[optimist]

A follow up/correction to the previous post for a new finding.

A look into the photographs taken by me at the stock yard shows the presence of the dents 10 days before delivery. Either the Sundaram guys did not do PDI and reject the vehicle or just passed it on hoping I will not know as they are not easily visible. Little did they know that i had photos of the vehicle in their stock yard. Yet to decide the course of action. i'm feeling like


I had a meeting with their Karnataka representative as they do not have any official presence yet in Karnataka. They said the matter of the steering rack fault has been taken most seriously at all levels as this failure is described as " Customer walking home" in their terms. The Sundaram people on their part completed and delivered the vehicle in 30 hours after arranging to get a new rack from the GM store in Nelamangala. It will be nice if they maintain this levels of service in the future.

Spoke to them about the HU upgrade policy / general sales stuff / mentioned why we bought etc. Complained about the dealership standards and levels of response.

Regarding the modification stuff, their concern is that unless a trained electrician does the install, the carefully designed wiring might get cut/patched and might lead to electrical problems, which would only have them spend more time on any faults/complaints than necessary.

One positive result of all this is that now i know who to call in case of problems and i will almost always get attention at their service center.

[dnaturallywired]

As much euphoric people are about this product called Optra Magnum, it has since proved otherwise for me from the time i took the delivery 10 days ago from Trident Chevrolet Kalyan Nagar B'lore.. Calling the problems i faced over the last 10 days may be called Niggling may be malapropism but that being said am not sure of calling it major problems either !! Well to unfold the story, the day i took the delivery of the car the speedometer wasnt functional and was attributed to VSS sensor problem after 3 days. Since the Vehicle Speed Sensor is housed in the gearbox, GM INdia promptly told me that the entire gearbox assembly will be replaced this week. Yes, u heard it right, the entire GBox!!!
After 2 days am on a highway with my family in the rain and the AC goes Kaput !! The wiper blades makes an exasperating noise (brrrrrr,brrrrr)

I drive straight into Trident nd litterally bought the roof down upon all the service and sales staff and i was immediately put across to their Zonal sales head who happened to be in their showroom at that very moment and i breathed fire on him too.. Assurances,assurances,assurances !!!!!

second time again yesterday, gone out for a drive with my fiance n KAPUT !!! guess what? AC refuses to cool me... At this point of time i was undergoing psychological defense mechanism n started to pinch myself saying "this cant happen to a car as new as 10 days" but adhoc hypothesisation of the present wasnt helping hence i drive straight to Trident and complain...Thermostat problem !!! whoaaaaa, it wont de-ice, hence the air on the cooling coils has no space to pass through making only the blower to work !!! now am waiting for the service folks to fix all the problems to kill the issues and will get my car on thursday 25th aug.Now before any of you ardent magnum worshippers react saying "it is one of the cases only", there have been many instances like Sreeji Nair, shashank (friend of mine n not in TBHP) and few others have had the same problem and let me tell u that this is not instilling confidence. Pessimistic i may sound, but thats my rational and Optra for all you know may be just that "CHARM OFFENSIVE" ( if it proves me otherwise, i'll be very happy)...
so before you guys sign on the delivery papers dont succumb to the love bombing from Optra/ sales folks ( remember they have to display emotional labor which at the end is nothing but superficial) or any of us here for that matter. Be rational and choose carefully..will keep you guys updated on my story

[Motoringlover]

Originally Posted by dnaturallywired

Be rational and choose carefully..will keep you guys updated on my story

Mate sorry for the horid experience you have had, might i suggest you start an independent thread of you experience, which might help prosepctive buyers [like me] make a more effective decision and value the risk associated with the product better. Thanks

Best - ML

[keyur]

Originally Posted by dnaturallywired

the day i took the delivery of the car the speedometer wasnt functional

After 2 days am on a highway with my family in the rain and the AC goes Kaput


Thermostat problem !!! whoaaaaa, it wont de-ice, hence the air on the cooling coils has no space to pass through making only the blower to work !!!

Your issues sound EXACTLY the same as Sreeji's! And what a coincidence, you happen to be friends too!

It would be great if you, Sreeji and your friend Shashank visit the GM guys together and show the exactly same issues that are occurring in your cars. That way, they might be able to correlate and find out some bug - who knows, this might be the next issue after the fuel pump issue of 2008!

Also, please post the first 13 digits of your, Sreeji's and Shashank's Optra VINs if possible. If they are from the same lot, there could be some issues in other Optras of the same lot too and many others could get the issues resolved by this.

Originally Posted by optimist

A look into the photographs taken by me at the stock yard shows the presence of the dents 10 days before delivery.

Optimist - I think you should raise hell and get the car replaced. You have proof that it was damaged before delivery. There is also the issue of the rack! You SHOULD ask for a brand new car - and ideally, they would have to replace it!

[Torquedo]

Originally Posted by optimist

A look into the photographs taken by me at the stock yard shows the presence of the dents 10 days before delivery.

Hey Opti -

Could you please post a few pics of the dents that you have noticed?

Don't take me wrong here, but in case you found the dents why did you land up picking up the car?

Good Luck mate for getting the issues resolved.

Happy Motoring !!

[keyur]

Originally Posted by Torquedo

Hey Opti -



Don't take me wrong here, but in case you found the dents why did you land up picking up the car?

I don't think he noticed the dents during the PDI. I think he noticed the later after the delivery, and then on checking the pics, he realized that the dents were already there during the PDI! (This is what happens when you go for the PDI of a car you are looking forward to - you are so excited that you just end up taking pics and gushing all over it - this is what happened during my PDI - lucky for me, my dad took a more detailed look )

[NoRules]

Originally Posted by dnaturallywired

As much euphoric people are about this product called Optra Magnum, it has since proved otherwise for me from the time i took the delivery 10 days ago from Trident Chevrolet Kalyan Nagar B'lore.. Calling the problems i faced over the last 10 days may be called Niggling may be malapropism but that being said am not sure of calling it major problems either !!Be rational and choose carefully..will keep you guys updated on my story

Yours and Sreejis experience makes me shudder. Having taken the delivery of my Magnum on 14th Aug, this could very well have been me. Touchwood - have not faced any problems so far.

If it will be of any help, the Head of Sales of GM - South is Manish and his mobile number is - 93817 94224

[dnaturallywired]

[If it will be of any help, the Head of Sales of GM - South is Manish and his mobile number is - 93817 94224[/quote]


@ no rules,Thanks bud (Guess you are talking about Manish kocchar?)!! In cases like these the sales guys can seldom do anything but will direct you to the after sales team. There's this guy called Srisha (ZOnal head after sales for karnataka) who is in touch with me and i had left my car back in Trident yesterday and today i called to check the status on it and was told that the Gbox has arrived and they are working on it..Car will be delivered back on thursday i was told..Will keep you guys posted but i have already lost days of sleep over this matter.

[optimist]

Originally Posted by Torquedo

Hey Opti -

Could you please post a few pics of the dents that you have noticed?

Don't take me wrong here, but in case you found the dents why did you land up picking up the car?

Good Luck mate for getting the issues resolved.

Happy Motoring !!

Originally Posted by keyur

I don't think he noticed the dents during the PDI. I think he noticed the later after the delivery, and then on checking the pics, he realized that the dents were already there during the PDI! (This is what happens when you go for the PDI of a car you are looking forward to - you are so excited that you just end up taking pics and gushing all over it - this is what happened during my PDI - lucky for me, my dad took a more detailed look )

I try to avoid bending down as i have a slipped disc which tends to relapse. I saw it first on the ramp as you can see below. Only then did I go and have a look at the snaps again. Can't make it out unless you are familiar with the car.

The damages


At the stockyard.

[keyur]

Originally Posted by optimist

At the stockyard.
Attachment 598372Attachment 598373

The pattern seems to be that of the hydraulic lifts / ramps. This could have been a case where the lifting arm was paced wrongly so that the arm channel rather than the pad came in contact with the car - or, the arm was not placed properly and the car slipped and landed on the arm!

[NoRules]

Originally Posted by dnaturallywired

@ no rules,Thanks bud (Guess you are talking about Manish kocchar?)!! In cases like these the sales guys can seldom do anything but will direct you to the after sales team. There's this guy called Srisha (ZOnal head after sales for karnataka) who is in touch with me and i had left my car back in Trident yesterday and today i called to check the status on it and was told that the Gbox has arrived and they are working on it..Car will be delivered back on thursday i was told..Will keep you guys posted but i have already lost days of sleep over this matter.

Good luck to you mate. It really hurts when you make such an important purchase and it turns out to be a heart burner.

I discussed this earlier in Poitive's thread of Spacious Diesel that the general perception of people about GM is pretty bad and after taking a decision to go with a not-so-popular-brand even after your closest friend, 23rd cousin, lift man, office boy, your boss and his cousin sister's husband's 44th nephew have told you not to trust GM and you suddenly face such a situation and dread the 'I-told-you-so' looks you will receive, nothing can be worse.

GM can do so much better than this. No wonder they are not able to sell many.

It will take atleast another 4-6 months of trouble free performance of my Magnum before I feel reassured completely.

[sylvan]

Trident chevrolet, bangalore is a wrong place to service your car. I have had worst experience every time I went to them. The service personnel are ill-trained and the way they respond to your queries are most irresponsible to say the least. I was forced to go there as my magnum met with an accident and they were the one to have the tie-up with the insurance company. Very bad workman ship and I had to fox a lot of things with Kropex(As it was close to my place) and other service centres (Sundaram - chennai).

[keyur]

Well, the Torqedo (or the TorQueen as I have started calling her) has given me immensely enjoyable and exhilarating 5000 kms - and all these without any major issues. (The only problem I faced was the tyre damage issue posted earlier in this thread).


So the time had come for her first* servicing and I booked an early slot at Pashankar Autowheels. I had ensured that my car would be handled by Mr. Nachiket, a knowledgeable senior advisor. I had also arranged for permission to be present right next to the car when it would be getting serviced, to ensure that proper care would be taken and my car would be treated with due care!

*Technically this is the second service - the first being the 1000km assurance checkup - but nothing substantial is done then, so for me, this is the first service!

Agenda :

Apart from the usual first servicing activities, there were 2 specific extras that I required to get done. My TorQueen had developed a slight creaking sound near the right front - this was very difficult to reproduce and would come only when the road was highly uneven or when I would try to accelerate very slowly with the front wheels against an obstacle (like a speed bump). The second activity was the replacement of the damaged tyre (yes, Apollo finally replaced the tyre for me at half the cost - they called it a goodwill gesture).
So the activities were enumerated as :

1. First servicing 5000 km
2. Engine oil and filter change
3. Resolution of creaking noise near front right of the car
4. Replacement of the damaged tyre

I reached the service station on time and registered my car for the servicing, armed with my laptop and my Nikon (I intended to photograph each and every activity). Mr. Nachiket was waiting for me and as promised, took my car in immediately. The Customer Service lady politely asked me to wait in the Customer Lounge and relax while the car would be serviced, to which I refused (equally politely) and told him that there was no way I would leave my car's side - afterall, I had it prearranged to have a free pass (didn't I?). A quick word with the Works Manager and I was all set to go.

Before taking the vehicle into the workshop, we went out for a quick drive to have a general assessment. Thankfully, we were able to reproduce the noise. Nachiket attributed it to some unequal stresses developed in the chassis, possibly due to the innumerable pieces of road scattered among the potholes . Being good at engg. mechanics, this statement sent alarm bells ringing right left and center. But the guys assured me (atleast tried their best to) that this was no big deal and de-torquing and re-torquing the chassis would resolve the issue. I was skeptical and imagined the entire car being dismantled and the chassis being torqued and nearly went into shock! But again, I was assured that nothing of this sort would happen - the only part coming off would be the oil filter! The job card was prepared and I was given an estimate of around Rs.1800 (now that was great news - no hole in the pocket, plenty left to spare!)

The job card


The car was then taken into the workshop - I was still riding shotgun, and got out only when they told me that the car would have to be taken into the servicing bay. Once out, I took out my Nikon, checked the lighting, made the necessary settings and was about to start clicking away when I had the uneasy feeling of being watched and possibly targeted. My intuition was bang on! I saw a security guard, the works manager and the supervisor running towards me. I didn't realize what was happening and my first reaction (thankfully inside my mind only) was to reach for my ICD (see this for details here). But as they neared me, they stopped the frantic run. and the works manager, trying very hard to be polite, told me that photography was not allowed inside the workshop. I tried my best to convince them (and even showed them the pics taken by Sreeji on tBHP), but to no avail. I realized that my free pass did not have all the benefits and I would have to settle for just standing there and watching the work in progress (the other option was to go to the customer lounge, have tea and watch TV).

The mechanic came in with the new oil filter and his set of tools. The car was raised on the ramp and the work started. The de-torquing and re-torquing turned out to be the loosening and re-tightening of 4 nuts of the chassis, under the body - the entire operation took 10 mins and I was relieved that nothing had been opened in the process (these guys should call it releasing the stress or something - re-torquing sounds much more complex). The air filter was taken off and pressure cleaned. The old oil was drained and the filter replaced.

During the oil change, I asked them if they would top it up with synthetic oil (5W40) and tried to have a discussion there. The Works Manager and the Technical Manager both came in again (though not running this time). They explained in detail how Elf (and Total) formulated the 15W40 oil especially for GM and how GM had chosen the specific formulation after a long research. They also told me that for the wear and tear the Optra's engine goes through, the 15W40 is most suitable and just because the synthetic oil is available, one should not go for it. The discussion was closed when they told me that changing to any other oil would void warranty! I then asked them if they would use flushing oil before the replacement, but again they told me that as I was servicing the vehicle on time, and there didn't seem to be any excessive wear and the oil that was being added was the same as the previous oil, there was no need of flushing.

The oil



I personally oversaw my TorQueen drinking more than 6 litres of the golden fluid (which turns black right at the first crank!). The majority of the work had been done. What remained was the normal inspection and lubrication of moving parts. Unfortunately, some other owner sitting in the lounge got jealous of my free pass and he too insisted on inspecting his car - this created a Dharamsankat for the manager - I quickly resolved this by switching to the tea and TV option in the lounge - (I also got the pleasure of seeing the sulking face of the poor KLPDed guy whose wish of getting into the workshop remained unfulfilled).

After the servicing was done, the car was moved to the Final Inspection Bay. Mr. Jealous had gone off for lunch, so I took the opportunity of participating in the final inspection myself. The car had been serviced properly, the spare wheel with the new replaced tyre was balanced and sowed away securely in the boot, and the car was ready for the Pre Delivery Test Drive. Nachiket took the car out and then asked me to drive away.

I cranked the engine, and right there, I could feel the change in the engine - it had become butter smooth - a very nice feel! The air filter cleaning also resulted in a nice deep growl from the engine. The gear shifts were smoother. The TorQueen surged ahead as usual, and I drove for about 5-6 kilometres through varying terrain, testing all the functions. The lubrication and the engine oil change had made the vehicle very smooth. The creaking noise had disappeared. Many people say that there is an increase in the torque and power - I felt no such thing. The engine was smoother, the niggles had disappeared and that's it! Overall the vehicle was in great shape. The only thing that I noticed missing was the grease on the hinges, so I asked Nachiket if they had forgotten the same, to which he replied that nowadays, they use some spray instead of the grease.

So after a satisfactory test, the car went for a bath, and I went for some lunch - the service station, Pashankar Auto Wheels also provides lunch to those who wait there for the vehicles - this was a welcome surprise - something totally new for me!
I was not able to take any snaps of the car while it got serviced, so when the car was brought out for washing, I satisfied my itch by clicking away while she was bathing :P.

Both the interior and exterior were thoroughly cleaned, then dried up.




The engine bay was dried by pressurized air and the surfaces were polished using some cream.



The dashboard and other interior parts were also polished.



I eventually got tired looking at these 5-6 guys going over every inch of my car, ensuring that it was spotless.



I don't know whether they are so diligent every time or it was all because I was standing there clicking snaps. But the end result was good for me, so no complaints!


I also happened to meet Mr. Prashant (the one who sold me my car) and the AGM of sales, Mr. Bendarkar.
These snaps are for the benefit of any Chevy customer who wants to get in touch with either of these for sales / service.

Left to Right (Mr. Prashant - Sales Mgr, Mr. Nachiket - Sr. Advisor / Supervisor, Mr. Bendarkar - AGM Sales)






Overall, it was a great experience. Took me a total of 5 hours to get the vehicle back. My first experience was not very smooth, but this experience and the professionalism shown by the GM team helped seal my faith in them! Rated then a complete 10/10 in their post service survey. Now came the payment part - was pleased to see that the total bill including taxes was only Rs.2200 - now if that is not VFM, I don't know what is!


The invoice



Summary :

Date of Purchase : May 2011
Date of first servicing : 18th Aug 2011
Running : 4997 km

Service Station : Pashankar Auto Wheels, Baner-Pashan, Pune
Appointment Time : 09:45 am
Service Advisor : Nachiket
Works Manager : Vishal

Action Items :

• 5000 km servicing
• Oil and Oil Filter Replacement
• Resolution of creaking noise - right front door
• Spare Tyre fix

Estimated expense : Rs. 1800 + taxes
Actual expense : Rs. 1965 + taxes


Parts Required :
Oil Filter Kit - 1
Washer - 1
ELF Motor Oil - 6.30L
Wheel Balancing Weights - 2

Total cost of parts : 1964.28
VAT: 245.53
Labour : 0.00
Total : Rs.2210

Total time taken 6 hours (10.17 AM to 04:18 PM)

After Sales and Service Experience : 10/10

Things I liked :

• Knowledgeable staff
• Spot on diagnostics
• Great hospitality (first service station I have seen that actually serves food for ALL it's customers)
• No hole in pocket

Things that could have been better :

• Time taken (6hrs was too long)
• They could have allowed me to click a few snaps. The only snaps that I got here were of the washing...

As a side note, any Chevy owners in Pune, if you give your vehicle for servicing at Pashankar, ensure that you give your vehicle to Nachiket!

[C300]

Thanks Keyur for that detailed service log. Its nice to see professional and VFM AS* from GM. At times it also depends on the personal rapport that you build with the AS* folks. Mr. Nachiket seems a knowledgeable and genuine person. +1 to GM and Pashankar team.

[dnaturallywired]

Originally Posted by keyur

They explained in detail how Elf (and Total) formulated the 15W40 oil especially for GM and how GM had chosen the specific formulation after a long research. They also told me that for the wear and tear the Optra's engine goes through, the 15W40 is most suitable !

Trident Chevrolet in Bangalore uses TOTAL QUARTZ