[tasawuR]

Originally Posted by puneetakhouri

It is the spray pipe, attaching pic for reference.
Attachment 2424611
Now I tried to bend it but it did not. I checked a few storme images online and saw a similar pipe there so I guess this is how it is. Any idea if this is how it's on your truck as well?.

Hi sir, welcome to the storme family! I wish you get many happy miles on this beautiful beast.

Now on to your issues,
1) windshield washer: i too lost my nozzle thingy and the spray wouldn't shoot where it was supposed to. So I got a little black rubber "C" shaped pipe and glued one end to the plastic nozzle which is sticking out. This does a fine job for me.
I have attached a photo of the small pipe thing somewhere (im new here i don't quite know how attachments work)

2) ask your tata guy to check the steering ends. We recently got our suspensions rebuilt (all the bushings, steering components, and a sway bar at the back).
Our storme gets quite a lot of non pavement action. There was a little vibration in the steering wheel but it's gone since this.

Cheers,
Tasawur.

[puneetakhouri]

On my path to perfection
My wife and I used to undertake a lot of trips in our Baleno earlier and plan on doing the same with the Storme with our 1 year old baby as well. But I still have not got that confidence on the truck as yet because I did not get it out of the factory, so I want to ensure that all the wear and tear parts are replaced so that I am sure that things are fine on that end.
After the fluid changes and in my pursuit to make the truck as good as new, was looking at the next set of changes to do. But given the poor experience with TASS, I decided to go to a reliable FNG and finally managed to find one for myself. There are a few issues with the vehicle that I wanted to look into

• Body Vibrations - I felt that the engine mounts are worn out as the truck has slight vibration all the time and especially during startup and shutdown. Everybody I talked to shrugged it off as the characteristic of the vehicle but I still wanted to ensure it is how it is. And post the engine and gearbox mounting change, what a difference. There is a very mild shake during start and shutdown and idling and drives are just like a petrol vehicle now. Very refined and enjoyable.
• V-Belt, water pump change - I had asked the mechanic to check the belts and change them if required, they said that the belts are in good shape and do not need a change as of now. So that was also not changed and it continues to be what it is.
• TVD Change - So I told the mechanics to change the TVD and they had no clue what it is, then I showed them the damper I was referring to and they were like - Oh you mean damper coupling I told them to check it, they checked it and found that it is fine but found the central bearing of the drive shaft to be worn out and replaced that. This change removed the humming sound coming from below the vehicle along with the mounting change has made the car very very smooth.
• Steering Tie rods - When I raised the point of the steering play, they mentioned that the steering tie rods are worn out and need to be changed. They changed those as well and informed me to get the wheel alignment done. But as it was getting late they just did a string based alignment and let me go reminding me to get the alignment done ASAP. Post the alignment though the play has drastically reduced but it is still there, I suspect there is some play in the column but will get that inspected and changed later.
• WA/WB/Rotation - When I took the vehicle for WA/WB, the technician did the balance first and found that the tyres, even though they look fine are stiffening up and losing shape. He showed how the centre part of the tyre has risen up in certain places. Before rotation he inspected the tyres and said that the front tyres are the better ones and just let them be in the front. What surprised me is that the Castor and Camber angles were extremely skewed and he brought all the angles to within acceptable limits as per storme's map. When he did the trial run post change, he found that he vehicle is slightly pulling to the left, he did a right-left switch of the front tyres but said that even though the pull is gone post the rotation, the tyres still need to be changed.

Post the changes, did a Sunday run to Lonavala and had the following observations-

• Vibrations - What I observed is that though the vehicle runs like a petrol vehicle, but at speeds between 70-100 there was a sudden vibration coming into the entire vehicle emanating from somewhere below. Others were not feeling anything but I for sure felt it, so I took the vehicle back to the mechanic for inspection believing that during the bearing change they might have not tightened things up or there might be play in the shaft. They tightened things and tested but did not feel anything but mentioned that your tyres definitely feel funky. So I will hold on to the observations till I get tyres changed, any suggestions on the possible reasons and tyres are welcome.
• Left Pull - I observed a slight pull to the left which is very slight but it still means that there is a slight course correction that needs to be done constantly. The alignment guy was mentioning the same is due to tyres so will hold this judgement also till then.
• AC Cooling inconsistency - I am observing that the compressor cuts off very frequently. Had checked the condenser fan and it seems to be working fine but compressor cuts off very frequently. When the journey begins there is no cooling and suddenly cooling comes in but condenser keeps cutting off. But when its working the cooling is excellent. Also another thing to note is the temperature knob does not work, even when set to hot, it would still blow cold air. The mechanic has said that AC check requires leaving the vehicle for at least 3 days for pressure test + dashboard removal and installation again apart from ordering parts and getting them. This is required since we also had to recharge AC gas recently pointing to a leak to a system. I am just praying that the leak is detected at condenser level and not at the cooling coils. I am waiting for my friend who took my Baleno to come back to town so that I can borrow the Baleno again while Safari goes to garage again.

Originally Posted by condor

For this kind of play, the points you added about rough roads kind of led to some confusion for me.

Originally Posted by zadoom

I would like to share my experience which seems to be a bit opposite to what you mentioned Puneet. When going over the bad roads at speed, if you keep your hand light on the steering wheel it will go left right left but the car apart from the vertical movement maintains its straight line.

Originally Posted by avinash_m

my take would be that it's normal. I've had fare share of driving over non-existent, badly broken roads at speed and have noticed similar behavior. Not entirely ruling out some play existing in the rack; it is afterall a BOF and weighs 2.5+ tons. If you notice this on plane roads too, then it may need attn.

Thanks a lot guys, it was worn out steering tie rods that I got changes that has reduced play, play still exists in the steering but I will change tyres first and then check if the column joints are worn out or is it the rack. However, post the alignment work, the steering is definitely manageable using a single hand also. The numbers were way off the prescribed config and probably that also causes the tyres to have bulged in center, it might also be the age of tyres perhaps.

Originally Posted by tasawuR

Hi sir, welcome to the storme family! I wish you get many happy miles on this beautiful beast.

Now on to your issues,
1) windshield washer: i too lost my nozzle thingy and the spray wouldn't shoot where it was supposed to. So I got a little black rubber "C" shaped pipe and glued one end to the plastic nozzle which is sticking out. This does a fine job for me.
I have attached a photo of the small pipe thing somewhere (im new here i don't quite know how attachments work)

2) ask your tata guy to check the steering ends. We recently got our suspensions rebuilt (all the bushings, steering components, and a sway bar at the back).
Our storme gets quite a lot of non pavement action. There was a little vibration in the steering wheel but it's gone since this.

Cheers,
Tasawur.

Thanks Tasawur, where did you get these small rubber pipes from, this looks like a fantastic idea, however TASS has ordered them for me so will wait for a couple of weeks before going for these.
You are right, it was the steering tie rod ends that were worn out, once that is changed the play has reduced considerably.

One of the biggest problems I face with the Storme is that no part is readily available with the TASS, the official spare part stores are pretty far away from where I live and that means the car needs to have at least a day or two of downtime for any change that it requires. This makes me feel that this cannot be the only car in your garage because any emergency workshop visit would cripple your travel for the next few days. So keeping the vehicle in top shape is a priority for me.

[condor]

Originally Posted by puneetakhouri

The alignment guy was mentioning the same is due to tyres so will hold this judgement also till then..

What rotation pattern was used during the alignment ? Which ever way, try to swap the front tyres.

[puneetakhouri]

Originally Posted by condor

What rotation pattern was used during the alignment ? Which ever way, try to swap the front tyres.

The front left went to front right and vice versa. The staff at alignment centre believed that the front are in a much better shape than rear and so keep those in the front.

[zadoom]

Originally Posted by puneetakhouri

On my path to perfection
I decided to go to a reliable FNG and finally managed to find one for myself. .

BTW Puneet, you seem to be in Mumbai as well, do you mind sharing the FNG details and if by any chance it is in Navi Mumbai? I went the FNG way as well for the 1st time last month however am not completely sure.
And in case you plan to drive by Navi Mumbai sometime, we can meet up and compare our steeds. Haven't driven any other Storme and so am interested in knowing if there is any major change in behavior which might call for some action.

Cheers,
Mayank

[puneetakhouri]

Originally Posted by zadoom

BTW Puneet, you seem to be in Mumbai as well, do you mind sharing the FNG details and if by any chance it is in Navi Mumbai? I went the FNG way as well for the 1st time last month however am not completely sure.
And in case you plan to drive by Navi Mumbai sometime, we can meet up and compare our steeds. Haven't driven any other Storme and so am interested in knowing if there is any major change in behavior which might call for some action.

Cheers,
Mayank

Hi Mayank, my office is in Ghansoli and my truck is a daily driver so we can catch up any weekday in Navi Mumbai. Even I would like to try out another Storme to see the problems in my vehicle.
The FNG is near my house in Chembur, the guy works primarily on luxury brands with lots of Porsches and Hummers and S-class parked around. The Safari is the cheapest vehicle that he repairs but the guy is genuine and very good at the work. Even if you tell him 10 things, he will check them and only if needed will he change those, otherwise will let them be. I will DM you his details.

[zadoom]

Originally Posted by puneetakhouri

Hi Mayank, my office is in Ghansoli and my truck is a daily driver so we can catch up any weekday in Navi Mumbai. .

Great, I will start going to office from April onwards. mostly from Kharghar to Thane, so will keep an eye out for the Silver Storme and plan to meet up someday.

Will PM you sometime for the FNG details. Any idea if he does fabrication work as well? I am looking for someone to make a swan neck towball for my car.

[MT_Hyderabad]

Originally Posted by puneetakhouri

Thanks @condor, sharing the video of the play in the steering. Actually I am holding the steering light only but because of the play, the slight movements are not coming to the steering wheel only. My steering lies motionless in my hand, till I notice the car drift a bit on either side and then do the necessary correction. Attaching the video of the play in the centre position. Should I get the steering ball joints and the assembly joints checked?
https://Youtube.com/watch?v=AyUS4TVyA-0?feature=shares

How old are the tyres?

Is this play present at some specific speeds or at all speeds?

[puneetakhouri]

Originally Posted by MT_Hyderabad

How old are the tyres?

Is this play present at some specific speeds or at all speeds?

Tyres seem to have come with the vehicle from factory. The truck is 2018 model and the tyres are 2017.

The play is present at all speeds but greater at higher speeds and lesser at lower speeds. I got the steering tie rod ends changed and post that the play has reduced but it still exists. Maybe tyre change should fix that.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by puneetakhouri

Tyres seem to have come with the vehicle from factory. The truck is 2018 model and the tyres are 2017.

The play is present at all speeds but greater at higher speeds and lesser at lower speeds. I got the steering tie rod ends changed and post that the play has reduced but it still exists. Maybe tyre change should fix that.

U-Joint in the steering is most likely the culprit, have this checked please. There maybe multiple U joints depending on the way its designed.

[MT_Hyderabad]

Originally Posted by puneetakhouri

Tyres seem to have come with the vehicle from factory. The truck is 2018 model and the tyres are 2017.

The play is present at all speeds but greater at higher speeds and lesser at lower speeds. I got the steering tie rod ends changed and post that the play has reduced but it still exists. Maybe tyre change should fix that.

OK, I was also looking at the mileage done on them.

I have a Tata safari dicor. Have faced this issue when the tyres were around 65k kms / 6 years old. But, it was only observed post 60 km/hr speed.

I got tie rods changed, balancing and alignment done, even switched tyre location but it was still there. Finally, new tyres eliminated this issue completely. It hasn't returned from the past ~30 k kms.

[puneetakhouri]

Yet another trip to the Garage

So recently I observed that the cooling was not adequate, this was inspite of me getting the gas topped up. Although gas topping up itself points to a leak in the system but I thought of addressing it later when I arrive to that point.

Anyways back to the point, I observed that the compressor would kick in sometimes and sometimes it wont. Sometimes I would have the entire journey to office with AC working fine and on return the compressor would not kick in.

A colleague of mine who owns an Altroz said that his new Altroz faces the same issue when it is parked under the sun all day So I thought its a Tata thing. But with weekends coming and a family trip planned I thought of getting it checked thoroughly once and for all.
The problems summed up are:

• Compressor would kick in sometimes and sometimes not. Whenever it would kick in, it would cut off immediately.
• The AC temperature control knob did not work. The heater function was not working. While it does not matter in Mumbai, but the car will not only be driven in Mumbai and would take me places hopefully that would be colder.

I had discussed it with my FNG who said that it might require opening up the dashboard and compressor might be at fault here. Also would require leaving the truck for at least 3 days for parts to arrive. I was not very keen on doing this so thought of showing the car to a local AC expert.

The guy is in Ghatkopar and runs a small shop. What I liked about him is that he was very meticulous and methodically eliminated all the probable causes before jumping to a conclusion.

• He started with checking the AC compressor relay, replaced it, checked wiring and current and found that to be working fine.
• He checked the AC clutch as well to see if it is engaging fine and it was working fine as well.
• He checked the cutouts for high pressure and low pressure side to see if they were cutting out, but they were working fine as well.
• He checked whether the high pressure sensors are working fine or not, and we saw the above 250psi, the second fan would also kick in so all was well there also.
• He checked the centre console to see if there is a problem from there and it was fine as well.

Finally, we found a lose/detached cable under the dashboard due to which this fault was happening. I don't know how or why this wire was detached, but there was this thing, he cleaned it up and wired it up properly and voila! the AC is back to being a chiller again.

I also asked him to fix the AC knob to get the heater working. He checked the plumbing and found that the coolant entry to the heater coil was bypassed in the engine bay. I asked him to fix this and he said that he would need time for that since, if it has been detached, there might be some reason for that. Either a leaking coil or something else and he would take that job up some other day. I also was ok with the fact that at least the AC is working to take me through summer and I would get that checked later on.
Good thing is that Safari has a Eco mode in AC which makes the compressor cut off faster hence cooling is slightly lower which suits my need.

I would get that knob fixed anyways in coming weeks whenever I have time. But overall this exercise got me to spend 600/- and a whole lot of sweat this week but I am glad that it is over.

Next up - Tyre changes. Suggestions are welcome, was looking at either Yokohama Geolander or MRF Wanderer.

[avinash_m]

Next up - Tyre changes. Suggestions are welcome, was looking at either Yokohama Geolander or MRF Wanderer.

Please have the std. Bridgestone Duelers also in consideration. Having used them for 65K and the Yokos for 10K now, I'd be inclined towards former as they felt more pliant.
Yokos are definitely gripper and look better but aren't as smooth, from my exp.

[condor]

Originally Posted by puneetakhouri

Finally, we found a lose/detached cable under the dashboard due to which this fault was happening. I don't know how or why this wire was detached, but there was this thing, he cleaned it up and wired it up properly and voila! the AC is back to being a chiller again.

Lucky ! Next time, for any issue, please share pics. It will help everyone more, than just saying something like "a cable"

Regarding tyres, Continentals and Yoko's are quite popular here. Bridgestone are the stock ones. Some have gone in for MRF. I am on my second set of Yoko G015

[puneetakhouri]

Tyre Upgrades
So although the Bridgestone duellers on the truck had decent amount of tread left, they still were over 5 years old. Also the tyre guy had told me recently that some tyres have uneven wear and tear. So I decided to get them changed and was looking for a suitable replacement option.
Some things I was clear of regarding requirements

• 5 tyre upgrade - Since I would be doing 5 tyre rotation, I wanted 5 tyres to be replaced. However, one tyre would be Stepney for the first 10k kms while the other new ones are at work. Hence decided that would get the 5th tyre 10k kms later when I go for rotation. This would ensure I get one fresh tyre.
• Since this is a 2wd truck which runs on city roads and highways mostly with occasional pothole riddled roads, I saw no point in getting AT tyres. Even the duellers installed from factory were HT. So I was looking for HT tyres but they were hard to come by on a budget.

Options considered

1. MRF Wanderer - Based on my experience with MRFs, they offer good value for the price they sell at. 235/70R16s were costing me 7500/- per tyre. They also look good but I wanted something better.
2. Yokohama Geolander - Based on other tbhp reviews, I was in inclined to go for Yokos. Also had them installed on my Baleno and they are fantastic. The dealer quoted me 8900/- per tyre and I was ok with it so thought of getting it installed.

Sudden Entry
Continentals
I wanted Continental but they were on the pricier side. However my FNG made a call to a dealer in Santacruz who told us that he could get us a Continental Cross Contact Ax6 for 8400 per tyre and that got my attention.
I checked reviews of the tyre online and found that this tyre is very good for highway and occasional offroad use with very good noise control. I finalised on it and got them replaced yesterday.
The experience at the dealer was pathetic and it took me almost 2.5 hours to get 4 tyres replaced. I also wanted TPMS installed internally and the valves were a mismatch so that caused some delay. I will share TPMS review later sometime.


Sharing pics of the tyre before installation
Not the most good looking tyres I must say. They look pretty mediocre on the truck. I will share pics when I take a few. It's so ugly that I did not feel like taking a pic


All fresh 0823 manufactured tyres.


Let's see how they last.

Coming up
This week sending the truck to garage for the following work

• Front suspension change. Getting the front suspension changed as the bushes are worn out. Also there is a slight pull to the left even after tyre change so I hope this change takes care of this.
• TVD Change - The user manual says TVD should be changed every 5 years and even though the tvd on truck is fine, I still am getting it changed to ensure that it isnt a thought in my mind for next 5 years at least.
• Radiator cleaning - The radiator has mud inside it, the TASS changed coolant but never informed me about it. So this time getting the entire radiator cleaned, flushed and also getting the water pump changed because coolant is to be drained anyways.
• Left front power window slows down after going up 70%.
• Rear door plastics rattle. Will get it foam packed to prevent rattling.