[shatrughna]

I got the delivery yesterday evening and later took it to pump for filling the fuel tank. Due to closure of two pumps nearer by, took it to a third pump about 11 kms away and while trying to adjust myself with feel of it, I felt something cold at my feet. (I was wearing slippers(luckily that I could feel the water) ). It took me no time to understand the problem after reading so many initial ownership reports and- it was ac water dropping at my left foot.

I am creating this thread, after complaining to the Mahindra helpline due to some disgusting and horrible experiences I am facing since morning while trying to get it rectified and now waiting for my vehicle to be re-delivered to me.

I guess now -neither TATA nor Mahindra is bad or worse- its the dealer staff and the service guys who make it good or better. will update with better experiences (hopefully) soon.cheers:

[SumitB]

Shatrughna, congratulations on the vehicle. Do post some photographs.

Originally Posted by shatrughna

I guess now -neither TATA nor Mahindra is bad or worse- its the dealer staff and the service guys who make it good or better. will update with better experiences (hopefully) soon.cheers:

This is what I have always maintained and said. Now you got to experience it first hand. Both Tata and M&M have exemplary vehicles but as the saying goes, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, but this can be no excuse for either companies. They need to pull up their socks and shoulder the blame for their sales and after-sales network.

[jkdas]

Hei congrats on the buy.

Forget the small issues. Hope she wont let you down in future

[Steeroid]

Small issues that you will learn to live with.

But if you have a problem with your Mahindra, why drag TASS into it?

[liberal]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

But if you have a problem with your Mahindra, why drag TASS into it?

Guess Tata is amongst the few who have set the benchmark of providing sub-standard A.S.S experience at Team-bhp

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by shatrughna

I was wearing slippers(luckily that I could feel the water) ). It took me no time to understand the problem after reading so many initial ownership reports and- it was ac water dropping at my left foot.

I guess now -neither TATA nor Mahindra is bad or worse- its the dealer staff and the service guys who make it good or better. will update with better experiences (hopefully) soon.

Shatrughna, first off, congrats on your new ride.
Regrettably, it has started off on the wrong foot!

Hope time will heal the wounds and allow you to enjoy your new vehicle.
I fully endorse what SumitB has been saying - it's the dealers that make or break the experience, and it's about time Tata and M&M began to take cognisance of this 'fact'. They cannot 'detach' themselves from the responsibility.

Originally Posted by Steeroid

But if you have a problem with your Mahindra, why drag TASS into it?

Originally Posted by liberal

Guess Tata is amongst the few who have set the benchmark of providing sub-standard A.S.S experience at Team-bhp

While this sounds like a wonderfully witty retort, there is some serious 'food for thought' there!

Originally Posted by Steeroid

But if you have a problem with your Mahindra, why drag TASS into it?

I would also attempt an explanation for this:
The man clearly said (in another thread) that he has ordered the Scorpio through a series of mishaps and in an almost vengeful state of mind.
He wanted a Safari.
I can fully understand his 'mixed feelings' and possibly even 'regret' at having done what he did.
For this 'mishap' to have happened with him only makes me more of a believer in Murphy's Law! For his sake, I wish it works out well for him.

[HappyWheels]

Congrats on the buy, Shatrughna.

Am sure you will have loads of fun!

[SumitB]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

I would also attempt an explanation for this:
The man clearly said (in another thread) that he has ordered the Scorpio through a series of mishaps and in an almost vengeful state of mind.
He wanted a Safari.
I can fully understand his 'mixed feelings' and possibly even 'regret' at having done what he did.
For this 'mishap' to have happened with him only makes me more of a believer in Murphy's Law! For his sake, I wish it works out well for him.

In that case, he and others should learn from his mistake. One should always go with his heart aur suni-sunayi baaton pe dhyaan nahin deni chaiye! Agreed that this could have happened with either vehicle, but then, he would not have brought M&M A.S.S. in between na! Now, if he regrets, he cannot do anything about it.

[kb100]

Originally Posted by liberal

Guess Tata is amongst the few who have set the benchmark of providing sub-standard A.S.S experience at Team-bhp

Lol - that is not very 'liberal' ..

I am considering the same purchase decision and any light you can shed on this will be helpful!

[jaysmokesleaves]

@ shatrughna > Do not worry about the initial niggles. Its true that you dont expect such things of a new vehicle, but S*** happens. Look forward with optimism towards ownership. Good luck.

Originally Posted by kb100

I am considering the same purchase decision and any light you can shed on this will be helpful!

IMO Buy a vehicle thats suits your requirements & your tastes. Do not fully go by reports of dealership & service experiences on this forum. Companies, in this case, TASS & MASS, are in a continuous process of evolving their dealerships and customer service. And one may expect this evolution to improve for the better. Therefore i think it is imperative to buy based upon requirements and your tastes.

[kb100]

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

IMO Buy a vehicle thats suits your requirements & your tastes. Do not fully go by reports of dealership & service experiences on this forum. Companies, in this case, TASS & MASS, are in a continuous process of evolving their dealerships and customer service. And one may expect this evolution to improve for the better. Therefore i think it is imperative to buy based upon requirements and your tastes.

I know, I know Jaysmokesleaves. My comment was more in jest at the 'sweeping' nature of that statement!

Everyone has wonderful things to say about Hyundai Service BUT I am currently in the midst of an extended horrendous experience with one of them. I have had to get Hyundai involved - lets see where it goes from here! Therefore I know exactly what you mean!

[Technocrat]

Note from Support Staff: Please keep this thread only for Scorpio Issues.

[shatrughna]

Mods may please, change the heading as deems fit - may be just the name "Scorpio VLX".

[shatrughna]

At the outset, my sincere apologies to you people for having mentioned TASS but the reason to mention it here was that my Indica that I had got in 2003 had the similar problem and of course many initial niggles that I had read about Safari in this forum. I didnt intend to I hurt TBHPian sensibilities by mentioning TASS and request you all lets forget it here, please.

Good bits: The day we had formal Puja and delivery - it was an hour long affair apparently for some miscalculations in payments because of which papers were still not ready. Nevertheless, as I had carried all the details of payments and their receipts ( based on the check list at this forum), issue was sorted out peacefully and they had arranged for puja. The puja box and arrangements that they had made was really praiseworthy and of course all dealers we have experienced so far, do as well, but the packet that they had was like a gift box and it had almost everything we needed for Puja and we were mighty impressed. We prayed, we paid took the vehicle out ( helped by their driver and after a short round returned to the dealership point and left the vehicle there.

I had noted some dirty spots here and there and requested the guys who were present to get those small things sorted out on final delvery.


The intial hassles : Final delivery was made on last Friday evening and as mentioned in the first post, the vehicle after some tough stance and posturing from both the sides yesterday(Saturday), was re-delivered to me in the late afternoon. I was supposed to sign a satisfaction note while taking possession, so I took it for a short test drive with the dealer's guys.

AC water pipe/ over flow pipe or whatever was reset and the problem was supposed to have been solved and I guess so it was. I tested the reverse parking sensors and their accuracy and this was quite satisfactory. Then I tried to play the music system, that also was working well - I started feeling ok by now. Switched on the ac and moved the vehicle forward- heard the seatbelt warning, so two of us who were sitting in front , fastened the seatbelts on and the warning light also went off. But just a few metres ahead, a warning sound came- Careful, your handbrake is engaged or something and I was embarassed , that perhaps in excitement or euphoria, I didnt put it down fully, so again grabbed the hand brake, pushed the switch in and attempted to push the lever down and it didnt move. Then pulled it up slightly and then tried again and it went down till the groove in the rubber piece ( not till the slot ends) and the light indicator went off. I asked the guy sitting next to me if everything was ok. He replied, yes since the light went off- it should be ok. we went around a few corners and I dropped them off to their vehicle, signed the note and called up my wife to inform that vehicle is ready.

We had plans to go to Pune in the evening. While waiting for her, I noticed some big hole on the lower right side of the rear ac blower vent and there was an ugly streak of black paint smeared and smudged over the panel and I thought that before going home, we will go back to the dealer and also get the hand brakes checked. In the meantime, I got a call from the service manager who perhaps had got a call from M&M helpline and wanted me to confirm if the vehicle was now ok and whether I was satisfied. I promptly informed him about the paint and the handbrake. I asked him if I could show it to him in the next 15 minutes and he agreed.
He was the same gentleman who was not ready to entertain me in the morning since, I had no prior appointment but I guess after the sales manager's briefing and the M&M helplines message, he had understood that my vehicle genuinely needed attention and he agreed happily( so I guess).

After reaching the gate of the workshop, I called him and I saw him in a few minutes. He checked the handbrake and by now the situation got a bit tough for him also as sometime it would get disengaged and sometimes it would just not budge. Anyhow, being Saturday evening , I guess everyone wanted to pull the shutters down. The service engineer was anyhow called out and was asked to give his opinion. He also checked and then suggested that the whole brake assembly would need to be checked out and therefore, it would be appropriate if the vehicle can be sent on Monday. I didnt have any choice so I agreed after they assured that there would be no problem in my trip to Pune. I was called in the customer lounge to meet the receptionist to take an appointment for monday and it was over.

I came out, and started the car and tried to disengage the hand brake and it was absolutely jammed. It wouldnt move. First attempt , second.. many more and simultaneously took out my cellphone and called up the service manager for help. Help was there bemused like me. I got down , he took seat and tried too. The hand brake lever was jammed and in the meantime little upset, my wife said , lets leave this vehicle here and go home.

I requested service manager and egged him a bit and asked him, assume I have got stranded on the highway and need help- would you still have asked me to come on Monday? This time the man gave a very customer friendly smile and I knew I won an argument and probably improved my chances to still be on my way to Pune in the new Mhawk. well it took them approx. an hour and a half and before they came back to inform me that vehicle was ready- both of us - me and my wife had some chit chat, some discussions, some smiles and some curses and used the time as best as we could. It also appeared to us that someone from PDI dept got a boot over the issue faced by my vehicle and more so because of the call that I had made to M&M for help as in these one and a half hour, we got introduced to so many people there in the sales team as well as the service team and everyone sounded sympathetic and as if they were suggesting us to not worry so much over what had gone wrong etc and that they understood how we might be feeling and of course two cups of tea each.

I also requested the service engr to get the water ( for wiper) filled in as the wiper wash water jet was not working. After this I was handed over a gate pass - I enquired whether can we go confidently and what if I get stranded on the expressway- would I get a help there at night also. They answered very confidently and that was reassuring. The service manager gave me his V card and answered smilingly- Dont worry and sure etc.
By the time, I started, I had sensed my wife's mood and without bothering to test the wiper wash, moved the vehicle and handed over the gate pass - moved out relieved. While mind was scheming the time plan, things to do etc. a part of it was also working on this vehicle- I tried the wiper- it moved- I pushed the lever, pulled it , yanked it - oof ! it still is not working- hell. Gave a call back again to him - there was no U turn for next 2 kms approx so had no choice and degree of difficulty was a bit more as I didnt want to alert my already annoyed better half. House was close by so thought, its better to drop her home and get back on some other pretext ( surely I dint want to go on trip with wiper wash not working in this season). Perhaps the service engineer got desperate as it was by now well past few minutes when the shift was over and he was asked by his manager to wait for the black scorpio and so he called up and I answered the phone - oh yeah just ten more minutes , I would be there - wife heard and knew there was something more than the brakes and I knew from her looks while she got down- I preferred to look the other way. anyway, it was my fault , I should have checked it before leaving the workshop. There was something loose which was done it few minutes by two technicians who were more eager to see me off than I was. I requested them to see if anything else was missing or loose but who would have so much patience on a saturday evening. So it was thank you , all the best, bye bye and nice weekend time for all of us.

I came home -there was 1 more front yet to tackle. My wife by now had made up her mind to take the santro to Pune and not the Scorpio and her logic was solid and I knew I had no chance to win if we get into debate. So after two hours of cajoling by 9:30 we were ready and I carried along everything that I would need in case , we had a breakdown- biscuits,water, torch, tools, cell phone, charger,spare money & all the v cards I collected earlier this evening and also a jack knife , a few magazines and alerted one of my friends to keep his phones on alongwith sufficient fuel in his vehicle - just in case. I was in no mood to take Santro while Scorpio would be parked in the building compound. I had to test it, try it and prove it - to myself and my daughter and my wife that its not a wrong decision to buy it.

While enroute experimented with every gadget and control and switches- daughter was my worthy assistant as wife was still in not so good mood and preferred the rear seat. By the time we reached the toll booth near Pune , I had tested even TPM- trip, auto light, auto wiper switches, the cruise control & music control switches on steering etc while taking care that I dont cross the speed limit of 100kmph as suggested in the user's manual ( for upto first 1000kms ) and pretty satisfied- everything was working and all ok. '

I switched off the ac, rolled the driver side window down, gulped in fresh cool air and it was so pleasant. Fresh air and wind noise perhaps refreshed wife's mood too and she spoke - the rear seat is very good and the view from it is so much better. I was so relieved hearing her comments and more so about the scorpio- I knew this instance that the bad day is left behind now and both of us ( me and my scorpio) are in the safe zone.

After reaching Wakad turn- being a bit more confident and in a mood to test- started looking for those patches on the road which always slowed all my vehicles so far- none could I feel- either the roads have been fully repaired or seeing this Scorpio- all potholes and broken patches had simply disappeared and I could see none on the road yesterday night. Suddenly my daughter shrieked and I was alarmed - there was a cockroach on the wind shiled and I was relieved - it was not a bug in the mechanical / electronic / electric part of scorpio but a bug on the windscreen - which is ok. Alas this bug soon disappeared and I checked for it in all the possible places after parking it in Pune but couldnt find it. Was thinking about it while sipping beer at home -how to debug it . Hope it never appears again as a check in the morning also was a failed attempt but yes I found a patch on the carpet near the scuff plate - which appears as if someone has either dropped a cup of bleach or some brown paint on the carpet which doesnt seem to go.
This afternoon- started back from Pune- thinking about everything else as usual except the possible problems in the car. So it seems that I can start sharing the initial ownership experiences. More soon..

[jaysmokesleaves]

One heck of a first day. Anyways glad to know that it was sorted out and you made a good trip. Hope you enjoy your ride & writing about it too. Goodluck.