[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by mmxylorider

This is interesting and a pretty useful bit of information. Going little OT, is this setup present in most cars, regardless of fuel gauge reading?

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

OT:: My Beat and my parents' Wagon R - Whistling noise Confirmed.
So, I guess I can safely say that the whistling noise is there in Petrol powered cars. Unaware of technology difference in Diesel powered engines and ignition.

Yes it's there in all cars. The sound is not of some release from furl tank but the whistling sound of the fuel pump that pumps the fuel from the tank to the intake.

[GTO]

If you hit the engine start button and there wasn't any starter motor sound at all, I suspect it's a failure of the start button and / or the car's security system.

Here's another thread where a Micra suffered an issue with its keyless entry.

Originally Posted by hawrie

I first called the Trident Renault service guy

He then advised me to call the Toll-free number

Then I got a call from a Trident service guy

The mechanic arrived with another chap in tow and both got down to investigating.

I got several repeated assurances from the shift in-charge

I called the Trident guy a few times to follow up on the towing and he said that he was trying to arrange from his side as well.

a Mitsubishi Lancer turned up mysteriously and two men approached my car.

Finally, a tow truck arrived and my fears doubled. It was not a flat-bed tow truck but one with the old-school crane. Thankfully, the driver turned out to be one sent by Trident to wait with me until the flat-bed arrived.

a flat-bed truck arrived

I don't know whether to or

You interacted with ALL OF NINE PEOPLE before your car got towed? The last time I used a 24x7 helpline, I spoke to all of ONE PERSON before the tow truck arrived.

Originally Posted by bblost

Please check your instruction manual. It would have a warning that this should never be done on a ECU controlled car.

Imran, agreed. However, there are times when a push start is the only option available. I do have a pair of jumper cables on me, but will confess that I've also push-started my cars from time to time.

[hawrie]

Received a call from the Service Center in the afternoon that the root cause is identified. Apparently the Electronic Control Module (ECM) has malfunctioned and needs to be replaced. I believe it costs Rs. 1.2L and will be replaced free as part of warranty.

I went to the Trident service center to discuss options, ETA, etc., and met the manager of service there. He said the same thing as the service advisor but was explained more specifically that the component that manages the accelerator function has failed in the ECM. This is an imported part and as it only fails in the rarest of rare cases, there is no ready stock. However, I asked him if he can source the part from another dealer in India to which he promised to check. I also expressed my disappointment with the entire episode with towing yesterday and he appeared to be genuinely concerned. He promised speedy action and has asked for time until 12pm tomorrow before confirming availability of the new ECM and/or the time required to return the fixed car.

BTW, I made it a point to mention that I am a member of Team BHP, an important forum for car enthusiasts.

Lets see how it goes.

[Vid6639]

You should also request for a replacement car during the time your car is out of service.

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by hawrie

Apparently the Electronic Control Module (ECM) has malfunctioned and needs to be replaced. I believe it costs Rs. 1.2L and will be replaced free as part of warranty.

Impressed with the prompt action taken towards identifying the problem. Hopefully they are 100% correct in their diagnosis.

This is an imported part and as it only fails in the rarest of rare cases, there is no ready stock. However, I asked him if he can source the part from another dealer in India to which he promised to check.

Indeed rarest of rare case of the ECM failing in a car that's less than a year old !! I hope that they send the faulty part back to Renault for diagnosis and identifying the problem, which could easily become common if not fixed in other Renault products.

Happy that they did not linger over the issue for long and the response was quick. Should instil confidence in Renault customers.
Road assistance is a pain area for all car manufacturers, I guess. Chevy's road assistance is a horror. I learnt it when my car didn't start, as said earlier.
It's a good idea to have some numbers of Private Tow Services, apart from manufacturer 24x7 road assistance.

[Maverick5490]

Originally Posted by hawrie

Received a call from the Service Center in the afternoon that the root cause is identified. Apparently the Electronic Control Module (ECM) has malfunctioned and needs to be replaced. I believe it costs Rs. 1.2L and will be replaced free as part of warranty.

Hope the ECM did not fail when the guys disconnected and reconnected the battery, and the fault would be something else. You should alert that to the service manager also.

[Soumyajit9]

Just curious, is the new ECM fixed on your Scala ?
How was the experience ?

Incase, not fixed, what is the current status ?

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by Maverick5490

Hope the ECM did not fail when the guys disconnected and reconnected the battery, and the fault would be something else. You should alert that to the service manager also.

How can a ECM/ECU, fail by just disconnecting and re connecting the battery?

[hawrie]

Apologies for the silence, I was tied up at work. The ECM part arrived on Thursday evening as promised and the Trident service manager messaged me around Friday mid-morning to say that the car was ready. I picked up the car in the evening and was glad to see the car all cleaned and ready to go. I asked the service guys to follow up on the issue to see what caused the ECM failure in the first place.

It has been 4 days now and about 250km of driving and so far, there has been no repeat incidents. Yesterday afternoon, I received a call from the Trident service manager with the TVS towing relationship manager in conference. The TVS chap apologised profusely for the drunken technicians episode but tried to hint that they "don't drink at all" and this is the first such incident. I countered this and he promised that he would take "stern action" and apologised again for the inconvenience.

On the whole, I was happy with the way the service manager handled my case and showed a sense of urgency in resolving the issue. But I still feel that the on-road experience during the breakdown could have been handled much more professionally, had there been some good technicians on duty rather than people with a casual approach.