Avoid KLN motors in Chennai..Optra Owners

[mukaan]

I had been one of those unfortunate customers who had chosen KLN motors to service my almost new Optra magnum 2.0 TDCI. The Car was due for a scheduled service. The car was dealt with by a service adviser Mr.Koteeswaran who is supervised by the works manager Mr. Sadasivam.
I had some problems with the rear suspension which I had mentioned in the service sheet.
KLN motors (Ambattur) had the car from (1st April 2009) for two full days and had delivered the car by through their driver at around 7.30PM on 3rd April 2009. The car had its rear seat belt harness disconnected and had some tools which belonged to KLN in the cabin floor!!

As per the complaint in the service sheet, They had changed the rear (Left)shock absorber(Under warranty).
They also had changed the A/C control circuit, A/C thermostat, and the fog lamp relay. These parts were changed under a standing bulletin by GM. The thermostat that was reinstalled was not done properly. The car started to overheat and the A/C was malfunctioning.
I took the car back to the KLN work shop on the 4th April 2009.
I was not able to enter the workshop/gate because they were filling water! (The tank was under the path way of the entrance gate)!!
I waited for about 35 minutes. I had during that time 'located' Mr.Koteeswaran and had mentioned these problems with my car.
Amazingly, he disowned the problems and claimed that I had dismantled the rear seat belts...!!
I had to locate the works manager and had to explain to him that there was certain work that was carried out with the rear suspension, and suddenly the service adviser remembered. They started the work right on the road..! (GM service plus). I had given them "their" tools which they accepted with great gratitude. In due course the A/C was tinkered and tweaked and 'certified' to be alright by one small kid named Riyas (at least that was what he was called). The car was unusable in the summer heat. It became like an oven even with the A/C controls running in full blast.
I took the car back to them on the 6th April again. (5th being a Sunday and they claimed that they do not work on Sundays). So they inspected the car again.They had the car for the full day and told me that the problem was with the A/C blower resistor and that they need to get that from GMI, Halol, Gujarat and that would take 10 to 15 days!

I took the car on the 7th April 2009 to Sundaram Motors, Chennai who identified the problem to be with the faulty installation of the A/C thermostat. The thermostat which was replaced under a bulletin by GMI has not been fixed properly and the sensor was way into the cooling coil rendering it partially ineffective. This had lead to excessive sweating of the cooling coil and the condensation. The cooling coil was not able to transfer the coolness into the cabin effectively since the badly installed thermostat was cutting off the A/C unit prematurely. It was rectified in a jiffy while I was waiting with my son in an exclusive customer lounge. :-)

GMI has some very good products in the market and had caught the attention of the market by a radical after sales service plan and an effective road map to implement it. I am sure that GMI had done all the needed processes and procedures before evaluating an entity to represent their global market image as a dealer. Nevertheless, with KLN motors they have failed miserably. With this dealer there is substandard practice visible everywhere. The standards that are maintained by the KLN motors need to be audited by GM. Else; they have a ticking time-bomb here in Chennai. The attitude and the expertise of the personnel and the quality standards need a clear revisit. When I see these people wearing GMI logo on their lapels and carry GMI embossed visiting cards it’s like GMI is mocking at itself. Spending huge amount of money and effort to establish the brand in one hand and draining it out through dealers like KLN motors.
All the GMI car owners of Chennai…Sundaram Motors is the place to be. The conservative discipline coupled with professional expertise could be experienced here.

[FanaticOnWheels]

There are a few dealers who have no idea about what they do during servicing. I guess you landed at one of them. I know how frustrating it is when you have to shuttle to and from the service station with a car that does not have a proper AC and a proper suspension in the sweltering heat of Chennai. I think you should write to GM about this. They are, atleast I think, quite interested in customer satisfaction.

Sundaram motors has always been one of the best places to get your car serviced. We used to get our Palio serviced from them, and the job they used to do was clinical.

[mukaan]

Originally Posted by FanaticOnWheels

There are a few dealers who have no idea about what they do during servicing. I guess you landed at one of them. I know how frustrating it is when you have to shuttle to and from the service station with a car that does not have a proper AC and a proper suspension in the sweltering heat of Chennai. I think you should write to GM about this. They are, atleast I think, quite interested in customer satisfaction.

Sundaram motors has always been one of the best places to get your car serviced. We used to get our Palio serviced from them, and the job they used to do was clinical.

Hi
Oh yes, I had written to the GMI at gmi.cac@gm.com giving them all the details including the job card number. They had gone through the issue and Ms.Kusum Beakta,from the Customer Assistance Center,GMI, Gurgaon promptly reverted back on the 9th of April with a regret note and assurance that this would never happen again.

GMI also followed up through several telephone calls till the second fortnight of May to ensure that all was well with the car.

My Magny is great now.

PS: I had received a couple of calls from KLN motors too reassuring that the forthcoming service work would be up to the standards..but I am yet to gain that confidence. I just love my Magny and would not want to venture into this 'testing of garages'. I have decided to stick with Sundaram Motors for now.