[noopster]

Originally Posted by rrnsss

I have no complaints about my car except for the silly placement of the wiper/headlight stalk and the single reverse light.

The wiper/light stalks orientation is standard European placement- you should get used to it soon enough. Initially I had a problem with it after being used to my Swift with the Japanese/Indian configuration but now I switch seamlessly between both without issues.

[srishiva]

My engine oil level is low at 28K kms. I thought only new engines have the oil problem

[clevermax]

This is to help out one of my friends who happen to own a Vento TDI highline.

Last day he got his car from EVM motors after the first service and the bill came to a whopping INR 14,500/- . No issues were present in the car at the time of service and it was just the regular first service.

I am attaching the detailed bill here. Some of the items as well as labor costs seem to be a rip-off. I have marked some of the items in the bill which looked really funny to me - like Oil Dipstick removed and re-installed for 44 rupees! .

(You might need to click on these images to view a larger version to read them properly)





Can anyone confirm whether this is the usual bill amount one must expect for the Vento's first service? What were your costs for the first service?

[Mods, please move this to appropriate thread if necessary.]

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by srishiva

My engine oil level is low at 28K kms. I thought only new engines have the oil problem

Low as in the indicator came up? Or the service guys quoted the same?
If it is the latter, your second servicing is up - I hope you didn't do a top-up a 28k kms.

On aside note, low level can happen at any kms. New engines dri(a)nk a lot of oil hence the top up cases were reported a lot.

Originally Posted by clevermax

This is to help out one of my friends who happen to own a Vento TDI highline.

Last day he got his car from EVM motors after the first service and the bill came to a whopping INR 14,500/- . No issues were present in the car at the time of service and it was just the regular first service.

Can anyone confirm whether this is the usual bill amount one must expect for the Vento's first service? What were your costs for the first service?

[Mods, please move this to appropriate thread if necessary.]

A lot more seem to be a clear rip-off than the ones circled by you. Btw on an average people have got first service costs between 8 to 10k, the difference being due to wheel alignment/other additional services.

There is a thread on service costs where a few of the service bills/costs have been put up - do look it up for a comparative analysis.

[asdfvinay]

Thanks for posting these. We are planning for a new car in feb/mar 2013 and this post helped me eliminate Vento and Rapid, I was hesitantly considering these two so far, but now they are out.

Apart from those circled, there are lot more things I wonder why they were done.

Dash Panel trim remove+reinstall? why? to introduce squeaks and rattles?
coil spring removed+reinstalled?
oil filler cap removed+reinstalled?
delivery inspection? should this be part of their own quality check?

And what is this goodwill contribution mentioned at the end? is that a discount given meaning the actual bill was 20k+?

Originally Posted by clevermax

This is to help out one of my friends who happen to own a Vento TDI highline.

Last day he got his car from EVM motors after the first service and the bill came to a whopping INR 14,500/- . No issues were present in the car at the time of service and it was just the regular first service.

I am attaching the detailed bill here. Some of the items as well as labor costs seem to be a rip-off. I have marked some of the items in the bill which looked really funny to me - like Oil Dipstick removed and re-installed for 44 rupees! .

(You might need to click on these images to view a larger version to read them properly)

Attachment 1025838

Attachment 1025839

Can anyone confirm whether this is the usual bill amount one must expect for the Vento's first service? What were your costs for the first service?

[Mods, please move this to appropriate thread if necessary.]

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

There are just simply too many items mentioned in that bill. There is no way that they can perform these many activities in a simple service and that too in 1 day. I am damn sure that more than half of the items are there uselessly.

You can check any our bills posted on the ownership threads and show them to the service center guys. I am observing that slowly slowly VW has started charging more and more for their services.

Here is the link to my First service bill:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2855393

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by clevermax

This is to help out one of my friends who happen to own a Vento TDI highline.

Last day he got his car from EVM motors after the first service and the bill came to a whopping INR 14,500/- . No issues were present in the car at the time of service and it was just the regular first service.

It is a big rip-off! The typical costs are around 8-11k for most of us here.

Did your friend just make a goodwill gesture of Rs. 5703 to EVM?

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by clevermax

What were your costs for the first service?

Here is the thread I was talking about. Apart from the post I have shared, there are several more first/second servicing bills uploaded on the thread - do have a look.

You'll understand that most VW workshops have a similar work-task list, while your friend's is very different and purposely kept ambiguous. I would ask him to take a printout of some of our bills and ask the SA to give a one-on-one analysis. Ideally the servicing tasks should be same, irrespective of whatever be the costs that are billed.

Originally Posted by asdfvinay

Thanks for posting these. We are planning for a new car in feb/mar 2013 and this post helped me eliminate Vento and Rapid, I was hesitantly considering these two so far, but now they are out.

OT point, but really, is this one bill/experience that helpful in your decision? Or do we take it that you had already made the decision and this was just the final nail in the coffin. If it is the former, then I would ask you to take note of other people's experiences before deciding whether to ignore the Vento & Rapid.

Edit: Care to explain your signature? Quite intriguing!

[asdfvinay]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

OT point, but really, is this one bill/experience that helpful in your decision? Or do we take it that you had already made the decision and this was just the final nail in the coffin. If it is the former, then I would ask you to take note of other people's experiences before deciding whether to ignore the Vento & Rapid.

Edit: Care to explain your signature? Quite intriguing!

This was not the only experience helpful, but yeah this is the last one before the decision.

My signature, it lists the cars I currently own starting from the oldest to the newest.

[MCR]

Wow, many of the items (both in Parts and Labour) look hilarious!
@clevermax, did your friend highlight this to VW?

But looking at the labour rates, isn't INR 1685.40 (Inclusive of service tax) on the higher side for 15000 KM service? Similarly, INR 561.80 and INR 393.26 for wheel alignment and Balancing looks like a rip-off considering that both can be done at a competitive alignment centre for INR 500.
(Rates taken from @Rachit.K.Dogra's service bill)

IMHO, VW service is expensive because VW does not offer free service (Labour charges) which all the other Indian manufacturers in this segment offer for the first year. Also they charge you for each and every activity separately.

Handing over the key to customer - 111.11

[clevermax]

Thanks for the responses guys! Lots of useful inputs here. It seems to be a one-off case where my friend got ripped off for sure.

He will surely be writing to VW and EVM about this, asking for a clear explanation. I have already asked him to refer the bills and information mentioned in the thread pointed by Ninja.

I am not a VW owner but I feel that the service costs of VW are really on the higher side compared to some of the cars in the same league. As a matter of fact, my Punto's 4th paid service (at 45000 Kms) was just 9K. The same will be applicable to Linea. Vento is a really nice car to own but service costs may repel potential customers.

[coolboy007]

I had posted earlier also and doing it again, please make sure the service centre guys do only stuff which is mandatory by VW, i can see tons of things which were not needed but since the customer didnt clearly state they bundled everything onto him.

Be it my Linea or now Vento, i clearly state to them :
1. No wheel balancing or alignment since i prefer doing it from a good tyre shop, have had bad experience with svc people fiddling with it.

2. I see no reason why brake pads or drums need to be cleaned/opened at the very first service, you can clearly make out the depth of pads left and i state no opening the pads or anything.

3. AC disinfectant, car washing alone amounts to 1200+, i would love to have both the things done outside, even the washing centre here takes 300 and does 10 times better job than any service centre who have to clean hundreds of cars each day.

The SA's keep insisting on injector cleanings, radiator cleanings, interior cleanings and AC disinfections, we need to be polite and refuse all such un necessary work, its their job to fleece the gullible souls.

[noopster]

Parts should add up to 8000/- or so (knocking off the ones you've circled). Labour should be around 3K I guess. 10-11K should have been the bill as I see it.

I am sick of VW service now. Urge all Vento/Polo owners to give good and hard-hitting feedback when the inevitable call from VW CRM team comes to you. They take their time but the feedback finds its way back to the dealer and they WILL call you.

[acroback]

Looking at this service Bill forces me to think that I did right when I rejected Vento and Rapid in favor of a Duster.

Oh Boy, look at the daylight robbery ze germans are enjoying. Poor customer.

How can someone charge for activities like pulling out oil dip stick, checking and re inserting it. This is atrocious to levels unknown to Indian customers.

Is there a way this fleecing can be reported to VW management? Oh wait... I saw somewhere that VW group gives flying ducks to customer satisfaction. Is it true? Then why do I see so many Ventos, Polos and Skodas on roads?

[noopster]

^^ Only fair to say that being charged for oil dip stick insertion etc. is NOT typical for all of us

This dealer seems to have in fact gone too far. A formal complaint to VW is very much in order. Typically they call up a week or two after the service for a survey. OP-please tell your friend to give clear and detailed feedback regarding the unnecessarily billed items.