Quote:
Originally Posted by sridhar-v The manager of MASS, who is the resident expert on grand Vitaras, has been helping out in trouble shooting and is aware of the condition of the car ever since I got it in May 2015. Last week, after my trip, he drove the car. He also noticed the change in drivability and was impressed with the difference the iridiums have made.
The model of plugs is NGK IFR5J11. It costs Rs. 1001+taxes each, through MASS, |
I have been struggling to get my GV serviced here in Hyderabad. I went through your posts and the scanned copy of service bills - thank you very much for attaching those. Based on your experience, I decided to get Iridium spark plugs and full synthetic engine oil. Along with regular servicing, I am also looking to replace the front brake discs and brake pads. I went to Varun motors for the routine service + brake related job. Here is my not so pleasant experience so far.
Having dealt with Maruti spare parts guys on previous occasions, I knew that parts like brake pad and discs would not be in stock, so I had those ordered last month. To avoid any delays, I got the part numbers through Maruti and told the parts dealership specifically what part numbers to order. Went through this extra bit of trouble because with Grand Vitara its never a simple matter of telling them what you want. The parts were delivered earlier last week. Up until this point the experience was very good - I ordered parts, they kept me informed, and finally delivered the parts to my home.
Day 1, 04 Apr - Varun Motors, Gachibowli, Hyderabad.
I reached in there in morning about 9:30 am. Got hold of a service advisor who inspected the brake pads and told me that the brake pads delivered to me are not the right size. I had a quick look and he was right. Checking the part number, I realized the part number doesnt match what I asked for in my order. Quickly called up the parts dealership and they acknowledged the miss. They assured me that correct part will be sent to me tomorrow, 05 Apr. Well, 05 Apr came and went and there is still no sign of receiving the part. So the brakes job is on hold at this time.
Coming back to regular servicing, I asked the SA (supposedly one of the senior guys) to put synthetic engine oil only (0W40) and Iridum spark plugs and gave him the part numbers for those two items. The 'Senior SA' comes back after 30 minutes to tell me that no one has heard of Iridium spark plugs!! I showed him the T-bhp thread on my mobile and he said he will check all dealerships. He also said that they do not have oil filter and air filter in stock, along with Transmission oil. Now this was becoming very strange. How can a premium service outlet not have these parts in stock? At this point, I sent an email to regional parts manager at Maruti copying the dealership and parts dealership as well.
Later in the day I followed up and was told that they have received all parts except the brake pads. Knowing them, I asked them to read out the part numbers on the individual boxes to me. This made the SA chicken out and he again told me 'will call you back sir'.
Day 2, 04 Apr
Day spent waiting for the correct parts to arrive. In the evening, I called the SA once again. He once again assured me that all parts have arrived and he can confidently tell me part details. Well guess what, the first part he picked up was spark plugs. He then starts telling me ' sir, these are NGK, what you asked for'. Apparently he was not able to read out the part number so I asked the price. Turns out the price of this spark plug is Rs. 196 plus taxes, so no way this is Iridium spark plug. Trying not to lose my cool, I politely asked him the status of other parts. Next up - engine oil. Turns out they dont have full synthetic engine oil in Hyderabad anywhere, and SA keeps on telling me semi synthetic is very good. At this point with nowhere to go, I just ended the call.
Wrote a long email to Maruti regional manager after this conversation bringing to his attention the sad state of affairs. Yet to hear back from him. Hope he can help.
My question to you is that were you able to find the parts without difficulty? How was your experience with the service center folks. Since you know the service center manager well, I can speak to him to courier me the spark plugs from Pune (I will pay the shipping cost of course). I know its different city and all, but If I can get some information on parts availability from your known contacts, that would be very helpful.
At this stage, my GV has run more than 10,000 kms since last service. I do not want to wait too long to get it serviced. Though I keep checking the fluids, yet I better get this done as soon as possible. Any help will be much appreciated.