Team-BHP - Mahindra TUV300 : Official Review

There are media reports that BS-VI fuel is available and being supplied in Delhi NCR since April 1, 2019. Can existing TUV3oo owners please confirm if they have used this fuel in their cars? If yes, did you notice any impact?

Further, would anyone be aware if the latest manufactured TUVs comply with BS VI norms. I ask this question since I read this query on another thread:

Quote:

Originally Posted by maddylaw (Post 4565335)

Would anyone know if the new BMW X1Diesel is also BS6 compliant, apparently they are releasing the BS6 petrol cars slowly to finish off their Diesels first with good discounts but my family is a petrol fan (Lancer 2008 Petrol, Honda Accord 2012 Petrol, Verna VTVT(O) Petrol 2013, Creta Petrol 2015)

And now its reverse, The Petrols with low margin are 2 lacs expensive than Diesels at the moment, would resale be an issue since there would not be any registration of BS4 cars after April 2020 or may be they allow re registration of cars purchased before April 2020. Thanks in advance.

I have looked at other cars, especially new petrol ones like XUV300 & Ertiga, but my heart is with the TUV :), so I am doing a reality check and need your valuable advice.

Hello all,
Couple of updates on my TUV and a query,

1. Noise from the pulley: in post 2305 of this thread I had written about the noise from the pulley, this noise was intermittent and used to occur only after long drives. I had reported this to the MASS where I usually go to and was never fixed properly except for half hearted attempts in tightening it. But after about another 3K KMs on the odo the noise became persistent and was occurring even after office runs (about 12km). Went to the MASS and after 1 day of trouble shooting it was found out to be the power steering pump. Apparently, it was a new issue and rather a one off case. The pump was then replaced under warranty and the vehicle was trotting normally until another 3K KMs which is the second update below 😀.

2. Diesel leak near the diesel filter: After a 660km non-stop run there was a heavy diesel smell while passing the engine bay, so quickly opened the engine bay and found the area around the diesel filter to be damp with diesel. So I have brought the vehicle to the MASS now and waiting for the repair to be done. After initial hesitations, few questions on where I fill up the fuel and phone calls they have agreed to replace under warranty. Fyi, the fuel filter is the cylindrical unit to the right of the red battery terminal cap in the attached image below. Do watch out for these two issues.

While I am waiting for the fuel filter to be replaced, the SA came up to me and said that the battery is weak since he observed the engine to be shaking while starting up and that the battery is 4 years old. I was unsure and I turned it down saying will do it with the oncoming 40k service.
I usually go by the thumb rule of first crank start and headlight dimming while honking to evaluate the battery health which in my case seems to be fine in the vehicle.
So people comment if there is any merit in what the SA said on the engine shake while starting. Should I go for a battery change just because it is almost four years now or stick to the thumb rule?
Finally a recommendation to fellow TUVians (based on my experiences with the TUV) just go ahead and buy the 4th & 5th year extended warranty. I have already recovered the money (around 14k) spent on the extended warranty with these two repairs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sathyasuri (Post 4576278)

2. Diesel leak near the diesel filter: After a 660km non-stop run there was a heavy diesel smell while passing the engine bay, so quickly opened the engine bay and found the area around the diesel filter to be damp with diesel.

A question on my mind - was the symptom of the diesel leak only to be seen on the diesel filter or was diesel dripping from there onto the ground?

Quote:

So people comment if there is any merit in what the SA said on the engine shake while starting. Should I go for a battery change just because it is almost four years now or stick to the thumb rule?

This is the first I'm hearing of the engine shaking because of a weak battery. Can you get the battery's health certified at a battery shop? I don't know anything about it usually but my erstwhile Swift's battery life was extended by my mechanic by adding distilled water.

But all said and done, a proactive change is for the best. You never want to be stranded somewhere with a dead battery. Most batteries last 3 years while there are expensive models which last 5 years. Maybe your local Amaron shop (assuming it is an Amaron battery in yours, like it is in mine) can help. I know of one Amaron shop near a government school in the Kilkattalai to Madipakkam road, which ought to be near to you.

Quote:

Finally a recommendation to fellow TUVians (based on my experiences with the TUV) just go ahead and buy the 4th & 5th year extended warranty. I have already recovered the money (around 14k) spent on the extended warranty with these two repairs.

Absolutely! And maybe you should check for rust on the car's body, underbody and doors beneath the rubber beading. Rust is covered by Mahindra only while under warranty and there are quite a few reports of rust under the rubber beading on many TUV 300 doors.

Quote:

Originally Posted by locusjag (Post 4576326)

A question on my mind - was the symptom of the diesel leak only to be seen on the diesel filter or was diesel dripping from there onto the ground?

The diesel leak was more like a seepage through the top sealing/enclosure of the Filter rather than an outright spray, but, yes I could see the diesel to have leaked through the filter top and dripped on to the plumbing beneath it and uptil the underbody plastic cladding.

Quote:

Originally Posted by locusjag (Post 4576326)

But all said and done, a proactive change is for the best. You never want to be stranded somewhere with a dead battery. Most batteries last 3 years while there are expensive models which last 5 years. Maybe your local Amaron shop (assuming it is one, like it is in mine) can help. I know of one Amaron shop near a government school in the Kilkattalai to Madipakkam road, which ought to be near to you.

Right, yes, soon after I reached work, took a multimeter and checked the Voltage across the terminals it was 12.1 V prior to start and about 13.7 V after engine start.

Anyways, will check with the battery shop as well, yes thanks, I remember that shop as well and it is quite close to my place.:thumbs up

Quote:

Originally Posted by locusjag (Post 4576326)

Yes, thanks for the pointer, will check the door and the underbody for rust.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sathyasuri (Post 4576278)

Hi,

My observations regarding above points.

I also have got the power steering pump changed under warranty around a year back or so. There was a whistling sound in my case. As usual they first tried to change some pulley belts but when it doesn't disappear , it was concluded that it was the power steering pump which was the culprit.

Battery - I have faced similar issue of engine shaking due to weak battery in my TUV. It is due to a sensor which is there with the battery. This is one of the worst thing as it comes into effect even when there is a slight difference in battery current. As per the MASS thus sensor is removed in the Jan 18 model onwards because it's if no use. I have faced this issue around a year back, have got my battery charged from a local battery shop for 150 bucks and then it worked fine till recently.
Another strange thing noticed regarding weak battery is when I got my TUV serviced last week for 70k service. I was observing some vibrations from engine bay every time AC was at work. Told them about the issue during service, they checked and found that battery was getting weak and due to this whenever fan is started when AC is switched on, it was not able to get the required power from battery and due to which there is vibration in the engine bay. As per them only 2 cells were working of the battery and rest are all dead.

I got the battery replaced same day and now that problem is not there.
My battery lasted for 3 yr 3 months, my TUV is Jan 2016 T8 manual model. Odo reading at the time of battery change is 71k kms.
I went for SF Sonic battery, costed me 4200 after exchange with old battery. The Amaron battery which comes fitted with TUV was costing 4400 after exchange. Reason for going for SF Sonic was that I have used it earlier also and it lasted for more than 4 yrs in my other car.

Extended warranty is good and I will also recommend it to folks who have not got it extended.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieselburner (Post 4576397)

Hei Dieselburner!

Thanks a lot for the inputs, so the SA is right. I will check the battery's health with an outside battery shop and change if required. I guess with regular running of the vehicle the battery's performance has got to do more with the battery's actual age than the mileage of the vehicle(as my TUV is a 2015 Nov model and has done 36K KM - with regular running) so there is a good chance that my battery is also in its last leg of life.

Thanks once again!

I found the inputs (regarding battery issues) from several members informative and enlightening. As locusjag mentions, topping up periodically with distilled water (even the low maintenance ones) goes some way in extending battery life. This, together with checking the electrolyte S.G. using a hydrometer, usually supplied (at nominal cost) by the battery retailer. Maintenance-free batteries (as distinct from low maintenance items) are not yet too common - and these are sealed items requiring no maintenance whatever. These have become (more or less) standard equipment (for starting emergency generators, lifeboat engines etc) on board vessels.

But the one practice which I have found extending battery life (often well beyond 5 years) is to disconnect the terminal(s) when leaving town, even for a week. Or when the car is not expected to be used for a while. In our case we do need to leave town frequently for varying periods, and it is now almost de rigueur to disconnect the battery during periods of disuse. We have often returned home after 2 months or more and found the battery in fine shape & the car starting at the first try.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sathyasuri (Post 4580589)

I remember seeing a TUV 300 with ~22K on the ODO back in late 2016 at the MASS that had come in for a clutch kit change. Since clutch wear was not covered by the warranty, the owner was grumbling as he had to pay for it. But that was a Manual transmission model. IMHO you do have a case to escalate with Customer Care as yours is an AMT and the AMT system should have been optimized to take care of the clutch and prevent rather early wear-out like in your case.

I totally agree with your point. I emailed customer service on Friday, I have not received any response yet. The AMT should be held responsible for the wear and tear of my clutch kit. When I purchased the vehicle, the SA even told me AMT has lifetime warranty on clutch kit, when I quoted this to manager at MASS he ridiculed it and told me that the SA might have been ill informed. :deadhorse