[kamilharis]

This is daylight robbery!

Myself, I just get the regular service done from A.S.S to meet the service schedule, for replacement of any parts other than Air/Cabin/Oil filters, I check the manual and replace it accordingly, or checks the health of the part and skips it if it has got still some life left on it.


NB : I think it's high time we start some "Team-BHPians" workshops / FNGs in main cities of India!

[nick.cs]

Well at least one good part of my VW Vento service experience is whatever gets replaced or changed is found in the boot area of the car without fail. At least that's what my personal experience has been.

By this i don't mean that they might not skimp on some items but i think this is the basic expectation and peace of mind that every A.S.S should adhere to. Thats the primary reason why people don't go to an FNG from Day 1.

I think oil change, Wheel Alignment / Wheel Balancing, Window washing fluid, decarbonising are the common items which A.S.S try to stick to. Also had read that the SA has monthly targets wrt to the amount of work carried out as well.

Link (Incentives that service advisors receive for upselling you unnecessary add-ons)
A good read in case you come across the same things that SA try to push it to you

[ashking101]

I had more or less similar experience with Renault Khivraj Pearl OMR service center in Chennai.

It was nothing short of pathetic and lethargic - for an annual periodic maintenance service which should have been completed in 1-2 days, these guys took 10 days to hand over the car to me in working condition and the bill amount was 14000 rupees.

Apart from annual maintenance which included oil and filter changes, they charged me for oil pan/gasket break - which wasn't the case when I gave them the vehicle for service. Seems it was intentionally created to inflate the bill amount. Since I already told them that I was in a hurry to collect the vehicle for an out station trip, they made use of my desperation to extract the money - they knew that I will be highly unlikely to check the invoice at that moment of hurry.

Only after a week, once I returned home, I checked the bill, found that something is not right - if there is a problem with a car component it should have been either covered in the extended warranty or insurance. Also, they charged me for wheel rotation, which I found to be not true - wheels were in the same place - I had kept a marking on front wheels (same marking I use in my car battery also).

The service center and the service advisor Poochandiran's attitude was very lethargic. Same with Renault customer care - their calls were just for courtesy sake, they again loop you back to the same ASC and their highly ineffective service manager Vinodhini. They are fully aware now that, I have found out their true intent. They know that, they have to refund me the false charges - so they are intentionally ignoring my claims.

It's been more than a month, till now the issue is not addressed - neither by the ASC nor by Renault customer care.

Seems that this is the trend nowadays with ASCs across the nation. They just want to mint money somehow.

So, my advise would be, please check your vehicle thoroughly before giving for service - take photos or videos, also thoroughly check the invoice before taking delivery.

I honestly feel and fully endorse @KamilHarris suggestion that it's high time we start some "Team-BHPians" workshops / FNGs in main cities of India!

Thanks,
Ashok

[sridharj77]

While most Team-BHP readers may know a thing or two about fuel and air filters, engine oils and coolants and other technical aspects, what about the rest of us common people? Obviously, they are being duped!

Higher ASS costs will put off people (people just compare costs, not the quality delivered in such cases), so dealers seem to be lowering costs artificially, but do unethical things to improve profitability.

[gauravanekar]

Originally Posted by nick.cs

Well at least one good part of my VW Vento service experience is whatever gets replaced or changed is found in the boot area of the car without fail. At least that's what my personal experience has been.

Adding to what you’ve said, not every dealer is bad uniformly. My Ford Figo has been serviced by Cauveryford- Mangalore, Cauveryford -Bangalore, Eliteford- Whitefield, 2 different service centres of KS Ford. The experience had been uniform among all the dealers, it has been economical, professional, minimal up selling, precise billing so on and so forth. Based on my experiences I feel it’s the OEM which is the major contributing factor when it comes to dealer behaviour other than dealer promoter’s values.

In general in any organisation if there is any slippage in standards and when it is noted but ignored by the management it becomes the beginning of the end. The same applies for safety, quality, ethical behaviour in any organisation.

[souvikjana83]

Today I serviced my 11 yrs old Honda City in Pune from Demyto. I found their work quite professional. They gave a detailed report of parts that needs to be replaced along with estimation.. Also they updated me on WhatsApp all the parts they replaced showing the photo of old old part and new part together like below:









While we as common people may get suspicious on whether the parts gets replaced correctly, these steps to help a lot to instill customer faith.

[NPV]

Such frauds have become far too common these days

My suggestions based on experiences with owning and maintaining Maruti cars:

I know many of us don't have the time to stay with the car while it is being serviced, but if you care for your car, visit the authorised service centres only while the car is under warranty and try to find a reliable FNG where you can get post warranty period services/repairs done. If possible, you even buy the parts from a local MGP Store and carry it to the FNG. I try to get it done on a Saturday/holiday when I can spend half a day at the service centre with the car.

For Maruti, if your car is in warranty, I think a good idea now is to get your car serviced at Nexa service centres even if your car isn't a Maruti sold by Nexa (but services will cost you 20% more, possibly labour rates are higher too but I'm not sure) because the number of cars there is quite less, they have better facilities and you can watch the car from the customer Lounge while it is being serviced - through the large glass wall separating the service bays.

[VaibhaoT]

Around 10 days back, I spent my most of the Sunday afternoon at MASS. There was absolutely no one in waiting area. At one point, I wondered if I am wasting my time at service station. But after reading this thread, I am convinced that it was not waste of time.
I feel till you have "trusted" service place, its best to get it serviced under your watchful eyes.

[jithin23]

No matter whether it's my two wheeler or my car, I always make it a point to be around my vehicle even if it's an authorized service center or a FNG. FNG's are no less either, I've burnt my hands while getting my bike restored, so I always prefer to be beside the vehicle.
I understand it's difficult for most of us to be beside our vehicle while servicing but that goes a long way in the upkeep of your vehicle and I believe one can connect much more to the vehicle by observing what's happening to your steed

[landcruiser123]

OMG, so much cheating from an ASS is acceptable. We pay the premium for the peace of mind.

The person who shared this incident should demand an extended warranty for the engine in his Brezza. Filling different grades of oil is a complete no-no and I really hope it hasn't severely damaged the engine.

[autocrat]

Hardly surprising I would say! Time and again, such incidents come into open. The victim here is one who is alert and has managed to corner them, but I am sure such people are a minority. Many trust Car Brands and their dealers blindly and will never be aware of the malpractices that are being carried out.

I have personally seen power window switch from my car being put into another car, when I was watching this act from the customer lounge. They apologized and switched back once I confronted.

I rarely leave my car for service unattended - I will stay with the car and make sure they only bill for what they do. It takes a day almost but I feel the time it takes is an investment rather than waste.

[NPV]

One of my friends was cheated by a Maruti authorized service center (dealer owned) of almost 50k for 2 services over a span of a year or so. They claimed to have replaced the "timing kit" and "overhauled clutch" (in reality they hadn't replaced any parts related to these!) with each of those bills totaling about 25k - this for a 16 year old Alto that was in decent condition and also had a valid fitness certificate. He is a super busy guy and would ask the service centre to pick up and drop the car from/to his home. However, he thinks they've become so unethical just in the last couple of years.

After hearing about his ordeal it has reinforced my belief to use a trusted FNG but still hang around and get the work done in my presence, it also helps in my case that the FNG is located about 13km away so I just stay till the work is completed and drive back home.

[pawank]

This is why one must never leave their vehicle unattended and at the mercy of the service center. This is why service centers offer free pickup and drop facility. We can take at least one day off once a year for our beloved vehicle which costs more than a million rupees.

At least Maruti and Hyundai owners should avoid the service centers because Maruti and Hyundai Genuine parts are always available in abundance in local spare parts shops. Look at the owner's manual for what needs to be done in that particular service, purchase the parts yourself from a spare parts store or from boodmo, and then get the job done from your trusted mechanic in your presence. General maintenance is a very simple and straightforward task, anyone with proper tools can do it.

[Nalin1]

Based on these kind of experiences, do not just blindly jump from an ASC to the garage round the corner!.

There are thugs everywhere and luck also plays a big part.

These days the ASCs are not allowing customers to the service bays, but even if you stay there waiting at the lounge, they feel the pressure. Some SAs do make a note on the job card 'Customer waiting'. Of course, out of the blue if they discover an issue and inform, you can walk in and take a quick look yourself.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by Nalin1

Based on these kind of experiences, do not just blindly jump from an ASC to the garage round the corner!.

True, the keywords are "trusted FNG"
It does take some time to find the right place, I guess word of mouth (friends and family) and our own team BHP directory are good places to start with. After one or two experiences, one can easily figure out how good the garage is. In my case the "FNG" isn't even in my neighborhood and is quite far but I trust them and have been going there since last 2 years. The owners are experienced Maruti service technicians themselves with each having 20+ years of experience.