Precautions to take before a Service visit

[Mi10]

Dear All,

Ok I ll keep it dead straight. Listed below are few activities one would ideally follow before giving the car for Service.

• Ensure you take all documents (mostly RC, Car Insurance Etc..) out of your Glove box
• Take out any Luggages / Dolls / removable Accessories from Parcel Tray / Boot area
• Most Head units come with a detachable faceplate. Hence, Detach it.
• Ensure no CD's / USB's are in the slot
• Take the Service record Manual(User Manual) even if its for a piad service
• Note down your Odo readings just after reaching the service centre
• Never give your car for service with more than 40% of Maximum Fuel (Why should we give room for even slightest misuse ?)
• In case of Amplifiers (in Boot / under Seat) Please do mention to your service manager. Make it clear they dont pour / spray water or any liquid on them for cleaning.
• Detach Woofers (if detachable) esle do the same as above point
• Take note (tread wear) of your Spare tyre (if possible leave a small mark)
• If your tyres are filled with Nitrogen, do inform the Service Manager
• In case you want to switch to Synthetic oils, Do ask him to change the Oil filter also
• Please feel free to indicate any noises / rattles / any other issue you have found during your driving

Few things that came to my mind. Please do add to the list.

[humm]

Check your body for any bumps, paint marks or any scratches. Make sure there is nothing additional after you get your vehicle.

Know your car and its accessories from A-Z.

[nitinralli]

Originally Posted by humm

Check your body for any bumps, paint marks or any scratches. Make sure there is nothing additional after you get your vehicle.

Know your car and its accessories from A-Z.

I think you meant check "CAR's body".
yes that's true never ever leave sub in the boot as i had a bad experince due to this. However i made them pay for it though.

[bblost]

Folks with K&N, Green's filter etc, need to take special care as water wash may damage them.
Some people wrap a plastic bag over them.
If the vehicle is switched on, with the bag the filter will distort.

[amitk26]

• Leave Jack , Jack Handle and toolkit at home or ask service adviser to note it down
• Stay put in the workshop and watch the show if possible it is educational for you and keeps the service folks on toe.
• If you are getting rotation and alignment done along with service mark the tyres so that you can be sure they are rotated and ask for alignment report.
• Make sure that Odometer reading is entered in the Invoice / Note
• After service While taking delivery
  • Do not sign the delivery note and take gate pass without inspecting the car and following the below steps. This peace of paper should be last thing to be signed.
  • always take a test drive and apply brakes multiple times to ensure that brake line is not left open after bleeding.
  • Open bonnet and look for battery terminals ask them to tighten and apply gel.
  • look at all hoses and pipes that nothing is left loose or coming out
  • Check the engine oil level using dipstick
  • Look at all the fluid levels ( PS , Radiator coolant, battery etc.)
  • Ensure that all the problems you mentioned are fixed during test drive.
  • When Company calls you for feedback next day (At least Maruti and Tata do so ) tell them that you want to keep the feedback open for couple of more days so that it gives some leverage to you in case you need to visit the service station again for unsolved issues.

[vipul_singh]

Note down the battery's serial number. Better still, get it mentioned on your copy of the job card

[Raccoon]

Emphasize as strongly as you can, and have it mentioned on the job card that any fluids (battery electrolyte, coolant, brake, steering) should not be filled above the max mark. Check after taking delivery.

[gpa]

Originally Posted by amitk26

Do not sign the delivery note and take gate pass without inspecting the car and following the below steps. This peace of paper should be last thing to be signed.

amitk26,

You have hit the nail on the head. Most people are sweet talked into signing the delivery slip by an impatient service advisor who then leads them to the car for the inspection after the signing/paying of bill and at times people do get rude shocks as the washing/cleaning would not have been done properly.

Another point to add:

Something to keep in mind is to call your service advisor the previous day and inform him that you'l be coming. Arrive early, preferably 15-20 minutes before the service station opens so that you get the first slot and the mechanics don't rush through with the work. This also ensure that your car can be released earlier in the evening.

Regards,
gpa

[sriku]

I think HVK and HG will be the ultimate source of information regarding this particular topic. I know they camp out at the service center and keep an eye on things all the time.
After my first service, I insisted I check the car before I signed the Gate pass and bill. Guess what.. coolant tank cap and window washer liquid tank caps were open. Battery terminal connector was unsheathed. couple of worm clips were not tightened properly. I'd asked for the spare wheel (bolero) to be removed before the washing, to get the area behind it clean. They conveniently forgot, I insisted on a re-wash. Beading on the door had come off because of their carelessness, and there were dirty foot and palm prints in the interiors, which I made them clean. Took another day, but I got it done.

Although the service advisor was thorough and polite, nobody goes out of their way to do the job right. They're all shortcut specialists, and that gets my goat every time. I take a picture of the wheels, interiors, engine bay etc and compare the before and after situation to get peace of mind. Took pictures before the car went for registration as well. My PDI's before regn and at the time of delivery were easier as a result. Its a system that works for me. Daylight is your friend and ally for these things.


Cheers,
Sriku

[supercars]

sriku is right but taking pictures would make us look like Amir Khan in Ghajini ?

LOL

I have also had some wierd experiences in service like went for Brake Pads change and they had not done the bleeding properly.

[Gansan]

I am planning to remove the boot mats/parcel tray/spare wheel and leave them at home when I go for the second service. I was enraged to see a fellow using my brand new spare wheel as a pedestal to stand on while he washed the roof of the car.

[aparth]

I too have a bad experience with my dealer.

I had given my NHC for repairs as a qualis had rear ended it badly. After three days I got a call from the dealer saying that the car was ready for delivery. But when I went to collect the car I was shocked to see it covered in dust, the rear bumper had not been fitted and the boot was still damaged.

I totally blasted the manager and made the mechanics fix the car in front of me.

[sabsubs]

Today I was free without much work hence thought of fitting gear lock for my i10. Couple of days before I finished my second service and I had taken out everything, even the jack and the tools but today I forgot to remove Ambipur perfume bottle from the AC vent. When I took delivery of my car, and I looked for everything but forgot to notice that the perfume bottle is missing, I spotted it when I was driving back from the service centre. I called up the showroom immediately and the service advisor told me that the mechanics usually don’t flick perfume bottle but I insisted that it was there before and now it is missing. In the end he told that he could do some adjustment next time when I visit the service centre. This happened in Advaith service centre mission road. Lesson learnt!!!

[sumeethaldankar]

Here's a list of some things i do before i go to the service station.

• Remove the k&N and put in the stock filter
• Remove the keys for the steering and gear lock from the key chain lest someone duplicate them when the keys are handed over to the attendants.
• Remove original papers/documents/money(stored in the ash tray etc)
• Note down the odometer and fuel guage.
• Remove the tools kits.

[ported_head]

Be extremely firm regarding what you want done with the car. Explicitly state that you want to stick to the service manual. Say that you will not pay for a single additional item that shows up on the bill than was stated to you. Should something important come up, ask the SA to call you for permission. This way they will not take you for granted. Or mysterious items such as " Decarbonising", "Super Duty Oil", "System G" will rake up majority of your service costs.

And always take one last look.