[gopa99]

Originally Posted by dhrubojyoti

So, here comes the question of the year on Gurkha BS6.2: The DPF Issue!

I somehow wondered, am I the lucky one not to face the DPF issue in my nine months of ownership, where the digital media is flooded with unhappy souls? And eventually I would also be stuck somewhere with this demon? The truth got unfolded in a dramatic way!

Thanks everyone for your patience!

While it’s a good effort from the author to investigate the depth of the issue within one OEM platform or engine class, generalising it among different OEMs might sound a bit emotional. As an exhaust design engineer with multiple OEMs in India I can only say the hardware used for the filter, it’s wall thickness, pore sizes, material of construction and regeneration programming and protocol and more; all contributes to the user experience. It will be interesting to see how the Owners of the Korean cousins do on a similar poll on their DPF experience. But threads like yours add a lot of value to the OEM as constructive feedback as well.

[M.M.9191]

Had a similar issue with my Thar, however after repairs things are fine.

[Pradzz]

Originally Posted by gopa99

As an exhaust design engineer with multiple OEMs in India

While I know Exhaust Design Engineers obviously exist, this is the first time I am interacting with one. If you don't mind me asking, would it be possible to point out, design-wise, what is the most (or more) common thing causing some manufacturer's vehicles to have DEF issues compared to others? In congested cities DEF equipped vehicles tend to clog, but the frequency at which it happens varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Since you work with different manufacturers (hoping you work with diesels too), is it possible to point what some manufacturers may be doing better compared to others?

[Zezé]

Originally Posted by dhrubojyoti

So, here comes the question of the year on Gurkha BS6.2: The DPF Issue!

..............I mentioned earlier, that I shifted from driving a BS4 diesel 2.2L for around a decade, I shifted to BS6.2 Gurkha. I haven't taken any special precautions or changed my driving style to have a happy experience with it. If someone is still facing DPF issues with Gurkha BS6.2, he/she would surely face the same with other BS6+ diesel vehicles too.

Thanks everyone for your patience!

Thank you for taking time to try to address the DPF issue that frequently gets highlighted on social media wrt the Gurkha. I am sure that your post will reassure some potential buyers of the vehicle who are sitting on the fence because of this issue. Especially, because you have used the Gurkha BS6.2 very extensively in adverse conditions.

Originally Posted by gopa99

..... As an exhaust design engineer with multiple OEMs in India I can only say the hardware used for the filter, it’s wall thickness, pore sizes, material of construction and regeneration programming and protocol and more; all contributes to the user experience.............

As you are an engineer working on exhaust design, I too am looking forward to your sharing your experience working on different vehicles, as already requested by a fellow BHPian.

[nozzlering]

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/.../119600824.cms
Now thats something to brag about!!!

[dhrubojyoti]

Weekend Sandakphu and Thakum valley

On 1st May afternoon, wifey told me that there was unusual snowfall in Sandakphu that day. Also, it might be the last couple of weeks of the Rhododendron season this year. There was no obvious question whether we can go there now or not, but silently this means the same.

I had no possibility of taking leaves from my weekday job then, so we are left with only a weekend plan. We started by Friday evening, made the Bhansar from Nepal, paid the Nepal road tax and headed towards Sandakphu. I am not writing any travelogue here, there are many travelogues in T-BHP on Sandakphu drive and the track conditions, both through India route and Nepal route. I may say about how the Gurkha performed there.

Because of very recent snowfall and intermittent rains, the track became an even more fun ground for Gurkha. I didn't want any unnecessary beating to the suspension, hence I kept on climbing at a very slow pace. Kalpokhri was fully covered in dense fog and the chance of witnessing the sleeping buddha from Sandakphu top seemed very thin. However, Rhododendrons didn't disappoint us. There were hundreds of blossom filled trees of many colours! Gurkha not only tackled these sections with ease, but also allowed us to stop at any incline for the photo capturing and then again move without rolling back or wheel spin. Watching the ultra slim track, ruts and gravel, my 10 year old daughter asked me, whether deflating the tyres would help us tackling the track comfortably. She has been traveling with us everywhere we go and must have heard us discussing similar things earlier. That's one of the byproducts of having an adventure vehicle.

Our plan was to return the next day, but we fell in love with this place and wanted to try the Phalut region too. The approach road was looking quite friendly and we started at 2H. Just after 50 meters, I shifted to 4H, and after another 50 meters, I shifted to 4L 2nd gear for a comfortable drive without much of the usage of the clutch. Few sections and switchbacks demanded 4L 1st gear and locking rear differential and I obliged. The engine grunt from the snorkel was ecstatic! The drive to this region was even more fulfilling and picturesque! There were riots of colours everywhere! I felt that Thakum valley is very little explored and discussed.

In spite of being such a large vehicle, surprisingly Gurkha has a very good turning radius. Most of the notorious switchbacks with steep gradient and undulation were covered by single point turn. I am a very ordinary driver with an ultra defensive approach all the time, but Gurkha has masked up all my driving shortcomings and limitations with its capabilities.

I am sure, there would be questions on the famous DPF issue of the BS6+ engine, hence thought of sharing the experience beforehand. I was mentally prepared for witnessing the manual regeneration alarm for the first time in this region as I had been crawling up to 12K feet for hours in the lowest possible gear at less than 15kmph speed (80% being less than 10kmph). But it disappointed me this time too. I don't have any logic or explanation of why it didn't come up, but that's how it was. The DEF/urea doser went mad though at this altitude + temperature + crawling drive for hours. It threw up DEF dosing error, EDC and the yellow check engine light. The very strong smell of urea didn't leave us on the second day. The EDC and DEF dosing error indicator also went away after a while but kept on buzzing intermittently (after every 30-60 minutes) However, the engine response was absolutely top notch. I took the chance because of that to let it be and drive back to tar road the next morning and all the error codes disappeared on their own. Even after being a BS6+ vehicle, Gurkha is still very simple and mostly mechanical piece of engineering.

We drove back and stopped for breakfast at Lepchajagat (very close to Ghoom railway station). The shop owner was very excited after seeing the Gurkha. He said that his father had a 1955 Land Rover which they had to sell at 35K back in 90 and he couldn't forget the joy of driving it. He was affectionately patting the snorkel of Gurkha and was saying, such beautiful vehicles are not made these days.

Signing off with a few pictures, as always..

[Zezé]

Originally Posted by dhrubojyoti

[h3] ..............

In spite of being such a large vehicle, surprisingly Gurkha has a very good turning radius. Most of the notorious switchbacks with steep gradient and undulation were covered by single point turn. I am a very ordinary driver with an ultra defensive approach all the time, but Gurkha has masked up all my driving shortcomings and limitations with its capabilities.

I am sure, there would be questions on the famous DPF issue of the BS6+ engine, hence thought of sharing the experience beforehand. I was mentally prepared for witnessing the manual regeneration alarm for the first time in this region as I had been crawling up to 12K feet for hours in the lowest possible gear at less than 15kmph speed (80% being less than 10kmph). But it disappointed me this time too. I don't have any logic or explanation of why it didn't come up, but that's how it was. The DEF/urea doser went mad though at this altitude + temperature + crawling drive for hours. It threw up DEF dosing error, EDC and the yellow check engine light. The very strong smell of urea didn't leave us on the second day. The EDC and DEF dosing error indicator also went away after a while but kept on buzzing intermittently (after every 30-60 minutes) However, the engine response was absolutely top notch. I took the chance because of that to let it be and drive back to tar road the next morning and all the error codes disappeared on their own. Even after being a BS6+ vehicle, Gurkha is still very simple and mostly mechanical piece of engineering.

.........

Thank you for the lovely pictures taken on your recent trip. More importantly, your comments on the handling of the Gurkha in adverse conditions. And in particular the famous DPF issue that is a major apprehension of many potential buyers of the Gurkha.

Looking forward to more coverage of your trips in the Gurkha.

[Mile_Breaker]

Great pics and a very subdued TL of Sandakphu ! Will be meeting your already famous Gurkha for the first time over this weekend in our overnighter.

[dhrubojyoti]

Originally Posted by Mile_Breaker

Great pics and a very subdued TL of Sandakphu ! Will be meeting your already famous Gurkha for the first time over this weekend in our overnighter.

Thanks dada! Eagerly waiting to meet you and all the gurus for the first time; whose travelogues, journey stories, experiences have inspired me for decades!

[Needforspeed004]

Very beautiful pictures from you trip. This is the kind of first hand information and enjoyable reading you get from Team-BHP members.

I have been following Gurkha for sometime now as I plan to buy a off roader soon and when you can get insights like this it gives you a lot of confidence in buying a unique product like Gurkha. Thank you.

[Neversaygbye]

Originally Posted by dhrubojyoti

I am not writing any travelogue here, there are many travelogues in T-BHP on Sandakphu drive and the track conditions, both through India route and Nepal route. I may say about how the Gurkha performed there.

While there may be umpteen Sandakphu travelogues, I doubt that any of them feature a Gurkha. Your TL left me asking for more. Amazing pics to go with a very concise description of how the car behaved. Your review clearly shows how much you love your car. Glad to see that DPF issues were not a deal breaker despite the CEL - DPF clogging is always something to worry about in these conditions. In fact I was in Sikkim recently and one thing that struck me was the comparatively less number of new Mahindras there. We see a lot of XUV700s, Thars and ScorpioNs everywhere but I counted a total of 3 ScorpioNs, 2 XUV700s and 1 3door Thar during the entire trip. I guess Mahindra's well known DPF clogging issues could have a role to play there.

It's really great how you put the Gurkha to full use and I'm looking forward to seeing you and your beast in person in our meet tomorrow.

[swiftnfurious]

Thank You ! Couple of those pics are wallpaper material!

[Born2Win]

Great pics. Very nicely mentioned

[dhrubojyoti]

Originally Posted by Neversaygbye

It's really great how you put the Gurkha to full use and I'm looking forward to seeing you and your beast in person in our meet tomorrow.

Eagerly waiting for the meet, dada!

Indeed, Gurkha has provided me the freedom of more unplanned trips at any season. After I have got Gurkha, all my travels were unplanned/very short planned. It's just maching of schedules of the family members, pack and leave. Rest will be managed en route.