[Aroy]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Just saw a black Thar on the way home a few minutes ago.
There is NO DOUBT that it is a very goodlooking Jeep and a proper head turner.

But I still stand by all my nasty comments made in all the other posts about the Thar. About time someone shook up those complacent blokes back at M&M.

The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is going to launch in another week or so I believe.

Sadly this will be priced at 5 times more than a Mahindra Thar - 50 Lacs is what Im given to believe, whereas the Thar just about hangs around the 10 Lac mark.

As long as these import duties prevent the Foreign manufacturers from entering with their good offerings at reasonable prices, then this complacent, monopolistic, compromise driven behaviour will continue, from our Indian manufacturers for sure.

Really. Im so displeased at this.

It is not only Import duties. The wrangler starts around US$30,000 and ends beyond $45K. If the duties and taxes in India were similar to US, the Thar would be less than Rs.4L, that is $6,000 or so -> 5 times less than wrangler. So the Wrangler at Rs.50L on road is commensurate with the price structure.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Aroy

It is not only Import duties. The wrangler starts around US$30,000 and ends beyond $45K. If the duties and taxes in India were similar to US, the Thar would be less than Rs.4L, that is $6,000 or so -> 5 times less than wrangler. So the Wrangler at Rs.50L on road is commensurate with the price structure.

Hi Aroy
Long time!

Well, given the Wrangler US price, it comes to about 30 ish lacs or equivalent - this is a pretty fair price overall as a direct comparo. But with our duties and taxes etc this vehicle ends up being 50 lac plus in India which is quite frankly unaffordable unless one belongs to the super well off class. Nor is it worth such a price, in my opinion.

Ive said all this before and will say it again - the Skoda Yeti - which I bought in 2011, cost about 27000 GBP at the time in the UK for the same spec that I bought in India. (The GBP was at around 80 Rupees then.) It cost me approx 19-20L in India which was an eminently fair and equitable price.

In 2012 when it was launched in Australia the same spec cost around 42-45K AUD. The AUD was at about 54 Rupees then. Hence the price I paid for it in India was again in my estimation, eminently fair and equitable.

Now all Im saying is that if Skoda was able to manage it, then why on earth can't the other manufacturers manage it the same way and give us a fair and equitable price? If the Jeep Wrangler were indeed available at the 30-35 lac mark, yes, I would consider it for sure.

(Irritatingly now, the new Yeti is priced at close to 29.5 lacs on road in Bangalore - and it doesn't have all that much more compared to my 5 year old one! Even the Innova Crysta for the top spec is priced at about 30 lacs! Ridiculous! Same for the Endeavour which is near 35 lacs!)

As it happens, there are rumours about the arrival of the Jeep Renegade into India and that, which is amongst the cheapest Jeeps from the Jeep stable right now, might itself possibly be priced in the 30-35 lac range.

Yet, perforce, owing to the situation in India and our duty structures and sheer REALITY, this is possibly the one vehicle that ticks all my particular boxes and just may fall within my personal consideration set (including from a budgetary consideration point of view). However, I will only be interested in this, if there is the same top spec International Trail Rated version made available here at this price. Else, I will not even bother.

Now when one looks at the Thar, quite frankly it is horrendously overpriced at 10 odd lacs, for what it delivers. Like I said earlier, the old MM540 of 1987 was priced at 1.1 lacs and essentially the Thar is the same 30 year old thing except for the engine and of course, the Borg Warner 4WD!

Even the Gypsy at 8 odd lacs on road Bangalore, is quite terribly overpriced, considering that for all practical purposes, except for the engine and wider track, it is the same old Gypsy that landed in India 30 years ago and used to be priced at some 75000 Rupees!

I am seriously displeased and sad at being taken for a consistently bumpy ride by these god awful people in the manufacturing companies!

[Aroy]

Well the Inflation and Taxes have increased drastically over time. When I bought my first Maruti in 1991 its cost was 1.20 lacs on the road, without AC and around 15K more with AC. There were no other add on taxes. The rupee was Rs.20/dollar.

Today the scenario is quite different, The rupee is around 65 (3.25 times more) the road tax is between 5% and 15% and there are host of other small taxes. The Alto 800 is now around 3.3L (around 3 times more) OTR with AC and heater

So in effect what was 2.5L in 1990 would be 7.5L to 8L today plus the exorbitant road tax. In effect the prices are commensurate with the times.

Yes Jeep could have reduced the landed costs from $35K to $20K, as the dealer and maintenance costs are to be borne here and not in US, and that would reduce the Import Duties a lot. But as they say, pricing of goods is based on "What the Market can Bear", and Jeep definitely thinks that it can get away with it (As do the German Trio)

Once they face the market (or lack of it), they may change the pricing, but not before that.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Aroy

Well the Inflation and Taxes have increased drastically over time. When I bought my first Maruti in 1991 its cost was 1.20 lacs on the road, without AC and around 15K more with AC. There were no other add on taxes. The rupee was Rs.20/dollar.

Today the scenario is quite different, The rupee is around 65 (3.25 times more) the road tax is between 5% and 15% and there are host of other small taxes. The Alto 800 is now around 3.3L (around 3 times more) OTR with AC and heater

So in effect what was 2.5L in 1990 would be 7.5L to 8L today plus the exorbitant road tax. In effect the prices are commensurate with the times.

Yes Jeep could have reduced the landed costs from $35K to $20K, as the dealer and maintenance costs are to be borne here and not in US, and that would reduce the Import Duties a lot. But as they say, pricing of goods is based on "What the Market can Bear", and Jeep definitely thinks that it can get away with it (As do the German Trio)

Once they face the market (or lack of it), they may change the pricing, but not before that.

Think of the Mini Cooper S - it costs some 46-50 lacs in India for the fully loaded version. Second hand ones are available at about 29-32lacs!
The price for this car brand new in the UK or US doesn't come to more than Rs 18-20 lacs give or take for the top spec!
This is truly silly pricing and will only give low volumes and some level of aspirational cues, nothing else.
These vehicles will never become common people's vehicles in India like they are abroad.

It is true however that the purchasing power of the Rupee is very low now. Pricing at restaurants which one eats out at, are the same as what one would pay for a similar kind of meal in the UK or SingaporeAustralia or UAE or the US...

[bad_azz]

Hi All, I have a Dec 2015 thar that has run about 2500kms. The steering wheel shakes vertically and makes metallic noise on bad roads and feels loose. There is no noise on smooth roads. Is there a problem or it normal.

[abir.sharda]

Hi Guys,
So I think I have an issue in my Thar, whenever the road is a bit rough, the steering vibrates quite a lot. I don't recall it being so initially. Tyres and rims were changed 7000 kms ago. But this issue came up recently. Any insights on this.? The Thar is about 10 months old.
Thanks

[Dr_MNC_SK]

Originally Posted by bad_azz

Hi All, I have a Dec 2015 thar that has run about 2500kms. The steering wheel shakes vertically and makes metallic noise on bad roads and feels loose. There is no noise on smooth roads. Is there a problem or it normal.

Originally Posted by abir.sharda

Hi Guys,
So I think I have an issue in my Thar, whenever the road is a bit rough, the steering vibrates quite a lot. I don't recall it being so initially. Tyres and rims were changed 7000 kms ago. But this issue came up recently. Any insights on this.? The Thar is about 10 months old.
Thanks

In all likelihood both of you have loose steering link nuts. Bend over the front and see if the steering link rods are loose and if there is play. If yes tighten them up and see. Hope it sorts out with this.

[afc.wanderer]

My 2014 Thar has made the switch from Delhi to Mumbai with me, but not without some niggles. On the drive down from Delhi, the EGR valve got jammed (at ~32k km on the odo) around Pushkar resulting in a loss of turbo. Thankfully, nearby ASC had the part and was able to sort it out.

Having gotten into Mumbai in time for the monsoon, the leaky soft-top didn't help and rain keeps entering as droplets from the seams. As a result the insides smell really musty all the time. The rains have stopped now, but the smell still remains, and because of the mould there's a discoloration on the seats which refuses to go away despite scrubbing with soap-water.

Another niggle faced during the rains was the jamming of brakes for the first 10 minutes from standstill - the brakes would be squeaky and extra-tight even when pressed lightly. Turns out this had something to do with leaving the vehicle with hand-brake engaged overnight - not doing so seems to remove the problem. Wondering if there's a better fix for this, because I prefer hand-braking to leaving it on gear.

And just this morning, I woke up to discover that the lights had switched on of their own accord - when I checked, the light switch was off, and despite turning it on and off, the headlamps remained on. Finally toggled between high and low beam a few times and managed to switch it off. Am putting it down to a loose contact/moisture between points (checked to see if rats had fouled the wiring, but it doesnt seem so), and thanking my stars I discovered it before the battery drained out.

So I'm looking for some reco's. I stay and work between Bandra and Santacruz so will prefer nearby places, but am willing to travel further if those options are clearly better.

1) Need a good place for interior + exterior cleaning, and probably anti-rust undercarriage coating. Have noticed a 3M Car Care center at the end of Linking Road - anyone used this place and have a favorable opinion? Any others?

2) What's a good ASC for the Thar out here? 40k service is coming up...
Also, is there a reliable non-ASC mechanic around? Would like to have one handy for quick in-and-outs when faced with minor problems.

Hoping to hear from the community!

Thanks in advance.

[desertfox]

Originally Posted by abir.sharda

Hi Guys,
So I think I have an issue in my Thar, whenever the road is a bit rough, the steering vibrates quite a lot. I don't recall it being so initially. Tyres and rims were changed 7000 kms ago. But this issue came up recently. Any insights on this.? The Thar is about 10 months old.
Thanks

Best done at an ASC for the roadside mechanics have little experience with Thar. The problem is propably the tie rod end. If not then the shims in the wheel. Get a senior mechanic from Mahindra ASC to test drive and pin point the exact problem.

[Abster]

Any of you have an idea if the new 2016 Thar center console will fit the older pre facelift
Thar? 2011 model
Been looking at after market consoles but not really happy with the quality.
The only problem is the new console is beige in color while the older Dash is black.But I can change the color to black.
Want to try out this mod if someone can confirm if it's a direct fit?
Also what about the steering wheel of the new model? Is that a direct replacement or modifications required?
Am seeing a lot of sellers having the new shape steering wheel in black color.

Can someone please throw some light on this?

[crdi]

The stock wheel spanner of the thar is not great and the quality of the wheel nuts too aren't so much. The combination would get the wheel nut to slip. Happened twice with me. Fortunately on both the occasions the tyre shop fellas were able to wriggle the nut out without cutting the bolt. They were mentioning about an xuv which had a slipping wheel nut, on to which an extra metal bit had to be welded on to get it out, as the nut located deeper in the alloys are not accessible for simpler manipulation. It will be better to get a quality wrench and bit, especially if you have alloy wheels.

[Dr_MNC_SK]

Hello fellow Thar Owners,

Could somebody actually tell me the coolant consumption figures for the Crde Thar. My one is so thirsty. Tried looking for a leak and pasted all the hose clamps where it looked like a potential leakage and also changed the radiator cap. Still it consumes half of the reservior tank (say 300 ml) in a 2-300 kms trip here in the hills with moderate inclines.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Dr_MNC_SK

Still it consumes half of the reservior tank (say 300 ml) in a 2-300 kms trip here in the hills with moderate inclines.

Do you see coolant spill at the reservoir tank cap? What i have observed is when it comes back from service, first two three times engine heats up leak is found at the plastic cap and then it stabilizes. So when cold that tank would be half filled and i have left it at that, even with the long round trip from Banaglore to Kerala the level remains in tact.

My theory is that tank is poorly designed and cant keep the expanded coolant levels within it and spills, half mark is where it can keep things under control and one should top up only till that level.

Is this the same phenomenon that is happening with your vehicle?

[Dr_MNC_SK]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Do you see coolant spill at the reservoir tank cap? What i have observed is when it comes back from service, first two three times engine heats up leak is found at the plastic cap and then it stabilizes. So when cold that tank would be half filled and i have left it at that, even with the long round trip from Banaglore to Kerala the level remains in tact.

My theory is that tank is poorly designed and cant keep the expanded coolant levels within it and spills, half mark is where it can keep things under control and one should top up only till that level.

Is this the same phenomenon that is happening with your vehicle?

Yes, there seems to be some signs of spillage in the cap, and i used to think its when I pour its me spilling it. Yes but even when i keep it half it eats up and becomes dry abeit a little slowly, the first upper half till the max limit (as marked) finishes faster then the lower one so your hypothesis could be true.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Dr_MNC_SK

the first upper half till the max limit (as marked) finishes faster then the lower one so your hypothesis could be true.

Ok good to know that it might be correct, since you drive in the hills engine heating and expansion would be more. Solution would be to try a better and larger degassing tank from another vehicle.