[harjot]

Hi All,

I am planning to buy a Maruti car from one of the dealerships but I am scared, rather paranoid to go out and buy due to the Covid19 situation.
While I can exercise full precautions during the purchase process, I am not sure about the RTO registration process thereafter.
Has someone been through the Car purchase and registration process recently? Is going to RTOs etc safe as of now? Or should I wait till a few more months? Is it possible to ask Car dealerships to do the whole registration process with my involvement only for say a few minutes (signature/pic etc)?

To share more context, I am one of those people who love to drive but refrained from buying a car till date because Uber/Zoom sufficed my needs. But now with the Covid situation, I feel that there should be a car at home in case (God forbid) I need to run around hospitals with one of my family members. But at the same time, I am afraid that I may actually catch the virus during the buying and registration process


P.S.
This is my first post here. I did a thorough search to find similar topics but found only a relatively similar post:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...us-pass-5.html (Buy a car now or wait for Coronavirus to pass?)
The post is not completely relevant to what I want to know (post purchase process's safety) and that is why I am creating a new post.

[GTO]

It's a good time to be buying! The market is dead - be sure to bargain hard for discounts. For your & your family's safety, do the following:

- Complete all processes online or remotely. There is no need to visit the dealership, they will come to you. All documentation can be done at your place.

- Most discussions & conversations can take place via phone or Zoom video.

- Don't let dealership personnel into your house. Wear your mask + eye wear and meet them in your compound area, keeping a safe distance.

- Payments etc. can be facilitated online.

- Many dealerships are giving home delivery of new cars.

- Sanitize the ENTIRE new car once you receive it. Keep aside 4 - 5 hours for this. Arm yourself with the right materials and start wiping away on all interior surfaces. Will be a good workout too . Related thread on corona-proofing your car

Originally Posted by harjot

Is going to RTOs etc safe as of now?

Why do you want to go? Let the dealership handle all RTO processes. I have never visited any RTO for vehicle registration and neither have 99% of BHPians.

Is it possible to ask Car dealerships to do the whole registration process with my involvement only for say a few minutes (signature/pic etc)?

Yes.

[harjot]

Originally Posted by GTO

Why do you want to go? Let the dealership handle all RTO processes. I have never visited any RTO for vehicle registration and neither have 99% of BHPians.
Yes.

Oh I was not aware of this. I thought we need to go to the RTO for at least 2 times and may have to stand in line. Thanks for clearing.
Thanks for the other points too. This helps a lot.

[aniyo]

Had gone to KHT motors yesterday to take the PayTM fastag, SBI one was giving issues. There were people buying Nexon and Altroz with no care in the world. people were happy sitting in the car , touching everything, few idiots were without mask, the staff was mostly with mask thakfully.

I think if you want to buy take basic precaution, pray to God and go ahead..

[riteshritesh]

I have recently ( 10 days back) booked a Toyota Glanza. All conversations and negotiations happened over the phone. I will have to physically handover the signed and stamped documents ( company name purchase), which I will do on my way back from work. But then again, I am not paranoid about the virus anymore as I have started going to office ( I was scared initially, when I was holed up inside my house). As mentioned by GTO, one doesn't have to go to the RTO for anything. The RTO forms are signed and the dealers agent does all the procedures, which is why they charge you a handling fee under some guise or the other.

[Reinhard]

1. Complete all the financial transactions online.
2. Tell the dealership that you'll send all required documents on email & they can print it to attach to their document set.
3. Do not visit the showroom even once.
4. If you want to do a PDI - go for it directly at the yard after the car arrives.
5. Take full precaution of using disposable gloves, mask & loads of sanitizer when you go for PDI.
6. Do not take family along for PDI.
7. Take a home delivery of the car without any fanfare.
8. Ask the sales rep to park the car directly into your parking slot.
9. Do not touch the car for next 3-4 days. Just admire it from a distance.
10. Then use a good sanitizer on all surfaces in the cabin & door handles when you use it for the first time.
11. Don't let anyone other than your family inside the car.

This should take care of it for you. You know what? Points 1 to 4 - I did in July 2019, when there was no Covid19. So it works absolutely fine.
Good luck with your buying process. Looking forward to your ownership thread soon.

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

[*]Do not touch the car for next 3-4 days. Just admire it from a distance.

Point 9 would be most difficult after purchasing your new car, but is very important. Viruses usually last up to 72 hours on surfaces. So a 4 day period of not touching your new car comes in very handy.

I have two cars and I make sure one car stays untouched for at least 3-4 days each week.

[papr23]

Originally Posted by harjot

Has someone been through the Car purchase and registration process recently?

I have got my registration done recently in Hyderabad. I had to sign in few documents so carried my pen. I had to stand in a queue of 3 people for the photograph. All adequately distanced. This was done in less than 5 minutes.
Then I waited in the car for nearly 20 minutes and had to get the car for one final check of chassis number in the documents vs what is in the car. That's it.
Everything was done in less than 30 minutes and safely.

[mankuthimma]

Recently took delivery of Kia Seltos.

Kia has implemented very good SOP for sanitization, social distancing and contactless delivery.

All staff wear masks, temp scan and hand sanitization is done at the gate itself, both in showroom as well as at the service centre when wen went for PDI. The sofa seats are marked to maintain social distancing and the tables had sanitizer bottles for our usage. All TV monitors in the showroom were displaying COVID-19 advisories rather than the promotional ads.

We were told that the car is sanitized and cleaned when it arrives at the dealership. This was evident when we did the PDI in the stockyard. It is again sanitized and cleaned by 3M car care professionals before delivery. Delivery was contactless without much fanfare.
We also did our part of wearing masks, sanitization with our own sanitizer and maintain social distancing while interacting with the staff and signing the papers. Our documents were shared via whatsapp earlier.

After the delivery is taken, we are not allowing our car cleaner to clean the interiors. We do it by ourselves.

Ofcourse, we wear masks while driving, avoid places where there is crowd or atleast maintain social distancing, sanitize hands before and after using the car. It is our social responsibility to follow these basic hygiene practices.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by mankuthimma

After the delivery is taken, we are not allowing our car cleaner to clean the interiors. We do it by ourselves.

If your car cleaner is continuing to clean the car from outside - I suggest you make it a habit to first use a dose of sanitizer on the door handles before opening any of them to get into the car. I have reactivated the old male chivalry and gentleman practice since weeks. I open the doors for my car for family members to get in. I get into the driving seat only after they have settled. I don't let them touch the exterior of the car.

No offense or prejudice against your car cleaner of course but absolutely ANYONE (you and me included) can be an unknown asymptomatic carrier. Each surface contact that we can be careful about, will matter in this fight.

[Thanos-VV]

What about taking TDs of Cars in this Covid-era? I am in the market for a new car and would like to test drive my options. But skeptical about going to showrooms now. No matter what the assurances SA gives, we cannot be sure about the sanitization done on the TD car and i feel it is a bit risky to take one. In my case, the decision making and final purchase is only towards this year end or next year beginning and hence the whole TD process can wait for some more months.

However i would like to know the thought processes here about test drives in these times and precautions members are taking while test driving if at all going for it.

[blueeyed]

Originally Posted by Thanos-VV

What about taking TDs of Cars in this Covid-era?
However i would like to know the thought processes here about test drives in these times and precautions members are taking while test driving if at all going for it.

I am in the market for a new car and has recently testdriven a few cars from different brands post lockdown.

All the cars were asked to be brought to my home. Before getting into the car I just observed that if the SA is wearing a mask and does not show any visible symptoms of a fever. I am not talking about reading his temparature with a thermometer, but look for any visible symptoms like coughing sneezing etc. I haven't had any such problems with any of the SAs, and if i had noticed some, I would have respectfully cancelled the TD, just to be on the safer side.
I had always worn a mask and a pair of disposable gloves for every testdrive. As soon as the TD ends and the SA leaves, I made it a point to dispose the mask and gloves, wash my hands and legs outdoors with soap, go directly to a bathroom, wash the clothes i have been wearing, and take a bath before touching anything or anyone in the house.

[jazrox]

This is my first post here Took delivery of a Swift Petrol on the 12th June. Let me tell you how my experience was.

1. When I purchased the car, the rate of spread of virus in Pondicherry was very low. It's steadily increasing the past few days, however the reason I say this is to mention our fear factor had subsided at the time to an extent. If the rate of spread had been higher, I wouldn't have gone ahead with the purchase.

2. Wore a mask always, everyone in the dealership had a mask on, hands sanitized and temperature checked every single time I stepped into the dealership.

[turbowhistle]

I just negotiated and booked a car over phone from a different country so it should be easier for you in the same city.

If you know which car to pick, things are 10 times easier since you don't need a test drive.

My BIL went to the showroom just once as we wanted to check the Denim Blue color in flesh, took due precautions and it was fine (Make sure you wear a mask and not touch anything - especially door handles and steering wheel)

Post that, all the negotiations and discussion happened over Whatsapp and the amount was transferred online. We might ask him to deliver the car at home directly.

[alphahere]

Originally Posted by harjot

Hi All,

I am planning to buy a Maruti car from one of the dealerships but I am scared, rather paranoid to go out and buy due to the Covid19 situation.
While I can exercise full precautions during the purchase process, I am not sure about the RTO registration process thereafter.
Has someone been through the Car purchase and registration process recently? Is going to RTOs etc safe as of now? Or should I wait till a few more months? Is it possible to ask Car dealerships to do the whole registration process with my involvement only for say a few minutes (signature/pic etc)?

To share more context, I am one of those people who love to drive but refrained from buying a car till date because Uber/Zoom sufficed my needs. But now with the Covid situation, I feel that there should be a car at home in case (God forbid) I need to run around hospitals with one of my family members. But at the same time, I am afraid that I may actually catch the virus during the buying and registration process


P.S.
This is my first post here. I did a thorough search to find similar topics but found only a relatively similar post:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...us-pass-5.html (Buy a car now or wait for Coronavirus to pass?)
The post is not completely relevant to what I want to know (post purchase process's safety) and that is why I am creating a new post.

Since you mention that you are having apprehensions due to the COVID situation, let me try to provide a bit of insight. I am located in London UK and have been here all through the rise of COVID. People have been hospitalised all around and the health system was getting overloaded as you would have been seeing all over the news.

I did buy my car which happens to be a BMW X1 around this time just before the whole country went into lockdown. Obviously the registration and purchase process is different than in India. But it still requires a fair bit of interactions with 3rd parties. Which I have done and thankfully I must be doing something right; I am still okay.

Though the best prevention is to stay inside your own home, having a private mode of transportation is all the more important in today's scenario. I have been travelling during the lockdown for essential needs and that includes some crowded areas. We need to be conscious to keep a good distance away from other bodies. Even if that means spending a few seconds or minutes waiting. Having a face protection is a very good way of protecting yourself. I would suggest a mask that is like the professional masks, that can't be moved easily. It will help to avoid the tendency to scratch parts of the face. Coming back into the house should be a disciplined procedure following strict protocol. All objects that are used outside the house should be placed in an isolated corner and should be kept there till the next time you go out. The next step should be to disinfect yourself. Keep following this religiously and you should be more than safe.

This probably is going to be the new way of life for a long time to come and it is better to get used to this sooner than later. None of us can afford to forget the situation whatever excitement we are going through in life. And we still got to live our life through this.