[AutoIndian]

The seat cover installation is right now under way. The installer came to my home along with seat covers at 12pm and got on to the job right away. He first removed the jump seats, then the middle bench seat and finally the front seats. Sharing some pics taken during the process.









My Orange Tank is currently soaking in the hot afternoon sun, while the seat covers are being fitted

[AutoIndian]

Finally the seat cover fitment job was done at 5:00pm. Since the whole removal of seats, fitment of covers and assembly of the seats was done by a single person, it took 5 hours. But finally the job was well done. Fitting the covers on the jumps seats was the most torturous. Due to the multiple hooks on the back side it was a pain to fit the covers, but finally all the efforts were well worth.

My wallet was lighter by 11.5K, tipped Rs 200/- to the person who did the fitment, he did an excellent job. Here are some pics.

The front passenger seat getting ready


The fitter struggling to fit the covers on torturous jump seat


The middle row seat was an easy fitment though


The jump seats being put in place


The jump seats now sporting new clothes


The middle row seat with new clothes. Note the neck pillows are carried over from my Innova, hence sport the black-biege combo, instead of black-orange


The front row seats all decked up


Another shot of front row seats

[chetans]

that looks like a very good work done!
thanks for taking care of the workman.

[AutoIndian]

Friends, yesterday I received a call from my service centre that the TUV's RHS power window assembly has arrived in stock. I had planned to go to the service centre today early morning but had to cancel it at the last moment due to some urgent office work. Planning to get this fixed Friday morning. Will update here once done.

I will have to be away from my TUV for the next two weeks starting 13th March as I have to travel abroad for project work. The car will most likely remain idle in my parking for 15 days, till I return. Do you guys think I should take any extra precautions while I am away. Since it is a short duration of 2 weeks, I am not inclined to remove the battery +ve terminal.

[CAPTAIN REX]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

Actually, this is not recommended. You have stuck it on the passenger airbag module which may result in additional injuries if the airbag deploys.

The cover of the airbag module is made such that it tears off when the airbag is inflated. It does not rip off and will not act as a projectile. Excessive sticking on this could affect the performance of the airbag being pushed out through the torn cover.
Below is a video on the airbag opening up, showing where the cover remains after inflating.
But that small sticker of Ganeshji might not be a hindrance, plus the fact that Lord Ganesh will ensure that you do not get into a situation where the airbags have to be deployed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8-Kfqrv5WI

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

Hats off to the robust built quality of the tank , it saved my day today and a lot of heartburn

The bumper seems to be real robust. When I had a bang, the fender was badly torn and bent. The bumper was pulled out from its clips, but it still retained the shape, with no dents.

Friends today morning I washed the car and then tried the Jopasu spray wax on slightly wet surface as per the instructions.

After spraying, do you need to rub vigorously, like what is required with other wax polishes ?

Finally the seat cover fitment job was done at 5:00pm.

Nice color combination for the seat covers. The orange compliments your TUV. Hope there is a slit on cover at the top of the jump seats backrest to access the strip for clipping the seat when folded.

I will have to be away from my TUV for the next two weeks starting 13th March as I have to travel abroad for project work. The car will most likely remain idle in my parking for 15 days, till I return. Do you guys think I should take any extra precautions while I am away.

Leaving the vehicle idle for 2 weeks should not be a problem. Ensure that it is not parked where rain, sun shine and bird droppings will fall on the car, but that the place is well aired and free of rats. Placing a bunch of tobacco leaves in the engine bay should stop the rats from having the TUVs wires and rubber for supper. Have a good overseas trip.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by CAPTAIN REX

The bumper seems to be real robust. When I had a bang, the fender was badly torn and bent. The bumper was pulled out from its clips, but it still retained the shape, with no dents.

True, the basic Mahindra DNA of robustness have not been compromised in the TUV

After spraying, do you need to rub vigorously, like what is required with other wax polishes ?

Yes, first rub it gently with one microfibre cloth to spread the liquid wax evenly over the surface. Then use another dry microfibre cloth to remove any kind of wetness. The more you rub with the second cloth, the shinier the surface will become giving you the buffing effect

Nice color combination for the seat covers. The orange compliments your TUV. Hope there is a slit on cover at the top of the jump seats backrest to access the strip for clipping the seat when folded.

Thank you for the compliments. Yes the cover has been cut open at the point where the strip clips the seat when folded. But this cut, though small, looks like a sore thumb in an otherwise spotless seat. Need to do some patchwork over there.

Leaving the vehicle idle for 2 weeks should not be a problem. Ensure that it is not parked where rain, sun shine and bird droppings will fall on the car, but that the place is well aired and free of rats. Placing a bunch of tobacco leaves in the engine bay should stop the rats from having the TUVs wires and rubber for supper. Have a good overseas trip.

Thank you for that suggestion. Fortunately I have a covered parking where rain, sun shine and bird droppings won't fall on the car and it is quite airy as well. Rats are also not around. Only issue is the amount of dust that gets deposited, that's it

[AutoIndian]

Friends, happy to inform you that finally the issue of my right window buzzing/ rattling noise has been permanently fixed. Just now posted the details in the TUV official review thread. Pasting the link here for your ready reference (message#861 )--> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post3929689

[AutoIndian]

Yesterday early morning I returned from my 2 weeks overseas business trip. My Orange Tank was lying idle in the garage for 2 weeks, hence has become very dusty . I was too jet lagged to do any kind of car cleaning, hence Dad did the honours with Jopasu Duster & microfibre cloths. Late in the evening I started my Orange Tank, the engine came to life at the first crank, did a 5 kms short trip to ensure that everything was in order.

Today morning covered the usual distance of 20 kms from home to office commute. Complete travel without any music, hearing the sweet engine sound and most importantly not a single rattle, what a bliss. The now infamous window rattling was fixed for good. Never felt so good in the tank from the day I brought it home as this problem was there from the beginning since I took the car out of the showroom. The winder assembly replacement & door trim packing has done wonders in eliminating the irritating rattle.

[AutoIndian]

Today morning while coming to office I crossed the 5K milestone on my odo. It took me 4 months and 23 days to cross that mark (longest ever duration). Captured some pics of the odo.

[AutoIndian]

On Sunday did a short trip to Bhuleshwar temple and the Ashtavinayak ganesh of Theur-Chintamani, which was en-route. Have shared the travelogue and pictures in the thread below. Please have a look.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post3945220

[AutoIndian]

Friends, happy to inform you that today is the 5th monthly birthday of my Orange Tank. Exactly on this date in Nov-15, just before Diwali, the Orange tank made its way to our home. Odo stands at 5.4K as of day. Wish it would have been double of that. In these last 5 months barring the right window rattling noise (which was fixed to my satisfaction), the car has been absolutely trouble free

This car has been a perfect fit to almost all of my needs. How stupid I was to reject it after the first images and specs emerged in the media & auto forums . Things on paper don't reveal the true potential of a car and it should be just a point of reference. Been driving an Innova for a year, my benchmarks were set high and the TUV didn't disappoint me on any of the counts, except one (details below). The only grudge remains that of the side facing third row of seats. When I am traveling only with my immediate family (wife, parents and kids) all are comfortable in the first & second row. Its only when two or more people get added, the third row seats have to be occupied. But then you can't expect more in a compact sub-4 meter SUV.

The biggest pluses for the TUV have been as below:

• Absolute commanding position & great road presence (2 & 3 wheelers don't fiddle much)
• Chunky high profile tyres, make the car glide over rural/ broken roads. you don't need to slow down for small speed breakers
• Very low in-cabin road or engine noise. The thick firewall insulation and perfectly matching door beadings makes the TUVs cabin more silent than that of the Innova.
• Shorter turning radius and overall length makes it a breeze to drive in city. Tight parking spots in office, home or elsewhere don't bother me much.
• Despite its height the car is rock steady on highways and ghats. Steering being on the heavier side is a pleasure to hold on highways.
• The ample low & mid range torque can pull any kind of loads that you throw in the car. Combine that with the rear wheel drive and you can take on any roads. The 6km torture track to Shivthar Ghal from Varandha ghat was a testimony to this.
• The mechanicals of this car are sound (as is the case with any Mahindra) and Electronics gizmos being minimal even in the top end is quite a solace. Haven't faced a single issue with the electronics till date (touchwood)

Now the biggest minus (I can list only one for my needs):

• The second row AC vents (if not the third row ones) is a big miss for such a huge cabin. Even if the price is hiked by 50K to provide the second and third row AC vents, I would happily paid for it and lapped it up. The Innova's individual AC vents over each seat has really spoilt my family. I could live with just the front AC vents, but the folks on 2nd row and 3rd of seats demand for more.

Another big negative is the low top end grunt. Although for my kind of driving needs this car has sufficient juice, but people who often do interstate runs on 4-6 laned roads, this car will never suit them. They will always beg for more power.

[windiesel]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

I overtook some cars from right and when the signal turned green I gave the left indicator to move into my lane and move forward. When I was doing so, I saw a white Bolero in my left side ORVM, trying to squeeze in and prevent me from getting into my lane.

Pray....if you happen to be driving in delhi, never try this maneouvre....delhi guys just wont let you get back and you could be left high and dry....plus theres a katta/hockey stick/saria in most cars!!

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by windiesel

Pray....if you happen to be driving in delhi, never try this maneouvre....delhi guys just wont let you get back and you could be left high and dry....plus theres a katta/hockey stick/saria in most cars!!

True windiesel, I would have never dared such a kind of manouvre in the NCR, because it is no doubt the capital of "road rage" (no offense please). People here are more considerate and give leeway for other road users.

[AutoIndian]

Today being the birthday of my daughter, decided to do some outing. Hence took a day off from work. Initially we planned to have some fun, hence headed to Lekha Farms near Dehuroad on Katraj-Dehuroad bypass. When we reached there @ 12:30pm we were informed that the facility opens for general public only in the evening after 4pm on weekdays. On weekends it is open since morning. We then decided to visit the Ashtavinayak temples of Mahad and Pali. Hence we headed back to Mumbai-Pune expressway.

In its 5.5 months of existence my Orange Tank touched the expressway for the first time. I was driving at steady speed of 90kmph. The rough undulations on the concrete road were quite noticeable at the steering wheel. Not sure if this should be considered as good or bad. After descending the Khandala ghat I took the Khopoli exit and reached the diversion to Mahad temple after about 5 kms (on left side) from Khopoli. The temple is 1km inside after taking the diversion from NH4. Reached there @ 1pm and distance covered from home was 78 kms.

This being a week day, there was absolutely no rush and we didn't have to wait in queue for darshan. We straightaway went to the idol, offered the prayers. I believe this is the only ganesh from all the Ashtavinayak's where you can touch the idol. For all others you have to offer the prayers from a distance only. We spent couple of minutes meditating in the sanctum. We then proceeded towards the back side of the temple and had the afternoon prasad. Also offered prayers at the Datta temple and spent some time admiring the kund (water body) near the temple. Left the place around 02:15pm. Some snaps at the Mahad temple.

The main temple


The water kund besides the temple


Ducks making merry in cool water in scorching sun


Another shot of the kund


We then proceeded towards Pali Ashtavinayak. We had to come back to Khopoli and take the right diversion from Khopoli towards Alibaug/Pali. Distance from Mahad to Pali is about 40kms. The road passes through a jungle. Road condition is very good and it is butter smooth. We crossed the Imagica water park on the way. Reached the temple @ 3pm. Spend around an hour in the temple. Here too there was no rush at all. We straightaway went inside the sanctum, offered prayers and spent some time meditating there.

We enter the temple from rear, which is west side


Main entrance to the temple facing east side


Water body in front of the temple


The huge bell adorning the temple entrance


The jungle around the temple with Sarasgad fort in backdrop


Orange Tank resting under the tree shade


Since we wanted to do a round trip we decided not to head back to Khopoli and then to expressway, but to take the Tamhini ghat route. The road from Pali to Tamhini ghat is super smooth and there was very sparse traffic. The Pune section of the ghat road has some bad patches in between, but nothing worrisome for the tank. Driving the tank on the twisties of ghat was a delight. Rarely I would downshift to second gear. Most of the times it was third and fourth gear. Despite the hot summer setting in the ghat road is covered with lush greenery. As the ascend ended we got the first sight of Mulshi backwaters. Most of the lake is parched up now. As we headed towards the dam wall we could see some good water. I hope the rain Gods don't play any taunt this time and bring back the dam to its lost glory. Sorry could not take any pictures of the ghat or the dam. I didn't find it worth taking any pictures. However come monsoons & I am definitely going to make another trip to this place.

We crossed Paud and then Pirangut. From Pirangut took a left turn towards Ghotawade & Mann village . After hitting Hinjewadi, Phase-3 at Megapolis, headed towards phase-1. I was caught up in the evening traffic of Hinjewadi @ 7pm. Fortunately didn't get stuck up for too long. Reached home at 07:30pm. Thus came to end an eventful trip of 235 kms.

[AutoIndian]

Today my Orange tank completed 6 months of its existence. Odo stands at 6.5K km. It is chugging along quite well, mostly home - office - home daily commutes. Only issue being observed is the drop in coolant level (discussed elaborately on the TUV official review thread). Right now it is just below the minimum level mark. Will keep it under observation in the coming days. After 2 weeks a 500+ kms round trip is planned to Barshi (Solapur district), mostly NH9. Will be able to test true highway capabilities of the tank then.

Looking for some good car freshener and magnetic sun shades before the trip. Any suggestions?