Likes & dislikes of my recent experience with an Audi service centre

I just wanted to get the battery replaced & I was told that my Audi A3 will have to be at the workshop for an entire day.

BHPian deepfreak15 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

After 4 years and the scheduled annual service a couple of months away I was rudely awakened with a dead battery! One day I felt a slight hesitation in the crank and the next day I get a low battery warning. Not wanting to risk getting stuck somewhere I called the service center and asked them to replace the battery at home but they refused! Well, they said they could but if so, there would be no warranty on the new battery!

Ridiculous in my opinion. Especially if you are stranded outside a city with no access to an Audi service center. So I thought I would risk it and drive to the service center which is a good 30kms away replace the battery and head to work but was told they need the car to be in the service bay for the entire day just to replace the battery as they needed to run diagnostics and whatnot.

This was turning out to be very frustrating as I did not have the luxury of time. So begrudgingly I asked for the car to be picked up and dropped off and since they needed the car for the entire day, to go ahead and complete the annual service.

The next day the chauffeur came at the scheduled time but the car refused to crank (all this in 36 hours since the first hesitation at the crank). Had to go find someone to jump-start the car and send it on its way.

I was informed I wouldn't get the car on the same day but it would need to be there overnight, since I really needed the car the next day in the evening I specifically asked for delivery no later than 6 pm and was assured of the same.

After being hoodwinked the last time I had given the car for service I reiterated that I would not tolerate any value-added services surreptitiously added to the invoice. I was aware the rear pads were nearing the end of life, so authorised them to be replaced. When I asked if they could keep the old battery and compensate me for the same the advisor laughed and said they don't do that and I would have to sell it outside myself. I found that hilarious because when they sent the car back they didn't send the old battery!

So what should have been an unscheduled service center visit turned out into a highly inconvenient fiasco! The next day when I asked around 5:40 pm where my car was (it takes an hour and a half from my house to the service center), I was assured as per the gate pass the car had left at 4:50 pm and the advisor asked the chauffeur to call me. The chauffeur calls me and gives me some cock and bull story about being stuck (not allowed to use the expressway toll by the toll authorities) at the service center gate.

Needless to say, I received the car well past 7:30 pm in the dark with I not being able to stick to my original plan and no way to validate if the car returned in a good condition. Also, I had specifically asked for the old brake pads and the old battery to be sent along with the car and that wasn't done.

So overall a very unpleasant experience and I let them know it. At least one good thing about Jubilant Motors is they do acknowledge the customer and it doesn't feel like you are talking to a brick wall. They did apologise for the delayed delivery, I got a third story of why it was delayed but at least they did confirm the car only left their premises at 6 pm! They sent the battery and the brake pads the next day.

On looking at the pads the wear pattern was completely different from the pattern on the pads I had replaced during my second service (21k).

Factory fitted pads on the left and on the right are the pads replaced at 39k kms. Note the sharp V shape cut off on the sides.

So I asked them about it and the Service QA sent a picture of a set of new pads which set my mind at ease.

To summarise my recent experience

Things I liked

• The chauffeur who came to pick up the car was on time and very helpful when the car didn't crank.
• No value-added services were included as requested.
• The service advisor was pleasant to talk to.
• There was a screw mount damaged on the undertray that made it hang out on one side and the service advisor fixed it.
• When things go wrong there is a well-defined and receptive escalation matrix.
• They come across as customer-centric.

Things I did not like

• The fact that they refused to replace the battery at my house.
• The car needs to be at the service center for a full day just to replace the battery.
• Totally pissed with the fact they screwed up the delivery deadline and the fact that I had to hear 3 different stories about why it was delayed! I don't like being lied to!
• Despite asking for parts to be returned, the car arrived without them.

4 years (the longest I have kept a car for) and 39k kms later I dabbled with the thought of upgrading the car and test drove a myriad of cars from the Mini Cooper S to the Lexus ES300h and came to the conclusion that the current car I own ticks all my requirements. Small, comfortable (important) city car, usable boot and capable on our highways. The other deterrents were the fact that no car is value for money anymore and that irritating speed chimes at 120 kmph. So I guess I'm stuck with this car for a little longer with only the service experience being the one sour point. Hopefully, things improve.

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