Brezza slams into EcoSport from behind: Unhappy with Ford's repair work

The damage to the Maruti was substantial hence I asked the driver not to drive the car as it could impact the engine.

BHPian nik0502 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi Folks,

I met with an accident 3 weeks ago. Car in question is my 2020 Ecosport AT. I was driving at a steady 50-60 KMPH in Chandigarh when a white Brezza hit my car from behind while I was slowing down at a red light. The driver of the Brezza was distracted and never noticed that the car in front of him had applied the brakes. As a result, he rammed straight into my car without even reducing the speed. The impact was such that I was shaken for the rest of the day. Couldn’t concentrate on work and only felt better the very next day after a full night of sleep.

Now coming back to the accident, I got down and I was furious. The gentleman literally banged my stationary car with full force. My car is in top shape and has only covered 17000 kms so far. I asked the driver what he had done to which he replied I applied the brakes all of a sudden and he didn’t get a chance to react. I pointed to the dashcam and told him it was all recorded and I didn’t stop all of a sudden but I slowed down gradually. The driver looked old and had his parents sitting with him.

His father must have been 70+ and he got down from the car. At this moment all my anger went away. I requested his father to be seated in the car and not to worry. I assured him that I would not fight with his son and we will solve the matter with dialogue. I decided to call the police. I dialled 100 for some 7-8 times but the call didn’t go through. At this time the driver requested not to involve the cops and said he is ready to pay for the damage. I parked my car on the side of the road and helped the other guy to park the car on the side also. His parents had a doctor's appointment so me along with another fellow on the road found an auto for the parents and sent them for their appointment.

The damage to the Brezza was substantial and I advised the driver not to drive the car since it will damage the engine. He asked me if I had a number for towing service. I searched on the web and shared a number. The other driver called and told me the charges they are quoting are on the higher side. I told him that I am heading towards the office and Maruti Service Centre is close by. I could drop him there and he can get a contact from them. Meanwhile, two cops arrived and asked me about the incident. I told the cops that I didn’t wish to file a complaint and we both drove away and I dropped the driver where he could find a towing vehicle.

I dropped my car at Tricity Ford Panchkula. The car is 90% repaired. However, I am not satisfied with the work. The boot floor had caved in a little and they have fixed it and have covered it with white paint however original colour inside the boot was grey. Now the boot is painted in two different colours and it is looking weird. I asked SA to paint the entire boot in white to which the SA denied saying he would have to remove the entire carpet from the boot and he is not willing to do that.

I am not feeling happy about taking the car in this state. The car is almost brand new and the SA is cutting corners. Also, one of the tail lights is broken now which was not the case before. I pointed it out to the SA and showed him the accident footage where the light is absolutely intact. I had gotten the quarter panel painted for my car from the same SA and the colour didn’t match. The SA rubbed it off saying it’s a very minor difference and will go away post rubbing. But the paint mismatch is there to date.

I am looking for advice on two things.

• Am I making too much fuss about the work done? Should I accept the car with the boot floor painted in two different colours? If not what are my options. The picture I have attached the area between the red lines has been painted white and the area outside the red line is grey colour and it’s giving me OCD. Also, they haven’t finished the dent properly. The dent is very visible on the corners of the tool holder cavity.
• What should I do about the settlement with the other driver? While I am feeling that I should let it go and accidents happen. I have been in such situations before also and I always let things go. But his time what is bothering me is that my almost new car has depreciated significantly because of somebody else’s fault.

Please suggest what should I do.

Here's what BHPian libranof1987 had to say about the matter:

Absolutely not. This is shabby work.

My guess is, they cut out the damaged part and welded in a new section. Insist on the floor bed being in the same colour; this is not acceptable.

A very personal choice, but a middle ground can be to ask the person to bear your liability in the bill (should be 2k max if you have a 0-dep policy).

PS: when you take delivery, take an extensive test drive and go over rough roads. Because the EcoSport has a tailgate-mounted spare wheel, it often develops some play because of the weight. Any repair to it especially, is not always done well and there's quite a rattle from the locking mechanism / hinges. Get a body shop (not from the service dept) mechanic along for the road test and ensure there aren't any rattles.

Here's what BHPian nisshith had to say about the matter:

Are you using your insurance to do all the repair work? I think you can use the Brezza owner's third-party coverage to cover your losses. This will take care of the settlement part for you. But I think that would require a police report to be registered (not sure though).

Here's what BHPian Apex1815 had to say about the matter:

Glad to know that nobody was injured.

I had a similar experience in Mar 2023 where a speeding Eicher Truck (Payload capacity 20 Ton) Fully loaded, had Rear Ended into my TATA Nexon 2021 Model (17000 km odo reading) exactly at a similar point like your Ecosport.

It was a down gradient in the city centre and I was approaching a Speed Breaker. The speed of my car would be around 60 Km/hr and I was slowing because of the speed breaker ahead, In the middle of the speed breaker this Truck hit my car from behind twice as a result there was a minor (surprisingly) dent on the Boot door, LH Tail lamp was broken and Bumper slightly misaligned from Left-Hand side.

The driver of the Truck gave the explanation that the Truck's brakes had malfunctioned and he could not control it. (Actually, The Truck appeared to be very old and in bad shape).

I spoke to Truck Owner (Transport Company) but no use. The transporter started quarrelling with me and asked me to claim the Insurance. I was totally shattered by this and felt helpless. I called Police as well but not much use.

Anyways, I had Zero dep insurance and claimed the damage from my Insurance. Total expenditure 12 K (Out of which I paid 1K).

In your case, I suggest you let it go if the bill (which you paid) is nominal.

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