[Seek]

Originally Posted by BipB

Seek, those decals are of Toyota LC. A DIY job!On the reverse cam, I was searching for the same model that you have installed. But my dealer had a more expensive version. The mirror type which was available in Dicor earlier. I was of the impression that I can live without a reverse cam, until I missed a scooty parked right behind the storme! Luckily some one alerted me. Do you have some work in progress pictures for this installation? I would like to see if it can be done as a DIY job.

Sorry, I don't have the WIP pictures. Due to all the paperwork I have listed in my buying experience post, delivery was getting delayed day after day and so I gave the go-ahead to the dealer to begin the accessories installation. Couldn't be present there though I wanted to. My personal opinion is the mirror type maybe a better one to install since it minimises the number of spots to keep your eyes on.

The way it is going with me with the reverse camera + sensor setup is:
1. Approach the parking spot and put the car in reverse gear (or while leaving a parking spot)
2. Check the reverse camera once and see if all is clear
3. Start reversing and from there on I only listen to the voice instructions about distance left plus keeping an eye out through the ORVMs and IRVM.
4. Towards the end another quick check in the camera.

[Dieselritzer]

HI, a beautiful write-up. Short and straight to the point. I have a question:

I have observed that most of the old safaris had the steering mis aligned to the direction of the tyre, is this still a problem with the Storme?

[Aum]

Hi Seek,
Congratulations. Beautiful write-up. I have been in a hunt myself for a while now but have not been able to finalize due to impending relocation. I could relate to your experience, my heart was fixed on XUV till the time I test drove Storme since then there has been no contender. Kind of comfort and commanding view that Storme gives you is unmatched.

Wish you miles and miles of happy and safe gliding with Storme.

[Seek]

Originally Posted by Dieselritzer

HI, a beautiful write-up. Short and straight to the point. I have a question:

I have observed that most of the old safaris had the steering mis aligned to the direction of the tyre, is this still a problem with the Storme?

Thanks. Too early for me to comment on the alignment. So far so good but I have read various threads on the forum and what i infer is :
1. Alignment is a highly vulnerable area in the safari / storme
2. Need to get regular wheel rotation (as per schedule) done
3. Not to upsize on the tyres

[rohansachar]

Congrats Seek on the beast! Very nicely written. Love to hear another perspective of another Storme owner.

[Seek]

Originally Posted by Aum

Hi Seek,
Congratulations. Beautiful write-up. I have been in a hunt myself for a while now but have not been able to finalize due to impending relocation. I could relate to your experience, my heart was fixed on XUV till the time I test drove Storme since then there has been no contender. Kind of comfort and commanding view that Storme gives you is unmatched.

Wish you miles and miles of happy and safe gliding with Storme.

Thanks! Yes, its indeed an unmatched view. Wonder why Tata doesn't market the product more. Atleast some passionate people out there are missing out on the storme by opting for XUV, Duster etc. I get a message almost everyday from someone or the other in my company on the lines of "which vehicle have you picked up? It looks amazing!". People haven't even heard of the storme!

Originally Posted by rohansachar

Congrats Seek on the beast! Very nicely written. Love to hear another perspective of another Storme owner.

Thanks! I somehow missed your ownership thread, hooking on to it now. I see you got the beast in the urban bronze colour which was my preferred choice! It looks great. Safe driving

[Dieselritzer]

Originally Posted by Seek

Thanks. Too early for me to comment on the alignment. So far so good but I have read various threads on the forum and what i infer is :
1. Alignment is a highly vulnerable area in the safari / storme
2. Need to get regular wheel rotation (as per schedule) done
3. Not to upsize on the tyres

Thank you for your reply. In the old Safari, the steering does not have any mounted controls on it, thus the misaligned steering was a matter of getting used to. In the storme when the steering has mounted controls on it, i feel the alignment should stay perfect so the buttons can be used properly without having to look at the steering (in cases where it miss-aligns i feel one will have to look at the steering to ensure the right buttons are used for volume/voice etc). Just being curious :-)

[Enobarbus]

Congratulations Seeker. The Safari and the Storme look really ageless.

Originally Posted by Seek

Cant stop admiring the frontal view. been going down my apartment for no reason but to just admire it and come back up.

I never owned a Safari or a Storme, but everytime I see one, I can't stop admiring the beautiful shape and lines. No wonder you are coming down so many times into your garage. Just make sure you use the stairs everytime you come down and return. That way, the Storme will gift you good health and fitness as well.

[Seek]

Originally Posted by Enobarbus

Congratulations Seeker. The Safari and the Storme look really ageless.



I never owned a Safari or a Storme, but everytime I see one, I can't stop admiring the beautiful shape and lines. No wonder you are coming down so many times into your garage. Just make sure you use the stairs everytime you come down and return. That way, the Storme will gift you good health and fitness as well.

Thanks. Infact at my office parking, I park it in a spot that is visible straight out of the window on my 1st floor desk. Brings a smile to my face everytime I look at it!

[Seek]

First fill mileage update. Cut off to cut off method. 525 kms in 43.91 Lts I.e 11.96 Km/l ! All the 525 have been in city traffic, atleast quarter of that in bumper to bumper traffic. AC on in Eco mode full time.

[Seek]

1000 KM Update!



The beast has behaved itself well. Summary of the first milestone is below:

What's been Good

1. Mileage: 1st fill 11.96 Kpl, 2nd fill 12.71 kpl!! Most of the driving in city limits barring probably 70-80 kms on the chennai bye pass / outer ring road. Always with AC on and at times both ACs on. Can't ask for anything more!



2. The smoothness of the engine after almost finishing the running in period. There was a bit of 3rd gear lag earlier but now is very smooth and linear. Love the way the engine growls in every gear.

3. Braking : I earlier felt this was an area the beast lacks. Maybe it was the transition from a car to the SUV, but now I feel the brakes have tremendous bite to stop the 2.5 Ton monster very confidently.

4. The grin the beast brings to my face each time i encounter it. Have developed a bit of neck ache by constantly turning around and looking at it when ever I cross it



Not so good
1. There has been a scraping sound in the 4th gear whenever the rpm drops (have mentioned details in the official review thread). Been around since day 1 but I gave it time thinking its linked to running in. Have shown it to the service advisor now and looks like some kind of play between the gearshift stick and some other part that causes the 2 to touch at a certain vibration. Let's see whats in store, dropping the beast at the service center tomorrow. But kudos to the efforts the service advisor has taken to identify the sound barring one that blew me off - comparing against another storme at the service center to figure out of its a normal or abnormal sound

Surprises - Stuff that I didn't figure out till purchase or in the initial days

1. A small storme chrome strip at the end of the Infotainment console. Nice finish and looks nice. I Didn't notice this till a few days ago



2. A small recess at the base of the infotainment console to stowaway a phone or CD etc.

Overall, a very very satisfying experience so far. Just waiting to getting the 4th gear sound knocked over and then its just me and the growling beast, with no other sounds thrown in. Have planned a Chennai-Tadoba road trip in May and already counting the days left!!

[Seek]

Originally Posted by Seek

1000 KM Update!

1. There has been a scraping sound in the 4th gear whenever the rpm drops (have mentioned details in the official review thread). Been around since day 1 but I gave it time thinking its linked to running in. Have shown it to the service advisor now and looks like some kind of play between the gearshift stick and some other part that causes the 2 to touch at a certain vibration. Let's see whats in store, dropping the beast at the service center tomorrow. But kudos to the efforts the service advisor has taken to identify the sound barring one that blew me off - comparing against another storme at the service center to figure out of its a normal or abnormal sound

Day 1 at the service centre hasn't helped much. They haven't been able to trace the reason for the sound. Driveshaft, gearshift all look ok. Now a dealer investigation report has been created and escalated to Tata motors. A TML guy is supposed to look at this today after 11 am. I'll go down and see what he has to say. A bit frustrating being away from the beast for 2 days so soon! Hoping and praying it's not some transmission related noise that could mean a bigger job in the offing.

[Seek]

Originally Posted by Seek

Day 1 at the service centre hasn't helped much. They haven't been able to trace the reason for the sound. Driveshaft, gearshift all look ok. Now a dealer investigation report has been created and escalated to Tata motors. A TML guy is supposed to look at this today after 11 am. I'll go down and see what he has to say. A bit frustrating being away from the beast for 2 days so soon! Hoping and praying it's not some transmission related noise that could mean a bigger job in the offing.

Update was the TML folks have seen this and apparently cant do much about the sound (noise!). They claim it is present in different levels in all the stormes they compared against (6 vehicles). Had a long chat with the regional service manager and have been assured of a temporary resolution (some sound/vibration damper solution) in a couple of weeks followed by a permanent solution from the plant in 2-3 months. I will see how it goes else will escalate within TML.

On a separate note, barring this sound aside, the beast has become very smooth in the last week or so. Gears are slotting in effortlessly, braking bite is excellent and the power delivery is very linear. Joy to drive.

I've also ordered for a Jopasu duster to do the cleaning duties and the combo pack should be arriving today. I haven't let my car cleaner touch the vehicle yet and don't see that changing in the near future. Any suggestions on the waxing schedule for the beast? rest of the time I only plan to clean it with just the jopasu duster every day.

[Seek]

Getting Close to 2000 Kms and the beast is doing great!

Apart from the gear shifter linkage rattle there is no other sound out of place. The concorde service center has received a heavier gear knob (with some vibration/sound damper) yesterday as a first step towards resolving this issue. I need to get it installed over the weekend to see the difference.

Some points worth mentioning in the ownership:
1. Braking - Rock solid. One area where the storme has completely surprised me from the test drive days to its current state. I was always thinking its a weak area, but realise its a strength.

2. Mileage - 4th fill and I got 12 kpl in the last fill. Now its an average of 12.2 Kpl over the first 1900 Kms almost all of which has been in heavy traffic with AC and lot of idling time.

3. 3M CR70 Sun Film - Brilliant heat reduction! Chennai is scorching at 34 degrees already and I step into the beast around lunch time (its parked in the sun) pretty comfortably. Haven't ever had to pull windows down to let the heat escape etc. It does feel "50% cooler" as is claimed!

4. Tata Motors A.S.S - Pretty good in terms of follow-up on my gear shifter linkage rattle. Part arrived in 2 weeks as promised and I received multiple updates in between from the Service advisor about the status of dispatch etc proactively.

5. Jopasu Duster - Does the magic everyday morning. My schedule is the duster all around the beast everyday morning (takes 10 mins) and cleaning the windshield and windows with a microfibre cloth (5 mins). Followed by a once a week wash and wax on sat or sun (takes 45 mins).

A pic to conclude

[Seek]

Originally Posted by Seek

Getting Close to 2000 Kms and the beast is doing great!

Apart from the gear shifter linkage rattle there is no other sound out of place. The concorde service center has received a heavier gear knob (with some vibration/sound damper) yesterday as a first step towards resolving this issue. I need to get it installed over the weekend to see the difference.

I got the gear knob changed and a large part of rattling sound is gone! The rattle in second gear is entirely gone and in 4th gear till 1800 rpm or so also it's almost gone. It's still audible at about 50% of its earlier levels while decelerating from 2000-2200 rpm or so but so much more better now! The new knob is shorter and actually makes the gear shifting a bit notchier too. Costs 1500 Rs and was replaced under warranty. Well done Tata A.S.S to narrow down the problem largely to this.