Originally Posted by
Vijethcm
Ok.. last week saw two firsts:
1. A highway drive for my Kwid
2. The first niggle.
Now the story, first the highway drive.
Destination: Madikeri
Journey: HSR Layout > Srirangapatna Bypass > Bylakuppe > Madikeri > Mysore > HSR Layout > Sidedahalli (Hesaraghatta Road) > HSR Layout
Distance Covered: 700 kms in total (tankfull-to-tankfull);
Fuel Used: 39.5 liters
Conditions: About 550 kms of highway, About 30 to 40 kilometers in and around Madikeri (visiting Abbi Falls, town center, etc.) and 86 kms on ORR. Highway stretches included return journey from Mysore in peak traffic with a journey of about 150 kms taking a little more than 4 hours, with some stretches of 2 to 3 kilometers taking half an hour (didn't miss Silk Board Junction!).
My Punto gave me a parting gift by way of a 2 day 2 night Club Mahindra voucher. I opted for the Madikeri stay considering availability and distance.
Started about 7:30 on Nov 24 from HSR Layout and made a stopover at Mandya about 10:00 AM. The morning traffic and a broken down truck on Mysore Road adding about half an hour to the journey. After about 45 minutes stopover at Mandya for breakfast, took the bypass road at Srirangapatna to reach Bylakuppe Namdroling Monastery. We were disappointed as the monastery was closed for renovation. Spent about 45 minutes here exploring whatever was open and pit stop for self and family ;-). Reached Madikeri roughly about 2:15 I guess.. it could be later too but can't remember.
As we started approaching Madikeri the air inside the car also started becoming pure. Possibly no matter whether the car is kept on "Internal Air Circulation" mode or "External", the quality of outside air does matter. Though I suspect that in my Kwid the amount of external air which enters the cabin is on the higher side.
The car through its journey behaved well. A speed of 100 to 110 is maintainable, but Renault does need to upgrade the brake pads. With just about 3400 kms on the speedo, the brakes are already noisy and squeaky (started in Madikeri). The brakes are adequate to stop the car if you are at reasonable speeds, though.
The car took the climb up and down the hills also pretty well. The gears were quite sorted to my utter surprise. The journey to Abbi falls has quite steep inclines and with 2 + 1 onboard, the car redeemed itself without any drama. The car does roll a bit and you need to keep the car at decent speeds (about 35 to 40kmph) on the curves of the hills if you don't want to run into the opposite lane. I call that safe driving... more on this later. But... a big one at that... overtaking is next to impossible. You really need a kilometer long stretch to be empty for a safe overtaking. Well I may be exaggerating a bit but that's the thing. This car is not the one for overtaking. The gearbox simply doesn't understand what it has to do in a overtaking situation. So does the engine tuning I guess. You better stick to your lane until it is really really safe for overtaking
The stay at the Club Mahindra was great, except for the noise of diesel / petrol luggage vans going around the cottages, and the loudspeakers used in the premises for events. They absolutely spoil the tranquility of an otherwise beautiful property.
The roads to Madikeri has its good share of curves, climb ups & down-hill. Maintaining manageable speeds is of utmost importance if you don't want to risk yourselves or other's lives. No matter which vehicle, these roads considering their curves & width dictate speeds to be kept under 45 kmph (I have driven a Nano, Punto, M800 and Kwid over such terrains / roads so I do have decent experience when I say this) to maintain safe driving conditions and keep the occupants of the car comfortable. Overtaking if done on these roads should be only done on straight stretches after giving the drivers ahead a sufficient room for emergencies. During the course of my journey I came across many idiotic drivers who are predominantly non-locals of Madikeri (from other states or cities including our own Bengaluru), or some really college / out-of-college drivers who were too impatient and overtaking in curves, or making attempts to overtake without giving sufficient space to the vehicles ahead. What happens in these situations is that a failed overtaking requires the driver to move to the left lane at short notice forcing the other vehicles also to brake suddenly. I am largely defensive in driving, despite my style of driving there were drivers who created certain close call situations.
To all those reading this post, I urge to show patience on the roads and respect for others (not that you don't do, but similar to Rom's post on child seats for children, this is an aspect which requires re-iteration). You may at the most need an additional 1/2 hour over the entire journey if you show patience, but you will create far lesser degree of risk to yourselves, the occupants of your car, and others on the road including pedestrians.
We surely missed the Punto and its rock solid stability, but the Kwid was good. Lighter steering made it easier for me to drive. Further, the car did scrape its underbody a couple of times despite my best efforts, the softer suspension set-up being the culprit despite the 180mm clearance advertised by Kwid (unladen).
Traffic conditions were largely good allowing me to drive at about 85 to 90 kmph and occassionally exceed 100 kmph (believe me, Mysore Road is that fast or slow). Since I started late in the morning, did have share of traffic signals, slow-moving traffic, and a couple of jams on the way up to Madikeri. The return journey saw me getting stuck at a Flyover construction site near Mysore, and innumerable junctions on Mysore Road. The last leg of the journey (well after return to Bangalore before a refuel) included a trip from HSR layout to Hesaraghatta Road where my parents stay, and back. The way back had a few kilometer long traffic hold-ups due to flyovers on the Hebbal to KR Puram stretch being closed. Despite all this, an overall FE of 17.78 kmpl is respectable.
Now, the second story - The First Niggle:
We returned on the night of 26th November. On the morning of 27th November when I tried to start the car, the car did not crank. It showed up a Red Signal relating to Electrical / Electronic components. I called up the RSA and a flatbed arrived promptly. The car did crank once and they towed away the car to the Renault Silkboard RASC (Renault Authorized Service Center) which is about 1.5 kms away. I got an SMS that the car has been received at the RASC but no calls until evening. When I called up, the Service Advisor mentioned that they could not recreate the problem and therefore I could possibly pick up the car. I asked them to run the diagnostics and find the error as it was a clear error which was seen even by the towing service personnel. I also mentioned about the odour in the cabin and the requested a checkup of AC Filters and the brakepads......
Next day, I received a call saying that they ran the diagnostics and a fault with the Clutch Motor Sensor was found, and they have asked approval from Renault for a replacement. I was told that I have the option of taking the vehicle in the meanwhile, but I refused as I did not want to get stranded again. I re-iterated the need to check the AC Filters and Brake pads. Finally on Friday I got a call that the car was ready and I visited the RASC in the evening.
After a wait of about 20 to 25 minutes the SA arrived and explained that the Clutch Motor had sensor issues and they replaced it under warranty. Also, there was a replacement of Glovebox and Horn Pad based on a company notification based on customer complaints about the Glovebox not closing properly and the hornpad being faulty. I was asked for signatures on the papers which I promptly signed but gave the SA a piece of my mind saying that he is more interested in getting the signatures than as much as offering me a test drive and showing me the car. I also expressed my dissatisfaction over how the ASC had left scratches on my new car the previous time. All the while, I kept asking him only in my mind, "Dude! what about the AC and Brake Pads?". And then, I reached the car.
A routine inspection of exteriors and interiors did not reveal any new scratches. I turned the ignition key on a couple of times and there was no more a warning signal. The SA headed to get a gate pass and I thought I will check the contents of the glovebox. Voila! The box wouldn't open unless pressed a few times. I was about to explode!!! Then called back the SA and the mechanic and got the old glovebox refitted. And drove out.
The Clutch Motor Assembly apparently costs about 15300 rupees. All replacements and fitting were done free of charge.
My trip from HSR to my parent's place and back occurred after the car was fixed. No tantrums thrown by the car. The gear shifts have seemingly become quicker - for those who have driven the AMTs - the nod is less pronounced. The engine seems to have a little more power on hand. But you know!!! The brakes still squeaks because the RASC did not even check it, yet to experience the AC odour though.
Well, to sum the experience, a great trip, a very good car with certain limitations, a pathetic ASC (ala erstwhile Tata ASC - and I told this to the SA).
More to come in the next episode. Happy Driving! Safe Driving!
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