[Sree73]

A very bad breakdown in my S-Cross Zeta yesterday. Also, very unpleasant towing experience.

I had gone to Thrissur from Bangalore to attend my Niece’s wedding. As my kids are having exams, I travelled alone to Thrissur on 12th Sept. The drive was as usual an uneventful one. On the way back, my Uncle and Aunt were also with me to Bangalore. They are also from Bangalore and were there in Thrissur to attend the wedding.

We started from home at around 8AM and the trip was normal. It was very heavily raining when we started from Thrissur. Had lunch at Salem Saravana Bhavan at 12:30 and resumed the journey in 45 minutes. At around 2:30PM, I felt the AC was not working perfectly. Cooling was not good. Adjusted the temperature to 20 degrees and continued. Still there was no improvement in the cooling. At that point of time, I just looked at the Engine temperature gauge. The needle was stuck well above the Maximum Red mark on the gauge and I sensed something wrong with the engine cooling system.

It was around 2:55 PM and it was a secluded stretch on the NH 544 towards Krishnagiri. I drove a few more KMs (Took the risk of driving as I did not want my Uncle/Aunt to be stranded anywhere on the highway.). In few kilometers, saw a small eatery (Tea/sweet shop) AAHHAA Sweet in Sappanipatti with ample space to park on the front of the shop. This place is Approx 25 KMs behind Krishnagiri.

I stopped the car and opened the bonnet. The engine coolant container was empty and coolant was splashed all over. Because of overheating, the coolant which got splashed started fuming from the engine parts. But, I could not locate the exact location of leak.

Had a few helping hands who were at that outlet for a tea break. One of them suggested pouring water into the container and then continue the journey till Bangalore. I was not very convinced at that idea because by looking at the engine bay, the leakage was not small. It had to be some pipe burst. And I was sure that water may hold only for a few minutes in the system before that got leaked out.

I called up Nexa's road support and got connected immediately. The conversation was not very clear as I had a very weak signal at that place and the voice was breaking intermittently. Also, it was very difficult to tell the support guy on the other end regarding my current location as I was also not sure about the place. I knew it was 25KM behind Krishnagiri. The conversation went on for 6/7 minutes with the guy confirming quite a lot of details like date of purchase / color of car / Model / owner name / Address etc etc.

He said that he will contact the nearest Service center and they will contact me in few minutes. I got an SMS stating the complaint number. But, did not get any call from any of the service centers in the next 20-25 minutes.

Called the Nexa customer support again and they said my complaint is registered with the Service center in Krishnagiri and he will make sure that they contact me in a few minutes. The Nexa on road support system was good and very responsive. I got a call from one guy and he said that they have just started from Krishnagiri and will be at the location in around 30 minutes. They were speaking Tamil. I can understand Tamil completely but am not very comfortable in speaking. The shop guy helped me in letting the other side know about the exact location and the nearby landmarks.

Two young guys reached the location along with a breakdown van. They were from Sri Amman Cars India PVT Ltd, Krishnagiri (Authorized Maruti dealer). It was around 4:30 by the time they arrived at the location. They immediately diagnosed the Thermostat valve pipe rupture (Refer the second picture and the arrow mark. It's behind the air-intake pipe and slightly under) and informed me that the car had to be towed to the Service Centre (Towards Krishnagiri).

They connected my car with the towing vehicle (it was a Versa) by a chain. It was a 1.5 meters long chain and that was the distance between the Versa and my car. I had no other option than to accompany them, and sat in the front passenger seat with my Aunt in the rear seat. My uncle was with the guy who was driving the Versa. The Other guy was in the driving seat of my Car.

Started from there. Oh my god. The guy in the front started driving like crazy. Like a formula one racer on this busy highway, twisting / turning the vehicle and overtaking trucks / even high-speed cars. My car was swinging and dangling like an uncontrolled pendulum just behind this Versa. I verified again that my seatbelt is buckled up and was almost sure that will not reach safely at the Service Centre.

Before starting, I had warned the guy sitting on the driver's seat that the foot brake will not function as desired since the engine is off and the only option is the hand brake. He said "Saar I know that and will manage with the hand brake".

I asked the guy sitting next to me what they are doing. I told him to communicate to the driver of the Versa to slow down but he told me it will be ok and he will manage. My Uncle later told me that he was repeatedly telling the other guy (who was driving) to slow down. I think they were testing their driving skills on towing. I was being towed at 80+ speed just 1.5 meters behind, tied with a loose chain and the only effective braking system was the Hand brake.

My car kissed the rear end of the Versa multiple times, and I closed my eyes on multiple occasions.

And one KM before the Service Centre, one DZire took a sudden turn ahead of the Versa and the guy applied his brakes. The one sitting in my driver’s seat couldn’t. Quite natural. How can one have a high reflex system to respond in a distance of 1.5m, that too with a mediocre handbrake! My car heavily banged the rear end of the Versa with a heavy thud noise. Stopped the car and came out to check. Not much of damage was there except the fiber had bruises and cuts because of the impact. Both the guys got a earful from me there itself. That was the first time I could talk to the Versa driver. 25 KMs we covered just under 25 minutes! You can imagine the speed at which a faulty car was towed.

Reached Service Centre. Service experience was very good which is the trademark of most of the Maruti dealerships. They removed the battery and disconnected the other pipelines to remove the Thermostat valve and replaced the same with a new one.

The people at the Service Centre were very apologetic to me after I explained my ordeal (has to be). My Uncle & Aunt are fluent in Tamil. They also gave the full account of the miserable experience of sitting in the towing car.
The service center people were very good and cordial. They informed me that the guys who came for road assistance were not the regular towing people, and they were sent because of emergency (I do not know if it's true).

I clearly told the Service Centre in-charge that I will be reporting this towing experience to Maruti. The entire workshop people came alone / in a group to persuade me not to report it to Maruti. They were pleading like anything. When the work got completed, we went for a test drive for around 20 KMs. The guy who took the test drive was also requesting me not to report it to Maruti.

Came back to the Service Centre and the Service in-charge assured me that he will take all measures at the dealership level to see that this kind of experience never happens to anyone.

While leaving the station at around 8 PM, there were another series of requests not to report this to Maruti.

Literally, the 25 minutes I sat in my car being towed, was the scariest 25 minutes in my entire life.

I have nothing against the Service Centre, except this horrifying towing experience. The Service was excellent including the treatment at the Centre. I expect a service feedback call from Nexa / Maruti in a couple of days. Still not decided whether to report it or not. But, I am technically inclined to report it as the chillness in my spine is still there. It should not be repeated to anyone.

On the failure of the Thermostat valve, I did not get a very convincing answer as to why it gave up. Need to explore further to understand the root cause and I’m slightly disappointed with the reduced reliability on my S-Cross.

My current odometer reading is ~39K KMs and my service is due in another 1000 KM. Will enquire about the failure and update the forum if I’m able to get a convincing answer.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by Sree73

Not much of damage was there except the fiber had bruises and cuts because of the impact. Both the guys had an earful from me there itself. That was the first time I could talk to the Versa driver. 25KMs we covered just under 25 Minutes. You can imagine the speed at which a faulty car was towed.

My S-Cross had rear ended GLA at speed of around 15 kmph. I too heard a very loud sound but not much damages outside. But after few days when we removed the bumper, saw more damages. The front member was damaged and pushed back. Also the horn is mounted on front member and the AC condenser had narrow escape from getting punctured by the bolt on horn. I suggest you to look into internal damages, if any!!

[Vigkey]

Originally Posted by Sree73

A very bad breakdown in my S-Cross Zeta yesterday. Also, very unpleasant towing experience.

Really sad hearing your ordeal Sree. What is even more saddening is the way the MOS guys treated the broke-down car while towing back. Please do not feel bad to report this to Maruti as those guys need to be taught a lesson. I am not sure why Amman Cars is so worried if those guys were not regular towing guys. They can report the same to Maruti and can assure that these guys will not be hired hereafter. Why do they go down so much in their defense - I do not know.

I guess the damaged part was replaced under warranty and you have been charged only for the coolant fluid and MOS's towing service. Please do not feel that the reliability of the car has gone down. Such freak incidents can happen in any car and does not necessarily mean that the reliability is out.

Now, I have a couple of questions.

1. If the temperature of engine goes above limit, isn't there a warning mechanism? Like a light or sound or something?? Are we expected to rely solely on the temperature gauge???

2. Why did you not take an action regarding the bumper? Ideally Amman Cars or the MOS folks or Maruti themselves should pay for it - right?? It was a damage caused to your beloved car due to their mishandling - they ought to compensate for that in some way.

Also, as Naren said, it is better to get the car's internals checked for damage. This will definitely help your peace of mind. You may want to pay a visit to your trusted MASS or may be even advance the 40k service and get it checked as part of the service.

[GTO]

Thanks for sharing, Sree73. Moving your post to its own thread.

[Dr.Naren]

BHPian sandygordon had also faced Thermostat issue in his S-Cross 1.3. The same was replaced under warranty.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post4252293

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Vigkey

2. Why did you not take an action regarding the bumper? Ideally Amman Cars or the MOS folks or Maruti themselves should pay for it - right?? It was a damage caused to your beloved car due to their mishandling - they ought to compensate for that in some way.

It's hard to know, until it happens to you, that there is almost always more damage inside in cases where a bumper has been knocked in and springs back.

Sree73, Have no qualms. Report this to Maruti on a very formal basis. Some of those people might have been concerned for their jobs: they should have thought of that before this behaviour, and there is absolutely no guarantee that their yelps are anything more than empty words. They'll be doing the same to someone else tomorrow.

And even if they are not, Maruti should take responsibility for anything that has happened to your car. Supposed to be number one for A_S_S: lets see it put to the test now.

I have been towed, once, on a proper rigid link, by proper recovery (AA) professionals on a UK motorway. I found that scary, but it was actually absolutely safe. Does anyone in India use proper rigid towing links? Or is it all bits of string and chain stuff?

[govigov]

@Sree73, Sorry to hear about your ordeal. Glad that it was not something serious and that you were on your way in about 7 to 8 hours. I do have a question, apart from the temperature gauge going towards red, did the temp indication light up in red in the instrument cluster?

Another question to more knowledgeable folks than me, If in case your car has a breakdown like how it happened to Sree73 & SandyGordon, can you just bypass the valve with a suitable tube and connect the ends together and then continue with journey after a top-up of the coolant?

[sinharishi]

They sent you a Versa! When I was stranded, Nexa roadside assistance sent me a flatbed truck, they told me that S-Cross cannot be towed and will need a flatbed. The flatbed belonged to Allianz.

It did costed me a bomb to get the S-Cross to my SC some 24 kms away on a flatbed, but my car was safe and handled very professionally by Allianz.

Please do report this to MSIL.

[Sree73]

Originally Posted by Vigkey

I am not sure why Amman Cars is so worried if those guys were not regular towing guys.

I guess the damaged part was replaced under warranty and you have been charged only for the coolant fluid and MOS's towing service.

Now, I have a couple of questions.

1. If the temperature of engine goes above limit, isn't there a warning mechanism? Like a light or sound or something?? Are we expected to rely solely on the temperature gauge???

2. Why did you not take an action regarding the bumper? Ideally Amman Cars or the MOS folks or Maruti themselves should pay for it - right?? It was a damage caused to your beloved car due to their mishandling - they ought to compensate for that in some way.

Even if the guys are not regulars at towing, they are regular employees of Amman Cars and they came in a Versa which belongs to Amman cars.

The damaged part was replaced under warranty as I had opted for Extended warranty (up-to 4 years I believe)

There was no visual indication/alarm other than the gauge needle hit the extreme of the dial above the red mark. I noticed that just because the AC was not functioning properly. Actually AC was working as blower and no cooling at all.

The Bumper, I left it as it is because the damage was minimal. Some cuts and bruises on the black fibre part. And also, I had elderly Uncle and Aunt with me and I did not want further delay for them to reach Bangalore.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

It's hard to know, ..... where a bumper has been knocked in and springs back.

Sree73, Have no qualms. Report this to Maruti on a very formal basis...

Does anyone in India use proper rigid towing links? Or is it all bits of string and chain stuff?

I will do a Proper check and see any internal damage is there. I had a visual inspection behind the grill and the area of radiator / horn / Fog lights and every thing seems to be perfect. Anyways, will do a more detailed inspection.

I will report this to Maruti. Had a call with the GM of Amman cars today. He gave an assurance that this experience will not be repeated for anyone and he will make sure about the proper governance mechanism in place for towing.

I had radiator rupture six months back (in Kerala during my vacation trip) and that time a flat bed trailer was used as a recovery vehicle. It was a perfect solution and no risk of damages associated with towing. Regarding the rigid towing rod, I'm not sure anyone uses that here.

Originally Posted by govigov

I do have a question, apart from the temperature gauge going towards red, did the temp indication light up in red in the instrument cluster?

can you just bypass the valve with a suitable tube and connect the ends together and then continue with journey after a top-up of the coolant?

As I noticed in my case, did not notice any visual/audio alarms other than the gauge hitting extreme red end. If I had not noticed and continued the journey, may have some other alarms popped up. Need to check the manual again.

Regarding bypassing the Thermostat valve, it will be extremely difficult because first of all that valve is located at place which is not at all accessible to do any check / work on that.

We have to remove the battery and other associated cables to have a proper view of the valve. If you noticed, the picture of the faulty valve I had posted, actually the pipe elbow which connects to the valve got broken in the thread portion in the connection port. A small broken portion of the elbow thread is visible inside the port.

I'm unable to pin point a root cause for this failure. One wild guess I can make is the following.

I had a Radiator replacement six months back. During that repair work, someone might have applied extra pressure on this valve/pipe connections during the removal / fit-back and might have developed a small crack in the threaded portion. Over a period of time, the crack developed and resulted in the rupture of pipe elbow. This is a wild guess without any proper evidence back-up.

[crdi]

Originally Posted by Sree73

I had a Radiator replacement six months back

How did that one happen?

Have seen kerala rtc buses being towed by rigid tow rods, by their modest repair van. Wouldn't need any hi-tech inventory to adapt that for smaller vehicles.

The manufactrer often gives towing instructions in the owner's manual. At least they should ensure those when towing is done by their own providers.

[Sree73]

Originally Posted by crdi

How did that one happen?

That story is available here.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post4189472

[IshaanIan]

IF as you claim, you and your uncle had asked them multiple times to slow down, and considering YOU are the customer and YOUR vehicle is worth 4-5 times the value of that versa, they still ignored you, then you must definitely report to Maruti or atleast demand in the service center that these boys be fired. They simply should not be tolerated if they are willing to take such risks with a customers expensive vehicle, while the customer is with them AND while the customer is requesting them to slow down absolutely shocking. These boys don't deserve to be allowed to handle anyone else's car whether it be for towing, or parking, or washing such attitudes should never be allowed inside the service industry and must be eradicated when detected. I am still appalled just by reading this. You read so many instances of people finding their car damaged after giving it to the service center cause it must have been taken for a joyride and met with an accident, BUT these guys have the cheek to be so wreckless in front of you even ignoring your uncle's requests to slow down, while doing something that needs to be treated with care such as towing a car. Just imagine how they would drive if the customer is not around to request them to slow down and if they are not even required to tow a vehicle please do the needful; complain to the service center or to Maruti, these boys cannot be allowed to function in any role in this industry.

[sandeepmohan]

It is good you managed to get help and without having to wait too long. I guess that is the plus of owning a Maruti Suzuki. The service center had the required parts as well. I highlight this as an S Cross isn't as common as other Maruti Suzuki cars out there. However; with an engine as common as the Multi Jet probably helps in terms of parts being readily available.

On a different note, I must say that you risked it big time running (even for a short distance) the car even after noticing the temperature meter well inside the red zone. I am surprised there were no warning bells either. Had the engine seized, that would have been the end of it. The AC tripping is one of the signs on the engine temperature heading north. In the event you see the temperature rising, always pull over before any steaming takes place. There are other critical parts that are stressed by extreme temperatures and the problems of these will rise much later. Hopefully; nothing has in your case.

Refer the manual on what are the possible indicators for engine over heating. It is possible that the audio/visual alert is faulty or does not exist other than the meter.

I do not think there is a defect of any kind for the coolant leak. Sometimes a pipe ruptures, a part fails. There is little you can do. However; when there are signs that there is a problem, don't push your luck.

You should report the towing experience to Maruti Suzuki.

[amalji]

Feedback should always be honest.
Give a thumps down for the towing team and
Give a thumps up to the dealer for taking care of it professionally once the vehicle reached the service center. Make sure that this good feedback doesn't dilute the effect of the very important feedback about the towing team.

[100BHP]

Originally Posted by sinharishi

They sent you a Versa! When I was stranded, Nexa roadside assistance sent me a flatbed truck, they told me that S-Cross cannot be towed and will need a flatbed. The flatbed belonged to Allianz.

It did costed me a bomb to get the S-Cross to my SC some 24 kms away on a flatbed, but my car was safe and handled very professionally by Allianz.

Please do report this to MSIL.

Its very unprofessional - MSIL has outsourced the towing to 3rd party. But in my case, flat bed was used to ship the car even for 6 kms.

Please report to MSIL & get all damages corrected at their expense !