[SLK]

Its a Sunday morning, my car's (WagonR) 40,000km service was due. I had planned to try out Competent Automobiles, Gazipur, workshop. This is one of the biggest maruti workshops in the country, 3 service floors.

I had that peculiar knocking problem at high rpm, so I gave them clear instructions to concentrate more on the tuning part. Also there was clear valve noise.

Well OK, I got a good response from them in the morning about taking care of all the problems.

Now its 5pm, and its time to get the car back.

I went there, asked for a test drive before taking delivery.
The car felt quite the same (I could still hear the tic tic of the tappets/valves), anyways I continued. Then I pulled it hard in the 2nd gear, and there it was... knocking at about 45kms/h.

The manager was called, I questioned him about the valve noise and knocking, also told him I have an Alto Vxi which doesn't have these problems. LOL....... he said "Alto uses zen's engine so its different", I didn't feel like talking another minute so I finished the talk and walked off.

He sent another person with me to check the knocking... first he drove..... car didn't knock (of course, as he didn't even go over 2500rpm)... then I took over and made him listen to the knocking in the 2nd gear.

Now this is gr8..... he started fighting!... he started showing me the back of the bill, which contains some foolish recommendations, so he said, 3rd gear is to be put at 20kms/h.

Well, I just got rid of the fools and came back. As there was no point fighting with people who didn't know the ABC of cars.

I have no words to say anything else. but this was supposed to be the biggest workshop!

[Revvmaster]

Hey Jesal

Sad to say, can't seem to understand how Maruti wins JD Power CSS 3-4 years in a row if this is the kind of attitude their biggest sevice centres show.

I don't think the people at Competent automobiles are really competent. Maybe changing your title to (IN)Competent autos might do it justice. One thing, its accepted that u have to change into 5th by 40 if u want good mileage. Thats one reason why the shift policy of 1st, then 2nd at 10kmph, 3rd at 20, 4th at 30 and 5th at 40 is used to make the shifts even and space it out. But if Incompetent automobiles thinks that u are expected to overtake that 40 ton trailler by shifting to third at 20 on a two lane highway.... i shudder to think of the consequences.

Why don't u take this matter up directly with Maruti and see what they have to say. I hope they can cancel the service centre status of such INcompetent nincompoops.

Revv

[DCEite]

Hi SLK... ive got a carbuerrator type Maruti 800 from competent automobiles (8 yrs old).. and so far the servicing and afs has been decent ... (competent automobiles Merauli Gurgaon Road)....
Just bought a WagonR LXI from DD motors wazirpur.... and have a few queries abt that car....
first of all... after about 5 months of "average getting" driving(3750)... now i have started putting some force into the accelerator peddle... but still... the car engine makes a sort of noise that suggests saturation if i go beyond abt 23 kmph in 1st gear and abt 38 kmph in 2nd... how did u manage to go 45 in 2nd...??..... also, after about 3000 kms.. i have started taking car beyond 70kmph... is it safe..??... and in fourth gear, a speed of 80kmph gives a feeling of a metro train going beneath the road, putting to 5th does smoothen the drive....and yes.. those maruti guys do say that put 1st only till 1 second of starting... 2nd till 20... 3rd till 40... 4th above 40... 5th at 45... but it isnt practical always.. isnt it....also plz explaing me what is knocking?.. i am a complete novice abt these terms... though sometimes i feel some kind of "jhatkas" when ac is on and foot on the accelerator....

[Shan2nu]

The Wagon R is not at all as refined as the Alto at high rpms. Interestingly, they're supposed to have the same engine.

The vibrations could be more due to the other mech parts like transmission etc. We all know that the WR's gear box is one of the worst i've handled, barring my cousins Indigo Diesel, which i drove in Blore.

Regards...
Shan2nu

[DCEite]

Yes shan2nu... the reverse gear is the greatest culprit.. isnt it...

[Shan2nu]

The reverse gear prob is very common among almost all cars. I've pretty much experienced this atleast once on every car we've owned or had for more than a day.

Regards...
Shan2nu

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (dceite @ Sep. 09 2004,23:17)]...also plz explaing me what is knocking?

Hi Deceite,

Welcome aboard.

"Knocking" gets its name from the sound it makes.
It is caused when the explosoins in the cylinder happen while the piston is still moving upward (instead of when it should be happening to help push the piston downward).

Knocking sounds like a rapid metallic tapping comming from the engine. You might notice it more often when the car is going uphill, or pulling more load, or in a high gear under harder acceleration.
Its also called "pinging" or "predetonation".

Have tried to keep it simple here... feel free to ask in further detail.
cya
R

[SLK]

Yes Shan2unu you are right.... The Alto sounds much better at high RPM than the wagonR. Though the WagonR feels a bit better a lower RPM.
And also I find wagonR's lower end response better than the Alto (don't know y).... well but NOW that Alto is no MORE ( Maruti is managed by school going kids )

And somehow I have had no problems with any gears.. in the wagonR. Its gear shift is not meant to be fast.... but the way I shift... it never ever gave me any trouble or displeasure like the TATAs and Mahindras.

dceite.. If you see the car manual u can see its writen.. 2nd gear 10 to 77km/h.... and third 20 to 114km/h

And... once its in a mood for it.. it will go anywhere u take it.

my car's current situation is.. such that it almost fails to cross 80km/h in 4th....

I specifically call it knocking b'coz it goes like.... tarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..... and.. doesn't give u the impression of a once in a while ping..

[SLK]

bad day today.... took it out on the car..... went 80+ in 2nd gear... without much knocking.... !! ... and if i do same in 4th gear... it knocks... Y?....
never mind.... i'll start using.. the 2nd from now on!!....

[DCEite]

80 in second gear..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MAN R U SURE IT WAS WAGONR U WERE DRIVING???.... I HAVEN'T SEEN EVEN SKODA GO TO THAT SPEED IN 2nd...!!!
IF THAT'S TRUE... I AM EXTREMELY PROUD TO OWN A WAGON R...


PS. Plz lemme know which one's better.. WagonR or Santro Xing ..?? my friends wants to know.. not i.. cause i know Santro stands nowhere in front of WagonR... just wanna show this to some friend who is interested in this....

[SLK]

But competent auto says.. use 2nd till 20km/h.

I have seen zen.. do that 80 in 2nd too... and.. esteem 110+ in 2nd....
yeah... but talk about WagonR's competitor.. the Santro... it does that too... but not in this manner... it cries for mercy.

So if I have to use.. 5th at 40km/h with a/c and 4 people... does Maruti even in dream thinks its possible?... I think you damage the engine.. and get no fuel economy... with that vibrating 4 pot thing.

[SLK]

Santro.. is a neat car... but.. I have no confidense in its engines long term (talk about 3 lakh kms) and suspension.

In all other respects.. it very much the same like wagonR... just that those front seats.. don't go as back as WagonR's... so they claim a better rear legroom.

[200mph]

well guys i own a swift and there was a problem with my ac , it stoped working only the fan was working . I went to bagga link for the same from were is got the car and those guys told me that it will take 1 week for me to get it fixed ! i was like what the hell !!!

then the next morning i went to competent automobiles gazipur , they took the car and called me in less than 3 hours to come and pick up the car i was very much satisfied with their service, only to find the next morning that the problem had started all over again ! what the HELL. i called those ppl and gave them a huge firing and then went to them and asked what kind of service they were providing . then the engineer who had worked on my car yesterday came to me and after checkin the car he told me the ac pipe was faulty and all the gas filled was again out due to which the problem has come.

i gave him a good firing as to what they did yesterday then if not checked the car properly.

then the next they day i was given the car , the worst thing on their part they generated a bill asking me to pay , the car was jus 3 months old and i was like what the hell , after much argument with them they cancelled they bill and i took my car away.

all these guys are the same , you just need to raise your voice and get the work done by them or else they would eat u up !

[humyum]

Seriously sometimes everyone gets fed up of the nature of service station guys.I had a bitter expierice with spectra motors(LBS MARG GHATKOPAR,MUMBAI).I have an 800 1998 model carbureted run 62900 km at that time.The brakes required quite a lot of effort to stop the car and even driving about 50 to 60 km used to give me bad leg aces in the right foot due to constantly applying pressure on the brake pedal.Complained about this to spectra motors and service enginner said he will check the entire braking system and let me know.He changed the front brake pads(although they were just 4500 km old),changed the back brake liners and called me up to take delivery of the car.He took me for a test drive with me in the drivers seat and to my horror they were exactly the same how i had given it to him.I told him this and that guy goes like"MARUTI 800 ke brakes aise hi lagte hai".and gave me a bill of 1600 bucks.Got home thinking maybe they will improve after the pads run in.But after 200 km of use my legs still used to ace due to contantly applying pressure.
Immediately called maruti toll free number and complained and next day took the car to ravi automobiles another maruti authorized service station and told him the entire story and the guy there mr shashank addmited that brakes were indeed very weak.He immediately checked the front brake thickness and told me the discs had worn out and needed to be changed,the back brake adjuster had worn out and needed to be changed.All the parts cost me 1000 bucks and it was very good of mr shashank to not charge my a single penny of labour after he came to know the entire story.The labour cost was around 600 bucks which he completly waived off.
Now my brakes are back as they were when the car was new and very good.
Shows how incompentent maruti guys can be sometimes and take u for a ride