My New Refreshed Scorpio LX

anjan_c2007 · 18th October 2009, 13:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

sdp1975 the Scorpio is its duties very well and gives me all the pleasure behind the wheel. It drive is like new after the first service.
Had a nasty but small dent the other day. I was at my usual 50 kmph and on the two lane clear city road, with a central road divider acting as the "kabab mein hadddi". A truck-mounted water tanker was moving @ 30kmph or less adjacent to the road divider in my direction. Now I could'nt do 30 kmph and follow the tanker, no one on a Scorpio would like to move at that speed ( akin to a Bajaj RE autorickshaw) on a near empty road!

So I decided to overtake the truck from its left. A ramshackle Zen was moving sluggishly on this left lane I switched over to and with my calculations, I would have overtaken the Tata truck carrying water and again taken my lane very near the road divider (now occupied by the Tata truck) after overtaking, ahead of the Tata. To save the Zen from getting hit, I swerved my SUV to the right, just after overtaking the Tata truck.And then the tragedy- the rear right of my SUV very lightly hit the left bumper of the ghostly Tata truck. There was a small thud but when I stopped my SUV at a distance later, the minor dent made me too sad.

The solace was that it could have been a major one had things mismatched to a greater degree.
The Scorpio otherwise I am sure is the best VFM SUV in our market today. With just a little care and following the normal SUV safety norms nothing can beat a Scorpio!

Quote:

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Thanks Raj for the kind words- I have henceforth tried to be more patient and defensive while being seated behind the wheel. Will soon post a picture of the small dent.

The dent on the rear right portion of my Scorpio

My New Refreshed Scorpio LX-dsc04440.jpg

My New Refreshed Scorpio LX-dsc04439.jpg

raj_5004 · 18th October 2009, 14:54

thats a small dent! i expected something huge when i heard a truck!

anjan_c2007 · 18th October 2009, 14:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by raj_5004

thats a small dent! i expected something huge when i heard a truck!

Yes Raj it was just a miscalculated, small touch with the Tata's front bumper (left side).

raj_5004 · 18th October 2009, 20:03

now these tatas started taking revenge this way! LOL...

anjan_c2007 · 18th October 2009, 20:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by raj_5004

now these tatas started taking revenge this way! LOL...

Yes Raj and that too through their elder brother which has more of Tata Steel.

raj_5004 · 18th October 2009, 22:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Yes Raj and that too through their elder brother which has more of Tata Steel.

this is in their blood, they never play a fair game!

wait, let me borrow a mahindra tractor!

Ok, lets not go OT so that the Mods dont have to intervene!

anjan_c2007 · 19th October 2009, 20:46

Today as I was driving and was about to park my dear Brute SUV,as I switched off the ignition about 20 metres before reaching the parking lot, I found the steering to be very heavy and non-responsive. Feel its that way for all such power steering fitted automobiles!
So as a golden rule the ignition must be on till the machine comes to a dead stop! I hope fellow Scorpion (s) will enlighten.

nvldvr · 19th October 2009, 22:11

Why would you switch off your engine 20 meters before coming to a stop?? This should never be attempted. Not only the steering, but also the brakes will become non responsive.

sdp1975 · 19th October 2009, 22:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by nvldvr

Why would you switch off your engine 20 meters before coming to a stop?? This should never be attempted. Not only the steering, but also the brakes will become non responsive.

Why would the brakes be non-responsive if you switch off the engine ?

raj_5004 · 19th October 2009, 22:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by nvldvr

Why would you switch off your engine 20 meters before coming to a stop?? This should never be attempted. Not only the steering, but also the brakes will become non responsive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdp1975

Why would the brakes be non-responsive if you switch off the engine ?

the brakes in all modern automobiles are hydraulically assisted (hydaulic power gives assistance to reduce the effort needed by the driver to engage the brakes). so when the engine shuts off, the brakes become harder to operate, like that in a maruti 800 since maruti 800 has non-assisted brakes.

but in every car these days, there is a safety feature & even when the engine is switched off, the brake pedal will be sufficiently assisted for one or two braking operation, after which it becomes hard. not so with the power steering.

@ anjan: scorpio is a heavy car weighing almost 2 tonnes and has fat rubber because of which it is difficult to steer the car without assistance.

nvldvr · 20th October 2009, 16:23

Quote:

Why would the brakes be non-responsive if you switch off the engine ?

Modern automobiles come with brake boosters. Its purpose is to amplify the available foot pressure applied to the brake pedal so that the amount of foot pressure required to stop even the largest vehicle is minimal. Power for the booster comes from engine vacuum. The automobile engine produces vacuum as a by-product of normal operation and is freely available for use in powering accessories such as the power brake booster.
The booster is an empty shell that is divided into two chambers by a rubber diaphragm. There is a valve in the diaphragm that remains open while your foot is off the brake pedal so that vacuum is allowed to fill both chambers. When you step on the brake pedal, the valve in the diaphragm closes, separating the two chambers and another valve opens to allow air in the chamber on the brake pedal side. This is what provides the power assist.

nvldvr · 20th October 2009, 16:25

Quote:

Why would the brakes be non-responsive if you switch off the engine ?

Modern automobiles come with brake boosters. Its purpose is to amplify the available foot pressure applied to the brake pedal so that the amount of foot pressure required to stop even the largest vehicle is minimal. Power for the booster comes from engine vacuum. The automobile engine produces vacuum as a by-product of normal operation and is freely available for use in powering accessories such as the power brake booster.
The booster is an empty shell that is divided into two chambers by a rubber diaphragm. There is a valve in the diaphragm that remains open while your foot is off the brake pedal so that vacuum is allowed to fill both chambers. When you step on the brake pedal, the valve in the diaphragm closes, separating the two chambers and another valve opens to allow air in the chamber on the brake pedal side. This is what provides the power assist.
In order to have power assist, the engine must be running. If the engine stalls or shuts off while you are driving, you will have a small reserve of power assist for two or three pedal applications but, after that, the brakes will be extremely hard to apply and you must put as much pressure as you can to bring the vehicle to a stop.
So dear sdp1975, try driving your car with the ignition off at your own peril.

shankar.balan · 20th October 2009, 16:52

@nvldvr
@raj

bang on. All modern vehicles with Servo/ Power assisted steering and of course power assisted brakes have this thing about them as you have mentioned. They become completely un-responsive when the engine is switched off.
One must only switch ones engine off AFTER one has come to a dead halt. Trying the old "taxi driver" trick of saving fuel by switching off the engine in advance and coasting along in neutral and stopping by applying the brakes at the last moment could lead to serious consequences in modern cars. In short this is certainly not recommended OR safe. Frankly the notional savings made on Fuel cannot even begin to compensate for the risk taken by switching the engine off and coasting.

anjan_c2007 · 19th November 2009, 20:05

The rear right portion (driver's side) of my Brute SUV has suffered a dent. And old timers say that if any car gets dented or smashed on the drivers side, that puts a big question mark on the driving skills of the one behind the wheel!

During October, the SUV was hit with just a very gentle thud by a Tata truck while overtaking and see what this "gentle thud" from a seven and a half tonner can do to this poor and small 1.8 ton chunk of metal + rubber + plastics!! It is going to be levelled though during the next service, but the intervening period has been painful to the mind and eyes as the "denty" depression just refuses to go away from my mind.

Reviewing the Brute SUV 's performance after seven months during the pre- second service period, I still treasure the moments behind the wheel. Driving it is a thrill as ever for all the good things it stands for. But I have vowed never to go to crowded areas.There are other vehicles in my garage to do these crowded area jobs.
The drive by wire system wherein it accelerates the SUV even at nil throttle is a pain and I shudder to think about the Toyotas that have been recalled for this reason - 3.8 million of them. Fellow Scorpions too are reporting about this unwanted acceleration when the right foot is taken off the accelerator pedal. Its time Mahindra recalls all these hefty beasts from the roads and checks up such unsolicited acceleration.
With a little bit of colder temperatures in my place and the unseasonal rains, I many a time try and drive without the AC on, just rolling down the glasses. And like one exercises one's limbs to prevent arthritis, the power windows need exercises -up, down, up, down and so on regularly, once every few days. Or else, the motors are known to conk off in any car.
The Scorpio gears are still notchy and will remain so, as it has come a long way since it was new. Always felt it would become slick after use, but now the expectations are gone.
The roof collects some 250 ml rain water maybe on the two water-flow channels atop, if the beast is mercilessly left to get wet in the rains. And when driven next, this water flows from top to lower levels, via the windscreen.This can be a small irritant.
Overall, I am quite a satisfied owner.Meanwhile the A.S.S. people, generally ladies in their sweet voices often trrring and ask if I have any problems with the Brute SUV. The answer is always a "no" as there's nothing very major - but the drive by wire acceleration a la Toyotas ( or even Airbus A 320's

) has all the potential to become a potboiler.

Ranga · 20th November 2009, 13:16

I just bought a scorpio VLX Diamond White BS3 .
What i have observed was that for all LX & SLE versions ,Scorpio passes JK tyres .

For VLX , we have Bridgestones ...

18th October 2009, 14:54	#377
raj_5004 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Dubai/Mumbai Posts: 5,238 Thanked: 3,168 Times	thats a small dent! i expected something huge when i heard a truck!
	() Thanks

18th October 2009, 20:03	#379
raj_5004 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Dubai/Mumbai Posts: 5,238 Thanked: 3,168 Times	now these tatas started taking revenge this way! LOL...
	() Thanks

19th October 2009, 20:46	#382
anjan_c2007 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: India Posts: 8,708 Thanked: 22,855 Times View My Garage	Today as I was driving and was about to park my dear Brute SUV,as I switched off the ignition about 20 metres before reaching the parking lot, I found the steering to be very heavy and non-responsive. Feel its that way for all such power steering fitted automobiles! So as a golden rule the ignition must be on till the machine comes to a dead stop! I hope fellow Scorpion (s) will enlighten. Last edited by anjan_c2007 : 19th October 2009 at 20:51.
	() Thanks

19th October 2009, 22:11	#383
nvldvr BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 600 Thanked: 772 Times	Why would you switch off your engine 20 meters before coming to a stop?? This should never be attempted. Not only the steering, but also the brakes will become non responsive.
	() Thanks

20th October 2009, 16:52	#388
shankar.balan BANNED Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 11,797 Thanked: 27,232 Times View My Garage Infractions: 0/3 (13)	@nvldvr @raj bang on. All modern vehicles with Servo/ Power assisted steering and of course power assisted brakes have this thing about them as you have mentioned. They become completely un-responsive when the engine is switched off. One must only switch ones engine off AFTER one has come to a dead halt. Trying the old "taxi driver" trick of saving fuel by switching off the engine in advance and coasting along in neutral and stopping by applying the brakes at the last moment could lead to serious consequences in modern cars. In short this is certainly not recommended OR safe. Frankly the notional savings made on Fuel cannot even begin to compensate for the risk taken by switching the engine off and coasting.
	() Thanks

19th November 2009, 20:05	#389
anjan_c2007 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: India Posts: 8,708 Thanked: 22,855 Times View My Garage	The rear right portion (driver's side) of my Brute SUV has suffered a dent. And old timers say that if any car gets dented or smashed on the drivers side, that puts a big question mark on the driving skills of the one behind the wheel! During October, the SUV was hit with just a very gentle thud by a Tata truck while overtaking and see what this "gentle thud" from a seven and a half tonner can do to this poor and small 1.8 ton chunk of metal + rubber + plastics!! It is going to be levelled though during the next service, but the intervening period has been painful to the mind and eyes as the "denty" depression just refuses to go away from my mind. Reviewing the Brute SUV 's performance after seven months during the pre- second service period, I still treasure the moments behind the wheel. Driving it is a thrill as ever for all the good things it stands for. But I have vowed never to go to crowded areas.There are other vehicles in my garage to do these crowded area jobs. The drive by wire system wherein it accelerates the SUV even at nil throttle is a pain and I shudder to think about the Toyotas that have been recalled for this reason - 3.8 million of them. Fellow Scorpions too are reporting about this unwanted acceleration when the right foot is taken off the accelerator pedal. Its time Mahindra recalls all these hefty beasts from the roads and checks up such unsolicited acceleration. With a little bit of colder temperatures in my place and the unseasonal rains, I many a time try and drive without the AC on, just rolling down the glasses. And like one exercises one's limbs to prevent arthritis, the power windows need exercises -up, down, up, down and so on regularly, once every few days. Or else, the motors are known to conk off in any car. The Scorpio gears are still notchy and will remain so, as it has come a long way since it was new. Always felt it would become slick after use, but now the expectations are gone. The roof collects some 250 ml rain water maybe on the two water-flow channels atop, if the beast is mercilessly left to get wet in the rains. And when driven next, this water flows from top to lower levels, via the windscreen.This can be a small irritant. Overall, I am quite a satisfied owner.Meanwhile the A.S.S. people, generally ladies in their sweet voices often trrring and ask if I have any problems with the Brute SUV. The answer is always a "no" as there's nothing very major - but the drive by wire acceleration a la Toyotas ( or even Airbus A 320's) has all the potential to become a potboiler. Last edited by anjan_c2007 : 19th November 2009 at 20:20.
	() Thanks

20th November 2009, 13:16	#390
Ranga BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 341 Thanked: 83 Times	I just bought a scorpio VLX Diamond White BS3 . What i have observed was that for all LX & SLE versions ,Scorpio passes JK tyres . For VLX , we have Bridgestones ...
	() Thanks