My car(XETA GLS) had clocked just 3000+, but I had to take it for first service, since it was 6 months old. I took an appointment with Fortune Cars, Nerul. They give an appointment in 20 minutes slots, 9-9.20, 9.20-9.40 and so on. This way I should have been 3rd person for the day.
To my surprise, I was the 16th person although I went at 9.35. Nobody assisted for the next 15 minutes. Then the service advisor Dhananjay came on to the scene. He put the time of arrival as 9.50 so that they can show it as late.
I explained my problems to them which are as follows:
Rear driver side glass handle keeps popping out - SOLUTION - NONE
Reverse gear does not engage smoothly. - SOLUTION - NONE - Tata aise hi banata hain
Wiper fluid container leaks - SOLUTION NONE
Usual checks/wash/top-up etc. - NONE
Water on floor - Door membranes replaced at full cost to me. Did not help.
Fitting of 2nd reverse light for symmetry sake. SOLUTION - None - Tata aise hi banata hain
AC is noisy at 3 & 4 levels. Also engine stalls with AC. Infact more noisier than the engine
itself. This was also the problem in other demo XETAs - SOLUTION - NONE
The pedal heights will need to be reduced a bit. - SOLUTION - None - Tata aise hi banata hain
Sound from rear right tyre. Also left side tyre when braking. SOLUTION - None
Wiper nozzle - 2 hrs to fix
Rusting in engine/tyres - SOLUTION - NONE
I also instructed him, not to put their stickers on my car. Thankfully, they obliged.
My request for PUC was turned down; no PUC for 1 year, they said.
Although many of these jobs were refused, they promised a delivery time of 6pm. At the time of appointment, I was told it would be over before noon. When I tried explaining that I had travelled 70km for the service, they said that they are in the middle of nowhere and all cars travel there over long distances.
The service advisor was shown the car. He made a note of everything in the car, like fuel, tyres, etc. and took the car in the service bay.
First thing was the leaky doors at the back. They fixed new plastics which I don’t think will help. It was 12 pm, and all that was done in 2 hours was the wiper fluid nozzle! They went for lunch 1-2pm.
At 2.30pm I lost the patience and went asking for the mechanic in charge. At this point I noticed that the mechanic had stepped into the car with oil on his feet. This spoiled my mat and carpet. When asked if they would oblige to clean this, the answer was’Get out from here. You are not expected here in the first place’.
It is half an hour before delivery time and no further jobs have been carried out. The service advisor is not to be found.
It’s delivery time, and the car is nowhere to be found. I am told that the mechanic took it for a trial, though it could have gone for a test drive with a prospective customer! After all, my car still is new, even the plastics are intact.
At 5.30pm, and after a 9km trial the car is miraculously back in the workshop. But the ordeal is far from over. They decide to wash it. But that will take 1.5 hrs. And there would still be bird-**** on the windscreen after the wash.
I wait in line with atleast half a dozen frustrated people for the bill. I am given a bill for 154, which I pay without questioning since I could barely stand now.
Nothing was done on the car from 9.40am to 8.30pm except changing of door membranes and a wash. Finally the car is at the gate, with 2 dents in the door!
Service manager Dhunanjay miraculously turns into an ex-quality advisor and predicts that this was unintenional.
All this while, I was not allowed to get in touch with the workshop manager Mr. Mahesh Shetty or the GM works Mr. Rawat(who I am told strongly believes in the Indica users group).
At the toll naka, I found that the coin tray was emptied of all the petty cash!
So much for a free service!
I am not going there again, not even at gunpoint, not even if they pay me for it!
Atleast half a dozen people present there would do the same.