[bigman]

If instinct tells you there is something wrong then avoid. Remember service histories are not too hard to fake either.

[kb100]

I have even seen dealers do this all the time- most of the test drives I have been given were on cars with the odo disabled... ON all occassions I have had to specifically ask them to bring one with a working odo - their explanation always had been the ' test drive vehicle has gone out sir'

[gr8guzzler]

I have heard that if an odometer is tampered, the numbers don't align correctly. Maybe you can check the odo and see if all the numbers align correctly.

But other than that, you can insist on service records for that vehicle. if the owner had regularly got it repaired from a Maruti dealer, then I'm sure your present dealer has access to them. That would tell you the real story.

Good Luck!

[sansjunk]

Originally Posted by ritik123

Any odometer can be tampered with, its no big deal. Thats always a risk when buying a second hand car. You can do this check:

1. See the date of Manufacture on the tyres. If they are near the model of the year (ex. the car model is 2001 and the tyres are also 2001) then the odometer is correct @ 58K. However if the tyres are like say 2005 and it has considerable wear....it means the car is driven a lot....and 78K wud be more like it.

2. Demand to see the service history. If the car has been properly serviced (and i am sure you wish it was), the invoice's will have the odo readings.

ritik123: I know the tires are new (like may be a year old). Generally after how many km do the tires need replacing?

I did ask for the service records... usual reply: the previous owner did not maintain them! vbmenu_register("postmenu_184789", true);

[jkdas]

tyres last till 50-55k in most cases. But it does depend on ones driving skills!

[rameshspassion]

The service records may not always help. Now when I see my previous 2 service invoices (4 months b/w the services), they have the same odometer reading. The car was serviced both the times at the same Maruti Authorised Service Station. I have checked the odometer and its working fine. How can one explain this?
I believe one should resort to other means to judge the condition of the vehicle rather than blindly trusting the dealer.

The problem of tampering the odometers is not new. When it comes to bikes, it is very common. One of my friends was working in a Yamaha dealership and he told me that they used to disable the odometer before taking the bikes for road shows. Once back, these bikes were washed and sold as new to unsuspecting customers. So examine the vehicle throughly before signing on the dotted line.

[nitrous]

If u have a doubt on the odo reading, quit the deal ,right there.

[MalluDude]

Originally Posted by sansjunk

I did ask for the service records... usual reply: the previous owner did not maintain them!

Sounds downright fishy to me. Try another car.

[major]

My friend is a car dealer, tampering of odometer is very common with the car dealer/garage. To know if there is tampering you can check, by looking very carefully at the odo, if you find any dust / foreign particles between the odo glass and the meter, then it is sure tampered.

As advised in the above thread, even if there is a slight doubt , stay away, you will get a better deal elsewere.


Cheers..... Major

[sansjunk]

Thanks for all the advise guys! I am going to the dealer today. I still don't mind going for the car if I pay in accordance with the odo reading of 78K - I will talk to them and get them to fix the price based on the higher odo reading. I wish the RTO would record and verify the odo reading when a transfer was made. That way there would be some hope of getting a right deal...

[sansjunk]

Went to the dealer. Dealer still insists his technicians "verified" the odometer to be correct. Tried to push the car for 3K less (so final was 2.57 Lakhs). But I declined and called off the deal.

So now back to used car hunting (not at TrueValue though)! Any suggestion on how much I should expect to pay for a 2001/2002 Zen VXi/LXi thats run about 40-60K?

[vigsom]

2.4 L would be a fair price for a 2002 model.

Use the tyre thumb rule to check the real mileage done - tyres on zen last approx.50k.Use the date of manufacture as the real indicator.all tyres shd be of the same make and must have the same or near date of manufacture.

[adit1329]

Originally Posted by adit1329

Esteem Baleno?? can you please explain?

my personal experience, though i have not bought a car from true value is...
i gave away my esteem as there was a gear box problem which maruti could not rectify, whitefield bimal bought the car for 3.80 lakhs and have put it up for sale as is condition for 4.2 lakhs..so the unlucky buyer who happens to buy it will have to go through the same problems if he can identify the issue..

and, no i will not pay a premium to buy a car from true value

well, my esteem has been sold..and guess what..it has been sold to a Team BHPian.....

he contacted me and told me that he has bought the car and still has been facing the same problems...

he has planned some really mad mods, which also includes the permanent solution for the gear box noise....i will let him give the details...

hope he gets to resolve it....

[mtnrajdeep]

Hi

I had bought a 98 Zen LX for 1.85 lacs from a true value outlet at Varun motors Hyderabad. Frankly, I am not happy with the kind of service they provide. They gave me 6 months warranty in which i got the driveshafts changed. Last year, as it had rained heavily, I got a shock when i found that water was seeoping into the car through the drain holes in the underbody!!! when i went to get it rectified, they did a shabby job, and the problem was not solved. Also, there were some drops of water leaking into the cabin from someplace near the cabin light!!

As I am at bangalore, and the car is used very sparingly by my parents, i did not have much time to get things rectified. Now, after 9 months of purchasing it and barely running for 3000km, I have had to get the suspension overhauled and the lower arms replaced as they were faulty, along with one belt (related to the ignition system and costing 1000 bucks).

And add to this the fracas they made during the registration process!!!!!! They registered the car in my mothers name with my signature, and when asked to correct that they made us run around them for around 5 months!!! Even now, the RC book shows the number of owners as 3 because of their mistakes!!!!

Based on these experiences, I would never want to buy another car from a truevalue outlet again!!!!

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by Irwin

I dont think the difference in the price, even in buyers point of view justifies the TRUE VALUE prices, First of all, as far as I understand this TRUE VALUE service/facility is not offered directly by MARUTI themselves, these guys are more or less like the accessories dealers with the car dealers, like an outsourced service, even though they are situated in the dealers premises. Off course I admit that these guys have to make a profit, but these guys have to be part of a larger picture. By offering someone a reasonable price for their old cars, encourage sale of new cars, by selling someone a car with a reasonable price, encourage ownership of cars, and by doing this the benefit to MARUTI or likes is manifold.

The extra money one coughs up to dealers can be used more productively elsewhere

My advice .. learn the art of buying a pre-owned car..many websites offer good tips..and buy directly from the seller..or post an ad in the papers..!!!!
I must have assessed not less than 40 cars so far and have been able to make good judgements.. there is no better way than to gain knowledge and use it for one's benefit!!!!