Story of My Toyota Innova 2.5!


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hi friends, acquired my silver innova 2.5 V in may 2006. till now, clocked only 55,000 kms. her i would like to share its experience.mine is an 8 seater. booked the car in may 2006 and took the delivery in two weeks. wanted one in white, but colour was not available in V. wanted only V variant due to airbags and ABS. next preference was light green, but waiting period was too long, so opted for silver. on-road price was close to 12.8 lakhs including accessories.

Initial impressions:

+ fantastic cabin with top quality materials and adequate space even in the 3rd row for 6 footers like us.
+ excellents HVAC, chills to no extent!
+ very good ride and handling. bit i feel the ride would have improved with bigger tyres as these puny tyres tend to follow every small crater on road.
+ toyota service is the best i have experienced so far. good behaviour by the staff, they listen to our problems patiently, get the job done efficintly and on-time delivery.
+ standard ICE is very good enough.
+ gear shift long but precise.

- engine response and performance is not good. very jerky power delivery and noisy too. maybe because the other cars i drive is a scorpio mHAWK and safari VTT. not fun to drive.
- seat base makes noise and dashboard rattles inspite of the fact that it has never seen rough roads.
- average FE: 8 kmpl in city and 12 on the highways
- a glitch in toyota's service was when the car was to be washed after the 40,000 kms service, the pressure wash was done in such a way that it peeled off the side stripes/stickers of my car (which is a toyota product bought from the showroom itself) and also a part of my sun film! when asked about it, they said its ok, happens some times! BAD...

maintainence issues:
* windshield had a huge crack when the car was parked in the garage. nobody knows how. toyota replaced it under warranty even though out insurance was passed. good.
* accident work is expensive. a small dent in the boot door cost me 10,000 bugs. and a touch up job in the front bumper cost me 7000!
* front fog lamps stopped working.


overall, i am very happy with this toyota product.




accessories purchased at the toyota dealer:
1) smart guard
2) body stripes
3) floor mats
4) mud flaps
5) window visors (4 Nos.)
6) rear spoiler
7) seat covers
8) rear sensors with display on dashboard, not RVM (Xenos)
9) 3M teflon coating (3 coats, once every 6 months)

accessories purchased outside:
1) window tints

till now the MUV has performed impeccably, the way a toyota should!

a few initial niggles were:

1) black smoke from the exhaust.
- was advised to use normal diesels and to avoid premium diesels. problem reduced to an extent but still the innova bulches out more visible smoke than my scorpio and safari.

2) windsheild had a huge crack one fine morning, nobody knows how!
- toyota A.S.S. gave an explanation that it does happen in some vehciles, strange! we claimed for warranty, they said they will try and took a picture and said the procedure will take 2-3 days. meanwhile, we applied for insurance. after 2 days, the insurance was cleared and we asked the A.S.S. to proceed with the repair. they said no need for insurance as the warranty has passed, typically toyota! i cannot imagine such levels of customer care from any other manufacturer.

3) rattling of the dashboard.
- was promptly solved by the A.S.S. during a service.

4) a minor issue as mentioned earlier is the standard horns are not sounding good now, sounds distorted. perfect oppurtunity to get roots windtone installed instead of standard ones again.

i must mention here that all our minor complaints were promptly solved and the car delivered on time after every service. the car was washed thoroughly, but once the guys peeled off a bit of the side body stripes (toyota product fitted by the dealer itself) and a bit of my window tints during pressure wash. but these are just minor negatives in front of the faultless service they provide.
my innova was bought from madhuban toyota, kurla, mumbai and gets serviced there everytime. i am a satisfied customer.

pros of the vehicle:
+ fantastic interiors, very spacious, good design and great quality, more apparent after a drive in the scorpio/safari.
+ AC chills and cools down the cabin quickly. my window tints are very dark, could be one of the reasons. all three row AC vents a boon. large front vents throw a lot of air and operation is not noisy.
+ good ride quality and minimal body roll, the difference between a MUV and SUV apparent here. ride quality is good even on the 3rd row seats.
+ gear throw is long but shifts are smooth and precise.
+ standard speakers are good enough, not for an audiophile though.
+ alloy wheel design rocks, looks cool while running, especially under low light.
+ even 3rd row is good enough for a tall guy (6'2") like me if the 2nd row is pulled forwards (its on rails). even for long trips, personal experience. you have your own AC and adequate space.
+ lots of places to keep your knicks and knacks. even 3rd has their own cubby holes and bottle holders. there are a total of 9 bottle holders in the innova! big box behind gear lever very useful.

cons of the vehicle:
- not so good driving experience. performance is just average and power delivery is very jerky.
- engine is not as refined/silent as the scorpio.
- rear roof mounted AC vents could be bigger.
- cabin squeaks and rattles sometimes, especially the seats and dashboard, but 1 trip to the A.S.S solves it.
- FE is just average, i am geting 8-9 kmpl in mumbai city.
- large front windshield exposes the front passenger and driver to the harsh sunlight, more than comfort levels.
- no rear amrest, even in 'V' variant.
- beige interiors can get dirty but wont if regularly cleaned.


List of expenses:-

# 20,000 service:

fluid washer- 28
TGMO DSL- 1154
oil pan drain- 31
oil filter- 443
consumables- 185
service inspection- 657
brake cleaning- 547
3M teflon + interior enrichment- 5720

total- 9200

# kms: 33,124:

a corolla in my compound hit my innova while reversing-

painting charges- 4062
front wiper blades- 231
front wiper blades- 181
rear wiper blade- 48
consumables- 75

total- 4726.5

the bumper was mis-aligned from its place. they fixed it properly. wiper blades were changed on request.

# 40,000 service:

bumper guard painting- 1500
fluid washer- 23
brake fluid- 102
TGMO DSL- 1196
transmission oil- 538
differential oil- 434
gasket plug- 44
oil pan drain- 28
oil filter- 290
labour- 1170

total- 5366.74

# kms: 41,968:

a biker in pune hit the rear of my innova which broke its bumper!

rear bumper replaced- 2640

though the price of spares and service is on the higher side, their dedication is praise worthy and hence you are ready to spend the amount at the dealer itself.
 

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Joined
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I think you covered almost all aspects. Nice write up.

What is 3m teflon coating? share about the cost and process.

I don't think 5366rs for 40k km service is high. This is my Swift's 20k kms service cost.
 
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Nice Raj,

Excellent write up & True Owner ship experiences !!


@CC,

Teflon coating is sprayed on top of the paint to avoid minor scratches & it will give you a real gloss finish!

This is mainly used for car which are extensively used!! as they travel in hot sun & dust a lot!!

SO when you clean your car, no scratches will be made by cleaning :)
 
Thread Starter #4
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I think you covered almost all aspects. Nice write up.

What is 3m teflon coating? share about the cost and process.

I don't think 5366rs for 40k km service is high. This is my Swift's 20k kms service cost.
thanks buddy.

3M coating is to protect the paint from harsh elements such as dirt, sunlight, bird droppings, etc. it just helps to retain the gloss of the paint for a longer period.

servicing costs are okay buddy but repair works & body works cost a bomb.

Nice Raj,

Excellent write up & True Owner ship experiences !!


@CC,

Teflon coating is sprayed on top of the paint to avoid minor scratches & it will give you a real gloss finish!

This is mainly used for car which are extensively used!! as they travel in hot sun & dust a lot!!

SO when you clean your car, no scratches will be made by cleaning :)
thanks buddy. teflon coating wont preotect the paint from even minor scratches. infact my innova is full of scratches. no, not caused due to brushing with any other vehicle but due to many leaves & stones! a small child's fingernail is enough to cause a scratch!
 
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Though i love suv's , innova is a good car . i too like its driving pleasure.
My experience of driving innova ,city trips and just one long drive pondicherry to bangalore to pondicherry.
Day 2 was driving from bangalore to pondicherry. After returning home, i took out my bike and went out. Not even a single percent of tiredness.
Really its a good car.
Nice report Raj.
 
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Nice report Raj, even being a longish vehicle and huge, driving this makes a whole different feeling, very smooth, easy to drive and comfortable ride.Toyota built and engineered which this segment they are enjoying their command with just one vehicle and going strong as yet.Yes its a bit expensive but overall a good car to own for sure.
I still remember your friend commenting his love for your innova despite having all other SUV's to drive.[:)]
 
Thread Starter #9
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ilango[speed thirst];2100 said:
Nice report Raj.
thanks buddy.

Nice report Raj,


I still remember your friend commenting his love for your innova despite having all other SUV's to drive.[:)]
thanks buddy.

which friend??

Is the job done by 3m professionals? or 3m products alone?
i think 3M professionals do the job, thats what used to happen in GM. i am not too sure what happens in toyota though.

Nice writeup. Gave us complete idea about the car & service's.
thanks buddy.
 
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Innova is a great vehicle to have. This is the best in its segment.

Raj, is 3M paint protection is done at showroom or 3M has their own places in Mumbai?
 
Thread Starter #14
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Sorry for the very very late response buddy.

No, my innova is not stable at high speeds. it gets floaty & loses its line at anything above 120-130 kmph. the max speed you should attempt in an innova is 120 kmph.

initially, we thought its an issue with my car's balancing or alignment but then we test drove many cars, some of them brand new & all had this problem.

my innova takes ages to reach 140 kmph & we have not got the road or the guts yet to take it to anything above that! i dont think the innova will reach 180, company claimed max speed is 148 kmph.
 
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I have done 130 on an Innova, but it felt ok, just i felt it feels lighter as it goes to higher speeds. Btw how much has your Innova clocked till date.
 

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