[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by RX135

Is that on your new Dicor? Ouch! It must have hurt real bad.

You betcha! I was so pissed off I called Ravi Kant's office. That was before the driving holiday described in the "Safari CRDi Launch..." thread, though. That drive brought the smiles back to my face. I was only disappointed that we had a visit by two Dicor engineers from Pune at the same time I took off on that drive, and so I couldnt give them a piece of my mind.

[sandeepmdas]

Excellent write-up tsk, you have done it again...

Originally Posted by tsk1979

They again washed the car for free...

This is the best part of it. Laughed a lot after reading this gem....

BTW, the AC of my DLS (2004 august) is made by Behr.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

They did the job for free and even washed the car for free for wasting my time.

Since Sandeep brought it up, I wonder if this is some kind of Tata Motors minimum specification for service.....I took my car in thrice: 1 to change the head unit from Blau to Pioneer, 2 when they called the vehicle in for a clutch circuit correction and 3 when the a/c conked off. They washed the vehicle thoroughly on all three occassions! Yes, even when they only had to change the head unit! Okay, the vehicle was muddy and grimy, but still...

I'm not complaining.

[tsk1979]

Yours is a new indica, so the kind of problems i faced should not be surfacing in your case. My indica is 2 generations older than yours. Also mine saw problems cropping around 50000kms and apart from the alternator fiasco which was due to incompetence on part of the workshop, everything else is actually regular maintaince at 55k-60k kms. I just hit those problems 5k earlier.
Also i guess that you have gone in for extended warranty, in that case you can sleep peacefully.
Moreover you dont have to worry about the car being in good condition. Look at mine, apart from the AC and the Alternator if you look at other parts like suspension, transmission, engine they are in top notch condition. In pre V2 indicas crossing 80kmph was an issue if your car was 50000kms old
Also this car has spent 39000kms in bangalore on very very bad roads and in stop go traffic which puts extreme loads on the suspension and transmission, and yet those parts are in top notch condition.
In your case i guess if you stick to your regular maintaince schedule. your alternator O/H should be coming up in 50000kms(Its recommended by company). Talking to other customers there the problems which indicas have faced have been mostly regarding some cutout needing replacement or the thermostat packing up, which is pretty minor. Just be strict with the workshop and look up the table of maintaince schedule. When you give your car for service insist that they do all those things listed in your service book.
And while you are at it put a hard plate below your engine bay where the power steering system rests. Mine would have definately lasted 15K more if not for the pounding given by stray rocks and occasional bottoming while landing hard from unmarked speedbreakers. I did not find anything suitable in noida to protect it with, if in chennai you can it will be a worthwhile investment. Belts and bearing are not robust parts, and even hitting deep water at high speed can cause damage.
My AC compressor bearing started weird noises immediately after i hit a deep water at around 60kmph. The impact was so great that my seatbelt tensioned and my car bounced once and landed again. With that flimsy plastic sump guard, the Compressor sure got hit, because immediately on emerging the compressor was making noises.
And last but not the least, keep the number of regional service center in your pocket. Just a mention can cause them to shiver, and one call to them can make not available parts materialize out of thin air.

And to reassure you further, the indica which my family bought in ludhiana 3 months after i got mine in bangalore did not suffer *any problems whatsoever* in 80000kms apart from the three accidents, the first one which happened around 55K.

[tsk1979]

If your car comes in the workshop, exterior wash is a must, and if you are a customer who is buzzed off due to their incompetence they wash the engine bay and the interiors too.

[hrag]

Originally Posted by sandeepmdas

BTW, the AC of my DLS (2004 august) is made by Behr.

I have a BEHR A/C too.

[k_ajay]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Yours is a new indica, so the kind of problems i faced should not be surfacing in your case. My indica is 2 generations older than yours. Also mine saw problems cropping around 50000kms and apart from the alternator fiasco which was due to incompetence on part of the workshop, everything else is actually regular maintaince at 55k-60k kms. I just hit those problems 5k earlier.
Also i guess that you have gone in for extended warranty, in that case you can sleep peacefully.
Moreover you dont have to worry about the car being in good condition. Look at mine, apart from the AC and the Alternator if you look at other parts like suspension, transmission, engine they are in top notch condition. In pre V2 indicas crossing 80kmph was an issue if your car was 50000kms old
Also this car has spent 39000kms in bangalore on very very bad roads and in stop go traffic which puts extreme loads on the suspension and transmission, and yet those parts are in top notch condition.
In your case i guess if you stick to your regular maintaince schedule. your alternator O/H should be coming up in 50000kms(Its recommended by company). Talking to other customers there the problems which indicas have faced have been mostly regarding some cutout needing replacement or the thermostat packing up, which is pretty minor. Just be strict with the workshop and look up the table of maintaince schedule. When you give your car for service insist that they do all those things listed in your service book.
And while you are at it put a hard plate below your engine bay where the power steering system rests. Mine would have definately lasted 15K more if not for the pounding given by stray rocks and occasional bottoming while landing hard from unmarked speedbreakers. I did not find anything suitable in noida to protect it with, if in chennai you can it will be a worthwhile investment. Belts and bearing are not robust parts, and even hitting deep water at high speed can cause damage.
My AC compressor bearing started weird noises immediately after i hit a deep water at around 60kmph. The impact was so great that my seatbelt tensioned and my car bounced once and landed again. With that flimsy plastic sump guard, the Compressor sure got hit, because immediately on emerging the compressor was making noises.
And last but not the least, keep the number of regional service center in your pocket. Just a mention can cause them to shiver, and one call to them can make not available parts materialize out of thin air.

And to reassure you further, the indica which my family bought in ludhiana 3 months after i got mine in bangalore did not suffer *any problems whatsoever* in 80000kms apart from the three accidents, the first one which happened around 55K.

wow, that is an extensive checklist... Thanks tsk, and i'll also look to cover the vulnerable open space beneath the power steering rack... and yes, i've taken up the extended warranty too...

Your comments are reassuring and i'll sleep peacefully... just waiting to complete my run-in... covered 472kms in a week and 2 days....

[tsk1979]

Okay, now we continue from
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ghlight=indica
The indicas last 15000kms have been pretty eventful.
Vandalism, (un?)expected electrical problems + costly schedules maintaince.

To start with some kids(I still havent gotten my hands on them) inscribed explitives with blade or something very sharp. Couple of the scratches were superficial, but the one on the hood are not. I think it will have to be repainted, I have tried a lot of things but to no avail.

Then somebody broke into the car when it was parked in the apartment building, damaged the door locks. and disconnected the siren. Some adult did it definately and to cause harm. not to steal. They could have taken the stereo etc., but did not do any such thing, probably because did not want FIR etc., The apartment assiciation tried to put blame on us... well thats another story.

Now lets talk about the 51000 kms journey.
Well she almost got burnt down by the Bosch service guys, and so I am back at sterling, who I think is the second most competent dealer for Tata, after Concorde Bangalore.

About the trouble front, the Starter motor mechanism and stuff failed, leading to a hefty 7000 kms in replacements. This is around 60000kms. I think thats the life of Tata electricals.

As on the regular maintaince front, first sign of suspension damage, a bent tie rod, probably due to some stone hit. 250rs or so in replacement. Shock absorbers going fine, everything else doing well.

The AC idler packed up, this is the third time this is happening in the life of the vehicle, and first time it was under warranty. Happens every 20K kms or so. Well I use the AC 99% of the time, but still this is not acceptable.

The AC blower swtich thingy broke, as in "broke". Shoddy plastics showing their age. Also the headight stalks gave away. Flimsy plastics again. But after all these replacements the switchgear feels really nice. The newer indicas must have much better switches and all.

Coming to regular maintainance, the Alternator and the AC belt had to be replaced. Tata says replace at 60K. I saw the belts. No fraying no loosening. They were fine! But anyways, better stick to what the doc says.

So what do we have here for these 15000kms
Well including service and repair costs 15000 odd rs. 5000+_ for last service due to switch/idler/belts/tie rod/alignment etc., and 7000 for the Starter system replacement.

Thats 1rs/km. Hope this does not repeat again.The next round of replacents(According to friendly neighbourhood service advisor) is 100,000kms. Hope to sell her before that. Only taxi wallas should keep tata cars for that long.

Some good points : The suspension(except for tie rod incident) which includes shock absorbers is going great. No sagging, no bottoming out. This is way beyond expectations considered she has ridden the moon for 40K and also had her share of rim bending potholes on the Golden highways.
the engine is going strong, power is good, she hits 100 easily(actual) with speedo goiing beyond 135. Black smoke is quite less as long as I do hard revs one every few days.

The best thing, the mileage. Highway with AC - 19+. city 16. Heck that 1rs/km maintaince cost does not pinch. If I had a M800 with no schedules maintaince at 65K, I would have paid more in regular services and fuel.

Potenzas : changed the MRFs at 37000kms, so in these 30000kms the potenzas still look as good as new. On the next car also it will be the GIIIs

If you are wondering why such low mileage covered in such a long time, I was in San Jose for 3 months and she was driven maybe for 100kms in those three months.

So will I buy an indica again : Well only if I had just 4L to spend. Would still choose it over the Santro's etc., unless another diesel car comes in that budget. So waiting for the accent crdi/getz crdi etc.,
Actually I would avoid tata's hatches, they have a very "taxi" image. Wife also finds the safari more comfortable to drive(DICOR). She says driving the indica requires "physical force". Well, this thing I have heard other ladies also saying. Indica is a not a lady friendly car, and Tata service centers are definately not places for ladies to be. Compare that to the kind of people who come to Maruti/Hyundai, there is a world of different. No intention to offend anyone, but this is what most members of the opposite sex, including my wife have told me. You have taxi/truck/ etc., etc., type of crowd at tata, and so the service personnel also behave the same way. This was number one complaint when Tata mercedes was formed. The workshops treated merc owners like truck drivers.

So over a petrol hatch, I would still choose tata, because inspite of the niggles it is cheaper to run by a huge margin. But if Swift/Santro/Getz diesel come out with a competitive price, Tata indica's dominance is going to get hit hard. Then they would need to export it to USA.

[magiceye]

Hey tsk....read thru the complete history of your Indica (all 3threads - childhood/youth/middle-age)! Awesome report! Very comprehensive guide to any prospective Indica buyer indeed!
Have bought an Indica DLS V2Turbo just last month. Have just completed about 800kms (including a drive to Karla). Enjoying driving her around.

[WhiteKnight]

I went through your 3 part series. Excellent writeup.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

if Swift/Santro/Getz diesel come out with a competitive price, Tata indica's dominance is going to get hit hard. Then they would need to export it to USA.

Yeah, TATA can entirely focus on the taxi segment for Indica. A narrower customer base would help them provide focused solutions and acheive better customer satisfaction.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

So over a petrol hatch, I would still choose tata, because inspite of the niggles it is cheaper to run by a huge margin.

Can't help adding this line. It is cheaper to run, only when it feels like RUNNING

[naveendhyani]

it vertianly is a good car but the TATAs should make them from a common man's points of view also. right now they dont wanna give ny frills cause they are happy to cater to the taxi segment, but honestly let them offer add ons like ABS, airbags etc from a consumer's point of view also.

as for TSK the report shows tells how organized the writer is, good job bro.

[anonymous]

Well. I also own Indica V2. The model is 2005 and I have done 65000 KM so far. No trouble so far.........Only tyres and battery have been replaced

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by rlather

Well. I also own Indica V2. The model is 2005 and I have done 65000 KM so far. No trouble so far.........Only tyres and battery have been replaced

Whoa! A 2005 indica, thats hardly 1-1.5 years old i guess... and already 65k on the clock! Are you in the taxi trade buddy? No offences meant... just joking. But its amazing.

Also, a 2005 model is E-III indica I guess? If after 65k its still not giving you any probs then I guess it reinforces my belief that the newer lots are even more rugged and better built than the previous ones.

[Hellraiser]

Tata service centers are definately not places for ladies to be. Compare that to the kind of people who come to Maruti/Hyundai, there is a world of different. No intention to offend anyone, but this is what most members of the opposite sex, including my wife have told me. You have taxi/truck/ etc., etc., type of crowd at tata, and so the service personnel also behave the same way.

excellent point there tsk. it would be a very bad experience for a lady to go for servicing/repairing of a tata vehicle as the crowd there is gonna be unfriendly one of my female friend mentioned this to me so i know how bad it is.

[xinome]

my friend has an indica v2 run 40k in 2 years,
he now has to accelerate a lot more with the clutch to get the car to move, when we had the clutch checked they said its not a problem
does anyone on the thread know what i am talking about!