[sandeep108]

Originally Posted by ajmat

I beg to differ. I work for one of those companies. A reason for reduced warranties are

1: Degraded environment - extra heat and dust means increased chance of failure
2: competition does not offer this so why put one's head on the block. Only now are car manufacturer's going beyond the 1 year mark
I agree on the taxation part of things as a percentage of the product cost is to cover warranty

Possibly your company is one that is more 'ethical' than the others. Unfortunately my experience quite differs. Whenever I have bought any stuff from the US/UK, it simply lasts and lasts, no issues inspite of our heat/dust. Whenever similar items are bought in Mumbai - officially with bill and warranty, I have experienced various issues.

In case of cars, probably the localisation and quality issues also play a part, but I am yet of the opinion that the Indian customer continues to be taken for a ride.

[Akki_5]

I got the estimate for my E280 second service from AutoHangar at close to 35k
Not looking at shelling out that much on just a service, i got the number of Ajay Parekh (GTC) from GTO.
just for confirmation GTO, should i go ahead with this guy? is he trustworthy and knowledgeable enough? i treat my cars like my babies and don't want to give them to just anybody i don't know enough about (and this gets hard when it comes to my luxury cars)
For how long have u been getting your C serviced from this guy? What is the kind of price i should expect for this service?
Help required and appreciated.

Thanks,
Akshay

*just glad that the forum is back*

[diffsoft]

Originally Posted by sandeep108

Possibly your company is one that is more 'ethical' than the others. .....
In case of cars, probably the localisation and quality issues also play a part, but I am yet of the opinion that the Indian customer continues to be taken for a ride.

Sir,

I worked for an MNC in India (other than one mentioned by Ajmat) and know of friends who work in some others across industries including auto. I think the notion they knowingly take customers for a ride is simply terribly false. In fact I have seen them bring in far better ethical practices than some established large Indian companies I know and worked for.

I guess it takes them a while to understand the market, customers, dealers while their cost structures remain high because they have a "developed country" mindset.

Cheers,

[GTO]

Electronic key gone kaput. Basically, the plastic buttons have broken off entirely. In only 4 years of use. Says a lot of the quality (or lack of) of the plastic used. Cost of key from authorised : Rs. 12,000!

Looking for aftermarket options. Or will simply use the second key for another 4 years

[Rudra Sen]

A duplicate VIN key is 12000/-? What's the kind of margin dealer/company is keeping here!!

[pranavt]

I haven't read up on programming these electronic keys, but I'm very sure I've seen blank keys being sold for peanuts on Ebay. They can be reprogrammed for your car, provided you have someone in the know with a key programmer for the exact key. If someone has a few monies to spare, try buying this and making a business out of programming keys for even half the OEM rates.
Auto Diagnostic Series,Original Diagnostic Equipment,Auto ECU Programmer,Car Key Programmer,Code Scanners,Auto Electronics Series,Auto Testing Series,Auto Repair Series,Auto Cleaning And Care Series,Auto Store Series

[Jaggu]

Yup OE duplicate keys cost a bomb and you have to wait for a year lol.

Crv first key the plastic case has broken after 4 years, was held with super glue for couple of weeks. When that gave away, duplicate was used and in 2 weeks the battery went kaput and the jammed screw head got buggered, so cant open to replace the battery. Have to take it to some lathe which can do a precision drill job and not break the second key. Right now works as a normal key without remote activation!

Cost of replacement 14k INR. I guess Merc is cheaper in some areas.

EDIT: @GTO if you are going to use second key, first replace the battery! Before the screw gets jammed with salt from sweat and attacked by the elements. In our case the 2 years storage had done the trick on the screw and the battery :(

[mohit]

Its a blatant cash grab and yes every manufacturer is good at it! Out here, a genuine Honda key costs $250 so I guess its the same ballpark amount.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

A duplicate VIN key is 12000/-? What's the kind of margin dealer/company is keeping here!!

Well, lets put it this way. They're healthy!

Originally Posted by pranavt

I haven't read up on programming these electronic keys, but I'm very sure I've seen blank keys being sold for peanuts on Ebay.

Aha, whenever in doubt, use Ebay. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

@GTO if you are going to use second key, first replace the battery! Before the screw gets jammed with salt from sweat and attacked by the elements. In our case the 2 years storage had done the trick on the screw and the battery :(

Will do tonight itself. Thank you

[Jaggu]

Also if there is slightest hint of jamming, take it to a watch repair guy they are experts in opening such screws!

[diffsoft]

Another example of poor reliability or longevity. German engineered cars are a terrific delight to drive but the clawing feeling of maintenance and their upkeep costs really makes me and my wallet shudder.

If there's one lesson I learn again and again from Team BHP it is that practicality is important and it matters more than delightful driving experience. The latter invariably seems to come at some "uncertain" future cost.

Every time I read ownership reports of an Audi / BMW / Merc / VW my heart yearns for it. I tell myself I will earn enough to buy one of these cars. But the more reports I read about failure of such complex engineering and thus the downtime, extra costs and the hassle, the mind takes over and says, "How the heck are you going to justify these spends?"

This battle between the heart and the mind is getting resolved in favor of the mind (atleast for now ) after learning from others' experience, which is of course far cheaper .

[evo]

As I posted earlier, the Skoda keys cost upwards of 8000, a guy with some machine is capable of making a key that opens doors but it seems he cant do the radio stuff required to start the engine.

[manson]

Something even I'm a little troubled about since a few weeks. My Honda runs a H.I.S.S. and I only got one key from the previous owner.
Is there anyone around in Mumbai who could replicate the code from the key itself to make me a second key?

manson.

[ImmortalZ]

Nope. You have to get it done from Honda. People keep talking about blank keys that can be reprogrammed by some imaginary corner shop person, but if you have a new age car with immobilizers, you'll need to get it done from the A.S.S..

[Vid6639]

Immortalz, I've seen those corner shops which are not really corner shops.

They have all the diagnostic tools to plug into the ECU for every car model. From there they program the new blank key and test it out. They even give a warranty with the new key.

The place is near mission road in bangalore and the Skoda/Honda/Toyota keys were costing Rs.2,000.

The keys are branded from an italian company Electronic Keys