[gopu.g]

M,

Your detailed reviews are so fantastic and I guess my signature here states another fact about you !!!

[rave20]

Originally Posted by Mudhalaipatti

Every morning, to get rid of the fine dust, Jopasu duster is used and this thing does its job perfectly fine. Sure it get's dirty pretty soon and loose it's ability to pick up dust like a magnet over a period of time. But then at 299, if it works for 3 months, it's paisa vasool.

Where I bought - Snapdeal.com
Cost - 299..

Jopasu Duster at 299?? That too from Sanpdeal???

I got mine last week at 499Rs

[getsurya]

"Yo man, are you having sex with the Cheetah". "Don't get so close". "Stop smooching the car, you moron"

Hi Mudhalaipatti,

The name of your car, the compliments of your neighbours are all pointing to some 'relationship' of yours with your super car!

I have always liked your details and penchant which we all share at varied levels. I also receive similiar 'recognition' from friends, family and neighbours and enjoy the limelight.

Happy Motoring!

[Mudhalaipatti]

Originally Posted by gopu.g

M,

Your detailed reviews are so fantastic and I guess my signature here states another fact about you !!!

Originally Posted by getsurya

Hi Mudhalaipatti,

The name of your car, the compliments of your neighbours are all pointing to some 'relationship' of yours with your super car!

Happy Motoring!

Thank you for the kind words gopu.g and getsurya.

The 20K Odyssey



And so it was time to give it's final free service at 20k. Boy what a run it's been. I guess I'm one of those lucky few who had no major niggles plaguing their ownership. At 20K in 6 months, going young, going steady. Every time I look at her in the morning, can't stop falling in love with her. Every single day. Talk about pride of ownership. No major issues found till date and nothing major to report. Well almost.

Issue 1 - For a vehicle like XUV, the start of the rusting process was a very unlikely place. Have a look.



This is the clip inside the fuel lid. Don't know how could piece start rusting. This had to be replaced to arrest the spread of the rust.

Issue 2 - The rear right wheel mud guard/well had the rivets dislodged. Guess some bump was not too kind.
Issue 3 - The steering felt tight.
Issue 4 - The steering wheel was offcenter. This had been since my last wheel balancing with MRF tyredrome.
Issue 5 - The wiper blade shudder and t here's not enough wipe.
And nothing more.

And so I call up India Garage ti fix up an appointment on 12-Sep. I reach there at 10 a.m and am promptly attended by a gentlemen who largely resembles robo Shankar (of Vijay TV fame). The RM was largely unaware of the XUV and was oblivious of the issues that I mentioned to him. I should have talked to the technicians directly or Vijay. Didn't do that and am repenting.

And so at around 3 p.m I get a call stating that the delivery can happen only next day as the wheel alignment is taking longer and a car wash would then take the delivery to the next day. I ask then to finish off the wheel balancing today and I can live without the fantastic car wash they do. Anyways it was pouring cats and dogs over the last week.

I decide to collect the vehicle at around 7 p.m and had a invoice which was Rs. 6349, realized there's this thing called Synthetic Oil 1 lt. I ask David what is this. You already have added engine oil and what is this additional oil. His master piece was "Sir, this is the special synthetic oil, we add to engine. Engine will be sooper smooth". I say "Fantastic. Thank you and you have a good night".

I then spot Vijay and take him along for a test drive. The suspension is quite stiff. I see that they changed the front balancer bus bar. Don't know why. But Vijay tells me that the ride will even out in the coming days. I trust him and don't complain.The breaks appear to be wee it better. Perhaps they bleeded the brakes and changed the pads ? Though it's not mentioned in the invoice. I must get hold of the mechanic next time and should be there before 6 to get hold of the mechanics.

Following are the contents of the invoice

Oil Filter - 227.07
Fuel Filter Cartridge - 1301.31
Stab Bar Bushes Front - 78.6
Air Filter Assembly Mesh - 406.11
O Ring Oil Cooler - 10.48
Maximile FEO 6 Ltr - 1514.41
Disposable Protective Cover - 69.87
Maximile Syntec F2 1 Ltr - 320.52
Consumable Charges - 500
Vat - 561.8
Total - Rs.6349

While I was cleaning the car the next day, noticed this



While trying to floor mats, they have ripped it. Called up David and told him that the cleaning guys ought to be careful. What more can be done uh ! If atall Mahindra calls up for a feedback, the feedback would not be great for India Garage.

I'm used to the vehicle being smooth and the gear shift extra smooth after each service. but this time the vehicle suspension is stiff, the ride a little co**** and the general vehicle dynamics, a little crude.

***Update**
After a long time, took the XUV to it's limits. The almost free NH-45 was the playground for the Cheetah and boy it performed great. Some key observations.
The steering feedback is too much for my comfort. Worse when on a corner and the vehicle passes over a bump, steering wheel goes out of control. I almost lost control of the wheel on one such turn and the XUV doing a S covering two lanes. Uuff..Scary moment that was.

There used be steering wheel dance at around 11-120 kmph, now it's gone. The max I could push her this time was 180kmph and the steering the didn't vibrate then. Good.

Strangely the cabin air seep and the accompanying howling was not audible now. Don't know what fixed it, or who fixed it. Happy anyway.

I vehicle appears to be out of breath at around 2500 rpm, but there's this surge in power past 2800-3000 rpm. This is not turbo btw, as turbo kicks in at around 1800 rpm.

The front suspension is stiff, so stiff the passenger might feel like being on a wooden bicycle.

As usual, the cruise control has it's own mind and turns off itself now and then.

I wish the music player software is updated to resume playing the song, after a call is ended. It now is stuck and pressing the play or pause doesn't resume the song. Only the next/previous works, essentially skipping the song you were listening to, when the call came through.

The indicator stack doesn't engage sometimes with that distinct 'tick'. This is only sometimes, but wish this was not the case. And wish we had that one touch lane change indicator.

[debuda]

Originally Posted by Mudhalaipatti

I decide to collect the vehicle at around 7 p.m and had a invoice which was Rs. 6349, realized there's this thing called Synthetic Oil 1 lt. I ask David what is this. You already have added engine oil and what is this additional oil. His master piece was "Sir, this is the special synthetic oil, we add to engine. Engine will be sooper smooth". I say "Fantastic. Thank you and you have a good night".

Thanks for the informative update on your 20K km service.

I'd like a little more information on this 'Synthetic Oil'. Since they have replaced your engine oil with Maximile FEO (the M&M approved oil) this 'synthetic oil' seems to be some kind of additive. Could you give us more details of this additive like its brand name and specs as printed on its container? A picture of the container would be great.

Two questions arise in my mind about this additive :

1. Is it approved by M&M? If yes, then could you kindly ask for the relevant circular from M&M and share it with us. If it is not approved by M&M, then your A.S.C. had no business adding it without your prior approval.
2. The XUV engine oil capacity is 6 litres. If this additive is 1 litre, they couldn't possibly have put in more than 5 litres of Maximile FEO. So why did they charge you for 6 litres?

[Mudhalaipatti]

Originally Posted by debuda

Thanks for the informative update on your 20K km service.
I'd like a little more information on this 'Synthetic Oil'. S

Debuda, Maximile SYNTEC is the Transaxle Oil and is of 75W‐90. I understand that the full capacity is 3 lt . They must have topped it up with 1 lt of this.

From the service manual

"Replace the transaxle oil first at 20000Kms & then at 100000Kms."

Mine was a 20K service and I would expect the full 3 lt to being replaced. But they replaced only 1 lt.

[Mudhalaipatti]

Washing the car is an intimate experience. No, not for me. But for The Grand Master. At least that's what she thinks if I spend obscene hours with the XUV. And so after this intimate experience, its quite natural to sneak a peak at the lusty beauty once a while. And this sneak peak provides some insightful inputs. No matter how meticulous you are, there's gonna be some dripping left.

After a good wash and a detailed detailing session with the XUV, you tend to sit back and admire your effort. But hold on, you just can't lay low for the rest of the day, for the XUV has some bleeding points. Yeah, some water is stored in this tiny compartments and let go of this in a stream, which when unattended, tends to spoil the otherwise immaculate XUV.

Here is what I'm talking about.



The above one is the curve you see above your rear wheel, just below your last row window. Water tends to accumulate on this place and even after you think that the vehicle is bone dry, you see a dried up river there. Just make sure that you come back after a hour or so and remove the excess water dripping down.



And this one is from the mirror and this is a water reservoir. If you come back after an hour, you'll find water dripping down the door. If you come back after 4 hours, you'll find water dripping down the door. So don't bother to come down after a few hours. Instead once you are done washing the car, slam shut the door a few dozen times. This will eventually dislodge the water from the mirror and dislodge your doors if you do it hard enough.



And this one is the back bleeding point. This one holds less water than the other two and this being glass, the dried up water doesn't pose such an issue. Anyway if you are a detailing freak and you want to get ride of any liquid, you can open and close the boot lid. Not a dozen times, but a couple of times is enough.

Have a sweet/dry good sleep after this.

[dhanushmenon]

Originally Posted by Mudhalaipatti

Here is what I carried with me for the PDI
Sony Cybershot
PDI Checklist -> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ist-v1.00.xlsx
M&M Quick Start Guide -> http://mahindraxuv500.com/product/ownersmanual.htm
And a reluctant wingman.

What a fantastically put together article Mudhalaipatti. Loved each and every bit of it.

The link which you provided for the PDI is leading to the home page of Team-Bhp.
I already have a print out of the PDI in TBHP.
Have you made any specific PDI for XUV like Debuda?

If yes, would you be kind enough to share?

[Mudhalaipatti]

Originally Posted by dhanushmenon

I already have a print out of the PDI in TBHP.
Have you made any specific PDI for XUV like Debuda?

If yes, would you be kind enough to share?

Thanks dhanushmenon.
I used the TBHP one for the PDI and it turned out to be just fine.

First Silver Box Niggle
The infotainment system had been niggle free so far, even at 22k. That's a phenomenal feet considering who's behind this thing. This morning, as always while listening to my fav music, was checking the FE figures and switching back to choosing the songs and all of a sudden the touch screen stopped working. I thought perhaps the touch screen is the issue and tried the buttons. The buttons didn't result in any change in display. Then I tried pressing the 'Radio' button to see if it's only a display error and yes, it was indeed a display error. So pressing the buttons does indeed do what it's supposed to do, but the user feedback on the screen was missing. The screen just froze, as I could confirm from the time, which didn't change.

As with our Jugad brains and Jugad products, I switched off, turned on the ignition and the system came back online without the trace of the error. Let me keep an eye on this one for sometime and report any 'improvement'.

[Mudhalaipatti]

Update on 22768 km
'Sir, are you sure of the odo reading. You still have time to hit the 23k mark'
'Yes. I drive the XUV quite often'
'Sir, you did you 20k service in Sep'
'Yes, I know. Please schedule an appointment for the issues I mentioned'

I was not very pleased with the RM or the service that was done a few weeks back from India Garage. After every service, the vehicle would feel light, sharp and lot quieter. This time thought it was just the opposite, the steering felt hard, the suspension was stiff, the engine noise was a little more pronounced and the vehicle didn't feel 'refined'.

I complained and the works manager requested me to leave the vehicle with them for inspection. That date came only now, after almost 2k run. Was hoping the suspension would ease, but not so. That is issue no.1. I understand that M7M have a new premium grease that makes the steering light. Let's see if I can get those, as the steering is tight. That's issue 2.

Last time, they tore my 3d mats and this time I'm not giving them the opportunity and have removed the mats. I usually don't trust the pickup and drop folks, as they drive the vehicle like maniacs. This time, with little option left, I'm going to see it off, from a distance. Hope they take good care of her. I shall update this thread later next week, when the vehicle is back from service.

In the mean time, while others drive around in their vehicle, I have to drive around the vehicle, to detail her, keep her in top notch condition. But this is proving to be challenging and that's when the need for a pressure washer came. The offer from flipkart at 4499 was also tempting. And so that thing came last evening. It's quite useful to remove the brake dust and other grime on the wheel well and underbody. Shall be posting a detailed review of the Skil Pressure Washer in my subsequent update.

[Mudhalaipatti]

Nothing

Yes that's the update I have on my vehicle coming back from the India Garage service center. The vehicle was taken from my home at around 10 and the service center confirmed receiving the vehicle at around 11.30. The vehicle was returned home at around 2.30 p.m the same day.

I don't see any improvement in the situation and so not sure what was done on the vehicle. There was no invoice/no complaint items.

[nitinralli]

Originally Posted by Mudhalaipatti

In the mean time, while others drive around in their vehicle, I have to drive around the vehicle, to detail her, keep her in top notch condition. But this is proving to be challenging and that's when the need for a pressure washer came. The offer from flipkart at 4499 was also tempting. And so that thing came last evening. It's quite useful to remove the brake dust and other grime on the wheel well and underbody. Shall be posting a detailed review of the Skil Pressure Washer in my subsequent update.

Please post your review of this washer with loads of pics. I am looking for decent priced washer as well for my XUV since long.

[Mudhalaipatti]

And so here is the complete review of the skil pressure washer.

The unpacking photos.











Initial Review

How does this fare? ok. Yes. It's ok.
The Cheetah, a.k.a XUV, is a bloody whale on road. It takes a life time to give her a wash and more so for the wheel wells and wheels, what with the tiny crevasses, where you cant use your hand. Skil does the cleaning of the wheels effortlessly. It even cleaned the brake dust and other grime from the alloys neat and clean. Just a couple of sprays and it's gone. Similarly with the wheel wells and the underbody. Effortless cleaning.

However, if the car's body has dried dirt, it's challenging of the pressure washer to remove them. Bear in mind that this thing is not a replacement for your TBM, as other have pointed out. I tried the focus the gun close to the surface and a little away, trying a number of passes, but dirt doesn't come off so easily. You may need to try Ariel or Surf Excel, that is if you can soak your car in the solution.

But I'm kindaa wary to use it for the underbody wash, primarily because the ground water in my place is a lot saline and I may risk inducing corrosion from the underbody.

Verdict : Great for the wheels. ok for the body wash, if you use your foaming agent and then TBM. Never use this in your engine bay or any other human being or for that matter, anything living or dead.

Some Tips & Tricks

Been using the pressure washer quite extensively and here are some things that I have found.

The fasteners/tie straps rarely work. The hooks provided don't really hook the power chord and the hose. However its OK to keep the wires/hose in shape.





There are modes of water spray. Focused mode and wide spray mode. I use the focus mode for the wheels, tyres, wheel wells, underbody and hard to reach places. The wide arc mode after I'm I'm done with my TBM wash. Its quite effective.





When you first connect you house pipe to the hose, make sure that you let out the air bubbles or else for a few moments you'll end up spraying air. Also make sure you connect the filter.

It might be tiring to assemble this everytime,. However if you follow a simple routine, it makes it such a breeze. Remove the jet from the hose. Remove the water filter. Remove the Skil hose. Now for assembling.
Step 1 - Connect the power chord to your power source.
Step 2 - Connect the water filter to the PW.



Step 3 - Keep this end connected to your hose permanently





Now connect this to the other end of the water filter. Its a simple pull, push and lock mechanism.





This allows to simply hook the hose to the PW with minimum effort and saves you from twisting and turning the water hose.
Step 4 - Now connect the other end of your hose to your pipe. If you something like this even better. Ensures that the hose is fixed tight to the pipe and doesn't falloff.



Step 5 - Connect the black hose to the jet gun. The placement is a little tricky and sometimes be annoying. Bear with it.

Now you are ready to fire away the jet.

Once complete with your wash and ready to pack this thing, you may find it difficult to disconnect the black hose from the jet gun. This is coz of the pressure build up in the gun. While keeping the power off, hold the trigger for moment or so and then disconnect the hose. This would allow the pressure built up inside to be released and you wouldn't be bothered to loosen a pressure value.

[rlg]

Originally Posted by Mudhalaipatti

There are modes of water spray. Focused mode and wide spray mode. I use the focus mode for the wheels, tyres, wheel wells, underbody and hard to reach places. The wide arc mode after I'm I'm done with my TBM wash.

I have a bosch one which has similar pressure, atleast on paper. The focussed jet is strong enough to cut through soft materials. I tested it on my chappal I was wearing and ate into it. I'd never use it directly on the tyres. The manual also warns against using it on the tyres.

[sumitdongerkery]

Decent Updates M.

I need your view as well as from fellow XUV users to solve this mystery!

I have been regularly monitoring my car average and for every tank full it runs around 750 Kms under city driving conditions (i.e. Thane to Bandra). During my long trip to RJ, things din't change much since the car was consistently exceeding speeds of 120 to 130KMPH. In some minor stretches I used to do the most optimal driving and would observe that the instantaneous effiency would be around 18KMPL but this would be for few minutes only and over a period of time it would go down to 11KMPL. During my recent visit to Kolhapur I was hell bent to do the most optimal driving just to see how efficient this car could get. I drove for roughly 150KM at a speed of 80KM (on cruise control mode) and car started showing me an average of 18KMPL (Lost my patience after a stretch of 150KM). I got an over all average of 13+KMPL. Strange part is that, now at any point of time the instantaneous efficiency doesn't go below 13KMPL. My latest tank full (today morning) returned an average of 12.2 KMPL under city driving conditions. Ia m confused.

One of our threads about adaptive ECM just crossed my mind

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