[swiftnfurious]

Have to say, quite happy to read thru your experience about probably the most under-estimated car. The car looks beautiful even after 2.5 years. Congrats!

Originally Posted by freakmuzik

...And i notice that while the rear tyres look like they have lot more life in them, the front ones seem to wear quite quickly, which might also be the reason for the loss of grip. To be on the safer side, I'l be replacing the front pair at around 22k - 23k km mark...

Mostly all cars have this characteristic probably since theose handle all the power, turns etc. Owners overcome this un-even wear (between front & rear tyres) by rotating tyres. But I guess it can't be done for Nano as the tyre sizes are different?

I have asked this before, but once again, what are the tyre specs for front & rear?

And what would be the cost for the front tyres?

[freakmuzik]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Have to say, quite happy to read thru your experience about probably the most under-estimated car. The car looks beautiful even after 2.5 years. Congrats!



Mostly all cars have this characteristic probably since theose handle all the power, turns etc. Owners overcome this un-even wear (between front & rear tyres) by rotating tyres. But I guess it can't be done for Nano as the tyre sizes are different?

I have asked this before, but once again, what are the tyre specs for front & rear?

And what would be the cost for the front tyres?

Thank you And yeah, this car is seriously under-estimated! I take it to my college and there are people who laugh at this little car. There are many who, after travelling in it once, change their mind and there are many who still keep saying "this wont last a bang", "this car is weird and cheap", " battery under the seat?!!!", "No boot? and engine at the rear???? ", "two cylinder engine? ", etc, etc ,etc. I have nothing to tell such people. Yes, I do accept, this car has a tad more noise compared to the others, and yeah, the characteristic 2 cylinder noise is a little weird at first. But, all these are something related to how we view it! Not to hurt or argue with anyone, but this car is one of the most VFM packages, with its own share of improvements needed too. But its revolutionary and I'm sure TATA Motors will taste the success only a little later, provided they ramp up their customer service and A. S. S!

And about the tyres, thanks for that point. I seriously didn't think of that reason for the uneven wear! And the only tyre rotation that happens is :

Left Front --> Spare --> Right Front --> Left Front
and
Left Rear <--> Right Rear

The tyre specs are:

Front and Spare: 135/70 R12
Rear: 155/65 R12

I haven't checked the cost yet. Will check and post it here!

Cheers!

[freakmuzik]

So FINALLY!!!!! I drove the Nano for about 100 kms in the highway! I was not let down, as I expected it to. It did its job well.

Drove to Attingal, Pirappancode and all those areas which made it possible for me to judge the car in straight roads (NH 47) as well as curvy and inclined (MC Road). The major plus point that I noted and am extremely happy is about the direct steering. I, for once, thanked TATA from the bottom of my heart, for not providing an EPS unit! The tall stance, small footprint, puny tires + a sensitive EPS can be a disaster according to me. The steering gives you the right feedback and it is easy to judge the cars limits. There is a significant amount of body roll for sure and the front tires lose grip pretty quickly in corners ( I shouldn't be expecting more though!). I could easily go along with all other small hatchbacks and 90 kmph felt safe, except for the engine noise. This is where a 5th ratio would have helped.

The engine, though torquey and comes with sufficient power in the city, is not something that gives confidence in the highway. The linear torque helps very much in completing planned overtaking maneuvers safely but power is low. Some inclines in the MC Road brought down the speed from 70kmph - 80 kmph to around 55-60 kmph and I was helpless about that.

About seating and interiors, some more padding and cushioning is needed ( i think the Nano 2012 addresses this issue). And this car definitively needs an ORVM one or two sizes larger ( And I sorely missed a L-ORVM - haven't found time yet to go and get it fixed sadly! )

Overall, this car suits the highway - stable and quite comfortable - but you should keep in mind the limits for sure!

FE - Filled tank full and even after driving 100kms or more, its reduced just by 2 bars (approx 4 liters). I'l fill the tank again and update the FE.

Cheers!!

[john doe]

This is a photo of my Nano on the hydraulic lift. See what the foolish mechanic did. I took a few photos and then called the Manager. They repainted the damaged part FOC.

So to answer all those posts about Nano being made of poor steel, speed-breaker damage etc. : The black discs at the end of the lift bars need to be adjusted like we would adjust the jack that comes in any car ( Up and down).

If the lazy mechanics dont make that adjustment, the car rests on the lift bars via its BODY and not on the specified jack points.

Just ensure that the mechanic adjusts the lift before raising the car.

[johannskaria]

Hey hey hey, my family too own a Nano!!
Its good to see around a fellow nanoite especially from kerala!!!

But is currently owning a Ford, you can check out the details in the link if you like
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ur-garage.html

[freakmuzik]

Originally Posted by john doe

This is a photo of my Nano on the hydraulic lift. See what the foolish mechanic did. I took a few photos and then called the Manager. They repainted the damaged part FOC.

So to answer all those posts about Nano being made of poor steel, speed-breaker damage etc. : The black discs at the end of the lift bars need to be adjusted like we would adjust the jack that comes in any car ( Up and down).

If the lazy mechanics dont make that adjustment, the car rests on the lift bars via its BODY and not on the specified jack points.

Just ensure that the mechanic adjusts the lift before raising the car.

Wow thanks a lot for sharing this! I was expecting the same thing and I was sure it wouldn't be the fault of the lifts! Sadly just finished my 3rd service and since I was sick, couldn't check anything. But will be visiting the A. S. S for a compressor replacement. Will check this out then. Thanks a ton!

Originally Posted by johannskaria

Hey hey hey, my family too own a Nano!!
Its good to see around a fellow nanoite especially from kerala!!!

But is currently owning a Ford, you can check out the details in the link if you like
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ur-garage.html

Hello ! Hope you're having a great time with the Nano. And the link you provided doesn't seem to work sadly! :(

[johannskaria]

Originally Posted by freakmuzik

Hello ! Hope you're having a great time with the Nano. And the link you provided doesn't seem to work sadly! :(

Ya I'am. Its a nice peppy vehicle indeed, but just for short distances.
Highway I'm not confident in it. but I love it as it serves the utility I bought it for and gives nice fuel economy!

My apologies for the thread, the admins have moved my thread to assembly line for further editing and detailing.
Will get it back on track as soon as possible.
Will notify you regarding the same.

[freakmuzik]

Originally Posted by johannskaria

Ya I'am. Its a nice peppy vehicle indeed, but just for short distances.
Highway I'm not confident in it. but I love it as it serves the utility I bought it for and gives nice fuel economy!

My apologies for the thread, the admins have moved my thread to assembly line for further editing and detailing.
Will get it back on track as soon as possible.
Will notify you regarding the same.

Great to know that! Wishing you endless happy miles with your Nano.

Changed my front tyres at 18,995 as they went completely bald! The spare was unused so I just bought a single tyre and kept the better of the old one as the spare. Had to pay Rs. 1800 and stuck to MRF as the rest of the tyres were MRF too. Will go for a better brand when I’m to change the rear tyres too.

Here's the old tyre:


Renewed the ValueCare Silver AMC for 4 years/40,000 kms costing Rs.6500. And also had a dent on the left front fender and no one in my home knows how that happened! Must have happened while the car was stationary. It was more or less a hole!!! Had to spend nearly 6k for that, though insurance covered the costs.

5th Service Update:

The odo reads 20,xxx kms presently and this month, we're celebrating her 3rd Birthday!!
I've been using this as my ride to college regularly and its been great. Everyone, who first bash the car, start praising it once they get inside! They keep saying "SPACEEE SPACEEE SPACEE" LOL. I feel so proud at that moment .

I get 20-21 kmpl when travelling alone to college (with 30-50% A/C) and the roads are quite ok for half the distance and the other half is pretty bad with twisting roads full of potholes and inclines! I at times get stuck in Peyad for more than half and hour! And still I get 20-21 kmpl!! With two people, it goes down to 19 -20 kmpl. And at times I've had to travel with 4 to 5 people and then it gives me around 17 kmpl! I feel that's great!

The few issues I had were:

1) Hard, unpredictable clutch! - Half clutch was such a pain
2) Air-con - Blower was working fine but it never used to cool the cabin
3) A rattle from the left front seat and another from the meter console (Blame the roads! )
4) Steering was tight
5) Sometimes while engaging 1st and 3rd, the gear would come back to neutral automatically! LOL


All the issues were solved except the Air-con issue. The SA said that the compressor has some issue and that an order has been placed. Will have to wait for a week to get that. The rattles seem to have gone. But the brakes seem to be inadequate though. Will get it check when I go for the compressor replacement. And still haven't been able to fix a L-ORVM sadly! And a music system! Being a musician, I feel ashamed to say this even

NET bill -0 ! I love my Nano ! Thanks to the AMC.

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by freakmuzik

Changed my front tyres at 18,995 as they went completely bald! .

Hard compound tires from MRF going bald at 19k !!

don't you doubt some serious issues are there with the front suspension?

[john doe]

Originally Posted by freakmuzik

Changed my front tyres at 18,995 as they went completely bald!

1) Hard, unpredictable clutch! - Half clutch was such a pain

Originally Posted by blackasta

Hard compound tires from MRF going bald at 19k !!

don't you doubt some serious issues are there with the front suspension?

Completely agree with Blackasta here! My Nano is 3.5 years old and 19,xxxKMS done, and the tyres look very good.

freakmuzik, your tyre looks totally gone! Something about the way you drive? Admit it now, you were impressing your college girls with the J-turns:-)

And what is half-clutch and why would anyone other than a lorry driver do this? Least of all in a Nano, the car with the fussiest clutch setting?

[freakmuzik]

Originally Posted by blackasta

Hard compound tires from MRF going bald at 19k !!

don't you doubt some serious issues are there with the front suspension?

Originally Posted by john doe

Completely agree with Blackasta here! My Nano is 3.5 years old and 19,xxxKMS done, and the tyres look very good.

freakmuzik, your tyre looks totally gone! Something about the way you drive? Admit it now, you were impressing your college girls with the J-turns:-)

And what is half-clutch and why would anyone other than a lorry driver do this? Least of all in a Nano, the car with the fussiest clutch setting?

I'm wondering the same. There was an alignment issue after the 3rd service and I got it corrected. I guess that's the reason there's some uneven wear. But till date I've not faced any issues with the steering or with the suspension. Got it checked this service too but no issues were mentioned. The only other reason I could think of are the roads to my college. There are lot of curves in the last 10 kms, i.e, everyday I'l be driving through more than 20 kms of such roads. And it's never been to the highway. And, john doe, I'm a pretty sedate driver ( can check the FE figures for further proof LOL) . I mean, seriously! lol. So I've no idea what the heck was going wrong with my front tyres. I think I had mentioned the same a few posts earlier too!

And regarding the clutch, the only place I ever use half clutch is at Pazhavangadi junction, where the junction is at a very steep incline. And that too pretty rarely! Please don't misunderstand my statement. I just mentioned to say how unpredictable the clutch travel was.

BTW, the rear tyres look very healthy and should last another 15k atleast for sure.

I'm keeping a very close watch on the new set of tyres too.

Is there any other chance for the premature wear? I'l be visiting the A. S. S the next week for the compressor replacement so maybe I'l make them check the suspension once again!

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by john doe

Completely agree with Blackasta here! My Nano is 3.5 years old and 19,xxxKMS done, and the tyres look very good.

freakmuzik, your tyre looks totally gone! Something about the way you drive? Admit it now, you were impressing your college girls with the J-turns:-)

And what is half-clutch and why would anyone other than a lorry driver do this? Least of all in a Nano, the car with the fussiest clutch setting?

Perhaps you meant double clutching? Half clutching is just pressing the clutch on the bite point where you use the gas pedal simultaneously to stand still on an incline (as mentioned by freakmuzik where he has a steep incline in his route.)
Lorry drivers do double clutching due to the lack of synchromesh in trucks - first clutching to bring the transmission to neutral, and clutching again to put the transmission into the next intended gear.

Originally Posted by freakmuzik

I'm wondering the same. There was an alignment issue after the 3rd service and I got it corrected. I guess that's the reason there's some uneven wear. But till date I've not faced any issues with the steering or with the suspension. Got it checked this service too but no issues were mentioned. The only other reason I could think of are the roads to my college. There are lot of curves in the last 10 kms, i.e, everyday I'l be driving through more than 20 kms of such roads. And it's never been to the highway. And, john doe, I'm a pretty sedate driver ( can check the FE figures for further proof LOL) . I mean, seriously! lol. So I've no idea what the heck was going wrong with my front tyres. I think I had mentioned the same a few posts earlier too!

And regarding the clutch, the only place I ever use half clutch is at Pazhavangadi junction, where the junction is at a very steep incline. And that too pretty rarely! Please don't misunderstand my statement. I just mentioned to say how unpredictable the clutch travel was.

BTW, the rear tyres look very healthy and should last another 15k atleast for sure.

I'm keeping a very close watch on the new set of tyres too.

Is there any other chance for the premature wear? I'l be visiting the A. S. S the next week for the compressor replacement so maybe I'l make them check the suspension once again!

Why don't you get your front alignment and suspension checked from a good independent garage? Maybe the A$$ guys are missing something too obvious?

[freakmuzik]

Friends,

Happy to say that my Nano has crossed 24,000 kms a few days back! As usual, its been so nice to be with the car. Peppy, spacious, easy to drive anywhere, kind of fuss-free and extremely cheap to own and maintain.

But, if you check my earlier post with regard to the A/C Condenser (had mentioned it as a compressor earlier, due to a mis-communication from the dealer), I had an issue with it and the A/C wasn't cooling the cabin. It seems the dealer had ordered the part back then and even after 3 months, the part hasn't arrived! And how more arrogant can this get?

In the past one month, I made three or four calls to the GM of Kulanthunkal plus numerous calls to the SA. Don't know why I waited so patiently. Today when I called the SA, he says that part doesn't seem to arrive so he's asking me to take it to an other A.S.S. I didn't have words. I called Mohandas Motors and it seems the part is available. Didn't have any point in waiting for so long other than the fact that Kulathunkal is close to my house. But this has to be the worst service one can provide. So I just called Tata Motors and lodged a complaint. I mean, there is no point in them running a service center with such an irresponsible manner. Hope to get it done soon.

Cheers!

[freakmuzik]

So finally some nice update about TASS Mohandas Motors.

Being fed up with endless delay in response from Kulathunkal motors, I just took my car to Mohandas Motors, Peroorkada, yesterday noon. I went to the reception and the receptionist took down the details and asked me to wait. An S.A, Mr. Visakh, came to me and I told him all the details and he was very patient in noting down everything. I also mentioned the diagnosis by Kulathunkal Motors and he noted it down too. I was told I'l get the car next day (i.e, today) evening. I felt happy and was hoping things would go well. I came back home and yesterday he called me thrice to update the happenings. Today at 9.00 AM, I got a call from him saying the car is ready and that the condenser had no issues. It seems the issue was with the wiring of the condenser fan. He told me to come by 11 AM. I went there by 11.45 and got everything explained by the SA. He told me to wait till he gets the car out of the parking lot. After 10 mins, I saw my car shining and as good as new. Interiors were superbly cleaned as well! I was so damn happy. I checked the A/C and it seemed to cool well. I told him that I'l contact him after driving it for some time. After signing the "Rs. 0" bill, rated 10/10 in the feedback form and came home happily with my chilling aircon working beautifully well! So, this was for what the other A.S.S made me wait for a whole 3 months. Foolish me! :(

Anyways, people in trivandrum who still go to Kulathunkal, I request you to try Mohandas. I felt its worth the distance I've to travel, for the service they offered was great! So Bye Bye Kulathunkal!

[freakmuzik]

Hello guys,

Been quite a while since I updated this thread. Exams and many other stuffs had kept me busy all this while and there was nothing special to update, except a small Air-con defect that surfaced again but was rectified in a jiffy and its all perfect. Right now, I have a reason to update this thread. I just test-drove the new Nano Twist XT as we are hunting for another small city car.

I'l talk about the XT and just mention the difference with my Nano along with it for your convenience.

1) The new white colour of the demo vehicle looked way better than my yellow. It looked beautiful and the paint quality seemed to be quite good too.

2) The doors open and close much quieter and with better precision. The doors in my car make quite some noise in comparison.

3) Seats! Woah. That's some tremendous difference. I had always felt the lack of proper cushioning in my Nano though I like the general support. The new ones have much better cushioning and under-thigh support. (This applies to the 2012 Nano too). Great improvement.

4) Plastic quality seems to be better too. Even the glovebox seemed more solid than the ones they were earlier selling with the 2012 models. The control stalks as well as the Air Con knobs feel more solid in the new one.

5) Re-positioning the power window switches, addition of a 12V point, converting the two tiny cupholders to a single big one are all worthy changes. Power window switch placement in my Nano felt even more awkward now.

6) The speedo console looks better with DTE & instantaneous FE readings and a temperature gauge. The 180 degree sweep during start up looks sweet.

7) Clutch is way lighter and easier. Brakes feel better too. Overall, the controls feel much lighter. The clutch in my car is really tight and has a very uneven feel across its travel.

8) Steering! The most important change. This is some butter smooth steering. It's so damn easy, much easier than my Wagon-R. But at speeds, I felt it to be a little too light (the speedo was disconnected, so i do not know if the speed-sensitivity plays any role in it). I just needed a single finger to turn the car even in standstill. Plain AWESOME! But i felt the steering rim to be thinner than the one in mine. I do not know if its something that i just felt.

9) Suspension feels more pliant than my Nano. WAY BETTER! I always keep complaining about my nano's suspension as i literally feel almost everything. But now, the new Nano is miles ahead in this department. And if i remember right, my car does not have an anit-roll bar where as the newer ones (from 2012 i think) have them incorporated.

10) The new Nano comes with just a single strap to fold the rear seats compared to the two in my Nano. New one is definitely more convenient though an open-able hatch is the best.

11) The new Nano is just more silent inside the cabin than mine. I mean, by a HUGE margin. Its way more silent inside the cabin. But outside, its the other way around. My nano seems more silent than the new Nano. Sadly, the typical two cylinder sound is more evident in the new Nano.

12) Twin ORVM's in Twist (as well as 2012) against one in mine.


Somethings that have not changed at all are the powerful Air-con, a peppy engine, amazing turning radius and the spacious cabin! Sadly there's one more thing that hasn't changed - length of seatbelts. I do not know why no one has noticed this yet! The seatbelt length in the nano is way lesser than any other car in the market. My parents can't use the seatbelts properly. Even for a normal person, the movement possible in a Nano is very less compared to any other car. My mom drives around the Wagon-R but not the nano just because of this reason.

Other additions compared to my Nano:

• Music system with four speakers and Bluetooth connectivity
• Power Steering
• Twin Glove Box
• Left ORVM
• Wheel caps
• Some chrome strips

Things I would love to see in the very next upgrade

• Front Disc Brakes
• Openable hatch

Price - OTR - Rs. 2, 70, 000/-
Govt. employee discount - ~ Rs.1500
Loyalty Bonus - Rs. 5000
That's it!

I would definitely love to upgrade my Nano to this one if the seatbelt issue gets solved. An already awesome city car is damn awesome now. I don't find any reason to go for the Alto 800 by paying over a lakh unless you strictly need a boot and are annoyed by the two cylinder sound! (No offence to any Alto owners here).

Cheers!