TAFE experience.
I was approaching 15,000 kms and it was time for my 1st major service. Even though I had gone to TAFE at 8k kms for an oil change, this was my first proper scheduled service.
I messaged Shankara Narayanan, the spare parts manager of TAFE and requested him for an appointment.
Someone called me promptly from TAFE and confirmed an appointment for the 4th of January.
I was at 14,987 when I left home… The route I took was a long one via NICE road but a peaceful drive.
When I reached TAFE, the odo reading was 15,024 kms.
A Service Advisor named Neethan was assigned to my car and I was asked to wait for him to join me. However, he was busy with another car and took a long time to finish his work. Cant blame him though. Just my luck.
After waiting for about 25 minutes, another gentleman called Venkat came up to me and said he will get the work started. Sat with him in the car, he drove it inside the workshop, parked the car in the bay and the car was lifted.
The work was started almost immediately. The work happened so fast by the two mechanics assigned to my car that I missed a lot of it! I had to request them to wait for me to take photos. This, inspite of me not leaving the car at all!
In approximately 20 minutes since the car was stationed, the oil filter, air filter and cabin filter was replaced. The oil had been drained and the wiper blades had been changed. The windshield washer fluid was topped up too. I had just refilled the washer fluid a couple of days ago so just a few ml was required. The remaining was in the bottle which was kept in the boot. To be used when I need it next.
Old Air Filter
New Air Filter
Old AC filter
New AC filter
Windshield washer fluid:
Oil filter:
Then they lowered the car and started pouring fresh engine oil. Oil used was the same one I used last time. Motul Xcess 8100. VAG approved oil.
Last time, a sliced water bottle was used as a funnel to pour engine oil. Looks like they took my feedback seriously and this time, they used a proper cone with a thin filter to strain out impurities.
This time, they used a Würth spray to protect my battery terminals.
After this, it was time to reset the ECU. The laptop was connected to the OBD port with a tool and after a thorough diagnosis check, I was given the all clear to take the car out of the workshop.
I skipped the car wash as I prefer washing it myself or getting it done at a trustworthy and reliable place like Feynlab.
The final bill was 6154/-. This included 2k for the wiper blades. MY wiper blades were streaking badly and definitely required a change.
Making the invoice took ages. I simply don’t understand why when everything is computerised. I waited for 30 minutes and then the invoice had a charge of 550 something for “Lubrication and cleaning”. He said this is what is done for all cars. Some lubrication for the brakes or whatever. They are supposed to remove the wheels, spray something near the brake pads or whatever. This wasn’t done on my car but someone made a mistake and had entered it in the invoice. To remove this, it further took another 15 minutes.
The overall service took about 2 hours. The actual work was less than an hour or just exactly one hour. The initial waiting time was something that couldn’t be helped. But waiting so long just for billing was not acceptable.
Final Invoice:
Attached at the end of this post.
My experience:
This time, the experience was even better than last time. They realised that they had delayed my car and they made up for lost time. The work was started quickly, parts were brought quickly and the technician worked very quickly.
I was very impressed with their efficiency. The service advisor Mr Venkat and later on Neethan were quite helpful. Mr Venkat stayed with my car till the service was done and ensured everything was done perfectly.
Mr Naveen, the service manager also came, had a look and offered his assistance. I didn’t need to ask for any help from though.
Mr Shankara Narayanan was with me for a large duration of this visit. He was helpful as always. He’s a car nut himself and it’s always fun to talk to such people.
I was IN and out of the workshop in a little more than 2 hours and I consider myself very satisfied. I can only hope this level of service continues for the next 4 years.
It has been a common experience in India that when things are new, everything is nice but after a few months or years, things start to go downhill.
As of now, my vRS is new, and TAFE do give it some importance as it’s one of the first in Bangalore. I only hope they continue to put in this much effort throughout my ownership of the car.