[ravikn]

All,

He has already requested many of TBHP bangalorians if it is possible to get an ECU Diagnostics from TATA-FIAT for him. Not sure if this is going to be a herculean task. But any of you know that if it is possible then pls do share the necessary information and the process to be followed to get the ECU Analyzer.

I had proposed him to use the software based analyzer using a lap-top and he is not confident and comfortable with it. He says " he wants the one that is used in the CONCORDE MOTORS, MYSORE ROAD"

Am sure if he gets this device, we will be having the best possible service center for FIAT in Bangalore

[ravikn]

Originally Posted by DRC

Brake disc rotors 1 pair -3955
Brake pads -1145 (TVS girling, actual MRP around 625, here twice as expensive)
Caliper Pins set -935
Brake cylinder rear - 685
Oil filter -243 (TASS price 81.06, here 3 times expensive)
Oil -935 (TASS charges 1285 cheaper here)
Timing belt tensioner bearing - 3244
Service -475
wiper arm + rear window faring -650
labour -2950 for brake overhaul, timing belt re assembly.

Try and see how it turns out for your car.

Am not trying to argue on behalf of venkatesh or protect him coz I too have been paying him like this from all the three years

@DRC,

Venkatesh is not the best atriculating his labour charges and justifying them coz he does not know how to prepare the detailed bill like the TASS do.

The TVS girling break pad come at 625-650in the market. But As I have seen the same TVS girling breakpads in the showroom(TASS) will cost you 1200. Pls do search for the latest palio threads also you will find the same price.

I had a big argument with him regarding this inflated price issue and he finally showed me both the sets and told the difference in the quality that you get for the aftermarket and the TASS break pads. Finally I agreed with him

[Grafin]

Originally Posted by ravikn

Am not trying to argue on behalf of venkatesh or protect him coz I too have been paying him like this from all the three years

@DRC,

Venkatesh is not the best atriculating his labour charges and justifying them coz he does not know how to prepare the detailed bill like the TASS do.

The TVS girling break pad come at 625-650in the market. But As I have seen the same TVS girling breakpads in the showroom(TASS) will cost you 1200. Pls do search for the latest palio threads also you will find the same price.

I had a big argument with him regarding this inflated price issue and he finally showed me both the sets and told the difference in the quality that you get for the aftermarket and the TASS break pads. Finally I agreed with him

He will provide you with a bill listing out the labor and price of each spare part if you ask him.

[DRC]

First and foremost, As promised, update after a month.
car has been very smooth and drivable. Of course there are issues to be sorted out and I am in constant touch with Venkatesh. He has promised to sort out things.
Little bit off topic here...
Brakes are not sharp enough. I had the same issue when Hariprasad auto had replaced the rotor and pads with TVS parts. Eventually I had put the local ones and the braking had improved. I am starting to suspect TVS parts.

Regarding being expensive: Venkatesh has great deal of knowledge on the Fiats. He has the right to charge for it to some extent and I dont mind paying for it. His weakness is to articulate it in the bill as some one mentioned.

Regardign the ECU scanner: Yes, he did ask if we could help. In fact he had seen me using one when I used to visit Hariprasad and asked me. He is worried about cumbersome computer. Yes, I am trying to help as muchh I can.

Brake pad prices: The price I derived was from the wrappers of the pads which he used on my car.

[ravikn]

Originally Posted by DRC

Brake pad prices: The price I derived was from the wrappers of the pads which he used on my car.

I did not notice if this was mentioned earlier

[JVH]

I just crossed 90K on my GTX and got the vehicle serviced from him this weekend. Most of the issues have been fixed

With regards to the ECU scanner, I've asked him to get a picture of the same and the part number if it has one. I'm going out of country for a few weeks and let me try if I can get one there at the FIAT dealerships.

Meanwhile, if someone has a picture of the scanner used, request you to post.

The only 2 issues which are bothering him is that, he is not finding quality labour and the lack of ECU scanner. He has to got to Prerana or Concorde with the ECU just to get it scanned thereby losing precious time at the workshop.

[JVH]

I recently got my GTX's service done at 97,600 kms. The wipers had gone kaput and the problem was traced back to kaput wiper motor. The rear wiper assembly was also kaput for a long time. Got both of them replaced this morning.

Venkatesh may shift his garage although nothing concrete has been decided yet. He'll be close by though. Many of you might know that he had suffered a fall 6 months ago and had injured his right leg. He's in a walking mode now although I could see that the active bubbling spark in him was missing. I guess it'll take him a few more months to redeem his old self again.

[zaks]

Another review from my side-

Visited this garage since my MJD warranty period got over and didn't want to deal with those dumb A.S.S folks all over Concorde, Prerana, you name it. They all take money but don't know a thing about Fiat.

This was the 40,000km service and I asked him to replace Mobil Delvac for oil. I left it on a saturday and again picked it on Monday. He has done quite a good job. Lubricated all the door, clutch. The bill came to spares+1700 labour which is not cheap. He is very good with mechincals of the Fiats and can attend most of the problems in this area. One bugling though was they totally wetted floor carpetting while cleaning the car which btw is very average.
He doesn't seem to have good tools and jack/bay to raise up a car for underbody repair. Unless you dont have a real problem to attend to then I feel the A.S.S is better.

The garage smells of cow dung because it is actually a cow shed in the night

[funkykar]

Its about time that I visit Venkatesh shortly. I have a 2010 SDX (dhamaka offer) and have been servicing at Prerana Motors, Kudlu gate. There havnt been any issues at all with the car, hence cant comment on their work.

Now, that I have got myself a used Adventure 1.6(2002 mode, 75k on odo, brakes are low, lot of rattling sounds on bad roads), I will have to meet him and get my car evaluated as to what all work has to be done. I may also take an opinion at Prerana Motors, Kudlu gate and then proceed with the works. Hope things go well and my car will be in 100% tip top condition. I plan to get all the work in small tranches until I understand my car 100%.

[sdp1975]

Will Venkatesh do the fitting if I source the part for him , or does he insist on getting the part himself ?

This is on replacing elastics pads for a Punto - I heard that he started servicing Puntos/Lineas recently.

Are there any other options for private garages for FIAT in Bangalore ?

[zoombiee]

I think for Puntos and Lineas you could stick with A.S.S. If you are looking for a private garage, you could look at SV Car Tech at TC Palya Rammurthynagar. PM me for address and directions if you need. I visited them for some work on my Palio and was quite satisfied with their work.

[reininchaos]

Does anyone know if he has moved to a new place ? I couldn't quite locate it yesterday night. Will try again during the day. I have been going to Hariprasad for my Adventure but this time want to try Gowri since Hariprasad has been unable to solve few issues over the past 8 months.

[chakri400]

He is still at the same location, I have been there today

[reininchaos]

Originally Posted by chakri400

He is still at the same location, I have been there today

Thanks. I did find him. Somehow I couldn't spot the garage in the night. Have left my adventure with him today for a full service and some other niggles I have been having over the past few months. Got a good impression by talking to him. I used to be a big Hariprasad fan until recently. The mechanics have disappeared over there. Will post a review once my car is serviced and i use it for a few days.

Short summary - First impression is good

[reininchaos]

OK - here we go.
Venkatesh as mentioned in other posts here quickly strikes a rapport. In 5 mins he spotted the big problem i was having. In half an hour he got the full history of the vehicle (used to be serviced in Hariprasad before) by talking to his buddies over there. Recommended that I change the suspension lower arm since it had taken a beating and had started making noises. The clutch had gone bad too due to the sloppy work done on it earlier. Took about two days and has fixed most of the issues. I had a recurring problem with AC which he has temporarily fixed (since I couldn't leave the vehicle longer). My bill was big since there were many irritants that needed fixing and I thought of getting it done one shot.

Pros:
- Very good understanding of the car.
- Workmanship shows. The car runs really smooth now
- Can source original parts quite quickly
- Very easy to communicate with - explains patiently

Cons:
- Need to pay more attention to minor servicing elements - cleaning the car and other minor stuff. Doesn't look he does this methodically. Lighting, vipers, power windows etc etc all needed some or the other work which was not done. Infact the car wasn't cleaned properly as well. Quite a bit of water had also seeped into the door pockets.