My Tata Nano: A New Journey Begins

Nissan1180 · Sep 23, 2015

It is so nice to see someone enjoying the Nano.
I was in the same situation about a 18 months back. I needed a car that was cheap, had high GC and could be used liberally without worrying too much about fuel costs. Like you, I bought a 2010 LX from OLX- it was still under warranty and the previous owner had only driven it for 10,000 kilometers.
The next few months taught me a lot about why Tata motors is losing its market share and what not to do while making a car. The front suspension needed replacement by the time I had driven 2,000 kilometers more and that cost me Rs. 4000. The showroom folks casually told me that this was a common issue in pre-2012 models.
Then came the next surprise- rattles. Everything, from the doors to the dashboard used to rattle and I sometimes got distracted while trying to find the source of the noise while driving. Rattling might be a common problem in cars that are abused, but I maintained my car painstakingly- even got the Silver-AMC after the warranty got over.

Jerkiness in the morning is very common, and the reason is that the spark plugs are not cleaned properly during the routine services. Go to any TASS or local garage and get the plugs changed and air filter cleaned- you will notice that the engine response would become sharper, AC won't kill the pickup and your FE will improve.
I sold the car last year- and bought something that would surprise you...A Nano Twist [clap]

. Yes, after living with a Nano, I could not digest the thought of driving any other car in the city. It is so comfortable and the road view is so comforting! I hated the unreliable components Tata used in the original Nano, but the Twist is a completely different vehicle altogether. My colleague who drives a Wagon-R preferred to take the Twist every time he had to go out and most other people actually liked it more than the Alto. The steering is very light and the suspension is much more reassuring. Engine noise in the cabin, after rolling the windows up, is very minimal.
I did not intent to hijack your thread...just felt like sharing my experience with the Nano. I love the concept (was in school when it was launched) and I am really glad to see that the product has matured so much in these years. Creating something as complex as an automobile is very difficult and Tata is one of the very few companies doing it in our country. I wish you many, many happy miles. Try to test drive the GenX to appreciate how a little bit of refinement and quality improvement can enrich the driving experience offered by this perfect city car. Attaching 2 pictures of my first car.

ss80 · Sep 23, 2015

Hi Sagnik,
Thanks for your reply. I will get the spark plugs changed soon, as they dont cost much. About rattling, the left side doors seem to have some sort of rattling and also the high mount brake lamp too ratlles. Fixing these rattles is not easy, as locating the source itself is quiet tricky. What you said about the front suspension is true. It is weak by design and makes the ride bouncy on uneven roads.

In the recent Nano meet, I did test drive the new GenX AMT one and I was stunned by the difference in engine refinement (although pick up is less) - vibrations and noise both are very minimal. Cabin is well insulated from engine and road noise (better than Maruti's). The new Nano is better in many ways, yet to test drive the twist though.

With Nano its a simple thing, use it within its limitations and you will enjoy every mile with a smile [:D]

nag2fat · Sep 23, 2015

Congrats on your nano.. It is the best city car with easy driving and mainly ease of parking... No need to search for parking spaces as like sedans(facing this issue very well) [:)]

ss80 · Sep 25, 2015

Thanks Nag.

Finally fixed back the 2channel Amplifier and Bass tube. But the problem is I cant fit the Bass tube in boot, as the speaker plank hits the tube. So currently using the bass tube in back seat, will change to the box and fit woofer in it. Probably in a day or two. Also the mobile charger unit it fixed correctly now. No more headache of charging mobiles before going to off. Will upload pictures shortly. With no real space available to fit the amplifier its left right next to the battery on floor and also got new mats from Flipkart, beige colour rug type (not the rubber ones). Looks good, will look even better once the beige coloured seat covers come in.

shrijit303 · Sep 25, 2015

A suggestion to all the TAI members.
If you keep your car outside, after few years the car will rust.(actually this happened with my 1994 Maruti Omni). [frustration]

So, buy a waterproof cover(the covers which the local vegetable shops have),put it on your car and then put the original car cover. [thumbswink]

Hope this helps. [:)]

ss80 · Sep 26, 2015

Amp and Woofer pics.

Also you can see pics of the engine bay, these engine bay pics are about 10days back, when i opened it for the first time.

ss80 · Sep 26, 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDSMtoFxn14&feature=youtu.be

A short video of just the Oval speakers on plank doing a good job. Next video with the woofer in place.

incarnation · Sep 26, 2015

Hey Anand sorry im a late comer to this thread. Congratulations on acquiring a NANO. its the best small car which is spacious and puts even a wagonR to shame or for that matter a good Sedan also. there is tons of space everywhere. I own 2 Nanos one silver CX and One Red LX both do their duty very well. Buddy a Amp and sub in NANO way to go bro!!!.My opinion a good rear speaker would do the job. and yes regarding the rear door. cant we try the new gen rear dooor which opens even i have this question after reading your post.

Welcome to the TATA Family. Enjoy, drive safe, Drive Long. wish you many many Happy miles on the NANO.

ss80 · Sep 27, 2015

Hi Incarnation,

The rear door of latest nano cant be fixed on older nano's as the c pillar has to be modified extensively. In order tp have a fully openable hatch door. However fixing a partial door like Verito Vibe latest model wont be that much of a challenge.

Here is a demo video of my full ICE setup
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TxRDV6wMFEE

ss80 · Sep 28, 2015

Met Varun recently and got a box enclosure for the woofer, fits perfectly behind the rear seat. Now the space behind the back seat is fully occupied by ICE. A few pics.

The two pampered cars

With the rear folded you can see the position of woofer.

The mod in mind is to either make a openable rear boot (like verito vibe) below pic or to get a rear wiper installed.

The only issue with this Verito kind of mod is that the usuable space is even further reduced due to the folding arms, that hold the door. Hence I am more inclined towards rear wiper, not yet decided though.

Verito Images source: Indianautoblog (from google actually)

incarnation · Sep 28, 2015

Use shock rods instead of these folding arms such as Santo or maruti omni that ways space isn't reduced.

shrijit303 · Oct 2, 2015

Both Anand Sir's Nano and Varun Sir's Type 2 800 are stunning and well maintained.Continue this passion for automobiles. [thumbsup]

ss80 · Oct 4, 2015

Wheel caps painted

Thanks a lot Shrijit, I have just painted the wheel caps yesterday, simple silver a bit brighter than the stock colour of the wheel caps. I was thinking about the matt finish (second pic) then just went ahead with regular silver, a bit glossy.

ss80 · Oct 4, 2015

Trip to Tiruvanamalai - my first 500+kms trip in Nano.

Hi All,
I just completed a 548km trip to Tiruvanamalai Temple, in Tamil Nadu.

It was just 2 of us, me & my cousin, he isnt that familiar with driving in India, as he stayed in Us for sometime and is not able to adjust to Left lane driving style,
hence I had to drive throughout the trip. We had planned to start the trip @ 10am, but ended up leaving home at 12pm. As expected it took us 1hour and 40mins to reach Hosur (killer traffic throughout bangalore, despite being a saturday and a long weekend).

We had 3 routes to chose from
1. B'lore - Krishnagiri - Tiruvanamalai = ruled out as road condition is pathetic, although the shortest one)
2. B'lore - Krishnagiri - Vellore - Kelur - Tiruvanamalai = we opted this route while returning
3. B'lore - Krishnagiri - Bargur - Tirupattur - Singarapetti - Chengam - Tiruvanamalai = This is longer than the first route
and shorter than the second one. Mainly the traffic was very less, although single lane roads were okayish.
Except for a very bad stretch for 2kms.

We took our first break at Krishnagiri for lunch (2parotas) and moved on. The roads till the Bargur deviation are awesome 6lane (zero pothole roads), from then on the roads till Tirupattur are a bit bouncy and have a few humps at every village, otherwise roads were really good.

Once we reached the temple, we did the Darshan and not much crowd too. The temple is way bigger and beautiful from inside, there are some renovation work going on currently. The place is big enough to confuse first timers easily. We entered though the North gate and ended up exiting through the East gate. The East gate has a market place, right outside and is pretty lively to see the coourful sweets, flowers, all sorts of shops etc.
The temple has a pretty clean pond and an Elephant too. Mainly built out of stone, this temple is about a 1000yrs old but architecture is stunning.
To know more about the temple visit their website.

Arulmigu Arunachaleswarar Temple, Thiruvannamalai.

Total expense was roughly 2500/-
2 full tanks - 1600/-
Tolls - 75+75+90+40
Dinner & chai breaks - 400/-
Prasadam - 300/- approx

Getting ready now to upgrade the headlamps, as it is simply impossible to drive at night (with rain even worse) with these stock candle style bulbs. Will post a few more pics soon.

Total distance travelled - 548kms
Top speed reached: 100kmph (on a very empty stretch)

Mileage: 21kmpl with 2 occupants and AC on for nearly 90% of the distance.
Things which need upgrade in nano for super long drives - BETTER BRAKES & HEADLAMPS.

ss80 · Oct 4, 2015

Short drive with friends :)

Today me, Varun and Girish (username= Tiny)met up and went for a short drive to the Shoolagiri McDonald. The roads were dry and good while going, while returning we were greeted with rainy smooth roads in Tamil Nadu, traffic filled roads in Bangalore and 15mins jam at Silk board alone. We took turns to drive the car and it was fun. It was Girish's treat and we all ate to the brim [:D]