[mohandasnikhil]

When my brand new X1 went back to the dealership for some repairs, the dealer Navnit gave me and X5 as a loaner car. It was actually the Dealership's MD car. This was perhaps because of the huge hue and cry I made because of the poor delivery experience and other screw ups the Dealer had committed.

[rockporiom]

Originally Posted by mohandasnikhil

When my brand new X1 went back to the dealership for some repairs, the dealer Navnit gave me and X5 as a loaner car. It was actually the Dealership's MD car. This was perhaps because of the huge hue and cry I made because of the poor delivery experience and other screw ups the Dealer had committed.

Its possible that he might have done that since he was worried that you would take the matter up with higher authorites. What kind of issues if I may ask did you face? My car was 9 months old when it went for the brake issue. I was being surrounded by their GM, workshop manager, MSIL engineer, kizashi specific SA and customer relation manager since I had told them to take the matter seriously and not put the repair bill on me as my mates owning kizashi are also having this issue. Can you believe it 5 people following up 1 car. Further an intimation to them that I have posted this on team bhp and most kizashi onwers are following this made them pull up their socks.

HAIL team bhp

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss

....But we cannot blame the dealership 100% for poor maintenance. Even the customer should take proper care of it....

Agree.

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss

....1) One of friend neighbor who bought their first car (Swift) was a beginner in driving. He never drove his brand new car inside the city in peak traffic. But once he got a loaner car (Alto) he used it to test his expertise in city driving, gifted the car with some dents & scratches, left the car back to dealership without even informing them about the happening (car already had some deep scratches and dents, so the new ones can't be figured out at first sight)

2) My cousin experimented power slide in a loaner car. Who never revved high his own car.

3) Happen to see a customer bringing back the loaner car to dealership with loads of dust & bird drops. He doesn't bother to clean the windshield atleast...

Had the showroom maintained the car properly, they could have asked the customer to pay for the charges in case # 1.

In addition to maintaining the car well, they also should equip the cars with some tracking devices to make sure the customers do NOT abuse the car. They also should get the customers to sign an agreement on keeping the car clean & accident free. This will make sure the customers do justice to the loaner cars. And for all these to work, the workshop should provide a top class condition car to the customer in the first place.

I remember getting a loaner car from Surakshaa and they told me I could take it to my native (~600 kms drive). I was so excited seeing a Jelly Bean Zen and by the time I drove out of their exit, I cancelled my plan to drive down and went back home, asked them to repair my car on an urgent basis and also returned their Zen next day itself!

[rockporiom]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Agree.



Had the showroom maintained the car properly, they could have asked the customer to pay for the charges in case # 1.

In addition to maintaining the car well, they also should equip the cars with some tracking devices to make sure the customers do NOT abuse the car. They also should get the customers to sign an agreement on keeping the car clean & accident free. This will make sure the customers do justice to the loaner cars. And for all these to work, the workshop should provide a top class condition car to the customer in the first place.

I remember getting a loaner car from Surakshaa and they told me I could take it to my native (~600 kms drive). I was so excited seeing a Jelly Bean Zen and by the time I drove out of their exit, I cancelled my plan to drive down and went back home, asked them to repair my car on an urgent basis and also returned their Zen next day itself!

The dealership made me sign an agreement that stated that I will be responsible for any damage that is caused to the car when it is under my possession. There were many clauses in that agreement and I read the whole thing carefully. I bet you if you read the agreement you would never take a loaner car unless absolutely necessary.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by rockporiom

The dealership made me sign an agreement that stated that I will be responsible for any damage that is caused to the car when it is under my possession. There were many clauses in that agreement and I read the whole thing carefully. I bet you if you read the agreement you would never take a loaner car unless absolutely necessary.

You are talking about the Baleno / Wagon R? If so, what audacity do they have ! You should have also added that they need to compensate you if those break down on the road.

[rockporiom]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

You are talking about the Baleno / Wagon R? If so, what audacity do they have ! You should have also added that they need to compensate you if those break down on the road.

Yes, I am talking about the baleno or for that matter of fact any loaner car I would have taken. If it would have broken down I would have demanded their test drive vehicle as a loaner car as they are in much better condition than these. As such the sx4 ddis TD vehicle is just lying there with no use.

[Shivank]

I don't know what's with Maruti or any other firm, but can tell you from what I have seen, a loaner shall always be maintained in top-notch. Be it Maruti or Audi!

And, from what I have heard at Audi dealership (marketing people do note!) they generally provide a courtesy car of a segment above than your car. This because,

a). It makes you feel like a privileged customer.

b) When you drive a courtesy car for a while, you might want to upgrade to that very car in near future because you've had hands-on experience with it, right? Or, else can suggest it to your uncle/aunt or whoever you think is going to buy a car of that sort.

I've honestly seen some cases where customers of A4/Q3 have upgraded to A6s just like that! It really works.

Usually, dealerships dump/sell off courtesy cars at a slightly lower rate when they cross 5-10k on the odo. So, kinda win-win situation any which way! Wonder why Maruti, with all the sort of cars and demand in used market, is not able to follow this simple rule.

Also, some customers just get all excited when they receive a courtesy car. That means revving the nuts off the engine is first on the to-do list for some.
So, shouldn't be a surprise when they make you sign that undertaking form. ;-)

[soumobakshi]

Well I have had been offered loaner car when my Wagon R went for extended work and the only option was Alto. But I never had any paper work or any such thing.
However in my current A $$ with M&M even after asking for a loaner they outright rejected as if they never heard such a thing in their lifetime !! So I would appreciate Maruti to even provide a loaner when most others do nothing.

[aniketi]

Originally Posted by rockporiom

Couldn't find a thread relating to this topic.

My question is are these shuttle cars just a formality? Shouldn't the service center have usable and serviced cars so that the customer doesn't think that he is given a car just for the sake of it?

I guess lots depend on the dealer here and not the manufacturer. Giving the loaner car is completely dealers decision and it is his responsibility to give a good car. As far as i am concerned, i had a better experience with Chowgule, biggest Maruti dealer in Pune. When my car was with them for longer period, and they couldn't fix it in time due to parts unavailability, they offered me loaner car without asking. For my Swift DZire they offered me a Swift. Swift was not very well maintained but it was functioning properly. Only concern was it has the minimum petrol. It was so less that their service manager advised me to fill petrol right away else he is not responsible

Apart from this, all went smooth. I kept Swift with me for a weeks time. It was good car to drive & functionally no problem whatsoever. It was not very clean though.

[fordfreak]

My friend recently gave his BMW 7-series to the dealer for an AC fix and got a 5-series as a loaner car. I was quite surprised at the state of the car he got! It was a Silver 520d (I think), and was covered in small dents and scrapes. The interiors were not much better too. One of the AC vents was broken (Slats missing) and the leather was in poor shape. I don't know how well it drove, since I didn't try it out.

The loaner car didn't have any stickers or anything to indicate it was a loaner (as seen in the case of Maruti). To the lay observer it may seem that the individual has managed to buy a nice car and doesn't bother maintaining it.

[vipulbatta]

Had a pretty decent experience with Metro Ford, Bangalore. The repairs on the Fusion were taking a bit longer, awaiting Ford paint expert to come from Chennai and they promptly offered me a loaner. The car was delivered to my house by service station driver. All papers were shared and the only thing I had to sign was saying I have taken the loaner car. It was a decently maintained Fiesta, mid varient which was registered to their MD. The only issue was a small dent on the car, but overall it was very clean. I had the car with me for about 6 days... Made me really appreciate that I have a diesel car with higher mileage

[ashwin489]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

When Maruti's most expensive car Kizashi owner is treated as such I can't imagine what if a Maruti Alto 800 goes in for repair, which loaner car would he be given.

You'd be lucky to get a TVS (suzuki) 50 moped!

[TMRT]

Back to the question I have in my mind: is it the courtesy to loan a replacement or something mandated by insurance companies now a days? How much is the increased premium?

If it is something I need to talk to my insurance company I will weigh in opting for it next time when my renewal is due.

If it is just a courtesy I will leave up to being lucky next time my car is at the A.S.S. center

[zenren]

Originally Posted by TMRT

Back to the question I have in my mind: is it the courtesy to loan a replacement or something mandated by insurance companies now a days? How much is the increased premium?

Loaner cars given by service stations are just a courtesy gesture. Insurance companies cannot force a service center to give a loaner car to their client.

In case of the insurance policies where you pay additional premium for getting a loaner car, it is usually given from a fleet of loaner cars maintained by that insurance company for this purpose and not usually linked to the dealer. You might even be getting a loaner car belonging to a different brand depending on what is available in their fleet. This is not usually a courtesy gesture and would be given only if you had paid that additional premium; otherwise no one would purchase that option if there is a way of getting it without paying for it.

EDIT: From what I've seen, most insurance companies now follow the route of giving you a "Daily Transportation Allowance" when your car is in for repairs instead of the loaner cars. Is there any insurance company that still offers loaner cars as an additional rider clause? If it is part of main policy, it would have a fine print that says *Subject to availability