[Fulcrum]

A Tractor pulling a Tractor pulling a Tractor which is pulling a Mahindra TUV3OO, It is very sad to watch indeed but one should learn from others’ mistakes, rather than making their own. This video is an epitome of getting stuck Royally.

https://youtu.be/7DYMjqoc7D4

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by Fulcrum

A Tractor pulling a Tractor pulling a Tractor which is pulling a Mahindra TUV3OO, It is very sad to watch indeed but one should learn from others’ mistakes, rather than making their own. This video is an epitome of getting stuck Royally.

Woah, how did it get there in the first place? Location says Dumas (near Surat). Seems like he drove in during low tide and got stuck. Really lucky it wasn't washed away during the high tide.

But, why

[locusjag]

This is a total noob question , but advice from TUV 300 owners (and also owners of other "tough" UVs) will help-

I was reading the Tbhp thread on mechanical empathy while driving one's car (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/owning...e-driving.html), when I chanced upon SS-traveler's advice on preserving the suspensions:

Negotiating bad roads at speed kills your suspension.

Rule of thumb: If you or your passengers are not comfortable at the speed you are driving on a bad road, your suspension is suffering much worse.

Could you please drive AROUND that rock on the road rather than OVER it? The rock does not understand that suspension components tend to bend / break when it reaches out to shake hands and say hello to them.

Slowing down over bumps and potholes and shifting to a lower gear might add 30 seconds to your travel time, but will save hours and $$$ at the workshop.

My doubt

What of "tough" UVs which are supposed to be "built for abuse"? The TUV does handle bad roads better at relatively higher speeds (for e.g., taking a shallow pothole at 35 Kmph instead of at 20 Kmph) and I've been it using it accordingly. I had even written of a brief encounter that I had with a Mahindra engineer on this thread a while ago and he had told me that the TUV can be safely driven at will over bad roads.

But I'm confused now.

Should we take the marketing with a pinch of salt ("tough and stylish TUV 3OO...") and treat it gingerly, just as other car drivers treat their hatches and sedans on the road? How do owners of the TUV, Bolero and Safari usually negotiate bad roads? Are maintenance bills any higher if we "abuse" cars like these?

[CAPTAIN REX]

It has been a long time since I updated on my TUV, but have been following all the developments here.

Congrats to all the new owners here, including Chennai's DIYGUY and Locusjag . You have all made a good choice.

Since my last update, I did not face any issues, did not get stranded any where (except for once, as mentioned below) and thoroughly enjoyed the TUV. Did quite a few trips to Kerala and back. The TUV took all in her stride, the smooth highways - Chennai to Bangalore, the not so smooth highways - Bangalore to Mysore, and the 'no road' roads - Kerala
FE has been averaging at around 11.5 kmpl in Chennai's peak hours traffic, and at around 13kmpl on the highways at over 3 digit speed. (courtesy RD tuning box which makes it a joy to rev up)



The only sore point started when the vehicle was taken for the 40k km service.

The TUV was picked up by Zulaikha Motors from home for the 40k servicing, some time in Feb, 2018, since I was busy with work. It was supposed to be a routine service with nothing additional.
The next day I get a call from Zulaikha saying that the battery is weak and needs replacement. It seems that the TUV was not starting. I told them that I had not faced any problem, and the vehicle was cranking without any issues. I asked them not to change the battery, recharge and fix back.

By afternoon the service station calls and says that the alternator was faulty, and hence the battery was not being charged. It was decided that the alternator will be serviced/repaired and fitted back, and require a day for the works. I informed them to take time and do a thorough job and check before giving me the vehicle.

The next day, the news was that the alternator even after servicing was not charging the battery, and they have decided on replacing the alternator with a new one under warranty.
News on day 3 - the problem is not with the alternator, but lies some where else. I was requested to bear with them for another day in order to trouble shoot for actual reason. Told them to take their time.
Finally it was found that a fuse in the engine bay compartment had blown out and hence the the alternator was not working.
So much for Zulaikhas fault finding and trouble shooting.
TUV finally delivered back.

Went to office and returned home, a total of 30 Km/ 2 hours drive up and down with air con switched on through out. All good.
The next day, a Saturday, was to visit a friends new house in the evening. Did not take the TUV through out the day. In the evening, in the TUV, en route to the friends house stopped in front of a department store to get a few things for home. Just before reaching the store, while waiting at a signal, the AC compressor cut off. Turned the blower off and turned on, and the compressor cut in and started blowing in cool air. This happened once more before we stopped at the store.
After the shopping, all got into the car and it would not start. It just would not crank, just a click and silence .

Called up Zulaikha, they said they will send the RSA (road side assistance) as soon as possible. I asked them to do that tomorrow, informed the store and their security, and left the TUV parked at the stores parking area. Went home on an auto rik, took wife's car and completed the evenings program.


The next day, Sunday, RSA came, tried their stunts, and finally informed me that the TUV has to be towed. Called up Mahindras towing service, and the tow truck arrived in an hour.



Next day they informed me that the same fuse had blown out again and suspected that there was in issue with the amplifiers wiring. Asked them to remove that, and revert back to the original wiring to speakers. TUV returned the next day.
For the next few days I did not have any starting issues but the I used to get a 'vehicle battery low' message on the music systems display.


Took the TUV to my FNG and got the battery checked, and including the alternator. Report was that both were good. Still this warning kept popping up. To be on the safer side, got the battery changed.

Still the same warning, and then I started noticing that when ever the warning popped up, the AC compressor would cut off, and then would resume after about 3 to 4 minutes.

I once again called up Zulaikha, spoke to them and informed them of all my findings. The vehicle was taken again to the service station. This time they informed me that there was a fault in the BMS (battery management system). The BMS was flashed and the problem solved. Since then, the TUV has been back to normal.


The TUV had completed 40755km with me and is now munching on more miles with a smile along with a new owner.



Was always keen on getting a Thar, but did not want to spend 10.5 L on a new one and then spend another 1.5 L to get a hard top and other extra fittings and accessories to make it a 'family comfortable' jeep.
Found a good example in a 2016 sparingly used Thar on OLX which was in a price bracket that I was comfortable with, and pretty close on the extra fittings as to my liking.

Posted my TUV on OLX, and got a reasonable offer from a Doctor from Salem. His relatives at Chennai came, inspected and drove the TUV. Liked it and the deal was done.


So it was GOODBYE

TUV polished, diesel topped up and ready for the new owner.

And WELCOME

The silver Thar replaces the black TUV.

Originally Posted by sathyasuri

Hi Locusjag,

1. ROGERAB- a suspension buffer of sorts that is fixed to the suspension springs: https://www.amazon.in/Rolling-Pitchi.../dp/B01N0HI0M9 - CAPTAINREX in our forum uses it and is quite effective in reducing the bounciness.

Originally Posted by locusjag

Captainrex has installed the Rogerabs on his tank

Thats the ROGERABS. The drive with it fitted was better than stock. Rolling had reduced over bumps, and while cornering at speeds.

Originally Posted by locusjag

My TUV has gone ~1400 Km so far in 2 months. Only two things bothering me right now:

1) Despite cranking the driver's seat to the maximum height with the adjustment mechanism, with my 6'4" height and disproportionately long legs, my thighs are pointed up at an angle when driving. I get very little under-thigh support. And then, my calves are also stretched when working the A-B-C pedals.

There is one chap on the 'Chennai TUV Owners' whatsapp group who has increased his seat height.

[ambujlal]

Originally Posted by CAPTAIN REX

Attachment 1761503

Thats the ROGERABS. The drive with it fitted was better than stock. Rolling had reduced over bumps, and while cornering at speeds.

Thanks, Captain! Two questions:
1. Did you fit rogerabs on all the four tyres or just the front ones?

2. Does it make the ride more bouncy apart from reducing the rolling?

[CAPTAIN REX]

Originally Posted by ambujlal

Thanks, Captain! Two questions:
1. Did you fit rogerabs on all the four tyres or just the front ones?

2. Does it make the ride more bouncy apart from reducing the rolling?

Ambujlal, Fitted on all 4 wheels. The rogerabs comes in a set of 4 pieces, in two different sizes. Two for the front wheels and 2 for the rear wheels.
I felt that the bounciness had reduced after the installations. Did not remove them when selling off the TUV, and the new owner is also liking the ride with them on.

[monakar]

Sad to know that Captain Rex finally decided to move away from TUV300. The fact is that we all love our tanks but the frequent break down and niggling issues lead to frustration. I suffered from frequent coolant loss. Wrote across to Service Manager who was prompt to respond. The local dealership at Aurangabad was already appraised of the problem. They first cheked and confirmed that leakage was happening from hose pipe and replaced it. I insisted on changing the inlet pipes also which they did on chargeable basis. In couple of days the level again dropped. Dealership checked and informed that oil cooler needs to be changed. After the change I drove the tank for a week; again to find coolant level dropping. The dealership checked again and also consulted Mahindra's engineers. This time intake manifold was changed along with change in oil cooler. Finally the coolant level is no more dropping.
Mahindra team was polite and responsive. They were seriously trying to resolve the issue. However, the regular agony of visiting service centers, the time and energy that I have wasted in last 2 years actually frustrates; thereby taking away all the fun and comfort of ownership.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by CAPTAIN REX

The only sore point started when the vehicle was taken for the 40k km service. The TUV was picked up by Zulaikha Motors from home for the 40k servicing, some time in Feb, 2018, since I was busy with work. It was supposed to be a routine service with nothing additional.

In hindsight, do you think all the mess that happened later could have been avoided had you been with the car at the workshop?

Finally it was found that a fuse in the engine bay compartment had blown out and hence the the alternator was not working.
So much for Zulaikhas fault finding and trouble shooting. TUV finally delivered back.

A competant A.S.S or the technicians make the difference. They seriously need to improve their diagnostic skills

The next day, Sunday, RSA came, tried their stunts, and finally informed me that the TUV has to be towed. Called up Mahindras towing service, and the tow truck arrived in an hour. This time they informed me that there was a fault in the BMS (battery management system). The BMS was flashed and the problem solved. Since then, the TUV has been back to normal.

I fail to understand, how did they miss to detect the fault in the BMS in the first place and were fiddling all over the place

Found a good example in a 2016 sparingly used Thar on OLX which was in a price bracket that I was comfortable with, and pretty close on the extra fittings as to my liking.

Posted my TUV on OLX, and got a reasonable offer from a Doctor from Salem. His relatives at Chennai came, inspected and drove the TUV. Liked it and the deal was done.

Vow, that was pretty quick. But why the sudden switch from TUV to Thar? Were you more concerned about the TUV's reliability or you wanted a proper 4X4, go anywhere kind of SUV? If you don't mind could you please share what was the final deal on both the cars, your TUV & the Thar?

So it was GOODBYE. TUV polished, diesel topped up and ready for the new owner.

The tank is looking spanking new, just out of the showroom. The new owner must be all smiles from ear to ear. Many congratulations on your new acquisition and bid adieu to your tank. I hope you would still continue to share your valuable experience on this thread.
Edit: I just noticed the change in your avatar, nice pic of the Thar.

Originally Posted by monakar

I suffered from frequent coolant loss. Wrote across to Service Manager who was prompt to respond. The local dealership at Aurangabad was already appraised of the problem. They first cheked and confirmed that leakage was happening from hose pipe and replaced it. I insisted on changing the inlet pipes also which they did on chargeable basis. In couple of days the level again dropped. Dealership checked and informed that oil cooler needs to be changed. After the change I drove the tank for a week; again to find coolant level dropping. The dealership checked again and also consulted Mahindra's engineers. This time intake manifold was changed along with change in oil cooler. Finally the coolant level is no more dropping.

Sad to know about your coolant issue Monakar. Again looks like the same thing as in the case of Captain, shooting in the dark. Fixing the problem by trial and error. Hope this problem does not recur again. Fortunately for me this "coolant leakage" monster was fixed once for all in Nov-2016. Since then car has been driven for 23.3K kms (18 months) and the issue has not resurfaced (knock on wood). The coolant level is quite consistent since then.

Mahindra team was polite and responsive. They were seriously trying to resolve the issue. However, the regular agony of visiting service centers, the time and energy that I have wasted in last 2 years actually frustrates; thereby taking away all the fun and comfort of ownership.

I can understand your frustration. All of us who purchased the car within a year of its launch have gone through this saga, some might have just taken it in their stride but for some this would have been sheer torture. However for the last year or so I haven't heard any major issues from any TUV owner. Most of the initial teething troubles must have been ironed out by now. I sincerely hope and wish that your TUV continues serving you flawlessly and give you back all the fun and comfort of ownership that you were expecting from it in the first place.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by CAPTAIN REX

The silver Thar replaces the black TUV.

Ah Captain, looks like your 3 year itch was not satiated by the TUV Congrats on the Thar. How comfortable are your kids in the rear of the Thar? Takes a lot of courage to stick with a Mahindra after experiencing the apathy and lack of motivation of service folks.

Originally Posted by monakar

However, the regular agony of visiting service centers, the time and energy that I have wasted in last 2 years actually frustrates; thereby taking away all the fun and comfort of ownership.

Yes its frustrating but I still enjoy my ride. I too have spent many many frustrating hours standing next to the Service Techs in MASS while they fumble their way around the issue. But in the end its a choice between the devil and the deep sea - value for money products & relatively bad service (M&M, VW, Jeep etc.) or expensive products, higher cost of ownership and decent service (Japs & Koreans)

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

I can understand your frustration. All of us who purchased the car within a year of its launch have gone through this saga, some might have just taken it in their stride but for some this would have been sheer torture

Even folks who have purchased the car in late 2017/2018 continue to have the same problems - coolant leakage, modulator issues, seat belt issues etc. Hence the bigger problem for me is that M&M just doesn't want to find a permanent solution to these problems. Is it lack of strong consumer support frameworks (which is available in some of the developed countries) that leaves us at the mercy of the OEMs in India OR is the OEM unaware of the running issues that dealers fix?

Either way, If I have to recommend a M&M vehicle to a non enthusiast friend/family member, I hesitate to do the same as they will not have the patience to bear with the idiosyncrasies of Mahindra products & service.

Edit: Have been facing a weird issue with the Tank. When I drive at the start of the day, the torque delivery and response of the car is normal and it works as it should. Once the engine is warmed up and has been running for 15 minutes, my 1st & 2nd gear response is muted. I find myself using the A pedal a lot more as the torque delivery dips. This has been a consistent observation over the last few tank fills - plan to drop a note to the M&M RSM so that I can get the tech folks home get them to experience the same before driving to the service center. Anyone here with similar experience?

[ambujlal]

Originally Posted by procrj

Edit: Have been facing a weird issue with the Tank. When I drive at the start of the day, the torque delivery and response of the car is normal and it works as it should. Once the engine is warmed up and has been running for 15 minutes, my 1st & 2nd gear response is muted. I find myself using the A pedal a lot more as the torque delivery dips. This has been a consistent observation over the last few tank fills - plan to drop a note to the M&M RSM so that I can get the tech folks home get them to experience the same before driving to the service center. Anyone here with similar experience?

Did you get your modulator changed in the near past? I think I am having the same issue in last one week since the modulator got replaced. Just that it is consistent and not like your tank wherein the pickup drops after some time. Prior to the modulator going kaput, the tank used to take off like a rocket but now it is sluggish.

[CAPTAIN REX]

Originally Posted by monakar

Sad to know that Captain Rex finally decided to move away from TUV300. The fact is that we all love our tanks but the frequent break down and niggling issues lead to frustration.

Monakar, I moved from the TUV to the thar because the thar was always in the heart. I did not sell the TUV due to the niggles or that single break down that I had. In my opinion, after the initial niggles which I faced and which were all sorted out in the initial stage, the TUV was fault free and I had no issues with the vehicle. It is the ASS personal who were at fault. If they were good at trouble shooting and fault finding at the initial stage, people would not have to go to the ASS repeatedly.

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

In hindsight, do you think all the mess that happened later could have been avoided had you been with the car at the workshop?

AI, coming to think of it - I have been trying to analyze on how could that fuse could have blown, and the only reason that I could come up with is as follows, and I may be wrong.

I always download the dashcam videos after I get the vehicle back from the ASS, and then go through the recordings. After this particular incident, upon playback, I noticed that the driver who had picked up the TUV was playing the music at ear breaking volume through out the drive from my house, after picking up the TUV, until the service station. This probably could have caused some short circuit in the amplifier, resulting in the alternator fuse blowing out, and the battery getting drained due to the high music system output combined with the air con usage till the TUV reached the service station. And the ASS personal did not do a check on the BMS.

Originally Posted by procrj

Ah Captain, looks like your 3 year itch was not satiated by the TUV Congrats on the Thar. How comfortable are your kids in the rear of the Thar?

Ah, now I got to change the '3 year itch' to either a '5 year itch' or a '7 year itch'. This is becoming pretty detrimental on my financial status. And the '7 year itch' is on changing cars, okay ? Please dont jump into wrong conclusions.
The kids are very happy at the back. They say that the ride is better than the TUV. I need to check that out myself by sitting in the back. Have got the bench changed to front facing seats , and the front passenger seat is a double tumble down, so access to the rear is by tumbling down the front seat.

Yet to take them on a long drive and that will happen when I bring them back from Kerala after the vacation.

Takes a lot of courage to stick with a Mahindra after experiencing the apathy and lack of motivation of service folks.

RJ, did you know that M&M offers you a Rs 10000/ cash discount if you buy a second Mahindra.
It is true, but not when you buy a pre-owned Mahindra.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by procrj

Even folks who have purchased the car in late 2017/2018 continue to have the same problems - coolant leakage, modulator issues, seat belt issues etc.

I can confirm that my January 2018 manfactured TUV has half the initial coolant level now, after ~2300 Km and 3 months of running. But I remember Sathyasuri telling me earlier on this thread how the coolant issue resolved itself after a top-up or two. So I'll keep my patience with this issue.

Fortunately, the only other niggles I see are a wheel alignment issue (it pulls to the left, if I leave the steering wheel free when running) and a malfunctioning handbrake (If i park it on a slope with just the handbrake engaged, this tank will crawl away slowly).

Originally Posted by CAPTAIN REX

Monakar, I moved from the TUV to the thar because the thar was always in the heart. I did not sell the TUV due to the niggles or that single break down that I had. In my opinion, after the initial niggles which I faced and which were all sorted out in the initial stage, the TUV was fault free and I had no issues with the vehicle.

Captain, I was initially saddened to see your post on selling your tank. There are many, I am sure, like myself who have bought a TUV just by looking at your and Procrj's and AutoIndian's ownership threads.

It is good to know that your TUV stabilized after the initial niggles

Thank you for sharing your experiences so far. All the best with the Thar!

[procrj]

Originally Posted by ambujlal

Did you get your modulator changed in the near past?

Yes - sometime towards the end of last year. This problem has cropped up only after that.

Originally Posted by CAPTAIN REX

Have got the bench changed to front facing seats , and the front passenger seat is a double tumble down, so access to the rear is by tumbling down the front seat

Do post a few pics. Not a bad idea to get a basic 4x4 and then spend a little beefing up the comfort levels. How is the ride, handing and comfort over long distance when compared to the TUV?

RJ, did you know that M&M offers you a Rs 10000/ cash discount if you buy a second Mahindra.

This the whole loyalty discount scam that MSIL started - give you 10-15K off while buying same brand and take it all back by charging atrocious rates for service.

[locusjag]

Well, what do you know? We can now see the TUV as a police vehicle in MH.

The pessimist in me reads the article below and infers that the old stock of the 84 Bhp TUVs (no longer in production as of 2018) are being channeled to the police, much like how Hyundai "gave away" Accent police cars to TN police in the early 2000s, just before they totally wound up production of the Accent.

https://www.cartoq.com/mahindra-tuv3...atrol-vehicle/

Mahindra has supplied 100 units of the TUV300, sub-4 meter compact SUV to the Maharashtra Police Department, which will use these SUVs for patrolling duties.
....
The vehicles supplied to the Maharashtra Police Department feature blue, yellow and red decals.
...
The version supplied to the Maharashtra Police Department is the manual gearbox equipped version with the lower state of tune for the diesel engine. Key features such as power steering, tilt adjustable steering, Eco mode, dual airbags and ABS with EBD are available though.

And by the way, I also spotted a Tamil Nadu State Government-registered (with a 'G' in the registration number) TUV 300 last month.

[deetee]

80bhp tune TUVs are in use with Andhra Pradesh Highway patrol since almost it's launch. I remember seeing one as early as may 2017. So its not like Mahindra is washing off their old stocks. Probably MH police might have zeroed on it after considering the competition as well.
TUV is a quite capable vehicle yet frugal compared to other tough suvs.