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-   -   Taste of Freedom | My Mahindra Thar LX Diesel AT | 50,000 km Update (Page 15) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/230186-taste-freedom-my-mahindra-thar-lx-diesel-50-000-km-update-page-15-a-7.html)

After a long long wait despite pre-booking one on Aug13, even before it was unveiled. My Thar arrived this week, after numerous calls to regional level sales head, Sales Advisor and General Manager of the dealership. Checked out my Thar at the dealer yard 2 days ago and it is waiting to be registered tomorrow. In simple words, It's Amazing and I'm very happy about it, Hope to keep her forever. :Cheering:

Mine is the LX Diesel AT HardTop in Napoli Black manufactured on 01/20201.

Did the PDI and had a chance to take it for a short spin inside the yard, it's very smooth. My ODO reading stands at 78KMs.

Here are a few pictures of my Thar and a few others at the yard:

If you have done that, then this 2-liner is NOT DONE, Mr J ! You better put a detailed post on that.
Congrats, Harish. Wishing you a long happy ownership. Hope you start a separate ownership thread. Being one of the early owners, a thread will help other prospective buyers too.

What happens when a man of many words, gets overwhelmed?

I have been able to explain complex stuff in simple terms to my kids, complicated tech to laymen (excuse me, but going gender there ain'tt soundin' decent :p), even win over my wife in arguments now and then (hey, I own a Thar - you better believe me!).

What I have also been, is friends with 4x4 DNA'ed folks for a longtime - Have been in several years' worth of meets where 4x4 talks start flowing sooner than later. But I never got to accompany them for an excursion, not even a recce! Yes, I am talking about our very own Terra Tigers.

So when I got an opportunity to offroad with @ex670c, @petrol_head, @Sidster, (and Suren, Ramesh and Sharan - met them for the first time, don't know their handles), grabbed it.

If you do not go for an offroad in your jeep, you are wasting it. And for n00bs like me, Arka and the Terra Tigers are a boon. Encouragement, caution, keeping a watch on the low-hanging radiator (I am looking at you, M&M :Frustrati) - They even moved boulders out of way, those that might have taken my radiator/ intercooler with it!

And the experience, especially after my first obstacle run, was so overwhelming - so much that I am better off not putting my own words, least I end up sounding like a Tharoorosaurus!


If you didn't know better, you wouldn't the only one to think we were lost! We traveled past Kalpakkam, and arrived at our offroading spot (off ECR, past a few villages). The other 4x4 were Ramesh's Thar, Sidsters Thar (umm... M&M would disown it, but yeah...), and Sharan's Pajero.



This track was done by Sid in a little over 2 minutes - I took all of 17 minutes!!! (Have I overused my n00b card yet?!). While Sid's Thar made it seem like cake-walk, I was pretty nervous - talk about a n00b with a new car.. errr... Thar - on a proper offroad track! I would say this again - if not for Arka, Vijay and Sid, I wouldn't have gotten the confidence to do this - not after the 2020 Thar's radiator fiasco in Palar. Thank you, Team Terra Tigers!!!

After this, we headed to another spot for some sandy surface. While the others did a different path, I just went around the easy way (n00b!)




We had some nice piping hot lunch after this, and headed to the 3rd obstacle that I sat out - these are the first 3 photos in this post.

When it was all done and dusted, my Thar looks at me with "I am proper jeep now" eyes - and shot right back with an -er somewhere in there! Except for the side steps that keep reminding us of being present, it was a pretty good run. Maybe next time I will just get rid of them, or switch to the tubes from the AX.

This day out has given me the humble beginnings to know and navigate the terrain, confidence that the new Thar is not all fancy - means business too, and a kind of peace that you will know only when you and your machine have gone through to a height and have turned back unscathed. Here's to all jeepers out there - I know what you are, and I will hopefully join your clan someday! We cleaned up around us and navigated our way back to boring civilization...

THE END... you think?!!!

A few updates that I will post a little later about -

• The 70mai Rear View Dashcam
• My minor ICE upgrade
• The radiator guard and bug deflector accessories that I recently gotten installed

But for now, jeep-out!

Congrats again, Harish!! Wishing you miles of smiles, making your own road!!! Let's meet up once am back from my road trip.

I learnt a few new tricks - in addition to 4x4! Took me a while to figure out to get the video together - but I was busy driving back and forth on the Thar too!! Hopefully this post did justice for the delay ;)

Let me first congratulate you on your All New Thar from another :)

The issues you have mentioned is kind of niggling and I have written to Mahindra about it let's see if they get this addressed.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/soumobakshi/stat...449999363?s=19

Most of us in the Thar Group are facing similar issues

https://www.facebook.com/groups/7844...384/?ref=share

The Email which I sent to M&M for a redressal.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

This pangram has been around for about 100 years now, and was first used to test Telex equipment - we, of course, know this from the days of Windows where every font we install will show this pangram.

Okay, before your run your imaginations to Africa - I am not hinting that I am the lazy dog. I certainly am not calling my Thar the quick brown fox - if anything, he is a tusky pachyderm. Rugged, go-anywhere. And, believe me, surprisingly fast when pushed!

I clocked 8,800 KM with my Thar on 21st Feb - 93 days after taking delivery. I did the CJB-MAA round-trip thrice (~3000 KM), and CJB-HYD (~2000 KM), CJB - Kanyakumari (~900 KM), and CJB - TRZ (~500 KM) round-trips once - and then there is my short shunt to Valparai. Rest were all puttering around the town, including my day out off-roading. My mileage across all these munching has been 11.53 KMPL - mind you, mine is a Diesel Automatic.

Considering the clicks my clock has clicked with my Thar, I think I am now eligible to post an addendum to my likes, dislikes, and observations.


Yays

• The way people look at the jeep twice (or thrice) while you pass by, come by and talk to you about it - you will never get used to the attention!
• The convertible top can be completely removed within another minute of opening it, by pulling the two spring-loaded plugs on either sides - go for a topless drive without the ugly canopy folds at the back!
• Intermittent wipers - Turn on the wiper in intermittent mode, switch off after the first wipe, and turn it back on to intermittent mode exactly after the delay you want - and there you go, no more preset speeds, you can adapt it to the jeep's speed and/ or the drizzle's density!
• Lossless Audio - WAV & FLAC tested! This has also resulted in me doing a minor speakers-only upgrade (more on that later) and moving the sound stage up front - I disconnected the stock tweeters and placed the new components' tweeters on the dash's A-pillar corners
• Once you get to know the jeep's ride and handling better, you can do 120+ KMPH in relative confidence - you will be able to predict the Thar's behavior by looking at the road ahead, or by the vertical movements of vehicles in front of you. The steering is very vague at speeds (good thing!) and you can turn it to about half an inch either ways and it won't bite! The electronics definitely play a decent role too
• You will get used to the way the brake bites within a few KMs of driving, and they are progressive, bite nicely, and can stop the Thar without much of a drama even from speeds
• The AT gearbox probably will need an Eco mode! It is tuned to be sporty, and it damn well is - never out of the power zone, and once you get used to it, you will know exactly how and when to get it to kick-down. It holds on to 3rd a bit longer than I would like, and downshifts from 4th to 3rd a bit earlier too, but that could just be me
• The AC - the compressor is probably from an industrial freezer unit rl:- You will invariably move the blowers away from you, reduce the temperature dial, or switch that compressor off. Mind you, Coimbatore summers have started. And mine is a Convertible Top!
• Both the front passenger seat has occupant detection - parents, in-laws or haughty friends cannot get away with usual excuses, they HAVE to wear the seat-belts to stop the continuous beeps (Well, not exactly. It stops after a while, but I haven't told them that :D)
• Cruise control is a lot more... ummm... polished than, say, the XUV5OO's. Those who have the XUV5OO with cruise control might have experienced the mad pull when you resume cruise control after slowing down - if you had set cruise at 100, but slowed down to 60 and then hit resume, the way the SUV pulls to reach 100 is scarily awesome - even if you manually accelerate, you won't get there. But in the Thar, it is more refined, and is gathers speed gradually, just like you would if you were accelerating manually.

Nays

• The first touch-point, the door handle - it feels.. errr... agricultural. The edges are not polished, and the plastic does not give you the macho feel the rest of the Thar does.
• Glovebox = joke. 'nuf said!
• The switch gears for the headlight controls and turn/ wiper controls could have been damped better. The have a plasticy "click"
• ICE niggles -
  • At random starts, the HU will not connect to my phone. Going into Settings > Connectivity will show a blank on the paired devices, you won't be able to search for a device from the HU, nor can you pair from the phone. Simple solution - you guessed it. Switch off, take the key out, switch it back on
  • The HU will start with volume turned down to zero - 8 out of 10 times. No workaround, turn the damn knob!
• Other niggles - none. Well, almost. Every 1000 KM or so, I see the "DPF is clogged" warning flash for a blink-and-you-will-miss fraction of a second. This is probably what I was calling out as the console switching off and back on - when an error comes, the rest of the console is dimmed to an almost-off state
• There is no control to reduce the brightness of the console, and it should get a little bit dimmer when the park lamps come on (personal view)
• The notifications in the MID - seat belt reminder, low fuel warning, key inside vehicle warning, etc. - they do not get dismissed until they timeout - you cannot press anything else until then
• The MID controls are not exactly ergonomic. If you are on a highway drive and want to know your DTE, you will have reach down to them darned buttons. What more, you also have ESP On/ Off and HDC On/ Off controls right next to the navigation keys. The saving grace? ESP will automatically come on if speeds exceed 55 KMPH (yes, I turned it off accidentally, and yes - it turned right back on!)
• The MID is not exactly modern - won't show, for example, the current track or FM station, the next turn if you are on navigation - cars half this price have these nowadays

With that out of the way, let's talk mods.

One of them that I was particular about, was getting underbody protection - something like the Prad 4x4 full underbody armour. While this would probably the best protection for the entire underbody - including the expensive Aisin Seiki AT transmission, and the 4x4 transfer case, I had ordered the M&M's OE Radiator Protection Guard kit.

This is about half a centimeter thick, and weighs a good 5 to 6 KG. M&M should have included this as standard equipment, especially when they designed the radiator with an overhang! Here are some pics -


I would recommend either this or the full underbody armour for anyone buying the Thar for anything more than urban use.

The next thing I did after all my recent travels - is to do the PPF on the sides of the Thar too - thanks to the battle scars.


Let me leave you with these two pics, tell me what is the "mod" here




This is the most commonly used pangram, and there is a reason for it - it is probably the one that is coherent and short, actually communicates something! And ergo, linking that with my Thar ownership, I have achieved coherence - my niggles are (mostly) gone, and I have enjoyed the roads from Bangalore to Hyderabad (if you haven't done this yet, do!) at highway speeds effortlessly. And while 8800 KM may not be much of a ownership, I am pretty confident my days of deal-breaking wiring issues are in the past. There is a reason why Thar is such a runaway hit, and all your grumbles and negative vibes will disappear with the wind in your hair, just be patient till 2000 KM is done with!

If you are buying a Thar, please be prepared for wiring related errors - some just irritate you, and others may get you into limp mode. This is not an Achilles Heel like I have said earlier - it is a weakness, yes, but it won't kill your ownership experience. Gather your patience for the initial 2000 KM or so, connect with your dealer's technical team and M&M, and sort it out. M&M has always been proactive in reaching out to me directly, solved my issues and have kept a tab on my vehicle - no, I am not a VIP or a celebrity. Just your average Team-BHPian who won't leave my vehicle behind in service, but will sit it through! I'm sure these wiring issues will get eventually sorted once M&M squeezes the supplier the right way, but they are not deal breakers.

With that, I will take a break for now. I still owe this thread my review on the 70mai DVR + night view rear cam, and my minor ICE upgrade - later. Until then, saying 'bye' with a pic of the brothers-in-arm!


Hey mate.. we did the #WhereIsMyThar earlier, if you remember! Congrats on yours too!

Issues #1 and #2 are linked - if bluetooth is not working (like I listed in the "Nays") AA will also not connect.

AFE is definitely a wiring issue, I don't have that.

If you are up for it, drive down from Bangalore for Coimbatore (or maybe Ooty too later on - a vacation doesn't hurt!), and we can go to CAI Mahindra. They can resolve #3 and #5. I have not checked in with them on the recall, though I did receive the mailer.

Excellent mods and thanks for the detailed write up on these. Very comforting to see that you’ve done 8000km + on your That.

I’m still waiting for my delivery and a meeting is in order at Coimbatore when I get to driver my new Thar, hopefully in March.

Its the 70mai rearview mirror dash cam. Please let me know if i won the prize lol:

Hehe.. that's one of them - but I debadged my Thar partially - no mHawk 130 on the left side and no Automatic at the back.

The jeep looked gangsta without the THAR and 4x4 too, but I liked those and put them back after the PPF. Have now decide if I should leave the left side alone debadged, or get another THAR badge instead of the mHawk!

Excellent thread! Mate, you are a natural writer. I enjoyed every bit of detail along with the pictures. Great job!!

Awesome write up. Many congratulations on your Thar. I like when you mention that the initial niggles can be irritating but they will never come in the way of the overall experience of the Thar in the long run. Wishing you many more miles with your beast.

Keep the ball rolling and keep us updated with your ownership experience and the mods. Any major mods planned? Also eager to hear about the 70mai dash cam. Have you fitted the rear cam also?

This one took some time coming! I always have the good ol' excuse - I was busy driving my jeep :D

One of the earliest accessory that I had planned to buy was a DDPAI Mola E3 - while I got used to the limited view that the IRVM provides, and gathered the patience to wait till the reverse sensors come alive (a second after you engage reverse), there is always this lack of visibility handicap - especially if my better-half is driving the jeep.


But seriously, my community has enough kids, and risk of running over their tiny (from a jeeper's view) cycles or wave boards or something more stomach-churning is always there. And the Thar comes with just 2 sensors, not 4 like most cars in its price point do!

The stock camera was not a great option, or so I heard from folks who took it. And the DDPAI seemed to be a better option - 128 GB SDCard support, Touchscreen to adjust the view, et all. But, what is a story without a disappointing twist?! I have been following up with Nexdigitron, the seller for the Mola E3 for a while, but the darned thing was not in stock. Nexdigitron was kind enough to message me when they got a few pieces in stock in Nov '20, but that disappeared before I could place an order.

After much thought, research, looking up similar international models, et all - I decided the 70mai Rearview Dash Cam was the better option. It can take only a 64GB SDCard, does not have touchscreen - but otherwise seemed decent enough, what with 70mai being a Xiaomi product. Took the plunge, and placed the order in Amazon - note that it is actually 500 bucks cheaper if you buy directly from Nexdigitron, but I had some Amazon coupons/ credits that I wanted to use. I also bought the hard-wire kit from Nexdigitron, so that the camera can be configured for parking monitoring - no, it is not always on, but if it detects a g-shock, it will start recording for a one-minute parking surveillance video.

I am sure there should be enough on the web on this product, so won't go much into the general stuff. I tapped the fuse for the (I think) horn, which is an always-on circuit (even if key is not in the vehicle) - but if anyone needs the details, please quote-reply this part and I will post the details of the fuses I tapped to enable parking surveillance.

For the front cam, affixing it pretty straight forward, just snap it with the rubber clamps on to the IRVM. But then there was a challenge - the IRVM was shaky-shaky-shaking like it took a dip in a Himalayan glacier with the weight of the Dash Cam snapped on it. I tried my best to fix this, but the final solution was something simpler - if I snap the day/ night toggler to night, the shakiness is down - by a lot. Glacier, thy be rechristened Hot Water Spring! Well, after half a day of trying to figure this out...


The other faux pas I committed - which is right there in this pic - is my "brilliant" positioning of the Fastag! I have this OCD of having a clear windscreen, that I had decided that I will pay the damn toll for life if that is what it takes to not stick that ugly tag on my windscreen. You won't even find the high-security registration sticker, it is safe in the joke-of-a-glovebox! But then when I was forced to tag my collar, I found this brilliant location right behind the IRVM - at least the ugly thing will be out of my sight!

But now, a corner of that darned tag will be visible in all my Dash Cam footage :Frustrati

The rear cam got placed right above the registration plate - while this is the most logical position, it is also kind of low. And because this cam will also be an always-on rear-view mirror, driving at night is an irritant, with all the headlight glares - not they dont hurt the eyes, coz there is no reflection - but it is a video of a bright light playing diagonally above your left eye!




The emergency video is one where the cam records and locks the clip if it detected a sudden deceleration/ shock. This happens quite a lot in our cities - if not for someone testing your brakes, it will be that crater dug in the road that you off-road in! You will have to keep a check on how many such videos it locks assuming you got into a crash, as these will occupy space unless deleted. I record 1 minute videos because when they get overwritten (when space runs out), I don't lose a 3 min (for example) video in case I needed the oldest one for something.

Speaking of space, each of the cameras will record in series of minute-long videos in separate folders, and each such video will be 100 MB - so you will need 200 MB per minute. The 64GB card that I have in the cam stores an approx 5.5 hours of recordings, and I haven't experimented (yet) with a 128 GB card (though the specs say the max is 64 GB - what's wrong in trying, eh?!)

I am skipping the daylight clarity from the dashcam, it is as good as any. And if you watched the silent-video of my offroading, it was from this cam.

But here are some night time photos -



So what is my view on this Dash Cam + IRVM? I will recommend it, of course - am using it for about 2 months now, and don't have a reason to complain. If I were to nitpick, it will be about the colour accuracy -





I am taking in my Thar for an early second service, at ~9,250 KM. The service center folks have been calling me to get the camshaft checked and replaced, and I don't want to delay it anymore! Will probably go in over the weekend, and will post the details - if my wife didn't read this post, and impale me!

Thanks bro! Wishing you lots of miles with your Thar - will reach out when I come next to Hyd!
Thanks mate, and yes, and I guess this post answers your Q's!

Anyone in the corporate world knows the difficulty of going through a change management process. It often does not get implemented the way it was envisioned, and 70% of all such efforts end up as failures. Not because it was a bad idea. But, quoting the Forbes article -

Unless you have been living under a rock, you'd have heard of myriad of issues in new launches arising from Tata and Mahindra. So much that

are a staple part of "Cons". What's more, we have enough about manufacturer apathy - be it the Koreans, Czech-Germans, or Americans. Some are better than the others. Some issues are not as amplified. A few of them form a negligible % of the overall sales.

But the fact remains that every auto-manufacturer has had issues, niggles, and what not. But some get bashed and bad-mouthed more than others, and some do not acknowledge or fix issues proactively, unless some major catastrophe jolts them to action - and this slumber is mostly India-specific.

I have always held, and reiterated, that the two manufacturers who invariably get crucified for niggles and issues, are also the ones who are proactive, do not shy from acknowledging issues, working on solutions, and taking ownership to solve them. You can come back saying they should have tested properly, tested more, tested thoroughly, et all. But when epitomes of quality like Roll Royce or Bentley, or the German trios, or even the Japs who can do no wrong have had quality fiascos, I do not expect Tata and Mahindra to be picture perfect.

Back to the proactive piece - again, unless you're still under the same rock from earlier, you'll know that the Thar has had enough issues being called out right here in the forum - one of the firsts mine! I have also detailed how the issue was resolved, and how much attention the manufacturer and the dealer paid to the issue to get it resolved, and resolved right.

True to the issue-resolution, I have not had any issues in 7000+ KM of happy memories we've had with the Thar. So when this letter came home, I was surprised - this was for a camshaft recall, owing to some machining discrepancies that was identified with the supplier.


But then, when your engine has run well over 8000 KM, why would you worry about this? I didn't think much about it either, and was happy driving around!

Until the Service Head of CAI Mahindra called earlier this week and asked me to bring my Thar in for the camshaft replacement - I told him I am at 9,250 KM, and why not do this as a part of the 10k/ 2nd service, if at all it is needed for my Thar too? He advised that I should not wait unless there is something more pressing, and this is just a precautionary recall based on the RCA from a couple of issues reported elsewhere in the country. I left it at it - until the CCM from Mahindra called me and asked about it the next day! He also suggested I get it done.

Well, twice asked, I thought why not?! My Thar was 9,250 KM done, and will be in for second service anyway in a week - why not do the service a little early - and get the recall taken care too? So I booked my appointment for Saturday (yesterday), and went in promptly at 9.30 AM. My friendly SA, Saranth was there to greet me - he seemed like he missed me, what with the almost-daily visits I was making in December!

We quickly got down to what needs to be done - and that is when I realized why M&M is an epitome of the quote I opened this post with -


The issues identified so far, and being corrected for affected VIN/ fixed in manufacturing for subsequent VINs are -

1. Wiper motor breather cap addition - to better protect the wiper motor from moisture
2. Thermal bypass valve replacement
3. AT Shifter Knob screw re-tighten
4. Seat shoulder bezel shaft replacement - this is a part of the seat adjustment mechanism
5. Remove 4WD shift cable from mounting clip - adjusting the shift cable for smoother shift operation
6. Cam shaft kit replacement - this is the known recall
7. Hood catchers replacement - this is also known
   

Most of these could have been silently replaced whenever the vehicle came for service. Some of these will not even affect the ownership for most, and M&M could have waited until the owner complained.

But they chose not to. They chose to recall and fix these parts proactively. And they chose to be transparent about it too. That is why I consider them leaders in customer satisfaction.

clap:

I was told that the camshaft replacement itself will take 6+ hours, and the vehicle will be delivered by 7 to 8 PM. I decided to hang around, see as much work as I can for as long as I can wait.

Here is my detailed repair order - I asked for both the diff oils to be replaced (only rear was scheduled to be replaced as a part of the 2nd service) -



In addition to these, I also asked for 5-wheel rotation, check a minor rattle from the speaker mount on the roll cage, as well as check the bluetooth connectivity and volume being zero on full restart of the ICE issues.

I went along for the test drive at about 7.30pm, and was satisfied with the fix for the rattle (damping material added in the center - between the plastic speaker mounting structure and the roll cage's metal surface), and the software was reflashed in the ICE for the volume issue. The volume and BT issues were not a show-stoppers, and I told them I will check it later. The test drive was smooth, as expected.

Along with the front diff oil that I asked to be changed, they also topped up the DEF fluid. The total bill came to -



:Cheering:





I am heading for a drive up the hills - to make more memories. And for testing the jeep after its 2nd service.

All those who are having Thar and have issues, talk to M&M. Those who are still waiting for deliveries - good news, my dealer is getting new Thars with the ICE fixed from factory. Supply is low, yes - but they are better than last month.

Happy jeepin'!

That's great indeed. All first version vehicles Indian or otherwise come up with such niggles and the whole argument rests on how well they handle it and the level of transparency they have. Time and again the Indian manufacturers have proved that not only they are concerned but they want to be honest about it. This is a big leap in customer satisfaction. This is also a big blow to the appeasing brands who try to cover up their goof ups with freebies and fool the customer to accept a substandard product.

When we venture out to buy recently launched products we have already made up our mind to face come what may. Sometimes the product is spotless and sometimes it is an absolute headache. The least we expect is if things go wrong hope they fix it up as good as new, and from the above we can say Mahindra has just done that. A big round of applause for the owners, Enjoy your Thar`s its truly a dream.

Kudos to Mahindra !clap:

Well, this post certainly changes my view about M&M. Their approach is quite refreshing compared to many other people. Glad that they have made you a very satisfied customer . Customers who are happy are really valuable to companies and looks like M&M are on the way to get a lot of such brand ambassadors. Enjoy your Thar.

For one, last Friday was the first time that I can face-to-face with the New THAR. The 20ish guy driving was probably driving a BOXY vehicle for first time because, even my wifey swore, when while making a sudden U turn he lost control & his Thar swerved & came in inches distance of my right front fender. Then to gain control of the vehicle, he abruptly stopped - right in the middle of road. My TUV was right behind him & thank god nothing behind us. I flashed & honked in anger but then wifey pointed to my 2YO in the backseat, who was enjoying the sudden commotion.
I slowed, glared at the guy through window, noted his teenage female companion & simply drive-off.

So I had to check on Thar here & LOVED every post of yours about your Thar. I can swear that You are to Thar what @leoshashi is to M800.
Keep posting.

Regards
P.S.: I also want bug deflector for my TUV but Mahindra has never thought of it. In fact all accessories for TUV looks like made from recycled plastics & horrendous in aesthetics.
Mr. Anand Mahindra, are you listening (reading) :cool: