[trrk]

Hi,

My friend maintained this log for his trip from Kollam to Ernakulam and back.

Ekm trip milage: (refuelled at Kundannoor)

22.17 kpl, 141 kms, 6.36 lts (auto-stop level), 3 ppl ( driver + 2 ), speed between 60-70 kmph, ocassionally touching 90 kmph while overtaking or on very open streches.

Inside city

26 kms, 1.93 lts, 13.47 kml

Return trip: (Fuel at Kundannoor)

Gave only 19.68 kpl. Driving considerably slower due to continuos rain and heavy traffic. Very frequent traffic snarls and a not-so-fuel-conscious youngster at the wheel.

The car ran with its AC on through out.

Since it is a highly time consuming affair to fill to the brim in Nano's case, all the refuelling is resticted to the autostop level. This could give a little variation in efficiency.

Though he was worried about the fuel efficiency he is more or less convinced about what it can give.

His only grouse now is that a similar BSII car has much more pulling power than his!

[trrk]

This is as sent to me via email:

Mine is a Nano CX BSIII delivered on 15th March. First service was duly done at 1000 kms. It has now clocked 2246 kms.

This afternoon at around 1:30pm I started the Nano, switched on the AC, set the fan speed to high and had travelled barely 1 km in slow town traffic when I suddenly lost power at a busy intersection. The engine cut off and even the instrument panel did not have power. I could hear what sounded like a high pitched motor winding down gradually. That sound too died down and I heard voices shouting from outside asking me to get out of the car. I could see blue smoke billowing out from under my rear wheels. My central lock was rendered useless due to loss of battery power. Close to panic, I wound down the window and popped out of the vehicle. In the heat of the moment, it didn't occur to me to pull up the door lock manually.

trrk > He is an engineer / MBA! He could hear some high speed motor gradually winding down and stop when the car stopped with no electrical power.

The email continues:

By then a sizeable crowd had gathered. The intensity of the smoke appeared to increase but in about 3 - 4 minutes gradually reduced and smoke disappeared completely leaving an overpowering smell of burnt wire. We approached the vehicle rather timidly and found the remote working. Through the open window, I reached in to shift the gear to neutral and we pushed the vehicle to the side of the road and called up the Works Manager at Tata Motors Service Centre and explained the situation.

[MutantX]

Dude, What happened to the car? how is your friend feeling? my god!

[supremeBaleno]

Is this email (about smoke in Nano) from the friend whose Nano you featured in this thread ?

What is the fuel tank capacity ? And why is it difficult to fill to the brim ?

[kollamraja]

Hi,

I'm the owner of the Nano featured in this thread by my friend trrk. Decided it was time to become a member after being a guest-of-many-years at Team-BHP. I've introduced myself at http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/introd...tata-nano.html

The Nano is what prompted my decision to register and I'm eager to share mutual experiences/views with others, especially Nano owners.

Originally Posted by MutantX

Dude, What happened to the car? how is your friend feeling? my god!

Thanks for the concern, MutantX. I'm fine and the Nano is even better. In retrospect, I only wish I had shown the presence of mind to manually pull up the door lock, when the Central Locking failed due to loss of power. Instead the urgency in the voices of bystanders screaming at me to abandon the smoking car, made me panic and exit out of the window. Though I must be patted for showing the agility in accomplishing the feat at 50+ yrs and 90+ kilos

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Is this email (about smoke in Nano) from the friend whose Nano you featured in this thread ?

What is the fuel tank capacity ? And why is it difficult to fill to the brim ?

Yes, supremeBaleno, it is indeed the same Nano.
The stated fuel tank capacity is 15 lts but you can put in upwards of 20 lts if you have the time and the patience. After the auto-stop it's like spoon feeding a child and will accommodate over 6 lts and take over 20 minutes of shaking and filling to really fill up to the brim.

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by trrk

This is as sent to me via email:
We approached the vehicle rather timidly and found the remote working. Through the open window, I reached in to shift the gear to neutral and we pushed the vehicle to the side of the road and called up the Works Manager at Tata Motors Service Centre and explained the situation.

Hey! What happened?? What was the problem? How come the remote locking started working when the car lost all electrics? Is the Nano serviceable after the incident or did it have to be scrapped? Updates!!

[kollamraja]

Originally Posted by VeluM

Hey! What happened?? What was the problem? How come the remote locking started working when the car lost all electrics? Is the Nano serviceable after the incident or did it have to be scrapped? Updates!!

It's good news, VeluM. It turned out be a classic case of all smoke and no fire! The experts from Lucas-TVS the OEM suppliers to TATA, after inspecting the Starter Motor, came to the conclusion that the solenoid continued to give power to the motor even after the engine had started and prolonged running of the Starter motor lead to it getting overheated and that caused all the smoke and smell. They simply replaced the Starter Motor and the Nano was as good as new.
The Works Manager of Tata Motors even went to the extent of saying, " Leave alone the wires, even the terminals taking power to the Starter Motor did not show any sign of over heating."
Hard to believe after having experienced it first hand. Are we to believe that all the smoke and acrid smell of burnt wire was strictly confined to the innards of the Starter Motor alone?
Truth is, the Nano is still is perfect condition and I'm having a whale of a time zipping through Kollam roads.

[trrk]

Hi,

Welcome aboard!

Originally Posted by kollamraja

Truth is, the Nano is still is perfect condition and I'm having a whale of a time zipping through Kollam roads.

And you have not updated the mouthwatering efficiency figures you are getting in your jaunts on the NH!

[svsantosh]

Rajesh - not at all good news. I am sure to loose a good night's sleep!! Please keep us updated...

PS - Note, this car is a BS3 too, just like the other 5-6 in the news. Cld it mean something??!!

EDIT---------------

Hello Kollam Raja - Did not realize you are the owner and have joined TBHP - welcome aboard. And thanks for the update

[trrk]

Hi,

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Rajesh - not at all good news. I am sure to loose a good night's sleep!! Please keep us updated...

PS - Note, this car is a BS3 too, just like the other 5-6 in the news. Cld it mean something??!!

The owner of the car has joined the forum and he has already put some answers.

I am sure he would give more details!

Over to you, Raja!

[kollamraja]

Originally Posted by trrk

Welcome aboard!

Thanks.

Originally Posted by trrk

And you have not updated the mouthwatering efficiency figures you are getting in your jaunts on the NH!

Well, here goes....
I'm listing below FE figures of all my highway trips so far.

Trip Dist.,PAX,FE

59 kms, 1, 25.99 kpl
141 kms, 3, 22.17 kpl
137 kms, 3, 19.68 kpl - congested highway, incessant rain and not-so-fuel-efficient driver (my son)
141 kms, 2, 22.24 kpl
135 kms, 2, 24.11 kpl

Originally Posted by svsantosh

..... not at all good news. I am sure to loose a good night's sleep!! Please keep us updated...

EDIT---------------

Hello Kollam Raja - Did not realize you are the owner and have joined TBHP - welcome aboard. And thanks for the update

Thanks svsantosh. The starter motor burnout I had was disquieting at that time. However its not something that can be classified a 'scare' as in 'Nano burning'. I'm told that it was a case of motor overheating rather than burning. TVS-Lucas say this is only the 4th reported instance.

You say your car manufactured in Feb 2010 got a free replacement of the fuel line. Considering that my date of manufacture is Nov '09 I must remember to check with my TASS about my fuel line.

[trrk]

Hi,

Originally Posted by kollamraja

135 kms, 2, 24.11 kpl

You have missed out on mentioning that all this was with AC on.

The above mileage you got was just because the rain forced you to a lower speed, else you would have ended up with your 22.xx figure!

[kollamraja]

Originally Posted by trrk

You have missed out on mentioning that all this was with AC on.....

Originally Posted by kollamraja

Trip Dist.,PAX,FE

59 kms, 1, 25.99 kpl
141 kms, 3, 22.17 kpl
137 kms, 3, 19.68 kpl - congested highway, incessant rain and not-so-fuel-efficient driver (my son)
141 kms, 2, 22.24 kpl
135 kms, 2, 24.11 kpl

Yes. I must add that all the above FE figures were achieved with AC on. My usual highway speed is 70 - 80 kph with short spurts of 90 - 100 mostly while overtaking.
As pointed out by trrk, the 24.11 kpl was achieved while driving in very wet weather at 50 - 60 kph.

[kollamraja]

I thought of starting a new thread ‘Nano – Bouquets and Brickbats’. But wasn't sure whether the mods will allow it.

I’ve met many who have nasty things to say about the car. Almost all of them have never even seen the inside of one and base their views on hear say. I’ve owned one since March 2010 and am an unabashed lover of the Nano. I’m quick to defend the car. Yet, I’ll be the last person to say that it does not merit ANY criticism. In can be criticised in some aspects but the praises far outweigh the criticisms.
I hope this thread will attract actual owners/users of the Nano to present their Bouquets and Brickbats on various aspects of the car. It should also be a place where anyone can seek and get clarifications from actual owners/users.

Let me set the ball rolling by listing what I liked most about my Nano.

My Bouquets

1. The shape: The moment I clicked on the link sent by trrk, I went bonkers over the car.
2. The price: I truly feel I’ve got more than my money’s worth.
3. The space: I’m 6’ 1” and I can luxuriously s-t-r-e-t-c-h my legs while sitting in the front and maintaining the seat in the same position, I sit comfortably behind and still have inches to spare between my kneecaps and the back of the front seat.
4. The AC: It’s a delight. Packs more cooling power for the size of the car. Though I wish the airflow was less noisy particularly at higher fan speeds.
5. The engine: May not be enormously power packed but does pack enough to leave some two wheelers behind at traffic signals.
6. The FE: Easily 22+ kpl on highways and 12 – 14 kpl in my town. I’ve heard people reporting 17 kpl in city.

Now to what I dislike most about my Nano.

My Brickbats

1. The ride: Very nice on smooth roads but rather jarring on rough roads. It can take pot holes and speed breakers quite well but it’s the small craters and uneven road surfaces that sends bone jarring vibrations through your body. Especially in the back seat.
2. The seats: Surely somebody forgot to add cushioning. The back rest of the driver’s seat in particular needs a bit of adjustment. They should have allowed the back rest to till forward one more notch.
3. The wiper switch: My CX model has only two modes ‘Normal’ & ‘Fast’. I sorely miss the ‘intermittent mode’. It a pain to having to do it manually.
4. The front A-pillars: They seriously impair your peripheral vision. I’ve myself had a couple of near misses, not noticing approaching people/vehicle at turns. My brother after a few close shaves is seriously looking for a buyer for his Red CX.

The points listed below maybe peculiar to my Nano, still I cannot spare my brickbats. Mine is a November ’09 manufactured Nano CX BSIII.

1. The doors: For some strange reason, all my doors need extra force to close. In the early days, it was not uncommon for passing motorists to alert us that the door was not shut properly. In comparison, I find other Nanos need only a feather touch. I’ve repeatedly brought it to the attention of my TASS. I even took it to TASS at Trivandrum, where they managed to make a difference to the driver’s door. I sent mails to Tata Motors customer care. On their instruction, my TASS called me and tried to fix it. Only marginal improvement was possible. They accepted defeat and I still bang my other 3 doors.
2. The engine pick-up: We have 3 Nano’s within our relatives circle. Nano non- AC, Nano CX BS II and my Nano CX BS III. I’ve driven all 3 and found a noticeable difference in the pick-up between the BS II and BS III. I tested both cars with AC on. The BS II was peppier and more responsive to the accelerator than my BS III.

I’ve confronted my TASS as well as my friend trrk. Although trrk didn’t get a chance to drive the BS II, he certified my BS III pick up was quite OK. The technician at TASS after test driving (with yours truly breathing down his neck), reluctantly agreed it was a wee bit sluggish and on my insistence, agreed to connect the laptop to the OBD and check the reading. But then he claimed to have found everything in order. Yet, I can’t help feeling my BS III for some reason is making my engine that bit sluggish.
Do I have company here?

[trrk]

Hi,

I take the liberty of adding an image of your Nano!

A 'grainy' Nano in the rain: