Jul 09, 2004 06:20 PM
11922 Views
(Updated Sep 14, 2006 07:34 AM)
30000km reached: No increase in body rattles . Fuel consumption actually better because I only get diesel from a trustworthy fuel pump. One tip you will be a very happy owner of an Indigo if you don't accept a car with JK tyres. I still had a puncture a few days back( today 14th September 2006) and sure enough there was no nail . The tube was JK . I have got all the tubes replaced for peace of Mind.
2500 Kilometers in a Tata Indigo.Updated at 24000kms If you got the impression that this refers to one long journey then let me correct that. This was done in about 2 months starting May 30th( today's date July 9th 2004). If like us you owned a Japanese make then let me assure you romance and adventure are back into your lives. This is specially a good buy for families with children born in the 80s or 90s when Marutis became the de facto standard. Boring cars - bulbs would not fuse for years, even tyres would rarely puncture. For cars like the Zen no body noise would appear even after years of service. In fact we had got so used to the boredom of possessing a Zen that we did not want the excitement that frequent car troubles bring into ones lives. That is why we took over 3 months to venture to buy an Indigo. The reasons were the same as everyone else's - much better seating positions, much more space. We purchased a diesel model(LX) from VASU automobiles in Meerut. This account is a straight forward description of what happened and I am blaming nobody. In fact I am all praise for the staff at Vasu for tackling a situation which I am sure is not very rare. What prompted us to buy an Indigo, was a total stranger from whom we inquired about the reliability of the car. I have never before met such an enthusiastic owner . That is why we now possess an Indigo. 7 days after taking delivery we ventured to drive down to Delhi a distance of about 70 Kms. Reached safely, thank you but the Air Conditioner would not work. Then I noticed the engine temp was above normal. On the way back to Meerut we stopped at VASU. They promptly topped up the coolant with about 1 litre of coolant and said it was possible that one of the cooling fans failed to operate. There was no further heating problem until the next trip to Delhi on the 12th, this time the topping was done by Nipun Motors near Ghaziabad. The total coolant was more than had been put in the Zen in 7 years. However to cut things short it was finally determined that this was a serious engine problem and since we were still below the running in distance the engine could be replaced . Once this conclusion was reached we were impressed by the speed of all concerned and on the 23rd of June the engine was replaced. We have no other complaints on that account. However the story is not complete This we feel is more *serious. On one the visits to Vasu( 8th June approx. 600 Kms total distance) one security person pointed out that one tyre was flat. So they very graciously changed it at Vasu. On taking the tyre tube to the puncture repair shop we were told there was no nail the main joint of the tube had leaked. As you know this is a common fault in low quality tubes, one keeps away from these specially during north Indian summer months. I must mention the make of the tyres they are JK Tyres . My advice is keep away from any unit which has these fitted. I say this as it happened again. This time in Delhi near Wazirabad Bridge around 8:30 am( rush hour). This one I will never forgive the Tatas for. We almost got late for my daughter's interview at St. Stephens College. Every word of this can be checked out at VASU Automobiles( great people by the way). Now it is routine for me to check the tyres every half an hour or so. With power steering one can go on driving without knowing that there is a puncture. Sometime during all this we were asked to contact the JK Tyres Service Engineer who inspected all the tubes and said there was'nothing wrong with the tubes' and yes I could quote him. That it was OK to suffer punctures in 2 out of 5 tyres within less than 1500 Kms. Correction - now at 4000 plus it is three. So you can imagine what it is to have a new car and not know when a puncture will happen. And I believed that punctures were a rarity now. Some other commentsThere is definitely a problem with 3rd gear ratios. One uses that in the town between a speed on 20 to 40 kms. The 3rd gear is almost redundant at that speed. One has to go to second. More 3rd September 2004. The car has still not crossed 5000km. Still I want to share some more views with readers. I did a considerable amount of'finding out' about *other diesel cars/Suvs. So I am just putting that on record. A close friend had some things to tell us about a Scorpio they had purchased. On a trip to Agra and back they stopped to have tea . They got back into the Scorpio. . And it would get out of reverse gear. They talked to both Agra and Delhi agents and each had some excuse about providing repairs. The thing was towed to Meerut. And here it took a complete change in gear box to get it back on the road. It did not finish here. It kept breaking the the left front shock absorber . They had to replace the entire Chassis for that. . They are lucky. I also heard about someone whose oil drained out in a Fiat Uno . . And . they never got the engine replaced. So this is a definite plus. The number of reliable workshops Tatas have. Perhaps as many as Maruti. Regarding punctures: Invariably the Maruti owners could barely remember punctures. One actually said that he had 1 in 8 years . Our experience with the Zen. was 4 or 5 in 7 years. What kind of quality control do Maruti Suzuki have? 3 punctures in less than 4500Km does not seem to surprise the Indica/Indigo dealers.* In conclusion: If you buy a new car to get the new car feeling then I am quite certain you will be disappointed with any Tata Car. I have seen a car with a yellow paper number plate( means brand new car) come in for a fuel pump replacement. 24000kms: Most of the unpleasant experiences have been forgotten . Had a puncture about a week back . Was expecting the'rattle level' to increase by this time . The car still is fairly silent except for the murmur of the diesel - which I personally like. That may not be liked by many with more genteel preferences. Its precision steering and rock steady road-holding is always a delight. Pros:Great space. Very comfortable seating position. Very good suspension and steering. **Cons: Reliability could improve. Noisy and clunky gear shift. Low acceleration in 3rd gear below 50 km.
