[soonya]

Well I do connect to where you are coming from.

That was in jest!

I do know the 'effects' of money and what it can do to communities often. But some how I seem to trust the bunch of guys here and I believe that they'd not to fall for any inducements, and the 'key' holders of the community seem to demonstrate a fierce independence and strong values.

Any community has boundaries to manage and mechanisms to manage them. I sincerely believe this community seems to know how.

Anyways, hope I clarified my statement/s.

[spyder918]

Very glad from my heart to see the stand and repute of TBHP in the auto-industry, and even more happy to be part of this TEAM (still eager and waiting to see that "BHPian" badge as Im a newbie..)

I would also like to mention that not only the industry but anyone who wishes to get the information he wants, definitely leaves no page unturned on TBHP, such is the quality of information and professional experiences shared. I would thank each of my TBHPians friends for sharing their experiences and knowledge here. I myself have been following since two years (though got the TEAMship just some time back), and since, found practically useful, and moreover, but most importantly, complete information here.

My well wishes are to TBHP, to now gain an importance internationally as it is in India (as I have instances where this has been achieved, also many members are across the continents) and it develops into a organised professionally in auto consulting and as always provide the 'Intelligent Information' to the knowledge seeker

Proud to be a part of TBHP !!! TBHP simply Rocks...

[Slick]

Wow! this is great to know and I think this kind of reflects on the neutral and unbiased nature of our official reviews.

We have stringent rules when it comes to language and personal attacks and this makes our forum the most readable and likeable.


Three cheers to team-bhp.

Now if we could have the same effect on the motorcycle industry it would be just awesome

[Shanksta]

It is good to know that manufactures are serious about our reviews on their products here. So to a small extent all future products will have some changes based on our views.

Toyota if you're listening rear wheel disc brakes on the fortuner please! & Maruti please cut down on the number of 'limited editions'.

[BusyBoyKK]

Effects of Team BHP on self
Effects of Team BHP on the better half and family
Effects of Team BHP at workplace

Now, Effects of Team BHP on Auto Industry
Next, Effects of Team BHP on the government, society... net effects of a good community.

It feels good to be part of the forum. Certainly, I am more informed today than few years ago, thanks to TBHP.

Ensuring quality discussions, unbiased reviews and spreading awareness is helping the community. Hats off to the founders, moderators and community members.

As an example, I can see the 'Why Nano-flopped' thread is scanned by Tata. Few friends in Renault, Nissan, Ford, AL are actively following TBHP. So are the other manufacturers following other threads.

Taking a bow to the community!

[500ContyCruiser]

Thanks and nice to hear how we (TBHP) are being taken seriously by auto companies. However looks like few companies like, Skoda / VW is turning blind on it.

One message to all auto companies, if they dont listen today, they will loose tomorrow!

[johny_desparado]

I dont think mahindra takes its customers seriously at all, here are my reasons based on just one product .

Mahindra thar was introduced into the market in 2010 with brakes on them that won't function well , its mentioned all over team bhp with various inputs from customers . Mahindra have neither acknowledged this issue nor officially announced to fix this on the thar crdi. In others words "mahindra does not take the lives of its customers or their families or other road users or pedestrians seriously ! SHAME

customers have been demanding better quality interiors from the day it was introduced into the market , what have they done yet after touching a million fans on facebook

No abs , airbags or any proper equipment in todays day and age

Unknowledgeable service staff at various centers across India!

[amalji]

I had 2 experiences as well.

Toyota

2 days after I posted my review of replacing rubber engine mounts with the hydraulic mounts on Etios under my ownership thread, service lead at Nippon Toyota, Kochi got a snapshot of the post from Toyota head office, asking for more info on why this work was done. I asked the service lead, if there is a problem with me posting such details. He answered No, and told that he would like to keep everything as transparent and open as possible. He also mentioned that he did not find anything logically wrong in doing the replacement when the customer is ready to pay for it.

TATA

After writing a review on TATA Magic Iris, I got a call from Kozhikode sales head of TATA thanking me for the article. He got my number from a fellow bhpian. I requested for a test drive of the Magic Iris, and he told me to let him know anytime I want and he'll arrange for a test drive.

[powerband_rider]

Nice! Team-bhp at its best in stealth mode, showing its influence on the auto industry Well, a big reason for this influence may be the policy of T-bhp about not accepting adverts from the auto industry. This makes all auto manufacturers/dealers aware that any reviews/opinions on the forum are totally unbiased and worth considering seriously.
Nevertheless, now that the cat is out of the bag, I think the mods will have to start preparing a separate section altogether on the forum for registering industry complaints, as the complainant already knows that it is going to be taken seriously by the manufacturer/dealer!

[sudeepg]

Wasn't this obvious given the fact that most of our official reviews these days carry a simple note that the manufacturer invited for the review?

Either ways, I have long noticed the effects of our community elsewhere too. For e.g. In showrooms, service stations and other service centers. You get better attention when they see the T-BHP sticker on the car. I have also found out on one occasion that the service advisor doesn't usually bluff around when he knows you are a T-BHP member.

[thiagust]

Originally Posted by sudeepg

I have also found out on one occasion that the service advisor doesn't usually bluff around when he knows you are a T-BHP member.

When I went for a TD of amaze the SA became a lot cautious the moment I mentioned TBHP.

[AlphaLamb]

This is indeed a great testimony to the nature of this forum that is making auto-manufacturing companies stand up and take notice of issues being discussed and highlighted on this forum.

On a similar note, I remember from one of the posts made by the MODS, that how when they ran a "Google search" for reviews for a car, the Auto-select options listed the reviews on Team-Bhp among the first set of options.

These are few of the things,among others that show the power of views and opinions expressed through an unbiased, collective forum such as Team-Bhp.

May the forum grow further to achieve new highs.

[durgaprasan]

Kudos,
I am not surprised though. This is by far the most knowledgeable, up to date, democratic and tightly regulated forum i have seen. Auto makers can only ignore it at their peril.

There has been a lot of skoda bashing here. I am not sure whether its justified till one directly confirms with them whether they really ignore this post. I am seeing some pleasant change in their attitudes, especially service, with the old service stations closed down and new ones eager to impress the customers. I am sure at least the closing down of old dealers and service is partly due to negative feedback posted here, and elsewhere.

Hope the forum goes from strength to strength, and retains its objectivity, thoroughness and top notch quality.

Durga Prasan

[Neil Roy]

My experience is not with the auto Industry per se but with Khivraj Pearl, Renault India's Chennai authorised service centre. Everyone there knows that I am a forum member and in fact when I go there for my regular service, they discuss our forum's opinions at length. Some even chide me for not updating my ownership thread regularly.
It is because of our forum that they take the effort to make me understand the technical aspects of the car better. Sometimes they even show me damaged/parts replaced under warranty to help me understand how that particular component works and the reason why it has failed. I personally feel that failure is an aspect of all components/ products. It is the way in which such failures are addressed that makes the customer more confident about the product/manufacturer/dealer etc.
In that aspect I can confidently say that Team-bhp has got the muscle to make the manufacturer/dealer realise that you cannot take the INDIAN CUSTOMER for granted.Our forum does not just represent our community but our country as a whole. SKODA, you have been served the Team-bhp notice
Go Team-bhp

[isiv]

t-bhp *is* the best community for pistonheads both old and young. Perhaps the singular most important reason is the close monitoring of posts - in terms of readability or content. When I first tried to join t-bhp, I happened to take a bit of a laid back attitude towards the 'joining interview' and left mostly casual one liner responses. The request was promptly turned down, so actually had to pull up my socks and provide substantial writeups on the following attempt to get in. I've been part of several auto (Indian) forums earlier and lost interest in most of them for reasons ranging from disgust to lack of (relevant) activity. To date, I haven't found a place that's so free of mud slinging, flaming, personal attacks and bad English. To that end, yes t-bhp really manages to stay clean and completely focused on the subject - a big thanks to the mods for that. I sincerely hope t-bhp continues maintaining these high standards in decades to come. My 2 year old already shows signs of sharing my passion - one of the first things he learned to say was 'kaa' (for car) and recognizes most brands around our apartment complex; he would want to be part of this community.

It's only understandable if the Indian auto industry and their terrible dealership networks sat up and started taking notice (Some dealerships are OK no doubt, but terrible is the industry average). As is apparent from many threads on t-bhp, more problems are caused due to poor quality of work, lack of technical knowledge and attitude issues at sales & service outlets than fundamental defects in design/manufacturing. And as others stated, more important than the fact that auto makers are following tbhp threads, is the question of what they do about it. I believe if the Indian auto makers really wish to improve things, the most effective first step will be to set some standards at dealerships to make for a better buying/service/ownership experience. Whether they realize that and do it in time is to be seen. India will some day mature into a developed country with stronger (simpler?) laws that can swiftly deal judgment where required and Indian consumers will be treated with the level of fairness/importance they deserve. Fora like t-hp will play a major role in achieving this goal. Thanks once again to all at t-bhp for creating and maintaining this platform.