Mahindra XUV500: Technical Issues & Solutions

[TSIVipul]

@BHVM:
Sir your case is not exactly the same. Let me quote your case as well as of Mr. Sagar and Mr. Parate. As much I know, your father parked the car instantly after he observed the clutch pedal not returning back and called the MASS. Right?

In other two cases, the owners have actually driven the faulty vehicle. I hope you understand my point here.

My purpose is not to demoralize anyone, I am just comparing two situations which have had different outcomes.

BHVM's case:
Car was parked at the instant of clutch failure and hence only slave cylinder issue occurred. Replacement done under warranty. Why? Because customer has followed what is written in the manual; "park the vehicle at the place and call WYH helpline".

Cparate's case:
2500 kms old car gets the clutch pedal fail to return while he was in some jungle area. No mobile network, no facilities and hence he drove the car to the point where all the facilities were available.
Outcome: Entire clutch assembly replaced and customer charged 45k. No warranty, no free replacements and the blame is passed on to customer for not driving properly. He was even offered a tutorial class
What went wrong IMO: He drove the car despite of having the issue instead of following the instruction written in the manual.

Sagar's case:
56000 kilometers old vehicle faces the clutch issue. The customer calls the WYH helpline and then drives the vehicle to his home and that also 450 kilometers away. This is a direct denial of the instructions given in the manual as well as by the WYH exec (they gave the details of RSA).
Outcome: Maybe the A.S.S. will provide him free repair under warranty based on the goodwill or because they provide it to everyone. But A.S.S. can easily deny a warranty repair here because warranty remains intact only under 'standard/normal vehicle usage and not in case of driving a defective vehicle'.
What can go wrong: Not following the instruction.

BHVM sir, I hope now you understand what makes your case different from that of Mr. Parate's and MR. Sagar's. THere is a minute detail which has made a major difference.

@Sagar:
Leave the vehicle in A.S.S. and follow up with them to find out if they are giving an under warranty free replacement or they are going to charge you for this one after analyzing the clutch of your vehicle. This seems to be a case where the clutch doesn't get completely disengaged and hence one can expect some major damage to clutch assembly too. Although ethically M&M should give you a free replacement but in case they refuse to give you a free replacement then tweet this issue to Mr. Mahindra and try your luck. Still if it fails then post here and maybe we can help. BTW your vehicle is under yours or company ownership?

Here IMO, Mr. Parate still has a stronger case as he can site the reason being stranded in the middle of nowhere but Mr. Sagar has to completely rely on his luck that dealer simply agrees to replace the clutch under warranty or they charges him for the same.

Sigh of relief/piece of luck: Sagar buddy, just pray that your XUV comes out to have only slave cylinder issue but not the entire clutch assembly one. IF that happens then you have a warranty replacement confirmed as there have been numerous cases of under warranty replacement of many parts including this one too.

 

[sagar ks]

@TSIVipul : Thanks a lot for the detailed info , It gave me a lot of insight on how I could take up this issue to M&M

Is vehicle under yours or company ownership?
The vehicle is under my ownership.


Best Regards,
Sagar ks

 

[cparate]

Sagar,
Have you given your car for repair and are they charging money for repair or covering under warranty?

Thanks
cparate

 

[bhvm]

Dear Mr Vipul,
Thanks for Highlighting the differences in our cases, however from my perspective the cases are similar, just their outcome is different.

1> All cases started with the clutch pedal failing to return. This means the Slave cylinder has failed. Driving the vehicle in this condition is a later issue but at face , Mahindra has used an Inferior Slave cylinder that fails randomly, Nor Mahindra has issued a re-call for providing upgraded cylinders.

2> As per the wordings of RSA "Gaadi bilkul mat chaliye, please park it and wait for us" makes it clear that RSA people are well versed with clutch failures and such things are common. It would not be wrong to say that RSA people know XUV suffers from an Inferior Clutch/Cylinder and its consequences.

3> The two cases deteriorated as Cparte did not have option to jeopardize his safety in a remote area, Nor there was cellphone coverage. He did wise to move out even though he may have to pay 50K. The family safety is worth it.

The reason why Sagar drove all the way to home (That too 450KM) is beyond me and that is sure a mistake on his part. He could have simply driven other 10~15km till other city/village and made arrangements from there.

Coming again to the point, I would like to highlight is, why is not mahindra accepting that XUV uses an Ill-designed Clutch or Cylinder system that could put people in serious & Unsafe situations. Ethically, Mahindra shall replace the Clutches free of cost as well as upgrade Cylinder systems of ALL AFFECTED vehicles without further ado.

 

[TSIVipul]

^^Sirji in this world where the manufacturers also try their best not to give the warranty repairs to customers citing a reason or two, this one is more than enough to deny the warranty.

In both the cases, MASS can simply get away by saying that they instructed the customer not to drive but still the customer drove the car. This one is applicable even in the court and MASS can simply change only the slave cylinder for free and leave the court laughing all the way to their workshops. IMO Mr. Parate at leash has a chance to file a case of providing a lemon as the clutch went bad at just 2.5k kms but the case of Sagar is completely on the mercy of A.S.S.

Actually these two cases have turned interesting, at least for me. And yes, there is a third one too (again regarding the clutch). Also there are two XUVs (IR's and Singh's) which are running flawlessly.

 

[sagar ks]

@cparate : I'm yet to give the vehicle for repair, I'm not in town, once I'm back 1st thing is to head towards MASS.

@bhvm: I agree with you, but I too had no other option, was at the middle of a ghat section with my family and Could not wait till the towing truck comes in at midnight.

I did happen to come across a local mechanic and described him what happened, he told if your clutch is partially working after this incident he told it's a slave cylinder issue and not the clutch assembly issue, if there is an issue with clutch assembly it will not operate. Not sure.
Shall update once I leave the vehicle to MASS

 

[sagar ks]

Hi All,
Had left my vehicle to MASS yesterday and explained him about the issue, he told they would check and get back to me by afternoon. I was awaiting for their call keeping my fingers crossed and I received call by 4.30pm stating there is no issue with clutch cylinder nor assembly. They told just by bleeding the clutch the clutch it would be back to its normal position. I headed towards showroom at 6 to see the progress and the vehicle was ready. The clutch was back to its normal position and the gear shifts were smooth.

Break fluid:400rs
Labour:375rs

Regards,
Sagar

 

[bhvm]

I forgot to update here,
my thunderbolt's reverse hooter and security siren stopped working first thing when leaving on a trip.

I was slowly reversing out of the bunglow when it normally beeped a few times and fell silent.

I checked the fuses and also tried locate the hooter as per mayank's instructions but couldn't locate it.

@Sagar, that's an interesting turn of events.

 

[bhvm]

with the help of mayank's instructions,
I was able to locate the Hooter.
Thankfully its not fallen off or broken. There are many horror stories on-line regarding hooter falling off and getting caught in engine moving parts and causing huge damage.
https://www.google.co.in/search?q=X...1.3.0....0...1ac.1.34.img..21.0.0.54ojwE7h9Wo

Unfortunately, its located well below the headlight and far down inside the metal jungle to get my hand or even eyesight anywhere close. Perhaps it will be taken care on service visit only.

 

[cparate]

Guys,
After filing complaint in "Jago Grahak Jago" and sending a detail mail (with proof) twice to Mahindra's top executive including Anand Mahindra, i got a call from my dealer. He told me I am valuable customer to them and as a goodwill gesture dealer wants to pay 45K amount to me. They have transferred 45K amount in my account today. I asked him why dealer is paying for Mahindra's mistake, according to him dealer will adjust this amount in future transaction with Mahindra...which is not digestible to me...it seems Mahindra dont want to be part of any such transaction and ask dealer to pay this amount which they will adjust internally.
Thanks guys for your help, this was not possible without your help :)

cparate

 

[bhvm]

XUV 500, 50k Kms service experience-

1> Check hooter (Reverse Horn)
Hooter Replaced in warranty. The access is VERY difficult. It requires removing the Headlight, which in turn requires Front Grill, Part Bumper, Black design whisker, Wheel well tyre liner to be removed. The cost out of warranty is 2.5K.

2> Purchase new tyres . Or Align, Balance, Rotate if present ones are deemed OK by SVC.
Existing tyres found to be good. Will last other 10~15K Kms as per staff. Got them Flipped, Rotated, Aligned and Balanced. Wheel alignment is free with Certain Steering End rods or something which costs only 450. Tyre flipping charges were a bit High at 250/Tyre. Balancing Charges are 200/Tyre.

Observing other XUVs, all have a common pattern of eating outside rim of Tyre. I don't know if this is a design issue or due to certain worn parts. It happens on all 4 tyres and presumably requires flipping at every service. Experts please chime in.

3> Clean air filter, Cabin AC Filter.
Both replaced. XUV Uses 2 HVAC cabin filters. Both were reeked with dust.

4> "Khat" noise coming from suspension/ Tyre when Turning Left.
Problem solved by replacing steering Ball joint and Rod ends. They arranged the parts for me from some other branch as they were out of stocks.

5> Upgrade or replace infotainment if possible as it Restarted on present trip as well. (It restarts every 2~5 hours randomly)
The Service guys were ready to install a refurbished Silver Box again(3rd time). Which I denied and just asked them to flash latest Firmware. The Update also added new features like “BONNET IS OPEN”, “SEATBELT NOT WORN” alerts in Bold on display. The Map was upgraded to V9.0 and has become much more accurate and sensible. All the saved data is present after update. There were no charges levied for Map update or Firmware update. Its marked as “Warranty” in the job card.

Unfortunately, I met with new gen XUV W10 and Scorpio S10 owners which also suffer niggles regarding Hanging or Restarting Infotainment systems.

6> Replace wiper blades, Front and Back.
Wiper Blades replaced for the cost of about 1.5k for 3 blades. Wipes now are squeaky clean.

8> Use some Mahindra Interior Freshening coupon.
Mahindra uses some Gas canister (Like Room freshener) which is activated and placed inside the vehicle. AC is started in Full blast on re-circulation mode. This apparently sucks the gas where it should go, dis-infecting bacteria and Fungii.

9> Check oils, Suspension etc.
Checks Done. Rear Brake pads still running Factory. Front Brake pads were replaced at 35k kms and are stil good for other 5~10k Kms. Major supension parts were lubricated/Greased. Teflon Tape (White Plumber tape)Was used were slight vibration was noticed.

10> Get rat mesh install
Rat mesh installed nicely for a price of about 1.5k

11> Middle row folding seat does not lock down properly or easily.
Seat adjusted and improvements noticed.

12> Check some Anti-Rust recall Thingy
Some Varnish like spray is put between fender liners, Hood seams, Certain points around engine bay etc. Its a part of Mahindra Recall which I had to remind them.

13>Purcahse extended warranty
Warranty & RSA Purchased for cost of about 30k. Mahindra uses a weird calender system for RSA. Whereas the Warranty starts after expiry of Original warranty and continues for 2 years, the RSA starts TODAY but still expires when extended warranty expires. Which means I paid for 3 years RSA but got benefit of 2.5 Year only. No discounts or price differences were provided for 0.5 Year loss.

It appears Mahindra has officially removed coverage of Clutch/ Brake failures from extended warranty which has be dumbfounded. Feels Mahindra is going Retrograde on reliability issues which are still piling up. Met 3 XUV owners which suffered Sudden clutch failure like mine. One at 70k Kms. Other at little less than 50k Kms.
The cost of Cylinder replacement in cash is about 4.6k. Some people got charges wavied off.

14> Vehicle Rolls when handbrake applied.
Handbrake tightened but still not satisfactory. Vehicle still rolls on slope. The SA advised against making Hand brake too tight as Brake pads may start rubbing.

15> Update Software and Maps.
Software and Maps updated.

 

[samar]

Re: Xuv 500 dashboard lights

Hi there

I have a xuv 500 w6 2015 with about 5000km on the clock. Since i got it up to now i have only been happy with this car. It drives great, has enought power and speed to overtake with a rather large load on the tow bar.

Hi snake,
How did you manage to tow with your xuv? Have you been able to procure a tow hitch assembly in India? Do you mind sharing details of the dealer? I have been desperately looking for a seller!
Thanx,
Samar

 

[Annakie]

xuv 500 - problem with my radio

Hi guys, I bought a XUV 500 but while the radio is on it will suddenly just make a very loud noise and "Short" out. No noise, no function until I swich the car of and switch it back on again. the noise is like if you should imagine two speaker wires make contact which is not suppose to toutch. Sounds like a gun shot. Please can you give me any suggestions, the service stations in Pretoria can not detect the problem.

 

[vivekiyer20]

Hello folks. Due to a minor accident, I had to give my XUV500 (done 16.5K kms in 18months) to the service station and the SA advised me to get the 3rd (20k kms) free servicing also done, which is overdue as per the no. of months. The estimate they (Infinity Autolinks, Mumbai) have provided is 19K + tax. This seems to be really high. I am attaching a copy of the same here.

Can one of the experts tell me whether they are right to charge for "cleaning" of the parts in the free service? Aren't they supposed to only charge for consumables?

Does this look ok or am I being taken for a ride?

 

[Double Oh]

Hello folks. Due to a minor accident, I had to give my XUV500 (done 16.5K kms in 18months) to the service station and the SA advised me to get the 3rd (20k kms) free servicing also done, which is overdue as per the no. of months. The estimate they (Infinity Autolinks, Mumbai) have provided is 19K + tax. This seems to be really high. I am attaching a copy of the same here.

Can one of the experts tell me whether they are right to charge for "cleaning" of the parts in the free service? Aren't they supposed to only charge for consumables?

Does this look ok or am I being taken for a ride?

Wheel alignment = 850? it should not be more than 550/600. Actually if you get it done outside at some tyre showroom it wil be much lesser.
Wheel balancing = 950? Please get the alignment and balancing done from some proper tire showroom. Both of them will be done within 1000.
AC Filter = 955 is ok if thats the rate for 2 pieces. If thats the rate for a single filter then some thing is terribly wrong.
Fuel Filter Cartridge = 1850 is more. I have paid 1320 for the same last year (apr 15) for 40,000km servicing and have recently paid again 1320 Rs for 60,000km servicing.
Air Filter = 950 is ok. But Why are you changing it? It is supposed to be replaced at 40000km servicing. As per Manual. Unless you are in a very dusty area.
EGR Valve Cleaning, Intake Cleaning, AC Disinfection: Do you actually require these at such an early stage? Also Intake cleaning means what? I have personally never come across any kind of intake cleaning. Please ask the RM to explain and show to you.
And yes sir you are being taken for a ride as far as Eng Oil and Oil Filter is concerned. 3900/-??? please ask the RM to show you the oil can. M&M approved Maxmile FEO oil is costing in the region of 290 to 300/- per lt. So you need 6lts of oil, which makes it max 1800 rs. To this add cost of Oil Filter Rs. 200. So total cost should not be more than 2000/- , +-200 max. but 3900/- is a real hoot.
Engine Carbon Cleaning = 1500? What is that?
The last 4 items in your list seem to be related to your minor accident. If not, then again not understood the reason for billing the same.

So Mr Vivek Iyer IMO the service center is charging you more and is really taking you for a ride. I would suggest change the Service Station at the earliest.
Regards