My Tata Nano: 20K Kms of Wonderful Ownership and Driving Experience


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Hi Friends,

Here the ownership review of my Tata Nano 2012, which I owned since 16-March-2013. Happy Birthday to my Nano!!!

1.JPG

Decision making

Requirements in a car:
1. Price should be low
2. Should be comfortable for 6" tall person(s) to sit comfortably
3. Good AC
4. Music system (even basic version is fine)
5. Comfortable to get in-and-out (I am quite bulky)
6. Car to protect me from all weathers

With the above requirements, especially "low price" being the prime factor, I did not ever think of any car beyond the Tata Nano. Since it is the first car I am driving, I had no yardstick to compare in terms of driving experience, road handling capacity, city and highway driving experience or any other factor. Of course, looks wise, I would have preferred a bigger car like the Storme or something else :)

Additional factors weighing in favor of Nano
1. With the price as one of the main criterion for me, I was never thinking of any big cars or with too many great features like air-bags, ABS, etc. Although they are very important, I wanted a car to start with.
2. I always felt cramped sitting in a Alto, or other similar cars. Santro was comfortable, but, it was not in my budget. With Nano, the seating was comfortable for me. Since I like sitting in upright positions rather than on bean-bags, etc, I liked the seating in the Nano.
3. I was a passenger in a Nano for over 500 km in my uncle's car. It was never difficult for me to get in-and-out. There was enough leg room in the car, even when I sat in the back seats. He would speed up to 100+ to show that Nano is capable of moving at such high speeds without any problem. Of course, I did not have a wow feeling that we have on sitting in premier cars which have excellent audio systems or several features. That drive gave further confidence in terms of sitting in the car for long duration and not getting any back aches, etc.
4. I never imagined me taking Nano beyond Bangalore city, so, with the good FE, driving such a car in city meant economical to me
5. There was a special edition Nano which offered alloys, music system with two speakers, two glove boxes and decals - all worth Rs.25000 being offered for free, and sounded attractive

What weighed against Nano
1. My family members - "Buy a car, not a Nano", is what they fumed at me - I explained to them that I am looking for a very basic car for a few years, and subsequently when I become better in driving, I can always buy a bigger car. They were not even ready to come for test drives. However, in the end, after a few drives, and a lot of persuasion, they said OK for the Nano.
2. Resale value - this was one of the big negative that was projected at me. Many recommended a second hand car Swift or Wagon-R, as the resale value will be higher and they are "real" cars, etc.
=> Since I wanted a new car and not a used car, I stuck to a new Nano. Additionally, I noted that I would have to spend nearly Rs.3+ lakhs on a used car that will be in good condition and large enough for me. Additionally, I might have to shell out for insurance, tyres, battery, etc. So, decided to go for a first hand car only.
=> Secondly, in my family, we generally do not change stuff on a regular basis. We try to get things repaired and keep running/using them a very long time. So, I am sure the Nano will be there with me for a long-long time

Color choice - I wanted to take a light color as the visibility will always be better even under poor lighting conditions. I assumed that Mojito Green will look different from the more common Papaya Orange and Yellow nanos. However, I noticed that the Green color fades after long term use (I saw similar Green colored cars from other brands looking absolutely dull after few years). Secondly, under similar lighting conditions, the visibility of white was far better than any other shade. So, decided to book a Pearl White Tata Nano 2012 - Special Edition.

Having decided to go for Tata Nano - 2012, special edition, the first task was done.

Dealership experience
I approached KHT motors in Indiranagar on 2nd Feb, 2013, as it was very close to my house. They showed me a Nano and offered a TD. Since I didnot know how to drive, I did not opt for it. I asked for any freebies, etc. They outright rejected saying, there is nothing that they can do there other than (mud-flaps, floor mats, Ganesh idol and car perfume). I bargained further and they offered a car cover.

I asked the sales executive where the rear-fog light is present. She told that it is inside the rear lamps and is nothing different from the rear light. I later read on the Internet that rear fog light was actually present on the rear bumper. I wanted to go back and educate her about the same.

I asked that I want a car manufactured no later than Nov. 2012. The sales executive said that Tata had stopped manufacturing Nano cars after August-2012, as new model will be brought only after April-2013 and hence, she can offer me, at best, a August-2012 manufactured car.

I spoke to a friend of mine, and he referred me to Prerana Motors at Lalbagh from where he had bought his Nano.

I reached Prerana at Lalbagh on Feb. 15th, 2013 and was welcomed by the sales executive Mr.Shanmugam. I took my uncle who knew driving a car so that, he can TD the Nano. He was quite impressed by the AC and the seating. They offered me:

1. Remote central locking from Xenos that costed Rs.2500 or so
2. Mud flaps
3. Floor mats
4. Ganesh idol
5. Car perfume
6. Car cover

I booked the Tata Nano 2012 Pearl White Special Edition car by paying an advance of Rs. 5000. I told that I do not want a car manufactured later than Nov. 2012. The sales executive assured me I will not get a car later than Nov. 2012. He opened the inventory list he had and gave me a VIN number, and say, it is Nov. 2012. I checked on TAI and confirmed that it was indeed a Nov. 2012 manufactured car.

I conveyed that I will make the full payment only after the PDI. The sales executive told that I have to travel to Penya to check the car. A date for the same was fixed.

PDI
Powered by the PDI list from TAI, I reached the Prerana motors stockyard at Penya. A Pearl white nano was neatly washed and set aside for my inspection. The incharge there showed me around the car and explained the features. I asked to be shown the engine area. One of the mechanics came and helped with the same. While inspecting I noticed that there were parts there with manufacturing date as Oct. 29th 2012. That gave me confidence that the car was definitely manufactured in Nov. 2012.

Satisfied by the inspection, I returned to the Prerana motors Lalbagh office. I provided the cheque for the entire amount, excluding the insurance, which I was still surveying. I was searching for a zero-depreciation insurance option.

Insurance policy
I had read on several forums that taking zero-depreciation insurance policy is better, especially for new car. Of course, most of the suggestions were with respect to expensive cars and possibly not for a Tata Nano. I convinced myself that it will be good to take zero-dep insurance at least for the first 1-2 years.

I checked with Prerana if the insurance covered is "zero depreciation insurance". Since they did not have idea regarding the same, they requested for two days time to get back to me. After two days I was updated that the insurance provided is not zero-dep.

I checked on the web for options from different companies, and finally choose zero-depreciation insurance policy from Tata Aig. The insurance premium came to Rs. 9929/- The components covered were:>
1. Replaced parts
2. Daily allowance - cost of hired transport and is in a garage for replacements of parts
3. Repair of glass, fiber, plastic, and rubber parts - One time repair (and not replacement) will not affect the NCB
4. Loss of personal belongings - here items like clothes, and other personal items are covered (items like watches, jewellery, glasses, etc are not covered) - Max is Rs.10,000/-
5. Emergency transport and hotel expenses - Max is Rs.5000 per incident, and Rs.10000 during the period of insurance
6. Key replacement - Max. of Rs.25000 - for key lost of stolen

The vehicle damage premium was Rs. 5342 and the add-on premiums summed up to Rs. 2510. Add taxes to these to make it up to Rs.9929/-

Having identified the insurance, I spoke to Tata AIG agent who collected the cheuqe for the said amount and emailed me the cover note.

I shared the cover note with the Prerana and they went ahead with registration.

My Nano was registered on March 14th 2013 and delivered on March 16th 2013.

Pointers to the posts

1. Delivery Experience
2. Elegant Seat covers
3. AMC related
4. Full body wash
5. Tai-ed
6. Service info - 3rd free service
 
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Thread Starter #2
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Re: Tata Nano: Buying, Driving and Ownership Experience (16,000 Kms)

Delivery Experience

The sales executive conveyed that the car is ready for delivery as per the promised date.

Since I was still learning to drive and was not confident at all, I asked my friend to come for driving the car from the showroom to home. We reached early as recommended by many. We checked that the vehicle for any scratches, or dents, etc. The executive explained about the various gear oil, engine oil, wiper liquid etc. He showed features like seat recline, wiper usage, usage of music system among other things.

He showed me the freebies added - mud flaps, floor mats, Ganesha idol, perfume, car cover and xenon car central locking system.

Satisfied with the functionalities, we went into the office for finishing the paper work. It was very smooth transaction and all was done in a short while. Was handed over two keys, owners manual, Tata service network details, Tata nano silver warranty sticker, road tax payment receipt, invoice, warranty documents for the HU, security system and a box of sweets (which was a surprise, as I didn't expect this). I was also given a receipt for Indian Oil which allowed me to get 5 liter of petrol against the same.

While I was coming out, I saw that it is possible to have chrome front tip. I checked with the sales executive. He conveyed that I need to buy full set which included front lip, door handle and read-light chrome ornaments. I requested for them to be added and paid an extra Rs.1200 for them. The poor guys had to remove the ribbons and flowers they put and install chrome decorations.

Here are two pics of my Nano before and after the chrome decoration.

My pearl white Nano ready for delivery with blue ribbon. No chrome lip as yet

2.JPG

Chome lip is now added; The delivery team had to cut the blue ribbon, and now added a new red ribbon after adding the chrome lip.

3.JPG

Chrome on the door latch as well as rear lights - Check out the shiny alloys which were part of the special edition

4.JPG

First day - first accident

My friend drove the car to his house on the way where, we decided to take the Nano for puja. Since it is a very safe locality with very low traffic, he put me on the steering wheel and asked me to practice until he conveyed to our family members that we arrived from the showroom and can proceed for Puja.

As I was driving straight, I noticed that a Alto was following me slowly. Seeing the large "L" board, the alto was patiently following my 1st gear speed of less than 10kmph. I did not want to block the alto, and took a right turn into a lane by pressing the accelerator. Sadly for me, the Alto also took turn behind me and took the right turn. Seeing that scared me, as I was sure I would not be able to make space for the alto by moving the car to the left and I noticed that the car was heading towards the footpath on the right. I got scared as the car was getting close to the footpath. In that moment of scare, I pressed the accelerator as hard as I could, instead of the brake, and my brand new Nano jumped the footpath and landed with front two wheels across. I pulled the hand-brake and brought the car to stop.

I got down from the car. The person from the alto stopped his car, and came running towards me. My friend who had just got out of his house, came towards me after hearing the loud sound. Few people sitting nearby also came to see what happened.

Luckily, there was no scratch of broken parts to the front bumper. There were a few scratches to the alloy of the right wheel and the type got rubbed on the surface.

We put a few stones under the right front wheel, and my friend slowly reversed the car. We thanked people who came and helped us during the process, and parked the car at my friend's house. I did not take any pics as I was still in a shock of how I made the car jump across a footpath, and how I will ever be able to drive the car again (I was totally terrified with this incident). Later on when I pass that point, I still shake my head in disbelief.

Here is the pic of the footpath separator that my Nano jumped. One can see the black marks showing the rubber of the tyre rubbing against it.
My car jumped this 7-8 inches concrete and landed with front right wheel on the other side.

12.jpg

13.jpg

We took the car for puja in the evening; of course, it was my friend who drove it. Here are few pics of My Nano:

Kumkum applied for Ganesha, the steering wheel and dashboard. The HU supports USB, and I plugged it the moment I got the car and started playing music

5.JPG

Full of smiles with garland and ready for puja

6.JPG

Lemon and chilly tied to ward off evil

7.JPG

Front view

8.JPG

Read view - There was no chrome tip at the rear back then; Need to check with TASS if I can get as per the newer version. Also, planning to get the "www.preranamotors.com" removed and hopefully, have TAI stickers there.

9.JPG

Finally, here is a pic showing the chrome tips all along

10.jpg

11.jpg

I have enjoyed driving my Nano during the last 1 year covering a total distance of 16,300+ KM. Of this, 1000 was covered between March 16, 2013 to 1st June 2013 (the day I took the car for 1st free service). The remaining 15,300 km were covered in 8 months (I was onsite on an assignment for two months).

I had joined TAI in Feb 2013, just before I was about to buy Nano. Enjoyed the time here, and have been hooked to the forum since then. There were several lessons I learnt from this wonderful community.

The TAI community taught me how to drive up a hill (Nandi Hills in my case) within 2 months of buying the car, helped me plan a long drive to Madurai-Kanyakumari-Rameshwaram, make new friends, discuss on road safety and get innumerable tips from many experience drivers on how to deal with most unexpected situations on the road to name a few.

Thanks to all at TAI, I have been driving safely and enjoying all my drives so far!
 
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350Z

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Re: Tata Nano: Buying, Driving and Ownership Experience (16,000 Kms)

Note: Thread Now Live From T.I.P Zone. Thanks!

Drive Safe,
350Z
 
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Re: Tata Nano: Buying, Driving and Ownership Experience (16,000 Kms)

That's a very well, straight-from-the-heart written review. [clap] for that !

Requirements in a car:
1. Price should be low
2. Should be comfortable for 6" tall person(s) to sit comfortably
3. Good AC
4. Music system (even basic version is fine)
5. Comfortable to get in-and-out (I am quite bulky)
6. Car to protect me from all weathers
Reasons for me shortlisting Nano were pretty much the same like you've pointed out. I too am a happy & satisfied owner and user of the Nano (14k kms in 2 years)
 
Thread Starter #7
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Re: Tata Nano: Buying, Driving and Ownership Experience (16,000 Kms)

That's a very well, straight-from-the-heart written review. [clap] for that !

Reasons for me shortlisting Nano were pretty much the same like you've pointed out. I too am a happy & satisfied owner and user of the Nano (14k kms in 2 years)
Thanks :) Nice to know that you had looked at similar requirements before purchase.

Now that I have completed 1 year, the itch to upgrade the music system to have at least 4 speakers (2 front and 2 in the back) has increased. Furthermore, inspired by the "best Tata Nano" around, planning to get a matt black sticker on the roof.

Thinking of few other hobby stuff on the Nano. Of course, the biggest concern is Warranty. So, still going slow on the ideas.
 
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Re: Tata Nano: Buying, Driving and Ownership Experience (16,000 Kms)

Congratulations on your new buy.Drive Safe and don't worry about accidents as it will happen with time !.Hope you have niggle free ownership.

Ankit
 
Thread Starter #9
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Re: Tata Nano: Buying, Driving and Ownership Experience (16,000 Kms)

Congratulations on your new buy.Drive Safe and don't worry about accidents as it will happen with time !.Hope you have niggle free ownership.

Ankit
Thanks for the wishes :)

Accidents do happen as you mentioned, and my first incident made me be cautious and the next 16000+ km have been safe so far :)
 
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Re: Tata Nano: Buying, Driving and Ownership Experience (16,000 Kms)

Elegant Seat Covers

After searching over auto forums and the internet on whether to go for (art) leather seat or fabric, I decided to go for fabrics only. Primary reason was budget and secondly, I was not planning on using AC 100% of the time, so, didnt want a sweaty back.

I checked around a bit for seat covers by visiting Reliance autozone, and some auto parts shops. I liked Elegant seat covers the most. Reliance quoted Rs. 5000 or so including some discounts.

I called Elegant seat covers (Elegant Auto Accessories) and asked for a quote. They mentioned that Auto Image in Bangalore are the authorized dealers for Elegant seat covers and provided the contact number of Mr.Sharma.

Spoke to Mr.Sharma who shared the address of their new Auto Image store located, opposite Prerana motors on Lalbagh road. Visited them, and got a quote of Rs.4,400 for beige colored seat covers made of microfiber on the front and rexin at the back. I asked about possibility of further reduction in price and possible date of delivery. He called elegant in front of me, checked for the availabilty and confirmed that it will be ready within a week's time.

Visted the store a week later and got the seat covers. I also bought a pair of neck rests costing Rs. 300. I am totally satisfied with the seat cover as they are quite firm on the stock seats. Unlike the comment from many that fabric seats will get folds upon usage on a regular basis, I have not noticed any such effect.

Here are some pics of the Autoimage store and the seat covers in place (Didn't take pics during installation).

Autoimage store:
Elegant_Seats_1.jpg

Rear seat remove for installation
Elegant_Seats_2.jpg

Front seat in beige with neck rest
Elegant_Seats_3.jpg

Front two seats with neck rests
Elegant_Seats_4.jpg

Back side of front seats have a pocket for docs, etc
Elegant_Seats_5.jpg

Rear seat
Elegant_Seats_6.jpg

Overall experience with Autoimage has been good. Although, I felt the prices might be on a slightly higher side, the workmanship is good. Mr.Sharma asked whether I wanted to upgrade music system and any other electricals, since I didn't want to loose Warranty, I politely said no.
 
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Re: Tata Nano: Buying, Driving and Ownership Experience (16,000 Kms)

Congrats mastiandroid5 i must say you have written an excellent review. Few questions out here how did you find the experience with TASS and also can you tell me more in details about Silver AMC and its benifits
 
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Re: Tata Nano: Buying, Driving and Ownership Experience (16,000 Kms)

Congrats on your new Peppy friend. The Special edition really looks much more upmarket[clap]
 
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Re: Tata Nano: Buying, Driving and Ownership Experience (16,000 Kms)

Congrats mastiandroid5 i must say you have written an excellent review. Few questions out here how did you find the experience with TASS and also can you tell me more in details about Silver AMC and its benifits
Thanks :)

Actually, I got Gold AMC and not Silver AMC. It costed me Rs.5690 with coverage for 4 years (entire warranty period) or 30,000KM, whichever is earlier.

TASS service labor charge is free due to the vouchers we get at the time of buying (these were attached to the owner's manual).

With GOLD AMC, the following are covered:
1. Washing of vehicle
2. Engine, transmission oil change
3. Air filter change
4. Coolant change
5. Brake/Clutch fluid top up/replacement
6. Grease
7. General checkup and wheel alignment (though, weights are chargeable)

I think under Silver AMC, all the above are provided, but, the duration and distance covered is lower.

Platinum AMC covers all the above, and in addition covers replacement of tyre for normal uniform wear, battery replacement and wear and tear repair under the scope of contract.

There are a large number of items covered under "scope of contract" and the final call depends on the service adviser of Tata ASS.

Congrats on your new Peppy friend. The Special edition really looks much more upmarket[clap]
Thanks for the same... :) I am planning to get carbon vinyl sticker on the roof sometime soon with the hope it will go well with the red+black chekered decals at the sides.
 
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Nano goes for a bath

Most of the times I feel the underbody needs a good wash, I have visited A.J. Service Center at Marathahalli, Bangalore. This place is between my office and home, and works out very well on my way back to home.

They generally take a full 2 hours to do a full body wash, which starts with interior vaccum, carpet washing, underbody wash and exterior wash.

I have had very good experience during my visits. During weekends, it gets a bit crowded as a number of people line up for full body wash.

Here are some pics of the whole cleaning process.

The Service center photo and price tag:
1. Entrance.jpg

2.Price Tarriff.jpg

For nano, they placed wooden logs undered the rear wheeler to lift it up on the hydraulic shaft. For other cars, they put some metallic brackets to lift the car up)
3. Arranging planks for lifting.jpg

The workmen were very observant while the car was being lifted up
4. Lifting up starts.jpg
5. Watchful eyes.jpg

Closer view of the wooden plank under the rear wheel
6. Closer view.jpg

Car up and ready now
7. Going up.jpg

Under body wash
8. Under body wash.jpg
9. Tyre well and alloys cleaning.jpg

Workshop view
10. Workshop view.jpg
11. Another view.jpg

Cleaning in progress
12. Washing.jpg
13. Washing.jpg

I am satisfied with the washing service here compared to another place near Indianoil fuel station in Jeevan bheema nagar, as the workmen are very careful and put in maximum efforts to make the customer satisfied.

Update about my Nano:
Off late, last 3 fuel fills, I noticed that the mileage has been about 18.5kmpl or so. It hadn't come below 20 in the past 7-8 months. So, I went to KHT motors service center during the weekend. Mr.Kumar, the manager was doing rounds and enquired about my problem. He asked his technician to connect the nano to laptop via the OBD2 port and check for any errors. He said that if any problems occur with FE, they would show up as errors. I was allowed to sit in the car and go for the checkup into the workshop. Upon checking there were no errors. They asked me about changes in my usage pattern, etc. And observed that (1) since I started using AC a lot compared to earlier, it could be one of the reason (2) it being summer, the radiator and other other parts must be working hard to keep the engine cool due to which the fuel consumption might have increased.

Anyway, I have a long drive planned up for next week (April 17~20), and I will be able to check the FE better on the high ways.

One query to our fellow members regarding the RPM and engine. I noticed that the engine RPM is exceeding 2000+ while I drive in the traffic conditions of city. I tried my best, but, it is bound to go beyond 2000-2500, especially when we try to overtake a slow moving auto or a bike. Is this OK for the engine? Please suggest.
 
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