[RedTerrano]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

That's probably just the external casing:

Not really.
External casing is listed separately
https://boodmo.com/catalog/part-case...lyst-36615827/

[Vtach]

Really sorry for the cheated person. In-fashion shady business practices like these are the reason lakhs of people who just want a peaceful car ownership experience go for a brand new car every month, even if it means taking the so called "depreciation hit". Even that's no 100% guarantee of not being defrauded but that's the best shot they got.

Way better than having to run after unscrupulous people whose desire to take shortest route to profits is only limited by what they believe they can get away with. Even if the law imposes some penalty, would that ameliorate the anguish the victim had to bear?

Please evaluate if the mental, physical harassment, time investement of all this confrontation & running around is worth it for the retired gent. I've burnt my hands too with a used Eon from a car dealer in 2018 and have sworn off second hand cars. There are way too any components in a car that can be (and are) swapped just to last enough beyond the sale that even an informed car user can not detect in in one or two test drives.

And no, being too big is no absolution for Cardekho of this outright fraud. They supposedly run quality checks no? Then how did this pass muster? Unless there's an insider that connived with the fraud.

[Emvi]

Originally Posted by .HEM

If you directly buy a car from Cardekho website, there are chances that the cars are from local dealers. I can advertise my cars in Cardekho website and if someone buys online, it can be collected by Cardekho and handed over to the customer.

Thanks for the insight.

The bug has stopped at Cardekho's desk, but the culprit can be anyone who touched the car. The aggregator can easily wash their hands off saying you bought the car after test drive and inspection and they sold the car as is and where is basis and they never gave any guarantee on the car internals.

Just to put things in perspective, CarDekho is the seller from whom we have purchased the car and the payment invoice reiterates exactly this. CarDekho provides a 6-month comprehensive warranty(which they call TrustMark warranty) on the cars sold by them irrespective of where they are sourced from, be it from individual sellers or local dealers.




As per CarDekho, catalytic converter issue is not covered under warranty. Whether the warranty policy is fair or not doesn't warrant a discussion at this point in time.



If the catalytic converter had turned out be faulty or damaged, their claim / warranty policy couldn't have been disputed. However, the car was delivered to us with the critical component itself missing, isn't the TrustMark comprehensive warranty a joke when the car itself is not comprehensive!? Also, I dont think it is difficult for anyone to comprehend the fact that detecting an issue such as this during a test drive is near impossible. Today for us, it is the case of missing catalytic converter, tomorrow for another customer it might be some other critical component(s) which probably(and conveniently) doesn't come under their warranty coverage!

It is given that not all customers are as shrewd as the pre-owned car dealers and unfortunately there are enough fraudsters who are happy to take advantage of the situation.

Originally Posted by Ton Ami

The first indication of such theft is unnatural sound from the exhaust centre pipe (this could be observed while test driving/ high revving the car at idle). Any hoarseness or free-flow exhaust type sound in a stock system shouldn't be ignored.

To be honest, first up I felt the exhaust note to be a bit hoarse while revving. I reported this to the SA at Maruti Authorised Service Station during the first visit. The SA did not find the exhaust note to be abnormal and he suggested me to check out the exhaust note of a Swift(which was there at that time) and compare. When I did, found it to be not too different. So I decided to leave it at that.

[Ton Ami]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

Out of curiosity I checked the price in India.
Boodmo is offering WagonR Catalytic converter for 849/-
What am I missing here?

Attachment 2361461

https://boodmo.com/catalog/part-cata...rter-58146615/

I would personally suggest to stay away from this particular brand of silencers.
The price looked so tempting that I ordered whole exhaust system (front & back) for my Gypsy, even though I required only the front part.

After installation the sound was coarse and unfiltered, as if there was literally nothing inside it. I then had to immediately replace it with my old original exhaust system.

Now, I am just searching for OEM silencer which isn't in stock at the moment. No match for OEM parts for proper exhaust note.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Buying a used car without inspection was a first mistake at your end. Sorry to say this but every car looks good when listed. In my thread https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...nsparency.html (Online used car aggregators and their illusion of transparency) i spoke of these issues. These aggregators are nothing but a nuisance like every other used car dealer. Yes used cars do come with a certain compromise but that should be limited to minor scratches or running repairs. A missing catalytic converter isn't surprising. I know of 2 Maruti service centres who have carried out this kind of stuff. Be it cardekho or spinny or c24 or olx autos or any other new player, please do not trust them blindly going by their apps or langauge or fancy offices.They are as notorious or worse than any other used car dealer. You are lucky your paperwork was sorted. In many cases the auto loan is closed but the bank isn't willing to give the NOC because of other defaulted loans. Please make full payments only after the bank NOC is produced. Whenever buying a used car, be it from a known source or an unknown source, please get it inspected from a competent mechanic or send it over to the authorised SVC. Try escalating the matter to the higher ups but i doubt they would help you. It's best to cut your losses and move on.

[Emvi]

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

Buying a used car without inspection was a first mistake at your end. Sorry to say this but every car looks good when listed.

Sorry, I missed mentioning it in my opening post. The car buying decision wasn't made just by looking at the pictures on CarDekho website.

1. The car was physically inspected and test driven.
2. Service history was verified and found it to be clean.

Any pointers on what else could have been checked / verified?

[prasanna_indaje]

Originally Posted by Emvi

Any pointers on what else could have been checked / verified?

We go to these 'new-age' used car sellers to avoid shady practices followed by traditional dealers. However, it turns out that these used car aggregators too are not different.

In my opinion, you have gone an extra mile to ensure things are in order. A missing catalytic convertor is not an easy find, especially in the absence on 'check engine' indication. Even Maruti SA missed it in the first round.

CarDekho is at fault here. However, because 'seller is the king' situation, they may find many escape routes.

This is a caution for all of us, who are searching for a 'good' used car.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by Emvi

Any pointers on what else could have been checked / verified?

Learning from this experience, adding the OBD scan at an ASC should be added to the checks as well if available for the car.

Originally Posted by Emvi

If the catalytic converter had turned out be faulty or damaged, their claim / warranty policy couldn't have been disputed.

My view is in contradiction to this.
Due to the "cat con" issue most likely the car is going to fail the PUC test and become unfit/illegal to ply on the roads.
Isn't the objective of the warranty to keep the car road worthy and legal while ignoring cosmetic/adhoc issues ?
What should one expect if a new car under warranty starts having this error and fails a PUC test ?


PS : The words "TrustMark" and "Peace of mind" are the shining examples if what's wrong with our used car industry.
Please advice CarDekho to remove those words from their advertising as they're misleading and untrue.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by Emvi

Sorry, I missed mentioning it in my opening post. The car buying decision wasn't made just by looking at the pictures on CarDekho website.

1. The car was physically inspected and test driven.
2. Service history was verified and found it to be clean.

Any pointers on what else could have been checked / verified?

In addition to the above pointers, it's best to get it inspected at the authorised service centre. The cost for the same is around Rs. 1500. If that is not feasible then any competent technician with a scanner can check it for both mechanical and cosmetic faults.

[MT_Hyderabad]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

Out of curiosity I checked the price in India.
Boodmo is offering WagonR Catalytic converter for 849/-
What am I missing here?

Originally Posted by SmartCat

That's probably just the external casing:

Attachment 2361469

From OPs post:

The generation 1 was not that advanced. I recently got my generation 1 Santro's cat con, price was similar in 2k range. However the new Gen vehicles have a more sofisticated and costly cat cons. Here is the one mentioned on boodmo for 2021 Wagon R. It is whopping 18k.

[Emvi]

Originally Posted by prasanna_indaje

We go to these 'new-age' used car sellers to avoid shady practices followed by traditional dealers. However, it turns out that these used car aggregators too are not different.

Spot on!

Originally Posted by shancz

Learning from this experience, adding the OBD scan at an ASC should be added to the checks as well if available for the car.

Well, the fraudsters(whoever they are) are smarter than we think. Without the "engine check warning light" glowing, it wouldn't be possible even for the OBD scan to find error(s). Also, running the OBD it is possible to delete the error code(s) and turn off the glowing warning light, albeit temporarily. This is what the SA at MASS told me today when enquired

A very well planned heist to say the least.

What should one expect if a new car under warranty starts having this error and fails a PUC test ?

A car without catalytic converter will fail PUC test in all likelihood. People intending to buy pre-owned cars should be wary of this henceforth.

PS : The words "TrustMark" and "Peace of mind" are the shining examples if what's wrong with our used car industry.

I can't agree with you more.

Originally Posted by MT_Hyderabad

However the new Gen vehicles have a more sofisticated and costly cat cons. Here is the one mentioned on boodmo for 2021 Wagon R. It is whopping 18k.

Yes, you are right.
It costs around 18k + two O2 sensors =INR 25k(approx.)
Labour cost not included.

[prasanna_indaje]

Originally Posted by Emvi

Spot on!

Where are you on this ?
Did you hear back from the dealer ? Or are they still playing hide and seek ?

[Emvi]

Originally Posted by prasanna_indaje

Where are you on this ?
Did you hear back from the dealer ? Or are they still playing hide and seek ?

Someone from CarDekho top management reached out to us via email 2 days ago. This is what he had to say-

"allow me to check and get back to you. Thanks!"

Just hoping that better / common sense prevails.

[salilpawar1]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

Out of curiosity I checked the price in India.
Boodmo is offering WagonR Catalytic converter for 849/-
What am I missing here?

Attachment 2361461

https://boodmo.com/catalog/part-cata...rter-58146615/

This is the Cat-Con for Gen 1 Wagon-R which was BS-2 compliant and hence the price. Also, since it is not a genuine part, the efficacy and quality will be questionable.