[2500cc]

This is my first BIG write-up here, Am no good writer, but trying to jot down my experience with the wheels. So please forgive me for any mistakes and my real bad English.



Wasn't a good at my academics, so couldn't dare to ask my dad for a bike or a car, used to go to our village which is about 75kms from Bangalore, almost every week. Then Dad bought used Omni in the year 2000. This was our first vehicle, learnt driving from my friend and since then would never miss any oppurtunity to drive. Never thought I would ever driver a 4-wheeler considering my situation then. Omni is one of the best vehicles to drive around, trust me it is has the best leg room and comfort (- safety). Mom has knee problems, so she loved the car for its mid-row sofa..err seat.

Done many trips to Tirupathi, Chennai, Dharmasthala, Omni never disappointed us. It is the best vehicle to be driven between 70-85kmph.

Year 2004, Managed to get into a decent job, things started getting better was happy with all that was happening. My Omni had done about 63k (26k when we had purchased) Got married on Aug 2005, On the day of my marriage heavy rains, and I was driving my own Bharaat gaadi, vehicle was knee deep in the waters and came out without any issues, then i realised that the vehicle was not braking, fortunately the road was empty and somehow i managed to stop the vehicle. I breathed a sigh of relief, caught a rick and off to get married

Once the marriage was done, brake pads were replaced and may be since I Was i married, i was getting responsible and was not comfortable with the braking, but loved the vehicle and the comforts it offered.

Nov 2005, Sold Omni for 85k and got another Omni!! this time with Disks at the front, thought this was more than enough my family and all is fine.

2006 Angel's entry into my family, got more responsible. I became more responsbile than ever. Omni's saftey during the longer trips with my angle was worrying me. Planned to get a bigger vehicle, but budget was a constraint, could not ask my father.

Spoke to God about my problem, he blessed with a job with which my salary was increased 10times!!!! couldn't believe it.

So since got lot better on the monetory front, thought of chasing my dream..Bolero.!!

Why is it my dream:

When I wasn't working in the year 2001, I use to visit one of the Cyber center to kill my time and one of the guys in that locality use to drive a beautifully modified Goldy Bolero, so then i use to think for myself that one day I would own Bolero. (Sheer Looks)

Once while i was travelling from Mysore back to Bangalore, I saw one of the Bolero which had a head-on with a fully loaded truckand could see that only the engine bay was cramped. So this is safe too.

Also i would be doing trips to my village once a month, and the road (Err..!! if any)

Last but not least, I love the looks, man..!! I dont have words to describe its looks, all that i can say is it is BUTCH

So, Started hunting for one from 2008 June, went to almost all the dealers in Bangalore, and at the end of Dec 2008 found one.

Model: 2006
Registered: Raichur
Color: Maroon
Single Owner, Comprehensive Insurance, Probably the last lot of XD3PU engines. After this, the Boleros were equipped with DI Turbo and i hate its sound.
ODO Reading: 27800 Current reading: 44100
No Accidents or noticeble dents.

Paid the amount and got it home.

Everyone at home were dumb seeing this huge thing in our portico. One word: THEY ALL LOVED IT.!


Feel proud whenever I see that..

Driving:

In the last 16mnths driven for about 15K kms, never had any problems (Touchwood). My folks complain about the bodyroll and the legroom (compared to Omni). But thats ok.. rest they love this vehicle.


Likes

-Go Anywhere attitude, more than what I expected it to be.

-Road Presence

-Maintenance (Next best to Maruti)

-City Driving, IMO, much better than a hatch.

-Decent Mileage (Around 10-11 in city with 50% AC and about 15-17 on Highways with 50% AC).

-Its a pleasure to drive this on any road at 80-100kmph.

-Though this is not a fulltime off-roader, it has got me out of the worst of roads when it was raining heavily, without having me to step out of switching off the engine.

Mods Done:

5 Spoke 15" Alloys

Yokohama Geolander AT/S 215/75 R15

JVC HU (With USB and DVD), with JBL Speakers at rear.

Hella FF700

Planned Mods:

- Art leather seats
- K & N filter. (Suggested by psycho)
- Planning to re-paint the vehicle. I dont like Maroon but i bought it only for the condition of the engine.
- Change the Crash guard.

Dislikes:

- Underpowered.

- Bodyroll.

But i can stay with them as i knew about these things even before i could buy the vehicle.



Now for the Problems:

- After changing to Alloys, the wheels are touching the wheel fenders when the vehicle is fully loaded with 7 people. I dont want to add spacers, as it would hamper the dynamics (if any). Need experts suggestions

- Topping up with at least 100ml of coolant every 10 days, had it checked up recently and the Mech told that there is no leakage at all. Is this normal ?

[jp1]

Congrats on your new ride.
As far as the coolant topping up, I never had to do it. I am having a 2006 model slx with xdp. I don't even remember anytime I had to refill it, The coolant bottle always shows almost same level all the time. But my usage is not heavy. May be that can be one of the reason.

[Utopian]

Congrats 2500c for the Bolero. I was never a fan but the clout of this Mahindra is quite well known. Upgrade from the Omni must be certainly good. Happy mile crunching with the car.
Can you shed some more light on XD3PU engines.

[Ashley Nair]

2500cc, I too vouch for your opinion on Bolero regarding it's comeliness.It is also said that the most goodlooking vehicle from M&M stable is the Bolero(BSM Motoring). Please post the pictures of your steed.

[harjeev]

Congrats on your ride.
I have driven the XD3P engine in an MM550 and the torgue in that is simply amazing. Any idea what the the U stand for XD3PU?

A friend of mine has the same engined bolero I think its a 2001 model and he's driven it for 2.5 lac kms!!! He has quite a number of other vehicles (Honda CRX, Scorpio, etc) but whenever I've met him 9 out of 10 times he's in his Bolero.

BTW is yours a 4x2 or a 4x4?
And like others eagerly waiting for the pics!!!

[innerkarma]

Hi, Nice review.

I too have a Mahindra Bolero GLX that I bought in 2001. Back then I think it was the latest thing in town. Power steering, AC, Central Locking, Sound proof locking .... Phew!!! lol Anyways it still is a fun car to drive & is reliable too. My car came fitted with a Mico Alternator. I've clocked 2Lakhs + on the Mile o' meter & I had the engine overhauled at around 1,70,000 kms and the car is still as trust worthy as the first day that I bought it. I've posted some pictures of them below and in some other posts (yet another modified bolero). The only problems began Of late, for the Past 3 Years to be more precise. I have started having problems with my alternator and battery & the charing. The Bolero GLX used to come fitted with a Battrey Charging Meter (which I feel is very essential for all cars but I dont see any in the new cars or models of today) & the Charger level used to stay at a constant of 14 v or in between the 12v - 16 v mark without the AC & Lights on but now it shows only 12 v even when i rev up the engine, without the lights or the AC on & I cant even think of putting on the AC on coz then even my horn wont function!!!. I have been to every garage avilable in the state and even in West Bengal but the problem is still not detected. I have repaired the alternator almost a dozen times now & I have changed the Battery every year For the past 7 years but the problem still persisted. I now have a brand new alternator MICO installed & another new AMARON Battery Installed but the problem is still there. When i change either of the battery or the alternator replaced the problem is solved for about a day or two but after that it's back to square one. Even the garages & Electricians are so baffeled that they now tell me that its perfectly ok and that the car or alternator is functioning exactly the way it should be! I know that the problem is not solved as even my lights (that I had replaced) have become dimmer!! Other than this problem the car is still fine & I don't want to considering selling this car at all. Ive crossed rivers, carried bricks, timber cement, almost about everything & even been up to altitudes of 18700 ft on 3 occasions. Its a great car, Value for money i suppose.

I now need to have my only problem fixed & If there is anyone can help than I'd greatly apreciate it. thanks

[fiat_tarun]

Congrats on the Bolero. Mind sharing the deal you got on the vehicle ? Bolero's are very popular in the second hand market and people quote crazy prices for used or should i say *pre-worshipped* Bolero's...

[2500cc]

Thank You all, apologies for delay in reply.
@harjeev: U was a typo.

@innerkarma: I have seen your Beast, it had me drooling. I dont no much of the technical details, all that I bought my Bolero was because of its rugged looks, amazing road presence, tough build quality and it suited the roads that i travel.

All that i can suggest to you is to try changing the changing the complete wiring kit, i was told by few of my friends that Bolero wiring is not really good.

@Tarun: Yes Bolero has good demand and Its really hard to find a good Bolero in the used market. As i mentioned, it took more than 3 mnths for me to find my possession. and I paid 4.35L

Cheers,
Rajesh

[2500cc]

@utopian: All that I know about the XD3P engines is they are from Peugeot and are super silent compared to DI Turbos.

As i mentioned Am not that very technical, pardon me for my ignorance.

[2500cc]

Hey Guys,

I have been topping the coolant fluid every fortnight with 100-150Ml, which is not normal and i had it checked with my Mech, he kept the vehicle for one whole day and told me that there were no leakages.

Went to Ooty and when I came back the coolant tank was half empty.

Tech gurus, please help me with this.

Cheers,
Rajesh

[rockyb]

Hi Rajesh

I had a similar problem with my VLX when it was new (within 500 / 600 km in odo). I thought the new engine (crde) drank more fluid. Once the engine was completely cold I opened the radiator cap and to my horror there was hardly any coolant in it. M&M forgot to fill coolant in a new car. I bought coolant, mixed with water (recommended dosage) and filled the radiator & coolant refill tank. After that the problem stopped. Now I check the level and top up (maybe 50 - 100 ml or less) every 1000 km. Which is normal I guess

In my Older GLX I never had this problem. The coolant used to go down few ml in 5000 km. Never had to top up regularly.

Hope this helps. Check the coolant level in the radiator. But make sure engine is completely cold before opening radiator cap

regards

Rakesh

Originally Posted by 2500cc

Hey Guys,

I have been topping the coolant fluid every fortnight with 100-150Ml, which is not normal and i had it checked with my Mech, he kept the vehicle for one whole day and told me that there were no leakages.

[harjeev]

Originally Posted by rockyb

Hope this helps. Check the coolant level in the radiator. But make sure engine is completely cold before opening radiator cap

regards

Rakesh

Sorry for going a little OT but still in the mood of the discussion.
If you would like to open the coolant bottle or the radiator cap when the vehicle is hot you could easily do so but have to be sure that the engine is running. This would keep the water pump working and will not cause back pressure.
This is how we check water levels in our jeeps when we are on OTR's!!!

[Torqy]

Originally Posted by harjeev

Sorry for going a little OT but still in the mood of the discussion.
If you would like to open the coolant bottle or the radiator cap when the vehicle is hot you could easily do so but have to be sure that the engine is running. This would keep the water pump working and will not cause back pressure.
This is how we check water levels in our jeeps when we are on OTR's!!!

Thanks Harjeev for this very useful tip.

-- Torqy

[joshguy]

Originally Posted by 2500cc

Hey Guys,

I have been topping the coolant fluid every fortnight with 100-150Ml, which is not normal and i had it checked with my Mech, he kept the vehicle for one whole day and told me that there were no leakages.

Went to Ooty and when I came back the coolant tank was half empty.

Tech gurus, please help me with this.

Cheers,
Rajesh

Hi Rajesh, why dont you PM MileCruncher on this problem,i think he can guide you on this properly.

He also had such problem in his Bolero

Thanks

[trrk]

Hi,

If the radiator has a separate cap in addition to the coolant tank, check that. If that is faulty, you can lose coolant.