Maruti Wagon R
Heres the ongoing saga of my wagon-r. For those who came in late please read the review ’’Buy a Maruti and only Lord Maruti can help you’’...appended below. As adviced by a member of Mouthshut.com eye-q I sent a complaint to Maruti. After which I got a call from sai service. They wanted to check my car. So an appointment was fixed with maruti udyog engineer and sai service for the same.
I explained what had happened to the Maruti udyog engineer and he checked the car. I was also ’’educated’’ about the parts of the automobile. Well atleast I got that free from Maruti. So I was told that the oil sub.... hope thats right..... was the toughest part. Can you believe my surprise when I came to know that the most loadbearing part of the car the engine foundation (bracket) is not tough at all. It seems that if theres an impact from beneath the car the oil sub will not get damaged but the windshield may compress and break. Oh well was the guy trying to get my confidence back or was he trying to scare me to death. I mean here I am already scared due to the engine nearly coming off the car and now the guy tells me thats not all to look forward to!! Amazing!!
They still wanted to investigate the car more. So I was told that they would provide me with a service vehicle and take my car for another thorough check up. Oh well in for a penny in for a pound!
A day was duly fixed for this. My wagon-r was taken and a dented service vehicle (zen) was given to me. Theres another lesson here guys.... you live and learn. The representative had a form on which he filled up all the flaws of my car ( the ones I could see and the ones I couldn’t but he could) and asked me to sign it. I took the service vehicle keys in good faith. As I didn’t need the car over the next couple of days the service vehicle stayed parked in the garage from the time it was handed over to me till it was taken. Imagine my shock then that when the driver (from sai service) came to deliver my car...when I handed over the car keys to the service vehicle he points to the huge dents and asked me how I managed to dent the car. Imagine the utter gall. I was furious. I called Sai service and spoke to their representative and complained about this harrassment. So people..... if you ever find yourselves in such a situation... before taking the service vehicle....make a check list of the flaws of the service vehicle and get it signed by the rep. So that even if another rep comes over you have proof with you and you don’t land up raising your blood pressure.
I was told by the Sai service rep that I would hear about the conclusion in a couple of days...no call.... finally I called the Maruti udyog engineer who told me that he was just on the way to sai service to discuss my car and would get back to me..... haven’t heard from him either. Boy oh boy they have taken the better part of the month to investigate my car. Do they have so many complaints that it takes that long to get back? Thats food for thought isn’t it? Isn’t it common courtesy to call back and tell what is happening...is that too much to ask for? I am still awaiting a call from either Maruti udyog or sai service. And that call I guess would be only about the conclusions drawn.... when would we get to talking about compensation? Looks like theres gonna be sequels to this review. Hope it doesn’t get to be an Ekta Kapoor serial though.
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Maruti Wagon R
I bought my Maruti wagon R in Jan 2004 from Sai Service station, Lower Parel. On 26th July 2005 due heavy rains/floods in Mumbai my car was submerged in water. I had it towed to Sai service and told them that they should do whatever repairs that were required and should give me the car back in top condition. After nearly 2months and more than a lac rupees later I got it back.
After which again in the month of December I gave it to sai service for some minor problems and they also advised servicing the car. Again after paying another couple of thousand I got everything done as per their advise.
In February this year I had to make a trip to Pune, Kolhapur and Goa. On the way to Kolhapur the car started making noises. The Pune –Kolhapur road in most parts is good but there are some bad patches. Nearing Kolhapur when we went over a small bad patch the car started making noises as if it had suddenly taken to playing the drums. It was just my cousin, his wife and I who were traveling. We didn’t have a driver or mechanic with us. Suddenly I saw a sai service bill-board and we managed to get to them. There I was told that the bracket had come off and the engine had come off from one side and had literally gone down. I was shocked.
I was told if I had gone any further the engine might have even come off completely. By now I was in a state of deep shock. I still had to drive to goa the same day, through the ghats. They did the repairs for which I paid Rs2600/- .
My Goa trip which was supposed to have been a vacation went off in tension as I was tense about driving all the way back to Mumbai, all the time keeping my fingers crossed that nothing would happen to my car.
On getting back, I went to sai service at lower parel. I showed them the bill and asked them…how an engine bracket can just come off? After having overhauled my car and serviced it at their workshop and having used only Maruti genuine parts (as per the posters in their office…that’s what one should do) how did the bracket break?!
Was it negligence on their part that it was not checked at all. Or are maruti genuine parts so delicate. I was told to first wait for a couple of days till they checked it out. I had given them a copy of the bill which I incurred at kolhapur. I had told them that due to their maruti genuine parts not working properly I went through a lot of stress. I do not know whether I’ll ever be able to take my car on anymore out of town trips. For all my stress I have been offered one free service and wheel alignment by sai service!!!!
I would like to ask Maruti Udyog ltd and Sai Service station ltd the following questions:
1) When they sold me the wagon-r there was no clause mentioned that I should drive it only on a very smooth surface. In which case I wouldn’t have bought it as mumbai has more potholes than smooth surfaces.
2) How far can I trust maruti genuine parts? Since jan 2004 when I bought my car I have given it for servicing only at sai service station. No other person has ever got his hands on my car.
3) Am I supposed to take a mechanic with me everytime I decide to travel out of mumbai and am planning on taking my car. In which case will sai service provide me with one free of cost?
4) When a car is given in a sai service workshop… don’t they have trained workers who can detect these problems. Do they mean to say that say when the engine oil is being changed the worker doesn’t look anywhere else to see that something doesn’t look right and bring it to the boss’s notice. Or unless the engine completely drops off they will not check the bracket.
5) Does one need to carry at least Rs.20000/- as car probs money everytime one travels as credit cards are not easily accepted in other parts of maharashtra. At kolhapur I had to pay cash.
6) Is one free service the answer for the problems and stress I went through?!!!!
7) Can they even imagine what would have happened had the engine had fallen off?
OR MAYBE THEY JUST DON’T CARE!!!!
SO GUYS THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU BUY ANY MARUTI VEHICLES! LOOKS LIKE THEY HAVE FORGOTTEN WHAT CUSTOMER SERVICE/SATISFACTION IS AND TAKE YOU FOR GRANTED.