Mahindra Thar - my initial ownership report

DHABHAR.BEHRAM · 3rd November 2011, 12:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tha'Red

I have had zero leaks in rains, even extremely heavy ones at times.

Dear Tha'Red - thanks for your above comment. My effort is successful. I have proved that a soft top vehicle can also be waterproof. In its 60 years history, this is the first M&M vehicle with a really waterproof soft top. I know that the guys in Nasik will read this and smile because we have had huge discussions on whether to conduct rain test or not!

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Tha'Red · 3rd November 2011, 20:30

It is really good BD Sir. Kudos to all of you who did it. how long do you estimate the top to last under our weather conditions?

ortopilot · 20th December 2011, 04:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tha'Red

Update: got a curtain/separator made of synthetic canopy material with a transparent plastic window installed behind the front seats to restrict AC cooling area.

I know but got a good quality job in return. It can be rolled up & strapped up when not needed. Will post pics shortly.

still waiting for pics of the separator, and how is the the Thar doing all in all; we would all appreciate a few updates.

Regards
Orto

kryogesh · 4th March 2012, 18:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tha'Red

Update: got a curtain/separator made of synthetic canopy material with a transparent plastic window installed behind the front seats to restrict AC cooling area. It really works well and has made a big difference in the cooling effect; it's freezing when ambient temperature is low!!

Got it done locally through a seat cover/upholstery/canopy maker off double road in Bangalore. Cost me 3k, but worth it. Paid little more I know but got a good quality job in return. It can be rolled up & strapped up when not needed. Will post pics shortly.

Thats great to know that you have tried something different from the rest. Could you please post the pics of the same? I am planning a red Thar as well for my father in a month or two.

I have been reading lots of threads and have a fair idea of what changes I must make to the "arriving shortly" red Thar. Until I read your thread I was not sure if I should be going for an AC or not. But now its an option I will consider.
Cheers,
Y

Tha'Red · 7th March 2012, 11:15

folks, regret not being able to share this earlier. i have taken some pics of the curtain this morning and hope they are good enough to give you an idea on what it is. if there is something specific you need to know about it, do PM me. bottomline, having this is way better than running the AC without.

cheers!

Tha'Red · 7th March 2012, 13:52

some other updates:

1. second service was done last month and the vehicle is running fine.
2. read about high mileage being achieved in some other thread, but 9-10 kmpl is what i'm able to achieve.
3. the left rear suspension upper link bush (one towards the chasis as i'm told) had worn out and making a lot of noise. very surprising for a vehicle that has just done about 8300kms, mostly with town running most. cost me Rs.550/- net to replace and has been fine since.
4. AC is very effective and has been a really worthwhile investment.
5. find the ride stiff and hope they improve this in V2 or whatever comes out next.
6. consumes a lot of coolant I feel, compared to the Scorpio.
7. had an issue 3 days back about the engine cutting off while driving, after almost all the lights in the dashboard light up! the ASC suspected water in the diesel filter and drained it. since then it seems to be fine. am still wondering how the water got in with fuel

8. gearbox seems to have settled in well now and the shifting is a lot smoother, though under cold running its a little stiff yet.
9. looking for an optimum/elegant hard top and am following the various threads on the forum. hopefully will settle for one of them after a while. the only reason i need it is to be able to leave my golf kit safely in after my game. that is a pain right now and have to get someone to take care of it until i return.
10. i did cross 145kmph by speedo one early morning for about 2 kms on nice road and the Thar was stable as a rock! trust me, i did not expect this level of stability & smoothness and it was fairly windy too outside.
11. braking is still my biggest concern as its not very good. Mahindra MUST improve this and provide a free replacement/upgrade to all existing Thar owners as a gesture of commitment.

more when there is considerable progress or something really worth sharing. Appreciate all your inputs.

n.devdath · 7th March 2012, 14:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tha'Red

2. read about high mileage being achieved in some other thread, but 9-10 kmpl is what i'm able to achieve.
5. find the ride stiff and hope they improve this in V2 or whatever comes out next.
6. consumes a lot of coolant I feel, compared to the Scorpio.
7. had an issue 3 days back about the engine cutting off while driving, after almost all the lights in the dashboard light up! the ASC suspected water in the diesel filter and drained it. since then it seems to be fine. am still wondering how the water got in with fuel

9-10kmpl is bad, should definitely improve by at least 25%, soon, with the correct driving style.

Do you see coolant marks on the engine anywhere? Modern cooling systems should not consume coolant, unless there is a leak somewhere.

Water in diesel is a common occurrence, don't worry, happens all the time especially when you fill from a pump which as very little fuel left in their tank or when it has a fresh loading of fuel. Change your fuel station and things should improve.

Tha'Red · 20th March 2012, 06:14

Thanks. Don't see any coolant marks anywhere. Appears that the front right wheel does have a layer of oil on it after 2-3 days post washing them. I need to get this checked.

Tha'Red · 30th April 2012, 12:03

A quick update:

1. Drove the Thar to Coorg over the weekend. drives fantastic on the highways, is a real pleasure through the hills and a real boon on the bad roads! takes them on with pride.
2. The earlier issue of coolant leak was ignored by me and the tank was empty in Periyapatna! once topped up, the engine was sounding good again.
3. Braking being poor shows up when slowing down suddenly from around 60-80kmph on downhill , bad road patches.
4. Turning through winding roads at decent speeds is not an issue and handles brilliantly. i really enjoyed the ride to Mercara and then back down through Murnad.
5. Running down on a bad stretch from mercara on murnad road caused the driver side door panel bottom screw to loosen up! Running through Titimati forest on the way back dropped the top right screw on the driver side door panel

. this is really sad for a rs.7.5 Lakh car. Mahindra has to use better quality stuff. It's not a cost issue in my mind, but a care issue. no one cares to look at quality of these small things.
6. The blower mounting has started to squeak after this drive. needs to be fixed.
7. All the fastners around the Thar need to be tightened as i feel many of them are squeaking.
8. Finally, was great to put it on the slushy side of Mysore road last evening and get past so many cars stuck in traffic. saved me about 30 mins i guess

.

Relativity · 30th April 2012, 19:03

Slightly OT, but does anybody have a review and the price on the DC Thar Urban Mod?
www dot dcdesign dot co dot in/Default dot aspx?vid=20

Relativity · 30th April 2012, 19:07

DC Design - Standard - Thar

Dry Ice · 30th April 2012, 19:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Relativity

Slightly OT, but does anybody have a review and the price on the DC Thar Urban Mod?
www dot dcdesign dot co dot in/Default dot aspx?vid=20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Relativity

DC Design - Standard - Thar

Apparently, you give him a Thar + 6 lakhs (body) + 2 lakhs (interior) + 2 lakhs (wheels, AC).

More details here - DC Thar: Mahindra off-roader goes chic| Zigwheels.com

Tha'Red · 30th September 2012, 20:48

Installed the Hyderabad HT today! It's making a big difference to the driving experience in the short run I've had so far. Will be driving back to Blr tomorrow. Shall share the experience. Thanks to Prabhu for doing a quick job on this despite holidays here. One pic attached for immediate viewing. More later.

alabjarus · 30th September 2012, 21:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tha'Red

Installed the Hyderabad HT today! It's making a big difference to the driving experience in the short run I've had so far.

The HT for sure looks good. Pls share more details on its fitment, cost etc.

slalom · 1st October 2012, 09:04

The Hyd HT looks nice !
As reported earlier I guess the Thar might be feeling more planted because of the down force etc ..
The drive to Blr will be rewarding and the feed back will be awesome.

Please give us some snaps from all the angles and especially the rear hatch opening and and some interior pics too .

Enjoy your blr drive .

3rd November 2011, 20:30	#77
Tha'Red BHPian Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Bangalore Posts: 84 Thanked: 39 Times	It is really good BD Sir. Kudos to all of you who did it. how long do you estimate the top to last under our weather conditions?
	() Thanks

7th March 2012, 11:15	#80
Tha'Red BHPian Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Bangalore Posts: 84 Thanked: 39 Times	Re: Mahindra Thar - my initial ownership report folks, regret not being able to share this earlier. i have taken some pics of the curtain this morning and hope they are good enough to give you an idea on what it is. if there is something specific you need to know about it, do PM me. bottomline, having this is way better than running the AC without. cheers! Attached Thumbnails Last edited by Tha'Red : 7th March 2012 at 11:22. Reason: reloading the pics that were not visible. if you are unable to see them still, please do let me know. not sure what the issue is though.
	() Thanks

7th March 2012, 13:52	#81
Tha'Red BHPian Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Bangalore Posts: 84 Thanked: 39 Times	Re: Mahindra Thar - my initial ownership report some other updates: 1. second service was done last month and the vehicle is running fine. 2. read about high mileage being achieved in some other thread, but 9-10 kmpl is what i'm able to achieve. 3. the left rear suspension upper link bush (one towards the chasis as i'm told) had worn out and making a lot of noise. very surprising for a vehicle that has just done about 8300kms, mostly with town running most. cost me Rs.550/- net to replace and has been fine since. 4. AC is very effective and has been a really worthwhile investment. 5. find the ride stiff and hope they improve this in V2 or whatever comes out next. 6. consumes a lot of coolant I feel, compared to the Scorpio. 7. had an issue 3 days back about the engine cutting off while driving, after almost all the lights in the dashboard light up! the ASC suspected water in the diesel filter and drained it. since then it seems to be fine. am still wondering how the water got in with fuel 8. gearbox seems to have settled in well now and the shifting is a lot smoother, though under cold running its a little stiff yet. 9. looking for an optimum/elegant hard top and am following the various threads on the forum. hopefully will settle for one of them after a while. the only reason i need it is to be able to leave my golf kit safely in after my game. that is a pain right now and have to get someone to take care of it until i return. 10. i did cross 145kmph by speedo one early morning for about 2 kms on nice road and the Thar was stable as a rock! trust me, i did not expect this level of stability & smoothness and it was fairly windy too outside. 11. braking is still my biggest concern as its not very good. Mahindra MUST improve this and provide a free replacement/upgrade to all existing Thar owners as a gesture of commitment. more when there is considerable progress or something really worth sharing. Appreciate all your inputs.
	(2) Thanks

20th March 2012, 06:14	#83
Tha'Red BHPian Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Bangalore Posts: 84 Thanked: 39 Times	Thanks. Don't see any coolant marks anywhere. Appears that the front right wheel does have a layer of oil on it after 2-3 days post washing them. I need to get this checked.
	() Thanks

30th April 2012, 12:03	#84
Tha'Red BHPian Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Bangalore Posts: 84 Thanked: 39 Times	Re: Mahindra Thar - my initial ownership report A quick update: 1. Drove the Thar to Coorg over the weekend. drives fantastic on the highways, is a real pleasure through the hills and a real boon on the bad roads! takes them on with pride. 2. The earlier issue of coolant leak was ignored by me and the tank was empty in Periyapatna! once topped up, the engine was sounding good again. 3. Braking being poor shows up when slowing down suddenly from around 60-80kmph on downhill , bad road patches. 4. Turning through winding roads at decent speeds is not an issue and handles brilliantly. i really enjoyed the ride to Mercara and then back down through Murnad. 5. Running down on a bad stretch from mercara on murnad road caused the driver side door panel bottom screw to loosen up! Running through Titimati forest on the way back dropped the top right screw on the driver side door panel. this is really sad for a rs.7.5 Lakh car. Mahindra has to use better quality stuff. It's not a cost issue in my mind, but a care issue. no one cares to look at quality of these small things. 6. The blower mounting has started to squeak after this drive. needs to be fixed. 7. All the fastners around the Thar need to be tightened as i feel many of them are squeaking. 8. Finally, was great to put it on the slushy side of Mysore road last evening and get past so many cars stuck in traffic. saved me about 30 mins i guess.
	(2) Thanks

30th April 2012, 19:03	#85
Relativity BHPian Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Chennai Posts: 61 Thanked: 6 Times	Re: Mahindra Thar - my initial ownership report Slightly OT, but does anybody have a review and the price on the DC Thar Urban Mod? www dot dcdesign dot co dot in/Default dot aspx?vid=20
	() Thanks

30th April 2012, 19:07	#86
Relativity BHPian Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Chennai Posts: 61 Thanked: 6 Times	Re: Mahindra Thar - my initial ownership report DC Design - Standard - Thar
	() Thanks

30th September 2012, 20:48	#88
Tha'Red BHPian Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Bangalore Posts: 84 Thanked: 39 Times	Installed the Hyderabad HT today! It's making a big difference to the driving experience in the short run I've had so far. Will be driving back to Blr tomorrow. Shall share the experience. Thanks to Prabhu for doing a quick job on this despite holidays here. One pic attached for immediate viewing. More later. Attached Thumbnails
	(5) Thanks

1st October 2012, 09:04	#90
slalom BHPian Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: " Deep " in God's Own Country !! Posts: 199 Thanked: 138 Times	Re: Mahindra Thar - my initial ownership report The Hyd HT looks nice ! As reported earlier I guess the Thar might be feeling more planted because of the down force etc .. The drive to Blr will be rewarding and the feed back will be awesome. Please give us some snaps from all the angles and especially the rear hatch opening and and some interior pics too . Enjoy your blr drive .
	() Thanks