[salunkhe.vizz]

Originally Posted by skdking

Hello There,

Can you please share the battery details i.e. brand, model etc?

Thanks.

Battery brand was Amaron.

Not very sure about model number but it must be AAM-PR-0055B24LS (45 Ah)

[dumdum]

I have been to Jatin a couple of times for issues on my Mercedes S500. If you get turned off by the shabby workshop, you're really not doing him any justice. The guy loves cars and knows how to take care of them. I wouldn't say he has the most reasonable pricing but you can trust him and his team. They're all pretty good and well equipped in their service center in Saki Naka.

He also never has a problem if you hang around there inspecting the work. He has nothing to hide.
I highly recommend Wagenwerks especially to Mercedes Benz owners who are sick and tired of being robbed blind by AutoHangar and Shaman. Jatin even has access to the Star Diagnostics system so he really is well equipped to handle even very expensive cars. The whole process dealing with him was very transparent and I was kept in the loop at each point which is what I loved about him. He's welcoming and easy to talk to and will give you attention even on his busiest days.

I'm not affiliated with him in any way and this is an honest customer review. Moral of the story: DumDum recommends!

[1lokesh]

After a lot of deliberation, I finally decided to write this long post on wagenwerkz. I hope that this post helps all those who would want to go to bhpian Jatin Patel for getting their car serviced.

This year in February was the first time I sent my car to Wagenwerkz, after reading encouraging reviews.

Below mentioned is the service history with wagenwerkz for my Civic:

S. No. Date Damage Report/Review
1. 24/Jan/2015 ~Rs 44k http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post3637918
2. 26/Jun/2015 ~Rs 28k http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post3741673
3. 25/Jul/2015 None (FoC)

So now let's look at the issues I was/have been facing...

First issue - the clutch overhaul work done was somehow not satisfactory. There was still little bit of knocking and shudder but I was told this will go away once car has done another 500-600 Kms. Instead of improving, shuddering and knocking became more and more irritating. I got the car picked up from my office on 26-June-2015 to address this with a list of other issues as described in the picture below. This job list was shared with Jatin in form of a hard copy followed by this picture on whatsapp


Out of this laundry list, point no. 1, 2, 3 and 6 were attended to. All other issues, barring for no. 7 and 9 were ignored. I will explain about no. 9 later in this post. Issue no. 7 was attributed to kaput engine mount and cylinders. Engine mount was replaced. On cylinders, I pointed out that these were replaced only 6 months back, to which I was told that it happens and there will be no warranty even though they were Honda original spare parts. I was told that he has tried some tweaking and the issue might have been resolved and if it persists, I can send the car back later for cylinder replacement.

Now here is where more trouble and endless follow ups started.

I called him back after a week since the shuddering and knocking was becoming unbearable. I was promised on atleast 3-4 occasions for the car pickup but no one turned up - owing to one or the other reason/excuse. Finally, on the 5th instance my car was picked up that too after a lot of persistence. Here I was also told that the cylinder will be issued free of cost since he convinced the parts supplier. Only with insistence that car could only be picked up from my residence and not office as promised earlier. I had to cancel my planned business on a Saturday for this

Anyways, later I was informed that cylinders are fine and there was an issue with clutch oil which somehow was contaminated - and that IS the issue. Also the fact that Civic had inherent issues at lower RPMs, which will always remain!

Couldn't understand this whole episode at all. Once there was an issue with cylinder, then there was this whole thing of warranty which was later offered to me as FOC, and then suddenly there was no problem with cylinder but with clutch oil. Beyond my wits, I gave up.

Second Issue When My car went on first instance to Wagenwerkz in January this year, I got the front suspension job done since they had gone weak. But at that time lower arm bushes weren't replaced which practically meant that I was driving the car again with the issue. I have highlighted that in my review post linked above. This time in June - this was done and I'm more or less satisfied with this, as of now. Credit where it belongs to.

Third Issue is the point no. 9 in job list which was attributed to steering rack and tie rods. This was in June. I was told it will take 2-3 days to fix this. I tried to do a bit of check on my own and found out that the costs will be same as compared to HASS. Gave up on this too, given experience with Clutch overhaul here. Going to go back to HASS on this one unless I find a very good recommended FNG for Civic.

Fourth Issue The job list that was given(and agreed by him to be taken care of) at the time of servicing was mostly ignored with selective work done. I can understand that this would have taken more time, but I was never offered that choice. What really upsets me is that when I sent the car back last week (3rd visit) for clutch issue after all follow ups, this list was AGAIN not adhered to. And this time too I'd sent the job list on whatsapp to him.

Fifth Issue This an issue that is recurring. BILL!! How difficult is it for a professional service provider to provide a genuine bill? First instance, the bill came after 45 days - not without repeated follow ups. Follow up conversations went to the extent of courier tracking dockets (yes in this age of emails) and ended up with a pdf in my inbox. It has been again more than a month that I have spent a sizeable amount with this garage without a proper bill. Follow ups have resulted in a "so called bill" which is shown in the screenshot below:


"Seriously? Is this a bill?" I asked Jatin, and he said his laptop is out for repair! I suggested him to use MS Office app on his phone and prepare a proper bill for me to submit to my organisation - for which he agreed. This was day before yesterday (28-Jul-2015) and I'm afraid, he has conveniently forgotten. Haven't received it yet. I'm probably staring at a possible out of pocket expense of Rs 28k here since my organisation is not going to reimburse without an invoice.

Sixth Issue After the car came back this weekend, I observed a deep scratch on the side body of the boot. Quite a noticeable one! This was the first time I noticed this on my car. And I am sure this wasn't my doing. Its a visible scrape mark of another vehicle. I called up Jatin to check with his driver, who came to pick up and drop the car. He promised to revert back the next day, a Sunday. As expected he didn't revert and I sent a follow up text, to which he responded that his driver wasn't responsible. I didn't persist on this as I couldn't lay the blame in absence of hard fact. I should have checked the car while giving it to him and upon return. My fault, I guess. But I am also sure that this particular scratch was not there before.

My take: All my issues point out to one insight, IMHO - Carelessness and not being on top of the things. I thought the guy was good, and I have now reasons to doubt that thought. Also, Just being good at it can't make you earn satisfied customers. Dedication, hands on involvement and customer service with empathy is what needs to kick in with the talent.

I have decided not to pursue wagenwerkz's services in future again purely due to my experience. I can rate them good on genuine parts (no issues till now, fingers crossed). Ok on repairs/job work and way below average in terms of customer service, eye for detail, attention and to an extent expertise.

Above are my personal opinions strictly based on experience, intended to help anyone who wishes to seek services of wagenwerkz. I hope this helps fellow BHPians and readers. I have taken extra care to subdue the issues and concerns so that this post does not become a biased, critical and bashing in nature. Have highlighted good things as well, to be fair.

[d_himan]

Well, I had a nice experience with Jatin! Nice, clean, 30 min install of a GTI paddle shift steering on my Polo GT. Taking off the old steering in the FL Polo requires a bit of skill and the job was patiently and carefully handled for an auto OCD types like me.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post3768052

[Tanveer_2558]

Originally Posted by d_himan

Well, I had a nice experience with Jatin! Nice, clean, 30 min install of a GTI paddle shift steering on my Polo GT. Taking off the old steering in the FL Polo requires a bit of skill and the job was patiently and carefully handled for an auto OCD types like me.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post3768052

Thanks for the info, I will probably drop down to the place and see if they would be willing to install the ESP off switch in my jetta.

[1lokesh]

After this review of mine of WagenWerkz, Jatin Patel, the owner, messaged me on 30-Jul-2015 and offered to mend the things. Screenshot of the SMS received is attached below



I was still facing the shudder and knocking due to shoddy clutch work and that scratch on the side body of the boot was also troubling me. Plus I was a bit soothed that he was able to send me a proper bill even though it arrived in my inbox after 3 days instead of "assured" next day. I conveyed him my thanks for the bill and agreed for his offer to sort out the matter. Screenshot of the message sent by me to Jatin Patel is attached below:



So, here starts the endless struggle again with Jatin Patel. I'm deliberately avoiding to prefix "bhpian" to his name, although he is a member here. But I can hardly imagine any bhpian to be so inconsistent; given the stature of this forum and few personal interactions I have had with fellow bhpians. please go through the thread of screenshots below to understand my anger and seething emotions behind this post. This all started on 3-Aug-2014 with a commitment from Jatin Patel to pick up the car in coming week. When no one turned up, as usual, I followed up and I was given a day/date again, which never came see the screenshot below of messages exchanged:



Its 10 days already (14-Aug-2015) and I have started to lose my temper. It gets worse with me if someone commits and then falters, that too unapologetically. So I was waiting for this "Friday", canceled couple of meetings in town, only to find out that his driver has suddenly got Malaria (3rd or 4th time in last couple of months, as told by him to me, obviously forgetting that I would remember). 15th Aug is national holiday followed by the Sunday, and then he commits again that Monday my car will be picked up any how; even if he has to come personally. but I express my displeasure and offer him to tell me clearly if he doesn't want to complete the pending jobs - I would forget. Here are the screenshots of the messages:





And that "Monday" (17-Aug-2015) also never came. I calmly send him a reminder to which there is no response for 2 days. I ask him on 19-Aug-2015 if he is no more interested in this, he responds with another excuse (better one - shop repairs) and yet another "Friday" commitment. Now was the time I told him that if not this Friday, this whole episode was over. Screenshots below:





And Again! on Friday, 21-Aug-2015, I get a message from Jatin Patel expressing inability to pick up the car yet again. "Shop repairs are still going on." This time however, there is no mention of next date. I ask him to be precise and he tells me that he will come back to me by Sunday, 23-Aug-2015.



By now, I had exhausted all the methods to keep cool. I sent him a message giving the deadline of Tuesday, 25-Aug-2015 to sort out pending work or else forget it.



Tuesday, 25-Aug-2015 has passed today without any update and somewhere I am happy and relieved that I will not have to do endless follow ups again.

I have spent INR 72K with this garage in last 8 months, may be for excuses I kept getting for sub-par service and empty promises to make mends of the inferior work. I have now come to terms with the fact that this garage was a lesson for me to not trust the words of someone like him. After so much of lies and faff, I am now worried if the parts that he has replaced in my car are genuine Honda parts as promised or not. I would not be surprised at all if otherwise.

I will now be going for HASS to get the pending clutch work and other issues fixed.


My worst experience with any garage that I have had has finally come to an end.

[1lokesh]

Sent my car to HASS today for periodic service. They've confirmed that NONE of the parts used in suspension and clutch work done at wagenwerkz are Honda original. Lower arm bushes need replacement again and the clutch has become hard already.

I wouldn't feel cheated if I was told upfront and charged for local parts.

[salunkhe.vizz]

Originally Posted by 1lokesh

I wouldn't feel cheated if I was told upfront and charged for local parts.

Not that I am affiliated personally to Jatin in anyway, but I have had my Civic (2006 AT) go to him a few times in the last 3 years for various issues ranging from minor to major.

He uses "Original imported Honda parts" while your HASS will use local Honda India parts. They will never agree on your outside FNG fixed / overhauled parts being genuine as the Honda India parts are not sold over the counter (as much as I am aware).

In terms of my experience, it has been decent so far. In terms of pickup, I only arranged this once and to overcome his driver side constraints I usually drove to his workshop and picked up the car back myself from the second time onwards. I think since pickup/drops are a non core offering, it is not a deal breaker for me.

1. First experience is already posted in a review on this thread. In short, a complete suspension overall, general service, ICE wiring, battery, power steering leakage repair, etc was done for 75k approx. The suspension changed the car forever and even today after almost 1.8 years, the car is super fun to drive.

2. Second visit was for AC gas leakage. He fixed the leak along with a general service + AC service and refilling for 11k. AC has been working top class since then (6+ months) and never had an issue. He also help fixed my driver seat back cover for the second time within the same cost.

3. Third visit for my fuel pipe being chewed up by rodents and a bad knocking sound coming from the bonnet. He just took a day to diagnose the knocking to a missing bolt for the engine mount and also fixed the fuel pipe, both for a total of 2.5k. He also added tobacco pouches nearby chewing prone places without asking, so that I do not have a rodent issue again.

Overall have I been satisfied, YES !
Why? maybe because I am not expecting a HASS level customer service or because I try an empathize with a mid 20's guy who started off as an entrepreneur just out of his engineering college.

As long as you can work around his shortcomings with patience and concentrate on the quality of work done, I think you are good !

[1lokesh]

Originally Posted by salunkhe.vizz

Not that I am affiliated personally to Jatin in anyway ...

Never mind Salunkhe. I have produced enough evidences and screenshots here on this thread to highlight the callous approach of this "20s something" guy. I would bet anything to say that a high school guy would act in much more responsible way.

My clutch overhaul job that was carried out at Wagenwerkz was a total failure. I was promised that the clutch would feel better after a drive of 500 kms or so. Its been 20k+ and the clutch was back to being hard, bouncy and uncomfortable within a month. Actually there was no difference at all. The suspension overhaul work met the same fate.

Whether he brings in Honda parts from abroad or local parts - the service level should meet atleast a roadside garage. In my case, I was disappointed with his approach, work done and the money he charged for it. In some cases it was more than HASS - charges, that is. Not to mention the scratch dent on my car, which I am still carrying because of him. Something that he promised to fix every time, but never did like all other matters.

Remember, I have spent in excess of 70k with this garage and that amount should be enough to judge the services.

But, to each his own.

Cheers!

[fine69]

Originally Posted by salunkhe.vizz

Overall have I been satisfied, YES !
Why? maybe because I am not expecting a HASS level customer service or because I try an empathize with a mid 20's guy who started off as an entrepreneur just out of his engineering college.

The customer service part is there for all of us to be see. If someone cannot provide good customer service why are they even in business? Probably because some folks are okay with shoddy work and Skoda like customer service!

While you said you weren't advocating for him but your good experiences with someone have absolutely nothing to do with even one bad experience that someone else has had. He's not asking us to not go to that guy, simply sharing his experience. You sharing the good ones is somewhat "advocating" but then that could be just me.

Originally Posted by salunkhe.vizz

As long as you can work around his shortcomings with patience and concentrate on the quality of work done, I think you are good !

Are you kidding with the quality part? I mean seriously??

[salunkhe.vizz]

Originally Posted by fine69

Probably because some folks are okay with shoddy work and Skoda like customer service!

I thought Customer service was the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. Shoddy work should be actual work no ?

Originally Posted by fine69

He's not asking us to not go to that guy, simply sharing his experience. You sharing the good ones is somewhat "advocating" but then that could be just me.

I am not asking anyone to go to that guy, simply sharing my experiences ?

Originally Posted by fine69

Are you kidding with the quality part? I mean seriously??

What gave me away, my earnest commentary OR the fact that none of my minor or major repairs carried out by him have ever reappeared OR the fact that I have spent 90k+ with him so far ?


To each his own !

[fine69]

Originally Posted by salunkhe.vizz

What gave me away

This...

Why? maybe because I am not expecting a HASS level customer service or because I try an empathize with a mid 20's guy who started off as an entrepreneur just out of his engineering college.

As long as you can work around his shortcomings with patience and concentrate on the quality of work done, I think you are good !

The exchange of text messages makes the "service" part of customer service very very lucid.

Would you empathize with a mid 20's guy if he dented your car because he was learning to drive straight out of college. If not this I'm sure you'd empathize with the mid 20's guy at the counter of the burger shop when he prepares your burger right but hurls some abuses while you collect your order. I mean come on, he's in his mid 20's, ain't it?

The age card that you tried to play doesn't even make for a good excuse. If one can't handle business in 20s why be in business? I'll tell you why, because there are enough people to empathize with them, for the rest, the post above says it all.

I think a disclaimer stating that the "please bear with delayed responses and owner's discretion in customer service" would have been very very helpful to any customer going to his shop.

Lastly, you said it better than anyone else. Unless customers can work around his shortcomings they'll be frustrated. I think that's where @1lokesh goofed up. He should have been more patient and more reasonable even when his payment for the work didn't really have any shortcomings.

I think @1lokesh did give him benefit of doubt when he let him mend his wrongdoings but poor fellow had shortcomings along that dimension as well. Way too many shortcomings I think.

[swiftnfurious]

My experience with WagenWerkz is a mixed bag. I was so happy to see a Palio specialist,, but it was shortlived.

The good part - Jatin can find out certain untraceable rattles and fix it. They also spent considerable time cleaning up my coolant tank which was muddy (God knows how). They rinsed it 6-7 times till all the muck was cleared and I was present through out.

Bad part : He has a knack of predicting failures which cost a bomb to replace. He also replaced my front brake discs which had done just 35K kms when I had given it for brake pad replacement. This guy did give me a call and I agreed thinking it was just the pads; should have been attentive on the call rather than assuming he was talking about pads.

His charges are un-reasonable for the set up he has. The garage is in a muddy road and every time my car goes in, I have to get a wash done. The guys make sure the windows are lowered too letting the dust inside.

I don't mind paying a premium for a nice set up, but this is not something which I can digest. Happy that I found another FNG who has good knowledge and is cost efficient.

[bigblackshark]

WagenWerkz - Thanks to tBhp had discovered this place and have never looked back.

Back in 2014 I had bought a used civic but after a few months of me buying it, the car was showing bad road behaviour in terms of suspension and ride quality. I took it to Jatin and he helped identify the problems very quickly.

A full suspension overhaul was done, he sourced original honda parts also did the bushings. He also suggested I do the brake pads as they were at the end of their life. He frankly suggested the options of OEM as well as Honda parts and OEM being the same company but cheaper, I went with those.

Since it was my first time there I chose to hang around and see the work being done. Jatin had absolutely no issues with that and infact we got chatting up about our love of cars.

He is really passionate about cars and I love the way he treats these old mercs at his place, with utmost care and love

Though i have never called him for home repairs, I choose to always go to his place just to be around a petrolhead who loves his cars and loves talking cars.

His charges I found reasonable and at times he did send me back to honda where he said the H.A.S.S. would do the job cheaper & faster (this was for the tappet cover on the civic).

Overall not only have i found a trustworthy Friendly Neighbourhood Garage (FNG) but I have found a friend with an equal passion for good cars!

[RonXRi94]

My Fabia has been to Wagenwerkz four times over the last year. I've found Jatin to be a knowledgeable guy, very passionate about cars and knows what he's doing. He honestly advises on required work, uses original parts and doesn't try ripping you off like most mechanics. Just the kind you'd feel comfortable trusting your car with.

I see some complaints about his Saki Naka workshop on this thread, but he's moved to a much more spacious, clean and professional place in Marol. No issues on that front at all now.

1st visit:

My car's clutch needed a new master and slave cylinder, for which Jatin arranged parts and fixed within 3 days. Note that mine is a long discontinued 2009 Fabia, for which parts are definitely hard to come by. The job done was top-class, and my clutch felt like a brand new unit. I've seen authorised service stations botch up clutch jobs, yet Jatin did it perfectly

2nd visit:

My car's brake pads get worn out, and by the time I manage to take it to Wagenwerkz, the worn out pads are making a horrible grinding noise everytime I brake, which ruins the discs as well. Jatin installs new brake pads and discs and services the brakes within 3 hours flat. The total cost was around 5k, which I found perfectly reasonable.

3rd visit:

A highway pileup results in some body damage to the front of my car, and I take it to Jatin again. Again, he does an amazing job and the car looks brand new in 2 days, and just costs around 3.5k. I remember my bro paying 8k to Skoda to fix a small dent around 4 years ago.

4th visit:

This time, it was time for the annual service and a failed AC needed attention too. The compressor and cooling coil were replaced, and the car was serviced properly and professionally. New engine oil, spark plugs, couple of filters and the car now drives much smoother and feels much more refined than ever.

Overall, I've had a very good experience with Jatin. I definitely recommend him and would take my car to him for all future concerns. I see some people complaining about high labour charges, but the peace of mind you get by trusting Jatin with your car is easily worth much more