[Ravich]

Took the Laura TSI for the first service to JMD in Mumbai ( Bhandup workshop).
Summary: Impressed with the quality of service. Quite willing to pay the somewhat high service consumables cost for the quality and peace of mind and care exercised. Consumables (incl Shell Helix oil, oil filter, washer fluid, brake cleaning, throttle body cleaner etc..)+ VAS scanning at INR 750 came to INR 10,145.


At 10:00 AM , met with the service supervisor and explained the items I wanted covered :
a. a squeaking from somewhere in the rear seat.
b. the car bonnet had several nasty spots caused by Diwali or Ganesh Chaturti revellers bursting crackers /flower pot in a normally safe parking lot in what I used to think was a very civilized society ( a separate rant post is due on this subject - I die a little death whenever I see a dent in a car even if its somebody elses and this was a shock when I returned from an extended trip outside the country ).

The supervisor Anish assured me that he will do what he could to buff and polish the spots and showed what could be done with a quick demo. I knew I will eventually have to get it

I had intended to stay put and watch the service but left thinking that a workshop so well maintained and staffed by very courteous staff would not disappoint. I came back at 3:00 PM to watch my car being given a very careful and thorough wash. The staff seemed to be quite careful the way they treated the cars

The sanding, buffing and polishing was done with as much care I could expect if I did it myself ( I am not exaggerating here ). The workers set the right expectations.

Took a test drive and the squeaking had been satisfactorily fixed. Brakes were even sharper. Checked all the lights, AC, CD , windows etc..
I had no complaints at all.

I was promised a 5:00 PM delivery , I got it earlier.
So I would recommend JMD in Mumbai without any reservations . This probably seems like a plug but I do get carried away when I see workers who are careful , competent and sincere .

The service cost is high for a car closer to 10 lacs than 20 but the peace of mind is worth it, especially keeping in mind this is the first service in a year.

[Berj79]

i agree with you, JMD gives the best service, i had a similar experience when i gave my car for service to JMD skoda vashi, the staff is super friendly, i also got my wheels changed to 16" from 15" during the first service & i must say the service was top notch, Mr Hemal handles the accessories for JMD Skoda, contact him if you need accessories for your skodas, honest chap & will give best prices unlike autoban who i feel are cheats..

Cheers..

[anandpadhye]

@Ravich,

Good to know JMD exists :-)

BTW, did they charge for any labour?
Can you post break-up for all charges please?

10000 for a service is too much.
At Rs.1015 per liter, Shell Helix Ultra should cost somewhere around Rs.4300 for Laura (assuming not more than 4 liters for the 1.8Tsi manual).

How much do the filters cost?

My Tsi is due for first service soon hence the questions.
(I wished JMD was present in Pune)...

[Invinsible]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

@Ravich,

Good to know JMD exists :-)

BTW, did they charge for any labour?
Can you post break-up for all charges please?

10000 for a service is too much.
At Rs.1015 per liter, Shell Helix Ultra should cost somewhere around Rs.4300 for Laura (assuming not more than 4 liters for the 1.8Tsi manual).

How much do the filters cost?

My Tsi is due for first service soon hence the questions.
(I wished JMD was present in Pune)...

I too find it too high. My 1st service for diesel laura and Fabia was much less. Labour was free of charge, including the EGR Valve cleaning which is present only diesel like the throttle body in petrol. There shouldn't be any charge for throttle body cleaning for the 1st 2 service.

[Ravich]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

@Ravich,

Good to know JMD exists :-)

BTW, did they charge for any labour?
Can you post break-up for all charges please?

10000 for a service is too much.
At Rs.1015 per liter, Shell Helix Ultra should cost somewhere around Rs.4300 for Laura (assuming not more than 4 liters for the 1.8Tsi manual).

How much do the filters cost?

My Tsi is due for first service soon hence the questions.
(I wished JMD was present in Pune)...

Oil filter 06j115403c 480.13
Filterelem 1k0129620d. 635.47
Fuel filter 1k0201051c. 961.67
Filterelem 1k0819644b. 396.82
Injector &carb r0000012. 311.25
Brake cleaner. R0000013, 311.62
Windshield washer wu000002 90.35

Consumable oil& lubr. 300.00
Shell helix 4.5 ltr. @ 902.22/l 4060.00

Vat @ 12.5%. 943.41
Total parts 8490.72

First free service. 0.00
Brake cleaning. 750.0
Throttle body cleaning 0.00
Vas scanning. 750.00
General check up. 0.00
Labor & job work. 1500.00
Service tax. 150.00
Educ cess 3.00
Higher educ cess. 1.50
Total 1654.50


Parts & labor & taxes. 10145.00


As you can see brake cleaning and vas scanning are the labor items they have charged for. Not sure brake cleaning is normally expected to be covered as part of first service. Brakes feel very very sharp now ( not that they were poor earlier).
The fuel consumption even with my very spirited driving seems less than ( only relatively !) earlier. When I crash into the many pot holes Maharashtra has challenged us with, I don't wince as much ! The general tightening of bolts and checkup has done good for the car.

[Ravich]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

@Ravich,

Good to know JMD exists :-)

BTW, did they charge for any labour?


My Tsi is due for first service soon hence the questions.
(I wished JMD was present in Pune)...

I would drive down from Pune for the thrill of testing the top speed!
I touched a respectable 210kph early morning on the expressway when there was no traffic. I felt there was another 5 or 10 kph.
It is a thrill when there are no radars and cameras, light traffic, a good road, a stretch of twisties . The TSI, for a front wheel drive, is reasonably exciting to drive on the Ghat section too.

[Ravich]

Started getting the annoying 30 kph limit warning chimes. Could not figure out how that could have suddenly been enabled or the limit reduced to 30. This can be a nuisance . Had to reset the limit to a more reasonable 130 kph.

[v.anand]

How do you enable and disable the warning chimes Ravich? Once enabled at any speed, can it be disabled?

[Ravich]

Originally Posted by v.anand

How do you enable and disable the warning chimes Ravich? Once enabled at any speed, can it be disabled?

I could not figure out how it got enabled at all... It suddently started appearing in the display location as the current fuel consumption. I dont know if I pressed the display control B and A buttons in some combination that enabled it.
When your speed is below the limit ( 30kph in my case) ,it used to display the fuel consumption but at speeds above 30, it used to display a flashing icon (30KPH). When the speed is crossed , chimes would go off.
Using the steering stalk B button and pressing the A button to increase the limit in steps of 5KPH, I set it at well above 125 KPH.
I do recall an earlier reference in the forums on the same issue but could not locate it.
Ross Tech cable and SW could also be used to disable this I guess but have not checked or tried that.

[cedricsg]

Originally Posted by Ravich

I could not figure out how it got enabled at all... It
suddently started appearing in the display location as the current fuel consumption. I dont know if I pressed the display control B and A buttons in some combination that enabled it.
When your speed is below the limit ( 30kph in my case) ,it used to display the fuel consumption but at speeds above 30, it used to display a flashing icon (30KPH). When the speed is crossed , chimes would go off.
Using the steering stalk B button and pressing the A button to increase the limit in steps of 5KPH, I set it at well above 125 KPH.
I do recall an earlier reference in the forums on the same issue but could not locate it.
Ross Tech cable and SW could also be used to disable this I guess but have not checked or tried that.

Ravich, how many kms the car has done. I am contemplating buying this beauty. Also I hear several issues on the premature clutch wear. I am told the new models don't have this issue now. Have you got any inputs on this?

[ampere]

So if we dont mind the cost, looks like services ARE improving. I hear similar things about Vinayak Cars in Bangalore.

[hassanks]

Completed first service of my Laura TSI on Nov 2010. The service was done at TAFE. Total bill came around 6000/- which includes oil change. So far no issues. Both sales and service experience was really good.

Recently noticed that when driven over really bad road rattling / squeaking noise from back seat or rear doors or parcel tray. Before taking to the service center would like to know whether it is normal, please provide your comments.

Drive is really smooth, especially acceleration and during last trip in NH7 / NH47 got a mileage of around 16 (400 Kms for 25 lts of petrol, tankful to tankful) at 120+ KMPH.

[v.anand]

^^Thats terrific mileage @hassanks, 16KMPL on a 160BHP and heavy car. I got a figure of 9.7 in 100% city and 100% AC conditions, which again is good enough.

The reason for Rs.6000 would mainly be due to Rs.4100 for oil and the balance for filter. Shell oil don't provide any discounts over MRP unlike other manufacturers, which is the reason for high prices.

Rattling / squeaking noises are not normal in Laura anywhere which is built absolutely perfectly. In your car it may be due to the removal of seats and not fastening all the complicated screws during fitting of leather seats which could be the culprit.

One question though, how much extra oil did your car consume initially before the service and did the oil light ever flash on the dash during this time?

[Invinsible]

Originally Posted by Ravich

As you can see brake cleaning and vas scanning are the labor items they have charged for. Not sure brake cleaning is normally expected to be covered as part of first service. Brakes feel very very sharp now ( not that they were poor earlier).
The fuel consumption even with my very spirited driving seems less than ( only relatively !) earlier. When I crash into the many pot holes Maharashtra has challenged us with, I don't wince as much ! The general tightening of bolts and checkup has done good for the car.

Just for the info I was never charged for Brake cleaning, EGR valve cleaning and VAS scanning during the first 2 service of Laura and Fabia diesel which was done at Autobahn, Sewri workshop.
However during my 2nd service of the fabia I was charged for EGR valve cleaning and VAS scanning but after speaking to the workshop manager it was waived off since it was not charged in 1st service. In first 2 services there are no labor charges what so ever it may be.

[hassanks]

Originally Posted by v.anand

^^Thats terrific mileage @hassanks, 16KMPL on a 160BHP and heavy car. I got a figure of 9.7 in 100% city and 100% AC conditions, which again is good enough.

One question though, how much extra oil did your car consume initially before the service and did the oil light ever flash on the dash during this time?

In city I get around 8+ with 100% AC (Bangalore traffic). The highway run was with 100% AC. Similar figure is what I got on the return trip also. This time I decided to drive without rapid acceleration (Mostly 120 KMPH and in 6th Gear).

Checked the oil level periodically (TAFE Bangalore sales office is near my workplace) till 1st service (1 year) and there was no significant drop in oil level and hence never topped up. The oil light never flashed. Haven't checked the oil level after 1st service. The car completed 11.5K KMs when 1st service and now it is close to 15K.