[mayuresh]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

Hey Mayuresh - Heartiest congratulations on the Gx. Not sure how i missed this
thread. I own a GX too and i had also taken delivery in Dec, 29th of last year.

Thanks. You know what? I missed your thread, too! Just had a look and
subscribed to it. Your photographs have come really nice. Will read the thread
in detail after a while. And congratulations to you, too!

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

Well written. Nice to read. Glad to know you are enjoying the ride. The mention
of 170 in one of your posts did put a chill thru me..i have never even bothered
to check if i can do it.

With the powerful beast you have, if you do come to expressway, you will be
tempted to reach that speed. Having said that, it was just touched once. My
wife keeps tab on speedometer and insists on slowing down when driving.

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

Good to know that TASS replaced and recoded the remote. Did they give you TWO
remotes or just one ? Rather, did you try checking with the spare remote ?

No, they gave one new remote. I made sure that after they got it working, the
spare one I had did NOT work with it to ensure that whosoever stole the first
remote won't be able to operate it now. After that they re-coded my old spare
remote as well to suit the new codes.

[nairanupg]

Nice beast Mayuresh.
Wonder how i missed your thread too, considering i am a prospective GX customer, the lackadaisical after sales experience is a big turnoff.
Anyways i am sure a little bit of hell raising on your end should sort out most of the issues.
Again a cardinal rule that i follow with my vehicles is to never leave them at the service center. i spend the day with my vehicle to ensure they fulfill all the mandates and are careful with the vehicle. A time consuming affair but gives you peace of mind.

[mayuresh]

Originally Posted by nairanupg

Again a cardinal rule that i follow with my vehicles is to never leave them at
the service center. i spend the day with my vehicle to ensure they fulfill all
the mandates and are careful with the vehicle. A time consuming affair but
gives you peace of mind.

I like that, though it can be tiring. First time around when accessories work
was on, I did that, too. On servicing day, somehow it was not possible. Also, I
have seen the workshop managers frown upon customers entering the work area.
They allowed it last time though insisted they don't usually allow.

[nairanupg]

Its tiring yes and the people ain't all that excited about you hanging around the work area. But it works for me.
IMO a few dagger looks are ok if you drive outta the place at peace, especially when you can't spare the extra time and effort to revisit issues.

[bharatbits]

Yes, they usually are not open to the idea of customers hanging around inside the workshop.

Maybe because they do not want you to see how they handle your car.

[mayuresh]

Update on scratches caused by TASS during servicing

The scratches on door handle were finally fixed. Initially they had maintained
they would do so only during next servicing.

I did have to take up the matter with the owner of dealership.

Second time around I found the entire staff changed there. The managers as well
as some of the service advisers were completely new. Nobody was forthcoming on
what exactly happened. Don't know whether I had drawn the last straw by
complaining to the owner. My complain was about theft of remote also, which was
taken very seriously by the owner.

The paint job was done well and no sign is left on the door handle now.

However there was usual apathy with the service adviser not calling back when
the car was ready, having to wait for an hour after reaching there etc. I
think, after so much of service experience I'd like to do next servicing at
some other place. Awaiting reports on newly launched TASS in Pune from bhpians.

Purchase of an inflator and issues with that

Purchased a Coido Tire inflator from the dealer. He sold it along with a mobile
charger for a total price of Rs 2000. I should have checked the prices earlier
though just tended to trust the dealership person who handles accessories due
to so many days of acquaintance. Later on I checked the web to realize this was
nearly double of price for which it is available elsewhere.

On complaining about this he said the prices are from Tata Motors and they
can't negotiate much and agreed to refund the money and take back the items.
Since then (by now for more than a month now) he is making promises of
processing the refund "tomorrow" whenever asked. Still following up.

I am stuck with purchase of inflator and mobile charger now, since till he
actually returns the money I wouldn't like to by another.

Service and accessories experience overall has not been at par with the
pleasant buying experience.

[vsun]

Firstly, My hearty congratulations on your purchase of Safari Gx. I wish you a lot of happy miles with your Safari.

Originally Posted by mayuresh

Purchased a Coido Tire inflator from the dealer. He sold it along with a mobile charger for a total price of Rs 2000. .
---------------
I am stuck with purchase of inflator and mobile charger now, since till he
actually returns the money I wouldn't like to by another.

I think u need to write a mail to Tata Motors regarding this "tomorrow" issue.

[mayuresh]

Thanks vsun.

Update on the issue of selling Coido unit for double the price it is available
elsewhere is that I finally got the refund.

Thinking of buying LIMI inflator now. A little on pricier side, though comes
with warranty and has digital gage and preset (I think).

Any feedback from LIMI users is welcome.

[anujmishra]

Originally Posted by mayuresh

Thinking of buying LIMI inflator now. A little on pricier side, though comes
with warranty and has digital gage and preset (I think).

My suggestion is do not spend fortune on buying inflator. Buy good quality and sturdy one and in Safari you will need to fill air once in a while. I check tyre pressure in my Safari almost once in 15 to 20 days but need not to fill a bit as Bridgestones maintain pressure very good. Last 4 - 5 months I've only checked pressure not filled.

I have this one Best 12V Electric Air Compressor Pump Car Bike Tyre Inflator | eBay and it is very good and sturdy. Purchased for 2000 Rs. around and price has came down since then. I purchased from nearby tyre shop and similar price was there in Ebay as well.

[mayuresh]

Some updates are due on this thread.

Purchased LIMI inflator

After a successful follow up with the dealer for refund of overly priced Coido
unit, I went for the LIMI inflator costing about 2450/- at Carax, Pune.

I have used the unit once and liked the digital readout and ability to preset,
due to which you don't have to bend down for too long to keep an eye on an
analog readout.

Loud khat sound from underbody (LHS front) during a trip to Konkan

Recently had an extended weekend trip to Diveagar, Srivardhan. (Plan to write a
travelogue.) Some of the roads were really bad and felt the above mentioned
sound which was loud enough to worry about. Tried seeing under the body, though
could not make out much.

Took the car to the new service center Phoenix at Katraj, (owing to prior bad
experience with my previous service station). The advisor came for a ride to
sense the sound, though despite going through some rough patches, the sound
could not be reproduced. We thought it was due to high traffic noise level in
the city that it was difficult to sense it here.

They found that the "center pin" had developed some play, which wasn't
abnormally high according to them. They adjusted the same.

The advisor took for another ride and everything seemed normal and this was
about to go down as a pleasant experience until the following happened.

Door open indicator remaining on after the wash

After above trip the car had gathered enough dirt and sand particles both
inside and outside. So a thorough wash was desired.

After the wash, when leaving I realized the door open indicator wouldn't go
off. The mechanics tried shutting all the doors again and again, the sound of
them doing so skipped a heart bit or two particularly for the rear door.

Since this had happened just after wash, they suspected water accumulation in
the latches and gave it another round of compressed air, but to no avail.

Now to diagnose which latch was sending a false signal, they started opening
the door assembly one by one, starting with the rear door first. It wasn't
looking pretty to look at all this - just so many small screws etc, tearing of
plastic covers on the inside of the door assembly etc. Wondered what if they
misplace or forget to fix one of those tiny components - a washer here and
there? But they were going about it pretty comfortably and confidently.

On 2nd door they tried, 2nd row right, they found the latch to be faulty. They
tried "fixing" it there by cleaning, reconnecting properly etc though finally
concluded that the lock needed a replacement. They did not have it in stock and
asked to come back after a couple of days.

Pretty disappointed, but as luck would have it, when they assembled everything
back, the problem had gone away on its own as the door-open indicator
disappeared when the doors were closd the last time to return home.

First signs of rear door rattle after above repairs

I was pretty apprehensive about the way they dealt with the rear door latch
that it might develop rattles. It does seem now that those occasional little
squeaks from the rear have got louder after the entire operation.

[ACM]

^^ Yep the Safari door pads are a bit delicate and require a lot of clips and screws. The screws are fine but the clips do tend to break as they are opened and if one gets it done outside an authorized service centre they would not even have the correct strenght clips to replace them with. Also the door pads do weaken with time and exposure to moisture. So it is best to take care of them. They have a sensor for door opening in the latch itself and if this goes faultly it requires the latch itself to be replaced and this is in my view a design flaw as they could have kept the door open sensor as a separate replaceable part.

[mayuresh]

5000 km / 6 months update

A few days back, completed 5000 kms of ownership during an outing to Ajintha
and Anwa (travlogue due .. if not for Ajintha, for sharing about a less known
ancient beautiful temple of Anwa village near Ajintha) ...

Was lucky enough to spot the odo at the right time while waiting at a signal!



Had the 2nd free servicing done today at Phoenix. Was a hassle free experience
- particularly on the backdrop of experience with National that I shared on
this thread. I deliberately choose weekdays for servicing, when there isn't
much rush. Also, this is a new TASS, with small capacity and usually less
crowded. You won't find typical formalities of a guard standing up and saluting
you and all that, though the staff is generally easily approachable and
attentive. They also remembered offhand, the problems fixed in last visit and
asked specifically whether any of them recurred.


No major problems faced in the ownership till date.

A few minor problems:

1. The fuel lid opens automatically during long journeys. This was reported and
reportedly fixed in 1st servicing (@National) though recurred. Today Phoenix
claims to have fixed it as well. Let's see whether it sustains.

2. The rear door refuses to open sometimes. Actually it happened only on one
particular day in last outing. Thought of getting it fixed, though on return it
never recurred. Only factor I can see causing it is probably on that day the
car was parked in uncovered parking lot of Ajintha, in the peak of the summer
throughout the day. Some `jamming' effect due to heat? Don't know.

3. At slow speeds, when you start, the rear door "speaks". This started
happening after facing some problems with door-open indicator described in my
last post, when they had dissected the door assembly and closed and opened the
door a little too harshly (IMHO) many times during that work. Having witnessed
the complexity of the assembly I chose to not report the rattle, lest it might
end up aggravating the problem. Anyway the noise subsides as the car gathers
speed.


Overall happy with the ownership. Have taken the car on several outings since
the purchase and the quality of travel in all of them has been extremely good.

[mayuresh]

The remote battery is now showing signs of weak signal. Not sure whether this is expected so soon - within less than a year. It is to be held very close to the car or sometimes even after that it doesn't open. Carrying the spare remote till I replace the battery or locking using key if I remember to.


Opened the remote. The battery seems Vinnic L828 27A,12V alkaline (made in China). Any idea whether I should use the same one or replace with equivalent one from another maker and where can I get it in Pune?

[Lukeskywalker]

Originally Posted by mayuresh

The remote battery is now showing signs of weak signal. Not sure whether this is expected so soon - within less than a year. It is to be held very close to the car or sometimes even after that it doesn't open. Carrying the spare remote till I replace the battery or locking using key if I remember to.

Opened the remote. The battery seems Vinnic L828 27A,12V alkaline (made in China). Any idea whether I should use the same one or replace with equivalent one from another maker and where can I get it in Pune?

You get equivalent battery cell at any watch repair shop.

[mayuresh]

Had a trip of Uttar Karnataka of 1300+km. Car performance was excellent.
Comfort it offered on long journey was one of the main reasons why the trip
became so enjoyable. Will also write a travelogue.



Prior to the trip had a precautionary checkup. Engine oil and break oil was
topped up for expense of Rs 500/- at Phoenix automobiles (TASS at Katraj,
Pune).

One development at Phoenix is Mujammil, who was instrumental in building good
relations with customers has moved on. He really gave a personal touch and
built confidence in this small workshop. Have to see how it goes with his
successors. I'll probably continue to visit the same workshop in future.

Also checked for the ECU firmware upgrade that is supposed to be available for
Safari / Aria. It wasn't available at Phoenix. It is available at Pandit,
though when called they started asking why you need the upgrade and all that.

Didn't want to experiment ahead of a long trip. So postponed the plan to
install firmware upgrade. Would also like to gather feedback from those who
have gone for the firmware upgrade.



During the trip crossed the 8000 km mark on beautiful road to Banavasi from
Sirsi. Had ample time to pause and take this photograph of the dial.



At 8000+, there are no problems to report. Car performance continues to be
excellent. If at all, there is a change noticed. On switching off the ignition
the car used to stop with big "thud" sound and vibration. The intensity of this
has reduced noticeably after this long trip, for reasons not clear to me.

The mileage during this trip turned out to be approximately 13.6.