[Maverick79]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Bro are you sure about the 1000 kms? I thought the first one was at 5000 kms.

@madhu33 - will drive Beastie to the workshop myself on Monday (appointment confirmed) and get the shocker and oil leak assessment done in front of me. The actual replacement of the gasket etc. if needed will take a minimum of 3-4 hours if its just the engine oil sump, and its a 2 day job if there is some packing or gasket to be replaced of the gearbox or "front engine casing" .....

Keeping fingers crossed man .....

Doc, in general, the new tires take some time to adjust. Hence, its better to get them checked after FIRST 1000kms for any re balancing / alignment.
When ever the new ones fitted in any vehicle, they are again tested after 1K ( rotated/ balanced/ aligned) for better alignment and steering response. Just to increase their life. Not sure how many really do so though....

[condor]

Narayan, there are people who stick to recommended schedules - 15k / 30k / 45k
Others who do it more frequently - at half the recommended intervals. I personally don't see any major advantage is doing the oil change more frequently than recommended.

On my previous vehicle - another Tata, I have also done oil changes at 1 year / 10k instead of 6 month /10k interval, and have not noticed any problems. (Though someone could come with a microscope and try to show me the additional wear that he thinks is there).

If you want to do it more frequently, you could do a 7.5k / 15k / 22,5k / 30k etc, so that you get the more frequent oil change - and avoid situations that TSK mentioned.

[Maverick79]

Originally Posted by condor

Narayan, there are people who stick to recommended schedules - 15k / 30k / 45k
Others who do it more frequently - at half the recommended intervals. I personally don't see any major advantage is doing the oil change more frequently than recommended.

On my previous vehicle - another Tata, I have also done oil changes at 1 year / 10k instead of 6 month /10k interval, and have not noticed any problems. (Though someone could come with a microscope and try to show me the additional wear that he thinks is there).

If you want to do it more frequently, you could do a 7.5k / 15k / 22,5k / 30k etc, so that you get the more frequent oil change - and avoid situations that TSK mentioned.

+1 and I .
Any Tata engine after it crosses 1st 10k, reqgular 10K or 1 Year is the optimum interval for Oil change to get the best of its juice and life. As per the findings in the ERC dept and self experience too.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Maverick79

Doc, in general, the new tires take some time to adjust. Hence, its better to get them checked after FIRST 1000kms for any re balancing / alignment.
When ever the new ones fitted in any vehicle, they are again tested after 1K ( rotated/ balanced/ aligned) for better alignment and steering response. Just to increase their life. Not sure how many really do so though....

Thanks bro. So if you guys remember early on in this thread I had a problem with the steering stop bolts on one side so that the truck developed a huge turn radius on one side compared to the other? Well that time there was replacement in warranty of both bolts (new design and thread) + careful realignment and balancing all around so that the steering moved exactly the same rotations on both side. After that my truck has been totally neutral, no pull etc. Will get this repeated this time on Monday with the rotation - eve if not asked for, just in case.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Spoke to one of my friends who has a new Safari Dicro and does at least a couple of Pune-Mumbai's a week. His Dicor has already closed in on 40,000 kms in the 2 years he has had it. I asked him about my shoulder pain issue and he immediately aske me about my seat position. Apparently the trick is to keep the seat closer (than the spread out laat sahib position I have it on currently) so that the arms are more flexed and you are closer to the steering, and can hold it lower, thus your shoulder muscles not needing to hold up your arms for prolonged periods of time. Will try this on my next highway drive!

I dont know if this helps Doc, but I keep my seat quite close to the steering wheel, with the height adjusted to the highest position, I am 6 feet tall, however there is no fouling of knees or head at this position. Now I drive with the right hand on the steering wheel, with the elbow supported by the door pad. For me this is the most comfortable cruising position, leading to zero aches...

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

I dont know if this helps Doc, but I keep my seat quite close to the steering wheel, with the height adjusted to the highest position, I am 6 feet tall, however there is no fouling of knees or head at this position. Now I drive with the right hand on the steering wheel, with the elbow supported by the door pad. For me this is the most comfortable cruising position, leading to zero aches...

I have also done the same bro (seat in highest position), and now another advantage I have found is that my feet (my left foot) instead of resting on the edge of the heel, is now comfortably and naturally flat on the floor alongside the clutch pedal. The elbow is nicely flexed now.

I too drive like you. But as I mentioned in a previous post, the Safari Dicor door sill pad where you rest your elbow for some reason is much more comfortable (feel as well as position) compared to the Storme. Score 1 for Dicor here 100%.

Another small thing is that while the plastics of the Storme are on another level compared to the Dicor, there is still scope for improvement. A small thing but will oint it out nonetheless since I am a nitpicky bawa and it is my birthright basically.

The upper stalk on the right of the steering wheel, where is wrap my fingers around, the top edge of the central horn pad towards the back is a little rough and sharp (not smoothly rounded) and my fingers do not like the feel so I invariably keep my hand much lower at the bottom as a consequence (towards the lower stalk on the right). Which is too low.



That said, last night went to meet a friend of mine who has the 45+ kms not yet 2 year old Safari Dicor LX. He drove Beastie for the first time. The moment he entered the cabin he commented on the dash being totally diferent and so nice. He loved the material and the finish. He also loved the finish of the door panels and the AC controls and steering stalks (while he desperately tried to locate the headlights LOL). He was then floored by the feel of the gears, the steering, the handling and suspension (he is an aggressive driver to put it mildly), and the throttle response. He was also a bit confused about the feel of the engine (in terms of refinement and vibes as well as the in-cabin sound) and he actually asked me "diesel hai na?"

What TOTALLY floored him was the turning radius of the vehicle, first when he did a U turn out of the parking of Dorabjees (Viman Nagar) and then when he did another tight U around the central divider near the airport. He was totally zpped and siad that either of them would have been impossible in his Safari, even after going suitably wide first to approach the U. His exact statement at the end of the short ride was that at first he thought the Storme was just an external looks makeover of the Safari, but the truck is a significantly refined vehicle and a big jump forward by TATA over the Dicor. Incidentally, his dad is a pretty important man in the TATA factory as well.

[ebonho]

Final leaking shocker replaced today (front right).

These are made by Gabriel. MRP on carton (Mfg. Jan 2014) is Rs. 4437/-. Funny part is that the new shockers have "Safari MF 4x2" in blue on top and another white sticker saying "Merlin FR 4x2 5407 3230 0105" midway down.



The leak in the oil sump casing had recurred after 800+ kms. From the left side mainly, concentrated around the left most bolt. The gasket when opened was completely split at one place, letting the oil through (waiting for their photos, which will be shared with TATA as this is the first case at National at least).

A photo of the new gasket. MRP Rs. 152/-. Mfg. date May 2013.



They've kept the truck overnight for the gasket sealant to dry/cure properly. They fill refill the oil (and top up) tomorrow.

Another question I wanted to ask, w.r.t. rotation of tyres for the Storme (or any car/truck with stepney) - should they do 4 tyre rotation or 5 tyre rotation (including stepney)? If its 5 tyre rotation, can someone please tell me how (pattern) in which it is done? Have asked them to write it down and give it to me (along with wheel alignment report printout) for my records so that at the next service they rotate it properly sequentially and not come back to square 1.

[maglev]

Have attached the wheel rotation pattern for both front and rear wheel drive vehicles

hope it helps!



Image source: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=43

[tsk1979]

Whats the total mileage of this Storme till date.
I see a lot of people commenting how the Storme is finally a reliable Safari, but somehow, I am unable to understand how a vehicle which leaks oil when new, and has faulty shock absorbers is reliable or trouble free.
Maybe over the years, our expectation of reliability has been redefined.
"If it does not explode when you start it in the morning, its reliable"

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by ebonho

If its 5 tyre rotation, can someone please tell me how (pattern) in which it is done?

From http://customercare.tatamotors.com/m...ari-storme.pdf



Cheers,
Vikram

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Whats the total mileage of this Storme till date.
I see a lot of people commenting how the Storme is finally a reliable Safari, but somehow, I am unable to understand how a vehicle which leaks oil when new, and has faulty shock absorbers is reliable or trouble free.
Maybe over the years, our expectation of reliability has been redefined.
"If it does not explode when you start it in the morning, its reliable"

Tanveer my Storme belongs to the first lot where a problem was clearly identified with the shockers and replacement intimated to all TASCs. AFAIK this issue is not there in the Stormes from later lots.

My Storme has done only 6000 kms to date and completed its 2nd Free Service.

The oil sump gasket leak no doubt was unexpected and has not been reported on any other Storme that I know of.

[madhu33]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Tanveer my Storme belongs to the first lot where a problem was clearly identified with the shockers and replacement intimated to all TASCs. AFAIK this issue is not there in the Stormes from later lots.

My Storme has done only 6000 kms to date and completed its 2nd Free Service.

The oil sump gasket leak no doubt was unexpected and has not been reported on any other Storme that I know of.

That too is being attended to by Tass.
These type of gasket leakage can happen All though it should not have happened in first place(I agree) but prompt and satisfactory action already by Tass shows why it commands a lot more consumer confidence than a certain Skoda.
Yes I agree that Tml and Tass has a long way to go and there is so much room for improvement but still I have certain amount of confidence in Tml's modern day cars reliability and this confidence certainly goes a little further then bring sure of the bonnet not exploding on the ignition in the morning.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by madhu33

That too is being attended to by Tass.
These type of gasket leakage can happen All though it should not have happened in first place(I agree) but prompt and satisfactory action already by Tass shows why it commands a lot more consumer confidence than a certain Skoda.
Yes I agree that Tml and Tass has a long way to go and there is so much room for improvement but still I have certain amount of confidence in Tml's modern day cars reliability and this confidence certainly goes a little further then bring sure of the bonnet not exploding on the ignition in the morning.

I do not grudge Tanver his cynicism. As a long term customer of the Safari, he has more than earned it. I see in Tanveer with Safaris and TATA shades of me with Bullets and Royal Enfield.

Just came back from test drive of 50+ kms up Dive ghat and down after sump and packing put back and oil topped up to see if the leak recurs. Bone dry. Underbody guard plates put back, truck vacumed and washed and polished. Wheels rotated. Balanced (Silver AMC does not cover balancing and weights - Rs. 300/-). Thanks Comfartablynumb for the correct rotation pattern. Took a print with me just in case but the guy s there were well trained - but even so waited for me per my instructions. Whel alignment done. ECU checked for errors - none. All fluids checked, bolts torqued, battery checked, filter cleaned.

Will hit the highway for another decent drive to try to rack on some more miles so that I have at least 7500-8000 kms by the end of next month when I am scheduled for the 3rd free service and oil change (am just above 6000 kms currently).

[ebonho]

Before I forget, the drive up Dive ghat (the one taken by the Palkhi). Nice wide road. The truck pulls amazingly effortlessly uphill man. If you keep up your momentum fine and gauge the traffic and the overtakes properly without being bogged down behind a wide/slowcoach, then she climbs comfortably in 4th, once even 5th momentarily on a gentle straight, and 3rd only occasionaly, like for switchbacks. RPM mostly 1500 to 2000, maxing up to 2500 before upshifts only. Also love the way she comes downhill without swaying or bobbing or dipping in any plane, giving a lot of confidence to take her around the corners much more confidently and at greater momentum than with the Dicor. The brakes help too ofcourse. Tight. I likes!

[madhu33]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Will hit the highway for another decent drive to try to rack on some more miles so that I have at least 7500-8000 kms by the end of next month when I am scheduled for the 3rd free service and oil change (am just above 6000 kms currently).

Your most welcome to Mumbai. We cam also catch up. Would love to get stormed. We can a meal together.