Tata Indica VISTA Quadrajet - Ownership Report


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Hi Guys ,
I was contemplating on buying a Indica DLS NA(Naturally Aspirated) or Indica Turbo DLG few months back after selling Our Indica DLE .
Here:
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=577

Lately ,The Kind of Car I want with Very Less Mileage Done was difficult to Find even though I tried ads online as well as Offline.Some Quoted Incredibly High Prices for low mileage cars.

So ,read about Tata's "Now or Never" Offer during Early December 2009 and Visited Tata Dealer Concorde ,Kochi,Kerala.

Indica Vista ,I liked it Although Panel Gaps and Cheap Quality Plastics are a issue with these Cars.I Concur with the Findings of ilango[speed thirst] .

So I have now Indica Vista Quadrajet TERRA Trim.

Earlier I contemplated on Buying Indica Vista AQUA Trim TDI Turbo but as My Earlier Thread suggested ,There was many who discouraged telling it needs more maintenance as well as Older Technology.
Finally ,Upgraded the Budget to Buy Indica Vista Terra Trim Quadrajet ,Marine Silver Colour.Took Delivery on 24th December ,Got Registered on 2010.[:)]
As of Now 1350kms Done with First Free Service Over.I Changed Engine Oil and Oil Filter on 1000kms although TATA Asks for 10,000kms Change.Costed Me Rs1300 Roughly.Costed Me OTR Price Rs 4.6 Lakhs Over All(Including Anti Rust Coat,Waxing,Extended Warranty,Registration).

Here is a Small Review from My Part:

First I will list the "Cons" rather than "Pros".
1)The Plastics are Cheap Quality.Last Week ,"Driver Side Seat belt's Upper Plastic Cover" 's Plastic Screw got loose and the panel simply came off.What More ,Saw One of the Two Legs is broken When I tried fixing it back.

2)Bonnet ,Bumpers,Doors,Dashboard below panels all having more gap than What We Expect.TASS is Helpless claiming All Vista's are "like this".

3)Front Windshield's Bottom Beadings was Loose ,Top Beadings are listed for replacements.During First Free Service,the front glass bottom beadings was adjusted;still there are small gaps.[frustration] Top Beadings also Fixed.But they are waiting for "New Type" Beadings which will be available later.

4)A/C is Not Efficient ,Especially During Noon.My Car Came With "Behr" make compressor which may be a reason.Heard New Ones have "Subros" Make.Also I read about a ECU Firmware Update which will supposedly resolve cooling.But ,Concorde,Kochi have NO Idea.

5)My car have GoodYear Tubeless Radials and From Day First ,they made noise.On First Free Service ,TASS Adjusted Front anti roll bar and replaced Bushings and done Alignment Checks .Still ,Goodyear tyres are noisy.
PS:Newest Cars Comes with Bridgestone.

6)Rear Right Side Door sometimes will not open from Inside.No!Childlock was not enabled.It Occurs rarely and TASS is also puzzled.

7)Front Left Window Glass,Rear Left Window Glass and Driver Side Glass All have Small gaps when WInd Up Fully.Beadings replaced and Mechanism Fixed.
Indica Owners, You know about How Horrible TATA Indica's Winding Mechanism for glasses is.Vista too have the same thing.What Happens is ,After Some time ,The Glass will develop "Play" and need Human Assist to wind Up Fully. The Solution is not anti-rust sprays.it Needs a particular spray called "Plastic and Polymer" Spray Costs around Rs300 Which I saw in a Local TATA(Un Authorized) Service Centre.Will Buy One Soon.

8)There was slight rust formation on Seat's beneath Which TASS ruled out citing a Common Thing.

9)Why Vista Comes With Such a Puny Horn?

10) The Luggage Space is Much Less Compared to Indica V2 DLS.

11)Why Terra Trim got Denied Tachometer?
^These are all what I remember.

Now When Taking Delivery ,Have the Car got 3M Underbody Anti Rust Coat,Waxing Done.Also Took 2+2 years Extended Warranty.
I have done Floor Covering(Vinyl) as well as Tight Fit Seat Cover,Garware Classic Sun Films,Left Side ORVM and that Ends My Accessory List as of now.
Had Scratched Near Left Rear Door While getting into Car Porch in Our House on the same day.But ,Got it Painted,Dent Repaired Locally.

TASS at Concorde,Cochin Service Advisor is so adamant in Discouraging Me from having Remote Central Locking Fitted on The Car Claiming ,They Will Not Do that at TASS as well as Will Void The Warranty on ECU!!!Actually He is telling 99% While Fixing Electrical Accessories ,they will Cut Wires..SomeOne Recommended on getting Connections done from Battery directly???.Same With My Wish to Fix a Good ROOTS Horn with Relay. - I will fix these things soon Hopefully.


Car is Fun to Ride and I feel it is a Safe and Bigger Car.We Need a Hatchback with Good Space and This Car Fits the Bill.Mileage until 500-600kms was Less.Something around 15kmpl.After First Free Service or 1000kms Over ,Mileage(Overall) has improved.No ,I am Assuming Much ,No Full Tank Test to Vouch On.

Here are the "Pros" of Vista Quadrajet(Terra):

1)Car is Big and Spacious and Confidence Inspiring.Power Steering is Fine.

2) At The Price I have it ,It is a Steal of a deal with the Fiat Multijet Oops Quadrajet DIESEL Engine.Heard 400,000 kms is What these Multijets are Rumoured to last For.Good Mileage.

3)Good Interiors.It has Small Things Like a 12V Electric Outlet for Charging Purposes,Trays, A Tray Under Co-Driver's Seat etc

4) Engine Immobilizer.But No Central Locking.

5)Steering Column is adjustable even in Terra Trim for Quadrajet .

6)Electricals feels Better compared to Earlier Experience With TATA Cars.

7)Over all ,Build Quality is getting Better.For Vista ,Only Cheap Interior Plastics is the only Down thing.Feels Contradicting? Now ,I am thinking Myself as a ex-owner of a Earlier Indica DLE.

8)Suspension felt Better.Hopes Rims Also is Capable Enough to Dash Through Potholes in Monsoon.
--
Now I need Some Recommendations from TAI Team.

Which Remote Central Locking System(Not High End) Will You Recommend?Brand Models - All Welcome.

How about Front Windscreen Sun Films?Will They a Let Down While Driving in Heavy Rains?Sun Film Guy Who came to My House claims a fog like thing will ge formed which may prevent visibility during Rains.Any Truth?

Tata Cars UnderBody Metal Sheet/Running-Board like regions are claimed to have Less Thickness compared to Maruti For Eg(THIS IS NOT MY SPECULATION) as per What I heard from Some Sources Who are Well Acquainted With Tata Indica Cars.This is Not a Bashing;But in Coastline Cities ,Rusting Can Go Deep in under Side if Not Painted Every Monsoon.What I want to Ask is ,One Guy Suggested Me - Remove the Seats,Vinyl Floorings etc Every 2 years and Get Even the Platform Painted!Any Idea?

Hope All Vista Owners Will Contribute in this Thread.
Thanks and Regards,
Biker.
 

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Hey biker congrats for your new ride! Its good that you have finally gone in for a new car rather than a used one. Its very bad so much of cons than the pros. Cmon TATA address these issues asap and you have the best products in hand.


Regarding A/C i have a Safari and i also face this problem. The cabin takes lots of time to cool. And its pretty bad in summers. My Safari EX model comes with roof mounted A/C but still the problem of cooling persists.


And then the child-lock thing. My Safari has a tendency of enabling the child-lock on its own sometimes. So you also do check whether the child-lock is enabled when the door refuses to open from the inside!
 
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Great Review Biker!

First, I want to congratulate for putting in very clear & extra detailed review with Pros & Cons.

Seems TATA hasn't improved till date on anything after seeing your review. Badd for TASS, that they will lose out a big time for sure.

And regarding Remote locking, If you just need a basic model with locking, unlocking & Car finder, you can go for Piranha, Autocop or Wheels!

I have used both Piranha & Crosslink Wheels.

For me, Piranha has an edge over all. It operate quite well even at longer distances, one of the best which i have used. The basic model costs around Rs.2300.
 
Thread Starter #5
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Thank You All.[:)]
Seems TATA hasn't improved till date on anything after seeing your review. Badd for TASS, that they will lose out a big time for sure.
Tata After Sales Service Has improved Quiet a Lot.With Vista ,Quality too Also increased when Considered to Circa 1999-2003 Indica's.Moreover ,TASS is Not Fussy on Replacing Faulty Parts under Warranty.

I will tell - Vista is a VFM Package and Only Few Build Quality issues and Especially Cheap Fibre/Plastic Parts.Apart From That ,The Car is Fun to Ride.Can Seat Well Built 5 People in Comfy.
 
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Yes when it comes to VFM TATA vehicles are always good. They price their products very competitively. Its good if you can just forget a few niggling issues and enjoy your ride to the max!
 
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Tata After Sales Service Has improved Quiet a Lot.With Vista ,Quality too Also increased when Considered to Circa 1999-2003 Indica's.Moreover ,TASS is Not Fussy on Replacing Faulty Parts under Warranty.

I will tell - Vista is a VFM Package and Only Few Build Quality issues and Especially Cheap Fibre/Plastic Parts.Apart From That ,The Car is Fun to Ride.Can Seat Well Built 5 People in Comfy.
Yes, But these few reliability issues are the big threat to Tata themself which keeps spoiling their reputation for decades!

Nice to hear that you are happy with your car!

Drive safe & enjoy your ride [thumbsup]
 
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Hey biker can you post some more pictures of your car showing the interiors and also the panel gaps seen if possible?
 
Thread Starter #9
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@cooldhaya:Sure.

BTW ,I think ilango[speed thirst] thread shared some pics of the same.
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4049&postcount=6
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=316

--
Although ,While I listed Cons more than Pros ,If You See the Car in Real or Have a Drive in Vista QJD ,It never felt like earlier Cars from TATA.

While At Showroom(Concorde) ,I checked Indica Vista Notchback - Indigo "Manza" and TATAs are surely trying to improve.First thing I felt is TASS ,Mostly Was some Lazy A--'s Who Don't Care With.Now ,there is a great Change.TATA's Call from Pune on Every Free Service to Ensure any issues are not settled - For eg.The Feedback System in TASS also is Helping Customers Much IMHO.
I am Very Much Positive.Moreover ,1.3 Multijet Diesel and a Big Car For 4.5Lakhs ,Atleast to Me is a steal of a deal.

Thanks. :)
 
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Yes biker i remember Ilango sharing but still want to check your interiors also for inspection purpose![;)]

Yes we also do get a call from Pune after each time we service our Safari. They take in your valuable feedback and suggestions. They also do take strict action against erring officials. As a matter fact they also enquire whether the S.A and even the security present there wished us good morning.


Yes i also do agree. TATA vehicles never disappoint when it comes to comfort and luxury. What they lack is reliability and quality of fit and finish. But i can see that they have improved that aspect in Manza! Now if they could fin out some solution to improve their A.S.S then the other manufacturers will have a tough competition in hand.


Indica Vista is one of the best diesel hatches around! The main reason being its spacious and VFM. Enjoy your ride!
 
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First of all congrats on buying the best diesel hatch available at this value[thumbsup]. Even some cramped petrol cars costs more than this.

Costed Me OTR Price Rs 4.6 Lakhs Over All(Including Anti Rust Coat,Waxing,Extended Warranty,Registration).
This is what i was talking about.

I have done Floor Covering(Vinyl)
What is this? Can you please explain a bit.

TASS at Concorde,Cochin Service Advisor is so adamant in Discouraging Me from having Remote Central Locking Fitted on The Car Claiming ,They Will Not Do that at TASS as well as Will Void The Warranty on ECU!!
I feel this kind of things you should never believe on any service advisor. Please make a habit to contact Tata seniors/ customer cares. The SA of any dealer have limited knowledge.


Car is Fun to Ride and I feel it is a Safe and Bigger Car.
This is nice to see. I have not driven the Tata cars, but i daily drive same engine.

Tata Cars UnderBody Metal Sheet/Running-Board like regions are claimed to have Less Thickness compared to Maruti
This is hard to believe, actually Maruti and Hyundai's bodies are the weakest. The tata cars are made of strong steel (may be because of Tata steel[:)]). This is one of the reason all the taxis are from Tata. Don't worry they are reliable.
If you can manage with the plastic fittings, you should not worry about anything else. The parts are cheapest and freely available.

Enjoy the drive. Post some more pictures and keep us updating.
 
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OT: Hey RSM i disagree that Hyundai's body is weak! I accept that TATA'S build quality is good actually superb as i have owned Sierra and Safari! Maruti build quality is poor i accept that also!

But i can never accept that Hyundai's body is weak atleast my Verna! I have several incidents to prove my statement![thumbsup]
 
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@Cooldahya, sure, you have the right to disgaree.[:)]

All this is with our experience/perception or hearing the things with others. I am not sure if we can find the data to compare these.

From some other forum's comment -
A Hyundai i10 smashed into the back of this Punto. The Hyundai's bumper + bonnet got bent. The Punto? Only a misaligned bumper:
 
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Yes with my experience i can say that Hyundai's at least my Verna's body is not like Maruti's! But i do support TATA![:)]

Hey RSM lets not go off-topic here! We will have this discussion elsewhere![:)]
 
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@RSM: Floor Mattings/Covering is done using Vinyl or PVC Flooring Material.It costed Me Rs1300.What They Do is Remove Seats,Plastic/Fibre Parts,Console except dashboard and they use a Thick PVC(I Guess) like Plastic Material Making A Tray like structure in the Floor Of the Car.They paste together pieces in Corners and Other Places.This is Hopefully to protect from having dust ,Water(especially) from Reaching Car's Floor Fabric.
It is not necessary though(But many still does Here in Kerala).
I Will Post this as well as seat covers so that Readers will get an Idea :)

regards,
Biker.
 

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