Was this on the south side of Lanseria? If so, I work on that same dirt road. Hate driving it every day, and of course it creates a lot of rattles and dust in my car.
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The Tata Bolt Thread (Tata Lovers)
- Thread starter FiestaST
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Was this on the south side of Lanseria? If so, I work on that same dirt road. Hate driving it every day, and of course it creates a lot of rattles and dust in my car.
HAL 9000
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They stock parts for the CityRover (which was just a rebadged Tata Indica, sold in the UK between 2003 & 2005) - and they have LOTS of spares that are ALL compatible with my 2008 Indica LXi (which was the CityRover 'Style' Mk.2 UK model, of which only 1,200 made it from India to the UK just as Rover went into liquidation) - so I have access to most items I require from them for the foreseeable future!
Ockie
Resident Lead Bender
Here is hopefully to another 40k my precious. /Grin
HAL 9000
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My 2008 Indica LXi has just reached the 10,000 mile mark on the odometer on Sunday 09 December, when I stopped at the Van Reenen petrol station, on my way back from Durban, to fill up.
(P.S.: I had the original Indica instrument cluster replaced with the UK CityRover Mk.2 unit - which only cost me £19.62 - at the end of July 2017 during my 90,000 km service at TATA Highlands North, just before they closed down there. The odometer on the original unit was at 89,443 kms when the swap was done.)
(P.S.: I had the original Indica instrument cluster replaced with the UK CityRover Mk.2 unit - which only cost me £19.62 - at the end of July 2017 during my 90,000 km service at TATA Highlands North, just before they closed down there. The odometer on the original unit was at 89,443 kms when the swap was done.)
Ockie
Resident Lead Bender
Ockie
Resident Lead Bender
Seems newer Bolts have slight changes to the exterior compared to mine.
Turbo badge under the Revotron engine badge (mine does not have)
Mine has the long arial on the roof....the newer ones have a "fin type" arial.
Turbo badge under the Revotron engine badge (mine does not have)
Mine has the long arial on the roof....the newer ones have a "fin type" arial.
They actually removed the aerial , it will be screwed back on when they deliver it to the customer.Seems newer Bolts have slight changes to the exterior compared to mine.
Turbo badge under the Revotron engine badge (mine does not have)
Mine has the long arial on the roof....the newer ones have a "fin type" arial.
Jet-Fighter7700
Honorary Master
so the previous generation of this car, the assorted tata indicas,
are they any good? as I see plenty for sale, but no idea on parts availability/reliability ect...
are they any good? as I see plenty for sale, but no idea on parts availability/reliability ect...
Ockie
Resident Lead Bender
OH ok. Well, I feel like a idiot now. It looked like those shark fin thingies you see on some cars.
HAL 9000
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I have had two Indica cars - a 2005 LSi that I got at 59,000 kms in Feb 2011 & sold at just over 133,000 kms in Nov 2015.
Only major item I had to replace - apart from the regular yearly / 15,000 km servicing - was the clutch at 116,000 kms. The cambelt & ancillary belts were also replaced at the 90,000 km service (thankfully under service plan).
The 'service' or rather lack thereof, that I got from the local multi-franchise dealer in Edenvale, when taking my car in for the 90,000 km & 105,000 km services left a lot to be desired. Lots of hassles with it going in for one issue & coming out with more problems than when it went in, or parts I ordered being 'out of stock' when they were in fact available.
However, I did get exemplary service from the Boksburg multi-franchise dealer when it previously went in for the 75,000 km service.
The second Indica I currently have is a 2008 LXi - I got it in Nov 2015 with 69,000 kms on it and it's now at around 106,250 kms.
Again, I had problems with the same multi-franchise dealer in Edenvale, who managed to fit TWO left shock strut assemblies to my car when I took it in to have them replaced at 93,000 kms in Nov 2017 - this despite me showing them both physically - and via parts listings - that they were TWO different part numbers - 1 for left rear & one for right rear - when ordering the entire strut assemblies.
The cherry on top was when I took it in to query this discrepancy - and whilst my car was on the service hoist so they could investigate further - 'persons unknown' there defaced the parts labels on the incorrectly fitted LEFT unit they had fitted on the RIGHT side of my car by ripping off the identifying part number & LEFT sticker thereof.
The label on the shock strut as fitted to the LEFT rear - indicating the correct fitment
The INCORRECTLY fitted LEFT unit as mounted on the right side - with the defaced label & incriminating fingerprints on the adhesive backing.
A LONG & protracted battle then ensued with them to rectify this blatant cover-up on their part - including several visits to TATA SA's head office - conveniently located about 500m from the multi-franchise dealer.
The more I tried to explain to them - with substantiating documentation to prove my point - that ONLY if the strut gas cartridge units were being replaced, then it was a COMMON part number but, as I had ordered two COMPLETE strut assembly units, that these had two DIFFERENT part numbers - which they even corroborated on their parts listings as well - the more they tried to fob me off by saying it was OK to have the SAME item on both sides.
I eventually gave up trying to get this issue sorted out as it just ended up going around in circles with no possible resolution in sight.
I must say however that I have had exemplary service from the two other multi-franchise dealers I have taken my car to so far - the one in Highlands North in July 2017 for the 90,000 km service & then the one in Boksburg again for the 105,000 km service in July 2018, with no issues to speak of from either of them.
I also source a LOT of parts from Rimmer Brothers in the UK - as the CityRover is basically just an Indica with Rover badges stuck on it - and the parts are all common to both - and WAY cheaper as well - with 7 day UPS / DHL delivery times as well if they are in stock.
So yes - the cars themselves are pretty sturdy & reliable - I have NEVER been stranded at the roadside with a mechanical breakdown in either one during my 7 years of ownership - but sadly, the local support from TATA SA and some of their multi-franchise dealers (as evidenced above) is very disappointing to say the least, and infuriating in the extreme.
Would I ever buy another TATA car in the future? Only if & when the local distributors can maintain a consistent & satisfactory 'after-sales service' experience that does NOT bring their brand into disrepute.
Also, the current range of TATA models on offer in India (Tiago / Tigor / Nexon / Hexa / Harrier) is FAR newer than the Bolt - which is the only passenger car still on sale in local showrooms in SA, now that all Indica models were discontinued last year.
Jet-Fighter7700
Honorary Master
so @Ivan Leon, I take it its not a reliable car?
so rather stick to the established brands like toyota aygo and mazda2 ect?
so rather stick to the established brands like toyota aygo and mazda2 ect?
HAL 9000
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The vehicle itself is reliable, yes - but service support from TATA SA and 'certain' multi-franchise dealers however, VERY UNRELIABLE indeed!
But yes, rather stick to a brand that has been in SA for decades and has a tried & trusted reputation to uphold.
Ockie
Resident Lead Bender
HAL 9000
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I see that @FiestaST got to you. What did he do? Threaten your family????
Nah, just very disappointed in the after-sales service experience I have had - if TATA SA & the multi-franchise dealer had gone the extra mile (or kilometre) for me and successfully resolved my dispute over the supply & fitment of 2 LEFT shock struts to my car - instead of the separate LH & RH units as per their own parts listings - then I would have unreservedly retained my support & brand loyalty to TATA as a product.
But the fact that TATA SA has NOT brought ANY of the new models currently available in India to our local market (Tiago / Tigor / Nexon / Hexa / Harrier) leaves me with the distinct impression that they might even decide in the near future to withdraw completely from their passenger cars & LDV market and instead just focus entirely on their commercial truck & bus sales instead.
I still like driving my car though and will continue to take a keen interest in their current India model range - albeit without the opportunity to see any of them displayed on local showroom floors for the foreseeable future.
However, I really enjoyed the weekend that I had driving a Bolt XT as a rental car in Durban in 2017, as it was light years ahead of the Indica in terms of comfort, features & equipment levels, driveability, handling, performance & fuel economy, compared to my car.
So yes, like you, I am still a die-hard TATA fan - just not of their local service support experience here in SA.
Howzit guys. @Ockie , was that one from the Umhlanga branch? If so, I'm taking delivery tomorrow. Really hoping the car is well worth it. I haven't asked at the dealership yet, or read threads over, but can this car be fitted with roof rails/racks? The boot space is the only downfall of this car for a small family. Hoping to get roof rails instead of a trailer for when travelling.Seems newer Bolts have slight changes to the exterior compared to mine.
Turbo badge under the Revotron engine badge (mine does not have)
Mine has the long arial on the roof....the newer ones have a "fin type" arial.
Also, reading some of the posts here concerning the service centres; any advice for any of the Durban and surrounding areas? I'd be taking her into the Pinetown Tata branch for services. Just haven't seen or heard anything about their quality of service.
TheChamp
Honorary Master
Congrats, many happy miles.
Ok, so far all is going awesome. A few drawbacks, namely the nav system. I was looking forward to using it, but apparently it only works with maps for India... Anyone know how to bypass this and get at least a South African map app installed?
HAL 9000
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Best to ask a TATA service centre if there is a software update for the infotainment system & if it also includes SA maps as well.
Oh well, a whole bunch of Angaazi and, "oh, this is the wrong department" answers. Then something I've never heard before..."uhm, sir this is Customer Care, how are we supposed to know this?" Jirrrre... Anyways, so I've tried leaving a message on Tata India's FB messenger, will see how that goes. Failing this,,, my bro in-law will design a hack. Dunno if I'm allowed to post that here...