[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

Reason: A.S.S work on replace model even when we can repair and fix something. My Santro Silencer developed a hole and the A.S.S quoted 6500/- to replace it. I took it to the FNG and got it fixed (welded) for 200/-.

General rule of ASC is only to replace as they get commission and bonus on parts sold per car that is serviced and total number of cars serviced.

If the repair job isn't good and develops an issue at a later stage the customer will blame the ASC for a shoddy job. To avoid all these hassles they do not entertain repairing.

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

At A.S.S the billing process is too complicated

"Complicated" - that is an understatement.

SOP @ ASC:

The bill is prepared at one counter -> goes to another counter for verification / signature -> bill given to customer to pay at cash counter - > bill is checked again and only then is gate passed given to the customer.

SOP @ FNG:

A calculator or mobile is pulled out to do the maths, totals it -> Informs the customer -> Amount paid and he is out with the car.

No bill, no gate pass for the average FNG's visited.

[locusjag]

Where Maruti's ASC said that the fix for our 2008 Swift in 2015 with noise issues was a complete suspension overhaul, at Rs.8000, our trusted local mechanic finished it for 500 bucks by just changing a few bushes and minor tweaks. In the long run, I definitely prefer trusted local mechanics.

[zenren]

Once the car is out of warranty, I would prefer trusted FNGs with most of the work. Only in case where they need specialized equipment would I visit the ASC.

One thing I've noticed is that most of the ASCs have a few apprentice-level workers and the actual job is done by them in most cases. Most of the service engineers are usually "managers" who just instruct what to do. In a lot of cases, some of the specific things pointed out to the SAs get missed due to lack of communication from the SAs to the technician. Once a technician gains enough experience and is good at what he does, he would usually start his own FNG or join to an existing FNG as a hands-on partner.

In most FNGs I rely on, the "top guy" is the same person I interact with as well as the same person who actually works on the car. Due to this, even if I call him up one fine day saying "there is this sound coming from the car", he would have a rough idea where the problem might be and in most cases.

The biggest advantage I've felt owning a Maruti is the same reason - they have more ASCs than anyone else, but more importantly, they make the parts available through their MGP outlets so that owners can use genuine spares to repair their cars even if they decide to go for FNGs. I'm unlikely to opt for a brand that uses ASC monopoly for their parts even if their cars are slightly better than Maruti.

[latentpotential]

Maruti vehicles - MSM/ ASC only.
All the others - ASS only, unless it really warrants a ASC.

[DasAuto]

Can any of the members from Thane recommend a good/ reliable FNG. Also, any good body workshop for denting & painting related jobs. I drive a Hyundai i20 Asta.

[rajivrt]

I have had two good experiences to share regarding independent garages:

1. I drove my Mahindra Scorpio 2005 (2.6 litre engine, all solid steel) for about 3 lac km (sold it in 2013, in some corner of my heart still regret the decision), and except the first free service and another visit to Sterling Auto (the dealer) for the washer motor replacement under warranty early on, I chanced upon a 'Classic Motors' at Noida who were authorized for the old Mahindra vehicles (at that time there was no' Koncept' in Noida).

2. Saying that I drove it for 3 lac km without a single highway breakdown or a hill breakdown or anywhere similar, says a lot for the quality of the mechanics there are in your trusted garage.

3. These guys mostly replaced (sometimes repaired) but kept my Scorpio in top notch. I could call on them day or night and the owner brothers (who are automobile engineers, have done various courses from Mahindra)- they still remain good friends and I make it a point to call them/visit them intermittently. All the mechanics have been around from 2005 or earlier and I always have had the same set of mechanics attend to my Scorpio. Even today I take other vehicles to them for a one off service/repair and I still find the same guys.

4. 3 times my Scorpio broke down in these 8 years (twice broken belts, once gear oil bush/knob broken) in Delhi/NCR. And once I broke the air suction pump while pumping after I had run out of fuel completely and had filled some 5 litres. Everytime they knew exactly what parts/spares they needed based on my frantic telephone calls and their mechanic would arrive where I was stranded armed with all necessary stuff, and get the vehicle running within an hour. It would then go back to the garage for an overall check and other repairs as necessary.

5. No excessive billing, no excessive repairs, no long waits, no appointments, never necessary to settle the invoice before I drove the vehicle out, in fact on most occasions the vehicle would be delivered to my home/office and I would send them a cheque later, in short no hassles in servicing/repairs and definitely no wasted days.

6. They have never had any problems sourcing any spare. They sourced the 2005 Scorpio instrument panel cluster after a few days of wait, but that is the only part I remember for which I had to wait.

After having sold my Aveo too a couple of months back (now have a city, a CRV automatic (2005 again) and a petrol Sunny, I have been contemplating either the Fortuner (a bit overpriced, even the 2005 AT CRV was below 18 lacs I remember) or the Scorpio/XUV 500.

But guess what, I still am quite certain I would go for a Mahindra vehicle, maybe because I have a reliable and convenient garage. I have faced issues with the service centers regarding my Nissan Sunny, definitely lots with the Aveo, and now some niggles with Honda over my old CRV (they have to get everything ordered and need advance for that, no problems with that except they keep the vehicle for 3-4 days as their queues for service are quite long).

Such a silly notion everyone would say. Preferring a Mahindra because of the reliable garage option I have!

The second one is the reliable body shop I have used in Noida since 2005, again. But that is another story for another day.

[theexister]

I own a Ford Fiesta petrol that is just over 9 years old.
Before moving to Bangalore from Hyderabad, I would get general service done by a mechanic who has been known to my Dad since his Maruti 800 days right at home. Things like -

• Oil Change
• Air filter
• Oil filter
• etc

was done right at home. The mechanic is now a senior tech at Ford service in Hyderabad. Right from part sourcing to installation and test drive was taken care right at my door step. It was much cheaper in terms of labour.

Now in Bangalore I've had to revert to going to the dealer service (Metro Ford) simply because I just don't know which local workshop/mechanic to trust. This even though this service is much more expensive and at times the car comes back driving worse and I need to follow up and get it fixed. Which means multiple trips to the service centre.

This made me wonder how many of us prefer a trusted mechanic at home vs a workshop vs dealership service.

Also, has anyone tried these new online/app based car services?

Thanks,
Deepak

[theMandarin]

I get both my cars City(4 Years) and Zen(15 Years) serviced at the authorized station.

Reasons are as follows:

1. I don't know or rather haven't met any trustworthy mechanic in our city.
2. For the Honda, the parts are not easily available over counter.
3. I believe that it is best to use OEM parts for critical moving components as they are built to a well-designed specification for that particular car. So because I won’t buy an aftermarket brake pad, I loose a majority of the cost benefits of going to a local garage and thereby it doesn't make sense.
4. Authorized garages still have a higher degree of accountability in case of a problem post service and there are proper escalation mechanisms in place.
5. For the Honda, the Service Outlet has not given me any reason to move away from them till now (TouchWood) and for Maruti, well I’m spoilt for choice as there must be more than 15 authorized service centres in a 30KM radius.
6. I feel that since the authorized service centres handle the same kind of issues for the same set of cars, the mechanics there are more adept at carrying out common jobs.

All things kept equal, I would be more than willing to move to a local garage if I get points 1 and 2.

[null]

My approach - stick to dealer service till warranty and then shift to third party service / FNG where you dont get ripped off with unwanted replacements by the advisors without even an inspection. I used to get my wagonr issues addressed at the local A.S.S (but now, they have evolved into a full fledged dealership).

A frustrating aspect of dealership service for me is their keen interest in pushing their VAS (polish, cleaning etc) without really focusing on the service issues with their zero knowledge advisors (many a time).

[Skyline_GT]

For my car (Swift 2013) we still prefer the authorized service centres. Reasons being the car is in excellent condition so the service expenses are minimum. Everything from oil filter changes to brake pads have been religiously serviced from the service centre. And I plan to continue with the service centre since its lighter on pocket being a Maruti and hassle free.
However it also heavily depends on the car make and model. If it had been a Skoda/VW i would prefer a reliable garage/mechanic over the service centres once the car crosses warranty period.
For my two wheeler (12 yrs old) however i tried the trial and error method with different garages and mechanics before i finally found a good one.
Since yours is a Ford it shouldn't be much of a problem to find a good reliable mechanic or independent garage. Independent garages cost a much lesser compared to service centres.

[McLaren Rulez]

For a 9 year old car, particularly a mechanically simple one like the Fiesta, it doesn't make much sense going to the authorized dealer.

A good neighbourhood mechanic can be easily found in a big city like Bangalore. He'll be just as good and much cheaper.

[swift_guy]

For a new/less used car, it makes sense to go to authorised workshops as the price difference (in annual maintenance) remains more or less the same. Authorized dealership is the way to go till the free services at least.

For old/more used cars, I will prefer a trusted mechanic over Authorized dealership as the latter turns out to be a total rip-off if the customer is not well-informed. Moreover, one can supervise the work being done in a mechanic's workshop which gives it a MAJOR advantage when it comes to expensive/recurring repairs.

For two wheelers, I stick to Authorized dealer till the free services are exhausted. Follow the manual till around 30-35k kms as most of the stuff is simple DIY. In case of a major overhaul or new work, I visit a friendly mechanic. It turns out to be a lot cheaper especially due to the labour cost and taxes.

In case of major overhaul work in the car, I prefer (always) Authorized dealers. I would never trust local mechanics, either due to their lack of knowledge or equipment, in case of major life-saving (or expensive) equipment like brakes, engine, airbag, ABS, ECU, turbo, chassis repair, etc..

[audioholic]

As long as I get genuine replacement parts outside, I would prefer the nearby mechanic, as long as he has the necessary infrastructure and experience to handle stuff. Else it will be the dealership for me. Especially having a Maruti Suzuki stable, I find either dealership and Local workshop to be similar when it comes to work quality, pricing(if we leave the value added services at dealership) time and ease of availability of parts. Hence, its a tough call for me to decide between the two.

[shivs2003]

Having handled multiple cars(M&M, Honda, Toyota, Ford) and multiple dealers with a multitude of issues, I think i can answer this question with some level of confidence.

When it comes to general servicing, OEM Servicing makes sense as you get a guaranteed service. The chances of skimping on work, is low. The only issue i find with OEM is their continuous strive to sell additional products. It's plain annoying. And, SA's tend to maintain bad chain of communication with customers.

Coming to Mechanics, the issue can range from prices to sheer daylight robbery. Hence, the frequent general services to make less sense. Whereas, major jobs, Brake disc/pad, body work, damages, AC unit replacement/refurbishment is better off with them. Simply because the OEM will want to rob you no matter what. They will replace ever damn part in connection with the damaged/problematic one.

My Honda Civic, 2009, ~1,35,000 km had major vibrations on the steering due to hard/high speed braking. Honda Service Center quotations ranged from 75k to a whopping 1.35 L!

All it actually needed was a brake disc/pad change. Cost me a total of 10k via mechanic. The vehicle runs perfect ever since.

Have never really gotten work done at work shops, so short on info there.

[theexister]

Wow!
Some excellent feedback here. Thanks for all the response guys!