Tata Indica DLX - 150,000 kms & beyond

AutoIndian · 22nd October 2011, 10:14

Amazing, request you to post your query on the Indica Problems thread --> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...oblems-57.html

You can expect a quicker reply over there, as there won't be many Indica owners who would be visiting this thread.

Slider · 25th October 2011, 14:30

Hello Amazing,

It is rather easy to adjust your head lamps your self. I am not sure of the type of lamps you have, but on my Indica 2004 DLS I have the ones that have manual adjustments.
So after opening the bonnet you will observe 2 diagonally opposite nuts with large flower washers. the one on the top is for windage and the one lower is for the elevation.
Pics a nice empty road turn on your lamps and start turning the nuts you will find the beam responding to these turns. At some point you will find a suitable and comfortable place for your beams.

I has asked many to adjust my beams but, DIY was the only way that helped.

I also have 100/90 Hella lamps on my car for better lighting and with focused beams lighting is wonderful.

Regards
Sushant

AutoIndian · 31st October 2011, 10:55

Hi,

On Saturday early morning (04:30am) I left my home for Nasik, car loaded with 5 adults. It was pitch dark, was cruising along smoothly @ 80-90kmph on NH50, crossed Narayangaon, Ale-Phata, when suddenly hit a bad patch. Twice the car went through deep craters (oncoming vehicles on high beam were aggravating the problem & I couldn't realize, how deep the craters were). The third hit was really a nasty one, there was a loud noise & the steering suddenly became tight. Since I was in full control I stopped within a couple of metres & took the car off the road. No one in the car realized why I had stopped, until I told them to get down in pitch darkness (it was 05:30 in the morning). I put the blinkers on & came out to inspect the front LHS tyre, as expected it was flat. I knew the inevitable had happened & this was a case of tyre burst. Without wasting any time further removed the spare tyre, assembled the hazard triangle & put it @ 30-40 feet behind the car on the highway, as the point where this happened was a sharp descending right hander & it was very essential to warn on coming vehicles @ the hazard. Within 20 minutes, changed the tyre & continued onward journey without any spare tyre. Had to cover130kms more, hence very cautiously drove till Nasik @ 60-70kmph. After attending the function I started hunting for a new tyre. The shop (Bharat Tyres) on the highway did not have a Michelin in stock, but its other branch on HPT college road had one. Went there, fitted the new tyre. inspected the rim, there was minimal impact on the rim & all the hit was taken by the tyre. It had 2 parallel cuts on the side wall each @ 2" wide. Though I cursed Michelin initially for making tyres with such soft compound/ side wall (this was my second Michelin damage, the details of first damage are here message#9 --> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ms-beyond.html), I realized only later that the tyre had sacrificed itself to save my suspension, my steering & all the occupants. I checked the steering fluid level, it was at optimum mark. Also lifted the hands off the steering, car moves in a straight line. so alignment is intact.

Lesson learnt: When you are driving in pitch dark on an unknown road, drive as if the worst is going to happen, so you won't take a hit like I did.

31st October 2011, 16:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

Lesson learnt: When you are driving in pitch dark on an unknown road, drive as if the worst is going to happen, so you won't take a hit like I did.

Sorry to learn about the tyre-burst, AutoIndian. If that burst tyre had covered more than 50% of its intended coverage, then you don't have to regret much.

AutoIndian · 31st October 2011, 16:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

Sorry to learn about the tyre-burst, AutoIndian. If that burst tyre had covered more than 50% of its intended coverage, then you don't have to regret much.

Thanks for your sympathies Ravi. I had changed all the 5 factory fitted tyres @ 62K kms. Then I lost my front LHS tyre @ 83K & now @ 101K, the same LHS tyre has gone again. However I thank my stars that it was just the tyre which could be replaced immediately, what if, had it been a loss of life or limb. This was really a close shave & very scary.

I wonder how you did majority part of your Leh expedition during night time. How could you manage the bad roads? Did you take extra precaution?

31st October 2011, 17:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

How could you manage the bad roads? Did you take extra precaution?

Thanks AutoIndian. Yes, I did a lot of driving in the night on very bad roads in equally bad weather conditions. Anything could have happened. But, thank god, not even a puncture. Just pray and continue the journey!

AutoIndian · 31st October 2011, 17:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

Just pray and continue the journey!

Yes that is the last resort or should I say the most important part of a journey. But somethings are beyond our control & incidences are bound to happen, we can just pray & hope everything gets alright. Though I became poorer by Rs 3800/- (spent towards procuring a new tyre), the many positives that this incident has left behind have no doubt, enriched my experience.

AutoIndian · 20th November 2011, 12:28

Off late I was facing the problem that the bonnet won't easily open up even after pulling the lever under the steering. I had thought initially that the lock wire might be the culprit, however putting this query on the Indica Problems thread I got an overwhelming response that the two rubber screws on which the bonnet rests are the culprit. For many years I had only one screw in place, the other one had long gone missing & this single screw didn't have enough strength to push back the bonnet. I bought two new screws (Rs 14/-) each, fitted them myself & the problem is now resolved. For further details refer to message # 887 in this thread --> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...oblems-60.html

AutoIndian · 28th December 2011, 20:31

Just thought of sharing with the group that I have completed 2 years & 42K kms on my new set of tyres (Michelin XM1+), I had replaced the factory fitted tubed Bridgestones in Dec 2009. This is not an exaggeration, but the tyres still look new despite the running, probably due to the extra care that I take (Though I had to scrap 2 tyres owing to sidewall damage, but that was purely my fault). First was the damage caused by the pavement tile at parking speed & the second one when I went through a deep crater on the highway at night @ 80 kmph. Had a couple of punctures, but now that I have gained the expertise in handling tubeless tyre punctures, fixing these was a breeze.

If there are no further forced damages to the tyres, I hope these can serve me well for another 20K kms.

AutoIndian · 29th December 2011, 21:27

One another interesting fact. One of the group members on other forum (TIUG) asked me @ my experience with Michelin about enhanced fuel saving as claimed by the manufacturer. It had never struck me until then. Just did some quick maths:

OEM tubed Bridgestones S322 --> 61K kms consumed 3361 litres of fuel @ 18.16 kmpl
Replacement tubeless Michelin XM1+ --> 43K kms consumed 2289 litres of fuel @ 18.86 kmpl

So the claim by manufacturer seemed quite right. Michelins do assist in saving fuel. However please note the factory fitted tyres were on steel rims whereas the replacement tyres were on aftermarket alloys. Could this also be a contributing factor?

AutoIndian · 9th January 2012, 14:03

On Friday night while returning from office at night, I noticed that the LHS headlamp dipper was not working. On Saturday afternoon when I checked at home, found that the dipper filament of that lamp had fused. Fortunately I had the Della make 55/60W lamp in spare. So I opened the headlamp assly & replaced the fused one with the good one. The earlier one that got fused was 90/100 W Philips make rally lamp. Served me for almost 33K kms (fitted in May 2010).

On Sunday afternoon did my weekly ritual of wiping/ cleaning the car. Also removed the air filter for cleaning it. It was so murky, couldn't believe it, Pune roads have become so dusty. Banged the element against a pad so as to loosen the dust particles & then blew air over the leafs from a vacuum cleaner. Cleaned it thoroughly & refitted back.

Today observed that there is a remarkable improvement in acceleration, it has become smoother now. I have made it a point now to clean the Air Filter every 2K kms.

AutoIndian · 19th March 2012, 20:47

There have been no updates to my ownership thread for the last 2.5 months, which feels a bit strange. I am almost done 109K kms & the car is scheduled for its 110K service in about a months time. No major issues to be addressed. Two major repairs (preventive maintenance) are on the cards, not confirmed yet. Brake system overhaul (replacing front brake pads, discs, rear drums, brake oil etc) & the clutch plate & pressure plate replacement along with the clutch cable. The reason being brakes have lost their bite & I have to exert more pressure on brake pedal. While starting from the signal (with AC on) I have to give some gas, else it becomes a bit difficult for the car to pick up. Any inputs/suggestions on the above 2 repairs shall be highly appreciated.

Amazing · 30th March 2012, 12:32

In the last few days , I have observed in my Indica Turbo D, that while I am using the AC in 'coolest position' with even blower at position '4', the cooling is not upto the mark at all. This is the case while driving around 11-3 PM day peak time with oustside temp at 37C.

Well this is in comparison to the cooling I used to get earlier and I feel its much lower now.

Till now I have never touched the AC /related parts in last 4 years of the car ( bought in 2008 new). So, i want your expert opinions if there is any DIY which I can do to improve the cooling efficiency:

- Cleaning or changing of any filter , which is easily acccessible by me. Need location of that filter.
- Water cleaning of any coil etc. by the local wash guy that might improve the cooling.

And if you feel I need to take to A$$ or any local garage (AC specialist) who can improve without getting into the loop of gas refill/ condenser change etc

Pls help since I am using the AC daily now and so need a effective cooling of AC working under mid day sun.

AutoIndian · 30th March 2012, 14:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amazing

In the last few days , I have observed in my Indica Turbo D, that while I am using the AC in 'coolest position' with even blower at position '4', the cooling is not upto the mark at all. This is the case while driving around 11-3 PM day peak time with oustside temp at 37C.

The AC knob is set on the correct position, but not the blower. To get maximum cooling effect (as in reduced temperature & not just flow of air), you should set the blower at postion #1 & not #4. I am assuming you are alone in the car while driving around 11-3 PM day peak time with oustside temp at 37C. In such a case, shut the vent on the leftmost side (near the passenger door). Divert the central 2 vents on your chest/neck/face as is convinient to you, same is the case with the rightmost vent. What this essentially means is that the air blowing over the evaporator coil will carry maximum chill with it (as the air quantity flowing over the coil would be lesser at speed #1) & all this air will be directed to you/your body. This would give you the maximum chilling effect.

Daily I travel from 12:00pm to 01:00pm to office in blazing hot sun & I use the above technique to its maximum effect. My car would be completing 8 yeas in this July, haven't touched the AC yet

If the above doesn't give you the required effect, then you can think of servicing your AC (gar recharging, cleaning coils etc)

Amazing · 30th March 2012, 15:09

thanks for your reply.

There were 3 passengers in the car in the past 2 days. One co passenger and one in rear seat.

Anyways, will try some of the options suggested by you and see if that improves the effectiveness of the cooling.

I am not willing to get the car ac touched by mechanics unless absolutely needed.

22nd October 2011, 10:14	#91
AutoIndian Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: PCMC, Pune-MH14 Posts: 3,566 Thanked: 4,964 Times	re: Tata Indica DLX - 150,000 kms & beyond Amazing, request you to post your query on the Indica Problems thread --> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...oblems-57.html You can expect a quicker reply over there, as there won't be many Indica owners who would be visiting this thread.
	() Thanks

25th October 2011, 14:30	#92
Slider Newbie Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 10 Thanked: 20 Times	re: Tata Indica DLX - 150,000 kms & beyond Hello Amazing, It is rather easy to adjust your head lamps your self. I am not sure of the type of lamps you have, but on my Indica 2004 DLS I have the ones that have manual adjustments. So after opening the bonnet you will observe 2 diagonally opposite nuts with large flower washers. the one on the top is for windage and the one lower is for the elevation. Pics a nice empty road turn on your lamps and start turning the nuts you will find the beam responding to these turns. At some point you will find a suitable and comfortable place for your beams. I has asked many to adjust my beams but, DIY was the only way that helped. I also have 100/90 Hella lamps on my car for better lighting and with focused beams lighting is wonderful. Regards Sushant
	(1) Thanks

31st October 2011, 10:55	#93
AutoIndian Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: PCMC, Pune-MH14 Posts: 3,566 Thanked: 4,964 Times	2nd Tyre damaged - Suspension, steering saved Hi, On Saturday early morning (04:30am) I left my home for Nasik, car loaded with 5 adults. It was pitch dark, was cruising along smoothly @ 80-90kmph on NH50, crossed Narayangaon, Ale-Phata, when suddenly hit a bad patch. Twice the car went through deep craters (oncoming vehicles on high beam were aggravating the problem & I couldn't realize, how deep the craters were). The third hit was really a nasty one, there was a loud noise & the steering suddenly became tight. Since I was in full control I stopped within a couple of metres & took the car off the road. No one in the car realized why I had stopped, until I told them to get down in pitch darkness (it was 05:30 in the morning). I put the blinkers on & came out to inspect the front LHS tyre, as expected it was flat. I knew the inevitable had happened & this was a case of tyre burst. Without wasting any time further removed the spare tyre, assembled the hazard triangle & put it @ 30-40 feet behind the car on the highway, as the point where this happened was a sharp descending right hander & it was very essential to warn on coming vehicles @ the hazard. Within 20 minutes, changed the tyre & continued onward journey without any spare tyre. Had to cover130kms more, hence very cautiously drove till Nasik @ 60-70kmph. After attending the function I started hunting for a new tyre. The shop (Bharat Tyres) on the highway did not have a Michelin in stock, but its other branch on HPT college road had one. Went there, fitted the new tyre. inspected the rim, there was minimal impact on the rim & all the hit was taken by the tyre. It had 2 parallel cuts on the side wall each @ 2" wide. Though I cursed Michelin initially for making tyres with such soft compound/ side wall (this was my second Michelin damage, the details of first damage are here message#9 --> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ms-beyond.html), I realized only later that the tyre had sacrificed itself to save my suspension, my steering & all the occupants. I checked the steering fluid level, it was at optimum mark. Also lifted the hands off the steering, car moves in a straight line. so alignment is intact. Lesson learnt: When you are driving in pitch dark on an unknown road, drive as if the worst is going to happen, so you won't take a hit like I did.
	(1) Thanks

20th November 2011, 12:28	#98
AutoIndian Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: PCMC, Pune-MH14 Posts: 3,566 Thanked: 4,964 Times	re: Tata Indica DLX - 150,000 kms & beyond Off late I was facing the problem that the bonnet won't easily open up even after pulling the lever under the steering. I had thought initially that the lock wire might be the culprit, however putting this query on the Indica Problems thread I got an overwhelming response that the two rubber screws on which the bonnet rests are the culprit. For many years I had only one screw in place, the other one had long gone missing & this single screw didn't have enough strength to push back the bonnet. I bought two new screws (Rs 14/-) each, fitted them myself & the problem is now resolved. For further details refer to message # 887 in this thread --> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...oblems-60.html
	() Thanks

28th December 2011, 20:31	#99
AutoIndian Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: PCMC, Pune-MH14 Posts: 3,566 Thanked: 4,964 Times	Completed 2 years & 42K kms on my new set of tyres Just thought of sharing with the group that I have completed 2 years & 42K kms on my new set of tyres (Michelin XM1+), I had replaced the factory fitted tubed Bridgestones in Dec 2009. This is not an exaggeration, but the tyres still look new despite the running, probably due to the extra care that I take (Though I had to scrap 2 tyres owing to sidewall damage, but that was purely my fault). First was the damage caused by the pavement tile at parking speed & the second one when I went through a deep crater on the highway at night @ 80 kmph. Had a couple of punctures, but now that I have gained the expertise in handling tubeless tyre punctures, fixing these was a breeze. If there are no further forced damages to the tyres, I hope these can serve me well for another 20K kms.
	(1) Thanks

29th December 2011, 21:27	#100
AutoIndian Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: PCMC, Pune-MH14 Posts: 3,566 Thanked: 4,964 Times	re: Tata Indica DLX - 150,000 kms & beyond One another interesting fact. One of the group members on other forum (TIUG) asked me @ my experience with Michelin about enhanced fuel saving as claimed by the manufacturer. It had never struck me until then. Just did some quick maths: OEM tubed Bridgestones S322 --> 61K kms consumed 3361 litres of fuel @ 18.16 kmpl Replacement tubeless Michelin XM1+ --> 43K kms consumed 2289 litres of fuel @ 18.86 kmpl So the claim by manufacturer seemed quite right. Michelins do assist in saving fuel. However please note the factory fitted tyres were on steel rims whereas the replacement tyres were on aftermarket alloys. Could this also be a contributing factor?
	() Thanks

9th January 2012, 14:03	#101
AutoIndian Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: PCMC, Pune-MH14 Posts: 3,566 Thanked: 4,964 Times	re: Tata Indica DLX - 150,000 kms & beyond On Friday night while returning from office at night, I noticed that the LHS headlamp dipper was not working. On Saturday afternoon when I checked at home, found that the dipper filament of that lamp had fused. Fortunately I had the Della make 55/60W lamp in spare. So I opened the headlamp assly & replaced the fused one with the good one. The earlier one that got fused was 90/100 W Philips make rally lamp. Served me for almost 33K kms (fitted in May 2010). On Sunday afternoon did my weekly ritual of wiping/ cleaning the car. Also removed the air filter for cleaning it. It was so murky, couldn't believe it, Pune roads have become so dusty. Banged the element against a pad so as to loosen the dust particles & then blew air over the leafs from a vacuum cleaner. Cleaned it thoroughly & refitted back. Today observed that there is a remarkable improvement in acceleration, it has become smoother now. I have made it a point now to clean the Air Filter every 2K kms.
	() Thanks

19th March 2012, 20:47	#102
AutoIndian Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: PCMC, Pune-MH14 Posts: 3,566 Thanked: 4,964 Times	re: Tata Indica DLX - 150,000 kms & beyond There have been no updates to my ownership thread for the last 2.5 months, which feels a bit strange. I am almost done 109K kms & the car is scheduled for its 110K service in about a months time. No major issues to be addressed. Two major repairs (preventive maintenance) are on the cards, not confirmed yet. Brake system overhaul (replacing front brake pads, discs, rear drums, brake oil etc) & the clutch plate & pressure plate replacement along with the clutch cable. The reason being brakes have lost their bite & I have to exert more pressure on brake pedal. While starting from the signal (with AC on) I have to give some gas, else it becomes a bit difficult for the car to pick up. Any inputs/suggestions on the above 2 repairs shall be highly appreciated.
	() Thanks

30th March 2012, 12:32	#103
Amazing BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 236 Thanked: 128 Times	re: Tata Indica DLX - 150,000 kms & beyond In the last few days , I have observed in my Indica Turbo D, that while I am using the AC in 'coolest position' with even blower at position '4', the cooling is not upto the mark at all. This is the case while driving around 11-3 PM day peak time with oustside temp at 37C. Well this is in comparison to the cooling I used to get earlier and I feel its much lower now. Till now I have never touched the AC /related parts in last 4 years of the car ( bought in 2008 new). So, i want your expert opinions if there is any DIY which I can do to improve the cooling efficiency: - Cleaning or changing of any filter , which is easily acccessible by me. Need location of that filter. - Water cleaning of any coil etc. by the local wash guy that might improve the cooling. And if you feel I need to take to A$$ or any local garage (AC specialist) who can improve without getting into the loop of gas refill/ condenser change etc Pls help since I am using the AC daily now and so need a effective cooling of AC working under mid day sun.
	() Thanks

30th March 2012, 15:09	#105
Amazing BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 236 Thanked: 128 Times	re: Tata Indica DLX - 150,000 kms & beyond thanks for your reply. There were 3 passengers in the car in the past 2 days. One co passenger and one in rear seat. Anyways, will try some of the options suggested by you and see if that improves the effectiveness of the cooling. I am not willing to get the car ac touched by mechanics unless absolutely needed.
	() Thanks