[fusionbang]

Originally Posted by achyu

Thanks Sunay. It's actually 32psi for all tyres. But will the additional 2psi matter so much? The ride has improved and I do not see any significant bulge.

Is it changed for the facelift? Can you confirm from the owner's manual?

This is what my manual says,



You can't see any bulge with your naked eyes, but the temperature goes up while running and it might affect the tyres. All this is based on my understanding, probably experts can answer better than me.

[achyu]

Originally Posted by fusionbang

Is it changed for the facelift? Can you confirm from the owner's manual?

Yep. It has apparently been changed in the New XUV. Confirmed - page 193 http://www.mahindraxuv500.com/pdf/owners_manual.pdf.

[achyu]

As many of you may know, it had been pouring cats and dogs in Bangalore till mid last week. As a result, the mats in the car were prone to getting really dirty. What I must say is that, in spite of all the wetness and dirt, the Coozo 5D mats was able to camouflage the dirt to a large extent and were no way an eyesore. Here is a picture of all the accumulated dirt (I had last cleaned it 3 weeks ago after the Udupi-Murudeshwar trip).




Five minutes and some basic cleaning later:


The mats are super easy to clean and maintain. I am extremely happy with them and I highly recommend purchasing them if they are available for your car. Apart from the XUV, Coozo also has mats for Audi, BMW, Honda City, Fortuner, Skoda Rapid, Ertiga, Swift and Ciaz.

[achyu]

My first visit to the service station to fix a niggle:

The XUV5OO is known to throw niggles at you and the issues fix themselves miraculously. I had faced this about a month ago when the driver side window refused to lower. I could hear the click but no response in terms of action. The issue mysteriously disappeared the next day but cropped up again yesterday and this time it didn't go away. I took the car to the service center this morning as I wanted this sorted ASAP. Not wise to not have the driver side window not functioning. There was a loose contact in one of the interconnectors and there was also a protrusion near the door hinge. It took the technician about 30-40 minutes to get everything done. No parts needed replacement and the window is lowering properly now. Feeling mightly relieved.

The technician at work


The other day, I had noticed a clip missing on the passenger door. Wasn't causing any rattles as such but took this opportunity to get that fixed as well.

Some news on the XUV Automatic: India Garage in Bangalore will get the test drive vehicles by December 8th. I'll definitely visit the showroom for a test drive next week. For kicks .

[achyu]

I have read many times on the forum that Bridgestone Dueler tyres are tough. I even read a statement that a person suffered his first puncture after 65,000 kms! I wasn't that lucky. On my way back home this evening, all of a sudden the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS/Tiretronics) threw an alert on the infortainment system. The right rear tyre was showing low pressure. I usually check the tyre pressure every morning and so the sudden low pressure meant that it had to be a puncture.

Couple of things to note about the Tiretronics system:
1. Absolutely loved the way it functioned. It immediately detected the change in pressure and was prompt with the alert.
2. When low, it also shows the actual tyre pressure! In my case it was 23psi. The alert highlights the affected wheel and flashes the words "low pressure" and the actual pressure of the tyre alternatively. It usually says OK when the pressure is fine and users often rely on the BlueSense App to check the actual pressure but when there is a problem, the system in the car shows the pressure of the affected tyre! Information when you need it the most - great thinking Mahindra & Mahindra. You sure have won a few brownie points for this .




The culprit:





My next long drive is coming up fast. Will be driving down to Kerala with family on Friday and will return early next week. Expect to add another 1,300 kms to the ODO during the trip.

Cheers

[achyu]

Did the first of two trips this month to Kerala over the last four days. It was for a cousin's wedding. 1425 KMs in all. The roads were a joy to drive on, except for some work happening between Coimbatore and Palakkad. BattleCat was at his best behavior. No trouble whatsoever. Kept the RPM below 3500. At one stage I was getting a mileage of 15 kmpl. At the end of the trip, it settled at 12 kmpl.





The ODOMETER at the end of the trip



The surprise!
I didn't have to pay a single rupee at the toll booths in Tamilnadu. The Government has waived off all toll fees till Dec 11th due to the floods in the state. It probably makes sense not to collect toll en route to places like Chennai but I find the decision surprising on these roads because these parts of the state are not affected and the toll collected here could have actually been put to good use to help with the recovery elsewhere. Saved me about 800 bucks but imagine the crores they could have collected over this week - money that can be put to good use to help the needy. I wonder who comes up with these brainwaves.


I had initially planned on giving the SUV for the first service after this trip but have now planned to do so next week after a quick trip to Chennai, probably on Saturday. More on that trip later.

Mod Note: Post edited. Team-BHP strongly discourages unsafe driving practices that put yourself and other road users at risk. Please do NOT post about illegally high speeds on public roads.
We advise you to read the Forum Rules before proceeding any further.

[achyu]

Before I post, please accept my sincere apologies for the speeds that I had mentioned in the previous post. I honestly didn't mean to advertise the high speeds. I am a proud Team-BHPian and I will always advocate safe and sensible driving. I was extremely cautious (broad daylight, 6 lane highway, on straight roads, almost zero traffic) and knew what I was doing. I do not encourage rash or reckless driving. Speeds thrills but kills. Thank you mods for editing my post. Won't happen again.

Now, on to this post:

It was Thursday evening (Dec 10th, 5pm) last week. My 4yr old daughter and I were on our way back home. We were about a 1km away from home, on one of the side roads, when I saw a blue Tata Ace swerving from one side to the other continuously. The driver just couldn't keep the vehicle steady. The car in front of me stopped and so did I. The Tata Ace moved close the i20 in front of me, giving the driver the fright of his life and swerved to his left again. The driver of the i20 heaved a sigh of relief and so did I but my relief was extremely short lived. To my horror, the vehicle moved to its right again and before I could say 'Holy Guacamole' I heard 'bang' 'bang' 'bang'. Seen 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'? Well, this was my Elm Street. A medium and a couple of small dents on the right rear door and rear quarter panel. The driver of the Tata Ace continued his merry way, completely oblivious of what had just happened. By the time I got out the car, the kind folks waiting behind me had stopped the Tata Ace. The driver was completely drunk . If ever there is a human version of a 'Lotus' floating in 'water', it has to be this guy.

With my daughter by my side and the guy not in his senses, I did not see any point in talking, leave alone arguing with him. We just got into our car and drove away.

I was to leave for Chennai on Saturday early morning to help with the relief work. The plan was to fill the car with relief materials that we had been collecting over the past couple of weeks. I needed my XUV for the trip else would have had to find another car and a driver to help transport the stuff. My mom and other members of the family live in Chennai and were going to see the BattleCat for the first time. Needless to say, I did not sleep on Thursday night.

I spoke to a few friends and got the contact details of the body shops to get the dents fixed. But it is a two month old 'Pearl White' XUV5OO. What if the body shop messes up the paint job. I decided its best to go to my regular service center, India Garage Mahadevapura. Reached the workshop at 9.30am. I have been building my rapport with the team there over the last couple of months and I think that really helped. In spite of being short staffed for the day (couple of RMs, including mine, had taken off due to personal emergencies and a third RM was on duty despite high fever), the Service Manager, Shyam, himself saw to it that my car was attended to. He saw the damage, heard about my plans to travel to Chennai the next day and promised to deliver the car even if it gets late in the evening. True to his word, I drove out of the place at 7pm, the car almost as good as new. The India Garage GM needed his Xylo repaired but the team put off that work in order to accommodate me. Truly impressed with the service and experience. Hats off to them!

The work started at 9.50am. The dents could be removed and the painting was completed but the SUV still needed to be polished. It is never a good idea to do the polishing on the same day as the painting as it takes time for the paint to dry completely and the heat caused by the polishing can mess up the newly painted area if done soon after. I decided to get the polishing done on Monday (yesterday) during the first service, after my Chennai trip. The whole episode cost me close to Rs.10K but I am relieved that the issue is fixed and car is looking new again. I did not claim insurance as it would have meant that I got the car only after 4 days and I couldn't afford that.

Here are some pictures:

The damage


The area being scraped before removing the dent


Dent being removed




Grind to ensure relative smoothness before applying the filler


The 3M filler


Filler being applied




The SUV all set for the paint job


Painting in progress - Pearl White needs two base coats and then a Pearl (clear) coat


After first coat


After the second coat


After the Pearl coat


Infra red to dry the paint


As good as new!



My wife and I left for Chennai at 4.30am on Saturday. We had a quick breakfast at Hotel Aryaas in Vellore, reached Chennai at 10am and drove straight to the hospital where my mom works. They are providing free medication and treatment at the medical center. The patients visiting the center have lost everything. Since medicines were already available, we made it a point to collect:
1. New and slightly old but very usable clothes (adults and children)
2. Blankets and bed sheets (new and old)
3. Footwear
4. Sanitary napkins and diapers
5. Mosquito repellants
6. Floor and toilet cleaners, disinfectant, bleaching powder

Food is being provided at a kitchen setup nearby, equipped to churn out 20,000 meal packets a day.

The rains have stopped for now and Chennai is recovering. The people are in good spirits in spite of the hardships they have had to face. The water has receded from most of the roads. Bleaching powder can be seen spread on the roads. There is water stagnation in some areas and inside compound walls. The risk of disease is high for now. Precautions need to be taken.

The road to Chennai is by and large good, except for the stretch between Vellore and Chennai. That strectch was never great by any means but now has become even worse. Crater alert! The below message popped up on my system as we crossed 5000 kms. When we reached our home in Bangalore, the ODO read 5292 - all set for the first service the next day. More on that in my next post.

[Venku2015]

Feel bad for the dent caused by the wreck-less Ace driver, and glad to see your XUV getting fit-n-fine rapidly!

On other part, volunteers like you are a blessing for the country and sets apart a good example. I salute you and your better half for the sincere efforts you people put in for the relief work. Keep up the good social work and spirit!

[achyu]

I took the BattleCat for his first service on Monday this week (Dec 14th) to India Garage Mahadevapura. The ODO was at just above 5300 KMs.

I did not have any major issues to report. I asked the RM to check the windscreen wiper functioning as occasionally I have seen lines left behind (abirnale had complained of something similar). Also reported that the infortainment system does not respond at times but fixes itself automatically after some time or on pushing a few buttons. The only thing that they could do was check if the software was the latest available and it was.

I also got the rubbing and polishing done on the rear right door and panel, the work that had been left pending after Friday's repairs.

Total cost 3400/- (including taxes) for:
1. Oil filter change
2. Oil change
3. Windscreen washer
4. A/C neutralizer that kills bacteria and fungi in the a/c vents, prevents foul smell and supposedly keeps the car smelling good for up to 60 days.

I have driven close to 100 KMs after the service and I can positively notice that ride has become smoother, braking and clutch operation are slightly better and the gear changes don't feel notchy at all.

The SUV has completed its run in. The mileage should improve further. I look forward to munching many more miles in this beast. With couple of trips lined up over the next two weeks, I should be well over 7000 KMs by the end of the month. That's a number that I have never ever done in the first three months of owning a car! Talks miles about the love for the XUV5OO.

[Venku2015]

Originally Posted by achyu

I took the BattleCat for his first service on Monday this week (Dec 14th) to India Garage Mahadevapura. The ODO was at just above 5300 KMs.

I did not have any major issues to report. I asked the RM to check the windscreen wiper functioning as occasionally I have seen lines left behind (abirnale had complained of something similar). Also reported that the infortainment system does not respond at times but fixes itself automatically after some time or on pushing a few buttons. The only thing that they could do was check if the software was the latest available and it was.

I also got the rubbing and polishing done on the rear right door and panel, the work that had been left pending after Friday's repairs.

Total cost 3400/- (including taxes) for:
1. Oil filter change
2. Oil change
3. Windscreen washer
4. A/C neutralizer that kills bacteria and fungi in the a/c vents, prevents foul smell and supposedly keeps the car smelling good for up to 60 days.

I have driven close to 100 KMs after the service and I can positively notice that ride has become smoother, braking and clutch operation are slightly better and the gear changes don't feel notchy at all.

The SUV has completed its run in. The mileage should improve further. I look forward to munching many more miles in this beast. With couple of trips lined up over the next two weeks, I should be well over 7000 KMs by the end of the month. That's a number that I have never ever done in the first three months of owning a car! Talks miles about the love for the XUV5OO.

Glad to see your XUV 5OO niggle free and in pristine condition!The service bill seems pretty reasonable for a vehicle of this size and that's where Mahindra is winning more customers. Now since its completed it's run-in period, I am sure you will enjoy the XUV's refined engine power much more than ever.

I call it "new car sickness" and usually we end up clocking unusual number of kilometers in the first two years of ownership. My Ecosport did around 30,000kms in the first year and around 25,000 in the second year and now the pace is slowly reducing as my hunt for the new SUV has begun

[rajeshsundaram]

Congratulations (ofcourse, this is a late wish) for buying the Battle Cat. And as you said, this is a small world! :-D

[achyu]

It's been a long time since I posted on this forum. Primarily because work has kept me insanely busy. I have been travelling a lot as well. BattleCat's completed a year and three weeks, 17250 kms, largely trouble free - until last evening.

I was on my way back from office, about 100m from home, when a dude driving his brand new Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, entered the main road from one of the pocket roads, turned RIGHT with his LEFT indicator on and rammed into me without looking where he was going, all along talking to the passenger sitting next to him!

The accident has left a big dent on my driver door. The car is in the workshop. I was told that tinkering and painting may not restore the original look. Therefore, I am getting the door replaced and will claim insurance. Not going to compromise on the body strength.



The guy struggled to reverse his car, caused a traffic jam and was not even apologetic . The new Ciaz has a broken bumper. When I asked him what in the world he was up to, his reply was "you claim insurance and I will claim insurance". He got an earful. Deservedly.

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by achyu

I have been travelling a lot as well. BattleCat's completed a year and three weeks, 17250 kms, largely trouble free - until last evening.

Sad to see this damage @achyu :( This is second such incidence with BattleCat.

Was the impact absorbed by those footsteps? Shouldn't the curtain air bags deploy? The damage does not look so bad from pictures. I am surprised that you would need to replace the door - that would mean a hell lot of things!

Why did you not file a police complaint? Without FIR how will the insurance be claimed? Or you would call it as self accident?

The idiot in the Ciaz (going by your description) should also be shelling out good money from his pocket if the insurance is not zero dep-b2b. Was the Ciaz registered already?

[achyu]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Sad to see this damage @achyu :( This is second such incidence with BattleCat.

Was the impact absorbed by those footsteps? Shouldn't the curtain air bags deploy? The damage does not look so bad from pictures. I am surprised that you would need to replace the door - that would mean a hell lot of things!

Why did you not file a police complaint? Without FIR how will the insurance be claimed? Or you would call it as self accident?

The idiot in the Ciaz (going by your description) should also be shelling out good money from his pocket if the insurance is not zero dep-b2b. Was the Ciaz registered already?

The Ciaz bumper missed the footsteps completely and hit the door direct. It was not high impact and therefore, the airbags didn't deploy. We were both going slow but the fellow didn't halt even after he hit me, causing extra 2 secs worth damage. I was advised to get the door replaced because the repair may not give the desired results. I just got a call from the workshop that they can indeed repair the door to put it back into original shape and look.

Bajaj Allianz asked if I have lodged a police complaint but are willing to proceed without it. The complaint would have been mandatory had a two-wheeler been involved or had there been an injury.

The Ciaz number plate in the front broke. Guess the two marks on door are good indicators as to how that could have happened. In the heat of the moment, I didn't remember to walk to the back of the car and note the number .

[achyu]

And the cat is back in it's den all fixed and shining. A big shoutout to India Garage Whitefield for doing a fab job and delivering ahead of schedule.