BHPian RPRIME95 recently shared this with other enthusiasts: 6 months is a long time, but also not? Some stuff has happened since the last time I was here. Not a lot of KMs, but ‘other’ stuff. Let’s dive in, shall we? Low voltage: Immediately post the service were some family trips to Mumbai and back. Drove on Atal Setu for the first time. Car on cruise control at 98kph, showing a RTE of 25kpl and butter smooth on that beautiful tarmac. Had a friend accompany me one time, who is now considering getting one for his long-distance trips. Then it mostly did city duties until we finally arrived at the moment of implosion. My cousin had come to visit, and we were out for dinner. There was valet parking, and the food was scrumptious. Unfortunately, the valet was an old-school driver. Put the headlights in manual ON mode, whereas I usually leave them in Auto all the time. Post dinner went to meet some friends over at Phoenix Viman Nagar, parked in the basement, locked, and walked away. The lights were still on. No audio chime, no warning from the car, and my forgetful self did not look back to check the car like I do most times. Result – Drained battery. This took me down a rabbit hole, which I still fully don’t understand. Came back and found the issue. The car refused to start. Called RSA, which took 50 mins. They jump-started the car and asked me to let it idle for 15-20 minutes. Since I had a 40-minute drive home, I set off in 5 minutes. Arrived home, let the car idle for 15 mins, and thought that was it. Boy, was I wrong. The next day was fine and had no issues. Since I use my bike to commute to work, the car sat idle for a few days. Meanwhile, my paranoid self had already ordered a jump pack (gut feeling about to be proven right), so strut up to the car, sat in, pressed the button, and heard many noises that should not be heard. Tried again, the car just started and immediately died. All the DCT and engine issues from the first batch of Nexons flooded my mind. Pulled out my swanky new jump pack, connected to the battery as instructed, and tried again. The car started without a fuss. No weird noises, no sputtering. Worked fine the whole day. Then a pattern emerged. Anytime the car sat for more than a day, the battery was failing. Started to look for a replacement outside. Rabbit hole split in multiple directions, none of which looked suitable. The manual stated 12V60DIN, alternator capacity was 110Ah. Online videos suggested a 75Ah battery, physical stores told me a 45Ah battery. After struggling with jumping the car for a couple of weeks, I called the nearest battery guy and asked him to come and replace it. Dude arrives on scene, pops the bonnet, looks at the battery, looks at the replacement he got, then throws me a look. I seem to have encountered a confused beaver in the rabbit hole. Bro was flabbergasted, then took some measurements and said he’ll be back (not exactly in Terminator fashion). Arrived 15 mins later with an 80Ah battery, fit perfectly. No engine lights, charging issues, etc, post replacement. If anything, the car seems more eager to start than when it was new. iRA connection issues also seem to have disappeared. Traffic skirmishes and rogue debris: Rains bring out the worst in drivers, especially in Pune. And with the new traffic ‘optimisations’ in place, random people and vehicles appearing has become a common sight. Hasn’t helped Ellie or me. Squids riding Activa’s, Access’ and Jupiter’s have put quite a few scratches on all 4 corners. Thankfully, my mirror cameras have survived, so no expensive replacements are needed. A detailing and ceramic coating session is on the cards. Some highway trips have meant dealing with Indian high-speed (ironic but yes) roads littered with stone debris from trucks of all shapes and sizes. So the bumper and bonnet have taken quite a few hits, not sure if just ceramic coating or buffing/polishing would be of any help. Let’s see how this pans out. I am going to wait until after the rainy season to get this done. Tata Service strikes again: It was time for my first paid service. The true test of Tata’s service capabilities and extortion skills. Safe to say they did disappoint (or did they?) as badly as I thought. The car had completed just over 4000 km since its last service, so it was only a “minor” checkup service. Screenshots below. The total cost came to Rs. 4093, which is quite a bit for a minor service. Noteworthy items as follows – 1. Polish paper for brake cleaning (Charged separately, brake checkup was a different item) 2. Seat coverall for mechanic 3. Laptop scanning and tuning 4. Windshield washer fluid (specifically asked not to include) Refused Tyre Alignment, Balancing, and Rotation as well as AC Cleaning service. Despite selling so many cars now, Tata ASCs are still trying to upcharge customers with unnecessary service items, which increases their turnaround times. And don’t even get me started on their absolutely shoddy washing service. Going to refuse that from now on. Safe to say I am now going to different ASCs in Pune in order to find the best one and then stick to it. Page 1 Page 2 Summary: Ellie feels even more wonderful to drive and seems more than happy munching KMs for the foreseeable future. ODO Reading from the app Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
