[wadewilson]

Originally Posted by abirnale

. . . Exact scenario it seems for me too - any uneven surface movement, I hear the noise. Mornings are louder. This is something in the design of AWD they have probably that is causing the issue for more run vehicles. For sure its the camber/ castor adjustment bolts that are creaking. To replace shouldn't be a costly affair but it is time consuming for sure - removing, fitting, WA WB all of that has to be done! I will let you know when I do it and find it to have solve the problem - if the problem persists, then our RCA is wrong!

Thank you so much for the reply dear Abirnale. I feel encouraged knowing that I'm not alone in this regard. I think I'll take the extended warranty as well, just in case the replacements would cost a lot. Here's to more memorable moments with our respective steeds

[rpmmachine]

Could you please let me know if you have already changed the oil in the automatic gearbox?
If not, I kindly request that whenever you plan to do so, you make a video of the process, as I intend to do the same at the 50k mark.

[Tony2298]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Thank you - here are the answers:
Used on 5OO in past - love them for speed drives. Sticks to the road like leach. But thats about it. Longevity is about 35-40K Kms. Puncture prone in my experience.

Puncture prone, yes they're even I got one even though they've just run for around 7k kms, maybe due to its soft compound formulation. However it's quite surprising to know that it lasted you only 35-40k kms since Michelin claims a very long mileage and dealers too claim that it'll last easily till 80-90k kms and their Energy XM2+ series claim to have 1.25lakh kms service life due to it being a silica compound and abrasion resistance properties.

Still I would suggest you to try the new Primacy SUV+ range of tyres since they're especially made for SUVs and claim a long mileage too. Their another range the Pilot Sport4 SUV might've a lesser life but as you mentioned would stick like a leech, absolutely worthy on a potent SUV like XUV with 180 odd BHPs and massive 400Nm torque chanelled to all four wheels and I feel grippier tyres enhance braking and causes lesser wear of the brake pads itself since a heavy SUV would require some massive grip to drop the anchor.

I recently fitted my SUV with Michelin Primacy4ST tyres and the experience has been surreal so far, the silence these tyres provide are unmatched and things are so much calmer inside the cabin now. Have used them for only 7-8k kms only but I genuinely hope they do last for long since they costed a bomb to procure and Michelin are known for long life.

Yokohamas too are great, especially their BluEarth series are one of the best among their lineup, these are silent, grippy and quite durable for Indian conditions, also they seem to have a long life as mentioned by you. Their Earth1s too are good for small cars if a bit noisy. Continentals are a good alternative to Michelin and their biggest advantage over the latter is the 2 year unconditional warranty Continental offers with their tyres and since they are Made In India they're easily available too while being cheaper. Quality is a bit inferior obviously but they're good enough, I'm using their UC6 which is quite good IMO.

Some of the brands I absolutely avoid are MRF, Ceat and in recent times GoodYear too since they've really lowered their quality not expected from an American giant and a pioneer in pneumatic tyres.

Thank you
Tony

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by wadewilson

Thank you so much for the reply dear Abirnale. I feel encouraged knowing that I'm not alone in this regard. I think I'll take the extended warranty as well, just in case the replacements would cost a lot. Here's to more memorable moments with our respective steeds

Thanks - will do.

Originally Posted by rpmmachine

Could you please let me know if you have already changed the oil in the automatic gearbox?
If not, I kindly request that whenever you plan to do so, you make a video of the process, as I intend to do the same at the 50k mark.

Nope - not needed as per M&M. I have a backup plan - will execute it at right time - stay tuned

Originally Posted by Tony2298

Puncture prone, yes they're even I got one even though they've just run for around 7k kms, maybe due to its soft compound formulation. However it's quite surprising to know that it lasted you only 35-40k kms since Michelin claims a very long mileage and dealers too claim that it'll last easily till 80-90k kms and their Energy XM2+ series claim to have 1.25lakh kms service life due to it being a silica compound and abrasion resistance properties.

Still I would suggest you to try the new Primacy SUV+ range of tyres since they're especially made for SUVs and claim a long mileage too.

Thanks Tony for your inputs. I think the Michelin I used in past were super soft compound ones. I wasn't expecting them to last beyond 40k kms.

My next set is going to be A/T - just very limited options at the moment in market! Gone are the days of fast drives - I enjoy more sedate drives and love to go to places where not many venture!

[abirnale]

About our recent rip, created a separate travelogue here: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...hers-paws.html (TheRedSparkle Story: In search of feathers and paws!)

Also included some specific observations about the car and overall experience - do check the second post (TheRedSparkle Story: In search of feathers and paws!) on that thread.

Thanks for reading - we now head into some calm before more action!

Stay tuned for more updates.

[aspire]

I had rented an XUV700 AT Diesel from Zoom car private owner, the vehicle was a delight to drive, everything was great except the gizmo part, the screen was a dust magnet and looked tacky and cheap to me, the apple car play was a disaster, it rarely stayed connected for more than an hour, sometimes the whole ICE would reboot, there would be nothing on the MID or on the ICE!

Except this I loved the car, currently weighing this against harrier.

[ramki.grandhi]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Stay tuned for more updates.

Given that you are longterm user of XUV700, can you please pitch-in on following questions. I've MX diesel, in the past you guided me to better service center. I thank you for that
1. What are the best tyres(17") for XUV700? I would prefer softer compound that offers silence, control, comfort ride. I'm okay to sacrifice on mileage or tyre price.
2. Have you tried any other engine oil that Mahindra's? Would you prefer something else?
3. Have you tried brakes upgrade? is it worth? I've run only 19k in <3 years, mostly on highway.
4. Given that MX is slightly lower tuned, do you recommend any ecu remap or dieseltronic type of solution?

Thanks a ton.

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by ramki.grandhi

...
I've MX diesel...
1. What are the best tyres(17") for XUV700? I would prefer softer compound that offers silence, control, comfort ride. I'm okay to sacrifice on mileage or tyre price.
2. Have you tried any other engine oil that Mahindra's? Would you prefer something else?
3. Have you tried brakes upgrade? is it worth? I've run only 19k in <3 years, mostly on highway.
4. Given that MX is slightly lower tuned, do you recommend any ecu remap or dieseltronic type of solution?

Here is my recommendation:

1. Bridgestone Ecopia are good adjustment/ compromise. If you lean towards grippy soft ones, Michelin tops the chart. if not, even Continental will do fine. or even Yoko.
2. In 5OO I did. Since 7OO doesn't specify the exact grade, I am going to stick to V4 ultra and continue to change every 10K kms.
3. Nope - the 7OO brakes are good, just that pads wear out faster.
4. Sure. The DieselTronic/ Racedynamic kits should be fine. Not sure how it will be in long run or to do with warranty as I never used it. Heard some good things about these two from my friends and people who use it. Again, power is subjective - It is never sufficient!

[abirnale]

The calm before some storm maybe!

A week ago, in the morning I noticed the oil stains below the car engine in my parking. The car was not in use for about 2 days. Suspecting the bigger trouble, inspected entire engine bay, looked around every place I can and found no trace. That gave me feeling that it might be of some car that was probably parked in my slot when mine was out. I still decided to have a check - going to Chrome Motors to Mysore road was too much for this supposedly "false alarm". Hence I went to Anant Cars near to my place.

It was pleasant visit with unpleasant outcome!

The GM, the AGM and SA were all super helpful, especially when I had reached out to GM over personal WhatsApp note. The GM there also had word with Chrome GM - they all worked together to identify the root cause and do the needful. Coming to the main point, the drain plug bolt had scored the oil sump threads and created larger play through which the oil was dripping slow and steady.

Reasons unknown, I insisted that this is not my doing, no user error here and must be something to do with ASC or product or quality or whatever but I was sure it's not me! After a temporary fix on the bolt, I sent the car to Chrome after the Makar Sankranti holiday - I was travelling out of town for a few days and it was a great chance to get this rectified by keeping car at ASC for more than a day if needed. Chrome as usual took care of this - the car was returned to me in good state and the issue was resolved too. I did not have to pay for this. Though I don't know the details of root cause, the oil sump was replaced and I suspect ASC might have borne the cost. It's my wild guess that in absence of concrete information that while fitting the bolt back for oil change events, it might have been forced in wrong angle causing the threads to wear out. The bolt is made of steel while the sump is aluminium. Any forceful tightening will gradually wear out the threads. The only option would be to replace sump if don't want to use helix coils or rethread and use larger size bolts.

Anyway, the car is roadworthy and we can take it back on road as always - some slow time though for now until end of Feb.

By the way, I had also reported the suspension creaking sound. The entire suspension was taken out and refitted - no mechanical parts had worn out, no damages observed. After greasing, the creaking has reduce but not 100% gone. not sure what this is - ASC and M&M are still investigating it. I am in no mood to keep visiting ASC again and again for trial and error and I don't have a second car to keep this parked in ASC.

So until the next visit (which I fear might be sooner than I expect!), we will live with creaking noise! Anyone has suggestions for punchy numbers to play to avoid this noise?!

Stay tuned - more updates as we complete 3 years with #TheRedSparkle this February! Time slows down when I am not driving

[abirnale]

We are going to see a series of posts now - as we complete the annual rituals! #TheRedSparkle is about to complete 3 years in next 10 days. The Insurance (TP + OD), PUC and Adrenox renewals are now going to be part of annual checklist.

And soon, we will need new shoes too - trying to delay as much as I can as there are no long trips happening and car barely runs 5 kms a day.

Adrenox Subscription Renewal:

This has been a most simple question to answer for me in last three years (well almost!) of ownership. The features I extensively use from this package are:

• Remote locking and unlocking
• Remote Start and Stop
• Trip Planner and Trip History
• TPMS Updates

There are tons of other features that I DO NOT USE. So technically speaking, the adrenox is not a great system for my kind of usage - yet the remote lock and unlock feature I use is a great boon for me - during the times, my better half asks me if I had locked the car after leaving it away So if you see the point - this is not a value for money. Instead this is a cost of convenience.

Anyway, got the renewal reminder on the phone as a cloud notification to the device - today morning renewed. Simple process - can pay by CC or Netbanking or UPI. [Also noticed the field for Coupon Code - I guess if I haggle with dealer or M&M customer support, they might give me 500-1000Rs discount ] Anyway, renewed at whatever price it was shown on the screen, and for now, we are all set to use otherwise unusable Adrenox system for yet another year!




And hey, we finally put up something on the car that we procured in our recent long trip!



Stay tuned - as we renew the insurance, PUC and hunt for new shoes.

[abirnale]

Insurance Renewal:
The annual ritual is to renew the insurance. About three years ago when the car was purchased, it included TP component for three years. So for year 2 and 3, I only had to renew OD portion of the insurance. Now since three years are getting over, I had to renew full policy.

After a lot of deliberation and comparisons, I went ahead with Reliance General Insurance and renewed the policy.

Here are the insurance costs since begining:

Feb 2022:
Rs. 78,724
Insurer: Tata AIG
One year of Own Damage Coverage
Three years of Liability Coverage

Feb 2023:
Rs. 34,877
Insurer: Tata AIG
One year of Own Damage Coverage

Feb 2024
Rs. 30,144
Insurer: Reliance General Insurance
One year of Own Damage Coverage

Feb 2025
Rs. 36,999
Insurer: Reliance General Insurance
One year of Own Damage Coverage
One year of Liability Coverage
The IDV for this year is Rs. 19,00,000.

The coverages throughout have been:

• Nil/ Zero Dep
• Return to Invoice
• Tyre Protections
• Consumables included
• Engine Protection
• Key Protection
• Personal belongings
• Road Side Assistance

Next is PUC and new shoes!
Stay tuned.

[abirnale]

The Roof Cross Bars - noisy proposition!

Ever since I read this thread: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modif...ra-xuv700.html (Installing a roof cross bar for luggage on the Mahindra XUV700) I thought of this accessory as a good to have addition for two reasons: first, it’s simple to use and helpful in those rare instances when I want to carry the bicycles (the rear hatch door being fibre, I don’t have much confidence on using carrier on it) and secondly, the roof mounted carrier would protect the Skyroof from getting shattered in mountains due to falling rocks. (Yes, it happened to me on my old XUV5OO and lost the sunroof!).

So when a fellow TORC member was parting away with his car’s cross bars that was procured as official accessory from M&M, I decided to pick it up. Later I figured out that this accessory is now obsolete and not available with any dealer/ website as official accessory - reasons unknown.

The bars are light weight and easy to install: they come with base plate that can be mounted on any XUV7OO variant and needs just 13mm Spanner to install when the base mounting plates are already fitted. To fit the mounting plates, you would need 10mm spanner and some skills/ time to DIY it.

Here is what I did in the sequential order:

• You need to remove the roof/skirack rails from car. There are two pieces - the top push-down piece and the actual skirack/ rails.
• The rack needs to have a notch cut on them where the mounting plates fit.
• Then fit back all ski racks and mounting plates with appropriate washers.
• The cross bars can be mounted on these plates in less than 5 mins!

The challenge here after though is to be able to drive - as i noticed, when the cross bars are mounted, they make extreme noise at speeds above 70 kmph - its like an idli cooker whistling above your head! Unbearable to say the least. Within a couple of days, I removed the mounting plates and cross bars from the car - stowed away at home. It will be used only when I really need tp carry stuff more than my car has space for! Glad, I did not rush into buying the roof top box! The total damage - Cross bars for Rs. 2750 (mine is preowned. Stock would cost Rs. 3750 and installation charges about another 3K.).

To fit, you will have to be careful - there are some clips that can break easily and its good to have spare clips handy - bodomo has them in stock if you want to order in advance!

You will need below tools:

• 10mm Spanner
• 13mm spanner
• Plastic cutting knife/ hacksaw
• Spare clips (white ones)
• Some black tape to wind upon the cross bars overlapping the aluminium piece and black fibre portion - to avoid rainwater seeping into the bars
• The prying tool to open the ski-rack top panel

As explained broadly at the beginning of this post, carefully open the top panel of the ski-rack. You just need to pull them vertically upward, thats it.



The lower base of the racks (black portion) has three places to mount the plates: one in the front, one in middle and one at the rear portion of the roof. Depending on the places where you want to install the bars, the panel needs to be cut open to let base plates fit on the bolts.

Once the plates are in position, rest is all easy: simply mount the bars on the top of the plates and you are all set. Can use the bars to mount cycle carrier or a roof top box - choice is yours.









If you observe the bars and plates don’t exactly fit plush on the rails - leaving a slight gap that causes hissing air noise at higher speeds. The bars are also ata height such that the skyroof operation is not hindered. Even though the M&M official accessory did not mention compatibility with AX7L, I can confirm that they work on all models of XUV7OO so far!





The white clips are prone to breaking if you exert pressure or open in wrong way:





It’s a good idea to have the spare clips handy: procure them on bodomo or get from the ASC.



When you remove the clamps/ mounting plates, and put the top portion of the ski-rack rails back, this is how the cutout notches will be visible: it would be worth taping this using a wrap to avoid water and dust seepage in them.



Here is the final look of the car with bars on them:







As a conclusion to this experiment, I would like to call it as a failed experiment: mainly because of the noise it makes while driving - this car generally will be driven at speeds of about 100kmph and the noise at that speed is unbearable for me. So now, I have taken it off and stowed away. The flip side is that the notches that were carved on the base ski-rack rails will stay open and is prone to water seepage that may lead to rusting of the bolts/ mount positions of the ski rack in a long run. I have the wrap on the roof and I have to make it a point to keep an eye on these parts to void rust issues in the future.

Other than noise and looks (subjective), there is no other issues: for someone who is desperately in need of the space, can go for this setup. Oh, if you mount the bars on the middle and rear positions, the noise will be lesser - no silent ride anymore still

Stay tuned as I summarise my three years with #TheRedSparkle in upcoming post

[abirnale]

3rd Anniversary - it's already 3 years!

92,750 kms and 3 years - #TheRedSparkle is ageing gracefully!

While I keep posting details of everything that is worth sharing, this is a great moment to summarise the ownership - and I am using some phrases that collectively help do the same:

M&M used this tagline when they first enticed us with 5 Oh Oh - May your life be full of stories! We made a lot of memories and continue to do so! We have several stories to tell - many pleasant ones, if you insist on knowing!

Then, M&M also launched a support network - with you hamesha! True to their tagline, M&M is with you hamesha through the thick and thin. Isn't that great? Yes, it is not picture perfect as M&M is with you hamesha and the car is at ASC hamesha, it also feels like, folks at ASC should be treated like your extended family!

You see, its a real mixed bag of things - mostly good though.

In the hindsight, I expected the car to have a lot of issues [recall the 5OO niggles thread!] and was mentally prepared to take it the way it comes. First year or so went in excitement - like a honeymoon period! The real thing hit hard in second or third year. The issues with ICE and electronics have never troubled me. I am cool with driving without the display but I am not cool with loosing BT audio while in the middle of an important call. I learnt to live with the football in the boot and did not take offence as such. The creaking of the suspension continues to haunt me though!

There have been times when I hate to see a gremlin grimacing at me in the form of leaking diesel hose but the feeling of your kid being the best kid seeps in the moment you take the driving seat! A real mile-muncher - an all rounder with it's fair share of shortcomings - a great companion that isn't heavy on the pocket. I said this before and would like to repeat - I am so glad to have chosen an AWD variant. It has been worth it's weight and price tag - as a family we have dared to go to places which otherwise would have been off limits. Never cared for quality of fuel pump or the fuel itself - filled in any place that looks descent and #TheRedSparkle never complained, let alone the BSVI emission systems. #TheRedSparkle has not seen the REGEN sign in it's life - I am praying to the almighty Mahindra baba to keep it that way!

Driving on modern Indian highways with ACC engaged has been the best experience so far - I have had the days when I was able to drive for 12-14 hours, finish my half marathon and no signs of fatigue. The ride isn't a silent one or plush all the times but I like that I don't really need to worry about road surface and condition - It's taken for granted that whatever be the road condition, we will drive on!

Let me also admit that I am not an audiophile and I never felt the need to upgrade the audio or add more damping to the body. It's just adequate for my liking. The car mostly stays in default Zap mode - occasionally I run it on Zip mode, rarely goes into zoom. I would love to have more power but thats just greed in me - the way it is in it's current form is good enough. Moreover I am getting old and I will have to acknowledge my physical limits - more power will only make it worst.

The perspective can swiftly change if I change my expectations - I did not expect the M&M to beat a german anyway! I o course expected it to fair better when it comes to driving pleasure - and I am glad M&M makes cars for marginally above average drivers like me!

I can keep going on and on with probably 80% good and 20% not so good things in 7OO! And this is essentially the gist of three years of ownership - many good things and some not so good!

Let's make a list for the record:

• Frequent and countless visits to ASC
• Niggles of nuisance value (for someone with high OCD): Suspension noise, CarPlay disconnections, Screen Blanking or HHC Error popup, Pathetic Phone call quality while on the CarPlay, Football in the boot, Hard plastic on Fuel cap that broke with frequent use, Bottle holders are odd sizes - usual steel bottles wont fit without creating rattle noise,
• Tons of features that are useless for me: Alexa, Headlamp Level Adjuster, Induction Charging is flop, SVR Recording, Zip Mode of Driving, Auto-hold brake, Welcome Seat Movement,
• Feature that left you craving for utility: Absence of boot light, Inability to preserve the drive mode, 3 point seat belt for second row middle seat, Not enough storage/ cubby holes, Auto-dimming IRVM, ICE UX is inadequately functional

Now for the academics, some stats - the spend till date:

Rs. 22,89,000 - Invoice Price (inclusive of GST)
Rs. 04,77,280 - RTO Taxes and Cess
Rs. 00,27,139 - Extended Warranty
Rs. 01,50,000 - Accessories, etc.
Rs. 01,80,744 - Insurance from Feb 2022 till Jan 2026
Rs. 01,00,000 - Estimated tolls paid (92500 Kms of running)
Rs. 07,54,253 - Fuel for 92500 Kms of running
Rs. 01,60,103 - Service Costs (Oils, Filters, Brakes, etc.)
Rs. 01,57,500 - Tires + WA/WB (3 sets & a spare so far: Stock, Continental, Yoko)
Rs. 00,65,000 - Provision for new set next month
------------
TOTAL: Rs. 43,61,019
------------

As we embark on the fourth year journey, I am looking forward to continuing on munching miles, going places farther than before and making a lot of memories - hopefully Mahindra baba won’t allow the gremlins to multiply and cause the havoc in this journey!

Stay tuned - the new PUC certificate is obtained and we are getting new shoes soon!

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by abirnale

The challenge here after though is to be able to drive - as i noticed, when the cross bars are mounted, they make extreme noise at speeds above 70 kmph - its like an idli cooker whistling above your head! Unbearable to say the least. Within a couple of days, I removed the mounting plates and cross bars from the car - stowed away at home. It will be used only when I really need tp carry stuff more than my car has space for! Glad, I did not rush into buying the roof top box! The total damage - Cross bars for Rs. 2750 (mine is preowned. Stock would cost Rs. 3750 and installation charges about another 3K.).

Other than noise and looks (subjective), there is no other issues: for someone who is desperately in need of the space, can go for this setup. Oh, if you mount the bars on the middle and rear positions, the noise will be lesser - no silent ride anymore still

Stay tuned as I summarise my three years with #TheRedSparkle in upcoming post

Bit surprising that OE roof bars make noise. While most of the aftermarket roof bars makes fora noisy drive, OE one in Ecosport was quite good and not much noise even post 100KMPH. One of the easiest hack to reduce noise is to wrap bars with a bungee cord. This reduces noise by about 80% or more.
While adding roof box affects aerodynamics , noise reduces.

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

One of the easiest hack to reduce noise is to wrap bars with a bungee cord. This reduces noise by about 80% or more.
While adding roof box affects aerodynamics , noise reduces.

Sounds great - I didn't know this hack. Shall try sometime, thank you for the tip.

Carrying this additional setup all the time also comes with its own share of issues. With RTO going all out on collection drives, car will be an easy prey to catch with the "unlawful modifications"! My aim was to carry the box (I haven't bought one yet) only when needed for our month+ kind of driving holidays. Rest of the times, keep them stowed away. Can risk driving around with just cross bars - provided the wind noise is bearable at 120 kmph highway cruise. This is the topmost legal speeds on some highways if we consider the ceiling!

For now, this setup is reverted - can be reinstated in less than 15 mins though!