They damaged my petra

[shbhrao]

So another workshop(shaman automobiles) at Lalbaug caused an accident to my petra. I left the car with them on Thursday and on friday they told me that the magwheel and tyre was damaged and needs replacement. I was waiting for their complete report and estimate and whether it would be covered under warranty, when I got a call from them on Saturday morning that their driver had a accident in the workshop itself and my car has been damaged. The headlights are broken , the bonnet and part of the front bumper is damaged, the radiator and condenser could be damaged. They have told me that they will replace all the damaged parts with new ones and make the car as good as new. I am extremely upset and yesterday, i went and checked my car. I told them that until yesterday, my 8 month old petra (with 8K) kms clocked on it was an undamaged car , and today it has an accident on it, and that while they will rectify the damage what about compensation for the fact that it's value will have immediately gone down since it is now damaged goods.

They are asking me to cooperate and they have said, that they will do th e magwheel and tryre replacement free of cost and also give me a 6month cover for the parts that they replace, and give me a 1 year Anuual maintenanc contract. They also said that no way would they give me a new car.

I told them, that I needed a complete written report from them as to damages and what they are going to do about it and told them I will talk to them on Monday. What I want to know from team BHP is what would be the price of a 8 month old petra (8000Kms) without any damages and what would be the price if the same has met with an accident. i want to get a feel for what compensation should I ask for and should I be firm about that, or settle for what they are offering me now. Suggestions are welcome, I can't afford to go throu legal hassles, and I can't afford another car right now.
I also want to know if the current damage can lead to future problems and is there anyone on team bhp that can assess the damage and tell me if it bad or really bad.
I have taken pictures and will post them later.
Of course when I mentioned compensation, they showed me the standard clause that they print in small words" vehicledriven at owner's risk"
They will claim, workshop accident insurance an dfix the car, but problem, is I will be the one left with a damaged car, and they will get away with everything.

So I am stuck, I love my petra and I can't tell you much this hurts.

[devarshi84]

free repairs and free parts along with a 1 year maintainence contract is a good deed from the dealer for what he has done to your car.

dont pay a single buck and dont claim insurance. Ask the dealer to fix everything for free and make it like new along with the 2 year maintainence contract. That will cover your maintainence for 2 years and will be a partial repayment of the value you lost on your car.

But my suggestion maynot be the best.

[netarchie]

An accident is an accident is an accident. I know how bad you feel about it. But IMO it would be smart to have it repaired by the dealer at the earliest and get that extra warranty/gurantee for a period of x years (where x > your current plan). Avoid legal battle.

But do get everyting in writing from them, what they damaged, how they propose to fix, how they plan to maintain.

And very politely say you will not spend a single penny here neither through insurance or from your pocket as the mistake is completly theirs and get the car from them ASAP after the repairing.

All the best.

[condor]

Feel bad about the damages to your car. I agree with devarshi and netarchie here.

What is the extent of damage - is the damage such that the chassis & structural strength is affected adversely ? I dont think so, from your description. The damage seems repairable, and the car should be as good as new once the repairs are done. But do get in writing what the damages are, and check that they have replaced all mentioned parts with new parts.

I know it hurts to see the car being damaged, and yes - you will remember the damages for quite some time after the repairs are done. But try to see the other aspects too - what the damages are, are these damages repairable, and the fact that the dealer is going to do it free of cost to you. It's always better to get the repairing, tinkering and re-painting done by the dealer, who has the correct setup to do it. Not like getting it done outside, in a setup that is not even dust free. Also, he would be using new, genuine parts.

[autozealot]

Oh that really hurts indeed shbhrao. When they are replacing the parts on your petra, it would be a good idea to personally ensure that all the spares are new. Yes as others said, try to get a 2 year AMC if possible.
Try your best!
az

[omar1310]

Hi! Well, I have been owning a Hyundai Santro for last 5 years. I must say, my experience with the dealer has been good, not great! I have an AMC with them and they are OK as far as service is concerned. What I gather from your report, you are being given a fair deal. I understand that an accident is an accident, but then, it has happened, so let's not think about it anymore. You must get everything done free of cost. Take 2 years AMC in stead of 1.(I would have got similar treatment from my Hyundai dealer). You must ensure that the paint job done is 100% matching with the body colour, if not get it done again. Apart from this, you must check off line with the service advisor that there is no other internal damage to your car apart from what is explained by the dealer. Be polite to the dealer. As far as the re-sale value is concerned, my car was done with denting and painting for 3 times in last 5 years. The value of my car has gone down by about 10% that it would have been with out any body job. Please note that its the engine and the overall internal shape of the car matters more than just a denting work. Especially when you are in Mumbai, dents are part of life. I have a friend, who is a second had car dealer, and says that 5 year old Siena with about 50-70K kms run sales at 100,000+. (I guess a similar profiled Accent whould sell for about 200,000+.

I hope the report helps. Please let me know, any one in Team BHP, if you have something different to tell about the re-sale value.

Thanks

Originally Posted by shbhrao

So another workshop(shaman automobiles) at Lalbaug caused an accident to my petra. I left the car with them on Thursday and on friday they told me that the magwheel and tyre was damaged and needs replacement....................................... .............................

So I am stuck, I love my petra and I can't tell you much this hurts.

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[iraghava]

SHBH - From your description the damage doesn't seem to be structural and since the workshop is offering to fix it free of cost or insurance claim, I like others would advise you to take their offer & close the chapter. Going legal will only lengthen the issues & cause incovenience to you.

Since they are also offering to fix the alloy & tyre for free alongwith extended warranty & maintenance I think it's a pretty good offer. And anyways if they replace everything with new parts there's not really gonna be an issue of low resale because you don't have to tell anybody that you ever had a crash. And if the damage is what I think then with a good job nobody will ever know about it. If you post pics we will be able to evaluate better what the damage is & if replacing the parts will not cause any further issues. My Santro had suffered a front-end crash in heavy traffic
which had damaged the bonnet, condenser & radiator. I got it done from HMP & replaced all the parts & she never gave me any trouble with those parts for the next 2 years. So I think you really should not worry about problems later if all parts are replaced. As for cosmetic damage if they repair it well or change the parts altogether no one will be ale to judge there had been any accident.

[ajmat]

I think you have got a reasonable offer considering there is no structural damage. since it happened in the workshop, the speed was negligible

[devarshi84]

Its better to bargain for the deal and fix it up.

maybe after the fued you may end up gettin nothing plus payin for the insurance premium.

[shbhrao]

Dear All
Thanks for all your sympathies and suggestions. Yes, I am still fuming, but I guess it makes sense to take their offer and settle. I am waiting to get a written report later this afternoon of all the damages caused. And as suggested ask for 2 yrs AMC, btw what exactly is covered under AMC. I still have not downloaded my pics from the camera, once I do that I will post it.
And I will also give an update later.

[shbhrao]

So on tuesday I finally got a written email from customer relations at Shaman in which they extended an apology and indicated that the foll: parts were damaged headlight, bumper, bonnet radiator assembly. They said that they would extend warranty on the replaced parts for 1 year and give me free AMC for a year. Verbally Mr.Rane the engineer told me that the fan motor assembly will also be inspected and if damaged it will be replaced. They have told me that they expect to give me the car back by first week of August.

After receiving the email, I sent them an email requesting for 2 yrs AMC and a loaner car for interim use. They were not compliant regarding the 2 yr AMC (Mr. Rane indicated that they were going to have to spend Rs25000 from their pocket despite workshop insurance for the dmaged parts) but said they would arrange for a loaner car within 2-3 days (since all their cars are currently loaned out)! Anyways, i have accepted their applogy and hope they fix my car properly. And pray that I do not suffer from any other problems on account of this! Time will tell.

Mr. Rane keeps reminding me of how honest and transparent they have been, I am puzzled by that attitude since they are supposed to be doing that after all they cause the damage! It seems to be that indirectly they are takling credit for not being dishonest! (I guess in the land of the unscrupulous that is something to be proud of)!!!

[rishi_kapoor]

Originally Posted by shbhrao

So another workshop(shaman automobiles) at Lalbaug caused an accident to my petra. They will claim, workshop accident insurance an dfix the car, but problem, is I will be the one left with a damaged car, and they will get away with everything.

So I am stuck, I love my petra and I can't tell you much this hurts.

hi Shobha...this is Rishi (hope you remember me) give me a call on cell...I would try to put you to right contacts in Fiat India. I think you shall ask for a undamaged new car.

[naveendhyani]

Originally Posted by devarshi84

free repairs and free parts along with a 1 year maintainence contract is a good deed from the dealer for what he has done to your car.

completely agree here with devarshi84. though they made a mess of the car but they are taking full responsibility & repairing the car themselves. considering the environment here 99% of the dealers wud have told u to take an insurance claim.

regarding the "new car", i guess there is absolutely no chance if we fight this out. it may hurt but in this situation even i wud have done the same thing. till the time the accident happens within a couple of months of procuring the car & that too if the damage is way too much the "new car" issue wud have made perfect sense.

if possible try to invest some time over the weekend in the workshop while ur car is getting repaired. there might be something you can discover which they claim has not broken & it is.

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by shbhrao

Mr. Rane keeps reminding me of how honest and transparent they have been, I am puzzled by that attitude since they are supposed to be doing that after all they cause the damage! It seems to be that indirectly they are takling credit for not being dishonest! (I guess in the land of the unscrupulous that is something to be proud of)!!!

SHBH - I sort of agree with Mr. Rane regarding their honesty. Usually workshops try to cover up the damage and get the least amount of liability on themselves. For eg. you can read the thread by a fellow user whose new Fiesta was crashed heavily by the workshop and they tried to pass it off as minor damage & give the car back to him. Atleast they have been honest in accepting the damage & offered to repair the car & give you extended AMC & Warranty.

Yes, it is their fault but in today's world it's hard to find an honest dealer who's not trying to dupe you.