[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by Swiftoholic

Gear oil
Brake oil
Coolant
Air filter
Cabin air filter
Oil filter

He clarified the above ^^^

Originally Posted by saket77

...
Oils & filters 2500? Which oil, esp when you write synthetic engine oil for 3600 next?
...

[filcord]

Zounds, wish I had read this thread earlier.
I've just brought my SX4 petrol from the 20k service at Chowgule, Goa.
My bill was as below (I have left out VAT and other taxes):
1 Gasket, Oil, Drain Plug 3.11
2 Filter Assy, Oil 126.22
3 Cabin Air Filter 311.11
4 Grease (E) LEP2 1 kg 73.07
5 Brake Fluid GC 1500AA (250 ML Pack) 137.78
6 Coolant (Golden Yellow) 208.89
7 MGO (5W30)-Shell 1230.75
8 MGGO (75W90) 837.78
9 Paid service-30K/50K/70K/90K/110K 1,105
10 Brake Pads / Shoe Check/ Cleaning 550.00
11 Accessories Fitment/ REpairs 100.00
12 Fuel Injector Assy (All) R&R 700.00
13 Steering Rack R&R 949.00
14 FISC 737.78

On closer look I realise that I could have done without No. 3 (and its labout at No. 11), as also Nos. 10 (brakes were cleaned just 10k kms back and I had no complaints). Also padding this bill was No. 12 and 14. These amount to almost 40 per cent of my bill!

The SA slipped them in so smoothly that he had me nodding at almost everything he suggested, and I started having second thoughts only when I saw the bill later. Then I looked up some of the terms on this forum and found this thread. Drat - too late. But anyway, I am now forewarned.

[devansn]

That's a huge bill indeed! Swift K series requires service every 5K Kms, right? What is the average cost you incur apart from this one?

My Punto diesel is close to 55K and the total service cost I have incurred should be around 22K rupees!

By the way, I recently got a chance to talk to one sales person in a Maruthi showroom. As per him the margin they get on cars that cost around 5 lakhs is between 5000 and 10000 rupees only. Service is the only way they earn money.

[Swiftoholic]

Originally Posted by devansn

That's a huge bill indeed! Swift K series requires service every 5K Kms, right? What is the average cost you incur apart from this one?

The service interval for Swift K series is 10 k, I usually am able to stretch it by a couple of thousand kms with the use of Synthetic oil. Without the synthetic oil the service wouldn't cost more than 6k even at Pasco. I am expecting it to be about 5k going forward, 'with Synthetic oil', by switching the service station. And I will have choice of oil too.

[pranjal1984]

I gave my Maruti 800 for servicing at Bimal Auto Agency Guwahati on 13.08.2013 as it developed lots of rattles. The same workshop had serviced the car last February at a cost of 4400/-. The car was bought in 2000 and has run only 25000 kms and is impeccably maintained. In the evening , my dad received the car and he had to shell out another 3200 bucks. So in seven months, we had to shell out a combined 7600 bucks for a car which we are maintaining like a horse. So much for Maruti service and quality. We have decided to give the car for servicing at local workshops from next time.

[zoombiee]

Mod Note : Please use the EDIT or MULTI-QUOTE buttons instead of typing one post after another on the SAME THREAD!.

To know how to multi-quote, click here.

Originally Posted by Swiftoholic

Are the labor rates cheaper there or do they simply not offer services like Throttle Body Cleaning and Fuel Injector cleaning during a normal service or both?



I am curious to find out how useful are Throttle Body cleaning, Fuel Injector cleaning and if they really are essential why are they not covered under the Service labour charges. Will my car engine or any other major part die a premature death if I dont get these done regularly? If they ARE necessary, how often should these be done?

I recently got my car serviced at Suraksha in Bangalore. There was circular put out there from Maruti which essentially said, throttle body cleaning has more aesthetic value add than actual performance value add. They said they had tested out quite a few cars that had done more than 1 lakh kms. It further went on to mention how it needs to be carried out if deemed absolutely necessary (by Maruti Engineer) or if the customer wants it.

Originally Posted by Swiftoholic

Gear oil
Brake oil
Coolant
Air filter
Cabin air filter
Oil filter

I dont think Synthetic Oil is the recommended oil by Maruti. Have you asked for it. Mineral 5W30 oil which I think is what is recommended by MSIL should cost about 1,200 for 4 litres, if you use MGO.
Coolant should not cost you more than 200-300 buks. Air Filter should again cost you something less than 500. Cabin filter is not essential. All service centres are pushing this. I fit this on my SX4 and I think its worth the money. It costs 350 buks. Oil Filter costs 150 buks. Brake oil should cost you 200-300 buks if you use MGO. Gear Oil should also cost you close to 500 buks if you use MGO. So the total would come to less than 3000-3500.

What I have experience maintaining a used 5 year old SX4.
"Maruti is the best company when it comes to customer orientation. Some service centres are good, some are bad. But all service centers are mandated to provide you information by MSIL. If you ever visit a good workshop like say Suraksha, you would have a board stating price of each and every component that you buy along with standard labour rates. These rates are lowest in the industry. Workshops are obliged to show you any circular, based on which they recommend you something. Again, the devil is in the detail. MSIL circulars are clear about specified/recommended and advised MGP/MGA/MGO. Advised is good for your car but not essential. Synthetic oil falls into this category. Read the owner's manual, it contains detailed list of what needs to be done when. If SA deviates ask him for a reason or documentation to support the recommendation"

I personally know a Alto which has run 2.75 lakh kms. All that was done is to stick to recommended parts/oils. Service was done as recommended in manual. Nothing special was done.

Bottom line - Maruti service isnt getting very expensive, unethical SAs find innovative ways of exploiting customer's insecurity.

[pranjal1984]

I gave my Maruti 800 for servicing at Bimal Auto Agency Guwahati on 13.08.2013 as it developed lots of rattles. The same workshop had serviced the car last February at a cost of 4400/-. The car was bought in 2000 and has run only 25000 kms and is impeccably maintained. In the evening , my dad received the car and he had to shell out another 3200 bucks. So in seven months, we had to shell out a combined 7600 bucks for a car which we are maintaining like a horse. So much for Maruti service and quality. We have decided to give the car for servicing at local workshops from next time.

[supremeBaleno]

@pranjal1984, once warranty is over and you see the MASS overcharging you for the service, it is time to look around for a reliable local garage.

OT: We bought our first car (M800) from Bimal Auto Agency, Guwahati in 1985, when they were the only dealers for whole of Assam. Since we stayed some 300 kms away in Sibsagar, every service meant a 600+ km run.

[jkdas]

My colleagues Swift VDi had got more bills than my Safari! Looks like once his touches the odo read of mine, Safari will be cheaper to own :P

Will try to get the bills he got for 60 and recently the 70k service. Either he is being taken for a ride or this is the trend with M.A.S.S.

[pranjal1984]

supremeBaleno, I agree with you.I had even purchased their free service vouchers. Even after that they charged me 3100 bucks. I am giving the brief breakup of whatever they charged me for:

Bulb: 36.19
Unit Assy Clearance:77.14
Strut Assy LH(With Brush Set):1280.95
Mount Strut:123.80
Stopper Strut Rebound:19.04
Plunger Steering Rack:184.76
Bushing Steering Rack:97.14
Lock Washer Steering Tie Rod:13.34
Distilled Water:19.04
Cleaning Cloth:47.62
Screen wash concentrate:42.87
Labour:1351
Total bill: 3081.00
And this is without use of any coolant or engine oil and when last service for Rs 4400/- was done in February 2013. I will never visit any Maruti Authorized Service Centre in Guwahati ever again.

This experience has made me wiser.

[zoombiee]

Originally Posted by pranjal1984

supremeBaleno, I agree with you.I had even purchased their free service vouchers. Even after that they charged me 3100 bucks. I am giving the brief breakup of whatever they charged me for:

Bulb: 36.19
Unit Assy Clearance:77.14
Strut Assy LH(With Brush Set):1280.95
Mount Strut:123.80
Stopper Strut Rebound:19.04
Plunger Steering Rack:184.76
Bushing Steering Rack:97.14
Lock Washer Steering Tie Rod:13.34
Distilled Water:19.04
Cleaning Cloth:47.62
Screen wash concentrate:42.87
Labour:1351
Total bill: 3081.00
And this is without use of any coolant or engine oil and when last service for Rs 4400/- was done in February 2013. I will never visit any Maruti Authorized Service Centre in Guwahati ever again.

This experience has made me wiser.

It seems your entire front left hand side suspension system (shock absorber) has been changed. A bill of 3000 odd for the same is actually quite lesser than what other manufacturers charge. I did an estimate for my palio and this would come close to 10-11k. Either this was done keeping you informed or without keeping you informed. Ideally you should have complained about serious suspension issues on your front LHS for them to do this. If you did complain and they did not keep you informed, the charge seems ok, but not keeping you informed is un-acceptable. If you did not complain and they did not inform you, they need to do quite a bit of explanation on this.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by zoombiee

It seems your entire front left hand side suspension system (shock absorber) has been changed. A bill of 3000 odd for the same is actually quite lesser than what other manufacturers charge. I did an estimate for my palio and this would come close to 10-11k. Either this was done keeping you informed or without keeping you informed. Ideally you should have complained about serious suspension issues on your front LHS for them to do this. If you did complain and they did not keep you informed, the charge seems ok, but not keeping you informed is un-acceptable. If you did not complain and they did not inform you, they need to do quite a bit of explanation on this.

It is not entire LH suspension it is strut assembly , Entire suspension will include ball joint , tie rod ends , lower arm etc as well. The price seems to be OK but not too low.

Originally Posted by jkdas

My colleagues Swift VDi had got more bills than my Safari! Looks like once his touches the odo read of mine, Safari will be cheaper to own :P

Will try to get the bills he got for 60 and recently the 70k service. Either he is being taken for a ride or this is the trend with M.A.S.S.

Yes I concur to this view. I sold my Maruti 800 recently it's parts and labour used to cost more then Safari.
I never went for frivolous rip-offs like engine de carbonization etc but bare basic items.

Safari yearly service or 15K is around 5000Rs ( with 7.5 liters of Castrol GTX-D included) , Maruti 800 service costs around 2500 to 3000 every 6 months at the minimum so yearly service costs come equal.

Apart from this the labour rate and parts cost are really high now a days.

[Safari_Beast]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Maruti has been increasing the service cost on it's vehicles. Case in point their diesel filter design change for the new Swift. The old filter had a simple diesel filter just like all diesel vehicles do with a metal canister. They changed this on the new Swift to put the filter in a plastic housing and added sensors to the top and bottom of the plastic body. The result of this design change is a 3x increase in part price. The old Swift diesel filter cost was Rs. 1300/- the new filter cost is Rs. 3143/- inclusive of taxes. This coupled with the change over to semi-synthetic oil has raised the average service cost of the Swift. The 20k service of the Swift should now cost in the range of Rs. 10,000/- or upwards.

This is how the new expensive filter looks:

Attachment 972704

This botlle has to be opened up and new filter cartridge needs to be put in . That filter costs just 1200 rupees , i think you are mistaken on the part that whole assembly has to be replcaed .

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by Safari_Beast

This botlle has to be opened up and new filter cartridge needs to be put in . That filter costs just 1200 rupees , i think you are mistaken on the part that whole assembly has to be replcaed .

That is good to know. But, the service advisers at Sai Service insist on complete part replacement instead of the filter. Already wasted 3 x 1200 on my first diesel filter replacement. Quite a shame that the front line staff at a reputed service outlet doesn't know this.

[Safari_Beast]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

That is good to know. But, the service advisers at Sai Service insist on complete part replacement instead of the filter. Already wasted 3 x 1200 on my first diesel filter replacement. Quite a shame that the front line staff at a reputed service outlet doesn't know this.

What i think they must have done is , they would have replaced the cartridge and charge you for the whole bottle and cartridge . Diesel filter cartridge is available at all maruti authorized spare parts dealer and service center . I think you should shoot an email to maruti for same that this was done and your money will be refunded back .