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The advice I got, long ago, was to keep your left foot tucked up against the seat for the first few days. It is now 15 years since I drove an AT (my last London car) and I'd probably have to do that.

Exactly. Another thing that new automatic car drivers must know about is the crawl function. Automatic cars can easily potter around at 5-10 km/hr with zero accelerator input.

That way, when navigating through tight spaces, a new driver can concentrate on just the brake pedal with their right foot.

I also read somewhere that the owner had paid an extra INR 30K for a 'lucky' number!

Wow, what a monumental few days we've had.

First, a Polo is launched like Apollo;
And then, a Kia goes to the Carnival!

Jokes aside, one does feel for the plight of these unfortunate new car buyers. People pay 2-3 times the used car price for a spanking new ride mainly for the aura attached to the "everything is new and perfectly put together in the factory" feel. And to see that all vanish into thin air faster than the airbags could deploy on the Carnival, that should hurt big time.

I have spent a considerable bit of my work-time at car workshops, and my heart sheds a tear every time I see a brand new car ripped apart for repairs at the body shop. Though they may try to assure us that everything would be put together like new, you would always get those doubts creeping in once the car is back on the road that something is amiss. You tend to hesitate that one extra bit every time you get the urge to floor the throttle on the highway to overtake that shiny new car on the adjacent track. And pretty soon you'd be out there looking for a change of car keys in your pocket.

All your suspicions would be be cleared if you even once rummage through the toolbox of your friendly workshop technician: you would find loose nuts and bolts of all shapes and sizes, each having been left behind from the previous car that was already "fixed" and delivered to the customer!

Here's hoping that we BHPians do not have to go through similar troubles and misfortune.

The driver simply panicked. Never ever lose your calm while driving!

About time to add the below to TBHP's PDI Checklist,

1. Does the driver have the required skills to drive the car safely out of the dealership, on the road, park at home and beyond?
2. If the new car/bike is significantly different from their current vehicle in terms of power, transmission, controls, size etc. has the driver taken time to prepare themselves to understand the differences and prepared to handle the differences?

Dealerships MUST take time to orient the drivers with their new vehicles.

Both the Polo and Carnival crashes could have ended up in collateral human damage. This is no laughing matter.

Ego and excitement could get the better of common sense and restraint in these situations.

Even for the most experienced drivers, piloting a new car is a learning experience. I myself took time to orient with the different gear shift mechanisms of Audi, Mercedes and BMW. Just a simple thing like engaging the parking brake is totally different between the three.

I don't give my 250+BHP Car to others unless I'm sure of their driving skills or if I'm next to them. Only a select few have driven it. A simple thrust on the gas pedal will hurtle the car to speeds they have never experienced or handled before.

Thank god, he/she didn't run over any showroom staff or crash on the road. That gate was his/her savior in disguise.

While accidents can happen to anyone, I guess such mistakes can easily take the life of a pedestrian or a motorist. One should always get used to the driving position, know where the crucial controls are ex: wipers, rear view mirror adjustment and in this case the pedal placements. Not knowing how to control an automatic is not an excuse and I wonder how he/she was confident in taking delivery and driving it home.

I have assisted a lot of people to bring their new car home as they didn't want to take chances on the first day of delivery. Most people have a sentimental value that the first drive and the "puja" must happen with no hindrances. He could have chosen a good driver to bring it home. I wonder how such people buy brand new cars and not used. A good lesson to all new drivers.

All noble ideas. But I'd like to see a dealership try that with one of those haughty " How-dare-you-teach-me" customer types (in all genders).
Those customers will create hell for the dealership on the spot. So, in all aspects, whatever is the prevalent practice is OK- you take over the car keys , and crank 'er up, you are on your own.

What dealerships can do is to provide better convenience by making open delivery passage areas.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/76498453.cms

I hope they RIP but am also happy they didn't take any hapless bystander with them. They aren't the most careful of riders shall we say.

This.

But one area where dealerships are meant to show improvement is in practical customer experience. They (most of them) don’t even allow a test drive of more than a couple kilometres (usually in crowded cities or at most, a small stretch of highway), forget about being able to take the car to your house and try parking it in your usual spot. And AutoCar always recommends having a good 30 minute drive over various terrains- yeah, good luck dealing with that stubborn salesman you were assigned.

I hear you :)

Truth be told if I look back, I took delivery of 3 of my cars late in the evening after work and I don't think there was any time to go through things in detail but I've had multiple test drives before that to get to know the cars.

Why not use the time between the booking and delivery to go through the product demonstration?

:thumbs up

A 30-minute drive is more than sufficient to orient oneself.

End of the day it's all about priorities I guess.

You misunderstand me. That was indeed what I meant; that your typical SA wouldn’t allow even a 30 minute drive (which is a godsend to get comfy with the car lol:).

My Endy delivery was INSIDE the dealer's showroom. The exit was past their main glass door, down a flight of steps against which they had placed a two-piece ramp (each piece barely as wide as the wheel).

After the ribbon cutting and photos and sweets box I got inside the car, started it and took it forward for a few feet; then bit my pride and got down to ask the dealership staff to get it down for me. lol:

Or you could have done it like this:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qXi8YQ5fQE

Endy could do it so much better than the i20. :uncontrol

All good:thumbs up That's true for cars on high demand.

That's purely mental on the dealership's part.

Good on you for doing the right thing!