[Simple_car]

Hi Rahul,

Although I am unable to post the price for the car which went for service last time (am tied up to look it up in my files), here is the latest one. The car has completed 270k kms as of today.
Members, let me know where all I have been tricked. I have yet to pay the amount (the car has been released though ).

Yea the bolero takes in 500kg of grease





Thanks,
Simple_car

[rahul4321]

Originally Posted by Simple_car

Hi Rahul,

Although I am unable to post the price for the car which went for service last time (am tied up to look it up in my files), here is the latest one. The car has completed 270k kms as of today.
Members, let me know where all I have been tricked. I have yet to pay the amount (the car has been released though ).

Yea the bolero takes in 500kg of grease

Thanks,
Simple_car

Wow.... a sub 20k Bill for a car having run 2lakh 70 thousand kilometers. Just mindblowing! Just goes to show that the Bolero (especially with the DI engine) is not as expensive to maintain as the other MHawks and MEagle engines of the same manufacturer.

Happy to see a set of Front Disc brakes at such a price. I remember my Pulsar 180's disc brake (single) cost about 40% of yours.

I just have a question; this 500 kg of Grease- is it used for the leaf spring suspension? or any other place as well?

I can only wish that I will be able to run my Bolero for 270k kilometers too (It has only done 15k right now)



Thank you so much for the images of the Bill!

[rahul4321]

Originally Posted by Herbie98

Hi Rahul,


I follow the below things religiously:
- 8k kms Oil & Oil filter, Fuel filter change.
- A good water wash with Joint Greasing (important for ensuring lubrication to the propeller shaft joints) every 5K kms.
- 10K kms - All 5 wheels rotation, wheel balancing & alignment.
Regards,

JP

Hi Herbie,

A quick question; I talked to my Service Advisor who said that the DI engines do not need greasing for anything else other than the leaf spring suspensions. Remembering your post, i specifically mentioned lubrication to the propellor shaft joints but he said that there is now no 'propellor' in the DI engine; only the IDI engine had a propellor.

I just wanted to confirm- you have a SLE with a DI engine, right? Could you just elaborate a bit more about greasing the propellor shaft?

Thanks,
Rahul

[maverick56]

Dear Rahul
Congrats on buying a bolero, I have had 2 in the past and have been extremely happy with them. M&M vehicles its like a marriage, equqlly big gamble First was a SLX 4wd with peugot engine was a dream. Next came a storm its like a continuous series of orgasms ( Eds : excuse ) The power on the thing was super and imagine i put in a petes box , it was a stallion. I almost stuck a " I hate M&M " sticker cos they didnt give a 4wd version but if u hav a chance the storm lives up to its name. Now i have a thar which i love as much as my wife if not more - will not say anything more on this in print. But happy motoring guy

[Simple_car]

Originally Posted by rahul4321

I just have a question; this 500 kg of Grease- is it used for the leaf spring suspension? or any other place as well?

Dear Rahul,

I had a round of negotiations with my dealer and cut off several unwarranted stuff from my bill. Final amount paid was just under 13k. Had to let go of somethings though since he gives me excellent support here in bombay.
The greasing involves mainly the suspension only.

Originally Posted by rahul4321

Could you just elaborate a bit more about greasing the propellor shaft?

All RWD vehicles have a propeller shaft (also called as a drive shaft). So your bolero has to have it. The greasing of this shaft is mainly for the joints on either ends. It is not mentioned in the owner manuals of any mahindra vehicles AFAIK, so it is not done by anyone. It is not done on my car as well, but it is a good thing to get done.

Thanks,
Simple_car

P.S. You don't have to compare a 4 year old car to new one on the mileage aspect (meaning the kms covered) . Mine runs daily for a lot of my work. It's a simple car, and hence my handle as well

[NikzBoz]

Hi to all fellow bhpians from Nik.

This thread has been hugely informative. I have taken a 2005 model Bolero Sportz recently. I knew I could find pointers as I always do from here.

Thank you everyone for your feedbacks. I'll be posting mine soon.

Cheers mates!

Nik.

[Herbie98]

Nice to see the Bolero crowd increasing on T-bhp.

Bolero anyday is a low maintenance simple car. Its a thoroughbred work horse. It simply keeps chugging on and on. I see this one as a very practical suitable car on our Indian roads.

Lets keep exchanging views, thoughts, problems that we face and solutions that we figure out. Mine has covered 135K kms and going on.

[rahul4321]

Great news indeed! I am happy to see the Bolero owners increasing on Team-Bhp! Its indeed nice to see varied professionals in different fields plonking for a Bolero for its virtues of a no-nonsense rugged car even though it does not have the looks & refinement of bigger and more expensive SUV's like a Scorpio or a Safari.

I must quote an incident here. I am a Chartered Accountant by profession. I was attending a seminar for CA's a week ago where the organizers had provided the CA's with the facility of a valet parking. The line in front of me was crowded with Vento's, Civic's, City's, Dzire's and the like. I was the only one making a huge racket in my DI Bolero

When i got to the end of the line, I gave my keys to the valet and was moving out of the car when the valet said 'Saar; this facility is only for CA's. Drivers need to park the car's themselves. Aap Saar ko idhar utaar ke gaadi aage jaa ke laga lo'

I grinned; showed him my membership card- which he compared with my face and then i started to walk away. 20 seconds later i hear oooh's and aaah's. So i asked him 'kya hua bhai?'. To which he replied 'Saar..... steering bahot hard hai'. I said 'woh aisa hi hai..... gaadi main power steering nai hai'. Saying this; i got into the car and parked it a kilometer away and walked back to the conference arena. When i came back; all the valets gave me a goofy smile. I grinned right back at them!

[rahul4321]

Leaf Spring's on all 4 wheels; breaks your back but very easy on the wallet



Some pictures of the jeep (Yes i am a Valentino Rossi fan)





Yours truly




Touching 8000 kilometers (Its just above 15000 now and still 2 months to go for the completion of an year)






With its Extended Wheelbase brother at Lonavala


My main grouse with Mahindra. C'mon; just how much exactly do foldable rear seats cost? Or are you scared no one will buy you more expensive SUV's then if you give this feature?

[zalaps]

Congratulations on Tough Nut!!!

Face-lifted Bolero + Long wheel base(High Roof) + DI(non-crdi) + AC + Leaf springs = Quite a rare combo

When I purchased Thar DI, I did inquired about this combo but VAPI dealership simply denied. I envy you! I'll be shifting to Gandhinagar in next month.

Where do you get your service done?

Originally Posted by rahul4321

I have now gotten used to driving without a power steering so much so that when my mom asks me to fill up fuel in the Accent I actually twist the steering like an Xbox one; thats how puny it feels

Normal steering does affect many things in a person:
- One will never be comfortable with EPS. Ask me, I drive too far ends of sneerings offered in market. Thar DI & Eon(Too much assisted)
- If assisted steering is needed, You will only look for hydrolic only.
- Stop going to Gym for that Biceps muscle!

Originally Posted by rahul4321

The fuel efficiency the car seems to return is somewhere betwee 15-16.5 km/litre which i think is pretty decent considering all my driving is highway driving at speeds between 80-90 km/hr.

I too get in between 16-16.8 kmpl. Best part - It doesn't get affected too much with city traffic.

Originally Posted by rahul4321

Ofcourse the ride of the 4 leaf spring suspensions then takes away those same praises. Having said that i have often noticed that when the car is loaded to the gills with luggage/people/both, the ride is quite smooth and sorted. So i always make it a point to try and load more people into the car (People think i'm being kind- in reality i am just 'cushioning' myself).

In fact, In my Ahmadabad-Gandhinagar or Ahmedabad-Baroda runs, I also always offer free lifts! Just to be kind with my back!

Originally Posted by Herbie98

A good water wash and grease the differential & propeller shaft joints. (every 5K once).

Originally Posted by Simple_car

2. Grease the leaf springs judiciously. Helps a lot in long term maintenance.

Hey Guys,
Here in Ahmadabad when I ask authorized Mahindra work shop Guys for grease, They simply denied. As per them - Mahindra do not recommend grease-in of vehicle!

Is this true?

[Herbie98]

Hi Zalapas,

Bolero's propeller shaft has three greasing points - 2 at the front near the gear box and one at the red differential end. I don't remember if the manual mentions this. If you see under the vehicle on the propeller shaft, three greasing nipples can be found.

The most ignored part for lubrication in rear-wheel drive vehicles is the Propeller shaft joints. Greasing this once in 5000 kms, will ensure a good life of the joints.

Informative read - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-te...roaders-2.html

Regards,
JP

[rahul4321]

Originally Posted by zalaps

Congratulations on Tough Nut!!!

Where do you get your service done?

Hey Guys,
Here in Ahmadabad when I ask authorized Mahindra work shop Guys for grease, They simply denied. As per them - Mahindra do not recommend grease-in of vehicle!

Is this true?

Hey Zalapas,

Yes; I think i did somehow get hold of a very rare Bolero. Especially as I have some emails from Mahindra representatives who still maintain that they do not make this model with a factory fitted AC anymore. Good to know you'll be shifting to Gandhinagar. I currently reside there and get my service done at Param Automobiles, Gandhinagar. Give me a shout when you arrive.


You're absolutely right on the EPS! My uncle has the 2nd Generation Wagon R and I hate the lifelesss steering of that car. Somehow i still prefer the good old hydrualic steering if i had to make a choice between the two. Ofcourse; I do love the non-powersteering's best. Very true on the biceps front too


Many similarities indeed; I too dole out free lifts on my Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar runs and my Gandhinagar-Baroda runs. Ofcourse its not that necessary on the express highway as the roads are butter smooth; but my back does feel quite comfy in a 'fully loaded' Bolero on the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar run


About the grease; i inquired at the Gandhinagar Mahindra dealership about the greasing of the propeller shaft but the Service Manager there (who is very knowledgable and we have now become friends) said it is not needed in the new Bolero's as there are no nipples to be greased on these newer models. However I still am keen on greasing the leaf spring suspension's as many people say that it is needed. If you are going to service your Thar in Gandhinagar; let me know. I'll give you the contact number of the Service Manager at the Gandhinagar dealership; he'll ensure that everything is taken care of.

Originally Posted by Herbie98

Hi Zalapas,

Bolero's propeller shaft has three greasing points - 2 at the front near the gear box and one at the red differential end. I don't remember if the manual mentions this. If you see under the vehicle on the propeller shaft, three greasing nipples can be found.

The most ignored part for lubrication in rear-wheel drive vehicles is the Propeller shaft joints. Greasing this once in 5000 kms, will ensure a good life of the joints.

Informative read - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-te...roaders-2.html

Regards,
JP

Hi Herbie,

Is there anyway you can confirm if these face lifted Bolero's do have these nipples on the propeller shaft. Maybe if you can direct me to a picture on the internet that would be great so i know what to look for. Because the guy at my dealership in Gandhinagar and apparantely as Zalaps says another guy at the Ahmedabad dealership are saying the same thing that there is no need of greasing in these new ones. If you can shed more light on this that would be great! Thanks for your help so far

[zalaps]

Originally Posted by rahul4321

About the grease; i inquired at the Gandhinagar Mahindra dealership about the greasing of the propeller shaft but the Service Manager there (who is very knowledgable and we have now become friends) said it is not needed in the new Bolero's as there are no nipples to be greased on these newer models. However I still am keen on greasing the leaf spring suspension's as many people say that it is needed. If you are going to service your Thar in Gandhinagar; let me know. I'll give you the contact number of the Service Manager at the Gandhinagar dealership; he'll ensure that everything is taken care of.

Thanks for response!
I'll definitely meet you in G'nagar. Just got 40K service done for my Thar DI last month in Vapi.

[Herbie98]

Hi Rahul,

As far as I know, there would be no change in the propeller shaft design in the new Bolero. I took a picture to explain. Next time when the vehicle goes for water wash, I shall get you more clear picture of all three greasing points.

The service centers always deny to grease saying it is not required, I too faced this back in 2009 when i used to service at ASS. And i guess there is no need to explain how competent Mahindra service centers are

The only Mahindra ASS that i have come across which was competent was KS Auto at Udaipur, when i was on Ladakh trip. Anyways, take care of your machine, it will do well.


Regards,
JP

[rahul4321]

Will be completing 1 year in the next week. It has been an amazing journey. As has been said on various forums; every Bolero (like every human being) is absolutely unique.


Here are the two main reporting aspects


(1) Reliability- The car is so reliable I can just about take it anywhere without worrying about anything breaking or the engine throwing any tantrums. In the last one year; I have visited the Rann of Kutchh, Lonavala, Rajasthan, Diu and a couple of other places; the best of them being Gir Forest.

For those of you who know the forest; I took the Bolero in to this place called 'Kankai Mata Mandir' which does not have a road. No sir, it only has jagged rocks. Stones, Rocks, Potholes (on the track made of rocks), stream crossings, dirt roads, steep ascents, steep descents and much more. 40 kilometers took 5 hours at an average speed of 15 km/hr maximum!

(2) The SIOPI Factor which stands for: Solves-Its-Own-Problems-Itself. About a month ago, the Bolero's steering started shimmying at speeds above 60 km/hr. To be precise the steering wheel did continuous quick 'left to right' and 'right to left' movements and so on. But since it is a non Powersteering Bolero, it still kept going in a straight line. So while it was not dangerous in that sense, I could feel the steering move continuously under my 'loose grip' and I didnt like that at all! So I took it to the service station where the SA got my steering column tightened. That just slightly minimized the problem, but didnt solve it. I complained again. He then told me its an alignment and balancing issue. So I took it over to a reputable 3rd party guy who I have always gone to. He fixed the alignment and balancing issues for me but the shimmying steering problem still persisted. I grew more and more annoyed as each day passed by.

A week later me and my friends made a plan for Gir Forest. Till we reached the forests, I was feeling the shimmying of the steering wheel. Then after putting it through 40 kilometeres of the 'Kankai Mata Mandir route' mentioned above, we finally exited the forest and approached the Diu Highway. I was scared; terrified and thinking to myself 'if the steering was shimmying that violently before this gruelling ordeal, what would be the state of the shimmying now. How extreme would it have gotten? Would i even be able to drive it or will it be un-driveable?' Reached up to a speed of 70 km/hr and voila- no shimmying at all. Somewhere; one of those jagged rocks, potholes or sharp pointy stones must have knocked a faulty mechanical (whatever that component was) back into place.

Moral of the Story: If you have a problem, go to your SA. If he cant rectify it, go to a 3rd party garage. If he too cant rectify it; Pray to God for a SIOPI event!

Let me just end by dedicating a small poem to my 1 year old Bolero


I've had my share of problems, my share of fun!

my share of head banging with your Service Advisors, my share of being numb!

my share of frustration, my share of pain,

my share of delight, my share of gain

You broke my back, but stole my heart!

you saved my money but stole my 'car'

I have learnt from you and rode my luck

And trusted you with my life; but still never got stuck!