[YC.BALENO.CHD]

Dear Bhpians,
Many of you might be of opinion that am a firm supporter of Maruti Suzuki cars, I won't be surprised if some of you think am a Maruti fan boy considering my family has been a Maruti customer since a couple of decades. What pleased me about cars from MUL was their jap motors, good handling (no, am not talking about ESTILOs) and most importantly one of the best after sales support the industry has to offer.
This time though, I have something different to offer.

Its been a year since I have moved to Bhopal and recently it was the second time my car (2006 Baleno Vxi) was taken by us to "MY-CAR, Bhopal" . First time it was for regular service but this time around it was for some repairs and this is where the story begins.

On early morning of 25 March, a stray dog crashed into my car. The car was doing around 70 kmph. The crash resulted into a cracked bumper and a loose front grille. Soon after, it was discovered that the Aircon is malfunctioning.
On 27th dad took car to the aforementioned MASS centre.
Incidentally, some service camp was in progress and the Incharge of the camp inspected the car. After being told by dad he also noted that the front suspension is to be inspected as there was some sound from the Front right while negotiating full right turns.

The same day it was told that the Front bumper, grille, AC-Fan will have to be replaced. Also, it was told the condener shall be checked the following day. Dad requested them to contact him on monday(29 March,) so that the Insurance people may inspect the car in his presence. He left the car and came back home.

Here is the sequence of events that followed.

29March: Dad was not contacted and the car was surveyed in his absence. Same day when he reached the service centre he was handed over the estimate and was told that he would have to pay about 15000 bucks. He was also told that the parts for Maruti Baleno were not in stock and have to be ordered by evening as the orders are placed on Mondays and Fridays only.
On much pressing the guy handling the repair job admitted that the condenser might not need replacement and a repair may do the job.

It was told that the car will be fixed by 5th Apr.


During the course of time Dad had to go out of station and he visited the centre only twice between 29th and 5th

It was quite a shock to note that the order for the parts had not been made till 2nd april. No explanation or whatsoever was given by the guys there.
Also, it was told that the condenser had to replaced as it was damaged beyond repair.


5th April : All that was changed with the car in a week's time was that there was a thick coat of dust on the car.
Talking of the spares, it was told that only the bumper had arrived and as the Baleno has been discontinued the parts are hard to come by.
Also it was told that the estimate given will have to be increased as the grille costs around 7000 bucks. By this time I and Dad were losing our patience and we demanded to see the Invoice of the orders placed with MUL Gurgaon. But it fell to deaf ears and we had no option but to wait till friday.

9th April : By this time the estimate had swelled to around 20000 bucks. Till then, the only progress was that Dad was showed the bumper that had arrived.
Same day he talked to MUL regional office at Indore and he was told that the parts for Baleno are readily available on order and that at the most they may take 4-5 days to reach the MASS centres.



It was then that it was realised that no order had been made by the MASS centre till that time. However, they told the car will be repaired by sunday 11th april.


11thApr : Dad was shown the original condenser and explained the extent of damage. Not convinced he demanded that he will be collecting the damaged parts once the repair has been done.

Till then no repair had commenced and the only relief came the following day when we were told that the spares "are on the way" !


Days passed and dad repeatedly visited the MASS centre only to note that parts have not been arrived.


13th Apr : Again the MASS centre failed to deliver the vehicle and only saving grace was that the condenser and the grille had arrived (as told to dad)

15th Apr: This time around the AC-FAN was not availabe and that resulted into another delay. By this time we were sure that something was hanky-phanky. Dad called Indore office of MUL and talked to some senior executive. He patiently listened to our side of the story and promised to call back in few minutes. As promised he called back and we were informed that no order had been placed on 29th march as 31st was closing day. Also the order could not be placed next monday or friday because of some national holidays.

16th Apr: We were informed that the repair work has commenced. However, the car could not be repaired that day due to reasons best known to the guys at service centre. We were also shocked to know that the battery has to replaced.
We purchased a new battery from MASS that day and went back home only to be told that the car was not yet 'fully repaired'

17th Apr: Finally, dad went to MASS at morning and had to threat them that he is going to approach consumer forum. Also, he filed a complaint in the complaint register at the MASS. Finally by afternoon all the parts had arrived and the car was fixed.


This all that followed on 17th April:


1) The bumper was painted while Dad was present at MASS.
2) All the parts were installed the same day.
3) By now the bill had shot up to 27000 bucks (approx)
4) Finally when the car was ready here is what he noted:

a) An Idol bought from Sidhi Vinayak Temple,Mumbai was missing.
b) The interiors were not cleaned
c) Nothing has been done about the suspension noise.
d) The dashboard had somehow loosened itself.


17th Apr: (15:00 hrs) : Finally dad drove the car back home. A driver from MASS drove our other car back home. I noticed that the new bumper was Misaligned and fresh scratches were present on left side of the bumper. Also, the left front fender was scratched.

The driver who drove back our other car testified to MASS centre on phone that no collision had taken place on drive back home and so the bumper must have been damaged at the Service centre itself. He was instructed to drive the car back to MASS immediately.

19:00 hrs : The car wasn't back till then. I and Dad had to leave the city in a couple of hours. Finally the car came back around 21:00 hrs. By then we had left the city and there was no one to inspect the car.



We were very much agonized by the most unproffesional and shoddy service by MASS we had ever seen.
Till date no replies to the complaints we had filed with the MASS centre has been recieved by us.

Following points really disturb me

1) Why could not we be informed that as no order can be placed in 10 days time we may take the car back instead of leaving it at MASS only to gather dust?

2) The car has done only about 30000 kms and the battery was fine when the car was left at MASS. How did it got discharged and rendered useless? Also, only the make of the battery was noted at the job-card and the battery no. wasn't so its impossible to verify if the battery we were shown was really the one which my car came equipped with?

3) The car wasn't washed properly and if that wasn't enough they managed to scratch the new bumper and the fender. The fender was also not re-painted when the car was returned on 17th night.

4) No info about the missing idol has been recieved. Also, the badging of the original grille was missing. When asked, the reply was the badge had been used on the new grille but still we were charged for new suzuki badge.Does MASS Bhopal take pride in pilfering things?

5) Finally, now that all this has happened, how can we be certain that no other part (brake pads/clutch plates/flywheels/connecting rods/etc.) have not been tempered with?



If this is how MASS deals with its customers, I guess Fiat is no worse than Maruti after sales. Atleast you don't have high expectations with Fiat/skoda after sales and so even when they disappoint you, atleast its not this shocking.
If I have go thru all this ordeal at MASS workshops (that too a 'reputed' one) I guess am better orf buying that sexy italian sedan and go thru such ordeals at fiat workshops instead.
If anything else, it has put our decision of buying a used gypsy king on hold as we can't really predict how low MASS bhopal can go with cars like baleno/gypsy/vitara/versa as they are not half as popular as Altos and swifts.


Baleno owners: Its a request to baleno owners who go thru this to kindly email me some close pics of front bumper (lower half) and engine bay as am suspecting something still amiss with the way my car looks. (EMAIL ID: ycferrari2005@yahoo.com)


Also, if required I can post pics of all related documents (complaint copy/job card) after 26th when I'll be back at bhopal. I may have missed some details as I was busy with my exams these days and shall edit/add when I'll be back home.



Thanks to all those who went thru this boring and lengthy post.




Regards.

[amtak]

Welcome to the bad world of Maruti. I own a 2005 Zen and am treated the same way you were when I take my car for servicing at the MASS. I was a Jagadish Khattar loyalist and have moved to Carnation for repairs and servicing.

Its a pain to deal with MASS these days.

PS: Mods, please move this thread to the correct section.

[YC.BALENO.CHD]

Now that is really bad. I was thinking that this mess is concerned with bhopal only (Chandigarh/lucknow/Dehradun were very efficient when we got our cars serviced there) but Mumbai is one of the biggest cities and Maruti can go wrong at Mumbai its time many of us stop hailing MUL as king of ***.

Carnation Auto seems promising to me but as am new to Bhopal am not really sure if CA is present there.

Regards

[zoom_vroom]

Hey YC baleno, get in touch with Maruti asap. I am sure the dealer would be taken to task for causing such ordeal to customer.

[YC.BALENO.CHD]

Originally Posted by zoom_vroom

Hey YC baleno, get in touch with Maruti asap. I am sure the dealer would be taken to task for causing such ordeal to customer.

Yeah, the way "My-CAR Bhopal" handled the job they atleast deserve some action from MUL. The trouble is am at Lucknow presently for some exams and Dad is frequenting between Delhi and Mumbai this month. Anyways, I'll be collecting all the relevant documents once I reach home next week and shall be approaching MUL H.O.
Though to be really honest, once trust is broken there is little anyone can do to build it up again and I am truly dissappointed with MUL. Its no different than TATA/SKODA/FIAT atleast at Bhopal.
Also, I would like to get my car inspected by techie (not from MASS Bhopal) to make sure if MASS hasn't pilfered/replaced anything else.

[Technocrat]

Thats really sad to know. I had heard that they were better than Jeevan Motors but it seems they are going down the same path.

I would recommend that you register a strong complaint with Maruti, it seems to have worked in past in Bhopal(Jeevan Motors).

I suggest that for all future services you take the car to Vasanti Automobiles in M.P.Nagar. They are very reliable & quite reasonably priced (cheaper than M.A.S.S.). They too are authorized for servicing Maruti cars. We have had our cars(Omni & Alto) serviced from them for over a decade now.

You can aslo get your car inspected at Vasanti for any damage which might be done by My Car

[rohan_iitr]

I have also had a bad experience with My Car in Bhopal.

My dad's Maruti 800 was given for servicing and the coolant was supposed to be changed. They charged us for the coolant but never filled the coolant.

When we drove back the car after servicing, we noticed that the fan came on. When we took the car back to the service centre, they found that there was no coolant in the car.

Rohan

[rjstyles69]

I would say email this directly to MUL's head office in the north and add the linky to this thread. MUL is pretty serious when it comes to customer satisfaction and I have experienced it 1st hand.

Baleno owners: Its a request to baleno owners who go thru this to kindly email me some close pics of front bumper (lower half) and engine bay as am suspecting something still amiss with the way my car looks.

Just dig around in older baleno threads, I am sure you could come up with something. I have taken only 1 picture and its here.

5) Finally, now that all this has happened, how can we be certain that no other part (brake pads/clutch plates/flywheels/connecting rods/etc.) have not been tempered with?

Definitely a possibility with the car at their mercy for so many days. Why dont you look around for a better place and get everything checked.

[mnhegde]

@YC.BALENO.CHD: That's really sad to know. As suggested by our Friends here, register a strong complaint with MUL. Post some pics (Front and engine bay) of your car, as you said you feel there are some changes. Keep updating the thread.

[columbus]

YC

Welcome to Bhopal. There are three dealers here "My Car", "Jeevan" and a newer one "Satyam". Its a rat race between them as to who is the bigger thief. I had faced similar issues when i went for accidental repair of my wife's Estillo at Jeevan motors.
You can see the smile on the service manager when the car comes to them for accidental repairs. Given a free hand they might just bill you the cost of complete car.
In your case please do check up that the parts replaced are from genuine MGA. The dealers have a habit of buying the parts from local market and bill them as MGA.

If you want to get your car checked then you can try Jeevan Motors. I know couple of good mechanics there. Our 800, my father's zen and now my wife's Estillo get serviced there. PM me if you are going to Jeevan. Will tell you the name of mechanic to contact. Or as techno has suggested ..try vasanti auto.

In fact PM me your number....it will be good to catch up with a fellow bhpian.

[Alter_Ego]

I had recently purchased A-star ZXI from My-CAR bhopal for my folks back home and indeed have never seen such a bad customer service from even tata service centre where I take my safari for service.

My-car bhopal is the worst car dealer,considering all brands and not only Maruthi.They are a stain on the renouned MASC all over India.

If possible definitely take this matter to consumer forum.I am ready to help you out in case you need any testification on my behalf.

[YC.BALENO.CHD]

Whoa! Didn't knew there are some active members from Bhopal. I had been at lucknow since 8 months and as I used to be in Bhopal only for few days it never occurred to me that I could had got in touch with Bhopal Bhpians.

Yes, I'll be looking forward to a members meet soon.

Coming back to the thread topic, now that almost everyone here has horror tales related to MY-CAR, I guess it will be some fair amount of hit and trial to find a better MASS centre as going by the reviews here it will be hard to trust the other centres as well. Though I intend to get my car checked at one of the other two centres (and I may have to trouble you Columbus for getting in touch with that mechanic).


Also, I am grateful to the members here who are ready to support a fellow bhpian previously unknown to them.


As for the pics of the car, I'll be posting them on 28th as I'll be in Bhopal by then.

Actually while inspecting the new front bumper, I noticed two unsecured mountings on each end of the bumper. At first I thought the mounts are for AUX lamps but somehow am not convinced. I mean unless am mistaken/imagining things the mounts should be secured/screwed to the bumper mounting/bracket.
Also, the paint quality of the bumper looked inferior than the previous unit.

I have decided to take up this matter and post a full fledged complaint with MUL H.O. by next week.
Even if the mechanical bits of my car haven't been fiddled with I would like to have an explanation why such a long delay was caused and why was I charged the cost of a new bumper when it was damaged (alnog with the fender) before the delivery of the car?

@columbus- I have PMed you my no. Kindly let me know yours so that I can contact you when am at Bhopal.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by YC.BALENO.CHD

........
Coming back to the thread topic, now that almost everyone here has horror tales related to MY-CAR, I guess it will be some fair amount of hit and trial to find a better MASS centre as going by the reviews here it will be hard to trust the other centres as well. ..........

Maybe you should rephrase 'least crooked'.

[Alter_Ego]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Maybe you should rephrase 'least crooked'.

Totally agree.The lesser of evil of the devils
But I guess this is the case in each and every state.The choice basically trickles down to choosing the dealer or the service which can do the least harm

[YC.BALENO.CHD]

Originally Posted by Alter_Ego

Totally agree.The lesser of evil of the devils
But I guess this is the case in each and every state.The choice basically trickles down to choosing the dealer or the service which can do the least harm

Do not know about all the states but the service I have been receiving at Chandigarh (BERKELEY'S) was at par with anywhere else. Dehradun (MODERN AUTOS) and Lucknow (KTL) are quite good too.
But Bhopal's MY CAR is a nightmare, they probably never heard anything remotely related to Ethics.


Okay, a bit of fresh news, Mom told me over the phone that the bumper has somehow again seemed to misalign itself and now there is gap between the fender and the bumper, enough to put a finger in between.
The car has been now parked and covered and nobody wants to use it as the bumper might get damaged further and my family is quite busy these days.
So, another visit to a service center is on my TO-DO ON REACHING BHOPAL list now.