Low range can be retrofitted by changing the gearset or the motor too.

BHPian bullitt1 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

It's tough when asked to keep hands off the steering wheel for a while (recovering from shoulder issue) and let cars like Compass and Ecosport idle. It was bit agonizing as I had to put off few drives and find some salvation and in comes the Bronco RC Crawler. It's a 1/18 scale RTR (ready to run) electric 4wd offroad from Traxxas.

Sourced from RC World, Malaysia for RM740 discounted from RM 870 (apprx 13k INR) when my wife was on official visit recently.

Having owned Ford's and Jeep, the choice was obvious. A quick summary of my search:

• HPI : Did not have any Ford or Jeep instead their models looked their own than licensed bodies.
• Axial : Though there was Wrangler and Gladiator, the scale was either small or big and also found the plastic body not that great.
• Traxxas : Found the perfect one for a beginner.
• FMS : Had same scale with higher battery capacity and two speed, but the model was a Toyota and there was no way i was going to put my money on a Toyota. (Apologies Toyota fans )

Pros:

• Looks, Looks and Looks. Fortunately I could get the colour I wanted badly.
• Great model for the price for a beginner.
• Decent stock capability.
• Good run time of 80mins (max i timed with battery still green) after full charge in approx 45mins (this is plugged to laptop).

Cons:

Most online reviews state 2 cons which i too agree after using:

• Relatively high crawling speed.
• Absence of 2 speed.

Toyed with it few times with some curious onlookers. Have a couple of videos but could not upload as Youtube url seems the only way.

Few modifications planned :

• Lift kit as the Bronco beached quite few times.
• Mickey Thompson Baja tires for better traction.
• Low range, now this could be done either by changing gearset (cheapest at $5 or plug the combined gearset/motor at $40)

Bronco's capability

and a cheaper way to take a shot at the challenge.

That's all folks for now, hope you had a good ride.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Moving from a spacious and imposing SUV to a smaller hatchback entails more than just downsizing; it necessitates adapting to a whole new driving experience.

BHPian ruskinash recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello folks, having recently transitioned from my faithful Scorpio, a loyal companion of 13 years, to the sleek i20, the adjustment has been more than just a change in vehicle preference. While I intended to hold onto the Scorpio for as long as possible, an unexpected wrist injury altered my plans, necessitating a switch to an automatic hatchback for ease of driving. However, the transition didn't unfold quite as expected.

Moving from a spacious and imposing SUV to a smaller hatchback entails more than just downsizing; it necessitates adapting to a whole new driving experience. Two particular aspects have stood out, reshaping my approach behind the wheel.

Visibility

Firstly, the difference in visibility between the two vehicles has been striking. Despite sporadic experiences with cars from various segments over the years, the continuous adaptation to a different segment has proved challenging. The most notable adjustment has been in terms of visibility—or rather, the lack thereof. Suddenly, potholes and unmarked speed bumps seem to materialize out of nowhere, catching me off guard. Unlike the elevated vantage point of the Scorpio, I now find myself scanning the road meticulously, straining to spot obstacles well in advance.

Road Presence

Secondly, the shift in road presence has been palpable. In the Scorpio, my presence on the road commanded a certain respect, with fellow road users often yielding my right of way. However, in the i20, this sense of deference is notably absent. It feels as though I've become virtually invisible, with other drivers showing little regard for my presence on the road. Consequently, I've had to recalibrate my approach to driving, prioritizing caution and yielding to others for the sake of safety. It's a stark contrast to the privilege of respect afforded by the Scorpio, and adjusting to this newfound dynamic has proven to be a challenging process.

While the adjustment has presented its challenges, I'm gradually acclimating to the nuances of driving a hatchback, embracing the change with a newfound sense of adaptability and resilience. Have any of you experienced a shift in your driving habits when transitioning between vehicle segments? I'd love to hear your thoughts and insights on this topic.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights & information.

Until now, I've been driving a Honda City and was initially inclined towards buying an SUV for the versatility and ground clearance it offers.

BHPian ManiPrakash recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello fellow automobile enthusiasts,

I'm currently facing a delightful yet challenging decision and could use some wisdom from this knowledgeable community. My heart is torn between two very appealing options: the BMW X1 and the BYD Seal. Having always dreamed of owning a luxury vehicle, I find myself at a crossroads, weighing ownership costs, brand value, and the evolving landscape of EV infrastructure in India.

On one hand, the BMW X1 represents the quintessential luxury SUV experience with a high sense of ownership and prestige attached to the famed brand. On the other, the BYD Seal caught my attention with its impressive value for money—offering commendable power delivery, spaciousness, and lower running costs. The prospect of owning an electric vehicle is tantalizing, especially considering the future of mobility.

Until now, I've been driving a Honda City and was initially inclined towards buying an SUV for the versatility and ground clearance it offers. However, experiencing the BYD Seal in the showroom made me reconsider the sedan form factor. I reside in Gurgaon, where ground clearance can be a concern given the road conditions. This leaves me pondering if opting for a sedan with lower ground clearance, like the Seal, makes practical sense.

I'm open to both sedan and SUV forms but find myself oscillating between these factors: ownership costs, brand allure, and the readiness of India for electric vehicles. If any of you own these vehicles or have insights to share from your experiences, I would greatly appreciate your advice. Your input could be pivotal in helping me make a well-informed decision.

Thank you in advance for your guidance and for sharing your experiences!

Here's what GTO said on the matter:

The X1 is actually not the quintessential luxury SUV experience at all. It's an entry-level luxury crossover, with compromises in its engines & overall size / space. I drove the Seltos Facelift 1.5 Turbo & 2024 X1 back to back and was genuinely wondering where the 40-lakhs extra of the X1 is going? Impossible to justify it.

Yes, keeping the quality & badge in mind, the X1 is a great car at 40 - 45 lakhs (maximum). But not at the 60 - 65 lakhs BMW wants for it.

Between this & the Seal, I would pick the Seal any which day. Other than the badge & ground clearance, it blows the X1 away to smithereens. Performance, tech, space, running costs etc. Don't overlook the fact that BYD is the global emperor of EVs, bigger even than Tesla. Since you have the budget, go for the AWD variant which offers sportscar-like acceleration.

If absolutely smitten by badges, look for good deals on the Audis (Q5 followed by Q3 & A4).

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

Consider choosing the BYD SEAL.

It is a superior product that is available in India at a lower price than its retail price outside India, where it is sold at a similar price range as the C class or 3 series.

In terms of performance, the figures speak for themselves - with 530 bhp, there is simply no comparison to the 134 bhp offered by other options.

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

BMW X1 is a vehicle that is on my personal blacklist. The company offering a 55L rupee car with a 130 something bhp petrol and a 145bhp diesel is like literally giving the middle finger to the customer. There is nothing much to like about the X1 apart from the badge itself. It’s a fairly average vehicle for the asking price.

Seal comes in as a breath of fresh air. It is a highly acclaimed and globally well received car that has won many international awards. It offers something new and different and frankly, there are very few vehicles which provide this kind of value for money. As for EV tech, Seal offers the latest and best from BYD, which is means it is right up there with the very best in the world. And once you experience the sheer brilliance of electric propulsion, there is no looking back.

Seal over X1, any day.

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

As other members said, the BYD Seal is the better choice. This is the first time I am recommending an electric car over an ICE powered one

While the BMW offers a premium interior experience, the engines are disappointing on paper and not worth the asking price. On the other hand, the Seal is a cracker of a sedan whose interiors and exteriors are classy. Get this - the Seal has close to four times more power than the petrol Bimmer while costing around the same! Also, it is a known fact that entry level luxury cars are overpriced and paying for them is open robbery.

If you really want to go electric, the Seal should ‘seal the deal’. But if you’re open to other options, I would suggest you to look at the used car route too. Just imagine the kind of cars you could get with half a crore!

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

Except for the badge, nothing is going for the BMW X1, which is a joke of a product at that price point. That steering wheel itself looks like an eyesore.

With BYD Seal, you can also include the Volvo XC40 recharge in the mix if you want to keep the SUV form factor in consideration.

Ultimately, it is your money, and the X1 will win any day over Volvo or BYD if you want that badge. Still, I always believe in buying the top end of another manufacturer rather than an aspirational brand's base model.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

This is the first non manual car I am owning in life. It was a big relief especially in the notorious Mumbai traffic.

BHPian vimalvittaladas recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hyundai Adventure Edition (Petrol) IVT SX(O) . 22000 km review:

• The Vehicle: Creta AE IVT SX(O) Petrol
• Date of purchase: 06.10.2023
• ODO: 22235 as on date(15.03.2024)

Every single person have their own hobbies. And here I am who has a passion for driving. All of my road trips after the purchase of my very first vehicle way back in 2009 were meant to enjoy driving. Believe me, I never ever thought of the destinations because, rather than destination, my preference was driving. I spent unaccounted amount of time in driving seat, slept countless number of times in driver's seat in petrol bunks and spent huge amount of money in feeding my vehicles and maintaining them. People call me crazy which I thankfully acknowledge.

I started driving at the age of 27 and had been continuously driving for last 10 years(except 5 years of my foreign stay). After the recent trip I am happy to share that I have driven 500000 kms on Indian roads with my 5 vehicles I owned till date. I love all those 5 vehicles the most as each one of them served me the way I was expecting. I treated them as of my own family member with maintaining those as regular intervals, keeping those clean and enjoying every second I sat inside those.

A brief history of vehicles used:

Maruti Suzuki Wagon R VXI(Petrol) Manual:

The very first vehicle I owned was Maruti Suzuki WagonR, way back in 2009 while I was posted in Mumbai. The vehicle was used as a regular commuter in Mumbai from Borivali to BKC on a daily basis. Used the vehicle for 3 years with ODO standing at 134000 kms while I sold it. I did 4 trips to Kerala in those 3 years from Mumbai with my better half and my daughter who was an infant during those days. I sold the vehicle in 2012 as I had to relocate to Hong Kong due to my official obligation.

Maruti Suzuki Swift ZXI(Petrol) Manual:

I returned back to India in February 2017 and the very first thing I done was purchasing of a car for my usage. The swift was my companion during that time. The vehicle again was used extensively during my ownership tenure of 3 years. It took us across all the south states of KL, TN, AP, KA and GA number of times. Whenever there was an opportunity of long weekend or holidays, we used to take it for a spin. As a result the ODO was at 128000 kms when I decided to sell it in June 2020.

Hyundai Creta Phantom Black(SX) Manual 2020:

The itch to upgrade from Swift ended up in having a black beauty at home. Creta was full of convenience when I upgraded from Swift. The whole driving dynamics changed for me and the passion for driving increased multiple times due to the purchase of Creta. I was posted at Chennai and Creta became my companion on my every drove to Kerala. The personal responsibilities back home ensured that I had to drive once in a month from Chennai to KL. During my ownership period of 2 years, I drove more than 20 times from Chennai to Cochin by Creta. Moreover we have multiples number of trips to Pandarpur, Mumbai and Goa. All these resulted in Creta clocking 145000 kms in 2 years time.

Mahindra Thar HT Petrol MT 2022:

Jeep was always a dream vehicle for me and as a result I ended up in owning a Mahindra Thar in June 2022. The vehicle was used for all my fun drives. Even though I was situated at Chennai, I had a Thar group back in Kerala who were mostly engaged in off-roading. Whenever I got opportunity, I made myself available for off-roading camps organised by them across Gods Own Country. It took me to remote places in Kerala, gave high level of driving satisfaction and the most importantly abundance of confidence. Unfortunately I sold it in June 2023 as I was transferred to Mumbai and was looking for a BH registration, with ODO was at 72000 kms.

Hyundai Creta 2023 Ranger Khakhi (DT) IVT Petrol:

The quest for a new vehicle on transferring to Mumbai ended up with Hyundai Creta AE. My wife fell for it at her first sight plus we already had hassle free experience of owning a Creta. So we decided to go ahead with it and we bought the AE of Creta on 06.10.2023 with BH registration. It is my daily commuter to office at Nariman Point from my residence at Seawoods.Now as on date the vehicle clocked 22200 kms .

The car was purchased in October 2023 from Sharyu Hyundai, Navi Mumbai. The delivery experience was good with team providing me every update from the date of booking. PDI was done as per Team BHP provided list and ODO was showing 13 kms while doing PDI. I use the car for my office commute and on a daily basis it is covering 80 kms to and fro. In addition I already did two Mumbai to Trivandrum trips and a couple of Mumbai to Goa trips.

Pros:

• Handling: This is the first non manual car I am owning in life. It was a big relief especially in the notorious Mumbai traffic. The auto hold function is an added advantage too. On the highways, since being a NA engine, I was missing the initial punch. But slowly after gaining speed, the car was a fun to drive. Even at triple digit speeds, handling was good. I never drove it above 110 km/hr and I always love sedate driving with some music on.
• NVH: Very low levels of NVH of petrol engine ensured the driving at 100 km/hr smooth. The stock JK tyre noise was only the exception when the speed exceeded 100 km/hr.
• Comfort: The sole reason my family is inclined towards this vehicle. It offers sheer comfort for both front and back occupants. The drive was joyful with soft touch suspension, automatic climate control(chills out cabin fast), The cool glove box, the user friendly and hassle free touch screen and panoramic sun roof(kids enjoying the most). The back seat occupants are also having AC vents and arm rests which added to the convenience.
• Boot Space: Had sufficient boot space which can easily carry two trolleys and a couple of carry bags.

Cons:

• The vehicle felt a bit of lacking confidence in speeds north of 110(only once tried but never exceeded 120 km/hr). The steering was not generating enough confidence at speeds above 110 km/hr.
• Hyundai could have used more soft touch materials in the cabin for 20 lakh plus vehicle. Most of the parts in the cabin felt of missing in quality.
• The notorious 3 star rating of the Creta is always there as a negative which is already discussed a lot here.

Overall I and more importantly my family is happy with the vehicle, I am planning to keep this for a bit more time than I kept my previous vehicles. The sedative driving nature of mine is making this purchase a good one.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information,

I am from the hills. My daily drive is of good roads bad roads and no roads in true sense.

BHPian Dr_MNC_SK recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Completing 7 months 7000 kms in a JC Diesel Model-S AT 4x4. The Good The Bad The Ugly.

Brief Background:

I am from the hills. My daily drive is of good roads bad roads and no roads in true sense. Upgraded from a 4x4 Thar.

Ergonomics:

Ergonomics for driver and passenger I found is perfect as adequate adjustment is possible and the 2 Memory seating helps especially to get back to position from cleaning and all. I am 180 cm and I can seat fairly comfortable behind my own driving position. Nothing very spacious but not to cringe about for its size. Also rear seat is not that small as mostly pointed in reviews unless one is XL in size. 3 average sized individuals or 2 +1 car seat easily can sit. The hump for the rear shaft is present but not very very obtrusive.

Driveability:

The USP of this car. Can anybody tell another car available in India south of 40 lakhs which feels as close to this.

AT in Hills:

I was skeptical at first but no more. It doesn’t hunt gears and stays perfect for 90+% of the time, for occasional hard braking or sudden deceleration it refuses to upshift when you nudge it to for some time. Hardly have to go to Manual Mode for gear selection. If very steep uphill, then if on Auto 4x4 mode then tries to start on 2nd (like always) which has to be manually overridden to 1st or have to go 4WD Low where it goes to 1st. If you don’t want AWD but want to start from 1st gear, then must manually override. The need doesn’t arise much except very steep climbs where you have to stop and go. On plain side highways it’s a no bummer, it catches the gear 99% of the time.

Fuel Efficiency and DEF Efficiency:

Hills Highway 9-10 kmpl. Hills Traffic 6.5-8 kmpl Plain Highways 14kmpl. No complaints as I was getting almost same with my Thar 4x4 also. DEF usage was higher for first few thousand kms then have averaged out, Now I guess it will consume around 5 litre for 3000 kms in the hills. Haven’t had any DEF issues even on cold winters or anything. Using Standard ADblue from ASS or sourced from Amazon.

The Good Points:

• Ample of steering wheel control buttons ergonomically placed front and back. No accidental presses. Presence of Dedicated Hardware Buttons (plus Touch) for HVAC.
• 360-degree camera is a boon in some tight spots in our hills though overtime with the experience of approximation usage has come down.
• Music System and U connect is working flawlessly. An occasional software issue with Apple Car Play ® is there which can be sorted by restarting the phone.
• TPMS is smart, detects wheel rotation itself, no need to readjust after wheel rotation. Takes around 10 kms of driving and it detects correct placement.
• Turning Radius and Steering wheel weight is remarkable.
• One touch Up Windows on all 4 doors.
• LED Projector Lamps and LED Foglamps are doing a remarkable job. May need a long throw spot beams for highways but not able to figure out where to mount them. The frame is front in front of radiator is aluminium.
• The specs GC at 178 mm is adequate because its the fully laden GC. It sits above 200 mm with only you in it. Havent hit anything until now running frenzy on our roads.
• Boot: This is good and bad both. The Auto Tailgate is good to have. No need to touch dirty vehicle on roadtrips to open & close the boot. The placement of the button is good for shorter people but for me I would have preferred it to be a bit outside not buried in. Day to Day grocery shopping isn’t that appealing when the boot door is clean cause it takes a few seconds and we are all in a hurry. Also, there is adequate storage underneath the boot floor where vehicle maintenance kits like Tyre Kit Cleaning Kit Inflators and the likewise can be stored. I have some utensils and 2 camping stools also stored underneath. Tie Points are added advantage.

The Bad Points:

• The Start Stop System should have a permanent kill feature. It will work when it wants to and stop when it wants to. Although manual says it will be deactivated on slopes it doesn’t most of the time and if you are on Hold Feature then car goes back when engine restarts because it deactivates Hold and doesn’t activate Hill Hold in that brief 1 sec period.
• Auto Headlamps/ Auto Wipers sensitivity is a hit or miss even with adjustment levels in the system. Less concerning as it can be overridden to manual.
• The door sills are a bit high to my liking. People inadvertently step on it on ingress or egress making it dirty all the while.
• Wish the fuel inlet could take in a regular diesel pump nozzle and not the narrow ones only. Have to hunt for these specifically while filling. They have provided a converter but the hassle and the dripping of diesel and the smell that lingers on in it is not worth it.
• The air deflector underneath the front bumper is the lowest point on the car. It grates and squeaks on some rough patches. Although it hasn’t broken as of now there is a possibility. I guess it could be deleted.
• Boot Space: If you know how to pack it will swallow an enormous amount of luggage. Airport Runs with Hard Box Luggage is another story. Road Trips with duffels and soft luggage is not a problem.
• Mud Flaps: The OEM Mud Flaps (especially the front) kept of breaking as also mentioned by many users. Shifted over to a flexible time universal Mud Flap found dirt cheap in Amazon. Working great ever since.

The Ugly::

If I could say one thing Ugly, then it is the choice of 18 inches Wheels with a 225/55 tyre which becomes its Achilles heel. The low sidewall height combined with the tread pattern makes it vulnerable. Also the absence of AT availability in this size in India adds to the woes. The Trailhawk 17inchers should have been here too. I would trade my 18 inchers to anyone with 17.]

Comparison/ VFM:

Unless one owns or regularly drives the JC one cannot understand its driveability, handling and other safety features it has incorporated. There has been a lot of comparison videos and lack of features etc in comparison to other cheaper vehicles available in India but basically its about the gizmos and all. There actually isn’t another comparable vehicle here except may be the XUV 500 AWD AT or more likelt the Tuscon AWD AT or the Tiguan AT AWD or Subaru Forester(Not available in India) . Noone compares the robust built quality, the safety features and the driving ergonomics and the handling. Established sedans seems difficult to handle after driving this vehicle.

It may be expensive in comparison to many similar sized vehicles available in India, but I feel it is worth the money if you are into serious long distance travelling and want a no nonsense well handling medium sized vehicle which will take you from A to B safely and with less fatigue and has an AWD for those unforeseen events en route . (Not for offroading)

Service Centre ASS here at Siliguri (Nearest) and Guwahati have been very cooperative and helpful.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I find Compass A-pedal a bit cramped, placed too close to the B-pedal and should have been placed few cms towards right.

BHPian Mr.Independent recently shared this with other  enthusiasts.

Hi Folks,

I own a model S 4x4 Diesel-auto.

Off late, I am getting a bit of knee pain especially after a long journey(recent journey being my trip to Sikkim/Darjeeling from Odisha and back, roughly 2.8k kms covered in 10 days).

Even though I tried to use cruise control on the straight highways as long as possible, but that would not account for more than 25/30 % of the total length as the above mentioned trip involved quite a lot winding ghat-roads/ internal city-roads and someone has to juggle through the A/B pedals to navigate the car effectively through these and that I think has taken a toll on my knee.

Couple of my observations around the driving ergonomics/comfort in Compass:

• I find Compass A-pedal a bit cramped, placed too close to the B-pedal and should have been placed few cms towards right(maybe due to lack of real estate in that footwell area?), due to which knee always stay a bit more bent which otherwise would have been comfortable if stayed less bent/a bit more straight. Even after tweaking the seat/thigh height settings, I simply don't able to achieve the best possible combo to comfort my knees(Mind you i am not that tall and an average height person- around 5'8'')
• I also think one ought to press the A-pedal a bit too hard to get the car going especially in quick overtakes or to attain highway cruising speed(e.g.90-100) from standstill or sub-10/20kph speeds (thanks to Compass's dimwitted throttle response).

Does anyone else observe/feel the same and find the accelerator pedal maybe a bit on harder side for Diesel Compass?

N.B.- In the same road trip, I got a chance to drive a Toyota Fortuner of my cousin(who were also part of the same trip) for a good 100+ kms and surprisingly A-pedal ergonomics were just spot on and have enough rooms for my right leg to be comfortably placed around and also the throttle is quick responsive to the inputs which makes the overall long drives less fatigued/more enjoyable. Just wondering if it's the same case with other bigger(read higher seating position) rides too and if anyone else who has driven/compared SUVs like T-fortuner, Scorpio-N, XUV-700 able to agree on my above observation about Compass.

Here's what BHPian bullitt1had to say on the matter:

Incidentally, my brother has the same two issues after using the same variant for couple of months. The pedals are surely closely spaced, more apparent in manual with an additional pedal. On top of it, the dead pedal is placed at an awkward angle. I drive Longitude manual variant and always felt the same. In my other car, Ecosport AT I feel pedals are reasonably spaced.

On the seat adjustment, I felt in S due to electric adjustment, the seat adjusts differently compared to my car. Manually, the seat moves up and front together diagonally. While in S, the base kind of rotates with back as centre.

On the throttle response, some part is to be blamed on box tuning. In manual, slightest of pedal input pushes the car forward.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Not so superb on the road in between the city and the village: the highway. You need to chill and let the Cretas and Dzires pass.

BHPian R.Daroga recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

5000 kms ownership experience of the Jimny Alpha MT:

• A throttle is a mandatory accessory to have. Any make, any model, just stick it in auto mode and the Jimny feels alive again. Don't know what took me this long to get one. Also don't understand why Maruti wouldn't give this kind of a throttle map as standard from the factory? Nobody would've called this car underpowered had they done that.
• Superb in the city with its perfect dimensions and pothole gobbling abilities.
• Superb in the villages on broken and kuccha roads.
• Not so superb on the road in between the city and the village: the highway. You need to chill and let the Cretas and Dzires pass. Very comfortable doing a 100-110 cruise. Feels strained and a bit out of shape beyond that.
• Narrow seat squab, narrow footwell, sitting very close to the window, no place to rest your right elbow. It all leads to stiff bodies after just a 2 hours+ drive. I'm broad framed.
• Not a 5 seater. Not even 4 adults and 1 kid.
• Ample luggage space for 4 people going on a weekend trip.
• All in all, an extremely capable and fun car to have for a nuclear family. By no stretch of imagination is it underpowered or overpriced. Maruti service is affordable. Suzuki reliability is bulletproof. It's just a happy place to be behind the wheel of a Jimny

More smiles per hour!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

After driving for around 50 kms, noticed that the AC cooling gradually kept decreasing and the fan speed reduced.

BHPian naveen.raju recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

AC Issue - Fixed:

Have been experiencing occasional issues with the AC for quite sometime. This was reported earlier and also by few BHPians as well. BHPian Blacknwyte had the same issue as mine and he got it fixed.

Here are the scenarios that I faced:

Couple of years back, on one hot afternoon when I took the car after parking outside, I noticed that the AC wasn’t cooling. I had to drive around 30 kms and the AC failed to work. Suspected that the gas leaked. On the way back, I took it to a nearby garage and got the AC gas filled. It worked fine for a year.

I had a drive to Kuttikanam on Dec 2022. This time the scenario was different. After driving for around 50 kms, noticed that the AC cooling gradually kept decreasing and the fan speed reduced. The blower sound was there but the air output kept decreasing. Eventually, on full blast the air was very less and cooling was almost nil. Stopped the car and noticed an ice buildup on the AC discharge hose. Drove to a nearby restaurant for a break and waited for the ice buildup to melt. After 10 mins, the ice disappeared and the AC was back to normal.

For short commutes to office, the AC worked fine but there’s this hissing sound whenever the AC is switched on for the first time. BHPian Blakcnwyte and Yajaman had this issue. Also, for any long drives (more than 50 kms), the cooling gradually reduced. I normally keep the temp at 22 or 24 but in this case, I had bring it down to 20 or even lower.

Knew it was time to get this rectified and almost confirmed on replacing the evaporator coil. Since it involved removing the dashboard, I didnt want to try any 3rd party garages so took it straight to HASS. They needed 24 hours to get the AC leakage test done and the next day they confirmed that it was AC discharge pipe that needs to be replaced (there was a leakage). Got the car the next day.

Cost Split:

• Discharge hose - 1014
• Compressor oil - 47
• Refrigerant - 614
• Labor and AC leak test - 2145
• Total - 4616 including tax

It’s been 4 days now and it’s been working fine with no hissing sound and AC cools relatively well. I keep the temperature at 23 and it’s cool enough. Waiting for a long drive to check on its performance. Will keep it posted.

The damaged hose:

New hose:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I live in West Bengal, and unfortunately here cops are targeting private number plate vehicles.

BHPian sbanerjee recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello folks. I tried to search the forum but seems this topic is not discussed. I live in West Bengal, and unfortunately here cops are targeting private number plate vehicles, as in normal vehicle types driven by most of us, for election duty. With SUV craze of the Indian buyers, now a days many of us owns SUVs or MUVs with 5+ seats. And cars like Scorpio, Fortuner, Ertiga, Carens etc are a hot target. Here they are stopping you left right and centre if you are an owner of such vehicle on the road. It doesn't matter if it is self driven, having family members or sick person on board or night or day. The cops here are issuing requisition slips, snatching away your licence or RC as collateral and you have to turn up for election duty.

The purpose of this post is, I want to know how this works out in other states? Also what options we have on our side to refuse, and not hand over our new SUVs for the dance of democracy.

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

MANDATORY DISCLAIMER: This is MY PERSONAL OPINION and I am not responsible for any consequences thereof. Please consider these as suggestions only.

Legit question requires a response. Most of my opinions are 'jugaad' options. Any suggestion that works is called a 'solution'.

Rent a car if you can do without the vehicle for the duration of this 'dance of democrazy';

Use Digilocker/MParivahan for license and RC.

Accept the requisition slip, 'agree' and do the 'bunk'; inefficiency is almost always impossible to prove; (If one political party 'issues' such a 'requisition', try and acquire a similar counter from an opposing political party, even if it means driving to, and parking in front of, their office)

If you have a trusted workshop (not 'authorised' workshop), ask the workshop to keep vehicle in their garage with (a) the engine out of the engine bay; or (b) the drive shaft on the floor; or (c) any other shenanigan that makes the vehicle 'currently unusable'. The workshop needs plausible deniability;

If you have parking space that can be hidden from passers-by, use a car cover. (Actually this may work if none of your neighbours are nosy-parking political hacks);

Send the car to any f(r)iend who lives two states away (since cops seem to only target within-state private vehicles).

Please use caution and a bucket of salt (kosher or non-kosher) if considering any of the above as a possible solution.

Drive safe.

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

Woah!!!

Have heard of cars being called for election duty during the Ambassador days, but in 2024 !!!!!

Don't the government have enough vehicles or as per new norms rent yellow board cars for long term? Why bother with the private property of ordinary citizens?

I believe you can refuse to give you vehicle, but not sure how it will work out in practice.

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

It is difficult for people here in the north or western parts of India to imagine that such kind of things still happen in India. Our election ‘harassment’ is usually limited to being bombarded with ads on radio and social media, roads and intersections being defaced with banners and road closures whenever senior netajis are to arrive for rallies. Bengal is perhaps the only part of India that has actually regressed over time. Sad, for it was the richest and most progressive part of India at the time of independence.

Goes to show that it is ultimately the public who is responsible for the people they elect into power and the policies they then promulgate.

Here's what BHPian anjan_c2007 had to say on the matter:

The best alternatives as daily drivers during such phases would be:-

• Switch over to a vintage car.
• Use a Tata Nano (624cc engine) that seats 4 and has almost no luggage space.
• Maruti 800 (old SS80/SB 308 pre 2014)

Under Section 160 of the Representation of People Act, 1951, a District Authority viz. The District Collector is empowered to requistion public property (movable and immovable) for emergency measures.

They commonly misuse this privilege where normally, only after all public property options to requisition for duties have been exercised, private property requisitions need to be made. Such requisitions can be made during elections and during natural and manmade disasters in public interest. Blatant misuse of the proviso has come up in the courts where many court judgments exist quashing or setting aside such orders of the District Authorities.

This time many such incidents will come to the fore as countless goverment/PSU/local self government body vehicles older than 15 years have been compulsorily deregistered all over India since April 2022. Hence with new purchases from these bodies as replacements are moving at a snails pace we can forsee many incidents. One such government department here had nearly 45 vehicles of which only four are left. The district authorities normally met their needs with the government/PSU/ local self government vehicles of which they had a list which they used every year to get hundreds of these for election work. The picture is very different in 2024 due to Gadkari's Ministry notifying deregistration of 15 year plus vehicles.

Professionals like doctors, nurses, lawyers and others engaged in emergency and essential duties (includes even office goers) and those having ailing dependents to look after can always assert their rights and desist such coloured misuse of delegated discretionary powers by the concerned.

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

Well, just few months after I bought the Grand Vitara in 2007, I faced a similar situation in Udupi, during the 2008 state elections. There were instances where SUVs like Scorpio/Safari being snatched. But they mainly focused on 7-seater SUVs and not 5-seaters.

But that practice went away after that. Parties realised it angered people a lot, the backlash was not worth it during the election.

Here's what BHPian ABHI_1512 had to say on the matter:

First things first, private cars can be requisitioned for poll purposes but only after the option of using government and commercial vehicles are fully exhausted. The rule is applicable for every state of India and not only West Bengal.

The problem is, the dependency of the transport sector on commercial vehicles across the state of West Bengal and that is why private vehicles are also requisitioned some times as a stop gap measure, specially in the rural areas or suburbs of the city. But one can always have a way out if any private car is requisitioned.

One can apply to the local district election office and state the reasons of how it will impact your daily life without the vehicle. It can be done proactively as well as after the vehicle has been requisitioned. In fact, there is a judgement from Calcutta High Court as well that vehicles can't be forcibly taken for election duties, I don't remember the year but it has happened some years ago. This requisition of private cars did happen at one point of time, but I have not seen these things happen in and around Calcutta for long now, certainly not after owners have applied for relief.

Also, vehicles are usually requisitioned along with drivers only. An owner driven car is hardly used if the owner can show adequate proof of not having a driver. Commercial cars are usually taken and from what I know, private cars are hardly needed now.

So, Dear Sir, if you are still paranoid about your car being forcibly taken over, please make an application and state the reasons for not being able to part with your car before the DEC and that should do. However, if you ask me, I will wait till a requisition notice comes to me !!

P.S- I don't know which part of Bengal you reside in but this requisition will not happen if you are in Calcutta or in any major city of West Bengal. The cities or major towns have enough commercial vehicles now to cater to the Election Commission. But in the unfortunate situation, do apply to the DEC for relief.

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

I stay pretty close to W.B. border and keep going that side. I was stopped once, the legislative assembly election was scheduled.

Some magistrate / SDO stopped my SUV and wanted to seize it for election duty.

I said to him, very humbly - Sir, I may appear like a driver, but I am not, I am driving my own white plate SUV with my own family. My SUV is black in color (usually, taxis are not in black), so please excuse me and I will not come to W.B. till elections are over.

Even this time, I am supposed to go to W.B. for a wedding, will take my car this time, instead of my SUV, will not take a chance.

Something funny, yet relevant happened few years back. I was stopped for checks (mostly cash) and on not finding anything, they noted my SUV details and asked me to drop 2 police personnel at the local P.S. I requested them to hop in. On reaching there, I was informed that my SUV is seized. I was lucky that I was in my native jurisdiction, so one phone call later, I was released.

In Bihar, they mostly seize Bolero / Scorpio, no other SUV's.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Dealer got a shipment and the sensor was not present in the shipment. Now this was really shocking.

BHPian athray9 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Skoda makes amazing cars but are backed by a poor management team. I would like to share the experiences we went through with the entire ownership of our car since the booking.

Jan 2022 - Booked the car and we were told it would get delivered in about 3 months.

April 2022 - Did not get the allocation yet.

August 2022 - Got an allocation and got it delivered in the same month.

September 2022 - Passenger Airbag was always turned off, then we came to know that it comes turned off from factory and that the technicians need to turn it on during PDI and they failed to do so, now this could've been fatal had my dad not discovered it.

23rd November 2022 - The car had been amazing during the first 3 months of ownership with about 3000 kms on the odo with a trip -> Chennai-Trichy-Namakkal-Karur-Chennai. Just when we reached home, the check engine light turns on.

24th November 2022 - The car goes to the Service center in Guindy Industrial Estate.

27th November 2022 - Technicians had run the diagnosis and sent it to Skoda India. Skoda India came back with a response that the fuel pump sensor had failed which was the reason for the check engine light. But it was a sensor failure, so Skoda India had advised the technicians to re-calibrate the sensor and that would fix the problem. The technician told me that the problem would be fixed tomorrow and that I can pick the car tomorrow morning.

28th November 2022 - I reached the showroom at about 9:30AM, the technician says they test drove the car and the check engine light came up again. Now this happened at about 11AM. So this infuriated us since they made us come all the way to pick the car up and then inform us this issue. Then they told us they can give us a loaner car which is a 1.0 Kushaq M/T. But in-order to get the approval for the loaner, I had to wait for another 4 hours. After all the wait, I finally got a Kushaq as the loaner. We were informed that the sensor would arrive in another two weeks.

14th December 2022 - Sensor was supposed to arrive today. Dealer got a shipment and the sensor was not present in the shipment. Now this was really shocking. Not sure if it was really missing or if it was some made up story.

24th December 2022 - It's been one month without a car that was just 3 months old with 3000kms and no signs of the sensor being delivered. My dad escalated the issue and the response from Skoda India was this " Sir we have provided you a with a Skoda Kushaq loaner". Really disappointed with their reply and they sensed it, so they offered us extended warranty at free of cost for what we were going through. But what is the point of having extended warranty is the car is not going to be with us, since we can't even see the sensor arriving even after a month?

27th December 2022 - Got a call from the dealer that the sensors have been delivered and then they will only come and deliver the car to our house.

28th December 2022- We got the car delivered in our house with a bill of about Rs.500 for fuel. We had given the car with about 1/4th of fuel but they had to do many test runs with the car which emptied the fuel and the person delivering the car had fueled the car and gave us the receipt. After making us go through everything for a month, they give us a recipe of Rs.500? But at least we were happy that the problem was resolved.

So we learnt a lot from this:

• Skoda cars (not the PQ or MQB AO-IN platform ones, but more of MQB and MQB EVO) are amazing and are very comparable to the big 3 luxury germans.
• If your Skoda car runs without any problems, it would be such an amazing buy without any issues and you can literally shame the big 3 luxury germans interns of equipment, performance and comfort for a lot less money, I used to find it really comparable to my X3 in many ways.
• The problem is with Skoda India management and with some Skoda dealers (not all of them).

The car is now 2.5 years old with about 15000 kms and touch wood we have not faced any issues and has been a wonderful ownership experience. I really hope your issues are fixed and you also enjoy the cars like us. Kindly demand Skoda India for extended warranty since they put you through this ordeal on a brand new car.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.