5 Things Every Tata Sierra Buyer Must Do While Buying The Car
Tata Motors will start accepting orders for the all-new Sierra on December 16th. It has generated massive interest. A lot of people will be eagerly waiting to book the new SUV. If you are one of them, here are five things to do while buying your Sierra.
Investing in an extended warranty is always a recommended practice. It is a must-have if the vehicle is pricey or if you plan to keep it for long term. The Sierra is, in fact, a brand-new product. The higher variants are tech-laden. It has around 28 ECUs (Electronic Control Units) and a powerful Ethernet backbone.
Tata Motors has almost perfected the system, and assures that many of the bugs and glitches found in previous launches have been addressed. Sierra owners, they say, won’t have to struggle with these issues. That said, failures can happen. Electronic and mechanical components can fail, and replacements can be expensive.
The Sierra comes with a standard warranty of three years or 1 lakh kilometres. ECUs and several other key components are covered under this, so that you don’t have to worry about the vehicle affecting your monthly budget.
The carmaker offers two extended warranty packages with coverages of 1 year/ 1.3 lakh km and 2 years or 1.40 lakh km. These cost Rs 7,800 and Rs 10,500 each. Investing in, say, the 2-year package can be give you much more confidence and peace of mind during the ownership. These would cover most of the breakdown and repair bills that you may come across during the period. So, make sure to opt-in for the extended warranty program.
Most people would love the uniqueness of this vehicle’s design. Its clamshell rear hatch door, long, sleek single-piece DRL and connected tail lamps are all very interesting. It even has a large sunroof.
Now, imagine what happens in the case of an incident, more accurately, a minor accident. If the front, for example, hits somewhere, and a portion of the DRL gets damaged, the whole unit will need to be replaced. This will be more expensive than replacing a small component or module of a larger lighting cluster. A bumper-to-bumper (zero depreciation) insurance can be of great help in such cases.
Also, choose the Return To Invoice (RTI) add-on, which would make the insurer pay the full purchase price of the car (instead of the post-depreciation market value) in case of total loss or theft. This feature is only valid for the first 2-3 years of ownership.
The new Tata Sierra has an exciting design. There’s a generous use of Piano Black and Gloss Black trims at various places. You’ll see these on the exterior and even inside the cabin. These play a key role in making the car look good. Swirl marks or hairline scratches can take away their charm and can even spoil the car’s overall appeal.
Make sure to apply PPF (Paint Protection Film) on these panels and trims as soon as you take the car home. PPF will keep them safe from developing these. Opting for high-gloss PPF would make the car look even better. In the case of interior trims, choosing Satin PPF can help in minimising fingerprints, even though it would give those trims a matte finish.
Many tend to overlook this, but doing a proper PDI (Pre-Delivery Inspection) is important. Schedule the inspection at the dealership before making the final payment and initiating the registration process.
If you are buying the automatic variant, do not forget to check if the paddle shifters function properly, during the PDI. Use both paddles and check their responses. Most people tend to forget this check as this feature isn’t something that they use on a daily basis.
Issues with these shifters can take time to get fixed- not a pleasant experience on a brand-new car. It’s better to ask the dealer for another unit if you find yours faulty. This isn’t a tip exclusive to the Sierra. Please do it whenever you buy a car with paddle shifters.
Another thing to check is if the steering wheel is dead centre. If it isn’t, it may indicate issues with wheel alignment. These may have been caused while the vehicle was in transit. In such cases, it is better to get a detailed inspection done before accepting the car. Some dealers may overlook this issue during their inspection, for models that are in high demand.