Although knowing the sierra is
out of production I purchased this vehicle. Initial responses form near and
dear ones " *why this vehicle! "?. *
WHY DID I BUY SIERRA?: Well I purchased it because I wanted to
buy a car for myself and in limited budget. I wanted to buy a car
1.which has good personality
2.which is comfortable
3.which is Good for long distances
4.which is easy for some modification
5.Which I can move around in style and still not look heppy and jazzy
6.Which will suit me I am 93 Kgs and 5.10 tall
7.Not expensive on maintenance
And yes Sierra
suits all the Expectations perfectly.
ABOUT MY SIERRA: *
I should be Lucky to buy this sierra, It was owned by a friend of mine. He had
maintained in really good condition.
Type: Standard(Non-turbo)
Diet: Ordinary diesel+ System D
Nutrient: Castrol CRB+ or Shell RIMULA " D " type 15W40 oil.
Supplement:WRUTH Engine flush( used at oil change)
The feelings felt after buying my Sierra.
Day 1: Slightly disheartened about near and dear ones comments.
Day 2: Took the car for a drive within my area. This is my first
car and the first time I am driving a big vehicle.
Day 3: Familiarized with the Electrical fuses and the various
oil levels in the engine bay.
Day 4: Went out for a long drive, took the Chennai by-pass and once
in the open road the feeling I got driving was really great I was doing about
75kmph. Suspension is great. Got that floating feel.
Day 5: Confidence level up by 200%, morale boosted up by 500%.
Day 6: Took the car inside peak hour traffic. Power steering is ablessing.
*Maneuvering this mammoth is not difficult as it seems.
*From Day
7. Till date
there is no turning back or regrets.*
Now my sierra has
become an extended part of me.I feel at home behind the wheel rather than
actually sitting at home and watching the tube.
Some Maintenance tips I would like to give in my experience.These are purely
my personal suggestions / experiences I have undergone.( These are what I am
following till date please correct me if I am making a mistake somewhere)
1. Maintain correct tyre pressure - I maintain 33 psi
2.Wheel alignment checking every 5000 kms or whenever any suspension /
wheel bearing related work is done in the vehicle.
3.Tyre
rotation every 5000 kms.
4.Battery check every 2500 kms.
5.Oil change every 5000 kms.
6.Diesel, oil, air filter changes every 5000 kms.
7.Underbody water wash, all grease points greased and suspension
related and other bushes in underbody oil sprayed every 1500kms.
8.I regularly use SYSTEM-D with diesel @ 1ml per liter of diesel.
9Please attend to any minor rattling/squeaking sounds immediately.
10.Please maintain the chassis in very good condition any tinkering
needed if done immediately and properly will save you a lot of trouble
and money.(I have seen some sierras with holes on the running board or
worse holes on the lower side of the doors too )
if you ask him about maintenance he will definitely say it is costly to
maintain a sierra b'cos the tinkerer would have given him a higher quote
considering the condition of the vehicle.(it is the steel thats is costly not
the maintenance boss!)
11.Some electrical problems will arise - Mainly the relays will create
a problem .rationally thinking considering the age of the car the relay must
have lived its life and needs a replacement but some electrical
mechanics will try to repair it and use it -please change any blown relay or
fuses.
11.a.In Chennai I see quite a lot of sierras in local garages(rather
than TATA authorized service station) I too maintain my vehicle with my local
garage guy. What I have noticed is that the electricians have the habit of
winding a piece of wire on the blown fuse( the amperage the "new"
wire can sustain is much larger than the original in the fuse)So now the fuse
does not blows, but the part associated to it blows / gets burnt.-Please
insist your electrician to fix only new fuses. Better carry a few of 20
Amps rated in your glove box.
now again the maintenance will seem higher because the electrical part is
costlier than the proper amps rated fuse.
11.b. I get the fuse box and carriers in my sierra cleaned and
wiring checked every 6 months. I had experienced molten fuses stuck to the fuse
box permanently.
12.*Spares are not at all a problem guys believe me .I know a guy
who rebuilt his sierra from scrap and it is in showroom condition now.
ALL SPARES are AVAILABLE.
COMMENTS
I feel that ride quality and
comfort is far better than most vehicles in it's class, though its not as quick
when compared to current gen diesel engines but I feel that the vehicle has
enough power and pep for comfortable journeys. **With proper regular
maintenance this car will be your best friend.** The interiors are bland not
a bit exciting though.
Sierra had come in the scene way before India was ready for it,
No other vehicle at that time** had power steering / power windows / company fitted
air con as standard / tiltable steering / rpm meter. And the 3-door design was way ahead the styling we had
seen. So the family man/common man thought it is not for him and never bought
it. So the great mammoth never went into the good books of the common masses,
So it was considered a failure / flop model.
BUT THE REALITY IS THAT THERE IS NO OTHER VEHICLE LIKE SIERRA
