Re: My pre-owned Wagon-R Nightmare! Thanks All for your valuable suggestions:
1. Yes, taking the car on a long drive the very first day wasn't the right thing to do. I agree. Got completely carried away.
2. I replaced all tires within 6 months of buying the car (financial situation permitting). All tires were in a bad condition which I didn't notice. And while, yes, one can expect punctures, one wouldn't expect a puncture because of a torn tire the very first day. However, I've seen punctured brand new temp registration cars. I should've checked before buying it, but as I've already mentioned, I was new to this world. A good experience and guide for my second buy though.
3. Yes, I have a relay/cut-out powerful enough for 130/100 headlights. I'd also like to point out that I don't use high beam within city limits, at low speeds or wherever it isn't necessary.
4. About "Shock 2", no, I'm yet to come to terms with it. I feel it as a time bomb tied to my chest that is ticking continuously.
5. And yes, I've done 34k Kilometers in 2 years since buying it. So one of the things I'm happy about.
5. I'm absolutely happy with the little spaces the car has, and the excellent legroom and headroom. I've had many good experiences with the car as well. But with this thread here, I just wanted to highlight the M.A.S.S. situation.
Something that I wasn't very clear about when I started - the attitude of the service advisers/engineers. It's a mixed bag, really. Many a times I've felt their level of attention for the older and/or cheaper cars is far less than on the new and/or costlier models. And though sometimes they appear very friendly, the kind of work that happens during the service visit is sub-par. One needs to remember and check if all the work has been carried out as requested. And the delivery time is at least 2 hours late every single time. Sometimes I've had to wait for a couple of days after the promised date. I've visited three M.A.S.S. centers in particular in Hyderabad, two Gem Motors and R.K.S. Saboo.
Saboo: My experience with Saboo was satisfactory. Just that the workers need something for their chai-paani every time you take your car back.
Gem Motors Hydernagar: I've visited them only for a couple of small things, like replacing a broken clutch cable (on the move). Once, I did visit them for the hiccups issue (the LPG issue I've mentioned earlier in the thread). They did something and didn't charge anything for it as the vehicle was still under warranty. The issue itself, though it seemed to have gone away for the first couple of kilometers, was still there.
Gem Motors Kondapur: Here's where I've got most of the services done as this is close by to my workplace. And this is where I've had issues with SE/SA attitude. I've visited repeatedly to get one issue fixed, also applicable to the LPG problem I've had. They narrowed it down to spark plugs, which they cleaned once, replaced the next time, and it now has become part of my life.
Other service stations: Once I visited a trusted garage referred by a friend & colleague. An oil change, general service cost me around 3k. He also fixed squeaks & rattles, stiffened the loose suspension (as I guess is the case with most, if not all, Wagon Rs), along with pick-up and drop for 3k. Unfortunately, this garage shut down (maybe because of the low profit/labor margin). He also pointed out that the hiccups problem is due to weak coils.
6. The broken air-filter story - additional details: this happens when it's running on LPG at slow speeds. Especially when I try crossing a small speed-breaker in 2nd gear (read, it has enough speed behind it not to be slotted into the 1st), the engine just dies for a moment. And this is where I feel the car has difficulty breathing, evidenced by a couple of loud pops and probably where the air-filter box broke. The SEs at M.A.S.S. say they don't see a problem at all. And as it happens with humans when they visit a doctor, my car's symptoms kind of vanish when it's test-driven by SEs. However, since then, I make sure I don't press the pedal too hard. If the car refuses to budge, I slow down and slot it into the first, and even then throttle response is delayed by a moment. Running on petrol it is super-smooth. I understand the BHP varies from petrol to LPG, but my other friends who own LPG Wagon Rs have never faced this issue. I had them drive my car and they agreed that my car has a problem.
As I've pointed out before, this is my first experience with a car. I've done some things right and some wrong, but I'm learning from my mistakes and trying to take better care of my car and be a better driver.
Mileage-wise, I get somewhere between 11 & 12 kms on LPG and 13.5-14.75 on petrol in semi-city drives, both with 25%-50% A/C. I guess that's good enough mileage. |