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Old 5th October 2022, 10:52   #1
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RSA on an important holiday | That's why Maruti-Suzuki's customer service is #1

I needed to drop a friend at the BLR airport late in the evening 2 days ago and we decided to stay at a hotel near the airport after dropping him off. The next day we had planned to drive to MAA, which incidentally was the day of Ayudha Pooja.

It was a small hotel and the car park was on the road, with a security guy watching through the night. The next morning after breakfast, my wife and I get in and I crank the engine. It shudders violently, with black smoke billowing out of the exhaust. I switch it off immediately. It ran fine just yesterday evening and I am surprised at this.

I open the bonnet and I am shocked!!
There is petrol all over the engine bay, like someone poured a mug of petrol all over. Although I realise it is a fuel leak, I dont know where the leak is, as the engine bay is drenched. I think of a small experiment. Told my wife to keep safe distance and watch the bay to see where the fuel is leaking - told her I will turn the ignition on for a split second, without cranking. When I did that, I could see fuel gushing from the rubber pipe leading into the injector manifold. Thankfully, problem identified - it was the rubber fuel pipe, which meant a simple and easy 5 minute job of replacement.

Now, I had forgotten it was Ayudha Pooja and realised it only when I started contacting the nearby service centres. None of them agreed to help, citing Ayudha Pooja. :
One of them suggested I call Maruti On-road Service MOS as they call it. Honestly I had no hopes - for other daily consumer products and services [non-Maruti] how many times have we called a Toll Free 1800 number, only to get an SMS saying our complaint has been registered and then nothing happens.

So, I called Maruti MOS or RSA and explained my predicament. The lady was very patient and promised that the nearest MSIL service centre will call me in 10-15 mins. At no point did she make the excuse of Ayudha Pooja [1st pleasant surprise].
As promised, I got a call from a technician from Pratham Motors [2nd pleasant surprise]. He patiently heard my problem and asked me where I was. Told him I was near the new BLR Airport and then he told, MSIL MOS had told them I was near the old HAL Airport. Oops - MSIL MOS had bungled up my location. Told him to forget it as there was no point in him travelling for 2 hours for a 5 mins job.
Called MSIL MOS again and told them to rectify the location. I emphasised that I was near the new Airport and not the old one!!
As expected, I got a call from Bimal Auto Yelahanka. The guy heard me and told me it was a holiday and all service centres are closed. I requested him to help and he agreed to come [3rd pleasant surprise]. He asked to share some photos so he could get the right part, which I did. 4th and most pleasant surprise - he was at my location in 30 minutes, along with his mechanic. Replaced the rubber hose in 5 minutes and I was good to go. Rs. 1,200 including part and RSA cost!! I was really glad they came on a holiday to help and I gave them Rs. 2,000.

This is why MSIL is #1 in Customer Service. Bear in mind, this was on Ayudha Pooja when none of the tools / equipment / vehicles are supposed to be put to use. MSIL still made an exception and attended to a customer request, which by all means was a small 5-minute job, which they could have very easily ignored and / or refused.
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Old 5th October 2022, 11:49   #2
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re: RSA on an important holiday | That's why Maruti-Suzuki's customer service is #1

Thanks for sharing this experience. Maruti engages a well trained customer care team. They listen, respond and arrive, unlike most other companies which do not take help calls seriously. Once I was stuck on the side of the road because my under warranty Tata Nano had a malfunctioning driveshaft. The Tata helpline told me that the car can only be picked up after 48 hours in an area around Kolkata. In another incident, our Baleno sedan had a electrical issue one morning, and the Maruti team arrived on the same weekday morning within an appreciable time, even for a long discontinued car with rare parts. That gives a picture of the dedication of the Maruti customer service team.
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Old 5th October 2022, 12:02   #3
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re: RSA on an important holiday | That's why Maruti-Suzuki's customer service is #1

Kudos to MSIL for keeping up this Client Servicing a priority. I still recall and cannot forget the feedback I gave to the ASC after one of the regular maintenance services on my Ex- Ertiga which was basically an average score for the car wash as the alloys weren't cleaned properly.

The MSIL guys called me multiple times and informed me that I can take the car for the wash whenever I'm near their ASC. I rejected their offer stating why should I waste my time and they still pushed me and said, no worries, we will pick up the car and drop it back if you're busy Sir.

Simple feedback on the Car Wash and this kind of humble service was overwhelming.

You can bash MSIL all you want, but a reality check for the sour grapes is that MSIL has The Best Client Servicing. Period!

Cheers,
Amey
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Old 5th October 2022, 12:05   #4
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re: RSA on an important holiday | That's why Maruti-Suzuki's customer service is #1

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaumad View Post
... Replaced the rubber hose in 5 minutes and I was good to go. Rs. 1,200 including part and RSA cost!! I was really glad they came on a holiday to help and I gave them Rs. 2,000.

This is why MSIL is #1 in Customer Service. Bear in mind, this was on Ayudha Pooja when none of the tools / equipment / vehicles are supposed to be put to use.
Though i am happy that you didn't panic, understood the situation and identified the root issue, i would not encourage such high tipping in Indian market. There is nothing wrong in tipping, but i don't want anyone to set such high standards, considering other Maruti users and their budget allocations.

Its hard to beat Maruti just because of this kinda experience. I once visited Goa during Republic day and i got Towing service, Repair and a bill of ~1200 for Clutch cable, Installation and towing on republic day or around after 6:00 pm i believe. They even ensured that a few mechs are bought back to fix this tin can. Fixed it, so i could drive around and have fun. Never had to even think of pulling any strings to get it fixed.


Skoda/VW & Fiat Learn something from your peer who sells Tin cans.

Last edited by Mustang_Boss : 5th October 2022 at 12:08.
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Old 5th October 2022, 12:17   #5
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re: RSA on an important holiday | That's why Maruti-Suzuki's customer service is #1

MSIL is so reliable in these matters. Especially RSA. Distance, time, day, holiday nothing is an issue. This happened to me a long time ago. My 800 broke down 35 kms from where I am based. Middle of nowhere and at 2 in the night. I was coming back after a surgery and bang!. One call and these guys came over, got the car started, dropped me home and took the car to the garage! Got my car back by evening!
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Old 5th October 2022, 12:28   #6
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re: RSA on an important holiday | That's why Maruti-Suzuki's customer service is #1

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaumad View Post
This is why MSIL is #1 in Customer Service. Bear in mind, this was on Ayudha Pooja when none of the tools / equipment / vehicles are supposed to be put to use. MSIL still made an exception and attended to a customer request, which by all means was a small 5-minute job, which they could have very easily ignored and / or refused.
Thanks for sharing your experience. You did not mention which car it was (or did I miss it?), but from your signature, I assume it was a SX4.

I have had a similar experience of great RSA and emergency service from Maruti on my SX4, and I truly agree with your thoughts and appreciations.

I have explained that incidence in detail here.

In summary, on my car which was more than 10 years and 120,000km old that time (till then I had an absolutely reliable experience), while driving the car normally one fine morning, the AC compressor belt snapped and I had to pull over hearing loud hitting noises from inside the engine bay. The noises were followed by a strong burning smell. I called the Maruti service centers I could find in my phone. They redirected me to the nearest one, a mechanic came to my spot in exactly 30 minutes as promised, immediately and correctly diagnosed the real issue, did a temporary fix, drove my car to the service center, and there, they replaced the broken belt with a new belt in quick time. And the bill for all of that, including the RSA and the cost of the new belt, was around Rs. 1300! And all this with a polite, patient attitude and a smile on their face!

Having experienced many service centers, on many incidences, on different brand of cars, I genuinely believe Maruti service is absolutely the best and there is a reason why they are regarded #1 in customer service. The peace of mind I get when I drive my old and aging SX4, now with more than 130,000km on the odo, is invaluable, and my faith in Maruti service is a huge contributor to that peace!

Last edited by Dr.AD : 5th October 2022 at 12:36.
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Old 5th October 2022, 12:36   #7
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re: RSA on an important holiday | That's why Maruti-Suzuki's customer service is #1

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaumad View Post
This is why MSIL is #1 in Customer Service. Bear in mind, this was on Ayudha Pooja when none of the tools / equipment / vehicles are supposed to be put to use. MSIL still made an exception and attended to a customer request, which by all means was a small 5-minute job, which they could have very easily ignored and / or refused.
This is also the reason why we had opted for ASC to be top most priority over anything when buying a car. ASC was the reason we had to opt for SCross over Creta, Ecosport & even an used X1!!

Even if one MSIL or Nexa ASC does not provide a satisfactory service, we're not at their mercy nor we've to travel 100s of Km to find another ASC. There's plethora of ASC scattered, not just within the city, but over the entire country. When I broke the oil sump at Chainigothi (nr Gangotri) accidentally, our trip was delayed only by a day without having to cause any major inconvenience; right from towing to finding the parts to fixing it & claiming insurance, everything was handled satisfactorily by DD Motors.

Even today we get a call from Seva Automotive, Nasik, for once we splinted the bed bolt due to the umpteen number of rumbler strips in MH. They worked on my car on priority considering we had to leave the next day.

Leaving with the most apt MSIL advertisement that stands true to this day


Last edited by Aditya : 5th October 2022 at 15:59. Reason: As requested
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Old 5th October 2022, 12:39   #8
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re: RSA on an important holiday | That's why Maruti-Suzuki's customer service is #1

Kudos to Maruti Suzuki.

This is main reason Maruti Suzuki still leads the race and deserves the win. Nobody else can match the Maruti competance. I hope all other manufacturers learn from Maruti Suzuki.

This is one main reason I asked my brother to go for the Vitara Brezza. The pre facelift model was well balanced car on all aspects. And there's no worry about service.

Last edited by Benoit : 5th October 2022 at 12:40.
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Old 5th October 2022, 13:38   #9
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re: RSA on an important holiday | That's why Maruti-Suzuki's customer service is #1

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr.AD View Post
Thanks for sharing your experience. You did not mention which car it was (or did I miss it?), but from your signature, I assume it was a SX4.
Yes indeed. It is an almost 15 year old SX4 ZXi and has done 175,000 kms. The car has never left me stranded in its entire life. I am not considering a rat-bite which was the cause for the fuel pipe leak as explained above, as a breakdown.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr.AD View Post
.....AC compressor belt snapped
.....loud hitting noises from inside the engine bay
.....strong burning smell
Interestingly I was in the exact same situation a couple years ago on my drive from Trichy to Chennai. After stopping for a while on the highway, I carried on my journey to Chennai, since the vehicle was running just fine. Just did not have the AC for that part of the journey - we somehow managed.
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Old 5th October 2022, 13:53   #10
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re: RSA on an important holiday | That's why Maruti-Suzuki's customer service is #1

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaumad View Post
There is petrol all over the engine bay, like someone poured a mug of petrol all over.

When I did that, I could see fuel gushing from the rubber pipe leading into the injector manifold. Thankfully, problem identified - it was the rubber fuel pipe, which meant a simple and easy 5 minute job of replacement.

Replaced the rubber hose in 5 minutes and I was good to go.
Do you have pictures of the damaged rubber hose? What type of damage was on the rubber hose? There are reports of camphor shoot borer damaging rubber fuel delivery hose in petrol cars. Was the damage similar to what's on the thread below?

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...ines-cars.html (Attracted by the ethanol content in petrol, beetles attack fuel lines of cars)
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Old 5th October 2022, 14:32   #11
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re: RSA on an important holiday | That's why Maruti-Suzuki's customer service is #1

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Originally Posted by Sankar View Post
Do you have pictures of the damaged rubber hose? What type of damage was on the rubber hose? There are reports of camphor shoot borer damaging rubber fuel delivery hose in petrol cars. Was the damage similar to what's on the thread below?

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...ines-cars.html (Attracted by the ethanol content in petrol, beetles attack fuel lines of cars)
I dont think it was the creature you mentioned. This definitely looks like a rat bite.
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RSA on an important holiday | That's why Maruti-Suzuki's customer service is #1-sx4-fuel-pipe-leak.jpeg  

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Old 5th October 2022, 17:44   #12
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re: RSA on an important holiday | That's why Maruti-Suzuki's customer service is #1

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Originally Posted by Kaumad View Post
I dont think it was the creature you mentioned. This definitely looks like a rat bite.
Looks like a thirsty Rat indeed, and its a relief knowing the beetle bite isn't widespread.

Kudos to Maruti RSA
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Old 6th October 2022, 08:03   #13
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re: RSA on an important holiday | That's why Maruti-Suzuki's customer service is #1

Should we start a thread everytime a company's RSA does their job well like they're supposed to? I mean, it's what we pay them for right? On paper, holidays don't apply to RSA providers. I would find it alarming only if a mass player like Maruti Suzuki, even with their extensive network in our country fails to provide quick service. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they helped you so well like you've mentioned - but it's probably one of the main reasons you went for a MSIL product in the first place.
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Old 6th October 2022, 09:20   #14
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re: RSA on an important holiday | That's why Maruti-Suzuki's customer service is #1

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Originally Posted by lonetraveller89 View Post
Should we start a thread everytime a company's RSA does their job well like they're supposed to? I mean, it's what we pay them for right? On paper, holidays don't apply to RSA providers.
Very valid points!! I would have not posted this if this was any other normal day and MSIL RSA had assisted me. You are missing the situational importance here.

There are 2 aspects.
1. There are holidays and then there is Ayudha Pooja. Tradition dictates that no tools be put to use on this day, including the RSA vehicle, which they came in. No amount of corporate mandates can supersede deep-rooted Indian traditional beliefs and practices. All of us know this.
2. This was not an emergency / life-threatening / dire consequences situation. It was a simple fuel pipe replacement which the RSA guys could have very easily refused, considering the "importance" of the replacement was quite low.

In spite of the above 2 aspects, they made it a point to attend to my request. That is what sets MSIL apart from the rest of the OEMs in India.
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Old 6th October 2022, 09:48   #15
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re: RSA on an important holiday | That's why Maruti-Suzuki's customer service is #1

Thanks for sharing this. 3 years back, I had a similar experience with MOS where they turned up on Christmas at 7 in the morning. It wasn't fuel pipe leak though, my battery died. That was for my Swift Dzire and the car was 10 years old then - not on any warranty. Compare that with the supposedly second best manufacturer, Hyundai: I had a problem with Verna ( when two of its wheel nut lugs broke off ). It was on a wednesday afternoon and when I called their on road service, the call center guy wasn't even listening but explaining my car is out of warranty and they cant help.
MSIL is miles ahead.
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