May 01, 2007 04:01 PM
11265 Views
(Updated Jun 08, 2007 06:42 PM)
The car is nothing but a hype and an extra expense. I will go here a little technical and step wise. First the body/Chassis. Though looks good from outside but has an extemely rough finish at a lot of points from inside the car, for instance the trunk or what we generally call the dikki. The Fog lights have glasses that protrude out of the regular line of the bumper thus I lost both the fog lights to a slight touch of a rock. One light will cost you Rs. 1100 plus tax and labor for fitting them. Now adding to this the length of the seat belts is very less as if Mr. TATA is going to save millions out of shortening the length of the seat belt. It becomes very difficult for a tall and a broad person to first use this short seat belt as in my case. now after I tuck in the seat belt my movement becomes so restricted that I cannot pick up anything from the dash board. Sorry forgot to mention that I have one more indica.
The other one is a 2000 DLS. The leg space at the driver’s seat in the new turbo is lesser than the older models and the seat/chair movement is lesser as compared to the old models. Now the plastic lining that covers the car body right above the types also sometimes called the fendor lining or fendor plastic, comes out within 3 to 4 months and touches the tire. this finally results into wearing of the plastic lining.
The major problem with the car lies with the AC. The cut out used is from Lucas. Now this cutout cut in and out your ac about 4 to 5 times in a minute. Now this is a known problem in the car but TATA does not seem to recognize it. Though during normal driving this will not affect much but the affect on engine RPM can be seen while driving in a heavy traffic area when the engine suddenly looses and gains RPM thereby one needs to adjust the pressure on the accelerator. I took the car to the showroom. The cutout was replaced and the problem was gone. But only for a few days (2 weeks to be precise). Alas it was back. Now one of the people I know who works at Lucas states. This is a known problem with the cutout so will not be solved by replacing or adjusting the setting. Average of the car is not what the company claims. It claims a good 16-17 KMPL but the vehicle gives and average of only 13 to 14. The gear box vibrations as compared to Palio or Swift diesel are tremendous and can be felt and the gear stick while changing gears. The power steering seemed to be manual after driving swift and palio.
My experience with the service has been pathetic. The complains I have told the service ppl have never been looked after though the car was serviced beyond my expectations but minor problems were never taken care of. I though have a lot to write here but have to go. I purchased the second Indica because the first one was absolutely a beauty. This is nothing but a piece of junk. My told box was taken out in the third service and has never been replaced till date. A fine cigarette lighter and my keychain were taken out while servicing the car. TATA has yet to go miles before it reaches customer satisfaction. These idiots should have an instant online feedback.
Guys I forgot to add this. The cover that is on the gear stick is held to the plastic body between two front seats by a plastic ring. This ring broke in the first month of the purchase and the dealer did not replace it. I had to buy this plastic ring from a local spare parts shop for Rs. 35( as far as I remember). But when it was broken I picked up the cover to have a peek inside and the finishing there was horrible.
Update*
*As I was in a hurry last time I forgot a few things. Also a recent happening is being quoted here.
As soon as I bought the car everything was o.k. then the fourth day I went to my cousin’s shop and got a Sony system fitted. When I came back that evening I parked the car & turned off the ignition. To my surprise the stereo system was still on even after taking out the key. Next day the first thing I did was took the car to the shop to check if the technician had directly connected the system to the battery power but it was o.k. Then I took the car to the TATA showroom and there it was detected that the ignition lock would be changed. After much debated the all the locks were changed except the lock in the dashboard.
The second recent happening (May 8th 2007). I was on my way back from Delhi when suddenly I opened the power window to throw something out and the power window on the non driver's side got stuck. It would not move but the motor was moving. I arrived in Jaipur at 4.45 PM and took the car straight to TATA service center and there the tech opened the door lining and just touched the mechanism and said this needs a replacement. The replacement cost Rupees 3250 plus labor. Shocked I went to my friend’s garage who is authorized service person for Maruti. His dentor Mohammad opened the mechanism. Now, right on the motor was mounted a small winding and unwinding mechanism which is kept in place my by metal cover. This cover is screwed over the winding mechanism my three screws. All he did was put those screws in place and the power window was up and running, Mohammad told me this is a known problem with power window in Indica. Pictures of this mechanism and the screws are attached with this review.
