[rsquared]

Thanks saket77. I am based in Thalassery, near Kannur in Kerala. The thing is that for Cochin which is 250 km further from my place, the dealer is not taking any logistics charge!!

[saket77]

Tough roads for Nano. The Nano plant in Gujarat will remain shut for about 3-6 weeks. The company states that the closure is on account of carrying maintenance, but 6 weeks for a routine maintenance job and a piled up inventory of Nano cars due to slumping sales indicate that the decision is more on lines to get rid of the existing stock.

Here is the link to the news: http://aajtak.intoday.in/story/tata-...-1-767679.html

[safari_lover]

Looks like it is happening, finally! Tata Nano will get a turbocharged engine this festive season according to Autocar India.

This will be the first time that the Tata Nano’s engine will see a mechanical addition to help boost the car’s power output significantly. The turbocharged Nano will be aimed at driving enthusiasts.

http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-new...er-388375.aspx

[mittal_v2002]

Originally Posted by safari_lover

Looks like it is happening, finally! Tata Nano will get a turbocharged engine this festive season according to Autocar India.

http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-new...er-388375.aspx

What all is the little car going to get this festive season...

? Openable hatch
? AMT
? Turbo charger
? 3 cylinder engine
? Hybrid
? Europa facelift
? Diesel



BTW, I am waiting for the delivery of my Twist sometime this week. .

[GrammarNazi]

I'm part of a Nano Owners facebook group and came across that TATA motors had a Weekend Exchange Mela on 8th June 2014 (Sunday) where one could upgrade to buying a TATA NANO Twist by exchanging their existing Nano.

It was an effort with 'Tata Motors Assured', where they claimed they'd buy the car, "At unbeatable price* that comes with the assurance of Tata motors".

Brochure :


One guy who went there was quite saddened and had this to say :

...I have a 2012 Special edition Nano I had Paid Rs2.46 Lakhs for it. The Offer I got for the car was Rs1.20Lakhs. Does this speak Highly for the car that you lose Rs1.26 lakhs on your car in 17Months. How do you expect people to Buy a car when the resale value is so low...

Given this was an exercise with Tata Motors Assured, he did have a point.

How would you feel when the company itself says that your cars value is halved in 1.5 years !?

People at TaMo should understand such basic stuff before coming out with such offers, they're devaluing their own brand!

[saket77]

One question: What does the company do with the old vehicles purchased from customers under such schemes?

[Ponkermania]

This is awesome. Imagine for Diwali, a Nano Turbo, with an automatic transmission, and hopefully ABS and/or airbags.

It'd probably be the much more affordable alternative to the Polo GT TSI!

[GrammarNazi]

Originally Posted by saket77

One question: What does the company do with the old vehicles purchased from customers under such schemes?

^Looking at them offering someone 1.2L for a car that was bought for 2.46L 1.5yrs ago, maybe they're just going to sell it off for a good profit.

[john doe]

But the company does not buy the old cars, they tie with some used car dealer who actually buys the car.

[WorkingGuru]

^Exactly!

I've come across many 'resellers' in the used car market (Olx, Quikr... etc) who've added features (& interior trims etc that they somehow collect at dirt cheap rates) to used Nano base variant cars and trying to sell them as 2nd hand cars at prices with depreciation based on the highest Lx Variant!

IMO all this nonsense is happening because dealers aren't making any money by selling new Nano's, and this could be a way they've found to make $$ through used cars.

Anyway, I would advise people against buying used Nano's with documents that have even the slightest discrepancies on the variant, and also maybe the owners of New Nano's should stay with the car at the service center! Who knows, could even be that shady service centers may switching parts like high capacity alternators from Lx variants with low capacity ones.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by Ponkermania

This is awesome. Imagine for Diwali, a Nano Turbo, with an automatic transmission, and hopefully ABS and/or airbags.

It'd probably be the much more affordable alternative to the Polo GT TSI!

If all that is added,

1. The prices will increase *again* and will pitch the nano above the Alto close to the WagonR or so.

2. It will require heavy efforts from the R&D team since they are introducing a lot of new tech into a car that is meant to be a low cost car. Though TATA may be trying to revamp the image of the Nano, but still it was built to be a low cost car with a truckload of cost cutting methods. Quality doesnt come at a cheap price and as cost goes down, so does reliablity especially when we talk about AMTs and Turbochargers.

3. The Nano platform IMO isnt meant for greater power. Neither can the handling match the power, nor does its safety. The car seems to fly above 80kmph and more power will be a waste of resources.


WRT the Nano exchange, they are just making a desperate move to push the stocks out of dealers so that the production can be resumed. But if so many Nanos start entering the used car market, who will buy the new ones later

Personally I would have appreciated if they started a good Ad campaign which brought in trust from people. The new Polo Ad just does that. Instead of the previous campaign of the Nano where they just portrayed it as a car for youngsters, they can showcase the various improvements that the Nano is getting, and it can also do with a comparison of the drawbacks in the earlier nano and the corrections they have done. It will go a long way in gaining the trust of buyers. Trust is an important in building a good image, better than candy colours and feature addition. Why do the people buy the barebones alto800 even though it isnt a cool car as such? Because of the trust they have on the car and brand. Not because the car is very trendy or so.

[GrammarNazi]

S.O.S.

I'd given my Nano for servicing today at KHT (Bangalore). Its done just 17k kms in the past 4 years.

Complaints were nothing. Mileage was OK. Everything was fine.

Since long, my Nano has this small issue of jerks at 30kmph (since the very beginning of ownership), but the CRM and another guy called Mr.Jagannath, once after extensive testing told me this was there in every Nano in August 2010 model. I had no choice but to agree. Also it was a slight jerking issue, so didn't bother. Still, every time the car goes for service, I simply mention that to see what the SA says.

An hour back (~8p.m.), Service Advisor (Mr.Rohit) calls me telling me the ignition coils had gone kaput & were changed!
I was shocked!!!

I repeatedly asked if he was sure, because the car has just done 17k kms! AFAIK Ignition coils form the core drivetrain & *SHOULD* last the lifetime of the car!

He then continued, "Sir clutch is also being changed under warranty, and High Tension wire was also changed, Spark Plug isn't covered & is billed at Rs.150/-... " !!!

Since when on earth did clutch start coming under warranty!? and they're changing it, under 'warranty' without any sort of request! If at all, it would be done under goodwill after requesting ALOT & that too IF they felt the reason was genuine. And he's telling me this while preparing the bill! HOW could he make the bill as clutch changed under warranty, the software wouldn't allow this!!!

And look at the irony, spark plug is chargeable! And the jerking issue is gone!

Then suddenly, hearing how shocked I was & after I mentioned that ignition coils should last a lifertime, he seems to've taken a u-turn!

He "Cross checked" with some mechanic there and told me "Sorry Sir, ignition coil is not gone. Mistake. And not 1 but 2 High Tension wires have gone."

This SA (Mr.Rohit), was not at all like the ones I had before. This afternoon he wanted to sell me under-body coating. Then in the evening he wanted to sell me wipers (they're perfectly OK). Both I'd momentarily refused.

When setting up the Service Appointment, I was told it'll be done in a day. As usual. Car was sent at 10:30am today. KHT is ~12kms from home. He tells me it reached Service Center only at 12:30! and it could take upto tomorrow afternoon. I didn't want to argue & requested him to try by today since I was not comfortable keeping the car overnight at the service center.

(This is because I always personally believed that all R&D work happens in your car if you leave it overnight at Service Center.)

Actually IMO, the SA doesn't seem to have bothered to touch the car till this evening when he called me for the wipers. Then he calls me for this shocker!

Another shocking/surprising thing is he claims is to have managed to sort out the jerking issue at 30kmph. Something very senior service representatives have claimed couldn't be sorted & to be present in all Nano's in August 2010 batch!

I don't know if I should be happy or worried, should I believe this Tata service advisor or not. Whatif the ignition coils were actually changed secretly. Because if he can somehow bill the clutch to be changed under warranty, I'm pretty sure he's capable of changing the ignition coils silently.

I've been a MASSIVE TATA FAN. Since the past 3.5 years, I've argued endlessly on internet auto forums about how the Tata Motors product quality & service have improved and how the AMC packages are amazing. About how my Nano was a car that couldn't have any problems.

10mins before the SA's call, I wished a Senior official at TaMo all the best for Bolt & Zest, and now this!

I'm feeling betrayed & cheated. Not just because of the car or the service, but mainly because what I was made to believe about them. I feel I've misled people by recommending & strongly advocating TaMo cars all these years.

This experience leaves me embarrassed to all the auto enthu friends I have (mainly on HVK's Facebook fan forum & Team-BHP).

Just last week I remember reading fellow member WorkingGuru's post warning us to stay with the car during service!

Mods : Sorry if the post seems improperly structured, I'm actually abit tense.

[nijelj]

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

S.O.S.



I repeatedly asked if he was sure, because the car has just done 17k kms! AFAIK Ignition coils form the core drivetrain & *SHOULD* last the lifetime of the car!

Spark Plug isn't covered & is billed at Rs.150/-... " !!!

Since when on earth did clutch start coming under warranty!? and they're changing it, under 'warranty' without any sort of request! .

So, how much were you billed?? I also got my clutch assembly changed under warranty, without me asking.Spark plug is a component that undergoes wear and tear.If he did change your ignition coil silently, what gain did he get?

[john doe]

Concorde Motors in Pune has also changed the clutch kit on my MAr 2010 Nano. Of course , I was the one who insisted on it, since the clutch was hard and harsh. I was also there during the change.

In your case, while you may not have asked for it, did the clutch feel very hard/ unresponsive?

If your clutch was fine, then the only explanation is that someone else's clutch was replaced in your warranty!

[GrammarNazi]

Originally Posted by nijelj

So, how much were you billed??... Spark plug is a component that undergoes wear and tear.

He roughly mentioned a total of ~450/-. Service was u/d AMC. Rs.150/- for the Spark plug, 150/- for a pucture, rest would probably be for consumables etc. I'm least bothered about the service/repair costs, that was never the point.

I also got my clutch assembly changed under warranty, without me asking.

Clutch is always specifically excluded from warranty coverage. It can wear out in 100kms or can even last 40k kms, based on usage. I've honestly never heard of clutch being changed under warranty. Under goodwill yes, Platinum AMC yes, but NOT u/d warranty.

If he did change your ignition coil silently, what gain did he get?

Is it impossible to change good IC's of a low run vehicle thats within warranty with faulty ones of an old/out of warranty/warranty voided vehicle? If it was some bulb/spark plug, I wouldn't have bothered, but these are ignition coils.

When he called to inform that the IC's have gone bad & it'd be replaced under warranty, I'd asked him to confirm atleast 3 times if he was absolutely sure as the car had run just 17k kms, which he did.

I was shocked and ignition coils being an integral part of the drivetrain, AFAIK should last the cars lifetime. So I then asked for a written assurance that it'll last for the next 50,000kms. Thats when he took the u-turn!

Does anyone just call a customer to tell the IC's have gone, confirm it 3 times when the customer expresses shock and then change their stance after the customer asks for a written assurance?

IMO If anyone hears how it played out, it'd clearly raise the suspicion. Coincidentally I remembered what WorkingGuru mentioned in post #745 here in the second half of the last paragraph. Thats what made me feel that it really could be a possible attempt to exchange parts of an unaware customers car.

Edit :

Originally Posted by john doe

Concorde Motors in Pune has also changed the clutch kit on my MAR 2010 Nano. Of course , I was the one who insisted on it, since the clutch was hard and harsh. I was also there during the change.

In your case, while you may not have asked for it, did the clutch feel very hard/ unresponsive?

If your clutch was fine, then the only explanation is that someone else's clutch was replaced in your warranty!

I had no concerns with the clutch. Actually I wouldn't even realise if he just washed the car & sent it back. There were no concerns with the working. That 'jerk' issue was just said once in the afternoon. When he called for the wipers in the evening, again he confirmed it just needs normal regular service (with just oil change & filters change and WA/WB) and there were no other concerns.

His phone wasn't reachable after 8:30pm, I'll speak to him again tomorrow. One part of me tells, (although it really doesn't seem so, still) let's see tomorrow when the car is delivered, who knows may even be hes' tried something in good faith. *Fingers Crossed*.