[shreedharan]

Originally Posted by locusjag

I suspect it is an issue in yours. I'd done 1800 Km in December 2018 with 7 adults and rooftop luggage and what I remember is that the TUV felt stable even while changing lanes. There was no unexpected behavior at 90 Kmph in a straight line or when changing lanes.

I think, what I said is slightly deceiving. Rephrasing. What I meant was, when we go on a straight road, while making small movement to change lane or to tackle a slight dent in road, it slightly felt as if it is a bit away. A kind of drag, you see. Just for a fraction. One thing what came to my mind reading your message, was that there were to big trunk boxes at the rear. One on top of other. Is that why it is happening? Truth be told, I've done a loaded one earlier too. Bangalore, K'kumari - Chennai - Bangalore. 5 people & lots of luggage at the rear. Didn't feel it then. May be I loaded too much at the rear. Just a CoG issue probably.

I've never loaded on top.

All said & done, this is just a query and am not complaining. I will load again later this year fully for my Bangalore - Mumbai trip. Will check then & post updates to this.

[sathyasuri]

Originally Posted by shreedharan

I think, what I said is slightly deceiving. Rephrasing. What I meant was, when we go on a straight road, while making small movement to change lane or to tackle a slight dent in road, it slightly felt as if it is a bit away. A kind of drag, you see...

Hi, I have experienced something quite similar during a 600 KM trip. A preliminary quick check did not reveal anything abnormal but after two days I found that one of the rear tyres to be punctured. The puncture was caused by a tiny yet very strong nail (in the size of a board pin). Apparently these kind of nails are used in the roadside hoardings it seems. The length of the nail was just about the depth of the tyre tread and so it was just about touching the surface of the tyre beyond the tread leading to very teeny tiny rupture on the tyre surface. So get your tyres checked properly.

And since you mentioned about MLD, there is a theoretical possiblity of MLD lock happening at speeds due to difference in air pressure of the rear tyres. Reason being, difference in air pressure of the tyres would vary their circumference thus leading to difference in the number of revolutions of the individual wheels for a given speed. And since TUV's diff lock is designed to engage when the difference in the wheels' rpm is more than 100 it might lead to a diff lock at very high speeds if the air pressure difference is very high. So again get your tyres checked for any tiny punctures and also do get your the tyre valve pins checked.

[shreedharan]

Originally Posted by sathyasuri

Hi, I have experienced something quite similar during a 600 KM trip. A preliminary quick check did not reveal anything abnormal but after two days I found that one of the rear tyres to be punctured. The puncture was caused by a tiny yet very strong nail (in the size of a board pin). Apparently these kind of nails are used in the roadside hoardings it seems. The length of the nail was just about the depth of the tyre tread and so it was just about touching the surface of the tyre beyond the tread leading to very teeny tiny rupture on the tyre surface. So get your tyres checked properly.

And since you mentioned about MLD, there is a theoretical possiblity of MLD lock happening at speeds due to difference in air pressure of the rear tyres. Reason being, difference in air pressure of the tyres would vary their circumference thus leading to difference in the number of revolutions of the individual wheels for a given speed. And since TUV's diff lock is designed to engage when the difference in the wheels' rpm is more than 100 it might lead to a diff lock at very high speeds if the air pressure difference is very high. So again get your tyres checked for any tiny punctures and also do get your the tyre valve pins checked.

Thanks for the update Sathya. I didn't have a puncture. Theoretically, tyre pressure could be the villain then. Varying tyre pressure might have done this. Also, to make it even more clear, experienced only when I used brake to slow down & change the lane. I'll have to now check brake shoes as well, as it could have been applied differently for rear which might have triggered MLD. My vehicle's service is due next month. Will get it checked & post an update.

[chetans]

I am seeing blackish oil spilled on grill and the bonnet hook area. More oil spilled around the same spot but unable to get clear snapshot. I hope it's not a major issue.
Have scheduled servicing on 21st August.

[injun269]

I own a TUV300 Auroshift, one of the earliest owners, Sep 2015. Last month my vehicle was recalled for a software update. Following the update I was into a lot of unusual problems of even gears disengaging in the middle of the road in heavy traffic.

Thoroughly frustrated I called up my service station, BALAJI AGENCIES & INDUSTRIES, Tirupathi and explained my problem. I was advised to bring the vehicle in for an inspection. I live in a rural town of Madanapalle which is 2hours away driving up to Tirupathi. The whole day of working on the vehicle did not yield results. It was too late to return home, so I decided to check into a hotel. The hotel is a good 20 minutes’ drive from the service station which is on the outskirts of the town. The DGM Service, Mr Sivarama Krishnan arranged for a service vehicle to drop me off at the hotel. Next day I was picked up by the same vehicle and brought to the centre.

After another futile day of rectification, the DGM extended his apologies and arranged for a service vehicle to drop me off at my home in Madanapalle (over 100 kms away). The driver drove back the two hours to Tirupathi after dropping me off. After another day’s of effort and after personally being checked by the DGM, my car was delivered by a driver to me at Madanapalle.

The car is running perfectly well. And the bill? 0.00!!

On this forum, I wish to place on record my deep sense of appreciation of Balaji Agencies and, in particular, the DGM, Mr Sivarama Krishnan for professionalism in the handling of my car and more importantly, for customer relations which was exemplary.

Mahindra gets many brickbats but this is one kudo worth giving.
Wing Commander Asirvadam (Veteran)

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by chetans

I am seeing blackish oil spilled on grill and the bonnet hook area. More oil spilled around the same spot but unable to get clear snapshot. I hope it's not a major issue.
Have scheduled servicing on 21st August.

Boy there also seems a to be large amount of oil on the floor below. Thats quite a spill. Considering it has spilled out from between the front grille & bumper - it seems the cooling fan has blown it outwards towards front.

Seems some plumbing of intercooler is kaput & leaking. I hope its just about that. Anything else related with actual engine will fall into "major" category.

Have you checked by keeping the bonnet open & running the engine? You might be able to find the source. Any rock or stones got flung towards you recently from a dumper in front etc?

Please don't drive the car as much as possible till the service.

[diwa]

Originally Posted by locusjag

Thanks for sharing your experiences! The Mahindra mechanics/engineers have so far compared the TUV with the XUV 500 and said to me that where the XUV 500 would fall apart upon rough use, the TUV 300 would only suffer from loose bolts. Only the TUV and the Scorpio are built by Mahindra for getting abused is what they told me. Good to know of the shell's toughness as well.

TUV 300 and Scorpio are ladder on frame which can take more abuses than XUV 500 which is monocoque.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by diwa

TUV 300 and Scorpio are ladder on frame which can take more abuses than XUV 500 which is monocoque.

Yes - absolutely true. But it was refreshing for me to hear from the horse's mouth as to what degree the TUV 300/Scorpio are really abuse friendly. To say that they are abuse-friendly is at a higher level; their level of detail was an eye-opener and I could totally relate to it. I abuse mine like anything over rough roads and in my scheduled service, I usually complain of minor noises. They usually tell me that a nut or bolt is loose here or there - and voila! They torque the loose bolts as required and the noises disappear I've never owned a vehicle like this before. I am amused by this pugnacious vehicle as long as I'm not bored by its highway manners.

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by locusjag

I abuse mine like anything over rough roads.

What is the Tyre pressure you maintain? I do not find the ride comfortable on bad roads at all. It is bone jarring in most instances and the body roll is significant too. I keep my pressure at 35psi.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by diyguy

What is the Tyre pressure you maintain? I do not find the ride comfortable on bad roads at all. It is bone jarring in most instances and the body roll is significant too. I keep my pressure at 35psi.

Isn't the recommended pressure 32 psi allround? Especially in this season with too many pot-holes & eroded roads - I'd suggest filling only 30 psi in all wheels. Its better to take a slight hit on the mileage to get softer ride. Too bumpy a ride all the time also has effect on the body, fitments & parts.

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Its better to take a slight hit on the mileage to get softer ride. Too bumpy a ride all the time also has effect on the body, fitments & parts.

At 32 or lower I have found the engine incapable of pulling and the pickup to be very poor. I have not been able to achieve a decent pace on the highways at 32. That is one reason I moved to 35.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by diyguy

At 32 or lower I have found the engine incapable of pulling and the pickup to be very poor. I have not been able to achieve a decent pace on the highways at 32. That is one reason I moved to 35.

Oh! What tyres are you using? Are they OEM stock or you have changed to some A/T specification?

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Oh! What tyres are you using?

Mine are oem stock and are of Ceat make. I've also noticed some wheel spin in some situations even with full load where it takes sometime for the tyres to bite or the engine rotations to be able to get the tires moving, not sure if this is due to the higher pressure. Noticed this on my last weekend trip to a hillstation near Chennai.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by diyguy

What is the Tyre pressure you maintain? I do not find the ride comfortable on bad roads at all. It is bone jarring in most instances and the body roll is significant too. I keep my pressure at 35psi.

I maintain 32 initially and then let it be for a couple of months at a time by when it could fall to 29. But even when the tyres are filled up at 32, the trick I use to tackle bad roads is to gun the engine over them. At low speeds, much like the Fortuner, the TUV indeed rolls and sways like you say. But at higher speeds, it takes the bad roads very comfortably. A qualifying statement to be made here is that there shouldn't be significant vertical protrusions on the bad roads; the TUV handles craters better than it does humps.

The jury is out on whether or not my wallet will bear the brunt of all this abuse in the long run; but why would I buy a Tank and not use it like one? So far there have only been loose bolts to report.

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by locusjag

I maintain 32 initially and then let it be for a couple of months at a time by when it could fall to 29..

I get my nitrogen topped up everytime I fill gas. It is never at 35 and it always goes down in a few weeks.
The steering column is something that I expect to take a hit due to the heavy chassis, wide wheels and underpowered engine. I have been driving a qualis for 19 years and had replaced oem tyres with a wider set and the steering became iffy after that. I have changed the steering column once in the qualis. It's just a feeling and will know in the long run.