[Vasuki]

Originally Posted by A.G.

On this trip, the navigation presented with a software glitch when both the screens were showing contradicting turn

To go left or to go right


The more I noticed, the more such instances became evident with there being a mismatch between Google Maps on the center screen and Turn indication on the Instrument screen.

The info on the MID comes from the native navigation application(Mapmyindia) while the other is showing data from Google Maps right?

I also got different ETA/distance to reach a particular destination while using Google Maps and Mapmyindia, and it was nowhere close, during my trip to Goa.

I prefer using Google Maps but issue is when a call comes or if alexa is active, the navigation screen disappears while using Carplay, while in the native app, there is provision to view the map in the MID.

[A.G.]

Originally Posted by Vasuki

The info on the MID comes from the native navigation application(Mapmyindia) while the other is showing data from Google Maps right?

Both displays get the data from the same application with which the routing is done.

Originally Posted by Vasuki

I also got different ETA/distance to reach a particular destination while using Google Maps and Mapmyindia, and it was nowhere close, during my trip to Goa.

That's due to more users of Google Maps resulting in better traffic updates and frequent updates of road network. Mapmyindia maps rarely get updated.

[kedar_GT]

Originally Posted by A.G.

getting the Sequential Tail Lamps

It hardly took 30 minutes to swap the lamps and I took the opportunity for getting the only 2 bulbs (Brake & Reverse) changed to LED.


The straight swap LED for Brake light
Attachment 2419158

.

Hi A.G.
Did you procure the LED bulbs from the SC? Or did you buy these elsewhere?
Can you share the spec for the same and if these were purchased online, can you send a link for that as well?

TIA

[Vashanis]

Originally Posted by Vasuki

I prefer using Google Maps but issue is when a call comes or if alexa is active, the navigation screen disappears while using Carplay, while in the native app, there is provision to view the map in the MID.

But you can toggle the view and have a split screen having the call info and google maps by pressing the menu button (the one on the bottom right corner)

Cheers!

[A.G.]

Auto Hold and Electronic Parking Brake Malfunction – Another day, another niggle

Everything seemed normal and just like any other working day had parked the vehicle outside the main gate and after closing it when I tried to move after pressing the parking brake release button, the vehicle did not move. Looked at the cluster and noticed the Auto Hold tell-tale was ON in the cluster which was weird since I never used Auto Hold – probably never using the Auto Hold made it throw tantrums. Recalled from a previous reading of owners manual that these features either have the tell-tale in white or green and yellow / red meant issues. The Parking like indicator in yellow meant it too had a malfunction.

The cluster


Tried the usual ignition cycle with door open/close and lock/unlock but nothing worked. The only option left was to disconnect the battery and this time used the in-vehicle spanner. After restarting, everything was back to normal as if nothing had happened.

Software niggles are nothing new in Mahindra but such niggle(s) hampering drivability is simply unacceptable.

In all these years of driving, for the first time I have had to open the bonnet on the road, even if it was right outside the house

Originally Posted by kedar_GT

Can you share the spec for the same and if these were purchased online, can you send a link for that as well?

Purchased them online and had got them installed them during the tail lamp swap. With a disclaimer that I don't have any affiliation with this company, link for Brake LEDs and for Reverse LEDs are embedded.

[SID7115]

Hi A.G.
I faced a similar problem too in my AX7 L Petrol AT last year. The car had gone with driver and grandparents to Mumbai. While leaving, the parking brake refused to work. The car was on, but as soon as you press the EPB button, the car turned off. My grandparents were left there for a while. I called up Mahindra RSA and they connected to driver. They simply told him to switch off the car and switch it back on without disconnecting battery and it became normal.
If such issues happen, please try calling up RSA, they seem to be patient enough in solving issues. Also, specifically mention that you have an AX7 L (only AX7 L gets EPB) and they'll address it immediately.
Or else, you can try asking any individual or FNG who has good experience working on German cars like Audi, BMW etc. since those vehicles had EPB from a very long time. So, the technicians will know the problem and will diagnose it correctly.

[A.G.]

Rain and it’s after effects

The second week of July had erratic rains and one fine morning I was greeted to the sight of water touching the rims (which became the norm for the next 3 days), all thanks to election promises going down the drain instead of water.


Unfortunately I had parked the XUV7OO in the open overnight and the first thing I checked was if there had been any water entry in the cabin due to this heavy downpour – I am happy to report there were no signs. Opened the sunroof and found that only the channels were wet and the drains did their job as they were supposed to do.


The after effect of rains is I am left with squeaks from rubber door seals whenever there is any flex in the body. Another after effect of continuous 3 days of rains meant most of the areas were water logged and while crossing one such area, the front number plate with frame mounted with rivets came right off. Luckily the bumper was not damaged in this separation.


Due to Kanvar Yatra closure, the order for the new plates got delayed and was placed through the local Mahindra dealer on Monday and they managed to arrange the plate on Wednesday itself. Picked up a new frame with the plate and got 10L DEF as well for a later DIY filling. What I didn’t notice was the spout I collected was not for the bucket and had to improvise the filling process by making a funnel out of an old 2L pack by cutting it’s bottom part. This time the level corrected quickly and was up by 50% after driving for just 10 Kms.

Makeshift filler


A couple of pics from a recent highway drive

[A.G.]

Another day, another surprise

The AdroneX Connect app has again gone haywire

Travelled back from home from Delhi covering 192 Kms in approx. 3 hours but what that’s not what the AdrenoX Connect app recorded. Sharing a screenshot of the Trip summary from AdrenoX Connect app


25 Kmph average speed for covering 7.4 Kms in 3:02 hrs - the math simply doesn’t add-up. Travelling 192 Kms from Delhi (5:47pm) to Roorkee (6:05pm) in just 18 minutes - that’s almost like flying

[A.G.]

3rd Service of 30,000 Kms

The service reminder came-up at 29,800 Kms and before scheduling the service, checked if Mighty Mahindra had the new Ultra V4 oil in stock. After confirming with stores, the service was scheduled. Only issue I noticed was on the day of the service, checked the Engine oil level in the morning and found the level to be higher than the max mark – discussed the same and was informed that it is normal due to regen process.

Oil level in the morning prior to service


Due to heavy rush that day, including that of water affected vehicles, the bay allocation took some time. As usual, most of the time was spent in waiting for washing & cleaning which took almost twice the time in which entire service with update was done.

In the service bay with brakes being cleaned


The new Ultra V4 Oil (again no specs on the oil can)


Finally reached the lift for washing


After the discussion on MAPPLS (read here (Mahindra disables offline maps | Wants car owners to switch to subscription-based features)), I was against the latest silver box update which robs the offline navigation and switches over to subscription based MAPPLS navigation. However, Mahindra has cleverly disguised this update as a recall which is not reflected on the RO copy I have but it was reflected on the RO copy for the shop floor. By the time I noticed this when the oil was being issued, it was too late and the USB drive with update was already plugged-in and doing it’s job.

The total service bill came to Rs. 7,739/- which included 10L DEF (taken in sealed condition to be filled later) and cabin filter as well.


The after effects of Silver Box update

Sharing a picture of the version installed


The first thing to be noticed was that despite having eSIM signal strength, both Alexa and MAPPLS stopped working – the latter was just displaying white screens despite having view of multiple satellites

https://youtube.com/watch?v=XZ92PwDH8LM

On checking the debug menu, found this DTC


Waited for a Day for it to start working but when it didn’t work even on the next day, disconnected and reconnected the battery which made them both come alive. Notice a couple of quirks.

A. When playing songs on Alexa, the song plays as usual but neither song name appears nor the duration slider moves. Also the Previous, Pause and Next buttons are rendered useless.


B. If the MAPPLS app is not opened once after ignition cycle on the center screen, going to navigation menu on the instrument cluster results in blank space (both with dials and when using full page maps)

With Dials


Full Screen Maps


C. When the navigation app is opened on the center screen, it starts working automatically on the instrument cluster as well but always shows ‘0m’ on top which earlier used to appear only when a route was set.

Maps working on both screens


‘0m’ displayed as if constantly navigating in background



Some other observations after covering 30K Kms:

1. Since the 20K service done 3rd week of April till the 30K service in 3rd week of August, there had been only 03 unscheduled visits (all with-in 3 weeks from service) for sunroof not closing, brake noise and steering angle calibration. This does not include the additional visit for collecting the number plate.
2. The noise from the front brakes (referred here (The Silver Surfer | Mahindra XUV700 (AX7L D AT) | Ownership Review)) is back post the service – I fail to understand what the issue is since this time the brakes were clean.
3. Post the rains, there is a squeaking noise from what I feel to be coming from the rear doors whenever there is body flex.
4. The other persistent noises bothering as of now are from DEF / fuel tank and the Engine cover which rattles have found no solution yet.

[A.G.]

Got the recall done – in my case the gap between the mount and harness was quite less and now the added plastic sleeve and rubber are pretty close, almost touching. Good to see Mahindra going to the extent of inspecting and taking corrective action in each and every XUV7OO as part of this voluntary recall.

[A.G.]

Completing 01 Year

With the odo just a few Kms short of 33K mark after exactly a year, it’s really been a great year with the XUV7OO. Whether it was covering back to back 1400+ Kms trips in 2 days on consequent weekends or just pottering in the city on daily basis, there has been no major breakdown – the mechanicals atleast are sorted.

Revisiting the Good, the Bad and the Ugly after an year:
The Good:
G1 – Drivetrain continues to impress with it’s power and frugality.
G2 – Ride & Handling balance is spot on.
G3 – ADAS works pretty flawlessly.
G4 – Cabin doesn’t fail to impress with it’s modern and luxury quotient.

The Bad:
B1 – Vibrations at idle in D / R with foot on brake.
B2 – Various noises (the famous football-in-boot, Brakes especially when cold), squeaks (from door rubber seal) and rattles (unable to pin point but somewhere from front).
B3 – AdrenoX has improved a lot but still basic issues (like wireless Android Auto connectivity, random blank screen) persist.
B4 – Sony sound system leaves a lot to be desired.

The Ugly:
U1 – Suspension noise (despite Lower Control Arm replacement) is prominent.
U2 – Number of visits to the service center in just 01 year is alarming.
U3 – Mappls update doesn’t work most of the times and robs a feature (offline maps functionality).
U4 – Random errors (even like EPB not disengaging) magically vanishing with a system reboot (i.e. Battery disconnect & reconnect).

Fuel stats for the year of ownership (the max figure was by no means a hypermiling drive)


While there is an itch to change the tyres due to increased road noise and extremely poor wet performance, they still look good for another 10K Kms atleast with tread depth of 5mm minimum


Some parting shots from today’s TLC

[A.G.]

General inspection before a trip (Rear Brake Pads changed)

Before heading out on a family trip, it was wise to get the XUV7OO also inspected. Visited post Diwali break and upon inspection, the rear brake pads were found to be almost at the minimum thickness mark. With the trip ahead, got them changed. The Brake discs were also suggested to be skimmed to even out the minor undulations. I was pleasantly surprised that the service center used Procut machine which didn’t require removal of discs for skimming and performed the job in hardly 10 minutes on one disc.

Getting on the lift


Old Brake pads (Rear) - thickness was around 3mm


With new Brake pads


Procut disc skimming machine in action


Skimming done


After road trial, the general checks were performed and the air filter was cleaned. The total invoice came to Rs. 7,503/- with Rs. 1,350/- + taxes being charged for skimming and rest being for rear brake pads.

[A.G.]

4th Service of 40,000 Kms

During the general check-up and rear brake pad change, I updated about the upcoming travel (detailed here in link) and had enquired about the delay allowance in service. Getting the confidence that I can get the service done prior to 41K Kms mark was a real breather as it didn’t disrupt the plan. It also meant I didn’t need to rush for service immediately the next day upon return.

A day after returning back, I enquired about the rush and was advised to come the next morning for service. While this meant that I would not be in office for another day after an already a week’s gap, it turned out to be beneficial.

Getting the job card opened @ 40.5K Kms


In the service bay


The new Ultra V4 Oil (again no specs on the oil can)


This service required Brake Oil replacement which took most of the time. After brake oil replacement and brake bleeding, a road trial was done and the pedal kept on sinking. The bleeding process was repeated once again.

Waiting for the second round of test drive


The test drive tech himself was not happy with the brake pedal feel and once again bleeding was done. Finally the bleeding was done post a service procedure being run via the laptop and in a different manner – it was done diagonally as recommended by the service tool with Rear Left then Front Right followed by Rear Right and then finally Front Left.

Bleeding being done post running the service procedure via the laptop


Hoping this to be final round of test drive


Finally both of us were happy with the feel of the brake pedal which regained all it’s lost sharpness. Glad they had called me in the morning.

The only sour point was the vehicle was taken to the washing area where it was numbered and put in a que. Yet a technician drove another XUV7OO and tried to cut the que by moving mine across over to the side where all the accident waste was dump – the situation become a bit tensed as it was run across broken glass before I or the other’s present on spot could intervene. Luckily there was no damage to the passenger side tyres but it’s shameful that people don’t have any regret for their dumb actions. And yes the que was still not followed despite numbering.

The heart-in-mouth moment (this was captured after backing up as it was driven even beyond the blue cap in bottom right)


Finally reached the lift for washing with the mats being removed for through cleaning


Washing in progress


The total service bill came to Rs. 9,859/- which included 10L DEF, Fuel Filter, Oil Filter, Air filter and cabin filter apart from Brake Oil and V4 Ultra Engine oil.

Since the 30K service done in 3rd week of August till the 40K service in 4th week of November, there had been only NO unscheduled visits barring the general check-up before the trip. Hopefully the persistent issues of Android Auto frequent disconnections and the foot-ball in boot noise are addressed by Mahindra soon to elevate the ownership experience.

[prawns.curry]

I will be due my service of AX7L D AT in about a month. This is going to be my 1st service at 10k kms.

I want to know if service centre associates do put a cloth on the seat and steering wheel or do we have to suggest them to do so?

Because i am very skeptical on this and do not want the car to be dirty/oil marks from inside.

[A.G.]

Originally Posted by prawns.curry

I want to know if service centre associates do put a cloth on the seat and steering wheel or do we have to suggest them to do so?

They do have very thin cloth type covers for driver seat, steering wheel and gear lever which they use at the workshop I visit but not sure if it's part of SOP from Mahindra as the online service cost calculator does not include it's price.