[madhukarmohan]

I own a 2018 Ford Freestyle 1.5 TDCi with close to 82,000 km on the odometer, regularly serviced every 10,000 km at JSP Ford in Bengaluru. My last service was at 81,000 km, where everything was marked as fine in the service report. However, immediately after the service, I noticed two issues: the AC wasn’t cooling as effectively; it now requires maximum settings to cool the cabin, and there’s been a significant drop in mileage, especially in lower gears, like during bumper-to-bumper traffic and on ghat roads.

When I took the car back to the service centre to address these problems, they informed me that the evaporator and EGR valve needed to be cleaned and that both the clutch kit and timing kit required replacement. This came as a surprise, as none of these issues were flagged during the 81,000 km service. When I asked why these weren’t checked earlier, the advisor mentioned that they only investigate parts if a customer reports a specific issue.

They've quoted around INR 45,000 for the repairs, but as someone who’s not familiar with car internals, I’m concerned about whether the parts will genuinely be replaced or if it’s just a minor fix that’s being presented as a major repair.

If you're in my case, How do you verify whether a part has truly been replaced or repaired (especially if it is an internal part), and bills/charges are legitimate?

[freelancer6202]

Be present when the work it being carried out, insist on inspecting the old replaced parts. Timing belts can be inspected visually for wear and tear.

[Jeroen]

Many moons ago, I suspected the Audi dealer that looked after my dad’s Audi 100, for not doing the various service jobs properly, if at all. My dad was the least technical inclined person on the planet. He had no clue. But I did!

So I marked all parts, bolts and nuts with an invisible marker prior to the service. My dad took the car in and I picked it up in the evening. They presented me with a very long list of parts they replaced and work carried out. The invoice was substantial.

I told them I had marked all parts and as soon as I verified that all jobs had been carried out, I would be more than happy to pay the invoice.

Which caused quite a panicky response from the SA, who brought in the Chief Mechanic who subsequently brought in the general manager.

Who told me that they would really like to keep the car overnight and check a few more things.

Next day the car was ready, washed, polished, waxed inside and outside. No charge for any of it, no charge for the service.

From there on red carpet treatment!
Jeroen

[GTO]

Pick 1 of the 3:

- Choose a trusted workshop and then go by their word. This is what I follow.

OR

- Have them replace the part in front of you.

OR

- Visual inspection before taking delivery (not possible for internal parts, though easy for stuff like an alternator).

[Gansan]

I trust the workshop where I service my car. It is 50% owned by my car manufacturer and follows SOPs. A few times initially I had been present when the parts were replaced, but later stopped.

They place all the old parts in the boot of the car after service for us to inspect and take home to sell for scrap if we wish. I leave the parts there.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by madhukarmohan

.. How do you verify whether a part has truly been replaced or repaired (especially if it is an internal part), and bills/charges are legitimate?

Trusting the workshop is more or less like trusting your doctor. You have to either trust them and hold them accountable for the results achieved, or treat yourself.

[jinojohnt]

I once had my Alto's clutch replaced at Popular, Trivandrum. Got everything from flywheel to clutch cable replaced, to fix a recurring clutch issue (bill was close to Rs 10K, around 12 years back). The clutch failed again after 12000 km, and I got it dismantled at a local workshop. To my horror, I found that only the diaphragm spring was changed at Popular (this part is not even available independently, because it is available only with the clutch set). How did I make out? I had taken photos with serial numbers of most parts during the previous clutch change.

When I called my service advisor to complain about this, his reply was "It is not possible, everything is computer. We cannot bill a part without replacing that part in your car". I was ROFL when he said "Everything is computer". When I complained to Maruti, they just routed it back to the dealer.

As we get more knowledgeable in cars, it becomes so irritating that Maruti workshops not only try to fleece you, but also damages non-related parts during a service, to force you to visit them for a new repair within six months. This is all the more prominent in workshops where a major component of a mechanic's salary is commission from the work done. (My experience from 8 workshops in my town, authorized as well as others).

I am moving away from Maruti after being loyal for 3 generations, solely because of this.
So to answer your question - It is not possible to find out whether a part was really replaced unless you or a close aid is with the car all the time during service (of course you should know in and out of car parts and repair procedures to really know). And I think placing the old part back in your boot is just a marketing gimmick, just to fool you into believing that the part was really replaced.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

So I marked all parts, bolts and nuts with an invisible marker prior to the service.

I told them I had marked all parts and as soon as I verified that all jobs had been carried out, I would be more than happy to pay the invoice.

What is an invisible marker? And how can we see it's marking?

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

What is an invisible marker? And how can we see it's marking?

Just google it and you will get an idea. The most common ones show up with UV light, so you need take a torch with a UV light bulb.

Here’s one of many

https://centurymarkers.com/products/...mal%20daylight.

Jeroen

[Simha.k]

When I used to get my Tata car serviced in India, the service center always asked me if I wanted the old spare parts. I always said no and they used to dispose it.

Once I got my friend's Toyota Corolla serviced and they replaced the entire clutch kit. At the time of delivery, they had kept the old clutch kit parts in the boot. I was taken aback! I asked them to take it back and dispose it the way they deem fit. In fact, all OEMs have a SOP for disposing used parts.

You can always ask the service center to return old spares. Try it and let us know.

[Samba]

An honest service center will return you the old parts that were replaced. Then it is on the customer whether he/she will take it home or leave it at the service center.

This is how Toyota returned the old parts, after replacing them with the new ones-

The old clutch plate-



The old lower arms, a couple of old struts in the boxes, and a few more parts that were replaced-



I have seen similar practices in VW and Renault too.
If the service center does not return the old parts proactively, do ask for them.

[Gupts007]

The most foolproof way to know that the repairs and replacements have indeed been carried out is to be present at the time it is being undertaken.

Return of old parts is to an extent also a way to know that replacements have indeed been done but still there is room for dishonesty there as workshops
carry out similar repairs in so many other vehicles and most vehicle owners don't bother to take back the removed parts. So the workshop will likely to have
lots of identical used parts that they can pass off to you as having come off from your vehicle.

Recently, when I went to the Nexa service station, I saw a board on the wall which said that they have a right to not return parts taken out from the vehicles.
It is at their discretion. I had front shocks, link rods, brake rotors, brake pads, rear drums, brake shoes replaced and decided to carry the removed parts with me.
No objection was made.

[McLaren Rulez]

My service center (VW) always returns the old parts in the boot.

[d.w.w.]

I believe Hyundai has a policy now that requires the service center to return any replaced part to the customer except oil/fuel filter. These parts will be left in the boot and the customer is free to take them home or leave it there. I take back parts that can be salvaged or repurposed and leave anything else there.

[Raghu M]

While the suggestion of staying near the car sounds pretty straight forward, it's not that easy and practical. If you service your car at the ASS, then they have to provide you a full and detailed bill along with the part nos. and serials. It's most likely genuine and a digital copy is stored. In case there is a repeat failure, it's very easy to pull the invoice up and argue with the showroom/ASS.

The link rods in my 3OO were replaced in April 24 since they were faulty. I don't carry invoices in my car. When I gave it to VVC 2 weeks back, I asked them to check the link rods as there was some play that I suspected while taking U turns. The service advisor called me and confirmed that there was some play and they need to be replaced. I told them that they were replaced only 6 months ago and it should be covered in warranty. He said, he will get back to me. In the evening during delivery, they said they did not change the link rod as I did not approve it through Whatsapp. I followed their escalation matrix (shared in the showroom) and contacted their higher ups. A few mins later, I was told that the part will be replaced and that I can take the delivery of the car the next day. I went in the next day and checked the invoice, the part was clearly mentioned and categorized as replaced under warranty.

Let's assume in the earlier instance (April 24), they did not change the part, it would have appeared on their system. Since all records were digitized, it was easy to speak to them and get it replaced. I took a thorough test drive and everything was perfect. I think only the engine oil is something that is hard to ascertain if it has been really replaced or not but for all the others, all ASS' have a detailed billing procedure and that's most likely genuine. This is from my experience.