--------------------------------- Updated: 07-Jun-2006 ---------------------------------
It has started raining in Chennai. Happened to experience the first of the showers inside my Marina. Could see from fog building up in the rear screen. Decided to try out the de-fogger and put it on for about 5 minutes before putting it off. The next day morning my watchman cried out to me to say that the rear screen is all broken. Rushed down to find that the entire glass has been turned into small pieces of glass (like a honey comb). Couldnt find any hit spots in the glass. The only thing that struck me is the de-fogger on the previous day. Being a sunday, couldnt do much. Took the vehicle on Monday to the dealer (Concorde) and told him the story. Post careful scrutiny, the service guy asked me what needs to be done. I told him the entire story and also updated him on the use of the de-fogger. He suspected the de-fogger to be the problem and enquired whether he could replace this under Insurance. On my denial, since this was not an accident but an operational problem, I requested him to cover this under warranty. Without any hesitation, he requested me to leave the vehicle and promised to replace the screen withn a couple of days. As promised got delivery of the vehicle yesterday and was too pleased with the service (especially when I would have otherwise had to take my wife out for dinner in an auto on our anniversary) and the delivery as per committed times. My thanks to Mr. Gnanasekharan of QRS in Concorde.
--------------------------------- Updated: 27-Mar-2006 --------------------------------- The problem reported by me earlier got resolved. The back seat not getting locked to the latch was because the seat belt was stuck under the seat leading to mis-allignment of the seat position by a few mm. The switch light in the power window button started working on its own. Not quite sure how. Otherwise nothing more to add. Vehicle is doing good and not faced any problems so far. The car still attracts public attention :-) The blaukpunt system and speakers lacks the Bass punch. I was told that oval speakers that have better bass effect cannot be fitted in the marina due to the design of the in-built speaker cabinet. Hence have to settle for round small speakers. I’m not bothered much about this since I anyway plan to add an amplifier and a subwoofer. --------------------------------- Updated: 07-Mar-2006 --------------------------------- Went for a long drive on Sunday along the East Coast Road. Managed to touch 130 kmph without any effort in a short strech. Could have gone further had the road remained clear further. Trying to keep an eye on the mileage this time around. Have filled 14.85 litres of Diesel (Rs. 500/-). The trip meter has crossed 185 Kms with some more diesel to go. I’ll be happy if I complete 200 Kms with this new car. Driving conditions mixed (80 Kms on the east coast road) --------------------------------- Updated: 02-Mar-2006 --------------------------------- It’s been just over a week since I’ve started using this vehicle regularly. So far so good and I’m loving the car. Handling is pretty cool and the power steering does not have any lag. Also the Turbo kicks in when needed and frankly after having driven Maruti for almost 10 years, I dont see any lack of power in this diesel vehicle. I’ve not yet calculated the average and I’ll update this soon. Small Problems: 1) The light on driver window button in the power window console does not seem to be working. Reported the matter to Concorde. The mechanic informed me that the entire panel needs a replacement and the same was being procured from TATA Pune. 2) The rear right seat lock (the lever that holds the seat upright) does not seem to be holding the seat. Will have to report this to the dealer as well. Just managed to check out the space (again) in the rear seat. Found it very very spacious even with the front seats pulled back to the maximum. (I’m loving this as well). Even the width of the seat appears to be more since the seats are pretty straight on the LHS and RHS unlike the other cars which kind of have curved seats at the rear. That’s it for now... So Long........ --------------------------------------------------------------- I’ve just purchased the LX model yesterday from Concorde, Chennai. Went for a long drive within the city of chennai. I’m used to driving Maruti 800 all these years. Took me a while to get used to the wide body for judgement. The dealer although promised to deliver it last week, delivered it late by over a week. Logistics issues I guess. I appreciate the honesty of the sales guy Kumaresan who never made any false promises. Also the delivery procedures were quite smooth and the traditional pooja ceremony was part of the delivery process along with a pack of sweets. The dealer does follow the checklist as prescribed by TELCO and finally ended with a photograph of my family with the car. The Car is a breeze as far as driving is concerned and is a stallion as far as the power is concerned. The Turbo gets activated at around 2 K RPM the vehicle moves like a jet running on the runway for take off. I could easily leave behind a couple of Lancer(s) and Honda(s) The interiors of the LX is quite pleasing but the quality of the plastics and the finish could have been better. Incidently the much publicized bonnet lamp has been discontinued by TATA for want of space for the new Turbo Charging Unit