We were quite taken aback considering we had always looked after the car and turned the car in on time or early for service.

BHPian iamjoelj recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hey Everyone,

Our family has a 2020 LX HT Diesel Thar that we had booked on day one of the announcement (before the official test drive) but the thrill and the excitement that was part of the buying experience on that day has been let down as a result of a combination of poorly built/designed parts and our service centre experiences in Kochi.

We received our car on Jan 2nd, 2021, and have managed to clock close to 30,000 km on the car to the day. We have religiously maintained the car with a strict dealer-only authorized service and drive the car with the utmost care (in spite of its rugged credentials). But yet multiple parts have failed on the car due to poor design and material quality during this time period. Apart from a few issues that Mahindra had addressed through inspections (hardtop sealant) or parts replacement for (bonnet locks, DEF tank, etc), we had another issue that was affecting daily driving. In spite of maintaining the car well, we had a noise issue when turning on full lock, turning on an incline, etc.

So on our 30K periodic service, the SA suggested getting the steering rack replaced to address this and within warranty. We sent our car through Mahindra’s home delivery personnel and received the car as normal. The vehicle seemed to be working fine with no issues. But just a day later, the vehicle started leaking fluid on our porch and having a strange noise during startup and running. Along with this, the instrument cluster had developed a new crack in it right through the centre of it, like it was in line with the steering rack.

Since the steering rack was the only new variable in what was considered a routine service, we thought this was related (perhaps incorrect alignment/installation) and that the dealer or OEM should help us address this fix. So we called our SA and made sure to get the vehicle delivered as soon as possible to fix both issues. Upon arrival, they informed us that the technician may have not applied adequate torque on the screw or fastener holding it together hence leading to loss of fluid. But regarding the broken cluster, the SA returned with a quote of Rs.16K to replace it rather than a warranty replacement. We were quite taken aback considering we had always looked after the car and turned the car in on time or early for service.

The SA escalated the issue to a CRM who said he couldn’t get this fixed under warranty suggesting we write an email to Mahindra. We did so and in return, the dealer with the involvement of the GM notified us of a 5% discount for the part. We refused the offer since we knew that we hadn’t done anything to cause this issue and that this issue needed to be solved under the scope of a warranty.

We made it clear in our response to both Mahindra customer service and the Kochi dealership “How does a vehicle that has done nearly 30,000 km in 2 years of accident-free ownership, no recent collisions, with no unauthorized modification, and undergone only an authorized OEM service cycle develop a crack in the cluster?”.

We collected the car back on the 5th of July since we didn’t want to leave the car at the dealership and now are in a deep pit of disappointment where Mahindra hasn’t responded and the dealer doesn’t seem to want to help us solve the issue in time. The original crack that had occurred exactly in the centre along the steering wheels’ centre axis (and after the dealership prescribed steering rack job) has increased.

To current owners: Have you faced this issue and how did you fix it?

To new and prospective owners: Please be careful and weary of all service jobs related to the Thar or Mahindra!

And to everyone on this forum: Any suggestions on how to address this amicably?

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

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