[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Sir, no updates since long? Isn't the Scorpio driven around much? I think it should have nudged the 6 figure mark on the odometer, no?

Indeed, it's not being driven as much as before, but it's doing fine - nothing remarkable to update.

4 years have gone by, and it is a few hundred km shy of the 6-figure mark on the odo.

Will update soon.

[windiesel]

Hi SS Traveller, I hunted down this guy Imtiaz, your FNG, for some odd jobs on my manza, and promptly proceeded to proclaim 'Dactar Saab ne bheja hai' immediately extra sweet tea was ordered so affectionately that I had to endure a few sips in spite of being a diabetic! But, this chap is good and knowledgeable, and has an energetic sidekick, Sajid, the specko. All said, a pleasant experience. Planning to get a Scorpio LX 4x4 sometime next year. will request your advise on nitty gritties when the time comes. Thanks.

[Sheel]

Any work around done with fog lamps in the Scorpio? As far as I am concerned, I find the OE fog lamps useless.

Is it because of the reflector design or bulb?

The OE headlamps have good throw & spread.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Sheel

...I find the OE fog lamps useless.

Not really, Sheel. I find them adequately bright, with substantial lateral spread of light.

Just a quick update:

100,000 km came up at the end of November 2013, 4 years 1 month and 16 days after date of delivery. no issues to report, except a few battle scars on the bumpers and plastic cladding.

Will get the service and paint touch-up done this month and update again.

[SS-Traveller]

With that number on the odo, H-4® does not need to go to a M&M ASC compulsorily any more to maintain warranty. So it was taken in for a routine service with oil and filter changes to my usual FNG. 6L of Shell Helix HX6 Diesel cost me Rs.1480, oil filter for Rs.120, air filter at Rs.450, Bosch diesel filter cartridge Rs.850, followed by a whopping labour charge of Rs.200!

The front bumper was misaligned after occasional brushes with unruly traffic over the last 4 years and more, and needed a little straightening and touching up. It being a drizzly, cloudy day, painting was out of the question, so I had the painter, a chap by the name of Badal, open the bumper up to align the subframe.

With evidence of substantial rust on the subframe, it was time for some emery paper and 'Black Japan' to be brought into action. The final result: a straightened bumper, and peace of mind that the insides are rust-free! The fog lamps were also cleaned out, and now look nice and bright. Set me back by another princely sum of Rs.500 for the work.

Need to go back on another sunny day for the paint to be touched up and for a bit of rubbing and polishing.

[SS-Traveller]

It's been some months, and H-4® has hardly been getting to metaphorically stretch its legs. At the beginning of April, it was at 104,000 km. And then some plans started to evolve.

We were having guests visit us, and the plan was to load up the car with 7 persons and take a short trip somewhere not too far from Delhi. And then there was the plan to drive to Kolkata again soon. To this end, I decided to get H-4® some fresh footwear. I had lost 2 tyres last year...

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

I lost 2 tyres (both OE) during this trip.

...and was running 3 of the old OE tyres, plus a fresh Bridgestone on a rear wheel, while the Ceat Czar was parked unused as the spare. At 4.5 years, in the peak of summer, with a fully loaded car at highway speeds, I didn't want to push my luck with the old tyres. So I made a quick trip to Tyre Emporium for one Ceat Czar (Rs.6200) and one BS Dueler (Rs.7300). A pair of Ceats up front, a pair of BS Duelers at the rear, and one OE tyre in decent condition as the spare - and we were good to go.

A pic of 2 of the old tyres, and the new Ceat...

Over the long weekend break during Good Friday and Easter, we drove down in a fully loaded car to Sariska, Agra and back to Delhi along the Yamuna Expressway (triplog to follow). And we had issues with the CEL.

I had been getting occasional CEL-on status for 3-4 times over the last couple of months, but the light would disappear on its own after a few km. When the light came on, instead of the car going into limp mode, it got an extra burst of power! A generic OBD-II scanner (courtesy BHPian v&v) did not throw up any DTCs. On the YEW, the light finally came on - and stayed on. The legendary self-healing powers of the Scorpio were finally exhausted.

Back in Delhi, I took the car in for a service and check to Koncept Mahindra's service station (my usual ASS) at C-Block Okhla. The DTC read P163B. This had happened before and meant a change of the vacuum modulator governing the VGT actuator.

In the process, I was asked to also change the vacuum modulator controlling the EGR valve. Fine I said, and asked them to clean up the EGR valve too. Not too much soot or stickiness there, but anyway, a cleaning after 100+k km is not a bad thing. But after all this, the car now lost power on a test drive. The HFM sensor coupler was detached, and that made things a little better, but not good enough. Swapping out with the HFM sensor of another car made things perfect, so we decided to get a new HFM sensor at (a rather steep) Rs.95xx + taxes.

Checking the HFM sensor with a multimeter showed an open circuit.

Net outgo: Almost Rs.16k, including a discount extended by the Service Manager, Mr. Anurodh, for old times' sake!

But in the bargain I now have a completely overhauled air intake system, and the car runs a lot smoother. Accelerator response is more progressive, and power on tap has improved (but not to the level where I got a 'boost' when the CEL came on along the YEW!).

The odo crossed 106,000 km today.

End of May, we travel the NH2 again.

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

I had been getting occasional CEL-on status for 3-4 times over the last couple of months, but the light would disappear on its own after a few km. When the light came on, instead of the car going into limp mode, it got an extra burst of power! A generic OBD-II scanner (courtesy BHPian v&v) did not throw up any DTCs. On the YEW, the light finally came on - and stayed on. The legendary self-healing powers of the Scorpio were finally exhausted.

Back in Delhi, I took the car in for a service and check to Koncept Mahindra's service station (my usual ASS) at C-Block Okhla. The DTC read P163B.

In the process, I was asked to also change the vacuum modulator controlling the EGR valve. Fine I said, and asked them to clean up the EGR valve too. Not too much soot or stickiness there, but anyway, a cleaning after 100+k km is not a bad thing. But after all this, the car now lost power on a test drive. The HFM sensor coupler was detached, and that made things a little better, but not good enough. Swapping out with the HFM sensor of another car made things perfect, so we decided to get a new HFM sensor at (a rather steep) Rs.95xx + taxes.

SST - an innocent hypothetical question...
assuming that you could get the error code reading off the DTC, and looked it up in the service manual then,
a) Would Ayub/Imtiaz duo have been able to troubleshoot the problem and declare it to be an HFM issue without the benefit of a 'control' specimen, and using just the tools available to them?

b) Would Metro Spares be able to source you the HFM sensor?

c) when it comes to dealing with sensors or even ECUs and the finer things that govern engine performance - does it make sense to go only to the A.S.S. - perhaps because they have much more gear at hand?

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

SST - an innocent hypothetical question...
assuming that you could get the error code reading off the DTC, and looked it up in the service manual then,
a) Would Ayub/Imtiaz duo have been able to troubleshoot the problem and declare it to be an HFM issue without the benefit of a 'control' specimen, and using just the tools available to them?

b) Would Metro Spares be able to source you the HFM sensor?

c) when it comes to dealing with sensors or even ECUs and the finer things that govern engine performance - does it make sense to go only to the A.S.S. - perhaps because they have much more gear at hand?

A very valid question, Joy.

The Scorpio does not have a fully-OBD-II compliant system to enable a generic scanner to read all the DTCs. One does need Mahindra's proprietary software to read the system. Again, you may or may not be able to retrieve DTCs from the Scorpio with some of the high-end scanners that independent garages use. I didn't try.

Ayub-Imtiaz are not educated enough to understand onboard diagnostics and how the systems work. But they are experienced enough to figure out once pointed in the right direction. So yes, if I could find out the DTC myself, and tell him what's wrong, he could have done the mechanical work of replacement / cleaning perfectly. And yes, I am sure they'd have figured out the open circuit of the HFM sensor using a multimeter - Ayub understands electricals quite okay that way.

Once we diagnosed that the HFM sensor was gone, I toyed with the idea of having it replaced from the open market, and save some $$$. But then, it would have been an additional effort, time wasted, and a small chance that Metro Spares may not have ready stocks - in which case I would have either waited / wasted a day or two for him to procure the item, or I'd have had to go to Sagar Motors in Gurgaon to pick it up (not something I wanted to do in the heat).

Sensors and ECUs and the finer things - as you put it - are not that special (though some are expensive). Most of them are easy-fit bits that can be opened and refitted by a skilled mechanic (which is what happens in the ASS too). The reading & diagnosis of the trouble codes, the handling of the laptop, etc. are left to the Technical Specialist (TS). Now, based on how much YOU understand about your car (and how much money you might look like you're willing to fork out), the TS might advise a change of a 100-rupee connector, or a bypass surgery involving a bill of Rs.50,000. And based on the DTC (which they are usually unwilling to show to the customer), you as the owner might want to take a call for a second opinion, with either an independent mechanic or another ASS.

[SS-Traveller]

H-4® crossed that magical number last month. Since my last report, I've taken it to Kolkata and back, and suffered a minor problem resulting in major collateral damage (with a fair bit of unplanned expenditure). In addition, just before leaving, I had filled up with Shell Helix Ultra instead of the usual Shell Helix HX6 Diesel or Maximile FEO. The engine sounded smoother, quieter and more rev-happy, but the fuel-efficiency did not change to any great extent.

On the way to Kolkata, the automatic voltage regulator (AVR) inside the alternator decided to pack up half-way through the journey. This was early in the morning, and I still had over 700 km to drive. The voltage would suddenly rise sharply for a minute or less, then go back to normal - the AC blower would run faster and settle back again.

By the time I had entered WB, the AVR had pretty much given up doing what it was supposed to do. The alternator was running hot, and needed a water bath every few km to allow it to settle down and produce a little less voltage. In the meanwhile, the high voltage had fused all the filaments of my precious and delicate Philips Xtreme Vision 100%+ headlamp bulbs, as well as the filaments of the spare bulbs. By nightfall, 70 km out of Kolkata, I had no headlamps, and drove the rest of the way cautiously on the fog lamps (mercifully, these held out).

Once in Kolkata, it was time to repair the alternator - which was competently taken care of by our old-time electrician there. I couldn't locate decent headlamp bulbs at the time, and made do with the usual cheap bulbs.

The vehicle remained parked for 2 weeks while we travelled abroad. Once we returned, the car started up on a single crank - but the AC refused to work. An SOS call to a close friend in Delhi found me the right person to take care of the problem. The cabin blower motor was burnt out and jammed, and the fan speed controller was gone too. Replaced in one hour, and we were done.

An exploratory walk down Lenin Sarani brought me to Bombay Motor Accessories Agency (41 Lenin Sarani, Tel: 2249-5263 / 2249-1521), a small but old shop that stocked the kind of headlamp bulbs I wanted. Picked up a pair of Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited 55/60W bulbs, and we were ready to take to the highway all night long again.

Hawk-On-Fours® has been entirely trouble-free on its 1530-km return journey to base, and now runs as well as ever.

[desertfox]

I would love to buy these bulbs ( Osram ) wonder if they are available in Delhi / Gurgaon else I will get them from this Calcutta dealer.

Yesterday my Hawk on Fours crossed 27,000 KM. It was purchased in February 2011.

Last weekend I had driven it to Kaladhungi, Mangoli, Nainital, ShyamKhet, Ramgarh and back.

[predatorwheelz]

Originally Posted by desertfox

I would love to buy these bulbs ( Osram ) wonder if they are available in Delhi / Gurgaon else I will get them from this Calcutta dealer.

Osram Nightbreakers are available in Reliance Autozone, Ambience Mall.

[desertfox]

Thank you predatorwheelz I will pick them up whenever I go there next they are in basement parking level 1 I guess.

[rawkeron]

I am not sure if this is the correct thread to ask this question? Well I did do a search on teambhp forum.

I have a 2011 Scorpio automatic 4x4. Got it sec.hand and unfortunately don't have the user manual. Does anyone have a PDF or any online link for the manual?

Main reason is, wanted to know the procedure to reset Bluetooth pin. I am not able to connect my phone using common pin like 0000 1111 or even similar 5 digit combos.

the display shows my phone name. On the phone, it's shown as hands free and the PIN entry page comes up.

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by rawkeron

Main reason is, wanted to know the procedure to reset Bluetooth pin. I am not able to connect my phone using common pin like 0000 1111 or even similar 5 digit combos.

Try 1234 or 12345 and also ask the main dealer at the next service.
Be aware that not all bluetooth phones can pair with all Bluetooth enabled receivers.

[SS-Traveller]

Five years and 1,16,000 km later, the Hawk-On-Fours®' air-conditioner went into **limp mode**. For the last two weeks, the cooling dropped while a whistling sound started emanating from the system at low RPM - very indicative of a gas leak.

Time to visit my trusted AC-wala - except that he wasn't open most of last week due to Diwali. Finally, both of us found time yesterday.

It was a gas leak all right, and pressurising the system with nitrogen at 250 psi showed a drop of 30 psi within 10 minutes. Again, isolating and pressurizing the evaporator also showed the pressure dropping. So it had to be the evaporator deep inside the dashboard. Fine, change it!

And that was when the surgery began. At 11:30 in the morning. Accessing the evaporator coil means taking apart the WHOLE dashboard, and with my limited experience, I had assumed it could be accessed easily from below the dashboard. Watch what happens...

Finally, the evaporator is out - corroded in multiple areas, due to moisture remaining stuck to the body, thanks to the foam insulation along its sides and top. Seems corrosion damage is a common problem with the Scorpio's evaporator, after 4-6 years of use. Surprisingly, the fins were quite clean even after 5 years - obviously, the AC filter works very well, especially when the system is permanently in recirculation mode as mine is.

In goes the new evaporator...

...followed by 650 grams of R134a, plus 150ml of compressor oil. And all is well by about 8 pm - roughly 8-and-a-half hours after work began.

Cost incurred: Rs.9,400, including Rs.5900 as the cost of the original Behr evaporator.