A JOURNEY TO DISCOVER NEW HORIZONS...TO GO WHERE NO ONE HAS GONE BEFORE

...

Thursday 20 October 2016

Chapter 6 - 'Mahindra Thar Modified'

To begin from the First Chapter: " The Beginning of a Dream".

The most enjoyable phase for me and my wife was when we started modifying our Jeep . The aim was to make it look more strong, more efficient, more comfortable and more hot! 

 It took us almost 2 years to satisfactorily complete the modification. Of course, i am sure that more would happen as time passes. As the saying goes 'a Jeep lasts a lifetime'.

Well, i will put forth the summary and the parts that we added to our Jeep, to make it look the way it is now.

The cost of My Thar on road was Rs 8.5 Lakhs

The following accessories were added by Silver Jubilee motors at the time of delivery and are visible in the pics below

1) Front guard         Rs 12000
 Advantage - Adds immense strength and looks to the Jeep.

2) Rear guard          Rs 15000
Advantage - It looks good and holds the spare wheel, so that excess pressure does not mount on the working of the locking mechanism.


3) Insect Mesh           Rs 1500
Advantage - Not sure, probably stops the insects.


4) Head Lamp and Tail Lamp grills           Rs 4000
Advantage - Safety and long life of the headlights.


5) Garware Sunscreen   Rs 10,000
  Advantage - keeps the glare away, making the air conditioning more effective.

The following accessories were bought and fitted after studying reviews of customers from reputed forums, blogs and websites.

6) Central Locking      Rs 4000
   Advantage - makes it very easy and convenient to open and lock the doors.

7) Power windows        Rs 12000
  Advantage - its feels very comfortable and modern when windows slide up and down at the touch of a button.

8) Central Console   Rs 9500
   Advantage - 
a) makes the cabin look rich and confident.
b) has a cup holder and another 2 compartments for small things.
Top View of Central Console

side view of  Central Console

9) Carbon Leaf springs  Rs 30,000 approx with Rs 1000 for fitting (Arc Industries, Ichalkaranji)
Advantage - 
a) the company fit leaf springs made a squeaky sound which vanished with carbon leaf springs.
b) the vibrations reduced beyond imagination.
c) ride became very confident and relaxing.
d) a huge difference in comfort with just one change of part.

Carbon Leaf  Rear Suspension

10) Amada Comfort Shock absorbers      Rs 20,000
Advantage - Technically it carries automatic valve, teflon coated piston, protective bush, twin tubes and polyurethane bushings. In my language it absorbs all potholes with a smile, making the ride beyond comfortable.

Amada Comfort Shock Absorbers
* Just for referrence - a 100 km drive on bad roads would give me a backache and a bodyache but after the above two modifications the ride became pleasant and enjoyable.
As  Jeep is a daily drive vehicle for me and my wife..

11) Nulon  Diesel engine lubricant        Rs 450

  Nulon engine treatment is a unique lubricant formulated with activated ptfe (poly tetra fluoro ethylene, the slipperiest substance known to science) and other special additives that eliminates friction and smoothens the engine .
Advantage -  It definitely made my crde engine softer and smoother.

12) Dynamat  like material          Rs 15,000
 It adheres very easily on metal surface. I covered the undersurface of the bonnet and complete cabin floor with it.
   Advantage - it absorbs the vibrations effectively



13) Thick washable Carpet mat       Rs 5000
I laid it on the whole cabin floor above the dynamat.
Advantage - 
a) it is thick and soft and gives a luxurious feel when you step on it
b) and it absorbs vibrations


14) Black Rubber Matting which comes in Thar covered the above 2 layers of Dynamat and Carpet mat.

15) Jeep footmats           Rs 1600
Advanatge - Looks great and further cushions the vibrations.



These 4 layers of cushioning reduced the vibrations to almost zero giving a soft and plush feeling.
The above  accessories added unimaginable comfort to our drive,  something that i can't put in words.

Now you guys must be wondering, why am i trying to make a hard, robust and tough Jeep so comforatble??
Its like this, my wife had agreed to buying the Thar just for my happiness, so in return i was trying to make her as comfortable as possible..Just my way of saying Thanks!

16) Sony Double din Stereo system with 6 speakers for surround sound          Rs 20,000
  Advantage - Amazing stuff !! We love to listen to soft romantic music, old hindi songs and the above Sony sound system fulfilled every fantasy we had. 
We could hear even the softest flute clearly that played in the background. That was luxury at its maximum for us.





17) Branded Luxury seats and  Premium Leather seat covers with brackets and fitting    Rs 30,000
  Advantage - 
a) These bucket seats with Leather seat covers made the cabin look rich, affluent and cosy. 
b) These seats are wider, bigger and pleasant to sit on.
c) Because of them, we could drive for longer hours without fatigue.
          


18) Farm Jack  48 inch  with brackets and fitting     Rs 15000
The farm jack is also known as a Hi-Lift Jack. The farm jack, invented in 1905, consists of a steel beam with a series of equally spaced holes along its length, and a hand operated mechanism which can be moved from one end of the beam to the other through the use of a pair of climbing pins.
Advantages - The Farm jack's applications are mechanical lifting of heavy vehicles,  winching, clamping, pulling and pushing..It also adds to the macho looks of the Jeep.
For me, it is yet an unused accessory.



19) Alloys  16 inch Neo Helix  5 pieces         Rs 33,000
  I had this one problem with my Jeep right from the day i purchased it, that is whenever i made a slow full turn, the wheels would kind of get locked and vibrate, so i would have to press the accelerator further to complete the turn.. in short the turns were not smooth at all ( twice i have visited the service center without any solution.)

Advantage - 
a) This problem just vanished and the turns became very smooth and free flowing.
b) Handling became very soft and easy.
c) Braking became better.
d) it enhanced the looks of the vehicle.
e) somehow because of the light weight alloys, the tyres would just breeze above the potholes.



20)Maxxis Bighorn 764  Mud Terrain   245/70/16                    Rs 52000    (5 tyres)
   Advantage - 
a) Macho looks are the biggest asset of these tyres.
b) I ride these tyres with 20 psi air pressure, so that they do not interfere with my comfort.
c) They make this 'Hmmmm' sound above 40 kms/hr but somehow we like it.
d)  They have exceptional grip off road.
e)  They also have a good grip on highways and city roads due to the reduced air pressure. 
Yes i know the disadvantage of reduced mileage and early wear out, but who cares,  they are worth it.



21) Fenders  4 inch          Rs 20,000
 I had to change them coz the Maxxis are bigger tyres and were rubbing the original fenders.


22) Jeep Wrangler side view mirrors  with fitting        Rs 12,700
Advantage - 
a) Better, clearer and wider view.
b) The mirror within can be manually tilted in all directions.



23) HID  Xenon 9 inch Fog lights  with fitting         Rs 10,000
   Advantage - 
 When it is raining we usually drive towards Mulshi to our farm house plot, where there are no road lights for kms...And trust me, these HID Xenons light up the whole mountain.

 *I don't use these lights on highways becoz they are blinding.
( They are supposed to have a throw of 1 km)

 I have also covered the Fogs with an army sticker and net to protect it from scratches and damage.






24) Carbon Black Antennae on the Front Guard



25) 48 watts Led Fog Lights for reverse gear         Rs 2500
Advantage - 
 Amazing lights, the moment i put the Jeep in reverse gear, the whole premises lights up and i can easily reverse.



26) Steering wheel knob                  Rs 800
 Advantage - can manage a turn smoothly with just one hand.


27) Digital Altimeter                     Rs  2500
  Advantage -
a) Altitude total gain/loss, 24 hours altitude record and chart.
b) Max/min altitude, temperature, humidity record.
c) 24 hours air pressure trend chart. 
d) Incorporates altimeter, barometer, compass functions.
e) Day, Date and Time.



Eventually a rough idea of how the dashboard looks.



28) 'Jeep' Spare Tyre Cover             Rs 1000
 Advantage -
 Protects the tyre and the alloy from dust and rains



29) Stickers                  Rs 5000


30) Headlight Bulbs 
     The headlight bulbs were 50/60 watts , so i changed them to 90/100 watts. A relay was also required before i changed the bulbs. 
 Advantage - the visibility definitely increases.

 I think i have covered almost all that i have done with my Jeep in the last 2 years..She is a family and we have developed immense love and respect for her..We can boldly go where no car dares to go.
'Jeep' has always been my dream and i am trying to live it with my wife.

I am not an expert so i must have missed out lots and must have made mistakes too..Do read the above with a forgiving heart. 



I would like to end with a video of my 'Adventures with Thar'.