Squeak Monsters - The Return!

About 70 kms after the first servicing the squeaks are back. Today while on a drive they got really loud and very irritating. So much so that my wife decided to help me investigate the source. She got into the back and on to the jump seats.

All this time I have been thinking that it is the middle seat causing the ruckus with the clicks and squeaks. Well today we found out that I was wrong all along. It is not the seats but the tail gate and/or the area around it that squeaks and clicks. Once my wife sat on the left hand side jump seat all these excruciating sounds disappeared. Even the jump seats are totally silent over bumps whether open or folded. The rear door on the other hand is emitting gut wrenching squeaks that make Guantanamo Bay a better place to be in.

I will probably have to send the truck back to the dealers to have it sorted. Since the sounds seem to be plastic panel related not much I can do to help the situation.

It is sad that TML has put a beautiful diesel engine that purrs into a beast that still rattles. Do any of your Safari's have a squeaking tail gate? Is this a design issue that will never go away or is this fixable? Are there any home remedies to fix this?

Do drop in a line if you can share your experiences with the squeaks and clicks of your own beast!

List of Known Issues! Updated 26/11/07

So the list is now created for all future owners to look out for these specific problems regarding the 2.2.! Please look for these problems before you take custody of your Beast!

1. Loose battery cables.
2. Pieces of Cardboard in the engine bay.
3. Loose wheel nuts.
4. Some vehicles have left the factory with low engine oil levels.
   

First Service - The Cost!

The first service cost me 1220/-. The engine coating was 900/- and they added 2 liters of engine oil for 320/- . I hope to add a photo of the "Coated Engine" soon.

I asked why the oil was added and didn't really get any thing meaningful out from the guy at the workshop other than that I must check engine oil levels once a week. Anyways as I said all seems well for now. Also the clicking completely stops if the seat behind the driver is occupied so am hoping to find the source and kill it once and for all.

If any of you are familiar with the Safari's middle row seats and could help me start somewhere particular please do let me know.;-)

First Service - The Results!

Last night I got the truck back home. On the 6km journey from the service station could notice that the noise from the engine was further reduced. As it was getting close to closing time I was in a rush to get the truck back home. "Everything has been checked", was what I was told. Waited till I finished about 50kms of mixed city/highway driving to see what exactly was fixed from the list given to them. Here is what happened:

1. Rubber Bushing under the bonnet to be added as it was missing at the time of delivery. DONE
2. Steering wheel needs to be centered. DONE
   
3. All the seats are squeaking and there is a "Clicking" sound in the middle seats that need to be fixed. SQUEAKS DONE / CLICKING NOT DONE
   
4. 4th vent on the right hand side of the Roof mounted A/C is very loose and keeps dropping down. Needs fixing. NOT DONE
5. 2 plastic screw caps in the door panels have to be replaced as they are currently very loose and drop off at the slightest door closing. DONE
6. All the doors need to be aligned and set properly. NOT DONE

At last the Beast is quite inside. Really enjoyed my drive out on the highway minus all the squeaks. The clicking is somewhat muted now but still exists. Will have to fix that myself I have a feeling. All else is mostly better than before the service. The Beast is settling down well!

CAR India Review - November 2007

While talking about reviews this one is rather glowing in its nature. It starts off," This is what the Dicor 2.2 VTT does to you, once you climb in, it makes you feel like an Emperor. Period".

I must say I do agree with that. Their FE figures are even lower at 7.8kmpl in the city. I am sure I am getting much more than this on my beast. They clocked a max speed of almost 159kmph.

Wow, must try this out soon!

It got 4 out of 5 Star rating here. The 3 months I waited for the beast instead of getting the 3.0 version seem justified now. Yippee!

The Autocar Review - November 2007

The 2.2 Safari has got a 7/10 rating in this review. Pretty much the usual lack of fit and finish holding the beast back from scoring higher. Other than that the review is quite favourable. The one thing mentioned was the Fuel economy figures of 8.7kmpl in the city which I find hard to accept. I am getting 10 with the A/C always on in the city so I don't know why they are getting a lower FE.

I like this one quote,"We were shocked by the flat out performance of the car which powered its way from 0-100kph in 15.1 seconds."

Finally the beast gets the engine it deserves. ;-)

First Service - As I Blog!

The beast is in the workshop getting it's squeaks and clicks dealt with. It will be back hopefully tomorrow as it had to be taken to the company that manufactures the interiors. The dealer offered to do the protection coating on the engine bay. It costs Rs.900 and does help in keeping the engine exterior look shiney and new so am having that done.:-)

Overall the first trip to the dealers workshop was quite straight forward now lets see what they end up doing with the truck.

First Service Coming Up!

Have just booked the first service for my Tata Safari Dicor 2.2 VTT. A few things have to be sorted as seems to be the Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) was not done very well on my beast if in fact it was done at all. After the loose battery cable that stranded me on the 2nd day of ownership let me just say that the bad taste in the mouth after that episode is just about leaving me now.

The list of things to be done apart from the usual 1st service stuff is as follows:

1. Rubber Bushing under the bonnet to be added as it was missing at the time of delivery.
2. Steering wheel needs to be centered.
   
3. All the seats are squeaking and there is a "Clicking" sound in the middle seats that need to be fixed.
4. 4th vent on the right hand side of the Roof mounted A/C is very loose and keeps dropping down. Needs fixing.
5. 2 plastic screw caps in the door panels have to be replaced as they are currently very loose and drop off at the slightest door closing.
6. All the doors need to be aligned and set properly.

On the bright side @ 1500 kms the engine is purring and the surge in the 2nd and 3rd gears is more prominent now!

Finally A Few Pictures!

"Made In Germany"

Some time back I had found a part on the exterior of the Safari that actuall was Made in Germany. Here it is...the top tail light made by Hella! Do let me know if you find any more foreign parts on the beast!

Pune-Mumbai-Pune

Just got back from a trip to Mumbai. It was done within 24 hours. My first venturing out on the Highway/Expressway with the Beast.

The Good:

• Effortless cruiser.
• No chance of getting fatigue while/after the journey.
• A/C worked well in both dry and humid climes.
• At 120km/h the engine noise cannot be heard at all.
• The Bridgestone Tubeless tires did their job well.
• ABS and EBD were indispensables when slowing down from high speeds.
  
• Have crossed the 1000km/h mark and so will get the 1st servicing done ASAP.
  

The Bad:

• Since it is still in the run-in period did not thrash it about too much. On the way out kept it around 2500 RPM in the 5th which got it to do 110km/h.
• On the way back let the beast open up a bit more and stayed around the 3000 RPM. The engine felt better now and peppier but as soon as I crossed 140km/h there was like a hollow sound coming from the engine like someone left the door open in a storm.

The Ugly:

• Wind noise reared its ugly head at about 90km/h.
• The squeaks in the cabin came and went during the trip. On smooth roads the car is completely silent but as soon as you hit bad roads the squeaks and clicks start their cacophony.

My First FE Figures!

Just filled up for the second time since buying the Beast. The average has been 10km to the liter of HP Turbojet Diesel.

All in the city with A/C always on.

I am Off Center! What About You?

Ok in "the never a dull moment" with the Tata Safari Dicor VTT spirit have just confirmed another "Problem" that I am sure didn't exist till yesterday. Driving back home today and noticed that the steering wheel was not pointing North when actually the SUV was traveling straight as an arrow.

I did check to see if this was a my imagination playing tricks. But there was no drift the vehicle was moving straight and the steering wheel is now in the 13:00 position instead of 12 0'clock. It is definitely loosing the plot and hopefully the 1st servicing can also sort this out.

Coming Soon: Complete list of things to get fixed in the 1st service.

The List of Known Issues!

Today the guy who washes the Beast every morning turned up at the door blue-faced to tell me that the front wheel had a loose nut!!! I went to check and it was true. One of the nuts was only two full rotations away from falling off. Went straight to the tyre shop where they tightened and checked every other screw to make sure.

So the list is now created for all future owners to look out for these specific problems regarding the 2.2.! Please look for these problems before you take custody of your Beast!

1. Loose battery cables.
2. Pieces of Cardboard in the engine bay.
3. Loose wheel nuts.
   

The Economic Times Says...

Just read that Tata Motors Ltd. sold 1716 Safari 2.2's in Oct. 2007. That is a 20% increase compared to last Oct. The more the merrier I say.