[@tombum]

Car picked up on Wednesday (9th March) for the AC upgrade. Service was quite apt and 'on the toes' this time.

Car returned, same day evening by 5 PM. Some work has been done on the AC unit, though I couldn't make out what. Still have to checkout the aftereffect of the install.

However, 2 issues about the Blue&Me and the clicking sound from the rear left side of the Car is still unsolved. During delivery, the SA informed that the issues were resolved. But a quick check and the problem is still there.

Have scheduled a visit next week!

Meanwhile, on the same day while returning home, a rick scratched the rear left door pretty badly leaving a bad long scratch. It's a dented scratch. Fortunately, the paint has not been scratched.

[@tombum]

2 issues about the Blue&Me and the clicking sound from the rear left side of the Car, I have lived with this for the past 6 months.

May 27th, was scheduled for the 1 year service on Friday. Here are the issues:

• BlueMe not working. The phone gets diconnected as soon as it connects and if I plug in the USB, the media player hangs. It's MS afterall!
• There is a continuous rattling sound when the car is on the move even if there are no pothole. And if there are potholes, the rattling increases a lot. No idea about the source. I had raised this issue when the AC was upgraded but they FORGOT to look into it same as the BlueMe issue
• My cousin tapped on the passenger side Sun visor with the vanity mirror and there... the plastic strip holding the mirror cracked and the mirror popped out
• Slotting into Reverse gear is a task in itself. It is nearly impossible in the first go.
• Slotting into any gear is a bit of pain, specially after I drove a few Hyundais

And with apprehensions that they will goof it up this time too, I gave my car for service. Well, as expected, Cargo Motors proved once again their Shitty affairs. I am not going to post all that happened. I will just post my letters to Mangesh that covers the whole ordeal.

Sent on Friday 27th May:


to Mangesh Kodalkar ,
Ravi Suri ,
"Cargo Rajpath Workshop (CRM)"
cc sservice@fiapl.com,
ceodesk@fiapl.com,
rajeev.kapoor@fiapl.com
date Fri, May 27, 2011 at 1:43 PM
subject Re: YOUR VEHICLE PUNTO REG NO-GJ-1KD-3515
mailed-by gmail.com

Hello Mangesh,

A new day, a new chapter.

I thank you for all the support that you have provided me till date.

Today, I had scheduled my 1 year/15,000 service at Cargo Motors, S.G. Highway, Ahmedabad. There are a few running issues and the customary oil, oil filter, fuel filter change that has to be done.

I really thank my stars that I asked Vraj, the service advisor about the oil that will be changed. He told me it would be Castrol. I have read in the manual about Selenia, and also being an active member of various automotive forums, I was aware that Selenia was what Fiat recommended. I asked him about Selenia but he kept on insisting that Fiat recommends Castrol for all their cars. I was surprised as it meant that I had some wrong information. I asked him for the details and he mentioned Castrol Synthetic 0w40.I requested him to wait for my instructions for oil change and then continue.

I researched on the Fiat recommended oils in Punto and Linea and everywhere I could find just Selenia or probably Mobil 1 (for performance needs). I called Vraj back and asked him again about the brand whether it is Castrol Edge, Edge sport or Magnatec, but he once again told me that it is just Castrol Synthetic 0w40. When I inquired about other brands like Shell, Mobil 1 etc, he exclusively told me that they keep only Castrol as it is recommended by Fiat and Tata. He also reminded me that if I do not get the oil changed then the oil and fuel filter will also not be changed and my warranty will be void. So I gave in.

I then called the toll free number of Fiat and the lady told me to inquire at another dealership. I called in at ASPI motors and the SA there told me that they use Selenia for Linea and Punto, Castrol was for Palio and older cars. I was aghast. I then called Mr Hiten Rathod, as the CRM at Cargo was on leave and explained him the issue. He kept on reiterating that Fiat recommends Castrol and they do not any other oil. I told him about my calling Fiat and ASPI and about Selenia, and he assured me that they will call back after clarifying.

I then called Fiat Pune plant, talked to Sandeep in the CS dept and he informed me that Selenia is the recommended oil and no other should be used. 20 mins later, Vraj called me up and mentioned that it is a mistake at their end and Selenia will be used. When I asked him why he had mentioned that other than Castrol they stocked no other brands, he had no answer.

Now, is this pure ignorance, callousness or trying to rob the unaware Customer. It's just because I made a hue and cry that they agreed on Selenia over Castrol. For other unsuspecting customers, it's just Castrol.

Is FIAT keeping a check on all their dealerships? Just because Castrol pays good commission, you cannot force a Customer to go against the recommended oil mentioned in the Owners manual and Fiat sites.

I have instructed Vraj that the oil should be changed in my presence only lest they try to dupe me again.

For the sheer amount of Surveys that Fiat does, why is there no improvement?

Regards,

Thomas Mathews

Fellow member from TeamBHP, Mandeep aka Epicenter was a great help in confirming about the oil and how to proceed.

No reply from anyone marked in the email. The only confirmation that I got that somebody got my email was this:

'Dear Mr. THOMAS. Thank you for registering your feedback through Web with Tata Motors.
Your Registration details are:

Complaint Reference No: 1-12598676301
Complaint Area: Dealer Service Related
Preferred Dealer: CARGO MOTORS - SARKHEJ
Dealer Contact No.: 79-26873102
Dealer Personnel: GMPCD SERVICE

Regards,

TATA-MOTORS'

Come Saturday, my Service advisor was on leave, CRM was on leave so I was left to fend for myself. Coordinated with the Workshop managers and the Mechanics by staying at the Workshop from 10 AM to 5:30 PM without any kind of comfort or obligations from the Cargo management. But, I am just glad that the issues were resolved, even if I had to stand on the mechanic's heads every single time. My subsequent email today:

'Hello Mangesh,

As communicated to my SA, the oil, oil filter and fuel filter was changed in my presence and I was quite relieved.

There was a rear rattling issue which was also pending since the last 2 services and was looked into and resolved for the time being.The Blue & Me issue has been fixed. Apparently, Sandisk Pen drives are not compatible with the Blue & Me as per the Workshop Manager (WSM).

The wheel rotation and balancing was done only after my repeated insistence and was not covered in the service, while in the Service booklet, it says that it should.

One of the most glaring oversight was that the Clutch Slave Cylinder that Fiat had recalled in many vehicles owing it to being plastic was not changed in my vehicle. It was only after my repeated insistence that the good mechanic, one Rajubhai checked and confirmed that it was plastic and I had it replaced under warranty with the steel one. So, just the AC related issue, I was not informed of this change under warranty. I am not sure whether it is the fault of the dealer or Fiat itself.

In short, I spent almost whole day, 10 AM to 5:30 PM in the Workshop of Cargo Motors as there was no one to overlook the work on my Car. The SA, Vraj Mehta, was as usual on leave and so was the CRM and so I had to directly deal with the Mechanics and Workshop members.

Though I am relieved that the work has been done, I am not a bit happy about how the things were handled. Please stop calling people thousand times a week for surveys if you can't do anything about it. What is being done with the feedback that we give? I also received an email from Tata Motors:

'Dear Mr. THOMAS. Thank you for registering your feedback through Web with Tata Motors.
Your Registration details are:

Complaint Reference No: 1-12598676301
Complaint Area: Dealer Service Related
Preferred Dealer: CARGO MOTORS - SARKHEJ
Dealer Contact No.: 79-26873102
Dealer Personnel: GMPCD SERVICE

Regards,

TATA-MOTORS'

What am I supposed to do with this? For the umpteen times that you have taken my feedback, the service levels at Cargo Motors have only changed from Bad to worse.

Regards,

Thomas Mathews'

That's about it! May God save you all from such ordeal.

[mrohit17]

Originally Posted by @tombum

2 issues about the Blue&Me and the clicking sound from the rear left side of the Car, I have lived with this for the past 6 months.

May 27th, was scheduled for the 1 year service on Friday. Here are the issues:

• BlueMe not working. The phone gets diconnected as soon as it connects and if I plug in the USB, the media player hangs. It's MS afterall!
• There is a continuous rattling sound when the car is on the move even if there are no pothole. And if there are potholes, the rattling increases a lot. No idea about the source. I had raised this issue when the AC was upgraded but they FORGOT to look into it same as the BlueMe issue
• My cousin tapped on the passenger side Sun visor with the vanity mirror and there... the plastic strip holding the mirror cracked and the mirror popped out
• Slotting into Reverse gear is a task in itself. It is nearly impossible in the first go.
• Slotting into any gear is a bit of pain, specially after I drove a few Hyundais

And with apprehensions that they will goof it up this time too, I gave my car for service. Well, as expected, Cargo Motors proved once again their Shitty affairs. I am not going to post all that happened. I will just post my letters to Mangesh that covers the whole ordeal.

Sent on Friday 27th May:


to Mangesh Kodalkar ,
Ravi Suri ,
"Cargo Rajpath Workshop (CRM)"
cc sservice@fiapl.com,
ceodesk@fiapl.com,
rajeev.kapoor@fiapl.com
date Fri, May 27, 2011 at 1:43 PM
subject Re: YOUR VEHICLE PUNTO REG NO-GJ-1KD-3515
mailed-by gmail.com

Hello Mangesh,

A new day, a new chapter.

I thank you for all the support that you have provided me till date.

Today, I had scheduled my 1 year/15,000 service at Cargo Motors, S.G. Highway, Ahmedabad. There are a few running issues and the customary oil, oil filter, fuel filter change that has to be done.

I really thank my stars that I asked Vraj, the service advisor about the oil that will be changed. He told me it would be Castrol. I have read in the manual about Selenia, and also being an active member of various automotive forums, I was aware that Selenia was what Fiat recommended. I asked him about Selenia but he kept on insisting that Fiat recommends Castrol for all their cars. I was surprised as it meant that I had some wrong information. I asked him for the details and he mentioned Castrol Synthetic 0w40.I requested him to wait for my instructions for oil change and then continue.

I researched on the Fiat recommended oils in Punto and Linea and everywhere I could find just Selenia or probably Mobil 1 (for performance needs). I called Vraj back and asked him again about the brand whether it is Castrol Edge, Edge sport or Magnatec, but he once again told me that it is just Castrol Synthetic 0w40. When I inquired about other brands like Shell, Mobil 1 etc, he exclusively told me that they keep only Castrol as it is recommended by Fiat and Tata. He also reminded me that if I do not get the oil changed then the oil and fuel filter will also not be changed and my warranty will be void. So I gave in.

I then called the toll free number of Fiat and the lady told me to inquire at another dealership. I called in at ASPI motors and the SA there told me that they use Selenia for Linea and Punto, Castrol was for Palio and older cars. I was aghast. I then called Mr Hiten Rathod, as the CRM at Cargo was on leave and explained him the issue. He kept on reiterating that Fiat recommends Castrol and they do not any other oil. I told him about my calling Fiat and ASPI and about Selenia, and he assured me that they will call back after clarifying.

I then called Fiat Pune plant, talked to Sandeep in the CS dept and he informed me that Selenia is the recommended oil and no other should be used. 20 mins later, Vraj called me up and mentioned that it is a mistake at their end and Selenia will be used. When I asked him why he had mentioned that other than Castrol they stocked no other brands, he had no answer.

Now, is this pure ignorance, callousness or trying to rob the unaware Customer. It's just because I made a hue and cry that they agreed on Selenia over Castrol. For other unsuspecting customers, it's just Castrol.

Is FIAT keeping a check on all their dealerships? Just because Castrol pays good commission, you cannot force a Customer to go against the recommended oil mentioned in the Owners manual and Fiat sites.

I have instructed Vraj that the oil should be changed in my presence only lest they try to dupe me again.

For the sheer amount of Surveys that Fiat does, why is there no improvement?

Regards,

Thomas Mathews

Fellow member from TeamBHP, Mandeep aka Epicenter was a great help in confirming about the oil and how to proceed.

No reply from anyone marked in the email. The only confirmation that I got that somebody got my email was this:

'Dear Mr. THOMAS. Thank you for registering your feedback through Web with Tata Motors.
Your Registration details are:

Complaint Reference No: 1-12598676301
Complaint Area: Dealer Service Related
Preferred Dealer: CARGO MOTORS - SARKHEJ
Dealer Contact No.: 79-26873102
Dealer Personnel: GMPCD SERVICE

Regards,

TATA-MOTORS'

Come Saturday, my Service advisor was on leave, CRM was on leave so I was left to fend for myself. Coordinated with the Workshop managers and the Mechanics by staying at the Workshop from 10 AM to 5:30 PM without any kind of comfort or obligations from the Cargo management. But, I am just glad that the issues were resolved, even if I had to stand on the mechanic's heads every single time. My subsequent email today:

'Hello Mangesh,

As communicated to my SA, the oil, oil filter and fuel filter was changed in my presence and I was quite relieved.

There was a rear rattling issue which was also pending since the last 2 services and was looked into and resolved for the time being.The Blue & Me issue has been fixed. Apparently, Sandisk Pen drives are not compatible with the Blue & Me as per the Workshop Manager (WSM).

The wheel rotation and balancing was done only after my repeated insistence and was not covered in the service, while in the Service booklet, it says that it should.

One of the most glaring oversight was that the Clutch Slave Cylinder that Fiat had recalled in many vehicles owing it to being plastic was not changed in my vehicle. It was only after my repeated insistence that the good mechanic, one Rajubhai checked and confirmed that it was plastic and I had it replaced under warranty with the steel one. So, just the AC related issue, I was not informed of this change under warranty. I am not sure whether it is the fault of the dealer or Fiat itself.

In short, I spent almost whole day, 10 AM to 5:30 PM in the Workshop of Cargo Motors as there was no one to overlook the work on my Car. The SA, Vraj Mehta, was as usual on leave and so was the CRM and so I had to directly deal with the Mechanics and Workshop members.

Though I am relieved that the work has been done, I am not a bit happy about how the things were handled. Please stop calling people thousand times a week for surveys if you can't do anything about it. What is being done with the feedback that we give? I also received an email from Tata Motors:

'Dear Mr. THOMAS. Thank you for registering your feedback through Web with Tata Motors.
Your Registration details are:

Complaint Reference No: 1-12598676301
Complaint Area: Dealer Service Related
Preferred Dealer: CARGO MOTORS - SARKHEJ
Dealer Contact No.: 79-26873102
Dealer Personnel: GMPCD SERVICE

Regards,

TATA-MOTORS'

What am I supposed to do with this? For the umpteen times that you have taken my feedback, the service levels at Cargo Motors have only changed from Bad to worse.

Regards,

Thomas Mathews'

That's about it! May God save you all from such ordeal.

Dear Dear, so it is true that history repeats itself. I bought my Punto from Cargo motors in June 2009 and my brother in law his Linea before that. After quick learning I shifted my services to Aspi motors promptly, but my brother in law continued at Cargo.

Result; his car is in repair since last 45 days at Aspi motors currently due to severe engine damage. Now ask me why? For all three of his first free services Cargo motors did not replace the air filter in his Linea, and the result was a torn filter which allowed all kinds of dust/dirt inside the engine. Since my brother in law is not into CARS he was not aware of the deails and relied on Cargo. As usual Cargo never helped him and after my detailed explaining to him he gave the car to Aspi for repairs. It is another thing that now Fiat is replacing the whole half engine block in his Linea under warranty. But the damage is already done.

Lessons: Aybody/Everybody getting services done at Cargo motors, please shift over to Aspi, even a roadside mechanic is better than cargo. Cargo should be black listed by Fiat. I am not sure what are they waiting for.

Alas, the world is a very small place, just came to know that some CRM from Cargo has joined Aspi as some Manager, God save Aspi now .