“Thunderbolt” Mahindra XUV5OO Detailed Review (5 Years Report)

[bhvm]

The Cheetah AC started Hissing, probably due to low use.
So thought to get a Gas top up done. Hissing gone & Cooling improved slightly!
Cost 600 INR.

 

[bhvm]

It was time again to pay the insurance.
Its really Uphill to pay this expense, Seeing No use, Dwindling Earnings & Overall tense atmosphere with pandemic. Still...

Here we go. Usual Bajaj Alianz policy

Price seems fair with a High IDV of 6.8 lac. Includes RSA.

Out of this 12.3k, 10k is the Taxes & TP Charges itself.

 

[bhvm]

After a long time got something to post.

 

[bhvm]

The Thunderbolt went for 115k Kms service (theoretically 120k)
This will be the first large service since pandemic mess.
The cost was roughly 75k

Here are the complaints & resolutions-
1. GPS not working. (No Signal)
There seems to be a Unit at 3rd row quarter glass with manages the antenna (perhaps signal booster?).
The connectors were opened, Sprayed with contact cleaner and Re-fixed. GPS signal is now working properly.

2. Door locks.
One Door latch changed. all door latches Lubricated.

3. Boot lock.
The rubber of boot lock button is torn though it works fine. SA advised to keep it as is. I would have preferred a replacement

4. Brake light bulb.
Bulb magically OK as found by SA

5. Hard gear shift. Probably its me. But 2nd is harder than my Safari.

6. Tyre, TPMS setting.
Done

7. Suspension check.
Certain Tie rods changed.

8. Driver fog lamp.
Fog lamp has become dark. The SA agreed that this is due to its low down location where the fogs get a constant spray of dust & mud causing these problems.

Fog lamp changed. Magically one HID BULB started having issues during fog lamp change. So went with a normal bulb till I get time to look into it.

9. Oil changes.
Oils changed as per service chart.

10. Rear Wiper blade.
Changed.

Service cost was about 21k Incl Parts & Labour.

Thunderbolt also got a new set of shoes. While the Current Falkens had some life left (esp rear ones), Dad insisted he needed new tyres before 1st rain.
Falken AT was not available due to Import Bans, so Went with Yokohama Geolander AT. Was lucky to get the good old Safari type pattern and not the thin wimpy pattern on so called new ATs or HPs

New Yokos compared to Falkens (Aged 60k)

Notice the wear on front tyres (Top) vs the rear. XUV uses front tyres much more aggressively.

Stock size

The tyres costed 12.5k a Piece. Quite Expensive I felt.
Especially since safari tyres (16 inch) cost roughly 7 to 8k all Brands. Have the same Rolling diameter and actually a taller profile.
In that sense, XUV tyres (17 inch) use a smaller profile and should use lesser rubber to make. So should've been CHEAPER in that regard.
Some weird logic used by Tyre companies to make profits.

Rants aside,
I was almost shocked that the beast has completed 9 Years of Legal age and will be ready for a tenner soon.
Does not feel like it because the beast feels as fresh as ever and is always ready to take new challenges.

 

[kinshuk.arya]

Great report bhvm, xuvs dont seem to age somehow. Apart from the electronics. Mine at 1.1 lakh kms and 9years feels fresh and better lookong than most modern UVs.

Yokos are a good choice, i got the same at 12k a piece a year and a half back. Have done almost 20k kms on them post that and the tyres still feel new.

You are lucky that the center unit has just gps issues related to antenna, for me gps has corrupted and the screen hangs, apparently to get the gps again i will have to change the screen, so have decided to let it die and then replace the entire unit with an aftermarket one.

My headlight does feel low, wonder if they need a change, not sure how much they cost though.

 

[bhvm]

Great report bhvm, xuvs dont seem to age somehow. Apart from the electronics. Mine at 1.1 lakh kms and 9years feels fresh and better lookong than most modern UVs.

Cool. Its amazing how Optimus is such a clone of my Thunderbolt.
Same Age, Same Mileage, Same tyres. LOL
I remember we both had JKs as stock back then.

You are lucky that the center unit has just gps issues related to antenna, for me gps has corrupted and the screen hangs, apparently to get the gps again i will have to change the screen, so have decided to let it die and then replace the entire unit with an aftermarket one.

You might have remembered my ordeal with the HU Silver box. I had got it replaced some 4 times with tons of escalated complaints till all india head. Thankfully I now have a stable unit. Fingers crossed.

Not sure how XUV will take an Aftermarket unit. It has thick PC like Ribbon wires (80 Plus wires). Also tons of features like AC display, TPMS and Bluetooth, Steering controls are integrated with it. Maybe have a parallel unit with this one?

My headlight does feel low, wonder if they need a change, not sure how much they cost though.

I forgot to mention that my XUV driver side headlamp feels like it has taken some dust and looks Dull. The SA has changed high beam Headlamp dust cover and blown air in the unit. Its not like new but atleast the performance of headlamp is perfect.
I think you are using 55w HIDs which will damage the chrome reflector sooner or later.

 

[bhvm]

With fresh new Oil change, as Always I added STP oil treatment in the Cheetah Engine Sump.
The stuff is very slick and tends to flow a good 15 minutes from that bottle!
Seems to help as XUV has super long oil change intervals of 20k.

 

[bhvm]

Cheetah's battery plate had rusted. Probably due to water or Acid fumes which is common with a lead acid battery. Here are the DIY pics-

Removed the Plate-

cleaned the battery surface-

Thankfully, Battery terminals are good.-

Thoroughly sanded to remove rust.

Sprayed with Automotive primer and then black spray paint. 2 coats each.

fitting done. looks good.

-

 

[bhvm]

The Cheetah Underwent some Running repairs.
Here are problems & solutions

1. Tailgate does not open electronically-
Latch changed. (this was requested by me on last service, But was skipped by SA)

2. Navigator door lock does not work from inside-
Latch changed.

3. Windshield washer is not spraying water-
A Joiner changed.

4. Puddle lamp falls out the door-
Glued.

Bill is attached for references. Latches are little bit expensive, I feel. On top of it, there is Huge Tax monster called GST.

 

[bhvm]

Played around with xuv parts.
The tail hatch button is a simple 2 button push type. There's a copper pin which joins 2 contacts together. Can very well be opened with bell switch.
Once the rubber tears, dust & moisture will quickly kill the switch. Its definitely very overpriced at 1200 a pop.
Here are the pics-

The door latch is a bunch of cables & levers. Salvaged one actuation motor. It's in a sealed housing. The motor moves a lever when provided with 12v DC.

 

[mayankdixit]

I liked your new AT tyres and their tread pattern.
My Bridgestones which I purchased 3 years back as seen Here , cost me 12000 a piece. So considering that you got a fair price in 2022.

 

[bhvm]

1st Gen XUV comes with a flap to cover the USB and charging ports. Sadly the design is such that carelessly closing the flap will break any USB pen drive plugged into the port, or worse the port itself. Problem solved using a simple Angled USB extension cable. Available on Amazon here- Amazon Link

Now the flap can be closed with USB pen drive plugged in. Even taller pen drives can be used safely.

 

[mayankdixit]

1st Gen XUV comes with a flap to cover the USB and charging ports. Sadly the design is such that carelessly closing the flap will break any USB pen drive plugged into the port, or worse the port itself. Problem solved using a simple Angled USB extension cable. Available on Amazon here- Amazon Link

View attachment 303692 View attachment 303691
Now the flap can be closed with USB pen drive plugged in. Even taller pen drives can be used safely.

View attachment 303693

Thank you very much for the solution and the link. I just wish I could have known that earlier by atleast 5-6 years!!
Many many trips done in the past with the inconveniences which you mentioned.
But nonetheless still usefull, as I intend to use this in my future trips. So thanks for this.

 

[bhvm]

I just wish I could have known that earlier by atleast 5-6 years!!

Lol, I took almost 10 years to find this simple solution!
p.s- Nice to see you have been honoured.

 

[bhvm]

Made a small guide on it