[amtak]

One suggestion that I may add is to change the wiper blade to Hella/Bosch instead of Syndicate. Works flawlessly and can survive upto 6 months as compared to Syndicate.

[hillram]

I enjoy going through Nano ownership threads.There are so many experiances and so much knowledge gained about this car through these ownership threads.Each time I read a Nano thread,I get tempted to go and book a Nano - in Sunshine Yellow or Papaya Orange.

[honeybee]

hillram, it's really an amazing car, and underestimated at that. I won't go as far as to say it can actually outrun or outperform the larger hatches or sedans, but it definitely is better than what people expect it to be.

Why, just the other day I drove the Ikon and then the Nano, and what a breeze it is to get into the li'l car!

[honeybee]

Went out today on an impulse to Igatpuri with wife and Nano. From the Manas resort where I had attended my first TBHP meet we drove on to Bhandardara. After a tour of the various sites and some boating in a stinking diesel motor, returned home about half an hour ago.

Refuelled en route and the average FE worked out to be 21.76, up a notch from what I get in my daily drive. Also the car climbed the Kasara ghat as well as the steep and broken roads at Bhandardara with ease. On some of the steeper climbs I did have to engage the first, but I would have had to do so on any other car. I didn't find anything amiss with the Nano vis-a-vis the Santro.

A few sore areas stood out: The lack of disc brakes means on narrow roads if I see an oncoming vehicle, I have to plan a few seconds in advance where I want to be stopping, because a couple of times I overshot the right spot. Also the A pillar blocks your right side vision and when taking the sharp right-handers you need to pray to your guardian angels while reducing your speed to a crawl and crane your neck out to see from the driver's window if the path is clear. All this in a split second.

Also noticed the suspension helps the car maintain its exposure and as a result the body roll is much more controlled, though if you try to take potholes at the wrong speeds, it can jar the ride for a moment. Running over uneven roads at near triple digit speeds will cause the car to bounce around, so it's to be strictly avoided.

[honeybee]

The second free service is up. The car was taken to Balaji Motors, Thane for the same. Other niggles identified to the SA:

1. Clutch release is not smooth, may need lubrication (btw, is this a cable clutch?)
2. Braking from moderate speeds brings out a kut-kut sound from the rear
3. Accelerating gives off some vibration noise from under the dashboard
4. Some part of the 'matting' or 'lining' inside the AC vent is stuck to the RHS vent
5. Handbrake light comes on occasionally
6. Interior cleaning
plus whatever else Tata recommends in the service manual at 10k interval.

The vibration from under the dashboard is most likely because of the blower motor (which was replaced under warranty last time) or the music system (which was fitted at the same time).

Took the car to the garage at 9:35 and was attended to within about five minutes. The SA didn't sound very energetic, surprisingly, at that time in the morning. However he followed all the due procedures and handed me the job card after noting down my observations. Now comes a shocker. Wheel alignment and balancing (including rotation) is priced at Rs. 1000/- Upon asking about the same, the SA replied the labour charges for one set of wheels being rotated, balanced and aligned are Rs. 450/- and with service tax and for both sets of wheels, the figure would be 1k.

Interior cleaning is relatively cheaper at Rs. 875/-

He also promised to look at the brakes to check the handbrake light as well as the noise issue.

By evening he called up, as promised, and confirmed that one of the brake cylinders had gone kaput. The rear left one. Must be one of the panic braking situations. It was leaking oil which lowered the brake oil level and so led to the brake light coming on.

Will be going there tomorrow post lunch to ensure everything is done. The total damage to the wallet is nearly 3k.

The service levels seem to have improved a notch since the last time I was there (blower replacement), however a lot of professionalism needs to be built into the team. As I was discussing the servicing with the SA, I heard some of the other employees calling out to a colleague in a derogatory manner. Maybe it's their daily routine and the colleague does not take it seriously, however it does rattle me as a customer.

Will post some more feedback later, after seeing and going through the car.

[amtak]

Hey Honeybee, you have reached the milestone much faster than me I am going in for my 2nd service on 17th February. I am yet to complete 10K kilometers but completing 1st year and hence, the 2nd service is a must. I too was thinking of getting the wheel alignment done, but I guess will try out Premji's now (rather than paying Tata 1K).

All said and done, I am pretty satisfied with this hatch and don't really miss a dicky!

[saket77]

Went through the entire thread at a stretch Honeybee...quite an honest review that I must say. Good work!

However, please update us about the brake cylinder issue. I hope that it was replaced by TASS free of cost as your car must be under warranty.

Wish you a pleasant & long ownership of Nano!

Regards.

[honeybee]

Service update: the car was ready at the promised date/time. The cylinder was replaced under warranty and since it was the cause of the brake oil leak, the brake oil too was replenished under warranty.

The sound during acceleration was diagnosed to be the loose radio antenna (which is fitted inside the windshield, near the roof. The brake cylinder replacement also fixed the kut-kut sound during braking. The clutch too was a little smoother (though I now suspect the spring is pushing the pedal out a bit faster). The interiors were nicely cleaned (though not a 10 out of 10 job).

They have introduced a service feedback form, and when I rated a couple of points at 7 (out of 10), there were some ruffled feathers. One of the senior executives (probably a CRM exec) approached me along with the SA to know why I had rated the two points at 7.

As compared to my last visit, the experience this time was smooth, and on top of that at least this particular service centre seems particular about the ratings they are getting from the customers. Which is a very good sign. If the service quality continues to improve, I wouldn't mind taking the Nano back to them everytime.

[honeybee]

A few days after the service I received a call from Tata Motors, Pune, about the service. And this guy went over such fine details as "Did the watchman greet you?" and "How was the condition of the workshop?" At the end he promised me I would see an improvement in the points I had mentioned.

Now that's one thing which makes me love my Nano even more.

Recently I had occasion to travel out of state. And on my return journey my Nano covered 418kms before stopping for lack of fuel. Last evening I refilled around 15 ltres after covering nearly 350 kms. That's an impressive 23+ !

I am all smiles :-D

[honeybee]

Of late there is a new issue: two actually.

The clutch is very hard. When releasing it, the release action is not smooth and the pushback from the spring is too strong.

The car also gives abrupt jerks and seems to lose momentum as soon as I take my foot off the gas pedal. Last night I tried this in second gear and the car immediately slowed down as if under braking.

Any theories?

[saket77]

Originally Posted by honeybee

The car also gives abrupt jerks and seems to lose momentum as soon as I take my foot off the gas pedal. Last night I tried this in second gear and the car immediately slowed down as if under braking.

Any theories?

Check if all wheels are rotating freely. May be a brake cylinder has jammed/ failed and the brake shoe is rubbing against the drum or handbrakes not released even after lowering the lever. How does the engine feels being at stationary?

Originally Posted by honeybee

The clutch is very hard. When releasing it, the release action is not smooth and the pushback from the spring is too strong.


Any theories?

Has the clutch by any means been slipped previously...like to tackle any slope, etc? The issue could be worn clutch plates/ pressure plates & the springs.

Regards.

[honeybee]

At idle I haven't felt any roughness. Regarding the clutch the car has done 13k so far, however no 'abnormal' slippage imo.

[honeybee]

Attached is the FE log of the Nano. I haven't been able to track the odo/trip readings at every refueling, however for the last few weeks, I have been able to record them at every refueling. So there is the date on which I refueled, the tankful-to-tankful average and then the cumulative average (you could say it's an average of the averages?).

I don't know if this is the right way of calculating it. However there it is. The tankful-to-tankful averages are not very consistent, for various reasons. However the cumulative average should show some kind of a trend over a longer period of time. I do notice that after the 10k servicing and the trip to Ankola, the FE seems to have picked up.

Last FE recorded yesterday was around 24kmpl.

[motomaverick]

Good FE figures, beats the diesels by a mile. So how's your preparation for the Leh - Ladakh trip coming along?

[honeybee]

Not much, am currently busy with a critical project which will go live in July. So it's all a huge question mark as of now. But am going to do it. That's for sure.