[W.A.G.7]

Originally Posted by sumeet.089

Is the scanning part specific to DCA, because I have never see this entry for my Punch AMT.
Yes, the bill is highly inflated.

This could be possibly specific only because the car has a DCA gearbox. They told us they scan the ECU as a precautionary measure. We went ahead with it just to be sure there are no errors related to the dual clutch gearbox.

Originally Posted by coldice4u

That looks awfully expensive for a 6 month check up with no apparent part replacements. Does Tata even charge for scanning for errors and that too in excess of 1k?

Originally Posted by Earthmoverguy

Isn't the minor service bill too high?

The labour charges are indeed very high. And yes, they charge you for everything. Even for minor things like adhesive tapes. For example, they charge you for a "Seat Protection Set," which is basically the thin, flimsy white sheet that they put on your seats. And then looks like they added the labour charges for that, plus GST on the parts and labour charges. Thanks for pointing this out. Another learning in the ownership experience! We need to ask them specifically for the labour charges before they open the job card for service. It's possible that these charges could be specific to the DCA model, but this is just a speculation that I am making. Something to watch out for, in the next service.

Originally Posted by Earthmoverguy

Pro tip is to buy MGP Ecstar washer fluid for Rs.17/50ml pouches available on packs of 10 from any MGP stores.

Thanks, we will do this! This tip will be useful.

[Sumer]

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

What we I am of the opinion that none of the latest dual clutch gearboxes are inherently bad. It's the driving style and the conditions in which they are used, that affects them. Secondly, both of us have learnt that the service center guys are trained to brainwash you for the "Sealed for life" gag! But as we all know, this is not the case and the gearbox oil/fluid will degenerate sooner or later and will need a replacement.

I agree that modern dual clutch boxes are much better than ones in the past. However, given the inherent nature of the box and complicated clutch packs, simple fluid replacement might not be enough to ensure that gearbox lasts the life of the car. The temperature climate and stop and go city traffic that we encounter don't do any favours to the life of the clutch either. IMHO TC>CVT>MT>AMT/IMT>DCT in terms of reliability on our roads. It is not a matter of 'if' but 'when' the DCT will fail, be it from any company. I have read stories of Nexon DCTs failing very early in the life of the car. I certainly hope it doesn't fail during your ownership period.

[Burgman_tales]

Does anyone face any rattling issues ? Mine is only 1.5 year old and 6k km on odo but I'm already getting rattling noises in the cabin. Service center is not helpful as usual.

[W.A.G.7]

So, we were coming back yesterday night. And I noticed something. After seeing that no one was behind us, I pulled over and stopped. This was greeted by a puzzled expression and a big question mark on my wife's face. I said what happened. She said why did you pull over. I said did you notice this? She said notice what? You get the drift... Then I pointed at the odometer and she once again said what? Then I said, see there - it's exactly 9.49 PM on a hot and humid Friday evening and exactly 14,000 km reading on the odometer. She rolled her eyes and said you stopped the car to click a picture of the odometer? I said yes. She said are you crazy? I said no. She said Then stop acting like a child - we both are in our 40s! End of argument in an instant! You walk into a trap and you don't realize it till you are dead.

For my wife, the Altroz is like a "Fill it, shut it, forget it" experience. She doesn't get emotionally involved in cars, bikes and stuff like that. She just uses it for her office commute every week and that's it. Honestly speaking she's more practical and has a "business-oriented mindset" unlike me who is head-to-heart involved in bikes and cars. So, when I clicked photos of the milestone it never occurred to her that this is something to be recorded for posterity!

The moral of the story - cars and bikes are more like "boyz toyz" barring a few exceptions! The other moral of the story in the thread so far is below -

Exactly 2 years, 7 months, 15 days, our car has completed 14,000 km on the odometer! That means it has run a very modest 14-15 km a day on average. It continues to do its daily duty without any issues (touch wood). It has become the fallback car for short trips, congested roads and "within the city" escapades. The XUV is simply too big, too heavy, and too much thirsty!

Here's a photo of the milestone clicked yesterday night, at 9.49 PM!


Work has kept both of us busy, but for long I have toyed with the idea of doing a good photo shoot of the Altroz. I hope that I get to materialize this idea in May or June this year with the help of a photographer. Till then, I will keep updating the thread with the details and our experience. The Altroz is a practical "Fill it, shut it, forget it" car in the true sense!

Originally Posted by Sumer

It is not a matter of 'if' but 'when' the DCT will fail, be it from any company.

This could be practically true. It's a matter of "When" the gearbox will fail. I too hope we never have to face this in our ownership experience

Originally Posted by Burgman_tales

Does anyone face any rattling issues?

No, we haven't got any rattling yet in our car. Have you observed it everywhere or from some specific parts of the car?

Originally Posted by Burgman_tales

I'm not able to pinpoint where it's coming from, but I'm hearing it with windows closed so I'm guessing it's somewhere within the cabin.

Maybe it's some panel inside the car, is it a squeaky noise? The dashboard or the glovebox could be probable culprits here.

[Burgman_tales]

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

No, we haven't got any rattling yet in our car. Have you observed it everywhere or from some specific parts of the car?

I'm not able to pinpoint where it's coming from, but I'm hearing it with windows closed so I'm guessing it's somewhere within the cabin.

[W.A.G.7]

Here's a random post on the Fuel Efficiency of the car. Note that these are "Highway" only mileages. We did a 220 kilometer round trip today morning and these are the fuel efficiency numbers that we got. I say, that's quite good for a 1.2NA engine mounted on a heavy car. I haven't used Fuelio or any other app. I just relied on the dashboard readings. The city mileage is always hovering between 10-12 kmpl depending on how dense the traffic conditions are. The point here to note is that these are not exceptional numbers, so if someone is expecting a diesel Altroz like fuel efficiency from the petrol motor, then it's not going to happen. In fact, this is not an exceptional car in that sense. It's a no-nonsense car, and will take you from Point A to Point B with the convenience of a proper automatic. If you stay within these limitations, then it's a reliable workhorse from Tata Motors, similar to what the Swift or Wagon R is from Maruti. Fill it, shut it, forget it and go about your daily grind. This is what the car is designed for and does really well.

While going...


While coming back...


Overall efficiency for the entire trip