[gowda79]

Dude where is the travelogue and how was your trip with your King ???

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by KVS

... Congratulations!! Your long wait is over now..

Your Safari colour is excellent..

Happy cruising ...

Thanks KVS! And thanks for the note on the color.

Originally Posted by gowda79

Dude where is the travelogue and how was your trip with your King ???

Sorry sir! Will put it up shortly.

[HappyWheels]

With all the exitement of doing the first long drive on the Safari, started out from home post lunch from home. Loaded cushions on the back, just in case the little one feels like playing with her paint box and also dropped wanted-unwanted-might.be.wanted stuffs for the trip. Still have acres of space left!

So all said and done. Off we went at 15.30 .

Starting speedo image:



Took the NICE road to hit the Hosur road. Toll are 16+13+15.

First surprise: Cruising at 80~90kmph, I noticed a red light on the dash - ABS!!! Kept driving and thought what it could mean - sensor wrong or something majorly wrong. Since I did a wash the day morning, I suspected sensor. Drove for few more KM's and stopped by the side. Recollected Suman's ABS light (on his Leh trip). So, I stopped for sometime by the road side and then started after couple of minutes. ABS check light came and went off. But then, 5 minutes into the drive it was back. Ignored it and drove on.

What a dream driving on the pot-hole filled, muddy, auto & bus and what-not infested roads where everyone keeps a distance from you. Unlike the Alto, where you have to be careful, here others are taking the care. You just need to make sure of it. Starting getting used to truckers and buses giving way for you - sweet!

Reached Krishnagiri and this is what the display looked like:


On taking off from there, did some brake pumping and voila, ABS light gone (hope it didnt knonk off!!!).

A coffee stop on the way (yes, we carried hot water and those coffee powder mix)






There was rain, heavy rain through out the journey. Since the roads till Namakkal are great 4 laned ones, not too much of circus.

One interesting incident: me on fast last doing ~90kmph. A side road, that seems to be coming from the nearby village/town, has two buses racing each other, a town and a private one behind it. Half a KM ahead from where I am, both of them get onto the highway. Expecting the private bus to jump straight to the fast lane, I honk and flash light. What do you know, the bus stays on the slow track and the driver is waying his hand asking me to pass! WOW!!! Sweeter!

Met couple of buffaloes on various modes of two wheels, who ride only on top of the middle line and who drive at a neck-breaking speed of 30kmph. No horn scares them. Reckon they are out with a mission!

Uneventful journey... till I reached Musiri.

I took a turn from Musiri to Kulithalai thinking the roads are tarred better on the other side. WRONG!!! The road I was in is completed and work was going on at that stretch! With the rain at full blast and vehicles driving at only highbeam, it was, in a word, nightmare!

Add the confusion with the road's side being dug for 2feet for laying and marked with sand bags, even more dangerous. With the amount of rain, most of the places were under a good amount of water. Bikes stalled, small vehicles had water almost to 3/4th of tire level. But I was just cruising thru. That was when I realized the worth of the machine I brought!

Reached home after close to 6hours on road, delayed due to the rain Gods play.



Family slept well, watched rain, played games and ate a lot.

Vehicle Usage: This trip, with the natures play along the way, ensured that I used most of the features (except 4x4 & ABS). Had to use the rear wiper, the defogger, the rear fog lamps and also the wiper idler timing change (what a neat feature!). Tried out the 4x4 near my brothers house. Nothing much, just some mud runs.

Comfort and ride quality: Not sure why, but I had a back-ache by the time the trip was completed. Tried all the settings on the lumbar support, but none worked out. Not sure what is it that I am doing wrong. But did not have this on the return journey; might have been my overly casual way of sitting!
Family had a great time. With the space and comfort of the vehicle, they had nothing to complain. With the a/c controls there, they managed themselves and I was never disturbed. Leg space also provided to be a great blessing since one can recline the seat and stretch out well and sleep.

A great drive and a comfortable one at that. The first outing of my family without the little guy, Alto. He was parked at my house while we traveled.

Mileage achived was 12kmpl.

Have given it for servicing today morning at Concord Mysore road center. Looking forward to this weekend for some local outing and the next weekend, where I am traveling to Kerala - a long vacation.

[suman]

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

On taking off from there, did some brake pumping and voila, ABS light gone (hope it didnt knonk off!!!).

Well, go to an empty stretch of road, look in your mirror to ensure its empty & then stand on the brake pedal. You will feel it pulsing under your feet if the ABS is working.

On a serious note, if this happens again, have them hook up the laptop to check if any error code is cropping up. Its a little too early on in your vehicle's life for the sensors to be affected by dust or dirt - so it could just be a defective sensor.

[vijaythacker]

hey good to hear your short fun trip of the red bull.Surely bus drivers passing you the way is the most loving character you get from the beast which one just loves after driving an altoKeep coming with more travelogues and awaiting to read your kerela trip.

[HappyWheels]

@Suman,

Yes, can try that. But as you noted, it might be just dust or my cleaning that morning. Water at full pressure inside the wheel well to remove all those mud will surely have disturbed whatever was there.

Will know if there indeed was an issue. And I think I will do this ABS test when I take the TD with the SA.

[dkamath]

If there's anything that can be compared, then it's the distance to our hometown, hehe. That's the exact distance door-to-door for me as well. And for the difference, it takes an additional 4 hours to cover that distance.
As suman says, get the brakes and sensors checked. Who's the Service Advisor you put your Safari on to? Ramesh? Most of our Safari's are bonded to him, hehe. If not anything, it's his politeness and attitude that makes you feel good.
Cheers.

[suman]

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

Water at full pressure inside the wheel well to remove all those mud will surely have disturbed whatever was there.

Not really. At the end of each service, Autolinks (my TASS) does a really thorough wash with high pressure jets directed at every visible & not so visible nook & corner - never has my ABS light come on after this wash. So, could just be a defective sensor. I remember one of my ABS sensors being replaced under warranty but that was around the 20-25k mark.........

[unni.ak]

Aha the first long drive. Good short report Suresh. I'm sure the ABS light might just be a minor issue.

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by vijaythacker

...Surely bus drivers passing you the way is the most loving character you get from the beast which one just loves after driving an altoKeep coming with more travelogues and awaiting to read your kerela trip.

@Vijay: Yes, the bus drivers attitude change was soooo refreshing. Wify was and I was like

(There goes my two smileys!!!)

Originally Posted by dkamath

If there's anything that can be compared, then it's the distance to our hometown, hehe. That's the exact distance door-to-door for me as well. And for the difference, it takes an additional 4 hours to cover that distance.
As suman says, get the brakes and sensors checked. Who's the Service Advisor you put your Safari on to? Ramesh? Most of our Safari's are bonded to him, hehe. If not anything, it's his politeness and attitude that makes you feel good.
Cheers.

@DKamath: Yes, that is the door-to-door. They have made a note on the ABS issue (concern) that I mentioned. And yes, the SA was Ramesh, a nice chap. The initial interaction was very good. So, it is his regular way of working and not just be-happy-with-first-customer thing. Good!

Originally Posted by suman

Not really. At the end of each service, Autolinks (my TASS) does a really thorough wash with high pressure jets directed at every visible & not so visible nook & corner - never has my ABS light come on after this wash. So, could just be a defective sensor. ...

This is where 4 years of warranty give me a peace of mind!

Originally Posted by unni.ak

Aha the first long drive. Good short report Suresh. I'm sure the ABS light might just be a minor issue.

It sure will be; else - replace! (Yahoo! smiley!!!)

[blackbeast]

Originally Posted by simply_sunny001

thats why i suggested you Osram silverstar +50 as it gives enough gains plus peace of mind.

In my zen, i am using Roots relay with philips 90/100 but still faced reliability issues thats why i dint go for Relay in Safari and been a happy driver with Osram SilverStar

Hey sunny, On the contrary, i used 135/100 on my verna. I spent ~ Rs.300 for a pair and was very happy with the output. i was very conscious about driving in low beam though. But on a stretch where you find only road, i could drive very confidently at high speeds. I observed that trucks also make way pretty easily if one has power lights.

Prior to this, I was using philips diamond vision. I had given into the white light and blue appearance. Paid Rs.1100. I was forced to drive on high beam all the time. Including the city driving. I was also caught by a cop in new airport road for driving in high beam. So, i replaced them. I don't have the experience with osram. If they perform like philips 55/60 then i don't think its a good idea even if osram is marginally better.

Now, Happywheels, I think you pretty much fall into my category. i need good lighting to drive. I think to some extent something is wrong about my eyesight. If you are not happy with 90/100 then my suggestion go for HID or put hella fog lamps along with your existing 90/100.

[Vid6639]

Happywheels have you thought about the front nudge/bumper guard. The plastic ones from Hiker/highlander look pretty good.

[HappyWheels]

Done with the first service. The vehicle is smoother than before and the gear slotting, including to the 1st is perfect. Spend a good 1 hour watching them washing the vehicle.

And for those who had any doubt as to how they clean the roof, here you go:


I would rather have my kid do the damage than someone else!

Anyway, they happily went about cleaning the door sides by spraying the water, which also went into the cabin. Nothing much to say about it. Few things are best not noticed.

And, I believe I read that water is not to be sprayed in the engine bay in a Safari (not sure if this is right), but anyway, if anyone says so, sorry guys, those water gun weilding cheerful people spray thru each and every spot within the engine bay.

The front headlight casing was replaced due to fogging. Will be driving for sometime like this, and then move to higher watt lights.

And regardless of what work that you give, seems like their target is to deliver post night fall. Regardless, I did a full check.

Had asked them to remove a delivery time grease spot just above the driver seat head. They removed that, but gave me a grease spot on the driver side handle and a pen mark on the door! Got to get that cleaned tomorrow.

And yes, had a look at GodFather's Safari being worked upon (a black Safari with everything in the front ripped out, I assume no one else's).

Originally Posted by blackbeast

... Now, Happywheels, I think you pretty much fall into my category. i need good lighting to drive. I think to some extent something is wrong about my eyesight. If you are not happy with 90/100 then my suggestion go for HID or put hella fog lamps along with your existing 90/100.

You are right; now that the fogging is resolved, I will check for some time and decide.

Originally Posted by vid6639

Happywheels have you thought about the front nudge/bumper guard. The plastic ones from Hiker/highlander look pretty good.

I still have a outstanding offer from Concord on a discount on the crash guard. Two minded as to do or not to do.

[simply_sunny001]

Regarding the High Pressure wash in Engine bay, i have had bad experience couple of times, when after wash one of the injectors had issues.

But its like 50-50, but after that i always told them not to try to shine my engine bay.

Regarding the Crash guard, i think it makes lot of sense for you.

As you are not satisfied with stock lights, you can mount couple of Hella or Lightforce on Crash Guard and secondly it will look good on your safari considering the color.

I am just assuming that you are thinking about the Carryboy type of Crash guard not the steel taxi types which everyone seems to be going after.

[Lukeskywalker]

What a coincidence, I too have given my Safari for service today, this at Prerana on Old Madras road.
Have told them I'll collect it tomorrow if I can, else it is on saturday.
Suresh call me for the headlamp issue, will tell you how it was done in my vehicle.