Make Mahindra Bolero GLX 2 WD, 7 Seater
Engine : XD-3PU IDI
Year of of purchase 2001 May
Done 45000Km
Average mileage in City : around 9 Kms/litre with a/c
Mileage On highway - 13 Kms/litre with a/c
Max speed done : 120Kms/Hr
Normal driving speed on highways: Around 80 Kms/Hr
I owned a Gypsy before going for Bolero GLX. We are a family of four and my two kids are growing up, so had problem getting in/out of two door Gypsy and decided to go for Bolero. Gypsy was quite expensive to maintain even though I used it for 3+years
It was pleasant upgrade from a Gypsy to Bolero (eventhough I miss the Gypsy 4WD option) with Powersteering, a/c, music system, more comfortable seating, my kids can easily get in/out without asking our permission unlike in Gypsy.
Immediately after getting the vehicle, I had to redo all seats, the original seating was not that good. Even managed to fix a hand rest with a glove box between the front seats. A/c is really good. Changed to alloy wheels in 3rd year.
1st Year : Within 2 months of owning, when my wife was driving, met with an accident, one Tata Sierra guy coming opposite lost control and rammed into the side of Bolero, on the driver side rear door. Due to the impact, the Bolero turned almost 90 degree, but nothing much happened to the vehicle except a slight dent on the door extending to the rear. Since it was new and under insurance the dealer suggested to change the door to a new one which I did.
2nd Year, On our way back from a Chennai trip, another Jeep (Commander) rammed behind my vehicle when I had to apply sudden brake, the damage caused was very minor, the spare wheel which is fixed on the rear door got its air blown off due to the impact and the rear foot board got bent. Total cost of fixing the footboard and the spare wheel Rs 300.
3rd Year, on a trip to Kerala, the fan belt (Bolero has couple of them, 5 of them), got snapped and brake failed. Luckily I noticed the handbrake indicator glowing on the dashboard and guessed some problem and when trying to stop, it did not stop, to my shock I realised the brake failed and stopped the vehicle using hand brake and downing the gear. On checking I found almost all belts snapped except the A/c belt. I don't blame the vehicle for this, I feel the problem happened due to the loose belt which was not tightened properly during servicing. Just few week before this trip, I had changed all the belts which was suggested by the dealer at around 30,000 Kms. I feel, at that time the guys did not tightened the belts adequately.
3rd Year : There was minor oil leak noticed from the power steering which was fixed by replacing the oil seal.
4th Year : Original Battery (Amaron) died, replaced with a new Amaron battery
A scary accident happened towards the end of 4th year , near Hossur a guy ran across the road and we were at 80-90Kms/Hr speed. The guy was less than 10 mtrs from the vehicle and I had to do a sudden left turn in avoid hitting him which resulted the vehicle going into a spin, rolling thrice and landing on its side. Myself, my wife and two kids, Gods grace, nothing happened to any of us, not even a scratch. Me and my wife were wearing seat belts (but kids had no seat belts, Bolero did not have them at the rear seats). Believe me, nothing much happened to my vehicle, except a broken wind shield and the left front door glass. Everything else was intact, headlights, parking lights, everything intact. We got immediate assistance from Highway patrol guys, using their crane they lifted and put the vehicle on its wheels. I could drive back to Bangalore on the same vehicle. Forgot to mention about the guy who was trying to cross the road, nothing happened to him!.
Made many long trips with my family, number of trips to between Kerala and Bangalore (around 1500 Kms round trip), Trip to Chennai, Mahabalipuran, Bandipur, Wayanad, number of trips to Coorg, short trips to Bannarghatta national park, Nandi hills, Ercaud etc and the vehicle never gave us any trouble.
To summarise, in terms of break downs or replacements, hardly any, no electrical problems, no power windows problem, no power steering problems, no a/c problems, no suspension problem, to uneven tire wearing out. Everything worked for me except few issues which I mentioned above. Nothing got replaced in my vehicle in this four years except the routine oil change, brake pads (once) and fan belts (once), battery (once).
Finally in its 5th year, I decided to sell my Bolero, which I did, and bought a Brand new vehicle, Guess which one!!, BOLERO SLX |