[Driiive!]

Please allow me to start with a little background. I am a fanatic when it comes to cars and it is this love for a good value for money SUV that drove me to buy the Mahindra XUV 5oo (W6). I believe it is an excellent car, and despite the various niggles reported on Team-Bhp and other forums, I went ahead and purchased the car the last month, i.e. July 2013.

It is after I purchased the car that the problems started. I discount the many different times I have had to visit the service centre to have the clutch / cylinder replaced, wipers replaced, window winders replaced, steering centred, seats aligned, door beading changed, among a slew of other things. I will state at this point that the staff at Goregaon, i.e.Baijo Thomas and team have been extremely cooperative. However, it is after I have made a visit to the G3 service centre at Dahisar that I have become really perturbed.

I had a little accident (where incidentally ABS did not work??) post which I gave the car to the Mahindra Dahisar workshop to carry out repairs and claim insurance. Work was completed (again delayed) and the car was handed over to me (I should tell you it was in a bad shape, i.e. extremely dirty). A couple of days later I notice that the entire centre console, i.e. from the usb and lighter point till the cooler, has actually been replaced in my car. So some mechanic had the audacity to steal the entire console from my brand new car and replace this with a console that was probably a couple of years old. I called up the service advisor (Shrikant) at G3 Dahisar immediately and was asked to take the vehicle to the workshop. I post-phone my travel and immediately take the vehicle to the workshop where Preyash, Shrikant and other staff inspect it. They checked my car, other cars (incidentally, even the shade of the unit that was replaced in my car was slightly different (faded) from the original shade of the panels in my car)and agree immediately that there has been mischief of some kind and promise to replace this entire unit immediately. They also had an immediate emergency meeting on the shop floor but were unable to pin down the culprit who has committed this act. They also claim to have no CCTV footage so they cannot check back. I leave the workshop with the promise that the entire console and assembly will be changed asap.

A week passes, and since nothing happened and nobody called me (I was following up with the advisor who always had the response that it would take 4-5 days more). Post a week, I decide to escalate to Poonam (AGM –G3 Kandivli - who has been very cooperative and helpful during our purchase). The day I send an email to Poonam I get a call from the service centre that the parts are ready and I should get the vehicle there. I again leave aside all my work and go to the service centre to get this done. I get a shock again when I am told that the centre console has come in but not the bezel assembly. So they open up the car, change the central console but leave the old bezel assembly so they have the pleasure of calling me one more time to the workshop. I am again promised it will take a couple of days more. Again, silence, and I again write to Poonam on Monday, i.e. 19th. (trailing emails) post which I get a message from Preyash (G3, Dahisar) that the bezel assembly is ready and I should go the workshop to install.

I understand this will be replaced and I will get a new part. I also understand from the service advisor that this console takes approximately 1 – 1.5 hours to remove and replace, so the person who did this in my car actually had the audacity and the inclination to commit this heinous act very calmly and without fear of being caught. This also points to complicity of other staff and possibly senior members in this fraud.

Now my worry is; if this visible part, that is not very expensive, has been changed, what else has been changed? There are a multitude of parts that are much more expensive, not visible and easier to remove and refit than the central console. I am sure that the workshop team, since they have not been able to stop this theft of the parts from my car will not be able to commit on the status of other parts in my car. I am a fanatic about my cars, and evidently am now paranoid now about what other mischief my car has been subjected to. Every creak and thud now makes me believe something else I cannot see has been stolen and replaced in my brand new car.

I refused to go to their workshop time and again to replace these stolen parts one by one, and finally they sent someone to my Chembur office to replace some of the parts they stole from my brand new car at their Dahisar workshop. The parts still have not been fixed to my satisfaction, and I also seem to be having an issue now with multiple other parts, which I am not sure is because they have been fraudulently replaced or are a part of the regular set of issues in the car.

The thoughts that cross my mind now are on returning the car to Mahindra and taking a complete refund (including all that I have spent on the car) / or replacing the car with a new car in which I hopefully will not have to go through the same level of issues.

I have written to Customer Care, and Sanjoy Gupta, Head of Customer Care and Head of the Automotive and Farm Division, Mr. Goenka. Two days have elapsed but I have no response from them, which has now made me really mad.
I now plan to take this up in the consumer court as well as get this published in a couple of newspapers. Mahindra should know how they are to treat their customers and not take them for granted.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by Driiive!

It is after I purchased the car that the problems started.

Dear Driive, first things first; welcome to the forum. And its sad that your first few posts relate to such a problem. You have done the right thing by escalating the issue to Mahindra. I hope they respond soon in a positive manner.
I have been in a similar situation when my car was left for some time at a MASS. They were worse than local & small garages and I cursed myself to leave my car with them some 4 years ago. I had to get my windshield replaced and what they did was something which would require a lot of dauntlessness. They charged me about Rs. 6000/- in all for the windshield and the cost of fixing it but fitted a 'tempered' glass windshield in place of a laminated windshield. One should notice that tempered glass came at a price of 1400-1500 bucks when the laminated ones used to cost about 3 times that figure! Also, in the bill, they charged for a laminated one! Not only that is downright cheating, but also unsafe as tempered glass scatters in case of an accident unlike the laminated glass, which can be life threatening.
The story did not end here. My car's rear windshield which was OEM Maruti, was replaced with a fake windshield.

I complained to the garage, as I did not want to escalate the matter on the first confrontation itself, which they rejected at first. Then I complained with the regional Maruti office and next day I received a call to get both windshields replaced by OEM ones.

Some ASCs are not worth operating, but with manufacturers turning a blind eye on them makes us suffer.

Regards,
Saket

[m_upreti]

Originally Posted by Driiive!

I believe it is an excellent car, and despite the various niggles reported on Team-Bhp and other forums, I went ahead and purchased the car the last month, i.e. July 2013.

It is after I purchased the car that the problems started. I discount the many different times I have had to visit the service centre to have the clutch / cylinder replaced, wipers replaced, window winders replaced, steering centred, seats aligned, door beading changed, among a slew of other things.

I went throught the same experience with my Scorpio in 2007-08 so I can understand what you are going through. Apart from the multitude of mechanical replacements (including the gear box) all 4 tyres were replaced by the A.S.S. & M&M, and when I saw the "new tyres" they had been merely polished and the sidewall cracks filled with some compound. I escalated this to the top management in M&M and got a set of 4 new tyres.

To read about the issues with what would be XUV 2.0 version, I am stopped again in my tracks. I just promised the sales guy that I would be booking the XUV5OO on Wed (28th). I was just about undecided on the W6 & W8 so I had asked him to have the prices for OEM Alloys, Seat Covers ready so that I could compare after adding those in the W6.

But it seems now that I need to have a rethink.

[Akshay1234]

Did someone say something about Skoda?

On a separate note, wow. That is nuts. The fact that someone had the audacity to do this, and even more so for their premium customers. I don't think you should let them off the hook easily at all.

[tsk1979]

Ask for a new car.
Lots of other parts could be changed too. A workshop is the face of the company. This is outright criminal fraud. If M&M does not agree, you have full right to take them to court.

[Eddy]

I strongly advice you to use the power of social media.

I believe Anand Mahindra takes twitter complaints addressed to him quite seriously...

[saket77]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Did someone say something about Skoda?

Yes, very much in line with what happened with Harish.
IMO, service center people are no priests, hence they *can* indulge in such practices to make a quick buck; what is rather unnerving is that the manufacturer turning a blind eye on such service centers and allowing them to operate under their name.
I think that if an ASC is proved to be guilty of such practises, then first they should be struck off the 'authorised' tag and next that the suffering customer's loss should be made good out of the deposits that the service center had placed with the manufacturer. I hope they have to deposits with the manufacturer to operate under their name?

[Safety is Param]

Originally Posted by Driiive!

I discount the many different times I have had to visit the service centre to have the clutch / cylinder replaced, wipers replaced, window winders replaced, steering centred, seats aligned, door beading changed, among a slew of other things.

So many visits to the Service Centre for a new car? Seriously, do they have any QC in place?
When a Customer buys a high end car he at least expects to pay a visit to the Service Centre only for a regular service or due to an accident.
And they say they don't have any footage of this? Reminds me of new borns being stolen from hospitals, and the news channels airing that footage.
This is not a recipe for success, for sure!!

[petroguzzler]

This is a common scandal at dealerships now-a-days.

My colleague who owns a tvs apache knows his service advisor very well(neighbours, BTW). His disc brakes, carburetor and tyres (and a host of other parts that need replacement) have been swapped with brand new vehicles' respective parts that are going to be delivered and he gets all the new parts without a single rupee for a tip of about Rs.100.

[Driiive!]

Mod Note : Please use the EDIT or MULTI-QUOTE buttons instead of typing one post after another on the SAME THREAD!.

To know how to multi-quote, click here.

In fact what has incensed me more is the fct that they did not even bother to close the issue with one visit. No, they ensured they opened up the console to first put in the base unit. Then after follow ups, and another letter to the AGM, G3, they ask me to come again to their Workshop. Only when I insisted I would not, they agree to come in to Chembur (my office) to fix this. The quality of refitment also leaves a lot to be desired, with gaps, a panel sticking out, etc. which I am told may be difficult to address. Wonder why I should bear the brunt of Mahindra's inefficiencies.
Just opened up a Twitter account in the hope of reaching out to Anand Mahindra.

They really need to learn, if not the easy way, then the hard way.

Originally Posted by petroguzzler

This is a common scandal at dealerships now-a-days.

My colleague who owns a tvs apache knows his service advisor very well(neighbours, BTW). His disc brakes, carburetor and tyres (and a host of other parts that need replacement) have been swapped with brand new vehicles' respective parts that are going to be delivered and he gets all the new parts without a single rupee for a tip of about Rs.100.

Makes you paranoid about giving your car to even an authorized dealership. But then , where else do you go? Especially with a car like the XUV, its not any garage that will be able to work on the car.

My previous car, i.e. Dzire, used to go to the Sai Service centre. And across the life of the car (I had her for 5 years) i never once went through a moment like this.

Makes me wonder where Mahindra is headed.

[Safety is Param]

Originally Posted by Driiive!

Just opened up a Twitter account in the hope of reaching out to Anand Mahindra. They really need to learn, if not the easy way, then the hard way.

For high visibility and the impact that this thread can make on potential Sales through the said Dealership, please ensure that you put a link to this thread in your tweet to Mr. Mahindra.

[sumitdongerkery]

I too had a bad experience with my XUV during its second service at Mahindra workshop in Thane. I had given the car for the 2nd service and when I came to collect the car in the evening, it was getting washed. I was waiting for it patiently. When the car entered the workshop (from the washing bay) something looked wrong with the bonnet. I immediately rushed to the car and asked the driver to reverse the car. At a particular angle it was visible that bonnet was pressed towards the grill. It was as if someone had sat on the edge of the bonnet. I started questioning him and initiatlly he started arguing that nothing was wrong. When I call the RM he was also trying to behave ignorant as if nothing was wrong. I asked him to take the car on washing ramp where due to light angle, dent was clearly visible. RM was then trying to convince me that these are small issues and I should not loose my peace of mind. At this point I lost my cool and blasted out which immediately started getting attention of all their staff and the fellow customers and they started gathering around. This is when their GM stepped out and immediately agreed to get the entire bonnet painted. I said that is secondary. How can a car be handled so irresponsibly?? and how does he ensure this doesn't happen again. But that gentleman handled me very patiently and that eventually calmed me down. They are still following up with me to get the car to the workshop for getting the bonnet painted but I am still evaluating. Damage is very minimal and getting the whole bonnet repainted will make it loose it originality.

But yes such episodes completely shatters your faith in such ASS where you hand over your hard earned asset.

[SDP]

Driiive!, sad to hear your experience. I was under the impression that such things happen at Skoda service centers.

Its really unfortunate that the M&M customer-care machinery is still not in motion. From my own experience, once the M&M Area-customer-care-manager takes over, things start to fall in place really fast.

Do keep us updated about what happens. Its important that such rougue service centers are taken to task and taught a lesson so that they don't dare to do such things in the future.

[Driiive!]

Originally Posted by SDP

Driiive!, sad to hear your experience. I was under the impression that such things happen at Skoda service centers.

Its really unfortunate that the M&M customer-care machinery is still not in motion. From my own experience, once the M&M Area-customer-care-manager takes over, things start to fall in place really fast.

Do keep us updated about what happens. Its important that such rougue service centers are taken to task and taught a lesson so that they don't dare to do such things in the future.

I have sent them, i.e. the customer care, the head of customer care and the head of the automotive and farm division multiple reminders, but to no avail. My next step is to barge into their corporate office. Talking to a press friend of mine, and am going to get this out into whichever newspapers I can. Now I'm mad!

Originally Posted by saket77

Dear Driive, first things first; welcome to the forum. And its sad that your first few posts relate to such a problem. You have done the right thing by escalating the issue to Mahindra. I hope they respond soon in a positive manner.
I have been in a similar situation when my car was left for some time at a MASS. They were worse than local & small garages and I cursed myself to leave my car with them some 4 years ago. I had to get my windshield replaced and what they did was something which would require a lot of dauntlessness. They charged me about Rs. 6000/- in all for the windshield and the cost of fixing it but fitted a 'tempered' glass windshield in place of a laminated windshield. One should notice that tempered glass came at a price of 1400-1500 bucks when the laminated ones used to cost about 3 times that figure! Also, in the bill, they charged for a laminated one! Not only that is downright cheating, but also unsafe as tempered glass scatters in case of an accident unlike the laminated glass, which can be life threatening.
The story did not end here. My car's rear windshield which was OEM Maruti, was replaced with a fake windshield.

I complained to the garage, as I did not want to escalate the matter on the first confrontation itself, which they rejected at first. Then I complained with the regional Maruti office and next day I received a call to get both windshields replaced by OEM ones.

Some ASCs are not worth operating, but with manufacturers turning a blind eye on them makes us suffer.

Regards,
Saket

Somehow, my complaint seems to be low on their priority list. And this attitude of theirs is further fuelling my anger. Also checking on the consumer court options. Can someone help here?

Originally Posted by m_upreti

I went throught the same experience with my Scorpio in 2007-08 so I can understand what you are going through. Apart from the multitude of mechanical replacements (including the gear box) all 4 tyres were replaced by the A.S.S. & M&M, and when I saw the "new tyres" they had been merely polished and the sidewall cracks filled with some compound. I escalated this to the top management in M&M and got a set of 4 new tyres.

To read about the issues with what would be XUV 2.0 version, I am stopped again in my tracks. I just promised the sales guy that I would be booking the XUV5OO on Wed (28th). I was just about undecided on the W6 & W8 so I had asked him to have the prices for OEM Alloys, Seat Covers ready so that I could compare after adding those in the W6.

But it seems now that I need to have a rethink.

Yes, m-upreti, it is extremely worrying. And this is a May manufacture car, which supposedly has all niggles ironed out. Sadly, not the case, and I still have a good few to contend with.

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Did someone say something about Skoda?

On a separate note, wow. That is nuts. The fact that someone had the audacity to do this, and even more so for their premium customers. I don't think you should let them off the hook easily at all.

Thanks Akshay 1234. I definitely do not plan to let them off the hook. The least I expect of a 15 lac car is peace of mind, and now that they have not given me that, I plan to do everything I can to not give them theirs. this post is a start, to be followed by other social forums, then a police complaint and consumer court. Their attitude is not acceptable to me at all.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Ask for a new car.
Lots of other parts could be changed too. A workshop is the face of the company. This is outright criminal fraud. If M&M does not agree, you have full right to take them to court.

Yes, this is my only demand. You either give me a new car or you take the car back and refund the money I paid to you. I think this is going to be a long battle.

Originally Posted by saket77

Yes, very much in line with what happened with Harish.
IMO, service center people are no priests, hence they *can* indulge in such practices to make a quick buck; what is rather unnerving is that the manufacturer turning a blind eye on such service centers and allowing them to operate under their name.
I think that if an ASC is proved to be guilty of such practises, then first they should be struck off the 'authorised' tag and next that the suffering customer's loss should be made good out of the deposits that the service center had placed with the manufacturer. I hope they have to deposits with the manufacturer to operate under their name?

They seem to be interested in only raking in the moollah. This explains the attitude of the service centre and these kind of acts. The audacity with which they have done this, the immediate acceptance of the theft, all point to this not being a one off case. I only hope this is not what all new vehicles are subjected to. I would be very very worried to give my car to the sevice centre the next time around.

NOTE FROM MOD: PLEASE use multi quote feature when replying to multiple posts

[Driiive!]

Originally Posted by Safety is Param

So many visits to the Service Centre for a new car? Seriously, do they have any QC in place?
When a Customer buys a high end car he at least expects to pay a visit to the Service Centre only for a regular service or due to an accident.
And they say they don't have any footage of this? Reminds me of new borns being stolen from hospitals, and the news channels airing that footage.
This is not a recipe for success, for sure!!

I think QC may not be one of Mahindras strong points, given the spate of issues they seem to be having in their cars. It is us as the unsuspecting public that must become guinea pigs for manufacturers like this and suffer untold anxiety levels while we are a part of their experimentation. Sad state of affairs!