Car repairs & maintenance : Ignite Garage (Chennai)

[yzfrj]

Originally Posted by 2theMax

Good unbiased report yzfrj

did you correct the mount ? also when was the last when you did an wheel alignment ?was it part of this service ?

Thank you Max.
You mean the gearbox mounted to the body ?
Well its still at an angle and maybe it was due to some problem when the tinkering/patching (this part was rusted badly). However as per the mechanic that will not have any problem.

What say ? I'm not sure. Can someone confirm if this will not cause a problem ? I'll try to get a picture of the thingy.

Last service was done at 90082Kms MASS guys did't do the Alignment the "forgot" this was told to me when I went settle the bill and did't find alignment listed in the bill.
After that alignment was done at Ramesh Tyre (Opposite to Wangs /IBP) on Traramani Link road this was done at 90193Kms

Car was given at around 92500Kms to Ignite, and yes Alignment was done as per Raghav. Well it needs to be as the entire front suspension was re-done.

Originally Posted by MAS

@yzfrj
That is really a very frank report.

Problems not sorted out + new problems in the car + attention to detail missing.
This is not Raghav's style
I feel that this oversight could be due to Raghav's preparation for the jeep meet on the river bed of Palar
(The only problem being the distance from where you live to IgNite)

Thanks MAS.
Well, It could be. I did call and confirm before dropping off the car.
Initial date committed was Aug 6 Thursday, I said I need the car only by Friday the 7th. I do understand that things can go wrong and can take more time. My only expectation was to get all the things sorted out before getting the car.

For example the racket rattling exhaust made was really hard to miss (It was noisier than a share auto, I kid you not) When I dropped off the car, Raghav dropped me off at the Sholiganallur signal near to the share auto/bus stop. Car's engine was running and at idle the exhaust ratled in all its glory. I said "hear the sound ?", Reply "Is that is from the car ? Its the sound from a share auto, right ?"

Yes, the distance is certainly and issue.

Originally Posted by vdiatech

I have some fond memories of cochin. I used to live in Kuamaranasan Nagar ( down the rajivgandhi indoor stadium road, kadavanthara) and few more years at Panampilly Nagar

How long back was it yar ?

[yzfrj]

Picture of the gearbox mount to the chassis.

This is how it should be (taken from another Zen)


This is how it is in my zen.

[vdiatech]

Originally Posted by yzfrj

How long back was it yar ?

1994-2000 ! I suppose the Kumarnasan Nagar and Panampilly Nagar were not taken over by concrete jungles then....

I now live 2 minutes from the wangs/IBP on taramani road.

cheers

[fiery enzyme]

I had a heating problem in my Baleno, which is detailed here - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...erheating.html (Help! Baleno Overheating!)

If you have read the other thread, I was going nuts over not being able to diagnose what was actually causing the overheating. Took it to a few places however the actual problem was not identified. After a couple of quick fixes and getting stranded on the highway I decided to ground the car.

Then I came across this thread. So I called up Raghav and we decided on a time to meet.

Here are my Impressions:

The place is pretty far. I reached there around 2 pm and we did a test drive. The car was already heating up by then. Raghav dropped me to the nearest bus stand after it was decided that he will diagnose the problem and call me. The positive note here is he called me even while I was on my way back and told me it could be the radiator since the bottom part of the radiator was cold. I was impressed that they had started the work already.

He offered to work and re condition the radiator. i told him I needed complete 100% reliability and also that I wanted the car back in three days. He said that he will do his best and to better get a new radiator. I agreed.

Point to be noted here is before he got the new radiator, he fitted his esteem one on the car and he identified that wasn't the actual problem here. I appreciate the proactiveness which saved me a radiator. There is no point haggling after the new one is fitted. That would be typical MASS.

So we worked by elimination and he was finally able to identify the issue as clogged water jackets. Yes I did not get the car when I wanted but I'm very happy that he identified the root of the problem when many other places did not.

What I also like is I would drop in randomly and he would explain the progress and answer my questions patiently. He even explained the workings of the engine with another Toyota engine he was working on. This is refreshing attitude compared to the condescending attitude you get from dealer workshops.

I read somewhere above that Ignite is equivalent to the dealer workshops in terms of cost and not the roadside workshops. Who did even say this is a roadside workshop? This place is a lot more professional than the authorised workshops and you get better workmanship.To me that is value for money.

Overall, I had recomended the workshop to two of my friends and they are very happy with the end results. One guy claims that his car is never been this good to drive since he bought it (used esteem bought 2 yrs ago).

There might be a few niggles here and there that needs to be worked on that you might have to go back for, but the point is this guy is atleast approachable compared to any other dealer workshop.

Don't go in with too high of an expectation. It is a garage after all.

Would I go back? Absolutely.
Would I recomend it? Absolutely.

[petrol_head]

Originally Posted by fiery enzyme

I read somewhere above that Ignite is equivalent to the dealer workshops in terms of cost and not the roadside workshops. Who did even say this is a roadside workshop? This place is a lot more professional than the authorised workshops and you get better workmanship.To me that is value for money.

+1 dude. Its the value for money aspect that clearly stands out at Ignite. No blind replacements unless and until its absolutely required unlike authorized service centres. Raghav will be more than keen to clear out all your doubts and beyond. My cars have been going to him and I am more than happy with the quality of work even if it takes a day or two more. Afterall its well worth the time when you know you car would be flawless. Have recommended Ignite to quite a few friends and professional contacts and I am yet to come across someone who has anything to complain about.

[esteem_lover]

@yzfrj... seems like quite a few issues have been handled in your car. When there are specific issues & ready results, the time required for service can be very less. But when there are multiple issues (some of them depending on the other getting sorted out), could take a lot of time. For instance, the day could have been marked for getting your suspension replaced, but while replacing, there could have been another problem that needs more immediate attention before doing this and that part may not have been available that day & the day could have ended up with nothing being done in your car. Trust me, I have seen many many more like this. Sometimes it is also the fault of the garage. Most times it is how it is. 10 days turnaround for all the jobs listed is not bad at all for a garage which is not exactly free all the time.

[yzfrj]

Update :

I got a call from Raghav yesterday informing me that the part (Steering Rack) has arrived and requested me to come in the morning to get it fixed.

Got there by 11:30 car was jacked up and immediately started work.
Work was done really quickly and after that the car was taken to get the alignment done (It has to be done as the Steering rack replacement would have sent it out of whack)

I asked Raghav that if he had taken out the car for a test drive on the day it was delivered. He said it was taken for a test drive (as he normally does with every car) and at the time there was no problem with it.

The whole idea of reconditioning the Steering did't go as planned.
I feel this is a simple thing that did't work out and you cannot point the finger at someone.

Raghav was concerned about the fact that I had to go through this and at the end of it all I was not 100% satisfied.

PS: Raghav refused to take the money for the part (Steering Rack) and the entire replacement was done at 0 expense from my end.

Observations :

• Unlike many of the Authorized service centers, who take you for a ride and are interested in just getting all the components replaced and push the bill to the stratosphere.

IgNite is not a place like that, if you do a 1 to 1 comparison with Authorized service centers. I think the cost factor will be at par/less (compared to MASS and probably much less in case of Ford/Honda/Skoda) in the case of IgNite.
The quality of work and the way its done its what sets IgNite apart from the rest. Go and see the place you'll see what I mean.

• Every effort is being taken to "educate" the customer.

He (Raghav) really want "you" (the customer) to understand what exactly has been done to "your" car.

• More than a customer you are treated like a friend and every effort is made to ensure that all you questions and concerns are addressed.
• No hype is created to make you feel "all effort is dedicated to your car"

This is one of the things that I've seen in many service centers, people will be running around your car and 4-5 guys will be cleaning this that and what not. Well here the mechanical bits are given importance over the aesthetic bits. I'd let you decide which is more important (A shining car with less than perfect mechanical work or a less shining mechanically sound car). In IgNite the the mechanical bit are given more importance than polishing the car and make it "looks" nice.

Current Status :

• Car is now really good and 0 sound. Well, other than the "normal" sounds its supposed to make.
• Raghav (not me...!) is not 100% satisfied with the exhaust and said it has to be taken apart and fixed again. Well, to be frank I can't see or hear the problem and let him look into that during the next routine service.
• Raghav informed the carb needs cleaning . (I said no routine service needs to be done, point was car/carb was serviced less than 2700kms before @ MASS so just what "cleaning" they have done I'll let you to imagine) This is why the car feels a bit slow.
• Steering is a bit tight (as expected), but feels good.
• Car is much more "alive" while taking turns.
• A/C is back to its glory days.
• Brakes have started to bite and now it feels really nice.

Suggestions :

• Turn around time needs a bit of improvement.

In the case of my car lot of external factors [tinkering job, getting some parts] (Genuine) proved difficult and Raghav said that is why the time taken was longer.


Conclusion :

• If you really love your car IgNite is the place you should be taking your car.
• Its not the roadside garage or the Authorized service center. Its a place where people understands the value you give to your car and a place where you can talk in the language one petrol head / diesel head will understand.

To tell you the truth

Was I happy when I got my car initially ? No.

Was the effort taken by the Garage (IgNite) to solve it as quickly as possible ? Yes.

Well there is one thing that you will not find there days, the courage to say "I made as mistake let me resolve it"
The effort put into resolving the issue was excellent. It just goes to show IgNite (Raghav) is not doing a half heart'd job and really cares about you and your car.

Would I recommend IgNite ? Yes, definitly.

[MAS]

@yzfrj,

Congrats on getting your car back in good shape. I was expecting your positive update on the day i read your report.

Raghav is a real car enthusiast and is bothered about the car more than anything else.

It is really nice to hear that IgNite (Raghav & Team) kept up their reputation. Well done Rags

I will have to visit IgNite as the problem with my Santro (switching off while idling) is back. Something happens to the car when it is driven for long hours. I did Chennai - Trichy - Chennai on Monday and the car was very well behaved except for an occasional switching off while at the tolls.

[Wolffe]

This review is long due,so here goes. Had a problem of my 2007 Fiesta Petrol(run 14000 kms) running higher RPM's at idling when the A/C was switched on-the RPM would spike up to 1500,then drop to about 600 and then steady at 850-900.This would happen only at idling when the A/C was switched on.

Took the car to Ford's Auth service center-the technicians went round the car and came up with questions about "what fuel I used?" and "whether I parked the car in the sun for long hours?" etc. Their justification-most Fiesta's these days develop electronics issues when parked in the sun. The GM of the service center happened to be around and I escalated the issue. He immediately asked for the computer scanner to be hooked up and the problem diagonised. The scanner reported "alls well" with the car-hence I was asked to bring the car as soon as I detected the idling issue again.The guy who ran the scan said "It's easy to find the problem when the Check Engine Light comes on". Honestly I was fed up with the crap they were trying to dish out.

A month later stumbled upon the thread about Raghav & Ignite-so drove off to see him. Walked into his place and recognised him instantly-he was my junior in school and I knew him quite well.Exchanged pleasantries and caught up about school and stuff.

Explained the problem-Raghav listened very patiently(unlike the Ford technicians who kept interjecting with their thots) and said he wanted to drive the car to feel the problem.Went for a quick drive and in less than 1 km he diagnosed the problem-said the plugs need replacing,will confirm with his scanner.Got back-put the car on the scanner and explained the reason for the problem.He didn't stop there-went on to say he'l fit new plugs for the time being and if the problem didn't re-appear will switch to NGk.His team replaced the plugs and on the test drive-the problem seemed to have vanished.

He suggested I drive the car with the changed plugs for a week or so-just to make sure it didn't re-appear. Thanked him and drove off with a promise to come back in a week. Way back home I could only smile that my problem was fixed.Couldn't get back to Raghav after a week-a month later was free to take the car back.Decided to get the car serviced at Ignite,alongwith the plug change.

Dropped off the car at Ignite at 10.30 and was promised pickup at 7.00.The car was ready at 6.30-service done was good.Parts changed-Air filter(Regular),Oil Filter,Spark Plugs,Engine oil(Mobil) and the regular service.I can say the bill was much much lesser than it would have cost at Ford ***.

I have already suggested Ignite to my family and friends.Congrats to Raghav and his team at Ignite on a job well done.

Suggestion/Scope for improvement - Wiping after carwash -specially the windshields.

To close-now that I have found a trusted and tried garage,you'll never find me or my car at the Ford's Auth service center-except to maybe rub it in that they lost a customer because of poor service.Honestly I don't think they'll miss me.

I think Petrolhead was at Ignite-when I was leaving.Sorry I cudn't stop to say Hi.

[petrol_head]

Originally Posted by Wolffe

I think Petrolhead was at Ignite-when I was leaving.Sorry I cudn't stop to say Hi.

really?? did not know you were around.

[Wolffe]

Originally Posted by petrol_head

really?? did not know you were around.

Guess you came with your friend in a black WagonR-which Raghav was taking on a test drive. I recognised you from pics at meets.

[petrol_head]

Originally Posted by Wolffe

Guess you came with your friend in a black WagonR-which Raghav was taking on a test drive. I recognised you from pics at meets.

Oh awrite... hope to see u sometime...

[Perakath]

Goodness, there are some really high recommendations here! (TBH I skipped pages 2-4, but still.)

I moved to Madras this June and have been looking for a good mechanic here. My 2001 Zen has serious carburetor issues. Many mechanics over the years have tried their hand at it, but to no avail. I may give Raghav a go when I find some time.

[mail4loys]

After seeing all good reviews, I left my Ikon @ Ignite today morning with a list of issues. Will write my experience post delivery.

[MAS]

Its been a long time now since i have visited IgNite. No problems with any of the three cars (tocuhwood) after servicing @ IgNite and hence did not find a reason to go. Will try and visit Raghav soon as he has always has something to add value to the car.

This thread is really helping me to keep in touch what is going on with IgNite. Raghav never seizes to impress, and in simple words, Raghav is the guy who can deliver the goods.

Any update Mail4loys?