[nithinnarayanan]

Hi all,

I was going through all the ownreship reviews and was planning to write one for a long time. Then decided to write this on completion of 80,000 Kms of my 2006 Indica DLX turbo.

It all started in Dec 2005 when I decided to go for a Car, my First car (previous ones owned by dad or the company I was working for.) I started to review all the cars available in the market, (Hatchback only) as I was looking for a car for my daily commute to office and back which was 35 Kms per day, and one or two weekend trips to Manipal (Udupi) approx 400 kms onside and Kannur (Kerala) approx 400 kms onside. So overall average of 2000-2500 Kms per month.

Looking at the average monthly Kms I decided for a Diesel car. My search narrowed down to Zen D,Palio D ELX, Indica DLS, and Indica DLX. Went to Mandovi Motors to test drive the Zen D. Did not like the GC of the vihicle compared to the Palios (Had driven a friend's Palio) and the Indica (Had driven collegue's DLS). Wanted to TD an Palio D but could not as the Dealer informed that the Fiat india is Shutdown (no more new Fiat's in India ). My last in the list was the Tata's, Called up Presrna Motors Lalbagh Road for enquiring about the Indica DLS and Indica DLX would be available for TD. (as I was working in Whitefield did not want to go all the way and find the TD vehicles not available !.) They put mr on to the Corporate Sales Guy, it was around 11.30am, he asked my office address and informed that the TD vehicles are in Whitefield itslef and they will come and meet me in my office be 3 pm. I was happy as I dont have to leave early from office to have a TD. At around 3.15pm I get a call from the reception security that somebody has come to meet me from Tata Motors. I want to the reception with my collegue. They were 3 people sitting in the reception, including the one whome I spoke to in the morning. They gave me the Brotures and the pricelist of the vehicles I had enquired about. Then I was escorted to our parking for the test drive. I was delighted to see 5 vehicles waiting for me !!! (Indica DLS, Indica DLX, Indigo petrol, Indigo Diesel and Safari). I checked all the vehicles, of which I liked the Indica DLX hten the DLS which I was looking for.

It was Dec 2005 when I took the TD for the Indica DLX. Was happy with the performance of the vehicle, the Pickup compared to the DLS and the turbo, could feel the kick in.. was awsome !. Did reserch on the same for milage and cors of spares and service etc and found it well under my budget. Finally Decided to book the car in Feb 2006 as everybody suggested to book it in Feb as I will get the 2006 make compared to the 2005 make which will be delivered till Feb 2006.

At Last went to Prerana and booked the Cherry Red Indica DLX TC @ 4.73L on road bangalore on 6th March 2006. Was informed that I will be getting the car within 4-5 weeks. But due to the fire in the Tata Paint section all the vehicles ware to be taken to Fiat's paint section for the paint job hence the delay of one more week.

Finally got my car on 24th April 2006.

Continued.

[nithinnarayanan]

It was 10.30 am on Monday the 24th of April 2006, I got a call from the dealer that my car has come and gone for the registration. Hopefully the car can be delivered by 3pm. I was excited after a long wait, my car is here. As that week I was doing night shift and had to report to office only at 11pm I went to the showroom by 1.30pm. The car had already come from the RTO and was getting washed. I had already planned for the tyre upgrade and the alloys for it.

Had decided for 14” League alloys and Michelin Pilot Preceda 2, 195 -60 - R14. So took the car by 3.15 and went to the tyre shop for the upgrade. So the car was ready after the upgrade by 6 pm. Came home by 6.45pm went to the temple and off to office by 10pm.

Continued.

[adityamunshi]

NIce to see another report on an Indica DLG/DLX.

Do include all your service details/maintenance costs if possible

[greenhorn]

wow, thats a lot of mileage! I'm interested in how she's holding up

[nithinnarayanan]

Originally Posted by adityamunshi

NIce to see another report on an Indica DLG/DLX.

Do include all your service details/maintenance costs if possible

Thanks mate, I am writing the report including the service details and maintenance cost.

Originally Posted by greenhorn

wow, thats a lot of mileage! I'm interested in how she's holding up

There are so many things, The milage and the interior space being the most important.

[phamilyman]

Write man write. You have done zero km so far. 80k more to go.

And yes, the Turbo DLX is a lovely car - I'm primarily interested in the service experience

[nithinnarayanan]

Here comes the best part of my review.

24th April 2006 : Car Delivered with 36 Kms on the odo.
I took the car for a long drive to Sira (after tumkur, about 90 kms from Bangalore) for opening the engine on the first weekend. Then a series of trips to kannur, manipal started.

12th June 2006 : First service with 5478 Kms on the odo, had problems in the AC as the cooling was insufficient (have to take into consideration that it is summer and it will take little longer to cool the car because of the temperature outside.) but this was taking a little too longer. The ac condenser was replaced under warranty and this problem solved. General Service Teflon coating and full body anti rust treatment was done. Total cost of service : Rs 400/- (oil topup, Coolant topup, Brake oil topup, Gear oil topup and body polish)

The car was giving me 14-15 in city and around 20-21 on the highways with full AC. I was very happy with the mileage and the stability because of the broader tyres. I could take sharp curves over 80 kms because of this very easily.

14th July 2006 : First oil change at 8600 Kms on the odo, no problems as such except the front wiper spray nozzle to be replaced as the air intake for the turbocharger touches and the nozzle breaks from the supply pipes end, cost 6 Rs. Was billed for 5.5 Litre of engine oil, and oil filter. Total cost of service : Rs 1800/- (including wheel alignment)

25th July 2006 : Second free service at 10250 Kms on the odo. Problem in front Suspension and door glass rattling. The car was very good in handling the bad roads of shiradi ghat and mangalore but noticed a slight slant towards the front right when the vehicle was parked in the parking at manipal. Checked with my service advisor over the phone regarding the same, he asked me to bring the car as soon as I come back to Bangalore. They checked the front suspension and found the front right strut was weak and had to be replaced under warranty. The front left glass started making sound while it was down and got the door winder replaced under warranty. Total cost of service: Rs 300/- (wheel alignment and some waste cloth and polish)

This was the first time I was travelling full load and was facing a big problem with the back wheels, the tyres ware touching the shocks while on full load (4 people) this was because of the 195 PP2 was broader then other 195 tyres. So people 185 is the broadest you can put on an indica without altering the suspension.

29th September 2006 : Third free service and second oil change at 15500 Kms on the odo. Door rattling while driving, all the doors to be checked. All the door were checked and all the screws tightened to eliminate rattling. Total cost of service: Rs 280/- (wheel alignment and some polish material)
28th March 2007 : Fourth free service and oil change at 20300 Kms on the odo. No problems except for coolant leak because of top hose loose. As the car was not running for the past three months because I was out of country it had done only 5000 kms in 6 months as dad was using it for his daily requirement in udupi- manipal stretch. I had insisted him to use this car rather than his as I did not want to keep the car idle for such long period. Total cost of service: Rs 2000/- (wheel alignment and some polish material)

3rd May 2007 : Oil change at 27500 Kms on Odo. Same problem with the wiper spray nozzle. It broke again and had to replace. Gear lever noise had to be checked and tightened. The back tyres were getting worn out from the inner as it was touching the shocks. Asked the service guy to check the rear suspension for any problems except for the broader tyres and he confirmed that they were fine. But may have to replace the tyres soon as the nylon thread was visible in the inner walls of the tyre. He suggested to go for 185 tyres for the next set and to avoid full load for long trips till I replace the tyres. Total cost of service: Rs 2000/- (wheel alignment and some polish material)

The gear lever started to give problems, gear lever noise was annoying. Gear slips increased. And sometimes the gear won’t change even though the clutch was applied fully. Took her to the service station.

Continued.

[greenhorn]

the rattling of the doors from my case was from the windows. the beading is a bit wider than it should be in some places. Winding it up pressing it a certain way makes the window glass fall into the correct groove, and no more noise
but in teh DLX , you cant do that manually. Try applying some pressure to the windows from inside and oustide when they are closed to see if they are loose !

[snaronikar]

Nice initial review about the buying the car. Still carrying out with Indica with 80,000 on odo is great. The FE mentioned by you is also good. Is there any plans to upgrade the vehicle from this?

[nithinnarayanan]

Originally Posted by snaronikar

Nice initial review about the buying the car. Still carrying out with Indica with 80,000 on odo is great. The FE mentioned by you is also good. Is there any plans to upgrade the vehicle from this?

It still gives me 13-14 kms in city and around 19-20 on highways (milage dropped after the 75000 service because they increased the pickup of the vehicle. I don't have plans to upgrade to the next segment as I like hatches than sedans. May consider a new hatch next year.

[nithinnarayanan]

7th July 2007 : Oil change at 33500 Kms on Odo. Gear/Clutch problem. Was shocked to know that the pressure plate spring had broken and damaged the clutch plate. So the whole clutch assembly including the pressure plate has to be replaced. Total cost of service: Rs 7500/- (Clutch assembly and oil change with wheel alignment)

As the two rear tyres were getting worse, I decided to change the whole set and put 4 new tyres. I did not want to go for 5th one as I did not use the 5th tyre till date as the tyres were tubeless and was always carrying the puncture kit and foot pump along with me.

14th July 2007 : Tyre change at 34500 Kms on Odo. Reached Sai Iyangar tyres CMH road Indiranagar at around 11.30am. Checked with Ashwin the owner, Iyangar Tyres a good friend of mine regarding the tyres. He gave me options on Michelin XM1, Goodyear F1, Yoko. Finally decided on Goodyear Eagle F1 a set of four tyres. Total Cost : Rs 13000/- (tyres, wheel balancing and alignment)

15th September 2007 : Oil change at 41500 Kms on Odo. No problems. A gear lever adjust, Idling adjust to be done. Total cost for service: Rs 1850/-

Was getting annoyed with the service station, Prerana Motors OMR regarding the booking for service, their delivery problems etc. first of all you are supposed to call for the service booking and book your car for service. Then you go on the booking date to find out that you have to wait as they are attending adhoc service request from customers who have not booked their vehicle for service. Then your car is finally taken for service after around an hour of your scheduled booking time. Then they promise to give the vehicle by 4.30 pm and you leave the service station to come back to collect the car by 4.30pm. At 4.30pm when I come to collect my car, imagine what I see ! My car is in the washing section not even touched. Upon seeing me the advisor goes to the car and asks the boys to wash the car immediately. He comes to me and asks me to wait in the customers lounge for 30 minutes by which the car will be ready. The car comes out of the washing after 20 minutes, guess what more ? It goes into the service station for oil change now. A good 35 minutes is taken for that then the car comes out in the delivery section for wiping and cleaning the interiors. The car is ready for delivery by 6 pm a good 1.5 hrs late. Then I take it for TD with the service advisor only to find out that the gear liver noise complaint had not been attended to. I look at him and he says 5 minutes sir. Then the car goes in again and comes back in 15 minutes. Finally the car is ready for delivery by 6.30pm (my half day gone, was supposed to reach office by 2pm) This was happening for the past 3 times and I was seriously considering to change the service centre.

3rd November 2007 : Oil change at 49000 Kms on Odo. No problems. Full body polish to be done. Total cost for service: Rs 2550/-

This time also delay in service. So decided to go to another service station from the next service.

16th December 2007 : At 57000 Kms , Was coming back from Kannur via Nanjangud – Mysore - Bangalore. I had passed nanjangud and was coming towards mysore suddenly a dog comes in front of the car from no ware. I try to avoid the dog but in vain as I was in 80-90 Kph. I had a dog hit !

Continued.

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by nithinnarayanan

. first of all you are supposed to call for the service booking and book your car for service. Then you go on the booking date to find out that you have to wait as they are attending adhoc service request from customers who have not booked their vehicle for service. Then your car is finally taken for service after around an hour of your scheduled booking time. Then they promise to give the vehicle by 4.30 pm and you leave the service station to come back to collect the car by 4.30pm. At 4.30pm when I come to collect my car, imagine what I see ! My car is in the washing section not even touched. Upon seeing me the advisor goes to the car and asks the boys to wash the car immediately. He comes to me and asks me to wait in the customers lounge for 30 minutes by which the car will be ready. The car comes out of the washing after 20 minutes,

I have had the exact same experience with my TASS. seems its contagious. Was this a Saturday?

Originally Posted by greenhorn

The first service was a horrible experience. Dad called and asked if there was any rush during weekends , in which case he could bring the car on a weekday. The kulathunkal said , Saturday's fine. so we booked the service , and headed there on Saturday. There we were neglected , and made to stand around for an hour or so, where people who just showed up got their cars booked for service, while we'd called and confirmed a week earlier were made to wait. they finally took the car in after 1.5 hours or so of waiting. We returned at 5 to get the car , but turns out , "its not ready yet" We had to wait more , until at about 6:30, we see the car being taken out , in the shape we gave it. It was just washed , and given back , with scratches intact. they offered to take it off with thinner ( they said the rubbing alcohol was locked up) . we said no, besides, it was 7 already, and left. they said that they had heavy rush during weekends , and hence the delay.

[nithinnarayanan]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

I have had the exact same experience with my TASS. seems its contagious. Was this a Saturday?

Yes mate, this was on Saturday

[prashanthyr]

A lot of mileage in 2 odd years! I guess the car is pretty comfortable to drive, considering that you have driven so much.

[nithinnarayanan]

It was around 2am, I stopped the car and got down to check the damage to the car and the dog. Couldn’t find the dog there, but my left fog lamp glass had broken and slight damage/bend to the bumper was visible. Opened the hood to ensure nothing wrong with the AC fan or the radiator. Then continued the journey back to Bangalore.

17th December 2007: In the morning called up Popular Automatch, Yashwanthpur. Definitely I was not willing to give it at Prerana OMR (Tata ***) I had decided to give the vehicle to Emm Emm Motors from now on but the body work to be done if any at Popular. They asked me to bring it any day for the denting and painting.

18th December 2007: Took the car to them for the service, they removed the bumper and checked for damages in front of me, later informed that the bumper needs to be heated and the bend removed and has to be painted. So I had to do a pain job for the front bumper. I showed them the minor scratches on the back bumper and the side skirt also to be touched and painted. The total estimate for the same, Rs 5000/- including 1 new LH fog lamp set(Rs:1100),2bumpers and one side skirt.

Got the car back in one day (had given at 11.30am on Tuesday and got the car back by 12.00 noon on Wednesday. That was a very impressive service in terms of workmanship and time keeping. The colour matching was superb.

Continued.