Some questions & answers on the Mahindra Thar

The Mahindra Thar has completed 16,000 km so far and will complete one year of ownership in a month's time.

BHPian ph03n!x answers some questions of BHPian highwaypatrol regarding the Mahindra Thar.

Some of the widely reported issues of Thar are as below. Wish to hear personal experiences with each of these issues.

Windshield fogging issue?

Exists, when it's raining, the bottom middle part of the windshield fogs up. I haven't gotten to take it for a fix - maybe in 20k service.

Tyre rubbing on stabilizer bar?

Nope, doesn't happen in my Jeep.

TPMS reading wrong figures?

The readings are pretty accurate. But if the wheels are rotated, it won't auto-learn the new position and will have to go through the TPMS learning sequence. Else, the reading will not match the tyre it indicates! I'm told that if the spare is used due to a puncture, it'll auto-learn the swap, never got a chance to see it this year.

HT (HardTop) leaks?

Mine is a CT (Convertible Top). And no leaks! The kids enjoy the occasional, mild drizzle when the roof is down though.

DPF issues as reported by many?

Zero DPF issues. More than 2000 out of the 16k km has been in city traffic, and this is looking fine. I had posted elsewhere - the Technical Head of my MASS was telling me the other day that the issue occurs only if a Mahindra BS6 Diesel is driven for short distances (less than 5 km) repeatedly/consistently and turned off. For use cases like, say, a Bolero camper that's delivering vegetables, his advice is to not turn off the engine when hopping from shop to shop. Similarly, even with pre BS6 diesels, it's not ideal to repeatedly use a diesel engine for very short distances. I have used my Jeep for 5 km+ stop for a few hours + 5 km drives maybe once every fortnight, but haven't resulted in any exhaust related troubles.

Poor throw of stock headlight?

The throw is not bad, but even in high beam (say, through the woods or ghats at night), the low beam is off, leading to a dull spot that the fogs can't fully cover. Even with the Osram Nightbreakers that I changed to, this is a bother. The throw and spread are actually not bad at all.

Play on the brake pedal?

My Jeep has a ~2 mm play - which doesn't bother me at all, and was pretty much "invisible" until I went looking for it last week!

Flimsy A/C vents and breakage of knobs?

The AC vents do feel flimsy, and I don't usually adjust them much. Touchwood, they are holding up good so far.

Issues with rear drums?

No issues with rear brake drums!

It's going to be a year of ownership in a month+. So far, the only trouble I had was the water-in-fuel wiring issues that got sorted long back - been a blissful ownership with this tarmac-friendly off-roader.

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