[dijkstra]

I own a Tata car. And thus far, have been unable to find one ASS in my city - Kolkata, that has been satisfactory.
In my two years of ownership, at the 3 separate service centers I have serviced my car, the general trend has been that they are:
1. Terrible at problem diagnosis
2. Always manage to add a new problem instead of solving the original problem (I have some examples)
3. Okay at regular fluid changes
4. Suck at mechanical maintenance
5. For bodyshop repairs, paint color matches well but paint quality is poor

In terms of utility then, they are really not much better than roadside noname garages. Except maybe the courtesy part. Service center staff have generally been very courteous but sadly courtesy with absent competence doesn't help mechanical problems.

It may seem that I'm generalizing and I really hope that there are exceptions, but this has been my experience.

My question to fellow owners of Tata cars on teambhp is:
1. What would be your strategy maintaing your car while it's still within warranty given this poor state of Tata ASS.

2. Do you know of any authorised service center in Kolkata or within 20KMs of Kolkata, that are really good with knowledgeable people who are willing to help?

3. If not ASS, any well-known FNG you would recommend? Potential troubles for warrany claims in future?


Now about the examples I promised:
1. SC in rajarhat. Took car for a scratch repair. They added another deep and prominent scratch on the same panel, after the repair job!

2. SC in park circus. Compalined about mileage. Got the usual reply to drive under 2k rpm, not to brake often. They adjusted something that improved mileage (from 8-10kmpl to 13kmpl) but absolutely broke the initial acceleration of the already puny engine of Altroz NA. I can confirm that the initial grunt is missing in my car compared to an untouched Altroz.

3. SC at Jugberia. 24 months major service. SA advices brake bleeding among other things. Brake had no problem before service. After service, the crisp and confident brake of factory Altroz is now a spongy, unsure brake with little to no response in the initial 30-40% of pedal travel. I spend one entire additional day at SC to let them fix it. Asked them multiple times to completely bleed the lines but no help. Finally service manager accepts the problem and asks me to leave the car with them, they will measure various metrics in the braking system and determine what's wrong, and it might take upto 5 days. I refuse. The SA even advices replacing the master cylinder and break booster of a 2 year old, 6900km driven car. To add, they adjusted the rear beake which has now made the hand brake lever very hard and hasn't helped the original cause.

I am, at this point, tired of these experiences, and really think just not servicing my car (other than fluid changes) would have kept it in a better shape. And maybe just go to good FNGs as and when needed. Only hesitation is the warranty. I have 3 more years of warranty left.

Please advise, and share your experiences too. Thank you.

[GTO]

You have to get your scheduled services & maintenance at the Tata dealer only. Too risky to lose warranty coverage as parts costs of modern cars can get expensive.

That being said:

Originally Posted by dijkstra

What would be your strategy maintaing your car while it's still within warranty given this poor state of Tata ASS.

Scheduled maintenance at the ASS only.

Scratch & dent repair (like you got done) can certainly be done at an FNG.

Tata is experiencing enormous growth in new car sales, purely driven by their fantastic new cars. However, it is a fact that their service network hasn't been able to keep up with the sheer volumes and is simply overburdened.

End of the day, service quality all comes down to your service advisor. Go on a less busy day the next time and try to build a rapport with your SA.

[greenhorn]

The only things you have to do are the mandatory scheduled maintenance as per the user manual. If the service center says something else, ask them to get it from tata in writing. It usually consists of fluid and filter changes. Everything else can be done outside. That's what I used to do.

Just don't mention that you're giving the car outside, and act like your car is unusually reliable. Also try using tata original parts ( you can get them off boodmo) so that you car looks all original. If you use aftermarket parts then the service centers will be able to spot it

[PaddleShifter]

Question: Did you opt for extended warranty? What is the total warranty period left?
Edit: I saw that you have three more years of warranty remaining.

If you are facing issues, my recommendation to you is as follows:

1. Stick to ASC for all scheduled services/ periodic maintenance. Do not opt for any extras such as throttle body cleaning (EGR cleaning for diesels), brake cleaning, lubrication etc. Let them perform the bare minimum given in the service schedule.

2. For any other work on the car, find a good independent garage. Make sure no third party/ aftermarket part is used though, that can be identified in the service center and become a cause of warranty denials.

3. Once you are done with the warranty period, you are free to get the car serviced anywhere.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by dijkstra

I am, at this point, tired of these experiences, and really think just not servicing my car (other than fluid changes) would have kept it in a better shape. And maybe just go to good FNGs as and when needed. Only hesitation is the warranty. I have 3 more years of warranty left.

Please advise, and share your experiences too. Thank you.

When you own a new vehicle that is within warranty the expectation is that most things are taken care of by the ASC, exceptions are there like cleaning, alignment etc that needs specialists.

List down all the things that are wrong with it, take it to the ASC on a not-busy day, sit down with the manager and have a conversation. Allow them a week or more as needed to fix everything and get your car back, from that point on it should be a routine service vehicle, that is a fair expectation.

[dijkstra]

Originally Posted by GTO

End of the day, service quality all comes down to your service advisor. Go on a less busy day the next time and try to build a rapport with your SA.

I agree, having the SA on your side helps. Having experienced mechanics on the floor is also important. The chap who did brake bleeding on my car at the SC did a poor job. Unfortunately, some SAs too leave a lot to be desired when it comes to automotive knowledge and problem diagnosis.

Originally Posted by greenhorn

The only things you have to do are the mandatory scheduled maintenance as per the user manual. If the service center says something else, ask them to get it from tata in writing. It usually consists of fluid and filter changes. Everything else can be done outside. That's what I used to do.
...

This is what I'm planning to do.

It's just sad that Tata is ruining the entire experience of owning their vehicles with terrible service experience. For me, it's wasted time, money and effort with added headache.

[digitalnirvana]

Please have a word with respected BHPian Arjab as he has good contacts with Lexus Motors ASC. I am also PMing you Dulichand workshop manager contact who is referred by another respected BHPian Sumanta. I'd recommend taking the car to Dulichand as you've already tried Lexus.

Edit - I can't PM you due to newbie, so posting the contact here. Mods please delete it if needed thanks

Anirban Sinha Dulichand Sumanta referred
[Mobile] nine six seven four seven four nine one zero zero

[Dry Ice]

Sorry to hear about your experiences with Tata service.

What is the scheduled maintenance interval? Hopefully, it’s a year or 20k between services? If yes, then you only need to deal with them 3 more times

I would suggest to pick the ASC closest to you and get them to work on the bare minimum that’s required to maintain the service record. Check your manual and do not agree to anything apart from what’s required for your car’s age/kms. Service centres usually have a habit of trying to pad multiple things to inflate the bill.

Get your washing, wheel alignment and balancing done outside at better equipped shops. This will ensure you are out of the ASC in quick time.

But, that’s only half the battle. Finding a competent FNG is not any more easier than finding a competent company ASC. Plenty of FNGs are simply the cowboy variety promising you the moon. Be sure to be vigilant (atleast initially), and buy the parts yourself even if you manage to find a good one via personal recommendation.

Good luck, and hope you can start enjoying your car more and not worry about the maintenance side of things too much.

[dijkstra]

Originally Posted by digitalnirvana

Please have a word with respected BHPian Arjab as he has good contacts with Lexus Motors ASC. I am also PMing you Dulichand workshop manager contact who is referred by another respected BHPian Sumanta. I'd recommend taking the car to Dulichand as you've already tried Lexus.

Edit - I can't PM you due to newbie, so posting the contact here. Mods please delete it if needed thanks

Anirban Sinha Dulichand Sumanta referred
...

Thank you for the recommendation and contact. I haven't tried Lexus Motors SC as it's quite a bit on the outskirts. I bought my car from Dulichand and know a few people there, although haven't visited them for service since it's somewhat far from my place. I'll have a chat with their service manager.

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Sorry to hear about your experiences with Tata service.

What is the scheduled maintenance interval? Hopefully, it’s a year or 20k between services? If yes, then you only need to deal with them 3 more times
...

Good luck, and hope you can start enjoying your car more and not worry about the maintenance side of things too much.

Thank you, sir. Yes, major services are 15k KM/ 1 year apart and minor ones are half of that.

[Bala02]

I have a question regarding the consumables part from Tata ASC, while this is not mentioned in the cost calculator in the TMSC app, the SC guy tells me it's a general norm for them to add consumables around 500 Rs. They say this is used for brake cleaning etc. Please let me know if this is the right practice?

[dijkstra]

Originally Posted by Bala02

I have a question regarding the consumables part from Tata ASC, while this is not mentioned in the cost calculator in the TMSC app, the SC guy tells me it's a general norm for them to add consumables around 500 Rs. They say this is used for brake cleaning etc. Please let me know if this is the right practice?

Whatever consumables they charge for should be mentioned as separate line items with their corresponding HSN/SAC, and should be related to a specific job. However, they do sometimes use a generic HSN (something like 998714 or so) and a generic name like "3m brake service". Always ask them what it is for. As an example, on my 24m major service, brakes were serviced and there's a line item for brake service consumables and panel protection which was charged at Rs700 including gst. Another line item for grease was charged at Rs300.

[Big Smoke]

Try Dulichand Motors Workshop.

My Harrier is serviced there since bought. Initially they were very callous and slow. My car had one small part missing on the day of delivery and the service centre was not responding actively for the part replacement. I complained to Tata Customer Care. Consequently, the Manager of the Workshop reached out to me, developed a good rapport and have been more attentive in servicing my car ever since.

However, I will agree that they are not very competent in solving major issues. And I never get the body work done from them. Body work has always been at AV Designo. It is stupendously fast and very good quality work there. Apart from engine and transmission issues, AV Designo can take care of other mechanical problems.

Also, never leave your car at the Tata ASS. Read about the issue and try to solve the problem with the SA & mechanics. But avoid leaving the car with them for multiple days.

[Chhanda Das]

Having suffered for decades with the Tata cars and trucks in my family, I have sworn to never go for Tata cars again and vehemently discourage almost everyone from buying them
However, in your case, what is done cannot be undone without taking a substantial financial hit at least in the near future. Being based in Kolkata and from what I have heard from friends and family members alike is that Dulichand Motors is amongst the reasonably good service centres for Tata. I hope this helps and I wish you happy and safe drives ahead

[vivek_saha1304]

Originally Posted by dijkstra

I own a Tata car. And thus far, have been unable to find one ASS in my city - Kolkata, that has been satisfactory.

I would recommend you to once try Motor Fuel And Stores which is a Tata Authorised Service Center on Beadon Street. You can ask for Swarup Mondal, he is quite a good SA. The owner of the workshop is always present and is very courteous. Try to build a good rapport with both of them. As far as normal maintenance is concerned, they are quite good at it. Never having faced any mechanical issues on my Altroz, touchwood, I'm not quite sure how well they would handle it.
Hope this helps. I'm attaching the link to their workshop as well.
https://g.co/kgs/Mo6ai9

[hashbro]

I own a Tata vehicle for the last 5 years and have been servicing regularly at Dulichand. My experience with them have been quite positive. I have been to TC Motors, Rajarhat once and it was an absolute disaster. I would suggest to visit Dulichand.