Four Seasons - Team-BHP

devanshujasani · 21st December 2006, 13:18

This is the experience my friend Junaid Daruwalla had when he went to Four Seasons at Tardeo. He did not know how to make a post so I am doing it for him.

My terrible experience with 4 seasons (tardeo)

I gave my Ford Ikon to replace the front struts and lower control arms to 4 Seasons garage at Tardeo. The experience I had with them was disgusting.

My car was given to 4 seasons on Monday morning. I was told that my parts would be replaced and the car returned by the evening. I was told that they would install Cofap gas struts and Italian lower arm kits (I think they said something like Compart, I don’t remember the name correctly). I made it very clear to them that they should not fit Indian aftermarket parts because from prior experience, I know they have a life of only about 1 year.

On Monday morning, my suspension was removed and the car was left on the jacks.
On Monday afternoon, I was told that there was a strike at Opera House and all the parts dealers would be closed for the day. There was however one dealer who was open and agreed to supply the parts provided he was paid cash on delivery. To this effect, I gave 4 seasons the cash in advance for the required parts, a sum of Rs.7,500. (The struts were to cost Rs.4,200, the strut kit Rs.625, and the lower arm kit Rs.2,150, and wheel bearings for Rs.1,400) This was to ensure that the parts would be delivered and the car returned back to me the very same day. Later I was promised that the car would be returned by 12pm on Tuesday afternoon which I agreed to because it sounded reasonable.

Even till Tuesday afternoon, I was repeatedly told that the parts had not arrived. I told them that since my car would be required at home, to put the old parts back together and return the car to me, and that I would give it back once the parts arrived. I did not want to endlessly wait for parts even after having paid in advance for them to be delivered that day.

On Tuesday evening, I was told that the parts had arrived and that I should pick up the car the next morning.

On Wednesday morning, when I arrived at 4 seasons, I was told that the car had been tested and was ready for delivery. I was told that the lower arms were not replaced but new bushings and tie rod ends were fitted onto the old arms (On Monday morning when this idea was proposed to me, I rejected it immediately and even paid the cash for the entire lower arm kit. I knew there was no way that this fitting would be done correctly at 4 seasons. The previous day I was told that ALL the parts had arrived). When I took the mechanic for a test drive with me I was shocked. The car would not go in a straight line, the steering felt heavy and if the steering was turned on any side, you could hear the suspension shift and the steering would get locked in that position. It was impossible to drive the car safely above 30km/hr. When I pointed this out to the technical person concerned I was told that my tires were in terrible condition (I agreed they were) and that’s why the alignment could not be done correctly. I was not satisfied with this answer but I still unwillingly took my car home. I was told to replace my tires and return to 4 seasons for alignment and everything would be fine.

The next day when the tire wallahs replaced my tires and started doing the alignment they pointed out that the bushings fitted on were not the correct ones and due to excessive play in the lower arms, my car was not going in a straight line. I called up 4 seasons and told them that since I paid for the entire lower arm kit and clearly told them not to fit bushings and tie rod ends onto the older ams, that I would return the parts to them and they should give me my money back for the parts and the difference that was remaining by buying these parts as opposed to the entire kit. I also mentioned that I would give my car to the authorized dealer to have the part replaced since clearly 4 seasons was not capable of doing it. That’s when their technical head, Anil, told me that if I gave my car to anyone else, then their chapter with me would be closed and I should forget about getting the difference in money back.
However, I was originally corresponding with someone else. When he came back on the line I told him that I would pay for the parts that were given to me (even though I have to throw them away) and that he should provide me with a bill for the parts and also for the labour charges of 4 seasons. I wanted to settle it once and for all. There was no way I would give my car back to them after they took 3 days to mess it up. He told me that he had not received the bill for the parts himself and so did not know exactly how much it costs. I reminded him that I was given the cost of the parts on Monday afternoon and that I had even paid him according to that, so he should make a bill according to those prices and we should settle the matter there. He promised to get back to me within a few minutes. It has been 3 days and he has not called since.

Shaman Ford replaced my entire lower arm kit and returned the car on the same day as promised. When I spoke to the technician there, I was told that the bushings and tie rod ends fitted on the lower arms by 4 seasons were mismatched and had been forced on. One tie rod end was broken and one bushing was torn by the time they were removed (less than 30 kms after they were fitted on). I requested to Shaman to give me that in writing, but it was against their company policy so they refused. Fair enough. When this was brought to the notice of 4 Seasons I was told that since I turned my car from left to right on the test drive (at speeds below 30 km/hr) they must have broken so it was not their fault. I found this answer both ridiculous and hilarious. It’s a reflection on the competence of the people in charge. I have since dropped the matter with them. I wasted a few rupees but at least I have my car rectified by Shaman and as good as new again.

What I don’t understand is how this garage with all these nincompoops in charge have a line of BMW’s, Mercedes, and Porsches as clients. I wonder if only my experience was bad or have others faced similar problems with 4 seasons.

Junaid Daruwalla

Boom Shiva · 21st December 2006, 15:00

Is there any reason why you opted for Four Seasons instead of Shaman Ford in the first place?

devanshujasani · 21st December 2006, 15:13

Boom Shiva...four seasons promised to be faster , cheaper and more proffesional than shaman .. they also said they had an automotive expert called anil

humyum · 21st December 2006, 19:47

U need to take them to task.Dont leave this matter right here.Parts+the labour charged should be returned to u with an apology.Till u dont get this dont bugde..!!

Ford Rocam · 21st December 2006, 20:01

Our member Mad monkey also had a very bad experience with Four Seasons heres the link chk post # 5,6,7 plus there will be more who are not part of the forum
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...tml#post229821 (Please Help..Looking For Koni Sport Dampners In MUMBAI)

abhibh · 21st December 2006, 23:15

Well one of our another team bhp member named "lamborghini" had a bad experience with Shaman http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indiancarpicture-208.html + http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...d-15000km.html

amit_mechengg · 5th February 2008, 22:48

go to consumer court and just sue this person. also give it in local news papers. dont let him go easy. i think u have cheated urself by closing the matter

danlalan · 5th February 2008, 23:08

nincompoops and local garages cant do FORDS. Its not ment for everyone. Yes sometimes Authorised dealers do mess up...but then they arent GOD.
Dealers know their cars well so its safer to go to them than nincompoops(Like the word

). Unless ofcourse one cant afford Dealers. Yes they may at times RIP you off. But on most occassions THEY KNOW THEIR JOBS. Since they do the same cars over and over. As for nincompoops.. ok i think thats enough.

Sorry one for time nincompoops

ramie2400 · 5th February 2008, 23:54

I personally owning the ford ikon,in the initial rugged stage of service maintainence abouve 60k kms done no mechanic in my area was willing to touch my car,for suspension,tapet head setting and gasket changing,and usual maintainence.. as they said parts are not avaiable easily on shops,,and if something goes wrong we will be in trouble.... so i guess Four Seasons also sticked your car with local parts.. anyways you got your car back to life and running smooth,enjoy...

But one thing i disagree if you cannot do the work..why take it and create a problem to the customer...????

adman77 · 7th February 2008, 11:30

A lot of jobs (including my own car) got screwed up at Four Seasons because of this guy called Anil. They have sacked him around 7-8 months back and things are quite back on track. As far as I'm concerned, I'm quite pleased with them and still go there for my regular jobs.

snaronikar · 7th February 2008, 11:41

I feel in each and every city, there will be some dealerships of Ford that goofs up vehicles. In Bngalore it is Metro Ford. I think Forc company should be taken to task for choosing such a nasty dealers.

yogi1771 · 7th February 2008, 17:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by snaronikar

I feel in each and every city, there will be some dealerships of Ford that goofs up vehicles. In Bngalore it is Metro Ford. I think Forc company should be taken to task for choosing such a nasty dealers.

Who are you talking about if four Seasons they are not the authorised service center and regarding Shaman(authorised dealers) till date the service provided for my Fiesta has been very good

rjstyles69 · 7th February 2008, 17:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by snaronikar

I feel in each and every city, there will be some dealerships of Ford that goofs up vehicles. In Bngalore it is Metro Ford. I think Forc company should be taken to task for choosing such a nasty dealers.

Any personal experiences you may wanna speak off ? Or is it just simply for the heck of it you made that statement ?

snaronikar · 7th February 2008, 21:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

Any personal experiences you may wanna speak off ? Or is it just simply for the heck of it you made that statement ?

I had an experience with Cauvery Ford. I had taken my vehicle as the FR LH Door Glass was vibrating (making irritating noise) when ever I went on a rough surface. When I went to Ford the informed it was the problem, they thought it was the door which was making the noise. They cleaned the latch and put the grease only to that door even though I asked them to put the grease to all the 4 doors. After this, they informed that the vehicle is OK and you can take back the vehicle. When I was returning home, again the same vibrating noise started appearing. This happened about a month back and the problem still persists and I'am leaving this problem. The supervisor's name was Srinivas. And the mechanic who did the job, his name was Wasim. Anyways, the car is due for service in next month and hope they will resolve this issue during that time.

Now I'am thinking of selling the Ford car itself (due to my above experience) and buy either a Maruti/Hyundai car who atleast know what they are doing. Well this is my personal experience. There is one more thread in Technical section which I had raised due to the above issue. You can go through the same.

Moreover, you might have gone through the thread of another T-BHP member Shivsuma. If you have read the complete experience or rather harrowing experience he had gone through, you might well understand how the Metro Ford behaved.

rjstyles69 · 7th February 2008, 21:15

You have a problem with Cauvery Ford , then why speak about Metro Ford ? I fail to understand the reason.

If you dint know, benbsb from our very own forum is pretty satisfied with Cauvery Ford's service. So does it mean he speaks ill of Metro Ford?

Quote:

If you have read the complete experience or rather harrowing experience he had gone through, you might well understand how the Metro Ford behaved.

Oh yes I did

.

Sorry for going OT folks.

21st December 2006, 13:18	#1 (permalink)
devanshujasani Newbie Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: India Posts: 3	Four Seasons This is the experience my friend Junaid Daruwalla had when he went to Four Seasons at Tardeo. He did not know how to make a post so I am doing it for him. My terrible experience with 4 seasons (tardeo) I gave my Ford Ikon to replace the front struts and lower control arms to 4 Seasons garage at Tardeo. The experience I had with them was disgusting. My car was given to 4 seasons on Monday morning. I was told that my parts would be replaced and the car returned by the evening. I was told that they would install Cofap gas struts and Italian lower arm kits (I think they said something like Compart, I don’t remember the name correctly). I made it very clear to them that they should not fit Indian aftermarket parts because from prior experience, I know they have a life of only about 1 year. On Monday morning, my suspension was removed and the car was left on the jacks. On Monday afternoon, I was told that there was a strike at Opera House and all the parts dealers would be closed for the day. There was however one dealer who was open and agreed to supply the parts provided he was paid cash on delivery. To this effect, I gave 4 seasons the cash in advance for the required parts, a sum of Rs.7,500. (The struts were to cost Rs.4,200, the strut kit Rs.625, and the lower arm kit Rs.2,150, and wheel bearings for Rs.1,400) This was to ensure that the parts would be delivered and the car returned back to me the very same day. Later I was promised that the car would be returned by 12pm on Tuesday afternoon which I agreed to because it sounded reasonable. Even till Tuesday afternoon, I was repeatedly told that the parts had not arrived. I told them that since my car would be required at home, to put the old parts back together and return the car to me, and that I would give it back once the parts arrived. I did not want to endlessly wait for parts even after having paid in advance for them to be delivered that day. On Tuesday evening, I was told that the parts had arrived and that I should pick up the car the next morning. On Wednesday morning, when I arrived at 4 seasons, I was told that the car had been tested and was ready for delivery. I was told that the lower arms were not replaced but new bushings and tie rod ends were fitted onto the old arms (On Monday morning when this idea was proposed to me, I rejected it immediately and even paid the cash for the entire lower arm kit. I knew there was no way that this fitting would be done correctly at 4 seasons. The previous day I was told that ALL the parts had arrived). When I took the mechanic for a test drive with me I was shocked. The car would not go in a straight line, the steering felt heavy and if the steering was turned on any side, you could hear the suspension shift and the steering would get locked in that position. It was impossible to drive the car safely above 30km/hr. When I pointed this out to the technical person concerned I was told that my tires were in terrible condition (I agreed they were) and that’s why the alignment could not be done correctly. I was not satisfied with this answer but I still unwillingly took my car home. I was told to replace my tires and return to 4 seasons for alignment and everything would be fine. The next day when the tire wallahs replaced my tires and started doing the alignment they pointed out that the bushings fitted on were not the correct ones and due to excessive play in the lower arms, my car was not going in a straight line. I called up 4 seasons and told them that since I paid for the entire lower arm kit and clearly told them not to fit bushings and tie rod ends onto the older ams, that I would return the parts to them and they should give me my money back for the parts and the difference that was remaining by buying these parts as opposed to the entire kit. I also mentioned that I would give my car to the authorized dealer to have the part replaced since clearly 4 seasons was not capable of doing it. That’s when their technical head, Anil, told me that if I gave my car to anyone else, then their chapter with me would be closed and I should forget about getting the difference in money back. However, I was originally corresponding with someone else. When he came back on the line I told him that I would pay for the parts that were given to me (even though I have to throw them away) and that he should provide me with a bill for the parts and also for the labour charges of 4 seasons. I wanted to settle it once and for all. There was no way I would give my car back to them after they took 3 days to mess it up. He told me that he had not received the bill for the parts himself and so did not know exactly how much it costs. I reminded him that I was given the cost of the parts on Monday afternoon and that I had even paid him according to that, so he should make a bill according to those prices and we should settle the matter there. He promised to get back to me within a few minutes. It has been 3 days and he has not called since. Shaman Ford replaced my entire lower arm kit and returned the car on the same day as promised. When I spoke to the technician there, I was told that the bushings and tie rod ends fitted on the lower arms by 4 seasons were mismatched and had been forced on. One tie rod end was broken and one bushing was torn by the time they were removed (less than 30 kms after they were fitted on). I requested to Shaman to give me that in writing, but it was against their company policy so they refused. Fair enough. When this was brought to the notice of 4 Seasons I was told that since I turned my car from left to right on the test drive (at speeds below 30 km/hr) they must have broken so it was not their fault. I found this answer both ridiculous and hilarious. It’s a reflection on the competence of the people in charge. I have since dropped the matter with them. I wasted a few rupees but at least I have my car rectified by Shaman and as good as new again. What I don’t understand is how this garage with all these nincompoops in charge have a line of BMW’s, Mercedes, and Porsches as clients. I wonder if only my experience was bad or have others faced similar problems with 4 seasons. Junaid Daruwalla

21st December 2006, 15:13	#3 (permalink)
devanshujasani Newbie Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: India Posts: 3	Four Seasons Boom Shiva...four seasons promised to be faster , cheaper and more proffesional than shaman .. they also said they had an automotive expert called anil

21st December 2006, 19:47	#4 (permalink)
humyum BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 709 View My Garage	U need to take them to task.Dont leave this matter right here.Parts+the labour charged should be returned to u with an apology.Till u dont get this dont bugde..!! __________________ Life is a lemon and i want my money back!!!!

21st December 2006, 20:01	#5 (permalink)
Ford Rocam Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mumbai-India Posts: 923	Our member Mad monkey also had a very bad experience with Four Seasons heres the link chk post # 5,6,7 plus there will be more who are not part of the forum http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...tml#post229821 (Please Help..Looking For Koni Sport Dampners In MUMBAI) __________________ Cheap and reliable wont be fast, cheap and fast wont be reliable, reliable and fast wont be cheap.

21st December 2006, 23:15	#6 (permalink)
abhibh Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: In the Hood Near You Posts: 1,520 View My Garage	Well one of our another team bhp member named "lamborghini" had a bad experience with Shaman http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indiancarpicture-208.html + http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...d-15000km.html __________________ For every idiot there is an equal and opposite gender idiot. Singles are people with incomparable intelligence!

21st December 2006, 15:00	#2 (permalink)
Boom Shiva BANNED Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,062	Is there any reason why you opted for Four Seasons instead of Shaman Ford in the first place?

5th February 2008, 22:48	#7 (permalink)
amit_mechengg BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 744 View My Garage	go to consumer court and just sue this person. also give it in local news papers. dont let him go easy. i think u have cheated urself by closing the matter __________________ " I dont Drive Fast , I Fly Slowly "

5th February 2008, 23:08	#8 (permalink)
danlalan BANNED Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: mumbai,JUHU Posts: 951 View My Garage Infractions: 0/2 (11)	nincompoops and local garages cant do FORDS. Its not ment for everyone. Yes sometimes Authorised dealers do mess up...but then they arent GOD. Dealers know their cars well so its safer to go to them than nincompoops(Like the word). Unless ofcourse one cant afford Dealers. Yes they may at times RIP you off. But on most occassions THEY KNOW THEIR JOBS. Since they do the same cars over and over. As for nincompoops.. ok i think thats enough. Sorry one for time nincompoops

5th February 2008, 23:54	#9 (permalink)
ramie2400 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,149 View My Garage	I personally owning the ford ikon,in the initial rugged stage of service maintainence abouve 60k kms done no mechanic in my area was willing to touch my car,for suspension,tapet head setting and gasket changing,and usual maintainence.. as they said parts are not avaiable easily on shops,,and if something goes wrong we will be in trouble.... so i guess Four Seasons also sticked your car with local parts.. anyways you got your car back to life and running smooth,enjoy... But one thing i disagree if you cannot do the work..why take it and create a problem to the customer...???? __________________ "Whenever I find the key to success,..... someone changes the lock.

7th February 2008, 11:30	#10 (permalink)
adman77 BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 330 View My Garage	A lot of jobs (including my own car) got screwed up at Four Seasons because of this guy called Anil. They have sacked him around 7-8 months back and things are quite back on track. As far as I'm concerned, I'm quite pleased with them and still go there for my regular jobs. __________________ I don't know where I'm going, but I want to get there fast.

7th February 2008, 11:41	#11 (permalink)
snaronikar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 1,894 View My Garage	I feel in each and every city, there will be some dealerships of Ford that goofs up vehicles. In Bngalore it is Metro Ford. I think Forc company should be taken to task for choosing such a nasty dealers. __________________ Love your job but Never love your company because you never know when your company stops loving you-NRN