[nemo]

@jeeva, @itsashishsharma, thanks for passing on the feedback.

Just to be clear, I did not have any problems with Naveen's commitment or attitude to resolve the issue, he tried various things with and without me but unfortunately it didn't translate in getting a resolution. It was a very frustrating experience for me given the amount of time i spent on this and the number of visits I had to make which in the end was futile.

[girishglg]

Firstly I would like to say Naveen is a real life saver for me before going on to other details.

Now on the work, got a complete steering and front suspension overhaul done for my M800 earlier in May. This was pending for a very long time since it had run nearly 90k kms with 70k from my end and the tyres were wearing out unevenly and suspension bottoming out etc.

Was keeping a tab on this thread and zeroed in on AM. Met Naveen and found him to be a very genuine and knowledgeable guy as a mechanic. He quickly figured out the problems and my asks such as-

1. Steering assembly overhaul including front suspension
2. Leaking cooling / radiator pipes
3. Chocking and out of breath motor during running
4. Head light upgrade with relay

The whole exercise took around 4 days and he handed over the vehicle as planned by the Friday as I needed it over the weekend. Can give the breakup of charge if required.

The total bill came up to 12.4k with major expenses amounting around the issues listed above. Felt that it was quite reasonable compares to the MASS who have started fleecing people lately.

Pros-

1. Solved each and ever issue satisfactorily at least for now.
2. The steering inputs and feel is highly improved and so is the suspension.
3. The headlights are much brighter with Philips Extreme vision and relays.
4. That jerking and stalling which was a long standing irritating issues has gone.
5. He did give an estimate after a thorough inspection in the beginning, however did not replace all of them in the end but only the once which were needed.

Cons-

1. Not many though but yes cleaning quality is just ok since he outsources it but nothing to really complain about
2. As it is a Friendly Neighbourhood Garage, you need to follow up and not expect a 1-2 day turnover as the MASS do.

Now coming back to the life saver part -

After getting the vehicle he strictly told me to go and change the tires first thing and get it balanced as it was way past its good life, and this would reduce a little vagueness in steering inputs.

However I was busy over the next week and ignored it, also felt that I should use it a bit to see if there is any more uneven wear and tear before going for brand new rubbers. But that when trouble began with a screeching noise on longer runs like a belt noise.

I did ignore it for some time but the issue persisited, I called him on this and he first asked if I had got the tyre change and balancing done but I insisted on visiting him. In the meanwhile a auto rickshaw clipped my front bumpers and had to get it fitted back too.

On visiting Naveen he checked the steering, suspension and bearing thoroughly and declared that it was indeed the issue he was telling all this while and the noise was due to the rubber touching the arches and peeling off. Yes indeed the tyre was bald as a Sahara desert and on the verge of a major disaster. He even went to the extent of pleading me to go immediately as it would be a life theat to run it any more like this.

He gave me a suggesting to visit Iyengar Tyres, before IIMB campus and get them changed which I immediately did to 4 brand new Goodyear GPS2.
And lo the issues have vanished since them and the steering is a breeze and steady as it can be and the tyres are doing their job well with very low noise.

Again thanks to Naveen whom I recommend him whole heartedly as he is both a genuine and humane guy who knows his job and does it at a good price. Yes he does really care about BHPians and our feedback in TBHP and wants to improve upon them.

[prashkul]

Just wanted to share my experience of getting work done at Naveen's.

I have visited his workshop twice. First time was to get issue with exhaust fixed. It turned out to be a problem of broken silencer pipe which was welded. Second time was some issue with a bush/valve towards the bottom of the gear box. Naveen personally handled the problems. Service was prompt and fixed to my satisfaction at a very reasonable price. Even if someone else from his team is attending a problem, Naveen does a quality check to ensure the problem is solved and there is no repeat complaint. He is truly gem of a mechanic who understands cars and provides perfect solution which is both cost effective and durable. And as someone mentioned, he does care about TeamBHP members and their feedback matters to him.

[itsashishsharma]

Originally Posted by prashkul

He is truly gem of a mechanic who understands cars and provides perfect solution which is both cost effective and durable.

Well said. He could have just said that some parts really needed to be replaced in my case, as some other mechanic quoted 25k to replace suspension stuff and something related to gearbox, mine is a Swift petrol, some sound was there from suspension. But Naveen, just asked for 150 Rs for fixing the part tightly which was causing that sound. For a 30k KM run Swift, 25k Rs of parts getting failed was not believable, yes, but so wasn't Rs 150. He he

[Karadi]

Originally Posted by jeeva

An update:

Auto Mechs garage has moved to the plot next to the previous garage.
Naveen personally takes care of all the works being done there-all mechanical works, electrical, AC, tinkering, painting, Accident repairs/Insurance claim and other customs upgrades as well. He and his team works on everything from Maruti 800 to Skodas, Fords, GM brands, Land Cruisers and all kinds of imports.

Most custom tuned vehicles from his immediate neighbor Race Dynamics comes to him for all kind of mechanical/upgrades and painting works. Besides, he has been a full time mechanic (@ pitsop) at different rally circuits and teams.

Humble and honest is how I can best picturise this gentleman.

Some pics:

I am yet to locate his garage, itried using the google map and failed - got hopelessly lost . Would some kind soul give me simple directions from inner ring road /sony junction, Maharaja hotel onwards.....please.

[carbookie]

Originally Posted by Karadi

I am yet to locate his garage, itried using the google map and failed - got hopelessly lost . Would some kind soul give me simple directions from inner ring road /sony junction, Maharaja hotel onwards.....please.

https://goo.gl/maps/S9UjL

You go towards "Lemon grass restaurant". Take left at "Honda 2 wheeler service center"

[girishglg]

Originally Posted by Karadi

I am yet to locate his garage, itried using the google map and failed - got hopelessly lost . Would some kind soul give me simple directions from inner ring road /sony junction, Maharaja hotel onwards.....please.

Talking of directions san maps -

Proceed from Maharaja hotel till the Jakkasandra / 80 ft road signal and take a left till ICICI Bank.

After crossing ICICI Bank/ Bus stop Jakkasandra -

1. Proceed towards Agara for 150 meters
2. First cross has a transformer etc
3. Second cross left has a dental clinic in the beginning/ Honda two wheeler service station next to it
4. Take that left and go interior till you find the garage on the right.

[amitk26]

Took my Safari again to Naveen for break disk skimming and refitting dislodged front fog lamp. Fog lamp housing was cut due to a hit from deep crator on really bad roads in Chattisgarh repaired the bumper clips by melting the plastic and refitted the fog lamp.

[jeeva]

The other night, while driving back from Wayanad, there was this traffic jam near the Nanjangud Kabini bridge. While all the vehicles were surprisingly waiting in line, a reckless XUV 500 cuts into the right and scrapes the whole right side.
Heartbroken, I was even more worried about the paint shade matching as this was a limited edition color. Couldn't stand to see her with the shattered and torn panels. Left the car with Naveen the next day early morning @5 AM.

I don't want to go overboard and use superlatives. The tinkering/paint work done was just top-notch.
Here is a picture of the Fiesta, after the works.

[hothatchaway]

Contrary to many of the previous posts, I had a forgettable experience at Automech. Perhaps I went with sky high expectations, having trekked from Indiranagar to Koramangala for a paint job which was routine to put it mildly. My past experience with a local denter was a deterrent, having misaligned the bumper and worse, siphoned fuel from my car. Prime requirement was an outfit that I could trust my car with for a couple of days and expertise at getting a routine job done without causing angst elsewhere in the bargain.

Naveen was everything that the thread promised on the honesty front, unfortunately that is where the positive part of the feedback ends.
The left rear door panel was to be rid of a couple of minor dents about 3 – 4 inches long (compliments from a rogue auto who got a little frisky with my car) and a barely noticeable depression lower down on the same panel. In addition there were some scratches on the right side of the front bumper along with a teeny weeny dent/depression and an equally small paint chip ( pics below) on the fender immediately next to where the bumper joins the fender.



The depression is highlighted below



I had handed him the car first thing Monday morning with delivery being promised Tuesday evening. He seemed a little unsure even though he promised Tue evening and I silently accepted that this would roll over to the next day, FNGs being partial to taking liberties with deadlines. We had also agreed on the cost which obviously was less than what the authorized guys quoted and that was the major factor of getting it done outside.

When I call Naveen on Tuesday afternoon he predictably tells me that the paint is yet to dry and I could collect it the next day at 11 AM. I suppose the job itself would have started only on Tuesday but I don’t mind, with a flawless job done being the priority. With some time to kill on Tuesday evening, I decide to head down to the garage to check the progress first hand. When I reach I discover that while the rear door panel and the bumper have been covered, the small dent and the chip on the fender bordering the bumper have been left untouched. I call Naveen and then get one of the garage attendants to call him since he does not answer my call. I ask him for an explanation and request him to come to the garage so that we can clarify. He is not the happiest of campers when he shows up and when I ask him about the missed portion, he argues that he was only supposed to do the rear door and the front bumper, not two small blips millimeters away from the bumper. I argue that I asked him to cover the ENTIRE portion on the bumper/fender joint (about the size of two palm lengths and overlapping the area where the bumper and the fender meet) and that it would make no sense for me to get one entire body panel and half the bumper painted while leaving out two small blips. He says that for the dent and the dink to be removed (pls refer to the pic) the entire panel from the fender onwards will have to be done at an additional cost! I am both surprised and disappointed at the same time – surprised because I genuinely thought that a FNG of experience and repute should be able to do a decent touch up jobs for very small dinks and not give the same ‘full panel paint’ excuse that the A** give and disappointed that when I had pointed to that particular portion being done, Naveen was either inattentive or careless in not pointing out the additional work involved (or so he argued) and the cost.

I quickly realized that the argument would go nowhere and frankly quite let down that the experience was no better than going to a nameless, faceless neighborhood denter with the same results, cost and almost the same reliability (am making allowances for Naveen’s honesty here) I ask him to confirm that I can collect the car at 11 AM the next day as per his revised delivery promise and am surprised again when he tells me that I could collect it at 3PM! At this point, am in no mood to argue any further and just wanted to be done with him. He seemed quite worked up at my expectations and was quite standoffish. Perhaps the cost of the job wasn’t worth the time spent for him.

Even though I was willing to overlook all of this as a genuine misunderstanding (after reflecting a bit that evening) and thought of having a conciliatory chat while picking up the car (was looking at identifying a FNG as a back up to the A**, now that the car is out of warranty) found that Naveen was not in much of a mood to part on a good note. The car itself was dusty (I expected him to atleast return the car with a cursory wipe, given that he would have polished the affected panels) with even the interiors covered in a coat of dust. I am very particular about keeping my car clean and apply my own elbow grease every weekend. At the risk of repeating myself, would have digested this at a local fly by night operator, not from a joint which seems to have built a reputation on TBHP. I pay and leave without another word, unlikely to come back.

Perhaps it was the odd forgettable outing. Maybe the minor nature of the job wasn’t worth his trouble. Perhaps he was not capable of fixing small dinks without repainting entire panels. I still feel that his honesty stands out (a rare attribute in this line of work) but his communication and handling of a customer left a lot to be desired.

[gearedup]

Further to my Post # 58, got my '99 Zen serviced again from Naveen. Gave him the vehicle on 2nd Mar & got it back on 5th evening.

Fairly good experience and thorough attention to detail again.
Have attached a summary of the exp incurred, and am not sure if I am spending too much on this old car .

Did some paint & tinkering work for Rs. 3,000. I had badly scratched my left rear door (from the handle running up to the fuel tank cap).
I was crystal clear with him that he shall paint and dent fix only the quarter panel. For the door, I just asked him to rub in some paint, because the door didn't have a dent. He was of the opinion to charge Rs. 6,000 for tinkering & painting both the QP & door, and I clearly argued that it was not required. Yes, one can easily make out the damage near the door handle, but I only wanted to prevent rusting rather than good looks.

I am supremely forgetful , hence I forgot to take a picture of the damage, will post the pic of the paint work shortly.

[gearedup]

@ Mods, apologies for the back to back post.
Below are the photos of the paint work. The highlighted area was badly dented when I had scrapped against an electric pole in a tight turning.

And below have focused on area near the door handle. Only a touch up was done, since there was no dent, atleast this prevents rusting. I prefer it this way due to the nature of Bengaluru traffic.

[carbookie]

When I visited the garage yesterday, the car lift installation was in progress. Naveen mentioned that it should be ready very soon.

[chandrda]

I have a question

Does Naveen insist on buying the spare parts on his own or is he more than willing to fit the spare parts if sourced by the car owner.

I am asking this, because I have been sourcing the spare parts for my 2003 Palio GTX over the last 2 months and will continue for another month. In June I am planning for repainting the entire car and resort major worn out parts.

I am still looking at the options and not zeroed on the garage. This is one car restoration I don't want to mess up since I have argued to no end with my wifey and others on this

Regards

[itsashishsharma]

Originally Posted by chandrda

I have a question

Does Naveen insist on buying the spare parts on his own or is he more than willing to fit the spare parts if sourced by the car owner.

I am asking this, because I have been sourcing the spare parts for my 2003 Palio GTX over the last 2 months and will continue for another month. In June I am planning for repainting the entire car and resort major worn out parts.

I am still looking at the options and not zeroed on the garage. This is one car restoration I don't want to mess up since I have argued to no end with my wifey and others on this

Regards

From my past experience with Navin in last 2 years, you go and meet him. For my Swift, he had purchased the parts and given me the bills from Maruti Genuine Parts. He is an honest guy with a lot a expertise. It hardly matters whether you source the parts or he does as long as he stands honest and shows enthusiasm. My house is at walkable distance from his garage, so may be I can drop by sometime to have a good look at your beauty.