[Burgman_tales]

I wanted to check one thing with other fellow owners here, I feel a little weird driving my new Altroz DCA. It holds onto gears for longer before shifting, I'm not able to figure out what am I doing wrong. I accelerate pretty smoothly.

Also another thing which I felt uncomfortable with compared to manual cars is, on downhill slopes the car shifts up the gear without any accelerator input and I have to brake hard to slow down. This is in parking basements and so on, haven't tried driving on hilly roads yet. The first time I came to my parking after delivery of car, almost crashed into a pillar as this happened unexpectedly.

Is this normal behaviour or do I need to get it checked ?

[W.A.G.7]

The Altroz is performing well. The odometer stands at ~67xx kms as of today. Nothing much to report so far. A comprehensive update is still due, along with some beautiful pictures, but looks like it will be the year end till it happens.



Possible road trip towards the end of the year, but it's a bit early to say. Last week, visited Satara and it behaved beautifully on the highway. Except for one or two steep places in the Khambatki ghat, wherein I had to mash the accelerator, the gearbox shifted well and it was in the power zone for most of the time. Come to think of it - we have now gotten used to the lower power output and have started to become accustomed to extracting the right amount of torque at the right places. Still a lot to learn though.

We did a trip to Satara last week and the car gave an average fuel efficiency of 20.3 kmpl on the highway as per the trip meter. A/C was switched on for about 30 mins max (~25% of the travel time) but not otherwise. I think this is quite a decent highway fuel efficiency. Real world fuel efficiency will be in the range of 11-13 kmpl for a combined driving cycle, we have now made peace with it!

A political rally at Medha, and the road was closed by the police, so we had to take a long detour through some beautiful internal roads. At quite a lot of places, there's construction going on, so we learnt a lesson - if there mud kicked up, don't use the wiper. Else the car ends up looking like this!

Originally Posted by Burgman_tales

Is this normal behaviour or do I need to get it checked?

About the weird behaviour - I believe you will experience this when driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic. The gearbox has a tendency to hold on to the lower gear if you are driving in heavy traffic. If you press the accelerator hard, then it will jump forward. Feels a bit uncomfortable as you said but you will get used to it. I don't think there's a problem with the gearbox - although this is our dual clutch automatic, so I was unaware of this kind of behaviour and whether it is normal or not. Out on the open road, it is a different story - it will upshift as soon as possible making for a relatively smoother experience. You could wait till the next service and then have it inspected.

About the downhill behaviour - we haven't tried this. Let me check on downward slopes and let you know about my experience.

[Burgman_tales]

I did a Bangalore-hassan-Bangalore trip of about 450km of which 80-100km is with Bangalore traffic. AC was on entire time and speed was 70-90 on highways, got 18.5 kmpl for the entire trip

[W.A.G.7]

It's time for an update again! Our Altroz completed its fourth service today at the Garve Tata Service Centre at Narhe. Given the fiasco about cleaning in the prior three services, my wife made it amply clear to the service advisor that there should be no mistake in the cleaning part this time. Before that, a word about the service. After the 3rd service fiasco, we decided not to give the car for a service on the weekend. However, today Pune was practically empty due to the long weekend of Republic Day. Taking advantage of the situation, we booked the appointment for today morning at 9.30 AM. Garve Tata has been proactive so far and they called us last Tuesday to get the car serviced. We reached the service centre on time and it turned out to be lucky for us today. There were hardly 4-5 cars for service. The receptionist promptly assigned a service advisor to us and in 10 minutes we went to the car for an inspection. This was not a "true" service - it was just a general checkup and a fluid top-up type service.

o for those who keep complaining that the service interval is 6 months/7500km, this is partly true. If you consider the engine oil change service as the actual service, then the service interval is 1yr/15000km. Our car so far has had 2 checkups and 2 oil changes now. For this particular service, we had only one niggle - there was consistent squeaking noise from the rear left area. The service advisor - Nikhil was his name, was good. He patiently listened to all the inputs and noted them down. He also explained what would be covered in the service and what would not be covered. We also opted for a thorough cleaning of the car inside out. He then took a short test drive of the car to observe the sound and noted it. Some weeks ago, there was also a minor fender bender, when an over-enthusiastic cabbie took out the rear mud flap unnecessarily. We asked Nikhil for a replacement and to our surprise; he said that Tata doesn't stock these consumable items and that we were free to get the replacement from any car accessories shop outside. We decided to do that because it will anyway turn out to be cheaper.

All was good, and we made it back home by 10.45 AM. The only goof-up probably was that he called very late in the evening to pick up the car, when it was only around an hour to closing time. Thankfully due to the less traffic today, we reached 15 mins before closing and got the car delivered to us spick and span. This time both of us were satisfied with the service done (basically only brake fluid, A/C gas, and windshield washer fluid were topped up, all 4 brakes were opened and cleaned, and some padding was added to control the noise from the rear seat clip). The squeaking was traced to a loose clip for anchoring the rear seat back and we were assured that it would not occur again.

The car was thoroughly cleaned from the inside and outside. The cleaning was long overdue and we just kept postponing it till the service. Given the feedback and fiasco about cleaning my wife had mentioned multiple times no shortcuts would be tolerated. I and the talking Ecosport kept a watch from a safe distance till the car was thoroughly inspected by the lady of the house. Only when the coast was clear, we made it to the Altroz! Thankfully, history did not repeat itself and we made it back home without the usual fireworks! The overall bill came to INR 6,109.00 which is okay, neither too cheap nor too costly. The car felt better to drive after the service. Maybe it's a psychological effect, but still, it felt nice. The noise in the rear has disappeared now, so we can say they "seem" to have diagnosed it correctly. If it re-occurs, then bad luck for us!

Coming to the car once again - I am happy to report that it is performing as expected. The power is sufficient for the urban landscape, the gearbox is smooth and the A/C is a chiller still after 2 years of ownership. We are satisfied completely with the car - it is an all-rounder in that sense. It does a lot of things correctly and only some things wrong. However, whatever it does correctly, appeals to the 90% of the people out there. If you are looking for outright power then this is not the car for you. It has just a sufficient amount of power for the urban jungle. It runs easily out of breath on the highway. It has low seating as compared to my talking Ecosport. The under-thigh support in both the front and back seats is underwhelming, to say the least. The fuel efficiency is on the lower side, but this is a given fact because the car is heavy. There are some rough edges here and there, but nothing that you cannot live without. The auto headlamps work like a charm, as do the rain-sensing wipers. The dual-clutch gearbox is smooth and shifts nicely. We are now converts (saying once again here) and our next cars will probably be automatics! The gearbox single-handedly offsets many of the disadvantages or rather the shortcomings of the car.

About Tata and Garve - I think our thread is a breath of fresh air in a sea of niggles being reported. For us, the car has been trouble free and the dealer support has been quite good. I have been reading about the problems, niggles, misdiagnosis and lack of good customer service in many of the threads on Team-Bhp. In contrast to those, we have had an overall good experience. Maybe we hit the jackpot for this. Sure, there have been goof-ups with us as well, but nothing major so far. Everything has been sorted out by the Garve Tata Service Centre, after being reported (and after a possible shouting match later!).

Now for some pics after the service -

All shining - the wet look feel of the grey colour looks fab!


As highlighted earlier, the piano-black finish is a scratch magnet, but looks good from a distance


Here is the broken mud flap. Something that we now have to source from a local accessories shop


A bad snap of the speedo - I realised, that the camera lens needed a clean. But as you can see, the fuel efficiency keeps hovering between 11 and 12 kmpl. This is completely in Pune city with the A/C on always and on a relatively busy route/road.


This car seriously looks good from any angle.


However, I feel, this is the best angle to look at the car!


Here is the invoice copy for today's service at Garve Tata Service Centre.



Last but not least, a snap of the cleaned interiors. Outside the driver's side, you can see Nikhil - I can only imagine how tense those 4 to 5 minutes must have been for him while my wife was inspecting the cleaning! Reason enough, that me and my Ecosport, stayed put outside the gate till the inspection was over!!

[Burgman_tales]

4th service is a free service right ? There seems to be a lot of unnecessary paid items for that - internal foam cleaning, ac cleaning, vehicle scanning etc

[W.A.G.7]

Originally Posted by Burgman_tales

4th service is free right ? There seems to be a lot of unnecessary paid items for that - internal foam cleaning, AC cleaning, vehicle scanning etc

Yes, there seem to be a lot of items tacked on given that it is a free service. If you notice the invoice, quite a lot of items have been marked as "Paid". But this time, we were wiser; we made sure that every item in the invoice had been completed. We took the list of items and made him explain and show us what has been done. If any excuse is to be given, we anyway wanted to have the car thoroughly cleaned inside out. I know there ain't such a thing as A/C foam cleaning and all, but at least this time the car was cleaned up to our satisfaction. So, we didn't mind paying the higher price!

In theory yes, we should have got his commitment on the exact cost before the service itself. But then again...

[rnaduthota]

Originally Posted by vivek_saha1304

Don't even think of buying a BS6 phase 1 diesel car for city commute!! I trusted the salesman when he told me that the newer batches of Altroz(D) do not have dpf issues and that it can be used as a city car. Though my car does not have dpf issues, there is the problem of diesel being mixed in engine oil and the occasional problem of check engine being turned on due to soot accumulation in the lambda sesnor.

Could you please provide more details on this issue? I have a Nexon diesel and saw this engine light issue couple of times. Last time service center did a software update as well.

[vivek_saha1304]

Originally Posted by rnaduthota

Could you please provide more details on this issue? I have a Nexon diesel and saw this engine light issue couple of times. Last time service center did a software update as well.

Hi there, the main problem that my car has it that whenever the DPF regeneration fails midway, the excess diesel goes into the oil sump and gets mixed with it. This, in my opinion accelerates engine wear and dramatically reduces it's life. So the only way to avoid it is regular high speed drives with continuous high rpm. This not only clears the DPF filter, but also burns off some diesel present in the engine oil as the oil sump reaches very high temperatures during the drive. There is no scientific backing to this. This is my personal observation that after a long and continuous drive of approximately more than 150 kms, the engine oil level goes down a bit when checked after keeping it stationary overnight. For more details, you can check this video :

https://youtu.be/3T_zKoQYYqQ?si=Ri0LX2_Wo_vric09

As for the check engine light, it took the ASS guys 3 attempts to rectify it. The first 2 times they just cleared the DTC errors and handed the car over to me. When it happened for the 3rd time, I gave them a piece of my mind which compelled them to look deeper. Though they kept the car for a week, atleast they fixed it properly. The SA told me that after many failed regeneration cycles, the lamba sensor gets so dirty that it needs to cleaned manually. According to him, they cleaned the sensor and performed a forced regeneration and then the car was ready to go. The check engine light has not appeared and I've driven around 4500 kms since then. Hope this helps.

[rnaduthota]

Originally Posted by vivek_saha1304

The SA told me that after many failed regeneration cycles, the lamba sensor gets so dirty that it needs to cleaned manually. According to him, they cleaned the sensor and performed a forced regeneration and then the car was ready to go. The check engine light has not appeared and I've driven around 4500 kms since then. Hope this helps.

Thank you for the details. Despite my usage being 50% on the highway, I encountered the engine oil rising issue along with the MIL error. If it were a DPF-related issue, I should have received a DPF warning instead of the MIL.

During my last visit, they also performed a software update. After the update, I haven't observed the engine oil rising issue; however, I am not very confident yet.

[vivek_saha1304]

Originally Posted by rnaduthota

During my last visit, they also performed a software update. After the update, I haven't observed the engine oil rising issue; however, I am not very confident yet.

The SA told me that there is no permanent solution to this. The only thing we as customers can do is go a long drive weekly if possible and change the engine oil regularly. Much before than the recommended interval given in the manual. One of my known FNG mechanics also suggested me to use thicker oil, most preferably 5w40 as that way even with diesel dilution, the oil would still have some protection film. Don't know how useful this will be.

[rnaduthota]

Originally Posted by vivek_saha1304

The SA told me that there is no permanent solution to this. The only thing we as customers can do is go a long drive weekly if possible and change the engine oil regularly. Much before than the recommended interval given in the manual.

After last SW update issue seems to be resolved, at least i do not see increase in engine oil levels.

One of my known FNG mechanics also suggested me to use thicker oil, most preferably 5w40 as that way even with diesel dilution, the oil would still have some protection film. Don't know how useful this will be.

As long as the vehicle is under warranty, I suggest not to try this. Last time when I went to the service center, I met an Altroz owner, and he mentioned that Tata replaced the engine under warranty due to some DPF-related issue. Initially, they changed the injectors, but that did not resolve the issue, so they replaced the engine.

[Burgman_tales]

Just got a call from Tata motors that there is a recall for my vehicle (Altroz XZ DCa Aug -23 batch). They are going to replace the fuel pump. I will update here after done.

[Burgman_tales]

Originally Posted by Burgman_tales

Just got a call from Tata motors that there is a recall for my vehicle (Altroz XZ DCa Aug -23 batch). They are going to replace the fuel pump. I will update here after done.

False alarm, it was an misunderstanding.
There was a software update for something related to fuel pump, not replacement of fuel pump.

[W.A.G.7]

Today the car completed 8000kms. I am happy to report that it is performing as expected. It does its duty twice weekly, clocking around 80-100 kms weekly. It is a good option as a second car of the house. There were no rattles or sounds after the servicing was done - so the issue of sound coming from the rear pillars was resolved. The tyres are holding well and I am glad they are much better quality than the MRFs. Auto headlamps and wipers work as expected - although I feel the sensitivity of the auto headlamps is a tad too much. I mean they are quick to turn on at the slightest hint of shadows, but don't turn off as quickly as expected when the car is back again in the sunlight. The air conditioner works like a charm, and on a side note, we managed to break the knob on one of the rear A/C vents, causing it to roll inside. Something that needs to be extricated during the next service.

The speedo screen and the piano black surface(s) are scratch nightmares and we have managed to put so many scratches on the surface, that we stopped thinking about it. The interiors are holding up well, no complaints on that part. Everything is screwed and bolted together tightly. Seats lack under-thigh support for me (I am 5'10") but are just right for my wife who is 5'2".

There was supposed to be a road trip in December but we had to take flights due to a shortage of time. Now hopefully in the summer vacation, we will have one. Once again, it needs a proper detailing session and some photos on the thread. But for now, this update should do. I see a lot of opinions about how the Tata sales, after-sales & service experience is; but luckily for us, Garve Tata has been quite okay in that sense. Not exceptionally good, but at-least not as bad as some of the experiences penned down in some of the threads.

Here's a pic of the speedometer. Just look at the scratches on it!

[subie_socal]

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Here's a pic of the speedometer. Just look at the scratches on it!

Attachment 2584552

Are you sure that it's not the plastic film that's getting scratched?