independent multibrand after sales service

[diablo37989 0]

guys has anyone any experience with independent, multibrand after sales service centres such as Bosch, or Roadworx or First Choice Car Service?

[rssh 59]

Well I havn't but I can say that Bosch and Roadworxs are reputed service centres but if you have parts to replace then go for authorised dealers.

[diablo37989 0]

Well I havn't but I can say that Bosch and Roadworxs are reputed service centres but if you have parts to replace then go for authorised dealers.

but most manufacturers use parts from Bosch in any case?

[thisisviraj 0]

About Roadworx, it is believed that the service centre has been set-up by some ex-Skoda guys alongwith the owners of the infamous Nummer-Eins. Nummer-Eins is now closed. after the spurious parts scandal. its on Team-BHP, in every detail.. I would certainly avoid it. Dont know anything about Bosch.

thisisviraj2009-05-23 18:35:16

[diablo37989 0]

About Roadworx' date=' it is believed that the service centre has been set-up by some ex-Skoda guys alongwith the owners of the infamous Nummer-Eins. Nummer-Eins is now closed. after the spurious parts scandal. its on Team-BHP, in every detail.. I would certainly avoid it. Dont know anything about Bosch.

[/quote']

thanks for the info. have been following the team bhp thread against skoda with interest, and if roadworx really are nummer eins in disguise, then customers really need to worry. but surely there must be an alternative to shoddy roadside mechanics and overpriced authorised service centres? someone? anyone?

[sgiitk 0]

One major hurdle to good independents coming up is the lack of availability of service documentation as well as spares. This is a closed shop on the vendors and their agents. We have a member 'roomy' in Mumbai who is a Skoda independent. I have not seen his posts for quite some time.

[winner48 0]

I think there should not be any issues with Bosch. However, other brands, you should avoid.

[325i 1]

Carnation Auto, the Jagdish Khattar promoted independent service franchise is making all the right moves. Khattar was responsible for giving Maruti its reputation in after sales. This is an independent multi-brand I outfit I would trust for sure.

[anjan_c2007 1]

Carnation Auto' date=' the Jagdish Khattar promoted independent service franchise is making all the right moves. Khattar was responsible for giving Maruti its reputation in after sales. This is an independent multi-brand I outfit I would trust for sure.

[/quote']

325i, I believe Carnation Auto is also planning auto accessories super markets in many cities.<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Castrol has launched its Bike Zone in many cities for bikes.

I hope ACI in some future issue carries out a detailed feature about these new multi brand service centres for the readers to know the pros and cons about landing in these places.

[325i 1]

@anjan_2007 good idea. we did this many years ago but I think its time to do another story on authorised workshops versus independent set ups.

[carispassion 0]

I feel that it is always better to go for reputed aftermarket service centres like Bosch. Even the road side mechanic was able to service the car at old days. However, with the introduction of more and more sophisticated electronic parts in modern cars, it became difficult to service them. For instance, Bosch workshops use diagnostic testers, like KTS, which can diagnose virtually every car brands. Also there is around 25% reduction in spare parts cost, when aftermarket spares are used, instead of so called 'Genuine parts'. The OEMs buy the parts from companies like Bosch, pack them in their own covers, and ask for a premium of 25% to 48% over the original part's cost. :-)

[akj53in 0]

Carnation Auto' date=' the Jagdish Khattar promoted independent service franchise is making all the right moves. Khattar was responsible for giving Maruti its reputation in after sales. This is an independent multi-brand I outfit I would trust for sure.

[/quote']

They are not service franchise to anybody. I had met Mr. Khattar to discuss taking up his franchise, but he said that all his service centres will be company owned only. Going by his reputation and experience of setting up the Maruti service centres, I will trust his venture and Bosch service Centres.

 

I can take my Toyota to either one of above as the car is under warranty. But members who have experience of above, should please post their views.

[diablo37989 0]

I agree with carispassion and akj53in

my indica turbo is just out of an 18 month extended warranty so I no longer need to be tied to their overpriced service, and their thieving dealers (the co. service centre at worli is OK tho, but very expensive)

I wanted to send my car to an authorised Bosch service centre in Mumbai - do you guys know of any that you would recommend? the bosch website lists a few but on calling a couple I was not very confident about their ability to service my car. one of them had a receptionist who said the owner was out,. that she knew nothing, and that I should speak to his ''daddy''.

who's your daddy?

[thackervijay 2]

I agree with carispassion and akj53in
my indica turbo is just out of an 18 month extended warranty so I no longer need to be tied to their overpriced service' date=' and their thieving dealers (the co. service centre at worli is OK tho, but very expensive)
I wanted to send my car to an authorised Bosch service centre in Mumbai - do you guys know of any that you would recommend? the bosch website lists a few but on calling a couple I was not very confident about their ability to service my car. one of them had a receptionist who said the owner was out,. that she knew nothing, and that I should speak to his ''daddy''.
who's your daddy?
[/quote']

 

hmm seems that conversation doesnt let you trust that service centre as you did before, usually company ASS are good but needs to check out other options too, till i sold my 800 i used to get its work done in MASS and not at dealers ASS  as this MASS was far better at taking out work done within said time and period as compared to dealer.Dont know about the upcoming multibrand service centres though.

[diablo37989 0]

here's an update on multibrand independent service stations. I booked an appointment with an authorised Bosch service centre, Swadi Automobiles at Nanachowk (near Opera House) in Mumbai (022-23889244 or 9352) for a 40,000 km service on my Indica Turbo DLX.

the workshop is large, and very clean. It has a range of cars, from vintage plymouths to modern skoda's and mercedes. all the cars looked very well maintained indeed.

Anand Swadi, the proprietor, made sure that he met with me and spent over 40 minutes running through all the aspects of the service I requested. he has a few decades of experience behind him, and, perhaps more importantly, has a great sense of wit ("repair rear reverse lamps? what about the front reverse lamps?")

he took a personal interest in my car, and called in the service supervisor for a detailed analysis of my service before taking a trial. he made some helpful suggestions, challenged some of my assumptions, and told me which of my requests were unnecessary (a chipped tail-light cover, he said, did not need to be replaced and could be patched up for a fraction of the cost).

Anand Swadi also explained to me that most company after sales service centres make money on pushing parts (they ofter have targets to meet) and that his workshop had no such interest - they make their money on labour.

I left my car with them for 5 days, and collected it on Saturday evening. in the 15 odd years I have been driving and servicing cars in India, I have never seen a better job done on any of my cars than what Swadi accomplished. every single item on my checklist was attended to, including an examination of all 4 tyres (where they detected two incorrectly repaired tubeless punctures and a cracked alloy wheel, all of which were promptly repaired).

Swadi charged me INR 13,500 apprx for this service, of which INR 10,000 was the cost of labour, but I am delighted at their service and careful attention to detail. They are truly very good at what they do, and pointedly honest.

Criticisms? yes, they take double the time other service stations do, getting an appointment is a little bit difficult (you need to book a few days in advance), they have no pick up and drop facility, they do not accept cheques or cards (and I loathe carrying cash around).

Also, though they disconnected and charged my battery (without me asking them to) they did not reset the internal clock (yes, I am a difficult customer) and the internal clean up though good ignored bits of dirt and dust in the driver pockets.

In addition, one of their mechanics accidentally replaced my one year old K&N filter with a regular filter. However, a Mr. Vishwanathan promptly committed in writing that this filter would be returned to me at their cost, and I just got a call from Swadi saying that the K&N was found, has been cleaned, and will be fitted at my residence by tomorrow at the latest, at their cost.

it's rare, unfortunately, to find companies that have integrity and treat customers with genuine respect. Swadi Automobiles are the only company I have met in India that provide you with the sort of service where the customer feels truly valued. I plan to send all my vehicles to them.

Would I recommend them? Without question.

[diablo37989 0]

an update: Swadi Automobiles located and cleaned my K&N air filter. their mechanic arrived at my residence at 8.15am and installed it without fuss.

[sgiitk 0]

In my view good multi brand service facilities may be the future, You may find one in your neighbourhood, and they are likely to be sourcing their spares from manufacturers rather than the car firms. Even if you pay MRP you still stand to save a lot of money. 

[diablo37989 0]

you're possibly right, sgiitk, and perhaps I would have spent more money at a TATA centre. however, though not cheap, I think Swadi Automobiles' service and attention to detail is well worth the price.

[sgiitk 0]

Quality service will never be cheap. Look at the amount they have to spend on the equipment, skilled manpower, etc. This will never be as cheap as the Irish Screwdriver (aka hammer) brigade.

[ritedhawan 0]

Agreed, multi-brand service centers have a bright future. In todays age, where more and more auto innovations are integrated into cars, the result being more and more mechanical parts are being replaced with electronic ones.Since, electronic parts unlike mechanical ones do not need tune-up and are not imprecise. A 12-15 yrs ago, people bought cars had Carburettor, Distributor etc.., nowadays EFI and distributorless ignition has replaced them. A local mechanic cannot simply put his hand under the hood and repair cars that have more and more electronic parts, unless he has diagnostic gadgets.

As far as, Authorized Service centers are concerned. Well, they are good for servicing cars and replacing parts and nothing else. You go to them and tell them that some part or other is not working properly, or there is some problem with car. Neither they have the time nor its seems to me, the in-depth technical knowhow to gauge, identify a problem area and treat it well. All, they'll do is replace parts thats all they understand, repairing parts doesnt seemt to them an option. Time consuming jobs like Engine Overhaul(O/H) , Suspension (O/H) ...,..,etc.Should never be assigned to them. I made a stupid mistake, 3 yrs ago by assigning an Engine (O/H) Job to an Authorized Suzuki Service center for my 95 model Carburettor Esteem.Result, after 1 month and spending 1 lakh, i got to know that the engine head was old one and had a defect!

[diablo37989 0]

Mr. Vishwanathan from Swadi Automobiles read this post after I emailed him a link, since he had requested customer feedback. he offered to refund the car washing charges since I did not feel the service was up to their standards. I declined, but it was good to know he is taking feedback seriously.

[winner48 0]

Isn't 10,000 as labour costs too much?

[diablo37989 0]

Isn't 10' date='000 as labour costs too much?[/quote']

to put that in perspective, TATA's company service centre charged me about INR 17,000 for my 35k service, most of which were parts, and I was very disappointed with their work

I think most customers don't mind paying a slight premium provided that they get their money's worth

[sudeepd 0]

Isn't 10' date='000 as labour costs too much?[/quote']to put that in perspective, TATA's company service centre charged me about INR 17,000 for my 35k service, most of which were parts, and I was very disappointed with their work

Please provide details of the 35K Service of your Indica which cost you Rs.17000/-. i.e which parts were replaced, their cost and labour charges.

Also please give details about the Works carried out at Bosch Service Centre. i.e. what works were carried out.

So that we may compare both the Workshops.

[CYRUS43 0]

@Diablo, Congratulations. You have just experienced service by possibly one of the greatest Garages in Bombay, and you have also experienced one of the most respected man in Indian Motorsports. Anand Swadi also known to us as Dada, is one of those people whose places i used to go to as a Kid to see the Corvettes, Porsches and Ferraris that used to come at his garages. I have been to several post rally parties as a kid there...ahh memories!! I remember once just walking through his garage amongst all the chrsylers, mercs, dodges, etc...and at that time i think i knew that i wanted to be around cars my entire life. Without a doubt, Swadi automobiles is and will always be one of my "Automotive Heavens!"