{"id":2448,"date":"2015-08-02T18:42:58","date_gmt":"2015-08-02T18:42:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vargiskhan.com\/log\/?p=2448"},"modified":"2016-10-22T17:40:32","modified_gmt":"2016-10-22T17:40:32","slug":"mahindra-thar-initial-niggles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vargiskhan.com\/log\/mahindra-thar-initial-niggles\/","title":{"rendered":"Mahindra Thar – Initial Niggles and Hiccups"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some time ago I read in an online article that buying a Thar is a matter of heart over mind. Back then, I was completely obsessed with the idea of owning a Jeep so did not try to dig any further or give any thought to this. I bought a Thar after seriously considering SUVs like Safari, Scorpio and compact SUVs like Duster and EcoSport. My biggest reason was that I wanted to own a vehicle which is not \u201ccommon\u201d and can really make heads turn. You may call it \u201cshow off\u201d but it is really hard not to show off a 4×4 like Thar. Another reason was that I really wanted to buy a car that can handle the abuse. My criteria for buying was that it had to be a 4×4 and I should be able to take it out anywhere without a second thought. It has been a few weeks since I bought my obsession home and thought the aspect of \u201ctake it out anywhere\u201d hasn\u2019t really been tested yet, here is a small account of the pros and cons I have encountered so far.<\/p>\n

To my sheer disappointment, within the first month I have already sent the vehicle to the Koncept Mahindra workshop three times and it is ready to go for a fourth one as well. The problems started in a matter of days, the door handle breaking off being the first one.<\/p>\n

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I was kind of shocked that something like this would happen in a brand new vehicle. I called the dealership and they sent someone to replace the broken handle with a new one. However the story did not end here. A few days later, the door locks started to get jammed, so badly that I just couldn\u2019t get the doors open with the key from outside.<\/p>\n

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The only option I had was to open the canopy and enter the vehicle from rear side to pull open the locks. I called the dealership again and they sent someone to pick up the vehicle. Initial promise was that the locks would be changed however when the guy bought it back in the evening that day, I was told that they just \u201cfixed\u201d the issue and did not feel the need to change anything. The locks were pretty smooth at that time but that remained to be the case for only one day as they started to jam again on the very next, both on the driver and the passenger side. While I was still fumbling around with the doors, I noticed that the sprinkler on the bonnet had also come loose, on a brand new vehicle.<\/p>\n

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Along with the lattice they put in front of the radiator to protect it.<\/p>\n

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I called in the dealership again and they once more sent their driver to pick up the vehicle. I very specifically mentioned that I need the locks replaced however it still did not happen. While the sprinkler was replaced and lattice bolted tight, the locks they said need not be replaced and will not be a problem anymore as they have yet again \u201cfixed\u201d the issue.<\/p>\n