[puneetakhouri]

Originally Posted by condor

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

I usually am not a camera person so it does not strike me most of the time to get a pic and that leads to these verbal explanations
My main concern here was that how can a cable be loose unless it has been tampered with earlier.

[puneetakhouri]

Path to perfection and hurdles on the way

In continuation with my plan to change parts, this time I decided that I will tell FNG to order all parts and only then will the car be sent for change so that the car would be sent in the morning and be done by evening or worst next day. The following parts I requested to be changed:

1. Front suspensions and ball joints - I observed that the front looks a bit saggy as compared to the back. And one of my friend Storme owners had explicitly mentioned to me that the Storme should look very upright from the front. Hence I decided to get both the front suspensions changed.
2. TVD - This time I was adamant that this has to be changed. And told them to get this ordered.
3. Water pump - Since I had asked them to clean the radiator, I thought of getting the water pump replaced as well.
4. Indicator Stalk - I find that the left turn indicators fail to engage sometimes and hence planned on getting these changed as well, however they could not source this part.
5. Left front power window slowness - The front left power window would slow down after reaching 75% of the way up. I had asked them to fix this as well.
6. Rear door plastic cladding rattle - This was also to be fixed.
7. Check Engine Light - Just a day ago the Check Engine Light turned on and I got it scanned and it threw the error for the low boost pressure. I also observed that the kick during pickup was totally gone and it behaved like a regular vehicle. They said they would check this and suspected a loose hose.

The parts were ordered and I was told to drop my car on Thursday and would be done by Friday evening. I did the same and went to inspect in the evening as to how things are going.

Tragedy, Confusion and Resolution
Tragedy
On Friday I went to collect the car in the evening and the garage owner mentioned that the car is giving some problems starting. It would start once and would not start post that. The OBD scanner was giving immobiliser issues and they are looking into it.
Confusion
A key coder was called and he observed that the keys were not functioning properly and he coded another remote and tried and still the same problem and they all were clueless as to what is the problem.
The garage owner assured me that they will fix it next day anyhow and give it to me. I was really concerned this time and it was a real low point where I was thinking had I got the right car or did the seller fool me into buying an abused vehicle with lot of problems. But there was nothing I could do now so just waited and watched. Till date whatever changes I got done were all wear and tear parts, but a car not starting is a reliability issue and that was bothering me a lot.
Resolution
Next day I called the garage owner around noon and asked the issue, he mentioned that they checked everything, right from key to coils to BCM and now were checking if the changes they did yesterday caused this.
And then an hour later he calls me to inform that the issue has been identified, the guy who fitted the waterpump did not adjust the timing post that and that was causing the issue . He apologised for the same and said that they are fixing it and will be testing it thoroughly before handing it over.

Attaching pics of the few things
The suspension kit has been replaced for the front entirely.


The sparkling clean radiator that was taken out and sent to a guy who cleans them for a living. Looks good now. The garage added their own coolant and told me that let it run for a few hundred kilometres so that the plumbing is cleared and then will add the Tata approved coolant in it. (Castrol Radicool SF-O premix 50:50).


The new TVD added. The vibrations that creep into the cabin when you lug the engine are gone. Although I dont lug the vehicle, but any vibration at lets say 1100RPM on third gear, they are all gone from the body.


This joint was where the hose was loose. I suspect that is also caused by these mechanics only when they were changing engine mounts and they might have lifted the engine a lot higher that required causing this joint to loosen up.


Conclusion
Got the car back few hours ago and here are preliminary observations:

• The alignment is out, which I will get fixed tomorrow but the steering play seems to have reduced. Will hold my judgement till tomorrow.
• No rattles in the interiors, they have fixed the plastic rattles very well and now car is "soundless" inside.
• I have been facing vibrations coming from the underbody between 65-85kmph and they are still there even after the TVD change. Now I am 100% sure that this is a error by mechanics when they changed the central bearing of the propellor shaft. I will tell the FNG to fix it but this also proves that they are also not super experts on the Safari Storme.
• Turbo issue is gone and now the pickup is back. It was the loose clamp from the air filter to turbocharger which was loose and flapping. They have tightened it and hopefully it should be done now.
• The power windows now work just fine and the speed is good.

Observations

• Finding an expert mechanic for Storme is hard. I believed that the FNG will be good, but the wrecklessness shown by the mechanic has caused me to lose faith in them now. So will be looking for another mechanic for any other issue in the vehicle which requires fixing.
• Storme cannot be your vehicle if you have a single car garage. For a person like me, who owns just a single car, reliability and ease of repairs and maintenance remain a very high priority. Though I am pretty sure that the Storme is pretty reliable but in case anything breaks, the vehicle will go out of order for a week. This is a very big blocker, but I guess this is the same case with any other manufacturer except Maruti and Hyundai who have all parts available in the workshops readily.

Next action items
With the truck becoming as good as new (almost) there are still a few things that need to be fixed that are on my target list next.

1. Injector issue - We observed that there is a krr krr sound coming from the engine at high RPMs or if we are pushing hard and turbo kicks in. The garage owner pointed it out to be an issue of the injector and told me to drop the car for a day and they will fix it within a single day. I plan on doing that this week sometime.
2. AC Leak - The gas is requiring a recharge on a monthly basis so that also needs to be fixed. But I dont want to give the car for a few days again and remain without a car. Also I am praying that the issue should arise in the condenser itself and fixed from there as anything else would require opening up the dashboard and all which I dont want to do.

We are getting there, and I am positive.

[Tgo]

That’s a really clean example for a Storme. Happy mile munching with it.

Check the number plate install, you ming need to get a strip of double sided tape or foam in between the door and plate if there’s a rattle there. Also if you have jack storage space in the boot, check that cavity for some loose items rolling around there. I guess this has the spare tyre mounted below, check if its fully tightened.

[Tgo]

Just saw the thread and learnt about the vibration issue. The center bearing replacement would need the whole prop shaft to be out, right?

Can we see some pics of the assembly, the center bearing part. In newer vehicles manufacturers have made it integral to the prop shaft, changing the bearing requires a whole new prop shaft assembly to keep things simple for inexperienced mechanics.

If the prop shaft is reinstalled, it has to be installed back the same way matching flange to flange on transmission and also on the differential end. Due to balancing. Even if a couple flange is rotated from the original assembly there could be vibrations creeping up. Usually with rotating parts even the bolts are numbered put back from in the same spot they came out of.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post3504066 (Tata Safari Storme : Official Review)

Check the link above, the center bearing does not look replaceable to me. I could be wrong too.

Also check the gearbox mounts.

[chinkara]

Originally Posted by condor

1. Fuel button - get it checked.

Mine was replaced and working fine now,

Originally Posted by condor

2. Driver side window - just momentarily pull up the button and window glass will stop going further down.
r.

Ditto. Also for me, it stops midway if I press the power window very lightly. Try that.

Originally Posted by condor

3. Took me 9 years for the seat cover to start getting worn out. You could place a mat on top the seat to reduce wear.

Mine is 9 years old with 2 toddlers doing all sort of things and still fairly ok

The boat like feeling is only if you corner at speed - but why would you do that with a tall car?

Other -ves: Small niggles will happen. Dashboard lid not closing etc. But overall, the vehicle will bring a smile on your face. I would buy a new Storme today if possible (need to let the car go by next year due to NCR 10 year rule, else would have retained for 5 years comfortably) and none of the options today appeal to me.

[chinkara]

Originally Posted by puneetakhouri

[[*]Storme cannot be your vehicle if you have a single car garage. For a person like me, who owns just a single car, reliability and ease of repairs and maintenance remain a very high priority. Though I am pretty sure that the Storme is pretty reliable but in case anything breaks, the vehicle will go out of order for a week. This is a very big blocker, but I guess this is the same case with any other manufacturer except Maruti and Hyundai who have all parts available in the workshops readily.

Storme has been our single car from 2017 to 2023; of course 2 of those were COVID years, but no problem really. You cannot be fussy about niggles with a Tata, but no major reliability issues.

[puneetakhouri]

Originally Posted by Tgo

The center bearing replacement would need the whole prop shaft to be out, right?

Can we see some pics of the assembly, the center bearing part. In newer vehicles manufacturers have made it integral to the prop shaft, changing the bearing requires a whole new prop shaft assembly to keep things simple for inexperienced mechanics.

If the prop shaft is reinstalled, it has to be installed back the same way matching flange to flange on transmission and also on the differential end. Due to balancing. Even if a couple flange is rotated from the original assembly there could be vibrations creeping up. Usually with rotating parts even the bolts are numbered put back from in the same spot they came out of.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post3504066 (Tata Safari Storme : Official Review)

Check the link above, the center bearing does not look replaceable to me. I could be wrong too.

Also check the gearbox mounts.

Sorry buddy, I had the pics in my phone but seems I deleted them, but the central piece was something they replaced. And you are right regarding the assembly part, inexperienced mechanics cannot handle it and that has been happening with me.
I got the engine mounts + gearbox mounts + central bearing changed at the same time so its a bit difficult to pinpoint whether its the gb mounts or the central bearing causing this issue. Will get it inspected this weekend and will keep the thread updated.

Originally Posted by chinkara

Storme has been our single car from 2017 to 2023; of course 2 of those were COVID years, but no problem really. You cannot be fussy about niggles with a Tata, but no major reliability issues.

I too agree that the vehicle is reliable but the reason I do not find it to be a suitable candidate for a single car garage is availability of parts when required. Finding parts readily available is a problem even with dealerships, so much so that now I inform them a week in advance with token amount given so that they can source the part. This works well for regular maintenance but for emergency breakdowns, the car would be out of action for at least 2-3 days.

[chinkara]

Originally Posted by puneetakhouri

I too agree that the vehicle is reliable but the reason I do not find it to be a suitable candidate for a single car garage is availability of parts when required. Finding parts readily available is a problem even with dealerships, so much so that now I inform them a week in advance with token amount given so that they can source the part. This works well for regular maintenance but for emergency breakdowns, the car would be out of action for at least 2-3 days.

Again, I did not have any surprise that needed to be replaced immediately in 9 years except for a pulley replacement. I have also found Arya Tata (Gurgaon) to be reasonably stocked on parts. They would typically warn me in advance ("you have done 110,000 km now sir, next service mein clutch replacement karna parega") and you coordinate and they ensure they have the part for a 1 day delivery. Even on the single instance of accident they returned it in 3 days. Maybe I was just lucky (touch wood).

[puneetakhouri]

Originally Posted by Tgo

Can we see some pics of the assembly, the center bearing part. In newer vehicles manufacturers have made it integral to the prop shaft, changing the bearing requires a whole new prop shaft assembly to keep things simple for inexperienced mechanics.

If the prop shaft is reinstalled, it has to be installed back the same way matching flange to flange on transmission and also on the differential end. Due to balancing. Even if a couple flange is rotated from the original assembly there could be vibrations creeping up. Usually with rotating parts even the bolts are numbered put back from in the same spot they came out of.

I finally found the pic of the central bearing, sharing it here. I guess it is balancing issue and have informed the garage to check this out.



I guess you are right regarding the balancing part. The mechanics would be fixing it this week once I drop the vehicle to them.

[puneetakhouri]

Originally Posted by condor

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

Finally got rid of the left pulling problem (it still exists but very very light). Got the Wheel Alignment done again, this time went to Premji Mahim who is a reputed technician in Mumbai. The technician brought all the readings as per specifications. He made the castor angles equal on both sides and yet the car was pulling. In fact it started pulling more than when I went to the technician. So the technician increased the castor angle for the left wheel and decreased the right wheel castor angle slightly.
Storme specifications say the castor angle should be 3°±30', so now my front right tyre is at 2°30' and left wheel is at 3°30'. This has reduced the pull drastically and now its very very minimal and both wheels are within prescribed specifications. However, I feel a slight resistance in turning the wheel completely to the left and there is a strong recentering force on leaving the wheel.

[puneetakhouri]

Originally Posted by chinkara

I have also found Arya Tata (Gurgaon) to be reasonably stocked on parts. They would typically warn me in advance ("you have done 110,000 km now sir, next service mein clutch replacement karna parega") and you coordinate and they ensure they have the part for a 1 day delivery. Even on the single instance of accident they returned it in 3 days. Maybe I was just lucky (touch wood).

There is also the thing that you are in Gurgaon, and Safaris and Scorpios are pretty popular in the Northern parts of the country. Whereas, in a place like Mumbai, XUV500 and 700 sells like hotcakes but nobody would buy a Scorpio or a Safari (dicor or storme). So I guess it has something to do with this as well that I am struggling a bit on getting parts and good mechanics.

[puneetakhouri]

I am an SUV convert now


Post purchasing the Storme after driving a Baleno for a long term, it took me some unlearning the hatch and learning an BoF SUV. But 3 months and 5500 kms later I can confidently say that the initial observations that I put in need to be updated because now I understand the Storme very well.


The amount of luggage that the Storme swallowed was massive. 2 large + 2 mediums + 2 small suitcases with space to keep duffle bags and snack bags and what not.


The truck usually takes around 52l of diesel post the fuel light glowing up.
Notice the rear end slightly sagging due to the load on rear axle from 3 passengers + 100 kilos of load.

Recently did a 1500 km trip (Mumbai Goa return) for a cousin's destination wedding. We were 5 adults and a kid (1.5yrs) with lots and lots of luggage. Decided to take the Storme for the trip as it would be a test for its cruising abilities, plus the tickets to Goa have become very pricey, especially with Go-Air saga unfolding.


Other cars have 4 bottle holders, Storme has one holder that can fit 4 bottles

I had also got the tires changed recently to Continentals so this was going to be a review of these as well. Apart from the Storme there was also my cousin's Brezza (1.5 petrol) and another cousin in an XUV500 tagging along.

We took the Mumbai-Kolhapur-Nipani-Amboli-South goa route.

Ride Quality
In my early posts I had mentioned that I prefer the ride quality of the Baleno to a Storme's. How naive was I, the Storme is a sofa and glides along on any type of road. We drove Mumbai Pune expressway where the drive was effortless, the bad roads near Amboli where my cousins in Brezza were tossed up and XUV500 would slow down, the Storme would simply go flat. I had numerous stretches where the cars would overtake me and vanish but I would catch up and overtake and vanish whenever the stretch of bad roads arrive, and they were in plenty. In the end of the journey both ways, when we got off the vehicle, we were absolutely fresh. I mean I have driven these stretches so many times and came out with a mild headache manoeuvring the bad roads and changing gears and all, but here there was absolutely nothing.
The Storme had a lot of luggage, and with the soft suspension, the rear would bottom out at places like speed breakers, but then I started slowing down for them. Otherwise for bad roads, the drive was effortless.

Seat Quality
The seats, especially the rear are fantastic to say the least. We all complain of poor under-thigh support in so many cars, but that is not the case with the Storme's seats. Excellent cushioning, excellent under-thigh support, perfect backrest angle. Even the front seats have adjustable lumbar supports which make the seats super comfortable although they lack under-thigh support a bit.

Engine
The 2.2 Varicor is a torquey engine. I have driven Scorpios and XUVs and the mHawk is definitely a lot more livelier engine than this but this is no sloth either. The truck weighs 2000kg unladen + 5 adults weighing nearly 350kgs total + around 100kg of luggage, and yet when the turbo spools, be it a ghat or a flat out road or whatever, it pulls like a monster. I was overtaking vehicles at will when the engine was on the boil. However, that being said, the truck needs to be in the mid range to be able to do that below that it is a slow cruiser with loads of torque but no acceleration. The truck returned an efficiency of 13.75kmpl which is great considering the load + dual AC and the road conditions.

AC
So my truck's AC has a leak somewhere, I got the gas charged last week and went for the trip. The AC is a chiller, although the western regions do not get as hot as the north (here humidity is an irritant more than the heat), the AC performed beautifully with the front AC running on blower level 2 (out of 4) and rear running at 1 (out of 3). BTW engine performance here does not get affected at all with the AC running, I guess there is actually no replacement for displacement.

Handling
Ehh, you got me here!!! So as expected a top heavy, loaded to the brim SUV is not going to be a handler in any case and this is on expected lines. The Storme changes directions at will as you will command but it will let its displeasure shown by leaning in the opposite direction and you will have to get your foot off the accelerator. But once you understand how to handle it, as I have, you will automatically be able to pull it off easily without any problems at all. I remember driving the Chorla ghats in an XUV500 a few years back and it drives like a car with body roll of course but is a lot of fun. The Storme is not meant to do that at all.

Steering
The steering being hydraulic has a lot of feel and feedback. You are taking a turn and as you turn the steering, it gets heavier and at the same time all the road irregularities come to the wheel making it feel very satisfactory.
While the steering is heavy, but I am coming from a Baleno which had one of the lightest steerings out there and I do not find it to be too heavy. The only thing I do is to turn the steering only while the vehicle is moving and am able to comfortably do one hand turns without any worries.
However, my steering has slight play in the rack which I will get fixed eventually.

Tyre Review

I recently swapped the stock tyres with Continental Cross Contact AX6 in stock size (235/70R16). I was unimpressed by the looks as I wanted something with white stickering like the MRF Wanderers. But apart from that this is definitely a superior tyre. Minimal road noise, excellent grip in dry weather, less pebbles stick in the tyres don't know how. Overall an excellent purchase at 8400/- per piece.

Weird Noise
Now this is where I would need some help from the experts here. I hear strange noise coming from the engine bay during acceleration. So suppose I am climbing a flyover and press the accelerator, there is a strange faint krr krr sound coming from the engine bay as long as there is load on the engine. Even when the turbo kicks in and the vehicle is accelerating there is this krr krr sound coming till the load on the engine goes away.
I suspect it to be sound from the turbo but there is no black smoke coming from the engine and the boost is also good post 2000 RPM. There is no white smoke coming as well so I doubt it is the injectors. I tried reproducing it with the mechanic but at that point it did not create those sounds so we could not figure out the root cause. Got the air filter changed also so I am not sure what could it be. Any help would be deeply appreciated.

Verdict
When I purchased the Storme, it was a total heart decision and I let all my logical reason go out the window. Loved the vehicle and it seems to be loving me back by bringing a smile to everybody's face whoever travels in it. Now I also understand that once you go SUV, why you cannot go back to smaller or lower vehicles.

[Arjun.hb]

Originally Posted by puneetakhouri

[b]

Weird Noise
Now this is where I would need some help from the experts here. I hear strange noise coming from the engine bay during acceleration. So suppose I am climbing a flyover and press the accelerator, there is a strange faint krr krr sound coming from the engine bay as long as there is load on the engine. Even when the turbo kicks in and the vehicle is accelerating there is this krr krr sound coming till the load on the engine goes away.

This is the infamous gargle noise of the varicor engine heard on both Hexa and Storme. More prominent on V400. Tata has a fix but the torque takes a hit. Nothing to worry. You will get a hang of avoiding it as you understand the gearing and engine characteristics better. Usually happens when picking up speed from low rpm but in a higher gear and revs are building and turbo is about to kick in. Lots of videos online for you to confirm if it’s the same.

[BulZire]

Originally Posted by puneetakhouri

Now this is where I would need some help from the experts here. I hear strange noise coming from the engine bay during acceleration. So suppose I am climbing a flyover and press the accelerator, there is a strange faint krr krr sound coming from the engine bay as long as there is load on the engine. Even when the turbo kicks in and the vehicle is accelerating there is this krr krr sound coming till the load on the engine goes away.
I suspect it to be sound from the turbo but there is no black smoke coming from the engine and the boost is also good post 2000 RPM. There is no white smoke coming as well so I doubt it is the injectors. I tried reproducing it with the mechanic but at that point it did not create those sounds so we could not figure out the root cause. Got the air filter changed also so I am not sure what could it be. Any help would be deeply appreciated.

Based on your description, I assume the sound you are hearing is not from the engine, But could be from the catalytic converter in exhaust system . If my assumption is right this is a usual storme thing and there is absolutely no problem . It does create that sound in ramp only under a particular point of acceleration and load. you can never reproduce this with service guys . I did try to fix this in my storme in 2018 and took to TASS multiple times, but never could reproduce that sound with them. A senior mechanic in TASS could judge the source based on my description and confirmed that the sound is produced by catalytic converter and there is no issue due to this . He suggested if i have to stop that sound i have to try changing to a new catalytic converter only. But i learned to live with it by ignoring that adhoc sound. Still going strong

[quadra]

Living the dream there, you!

You mentioned that the truck was bought in Mumbai. What is the year of mfd for this one? and how is the scene of 10 year old rule in Mumbai? For diesel vehicles?