Indian Autos Thread

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 07 Aug 2012 18:16

Wear polarized glasses?

vina · Post by **vina** » 08 Aug 2012 12:52

MN Kumar wrote:I removed the sunscreen on my car. Its not comfortable during light when the light falls on your rear view mirror. Are there any good transparent films that reduce incoming reflections?

Rear view mirrors have the flip up tab that you are supposed to use in the night to reduce the reflected glare from headlights of the vehicles behind you! It should be as simple as flipping up the rear view mirror using the tab!

vina · Post by **vina** » 08 Aug 2012 12:54

Gus wrote:Wear polarized glasses?

Well, the trouble I have is that the glasses i wear are photo chromed. Now for photo chrome to change color, there needs to be UV light, but glass is a great absorber of UV light and hence, my glass doesn't darken when I am inside the car and driving!

What I really need to do is get a pair of dark shades with my optical power for daylight driving.

MN Kumar · Post by **MN Kumar** » 08 Aug 2012 18:43

vina wrote:
MN Kumar wrote:I removed the sunscreen on my car. Its not comfortable during light when the light falls on your rear view mirror. Are there any good transparent films that reduce incoming reflections?
Rear view mirrors have the flip up tab that you are supposed to use in the night to reduce the reflected glare from headlights of the vehicles behind you! It should be as simple as flipping up the rear view mirror using the tab!

Vina, I meant the side mirrors. Sorry for my mistake. Didnt notice it untill you pointed it.

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 08 Aug 2012 19:15

vina wrote:Rear view mirrors have the flip up tab that you are supposed to use in the night to reduce the reflected glare from headlights of the vehicles behind you! It should be as simple as flipping up the rear view mirror using the tab!

That's not a standard issue in all Indian cars.

Other than polarized glasses, I don't think there's a way to avoid glare from side view mirrors.

Suppiah · Post by **Suppiah** » 17 Aug 2012 09:44

Vasu wrote:Nobody wants to bite the hand that feeds them and for most of these workers, ensuring income for their family will always remain top priority

The experience with lal-jhanda inspired violence in India suggests otherwise. Once brainwashed (by Beijing puppets and Stalinist traitors) that their iron-rice-bowl is intact and would remain so against everything short of nuclear holocaust, and hence they can freely engage in whatever acts of violence that takes their fancy, many do engage in such acts of violence that any sane person would call suicidal.

Electricity board employees destroying transmission systems, workers burning factories, IA/AI employees going on strike to coincide with peak earnings season and many more examples can be given..

When they are told that such acts will not be rewarded - that they will not just destroy Maruti but also their own livelihood, they will stop listening to treacherous leeches. Then they will become the real innocent sensible folks that you are dreaming about.

And one way to do that is to fire the whole lot that rioted that day, even if that means one or two innocent that merely watched from the sidelines get fired. Unless clear evidence exists that they did not participate. Unless they change their IDs and fake their resume's no one will hire them. After a while, they may learn the lesson and can be taken back if they give up lal-jhanda forever..

I think that is what Maruti is doing.

If not they can go the BSNL way - allow leftists to systematically destroy it through sloth, incompetence and inefficiency, all in the name of trade unionism.

Virupaksha · Post by **Virupaksha** » 17 Aug 2012 12:40

We already have the example of the great mumbai textile strike, which destroyed mumbai as the textile capital of India. Oh! some people will be surprised to see the number of people ready to bite those hands which feeds them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Bomb ... ile_Strike

Vasu · Post by **Vasu** » 17 Aug 2012 14:24

Well I certainly hope at least some things will have changed in the past 30 years. Manesar plant will reopen on August 21. MSIL has sacked 500 workers and we can expect lots of fireworks. They've also decided to do away with contract labour and will only have direct employees on roll.

The Hindu link

In a move likely to evoke strong labour reactions, country’s leading car maker, Maruti Suzuki India on Thursday announced termination of services of 500 regular workers and resumption of normal operations from August 21 at its violence hit plant at Manesar, Haryana.

The people short listed for termination and will not be taken back includes workers and persons arrested by police and who are likely to face criminal proceedings, and are also in our list, a statement by MSI said. Hinting at further action, the company said if in the course of enquiries or police investigations, it appears that more workers were involved in the violence, action will be taken against them as and when required.

Stating it was ending the process of employing contract labour, the company said it had started the process of directly hiring them. The schedule of recruitment has been communicated to all the existing contract workers through the contract agencies and recruitment would start from September 2, the statement added.

The Manesar unit is being presently guarded by the Haryana Police. MSI has created a special force of 100 security guards, including ex-servicemen, at the Manesar plant in addition to the existing security force, to enhance security.

Personal Security Officers (PSOs) have been provided for the safety of managers, supervisors, and where necessary the workers. 3) Security arrangements have been made at the residences of the employees.

Suppiah · Post by **Suppiah** » 17 Aug 2012 17:44

^^^Datta Samant, quoted in the Rediff interview linked by Wikipidea, is right..nothing will change. We are doomed only. Until the last lal-jhanda is kicked out of this country.

If you read the interview one thing is clear - though not officially from the left, he was still very much cast in that mould. When there are union leaders that see unionism not as class warfare but as simple bargaining for a better deal, like vendors and customer do all the time, more importantly, think not just for themselves but for entire economic eco-system and management too think that way, yes things will change.

Shalav · Post by **Shalav** » 17 Aug 2012 21:39

The textile sector was on the move from Mumbai anyway. If not then, they would have moved out sooner or later. Datta Samant managed to accelerate the process thats all.

That real estate was just too valuable, one by one all the mills have moved out and given way to real estate. Century, Mafatlal, Piramal, Bombay Dyeing, even Raymond at Thane have moved their production facilities to Vapi and beyond.

Now gentrified Lower Parel is Upper Worli

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 17 Aug 2012 21:59

^^^
You could say the same thing about Dharavi and all those blighty slums.
Also the Ports Authorities 1300 acres and much of the PSU land in Mumbai.

Shalav · Post by **Shalav** » 17 Aug 2012 22:22

Theo,

Couldn't understand the point. Perhaps you should elaborate in a more appropriate thread.

pentaiah · Post by **pentaiah** » 18 Aug 2012 03:36

Shalav wrote:The textile sector was on the move from Mumbai anyway. If not then, they would have moved out sooner or later. Datta Samant managed to accelerate the process thats all.

That real estate was just too valuable, one by one all the mills have moved out and given way to real estate. Century, Mafatlal, Piramal, Bombay Dyeing, even Raymond at Thane have moved their production facilities to Vapi and beyond.

Now gentrified Lower Parel is Upper Worli

Godrej Lalbaug has big chunk of real estate still next to erstwhile Bombay gas company

About rear view mirror and side mirrors
My GM Jimmy/ envoy has electronically moderated reflective surfaces and led glows and tells me that the reflected light is being controlled

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 22 Aug 2012 00:05

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RBl1LFU ... r_embedded
http://io9.com/5936342/airpod-concept-c ... ressed-air

Airpod’ concept car runs on compressed air

India's Tata Motors is working on a revolutionary new concept car that looks like a cross between a 2001 space pod and the Alvin deep sea explorer. But unlike those vehicles, this one runs on compressed air — a power source that could create a viable alternative to electric cars, in terms of its affordability and environmental impact.
Writing in The Atlantic Cities, John Metcalfe explains how the Airpod works:

Sadly, these vehicles do not function by farting out a loud stream of gas that propels them forth. They instead are built with pneumatic motors that use pressurized air to drive pistons. In the case of Tata, a company that's developing a line of "nano" cars (including this bulletproof dwarf tank), the engines come from Luxembourg firm MDI, which has been tooling around with air automation for more than two decades.

Tata bought the rights to sell MDI's creations in India five years ago, but the project's proven difficult to get popping. But in May, the motor giant announced that it had completed the "first phase" of the Airpod, successfully testing out the engines in two vehicles. The Airpod team presumably is now in Phase 2, polishing up on the hardware in advance of a commercial launch.

So what does this auto of the future look like? Following the smartcar trend, it resembles something that stumbled out of Pixar's Cars. The mid-sized model fits three passengers, although one must face backward like he's being punished for something, and is streamlined almost to the point of becoming a sphere. Its tank can hold 175 liters of air, which a driver gets either at a specialized fueling station or by activating an onboard electric motor to suck it in. Its makers say that filling er' up will cost a paltry €1, and that a full tank of air can last for roughly 125 miles.

Abhijeet · Post by **Abhijeet** » 30 Aug 2012 22:04

It's apparently common in India for there to be several months' delay in getting a new car or motorbike after ordering it, for some models. Today I heard about someone who ordered a new bike and will be getting it after 8 (!) months. I remember that when we were buying a new car after R2Iing, we test drove a Swift Dzire at a dealership, and then were told that there would be a 3 month delay in getting the car -- apparently not considered a big deal. The model wasn't even new at that time. That was an instant deal killer for us.

Rationally, I'd expect that when products are selling out, companies would ramp up supply to deal with it, as is typical in developed markets, rather than lose customers. I wouldn't expect companies to simply let the situation rest, as it apparently does for many models, sometimes for years. It's not simply burst demand that's causing lag, but relatively steady state demand that companies are choosing not to fulfill quickly.

My guess is that there is little enough competition among high quality products that companies which produce such products can afford to take their customers for granted -- they know that people don't have many choices. Most bikes in the market are low quality (anecdotally), and there are few cars which retain resale value like a Maruti.

It's too bad that we have such a situation two decades after liberalization.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 31 Aug 2012 10:41

Abhijeet-> the Swift, Swift Desire especially diesel variants are exeptions to the Market, for the last 1 and half years Maruti has been struggling with a crippling labour problems at the Manesar plant where they are manufactured, 8 month delay for Bike must be for high end model.

And in India, many people buy based on popularity and presception which changes time to time, Yamaha RX 100, Hero Honda Splendor, Swift snd Swift Dezire- especially Diesel variants suffer rom the Diesease.

Else many Bikes are off the shelf and I have managed to get a car delivered 3 days after making my decesion.

Hell, I dont you will get say Merc, BMW Z4, Ferrari, Lexus or any car even the west by just walking into a showroom. I bet one can get an Alto, Santro, an array of Bikes by walkign into a showroom and Making sure the Dealer Bank relises cash.

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 31 Aug 2012 16:44

There are models that the dealer stocks, which would be available for next day delivery. Then there are models that must be shipped from the plant on order. Those will take a week or two depending upon the stock situation at the plant.

Some hyped models like Swift have a demand/capacity gap. It would take a lot of resources for the company to ramp up production, so they let the backlog be, as a bragging point.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 01 Sep 2012 09:11

toyota fortuner was another one with a huge backlog. people were selling delivery bookings in black for 3-4 lakhs above its purchase price. a favourite among rich young scions, goondas, cine artists, netas and other "get out of my way or I will crush you" types.
its interior is however disappointingly small.

Chandragupta · Post by **Chandragupta** » 03 Sep 2012 17:12

Have been facing issues with my 2007 Santro (~ 80k, rough driving). Since last two weeks, my steering has become quiet hard (worse than a non-PS) and makes sound that feels like a couple of bricks are getting grounded as the steering moves. This sound comes with or without motion of the wheels. The steering also jams like kat-kat-kat-kat when you turn it. Consulted Advaith ORR and they have recommended replacing the entire steering rack (stating excessive wear & tear in the current one), costing around 17.5k with labour. Is this okay or can this be a minor problem (which it definitely doesn’t feel like).

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 03 Sep 2012 18:44

@Aditya_V, the bike backlog is almost exclusively for RE, all their models have backlogs and the classic 500, has the highest, running into 6-8 months. originally they hadn't intended to release it in India but once they did, it became a runaway success that they didn't expect.

aniket · Post by **aniket** » 03 Sep 2012 19:58

Fellow Brfites , which one would you guys recommend ?
The Honda Brio or the Ford Figo ?

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 03 Sep 2012 20:51

The Splendor is a 20 year old model na. Incredibly tough bike! My dad has had one for 10+ years and still runs flawlessly. Very light as well.

Royal Enfield bikes have been a sleeper hit in the USA market where ~ 30,000 will be sold this year. RE is focusing more and more on the export market where they can charge roughly double-triple what they do in the Indian market. In fact in many parts of the US there is wait list for RE bikes. I have contributed a little to this problem as I bought 2 versions in the USA.

Get them while you can, I suspect with the new 70 MPH (Highway safe) rated UCE bikes, they will get almost impossible to get in India.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 03 Sep 2012 20:53

aniket wrote:Fellow Brfites , which one would you guys recommend ?
The Honda Brio or the Ford Figo ?

If you are fine with Petrol- Honda Brio, want to save money on Diesel- then FIgo is only runner in this 2 horse race.

aniket · Post by **aniket** » 03 Sep 2012 21:06

Aditya_V wrote:
aniket wrote:Fellow Brfites , which one would you guys recommend ?
The Honda Brio or the Ford Figo ?
If you are fine with Petrol- Honda Brio, want to save money on Diesel- then FIgo is only runner in this 2 horse race.

Thanks,that was my first choice.

member_20292 · Post by **member_20292** » 03 Sep 2012 22:57

^^^ chandragupta...get an alternative opinion from a real life mechanic.

Take your car apart yourself a little and see.....

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 04 Sep 2012 05:56

Folks:

The following is FYI only.

In a trip into the North Georgia mountains yesterday, I drove by a farmhouse that had an unusual exhibit in the front yard.

It was a rusting tractor, with wooden planks on all 4 sides. On the front wooden plank, it was written in large capital letters: "Mahindra Tractors are Junk"

It was an exhibit that was hard to miss by the cars driving by that road.

I was sorry to see it.

Has anybody heard of any problems with Mahindra tractors in USA?

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 04 Sep 2012 10:53

Chandragupta, I would be wary of that steering problem. It can easily become a life threatening one. So, it is better to do something ASAP.

IIRC Santro has Electric power steering, not hydraulic. So, I suspect mechanical problem. Since you say it is harder than non-PS, it looks like the electrical drive is broken, and you are turning the mechanical back-up. Take second, third or fourth opinion, but get it fixed/settled ASAP.

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 04 Sep 2012 13:27

fix steering immediately. You don't want a locked steering while on the highway.

pentaiah · Post by **pentaiah** » 04 Sep 2012 14:07

Chandraguot saar ji
Boss couple of things
It could be steering or CV joints bearing is gone (quite possible in Indian conditions)
or it could be king pin aka a pin in the knuckle which turns

Might need lubrication the tie rods, and suspension also need to be checked, alignment of wheels

I hope its power steering
if so it could be problem in the Hydraulic asist system

describe the noise effort,
does the vechicle go strainght nor you ned continous fine tuning of the sterring to keep straight

lots of input needed

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 04 Sep 2012 19:53

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/ ... epage=true The Camry is priced at Rs. 23.80 lakh (Ex-showroom, Delhi).

paap re paap! just convert to $moolahs, and you will see it is costing double the price. who is eating into these profits?

putnanja · Post by **putnanja** » 04 Sep 2012 22:41

SaiK wrote:
http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/ ... epage=true The Camry is priced at Rs. 23.80 lakh (Ex-showroom, Delhi).
paap re paap! just convert to $moolahs, and you will see it is costing double the price. who is eating into these profits?

The custom duty on cars is pretty high if it imported fully, and gradually decreases for SKD, CKD kits etc.

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 04 Sep 2012 23:31

I believe it is at 100% for imports - so it IS double the price. Parts attract high duties too. Applies for bikes as well.

ravar · Post by **ravar** » 04 Sep 2012 23:52

Kakkaji wrote:Folks:

The following is FYI only.

In a trip into the North Georgia mountains yesterday, I drove by a farmhouse that had an unusual exhibit in the front yard.

It was a rusting tractor, with wooden planks on all 4 sides. On the front wooden plank, it was written in large capital letters: "Mahindra Tractors are Junk"

It was an exhibit that was hard to miss by the cars driving by that road.

I was sorry to see it.

Has anybody heard of any problems with Mahindra tractors in USA?

Incidentally, just yesterday I was going through the video of Mahindra tractors on foreign shores. Came across a proud owner (a Caucasian lady) whom I gather to be an American->>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACnCntTrxmE

See the comments section and she is vouching for the product even after 4 years, apart from the title of the video ('awesome tractor!') which she uploaded exactly a year after she bought it. So it seems the product deserves the adjective given in the title. Incidentally, some say that those units are made in Japan (Mitsubishi plant taken over by Mahindra).

Overall, the feedback is positive.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 05 Sep 2012 19:56

putnanja wrote:quote="SaiK"]
http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/ ... epage=true The Camry is priced at Rs. 23.80 lakh (Ex-showroom, Delhi)./quote]

paap re paap! just convert to $moolahs, and you will see it is costing double the price. who is eating into these profits?
The custom duty on cars is pretty high if it imported fully, and gradually decreases for SKD, CKD kits etc.

While I agree customs Duty is pretty steep, it is a Myth that Taxes are less on fully Manufactured cars in India. there is Customs, Excise, CST on Inputs, not always eligible for credit, then 16-24% ED, 13% VAT, 10% life tax which if you include the compunding effect one on top of the other. That is leaving out Service tax on Insurance, registration charges etc etc.

Indirect Taxes even for cars manufactured in India is about 40-55% of the cars costs, it is the Central and State Governments that eat into the profits to fund the largesse of Babus and Politicos.

In private COmpanies a 15 year life tax would be recognised over 15 years, in cash basis Govt records its all current year revenue.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 05 Sep 2012 20:09

we are penny wise, and pound foolish.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 21 Sep 2012 03:06

the new accord is impressive
http://automobiles.honda.com/accord-sed ... FROM=EMAIL

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 21 Sep 2012 14:52

SaiK wrote:the new accord is impressive
http://automobiles.honda.com/accord-sed ... FROM=EMAIL

The engine specs except for V6 seem to be the same.

All the Automatics except for the V6 use CVT, I have seen this India only on scooters, Auto cars in the Indian market seem to use 4-speed , 5-speed, or 6-speed transmissions.

Given that CVT gives Higher mileage than Manual, atleast in US driving conditions, why don't manufacturers don't bring this to Indian market?

vina · Post by **vina** » 21 Sep 2012 15:27

All the Automatics except for the V6 use CVT

NONE of the models except one from Honda :Civic HX, Subaru and one Audi EVER used CVTs in the US. The autos there (and everywhere in the world) are conventional automatics.

If you want a CVT based auto in India, get yourself the Honda Brio Automatic that is getting launched next month. That is a CVT . I am planning to get one for my wife.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Sep 2012 15:32

inshallah, my wife could use one too. but sadly I dont have the money. our santro is nearly 8 yrs old now, 55k, a little noisy and long in tooth.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 21 Sep 2012 18:30

Just wonder in the absence of conventional ratios what the 0-100Km and top speed are, what is the most fuel efficient speed etc.

Also, first time seeing the CVT on the 2013 accord that SaiK linked to, if this kicks off I guess CVT's could becoem more common I guess.

And can anyone explain Paddle shifters with CVT in the 2.4 liter sport mode in the Accord, does it mean increase/Decrease in CVT ratio is manually controlled to what a 1st gear, 2nd Gear, 3rd Gear if there was a conventional gearbox was in place?