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Old 17th September 2012, 14:05   #241
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46000 - kms - Got dent painted - Blower replaced under warranty - Trip Planned

Quote:
Originally Posted by ANUJ GEORGE View Post
So I am not the only one missing the parking sensors inspite of having the reverse camera. I hit a tree while reverse parking at a dhaba. I was watching both the mirrors, but noticed the tree in the camera only after hitting it. Second time, I reversed back into my wife's car witch was parked under the shadow of a building. Sharp contrast of direct sunlight and shadow masked the car out in the camera display.

When it comes to the spare parts, Aria parts are very cheap if they are made in India. Couple of weeks earlier, I got my TFT screen replaced under warranty and it was priced at Rs. 44000. It was made by Delphy, made in some part of EU. Probably due to the high Import / customs duty.
Yep the reverse camera is not sufficient, reverse parking sensors are required and I do intend to get them put up possibly around December.

The Reverse camera like the screen as mentioned by you is also quite expensive at about Rs. 11,000. Yes it was quite solid part compared to what we get in the accessories shop but yet quite expensive.

The car has completed 46,000 kms.

Recently got the AC Blower Replaced - It had slowly over time become the source of an irritating noise that required me to keep the Music System at a higher volume level.

Had complained about the noise since the last 3 services but after various routine actions like filter cleaning etc. was able to get them to hear and isolate the sound (intermittent so not easy to reproduce at the service centre which already has higher DB levels.)

Also got some other minor plastic parts replaced under warranty. Service was again a cool 10/10 for me. Though the guy (SA) who has been attending to the Aria for me at Wasan was not present on that day, he had explained the case to the other person and he too did a good job.

Got the Rear Boot Dent Repaired for Rs. 1600 + Paid another Rs. 3000 for Exterior Detailing and paint touch work on the rear side fenders and front bumper skirting. Felt it was a good deal overall and the quality of work done seems fine.

Am going on a 2000 kms TATA Motors Full Throttle Experience Event.

About 2000 Kms - Abot 6-7 days (5 days with the organized trip + 1-2 more days to return back)

This starts off in Mumbai - Goes to Goa - Mangalore - Coorg - Jog Falls - Return on our own.

Tata Motors provides. Rs. 7,500 of diesel per Car, and the cost per passenger (participant) is Rs. 25,000 in double occupancy - The cost of a driver in driver accomodation (non participant) is Rs. 10,000.

They would have a service car and trip coordinator all throughout. And the stays would be at various TAJ Group Hotels all through.

Hope to post a detailed trip and Car performance report on the return.

The car is midway between services so has NOT been recently serviced - as it would next be due at about 50,000 kms as per the 10K schedule that I maintain.

For others interested: They mentioned that they can accomodate 3-4 more TATA SUV/MUV.

http://www.tatamotorsfullthrottle.com/experience_2012

The trip starts on 27th Sep Evening from Mumbai and one can return back by the 4th October.

If anyone else from TBHP does plan on going for this trip pls do send me a PM.
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Old 6th October 2012, 20:46   #242
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Konkan Experience with TATA Motors Full Throttle

OK over the next few posts will aim to detail my experience as past of the group that attended the TATA Motors full throttle Konkan Experience.

Summary:

19 odd vehicles (including 5 official vehicles - 2 safari, 1 Xenon, 1 sumo gold and 1 Grande - 4 of these were of cougar motor sports.)

27th Night - Drinks and Dinner at The TAJ at Gateway of India - Mumbai - Collect Kits.
28th Morning - Assemble at Mac at Panvel and move to Goa Taj Vivanta at Panaji Goa for the night.
29th Day to yourself. - Drove around about 125 kms within Goa.
30th Goa to Managalore - Taj Gateway for night halt.
1st Oct - Mangalore to Coorg - TATA Plantation Trails for the night - The best stay of the trip.
2nd Oct - Coorg to Jog Falls - A very decent Mathuga Home Stay - contrary to how the name may sound - for the night
3rd Oct - Jog Falls to Mumbai - about 800 odd kms straight single day drive. after checking out Jog Falls in the morning that is.

Will also cover how my Aria Gearbox broke down on the way to Goa but still made it to Mangalore and yet how I made it to Coorg in a the service Sumo Gold and then how graciously TATA offered me one of their Aria's to continue on to Jog Falls and then further to Mumbai and lastly how they are sending my Aria to Mumbai post repairs at Mangalore.

We were driven through roads that really require the use of SUV's and definately high ground clearance though 4X4 was not really necessary.

The Arrangements were quite good overall and the medical and service team too were of use.

Disclaimer - TATA assisted in arrangements and provided Rs. 7500 for fuel per vehicle (actual fuel for the trip being about Rs. 12K but the trip was paid for by me and the other participants @ Rs. 25,000 per person.

Last edited by ACM : 6th October 2012 at 20:50.
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Old 7th October 2012, 12:43   #243
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re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

There is this fish eye lens sticker which I had tried on my Marina to give me some visibility on what's behind me during backing up, but it works only in bright light. Also has anyone tried using the mirrors which is seen in the Ford Endeavor?

One of the main which I am holding on to my purchase decision between an Innova vs Aria is the spare part and labor costs. In another thread in TBHP I saw that a member who owns Aria Pride was having a tough time getting his car fixed after a crash due to spare parts issues. Has anyone else felt this pain? Thought will check that out also. Since Aria is now running its 3rd or 4th year after launch I am wondering why TML would be facing that issue.
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Old 8th October 2012, 00:04   #244
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re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

Quote:
Originally Posted by srinih75 View Post
There is this fish eye lens sticker which I had tried on my Marina to give me some visibility on what's behind me during backing up, but it works only in bright light. Also has anyone tried using the mirrors which is seen in the Ford Endeavor?

One of the main which I am holding on to my purchase decision between an Innova vs Aria is the spare part and labor costs. In another thread in TBHP I saw that a member who owns Aria Pride was having a tough time getting his car fixed after a crash due to spare parts issues. Has anyone else felt this pain? Thought will check that out also. Since Aria is now running its 3rd or 4th year after launch I am wondering why TML would be facing that issue.
if you are looking at total costs of ownership you should also evaluate the money lost in depreciation over the ownership period. I would assume that Innova, which sells nearly 20 times more than the Aria, will have a much higher resale too.
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Old 8th October 2012, 08:55   #245
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Re: Konkan Experience with TATA Motors Full Throttle

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Originally Posted by ACM View Post
OK over the next few posts will aim to detail my experience as past of the group that attended the TATA Motors full throttle Konkan Experience.
Dear ACM - I would be interested to know your experience, especially as regards vehicle performance, particularly the transmission linkage issue. Kindly post.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar
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Old 8th October 2012, 15:03   #246
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Re: Konkan Experience with TATA Motors Full Throttle

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Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM View Post
Dear ACM - I would be interested to know your experience, especially as regards vehicle performance, particularly the transmission linkage issue. Kindly post.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar
Sure will be detaiing the same in the next few posts. BTW, met Cyrus and also had a chance to read a full page article on your family - car 43 - in Sep Auto India Back Page.

The Aria performed well overall. Even in situations of Slush it held grip. Yes AWD does matter in certain situations like on wet grass, sand and in mild slush.

Saw that the Team Full Throttle Aria's (snaps in later posts) had raised suspension, Shorter Front Bumper, Raised Intercooler and no Air Spoiler Rubber Skirting Strip up front. These must am sure help with the off roading drives "Trails" and would protect the intercooler while taking a bit away from the highway manners and the elegance look. Felt that the intercooler measure with the added grill in bumper should be added to the road going Aria as well with the front rubber spoiler removed as the middle path. (with added grill in the modified bumper i.e.)

The Aria needs some improvements to it's looks to match the match crossover image.

1) Roof Rails.
2) Rear Roof Spoiler of the Safari type - not the aftermarket ones.
3) Rear bottom blackened or silvered out panel in the area covering the Exhaust - not like the current body coloured one that makes the bottom unending.
4) Side step like in the ML Merc of the X5 - this can be an integrated one that replaced the side skirting that is provided by default below the door. The side step options presently provided lower Ground Clearance and look real sloppy - even the Safari has better stuff.
5) Coloured touch screen with updated Satnav maps - preferably just Google Maps would be great.
6) The top model should retain the reverse sensors along with the reverse camera. Both are required.
7) Powered front seats would have made the pricing more accetable and given this a real edge.
8) Infotainment should have controls in the middle row arm rest as well.
9) 170 Bhp would have been the right level of power considering the wt of the Aria. 140 is adequate but second gear pull at low rpm is quite low and at bit of an effort, a sixth gear would have been ideal.
10) Felt that 265 or 255/65/R17 would have been more appropriate a tyre size compared to the 235's provided. Would aid stance, soften the ride a bit for the R17's and add further to the on rails driving experience. PS would not harden too much I guess and effeciency too would not take a hit more than 3-4% at most possibly.

The Gearbox issue first manifested during the Mumbai Goa trip and the gear box did last 500 odd kms more, First getting the gear into 4th would accompany slight"kerr" sound, then getting the gear out of 3rd became hard after coming to a full halt with clutch pressed and in the meanwhile the gear box had an increasing level of possibly bearing sound in gears 1-2-3. Finally the sound became clunky at mangalore so had to take it to the service centre. No alarms popped up.

The gearbox and engine normally are quite smooth and silent (dont need to keep the deck at higher volume.)

The Aria is very comfortable to drive over long distances. But for a guy my size 6ft 120kgs+ if the font seat slid back a bit more and the steering telescoped besides the tilt then it would be better for the back and legs. More than 50% of the paying participants were built quite similar to me. Also if the gear stick was mounted just 1-2 inches further back it would aid the drive comfort and ergonomics further. The firm seats are good, the front seats could have even greater level of side bolstering.

The Aria took the potholes quite well but when full loaded one could hear the thud of the rear shocks reaching their limits. Touched the bottom on some stuff only once in about 2500 kms of really rough roads.

My car was the most loaded one (wt terms) (top end Pride with the highest weight plus a full strength 5 member team on board) this affected the pleasure of driving on rough roads a bit but considering the wt on board felt that the Aria performed quite well missed a few horses possibly. Also could do with even tougher shocks to keep the lateral movement on continous pothole filled roads even further down - it is much lower than in the Safari but on really rough roads the heart wants a bit more. I tend to keep the Aria permanently in AWD mode and pressed the 4X2 button possibly just for the second time in the 48,000 odd kms to reduce the strain on the transmission when the issue came up during the trip. (It reduced the noice in gears 1-2-3 a bit and freed up the power availability a bit.) But was back to 4X4 mode for the return trip from Jog falls to Mumbai - 800 kms - straight drive though most were suggesting a halt at Goa or Kolhapur.

Hope the short summary feedback helps in development.
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Old 8th October 2012, 15:20   #247
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re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Buffetfan View Post
if you are looking at total costs of ownership you should also evaluate the money lost in depreciation over the ownership period. I would assume that Innova, which sells nearly 20 times more than the Aria, will have a much higher resale too.
I agree with your definition, a very logical way of computing TCO.

However as you are aware, conventionally the term TCO is used to refer to the cost of operation which includes the maintenance spend.

The fact that it is the definition by convention does not make it logical as you rightly point out.
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Old 8th October 2012, 23:12   #248
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re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

Quote:
Originally Posted by srinih75 View Post
There is this fish eye lens sticker which I had tried on my Marina to give me some visibility on what's behind me during backing up, but it works only in bright light. Also has anyone tried using the mirrors which is seen in the Ford Endeavor?

One of the main which I am holding on to my purchase decision between an Innova vs Aria is the spare part and labor costs. In another thread in TBHP I saw that a member who owns Aria Pride was having a tough time getting his car fixed after a crash due to spare parts issues. Has anyone else felt this pain? Thought will check that out also. Since Aria is now running its 3rd or 4th year after launch I am wondering why TML would be facing that issue.
The rear view camera in pride (top model) and the reverse sensors in Pleasure (second from top model) are both nice by themselves but it would be nicer if both were available in the top model together.

Aria will complete 2 years since launch around the 20th of this month.

Aria spares are cheaper in general but most of the delays that the couple of major accident cars seem to face are due to the Insurance claim processing part, though TATA too could possibly have acted faster. Some dealers are better than others.

Yep the Aria should depreciate faster than the Innova but then almost every car other than a toyota vehicle has a different depreciation curve, so that is not surprising. That the Aria is reasonably rare to catch on the road and yet supported by a major Indian company is a bit in it's favour for me. When I picked up the Safari in 2000 it too was not really going great guns but it picked up a fair bit in the later years till I sold it in the 10th year when depreciation really did not matter after 175,000 kms.

Last edited by ACM : 8th October 2012 at 23:16.
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Old 9th October 2012, 14:18   #249
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re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

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Originally Posted by ACM View Post
When I picked up the Safari in 2000 it too was not really going great guns but it picked up a fair bit in the later years till I sold it in the 10th year when depreciation really did not matter after 175,000 kms.
Just curious. How much did you sell it for and who bought it with so many Kms on the ODO?
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Old 9th October 2012, 15:25   #250
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re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

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Just curious. How much did you sell it for and who bought it with so many Kms on the ODO?
Why one would buy it at such odo reading is really not an issue if the car is maintained good. I sold my Safari 2004 for 2.4L approx. after driving it for 2,30,000 Kms. It was an LX model and I sold it a year ago. And that too to an Auto deal, you can't call them Idiots at buying vehicles, they bargain hard!
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Old 10th October 2012, 10:03   #251
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Quote:
Originally Posted by amitwlele

Just curious. How much did you sell it for and who bought it with so many Kms on the ODO?
Rs. 200,000 after 10 years and 175,000kms. Getting certain parts like door switches and indicator stalks had become hard by then. Engine parts were available but interior trim plastics had changed and improved a fair bit.
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Old 11th October 2012, 19:52   #252
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re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

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Originally Posted by ACM View Post
The rear view camera in pride (top model) and the reverse sensors in Pleasure (second from top model) are both nice by themselves but it would be nicer if both were available in the top model together.

Aria will complete 2 years since launch around the 20th of this month.

Aria spares are cheaper in general but most of the delays that the couple of major accident cars seem to face are due to the Insurance claim processing part, though TATA too could possibly have acted faster. Some dealers are better than others.

Yep the Aria should depreciate faster than the Innova but then almost every car other than a toyota vehicle has a different depreciation curve, so that is not surprising. That the Aria is reasonably rare to catch on the road and yet supported by a major Indian company is a bit in it's favour for me. When I picked up the Safari in 2000 it too was not really going great guns but it picked up a fair bit in the later years till I sold it in the 10th year when depreciation really did not matter after 175,000 kms.
Anyway, I am not very worred about depreciation as mostly once I buy the car (be it Aria or anything) I wouldn't be selling it unless there is some major problem for me with that car.

Somehow the Innova doesn't seem to have anything new/catchy than when it was launched. The recent upgrade was also very minor (some upgrade here and there that’s all). What I am hearing from some of my "contacts" is that there is a major overhaul of the Innova for the 2014 model year. Probably things will begin to show up on the net and in TBHP also so I am eagerly awaiting whats in scoop there!

I agree to ACM on the support/backing of a large company like TML as they are well established and haven't removed many models abruptly. But will the Aria go down the path of Sierra or Estate? Those were really trend setting models from Tata back in those days (90s I guess) back when there were no other equals and people didn't seem to accept it well. But yes, those who still own their Sierra I see them having maintained their cars well and is still a beauty!

What I found is TML had sent their Aria to JLR for some fine tuning (not sure if I read it in this thread or outside). Based on that I tried a quick compare of the various parts and found a striking similarity on the dashboard and steering wheel (especially the AC vents, how the central display, controls/switches are layed out etc). This makes me feel confident that Tata had done quite a bit of homework to launch this model so it is not going to be let go. Too bad the XUV ended up stealing the limelight because of the pricing.

Anyhow, my EMI of i10 is getting over only in Sept 2013, so until then I am staying put and use that time to do more comparison/research . But then hope TML will bring in an AT variant too.
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Old 12th October 2012, 00:52   #253
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re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

Dear ACM,

I have been following your thread for more than a year. I am a Proud and Reasonably Satisfied owner of Tata Aria Price 4 X 4, Pearl White since a year and have already covered more than 36000 kms since. The vehicle was bought from Concorde Motors, Mumbai & has been serviced regularly in TML workshop in worli.

I was surprised to know about the gearbox issues that you have during your recent drive to Jog Falls & back. I also did get an invite for this event but due to pressure of work, was not able to make it.

Such problems do pose a question mark on the reliability of the Aria. I had a bad experience immediately on purchase when the Battery went dead within 3 days of taking delivery. Actually me & my Family embarked on a Driving Holiday from Mumbai to Coorg & back immediately upon taking delivery of the vehicle. The culprit was faulty / loose Alternator connection that resulted in a complete breakdown of all electricals.

Fortunately for us, this happened on the outskirts of Pune. Unfortunately for us this was Diwali period & all Tata Motors dealerships were closed. AFter a lot of Calls & bringing pressure through dealership etc, we managed to tow the vehicle to Millennium Motors in Pune and they were able to source the lone Alternator that was fortunately in stock in Hingewadi Stores of TML.

Cutting a long story short, we were able to resume our journey from Pune after an unscheduled break of 3 days and since then the car has given no problems at all. Despite clocking over 36000 kms on the ODO, there is not a single squeak or rattle in the Car.

I am an enthusiastic driver who likes to rev the engine & also push the limits of handling when driving on the Ghats. My work takes me to Nashik & Pune quite often & I have found the Aria to handle very well for a tall MUV on Ghat Roads.

I actually switched from an Innova which I owned for 4 years & drove 1,40,000 kms and a lot of my friends were aghast that I was downgrading myself from a Toyota to a Tata, that too at such a steep price.

One year later, I can confidently say that I have no regrets. Aria is a much better vehicle between the two and can take the rigours of our Road conditions much better.

During a recent drive to Goa in August, I had a scary experience when I had to undertake an emergency manoeuvre to avoid getting hit by a Truck that had suddenly decided to take a turn on the highway outside Kolhapur. It all happened in a flash and I instinctively reacted to steer the vehicle away from the truck while remaining on the road. All this at 120 kmph. Fortunately, I always drive in 4X4 on highways and I guess the added traction plus all the electronics really came in handy to us that day.

I am sure, the same event in my earlier Innova would have resulted in a crash since it does not handle so well under such circumstances.

Returning from the same trip back to Goa, my clutch started to slip, though I managed to reach Mumbai in normal course. The clutch was replaced under warranty and everything is back to normal now.

I hope to undertake some long drives in the Aria particularly to Ladakh & Pangi region in Himachal during summer 2013 and will continue to
share my thoughts and experiences on the Aria with you and fellow BHPians in the days to come.

O
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Old 12th October 2012, 22:52   #254
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re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

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Dear ACM,

I have been following your thread for more than a year. I am a Proud and Reasonably Satisfied owner of Tata Aria Price 4 X 4, Pearl White since a year and have already covered more than 36000 kms since. The vehicle was bought from Concorde Motors, Mumbai & has been serviced regularly in TML workshop in worli.
Welcome,

Thank you for your detailed post. Pls take on an ownership thread ASAP. My driving is a bit curtailed in the recent past and you should soon be past me in ARIA kms

Good to hear that the Aria has served you well overall. Pls also feel free to post your experiences on my thread in the meanwhile.

TATA also had an experience trip covering the Himalayas and will again have one in 2013 you could join that one. Have heard it was great. Plan to go for it myself if I have the time then.

Last edited by GTO : 15th October 2012 at 14:07. Reason: Please quote only the relevant bits of a post. Quoting an entire long message inconveniences our mobile users. Thanks
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Old 13th October 2012, 05:42   #255
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re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

Hi ACM,

Thanks for your message. I am currently involved in a project which keeps me rather busy and hence am not able to indulge in my other passions, which is travelling and undertaking long drives.

I may not be able to maintain my own thread with the same diligence and detail that you have been doing so I thought It would be better for me to contribute a little in your thread.

I Am new to TeamBHP and this is my first post. Hopefully in the days to come, I will be able to start my own conversation thread.

Thanks for your suggestion though.

Cheers
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