My Precious Blue Diamond: Tata Nexon XZA+ AMT D

[J.Ravi]

Bangalore>Chennai

Drove Bangalore>Chennai today; left Basaveswara Nagar home at 8:15 am and reached Adayar at 2:15 pm with a lunch break of one hour at A2B, Arcot bypass. Highlights: spirited driving as the traffic volume was less due to festival; all the toll plazas were deserted.

 

[J.Ravi]

Washer Bottle Assembly Replaced Under Warranty

First, the engine oil leaked. Then, water. ☹️ Today, when I refilled the wiper washer bottle, the entire water leaked from the bottom. Then, I remembered SA telling me at the time of second service that washer bottle assembly was to be replaced under warranty, but it would be done later as the parts were not received. But, he did not inform me that water would leak from the pipe! Anyway, I took Blue Diamond to TAFE Access, Greams Road, Chennai today afternoon and got it replaced under warranty. I also asked them to check the oil filter was tight to ensure no oil leakage. I also asked for topping up of oil and fluids. All these works were done in 3 hours to my satisfaction free of cost.

 

[J.Ravi]

Blue Diamond brought us to Ginger, Bhubaneswar yesterday at 2 pm from Chennai. When the odometer reading crossed 7 k km, service reminder appeared on the MID. But, the second service was already done in December after expiry of 6 months. YouTube and Google helped me to delete the service reminder (pressing both set and mode buttons together, start the engine, when the figures start flashing, remove and again keep pressing the buttons for some more seconds, then the reminder goes out once and for all).

 

[ksdr]

Blue Diamond brought us to Ginger, Bhubaneswar yesterday at 2 pm from Chennai. When the odometer reading crossed 7 k km, service reminder appeared on the MID. But, the second service was already done in December after expiry of 6 months. YouTube and Google helped me to delete the service reminder (pressing both set and mode buttons together, start the engine, when the figures start flashing, remove and again keep pressing the buttons for some more seconds, then the reminder goes out once and for all).

Hi, Ravi sir hope you passed my town Vijayawada smoothly? Avoid travelling through the city in the evening, early morning or late night is a better time.

 

[J.Ravi]

After many good, bad, ugly and work-in-progress roads, traffic jams, power naps, refuelling and food breaks, my Blue Diamond - aka Nexon XZA+ AMT Diesl - brought us safely and comfortably to Ginger, Guwahati at 3:15 pm yesterday from Ginger, Bhubaneswar [dep: 10 am on 21/01/2019].

I enjoyed driving on the well-lit 6 lane Guntur-Vijayawada in the night. I thank Chalapathi Rao N for suggesting Nidadavolu-Dowleswaram bridge route via SH for crossing the Godavari river to reach Rajahmundry, thus saving 32 km and a toll. Google Maps too suggested the same route. But, NaviMaps recommended the roundabout route on NH. I followed the first two recommendations. A lot of road works were in progress between Vizag and Srikakulam, making my driving not an easy and comfortable one.

The next 7.12 Crore INR Question - aka Million Dollar Question - was, how to cross the Ganga river, via Vikramshila Setu or Farakka Barrage? Here, Sheel Priye, Google Maps and NaviMaps were united and recommended the Farakka Barrage bridge route. I followed their advice and crossed Farakka Barrage at 11:30 pm on 21/01/2019. We were allowed to drive on the wrong side and join the queue at the beginning, which started moving just then. The queues for lorries were many km long. Even buses were allowed to use the wrong side carriageway to to join the queue at the beginning. Then, I took 50-km long Botolbori-Dhantola shortcut to join the NH, which was very good, except for the last 350 m that contained craters and mountain-like undulations.

Before crossing the Farakka Barrage, we were stopped at a barricaded check post about 50 km before Moregram by a team of WB cops at 9:30 pm. I was photographed along with Blue Diamond with clear registration number plate and also with the rear hatch door open, displaying the luggage after asking for where from and where to. After hearing my answers, they were smiling at each other. While I was photographed, another cop cross-checked my answers with my wife. They did not ask for car's documents.

So, here we are in Guwahati. Our fourth visit, but the maiden one for Blue Diamond. The only agenda is to visit Mizoram house and get ILP.

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late night is a better time.

We passed through Vijayawada bypass after midnight. We enjoyed driving the well-lit 6 lane beautiful NH. Thanks, ksdr.

 

[Hariprasad]

After many good, bad, ugly and work-in-progress roads, traffic jams, power naps, refuelling and food breaks, my Blue Diamond - aka Nexon XZA+ AMT Diesl - brought us safely and comfortably to Ginger, Guwahati at 3:15 pm yesterday from Ginger, Bhubaneswar [dep: 10 am on 21/01/2019].

I enjoyed driving on the well-lit 6 lane Guntur-Vijayawada in the night. I thank Chalapathi Rao N for suggesting Nidadavolu-Dowleswaram bridge route via SH for crossing the Godavari river to reach Rajahmundry, thus saving 32 km and a toll. Google Maps too suggested the same route. But, NaviMaps recommended the roundabout route on NH. I followed the first two recommendations. A lot of road works were in progress between Vizag and Srikakulam, making my driving not an easy and comfortable one.

The next 7.12 Crore INR Question - aka Million Dollar Question - was, how to cross the Ganga river, via Vikramshila Setu or Farakka Barrage? Here, Sheel Priye, Google Maps and NaviMaps were united and recommended the Farakka Barrage bridge route. I followed their advice and crossed Farakka Barrage at 11:30 pm on 21/01/2019. We were allowed to drive on the wrong side and join the queue at the beginning, which started moving just then. The queues for lorries were many km long. Even buses were allowed to use the wrong side carriageway to to join the queue at the beginning. Then, I took 50-km long Botolbori-Dhantola shortcut to join the NH, which was very good, except for the last 350 m that contained craters and mountain-like undulations.

Before crossing the Farakka Barrage, we were stopped at a barricaded check post about 50 km before Moregram by a team of WB cops at 9:30 pm. I was photographed along with Blue Diamond with clear registration number plate and also with the rear hatch door open, displaying the luggage after asking for where from and where to. After hearing my answers, they were smiling at each other. While I was photographed, another cop cross-checked my answers with my wife. They did not ask for car's documents.

So, here we are in Guwahati. Our fourth visit, but the maiden one for Blue Diamond. The only agenda is to visit Mizoram house and get ILP.
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We passed through Vijayawada bypass after midnight. We enjoyed driving the well-lit 6 lane beautiful NH. Thanks, ksdr.

Hi, do you find a difference in MID mileage and T2T method? I find about 3kmpl difference on the lower side. Isn't this difference too high and misleading?

 

[J.Ravi]

Got the ILP. Presented the applications with copies of Aadhaar and payment of ₹ 240 [₹ 120 each] at Mizoram House at 10:30 am and got them at 3:30 pm today.

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Hi, do you find a difference in MID mileage and T2T method? I find about 3kmpl difference on the lower side.

Yes, there is a difference between MID reading and actual tankful-to-tankful method.

 

[bhvm]

This is great. I Guess another mega travelogue is coming along.
The Nexon is very well filling the shoes of XUV.

 

[J.Ravi]

Blue Diamond took us safely - but, not comfortably due to back-breaking bad roads in MZ - to Rih Dil lake inside Myanmar and back to Aizawl.

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The Nexon is very well filling the shoes of XUV.

Yes. Nexon is the true successor for XUV 500. Both visited Myanmar! :) Thanks for the compliments, bhvm.

 

[J.Ravi]

Aizawl To Agartala

After many sections of good, bad, work-in-progress ghat roads, Blue Diamond brought us safely and comfortably to Ginger Agartala at 7:55 pm today. We had left Regency, Aizawl at 9 am.

 

[J.Ravi]

Today, we visited Tripura State Museum at Ujjayanta Palace, Tripurasundari temple at Udaipur and India-Bangladesh border. Blue Diamond recorded 10 k km on the odometer in the evening while returning to Agartala.

 

[J.Ravi]

Agartala>Shillong

Blue Diamond brought us safely to Ladybird Hotel, Shillong at 9:45 pm today. Traffic jams all along in plains and also on the ghat roads. The outside temperature in Shillong is 5 deg C.

 

[J.Ravi]

Shillong>Bhubaneswar

I drove Blue Diamond from Shillong to Bhubaneswar. We were stopped by AS cops at Kokrajhar near Bongaigaon for about 3.5 hours, citing dawn-to-dusk bundh call given by Bodo movement people. We were allowed to proceed only at 5 pm yesterday. At Farakka Barrage bridge, there were very few vehicles from Malda to Moregram. We waited for half hour and then allowed to proceed. But, on the other side, i.e., from Moregram to Malda, lorries queued up to a few km long. We brunched at Shere Punjab, Kolaghat and continued our drive.

 

[Doris33]

Congrats! I have heard the name of it. But honestly didn't use it. :)

 

[J.Ravi]

Bhubaneswar>Bangalore
Blue Diamond brought us home safely and comfortably after successfully completing our NE drive. No puncture. No breakdown. No accident. No problem whatsoever.