[KrisTvpm]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Could you share some of these points for the benefit of the forum? <snip>

Basically he emphasised on the need to 'see' the unseen side of the story.

• Figures : Approx 3 / 20 (negative/positive customer feedback) - which he claims. If true, that's a fair statistic I'd say

• The customer thinks from his own point-of-view only, but fails to appreciate the garage-owner's version

• He being a member of this forum, he could've refuted the customer's claim but refraining to maintain a neutral position. He isn't partisan to anybody, be it a friend/relative or a new customer - so he claims

• Many cases of disappointed customers' were due to not offering discounts. Here I'm not sure whom to believe, some customers claim they were over-charged, but he says it's a case of not offering discounts. Personally, I wouldn't care for any "discounts" so long as the quality of work is acceptable to me

• That he's been in an automotive job in DE/IN, but decided to get into what he's doing now out of passion to automobiles

So, I felt judging the garage based on "some" negative opinions as against "many" positive ones is a bit harsh on him/his business. As mentioned, I wouldn't dream of denting someone's reputation and work without having a 1st hand experience. Till such time, I'd hold my opinion.

[imp!]

It was a pitch dark Friday evening at 7:00 PM when I got into my VW Jetta and cranked the Engine. As usual, my trusty steed fired up swiftly, ignoring her 8 years and 100,000 Kms of existence in arduous Indian conditions. I was a bit worried, I had gone through two bottles of coolant in as many weeks and I knew something was wrong and would have to be fixed soon. As I waved good evening to the security guard at work and slowly crept out onto the dark and dangerous night time roads of our industrial area, sure enough Murphy hit. The check coolant sign came on.

Not willing to trust my luck to his laws, I returned to my parking lot and called up my brother. He had left just a few minutes before me and swiftly returned to pick me up. The car would have to wait until the next day to get sorted out.

I was in a bind. I certainly was not interested in sending my vehicle to a lackadaisical VAG service center to figure out what was wrong with it. I needed to figure out something fast, the car needed to be fixed and I couldn’t be without it for very long.

I had been going Carsmith Bikesmith in HSR layout for a little over 3 years now. I spoke to the manager about my issue and he offered to take a look at it if I could drop the car off Monday morning, something I was very happy to do. I only wished he could have taken it off my hands on Saturday, but he was swamped with work and Monday was the soonest he could manage. No complaints really, it was only a couple of days away.

The shop itself isn’t difficult to find with a large board indicating the drive way. It is located next to a Hyundai dealership behind a LPG refill station. I dropped the car off Monday morning and was greeted by his manager who made the Job card in a very professional and swift manner. While I was there, I saw a lovely MV Agusta F3, Ducati 848 Evo, Multistrada and a KTM, which was in for an engine rebuild. There were also several BMWs and Mercs in for service, accident and mechanical repair work.

That very evening I was called by the manager and informed that a coolant pump had broken down and needed replacement. I was emailed an estimate, which, in my opinion was very fair and was requested to confirm my acceptance of it. I gave the go ahead and decided to settle in for a few days and accept that it would take a while for my car to arrive. The very next day I was sent a Whatsapp message stating the part had arrived and work would commence shortly. I was very kindly sent photographs of the work under progress and the job was finished by the evening.

I was lucky because they were able to source the part quickly but it was just an exception, because due to the pandemic they said the supply chain is badly affected and sometimes a simple oil filter takes a few days to procure. I had also decided to give their detailing service a try, again the offer was reasonable for the level of detailing required. The car was cleaned, detailed and kept shiny for me the next morning. It has now been two weeks and I have not had any problems with the vehicle. I would highly recommend you give them a call if you need a good Service Center or garage for your Bike or Car. Give them a call on 7760704813.

[Suhas Ramaiah]

Hi all a very warm greetings to all the Enthusiast folks.
Today I would like to take this opportunity to pen down my review about my recent service experience at Carsmith Motors, Bangalore for my 2011 Volkswagen Vento Trendline 1.6TDi(Reflex Silver)

Car Smith motors is located at #38/8 Sarjapur Main Road, Opposite to Agara Lake, HSR layout, Jakkasandra, Bangalore-560034.
Ph no:7760704813
email: info@carsmithmotors.net
website: www.carsmithmotors.net
Instagram handle:carsmith_motors.


Carsmith Motors is a multi-brand service worsk shop for all automotive needs. A one stop Automotive Destination if better told run by an Enthusiastic and Passionate Automobile Engineer by qualification Mr. Vishwas Reddy who has also got his masters graduation abroad.

I was in touch with Carsmith Motors few days before I walked in for a maintenance service for my car. Mr Mutthu and Mr Kiran were very instrumental in giving me the best possible suggestions about the consumables that I could opt for to be used during the service and gave me an approximate service estimate for the same. With the estimate being a reasonable one, I decided to give it a go and dropped my car for service on 20th August 2020 at 2pm in the afternoon. A lot of protocols were in place during the receipt of the car at the workshop. I was welcomed in a professional manner. The service advisor carried out the different checks on the car as per the protocol at the time of receipt of the car. Then Mr Vishwas the proprietor himself had a check on the car and drove me in the car for a preliminary test drive to identify any technical faults if so in the car. After the completion of the preliminary test drive and based on the observations made , a job card with an acknowledgement was prepared and handed over to me.

After having alloted the car to the service bay and to a technician and upon further investigation I was given an estimate of the work to be carried out for which I was asked to give approval to proceed with the service and repairs. Post my approval work began on my vehicle. A coolant leakage from the radiator was diagnosed and the same was intimated to me by the service advisor and asked for approval to proceed with the repair.

Firstly a 50 point thorough check up was conducted that included vital component checks like the brake pads, rotors, brake drums, suspension systems and their components,level of various fluids in the bonnet, electrical circuits and wirings to name a few. Mr. Vishwas was constantly on guide during the entire service procedure thereby giving me a better insight of what was happening on my car. The staff also were updating me with the videos of various repairs being carried out on my car and consumables being used on my car through whatsapp. I opted for a liquimoly performance pack for the service that includes Liquimoly Top Tec 4100 SAE 5W 40 Engine oil, Liquimoly Engine Flush, Liquimoly Ceratec Engine Protector and Liquimoly Radiator Flush. The coolant used was an OEM G13 standard coolant. The air filter, oil filter, ac filter and diesel filter were all of the OEM standard. The technicians there are all skilled and no every nook and corner of the vehicle they work on . They are better knowledgeable than the ones in authorised dealership service stations.

A big plus point to the entire experience was Mr.Vishwas Reddy the proprietor who was a good source of knowledge for me personally in this regard. His extent of knowledge in the field is just mind blowing. There was a lot of things I didn't know that I learned from him in the tenure of the service of my car. He gives personal care and dedication to every bit of the vehicle that comes in there for a consultation. He gives his 100 percent to his work at the service workshop. A very dedicated and knowledgeable person that one should look out for at such places to be very sure of what is happening to the car. He gets into work personally on the car if the technicians need an expert advise for that particular job. Unlike other owners that I see just looking after the administration and other financial part, Mr. Vishwas is an all rounder at his service workshop. He is a thorough gentleman and knows how to deal with every delicate sensitive and minute issues that the customer walks in with. A man with a lot of patience can well describe him. He makes it very sure that no customer gets out of the service workshop with a heavy heart. He puts in his heart and soul and goes beyond his limits to get the customer that best for his car.

Pros about the Service Workshop:

1. Well trained technicians and service advisors.
2. Highly knowledgeable owner.
3. Highly responsive back end team.
4. A spacious workshop to accommodate a decent number of cars.
5. State of art equipment with all the latest updates.
6. Time to time updation of the work to the customer
7. A spacious paint booth with state of art equipment.
8. All facilities under one roof.
9. Well supplied inventory.
10. Customer friendly interaction.
11. All the Covid 19 precautions being taken at the workshop.
12. Touch free sanitizer at the entrance.
13. Steering wheel cover and seat cover being put right at the beginning
14. Sanitization done on the interior of the car before being handed over to the customer post service
15. A good wash bay that has a facility to do the under chassis wash too.
16. Performance upgrade facilities.


Cons about the Service Workshop:

1. The customer waiting lounge could have a been a little better.

I would highly recommend this place to all those that are looking to get a break from the very expensive service being carried out at Authorised Service workshops.

[hserus]

Very nice, but there is absolutely no performance boost to be got from using random additives for your car. The garage's profit margin will surely have got a performance boost though.

Engine and radiator flushes aren't all that good an idea unless you know you have substantial clogging. As for the rest of the additives, anything other than the diesel additive (a cetane booster) isn't all that useful, say once every 2k km.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by hserus

Very nice, but there is absolutely no performance boost to be got from using random additives for your car. The garage's profit margin will surely have got a performance boost though.

Engine and radiator flushes aren't all that good an idea unless you know you have substantial clogging. As for the rest of the additives, anything other than the diesel additive (a cetane booster) isn't all that useful, say once every 2k km.

Yup agreed however the one additive which he used with the oil is one that I would say truly works.

The Liqui Moly Ceratec was something which I thought would be placebo like all additives and was not worth it.

I decided to try it on my Altis and forget me, but my driver who did not know what was done thought something was done to engine. The Toyota service advisor took the car for a spin and asked me details on the additive.

After that, I told few others to try it to rule out something extra done to my car but every single person who added it said the difference was huge with ceratec. The ceratec effect wears out after 2 oil changes from what I have seen over last 3 years.

[Gannu_1]

What were the expenses involved with the parts and jobs?

[Suhas Ramaiah]

The total cost Incurred was 34k approximately because I had a radiator issue.

[PatienceWins]

My Getz exhaust is rusted and needs to be replaced. Will they do the job? Any recommended place near Marathahalli or East Bangalore?

I am not looking for the full system with header, just the rusted exhaust pipe needs to be replaced.

[AirWind]

Originally Posted by imp!

It was a pitch dark Friday evening at 7:00 PM when I got into my VW Jetta and cranked the Engine. As usual, my trusty steed fired up swiftly, ignoring her 8 years and 100,000 Kms of existence in arduous Indian conditions. I was a bit worried, I had gone through two bottles of coolant in as many weeks and I knew something was wrong and would have to be fixed soon. The check coolant sign came on.

That very evening I was called by the manager and informed that a coolant pump had broken down and needed replacement. I was emailed an estimate, which, in my opinion was very fair and was requested to confirm my acceptance of it. I gave the go ahead and decided to settle in for a few days and accept that it would take a while for my car to arrive. The very next day I was sent a Whatsapp message stating the part had arrived and work would commence shortly. I was very kindly sent photographs of the work under progress and the job was finished by the evening.

My '14 / 57K KM run Jetta TDI MT threw up low coolant level last wk and swallowed a liter of distilled water, now fingers crossed, I might have change the water pump if it repeats... what was the cost involved @imp!?

[vidyanand]

Why would Carsmith ask for VIN and Chasis number when I enquired about Brake Pads replacement charges for my i20?
I gave them year and model details but Isn't asking for RC details to get VIN and Chasis unnecessary?

[hserus]

Originally Posted by AirWind

My '14 / 57K KM run Jetta TDI MT threw up low coolant level last wk and swallowed a liter of distilled water, now fingers crossed, I might have change the water pump if it repeats... what was the cost involved @imp!?

Don’t add distilled water to already pre mixed coolant. Drain the coolant and add afresh - and troubleshoot what caused the low coolant level

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by vidyanand

Why would Carsmith ask for VIN and Chasis number when I enquired about Brake Pads replacement charges for my i20?
I gave them year and model details but Isn't asking for RC details to get VIN and Chasis unnecessary?

Hyundai doesn't supply over the counter parts without those details.

[snr]

I wanted to share a positive feedback about Carsmith Motors. I had given my Hyundai i20 diesel for service in September, 2020. Prior to this, I had always given my car for service at Hyundai on Mission road. I didn't have too many complaints as they had worked on the car regularly ( along with a big bill in the end ) My office is close to this workshop and I spotted the board enroute work and I thought I should get my car checked as I could hear some weird sound while going over some potholes.

I met the manager/owner Mr. Vishwas and he took the car for a test drive and explained to me that the suspension needs to be inspected. He gave me an appointment 3 days later since post lockdown they were facing lot of delays with sourcing original parts so they had to finish few other cars first and there was no point keeping my car there. I was ok with this because I was not travelling anywhere outside city.

I dropped off the car in the morning and I got updates around lunch time with lot of photos of the parts that needed to be changed.

They informed that the bushes had broken due to age (and thanks to Bangalore's potholes) and had to be replaced.

They shared an estimate via email and it seemed to be expensive. My husband asked if they have aftermarket parts but the manager recommended original Hyundai parts for peace of mind.

We decided to go ahead with the repairs. They kept sharing photos regularly and I was frankly very relieved because it was the first time I've given my car outside Hyundai workshop.

My husband was also very happy to see the progress via photos and we were curious to visit and we met the manager. He explained why the bushes tend to fail or break if not maintained correctly. He suggested to pressure wash the car regularly (especially the underside of the car) to increase the life of the parts.

My husband had a few questions regarding the parts etc and Mr. Vishwas showed the difference between the old and new parts and he strongly recommended only original parts because he didn't have great experience in the past using aftermarket parts for other cars.

I remembered this was the second time we changed the same suspension parts 3 years ago. He showed due to not washing the underside of the car, the rubber bushes and parts had become hard and had cracked up.

They also replaced the original brake pads for what it was worth since I didn't want to keep it for later.

Up until the lockdown in Bangalore, I was going there for a pressure wash and I could feel the difference in the brakes as well. The braking sounds were not coming after washing.

Overall we felt the cost was justified because we got complete clarity and transparency. They didn't hide anything and even gave proper maintenance techniques. We were extremely happy with the overall work

[snr]

Hi guys, a quick question. I was planning to service my Hyundai i20 again with Carsmith. They gave a quote which seems reasonable. This time however, they've mentioned an engine oil named Pakelo. Since I've not heard of this brand, I wanted to check if any of you guys have used this oil. The manager said it is an Italian company and it is newly introduced in the market. If anybody has good info on the brand then please let me know.

I found the website which seems legit. https://pakelo.com/en/

But I don't know how it fairs in the real world.

[hserus]

As far as I can see the oils they have say they confirm to certain specifications for each oil. And the manufacturing standard is likely decent, and they say the oil is fully synthetic. Their brochure says Ester + PAO base oils and a competent additive package.

https://pakelo.com/images/catalogo/p...chure-auto.pdf

Assuming what they have fits your car (take a 5w30 A3/B4 or A5/B5 either will work ok for your car, but Hyundai recommends A3/B4) then go ahead if it suits your budget.

Of course, if you buy such an oil, please make sure you do several highway runs and finish that 10k ++ km a year. Else, even if you have poured molten gold into your oil sump, you still have to change the oil at the end of the year, so if you only drive 3-4 thousand km in the city, there isn't any point using such a costly oil.

Originally Posted by snr

Hi guys, a quick question. I was planning to service my Hyundai i20 again with Carsmith. They gave a quote which seems reasonable. This time however, they've mentioned an engine oil named Pakelo. Since I've not heard of this brand, I wanted to check if any of you guys have used this oil. The manager said it is an Italian company and it is newly introduced in the market. If anybody has good info on the brand then please let me know.

I found the website which seems legit. https://pakelo.com/en/

But I don't know how it fairs in the real world.