Already facing issues with my Thar diesel AT after just 380 km on odo

Was forced to park the SUV on the side of the road and take a rickshaw back home.

BHPian sgmuser recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Something strange happened today with my D AT. I drove around 12 kms, parked under a tree. Then left in my friend's car and came back after two plus hours. Drove my car another 5-7 kms and a strange smell came. I switched off the AC to check if it was coming from the AC vents. Felt far better and continue to drive. Then smoke started coming lightly from the drive area right behind the steering column and kind of panicked. Stopped the car immediately and checked. Opened the bonnet and found that a part was heavily heat protected and a metal pipe next to it showing some kind of heat and burn marks.

Since it's a new car with around 380+ kms on odo there was a ribbon tied and removed it just in case as it was also showing burn or smoke marks i.e. blackened. Parked the car on the side of the road nearby my house and locked it. Took an autorickshaw and reached home. Any idea what happened is nothing alarming? Because the service personnel from Mahindra says nothing to be worried about. But asked them to come and have a look before I drive. If experts can share your thoughts that would be great. I have some photos and I'll share little later. Thanks in advance. Btw what's the RSA number for Mahindra, please? Just in case.

Here's what BHPian SteeringWheel had to say on the matter:

I think the heavily protected part you are saying is the diesel particulate filter (DPF). It gets very hot. All newer diesel vehicles have this (BS6). Soot burning/regeneration happens inside this. I've noticed this becoming brownish/burnt in many vehicles and I think it is common as the heat during regeneration is very high. I don't think there's anything to be worried about burnt marks but check around it to see if anything has come into contact with this. The smell may be from something that has touched it.

Note: Be careful and do not touch it, it may be very very hot.

Update from BHPian sgmuser on his Thar:

Previously the regen message didn't show up but after RSA came and he took a test drive spiritedly now we get more smoke from the bonnet. He took photos and videos. I am calling a flatbed as the RSA guy also not comfortable driving as there was lots of smoke. Waiting for the flatbed truck now. Mahindra o Mahindra. You need to go a long way when it comes to reliability. Thought 3 years is good enough to iron out at least the fundamentals. Also, the regen beep and a regen glow icon are showing up but to me, it's more serious.

Btw mine is BS 6.2 and could be the beta tester for 6.2. Will update you after the diagnosis tomorrow. No sign of any malfunctioning with the OBD scan by RSA. During the test drive by the RSA, there was a DPF clogged message along with lots of smoke from under the hood. Poor QC by M and M. This is the difference between Mahindra and foreign manufacturers like Suzuki, Hyundai or even Renault for that matter.

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