[ImperPara42]

Originally Posted by rudra_shiv

If not, run it for few km, it will install when you let the car run idle next time.

Do post me your feedback

Hello sir. The next day, we went and checked for the update, and lo and behold, the update button was available. We immediately clicked it and waited with the engine on idle, as said in your video. The video was a great help! The update installed successfully and it is working fine. Thanks a lot for your help!

[rudra_shiv]

Originally Posted by ImperPara42

Hello sir. The next day, we went and checked for the update, and lo and behold, the update button was available. We immediately clicked it and waited with the engine on idle, as said in your video. The video was a great help! The update installed successfully and it is working fine. Thanks a lot for your help!

Glad that it helped you. Happy motoring!

Btw. did you notice any updates/power delivery differences?

[FlyboyQP]

Hello Everyone,


After one of the software update by service center, OTA setting option went missing from my settings. Has anyone encountered the sme issue?
How do I get it back? AX7 D AT 2023 6.2

[ImperPara42]

Originally Posted by rudra_shiv

Btw. did you notice any updates/power delivery differences?

Hello, as of now have not noticed any differences in power delivery. Have you noticed any?

Also, I have noticed another issue in the XUV700 recently.

I thought that the car auto locks itself, once you step out of the car after turning the engine off and walking away. I was explained as such by the SA during the test drive. But yesterday, the exact same scenario played out and the car didn't lock itself for 5 whole minutes, after which I locked the car using the key fob. This is what it says in the manual, that after unlocking the car with the key fob, the car will lock itself in 45 seconds if there is no additional input from the key or the doors. But, isn't this a safety issue? The car should auto-lock itself after I forget to lock it right?
Looking forward to your replies regarding the same.
Thank you.

[rudra_shiv]

Originally Posted by FlyboyQP

Hello Everyone,


After one of the software update by service center, OTA setting option went missing from my settings. Has anyone encountered the sme issue?
How do I get it back? AX7 D AT 2023 6.2

Hello ImperPara42,
Swipe up from the home screen, you will see the SW update option there.
Hope this should help you!

[FlyboyQP]

Originally Posted by ImperPara42

Hello, as of now have not noticed any differences in power delivery. Have you noticed any?

Also, I have noticed another issue in the XUV700 recently.

I thought that the car auto locks itself, once you step out of the car after turning the engine off and walking away. I was explained as such by the SA during the test drive. But yesterday, the exact same scenario played out and the car didn't lock itself for 5 whole minutes, after which I locked the car using the key fob. This is what it says in the manual, that after unlocking the car with the key fob, the car will lock itself in 45 seconds if there is no additional input from the key or the doors. But, isn't this a safety issue? The car should auto-lock itself after I forget to lock it right?
Looking forward to your replies regarding the same.
Thank you.

Yes, this is an issue. On another occasion, the car got locked with key inside. This is a big issue too. Luckily I had my mobile and unlocked the car with Adrenox.
Thank God I renewed the subscription.

Originally Posted by rudra_shiv

Hello ImperPara42,
Swipe up from the home screen, you will see the SW update option there.
Hope this should help you!

I wish it was this simple but no option to update the software anywhere.

[rudra_shiv]

Hello Fellow BHPians,

I'm back to share an eventful and challenging chapter in the journey of RUDRA, my beloved XUV700, over the last 1,500 km of ownership. Strap in for a tale of mechanical quirks, resilience, and the unwavering support of Mahindra's service network. Summary, I am really super impressed by Mahindra's efforts in getting the customer satisfied.

Issue 1: The Persistent Gear Engagement Saga
Despite the earlier replacement of the Clutch Master Cylinder, the frustrating issue of gears refusing to engage—particularly the first, second, and reverse—persisted.

Reposting the video I shared in the thread earlier

https://youtu.be/HT7YaO_fNrM?si=SshLlG_JSTRDZXAm

One such instance that tested my patience was at a traffic signal where engaging first gear became impossible, leaving me a newbie tag from the drivers behind and flustered. Another memorable episode occurred on a mall ramp after enduring an uninspiring movie. I had to shift to the second gear flee away to save myself from abuse around!

I immediately reported the recurrence to Mr. Dileep from CAI, with plans to schedule a visit to the Authorized Service Center (ASC) the following week.

Adding to the frustration was a noticeable drop in fuel efficiency. City driving dipped by 1-1.5 kmpl, and highway drives returned only 11-11.2 kmpl despite a sedate driving style (previously yielding 14-15 kmpl on similar routes).

Issue 2: The Engine Oil Mystery
Returning from my cousin's place, I sensed something unusual under the hood. Upon inspection, I noticed engine oil sprayed across certain areas of the engine bay. Removing the engine cover confirmed my suspicions of a potential gasket leak. I immediately shared images with Mr. Dileep for further advice.

Here is some pics of the same:








Given the engine was hot after a 30 km drive, I deferred the oil level check until the following day. To my astonishment, the dipstick showed oil levels exceeding the maximum mark by 3-4 cm.



Here is a quick video and a pic on the same:

https://youtu.be/14W55m13DCg?si=u-Ua48kZ-wOtLYda

Upon a quick call, Mr. Dileep attributed this to either improper sealing of the oil cap or could be due to the blowby gases. He advised checking the oil level after a few hours of the engine cooling down.

Visit to ASC (Dec 3 - Dec 10, 2024): Dealing the Dual Dilemmas
This alerted myself and Dileep sir, hence we properly documented both the issues and RUDRA was taken back to ASC on Dec 3, 2024 and I was given a loaner XUV700 (the one which I TD'ed for the second in CAI!! Well, good time to catch up with the 85k ran AX7L D AT, which actually relieved some stress of not having an alternate car! Kudos to CAI and Mahindra for this).

Upon arrival of the driver for the pickup, I insisted himd to run an OBD scan via their mini i-Smart tool, which returned error codes confirming potential oil pump irregularities.

Below is the quick diagnostics report.


And being it a December, for the pre-planned trip with our cousins, we decided to switch to Ecosport as our 700 was at ASC

For the gear issue, ASC initially adjusted the gear cables and replaced the gearbox oil. They checked for debris or viscosity changes, but everything appeared normal. In a proactive move, ASC lowered the gearbox to inspect the clutch, CSC, and bleeder. Despite their good condition, they have replaced the mentioned parts under goodwill (thanks to Mr. Dileep for the same) just to rule out the doubt on the servicable parts.



Surprisingly, the issue persisted, and ASC had to escalate this matter to Mahindra.

On the engine oil front, ASC drained and measured 5.75 liters—perfectly normal. However, due to the error codes, the Control Valve Oil Pump was replaced, and oil was refilled precisely. Yet, the dipstick read high by 3-4cms above the max marking!

Even now, I am not sure where the issue lies, I doubt there has to be something wrong with the dipstick. Reassuringly, the ASC team assured me the engine's health was uncompromised, and a detailed documentation was shared with Mahindra.

RUDRA gets a ride to visit the brains of Mahindra - MRV & MSPT | 11 Dec 24 to 15 Dec 24
I was actually not so happy with the product quality at that point and the questions about the long term reliability started haunting me. My family also started a never ending war that I chose Mahindra just for the love I had on the brand. Being a fan of Mahindra since my 7th grade, I could not let down the brand I loved or neither could accept the issues with it at that point. I was somebody who want to support the Indian Engineering and to say, I am more like an unpaid employee who has been advocating my friends & family about supporting our home grown brands than supporting Koreans, Japanese and Germans. I have gone to an extent of applying CCM roles at Mahindra since 2018s to be a part of the brand that we all love. If we go anywhere around the world, the sales chart of the nation is dominated by their homegrown brands except India. And I really wanted to people to support and prefer "Indian Engineering" while make their decisions. Family and friends raised concerns, questioning my loyalty to Mahindra over more "bulletproof" alternatives.

When I had to check this in the facebook and our whatsapp groups, I understood few have changed the CSC (especially when its a diesel + for a few it was a part of a recall), few have changed the synchroniser ring+hub and a few on the clutch plates. Surprisingly, there are quite a few who are living with the gearbox issue considering their busy lives cribbing at Mahindra. As soon as I posted in FB & WA, got a lot of DMs on people reporting similar issues and how each of them solved. Unfortunately, though the issue was common the resolution was different for each one of us. Going over these posts silently at nights, only created nightmares about the reliability. I started getting questions with the fireballs around from my friends and family circle.

Since the issues were a combination of Engine and Gearbox (considering RUDRA has just crossed the 25k mark), it created a lot of worries within me and within family ofcourse. Thankfully, loaner car from CAI was a relief here. Adding fuel to the fire, is our family friend visiting us in his Crysta started boasting about how carefree he is with his (overpriced)Toyota and how bullet proof its reliability is (as he owned a 2007 Innova before and replaced it with a Crysta again!). His Crysta was delivered on 2022 just like mine in which has covered 60k at this point. After a mild to moderate Indian vs. Japanese Engineering session(s), we had to break for the day! Infact, it also stirred my brain if I have chosen a wrong car just for the love I had towards it.

On the other side, ASC & Mr. Dileep was with me the whole time and they were handling the best way they could and supporting me with all possible way within his limits. Through it all, ASC and Mr. Dileep stood by me. Their consistent updates and genuine concern alleviated much of the stress.

Ultimately, Mr. Rajakumar from Mahindra intervened directly. His swift communication with MRV and MSPT facilitated deeper diagnostics.

On the 11 Dec 24, RUDRA was taken to MSPT and below is the quick AdrenoX screenshot. Despite the driver driving it very sedately, it returned only 11.5kmpl (And I noticed the range was just 90kms when he reached MSPT).





The very same day, the team at MSPT checked everything that was possible with the drives on track and the car was taken to MRV for the fix.

On 12 & 13th Dec, Mahindra team ran various diagnostics to check the reliability and the quality of all parts in the gearbox and they found everything was at the right and sweet spot and there is no issues with the gearbox. The very same day, they changed and adjusted the gear cables with the right SOP. This inturn solved the whole issue!! and they called it a day!

Extensive diagnostics conducted on December 12th and 13th revealed no abnormalities in the gearbox or engine components. However, re-calibration and proper adjustment of the gear cables according to the SOP resolved the persistent gear engagement issue.

On 14th & 15thDec, RUDRA was left cold and Mahindra team ensured checking if the issue reproduces at any given point of time.

On 15th Dec, RUDRA started from Chennai. At that point of time, we did not know the RCA done to fix this issue. Infact, Mr. Rajakumar reached out to me to get the feedback how I feel about the issue addressal and if I am satisfied. A very subtle notchiness in first and fifth gear remains but is expected to improve over time since there are quite a few new components now!

Reflections and Gratitude
Mr. Rajakumar's dedication went beyond expectations. His personal involvement and genuine interest in resolving the matter speak volumes about Mahindra's customer-centric approach.

On 15th Dec, RUDRA started from Chennai. At that point of time, we did not know what the RCA had done to fix this issue. And infact Mr. Rajakumar reached out me and he suggested me to take a drive and see if the issue got addressed and report him back if I am satisfied.

I could not make it to ASC on the 16th (and Dileep sir was at CAI either), hence scheduled my visit to ASC on the 17th Dec. I was so happy to see he most annoying issue of gear not slotting is gone!! There is a very mild notchy feeling that I feel while shifting the first and fifth and I was told that it will improve over the time as few of the parts were changed ;-)

I should thank Mr. Rajakumar, despite being part of the Product Development team, he went above and beyond by personally driving the vehicle and ensuring that the matter was given the attention it needed and get it fixed. Infact, we had a quick 15-20min telephonic conversation on this topic and how the RCA was done and the issue was sorted.

Covered close to 500kms after getting back RUDRA, the issue has not respawn again (I am sure it will not) and RUDRA is doing good at this point. It is always a pure joy and pleasure to drive the XUV700 aka RUDRA back on roads. I am surprised about the extent Mahindra's Engineering Team and ASCs are ready to take customer feedback, issues addressed and get the customer satisfied. I am very sure, we can not such attention to the customer, issues and products from any other brands for sure.

When I got RUDRA back and had to drive my mom to my cousins home, I just smiled at my mom, our family friend and said, my next buy will be a Mahindra again! . On a lighter note,it might take another decade considering my financial state at this point of time, but still, any day, it will be a MAHINDRA!

[wooka]

Wow, what a saga!

I can sense a similar notchiness in my Thar D MT as well at about 44k kms. It's simply not as good as a new car though the engine truly feels better than that on my neighbors 700 and my scorpio N. I would like to believe that I have run in the engine significantly better on the manual thar as compared to the automatic counterparts.

Also, the first gear seems to slot-in in two steps at times. Never with a warm gearbox. Wonder if it's the synchro rings wearing out a bit.. Very strange.

[rudra_shiv]

Originally Posted by wooka

Wow, what a saga!

I can sense a similar notchiness in my Thar D MT as well at about 44k kms. It's simply not as good as a new car though the engine truly feels better than that on my neighbors 700 and my scorpio N. I would like to believe that I have run in the engine significantly better on the manual thar as compared to the automatic counterparts.

Also, the first gear seems to slot-in in two steps at times. Never with a warm gearbox. Wonder if it's the synchro rings wearing out a bit.. Very strange.

Synchro wear is highly unlikely for a 44k ran THAR MT. And I believe your city's traffic is not as dense as Bangalore!

First things first, get them to replace your clutch/brake oil and bleed your clutch system. A small air entering the system might cause such issues and request them to adjust the gear cables. Then check for any leaks, if negative, then its time to check the gearbox oil and clutch plates.

This should be a minor hiccup in your ownership experience. Please keep us updated with your feedback

[(Alok)]

I took an important note in your post.
Mahindra ASC adjusted gear cables 2 times. 1) adjustment by mechanic’s mind 2) adjustment with the right SOP.

Originally Posted by rudra_shiv

1.jpeg]2708079[/ATTACH]

Just for curiosity, checked the price of said parts on boodmo:
0303ABG00081N 1892.00
0801CAA01501N 12057.00
0802CAA07461N 287.00
0802CAA08861N 4473.00
TOTAL 18709.00 (INR)

Gear oil 2L 1600.00 (approx.)
G TOTAL 20309.00

Originally Posted by rudra_shiv

On the engine oil front, ASC drained and measured 5.75 liters—perfectly normal. However, due to the error codes, the Control Valve Oil Pump was replaced, and oil was refilled precisely. Yet, the dipstick read high by 3-4cms above the max marking!

What was the reason for oil splash in engine bay? Is it remedied by replacement of ‘oil pump control valve’?

[rudra_shiv]

Originally Posted by (Alok)

I took an important note in your post.
Mahindra ASC adjusted gear cables 2 times. 1) adjustment by mechanic’s mind 2) adjustment with the right SOP.


Just for curiosity, checked the price of said parts on boodmo:
0303ABG00081N 1892.00
0801CAA01501N 12057.00
0802CAA07461N 287.00
0802CAA08861N 4473.00
TOTAL 18709.00 (INR)

Gear oil 2L 1600.00 (approx.)
G TOTAL 20309.00


What was the reason for oil splash in engine bay? Is it remedied by replacement of ‘oil pump control valve’?

Spot on! I also searched for the same in the boodmo.

btw. the oil splash in the bay was told as a slightly loose engine oil cap and bad oil control valve. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[rudra_shiv]

History-Heritage-Horsepower

Finally checked off that long-pending road trip to the Chola Trinity of Siva Temples with cousin trios

Our route? A thrilling Sulur → Gangaikonda Cholapuram → Darasuram → Thanjai Peruvudaiyar Kovil (Big Temple!) → back to Sulur. This marks close to 650kms all in a single day! 😎 And here is the quick glimpse of our plan:



The trios of the trip


The plan was to start at 5AM which eventually got delayed to 5.40AM and after the fuel fillup + air pressure check, it was almost 6AM when the rubber actually met the road at god speeds.


The first stopping is the breakfast at Trichy at around 9AM, we swapped the driver - my cousin took the charge of the wheels till GKC. Reached GKC on time as planned around 10.15AM.

En route is the dried-up Cauvery (aka Ponni Nadhi), which used to flow endlessly across the deltas of TN. Now all that is left is just the sand. Wish the government would build a dam in between and help Cauvery get back on its "flow".

Gangai Konda Choleeswarar aka Ganga Konda Cholapuram

Here is the mesmerizing look of Gangai Konda Choleeswarar Temple - An architectural marvel built by Kadaram Kondan (the king who sailed from Tanjavur to Malaysia and conquered the Kadar in Malaysia), who was also called Madhuranthagan and widely known as Rajendra Chozhan.


Post the ArulMozhi/Raja Rajan's tenure as the King of Chola Empire, his son Rajendra Chozhan took charge and shifted the capital to Gangai Konda Cholapuram from Tanjai. This marvel was built by Rajendran (1030s) after his conquest of the Northern States, wherein he brought the water from the Ganges lake, formed the Ponneri Lake and performed rituals for Shiva in the Gangai Konda Cholapuram.



The Shri Vimanam is 180 ft high, which is 10 ft smaller than the Thanjavur Temple. Historians believe that the height of the temple is deliberately kept low in dimensions compared to the Thanjavur temple as a mark of respect of Rajendra to his father's masterpiece. Compared to the Thanjavur Temple, which has straight contours, this temple has a curvilinear contour, slightly concave towards the top. It is divided into eight zones



Meet the man himself: (It was said to be the Rajendra Chozhan based on the archeology researchers)


A part of the temple was destroyed by Malik Kafur in the 1300s + Pandyas & British Army. One can find it aching to see the front entrance being destroyed, so does the Thiruchuttru Maligai (Chozhas have the habit of building a granite shed all around the temple for people to walk around the temple in the shade) & a few sannathis.

Later, when the Vijayanagara empire came in, Nayakkas replaced the actual Nandhi with a cemented large Nandhi


Also, the British have used this to hold the tanks here -


It is also unfortunate to see that the inscriptions were destroyed, too and what we get to see


After the divine vibes at Gangai Konda Cholapuram, taking the wheel back, we headed to Darasuram Airavateswarar Temple which is less spoken on common grounds. We had to take a couple of coconut waters to escape from the kissing sun.

Attachment 2745588

Darasuram - Sri Airavateswarar Temple

Darasuram was built by Raja Raja II in the 12th Century. The garbhagriha or inner sanctum is a 12-metre-sided (39 ft) square, with thick walls on which the vimana (pyramidal tower) rises to a height of 24 m (79 ft).




The maha-mandapa is a rectangle of about 24 metres (79 ft) by 18 metres (59 ft), with six rows of right pillars (forty-eight in total). The lovely sculptures weren't just built on the pillars but also on the roof of the temple, and each depicts a wonderful story. Also, take a look at the remains of the places sculpted to lit the nighttime environment in a traditional way (lamps made out of granite)





If you are planning to hit Tanjai for Peruvudaiyar temple, definitely add Darasuram to the list too. Such a marvellous architecture it is. Deserves as much recognition as the GKC and Peruvudaiyar.

Singing steps at Darasuram:

The agra mandapa has an attached square porch of 23 ft side. It has ornately carved steps that go from east to west. On its east, outside the main podium, is the bali-peedam. It is unusual, in that it is produced as intricately carved balustraded steps, which produce a musical note. They are therefore called the "singing steps"


Just like Gangai Konda Cholapuram, the entrance of Darasuram was also ruined in the invasions of Pandyas, Mughals and Britishers. It would have been breathtaking to see them as a whole for sure. After the worthy 2+ hours of those spine-chilling vibes, we had to leave Darasuram with some heavy feelings.

We stopped for the lunch near Darasuram itself. And we dropped the plan to visit Pazhayarai to spend a little more time at Peruvudaiyar & reach before the next day kicks in.

We had a satisfactory yet spicy lunch at Moshika Bhavan in Kumbakonam. Food was a little pricey though. Between happy to spot the hotel parking was covered by Mahindra's


We chilled for some time and reached the marvel of Indian Archeology - The Rajarajeshwaram aka Arulmigu Thanjai Peruvudaiyar Temple.

Rajarajeswaram aka Thanjai Peruvudaiyar aka Brihadeshwarar

Built by Chola emperor Rajaraja-I aka Arul(n)Mozhi Varman, between 1003 and 1010 CE. The biggest highlight being its 80-tonne single stone granite at the top of the Shri Vimana.


Here is the layout of Rajarajeshwaram:


The temple has 4 entrances and 3 gopurams:
1. Maratha Gopuram (was built by Maratha rulers of Tanjore in the late 1400s)
2. Keralanthagan Gopuram (built by Arulmozhi himself after the conquest of Kerala)
3. Raja Rajan Thiruvasal (built by Arulmozhi himself after the conquest of Kerala)

The temple, being guarded by Dwarabalakars & a has three stone sculptures. The ground floor level sanctum walls have Lingodbhavar, Hariharan and Ardhanareswarar. The second floor holds Shiva's Tripurantaka forms in different postures, and above all these storeys (13 storeys if I am not wrong) is a single square block of granite weighing 80 tons, and 25.5 ft side. On top of this block, at its corners are Nandi pairs, each about 6 ft 6 in x 5 ft 6 in in dimensions.



Here is the inscription about himself and his conquests, starting - SwasthiShree Thirumagal Pola Peru Nila Selviyum, boasting his conquests all across India, particularly
Nulambampadi- Karnataka+Andhra Border
GangaPadi - Western Ganga Kingdom @ Karnataka
VengaNaadu - Tamil Nadu+Kerala border
Kalinga - Odissa
KudamalaiNadu - Western Ghats
Eelam - SriLanka
Kollam - Kerala


Raja Rajan has inscribed all the names of the people who has donated to the temple starting from his sister Kundavai (who gave ghee to the nondha vilakku) to the poor old lady who gave free butter milk to people who worked there to the architect who helped in building this structure - Kunjara Mallan Raja Rama Perunthachan.

Even after the prayers and wandering around the temple for more than 120minutes, we could not just think we have to head back.

Just look at the golden hour shots of the lovely temple


Some silluhouttes



It was an amazing trip altogether. Except for a 30-40kms of two-lane roads, the roads were super smooth, neatly laid out.

When we returned we missed the route and had to detour for a 30kms via musiri road, suggest not to take them, especially at night. We stopped at Trichy for dinner at Sangeethas. The food was perfectly cooked, reasonably priced and extremely good + spicy to our liking.

Overall, the drive was buttery smooth, the roads mostly fantastic, and the sheer joy of being behind the wheel? Priceless!

My cousins who drove the car for about 200kms also shared the same feeling of sheer joy, pleasure & comfort.

Here is the snapshot of the trip summary:


What about the shortcomings of the trip?
Sure, we had a couple of things to state:
- CarPlay throwing tantrums - refused to connect, frequent disconnects. Unfortunately, the product has been 3 years, on-road still M&M has not fixed this.
- Fuel efficiency took the bullet for being a little aggressive on the throttle, but nothing could dull the experience and
- The reverse camera was going blank most time (that was unexpected, despite it being a Mahindra Official Accessory, and it is just 2 years). Hmmm!! Mahindra do look into it. Looks like it is going to cost a 3-4k dent in the pocket.


I won't call this a negative, but this could have been done better. Mahindra could add the FE data to the trip data in the cluster. Would be really good to see every time.

A moment of pride looking at RUDRA at the end of the trip is always invaluable!!

A road trip that blended driving passion with spiritual awe—what more could a petrolhead ask for? 🤩

[darthRegius]

Originally Posted by rudra_shiv

Thanks for the reply. I am glad to welcome you to the Petrol Only Owners Group.

I understand the private message option is not enabled in your profile. Kindly enable it, I can share the details/link to join.

Does this group still exist please? Would appreciate the opportunity to join and learn from you all