Team-BHP - Hawk-On-Fours® (H-4®) with a tail - Scorpio mHawk 4WD EDIT: Sold!

Quote:

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller (Post 2249845)

:) I've had an issue with the MicroHybrid system early on during my ownership, and a switch which sensed the clutch pedal position was changed. A ten-minute job, which the ASC said was related to some bad vendor supplies in the earlier vehicles. Only saving grace is, these minor failures don't lead to a breakdown on the road, and can at best be described as minor irritants.

Which is why the T Fort sells in spite of being overpriced by at least 30% than its worth. I wonder why it is so tough to get simple things right with our desi manufacturers.

@Spike: Can you throw some light on the/if there are conscious attempts made by M&M to stop these niggles please?

Quote:

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller (Post 2250339)

Realised the brake lights were glowing constantly when I took the car out this evening. Taking a trip to CCU tomorrow for a week, will come back and have the switch replaced.

Not a healthy situation for a long journey - try & get it changed at Kol. It can be very distracting for cars behind you. Apart from that, if the guy behind you realizes that your Brake lights are malfunctioning, there is a danger of being rear-ended when you actually brake........

Quote:

Originally Posted by n.devdath (Post 2250526)

Can't afford the Fortuner. Not yet, anyway. By the time M&M sort out the niggles on the Scorpio, I hope to have graduated to a T-Fort... :p Till then, I'll either terrorize the ASC to do my job (while under warranty), or get my hands dirty with D-I-Y.

Quote:

Originally Posted by suman (Post 2250530)

...try & get it changed at Kol.

Oops, no, I didn't bring H-4® to CCU - I took the bus. The Airbus A320... :p

Minor issue with the brakes that took exactly 5 minutes to fix. A little rubber piece that deactivates the brake light switch had worn out (it's supposed to be a common problem), and a new one was put into its place. Costs Rs.7, I got it gratis, thanks to the floor supervisor at Koncept Automobiles.

Here's what that little thing (the old one) looks like.

Hawk-On-Fours® (H-4®) with a tail - Scorpio mHawk 4WD EDIT: Sold!-sc1.jpg

Hawk-On-Fours® (H-4®) with a tail - Scorpio mHawk 4WD EDIT: Sold!-sc2.jpg

It's been a while since the last update on H-4®, and the odometer crossed 39,000 km today. All well with the machine as it bides time for the next month, to head for the terrain it was built (and bought) for.

One small bother with the vehicle since the beginning, was a rather pronounced under-thigh support on the driver's seat. This meant that depressing the clutch pedal caused pressure under the left thigh, and driving in heavy traffic meant either needing to pull the seat forward (making the position of the right foot on the accelerator uncomfortable), or suffering cramps in the thigh muscles after a while.

Since I plan to drive for prolonged periods in the mountains next month, I wanted the seat to be adjusted just so. The solution was a visit to this place in Moti Nagar with the suggestion and help of BHPian maglev.

Hawk-On-Fours® (H-4®) with a tail - Scorpio mHawk 4WD EDIT: Sold!-dsc_0116k100.jpg

The seat was removed and disassembled, and a pocket of the rather high density foam was removed from below the left thigh area.

Hawk-On-Fours® (H-4®) with a tail - Scorpio mHawk 4WD EDIT: Sold!-dsc_0112k100.jpg

Hawk-On-Fours® (H-4®) with a tail - Scorpio mHawk 4WD EDIT: Sold!-dsc_0113k100.jpg

The pocket was then filled with layers of low-density foam...

Hawk-On-Fours® (H-4®) with a tail - Scorpio mHawk 4WD EDIT: Sold!-dsc_0114k100.jpg

...and the seat cover finally assembled. The shape of the seat is not deformed in any way, but the firmness of the support under the thigh has reduced substantially, and the car is much easier to drive in heavy traffic, with the seat pushed back to my overall-most-comfortable position. No more cramps in the thigh muscles.

Cost of work: 800 INR.

Verdict: Good work for a somewhat steep bill. Worth it, especially since the seat appearance is not changed (no creases on the cover - which I was told, by others as well as Autocraft, would happen if I did what I did).

Quote:

Originally Posted by sudev (Post 2347730)

I think this is perfect solution to driver seats in many cars that lack thigh support in driving position.

I guess so. Packing in higher density foam, or even Polyfil (available from sofa makers) tightly into such a pocket should make the thigh support firmer without deforming the seat.

One more landmark on the odo on 31 May 2011 after 1 year, 7.5 months of ownership.

Hawk-On-Fours® (H-4®) with a tail - Scorpio mHawk 4WD EDIT: Sold!-dsc_0124k150.jpg

Urgent work done yesterday:
The clutch pedal had become a little stiffer than it felt when new. With the upcoming trip to the mountains and a scare of clutch slave cylinder (CSC) failure in vehicles of H-4®'s period of manufacture, I thought it prudent to have the clutch attended to.

Koncept Auto Okhla were very kind to accommodate me in the middle of the afternoon, at 3 PM, on an emergency basis.

Gearbox down

Hawk-On-Fours® (H-4®) with a tail - Scorpio mHawk 4WD EDIT: Sold!-dsc_0132k150.jpg

Hawk-On-Fours® (H-4®) with a tail - Scorpio mHawk 4WD EDIT: Sold!-dsc_0133k150.jpg

Hawk-On-Fours® (H-4®) with a tail - Scorpio mHawk 4WD EDIT: Sold!-dsc_0134k150.jpg

The old slave cylinder - no leaks there.

Hawk-On-Fours® (H-4®) with a tail - Scorpio mHawk 4WD EDIT: Sold!-dsc_0139k150.jpg

The pressure plate and CSC were replaced under warranty, while the friction plate appeared to have substantial material left (not more than 20-30% wear) and did not require replacement.

Hawk-On-Fours® (H-4®) with a tail - Scorpio mHawk 4WD EDIT: Sold!-dsc_0135k150.jpg

Hawk-On-Fours® (H-4®) with a tail - Scorpio mHawk 4WD EDIT: Sold!-dsc_0136k150.jpg

Job completed by 7:30 PM, billed amount Rs.70 for hydraulic fluid top-up. Thank you, Koncept Auto!

H-4® went for the 45k km service on 29 July 2011 (Friday) with 45485 km on the odo. Apart from the usual wash and check, nearly a dozen little bits and pieces of work had to be attended to.

MicroHybrid and cruise control not working. The clutch pedal sensor switch was faulty. Replaced under warranty, now working fine.
Gear lock plate loose. Discovered the security bolt had gone loose, and 2 other bolts not fitted originally :eek:. Attended to.
Footstep light (FL) not working. Wire cut when footstep hit during previous trip. Wire runs over footstep support, so was pinched and cut. Wire re-routed, joined & taped.
All chassis-body-suspension-mounting nuts & bolts tightened.
Left rear damper unit leaking, replaced under warranty.
Rear door light switch not working. Fixed.
Front hubs showed traces of oil during extended operation in Ladakh. No issues detected, hubs operating normally. To be greased at 50k km service.
ECU scanned because check light came on for short periods in Ladakh. Only error found related to clutch pedal sensor, which has been replaced.
Cigarette lighter fuse blown. Replaced.
2 wheel nuts damaged during tyre removal earlier. Replaced.

Total bill Rs.1923. Time taken: 6.5 hours from entry to exit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller (Post 2450511)

H-4® went for the 45k km service on 29 July 2011 (Friday) with 45485 km on the odo.

Hi SS-T,
Did they check the brake pads ?
Diff/gear/clutch oil/air/fuel filter change at 40 K ?
At 40 K, as per the manual, I thought even the engine coolant needs a change.
All these points culled from my maintenance sheet of the Scorp CRDe circa Sept 2005.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guderian (Post 2450811)

Hi SS-T,
Did they check the brake pads ?

Yes, both this time and at the previous service - mountain driving takes a lot of brake pad material away, but I've got enough to last at least another 5k km.

Quote:

Diff/gear/clutch oil/air/fuel filter change at 40 K ?

Yes - all at 40k, also diesel filter - check my post dated 28th May 2011 after the 40k km service

Quote:

At 40 K, as per the manual, I thought even the engine coolant needs a change.

That too, as well as brake and clutch oils.

My engine/gear/diff etc. oils and all filter change schedules do not conform to M&M's recommendations, and are changed much earlier - for example, engine oil and oil filter are replaced anytime between 8-10k km. I need to keep track of this, that's all, and since the work is done at ASC, there is no issue with warranty either.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller (Post 2450918)

My engine/gear/diff etc. oils and all filter change schedules do not conform to M&M's recommendations, and are changed much earlier - for example, engine oil and oil filter are replaced anytime between 8-10k km. I need to keep track of this, that's all, and since the work is done at ASC, there is no issue with warranty either.

Hi SS-T,
Nice to hear that.
Any particular reason as to why you change the oils at a higher frequency ? Esp engine oil ?
Reason being my experience - earlsier on my old Zen I used to change eng oil at 5K KMs though the manual mentioned something like 10/15 K KMs IIRC.

On the Scorp the EO change was to be at 15K KMs as per the manual. I used to change it initially at 10 K. But on talking to an senior M&M service chappie realised that the oils are rated for higher usage though they mentioned 15K KMs - meaning it is rated for usage upto 20K KMs or beyond - but to prevent abuse the manufacturers, as a safety measure, peg the change at 15K KMs. So shifted to 15K interval.
The last when I went to M&M ASC and changed oil (Jan 2011) - it was some 'Supreme' or something which had on the 'dabba' instructions to change at 20K though the ASC was still sticking to 15K.

All other oils were being changed at their recommended frequencies.

Are you generally using your H-on-4s in extremely trying conditions ?