[aadya]

Originally Posted by kpzen

Here's an interesting info from the Scross Europe user manual regarding the towing method.

Have seen innumerable Ambis, 800s, Padminis being towed in exactly the way this S-Cross has been towed. All these perfect methods of towing are to protect the Transmission and axle by the jerk and uneven front and back movements expected to occur during towing. These perfect towing methods are not to protect the towing hook and the member from tearing off.

On other hand I am thinking If someone uses S-cross to tow some other car, what would be the result?

[pavi]

For those who are defending Maruti stating that 'it is there in the manual that towing should not be done like this', I believe every product is following some standards in the manufacturing process. The three pedals will be always arranged in the order Clutch, Brake, and Accelerator starting from left. There will never be a 'ACB' or 'BCA' configuration. The tires will always be round in shape, a gear knob will always be at the left side of the driver for a right hand drive configuration, seats are always placed inside the car not on top of the car roof, and a tow hook is always designed to be used to tow the vehicle. Hence a tow hook should 'at least' do what it is intended for, no matter whatever 'value engineering' is applied. Will you defend the manufacturer when you come to know from the 'Manual' that the call button/icon in the costly phone that you bought recently is just for 'phone' looks, and in reality does not make a call.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I guess "value engineering" is the jargon. Cheap engineering is the reality.

Also maybe bad engineering. Shouldn't it be designed to fail without causing so much damage?

While Maruti was at it, I hope they have not compromised on other less used parts of the car.

This was the most European and premium of all Maruti vehicles, it's disappointing to see such things. I am not saying that a lesser priced Maruti maybe excused for the failure of an emergency device.

OT: This facelift version of s-cross in the right color can be parked next to a 1 Series BMW without many being able to tell the difference as to which is more premium.

[boohooper]

Originally Posted by pavi

For those who are defending Maruti stating that 'it is there in the manual that towing should not be done like this', I believe every product is following some standards in the manufacturing process. The three pedals will be always arranged in the order Clutch, Brake, and Accelerator starting from left. There will never be a 'ACB' or 'BCA' configuration. The tires will always be round in shape, a gear knob will always be at the left side of the driver for a right hand drive configuration, seats are always placed inside the car not on top of the car roof, and a tow hook is always designed to be used to tow the vehicle. Hence a tow hook should 'at least' do what it is intended for, no matter whatever 'value engineering' is applied. Will you defend the manufacturer when you come to know from the 'Manual' that the call button/icon in the costly phone that you bought recently is just for 'phone' looks, and in reality does not make a call.

Totally agree! It's been called a Tow Hook for decades for that very reason. To be Towed. And every one (INCLUDING MARUTI) knows how vehicles are TOWED in various ways. This being touted a Tough vehicle or as Maruti puts it.....
" It’s bold, it’s dynamic and built to inspire the adventure seeker in you.
Created to be on the cutting edge, it's not just a car but also an inspiration to break free"

Now, 'Cutting edge' seems to take on a new meaning here. They have forgotten to tell us that this vehicle could cut itself up if towed and leave the hapless owner on Edge.

One more reason for me to Hate Maruti!

[Kosfactor]

Dear Lalu(I hope the name is correct), any updates on the repair?

[laluks]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Dear Lalu(I hope the name is correct), any updates on the repair?

I was busy with changing roles at work, and missed your question.

I had replied on my ownership thread some weeks ago.

Originally Posted by laluks

I was quite busy with changing roles at work and Diwali holidays, hence could not update.

Kungfu Panda has gone in for its 40K service along with the rectification. I have kept the old bumper itself with stitches made by metal strings to remind me of the episode, than going in for a new bumpers. It now looks like a stupid kid with stitches on its chin. This has been mended by the mechanics who helped me at Joshimat to take the car home. I never asked Maruti, nor Maruti called me on this topic.

For me the episode is over along with my inference never to own a Maruti again.

Did a wheel alignment along with 40K service, left had some degree of negative camber, now adjusted. Kungfu Panda is running around.

A search for a new car is on.

Some more experiences.
On 16.11.2018, Friday, I was relatively free and decided to take the car for service. A few days before Friday, my good friend and workshop manager at Suraksha Bommanahalli, told me he has quit his job and is opening a multi brand car service center by year end. Well that is a great relief!

But then I wanted to do the 40K service before that.

If you guys remember, while getting my insurance renewed Bimal agent have given me some service and wheel alignment coupons. So decided to go to Bimal for the 40K service.

Bimal Mahadevapura
I reached Bimal Service Center at Mahadevapura, and drove in. Security took my mobile number and Car number and asked me to drive in. I drove in, no one was around to receive the car, and I kept inching forward thinking there would be someone who would stop me for taking inventory. In some time I almost reached a board showing EXIT. The security there was helpful, he asked me I must go a little back and park and get inside the service bay to call some one. It made sense, since there was none outside. I tried parking the car near the service area, only to be shooed away by service mechanics, who were driving user cars rashly around. I found a place and got in. The security at the exit had told me to ask for Mr. Suman who seems to be the workshop in charge. After looking around for a while, I asked the front office desk guy to call Mr. Suman to help me with. Mr. Suman was informed, and I waited for him at his office. Meanwhile I was watching the cars being driven around by the service guys. It was not nice.

The place is still the same as it was 11 years ago. When I gave my swift in 2007 for the first service, I made up my mind never to go back. Today it looks still the same. And its not a Nexa Service, its the normal Maruti stuff. I waited for 30 minutes, no sign of Mr. Suman. I just left the place. Bimal - No, Never. I tore away the coupons given to me, even if they offer free service, I am not taking it.

Suraksha Bommanahalli
I drove to Suraksha Bommanahalli and reached there by 10:30. I walked into the workshop Managers place. Mr. Kelvin has took over from Mr. Girish, who was my friend. Kelvin was very helpful. He immediately assigned me Mr. Yogesh as Service Advisor and Mr. Rakesh as the mechanic. They took the car and started work almost immediately and completed the 40K service by 13:30. I wanted a Wheel Alignment and that would be after their Lunch break. After Lunch break they promptly attended to the Wheel Alignment. After that the bills were made, Nexa points redeemed and I was good to go. I thanked Mr. Kelvin and Mr. Yogesh, and asked them to pass my good feedback to Mr. Rakesh who had done all the work meticulously with patience and in the right ways. Also told Mr. Yogesh, to be my SA whenever I visit them, and to assign Rakesh to my work always.

While I was at Suraksha, I met deepak an old friend and bhpian. It was great to catch up with him after a long time.

40K service and WA costed Rs. 8501,I will post the bill details on a later post.

Meanwhile Kungfu panda completes 1 Year and has clocked 43K Kms in its first year.

Off topic
The issue with the car, had given me an insight to people and the patterns. The biggest take away were the identification of a few people, and a review of my impressions of them. That has really helped.

[Kosfactor]

My friend's Ciaz too was with the same Bimal, the same guy as well. It took some strong worded emails and then finally Twitter circus to get their attention. You were wise to drive away from Bimal.

Thanks for the update, good to know that your ordeal is over and please replace the bumper, you do not need that to remind you of what your next car should or shouldn't be.

[Samba]

I never thought, i will witness a similar incident!

Today afternoon, a white pre-facelift S-Cross was parked at a 'No Parking Zone' in Kolkata. A towing crane from Kolkata police tried to pull the S-Cross and its full front bumper came off!
I was in a moving car, else would have clicked the pics. Plus as police was involved, i didn't stop the car to click pics, moreover it was a no parking zone too.

Till date i thought yours to be an offbeat case or sheer bad luck. Now i seriously feel, there must be some design flaw.

[AkMar]

Originally Posted by Samba

Till date i thought yours to be an offbeat case or sheer bad luck. Now i seriously feel, there must be some design flaw.

Major difference is there in the two cases. Laluks was towing with the designated tow hook while police tow cars as per their whims and fancies following no particular method. In your case we cannot say for sure where the towing forces acted on the car. Whereas laluks towed it with designated towing point, which is expected to be capable of withstanding forces of towing. 2nd, laluks has facelift Scross and you saw pre facelift.

[ajay_satpute]

The only solution to this problem is to call for a flat bed truck (FBT), rather than the towing truck. Even for my Tata Vista, I used to call for the FBT, as it is way safer and less impacting, than the typical towing method. It does cost more, but the peace of mind is invaluable.

When I had to tow my S-cross to service center due to coolant leakage issue, I called for FBT only.

Of course, you cannot do much if the police tow your car away. You cannot expect them to have a FBT.

[paragsachania]

Something that was all over Social Media, where a tractor broke into 2 pieces while being attempted to be pulled by another one.

The manufacturer Massey didn't take it lightly. As per a post by their official page, they carried out a thorough technical analysis (something we BHPians did here for Lalu's S-Cross) where they concluded unscientific and incorrect method to tow/rescue the stranded tractor.

Broken Tractor Video | CUSTOMER shares FULL STORY | Know the TRUTH!

The heartwarming thing to note here is that despite the conclusion that the whole act was wrong and would not have been covered under warranty (quite evident from the video), Massey ensured to cover all the expenses related to repairs as a goodwill gesture and also provided a stand-by tractor to the farmer so that he is back on job!

Loved the way a Tractor manufacturer has managed to address this despite of evidences (video) and their analysis concluding that the method employed was totally wrong.

Maruti, are you listening? Or, instead of the tow hook mechanism on Lalu's car, you wanted the engine bay and the passenger cabin to split into two to do a favor like this?

[Red Liner]

When a tractor manufacturer has better common sense and customer service experience than India’s largest car manufacturer, you know said manufacturer is headed head first into a rabbit hole...and a hole it might not be able to get out of.

[manjunathkl]

No matter what the manual says, this is a weight reduction drive gone out of control. Now, even chassis and joints are just light welded in place. I also suspect the facelift bumper alterations might have prompted a change from the original design of the tow-nut (If anyone has compared old and facelift S-cross can comment). In any case, it is quite irresponsible for a company of the size of Maruti Suzuki to not test the towing capacity and pass the car to a customer.

At the rate Maruti is reducing weight, by 2030 it might build cardboard cars that gives 50Kmpl.