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My Mahindra Thar 700: 90,000 km update including service & road trip

Instead of our Mitsubishi Pajero, this time we took the Thar because it was in its top-notch state, especially after the service and maintenance.

BHPian abhikb recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

90,000 Kms update:

The Thar had been lazing around since we got the Pajero as the daily driving and road-tripping were undertaken in the Pajero while the Thar was used for weekend drives and OTRs.

From the start of 2024, Till the mid of December-2024, Pajero had clocked 32k Kms whereas the Thar clocked a relaxing 7800 Kms in the same span.

We had organized a 2 day OTR event in Ahmedabad at the start of December, 2024 whereby the Thar was used extensively for doing the track trials since it was a purpose-made track followed by usage as a recovery vehicle during the event.

Bhpian Zamindar helping with the Trial

Continual usage during the trials and recoveries did take a slight toll on it, the ODO had already crossed 87k Kms by now so once the event was concluded, had sent it for a premature 90k Kms service at the SVC.

Time taken for the service and repair jobs took almost a week and the bill came upto a whopping INR 18,200. However, the Thar was now running up smoothly and in the best of its shape.

Below is the list of the repairs which were taken up:

  • Front plastic parts of the bumpers had broken off, removed both of them and have retained the metal part of the bumper
  • Replacement of air and diesel filters
  • All lubes replaced including Differential, transfer case and gearbox
  • Flushing, removal of dirt, mud, sand from the disc and greasing of wheels
  • General 90k Kms service related works
  • Wheel alignment and balancing

While all this was being done, we were preparing for a road trip down south to capitalize on the winter holidays post-Christmas. Till now we were planning to take the Pajero only like we did during the Desert drive in Jan and an Indo-Nepal drive in May-June. A chance conversation with the better half over dinner led us to conclude why not take the Thar this time, as it has been our trusty companion since we got it and it’s in top-notch state, especially after the much-needed repairs and maintenance job done at SVC.

And so we embarked on a road trip down South:

We started our journey from Ahmedabad at 06:00 hrs in the morning on 24th December, 2024. Our route, distance and time taken is as mentioned below.

  • Day-1: Ahmedabad to Mahabaleshwar - 790 Kms/16 Hrs
  • Day-2: Mahabaleshwar
  • Day-3 & 4: Mahabaleshwar-Hampi-Adiyogi (Chickballapur)-Bangalore - (a) 490 Kms / 8 hours (b) 430 kms / 7.5 hours
  • Day-5: Bangalore
  • Day-6,7,8,9: Bangalore-Wayanad -Ooty-Madumalai Tiger Reserve Day- 10: Bangalore
  • Day-11: Bangalore to Pune - 900 Kms/ 13 hours
  • Day-12 & 13: Pune
  • Day-14: Pune to Ahmedabad- 756 kms/ 15 hours

For reference from Ahmedabad-Pune, we took the Surat-Nashik-Pune route as against going via Mumbai since the current state of roads isn’t good and with such long hauls one needs the sanctity on the perfect road conditions. It was vice-a-versa during the return drive, Similarly, we took the Mahableshwar-Satara- Bijapur route to cover the between Pune - Bangalore and back.

Relaxing in Hampi

Drive statistics are as follows:

  • Total distance covered: 3801 Kms
  • Fuel consumed: Around INR 28,000
  • Tolls: Around INR 3,000
  • Longest haul in a day: Bangalore - Pune - 900 kms- 13 hrs
  • Average FE: Around 12-13 Kmpl

Was fortunate to meet Bhpian Skyocean (Gagan Sagar) while we were in Bangalore. He too is a proud owner of a Thar 700 CRDe. Had a well-spent evening discussing Thars and Cars over tea and dinner.

2 Thar 700 CRDe in a single frame

The ODO now currently stands at 91,456 Kms since we returned from the trip down south and is back to getting utilized for weekend drives and OTRs.

Finally a closing pic

They learn what they see, my 5-year-old cleaning her beloved possession while we had a rest day in Bangalore

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 
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