[ajay_satpute]

Originally Posted by shk 8896

Nice and clean alloys but looks a bit undertyred for Vista.Even 14'' looks small for Vista.

Thanks a lot shk8896. I agree to you 200% that it looks undertyred. All the Vistas prior to 2010 June batch had 13" by default (175/70 R 13). These tyres look terribly small for the sheer size of this car. But, I never had any issue with the short tyres and infact I am getting slightly more FE from these smaller tyres. I could have gone for a 14" rim, but then I would have had to upsize the tyres too, which is not logical to do at jus 18k KMs on the odo. Will do that at around 45-50k KMs, provided that I still have this car.

Originally Posted by noopster

Ajay, congrats on (finally) getting the alloys! They look superb, though I must say red-rimmed ones would have been perfect.

12,500 is a steal man! I paid 16K for my 14 inch Taiwanese "69"s.

Thanks a lot Anoop. You are right about the red lip, but I hunted a lot and could not get the red-lipped ones matching my Vista's PCD. Infact, I had selected one killer of an alloy with red lip at Car Cupid, but it did not match the PCD. These alloys were the most outstanding in the Plati Catalogue I got to see, so chose them.

I can feel the difference in the steering feedback. Vista's steering is an HPS and was on the harder side and I feel it has smoothen a bit. I can't put any numbers, since its intangible, but approx 20-25% difference.

[ajay_satpute]

Crossed 18,000 KMs on the odo. Feels good.

Gave a much needed wash to the Vista yesterday evening at Sai washing center at Chandani Chowk. Very good job I must say. The owner himself does the washing and he does it really dedicatedly. I almost felt like he is washing his own car. He also said, this particular colour of my Vista needs more care in the rains and he can give me a free water spray everyday in the morning before going to office.

For those who want to know where this washing center is, if you are coming up from Bavdhan to Chandani Chowk, this washing center is bang opposite the Viva Inn hotel and sharing the compound wall with the Banjara Hills restaurant. He charged me 150/- for exterior wash only. I think it was OK.

Here's a pic taken from my BB. The alloys look much better now with the clean tyres.

[ajay_satpute]

What a way to reach office!

Yesterday(Friday, 15th July) I started as usual after dropping by daughter to the school and reached Chandani Chowk at 9 AM sharp. Had 2 options, one; the regular Bavdhan-Pashan route to reach Aundh and two; the bypass route to Baner and then Aundh. The 2nd route is obviously a longer route, longer by around 4-5 KMs. But I was in a great mood yesteday, so thought of red lining the Vista. So turned on the highway and what a lucky day it was. Seems like 9 is too early for most commuters to Hinjewadi and I had the whole road for me, barring a few 2 wheelers and 1-2 cars moving sanely in the left lane. There I go. Gear One-red lined. Gear Two-red lined. Gear three-red lined. BY the time I was about to move up to 4th gear I had reached the Crystal Honda area from Chandani Chowk in no time. Then gear Four-red lined. Then had to stay on 4th till Chevy showroom due to two silly trucks creating a small mess. Then, gear five and WOW!

On a normal day, Chandani Chowk to Sadanand junction to Baner-Aundh junction would take like 25-30 minutes. I reached the Baner-Aundh junction in FLAT 12 minutes. AMAZING drive! I touched my highest speed of 125 yesterday for a few minutes, between the stretch from Chevy showroom to Sadanand junction. Sheer straight line road, no traffic, whole fast lane for me. Total bliss.

When I reached my office parking and stopped for the security check, the watch was showing 9:17. Unbelivable. The last 5 minutes spent in reaching the office from Baner-Aundh junction. I felt complete adrenaline rush and took some time to settle down.

Everyday is not a sunday and I know I can't and I shouldn't do be red-lining my Vista like this, but once in a while its great and recharges everything. Being a Friday, which usually goes pretty unproductive and total waste of time, I worked so much till 1 PM and then had really great day till I went off to sleep. One fantastic drive can do so much to you.

BTW, Vista was rock solid at the speed of 125 kmph, but probably we cant benchmark its high speed stability, since it was dead straight line stretch of road. Vista's humongous weight gives it a terrific stability IMO. In the same situation, an i10 tosses around like a popcorn (based on my personal experience of driving i10 on highway at close to 100 kmph speed). Ofcourse, I am comparing the stability with other humble hatches and not to any sedans or SUVs.

I suddenly remember Tata's punchline for Vista's ad campaign that time..."Changes Everything".

[ajay_satpute]

20,000 KMs update

The car has completed a milestone 20,000 KMs on the odo. I also closed my loan account coincidentally at the same time the car crossed 20k. The car is MINE! I closed the loan 1 year ahead of its actual schedule and saved a lot of interest. My kind suggestion to all car owners is that if your car is on loan, whenever possible please keep paying some extra amount to the bank, . That saves a lot of money, time and headache for you. I saved around 60k worth interest by closing my loan 1 year ahead of the schedule.

The ownership experience has beeb pretty satisfactory till date. No issues with the car. The dealer in Pune is sort of an issue, but luckily I escaped unscathed.

Few issues that I faced in 2 years and 20k ownership:
1) Steel Rim on the LHS rear wheel had a bend. This happened when I had hit a bump with all the force in the world having 5 adults inside. Not sure if this is a quality issue with Tata or the bump was too much for any car. Anyways, the issue was promptly fixed by service guys without any charge.

2) Power window switchs' master lock was not functioning. This was also fixed under warranty. The issue hasn't cropped up again.

What I like (even today):
1) Super spacious: Vista offers humungous space inside the cabin and it has become a benchmark in the hatch market. We have around 15-16 hatches in the market and still no other car can match the rear seat space of Vista. It may not be comfortable, but its spacious like hell for sure.

2) VFM: It has been pretty cheap to run till date on the maintenance front. Even though I can't judge this well, since there was no need of any part replacement or anything of that sort, but I can vouch for its VFM factor.

3) FE: The FE is not the best in the world, but for me it has settleed at 13.5-14 KMPL in the city with 60-70% AC. IMO, this is good enough for a car like Vista, which has a very skewed power to weight ratio. On highways, I get around 18 KMPL which is satisfactory. Best FE recorded till date City: 14.2 KMPL and Highway: 19.4 KMPL using TFTF method.

4) Smooth engine: Fiat's SAFIRE engine is a gem. I had driven the old petrol indica before and the engine felt a little harsh, even on a new car. Ofcourse, nothing can beat the amazing K-series engine on the MSIL cars, especially the Swift's. I am in TOTAL love for that k-series engine.

What I dont like:
1) Underpowered engine: The engine does feel a little underpowered for the humungous size of the car. Especially while overtaking on highways and climbing up steep ghats with 5 adults in the car and boot full of luggage. I have to downshift to 2nd gear and sometimes to 1st gear to push the car.

2) Quality of material: The plastic used for power window switches, door knobs, AC switches feels tacky in nature. Power window switches feel like they can break anytime. Tata has to improve on this front BIG time.

3) Under-educated service staff: The service staff at the dealer in Pune is very much undereducated about the technicalities. They know a few things and they will do those really very well. But, if you tell them something out of the box, they would look at you like they just saw an alien. I am not sure how things are at Maruti or Hyundai, but at Tata they are just about OK. For instance, I had told the SA to bleed the brakes at the 18k servicing. He asked me "What is that, sir?". So I told him to check the brakes and brake fluids. Besides being not technical, the staff is not professional too. The way the cars are taken into the service bay and treated is not a pleasing site. They dont go around banging the cars here and there, but there is usually a mess there. 90% of the times, at the time of delivery, the respective cannot locate the cars which are ready to be delivered. You have to always wait for minimum 20 minutes so that the driver can frantically run around to locate your car and get it to the delivery area.

4) Small boot: The boot size is average. Even though it is bigger than some cars like Swift, Ritz, its surely not as big as the ones on Jazz or Fabia. Those are benchmarks.

I am planning to keep the car for another 10k KMs atleast. The car will get new shoes next year, around 28-30k on the odo. Also planning to upgrade the stock ICE to something jazzy having a touch screen with navigation and all. Speakers will also be upgraded to something smashing like Infinity, Rockford Fosgate.

Mods done till date (in chronological order):
1) JBL Pro 4" speakers in all 4 doors (5.4 k)
2) Remote lock (3k)
3) Art-leather seat covers (5k)
4) Sun films all around (7.5 k)
5) Alloys (12.5k for set of 4)
6) Transparent mats (1k)
7) RTO authorized number plates with IND hologram (1k)
8) Bosch Horn (0.7k)

Here are some random pics of the Vista:

[heman_369]

Hi Ajay. Superb updates on your ownership thread. Enjoy 'your' car now for many more miles.

[Swanand Inamdar]

Ajay: Congrats on the hallowed 20K mark. Feels great, does'nt it?
Also, congrats on foreclosing the loan. Good point there. The car is now truly your's!

Some lovely upgrades planned there. Do keep us updated with all the mods/upgrades done. Lets meet up soon.

[ajay_satpute]

Originally Posted by heman_369

Hi Ajay. Superb updates on your ownership thread. Enjoy 'your' car now for many more miles.

Thanks Himanshu. As I mentioned I'm planning to keep the car for another 10k and then jump in the market for another car. No TATA next time. Not because of the typical reasons that this forum and others talk about, but just for change of brand.

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

Ajay: Congrats on the hallowed 20K mark. Feels great, does'nt it?
Also, congrats on foreclosing the loan. Good point there. The car is now truly your's!

Some lovely upgrades planned there. Do keep us updated with all the mods/upgrades done. Lets meet up soon.

Thanks Swanand buddy. Foreclosing the loan was a nice relief. And yes, we should meet up SOON before you fly off.

[Swanand Inamdar]

Ajay, any particular reason on selling this after another 10k or so?
IMO, you could keep this and upgrade. Thus, you have a spare car (probably for the missus) and a new car as well. Of course, taking the financials in mind!

Also, if you do plan to sell this in the near future, then do the upgrades make sense?
Dont mind my questions, just trying to give you another perspective.

EDIT: Yes, a meet needs to be organized pronto!

[ajay_satpute]

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

Ajay, any particular reason on selling this after another 10k or so?
IMO, you could keep this and upgrade. Thus, you have a spare car (probably for the missus) and a new car as well. Of course, taking the financials in mind!

Also, if you do plan to sell this in the near future, then do the upgrades make sense?
Dont mind my questions, just trying to give you another perspective.

EDIT: Yes, a meet needs to be organized pronto!

Agreed Swanand. Selling after 10k and upgrades are mutually exclusive right now. If I do the upgrades, then will keep the longer. If I feel like selling, might sell it even before 10k and then no upgrades. Whichever comes earlier! I am not sure of anything right now. Lets how things unfold in the coming year.

Re keeping this car and buying another. That might not be possible. We are already buying another car for my wife (Automatic i10 most probably). So I cant keep 3 cars in the garage. Will replace Vista with something else.

When do you plan to fly dude? Please give us heads up well in advance. You are going so far off, that we can't even come and hen-peck you later on.

[noopster]

Congrats Ajay. I completed 10K on the Vento just yesterday, so I know how you feel!

I agree with Swanand, 30K is too early for a sweet looker like your carto be sold. If you do go ahead, some lucky bum will get it like I got my Swift!

[dot]

Originally Posted by ajay_satpute

20,000 KMs update

The car has completed a milestone 20,000 KMs on the odo. I also closed my loan account coincidentally at the same time the car crossed 20k. The car is MINE!

Congratulations on both the milestones. It is a good feeling to close the loan, I have done it a couple of times and it does feel super. Except that the next car comes up in the radar screen!!

[selfdrive]

^^First and foremost, hearty congrats Ajay on the dual landmark! It is indeed a great feeling to get it in your name. Sorry bit for some reason I always thought your ride was a diesel; I stand corrected now!

Secondly, do you want to wait till the Brio launch to see if they will bring an AT? I wont count on it, but may be worth your while?

Very well said, dotty bhai! This is the only problem that I see with a full closure of the car loan. But then some ideas need to be sown and watered regularly. I tried once recently to bring up the topic of a new car, but was met with a deafening silence. I guess I will have to find another way.

[ajay_satpute]

Originally Posted by noopster

Congrats Ajay. I completed 10K on the Vento just yesterday, so I know how you feel!

I agree with Swanand, 30K is too early for a sweet looker like your carto be sold. If you do go ahead, some lucky bum will get it like I got my Swift!

Thanks Anoop.
Agreed 30K is a bit early. But lets see. This car, as I said is satisfactory to the Y. But, its not exciting. Once my wife gets used to her car, I will upgrade to an 'exciting' car. In the mean time, I need to define 'exciting'.

Originally Posted by dot

Congratulations on both the milestones. It is a good feeling to close the loan, I have done it a couple of times and it does feel super. Except that the next car comes up in the radar screen!!

Thanks Dot saab. You are absolutely right about the radar trying to catch a new car. But, thats good. Change is good.

Originally Posted by selfdrive

^^First and foremost, hearty congrats Ajay on the dual landmark! It is indeed a great feeling to get it in your name. Sorry bit for some reason I always thought your ride was a diesel; I stand corrected now!

Secondly, do you want to wait till the Brio launch to see if they will bring an AT? I wont count on it, but may be worth your while?

Very well said, dotty bhai! This is the only problem that I see with a full closure of the car loan. But then some ideas need to be sown and watered regularly. I tried once recently to bring up the topic of a new car, but was met with a deafening silence. I guess I will have to find another way.

Thanks SD. I would not buy a diesel car, unless petrol crosses 100 Rs/liter mark. My running per month till date has never crossed 750 KMs. So its totally useless to buy a diesel. Mind you, I drive my car everyday, even on weekends. I have had 5 long trip (500+ KMs), so I never really need a workhorse.

RE Brio, you are right. I would wait for the Brio AT. That would be the most sensible choice for AT hatchback, if and when Honda launches it. A-star is good enough for the purpose but has no class, i10 looks really good but is horrible on FE and in i20 AT's price, I will get 1 1/2 A-stars. Indian market is terribly deprived of good AT cars IMO. Infact I feel, for every new car launched, the company should keep an option of an AT box. What say?

[ajay_satpute]

Had a great and long-time planned Lavasa picnic with famiy on last Sunday. Met 6 BHPians on the way. The road to Lavasa after the left turn at Pirangut village is pretty good over all. Total pleasure to drive!

I will let the pictures do the talking now:

My Vista


On the way to Lavasa


Lavasa entrance gate


Lavasa city from the observation deck near the gate



TeamBHPIans Vikram, Ameya, Kiran and Racer_X(Abhijeet IIRC) at 'Ekanta The Retreat restaurant'


View from Ekanta restaurant's parking




Continued in part-2...

[ajay_satpute]

At the eating joint near the lake. The train-cum-bus actually moves and it costs 50/- per adult for a nice leisurely 20 minutes ride across the city.





We had ordered Veg Cutlets for breakfast at this eating joint and the cutlets were fantastic. 5 of us hogged 36 cutlets in less than 15 minutes like vultures. We also ordered Chicken Spring roll and Veg spring roll which were not so fantastic. The order was sealed with 5 piping hot teas and the tea was really good too. Total cost for the breakfast: 520/-.

View of the Bridge and from the bridge







At the Boating dock



The boat ride is expensive IMO. It costs 110/- per person for a very relaxing and slow boat ride for about 20 minutes. The catch is that they don't let the boat go unless it is occupied by 10 persons, which is the max capacity of the boat (I doubt this). Catch #2 is that even kids of age 1.5 years are counted as one person, which is broad daylight robbery.