1. I will update the ‘Mouthshut’ community about my experience with the Tata Safari TCIC over a period of five years and 1, 13, 000 KM. I continue to be a totally satisfied owner and am very happy with the vehicle. What I am really disappointed with is the service quality of Tata Motors. I have said before and I reiterate that Tata Service centres do not understand the ‘Quality’ part and believe that the vehicle owner should be happy just because they are there and not expect them to understand/repair any defects.
Correct diagnosis of problems is beyond the capability of their service centres/staff. I have been told to get the radiator changed when the fault was with the radiator cap, have the dashboard removed when leaves and dirt had accumulated outside near to the AC intake vents, told that gearbox needed to be overhauled when they themselves had filled incorrect quantity of oil in it. Luckily for me, in neither of the said case did I pay heed to them and finally rectified the faults myself. So much for their ‘Competence’ (or the lack of it).
2. I will not dwell upon the basic characteristics of the vehicle as I have already written about it in my earlier review but write about the maintenance and the costs of ownership that have been incurred during this period.
3. The vehicle has been very cheap to maintain and has not caused any grief. It has been taken to the most inhospitable terrain under the harshest conditions and used in places where roads exist only on paper and has never let me down. The vehicle has been serviced in accordance with the manufacturers recommendations only at the Tata Authorised service stations. The only additional thing done is that I always add ‘System D’ whenever I fill fuel and only fill branded diesel (Speed/TurboJet/Xtramile). The cost of maintenance (to include minor running repairs as replacement of brake discs/pads/shoes+routine services and consumables like tyres and battery etc) over this period worked out to less than One Rupee per Km.
4. At the end of one lakh thirteen thousand KMs, I continue to be an extremely happy owner. The vehicle still runs as a dream and and still has no rattles or squeaks from any part and it still floats over broken roads. It has not warranted any work on the engine/gearbox/clutch/electricals etc and bears testimony to the robustness of the design. I cannot say the same for the after sales services though. They are ‘Very Poor’ at best. There are a few service stations which I have found to be very good, One in Ahmedabad (Bacha Motors) and One in Ernakulam (Manikandan Auto). The others are sheer hopeless. Having used the vehicle and lived in different states, I had to try out numerous places and have arrived at the conclusion that these two are the best if you are a Tata Car owner and want to maintain it well. I prefer to have my vehicle serviced only at these places. So, would I recommend a Safari to anyone. A BIG YES. Go ahead and buy it, the vehicle is very good, but, at the same time, be prepared to be totally disappointed by the service centres. My advice, find a good authorized service centre and stick to it. Do not go to roadside garages as the quality of spares and the validation of work carried out will always be suspect. Happy Driving, will update once I log on more kilometers.