[sachinayak]

Originally Posted by amit1234singla

These are usually changed if there is noise from suspension when going over speed breakers at slow speed especially in first few km's of everyday drive. Anti roll bar bushes become hard and are the culprits here. This was done in another bhpian's car at first service. Please see the link below.

Thanks for the information.

Originally Posted by amit1234singla

I think ARB Bearing Block costs less than rs.100, so this is actually a very minor repair. If possible, can you please post the part # of ARB Bearing Block from the invoice? [/url]

ARB BEARING BLOCK - Part No 287432807702 - Qty 2 - Rate 17.62
FORNT ANTI ROLL TORSION BAR - REMOVE AND INSTALL - Part No 322030

[Sridhar K]

Sachinayak

Congrats and welcome to the Manza club. Sharing a few experiences of mine to see if it can help you

1) As for the diesel clatter, it reduced a lot with me switching to BP diesel. I have repeatedly experimented with BP, IOC and HP from their best bunks in Chennai and found the BP & Reliance diesel in Chennai to be smoothest/less noiciest for QJD. You may wish to try from the best BP, HP and IOC bunks and see which is better.

2) The 3M/Wurths/Waxoyl underbody coating reduces the road/tyre noice to a great deal as seen with the 3M coating on vehicle. The sound deading pads from Wurths is supposed to reduce the sheet metal noice but I have not sure whether it will help reduce the engine noise.

3) Also found the ride improve over a period of time in my vehicle (infact getting softer). If you are driving alone or with just 1 co passenger, found the best ride quality at 30 psi and 33 the best for fully loaded vehicle.

4) You may just have to get used to shifting gears at 2000-2200 rpm so that the car is always above 1500 rpm This makes the driveability of the car much better.

5) The hard clutch is an issue

6) Expect Tata to change some thing or the other as part of warranty in every service. That is why I take the car for all free services to a main dealer and not just every TASS as they alone can process warranty claim. From the reading on this forum, Concorde Dairy circle seems to be the better of the TASS in Bangalore

[sachinayak]

Thanks Mr. Sridhar for your inputs.

Originally Posted by Sridhar K

As for the diesel clatter, it reduced a lot with me switching to BP diesel.

I first tanked up at one of the most reputed BP dealers in BLR. Will experiment as you suggested. My first tankfull returned a 14.2kmpl average (on MID as well as actual).

Originally Posted by Sridhar K

2) The 3M/Wurths/Waxoyl underbody coating reduces the road/tyre noice to a great deal as seen with the 3M coating on vehicle. The sound deading pads from Wurths is supposed to reduce the sheet metal noice but I have not sure whether it will help reduce the engine noise.

Its the engine noise and not road noise that bothers me. My current solution is to crank up the music a tad louder

Originally Posted by Sridhar K

Also found the ride improve over a period of time in my vehicle (infact getting softer).

Am experiencing the same. Could be just that i am getting used to it. I think there are 3 factors contributing to this

1. The car was not used for close to 8-10 months. Could this cause the tyres/rubber to get harder?

2. My previous car had GoodYear Assurance Tyres. Probably the only tyres to have Kevlar from Dupont (besides Michelin Primacy LC). That made my previous ride very comfortable. In comparison the stock tyres of the Manza do not match up in terms of comfort.

3. BLR roads have deteriorated beyond what meets the eye. Its only when i drove my Santro over the same patch of road (where I previously drove the Manza and then complained) did i realize how bad it felt on the Santro. Roads are definitely to blame as well.

Originally Posted by Sridhar K

4) You may just have to get used to shifting gears at 2000-2200 rpm so that the car is always above 1500 rpm This makes the driveability of the car much better.

Am getting slowly but surely used to this. I used to shift at 2000 rpm (with my previous car as well) and now am shifting at 2300-2400rpm. Seems to help with the driveability and fuel efficiency.

Originally Posted by Sridhar K

Concorde Dairy circle seems to be the better of the TASS in Bangalore

Have heard the same. Let's hope they do not disappoint when time actually comes to interact with them.



Now that i have spent a decent amount of time getting used to the car, it is now used by my wife as her daily ride to office and she is definitely enjoying the space and comfort. "Touchwood" with no specific niggles/rattles currently, this is serving our requirement perfectly. With that, nothing else matters.

[sachinayak]

2 Month Update
------------------------------------------------------------------

The car has been serving us well. Does its daily duty on getting my wife/kid to office/daycare comfortably and back. We also did a trip to Kabini (with my Brother driving the Manza and me on the Santro). On the NICE road, my brother pushed it to 140kmph for a short distance and said it behaved very well. Said no one in the car was aware of the speed till someone saw the speedo and promptly asked him to slow down (we are a family of sedate drivers, you see). Had a small incident on the return leg, when the vehicle in front of my brother panic braked, my bro responded but a two wheeler behind could not brake on time. Resulted in a slight mishap and a few bruises (thankfully only bruises) for the bike rider. The Manza escaped with a bruised wheelcap and a small dent on the rear door :(

Have another long drive coming up later this month (BLR - Ponda,Goa - Kumta - BLR). Will update the thread post this trip.



Not so critical issues observed so far
-----------------------------------------------
1. Fuel efficiency (@14kmpl) is reasonably though slightly lower than I initially expected. I could attribute this to my driver more than the car itself.

2. AC cooling does not seem very effective. This does not matter to us in BLR, but if i had to buy this in Bombay, would think twice.

3. The internal plastic cladding on the C-pillar has got loose. Need to fix it in the next service.




Critical issues observed
-----------------------------------------------
1. Wifey feels constrained and claustrophobic in the Santro :(

2. In my 20 days of driving the Manza, i got completely hooked on to the Blue5 audio system. Could not live without it, so it made me buy a Jabra Freeway Car Kit for my Santro. Review here - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/produc...ml#post2614990

3. Miss the steering controls. No cheap way out of this now :(


All in all, be prepared to be pampered in the Manza. Going back to something else is now a wee bit difficult.

[sachinayak]

Back from our Goa/Kumta trip. Travel details in this post hence not repeating.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post2662644


Experiences/Observations/Issues to Share

• The Manza, not surprisingly, is a mile muncher. Am generally not a fast driver. I would always drive at 80kmph on our Santro earlier. But on the Manza, was maintaining a constant 110kmph on NH4 and 90-100kmph on the Hubli/Ankola section. Solid highway performer.

• Engine is definitely powerful enough on highways. Even at 120kmph, just a slight push on the accelerator and I was able to overtake easily. Driving in ghats though took effort, since getting gears right was absolutely mandatory and due to my relative lack of experience with diesel cars (or should i say turbo-charged cars), it took me time to get into the groove.

• Mileage for the overall trip was in the vicinity of 20kmpl, with AC always on. This included ghats, driving in goa (where i just could not maintain momentum), local driving and driving above 100kmph on NH4. Mileage could have been better if had stuck to the 80-100kmph range, but it was a busy trip and i was trying to save every bit of time.

• Absolutely loved driving through the ghats/forest roads (Hubli to Ankola and Kumta to Sirsi). I personally love driving through ghats. Albeit not intentional, but not a single car overtook me on these sections. Handling was definitely not an issue.

• The space in the Manza helps incredibly. The front passenger seat was moved right ahead. I mounted my iPad behind this seat (jugaad style). Connected the iPad via Bluetooth to the car audio and played videos (for short duration) for my kiddo who was strapped in a car seat behind. The viewing distance was long enough to not strain eyes. A fantastic D-I-Y entertainment setup for a long distance trip.

• My wife mentioned that the overall comfort levels were very good. Always good to get approval from the big boss.

• My apprehension around the AC effectiveness was kind of proved correct in Goa. After the car was left in the open (temple visit) it was really hot inside. It took ages for the air-conditioning to cool the cabin. The interior space does have its disadvantages. Just an fyi - I did roll down the windows initially to help get rid of the hot air before starting the AC.

• There is a slight rattle (not related to this trip), probably a loose screw, coming from the dashboard. The noise is very faint, but is audible.

• Had a shocking incident when a huge truck trailer on the opposite side of NH4 decided to take a U-turn without any notice. I literally stood on the brakes, in complete panic. Thankfully the vehicle did not loose any composure and came to a halt a few feet prior without any drama. Took some time to get over this incident. Net-net, the brakes on the Manza are not bad at all. How i wish i had ABS though.

• Also had instances of hard-braking for unmarked speed breakers on NH4 (how can someone put them on NH4) when cruising at 120kmph. Wasn't very successful on 2 occasions and had a slightly bumpy run over them.

• Last but not least, was given a very tough chase by a Zen Estilo (who was easily managing speeds over 110-120kmph for long distances) and was overtaken nonchalantly by a Santro Xing on my return leg when i was at 120kmph myself. Found it amusing.

[Sridhar K]

@sachinayak
Good to know that your Manza is doing pretty good and you are getting spoilt by the comfort the car offers. A few points

1) Brakes- ABS on the Manza does improve the breaking.

2) Since the cabin volume is high, it has an impact on a/c effectiveness.
The thing I have been doing to improve it is
a) Windshield sun film (Garware Icecool shield) which has improved the effectiveness pretty well
b) sun films (RE35)
c) Frequent cleaning of a/c filter and ducts when ever I visit TASS since the A/C filter gets clogged frequently in my case as I drive on dusty roads.

BTW, did you try experimenting with BP diesel to see if the diesel clatter is reduced?

[sachinayak]

Sridhar,

On the AC effectiveness, i would have definitely gone for a windshield sun film if not for BLR. In BLR this is really not an issue for me, but elsewhere definitely.

On the engine noise, i have tried with all different diesels (except Shell). The noise is not really high, just that i took time adjusting from a Petrol vehicle. The noise levels are still the same (probably a bit lower at 1500-2000rpm, than say at 900-1100rpm). In my last trip to Goa/Kumta, i drove for extended periods without playing any music (since my kid was sleeping) and it still did not bother me. Guess i am truly used to it.

I have my first service (since i bought it) coming up shortly. Keeping fingers crossed.



Issues to be addressed

1. Slight rattling noise from the dashboard. Probably a loose screw somewhere.

2. The inner cladding on the C-pillar is off on one side. Needs to be fixed.

3. The door lining (rubber) is out in one place on the rear-door.

4. There are some oily stains/marks inside of the plastic enclosure of the tachometer/speedometer. Is a bit irritating.

5. Heavy clutch. May not be an issue, but is not as light as my petrol car.

6. A slight rust formation on the outside of the window. Saw it on some other Manza ownership thread. Not sure if this is addressed in warranty.

[sachinayak]

Update this ownership log after a long time.

The Manza has been doing its daily duty in a rather inconspicuous manner, which is not bad. It has been a fill-it, shut-it, forget-it type of experience. Wifey/Kiddo uses it daily for her office/day-care commute. The drive comfort is very well appreciated. Fantastic car for the "driver-driven".

Got the car back yesterday from the 20K KM service from Concorde Motors (Dairy Circle, BLR). I had no major issues to report. Had got the minor issues sorted out in March at the quick service bay. Service experience was neutral. Service was courteous, but with no specific issues to report, was a bit difficult to judge overall. SA mentioned AC needed some clean-up (was probably trying to oversell), but did not want to compromise on it, so took it up. All fluids needed to be replaced/topped up. Specifically asked the SA not to do the Wheel Alignment/Balancing/Rotation as I got it done recently from a trusted tyre dealership (Madhu's) right next to my home.


Was given an estimate of 8K+Tax (which I thought was a lot) and delivery around 4:30 PM (had opted for the first slot in the morning at 9 AM). At 4:00 PM got a call saying car is ready. Went and picked it up. First impression - drives like new. Will drive it myself for a couple of days before handing it over to my driver for my wife's daily drives.


Service cost details available in the attached image



Overall Ownership Summary

• Quite unlike my expectations, my ownership has been un-eventful. Hope it stays that way.

• A real VFM car. Total Paisa vasool.

• Great comfort (specially if you have a driver/chauffeur). Very spacious.

• Very handy features (specially the Blue5/Steering-mounted controls).

• Mileage has been around 13-14 kmpl in city and around 20-22 kmpl on highways (with AC always on). SA believes city mileage is not good and should improve after the 20K service.

• Surprisingly no storage options for rear-occupants. Cannot hold a 1-L water bottle anywhere. Major irritant for my wifey. Got the following (basically a cup-holder) which is very useful with my kiddie strapped in her car seat) for her cups/snacks but still miss the ability to store a water bottle. http://shopping.rediff.com/product/a...0Holder%20Tray

Will keep the thread updated on any new events.