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-   -   Heartbroken Safari Owner: Vandalized (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/71088-heartbroken-safari-owner-vandalized.html)

Well where do I start???

It’s just been a little over a month since I have been driving my Monster, the Safari Gx. And it has been a heartbreaking experience ever since.

And by heartbreaking experience I am not referring to the usual problems which Safari owners are subjected to. Yes the dealership, Rama Motors, has done a pathetic job but after reading the reviews of so many Safari owners I was prepared for that. I have taken it with a pinch of salt, never felt sorry for the service levels as I was prepared for it.

But what has been happening ever since I have taken the delivery of the car, is something I simply wasn't prepared for.

Two weeks ago, my baby got involved in a really nasty accident. Two cars in front of me suddenly applied the brakes, while we were cruising at around 80 KMPH. I had no choice but to slam the breaks as hard as I could, still wasn't able to avoid hitting the swift driving in front of me. Result a broken fender. The Maruti Van which was right behind me didn't have very good breaks. Result for the Maruti, a broken wind shield; for me, the spare wheel cover got torn. And yes a host of scratches, both in front and the back. Apparently a stupid auto driver had hit a guy who had fallen on the road. Both cars in front of me had to stop to avoid running over the poor guy.

And there have been the often minor accidents like once when the car was just a week old; a bunch of workers installing the lift at my office building had spilled some cement mixture on the car. :deadhorseIt took nearly 2 hours to wash it off.

But what happened today simply blew my lid off. Today evening I had parked my baby right in front of my in-laws house in West Delhi and all of us walked to the nearby restaurant for a hearty meal. We came back, got in the car and started off to sweet home. I felt something was missing and expressed my concern to my dear wife. Suddenly she screamed, "STOP THE CAR!!!! the mirror (ORVM) from my side is missing". I was like " :Shockked:" I tried to look the other way, hurling profanity at no one in particular under my breath, when I noticed the ORVM from the driver' side was also missing.

I went so numb, as if the purpose of my existence was taken away. It took me about 25 minutes and 3 cigarettes before I could gather enough strength to drive my now deformed monster home.

Yes it was a professional’s job. I will post pictures tomorrow, which will give everyone an idea as to how cleanly it was done.

Can you guys please recommend a good security system which would help avoid such thefts? Or atleast make the thief’s job a bit more difficult. And I can't afford much, right now as I had planned to and had the budget for an Lx but upgraded to Gx for the additional safety features.

Any idea how much will it cost to get new pair fitted and will Insurance pay for it???

Just bad luck buddy. Happens at times and it can't be helped. Take it on the chin (easy for me to say, I know) and move on.

Sad to hear , but nothing much you can do now , move on and keep the truck safe .

I completly empathize with you, but only for the last part, i can understand the anger that you have, i dont think i will be sleeping well tonight, and i can say only this, buy a chain and lock all the parts outside the doors :Frustrati.

As far as i know, no good security systems cover ORVMs and other such things, but maybe that can be DIYd.

Oh Man!!! What can I say? Dont know what remote locking system your monster has- have something with vibrations sensor. It could be a pain, but worth it in situations like this.

On the other hand, never park the car in public/ prone to damage places- my destinations within the city are always based on availability of safe parking, dont mind changing my tastes and goals-for-the-evening-out for that...

@ Devil On Wheels, Sorry to hear about your loss. Well even I went through the same experience a couple of years back. I lost one mirror within a span of a minutes time while parking my car on the road side and going to a shop. Whoever stole it was a professional because I was lucky that I came back within a minutes and hence could save the other one also from getting ripped off!

Lesson learnt was never to park your car in unmarked areas. Always park in secured parking lots, though nothing is secure nowdays!

Coming to the cost incurred, I paid about 2000/- for the mirror and another 1500/- for the body coloured paint job at the local TASS. It is expensive but there was no other option to get the beast looking at its best again !

I am really sorry to know that dude. There is a very high chance that it will happen again. I say it because it's one of the most stolen component of a Safari.
For my next door neighbor in Noida, it has happened 4 times (yes you read it correct) already. It's pretty expensive also. If I am not wrong, I think the pair costs around 4-5 thousand.

1) Have you seen a car's OVRM being taken away and the owner is screaming from his balcony in his apartment ? I have witnessed it. These things do happen in our great " Cultured " country. You can't escape this. The only way is from manufacturers to induce such designs in OVRM that are atleast a bit difficult to take off.

Next, accident. From what I have read till now, Safari is not a car with wonderful brakes. For that matter, no SUV in that range is. Safari, Scorpio even Fortuner and Endy are huge cars that have a lot of momentum. One just cant expect to stop in short distance like Swift or any other relatively modern hatch.

2) What exactly you are unhappy about ?
a) The car.
b) The Service from Tata.
c) The incidents that have happened.

If its case of b) and c), then I request mods to change the topic of the thread. After reading the thread title, I thought that there is something wrong with the car ( safari ) like TSK1979's case. This thread title leads anyone to believe that you are having a defective car.

Yes, we can include pathetic service here, but not the car.

I request mods to change thread title as IMHO, the current is a bit misleading and it leads one to think that the owner is having problem with Safari as a part of manufacturing defect or case of lemon.

i wish one could simply plug the car in to the mains and create an "electric chair" effect to would be evil doers. it would be fun if some thief got the shock of his life by simply touching the car!
trouble is lots of innocent people, stray dogs and so on could also get hurt in the process!

I agree. Initially I also thought that it was a case of defective car.
clap: My Logan's rear logo was also stolen in Noida and I was told that it costs Rs. 1800.

This is one of the best thing that can be done. But this can be done when the car if kept near the home rather than on the street itself and there are disadvantages also on the street.

The price of OVRM will be around 2000-3000/-.

Man you are watching too many Bond movies :)

OMG, When will my nightmares end? Only 2 week ago, I ordered security wheel lock for my Safari, since the tyres of the indica parked next to Safari was stolen. Now it is OVRM!
Now what should I do to secure my ORVM?

Holyghost, you can't do much about it. Just try parking it in an appropriate place. Rest is luck. People not only steal the ORVM but also the metal bidding surrounding the rear entrance of the Safari. The culprits had tried peeling and cutting that metal bidding of my neighbor's Safari.

Sad to read what happened.

Prevention is better than (any) cure.

Don't park in unattended places. Take an auto/taxi if you must have to go somewhere which does not have a proper parking. A 500/- bill is better than 3000/- dent on the wallet and mental agony.

-BJ

PS: @mods please change the title of the thread- it is somewhat misleading like others have already said before.