[blackwasp]

Thanks to Shikhar Oberoi for sharing his ordeal with us. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

Shikhar writes...

Hello, this is Shikhar from New Delhi. I wanted to share two recent incidents with you.

1. Hyundai service centre.
Gave my Hyundai Elantra for service and the dashcam was on. I asked them to change horns and do wheel alignment and rest of the service was free of charge under Hyundai's scheme.

Got the car back, and I saw on the dashcam that the car never reached the alignment station. Reported the same to the advisor and he sent me a fake alignment report. Went to the service centre again and found out that I was correct, and they just charged me for the alignment without doing anything.

I got a call from vice president of the showroom and he returned me the amount of the bill that I had paid. I didn't want to escalate further, so the matter was closed.

2. Gave my car to MASS for 30k service of my Vitara Brezza Vdi AMT. This time they removed the dash cam cable.
I asked them to change all the necessary things mentioned In the service manual and put all the replaced parts in the boot as ford does.

Got my car delivered back home with a bill of Rs. 8000. I was surprised to see the labor amount of Rs. 3000 as against Rs. 1500 that I was charged in the previous two services.

When I confronted the advisor he told me that the system automatically takes the amount and nothing can be done. I found out later that Maruti charges higher PMS labor for 30k service, but they also do some extra work which I still don't know.

Another thing I noticed was that they changed the engine oil Viscosity and used a different brand of oil in all the three times the car was serviced. Further, the amount was different too - it kept on getting higher and higher.

This is the engine oil brands and grades changed in the three services.
10k 15w40 Rs. 1000rs Indian oil
20k 5W30 Rs. 1800rs Indian oil
30k 5W40 Rs. 2200rs Petronas

I opened the boot and found no replaced parts.
I asked the driver/mechanic to send me the photo of the filters changed and he sent me only a pic of a fuel filter stating this was changed in your car.

I got furious and after researching a bit more found out that the fuel filter they charged me on the bill was different compared to the pic that the driver sent me. Please check the part number on the bill and the one on the photo I am attaching.

I went back the next day to the service centre which is less than 2 km from my home. Car has covered only 4 km since the service.

I asked the advisor of what they have done and instantly 4-5 persons came near my car and started discussing something. And at that time I was certain that I have been duped.

I asked them to open each and every part in front of me. I found out that they changed the air filter and the cabin air filter that's it.

Take a look at the engine oil after just 4kms of running and the date on the fuel filter mentioned. My car is November 2018 make and the fuel filter was the original one that was fitted from the factory itself. So now I asked Maruti these questions to which I haven't got an answer for the past 14-15 days.

The first time I got a call from Maruti representative, he dodged all the questions and just fixated on how I was charged rightly as per Maruti. In the end he kept his phone switched off and has now stopped replying to my email.

In short
1. They didn't have bill of the fuel filter that they claimed to have changed.
2. The part number of the fuel filter which is mentioned on the bill is not compatible with the Brezza and is costlier than the Brezza's fuel filter.
3. They didn't change the engine oil + oil filter.
4. They charged me 3k as labor charges and till date they haven't told me what extra work they perform for which they are charging 1500rs extra.
5. They poured 3.3 liters of engine oil from the 3.5 liter engine oil can, and they just took it back to the store room where I saw 7-8 cans lying with 200-300ml each. This way they can easily bill another customer for the engine oil and use the leftover engine oil in his car.
6. Used different grade and costlier engine oil in every service.

[libranof1987]

While the OP has specifically mentioned his experience with these two brands, this could happen at any ASC of any brand. And unfortunately, it is far too common. Wheel alignment and balancing is one of the easiest to cheat on, as are other work items that one can't immediately or easily verify visually; eg. the 750 that Honda and Tata charge for hooking up the VDO to check for any errors.

Remember the really old thread where a Maruti ASC was caught cheating on dashcam; now both the ASCs my cars go to ensure the dashcam is disconnected.

[Trust_In_Thrust]

I just got our Hexa XTA serviced for 36months service. It has run 30000kms . The earlier service was at 23000kms in July 2020. I have been charged 25k Inr for just done service . On reaching home I analysed they have charged me for egr cleaning in this and earlier service approx 2000Inr each time . They have also charged me approx Inr 1500 for injector cleaning and I do not understand what was need of these jobs . Further based on exhaust manifold gasket replacement i got done both injector cleaning and egr cleaning requires extensive dismantling from engine head which I am sure has not been even done . I am visiting them tommorow to understand modus operandi and how they can bill for things which are not required and in my case not even done .

[abhi9044]

This is a very common issue, more than you think. I have made it a point to stand beside my car while it is getting serviced. Even then, i have been fleeced. They charged me for MGP Rust Smash which was never used anywhere on the car. They use MGP Super Lubricant as an engine polish . They spray it all over the engine bay. And after your vehicle has been serviced, about 50% of that Super Lubricant is still there which they might use on other cars. It's only if you ask them for the remaining bottle, that they will give it to you.

[SLK]

Everything is far too common. It is complete non-sense that Maruti service is better than any, in fact, I've always found them clueless and almost uneducated about the car.

The problem with the European brands is their complicated cars and lack of availability of spares, at everything else, they are as good and as bad as Maruti, just that when Maruti pulls a quick one, it doesn't financially hurt that much.

I had a very recent bad experience with Maruti, will put it down here some time.

[aaggoswami]

Looks like the oil filter isn't changed, certainly not at intervals mentioned by Maruti. So this should affect reliability ? If service isn't carried out as per specified intervals, warranty goes for a toss. Here its reverse case, the part as crucial as oil filter isn't changed by Maruti Authorized Service Center, so the owner should now ask for lifetime engine warranty or a new engine as the lack of part change can impact life of engine. Not changing oil filter is big miss. There is a reason why Glanza or Urban cruiser would sell even in small numbers : After sales and service. Toyota service centers are far less crowded and they are more organized than Maruti.

[lsjey]

It would be nice to create a separate thread detailing what to look for while servicing a car at ASC.

Like we have a detailed review of the car, a detailed breakdown of services for the cars will be really helpful. We spend about a month or two agonizing over which car to buy, but we spend years with the car we buy. I feel that this kind of service review will be very helpful.

Disillusioned with the ASCs we move to FNGs, and they are not saints. They also cheat.

So far on googling found this site to give some idea on what to expect on servicing. I've selected Honda city to give an example.

Regards,
lsjey

Note: I'm not a knowledgeable person when it comes to cars though.

[Nilesh5417]

This probably is a long running practice anyways and got worse post pandemic. I really miss good FNGs who we could spend time discussing the elements of the service and learn a thing or two about cars. In fact the chat would take place as the car got serviced building a sense of trust.
Time to promote our FNGs - BoodMo sells the basic parts / spares anyways.

[skarthikeyan]

I recently serviced my Corolla Altis in Toyota A.S.S and was given a quote for INR 12K. After challenging the engine flush, injector cleaning, I got it down to INR 8Kish and was able to save money. A.S.S have incentives to add optional services done but it's up to us as owners to judge at our discretion if we need each of them or not.

However, if the FNG or A.S.S isn't even doing the approved services correctly, that's both unethical and illegal and some of us can be present to watch over while most of us don't have that kind of time available. Asking for the replaced old parts and pictures of the engine oil can etc will help keep the A.S.S more honest. Trust is becoming more difficult if A.S.S are either greedy or forced to these behaviors due to less margins. Not sure which one's the major factor.

[adithya.kp]

I think this too has a risk. Most of the time, we have to argue with the SA to remove the unnecessary add-ons. Obviously, they will be upset. To compensate, they may not carry out a few regular tasks ( and still invoice it)
This is the concern I have. (Applies to all dealers)

Originally Posted by skarthikeyan

I recently serviced my Corolla Altis in Toyota A.S.S and was given a quote for INR 12K. After challenging the engine flush, injector cleaning, I got it down to INR 8Kish and was able to save money. A.S.S have incentives to add optional services done but it's up to us as owners to judge at our discretion if we need each of them or not.

However, if the FNG or A.S.S isn't even doing the approved services correctly, that's both unethical and illegal and some of us can be present to watch over while most of us don't have that kind of time available. Asking for the replaced old parts and pictures of the engine oil can etc will help keep the A.S.S more honest. Trust is becoming more difficult if A.S.S are either greedy or forced to these behaviors due to less margins. Not sure which one's the major factor.

[fazayal]

Originally Posted by lsjey

It would be nice to create a separate thread detailing what to look for while servicing a car at ASC.

Like we have a detailed review of the car, a detailed breakdown of services for the cars will be really helpful. We spend about a month or two agonizing over which car to buy, but we spend years with the car we buy. I feel that this kind of service review will be very helpful.

Every car comes with a service manual. Everything is mentioned in the manual in black and white. Take some time and read your service manual. While taking your car for service, strictly ask the service advisor to do only things mentioned in the service booklet as per the schedule. Nothing more is required to be done.

If they try to pull a fast one by saying that something additional is required to be done as advised by OEM but not in service manual which might lapse your warranty or extended warranty, ask them to show company bulletin or send the same information to you from their official id marking OEM service manager in cc.

[maddy42]

The reason they do not let people enter the service area is that they can fool around. This is absolute fraud and not every one can call their contacts to get the matter sorted.

Also do not compare the items which you can get online with the price in a dealership. No wonder they are called a stealership. A cabin air filter costed 1500+gst which came to 1800 while the same item is available for 900 bucks online.

Lot of folks praise maruti for their service, but my experience with them has been sub par. They even managed to bend the rod which holds up my bonnet during their service as a mechanic decided the bonnet was a nice place to hang on while he chatted.

Find a reliable mechanic outside after the free services are done.

Maddy

[k10_nag]

As others pointed out, the concerns raised by OP regarding service centers are common across all brands.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Got the car back, and I saw on the dashcam that the car never reached the alignment station. Reported the same to the advisor and he sent me a fake alignment report. Went to the service centre again and found out that I was correct, and they just charged me for the alignment without doing anything.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

3. They didn't change the engine oil + oil filter.

Oil change and wheel alignment need to be done on schedule and if service center skimps on them, the car will be impacted. If the car is out of warranty, better to get the oil change done at a FNG where work can be inspected.
If the car is in warranty, it would be prudent to get these jobs done at ASC so as not to void warranty. If you don't trust ASCs, better to drive straight to FNG after ASC completes the service.

The wheel alignment can always be done outside the service center at a tyre expert shop.

Fortunately the genuine spare parts of both Maruti and Hyundai are easily available at company outlets and in a way these brands are FNG/DIY friendly.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

1. They didn't have bill of the fuel filter that they claimed to have changed.
2. The part number of the fuel filter which is mentioned on the bill is not compatible with the Brezza and is costlier than the Brezza's fuel filter.
4. They charged me 3k as labor charges and till date they haven't told me what extra work they perform for which they are charging 1500rs extra.
5. They poured 3.3 liters of engine oil from the 3.5 liter engine oil can, and they just took it back to the store room where I saw 7-8 cans lying with 200-300ml each. This way they can easily bill another customer for the engine oil and use the leftover engine oil in his car.
6. Used different grade and costlier engine oil in every service.

Service centers always try to over-charge the customers . Its a fact of life and the sooner owners learn to live with it the better. There is no point in losing sleep over it and ruin the ownership experience. The best we can do is be extra vigilant and review the work done before paying the bill.

[Liverpool]

This is really annoying and irritating. We want to maintain our car in the best possible shape. I too have my doubts when I gave my car for service. I don't have a dashcam installed so I can't be 100% sure, they said alignment was done but I suspect they touched it. The brakes were pulsating (paddle vibrations) when braking, I asked them to inspect. They immediately said brake pads were worned out ( 20k km 3rd free service). I insisted on looking at the condition. Hearing this they took their words back and said cleaning the pads would suffice. What i mean to say is every SA gets a commission for changing parts. For them, we are just money minting machines. Stay vigilant people.
What I do these days is preparing beforehand what specifically needs to be done on the car. Owners manual helps.

[gauravanekar]

I was sharing similar experience in my motorcycle ownership thread. I feel after 1 or 2 services, authorised dealership should be avoided like plague.

Originally Posted by gauravanekar

The bike was getting washed, I was waiting in the lobby reading through the owner's manual. When I entered service area after 15 minutes the mechanic remarked that the service is complete and ready to go.

Intuitively I felt something was wrong. I asked him "How did you replace the oil filter so fast?, one needs to remove fairing for that". He said that no need to remove the fairing only one bolt needs to be removed to accesses the oil filter cover.
Then I asked him to show the removed oil filter, he couldn't find it in the oil pan, got the oil filter cover opened again, found that the oil filter had not been replaced.

I am disheartened by the dishonesty, sheer incompetence of mechanics employed by ASS. I would have carried out the first service by DIY but decided to visit showroom to maintain service record. I have made a mental note to stand vigil at all times in future.