Team-BHP - Car & Accessories dealers in Bhubaneswar

Didn't quite find much on Bhubaneswar, hence thought of really putting this up for this city, given my experiences across dealers of cars, spare parts and accessories here. Its going to be long, so have patience.
Standard disclaimer - these are all purely my personal opinion, so please don't go by my words only.

To start of with, here goes my car buying experience:

Planning to buy a C segment car, I started with TDing Ford Fiesta, then Honda City, then Fiat Linea and the SX4 at the last - in that order and preference as well (SX4 was the last on my mind, and that's what I ultimately bought).

Capital Ford (Ford) - Situated on NH5 towards Fire Station. The salesman was quite friendly and was well informed about the car. I TDed thrice, and all the times the salesman gave me that comfort level everytime. When mentioned about the pluses of other cars, he quickly pointed out the great driveability of Fiesta (and its smaller size as an advantage w.r.t. taking it in tight roads and parking spaces).
The salesman did follow up quite a few number of times later, and was quite eager to arrange for my old Indica (for exchange/sell), but somehow did not click. Moreover, I got a few informal feedback of bad A.S.S. of Ford - more so as it is the only Ford car dealer in Bhubaneswar.

Highway Honda (Honda) - Not sure where they are situated but guess, its on NH5 towards way to Cuttack. After TDing, it was out of my mind - more due to the GC and feature list at that price. Though salesmen were informed, but somehow fumbled when I talked about the offered (rather, not offered) features at that price (though one of them kept saying about how good the VTEC engine was w.r.t. the competition).

Swapna Motors (Tata-Fiat) - Situated in Mancheswar. In this case, I once got my old Indica serviced by them. Though it was a normal service (they picked up and dropped off the car at my house), they charged rs.7000 for it - lot of stuff done seemed to be overpriced for this service, or did not make much sense.
Now comes the experience iin TDing Linea - two words, "really bad".
Note that it was the only dealer dealing in Fiat cars when I was planning to buy (May-Jul '09 timeframe).
I TDed the Linea thrice. The first time they came 30 min late, second time 2 hrs late, third time again 2 hrs late - excuse was, too much TD demand and only two TD cars available (one diesel, one petrol) .. :Frustrati
The salesmen were not very well informed of the features, but kept pushing me to close the deal fast, even when TDing. The way they talked was more like as if I'm planning to start a taxi service fleet.
I almost decided to buy Linea anyhow (great car indeed) - though tossing my options with SX4 (I'll cover that next), but the last nail in the coffin was when it came to exchange of my old Indica. They did not have a section to exchange old cars (not sure if they have one now). Hence, they kept sending me some really harassing prospective Indica buyers
directly to my home, even anyone from Swapna Motors accompanying them !
.. and later as if they were not satisfied after whatever happened, the salesman kept calling me and asking me "aap kab kharidenge? aap mujhpe gussa hai?" ..... etc.

Narayani Motors - Situated in Rasulgarh beside the BP petrol pump. SX4 from Maruti was the last on my list. I TDed it thrice at different points of time while deciding on the car to buy. Found that the salesmen were friendly, but not at all interfering or trying to push the product. Even when I kept TDing and comparing the features with the other cars, they kept acknowledging that (guess that's their marketing technique to boost the buyer's ego ..:D).
Coming to the actual deal at the showroom, found that the sales manager was really inconsistent in his communication. First round negotiation went quite well, second round he promised to give me seat covers and parking sensor free. Kept pursuing me to take their insurance and get registration done by them (in that case the salesmen and the manager were quite frank in stating that they did make some profit). Third time, sales manager straightaway denied about the parking sensor and told me to pay half the price for seat covers - I totally denied ; my wife, and the salesman backed me up. But the manager still did not agree.
On the final day of delivery, I informed him that I am going to place a complaint on the same to Maruti Suzuki. Quickly the sales manager changed his color, served cold drinks and promptly gave me seat covers for free (I did not take the parking sensors as it was two-sensor device with a small display only from MGA that I did not like). Later after delivery, the salesman pointed out that the manager somehow gave me non-MGA floor mats (very thin black ones) - so got one more chance of nailing him ; so on top of those mats he gave a set of nice thick MGA mats.
One more thing - the dealer could not give me much choice of color on SX4, saying about the waiting time and low demand of the car. I wanted azure grey, but ultimately settled for silky silver (though my wife was quite happy with it). Also, the sales manager at the last day when I went to decide on the color and final deal, tried pushing me a little to close the deal fast - the salesman though was quite good and later told me to negotiate hard with this manager and get things right.
So, beware while you talk to sales managers while making a deal.

Sky Automobiles (Maruti) - Situated on NH5 on way to Vani Vihar. Salesmen were quite friendly, non intrusive. But did not care to follow up in between (somehow seemed not very interested?) until two months after I already bought my SX4 from Narayani. Further, they were not able to give me any better deal that Narayani.

Jyote Motors (Maruti) - They have two showrooms ; one near Kalpana Square, the other on NH5 towards Fire Station. I visited the former near to closing time.
Going inside the showroom, I was literally lost of whom to approach. The salesmen were going around but nobody seemed interesting in addressing me. Went to one of them dozing off at one of the desks and talked to him. Did not find him very interested though.
Feedback from one of my colleagues who got his SX4 from the other showroom has been positive, but he did not get any better deal than what I got from Narayani. With this, this dealership was out of my list.

Utkal Hyundai (Hyundai cars) - Only got their feedback from others ; couple of my colleagues who got i10s, Getz, Santro and Verna from them - so not my direct opinion. They were quite good and friendly, and good part was, they were getting chosen car registration numbers without charging the customer.

Now comes my experiences in spare parts and accessories buying:

One of my SX4's OEM tyres (JK) was stripped off in an accident, so great quality they were of ..... ?!?!?!?!? So my tyre buying experience went like this:

Gugnani Tyres - Situated on Cuttack Road. This is the most famous tyre dealer in this city ; even the other dealers swear by it ! Previously I got an extra tyre for my Indica from them, and undoubtedly the owner was excellent in terms of guidance in buying the right tyre and giving you the comfort feeling.
Coming back to my SX4, was not able to find the correct specs (205/60R16) with any dealer. I was keen to get JK (just to keep everything matched up). After going through a lot other dealers (including Gugnani), still could not get this specs. Gugnani, after promising my JK (they had Bridgestone rotation, and Apollo with same specs), made a delay of 5 days to get JK ! - this was of course genuinely attributed to the festive season holidays and distributor shops being closed. The owner did every attempt to get them, but at last I bought the apollo. Initially though I settled for the bridgestone and got it fitted to the wheel, but got them take it off and put apollo, as the bridgestone was a rotation tyre and could either be fitted for left or right side. Recommended

Express Wheels - This is in Patia somewhere down on the right after crossing Big Bazaar at left.
The owner was quite friendly and good. They were also very responsive in following up when I asked them if they can source this specs for me (confirmed the availability and called me on my cell to know if I'm interested). Their stock is limited as its a small new dealership. Did not buy from them, but would definitely look at dealing with them if required later. Recommended

Rajdhani Tyres - Situated on Cuttack Road. They again were not able to source the right specs but tried pushing me to buy the specs they had (225/55R16) which I did not agree to. The owners did not seem much interested, even though they also were reputed and old with a huge stock. Not recommended

At last my experiences with accessories shops:

Car Palace - Good dealer situated on Cuttack Road on rght if coming from Rasulgarh square. The dealer did not seem to smile much, but was dependable in pricing and dealing. I was going to them since I was having my Indica, but recently seemed that their stocks were going down. Got car cover for my SX4, nothing more than that. Recommended

Classic Cars - Situated on Cuttack Road on right (near FlexPrint, after crossing Gugnani tyres and taking a U-turn). They are also quite good and have a large variety of accessories. Got some good car shampoo, interior cleaner, and decorative accessories from them for my SX4. Recommended

Car Magic - Situated on Cuttack Road on right.These people seem to overprice everything and cannot even bargain much. Got Philips Diamondvision bulbs for Rs.2000 (found its little less at other dealerships). Also, the dealer was more interested in gossiping with other guys in the shop rather than providing the right guidance in buying any product, even though they have a good stock. Not recommended

Unique Fashion - Situated opposite to Ram Mandir on Janpath Road. Quite good, has a good stock of accessories. The owner is elusive, but the other guys who run the shop are great to deal with - gives good guidance in what to buy and what not.
Got 4-sensor parking sensors, extra floor mats, FM modulator with USB/SD, and a few minor accessories from them. Have been most satisfied dealing with them. Pricing is also right (note that you can still bargain in any of these shops). Recommended

Service experience from Narayani Motors workshop:

1) First free service (1010km) for my SX4 went quite well. A service advisor went on a short test drive with me to know if I am having any problems. I pointed out the typical clutch vibration in 3rd gear.
Was there at the workshop the whole time. But, once saw the worksmen at the shop floor chatting, holding the oil can (to be changed) for at least 15 min. Went to them, and then only they started moving. The clutch was adjusted, along with oil and filter change.
Total charges - Rs.1250
My service rating - 9/10

2) An accident (bike hitting almost head-on towards the right) caused a bad dent to the fender and bumper towards front right and stripped off the right front tyre. This happened on the Konark to Bhubaneswar highway. Called up the salesman (he had been quite friendly since I was his first SX4 customer ?!), but he advised that since it was a Sunday and quite far from Bhubaneswar, there will not be any emergency service available from Maruti - hence, to somehow change the tyre and drive back to the city. Please let me know if Maruti hotline really helps in such cases - the accident happened at around 60km from Bhubaneswar. I somehow replaced the wheel with the spare and drove back.
Took the car the next day to the workshop. Estimate given was Rs.3500. They said painting/denting will take 2 days. The 2nd day, service advisor (SA) called me up and informed that the windshield had broken due to heat from sunlight (?!), hence had to be replaced which will take another 2 days. Kept telling him that it cannot be due to sunlight, but the SA kept telling me the same thing - I could guess by his tone that he was hiding the real reason, but anyway had to relent to the repair time.
Asked them to send me a loaner car (the workshop notice board mentioned that if any car is kept for more than one day, the customer is entitled to get a spare car for interim use - guess this applies to Maruti dealer workshops?). First the SA hesitated, but then he agreed and sent it by evening. It was Durga puja time (quite important festival for us Bengalis, so did not make sense sitting at home anyway). They gave me a Swift from their True Value outlet (so guys looking at Maruti True Value second hand cars, make sure its really in top condition). The car given was in good condition except that the right high beam did not work.
Next day went and saw my car under repair. The windshield crack was towards the bottom middle, and it was quite evident that it was due to someone accidentally striking the glass with something.
Anyway, asked them to drop-off the car to my home with the bill. As for payment, once the SA mentioned that I will be charged for the replaced windshield, which of course I denied outright. Then he told me that he will talk to his supervisor - and I firmly told him, whatever he or his supervisor thinks, I will accordingly complain to Maruti - that too, there was too much of a delay.
When the car was dropped off after repair at my home, the bill was for Rs.3500 - windshield was replaced free of cost as expected. But what I found was they had broken off the GPS stand fitted to one of the cup holders. Placed the complaint to Maruti, and it was promptly serviced - Narayani sent two worksmen to my home to fix it.
My service rating - 6/10

3) One more accident gave a bad dent towards the car's back right on the bumper. Unfortunate - was slowly moving to take a U-turn (cars in front of me moving one by one), when some bike with three riders without any helmet on it hit at the back with full speed and fell down, getting really badly injured.
Took to the workshop - the SA advised me not to apply for insurance as it will not take more than Rs.2000 (that was the estimate + taxes). Work was done well, but the SA was reluctant to give me a loaner car - though saw a lot seemed to be available at the True Value outlet which is beside the workshop (don't know if there is any problem for them giving a loaner car to a customer, inspite of mentioning it on their notice board). Informed the SA in advance that the GPS stand should be carefully handled. The work took two days for completion.
Asked to drop my car off at my home. As I am driving now, seemed that the mileage shows to be less than what it used to be (don't know if the driver had sold off any quantity of fuel anywhere mid-way, or its something else).
My service rating - 7/10

..... second service is due after 5000km (currently having 4300 on the speedo) or in Jan '10, whichever is earlier. Let's see how it goes.

Let me add my experience with Swapna motors:

I call up on the board line seeking a test drive on the petrol punto. I talk to the sales executive who takes my name and address and promises that he will send the Punto diesel(Apparently, they didn't have a petrol Punto for the TD) to my place in Cuttack for a test drive.
The next morning one of their sales guys calls me to fix up a time when he can come to my house. We decide on meeting around 3 in the afternoon but he finally doesn't turn up!!
He calls me the next morning and apologizes for not being able to make it and again we decide on meeting in the afternoon around 3. But again, he doesn't turn up!!
He calls me, third morning in a row, and I get angry at him this time. He apologizes again and promises to reach my house in the afternoon. Not surprising this time when he doesn't turn up.

Fourth day: Some guy from Swapna Motors calls me and rudely says " Sir, when you did not want to buy a Punto, why did u ask for a test ride??:Shockked:
You should have said you wanted to see the Linea!!"

:Frustrati

This time I lose my temper and hurl profanities at him in the same tone that he spoke to me in. The guys just hangs up!

Having had enough I log on to the Fiat India website and leave a complaint.
Surprisingly, I get a call from the regional office in Kolkata the very next day. After explaining him the experience, i find that he's not ready to accept my version. In fact, he tells me "Sir, Swapna motors has got the best rating in an all Orissa evaluation of automobile dealerships!" or something like that.
And I'm like, dude, dont give me that load of c**p because I have experienced their people first hand. Finally, he insists that I still try the car out and decide.
Same evening I get a call from some senior manager/deputy GM to apologize(He says it was just a misunderstanding) and to offer me a car for TD.
I say " Thanks but no thanks. If this is how your people behave when they have to sell their product, God help me if i buy your car and I come to you again for service!!"

P.S: Finally ended up buying a Ritz Zxi from Sky Automobiles. Even that was one hell of an experience. Will post soon.

Experiences with Service / Spares / Accessories in Bbsr:

1. Aditya Hyundai, Tamando:
Had a Hyundai Santro when I arrived in Bbsr. Aditya Hyundai near Tamando was nearest. The Service Manager (one Mr Manas Ranjan Lal), was pretty customer friendly. Staff was okayish in terms of technical expertise. Wasnt impressed when they once fitted my Bridgestone tyres in the wrong direction. Had to take the car and get the alignment and balancing done again.
Opinion: Take your vehicle there only if you know your vehicle well, or you wont know what they have done with it.

2. Padmalaya Sales (Mitsubishi Dealership):
Acquired a 2003 Pajero after a year's hunting for a CBU. Finally landed one, with the help of their GM, Mr Tushar Patsani. Great guy, with thorough knowledge and an understanding of the customer's requirement. Will go out of his way if required to satisfy the customer. We are kind of friends now. The service staff is good (under supervision..hehe) and will do a good job on your vehicle. Same punchline here, that you either need to know your vehicle completely or learn about it on the floor. Spares are expensive off the dealership, but they wont prevent you from getting your own spares fitted at their place. They wont charge you at times too. In case the spares are not available, or expensive, and in case a repair from the open market is possible, they will help you get it done thereby saving a lot of money.
Over the period of my Pajero ownership, and the subsequent mods made on it, I have built a close rapport with almost all the staff, and I would say the experience has been satisfying (contrary to what people say about Mitsubishi Service). Add to it the reliability of the vehicle, and I am super-satisfied.
Opinion: Recommended. And if you are a car-lover, dont hesitate buying a Mitsubishi.

3. Gugnani Tyres: Agree with @car-go completely. The owner and me have become kind of good friends.

4. Car Comforts (beside the Vespa Showroom): Super owner, will give you honest advice. Wont overprice you. Fantastic guy to deal with.

5. Mtek: Great experience dealing with them, and their owner Nikhil knows his work. Deals well, and sensible.

Rest of the accessories shops I have tried have been mediocre in terms of knowledge, willingness to understand the client requirement, and lethargic work culture. I once came across a owner who asked me to remove my high ankle Para boots before entering his shop. I asked him why, he says "andar Bhagwaan hai". I simply told him to sell his wares to his so called Bhagwaan and left.