[rudder]

Saw this VW while returning from Noida yesterday.

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by narry

hi
Well something new a german 20 year old car audi 100 towing my 1 month old Chinese suv hover because the clutch died in just 5000 km
this old audi 100 has run 500,000 km without any mechanical changes not even clutch is changed ever and now is used as a town car by this Chinese small town mechanic
narry

500,000 kms on the same clutch? WOW!
Or could that have been a typo?

[Bimster]

Originally Posted by Fillmore

Either way you look at it , the Title would still hold.
No German cars > no premium service > no need for flatbed's

As with other things,practices elsewhere in the world(like transporting vehicles to workshops or just city to city on flat beds/transporters) will slowly become a norm in India too.

[ajmat]

I dont want to start another thread but just want to highlight the excellent recovery service from BMW

11.45 - Rock damages intercooler
12.00 - Ring BMW
12.30 - BMW ring and inform that truck is on the way

We leave a driver in car and go to Ooty. Instruct truck to call us when it reaches Gundalpet

4.00 - Truck calls us
4.15 - We leave Ooty to return to car
5.15 - Reach, truck already winching car

Truck manned by one person, smartly dressed in a safari suit with required tools. Car carefully winched up and he is off.

[harit]

Originally Posted by Screwdriva

Excellent thread! The last time Mercedes made good cars was in the early 90's. Take a look at the W124, W126 and even the W140's. Those cars are tanks that are running to this day.
......................... I feel nothing but pity for the poor schmucks who spend crores on them.

Originally Posted by ajmat

I dont want to start another thread but just want to highlight the excellent recovery service from BMW...............
Truck manned by one person, smartly dressed in a safari suit with required tools. Car carefully winched up and he is off.

Me with my old and really used junk but resurrected cars have had a lot of towing experience. Car towing car (this was tolerated but is not allowed) and car towed by towing trucks. But I never had my car carried on a flatbed due to a breakdown. And that did cost me unecessarily extra money
Whenever you see a flatbed with a car on it, it can also mean transfer of a working car which ensured safe delivery, it can even mean a minor fault which could be better attended to in a workshop where all equipment is available.
My W124 broke down due to fuel supply problem when it was 14 years old. Mechanic went to check, saw problem in fuel pump and got it towed. Towman damaged the front bumper, cost of repair Rs 5000/- because of fibreglass and plastics damaged. 8 months later I went for a meeting to Khandala, came back home and car would not start again as the fuel pump packed of in finality. Again got it towed, this time the workshop sent that idiot who damaged the front bumper and then managed to remove and lose the spring on of the handbrake lever. I got the handbrake fixed, and let the bumper be.
I have often sat behind the wheel when my car was towed with a chain, used the brakes to control. This is not advisable if the car has power brakes. And lifting from the front/rear is also not soothing to the bodywork.
I have instructed my dad's driver that in the eventuallity of a breakdown, the Merc must never be towed. It is only 7 months old, lets see how long it goes tow-free.

I really hope that we do not fall into the poor schmuck category for buying a new but expensive car, after a gap of 14 years. And I feel that all new German cars cannot be so bad otherwise there would be no buyers.

I quoted Ajmat here because he gives an example of how the service should be if an expensive car breaks down. Hasslefree after the first hassle (the breakdown)

Cheers harit

[ampere]

A few months back on the way to Valparai, my friend's Optra Magnum, suffered a big blow on those killer humps of Thoppur.

I was about 15 km ahead. He called me and told he was at a bunk.
The car had shown fault warnings and on closure inspection, the engine oil tank had cracked and all the oil had leaked.

The bunk owner found the number of GM at Salem (Thrive motors, Attur Road). We called him and within 45 minutes, he came.
We towed the vehicle to his place, dumped the car there, hired another cab and moved on, leaving the car for service.

All in all, 3 hour delay in the overall schedule. But the service was very impressive.

[carfreak77]

Spotted a brand new sparkling yellow BMW Z4 on a flatbed truck today at worli. There was a huge traffic jam. When the traffic moved forward I noticed the car on the flatbed. I was shocked to see a Z4 on a flatbed (thinking it had broken down). But guess what? Once I passed the truck I noticed that the BMW recovery truck has itself broken down!!
The traffic was backed up because the truck had broken down in the middle of the road. Pulled down my window and asked the guy there what happened and he said the truck ran out of diesel. He also told me the Z4 was a brand new car being delivered to a showroom.
Sorry no pics possible as it was raining at the same time and I was in a hurry.

[cadaver_prad]

Spotted this Skoda Superb waiting for a tow truck in the middle of a junction.

[Durango Dude]

So the German mistress' are expensive to "maintain". Feels like a "vault"; probably belongs in one.

[harit]

If there was a "History of Flatbeds in India", then these pictures would be of interest. The first flatbed seen was Nitin Dossa's, and here it is carrying a "German", incidently a one owner Opel 2-door sedan still in my family. The guy moving around in now a famous restorer. Not the absence of WIAA stickers on the flatbed. This could be the only place to fit in this picture
My green Amby is in the background.

Cheers harit

[PPS]

Promotional car i guess.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...&type=1&ref=nf

[rajeev k]

Saw this yesterday, an undelivered Bolero towed by an undelivered Genio pick up with the help of a rather long nylon rope, yesterday.Take a look.

[k_nitin_r]

^ (About the Bolero towed by a Genio)
Aren't new vehicles delivered on trailers that carry multiple vehicles? (Or is there a familiar saying, "In India, anything is possible)

I once called up a Maruti Authorized Service Station to send a tow truck for a damaged radiator and compressor and they sent a crane-truck instead of a flat bed. The bumper-airdam was damaged in the accident anyway so I didn't mind.

[ajmat]

They tow to save petrol! Old trip when delivering ambassadors!

[R.P.M]

A similar incident happened with my month old VW Polo 1.6P. This happened a few months ago.

9.45am - car just dies with no response on busy mahim causeway. Pulled over to the side of the road in a safe place.

Car is in lockdown mode. Called the toll free no and troubleshoot on the phone as much as I can. No luck.

10:30am - Flatbed arrives. 2 experienced guys winch the car carefully without causing any damage.

4:30pm the same day: got a call from VW asking me to pick up the car. All issues sorted out.

The customer service was very good. Towing happened within the hour and the car was returned the same day. They also paid Rs 500/- towards taxi expenses.