[GTO]

Deepak D S shares this unfortunate experience with his Chevrolet Beat LS Diesel. I've verified the service records. Because the car is still within warranty coverage, he can't get the work done from an independent shop.

Bought in January 2012.

- Unresolved issue: Engine reluctant to start & move. Loses power after 60 kph. Parts replaced include air sensor, air filter, turbo hose, turbo metal hose, wiring harness & fuel pump. No solution yet. 'Check engine' & 'malfunction indicator' lights are on. 7 dealer visits up . Chevrolet / dealer unwilling to check the turbo.

- When the car was 2 weeks old, there was an air-con refrigerant leak. A/c evaporator replaced.

- Full front suspension replaced, due to defect in on-road behaviour & noise. Dealer took 3 weeks to source parts from the factory.

Why can't Chevrolet take care of its customers? An unreliable car with poor service means you can say bye bye to reputation.

In light of the troubles faced, Chevrolet gave him a complimentary 2 year extended warranty. Good in thought. But what is the point of a warranty if the issues remain unresolved?

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Technical Stuff!

[vnabhi]

This is shocking to hear, especially when Beat was a close contender when I was buying a budget diesel. But a few of my friends have gone for it and have had a good experience so far.

But as they say, the reputation of a manufacturer depends solely on how it comes to the rescue of a customer when he's in trouble. This is not expected from GM. I wish him good luck in his dealings with the company.

[dhanushs]

I have atleast 5 friends who are fed up of this car. If for one its suspension problem, the other has starting/engine problem. The tyres wont last, and weird sounds starts coming. The turbo leaks oil. But, then all of them are extremely happy with the FE. And, yes, all of them are fed up of the local Authorized service center.

I think the main problem is the authorised service centers, who despite all the proper tools, fail in diagnosis, and instead of solving the root cause of a problem, keep correcting the symptoms.

I think its time companies pay staff handsomely, with incentive or what not, so that they stop switching jobs, and stick to the company, gain good experience, and do a good job of repairing cars.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by GTO

- Unresolved issue: Engine reluctant to start & move. Loses power after 60 kph. Parts replaced include air sensor, air filter, turbo hose, turbo metal hose, wiring harness & fuel pump. No solution yet. 'Check engine' & 'malfunction indicator' lights are on. 7 dealer visits up . Chevrolet / dealer unwilling to check the turbo.

This specific issue is seriously concerning. Is the power loss related to rpm or speed? That will determine whether its engine or gearbox (or ECU). With this problem, a 2 year extended warranty is meaningless. Chevy needs to either do a full/half engine swap + 2 year EW, or give the customer a lifetime engine warranty on the current engine.

Also, what is Chevy up to?

• They have a recall occurring for petrol Beats (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ipe-issue.html).
• The Enjoy has TDCi engine problems (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ew-engine.html).
• The Sail had another engine related recall (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post3232506).
• They've been embroiled in the whole scandal of faking emission tests.

Yes, these are all different engines/variants. But the common theme is one of either manufacturing quality control failing, or factory PDI failing.

Chevy fell off my list of manufacturers I recommend to people asking me which car to buy some time ago, and these cases don't see them making it back onto that list for a while.

PS - GTO, thanks for the note about having verified the service records.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by GTO

- Unresolved issue: Engine reluctant to start & move. Loses power after 60 kph. Parts replaced include air sensor, air filter, turbo hose, turbo metal hose, wiring harness & fuel pump. No solution yet. 'Check engine' & 'malfunction indicator' lights are on. 7 dealer visits up . Chevrolet / dealer unwilling to check the turbo.

In light of the troubles faced, Chevrolet gave him a complimentary 2 year extended warranty. Good in thought. But what is the point of a warranty if the issues remain unresolved?

You mean they gave him the extra warranty without resolving his current problem? That defies all commonsense!

And why exactly are they "unwilling to check the turbo"? From the look of things that seems to be the problem part. Have no clue how to fix it, more likely!

At one time GM made quality cars in India under the Opel badge. Lately they have turned into a has-been peddler of cheap Chinese stuff. Fair to say none of their cars will ever make it to a shortlist in my book.

[latentpotential]

This looks to be a Bengaluru based owner. Has he tried other ASC in that region as well?
Also, this looks like it is another case that would have been solved by a Lemon Law.

[ani_meher]

Surprised to hear this. Hope this gets addressed to the customer's benefit.

FWIW, I am having a 3.5 years old beat diesel with none of the problems described above. It has been serving its duty with regular maintenance with nothing out of extraordinary. I haven't had any problem with turbo/suspension/tire/noise or whatever. The vehicle is serviced at Pune Wagholi SC to my satisfaction. I am sure there are many others like me.

Though in this particular case, I hope the problem gets addressed. Seems BLR SCs are having bad rep.

[petroguzzler]

Originally Posted by noopster

At one time GM made quality cars in India under the Opel badge. Lately they have turned into a has-been peddler of cheap Chinese stuff. Fair to say none of their cars will ever make it to a shortlist in my book.

Opels, though contemporary for their time were plagued with problems and were quite expensive to fix. It developed a bad reputation within the short span it was for sale. However, the current Chinese/Korean stuff that GM pushes to Indian customers are relatively easy on the pocket.

[Added_flavor]

Hi GTO,

From what I can infer from the post, it seems like the customer has unfortunately been delivered a lemon. I say this considering this car is generally selling well and is known to be decently reliable.

However, I see that the dealer/manufacturer is not trying to hastily brush off the issue under the carpet or to squarely blame the customer like another infamous manufacturer.

I see they have changed parts, tried to troubleshoot and done quite a bit from their end to solve the issues faced. Further, giving a written assurance to the customer of required service in case of further issues and also providing an extended warranty as a goodwill gesture scores some brownie points in my book.

With all this, in my opinion, Chevy is indeed trying to take care of it's customer in this case.

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by Added_flavor

With all this, in my opinion, Chevy is indeed trying to take care of it's customer in this case.

+1, i agree that Chevrolet and its dealers have been unable to solve the issues but as per the post, it seems the company is very helpful and willing to help its customers. So many parts have been changed, apologies from chevrolet india and a complimentary extended warranty is a positive thing. Am sure some thing can be worked out between both the parties.

In my humble opinion, this owner is lucky to have a Beat and not a Polo/Fabia. If this was VAG, they neither would have helped him, nor would have given any assurance or complimentary warranty . The VW personnel had the audacity to call me and tell me that they will only replace their faulty injectors when they go bad completely, even if i get stranded on the road, in comparison Chevrolet India is still miles better. I am no fanboy, i do not own any chevrolet but sadly, i do own a Vento.

[utsav1303]

Originally Posted by GTO

- Unresolved issue: Engine reluctant to start & move. Loses power after 60 kph. Parts replaced include air sensor, air filter, turbo hose, turbo metal hose, wiring harness & fuel pump. No solution yet. 'Check engine' & 'malfunction indicator' lights are on.

Originally Posted by arunphilip

This specific issue is seriously concerning. Is the power loss related to rpm or speed? That will determine whether its engine or gearbox (or ECU).

Since Malfunction indicator is ON, as stated by GTO, I assume it to be a problem closely related with E/G. Also, as the problem is occurring after 60km/h, Turbo is the most likely cause for the same.

Additionally, IMO, the condition of smoke/emission should also be referred to leave out the possibility of a plugged catalytic converter.

[bblost]

We have had a thread with a very similar issue reported:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ce-issues.html

[deehunk]

Really unfortunate, this guy shares my name even the initials and also a similar car which I found out was fit for nothing and sold it off within 6 months. I know why the dealer is not willing to check the turbo because thats probably where the problem is. Engine not responding beyond a certain rpm where your turbo is supposed to take control. Forget about the warranty for a car which is not running, I advise him to look for external service centers who can fix the turbo issue, I believe the turbo is from TEL as mine was a TEL make and there is a service center in JC Road. Still nothing is lost as the engine is alive and a good mechanic can bring it to life.

[mi2n]

With dwindling volumes, I'm sad to say Chevrolet A.S.S. has gone for a toss. Although my 2010 petrol Beat served me well till 55k kilometers, I have faced the ugly, utter incompetency and greed of Chevrolet A.S.S. post warranty. At 67k kilometers, and now sparingly used, I have come to the conclusion the the A.S.S. is only just good enough for the regular scheduled services(oil/filter change and cleaning) and body work. All of my reported issues since have gone unresolved, expensive replacements to suspension and clutch undertaken, other expensive replacements suggested, but none of all that could satisfactorily resolve the issues faced. For example, during my last visit to the A.S.S. I repeated my complain of noise from front suspension which was completely changed at the A.S.S. just four months prior to visit to address the same issue. This time they claimed the noise is from the steering column and it needs to be replaced. I walked out and took my car to an FNG, a decision I should have taken much before. The noise was eliminated by replacing the suspension bushes. I must mention that while the A.S.S. replaced the suspension parts during the earlier visit, they messed up the alignment so bad that I lost two of my A-drives to unnatural wear in two days (100 kms) flat. Then comes greed, I was hospitalized for a fortnight during February 2014 and during this time the car suffered a hit which deformed the tailgate a little ( as reported by the missus). The greedy A.S.S. duped my missus into using my insurance to replace the rear bumper, tailgate and one rear tail lamp cluster. I lost my 3 years of NCB for what should have been a Rs.3.5k repair.

I have completely stopped using the services of the A.S.S. and have done the last oil change at a FNG. I wanted to retain the car as the engine, drive-train and body are still in pristine condition but now I have decided to sell off the car after using it as a training car for my sister.