This entire episode has left a bad taste of the entire ownership experience with this SUV
BHPian bill1182 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
For the past few days have been facing lots of issues with my XUV 700 AX7 D. I have now started doubting my decision to purchase this car.
Some time back I read some posts and saw videos about a few YouTubers selling their cars due to niggles and I thought they were trying to make an issue out of nothing significant but now I think they were not entirely wrong.
For the past few weeks, I am forced to visit the Mahindra service centre for some other issue. The overall ownership experience has been far from what one would expect. Mahindra has a very very long way to go when it comes to making a niggle free vehicle. After what I have been experiencing, I would think twice before taking my vehicle on a long trip.
The issue started with Thudding and Kat Kat noise from front suspensions. I have also posted a video showing the exact scenarios under which the noise used to come. As a resolution to the said issue, I was told to get my vehicle to the service centre for Suspension head mount replacement. When I gave my vehicle for replacement, a few other service actions were shown by the Mahindra system which included software updates.
During the software update, it bricked the DATC ECU which handles the entire Automatic Climate Control. The only option was to replace the DATC ECU. This is a small black box which sits behind the climate control unit. The car was kept for a week at the service centre for the part to arrive. While replacing the ECU, the technician damaged the Silver trim on the dashboard and also damaged the centre console.
After taking the delivery of the vehicle, when I checked for the functioning of the AC unit, I noticed that the airflow was coming from the vents near the windshield and the flow was not getting diverted from the front vents. The AC controls were not working. It was then identified that the AC vent actuator motor had some issues and had to be replaced. I had to wait for a week for the replacement motor to arrive and it took 2 days for the service centre to replace the motor and get the AC fixed.
Along with the above issues, the car had also developed issues with the left side latch assembly where the front left door outside handle was getting stuck mid-way and the rear left door was getting stuck when trying to open from the inside. Reported this issue while getting the AC actuator replaced and the latch assembly was replaced under warranty.
Finally got the vehicle with AC working as expected on 27th September.
Used the car for a couple of days and then has to travel to Ahmedabad for a week. Thought of travelling by my Dad’s Honda City. XUV was not used for a week. To my shock, when I started the car on 08th October I saw one of the scariest warnings on the console.
I immediately informed the COTEK and CSM. I was asked to get the car to the service centre for scanning. After checking the error codes, they felt it could be a weak battery as the car was not used for a week. There was no starting issue with the car but the system was showing a couple of error codes around a drop in voltage, a LIN sensor error for dry lines going to DEF, and a couple of codes for ADAS.
Suspecting the battery issue, I was asked to get the battery checked for issues with Charging, holding the charge and Gravity. Got it checked the next day with an Amaron dealer near my residence. As per the battery guy, there was no issue with the battery or the alternator.
I was able to replicate the Check Engine light issue by stopping the engine by pressing the Engine On/Off button and then immediately pressing the Engine On/Off button again to bring the car to standby mode.
While the battery guy was checking the battery, I suddenly noticed that the Engine Coolant was below the minimum mark in the reservoir. The car was not showing any extreme temperature warning though.
I immediately rushed to the service centre on 09th October and brought this to the notice. There is no apparent leak from any of the hoses or from the reservoir. We filled the reservoir with Coolant and took the vehicle for a test ride. Apparently, the Check Engine light issue seems to have got resolved and I was not able to replicate it after filling the coolant. I am not sure if there is any link between low coolant and a Check Engine System warning.
I was asked to drive the vehicle for a day and check if the coolant quantity is getting low. I had quite a bit of city driving today. When I checked the coolant quantity today morning, it had reduced slightly from what we had filled yesterday. We had fixed a piece of tape to mark the level of coolant in the reservoir as it was slightly off from the Max quantity mark.
Though it was slightly lower than the MAX mark, I took a chance and took the car to work. Did around 50 kilometres with crazy bumper-to-bumper traffic on JVLR and Ladakh like a ride through the Aarey milk colony (Bhpians from Mumbai would know what I mean). As expected, the coolant was just under the MIN mark when I was back home by evening.
Tried to search for the leak and finally found a big wet patch on the underbody cover. I am not sure if this patch is due to coolant leakage as it is below the engine and I am not able to see any visible pink-coloured liquid. All I see is a big patch which looks fresh. It is slightly greasy to the touch and does not show any pink liquid. Could this be due to the oil change which was done during the first service a few months back?
Where would the leakage from if this patch is due to coolant?
Another thing to note is that the Check Engine System alert again started appearing when I tried doing the quick Stop Start sequence.
Have been asked to get the car to the service centre again tomorrow for fixing the above issues.
This entire episode has left a bad taste of the entire ownership experience with this car. This shows that companies are using customers as guinea pigs and testing their half-baked products at the cost of the customer.
Visiting the workshop has become my weekly routine.
I have also escalated this matter to Mr Anand Mahindra using his official email address but have not received any response from him or any of the senior management guys at Mahindra.
I am pretty sure, these generic CMD email IDs are handled by some escalation teams and the head of the organization would have no idea about what is happening in reality.
Does anyone know anybody in the senior management who can help me with these issues? It would be a great help if any of the form members could help me with the contact details of some senior management team members at Mahindra.
Update:
Took the car to MASS today morning and got it inspected. The patch on the underbody cover had increased significantly confirming that there was a definite leak from somewhere.
On removing the underbody cover, found a leak from a plastic elbow-like pipe which connects the Radiator hose to the engine.
The service advisor says that the hose is cracked and would need replacement.
Now the MASS says, they do not have the part ready and they are trying to procure it from another workshop of Mahindra. This will again take a few days and the car would be unusable.
This shows the level of quality control followed by the company. To cope with huge orders, they have compromised on quality. I have never in my entire history of owning multiple vehicles, seen a radiator hose getting damaged/cracked within a few months and a few thousand kilometres.
Just imagine such a failure when you are out with your family on a vacation to a remote location like Ladakh. How can one trust the reliability of this vehicle in long run?
I have written to Mr Anand Mahindra and his team on Twitter but as usual, no response from Mahindra. Will be documenting the case by sending an email to their official customer service email address and to the CMD email address.
The last option would be to take the matter to consumer court if things are not addressed properly by the company.
Here’s what BHPian Smartomotive had to say on the matter:
I completely resonate with your frustration and experience. I’m in the same boat. Sending my vehicle once again for a 3-day deep check (that’s what they want to do now) and for them to figure out the issues and fix them.
Service centre people are also clueless and told me, they’ll be giving remote access to the plant folks for them to debug and give a solution.
I was supposed to drop off the vehicle today (on Monday) but the manager said they’re full with XUV700s to update/apply fixes for the recalls and even confirmed a few other vehicles having exact issues like mine and told me they’re replacing the silver box itself and may have to do the same with my vehicle too.
This is my 6th visit in a span of 3 months, 4 attempts have already been made to fix the blank screen issue and this is still reoccurring in addition to a bunch of other problems
I highly doubt we would be able to keep this vehicle for any time long.
Keyword: Doubting my XUV700 purchase decision: Multiple issues, no fix in sight!