Tata Safari Dicor LX 4x2 (Feb2007) ownership report EDIT: 11500kms update

testdrive · 16th May 2007, 21:34

I bought a Tata Safari few months back. I would like to share by experience with ya all. Hopefully this will benefit both existing safari owners and other prospective buyers. I will continue to update this thread with more information from time to time.

*** Vehicle details ***
Make: Tata Safari Dicor LX 4x2 (7-seater)
Color: Arctic Silver
Model: Feb 2007
Price: Rs.714149 (Ex-Showroom, excl. Road Tax + Insurance)

*** Free of cost (FOC) dealer fitments ***
- Extended Warranty (a must!) Rs.7200
- Chrome Grill (EX Model) Rs.6500
- Fog lights (w/Local Switch) Rs.3500

*** After market accessories fitted ***
- Autocop W/engine immobilizer
- Power window relay (automatically rolls up windows when car is locked)
- WaxOyl exterior paint protection
- Reverse Sonic Sensors
- Audio
Head-unit: Pioneer DEH-P5850MP
iPod Interface Adaptor: Pioneer CD-IB100
Speakers (front): JBL Components GTO607 (6.5")
Speakers (rear): JBL 3-way GTO637 (6.5")
Bass Tube: JBL 1000w / 10"
30GB Color iPOD
- Alloy Wheels: Aura Model# F11665 (16"x6.5") /Full Face Machined/Hyper Silver)
- Hella Comet 500 (white) lights
- Replaced headlight H4 tubes with Philips Rally 130Watts (Note - Box says they are illegal for city use ;-)
- Pending: Carryboy crashguard / Leather seat covers.

*** Sales / Delivery experience ***
I would rate the overall experience of buying and getting delivery of the vehicle as very poor. Had to go twice to the dealership to get a testdrive. The dealer did not have a testdrive vehicle, so they simply use new vehicles (with speedo cable removed). The same vehicles are then sold off to unsuspecting customers.

It took 5 hours to get delivery of the vehicle, despite asking them 2 days in advance to keep the vehicle ready for delivery. Took some additional time to ensure they gave me a safari with Bridgestone tyres instead of Apollo. Most of the time went in getting the vehicle washed, fog lights fitted etc.

*** Service experience ***
Have not gone for a full service yet. Based on my 2-3 visits to get few things fixed, I would rate Tata's service as the pits! Basically, they treat you like a taxi driver (i'm sure I dont look like one :-). Also, once you've given them your vehicle they automatically assume they own the vehicle. Getting the vehicle back can be a real challenge.

*** Ownership Experience so far @ 4500 kms ***
- Engine Oil leaking (minor leak): taken vehicle to TASS twice. Nuts were tightened and 1/2 ltr engine oil was added to correct oil level. The problem still exists!
- Excessive black smoke (even at 1000 - 1500 rpm): service advisor says its normal. No diagnostic test was conducted to determine the same. Ideally, Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Modulator and Catconv should have been checked.
- Clutch seems hard and vehicle takes off with a jerky movement on release.
- Front legroom area A/c vents are blocked. Need to check to determine the root cause in the upcoming service.

*** Coming soon... ***
I will be updating this thread after the first service @ 5000kms.

You can view pics of the safari and other vehicles I own here
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/testdrive2952/albums

Godfather · 17th May 2007, 02:55

Congrats bro..welcome to the dicor owners club

I am also running the 130/110 Philips rallye headlights..
As for the hard clutch i guess that you will have to get used to the vehcile.. I also felt that the clutch was hard..now i can harldy make out

Godfather

tsk1979 · 17th May 2007, 12:59

I found DICOR clutch to be as light as indica clutch, so there could be an issue. Test drive a different piece.
That said you seem to be facing a lot of problems which should not be there.
I suggest you visit a different workshop after writing a stinker to Tata customer care. Their regional customer care numbers are posted in every workshop

theMAG · 17th May 2007, 13:00

Congrats on the acquisition. Bug bears apart you will enjoy this beast.

Re: your dealership experience, isn't Concorde present in Gurgaon? In Bangalore their MTTR and ability to fix things are known to be better than Prerana's.

navdeep · 17th May 2007, 13:03

Congrats !
why not post some recent pics with all goodies.
I think thick black smoke should not be neglected.

ramkya1 · 17th May 2007, 13:04

Hai Testdrive,

Tnx for that report.

I am due for a new upgrade of company car and seriously evaluating options. 2 options I have narrowed down in one class are the Dicor and Scorpio. Your report makes the scales tilt in favor of the Scorpio, though many are not very happy with the cornering and braking efficiency.

--Ramky

=============

doctorkats · 17th May 2007, 13:17

congrats testdrive!
sorry to hear about the dealership attitude.
if its any consolation i am already feeling the heat.
i have approached nawab mtrs:noida,sterling auto:noida,a one:delhi so far for the dicor.their attitude is sarkari and morose.
i have to make the calls every time.i have to follow up.their sales people are utterly dim witted and couldnt care less.
is your dicor a bsz/csz.the smoke issue i heard has been resolved since these series onwards.
tsk is right.
send a hard worded complaint to tata customer care for the niggles in your car.
read somewhere that the carpet blocks the front floor aircon vents.guess you got to get it fixed.

anyway that all that apart,i'm sure the best is yet to come for you and your safari

benbsb29 · 17th May 2007, 13:36

testdrive : Congrats on your DICOR. You seem to be facing quite a few problems here, which i think others too have faced. Go through the Long Term Ownership reports from Suman as well as Steeroid, and see how they were taken care of. Also, do send a mail to the TATA grievances section, and you should hear from them.

Vikrocks · 17th May 2007, 14:03

Testdrive, Congrats for buying Safari. I hope you enjoy it to the maximum. Thanks, for sharing this report with me.

I would advise you to change the delear and get it serviced from somebody else. It should help.

When I bought my Innova, I faced lot of problems in getting the delivery of vehicle and infact I got the vehicle changed after delivery because they gave me a previous year model. My dealer was Harsha Toyota Hyderbad and there are lots of problems and even when I sent it for first service, my vehicle was returned untouched and I had to litteraly shout at the president of harsha Motors to get the vehicle even washed. Ever since I have never got any service done by him or anybody else in hyderabad. I always get it done in Gurgaon and I am very happy with the service I get there.

Do not ignore any problem that you are getting with the vehicle...Like we change the doctors sometime when he/she is not able to diagnose...take help of some other delear..I am sure it will help

testdrive · 17th May 2007, 14:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by doctorkats

is your dicor a bsz/csz.the smoke issue i heard has been resolved since these series onwards.

Not sure where to check for the series... is it included in the engine/chassis no? if so, looking at the numbers below, it seems mine is a ASZ series!

Engine no DICOR06ASZxxxxxx , Chassis No 403063ASZNxxxxx

pogusingh · 17th May 2007, 14:39

Probably we should be having a thread for best TATA workshops on an area basis. This might help the Dicor owners to beat the heat

The ownership report doesnt look very encouraging. A new vehicle which is an year old now(manufacturing wise) should not have these niggles. Its like spending your hard earned 8L on the beast and then getting bothered by these problems. Since I see a lot of DICORs on the road, i think the solution might be to choose the right workshop

-POGU

sumitsingh · 17th May 2007, 14:51

Hey,

Congratulations and welcome to the club. :-)

I am sure you will enjoy it more once the niggling problems are taken care of. I started off with a lot of problems but things have started to settle down.

Please share some pics. I am sure Its a looker now ( Not sure, if you prefer to call it a she or a he )... Mine's a he.. Lilliput to be precise.

Welcome to the club once again.

Jaggu · 17th May 2007, 14:58

great review, do contact the telco guys and see if they can sort out the issues, also i feel you should try another workshop and see if things are better.

bruty · 17th May 2007, 15:00

Can any one tell what is the best service station ( A.S.S) for Safari dicor in NoIda.

testdrive · 17th May 2007, 15:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by theMAG

Re: your dealership experience, isn't Concorde present in Gurgaon?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaggu

great review, do contact the telco guys and see if they can sort out the issues, also i feel you should try another workshop and see if things are better.

In Gurgaon we had only one TASS for safari, i.e. Dhingra Motors. Their monopoly has ended with Nawab Motors opening up recently. I will be going to Nawab in the next few days... will let ya all know if the experience is any better! Also, will be dropping a stinker to Tata Motors.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumitsingh

Please share some pics. I am sure Its a looker now ( Not sure, if you prefer to call it a she or a he )... Mine's a he.. Lilliput to be precise.

I will update the safari pics once i get the leather seat covers and carryboy crashguard. Till then you can view my yahoo album for pics of the safari and also other vehicles.
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/testdrive2952/albums

16th May 2007, 21:34	#1
testdrive BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 131 Thanked: 2 Times View My Garage	Tata Safari Dicor LX 4x2 (Feb2007) ownership report EDIT: 11500kms update I bought a Tata Safari few months back. I would like to share by experience with ya all. Hopefully this will benefit both existing safari owners and other prospective buyers. I will continue to update this thread with more information from time to time. * Vehicle details * Make: Tata Safari Dicor LX 4x2 (7-seater) Color: Arctic Silver Model: Feb 2007 Price: Rs.714149 (Ex-Showroom, excl. Road Tax + Insurance) * Free of cost (FOC) dealer fitments * - Extended Warranty (a must!) Rs.7200 - Chrome Grill (EX Model) Rs.6500 - Fog lights (w/Local Switch) Rs.3500 * After market accessories fitted * - Autocop W/engine immobilizer - Power window relay (automatically rolls up windows when car is locked) - WaxOyl exterior paint protection - Reverse Sonic Sensors - Audio Head-unit: Pioneer DEH-P5850MP iPod Interface Adaptor: Pioneer CD-IB100 Speakers (front): JBL Components GTO607 (6.5") Speakers (rear): JBL 3-way GTO637 (6.5") Bass Tube: JBL 1000w / 10" 30GB Color iPOD - Alloy Wheels: Aura Model# F11665 (16"x6.5") /Full Face Machined/Hyper Silver) - Hella Comet 500 (white) lights - Replaced headlight H4 tubes with Philips Rally 130Watts (Note - Box says they are illegal for city use ;-) - Pending: Carryboy crashguard / Leather seat covers. * Sales / Delivery experience * I would rate the overall experience of buying and getting delivery of the vehicle as very poor. Had to go twice to the dealership to get a testdrive. The dealer did not have a testdrive vehicle, so they simply use new vehicles (with speedo cable removed). The same vehicles are then sold off to unsuspecting customers. It took 5 hours to get delivery of the vehicle, despite asking them 2 days in advance to keep the vehicle ready for delivery. Took some additional time to ensure they gave me a safari with Bridgestone tyres instead of Apollo. Most of the time went in getting the vehicle washed, fog lights fitted etc. * Service experience * Have not gone for a full service yet. Based on my 2-3 visits to get few things fixed, I would rate Tata's service as the pits! Basically, they treat you like a taxi driver (i'm sure I dont look like one :-). Also, once you've given them your vehicle they automatically assume they own the vehicle. Getting the vehicle back can be a real challenge. * Ownership Experience so far @ 4500 kms * - Engine Oil leaking (minor leak): taken vehicle to TASS twice. Nuts were tightened and 1/2 ltr engine oil was added to correct oil level. The problem still exists! - Excessive black smoke (even at 1000 - 1500 rpm): service advisor says its normal. No diagnostic test was conducted to determine the same. Ideally, Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Modulator and Catconv should have been checked. - Clutch seems hard and vehicle takes off with a jerky movement on release. - Front legroom area A/c vents are blocked. Need to check to determine the root cause in the upcoming service. * Coming soon... * I will be updating this thread after the first service @ 5000kms. You can view pics of the safari and other vehicles I own here http://new.photos.yahoo.com/testdrive2952/albums
	() Thanks

17th May 2007, 02:55	#2
Godfather Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bangalore / Atlanta Posts: 1,387 Thanked: 71 Times View My Garage	Congrats bro..welcome to the dicor owners club I am also running the 130/110 Philips rallye headlights.. As for the hard clutch i guess that you will have to get used to the vehcile.. I also felt that the clutch was hard..now i can harldy make out Godfather
	() Thanks

17th May 2007, 12:59	#3
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,689 Thanked: 23,495 Times View My Garage	I found DICOR clutch to be as light as indica clutch, so there could be an issue. Test drive a different piece. That said you seem to be facing a lot of problems which should not be there. I suggest you visit a different workshop after writing a stinker to Tata customer care. Their regional customer care numbers are posted in every workshop
	() Thanks

17th May 2007, 13:00	#4
theMAG Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Avon, CT Posts: 7,196 Thanked: 1,823 Times View My Garage	Congrats on the acquisition. Bug bears apart you will enjoy this beast. Re: your dealership experience, isn't Concorde present in Gurgaon? In Bangalore their MTTR and ability to fix things are known to be better than Prerana's.
	() Thanks

17th May 2007, 13:03	#5
navdeep BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Pune Posts: 892 Thanked: 4 Times	Congrats ! why not post some recent pics with all goodies. I think thick black smoke should not be neglected.
	() Thanks

17th May 2007, 13:04	#6
ramkya1 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Palakkad, Keral Posts: 1,829 Thanked: 434 Times View My Garage	Tnx For The Update Hai Testdrive, Tnx for that report. I am due for a new upgrade of company car and seriously evaluating options. 2 options I have narrowed down in one class are the Dicor and Scorpio. Your report makes the scales tilt in favor of the Scorpio, though many are not very happy with the cornering and braking efficiency. --Ramky =============
	() Thanks

17th May 2007, 13:17	#7
doctorkats BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Noida Posts: 315 Thanked: 2 Times	congrats testdrive! sorry to hear about the dealership attitude. if its any consolation i am already feeling the heat. i have approached nawab mtrs:noida,sterling auto:noida,a one:delhi so far for the dicor.their attitude is sarkari and morose. i have to make the calls every time.i have to follow up.their sales people are utterly dim witted and couldnt care less. is your dicor a bsz/csz.the smoke issue i heard has been resolved since these series onwards. tsk is right. send a hard worded complaint to tata customer care for the niggles in your car. read somewhere that the carpet blocks the front floor aircon vents.guess you got to get it fixed. anyway that all that apart,i'm sure the best is yet to come for you and your safari
	() Thanks

17th May 2007, 13:36	#8
benbsb29 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Brisbane Posts: 10,109 Thanked: 14,220 Times View My Garage	testdrive : Congrats on your DICOR. You seem to be facing quite a few problems here, which i think others too have faced. Go through the Long Term Ownership reports from Suman as well as Steeroid, and see how they were taken care of. Also, do send a mail to the TATA grievances section, and you should hear from them.
	() Thanks

17th May 2007, 14:03	#9
Vikrocks Newbie Join Date: May 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 12 Thanked: Once	Testdrive, Congrats for buying Safari. I hope you enjoy it to the maximum. Thanks, for sharing this report with me. I would advise you to change the delear and get it serviced from somebody else. It should help. When I bought my Innova, I faced lot of problems in getting the delivery of vehicle and infact I got the vehicle changed after delivery because they gave me a previous year model. My dealer was Harsha Toyota Hyderbad and there are lots of problems and even when I sent it for first service, my vehicle was returned untouched and I had to litteraly shout at the president of harsha Motors to get the vehicle even washed. Ever since I have never got any service done by him or anybody else in hyderabad. I always get it done in Gurgaon and I am very happy with the service I get there. Do not ignore any problem that you are getting with the vehicle...Like we change the doctors sometime when he/she is not able to diagnose...take help of some other delear..I am sure it will help
	() Thanks

17th May 2007, 14:39	#11
pogusingh BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: New Delhi Posts: 226 Thanked: 0 Times	Probably we should be having a thread for best TATA workshops on an area basis. This might help the Dicor owners to beat the heat The ownership report doesnt look very encouraging. A new vehicle which is an year old now(manufacturing wise) should not have these niggles. Its like spending your hard earned 8L on the beast and then getting bothered by these problems. Since I see a lot of DICORs on the road, i think the solution might be to choose the right workshop -POGU
	() Thanks

17th May 2007, 14:51	#12
sumitsingh BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Noida Posts: 128 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	Hey, Congratulations and welcome to the club. :-) I am sure you will enjoy it more once the niggling problems are taken care of. I started off with a lot of problems but things have started to settle down. Please share some pics. I am sure Its a looker now ( Not sure, if you prefer to call it a she or a he )... Mine's a he.. Lilliput to be precise. Welcome to the club once again.
	() Thanks

17th May 2007, 14:58	#13
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,379 Thanked: 17,320 Times	great review, do contact the telco guys and see if they can sort out the issues, also i feel you should try another workshop and see if things are better.
	() Thanks

17th May 2007, 15:00	#14
bruty BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Delhi Posts: 241 Thanked: 10 Times View My Garage	Can any one tell what is the best service station ( A.S.S) for Safari dicor in NoIda.
	() Thanks