My Tata Nano LX 2012 Ownership Experience


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Here is my small review/ownership experience of my “Khusiyon Ki Chabi”. I apologize for any (R) any mistake in advance.

BOOKING & DELIVERY:

It was at about 12 in the noon that I reached the showroom. When I stepped in, some brand new Tata & Fiat cars were on display including a 2011 Nano LX. The receptionist greeted and asked me to wait for a while till the salesperson who deals with Nanos came. The sales person came and explained about all the discounts and final on road price. She also offered me for a test drive but I declined it as I did not know driving at that time. Ultimately, the deal was final and I paid Rs. 2000/- and booked Tata Nano LX 2012. I was given 03 Sep 12 as the delivery date. However, they said that car was not ready and it could only be delivered on 06 Sep 12. I was very excited to have my first car despite the fact that I did not know how to drive. Nevertheless, I asked one of my colleague who had recently bought I10 to accompany me. Both of us reached as per the scheduled time of 3pm. After completing formalities, finally car was handed over to me at 7pm.

ABOUT THE BUY:

Make & Model : TATA NANO LX 2012
Colour: : Sunshine Yellow
Date of delivery : 06 Sep 12
Dealer Name : M/s Technoautomobiles, Rajapuri, Dwarka, New Delhi.
Ex-Showroom Price : Rs. 2,00359/-
Registration : Rs. 11,514/-
Insurance : Rs. 7,293/-
Misc. Chgs : Rs. 1,000/-
Accessories : Rs. 1,000/-
Total : Rs. 2,21,166/-
Cash Discount : Rs. 5,000/-
Corp Discount : Rs. 5,000/-
Exch Bonus : Rs. 15,000/- (Sold Vespa to Tata)
So, final on road price was Rs. 2,02,666/-.

POST DELIVERY ADD Ons:

At the time of delivery itself, I got Tata recommended ICE of Clarion make installed for Rs. 6500/-. It has FM, USB port & AUX input. The sound quality is not so great but acceptable at this price range. A gear lock was also fitted which cost me Rs. 1500/-. I find it very useful. I had to go out of town on the very next morning after the vehicle’s delivery. Therefore, I enquired about the body cover. The sales person told that the body cover for Nano is out of stock. Hence, I had to buy Indica’s for which I paid Rs.1500/-. Further, as I am a new driver and unfamiliar to Delhi, I bought a GPS navigation (Road Pilot II of MapmyIndia brand) for Rs. 7500/- from Reliance Autozone, Nazafgarh. Recently, my Nano got clothings for herself in the form of seat covers of beize colour (the interiors being also beize). This was done in my very locality for Rs. 1500/-. I am sorry for the list getting lengthier. Additionally, I got the cigarettee lighter and steering knob fitted for Rs. 350/- & Rs. 225/- respectively. I have taken the AMC Gold for Rs. 5514/-. During the 1st Free Service, I got the Teflon coating & Anti Rust coating for Rs. 3989/- . Sorry for adding one more thing which is white colour transparent Foot mats (Qty-04) for Rs. 450/-. I hope I have not forgotten anything else.

REVIEW:

Likes: Nano’s looks, cabin space, head room & leg room, AC is decent, easy for parking with regard to size and mileage.

Dislikes: A hard Cluth, Poor pick up with AC on, Obstruction of driver’s sight.

As on today, I have clocked 6002 Kms. Presently, I get a mileage of 18 Kms per Ltr without AC. Now coming to my experience. Friends, if Tata Motors can eliminate the above three shortcomings, I think Nano will just rule in India like anything. I am very disappointed with the very hard clutch. My leg pains a lot after each drive. Not only this, most of the time it kicks back even if we do not want to release it while holding. Has anybody experienced this ?. Please let me know. I took to the workshop at Nazafgarh. They tweaked the clutch to some extent but the problem remains as it was before. Now, I should come to second biggest problem. Guys, as long as I do not use AC, the pick up is OK and matches with the engine displacement of 624CC.

The moment I turn the AC on, NANO suddenly turns into a BULLOCK CART. I am serious. You cannot utilise the 4th gear except when the path is clear for some fair amount of distance. The power reduces drastically. Therefore, overtaking becomes almost impossible and may invite a collision. Thirdly, I feel sometimes completely blind at the junctions due to the fact that the side pillars / beams at the corner of the wind shield obstruct the driver’s view. I am hardly able to trace any pedestrian or two wheelers etc. As I am new to the world of cars, I do not the know some technical terms / names. Please bear with me. One more thing. I have observed that after engaging 2nd gear, car picks up speed even if I do not accelarate. Is it normal ? Further, after engaging the 2nd gear, there is a jerk. I am extremely sorry for uploading a very few pictures. Will keep updating on my ownership experience from time to time.
 

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@nlx12: That's such a nice , sweet review! Bright colours suit the Nano well indeed. I am curious to know if you considered any other car as well before going in for the Nano?

Hard steering on the Nano I have certainly heard but hard clutch is a first for me. Maybe other Nano owners on the Forum could comment on this issue.

If the acceleration in second gear (without pressing the accelerator) is mild enough, then you do not need to worry. However, if the rpm rises considerably with the clutch depressed (in second gear), then you should get it checked.

Waiting for the next part of your review.
 
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There should be a problem with your car.
I own a 2011 end Nano.
Can manage to pull 350 kgs of load with A/C without much strain.
Please get it rectified at the earliest.
And the clutch is the not hard.
I see an issue with your clutch, that may be the reason for power dip when AC is turned on.
 
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There should be a problem with your car.
I own a 2011 end Nano.
Can manage to pull 350 kgs of load with A/C without much strain.
Please get it rectified at the earliest.
And the clutch is the not hard.
I see an issue with your clutch, that may be the reason for power dip when AC is turned on.
Dear Sam Dinkar,

My Nano's clutch is really hard. My experience is that when I engage 1st gear and release it slowly in order to move forward and if I am not attentive it sometimes kicks back resulting in a sudden jerk / stalling and subsequently engine getting cut off.

Dear Sree Chandru,

your opinion is that the clutch might be the culprit for poor pick when AC is on. However, I think this is not the case, because if that was such, then, I should have this problem even if AC is not on. I should here mention that I had already taken my Nano to Tata workshop at Najafgarh. But those guys could not resolve the issue. There are some other points which I will share later. I thank you both for giving valuable inputs.
 
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@nlx12: Most Tata workshops respond well if you approach someone higher up in the hierarchy. Please ask the SA that you'd like to meet the Service Head at the workshop and explain your problem to him. If it doesn't work out this way, shoot a mail to Tata customer service.
 
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True. I sent a mail to Tata Motors as soon as i picked up the car 2nd hand. the response was fast and good. The picked up and dropped the car free of cost.
 
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Dear friends,
It is evident from my small review that i am very much unhappy with the hard clutch and poor pick up of my Nano. The second service is due in Sep 13. During this service, I am planning to get these two issues resolved. However, kindly tell me what should I do if Tata cannot make the clutch smooth like any other vehicle and also fails to improve the pick up. Should I show it to other service centre / technician. I am ready to pay whatever the bill amounts to. My fear is that can these two issues be rectified at all. One more thing I have noticed is that the car sometimes swings sideways while in motion. Any such experiences ?
 
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Both issues could be easily corrected, don't worry. You just need to speak to someone senior at the dealership, probably the Service Head himself and make it sure that he has understood your problem.

Please elaborate 'swings sideways while in motion'.
 
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@nlx12, Nano clutch is not that hard, as you described. It must be specific to your car. Try to get is checked from a different TASS.
 
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Please elaborate 'swings sideways while in motion'.
Sam, I mean to say that sometimes I get the feel as if the wheels are crossing over small potholes or like the kind of feel we get when driving on ghat roads, whereas the road is quite plain. Hope you got it.
 
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How many kilometres has your Nano run? Get the wheels balanced and aligned. If this does not solve the problem, please get the front suspension looked up.
 
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Dear friends,
It is evident from my small review that i am very much unhappy with the hard clutch and poor pick up of my Nano. The second service is due in Sep 13. During this service, I am planning to get these two issues resolved. However, kindly tell me what should I do if Tata cannot make the clutch smooth like any other vehicle and also fails to improve the pick up. Should I show it to other service centre / technician. I am ready to pay whatever the bill amounts to. My fear is that can these two issues be rectified at all. One more thing I have noticed is that the car sometimes swings sideways while in motion. Any such experiences ?
Hi, i read your well explained review with keen interest, you being a new driver the clutch accelerator coordination has to be correct, or you are bound to get "Jhatka" when starting from stand still.
However, as you mention the hard clutch, and the A/C sapping the power, I suggest you become friends of Tata Nano on Facebook, and lodge your complaint with full details along with with cell No. they reply/respond immediately, and then see the results of your complaint being attended.
happy Nanoing
Regards
Vinod
 
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hi nlx12 ! the jerks and engine cut off problems are common with the new drivers. if you are learning then it will take some time to learn right techniques. you should ask your friend to drive your car and check if he feels the same. if so then you should get your car checked by TASS.
 
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I apologize, but Sam i don't know from how long he is driving,as he wrote he was not a driver when he took delivery of his car. thats why i asked him if he is a new driver?
 

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