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What kind of paint protection have you opted for and the cost for the same?

Brand is Red Soul, it costed me around 8K with bill and warranty but no sensors. Unfortunately that's the only Hyundai approved reverse camera available with Trident as per the SA. They replaced my IRVM as the camera input to infotainment is blocked in the new Creta (previously enabled).

Dear BHPians, I had thought of booking the Creta SX(O) CRDI from a particular dealer (let's call them, "A" for the sake of avoiding confusion) and had already paid 5,500 through the BHIM app. The dealership is a bit far away from my small town, about 250 kms or so. Anyway, I tried sending 500 first as a test, and then 5,000 rupees because BHIM had a limit of 20,000 per transaction and booking amount was 25,000. After sending the 5,500 rupees, the app became unresponsive and I couldn't send the remaining 19,500 rupees, perhaps because it was around 6 PM and NEFT transactions can't take place after 6 PM?

My mother, on the other hand, was insistent on booking the car from another dealer (lets call them "B" to avoid confusion) in another city (about 300+ kms) away after she found out about my booking the car from "A" the next day. She opined that we had already visited "B" a few weeks back. Had to listen to mom's words, after all, she was going to be paying for the car lol:

Anyway, I called up the SA who works at "A" and told her that I needed her to refund the 5,500 rupees as I didn't want to go ahead and book the car with them "at the moment" and I might purchase it at a later date. And perhaps that was my mistake, perhaps I shouldn't have added the last quoted line, i.e. "at the moment". She said that she couldn't refund it at the moment, as her Sir was out of town. I said that it was no problem and that I could wait. Then she said that, she couldn't refund me with cash but only in cheque to which I replied that there was absolutely no problem and I was perfectly okay with the cheque as a form of refund. After this, she said that she would get back to me in the coming days after confirming the refund with her Sir. I thanked her and kept the call.

A few hours later, around 6 PM, she called me up and said that the booking was already processed in my name and that they have ordered the CRDI SX(O) Creta for me.

Then she said that once booked, its impossible to cancel as its the top model and on top of that there is little to no demand for Creta Diesel in her City (I guess she was just trying her hardest to get me to not cancel the booking with them or perhaps they had really ordered it and it might have been difficult to sell the car to other people because of the low demand for diesel Cretas in her city). I guess this might sound asinine, but I felt empathy towards the dealership and the SA but at the same time I stood firm, after all, I thought, it was my right to cancel or go ahead with the booking.

I replied that I had never paid the full booking amount, and even if she did order it for me, I had the right to cancel my booking. I also added that the Creta is a fast mover and that there would be lots of other prospective buyers even if I take back my partial booking amount. But she said that the people in her town only go for Petrol Cretas. I was at a loss for words and I just said that whatever may be, I need my refund and I would purchase another Creta from them at a later date as per my convenience (I thought that if I said that maybe she would process my refund faster).

I just have a few doubts to clear dear BHPians as this is just my second time purchasing a car and I am quite young and inexperienced.

1. Do the dealers order the car from factory even after they receive partial booking amount?

2. Is it impossible to cancel your booking (whatever it may be, partial booking or full) once the dealer has placed the order for you from the factory?

3. I had no idea that the Creta Diesel was so less in demand. Is it true that more people prefer the Petrol over the diesel variant? I thought what with the lower mileage of the petrol, people would go for the diesel only.

4. Do dealers immediately order a car for you from the factory once you pay them a partial amount?

Thank you dear BHPians in advance for taking the time out to reply. I am feeling empathetic for dealer "A" because of what the SA said that the diesel is not much in demand and that they won't be able to move it but at the same time I'm worried that they are saying I have to purchase the car from them because they already ordered it for me from the factory? I thought customers had a right to cancel their booking if they so desired. This is just dragging my mood to the dumps :Frustrati

The empathy you're feeling is just sales tactics working partially. To answer your queries as numbered:

1. Depending on the amount (proportion and absolute), cash flow available (dealer has to pay the company in full before it moves from the factory, if I'm not mistaken), their analysis of the customer's seriousness, the demand for the car etc, they may do so.

2. Not at all. You certainly and absolutely can do exactly as you please until the car is registered in your name. Also, most (if not all) booking amounts are fully refundable - dealers may try to cheat you out of some money, but be vigilant and get the manufacturer involved, and it'll be done faster than you'd think - especially if the manufacturer is informed you're buying the vehicle anyway.

3. Absolutely not - my guess would be demand for diesel in the Creta would be at least 2x of petrol (67:33) given the Indian market/mindset. It might be different in Assam, but I don't see why - turbo diesels make way more sense there.

4. This question is about the same as 1. But to add a few points that come to mind given your wording, I'd like to point out that some are so lazy, they might not even create the booking immediately after the full amount is paid. Though I suppose that'd be less prevalent these days with higher competition, and the slight if imperceptible decrease in Indian unprofessionalism over the years.

It is good of you to feel empathy towards them, and reflects positively on you, yada yada yada.
But there is absolutely no NEED to continue with this dealership - morally, or legally/logistically (for want of a better adjective). Please go ahead with the dealership you and/or your family are comfortable with.
It is absolutely not the case that they won't be able to move it - they won't lose anything apart from a temporary reduction in cash flow. Assuming it's already booked in your name - which I'm certain it isn't. It's just a sales tactic. All of them are classic dissuasion techniques - changing terms/hurdles, having to ask "Sir". All BS mate. While I appreciate the commitment to make a sale, there's a fine line between committed and pushy/hassling/unethical.

Simply write a mail to them and CC Hyundai asking for your money back. Make some additional noise as well if that doesn't yield quick results (say, have your Mom make a stern call - you'll be surprised how effective that can be).

In the mean time, go ahead and book with the other dealer, don't delay your getting the car because of these slippery salespeople.

You have a right to buy from wherever is convenient to you.

All I can say is, be upfront about it - don't give dealer "A" false hope - that's not cool either. Simply ring and tell them you want to book in another city as logistically it's more convenient. And that they should refund quickly or you'll raise hell. Send the same in an email to the dealership post call. CC Hyundai.

Cheers!
Best of luck (you won't need much I think, but this is India - we all need a lot of luck).

*Disclaimer - While I'm aging far too rapidly for comfort, I too may be easily described as inexperienced.

P.S. - NEFT are entirely different from UPI transactions. UPI is more like quicker and more restricted IMPS (instant, interbank, works on holidays etc). NEFT is reflected immediately within the same bank. Otherwise it is added to a centralised queue at the RBI which clears every 2 hours. Both NEFT and IMPS are upto 2L. RTGS works similar to NEFT. But it is only for amounts greater than 2L and that queue is cleared every half hour. NEFT and RTGS times mentioned are for business hours on business days only.

*Disclaimer - The info about transactions is correct to the best of my knowledge, but I haven't fully researched them myself. The information is second hand, though gleaned from a bank manager acquaintance over casual conversation. Experience has so far matched with this.

P.P.S
Cheers again mate! No worries.

Thank you Mu009, you are right, I will call them up tomorrow, Dealer A, and tell them properly that I want to book with another dealer and I want my partial booking amount refunded to me. If possible, I'm thinking of going there personally to collect the refund as I have to travel on Friday this week and would have to pass the city where dealer A is located.

Thank you once again for the advice and taking the time out to reply. I appreciate it a lot :)

Please don't keep things verbal. Send them a mail with Hyundai customer care in cc and ask for the refund. If you have not even signed the booking form yet, there is no question of the booking being processed. The dealer is lying just to get your business. They will have to return the full money without any deductions. Just ensure you have proper communication record with them as you may need it in case things don't work out easily. You can book and cancel a vehicle anytime before it goes for RTO registration.

Situation Update: Successfully Resolved and Booked with Dealer "B"

Thank you Mu009 and aviraj for the help. I finally ended up contacting Hyundai Customer Care through phone call when all attempts at recovering my partial booking amount failed.

I called up the SA the next day (after I posted) to resolve the issue, but she would not budge and she kept on reiterating that Creta Diesel has very less demand and that majority of customers of Creta go for Petrol only (which I highly doubt) and that once booked its impossible to cancel as the car is booked in my name and its on the way from factory.

I tried to resolve the matter with her without involving her higher ups and just told her that, I would complain if she didn't give me my refund hoping that she would oblige then. But she retorted very curtly, its alright Sir, you complain, I'll also complain against you. Finally, giving up, I contacted Hyundai Customer Care as I didn't have her manager's number.

Hyundai Customer Care immediately put me in touch with the manager who was very understanding and cooperative. He had not known about my issue till then and after hearing about it, even he was surprised. He assured me his full cooperation and gave me his number and also instructed his accountant to instantly reimburse me the Rs. 5,500 that I had paid.

While the booking experience went awry because of the SA, I have to commend the dutiful manager from Dealer "A" who was very quick in handling my issue. He did not dilly dally around, neither did he make excuses. I am very happy with the way he handled things, finally got my money back clap: Anyway, that brings the issue to a close.

I have booked the car, Creta CRDi SX (O) in Passion Orange with dealer "B" and I guess this was to be expected, no updates as of now lol: Anyway, not in a hurry as of now so I'm prepared to wait. Btw, Does anyone know the average wait time for the New Creta? My SA from dealer "B" said 15 days. According to our member, Thank you dear BHPians once again. I am posting this update just to let you know that my problem has been solved.

Any new diesel creta AT owners can be feedback on the braking ability of the car?
There are no reports I could see anywhere. Earlier versions had the braking issue.

I am yet to see the Orange in flesh. I have seen Black and the White out of which I liked the black much.

Wow! clap:
The thing that I'm surprised about more than anything is, that I still retain the capacity of surprise when I hear of such behaviour. Years of being frustrated with and cursing people's (lack of) professionalism in India, and I'm still surprised that such a trainwreck can exist in sales. "I'll also complain against you." You have to be someone who's spent years practicing how to be this stupid to say such a thing to a potential customer, who's far far away from the point of no return.
I hope you share this exact line and the general tone and behaviour over mail with Hyundai, along with this SA's name - it just might elicit action that'll make our sales environment a slightly less ghastly place.

Thanks for sharing though - reinforces my belief in humanity (or the dearth of it, if you will).

That's the one with six airbags, right? Good for you.
Also, wrt colour.
As per my understanding, cars manufactured here (say, Hexa), or partial CKDs with higher localisation (say, 80% localised Fortuner) will have higher wait time for less common colours, as colours are made in batches and for a batch to be viable, it needs to have a minimum number. Which isn't a problem for more common colours. I have read about the Hexa and Gypsy in this regard here, and have heard from the dealer regarding the slightly higher wait time for the "Attitude Black" Fortuner.
In the same way, as per my understanding from the local dealer, a less localised CBU such as the Endeavour (20% localisation), has all available colours available with similar wait times for factory dispatches. Which leads me to believe that painted panels are transported to be assembled here.

But coming back to why I'm rambling on. I believe your Creta is in the former category. So there would be a wait time. But while you have said you're ready to wait, just in case you're tempted to waver, let me reinforce your patience.
We've become used to unprecedented levels of instant gratification and can't be bothered to be patient about even fairly long term and not to mention, expensive purchases. Few months today won't matter today, but not having the colour of your choice for years is a big price to pay. Sure, it's easy to say "you get used to it", 'cause well, humans do get used to things rather easily. But we also don't, not completely. Whenever you see one in Passion Orange, you'll feel an unbearable twinge each time.

Enjoy your torquey all-rounder sir!
Cheers.

Edit:
Correcting a piece of incorrect information from my previous post. :OT
RTGS is typically cleared instantly. In certain cases it may take up to 6 working hours. It is the fastest and most secure way, and best for large amounts. Was looking up today, and I thought to correct this.

Thank you and yup, its the one with six airbags. Wanted to purchase the automatic but went with the manual simply because of the six airbags... and also a few other goodies lol: About the SA, I felt like reporting her first but what calmed me down was the fact that the manager made her call me back and apologize and also process my refund, must have been quite humbling for her and I could sense that in her voice. Anyway, I didn't want to dwell on the incident any further so left that as it is and concentrated on my car booking with the other dealer instead.

Thank you as well for the explanations in regards to the banking transactions (NEFT, RTGS and IMPS) and car color. It was very informative and also thank you for reinforcing my patience. You are right when you said, :OT When I bought the Kwid, I settled on the Fiery Red color because my choice of color "Outback Bronze" had a longer wait time and every time I saw the Kwid in "Outback Bronze" color, I would feel a tinge of regret purchasing the Kwid in another color. It sounds corny but its really true. These little things all add up in the overall new car purchasing experience.

Anyway, I got three messages in the days following my post. The first message was regarding a policy that has been issued for my CRETA by ICICI Lombard. The second message was from VAHAN regarding temporary registration for Rs. 300. The third message was from Hyundai regarding booking of the Creta. Anyway, the SA finally called me up and said that the order has been sent and I should be receiving my car in 10-15 days. Will update as and when I receive.

Thank you Mu009 once again for the lovely discussion and all the help.

Having driven a Jetta and still using one, that is one thing I found lacklustre in the Creta. Did my first long drive today and there were some :eek:moments. Part of it is also me who does a lot of engine braking and use the brakes only tp bring the car to a halt.

I think I got adjusted to it applying brakes a little early - the main issue was with engine braking, I used to apply brakes only late and carried that practice here. And, as always, for anything that is planned, you can take your foot off the pedal and you can see the gears shift decelerating the vehicle. So just a bit of practice, but the reality is - it isn't confidence inspiring. I am thinking of upgrading later.

Booked a Diesel Auto SX in Marina Blue today. Can I ask if Hyundai supply genuine accessories that add to the car?

I'm particularly keen on:

1) Perforated leatherette seat covers
2) LED taillamp and headlamp clusters

Pictures of genuine Hyundai supplied accessories would be greatly appreciated!

What is the FE of creta manual petrol?

Congratulations, buddy.

May I know the expected waiting period for the delivery?

I believe it's 2.5 months for the more desirable colors like Marina Blue (which is the most in demand color, by far). We paid our deposit 9 months ago, in anticipation of this facelift, so were able to get the car in 2 weeks.


Swapped the tyres with Michelin's, installed a few accessories at the dealer and off we went :)