[Utsav3010]

I aim to share my experience with a loaner car, with this community.

My daily driver, a 2016 Elite i20 met with an unfortunate incident on the morning of March 04, 2020. A WagonR guy rammed my car from behind, while I was on my way to office. The incident happened on MG Road, near Sultanpur Metro Station.

The guy who rammed my car duly apologized for his mistake, stating that he wasn't maintaining a safe distance and he could not brake in time. I decided to NOT create a ruckus, since the guy had apologized for his mistake. Moreover, the damage to his car was of far more magnitude than mine.

My car suffered a minor dent on boot, some blemishes on the rear bumper and a bent HSRP. I could have lived with it, however, the boot open light on the instrument cluster refused to go, despite me ensuring that the boot is locked. That was when I realized, that I need to give my car for accidental repair. I did not want to resort to this, but, I wasn't left with any other option. I called up my manager and narrated the incident to him, and proceeded towards the service center (Koncept Hyundai, Okhla Phase 1).

I filled up the form to get my car repaired under insurance. Now, I decided to get the rear bumper and hatch repaired and repainted under insurance. Since my car had a big scratch on the rear left door and quarter panel, I decided to get that part repainted too, on my own expense though. Due to Holi being around, I was told that I will be given my car after Holi only, i.e. on March 11. I handed over the keys to the SA with a heavy heart, and then wait to get my car back started.

In between, I visited the service center on Sunday, March 8 to see how much the work has progressed. My car was parked on the top floor. Repairing was done, however, the car was covered in a thick pile of dust and the guys were planning to mask the car. I told the floor manager to ensure that masking is done correctly, so as to avoid overspray. The floor manager acknowledged my concern and assured me that my car will be handled very delicately, and with precision.

Since I had to be in office for an urgent meeting on March 11, decided to collect my car on the morning of March 12, which happened to be Thursday. Upon reaching the service center, I saw my car in flesh after a long time, and all my horror had come true. Due to the filler defect, the front LHS door's shine was gone! Mind you, that door wasn't even supposed to be touched. Only the rear LHS door, LHS quarter panel, rear bumper and hatch had to be repainted. The paint above the Hyundai badge, on the hatch had faded (already), and the bumper's edges had an uneven finishing.

I raised an alarm and showed all of this to the SA. Meanwhile, I received an update from the office which required me to travel to Alwar for an official meeting. I decided to take the car on as is where is basis (In hindsight, I should not have done that). The SA and the floor manager of the paint booth acknowledged that they will rectify and do all the corrections out of goodwill.

I was cranky, I was sad. There is a picture of my car in my head, and that picture was now incomplete. The paint defect was giving me nightmares, and I had a hard time accepting that it is indeed MY OWN car. Nonetheless, gave my car for paint correction, again, on Sunday, i.e. March 15.

Due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak, commuting by metro didn't sound very good. And hence, I decided to ask for a loaner car. Consulted the SA, he directed me to GM's cabin, where I raised my concern. The GM, Mr Surender Bisht was very courteous and helpful, and he approved to give me a loaner car, on ASAP basis. After waiting for 1 hour, roughly, I got a call that my loaner car had been arranged. Went downstairs in the parking, and a Silver Xcent was parked. It bore a 'Courtesy Car' sticker, and I immediately knew it was my loaner. Frankly, I got a bit disappointed, since the Xcent was the last car I expected as a loaner. It was a 2018 manufactured car (the facelifted one), had been used as a TD car and had close to 16k kms on the odo. I was provided with a full tank of fuel, which was really courteous on their part. It was an SX variant (One below the top SX Optional variant). All formalities done, and I set off.

Here are some of my observations with the Xcent:

Pros:
-> The car felt very peppy to drive, mainly due to the lower kerb weight.
-> Spot on cabin ergonomics.
-> Top-notch interior fit and finish, with no rough edges anywhere.
-> The touchscreen system with Apple CarPlay connectivity proved to be a boon, and kept me entertained all the time I was inside the car.
-> Very mature ride and suspension. Infact, I have no apprehensions in admitting that the car has a better ride quality than my i20.
-> Boot. Coming from an i20, it felt huge, and I stuffed a lot of my stuff into the boot.
-> S-P-A-C-E. Since I carpool with some of my colleagues, all of them were thoroughly impressed with the space on offer.
-> Large(er) ORVM's. Compared to my i20, the mirrors are bigger and offer a good view of what's happening around, and behind. Additionally, they are located at a perfect height, and don't create any blind spots.

Cons:
-> Puny 165 cross-section tyres didn't offer any grip. Moreover, three of the tyres were alloys, while the fourth one was a steel rim. When I checked into the boot, the spare tyre was missing.
-> Missing front driver's armrest. Have it in my i20, and I was confused about where to place my left arm, while on the go.
-> The touchscreen is not very responsive, and suffers from terrible glare in the bright sunlight. Moreover, the camera quality was average.
-> Missing auto-dimming IRVM. Again, my i20 has it and I had a horrible time driving ahead of people who had their high beam engaged.
-> Lack of cladding in the boot. I could see all the exposed wirings.
-> Heavy clutch. I guess it was primarily because the loaner was a TD car and had been abused to the fullest. The car had an alignment issue too.
-> Lastly, and funnily, the meek horn. Nobody paid any heed to my honking, it was so meek

Occupying the space where my i20 is parked. I gotta say the front end is very polarising (No offense to Xcent owners):



Similar dimension, as compared to my i20 meant it didn't occupy any additional space:



'Courtesy Car' sticker on the front windshield:



I found the derriere to be attractive. That's a reflector on the spoiler, and not the brake light:



Well sized, and positioned ORVM's:



Touchscreen system supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. I put it to some good use. That said, it suffers from terrible glare in the sunlight:




After driving the car for three days and close to 150 kilometers, the Xcent left a very lasting impression. I felt at home all the time driving it. Make no mistake, it can never be a replacement to my i20, and infact, it felt like a downgrade only. However, for a loaner car, it served me really well. And call it coincidence or anything, in the three days I had this car, I spotted too many Xcent's.

When I handed over the car to the SA, he asked for feedback and I couldn't help but smile. Bid the Xcent adieu, and proceeded to check the work on my car. Now, it felt like MY car. The picture I have always had about my car, I felt good, and totally forgot about the bitter experience I had earlier. Thanked the GM, and my SA and brought my beloved i20 home.

I also want to appreciate the Service provided by Koncept Hyundai Okhla. A poor paint job aside, they were very transparent and understood all my concerns straight away. Nobody tried to cover up their fault and resolved my concerns as I wanted.

And finally, from this:



To this:



I was happy to get my car back, and the fact that the drama that lasted for a good two weeks finally came to an end was very satisfying. Will post the pictures of my i20 soon, as and when I get time. For now, I am working from home

Note: I am in no way associated with Koncept Hyundai, Okhla.

[gkveda]

All that ends, ends well. Good to know that no unusual event occurred at the end while taking the delivery.

Honestly, when the car is with the dealership for a repair, we can't expect the car to be maintained super clean. What matters is, when it is delivered, is it meeting the owner's expectations.

So, in my view, every thing that happened is business as usual and no HORRORS. Your experience with loaner car also ended up with a happy note.

But believe me, while reading this, my mind was expecting and imagining some real horror would happen in next paragraph. The story build is written in a way to expect only negative experience. I am sorry I am not commenting on your writing style but dealership experiences here may be the reason for my imagination.

I am glad that story ended well including insurance claims settlement without much of a drama

[nishsingh]

Loaner car? No thank you.

This thread, unfortunately, reminds me of my bitter experience with a loaner car when my SX4 was at the service centre.

My SX4 had gone in for a regular service, and I had okayed the shampooing of the car interiors. Unfortunately, one of the cleaner boys, probably sprayed too much of soap solution onto the steering wheel, which led to the airbag sensor always staying on (this is what the Service Advisor at Maruti told me).

The service center didn't have the sensor module replacements and asked me to wait for a week.

They gave me a loaner car - a Wagon R. The next day, on my way to the office, the loaner car broke down - it wouldn't start, and it was in a relatively narrow lane. I caused a huge traffic jam, as the car wouldn't start at all. Finally decided to step down, and started asking for help from passersby in order to push the car to the end of the lane and ease the traffic jam. Being office time, it took me around 10 minutes of begging to get 2-3 people willing to push the car.

Next, I called up the service advisor and told him to come and pick up his car from the scene. I have since then never bothered about asking for a loaner car, no matter the length of the service.

[GTO]

Come to think of it, I have never gotten a loaner car in India. One reason for that is I usually opt for pickup & drop-off from the workshop. Guess a loaner never comes into the conversation because of this. Plus, because of other cars in the house, I have never felt the need for a loaner.

Good to hear of your positive experience . Although generally, us Indians don't treat other's property well, so I wouldn't expect too much of loaners.

[AkhileshY]

I have used loaner cars on two different occasions. My Skoda Rapid was making some weird noise and took it to Tafe Access in Bangalore. Initially they were trying to find the issue and replaced strut mount and lower arm but took some time to get spare part. During this time I demanded for a loaner car and got it. The noise resurfaced within a week and turned out to be steering rack. The steering rack was replaced under warranty. Since it was taking time I was offered a loaner car.
Both the instances I got a Skoda Rapid first time Diesel 1.6 Tdi and second time petrol 1.6 MPI.
Here are my experiences
They get us signed a document which clearly mentions we will be driving within the city limits
Both the cars interior was badly maintained. Interiors were not clean. Some buttons were coming out. I made sure they make a note of these things before taking the key.
The tyre pressure was not maintained. Got the top up done at a nearest fuel station
The fuel was almost empty in both.
The first car all the 4 tyres were at end of life. One of the wheel nut was missing. Spare tyre was torn. Looking at the state of the 4 tyres I did not want to take a chance. I had a spare tyre at home which was hardly used (and removed from the spare steel rim). I visited nearby tyre shop and got it fixed for the loaner car. When I returned the car with the tyre I had put and informed them about it . The SA just smiled.
For the second car, at the beginning I did not notice it is a petrol car as the interior is same as Diesel and did not notice any difference in engine noise or pickup (thanks to bumper to bumper traffic). When I took it to the nearest fuel station, the guy was about to put Diesel I saw the Petrol sticker inside the fuel cap. Stopped him from filling it. Just to be sure I opened the bonnet to see the petrol engine.
Few tips before you take a loaner car - Get some briefing from the SA about the car. Check few basic things like fuel type, tyre pressure, battery status, any lights at the instrument cluster, if all the lights are functioning. Make sure the SA makes a note of any external/internal damages, tyre condition and fuel gauge level.

[Raulspace999]

In a lighter vein when i saw this thread the one thing that cropped up in my mind was that the thread had something to do with "CAR LOAN"

Probably, the extended Work From Home('WFH') have got even with me and my brain has gone for a toss.My apologies.

Nonetheless, this is something new and i dont know how many manufacturers/dealers will actually allow a 'courtesy car' in times of distress.

Stay Safe!!!

[landcruiser123]

I'd never take a loaner in India for mass-market brands. I think Uber and Lyft are more convenient. That being said, my only experience with a loaner car was when my 2012 Ford Fusion went in for an airbag recall. I was given 2 options:
a. Up to $100 uber/lyft credit for the day
b. Loaner

I took the loaner car. In hindsight, I should've simply taken the Uber credit as the loaner car just had too much pet hair. Barring that, the loaner Ford Escape was a good car- had about 3,5xx miles. The only complaint after driving 15 miles was that the 1.5 EcoBoost (although slightly superior on paper) didn't feel as good as my NA 2.5 engine.

[KPR]

I had paid in full for my Punto evo 90 HP red colour in last week of Sept 2015. Somehow the dealer couldn't deliver car on the promised date. However, dealer understood my situation and gave me an Avventura with full tank of diesel until my new car arrived at showroom. I got a call in between from dealer regarding filling of diesel too. Really good dealership experience. Then later my car arrived at dealer premises after 15 days. I went to take delivery of my new car in this test drive car only. Overall I would say a very nice experience.

[PrideRed]

I never got a loaner car but back then I was given 1K a day for about a week as taxi fare reimbursement by dealer. I was always worried about damages to loaner car and avoided, however I think with advent of radio taxi it will be easier for dealership as well if they pay for taxi.