[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Well, I had a chance to make a repeat visit for the denting/painting job I'd got done a few weeks ago, and came away less than 100% satisfied.

SNIP
.

My experience with them was bad on the first occasion itself which is over 2 year ago. Although many say that they have improved i feel that they are just the same. Sub standard jobs, cost cutting and poor workmanship and above all refusal to accept and own up their mistakes. They try to argue that they are always right and the customer has high expectations. They are charging money for it and by no means are they doing it for charity. Anyway i am not going back to them again.Also have turned away few friends who wanted to go there to other paint shops.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Captain Slow

They had the audacity to tell you this on your face? Directly or indirectly?
.....
Can you post a picture of the finish please?

Some of it said in jest, some seriously to my face but all pointed at me nonetheless. Another gem: "Don't buy an expensive car. You'll have a heart attack every time you get a scratch/dent".

Sorry about the pictures. I did try taking a few for my last post, but the surface is too reflective to capture the relevant detail on camera. If a description would suffice, it's like a wall finished with putty using the blade-like instrument the workers use. Cutting lines visible throughout the surface, under the paint when seen from certain angles. They sanded and polished it down to an acceptable level yesterday, but it's not 100% smooth by any means. Me and my high expectations!

Originally Posted by poloman

One gentleman in Sai Colorium is particularly rude and indifferent to the customers. i am sure this might be the same person.

If you want quality work never think about taking your car to these shady paint booths. I learnt this hard way..

I dropped in a couple of times during the 2.5 days my car was with them. I can only hope the bad workmanship is limited to the surface finish.

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

My experience with them was bad on the first occasion itself which is over 2 year ago.

I didn't go in with unreasonable expectations. All I wanted was a good denting/painting job, which they now seem to believe is too much to ask for the price I paid. Also, I did get a full-body sanding & polishing job done, and even scratches they claimed will be gone after the job are still there (I'm not referring to deep scratches that went through the paint), plus fine swirls all over the body when viewed under direct sunlight. After the paint fiasco, I didn't even bother arguing about the polishing job. I'd still say the main reason I was disappointed was they talked themselves up with claims of superior workmanship, then let themselves down and blamed me for unrealistic expectations. If they can only achieve 'reasonable' results, that's that they should tell the customer up-front.

To their credit, their workforce is diligent and attentive, only let down by lofty 'claimed' standards that don't match the work done.

[GTO]

Guys, it does appear that their service quality has taken a dip.

For anyone posting a review, please remember to vote in the poll as well.

[sushrutha]

Originally Posted by GTO

Guys, it does appear that their service quality has taken a dip.

For anyone posting a review, please remember to vote in the poll as well.

Seriously,
Their service, attitude (management) sucks now.
Believe me, it's not the same as it was 2 years back.
I've started completely avoiding them as of now, found better places providing better service with same cost(or even less), neither i would suggest anyone to go over there till they mend their attitude & workmanship(colour matching & proper tinkering)

[GTO]

Since the management has changed, the old poll was no longer relevant. Have created a new one. Requesting BHPians to vote on the same, based on their latest experiences.

Thanks!

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by sushrutha

I've started completely avoiding them as of now, found better places providing better service with same cost(or even less)

Can you please share the details of the alternative place?

[sushrutha]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Can you please share the details of the alternative place?

Bosch car service (AKA - SLM motors)
Padmanabhanagar ( Behind Chikkalsandra Bus Stop)

[BackInTheFold]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Can you please share the details of the alternative place?

Trend Auto Hosur Road. They too have a review thread going in the directory

[Chetan_Rao]

And, the experience just keeps getting worse. It's been nearly a month since my visit now, and I noticed yesterday that some of the sanded panels have an uneven polish finish, which wasn't immediately evident but are now clear as day as the polish is wearing off. I'll need to do a light scrub (with rubbing compound) + polish over the weekend myself to remove the eyesores. Nothing major to bash heads about but poor workmanship becoming evident nonetheless. I could've easily saved 4k and done it myself on a weekend if this is the quality of finish I'd end up with anyway.

[landcruiser123]

Got a job done in our Hyundai Getz. Didn't read the last few posts. Careless of me. :(

The job is done neatly and the car was delivered in time. And best of all, I got the lowest quote from him. (Bosch and ASC were quoting significantly higher. So was one fellow who didn't even have a proper paint booth.)
Just got to see how the job lasts.

[adu]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Got a job done in our Hyundai Getz. Didn't read the last few posts. Careless of me. :(

The job is done neatly and the car was delivered in time. And best of all, I got the lowest quote from him. (Bosch and ASC were quoting significantly higher. So was one fellow who didn't even have a proper paint booth.)
Just got to see how the job lasts.

Just checking how the quality of work has been since it is now about 2 months since you got the job done. I need to take my XUV for a small paint job (deep scratch on the back door) and hence want to make sure these guys are doing a good job, else will just take it to Sireesh and get it done there, thought it may cost me about 1-2K more.

[sushrutha]

Originally Posted by sushrutha

I went there thrice to show them the difference, but they always say it has matched, Oh man the new Manager(he partly owns) is best avoided for talking terms. He is so rude to deal with.
I've strictly avoided going to Sai colorium anymore & avoided atleast 2 of my friends from getting their vehicle painted there coz of this carelessness & worst attitude to accept the mistake(colour mismatch)

Heard that the Manager/Partner(rude one) is no more with Sai Colorium, he had dented the workshop reputation.
I still reiterate, Ananth is gem of a person to deal with.
But I'm still not convinced to go over there because of the ruckus created by Sai Colorium earlier.

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by adu

Just checking how the quality of work has been since it is now about 2 months since you got the job done.

The job is good! The area is smooth and since the entire right side was painted, there's no difference in color which is visible. Overall, it's a positive rating from my side.

I didn't get the job done at ASC only because they quoted 26k, whereas this guy quoted 16k (excl. tax) and he has done a good job.

[pganapathy]

They are not too bad. Have now started doing engine work as well.
I took my 2006 Petrol Fiesta there for engine and body work. Took it on Saturday and he said would have start working on it on Monday and would have it ready by Friday at the latest. Wifey decided to do a trip on Saturday morning and we planned accordingly. Called on Friday and was told that everything was done, except one wheel bearing which would be available Saturday morning and would only take half an hour to a maximum of one hour to fix.
Accordingly I happily got there at 9 am on Saturday morning expecting to be out of there mid morning and home by a maximum of lunch time for wifey to travel. Imagine my surprise when I get there and find the only work that has been done is the body work. Apparently their version of everything is done is this: We have the parts available, albeit at the service centre godown, and it will only take us a couple of hours to fix it all. At least 3 o'clock is what I was told at about 930 or so in the morning.
I then had to sit and push these guys to prioritise my car and stood around my car for the rest of the day, just to push the guys to do the work ASAP. Despite all that it was finally a little after 5 when I had my vehicle ready.
That said the work was done reasonably well. the body work was not bad though it could certainly be better. For painting they now have a booth which helps.
The engine work was apparently decent cos wifey is happy with the way the car runs now.
Overall I have to say it is not bad work, but they could definitely improve their quality of service. My suggestion would be to check exactly what they say and if possible pass once before you pick up the car.

[Nikhilb2008]

Sai Colorium has a mixed reputation here on TBHP. Some people are happy, some people are unhappy and some people seem to think they are Gods and go with unrealistically high expectations!

I might be in the 3rd category!

In this very long post, I will explain in detail without hiding anything while I hope I can do justice to the efforts of all parties involved.

My car needed a repaint badly and I’ve always had pleasant interactions with Bharath at Sai.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/bangal...ml#post2943342

Also, I knew that wherever I left the car, it would be a long process. Sai Colorium is close to my house and my office so I could drop in regularly and keep myself updated on the progress.

I went to Sai a few days prior to leaving my car, spoke to Bharath and he suggested a Scratch Resistant Clear Coat on top of whatever paint I choose. He gave me a few options in White. I chose a Super White shade instead of the Tafeta White. This is similar to the Toyota Super White. Probably the same. I was given a variety of options to make my car look unique. Unusual paint shades, different colour for the roof or hood, etc... However, I was very keen on retaining the stock look of my car.

I gave the car on 17th December. I was told that it will take about 3 days for preparing the car, 2 days for painting and another 5 days for finishing, fitting all the parts, etc… So, I was looking at a delivery time of end of December.

The reason I chose this time period is because my dad and mom were going on vacation and I could use one of their cars as my primary mode of travel.

However, by the 28th of December, the car had still not been painted. They were still prepping the car for painting.

Attachment 1623778
Attachment 1623779


Attachment 1623782






They had stripped all the body parts like mirrors, logos, etc but the car was nowhere close to complete.

Finally on 1st January, the car had been blessed with a fresh coat of paint.


After this, they started polishing the car. Polishing involves wet sanding the paint and then polishing it and finishing it. I had informed Nirmal(of Keystone Enterprises), who is working with Sai that I wanted a ceramic coating on the paint.

Multiple panels had to be repainted because polishing this scratch resistant paint was so difficult, the paint got burnt in a few places.

This polishing part took ages to do because the clear coat was hard and as we found out later, the technique that was being used was wrong. When they finally got the technique right, it was just a 2-day job for Nirmal and his team.









One thing that annoyed me at this point was the plastic sheet they used to cover the engine bay. My hood was damaged and they sourced a hood from the gujri which they painted. But for some inexplicable reason, they didn’t fit it on the car after it was painted. I had to tell them at least 3-4 times to fit the hood so that dirt and polish and water and everything else didn’t get into the engine bay. I simply didn’t and don’t understand the logic of why the hood was kept separate AFTER the repainting was done!

On 11th January, things were looking better and almost ready. However, I was in for a mighty scare. I noticed rat footprints in the engine bay. And rat poop. This was what I was worried about and why I kept hounding them to install the hood(don’t know how much it would have helped though).








Thankfully, it didn’t seem like the rats had caused any damage.

On the 13th of January, the car was still not fully ready. The polishing was turning out to be a major challenge but I simply couldn’t wait anymore. My car had been here for 5 weeks and more importantly, I needed my car for a specific event on the 14th.






I took my car back on the evening of the Friday, the 13th. Even this wasn’t as simple as it seemed. The car just refused to start. No electronics, no lights, no indications, nothing. The guys at Sai said the battery had been charged. Khan was there along with Nirmal and a few other people.

I assumed that the rats had done some actual damage.

However, we tried jump starting the car and it started. So, turns out the battery was dead. Anyway, we jump started the car and I tried to drive it out of the workshop. Even after idling for more than 6-7 minutes, the battery hadn’t charged enough. I stalled the car twice just getting it out of the workshop.

Thankfully, my driver was there with my dad’s Civic and I told him to follow me home. Khan was kind enough to lend me the jump starting cables so the other Civic could jump start me if something happened on the way.

I drove the car and it stalled at least twice more. Then I decided to go straight to Blackworks to check if there was something else.

My driver followed me all the way, jumpstarting my car twice along the way!

Finally I reached Blackworks and Chandru had a look at it and it turns out the cables were loose. Due to which the battery wasn’t charging at all. Further, during cranking, it was just shutting off. He tightened everything and while the voltage seemed a bit low, everything else seemed normal.

Finally called it a day and got home.

The issues I had with the car at this point are as follows:

1. Terrible finishing of the paint. The car didn’t have the gloss, the smoothness associated with a new paint job. Terrible swirls all around the car and especially on the hood, the boot lid and the quarter panels.








2. A dirty horrible looking stain on the dashboard.



3. A stain near the gear lever



4. Front bumper was painted half heartedly. Clearly the painters thought no one is going to bend down and actually check the quality. (later on, I noticed the paint had started to chip away).







5. Glass pieces still on the dashboard (behind the speedo console).
6. Mark on the brand new windshield.





The good thing was Bharath was quick to accept the faults and assured me a perfect finish. He requested me to drop the car at my convenience so he can look into these aspects and correct it.

He claims this was the first time they were using this Scratch resistant paint and that's the reason they were struggling with it. So, they consulted the paint company on the correct techniques to finish the paint. They were told to try a different technique which he promised to try on my car when I left it there again.

I left the car there on the 15th of Feb and they promised to return the car on 18th Saturday.

However, the work was progressing very slowly. The bumper was painted only on the 18th. Very little other work was done and I felt they could have used the time better. I kept dropping in every day and putting pressure on Bharat to get the work done but clearly, they were overworked.

In this time, they also repainted the dashboard. However, they screwed up again and I can see a lot of overspray on the white paint of the front passenger door.

They did clean up the glass pieces and the stain near the gear lever as well.

They polished two panels with the new technique and the results were encouraging but because of the delay, they didn’t have time to finish the car. I personally didn’t mind too much because Nirmal had promised me that he would come home and finish the car.

So, the car was ready on the 18th evening but the work wasn’t complete.

I however got busy on the 18th and couldn’t go to collect my car. Bharat very kindly arranged for the security guard to open the garage and allow me to take my car on Sunday even though it was a holiday for everyone.

Finally, on the 24th and 25th of February, Keystone Enterprises came home and polished the car again. The full experience of that can be found here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/bangal...ml#post4155375

To Summarise:

Just see my post on my thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...ml#post4133318



Bad things:

1. The owners Bharat and Ananth have to reduce their workload. They accept each and every car that comes and while their business may be booming, the quality is deteriorating. The painters, tinkerers, etc are too overworked to do a perfect job.

2. Standards may vary. I was expecting a PERFECT paint finish because I had spent a staggering sum of money on the entire repainting but I finally had to settle for just a good job. This is mainly due to point no 3.

3. Communication has to improve. When I chose the scratch resistant clear coat, I wasn’t told anything about how it may not be possible to get a perfect finish. I think the mistake made by Sai was in over-promising and under-delivering.

4. Not much value given to my time and effort taken to live without my car. 5 weeks without my car is simply too much. And add another 4 days in February. This is my only car and my job involves driving everyday from one office to another. I don’t think Sai colorium appreciated just how difficult life was for me without my car.

5. The mark on the glass wasn’t removed. It is not a mark but a scratch from the inside. This is extremely annoying as it’s a brand new windshield. It shows that either I got a used piece or the handling of the windshield was very poor.

6. A lot of rework done even though the car was there for 5 weeks to begin with. The entire job took 5 weeks + 4 days in Feb + 2 days at home that Nirmal was polishing my car. Simply unacceptable.



Good things:

1. The owners are very hands on. They are rarely to be found in their air conditioned office but always on the workshop floor directing the work.

2. Ethical people. They take responsibility for their work and are ready to rework on panels that are not finished properly.

3. Always polite and courteous. These two are thorough gentlemen.

To conclude:

Yes, there were issues. Lots of it. The important thing is that they were resolved to the maximum extent that they could be. I never felt betrayed or abandoned by Sai Colorium. I am happy to go back there and in fact, I ensured that one of closest friends gave his car to Sai Colorium for a full paintjob on his Honda City. They had to change the colour to Black. This was done very well as I recommended the normal clear coat for my friend’s car. The finish was flawless. However, even this car took far longer than it should have and what was promised.

The only suggestion I will give any prospective customer is: Do not believe Sai Colorium’s timelines. It will get delayed. And it is good if you can visit occasionally and keep up the pressure and ensure good work is done.

To Sai Colorium: I still feel you are one of the best paintshops in Bangalore, but there is a market for perfectionists which is yet to be filled. You can fill it but you need to start saying NO to some customers and regulate the workload. The paint drying process has to be done properly. I found some drip marks near my door handles and at the bottom of the doors and bumpers. This is probably due to a hasty painting and drying procedure.

End of the day, I am happy to go back to Sai because I know the owners are not there to cheat people or make money by employing unethical business practices. They take responsibility for their work and do their best to ensure customer satisfaction. I sincerely hope that they start scheduling their work properly so that the efforts of Bharat and Ananth are fruitful. Right now, they simply cannot minutely inspect the work that their people do simply because of the work load.

I would also like to put on record that even though Bharath was suffering from some medical issues, he always went out of his way to return my phone calls, send me images of my car and basically communicate with me.