Dear Fellow BHPians,
Well after my initial posts I have been not having the time to update on my Cheetah. I have sparingly used the car as the running has been really less - office and back home and since my office is close by not much got added to the ODO after my initial Chennai trip. In between we have had a new addition to my family and things have been busy on the personal front. We did a trip in Dec 2012 to Coorg and the drive was great. With the baby safely secured in the car seat and the car was great boon with plenty of space for my elder daughter as well.
Well almost 1 year of niggle free ride with my Cheetah! Niggle free ! ? Did I say, oh well enter 2013 and things have not been going good with the car. Currently I have just clocked 13K on my car and never revved it too hard or tried any stunts or got a single scratch on it. It is as good as new!
But, the latest incident(#3 below) left me completely flabbergasted and I should say the reliability factor on a scale of 10 should be rated 2 or 3 maximum. Let me explain the sequence of problems that I came across, all starting in 2013 exactly a year and 2 months of purchase.
1. Headlamps : One day in Feb2013 I realized while standing outside with the LED lights on, that one of them has gone kaput. Well, I promptly called up the service center and then got the problem rectified. After getting the car back I realized that the high beam on one of headlamps has stopped working. Again returned it back for service with an earful to the RM and then the car was returned with the other LED lights gone kaput! Each time I gave the car for a minor rectification it was returned only the next day. With one LED lights off I decided it is best I leave it as is, and did not return it for servicing and decided to live with it!
2. Clutch Assembly: I know of the infamous clutch problem in the XUV and I was a bit skeptical whether it would surface in my car and Loo Alas ! it did. I was a Saturday afternoon in Mar and I had to rush to drop my mother in law at the airport and while reversing the car from the parking and then engaging in first gear ,& guess what!!! the clutch got completely stuck to the bottom of the clutch well! It left my adrenalin racing as I knew immediately the problem and that this means big problem. Since I did not have time and had to get to the airport, I took the chance and pulled the clutch out with my hands, and again pumped it in quickly and engaged second gear directly, the car jumped ! and squealed and my parents who were standing outside looked confused as to what I was upto. Fortunately the clutch pedal came back to the normal position and I started to drive towards the airport. I slowly changed the gear to 3rd and the 4th without using the clutch completely(maybe 1/4th depressed) and drove all the way at constant speed without any more gear shifts to the airport. In Bangalore there is fortunately a back route to the airport from Whitefield and it was less crowded on that Saturday. I took the chance of using the brakes alone and “shuddering” the car over the speed bumps without wanting to change the gear. It was hairy one hour drive, but we did reach the airport and then I called my RM. He told me to bring the car driving it slowly to the service center. This time while riding back I did change the gear couple of times and it worked okay. On reaching and examining he told me to leave the car and that it will take a couple of days to get it fixed, i.e. replace the complete clutch assembly. I got the car after 3 whole days(excluding the Sunday) and meanwhile I since had got the recall letter from Mahindra, I instructed the RM to carry out all the necessary replacements. This incident made me permanently change my perception of the car. It is unreliable! What if this had happened in our Coorg trip with our Baby!
Infact I know of this clutch problem in the XUV , I had repeatedly asked my RM earlier, can this be rectified in my car as it is in the first batch, but no, he says it is a problem with a few vehicles and if the problems does come the company will replace it free of cost! Well he or Mahindra does not realize the importance of any preventive maintenance, when they know that a part has a problem! Well in my case I have lost the confidence in the XUV!
3. Accessory belt : Well the final nail in the coffin on the reliability factor! I should say. This prompted me to get back to my ownership thread!
Day before yesterday I had long day at office I heard a hard tap noise, while driving the car out of the office parking area at 8pm! I thought I hit something underneath, I got out of the car and could not see anything below. I got back in and started to drive and immediately realized that the steering has become rock hard. Something has gone wrong with the power steering. I stopped the car again and tried to restart but to no avail, the power steering does not work. I had a tough time driving the car back home. Though a short distance it was tough to turn the car around the corners.! Reaching home I usually park by reversing and after getting out I see a broken belt from the engine bay! See pic!
Broken belt thankfully did not get entangled inside
Called RM and he explained to me that due to the siren touching the accessory belt, the belt got cut!. The belt connects the engine and the auxiliary units, compressor etc. which powers the power steering, AC etc. I called up 24X7 breakdown to get the vehicle delivered to the service station that very night at 11:30pm.
From yesterday I am in touch with the RM and he says that part (belt is not available). It has been 2 days and I am still to get back my car! This is the first time I know of an engine belt giving way, normally belts that run the pulleys in the engine are supposed to be strong and withstand high temperatures and it normally becomes elongated over period of time, but not cut like this!
Well, the initial euphoria on the car has died down. Usually people ask me about the car and as usual, I tell it is a great car, worth the money and the space and power, great family car with awesome looks etc. I had indeed formed this great opinion, since I did not face any major issue apart from the loose bolt on the front suspension, which I attribute to initial PDI problem. But well this was in 2012!
Today if anyone does ask me for an opinion, I would not probably say the same again. I can simply put one word to this – Unreliable! Well if am a bachelor and ready for a great adventurous life, well maybe this is the perfect car! But no I am a family man with a baby and a child, I do not want to make it any more adventurous.
The #2 and #3 above are serious problems that can get you stranded on a highway in nomansland on a midnight, or can get you into a serious accident.! Just imagine the belt giving way while you are doing a 120kpmh on this machine! Well in that sense I am lucky! Both of these happened in the city! While #2 was something that I was expecting to happen to my car, but #3 took me by complete surprise! On enquiring with the RM it seems like a known issue! Well if it was known that the siren touches the belt why was this not rectified or informed to the customer by the recall letter?
There are 2 options in front of me now! Sell this and buy a Japanese car! Or wait for some more time as my usage is less and hopefully all the problems in my car get resolved overtime as Mahindra re-designs certain parts! I will probably go with the latter and give it a second chance! as this car serves my purpose, provided it all works well, properly.
Come on Mahindra! You have a long way to go! You could have concentrated on making it more reliable, rather than providing excessive features.
Signing off for now!
Acinonyx