low and fog, I need three relays. In already crowded engine bay, this is last thing I would do. Moreover higher wattage bulbs in the lower rated headlights, there will be risk of heat generation in long run. I wont be surprised if the headlights turn yellowish from inside due to extra heat of additional wattage lights. And last - anything on the existing wiring, circuit, M&M can deny warranty but having totally new source of power from battery and completely independent circuit puts only battery at risk, nothing else. Hence avoided.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by abirnale

The higher wattages would need proper relay. For all three lights - high, low and fog, I need three relays. In already crowded engine bay, this is last thing I would do. Moreover higher wattage bulbs in the lower rated headlights, there will be risk of heat generation in long run.

How good is the high beam in general? IMO in all reviews it is the low beam that is being blamed rather than the other two so a upgrade to 80W or 90W bulbs in low beam should suffice IMO.

I am gathering points in advance for my ownership. Reason, I am coming from a car that has excellent low & high beam in OEM setup but still I have upgraded to 100/90W without any issues so want the same feel in the XUV too hence bombarding you with questions.

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

How good is the high beam in general? IMO in all reviews it is the low beam that is being blamed rather than the other two so a upgrade to 80W or 90W bulbs in low beam should suffice IMO.

High beams are like fireworks on the road - in a milder way! Most frequently heard rant is they are not aligned well on XUV. So if one puts an effort of spending 10 mins with the technician and tells where you would like them to focus, they can do an awesome job! As a stock setup, the high beams used to light up the boards up above on the highways and not the road ahead. After i adjusted them, they are good. But not good enough to force oncoming vehicles to switch to low beam! Especially the trucks and SUVs, buses and those taxis with hella aux! So this AUX led makes the fights of the likes only if you use them with caution and for the reason I mentioned earlier.