Team-BHP - Bringing home the Mahindra Scorpio LX. EDIT : Scorpio finds a new home!

Quote:

Originally Posted by revintup (Post 2449472)

I am going for a scorpio lx very soon and have the following queries

1.How much would the Aux Hella Ralley lights cost and are they legal?

2.Will installing a reverse sensor,remote locking and music system from a non authorised shop void the warranty?

3.Will there be a difference in cost/quality if i get the bumpers painted at a non ASC?

4.Can i get front facing 3rd row seats in lx(am willing to pay for it)?

5.Are the fog lamps any cheaper outside mahindra?I would be going for fogs solely for the looks and not for the utility.

I would like to be a bit educated before i visit the showroom for booking.SLE is out of my budget so pls dont advice for it though it makes sense.:)

Hi revinitup! most of your queries have been answered by Benny.
2. Fitting a music system does not void the warranty. I got my Balupunkt at the Tata AS & SC.Most Tata dealers are authorised dealers for Blaupunkt. Whereas, Mahindra does not have links with any reputed ICE maker. The OE ICE on Mahindras are Nippon made.
Also I feel a reverse sensor or a remote locking does not nullify the warranty but these two facts may please be verified from the Mahindra AS&SC.These facts are also stated in the manual provided but I am too lazy to open it right now.:eek:
3.There will be a difference in cost sure if bumpers etc are painted outside but the AS&SC people have a dust free paint booth and its wiser to spend a little bit more to get nearly the same finish and even the shade matching which is a tricky job these days.
4.Mahindra treats LX buyers like cattleherds :Frustrati who carry either seven or nine persons. The third row is for the higher versions.I found the seven seater with the folding seats (rearmost)(1+1) having a better leg space for the second row. The nine seater has 2+2 folding seats beyond the second row, which reduces the second row leg space.
Coming to premium pampering, I was ready to pay for ABS but these honchos at M&M say safety comes with only the premium versions.
5. The fog lamps are of a shape that fits the slots in the bumper meant to house these. They are of Lumax make and may be also available with a Lumax dealer.However, its preferable to get these fitted at the AS & SC as a dummy switch is removed and the fog lamp switch is fitted therein.I was wanting the left stalk with the OE fog lamp switch and wiper controls. But this is rarely available and the whole unit including the right stalk (headlight parking light control) has to be changed.This costs a bomb. And the LX stalks are rendered "bekaar". So I preferred a switch fitting the dummy switch space that cost me somewhere around Rs 100/-.
In fact, last year my left OE headlamp and fog lamp contracted moisture during monsoon within the sealbeam. The mositure found a permanent address here bothering me. Both were of Lumax make. The dealer was kind enough to replace both free of cost as the two year warranty was still on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by benbsb29 (Post 2450277)

The Scorpio LX comes with the 2.2 MHawk engine. I do not think the same comes on the Bolero ZLX. The ZLX would come with the M2DiCR engine, the review of which i had posted on this link => M2DiCR

GrayBerry Mahindra uses this MHawk engine on nothing other than the Scorpio, not even the Xylo which uses the older 2.6 L CRDe now rebored.

Quote:

Originally Posted by benbsb29 (Post 2450277)

Thanks Shankar! I had initially planned on the green like your Scorp, but Anjaan's thread converted me to the mist silver as my choice.

I had referred Anjaan's thread quite a few times, and even had the pics downloaded for reference when finalizing the color. Painting the bumpers is a definite action item, but a little later.

Thanks to you Shankar and Benny for the reference.

Quote:

Originally Posted by benbsb29 (Post 2450277)

Thanks Anjaan. I had referred your thread as well as saved your Scorp pics for reference when i had decided on the LX and color. You would also remember i had asked you for more pics after the bumper painting.

A tip on the reverse gear i had received from the Mahindra service personnel who had come home to explain about the vehicle :
Depress the clutch, and push the gear to the extreme right to engage reverse. Hold it there for a moment, before pushing downwards and it wont complain.

I feel the same about the horn button. My Ikon's horn had a greater area over which it could be depressed, however on the Scorp you need to be sure about where you press. Makes it difficult with the steering turned.

I haven't felt the A Pillar to be a bother so far. I explicitly check if there are vehicles behind before reversing. A reverse sensor would be helpful, but not mandatory for me.

Yes Benny, I had sent you the pictures recently.Thanks for the reverse gear tips which I will follow.
There is a perceptible turbo lag at 1500-1700 RPM when the SUV is new initially, but after the running in period this fades away and the beast is ready for the kill! i am sure you must be sensing the lag.
Happy Driving!

Quote:

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007 (Post 2450789)

Hi revinitup! most of your queries have been answered by Benny.
2. Fitting a music system does not void the warranty. I got my Balupunkt at the Tata AS & SC.Most Tata dealers are authorised dealers for Blaupunkt. Whereas, Mahindra does not have links with any reputed ICE maker. The OE ICE on Mahindras are Nippon made.
Also I feel a reverse sensor or a remote locking does not nullify the warranty but these two facts may please be verified from the Mahindra AS&SC.These facts are also stated in the manual provided but I am too lazy to open it right now.:eek:
3.There will be a difference in cost sure if bumpers etc are painted outside but the AS&SC people have a dust free paint booth and its wiser to spend a little bit more to get nearly the same finish and even the shade matching which is a tricky job these days.
4.Mahindra treats LX buyers like cattleherds :Frustrati who carry either seven or nine persons. The third row is for the higher versions.I found the seven seater with the folding seats (rearmost)(1+1) having a better leg space for the second row. The nine seater has 2+2 folding seats beyond the second row, which reduces the second row leg space.
Coming to premium pampering, I was ready to pay for ABS but these honchos at M&M say safety comes with only the premium versions.
5. The fog lamps are of a shape that fits the slots in the bumper meant to house these. They are of Lumax make and may be also available with a Lumax dealer.However, its preferable to get these fitted at the AS & SC as a dummy switch is removed and the fog lamp switch is fitted therein.I
was wanting the left stalk with the OE fog lamp switch and wiper controls. But this is rarely available and the whole unit including the right stalk (headlight parking light control) has to be changed.This costs a bomb. And the LX stalks are rendered "bekaar". So I preferred a switch fitting the dummy switch space that cost me somewhere around Rs 100/-.
In fact, last year my left OE headlamp and fog lamp contracted moisture during monsoon within the sealbeam. The mositure found a permanent address here bothering me. Both were of Lumax make. The dealer was kind enough to replace both free of cost as the two year warranty was still on.

Thanks Anjan for the detailed reply.I have been following your thread and was initially inclined to silver colour but now thinking of rocky beige.

Still confused whether to paint the bumpers,the black coloured bumpers on rocky beige gives the beast a butch 'dont mess with me' look while painting the bumpers give it a classier look.

Anyway searching threads for rocky beige painted and unpainted bumpers.Guys any suggestion towards such posts?

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 2450706)

Congrats on the workhorse, Benny! I'm a huge fan of this engine; torquey, driveable in the city and respectably fuel efficient too. The Scorp, as has been proven, can also withstand a lot of abuse. Only wish Mahindra had packaged the interiors better in terms of space.

Drive safe and wish you thousands of kms of happy cruising.

Thanks Rush! I agree with you on the interior space part. For the dimensions on the outside, you wonder at times where it disappeared on the inside. However, that aside, the compact dimensions make for easy maneuverability within the city. I now use this as my everyday vehicle and don't find it inconvenient as such to take around. U-turns too don't require too much of planning.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vid6639 (Post 2450717)

Congrats Benny looking good.

I'm not sure your planning on upgrading to alloys soon but if your not then why not paint the rims black? Right now silver rims with the plastic wheel caps is not looking good at all. Black rims will make the wheel caps closely resemble alloys.

I agree, Vid. But don't think i would bother too much about painting them black. :D Alloys are certainly not an option as of now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller (Post 2450731)

The power window switches are a bother in the initial stages, but after a while, you would realize that your right hand is ALWAYS on the steering wheel, and the left hand does the work of gear shifting as well as operating the window winder switches. Tollgate payments made easier actually!

And as to the headlamps, I would suggest you switch to the regulation Philips Xtreme Power +80% or Osram Nightbreaker bulbs, and enjoy night driving as much as during the day.

Thanks SS-T. I have now gotten used to their placement, just that after 5 years of using the Ikon, as well as other vehicles, one tends to look for them on the doorpads by default.

I shall try out the headlamps upgrade.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mohandas (Post 2450768)

Hi BenB:
Congrats for your new ride. Just wanted to know one thing - what makes you buy a Scorpio but not a Safari?

Thanks mohandas. As much as i like the looks of the Safari and also appreciate the extra features it provides on the version i am considering, i didnt consider it for the following reasons :

Scorpio is easier to take around the city, as it would be my daily drive.
For my family, i really didn't need all the space inside. I don't expect to retain the vehicle that long as to enable to family to grow to fill that space. :D
Better resale value on the Scorpio. Even when buying my Ikon, i was out to check out on used Scorpios. The prices it commanded baffled me. Since this is on a lease plan, resale would be important. Also, the perceptible dismal resale value on my Ikon has mandated going in for a new vehicle with better resale value.
Seemingly better reliability of the Scorp. My colleague who has a Safari EX on the company lease plan for close to 3 years now has had multiple replacements on his vehicle. IMHO, it doesn't augur too well for the reliability factor. I am not saying the Scorpio is trouble free, but like i mentioned in the previous point, the market has a different opinion.
The most important factor in the decision would also have to be the ex-showroom price of the Safari LX over the Scorp LX. The Safari LX is much more expensive than the Scorp LX. When considering my eligibility, this too becomes important.

Hope that answers my thought process.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vigsom (Post 2450773)

That's surprising ; I thought Scorpio and Innova were class leaders in this aspect

Don't know about the Innova, but my experiences with the Scorp so far seems otherwise. No wonder many go about with the highbeams on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007 (Post 2450789)

5. The fog lamps are of a shape that fits the slots in the bumper meant to house these. They are of Lumax make and may be also available with a Lumax dealer.However, its preferable to get these fitted at the AS & SC as a dummy switch is removed and the fog lamp switch is fitted therein.I was wanting the left stalk with the OE fog lamp switch and wiper controls. But this is rarely available and the whole unit including the right stalk (headlight parking light control) has to be changed.This costs a bomb. And the LX stalks are rendered "bekaar". So I preferred a switch fitting the dummy switch space that cost me somewhere around Rs 100/-.

In my case, they provided a seperate switch for the fog lamps below the steering. A bit inconvenient in terms of placement, but i saw it only after it was installed.

I also wanted to check with you if the cabin light comes on when the rear doors are opened. On my Scorpio, it does NOT! Cost cutting? On my friend's Scorpio SLE, the rear cabin light comes on when the rear doors are opened.

Quote:

Originally Posted by revintup (Post 2450817)

Still confused whether to paint the bumpers,the black coloured bumpers on rocky beige gives the beast a butch 'dont mess with me' look while painting the bumpers give it a classier look.

Anyway searching threads for rocky beige painted and unpainted bumpers.Guys any suggestion towards such posts?

I have not seen a Rocky Beige with the bumpers painted on the net. Saw one here in Bangalore on the roads, but it was in the opposite direction, and coiuldnt click a pic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by snaronikar (Post 2450819)

Congrats Benny on your new ride. Colour looks good. BTW, can you inform me below..

1) On Road price.
2) Waiting period.
3) Lease period your company have opted and EMI your co. is paying for the vehicle.

I'm planning to go in for this vehicle in near feature (upgrade of course) as it would be company leased on my case also.

Thanks snaronikar.
The On Road price for the LX would be apprx INR 9.8 lakhs.
The waiting period varies, and in my case was about a month. It was actually much more, but i escalated to customer care and was able to get a slightly early delivery.

Lease period details i shall PM sometime.

Congrats and welcome to the club Benny :).Here's me wishing you many miles of happy driving with the Mhawk.

Quote:

Originally Posted by benbsb29 (Post 2448851)

The Bad :
Glovebox lid requries a bang to shut it. Feels awful on a brand new vehicle.

Its the same in the SLE also, that thing is a little primitive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by benbsb29 (Post 2448851)

Poor illumination from the headlights + fog lamps.

Upgrade to a 130/100's or even 100/90's , it will serve you well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by revintup (Post 2449472)

1 - Depends on what model you are looking at. The Rallye 3003 will set you back by 6k plus and the 4000's will cost you atleast 9k's.
2 - Nope's doesnt void the warranty as such and you can get it installed from any place.
3 - Cost definitely yes, quality your eyes is the best judge. As long as the 3rd party workshop is good at paint jobs( preferably have a paint booth) it shouldn't be a matter of concern.
4 - Unlikely AFAIK.
5- Once again is the OEM fogs that you are talking about ? If not I think point one should answer your question.

I still would conjure that you take a look at the SLE in-terms of the fit and quality of plastics.

OT : On a lighter note, how does the scorpio respond to the throttle when you wear the lungi and drive in bumber to bumber city traffic :D ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjstyles69 (Post 2451265)

Its the same in the SLE also, that thing is a little primitive.

This behavior is common across variants. Seen it on EX, LX and SLE. Not sure about the VLX, though. Looks like an issue with the mould.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2500cc (Post 2451322)

Also, which tires did you get ? are you sticking to the stock ones ?

Rajesh, thanks for the wishes. My Scorp came with the Apollo Hakwz A/T tyres, which are definitely a better bet than the JKs they used to come with earlier. My friend got JKs on his SLE last November, despite strongly requesting for something else.

I dont plan on changing them for the time being.. don't see a reason to do so as of now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjstyles69 (Post 2451265)

Upgrade to a 130/100's or even 100/90's , it will serve you well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2500cc (Post 2451322)

As you mentioned, yes the stock headlights are poor for night drives, especially with morons who drive with high beams. So I got mine changed to 130/110 Philips with Hella wiring it.

I guess that would explain the case of Scorpios lighting up the highway, as someone had asked earlier. In stock form, they aren't that effective.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller (Post 2451353)

It would not be a good idea to switch to higher wattage headlamp bulbs for the following reasons:

The higher current would burn out the plastic connector - may be solved by replacing with a ceramic connector;
The increased heat from the higher wattage bulbs will burn out/darken the reflectors over a short period of time, negating the gains from a brighter bulb;
MV Act says it's illegal to use bulbs with wattage higher than 55/60W. Do we want to consciously break a law?

Sorry Benny, Riju, 2500cc - that's just my take on the issue! But then we are going :OT on Benny's ownership thread.

Thanks for the discussion on this topic, guys. Helped me to realize i wasnt the only one who felt the stock setup inadequate. As such, i dont indulge in a lot of night drives, but even within the city i would prefer better lighting than what i have currently.

Will make a decision based on the feedback received.