I owned a TATA Safari Dicor 2005 model( bought Nov 2005;) till April 2010. Following are my observations during the ownership. 1. The clutch was very heavy- probably rectified in the newer models which I never tried. Severe back pain occoured while driving the vehicle in traffic- also the gear ratio was such that it needed frequent gear changes.
I fitted foglamps(my model was LX) additionally from the Concorde Ambattur showroom- which fell out during Highway driving which I later fixed using m-seal
Vehicle came with DICOR decals missing on both sides, never attended by dealer or the tata regional office- finally bought them and fixed for 750 RS(bought them)
Once the ECU fuse got blown and vehicle stopped in the middle of the road. Left the vehicle 2 days at the dealership for rectifying – studying the problem.
Braking not effective for such a big and heavy car.
Excessive wind noise at Highway speeds.- conversation inside the car is inaudible.
Steering knocking sound- common on TATA vehicles- very annoying.
Plastics – A trim; B trim etc kept on breaking- replaced several of them.
Power window packed up- had to replace the whole unit.- about 4000 rs
The left side passenger seat kept on falling down. Had to bang it several times.
Same with the remote fuel flap. After filling fuel and move away it will swing open. Special skill needed for closing it.
Tail door rattling- very irritating. Finally fixed with some paper and fevicol.
Illumination provided by the fog lamp is very poor and waste of fitting it.
On a Highway trip to Kanyakumari(after the periodical service) the clutch fluid leaked away and could not change the gear, finally drove 40 kms on second gear to Trichy. VST Trichy attended it and had to stay one night in Trichy for repairs. Still the problem persisted_ not a good job by Trichy guys finally Concorde ECR guys fixed it.
Finally sold the vehicle.
I sincerely request TATA motors to keep the above things in mind when they launch the Aria. Customer satisfaction is utmost important. Pricing the vehicle cheap and then earning in way of spares is not a good idea. Reliability is utmost important. Hope TATA will rectify small issues in future and sell better Quality vehicles. Also launch Good petrol engines( for TATA Safari or Aria) as they are very useful for people drive less and cleaner for the environment. Very special attention to be made to the spares suppliers to ensure the best quality spares are supplied, esp Rubber and plastics.
many thanks for your time
Thanks
Victor Johnson