[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by procrj

Its exactly 5 years since I brought the Red Dwarf home and if I have to summarize the last 5 years in one word, that word would be Contentment

Many congratulations Ravinder on completing 5 years of ownership I completed my 5 years on 07-Nov-2020.

While there have been many niggles/issues with the car over the years, on the whole, I am quiet happy with the decision to buy a TUV and am still enjoying the car. Even after 5 years, I still have a smile on my face when I am on the road - be it a 4L highway or a 2L highway/ghat road.

Absolutely same is the case with me. Comparatively I had very less niggles. I simply love driving the TUV in the ghats and on bad roads. It gobbles up the bad patches like there were none. The TUV makes bigger and more capable vehicles bite the dust in the ghats. However on plain straight roads it is the reverse case. I have to give way even for small cars.

Comfort and Ease of Use - 4/5

Agreed.

Mechanical Reliability - 3/5

I would give it 4/5 on this parameter because I had comparatively lesser issues.

Ride, Handling and Suspension - 3.5/5

Agreed

NVH - 3.5/5

Here too, I would give a 4/5 because I was never bothered by the road noise or wind noise. May be since I was driving an Innova before TUV, I could easily adapt to it.

Exterior quality - 4/5

Agreed, paint quality is very good. No rattling, no misalignments or large panel gaps.

Interior quality - 4/5

Agreed. Covered parking and taking due care of interiors plays a very important role here

Overall rating - 3.75/5
As I mentioned earlier, I am content with the car as it does its job and is value for money. If only M&M got their act together and improved a)mechanical reliability of the vehicle and b)service expereince, I would have been very happy

I think both on mechanical reliability and service front I had a far better experience. So for me the overall rating would be 4.25/5.

List of issues till date:

• Jan 2016 - Battery Sensor issue, replaced under warranty
• Feb 2016 - Vacuum modulator changed under warranty
• June 2016 - Alternator replaced under warranty
• Dec 2016 - Driver side seat belts changed under warranty
• April 2017 - Oil leakage near intake manifold, O rings replaced under warranty
• Oct 2017 - Vacuum modulators replaced under warranty
• Feb 2018 - Seatbelts replaced under warranty
• April 2018 - Coolant leakage near radiator outlet pipe. Clamp changed and leakage fixed
• June 2019 -Oil leak near turbo hose, Clamp replaced and leakage fixed
• July 2019 - Oil leakage near Turbo seal, Turbocharger replaced under warranty
• Nov 2020 - Drop in power delivery, MAF sensor checked and replaced under warranty

That's a real long list of issues/replacements. Fortunately for me, the issues/replacements were very few. To list down the major ones:

1. VACUUM MODULATOR replacement
2. FUEL DELIVERY MODULE (FDM) replacement
3. Coolant Leakage
4. Front Doors window glass rattling, solved by putting appropriate packing
5. Seat belt replacement

Now that the 5 year warranty period has ended, I expect an increase in Replacement spends as I might have to replace parts of the suspension or pay for recurring issues like vacuum modulator replacement.

Even I am a bit concerned here, not overly concerned though. Now that the extended warranty is over, car should hold tight for another 3 years at the least. I am planning to keep it for 8 or 10 years. So next 5 years would be very crucial.

Attachment 2111423

The Red Dwarf looks awesome, showroom mint condition. That's not just because M&M has built a tank but you are taking utmost care and are really in love with your car. Hope it continues to bring lots of smiles on your face whenever you hit the road.

[paragsachania]

Congratulations RJ on completing 5 years with your TUV 3oo aka Red Dwarf.

This shade of TUV is perhaps the best looking for me after that Blue.

Originally Posted by procrj

Quick summary of Part replacements

Suddenly I wondered if I was reading my own thread when I looked at this table since I had recently posted exactly similar table till I looked at the Odometer figures .

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by procrj

Its exactly 5 years since I brought the Red Dwarf home and if I have to summarize the last 5 years in one word, that word would be Contentment. While there have been many niggles/issues with the car over the years, on the whole, I am quiet happy with the decision to buy a TUV and am still enjoying the car. Even after 5 years, I still have a smile on my face when I am on the road - be it a 4L highway or a 2L highway/ghat road.

Congratulations on 5 years with your TUV, and thank you very much for this lovely thread. What an amazing thread with fantastic pictures! Your thread has often been an inspiration for me to check out some new driving locations, routes, and just go out and enjoy the landscapes. Your TUV looks fantastic in every picture!

It is a bit sad to see the long list of parts replacement, but glad that you have been able to maintain it well and more importantly enjoy it on such wonderful drives.

Wishing you many more happy miles. As we discussed in some other thread, maybe one day we can go out together and have a photoshoot with two red cars :-)

[procrj]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

you are taking utmost care and are really in love with your car. Hope it continues to bring lots of smiles on your face whenever you hit the road.

Thanks AutoIndian and its good to see you active on the forum again. Hope you get to drive and post more

Originally Posted by paragsachania

when I looked at this table since I had recently posted exactly similar table till I looked at the Odometer figures .

Your thread was the inspiration for that table as that is a good way to summarize replacements/changes.

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

Congratulations on 5 years with your TUV, and thank you very much for this lovely thread. What an amazing thread with fantastic pictures! Your thread has often been an inspiration for me to check out some new driving locations, routes, and just go out and enjoy the landscapes. Your TUV looks fantastic in every picture!

Thanks a lot for those kind words Dr.Ad.

It is a bit sad to see the long list of parts replacement

That is the flip side of buying a relatively new product. Those who have purchased the car post April 2018 dont seem to have most of these issues but have paid a slight premium for the car.

Wishing you many more happy miles. As we discussed in some other thread, maybe one day we can go out together and have a photoshoot with two red cars :-)

Definitely on for a drive + photoshoot. Lets wait for the monsoons as nothing better than an effervescent green background to brings out the red

[procrj]

Decided to get away from the 4 walls of my home and spend some time in the jungles of Nagarhole. The entire trip was close to 600 kms with a mix of 2L and 4L highways, and the F.E at the end of the trip was 14.75 kmpl. I have conciously watched my speed on 4/6L highways over the last few trips and have ensured that the RPM needs doesnt cross 2.5K mark, which translates to a speed of ~90 kmph, which is not bad at all.

The torque delivery problem in 1st and 2nd gear which I had posted about in Nov 2020 seems to be slowly coming back. I can feel a small drop in torque delivery once the oil temperature reaches the 4-5 bar mark. I plan to ask A.S.S to:
a)check the intercooler plumbing and clean the same along with the radiator
b)flush and replace coolant
c)clean EGR

Detailed Tlog of the trip posted here (Experiencing the wild - Trip to the Jungles of Karnataka). Sharing a few pics.

Sloth bear


The smallest chital deer fawn


Red wattled lapwing flying


Crested serpent eagle


Bull headed Shirke

[procrj]

Frustrating Experience with India Garrage

Decided to take the car in for a quick check to address the drop in power delivery, while in 2nd gear, once the oil temp has hit 5-bars on the MID. Called in advance and took an appointment with IG, Peenya for 9 am. I was there at 8.55 am next day and my S.A strolls in casually at 9.30 am. The senior tech who had attended last time in Nov was no longer with I.G and a new person was assigned to check and validate the problem. During the road test, this person was very reticent and once we reached the service center, I had to ask him twice before he confirmed next steps. Next steps were:
1. Check vaccum modulator, hose
2. Check vaccum strength
3. Clean EGR valve

It was 11.30 am by the time the car entered the bay and the service tech starts to do the so called free 75 point check. I wait patiently and he finishes that and then goes on to drain and replace coolant. Even this he tried some juggad before I put my foot down and asked him to drain via the radiator. After coolant replacement, the service tech says "all done saar, you can leave soon" I lost it at that time and had to yell at my S.A, Senior Tech to address the issues.

To cut a long story short, I left I.G at 5 pm with just the EGR valve cleaned. Vaccum modulator, hose etc. were deemed to be working fine. My S.A had the audacity to ask to provide feedback on the form and I was in no mood for the same. Very curtly declined and he asked me to speak to the GM, who only made excuses for why it took them so long to do something as simple as clean an EGR, check a part and replace coolant.

One interesting point that I noted at IG Peenya, The XUVs have a separate bay for service and its much cleaner and better organized. The ratio of service tech to cars in the bay is like 2X-3X the number when compared to that of the "Junta bay". Pretty sure that the revenue coming in from the Junta bay is a lot more that the XUV bay as there were close to 40 odd cars - bolero, thar, marrazo, TUV et al that were being serviced by about 7-8 service techs as compared to 7-8 XUVs(300 & 500) serviced by 4 service techs. I have also noticed that all the experienced Service Techs and Service Managers have moved out over the last two years and now there is no body who can actualy diagnose an issue and try to get to the root of the problem.

With this, I think I am certanly going to end my realtionship with IG, Peenya and shift to a different service center. Only hope that I am not going from worse to worser as the general feedback from other TUV owners in the Bangalore group is not great for Sireesh & Anant.

The car is driving OK, based on short city drives that I have done. I will check if the drop in power delivery issue has been addresed when I head out on the highway later this week.

[procrj]

In Feb when I was driving back from Dandeli, the TUV decided to give me a hard time during the last couple of hours of driving and I barely managed to limp home. Reached out to Dinesh on the TUV WAG who has been great with helping BLR/KA TUV owners connect with M&M services center GMs and the RSMs. After the last experience where I had spent a day at M.A.S.S for some very small things, I had decided that I will no longer waste my time going to the A.S.S with the car. Somewhere in my head, the seeds of change had been planted and this time I handed over the car to A.S.S for inspection and fixing. They took 5 days to check, identify and fix the problem, which turned out to be the vacuum modulator.

This was the last straw and I realized that a) M&M will continue to treat its non XUV car owners like second hand citizens b) with increased volumes from the new Thar, Scoprio & XUV(when launched), TUV and other M&M car owners will only slide further down the priority chain. Also realized that increased sales volumes has not resulted in increased service capacity (new service centers) or upgrading of existing service capacity (new bays, more trained personnel). In fact, everything was moving the other way around where M.A.S.S was losing tenured & trained staff and more service bays have been used to just park the huge backlog of cars which need to be serviced.

My car was at 83.5K Odo and I was contemplating the next few years, where the number of visits to M.A.S.S is only going to increase to replace worn parts and fix niggles. The service and car maintenance experience had steadily declined from acceptable (2016-2019) to bad (2020-2021), and I was not willing to live through worse. Made the decision to cut my losses and move to a brand that has a) better mechanical reliability and b) decent service network and trained workshop techs.

With the decision made, I spent 3 weeks looking at various avenues for selling the car. After quiet a bit of research, talking, negotiating etc. decided to lock in with Cars24 as they did offer the best price and the relative ease of not having to worry about transfer of ownership. Closed the deal with Cars24 on 3/13 and they transferred a token amount. Closed out the loan and handed over the NOC from bank along with the car to Cars24 today. It wasn’t easy to hand over the keys but after a silent moment of goodbye, walked away from the dwarf for the last time. Here is how it looked during the last long drive



Will definitely miss driving the car, its road presense and ability to tackle just about any road condition. If only M&M could have ensured better mechanical reliablity OR better support from their service partners, I would have quietly continued to drive the dwarf for many more years.

Now begins the wait for the new car (The "I Booked my Car" Thread) to be delivered and a new journey to begin.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by procrj

Now begins the wait for the new car (The "I Booked my Car" Thread) to be delivered and a new journey to begin.

Congratulations and welcome back to the Maruti Suzuki family. I wish the new entrant lives upto the expectations and gives you years of trouble free company.

I have always loved it whenever I sat in the Ertiga, XL6 will only be better. Can't help but say that Ertiga feels like a big brother to old WagonR. And XL6 like a bigger brother to the Ertiga.

Sorry to hear about your recent experience with the Dwarf and MASS. Given your use case, reliability is of paramount importance and this decision was prudent. User experiences like yours made me believe Mahindras are reliable, guess I was wrong.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by procrj

This was the last straw and I realized that a) M&M will continue to treat its non XUV car owners like second hand citizens

This is coming to me as a shocker. I never experienced such a biased attitude towards TUV vis-a-vis XUV at least here in Pune. Though XUVs had separate bays, but I never felt any difference in the level of service. Is it that in Bangalore there are far too many XUVs and TUVs are a minority?

With the decision made, I spent 3 weeks looking at various avenues for selling the car. After quiet a bit of research, talking, negotiating etc. decided to lock in with Cars24 as they did offer the best price and the relative ease of not having to worry about transfer of ownership. Closed the deal with Cars24 on 3/13 and they transferred a token amount.

When I received the notification about your post, I was expecting some wonderful travelogue along with some beautiful pictures. The least did I expect that this would be the parting post of your Red Dwarf. I can imagine this would have been one of the most harsh decisions in your life and the fact that you had to take it clearly shows that all was not well

after a silent moment of goodbye, walked away from the dwarf for the last time. Here is how it looked during the last long drive

Didn't anyone from your family resist you from making that decision? The Red Dwarf still looks in mint condition, fresh out of the over. If you don't mind, could you please share how much did Cars24 offer? (You can reply me in private in case you don't want to make it public)

Will definitely miss driving the car, its road presense and ability to tackle just about any road condition. If only M&M could have ensured better mechanical reliablity OR better support from their service partners, I would have quietly continued to drive the dwarf for many more years.

Tell me honestly was this decision purely made on the basis of incompetent service experience or was there a new car itch as well at the back of your mind as TUV had recently completed 5 years?

Now begins the wait for the new car (The "I Booked my Car" Thread) to be delivered and a new journey to begin.

Many congratulations on booking the XL6. Now that you are car-less, how are you managing your trips?

[ramnaresh_2000]

Originally Posted by procrj

Now begins the wait for the new car (The "I Booked my Car" Thread) to be delivered and a new journey to begin.

Sorry to hear that you sold your TUV. I still remember you pinging me on my WhatsApp when I lost it on my TUV AMT. Great new choice, after 5 years you will experience trouble free maintenance from Nexa (touchwood)

[procrj]

Originally Posted by ashis89

I wish the new entrant lives upto the expectations and gives you years of trouble free company.

Thanks ashis, hoping for the same.

And XL6 like a bigger brother to the Ertiga.

Agree with you on this, its probably a more comfortable car as compared to the Ertiga.

Sorry to hear about your recent experience with the Dwarf and MASS. Given your use case, reliability is of paramount importance and this decision was prudent. User experiences like yours made me believe Mahindras are reliable, guess I was wrong.

There are many TUVs out there which are running without any issues. There are even a few examples with 1.25+L on the odo running on OEM clutch. With M&M, it feels likes a throw of the dice. If you get a car thats put together right, it will serve you well but if you are stuck with a problem car, then its pure misery.

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

but I never felt any difference in the level of service. Is it that in Bangalore there are far too many XUVs and TUVs are a minority?

Good to know that thats not the case in Pune, probably because of the proximty to HQ and maybe better management by the service partner.
In BLR, XUV bays are cleaner, have better Car to Technician ratio and you get prioroty service. Plus they also have more tools available. My biggest gripe with India Garage is that the technicians would spend more than half the time walking from bay to bay to borrow tools as they did not seem to have the same in their kit.

The least did I expect that this would be the parting post of your Red Dwarf. I can imagine this would have been one of the most harsh decisions in your life and the fact that you had to take it clearly shows that all was not well

It was definetly a hard decision as I had planned a few uprgades for the car and was really looking forward to them as well as a long trip in the summer.

Didn't anyone from your family resist you from making that decision? The Red Dwarf still looks in mint condition, fresh out of the over.

Did have questions raised but they had witnessed my frustration with service levels and experienced the pathetic drive back home during the last trip and in Dec. Hence it wasnt very hard to convince them that it was time to make a change.

If you don't mind, could you please share how much did Cars24 offer?

They offered me 6.1L, which is more than I expected for a car that had run 84K kms.

Tell me honestly was this decision purely made on the basis of incompetent service experience or was there a new car itch as well at the back of your mind as TUV had recently completed 5 years?

Absolutely did not have a new car itch. I had a few upgrades planned for the TUV so that I can enjoy it for 3 more years, post which I planned to start looking for an upgrade. In fact, when I decided to sell the TUV, I had no clue what to buy as I hadnt test driven a car in many years and only had a very causal eye on new launches and sales trends.

Many congratulations on booking the XL6. Now that you are car-less, how are you managing your trips?

No trips till the new car is delivered. This one month will be used to plan upgrades, DIYs and everything else that can be executed once I get my hands on the new car.

Originally Posted by ramnaresh_2000

Great new choice, after 5 years you will experience trouble free maintenance from Nexa (touchwood)

thanks ramnaresh. I see that you are enjoying your phoenix, hope it makes up for all the troubles you had with the TUV and gives you a fuss free ownership of at least a decade

[srvm]

Originally Posted by procrj

.....
My car was at 83.5K Odo and I was contemplating the next few years, where the number of visits to M.A.S.S is only going to increase to replace worn parts and fix niggles. The service and car maintenance experience had steadily declined from acceptable (2016-2019) to bad (2020-2021), and I was not willing to live through worse. Made the decision to cut my losses and move to a brand that has a) better mechanical reliability and b) decent service network and trained workshop techs.
.....

Hi procrj. I have been following your exploits along with Red Dwarf in this thread for few years now. Very sad to hear about your service experience at MASS and your decision to let the Dwarf go.

I'm sure many folks like me will miss the updates in this thread. Some images are still fresh in memory - your red tank with so many picturesque places in the background such as KRS backwaters, windmills of Mavanur, Devaramane and so on.

Wish you many safe and happy miles in the XL6. I hope you will start a new ownership thread with the XL6 and continue posting about your Oorsutoonaba.

[mankuthimma]

Yeah! me too! Loved all your poetic descriptions of the travelogues and the picturesque locations that Red Dwarf took you to ! I had collected few great ideas for road trips.

All the best with your new purchase and hoping to see many more travelogues with XL6!

XL6 seems like a dark horse which ticks all the right boxes for a 5 seater with sufficient space and comfort for long journeys, without burning a big hole in the pocket. Now I am wondering why I didnt explore this when I was in the market last year.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by srvm

Wish you many safe and happy miles in the XL6. I hope you will start a new ownership thread with the XL6 and continue posting about your Oorsutoonaba.

Thanks for the kind words. Will definitely miss the Dwarf but I am hoping that the XL6 takes me to more wonderful locales over the years. Will definetly start an ownership thread post delivery.

Originally Posted by mankuthimma

All the best with your new purchase and hoping to see many more travelogues with XL6!

Thanks mankuthimma. Hope to get my hands on the XL6 soon and spend some time in Malenadu in summer.

XL6 seems like a dark horse which ticks all the right boxes for a 5 seater with sufficient space and comfort for long journeys, without burning a big hole in the pocket. Now I am wondering why I didnt explore this when I was in the market last year.

Yes, it is a dark horse that delivers a lot of value. Many people spend too much time bashing maruti and ignore some of its more competent products. At the end of the day, "Jo dikhta hai, woh bikta hai", what is seen is what sells. More XL6s on the road will translate to more sales for MSIL.