[jkdas]

Originally Posted by JayD

Just make a surprise visit to the showroom and say that u want to see your car. IF they take u to the car without any hesitation or delay, then it may just be lying in the yard. If u are satisified with the car, then take it asap and leave! Else, if they fumble up, and bring about any delays in showing your car, then something may be up! Just my 2 cents.

nice idea.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Popular Hyundai has a TD car for i10. 100% sure. I saw it today also outside the showroom.

However, i have driven a customers car there, immediatly after i10 launch (as they didnt recieve their TD car)

The yellow one?

[jerish666]

Originally Posted by JayD

Just make a surprise visit to the showroom and say that u want to see your car. IF they take u to the car without any hesitation or delay, then it may just be lying in the yard. If u are satisified with the car, then take it asap and leave! Else, if they fumble up, and bring about any delays in showing your car, then something may be up! Just my 2 cents.

This a good idea.Do it as early as possible.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Here are some tips:-

1. Kindly search this forum for a PDI (Pre delivery inspection) routine. Follow it.

2. Confirm if the vehicle is registered or not. If registered, please take delivery immediately.

3. It is not very easy to clean the tyres. Check the thread closely before taking delivery.

Remember that the PDI has to be done BEFORE sending the vehicle for registfration.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Sudheer Prem,

There are a few good Bhp'ians in Trivandrum. Why not take them also when you go to check out the car? Visit the showroom without telling them, and say you want to check out the car. Make sure you check for its condition well. Also, watch out for disconnected Speedo.

Originally Posted by BUSA

Sometimes the test drive car is on a service or sometimes its on a test drive already. During this they can/may give the customers car for TD.

Yes, today i called up one 'famous' showrooms (Not popular hyundai) in Trivandrum for TD. This is the reply-

'Sirrrrrrr, TD car gone for display/ exchange mela sir. We have a brand new car in the same colour you prefer sir. Since its brand new and to be delivered to customer, we cant take it out for TD sir. Please come to the showroom sir, and will arrange for TD sir'

[sgiitk]

I have a feeling that removing the speedo wire is common. when I bought my Accent in 2002 I am sure it was new since I got the details only after shipment from the plant, and was able to verify by accidentally spotting the shipping advice at the dealer. However, when they were delivering the car I found the speedo disconnected. They took it as a routine slip. Writing to Hyundai also did not elicit any response.

[BurningHeart]

I have gone to Popular today to test drive the i10. The guys were quite alright.

I took the TD in a designated TD car and not in one of the showroom cars. The TD car had a Demo Car sticker stuck on the side panels and doors and no plastic covers on seats.

Later on, I did ask them about which dealer in trivandrum had saddled a customer with an accident-repaired car (that was a Santro) and they said it was them. They didnt hide it and said it was a mistake. (Thanks Team BHP for this one!)

Originally Posted by Eddy

Go to the showroom and check whether they have a REAL TD car. If they do, chances of your car being used are low.

I asked them, what if they will sell me an i10 which was used previosuly as a TD vehicle. They said, it will not happen as the TD vehicled are badged and they are yellow in color.

But my friend, keep an eye or two open for this dealer.

BH.

[pjbiju]

Some of the dealers leave their cars out in the open yard and they keep accumulating dust all over them. If popular has a similar method of keeping their cars, go unannounced and ask them to show you your car. If it has been lying around for 10 days, I am sure it will be dusty unlike a TD car.

[ram_hyundai]

guys,
let me be open here regarding the test drives given in any car dealership.just imagine a car dealer who is having information centres scattered all over kerela and believe me 2 major dealers in kerela are having more than 50 satelite showrooms each.do all customers given a test drive at these dealerships have testdrive cars to do that?that means 50 testdrive cars of the same type.multiplied by 9 models-450 cars for testdrive!this is not practical.so roughly 40%testdrives happen on fresh vehicles,but that does not mean its used roughly or arragantly.imagine the number of times the vehicle is moved at the manufacturers yards by n number of people.thats not good but that is a fact.
ram

[tadukuttan]

Originally Posted by ram_hyundai

guys,
let me be open here regarding the test drives given in any car dealership.just imagine a car dealer who is having information centres scattered all over kerela and believe me 2 major dealers in kerela are having more than 50 satelite showrooms each.do all customers given a test drive at these dealerships have testdrive cars to do that?that means 50 testdrive cars of the same type.multiplied by 9 models-450 cars for testdrive!this is not practical.so roughly 40%testdrives happen on fresh vehicles,but that does not mean its used roughly or arragantly.imagine the number of times the vehicle is moved at the manufacturers yards by n number of people.thats not good but that is a fact.
ram

If that is the fact, and I am sure that is, it is a really sad one. When I buy a new car, I really want it to be a new car. If the dealerships are having trouble satisfying customer requests for test drives, then the answer is definitely not to use customer cars! In this case, it looks almost like the delivery of the car was delayed, even after a full payment so that the dealer has enough i10s to send all over Kerala, to satellite show rooms for test drives?

And how can you say that the test drives on customer cars are not always done roughly, or "arrogantly"? I am have seen many test drive reports here on our forum itself where the test driver takes pride in "ripping" the test drive cars(and that is exactly how I would test drive as well). Then there are others who take the test drive cars on the worst roads to see how well they hold up over bad roads! I have seen reports where people try to take the cars over road bumps at high speed to see if they bottom out, and the list goes on... Not what I would call a "gentle" test drive.

Of course, I am as power less as most of us here are, to stop this *#@*$* practice. Since you are working in a dealership, what would be your suggestions on making sure that at least the guys who read this get really new cars, and not used/abused test drive cars.

Edit- And not too sure about the math which gives you only a 40% of test drives on new cars. If that dealer needs 450 cars for test drives, and they have one of each, that is 9, what % of test drives would be happening on customer cars?

[jkdas]

If the car was used for couple of kms I guess I wouldnt mind.

I have seen car being driven down to Trivandrum from Cochin etc to be delivered! Imagine the case of those owners who bought that car. I have seen Logan being driven at 3 digit speeds from Cochin to Tvm.

[s0uljah]

Originally Posted by JayD

Just make a surprise visit to the showroom and say that u want to see your car. IF they take u to the car without any hesitation or delay, then it may just be lying in the yard. If u are satisified with the car, then take it asap and leave! Else, if they fumble up, and bring about any delays in showing your car, then something may be up! Just my 2 cents.

If you find your car covered in layers of dust and you cant make out the colour even then your safe

[JayD]

Originally Posted by ram_hyundai

guys,
let me be open here regarding the test drives given in any car dealership.just imagine a car dealer who is having information centres scattered all over kerela and believe me 2 major dealers in kerela are having more than 50 satelite showrooms each.do all customers given a test drive at these dealerships have testdrive cars to do that?that means 50 testdrive cars of the same type.multiplied by 9 models-450 cars for testdrive!this is not practical.so roughly 40%testdrives happen on fresh vehicles,but that does not mean its used roughly or arragantly.imagine the number of times the vehicle is moved at the manufacturers yards by n number of people.thats not good but that is a fact.
ram

When the verna was launched, i went to popular hyundai cochin for a TD The sales guy after the TD showed me the various colours from the yard behind it. There was one brown coloured car which he said was a new color. The car's front end was badly thrashed, the bumper ruined,, grille broken, and the bonnet was dented. He claimed that he had taken the car to thrissur for a road show and en-route, the car banged into an 800 at very high speed. He proudly stated, "The 800 had over Rs 30,000 damage, and look at this car, only so much. Very safe car sir!!" i was too stunned to react! not to mention, I bought a fiesta!

[sudheerprem]

Since I'm in Pune, I couldn't go to see the Car. My brother went there.

Following are the information he provided after the visit.
1. The Car has come on 26th December 2007 (15 Days from yesterday).
2. When he went there, they made him to wait for 2 Hrs to see the Car.
3. When he saw the car, Car was just washed.
4. There was another car available for test drive.
5. Car is not registered and they will deliver the car on Monday (14th Jan 2008) after registration.
6. There was only one i10 Magna Silver Car available.

Also one of my friend yesterday saw that, The car in the display was a Silver colored one. (I don't know whether that was my Car)

One thing for sure, They didn't inform us that car has come for around 15 days. And if anybody taken a test drive with Silver Color, then probably that was my car.

Thanks a lot for your responses. At least please be careful when you book a car in Pupular Hyundai.

-Sudheer Prem

[ram_hyundai]

first of all let me suggest here that test drives are not ripping a machine.we are on public roads and more than your safety you have to keep in mind others safety too.so a test drive is usually a ride of the desired vehicle along a route wherein you encounter potholes humps,dips,curves ,u turns.etc to have a feel of the car to how it behaves in the natural road conditions.along that trip you can have a feel of the seats and controls of the car as to how comfortable it is to reach the a/c switch or how many speed controls for the wiper etc.more over i strongly feel that no sales guy should encourage any people taking a test drive to blast off at full speed whatever the case maybe and it is not right on the side of the guys who take a test drive to blast off in the test drive car too.if you have not paid for it the dealer has paid for the car and as a car lover we should respect the machine who ever owns it.

ram

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by sudheerprem

One thing for sure, They didn't inform us that car has come for around 15 days. And if anybody taken a test drive with Silver Color, then probably that was my car.

Thanks a lot for your responses. At least please be careful when you book a car in Pupular Hyundai.

-Sudheer Prem

Lets not debate based on the word "probable". Please confirm and make a
post here.

Since we all know how dealers work,this COULD have been avoided instead of blaming the dealer alone.

AND if your car was used, cancel your booking and go with another dealer. Competition isnt bad at Tvm.