I immediately enquired in two NEXA showrooms and got the best deal of Rs. 7.15 lakhs (after a whopping cash discount of Rs. 1.1 lakhs, original on-road price was Rs. 8.24 lakhs) bundled with 5 years extended warranty, accessories worth Rs. 20k and an MCP plan for 2 years.

BHPian veeroom recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The need for a new car was felt in July 2023 as the 2003 Tata Indica DLS which I received from my parents had to be sent back to Kolhapur, my hometown, for re-registration. Since this is my first post, I would like to tell you that I reside in Ahmedabad whereas my folks are back in Kolhapur. I had brought the Tata Indica with me to Ahmedabad whereas my folks drive a Tata Nexon 1.5 Diesel and a Maruti S-Presso (both AMTs).

So basically, the Indica had to be sent back to Kolhapur for the 20-year reregistration in July 2023. Also, though the Indica had aged really well and returned a FE of 14 to 15 kmpl in the city with AC on, I always felt that I was driving a very heavy vehicle. I was not willing to drive the Indica back to Kolhapur as it would be too hectic and getting off from work was also not possible. Hence, the Indica through a transporter and the car reached safely to Kolhapur from Ahmedabad in 2 days.

Indica on one of the last long trips: Mount Abu

Within 2 days of sending the car back, the need for a new car was felt and the search began. The car had to meet the following criteria:
1. Budget: Around 9 lakhs
2. Fuel Type: Petrol or CNG
3. Easy to maintain
4. Clean interior design with minimum electronics
5. Easy to drive, zippy, no-fuss city car

Though I explored the option of buying a pre-owned car from Spinny, I felt that by adding around 1.5 lakhs extra, I could buy a brand new showroom model of the respective car. Hence, dropped the plan of buying a pre-owned car and decided to buy a brand-new one.

The following options were considered:

1. Maruti Suzuki Swift: Though driving-wise the Swift is perfect, but 9 lakhs on-road for a Swift did not feel right. Also, most of the goodies like the touch screen, etc. were reserved only for the ZXI+ top trim and the CNG did not come in the top trim. Hence, dropped the plan of buying the Swift.

2. Hyundai Nios: The Nios was a tough contender with a good fit and finish and stylish looks. But one of my colleagues has a Nios AMT and has always observed that the MID consistently displayed an FE of 12.5 kmpl and this worried me. Even the Nexon 1.5 D returns an FE of 16 in the city, though it’s not an apple-to-apple comparison. So, if I was buying a Nios, then it had to be a CNG. Hence, keep the Nios CNG as an option.

3. Hyundai Exter: Felt like a spacious and jacked-up Nios from the inside, nothing new. Though it really felt good and spacious from the inside with a good commanding driving position, it did not feel like a car that could zip through the city traffic. Also, there was this long waiting period. Hence, Exter was out.

4. Tata Tiago: Tata was offering heavy discounts on the Tiago CNG and the top-end CNG was available for Rs. 8 lakhs on the road which was a good deal. But later got to know that it was for clearance of old stock as the new twin-cylinder technology was introduced in the Tiago as well. Everything was perfect in the Tiago except the 3 Cylinder Petrol engine but kept the Tiago as an option.

5. Tiago eV, Comet eV: No eVs considered as my job is transferrable and eV charging infrastructure at my accomodation can be a problem in future.

6. Maruti Suzuki Ignis: Well I had always admired Ignis due to its funky-retro styling, out-of-the-box interiors and the 1.2 L NA engine, but had never driven it. The NEXA experience was also great. As soon as I entered the NEXA showroom, I was attended to promptly. The test drive experience was great and the engine felt really smooth, free-revving, the seating position was great and most of all it really felt like a car which can nip in and out of traffic very easily. My heart was immediately inclined towards Ignis and after receiving the quote, my mind too. The Zeta was the variant that I felt was the best and value for money as it had all the goodies including Touch screen infotainment, alloys, rear wiper-washer, fog lamps, etc. It just missed out on Auto climate control, DRLs, and seat height adjust which I felt are not too important. Most importantly, the Ignis Zeta was cheaper than all the above-considered cars. Though Ignis was not available in CNG, since I was saving huge money as compared to other cars, felt Petrol MT was a good option.

Well though I was convinced that Ignis is the perfect car for me, it took quite a time to convince my folks and also the people around me, mostly due to the styling. Like, when I told my colleagues about my decision to buy Ignis, they suggested looking for other options. The same was with my parents. I requested my parents to take a test drive. They initially were reluctant but after a few days, they took a test drive at NEXA Sangli and were convinced immediately. I immediately enquired in two NEXA showrooms and got the best deal of Rs. 7.15 lakhs (after a whopping cash discount of Rs. 1.1 lakhs, the original on-road price was Rs. 8.24 lakhs) bundled with 5 years extended warranty, accessories worth Rs. 20k and an MCP plan for 2 years. I insisted to the dealer that I wanted to see the car in person to which the dealer immediately agreed.

The next day we went to the stockyard and were surprised to see a huge stock of Ignis standing next to one another. The Relationship Manager said I could choose whichever color I wanted, but I was firm on Glistening Grey. She immediately showed me the car that I would be allotted, I noted down the VIN, and it was a June 2023 car which I was fine with. Booked the Glistening Grey Ignis 1.2L Zeta MT on 2nd August 2023 and scheduled the delivery on 21st August 2023. Processed the loan through BOI and had a great experience there as well with minimal visits and fast processing. Selected the accessories completed the PDI on 18th August and transferred the entire amount. Delivery was scheduled at around 2 p.m. on the 21st August.

Car standing outside the showroom a day before delivery

Reached the showroom by 1 pm and as expected, a lot of cars were lined up for delivery on the day. My car was ready for delivery by 3:30 PM. Performed the Pooja, unveiling, clicked a few photos, completed the formalities and paperwork, and left the showroom by around 4.30 PM. Received a small gift from the dealer (which had two Nexa badged coffee mugs and a Nexa keychain). Filled up the tank and went to the temple. It was a sweet and simple delivery experience and up to the expectations.

Delivery rituals at the showroom

First Drive Impressions

I have already driven the car for around 3100 kms entirely in Ahmedabad City only in a span of just 2 months. Gradually leave the clutch and the car gets off the line smoothly. The 1.2 Litre is one gem of an engine. Till 1000 kms, I drove the car very sedately below 2000 rpm and there was negligible engine sound creeping into the cabin. The engine revvs just above 2000 rpm at 80 kmph in 5th gear. Did not feel the suspension to be stiff as mentioned by many, maybe because we have Nexon and S-presso at home, both of whose suspensions are stiff at low speeds. Post 1000 kms started revving the engine and boy-o-boy instantly fell in love with the car. The engine revvs very freely and the engine sound felt a bit sporty at higher revvs. At no point does the engine feel coarse or loud. The third gear acts as an automatic as it easily picks up from speeds as low as 25 kmph and goes above 80 kmph effortlessly.

The exterior paint quality is really good and as expected considering it's a Nexa model and panel gaps are also consistent. The black alloys really compliment the Glistening Grey color of the Ignis. The driving ergonomics are spot on, it's just that being a narrow car, with a heavy person in the passenger seat, there are chances of your elbow brushing against the passenger during gear shifts. The MID shows multiple information and lets you browse through multiple settings including security alarms, auto lock settings, etc. The needles of the speedometer and tachometer feel sporty and the dials are easy to read.

Overall visibility from the driver's position is good with the side mirrors and IRVM offering good rear visibility. Air conditioning felt adequate though when parked under sunlight, it took time to cool down the cabin. Felt my colleague's i10 Nios cooled down the cabin faster.

The music system is also great. Though I ain’t an audiophile, but still love the bass effect of the system. The steering was to self-centers and was a big relief as the one in our S-Presso seldom self-centers, though it is not very confidence-inspiring at speeds above 95 kmph.

A small-looking car from the outside opens up quite a decent amount of space on the inside. The front seats are really comfortable with the side bolstering and feel better than the ones in Nexon. My colleagues were surprised with the amount of space this funky-looking small car offered on the inside, though the rear bench lacks under-thigh support. Overall, it’s a great package and comfortable for up to 4 passengers and a kid.

Have also completed the first free servicing, though just cleaning, topping up of fluids, etc was done. The service experience was good.

The MID hovers around 18 kmpl FE figures and tank-to-tank calculations have revealed FE figures of around 16.8 to 17 kmpl which I feel is great for city drives.

MID of the Ignis

All in all, it’s a funky little fun car to drive which zips in and out of traffic very easily. In love with this vehicle and definitely the best choice in the price range

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

There were a lot of Chinese and old Figo/Ikon/Fiesta alloys available, but I wanted the original Indica turbo style wheels.

BHPian greenhorn recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Finally I get to post my own alloys in this group. And it's more sweet because a lot of hard work has gone into it. I have always wanted a set of alloys for my Indica, but it's never happened. I came dangerously close to getting one in 2010 when BHPian Nikhil offered me a sweet deal on some aura alloys. I was about to seal the deal when fate took my life in a different direction, and I had to focus on other things.

For a while the lack of alloys hadn't bothered me, but recently after seeing alloys on virtually every car, I felt I wanted to close the gap. There were a lot of Chinese and old Figo/Ikon/Fiesta alloys available, but I wanted the original Indica turbo style wheels:

Got lucky to see a set of 5 posted on FB classifieds. The alloys as posted on FB classifieds:

Went there to check it out, This was a 1 hour drive from my home. An indigo GLX was getting scrapped, and these were the wheels on that car. I had the wheels checked on an wheel balancing machine for bends - there were none. was also worried that they may not hold air, but they were already running tubeless tires with tubeless nozzles attached.

After a wash. The rims were too damaged, but these are very well made Hindalco/Aura alloys - much better than the Chinese stuff you get today. Decided to get them redone:

Pain stripper aplication in process:

Paint stripper in action:

Lots of corrosion underneath:

Wheels after sanding:

Primered:

Painted:

Finally installed, with new center caps from boodmo:

Yes they look very generic and silver - I could have had them done in any colour, but I wanted the stock look, so here we are !

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I got a call from him telling me that he had taken my mechanicals apart and spotted a leaky turbo and a faulty AC compressor.

BHPian greenhorn recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I wanted to post a detailed update on the body work that was done and never got the time to. It was a complicated story since I wanted to make sure I got time to write it all out.

I had one round of bodywork done at my local FNG but that was fairly shoddy - you can see the things they missed. Hence was looking for someone better to take care of overall bodywork before my Registration renewal. Had reached out to the local bhpian circles for a referral and got someone. Was told they were good, but they were a bit of a Prima Donna, and give them a bit of latitude. Met the guy. he wanted 15K advance. He talked a lot about how he wanted to do a good job and not make the typical compromises that he has to do with typical customers. Said things would be reasonable, but he refused to commit to any estimate. I asked if to check with me if anything went 10K more, which he agreed.

There were mistakes at my end too - I had asked him to do underbody coating as part pf the painting which was not in scope, had asked him to evaluate my Etios when i bought it second hand, and do a bumper refit when a scooty hit it on one side. We bonded over our common love of stereos etc. I had asked him to investigate the mechanicals and let me know if anything needed fixing.
Weeks became months, i got progress updates, but one left a sour taste in my mouth.

I got a call from him telling me that he had taken my mechanicals apart and spotted a leaky turbo and a faulty AC compressor. I was aware of both and asked him to put them back the way they were.

Then comes the bomb. Apparently he was convinced that he could not put the current parts back in, and had to replace them, but he had some junkyard sources through which he would arrange something reasonable.

Then when the time came to take the car back, he offered to refit the seats, carpet, insulation etc. which I had taken apart and was planning to put back.

Everything was put back together, and I was called to check the car out. Bodywork wise the car was in good shape, apart from a rear door that refused to close properly. The engine sounded like a wreck and drove lousy. And I owed him another 35K (50K in total), which according to him was a bargain because he had done far more work than what i was paying him. I had received quotes for full body work for 25-30K from elsewhere, so 50K was rather shocking to me. Post 391 has pics of the work done - roof, floor, rear doors were tinkered and painted. underbody coating was done, body parts refitted. In addition, he had done an inspection of my etios, and refitted a few bumper clips that came out. Also some unspecified mechanical work involving my AC compressor, turbo and engine which left things significantly worse.

Is this much bodywork worth 50K?

And to make things worse, with a door that was not closing properly and an engine that sounded like crap. My Bhpian Friend tried to smooth things out, but I was too agitated and just wanted to end this nightmare.

Regardless, I realized that I was the one who had given the blank cheque to this guy, and on the other hand may not have realized the impact of all this additional scope that had been added over time. I was already not in a good mood because he had done a lousy job on the Etios inspection. He had given me a clean bill of health on the car, only later admitting that he did so because he already knew the owner (after i confronted him with evidence of an accident on its service record) - and he had not bothered to inspect the car properly.

I did not want to create a scene, figured to cut my losses and escape. Our mutual friend the other BHPian also cut ties with him after his car's wheel came off while on a family trip because this gentleman forgot to tighten the bolts. I don't want to name and shame them because there were mistakes at my end, and don't want to point fingers. This gentleman offered to fix any issues if i bought the car back, but i had enough, and I denied him his chance to make things right. The bodywork has been mostly good, except one door which was repainted, but has started to show rust again.

But i did want to put up a warning to folks about dealing with Youtubers/FNG's with a smooth sales talk/Passion about cars and a lack of professionalism. A lot of workshops are springing up claiming to do entire car restorations (plenty of them on youtube) wearing their credentials on their sleeve. Caveat emptor , and if the deal terms don't sound right, walk away. Lots of people talk about their achievements and great deals they got here. Plenty of them complain about bad service they got without introspecting how they might have made things worse. I've tried to be paint a fair picture here. Mistakes were made. This is the part about owning an old car nobody talks about. It's dark side part.

Thankfully with my last round of repairs at highway garage, at least the engine screw ups have all been sorted out, and I am at peace with my car again. One door still doesn't close properly, but one issue at a time.

Please do not ask where this was. This is a closed chapter. It's been over a year now, and this has been just as bad as the worst Kulathunkal episodes. I'm just glad that things were solved, and wanted to share this to folks so that they can learn from my mistakes on how to NOT deal with an FNG.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Most of the original wiring harness connectors have been corroded to disintegration

BHPian greenhorn recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi all,

My Indica's share of problems has begun to skew towards electrical as I keep replacing or overhauling key mechanical and cosmetic components, but I am still stuck with my 15 year old wiring harnesses. My electrician has done a bunch of tactical fixes by doing point to point wiring and using direct lines and relays driven by the original wires which are going high resistance.

Most of the original wiring harness connectors have been corroded to disintegration, and with so many splices and duct tape, I'm seeing electrical reliability going for a toss, particularly my brake, indicator and reverse lights which keep failing all the time.

I just dumped 8K into a floor wiring harness, and am hoping boodmo will be able to source it, but I don't know how many of these issues will get solved by this. There are other wiring harnesses which simply are not available in the aftermarket - How do people work around this when doing full overhauls ? I guess point to point wiring is the worst case situation, but I'm not sure how reliable/troubleshootable/Plug and play they'll be. Are there any better options? does anyone make custom wiring harnesses? especially for non global models like my Indica.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

When I rebuilt my Classic 4x4 in 2010, it was a model long out of production. We used a brand-new wiring harness from a Mahindra Major and altered it to suit our needs.

Hope you're able to source it through Boodmo. Also search for the wiring harness of similar cars (e.g. Indigo, maybe Vista?).

Here's what BHPian srini1785 had to say on the matter:

Most of the out of production motorcycles have custom built wiring harness. During restoration, the points gets changed to CDI and 6V gives way to 12V. So there is a change in wiring. I'm not sure about cars though. In all possibilities, you need to either build one or scavenge one from a junkyard.

If you know your way around wires, you can build a wiring harness yourself. The connectors, wiring shields, fuses are all available online.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I was now feeling confident and was hell bent on searching for the car. I found the owner and his family members on Facebook and messaged all of them multiple times.

BHPian 300 KMPH recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello Team-Bhpians! I hope everyone is doing excellent. As you might have read the title, you must have realized that I bought my Tata Indica back. At this point, you might be having multiple questions in your mind. Some of the questions could be as follows:

• Why buy back an old car again?
• Tata Indica? Seriously? There are so many other options available, so why this one?
• You could have a bought a nice nimble sporty car, what is the point of driving a car which was never desired by any enthusiast?

Well, many such other questions might have come to your mind. Buying an old car back itself is a rare thing, buying an Indica back itself is something which cannot be digested. In the era of the internet, we shall go back to the days which could be a time travel for many old Bhpians out there. So sit back, relax, and let me take you 20 years back when cars were more than just machines and features.

Time to buy a new car:

So it was 2003 and we were looking for a new car. Our Premier Padmini Deluxe BE had really become outdated and was really not healthy anymore. So we started our search with Fazalboys (used car dealer in Prabhadevi).

There was a beaten up grey Opel Corsa inside the showroom without mirrors. I did not know what we were buying but as a 6 year old kid, I was very excited. The only way to select a car for automotive enthusiast was an automotive magazine. My brother salilpawar1 (team bhp username) who was around 13 years old that time started researching and we finally test drove a Maruti Alto.

(We = Me, my elder brother, my dad and mom).

Maruti Suzuki Alto (Vitesse Dealership) - It was a blue Alto LXI with a cracked mirror glass. It was nice and nimble but very cramped for 3 people in the back. My brother was in the middle seat and he got a cramp in his leg because of the limited legroom. We therefore could not finalize on that car.

It was clear that we needed a big car and the options were limited. We had also checked out the Hyundai Santro Xing (but again, it was too narrow)

The unexpected shortlisted car: Tata Indica Petrol:

The Tata Indica as we all know, was plagued with issues and had a terrible image to begin with. The popular fanbelt noise was stuck in everyone's mind (including mine) and I could not even imagine us buying that car. But we anyway decided to have a look. So one fine Sunday morning, we visited Wasan Motors at Prabhadevi (now known as Puneet automobiles). Just as we enquired about Indica, the sales rep took us to the car and forced us to have a seat even when we were not really keen on buying the product. But that small step she took turned an enquiry into a customer. It was a limited edition Indica (dealer specific with beige interiors and wooden inserts).

The space at the back was unbelievable for a hatchback. Me, my mom and brother sat comfortably in the back. At that very moment, she declared that we are buying this car. There was a Indica DLE which was one popular variant for those who just wanted the AC and nothing else. The car was bare bones with grey plastics literally in every part of the cabin made the interior look very dull.

After some research from automotive magazines, we came to know about some interesting facts which might not be known to many people even today:

• The petrol Indica was the second fastest hatchback on sale in India with 1405cc engine producing 75 bhp and 110 nm torque just second to the Palio 1.6/S10
• Tata Motors stiffened the monocoque chassis and upgraded the brake booster. Some journalists called it the best handling hatchback just second to the Palio.
• Around the same time, there were articles of the Indica Rally and Indica Sport (which was getting ready for launch) which produced 85 bhp instead of 75.
• Most of the major issues were ironed out with the V2 and it only had niggles to deal with.

After test driving the car (which was a very small round of a Sunshine Gold Indica LSI), we had made our choice. My dad and mom also test drove a diesel Indica but they did not like it as the Petrol was a lot more refined and our usage was going to be less.

Booking the Indica:

After finalizing our choice, I spent each and every day reading the brochure. My favourite line was 'child safety lock on rear doors'. Mind you, we were upgrading from a Padmini! So each and every feature was out of the world for a 6 yr old me. Following were the highlights:

• Air conditioning.
• Body coloured bumpers.
• Child Safety Lock on Rear Doors.
• Rear Seatbelts.
• Third stop light had become mandatory by law, but the Indica had it since the Indica 2000 (First Indica MPFI Petrol from Tata) mounted on a subtle spoiler.

Choosing the colour was the biggest challenge. We had shortlisted the following colours:

• Aqua Green
• Stone Blue
• Sunshine Gold

We were convinced to book Aqua Green. Later we realized that we were considering 'Mint Blue' as Aqua Green which we immediately rejected and were left a bit disappointed.

Tata Motors used to launch new colours on the Indica every 6 months.

Till the booking day, we had still not decided about the colour and we were confused between Stone Blue and Sushine Gold. On the day of booking, we were told that Aqua Green was also discontinued and a new shade was launched on the very same day called 'Coral Green'. The sales rep showed us a painted metal panel. My dad had a gut feeling that this colour was good enough and he booked the car! (This must be around 2nd October).

Details of the booking:

• Model: Tata Indica LSI Petrol
• Colour: Coral Green
• Accessories: Fabric Seat Covers, Wheel Caps, Bull Bar, Floor Mats
• Expected Delivery Time: 20 days
• Price: 3.6 lakh on-road (Cars used to be really cheap back then)

The maximum delivery time was 2-3 days for Indica in 2003. It was a hot selling product and all the dealers had the car ready in stock. So 20 days was a really long wait.. The reason was the newly launched colour which we had chosen.

PDI was done by our entire family and I did not even realize that it was our car. I came to know about that its my car when we left the showroom.

Finally, the day of delivery arrived. 21st October 2003. We bought Ambi Pur from our local accessory shop as we did not know how an air-conditioned car would feel over a period of time. We reached the dealership at 10 am in the morning. The dealership was split in hatchbacks/sedans & MUVs/SUVs. Right in the back side of the dealership which was visible from the entrance, I could see my car standing which was full of dust and bird droppings. A sales advisor asked me to move aside and the bucket washing began! (Fancy or memorable car deliveries was not a thing back in the day).

While we were completing the formalities, the staff was searching for the car keys in a huge tray including spare key with the help of barcode stuck on it. Once all the formalities were done, we got ready for the delivery of the car. There she was, our brand new Tata Indica V2 LSI in Coral Green shade was shining and the paint finish was exemplary. The car had as good as mirror finish. But sadly, the car already had a small scratch on the bumper which we decided to ignore.

We were expecting complete wheel caps but the LSI variant had partial wheel caps which we were not aware of. The dealership drivers used to be a lot rough. The driver spun the wheels in front of us and it was very common for them. All the rituals were done, Ambi Pur was fitted in the AC went and we started our journey with the ownership of our Indica! MH-01-MA-3146.

As we approached towards the petrol pump near my residence, the attendant congratulated us (he knew all of us well). After brimming the tank, we realized that the petrol gauge was faulty and would always show 25% less fuel than actual.

Soon, this became my everyday car as my mom used to drop me to school. I still remember our first journey to Pune which was we did in 1 week/month of purchase. Mumbai-Pune Expressway was a terrific road back then with traffic levels upto bare minimum. No traffic signals, no two & three wheelers made the journey blissful. We never liked having tea or coffee brakes and used to travel non-stop. I used to wear seatbelts in the back seat when occupants wearing seatbelts in the front seat was uncommon in the first place.

Attaching the first picture of the car taken on a roll camera (2003/04):

Some pictures clicked in Pune (2004):

As Pune was like hometown of Indica, I remember seeing Indica in Pune every 15 seconds. Unlike Mumbai, many of the Indicas sold in Pune were petrol.

Identifying a Petrol Indica:

Exterior:

• MPFI 16 bit Microprocessor 75 bhp Sticker on the Boot.
• Factory fitted spoiler with integrated LED stop-light.
• Exhaust with chrome tip.

Interior:

• White Instrumentation.
• Silver finished central console.
• Silver Gear Knob.

The approach towards the design of Indica was very similar to the Palio as both cars were designed in Italy after all.

I got a taste of the brutal Indian 2 lane National Highways in the Indica. This was the car when we actually started doing road journeys because of essential features like AC & Power Steering. It used to be a test of the driver and the car as well. Overtaking was not a problem with this car and there was sufficient power and torque at lower revs. The petrol motor used to sound really sweet unlike the diesel motor which was very rough and coarse.

Here is a picture of the car on Mumbai - Agra Highway (NH3) which used to pass from Nashik:

26th July, 2005:

The unforgettable Mumbai rains. I was in my school classroom when the weather changed dramatically in 2 hours and within a few minutes, it felt like Mumbai was under some punishment by a natural spirit.

Though it was in the afternoon, it felt like 7 pm in night and we could hear the water flowing out of our classroom from the staircase. My mom and brother came to pick me up in Indica. My school was just around 2 kms from my house but it took almost 2 to 3 hours to get home. This time, the Indica earned my respect. There were multiple smaller hatchbacks, and luxury sedans stalled and awaiting help, but our Indica sailed through the floods. In some portions, the water level was upto the fender indicator but the car did not stall through the floods.

The car did stall near my house after driving it through floods for a long time. But within 5-10 minutes, the car started and reached home.

Just within a couple of days, the car's clutch was completely burnt and was barely moving. We knew that this was the aftermath of the floods. The bull bar was removed as the car had to be towed to Wasan Motors workshop and the car was back to normal after clutch change.

Rusty exhaust:

Petrol Indicas had a chronic problem of exhaust rusting within 2 years. Water dripping from the exhaust during cold starts would eat up the exhaust. We replaced the exhaust twice in 2005 (under warranty) & 2007. In 2007, we installed an aftermarket exhaust which was a lot better in quality than the OE.

My brother started driving!

Salilpawar1 happens to be my elder brother who is also a Team BHPian. He turned 18 in 2007 and started to drive this car. As die-hard car enthusiasts, we started to explore this car mechanically. Salil learnt his driving basics from this car and we often used to go for a spin at Worli Seaface mostly in the afternoon as there used to be no traffic and no traffic signals as well. Doing silly speeds was really possible on this short stretch of road. Apart from the ghastly unpainted speed-breaker which every new driver used to miss, there were no other surprises. The car had jumped the speedbreaker at 80-90 kph but the Indica did not lose its composure at all. Indica was known to be a rock steady car and I got my first experience that time.

Also, the car was restored cosmetically in 2007 when all the dents were repaired and installed new taillights along with new badges.

A few pictures clicked in Nashik in 2007:

Some pictures clicked in 2007-2008 at Worli Seaface:

Time for a Free-Flow Exhaust:

The Indica was now entering its 5th year. Good quality modifications were now accessible to the enthusiasts, Team Bhp was relatively new which meant more exposure towards the community. With the help of Viper Performance (run by Jignesh Goradia), the Indica finally had a full custom exhaust right from the headers to the tip (execution by BAR Exhaust - Afzal). It was a perfect mixture of bass and treble. The Indica was now a head turner. We even upgraded to twin horn (130 db) from our neighboring accessories shop.

Petrol Indicas were rare. Speeding ones were rarer. Free flow'd ones were non-existent

Pictures of the new exhaust clicked in 2008:

Some miscellaneous details:

The car was always serviced at Tata Service Centre during our ownership.

Tata Motors could never fix the fuel gauge.

The broken AC panel was awaiting replacement in warranty but the part never arrived.

The car never failed to start in our ownership which used to be a concern with Indicas.

No fanbelt noise ever apart from rainy season occasionally.

The first battery survived for 7 years. Alternator once developed a issue which was not charging the battery which was then repaired.

In our period of ownership, we only used Speed Petrol from day 1.

Our Indica was the 7th or 8th car to run on the Bandra-Worli Sealink. Salil had lined up the car in the morning in the queue to experience it. There were a lot of media photographers towards the end. My car might have been in multiple newspapers as well.

Picture of broken AC Panel which went on becoming worse:

The reason behind the AC panel breaking was because of the AC moisture getting trapped in the panel which weakened the brittle plastic over time.

Images of the first sea-link run early morning:

A few more pictures of the car in 2010 with young me in the frame as well! Co-incidentally, this was the last year when the car was driven out of Mumbai (to Nasik):

Exterior battle scars:

From 2012, my brother started daily driving this car to his college in the suburbs and that is when our Indica did not remain the cleanest anymore. The car now had battle scars at multiple places, rear Tata Monogram got stolen in Bandra, and the headlamps were also replaced as one of the headlights broke because of a scooter rider who hit the car from the wrong side at a traffic signal. Now, the original non-clear lens lamps were not available anymore and we had to settle for clear lens once which were sold locally costing Rs. 2,500/- .

Continue reading on BHPian 300KMPH's Tata Indica story for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

While removing the carpeting, I noticed a wire and connector poking out from under the driver seat.

BHPian greenhorn recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

One of the things I've been doing slowly over the years is adding DLX features on my Indica DLG. While removing the carpeting, I noticed a wire and connector poking out from under the driver seat. Curious about what it did, i tried shorting the pins together (Do not try this at home kids, you may blow up a fuse or worse, burn down your car. This DIY was done under controlled conditions under the supervision of an equally curious mechanic).

And guess what? The seat belt warning light lit up! After all these years it was just waiting there for someone to enable it.

Boodmo didn't have the correct part (from the Indica/Indigo DLX) but there was a Tiago part that looked suspiciously similar. I got the help of another BHPian who had a Tiago to check the dimensions of the Tiago buckle, and they looked close enough.

My mechanic did the actual fitting part, and he said he had to do a little bit of cutting/shutting so I'm not going to claim any diy here, but it's working.

I'm probably the only one going to so much trouble enabling the seat belt alarm in a car, when so many people are trying to disable it with fake latches.

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I ended up with a flat tyre one afternoon and we got to the village, fixed it and after a couple of kms we heard a loud hissing noise.

BHpian discoverwild recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I happen to be working in a remote location, 50 kms from Hosur. The nearest village where I travel to eat is a good 10 kms away from my work site. Ground conditions through all of November and December could be considered muddy and slushy with prolonged rains and the Vista doing duties day in and out. (Unable to attach pictures from the phone). The path is frequently used by Back Hoe Loaders/JCBs and it's treacherous with rocks and stones jutting out.

I ended up with a flat tyre one afternoon and we got to the village, fixed it and after a couple of kms we heard a loud hissing noise. We saw that the steel rim had developed a hole and we shifted to the spare again and went back to the village. When opened, we realized that water had managed to get in and corrode the rim to cause pinholes at three places. We then drove on to the next town, Denkanikottai, but couldn't find a replacement there either. So, I looked up Tata dealers in Hosur and found True Sai Motors.

I drove in through their narrow approach to their service section and barely stopped the car when I heard some random noises in the engine bay and the car stalled.

Two of their service staff, Balaji (didn't get the other's name) and a mechanic had a look at the car, said the pulley was wobbling and they didn't have spares and walked away. I waited for another 5 minutes and called for them again. Again, the same reply. No help or solution was offered either and I was left standing alone with my staff. There was no effort on their part to offer a solution/ask to me leave the vehicle/offer a spare vehicle (since I needed to pick up my colleague that night). Absolutely nothing.

I drove out of there and dialed another mechanic I found on Google and he was a couple of kms away. He had a look at the car and explained that the ac compressor had taken a hit and hence the pulley and the bearing were out of sync. He would need the car for at least two days to dismantle the compressor and find a spare. It wasn't an option again, because I was nowhere near any kind of help. Taxi fares to and fro over the next couple of days would cross over 10-12k. I drove the noisy car for a couple of days and then with no other option left, I had to drive all the way back to Coimbatore to get it fixed. Had to get the car towed for the last 60kms in the middle of the night after the fan belt slipped off and the car started overheating.

The Vista completed 10 years, last week and has been driven for 1,82,550 kms. The first time, that I was ever stranded with no alternative. Still drives like a dream inspite of all the challenging conditions I throw at it. If only the people at True Sai Motors had offered a solution, it wouldn't have had to be this bad.

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

Tata service centers all over India are becoming overcrowded and overworked by the day. They have all inclusive assured programs like their AMCs but the fact is that their service network hasn’t increased anywhere in proportion with their sales. This is leading to an overall poor experience for many customers, be it delay in service or parts or simply improper diagnosis by technicians who have their hands full with too many things simultaneously. I have personally seen this deterioration happen over the past 3 years. Tata Motors needs to step up and take this problem seriously. It is one thing to make good cars and sell them. But if you can’t provide adequate support, each unhappy owner will scare away 10 new buyers.

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