[kollamraja]

After a particularly heavy down pour, I was negotiating the Nano too close to the edge of the road when the right front tyre sank into the soft earth. Before I could figure out what was happening, the front right side had sunk in upto the fender.



I tentatively tried to reverse out of the goo and was greeted with the squealing sound of the left rear tyre slipping on the road. The rear right wheel wouldn't budge and all the power was going to the rear left wheel which was barely in contact with the road. It was useless to try raw power. I called up enough hands and their combined efforts helped the wheel to get a grip on the road. It took quite an effort because the best place to give the heave-ho is obviously from the front right side and anyone venturing to that area was soon knee deep in mud!





The corner of the bumper got damaged and the end of the hard rubber beading at the bottom of the bumper appears to have pealed off a bit. There was a sickening grinding noise emanating from the right wheel. I took the car to the nearest service station gave that area a thorough water wash. But the grinding noise persisted. I called up the TASS and booked in for my 5000 kms service ( it was due anyway) and also explained what happened and asked for the right front wheel to be dismantled and cleaned.

But when I pointed out the damage to the bumper and the hard rubber beading, all they could do was shake their head in sympathy. It seems nothing can be done to the damaged area and I have to live with the crumpled look. Maybe they can't do much to the bruises and scratch marks but surely they can try to remove the dents a little? Worse they even phoo-phooed my request to try and stick the pealed end of the rubber beading!

[JustCause]

Did the car sink on concrete that caved in due to the weight or was it a quicksand type of muddy area which gave way after rains. From the pics, it seems like the former, so , I suggest jacking up the car and check the wheel bearings and also the front axle. Be sure you inspect the damage thoroughly as mechanics may try to bank on such a situation.

[buntydey]

Sad to see this happened. Hope the Nano gets back its shine soon.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Raja. sprry to find that the nano is giving you king sized worries.

Regarding the dents, first, fix the mechanicals, and then take it to a local garage, if the TASS cant / wont fix it.

[im_srini]

Originally Posted by kollamraja

I tentatively tried to reverse out of the goo and was greeted with the squealing sound of the left rear tyre slipping on the road. The rear right wheel wouldn't budge and all the power was going to the rear left wheel which was barely in contact with the road. It was useless to try raw power.

In a situation like this with an open diff, one can try applying the brakes slightly while giving power - this will tend to stop the traction-less wheel spinning & divert some power back to the wheel that can (hopefully) pull you out.

[kollamraja]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

Regarding the dents, first, fix the mechanicals, and then take it to a local garage, if the TASS cant / wont fix it.

You think its possible to repair the dents and scratches on the bumper?

Originally Posted by im_srini

In a situation like this with an open diff, one can try applying the brakes slightly while giving power - this will tend to stop the traction-less wheel spinning & divert some power back to the wheel that can (hopefully) pull you out.

That's news to me. Thanks, the technic could come in handy sometime.

Originally Posted by JustCause

Did the car sink on concrete that caved in due to the weight or was it a quicksand type of muddy area which gave way after rains. From the pics, it seems like the former, so , I suggest jacking up the car and check the wheel bearings and also the front axle. Be sure you inspect the damage thoroughly as mechanics may try to bank on such a situation.

It was more like sinking into quicksand type of muddy area. It happened in slow motion. But somewhere during its downward journey, the end of the bumper seems to have encountered a hard surface. The strong bruises and scratches could have been caused by the below ground foundation work of the wall seen on the road side.
Still an inspection of the under carriage is a good idea.

Originally Posted by buntydey

Sad to see this happened. Hope the Nano gets back its shine soon.

Thanks, buntydey. There must be other half a dozen minor scratches all around the Nano and all of them are caused by careless drivers and bikers during their parking manoeuvres. And my TASS is least interested in even trying to use rubbing compound to see if some of the marks can be rubbed off.
Can't escape the feeling that the TASS gives step motherly treatment to Nanos.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by kollamraja

You think its possible to repair the dents and scratches on the bumper?

Since the bumper is plastic, i am not too sure of the dents can be repaired, same for the scratches.

One option regarding the scratches is to paint the bumper to body color. It would give your Nano a more upmarket look as well.

[msaudf]

@kollamraja
take your nano to your a reputed body and paint shop and they can repair the dents on the bumper and will be happy to apply a coat of black paint to cover up the scratches as well. but tell them to apply a coat of plastic primer before they start the paint process, as the primer helps the paint to stick to your bumpers or it will peel off in time.

cheers
Saud.

[shk 8896]

Sorry to see what had happened to your car .This had happened to our ritz when my father gave side for a truck ,he slammed on a mile stone and the bumber went a bit inwards .This was heated by the service centre and a layer of putty was applied and then painted .I suggest you to paint those bumbers in body colour than in black .
Cheers
Sreehari

[KMohanan]

Dear Raja,

Sad to see the injuries in your nano. I too agree with you that the bikes are doing a lot of damage to the four wheelers. In ever traffic block, if you watch the way bikes try to come to the front, the BP will go up. I was having a cielo and the neat and beautiful rear bumper of the car was having few scratches made by the bikers...

[noopster]

Originally Posted by trrk

The driving conditions in our towns and even our highways are unique. Naroow congested roads with frequent intersections etc. That 10 kpl was for a distance where he has not gone beyond 3rd gear even once, idling in traffic jams and short trips, all with AC on always.

It's still low. My Swift 1.2 petrol gives me 12 kmpl in Mumbai bumper-to-bumper traffic. In Pune I get 13-14 regularly: mix of highway and city traffic. A Nano should surely give you more mileage than that!

Edit: Oops...should have read the whole thread before commenting. You have bigger problems than mileage right now. Hope you find a way to get those dents off soon!

[kollamraja]

@shk 8896, @KMohanan, @msaudf, @benbsb29 Thanks for sharing my concern. Fortunately the shape of the Nano bumper makes the dents quite inconspicuous to the casual observer. So remedial measures can surely wait.

Originally Posted by noopster

It's still low. My Swift 1.2 petrol gives me 12 kmpl in Mumbai bumper-to-bumper traffic. In Pune I get 13-14 regularly: mix of highway and city traffic. A Nano should surely give you more mileage than that!

Edit: Oops...should have read the whole thread before commenting. You have bigger problems than mileage right now. Hope you find a way to get those dents off soon!

Hmmm... well, my Nano is now giving between 12 - 13 kpl with ac always ON, in most congested city driving conditions. If your Swift is indeed delivering those performances in similar conditions as my Nano, then its commendable for the Swift and not very flattering for the Nano :-)

[KMohanan]

Originally Posted by kollamraja

Hmmm... well, my Nano is now giving between 12 - 13 kpl with ac always ON, in most congested city driving conditions. If your Swift is indeed delivering those performances in similar conditions as my Nano, then its commendable for the Swift and not very flattering for the Nano :-)

Even though both Nano and Swift give almost the same mileage under the same conditions, Nano engine, being smaller, will be struggling more. So, the life of nano engine will be much less compared to the swift engine, if you continuously use under such conditions.

[shiju.dba]

Hi @KollamRaja, @KMohanan, hows your experience with nanos, still using the same cars or !! I was in search of user reviews of nano, I may buy an automatic within 2 lakhs or a nano (basic model). Kindly suggest