[aadithsince1980]

About a month ago i sold my Esteem to a friend of mine who happens to be a complete novice when it comes to cars. This was his first car, so before i handed over the vehicle to him i patiently sat and told him how to go about regular checks/maintainance i.e. checking coolant levels, engine oil etc etc.

After he took delevery of the car, once in a while he used to call me for queries like how to top up the wiper wash fluid, when to use choke to start etc.

Now here's the best part, this morning he calls me (Sounding totally panicy over the phone) here's how our conversation went:

Friend - "Aadith, what is that meter that comes on the right side of the speedo meter with C&H written on it? (Referring to the temperature gauge)

Me- Hmmm...that's the temperature gauge (I couldnt help but think that my poor friend would have forgotten to top up coolant and would have seized the engine)

Friend- Daiii...it's stuck just above C da, why isin't it going up all the way till H. How to fill the temperature gauge fully

That was it...i burst out laughing and explained to him what optmum engine running temperature is and so on and so forth!

[anilisanil]

Originally Posted by pankaj09

i once went to a WASAN TATA showroom in Mumbai and inquired about the Indigo.

I asked the salesperson "How powerful the A/c is?" he replied saying "It is a 1.5 ton A/c"

There is nothing funny about this. Ton is an accepted unit of refrigeration and is not limited to just house hold units. A ton basically means it requires a ton of ice to meet the cooling demands of the room. And 1.5 Ton is an OK number for the car.

[aadithsince1980]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Back when i had E Zen with FFE, a friend of mine heard the car start up and said, "Diesel hai kya?"

This is happened many a time with me with my esteem with an FFE

[aadithsince1980]

Originally Posted by aadithsince1980

This is happened many a time with me with my esteem with an FFE

Oh I forgot to mention that I once overtook a pulsar guy on my RE 500 on the Banaswadi ORR. He caught up with me at the Hennur signal where i was enjoying the thump from the Megaphone exhaust i had fitted on my RE that very morning.

He promptly asks me "Is this a diesel Bullet?"

[manupshankar]

I've heard it as hyundai iio (read hundai aiyaiyo)

[swiftnfurious]

I have a friend who loves to drive & travel. So when we jammed up one day with a couple of more friends of mine, as usual, we took the discussions to automotives and Fortuner came up.

Friend:: You know, you should buy the lower variant of Fortuner - that's more VFM.

Me: Lower variant? Fortuner has only one fully loaded variant.

Friend: Cmon man, there is a 2.5L variant & a 3.0L top variant. I am talking about the 2.5L which costs 2L lesser.

Me: There could be a 2.5L variant abroad; not in India as far as I know.

Friend: Dude, don't you know?

I usually don't like to sound stubborn with my friends - so my reply was

Me: It's not there as far as I know.

Friend: Check the website man; you have all the details!

..And I QUIT !!

Originally Posted by carwatcher

Are they not contradicting their own logic as Corolla is expensive than Innova.

probably size takes the priority there! Then the trucks should be SUPER QUICK according to that logic!

[carwatcher]

Originally Posted by manupshankar

I've heard it as hyundai iio (read hundai aiyaiyo)

I was not fortunate enough as I've heard it as hyundai ILO (read ee lo).

[callvvijay]

Friend: Am looking out for a budget diesel car in the 4L-5L range. Any suggestions?
Me: Try out Beat D.
Friend: No. I don't want a 2-door car.
Me: No buddy. Its a 4-door car only.
Friend: C'mon dude. Only Beat petrol is a 4-door one. Beat D is a 2-door car only.
I really didn't understand as to how come he arrived at this conclusion. If at all he had missed the unique rear door-knob of Beat, he either should have got both right or both wrong
Me:

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Friend: Cmon man, there is a 2.5L variant & a 3.0L top variant. I am talking about the 2.5L which costs 2L lesser.

Your friend might be referring to variants of Ford Endy & would have confused those with Toyota fortuner.

[Mtv]

I told a friend I rev the car a little after a cold start, he replied: "don't rev the car! you'll wear out the tires faster!".

[Fuldagap]

Met a friend while coming home from work,he told me "bro Tata Nano customers are in for a new year gift. Tata is going to replace all the engines with a new one."
Shocked at the news and hardly believing i moved towards my apartment saying i was tired and will catch up later.
Later that night another friend pings me on Facebook and tells the same thing - engine to be replaced.
I google and soon find out that the starter motors were to be replaced.
Next morning i meet my friend again and i tell him that starter motor and not the engine is to be replaced. He smiles at me (sardonically, i must add) and says " dude it looks like you are really busy with work these days. Don't you read automobile magazines anymore. There they refer to a car's engine as MOTOR; and starter motor refers to the whole engine"

I burst out laughing, explained him the whole thing but am still wondering what logic the friend who pinged me on FB must be holding.

[raj_5004]

I was in Pune, my cousin stays there. He was looking to buy a new SUV in the 10-12 lakh bracket. I suggested him to have a look at the Safari & Scorpio. He was not interested in the Innova. He was looking for the year end discuonts & so he did not want to wait for the Merlin either. He had driven my Scorpio numerous times & so he knows everything about it. So we headed to the nearest TATA dealer. My cousin has requested me not to mention the name of the dealer as it was owned by his ex-collegue's dad!

As we entered the showroom, we see a Manza, Vista (in yellow, eek!), Nano & Aria. where is the safari?

Yes sir, how can I help you?
We are here to have a look at the safari.
Please have a seat sir.

We wait. We are waiting. We are still waiting...

burrp!
sorry, heavy lunch!

Now i am yawning with mouth wide open like a cheetah (XUV?!?!)

Finally, the 'mahaan' sales executive greets us.

hello sir, welcome to ******
hi, thank you for coming, i was looking for a sofa actually.
sorry sir...
heard that safari's rear seat is as comfortable as a sofa? err... we want to have a look at the safari? do you have one?
yes sir, it is parked outside.
okay, we want to have a look as well as a test drive.
why do you need a test drive sir?
what? why? dont customers generally ask for test drives in Pune?
they do... for other cars sir. for safari, you dont need 'test drives'!

there was a sarcasm in his voice when he said 'test drive'. I felt like giving him a big kick on his nano-like nose.

well, we would definetely need a test drive.

he gruffs, goes inside to fetch the keys and takes us outside to the car. we are taken directly to the test drive car. I sit in the driver's seat, my cousin in the passenger's seat & the SE on the rear seat. The car has run some 7000 kms.

How come this car has run only 7k kms?
i told you sir, safari does not need 'test drives'.

Now I am sure, if he does not stop his sarcasm, his nano nose will becomes indica nose today, in cherry red colour.

well, i know about the car. explain my cousin about the features. he is looking for a GX 4x2.
good decision sir... this car has this... that... then this... and most importantly, it is a 'safari' sir, you will be a VIP if you buy the Safari sir.
V-I-P? how?
Safari is a VIP vehicle sir.
ok, good. well, i was suggesting him the innova. it is a toyota.
arre noooooooooo! old guys buy innovas.
My friend, I have an innova & it is standing right there.
hmmmm, and sir, the safari even has ....

After he is finished, I again frown at him and -

see my innova there!

He picks up the phone (which is not ringing).

excuse me sir... hello, yes sir...
say my hi to the imaginary caller.

We are off for a test drive & I am driving.

Has TATA done something to the Safari? this car feels more resposnive than the earlier ones.
Sir, TATA follows a "upgrade pack" policy, they change their cars every 6 months.
WHAT?
yes sir.
please share the source of your information.
We work for them, so we know sir.
OK.
They should be improving on their after sales service though.
Our A.S.S. is the best sir. we even give free wash.
O-K-A-Y !!! How nice.
I meant that you should be customer friendly.
We are sir. We have service reminders.
WOW! really? how nice.

Test drive finished. We thank him, give our contact details, bid him adieu.

I am going in my "innova". see its there.

Frown.

[pankaj09]

Note from the Team-BHP Support : Please avoid typing with excessive dots.........like................this. Thanks

Just heard this at office (listening and typing).

A guy talking to 5 others and explaining the new features in cars. As per him:

Traction Control - all 4 wheels have independent shock absorbers, which means you sit AARAM Se and will not feel the jerks on potholes and bad roads.

Cruise Control - Put the car on this and it drives on its own. Will start stop and drive, all automatic. You just sit and enjoy

Then someone asked which cars have this, he said "german's bhai german's. They build cars like no one...they build traction control better that honda city. Germans cars with TC can drive over hills and mountains."

"The germans TC will make sure you can drive at 45 degree angle, that too on 2 wheels, hence during off roading a MERC will NOT PALTO (topple).It can climb a 80 degree incline"

[Blow Horn Ok]

A known fellow talking to my dad, after seeing me using the parking brakes in my car:

"You should get that thing removed. I have seen many people driving with parking brakes engaged and damaging the brakes, resulting in expensive repairs.. If that thing won't be there, there wouldn't be the risk" as if he wanted convey - Na rahega baans, na bajegi baansuri!

I was like

[throttleking]

forget about non-petrol heads, I was recently having a conversation with one of us (petrolhead), and I was taken aback when he told me that you can go to TATA service center and ask them to reduce the turning radius of your Safari