UPDATE
I am not sure whether this requires another thread but this requires sufficient attention though.
Last week I got a call Mr. Bijesh who somehow sourced my number based on this specific post about my XUV5OO's engine overhaul, stating about a similar instance he went through but for a car which is still within warranty.
To summarize, one evening while he was driving down his XUV5OO W8 back from office, faced a sudden reduction in power and he parked the car on to a service road and waited for the RSA to pick his car.
At the MASS - Pothen's Mahindra, he has shared a diagnosis of faulty valves expected damages to his pistons, rings, bore etc.
However, on opening the head they do not seem to see any issue there and are recommending, head and valves replacement + engine overhaul all free of cost since its covered under warranty.
For me - I am still trying to figure out why open the engine block and MASS does not seem to have found any issue with the engine in itself.
As an owner of the car Bijesh is quite puzzled and is struggling to get through all this given that his car is still within warranty. He feels his car deserves a new heart given that the engine head has been opened within warranty and he is not sure of an overhauled engine in a less than 5 year old car.
I too feel the same, and I suspect something not right from the MASS / Mahindra Customer Care given the way they handle the issue.
If there is anyone who can help me guide Bijesh based on his notes below, will be of great help.
Thanks
BIJESH's email to me
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Vehicle Details:
Make: Mahindra XUV 500 W8(Automatic)
Mfg. Year: 2016
KM done: 117239
Extended Warranty: Yes (5th Year)
All the services have been done at MASSs. The car is on stock clutch, stock suspension, and no engine work.
Last service: 110000 KM service at Pothens Ambattukavu on 27th Aug 2020.
TimeLine:
02-Dec-2020: I was driving back from office at around 7.30 PM as usual when I felt a sudden dip in engine power. I checked for engine warning lights and Low fuel indications, but none was ON. There was more than half tank fuel as per the fuel level meter. Since it was a busy intersection that I was driving through, I stopped the vehicle 100 meters away from where I felt the power loss to a side road. I then called my regular SA at Pothens Mahindra, Ambattukaavu who advised me to check for warning lights and gave the contact details for RSA. I rang RSA and they gave the link to locate my vehicle and identify the nearest MASS (Pothens Mahindra, Cheranalloor).
Within 40 minutes the RSA team came and since the car was inaccessible for the towing truck, they drove the car to a wider section of the side road where I had parked. Even though the car was barely starting, the engine repeatedly going on and off, the RSA guys drove the car for around 50 meters to the wider section. Then I noticed white thick smoke coming out from the exhaust as well. Only later when I saw the towing truck, I realized that RSA guys were not MASS employees, but some 3rd party towing service team. They then took the car to Pothens Cheranalloor.
03-Dec-2020: Next day morning Service Advisor from Pothens Cheranalloor called and informed me of the receipt of the vehicle and that they would update me about the issue after inspection. Afternoon, I called back to check for updates and got the response that they would start inspection only by evening. Later that day, I called my regular SM from Pothens Ambattukavu to inform him about my vehicle.
He contacted the SA at Cheranalloor and put me on a conference call and asked them to provide a status update on the vehicle condition. SA from Cheranalloor said they suspect a faulty injector to be causing the loss of power and that they would replace it next day and give an update.
04-Dec-2020: Uneventful with no updates from the SA.
05-Dec-2020: Received a call from the SA at around 11.00AM and informed that they tried replacing the injectors and turbo charger, to no avail. He also informed that the compression pressure at all cylinders were around 230PS and that it was very low and that they need to dismantle the head to do more investigation. I asked the SA not to dismantle the head and instead escalate it to M&M from their end as the vehicle was on extended warranty. Around 11.30 AM the SM from Pothens Cheranalloor contacted me and insisted on dismantling the head which I refused straight away. I then visited Pothens Cheranalloor to take documents and personal belongings from the car and insisted the SM again to escalate the issue to M&M keeping me in Cc.
06,07,08-Dec-2020: No updates from the SA.
09-Dec-2020: I called the SA since it was quite some time that there were no updates from Pothens, and got the reply from SA that they were instructed by M&M to dismantle the engine and send it to some other centre (which the SA referred to as "Lathe") for expert analysis. I rushed to the SC and saw my engine getting dismantled. I took some pics of that. The SA also informed that they are dismantling the engine upon advice from M&M ASM Jithin Babu. I asked the SM at Pothens to share the contact details of ASM, which they provided.
I called the ASM to enquire about the SOP for such cases, he informed me that the Standard Warranty Procedure would be followed in such cases. He also informed that the complaint is probably with the valves and that the head needs to be replaced if found so. To confirm this theory, they wanted to do the expert analysis at the above said "Lathe". I further asked if there was a problem with the engine block portion, what steps would be taken. To which he replied that in that case a decision would be taken based on the warranty policy. He ensured that the engine would be handled under M&M expert supervision and that there would not be any issue whatsoever. Mr Jithin also promised to provide me with a standby car for the interim period.
10,11-Dec-2020: No Updates from the SA.
12-Dec-2020: I was on an official visit to Kannur, when at around 12.00PM I called the SA to ask for updates regarding the vehicle. He said that all valves are damaged, and they need to disassemble the piston and rings to check for damages. He also informed me that someone from M&M will contact me to keep me posted about the issue.
13-Dec-2020: Sunday, Uneventful.
14-Dec-2020: Did not receive any calls from either the SA or from M&M team. So, I tried to reach out to the SA, but my call went unanswered. At around 9.00PM received a call from SA who informed that M&M has asked not to give any direct feedback to me and that M&M team themselves would provide the updates.
15-Dec-2020: No updates from the SA. I tweeted tagging M&M and Anand Mahindra regarding my unfortunate experience. This I believe did not go well with the Pothens team.
https://twitter.com/BijeshMg/status/...205035011?s=20
16-Dec-2020: I called the SA around 4.00PM to enquire about the vehicle. He replied that the engine was examined by experts from the machine shop and confirmed that there is no damage to the engine block portion including the piston and connecting rod etc. and that replacing the head would fix the problem. I also asked him about the Standby car that was promised (as in earlier calls), to which he replied that the same model car (XUV500) is not available and they are waiting to get the same. I then visited the SC around 6.00PM to discover shockingly that the engine was lying on the vehicle bay floor supported on an old tyre. The area was dusty, and the engine was lying near the door exposing the cylinder, piston head and the housing for the timing chain to the elements. I took some snaps of the same.
17-Dec-2020: I messaged ASM Mr. Jithin over WhatsApp explaining my plight and about the non-availability of a Standby car even 2 weeks after the initial issue. I also sent him the pictures of the engine being mishandled by the Pothens team. He replied that work is in progress on the engine and parts have already been ordered for the fix and that they have already approved the standby car the same day (09-Dec-2020) itself. He also mentioned that Pothens GM would contact me before 10.00 AM and the car allotted before EOD.
I asked him if the manner in which the Pothens team handled the engine is as per M&M standards, to which he replied that engine dismantlement will be done as per M7M guidance through virtual medium and M&M team will be monitoring all progress (which I doubt they really did). Around 11.00AM, I received a call from the SA informing that the Standby car is ready and that they can hand it over to me. Since I was travelling to Palakkad, I requested them to hand over the car to my wife at Cochin, which they initially refused saying that the policy does not allow so. Around 6.00 Pm when I started my return from Palakkad, I called the SA again about the standby car and upon requesting multiple times, they agreed to deliver the Standby car to my wife. They provided me with a rundown Toyota Innova in a very pathetic condition, that it feels cringy to even get inside the vehicle.
18-Dec-2020: I had contacted many friends of mine who have worked in the Automobile industry and other MASS’s, informing them about the mishandling of my engine at Pothens. All of them replied that service centres would have special rooms for engine maintenance and that engines would be worked upon only on these designated areas. They also told me that never would the engines be rested upon unbalanced supports like tyres on open areas prone to dust and that it would always be covered with some protective covers. Having lost my confidence in the Pothens team, I contacted ASM Mr Jithin and asked for a full engine replacement as they had mishandled my engine. To this, Mr Jithin replied that all repairs are being done as per technical guidance from M&M team and according to warranty policy full engine replacement cannot be given because they did not find any damages in the engine block.
Furthermore, I asked if there was an engine room at Pothens and if so, why my engine was left opened in the vehicle bay area without any protection. To this he did not respond much and tried to move away from the subject and informed that Mr Sajith GM service at Pothens would give me a call. Mr Jithin assured me that all proper M&M guidelines are being followed and experts are supervising the case and that the vehicle would be delivered in perfect condition. I then asked Mr. Jithin about the possibility of extending the warranty for 2 more years, which he rejected citing that M&M policy only covers maximum till 5 years. I also asked them about the possibility and cost (bearable from my end) for a complete engine replacement. To this he replied the virtual supervision team inspected the engine block, cylinder, piston & rings and all values are within limits and there is no need to replace any components. I then asked him if it is possible to inspect all these without disassembling, to which he replied that "limits' can be checked and more details will be shared by Sajith GM.
Half an hour later Mr Sajith called me apologizing for the experience I had at Pothens and as a helping gesture is ready to replace the piston and rings without any expense from my end. Upon asking about the engine being placed on top of a tyre at the vehicle bay area, he said that this was done to take photos of the engine at different angles as requested by M&M. He also said that the dismantling was done at the engine room.
I then asked him to show the CCTV footage of the engine movement within the bay and the engine room, to which the reply was that the CCTV setup was only being installed in the facility and no prior footages are available. I refuse to believe his claims and rejected his offer and demanded that the engine be replaced. He agreed to contact M&M on this and get back to me.
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For me, this is quite surprising as Mahindra offered the same engine overhaul for a car post Warranty and even within Warranty if it is still going to be an overhaul at the MASS, why take an extended warranty?
29th October 2018, 14:00
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Thanks
