[ashwin.terminat]

In October 2021, I took delivery of my RR310 BTO. On top of the standard RR310, it was equipped with:

• Race kit
• Dynamic kit
• Race livery

12 months and only 2000km later, it was time for the 3rd free service. The earlier two services were done at Bharath Automobiles and Prakruthi Motors. Bharath Automobiles used some poor chain lubricant which resulted in black deposits all over the red colour rear wheels. Prakruthi Motors - the service experience was good. But it seemed too far. During my quest for a convenient service center, I noticed a new one opening up "Flagship TVS" near Koramangala BDA Complex. Picked up the phone number from Google Maps (Link) and confirmed that they do indeed service the RR310.

While dropping off the bike, I told them to categorically use Motul Chain Lubricant since the other one tends to fling lubricant all over the rear wheel. I was told I could collect the bike in the evening. Went to collect the bike in the evening. It looked amazing as it was being polished.

Issue #1: No itemized invoice during billing
Went to pay the bill and I was told to pay Rs.1861. No itemized invoice was provided. Just Rs.1501 + Rs.200 + Rs.160 was mentioned on the job card. The Rs.160 was "labour charges" it said. But wait, isn't labour free during free services? I asked the cash counter the same thing but they said labour has not been included. They wouldn't accept cards without charging 2% extra. Paid via UPI and went back to the bike with a handwritten receipt.

Issue #2: Service indicator on the bike was not reset
As soon as the bike was handed over to me, I noticed the "Service Overdue" message was still showing on the dash. Brought it to their notice and they called a mechanic to fix it. He clearly had no idea what to do. I went away for a bit and he said it was done.

It was not.

I asked them again and they called a different mechanic. He didn't even know how to navigate the console on the bike. He was looking for buttons on the dashboard. He found the menu and was also clueless on what to do. He was going to change the system date/time when I told him what it does. Then I was told they need a tablet to update this and it will only reach them next week. He gave me his number and said he would let me know once it arrives. Could have told me this earlier? Also, the fact that they mechanics still tried to adjust it on the bike makes it appear like they might not have been trained for the RR310. Anyway. Moving on.

Issue #3: Using the wrong lubricant
Got home, got off the bike and was greeted by a lot of lubricant being deposited on the freshly washed and polished rear wheels.





I immediately messaged the person who confirmed they service the RR310. And he said they used TVS Lubricant. When I asked why, this was the conversation:



Issue #5: Service history not updated on the TVS Connect App



I highlighted this on 31st October as soon as I got the bike back. They said it would be done. I have followed up since then but they seen-zoned me.



Issue #4: All sorts of shenanigans with the invoice

On 10th November, I reached out to the service center again through the person who said he will let me know once the tab reaches to update the "Service Overdue" message. He said the tab had not yet come But he sent me an invoice... for Rs.3191. Which is Rs.1330 more than what I had paid. I called him and told him this is not my invoice, he said he will check and get back. This is the invoice I was sent,



I followed up on 11th to ask for it... no response. On closer inspection of the bill, I noticed the following:

• Engine oil used (claimed) was 300V 10W40. Manual suggests Motul 3000 15W50. Engine oil capacity is 1.7L. I was billed for 2L. The remaining 300ml was not returned.
• Coolant used (claimed) was Motul Coolant. Manual suggests Glysantin G48. Now, I had run only 2000km, so the topup needed must have been minimal. But the remaining was not returned to me.
• I was charged Rs.315 for labour - but this is a free service. This should have been zero.

Specs recommended in the manual,



And today morning, they call me and says I need to pay the remaining because I paid less. Excuse me?

I asked them what oil was used and they said 300V as per the invoice. I asked them is it the recommended grade, they said yes, 10W40. I told them to check the manual it says Motul 3000 15W50. Why did you use 10W40? He gave the phone to his manager who asked me to come to the service center to explain. Why? I can very well understand through the phone. Try me. Then he said he will check and get back.

I called them again 2 hours later and asked for an update. The same spiel - we will send someone with 300V to your house they will fill it up. Why? Just give me the damn invoice! I told him about the excess coolant and engine oil not being returned. As well as the coolant not being the one suggested by the manufacturer. He said he will check with his "manager" and get back.

In summary, none of the consumables they claim to have used is the one suggested by the manufacturer. I will definitely link this thread in my complaint to TVS as well.

[Divya Sharan]

Originally Posted by ashwin.terminat

He said he will check with his "manager" and get back.

In summary, none of the consumables they claim to have used is the one suggested by the manufacturer. I will definitely link this thread in my complaint to TVS as well.

The I'll check with my manager is a plague that runs through all private businesses - be it IT or any other services industry. It's the 1st warning sign that the said personnel has no clue what they're talking about.

This is ridiculous. Is this how TVS treats it's "premium" customers? It's not just an RR310, but a BTO with all stupid options selected (race suspension, fancy handlebars, bling wheels and what not).

No wonder they don't enjoy good trust levels anywhere. A good machine can only take one this far.

Shame on you TVS!

[ashwin.terminat]

Received a call from Flagship TVS after I escalated this to TVS with the link to this thread.

• Now they say Motul 5100 15W50 was used - a 1.5L bottle. Their stance has changed compared to the 10W40 300V they claimed earlier
• The coolant used was Motul and completely used because the coolant was dry - in a brand new bike that has run 2000km across 12 months, no less. Note, no engine overheating has ever happened. And assuming the coolant was empty, why was it not flagged to me? Surely it is worth highlighting to the owner?

The Customer Relationship manager called me and was telling me they will perform the service again in front of me with the items as per the manual - for free. I pressed for a breakup of the Rs.1861 I paid earlier first but it never came. To add, using Motul 5100, I can live with it. But the claims about the coolant and the flip-flopping on the oil used completely eroded any confidence I have in the service centre. I see no reason to trust my 3.5L rupee bike in their hands - especially considering I was patient with them for 10 days but they saw no reason to act until I put it up on Team-BHP and escalated to TVS.

Following the escalation, I got a call from the TVS Territory Service Manager. He was apologetic and checked with the SVC about the work done. They confirmed that Motul 5100 15W50 was indeed used and the coolant was replaced for some inexplicable reason instead of being topped up.

TVS promised they will facilitate a check-up at another authorized SVC to ensure the work was done per company standards and any mistakes will be rectified. And this will not affect the warranty. Will probably get that done sometime this week and look to put this saga behind me.

[neil.jericho]

ashwin.terminat, Im glad to see that someone at TVS quickly woke up and has taken corrective action to sort out this ugly mess. My gut feel is that the SVC tried to bloat the service costs by using the more expensive Motul 300V engine oil, instead of the wallet friendly 5100 engine oil. Now that their malpractices have come out in the open, Im sure that all Bangalore based Apache RR 310 owners will steer clear of this SVC.

If I were you, I would take the company up on their fair offer of performing the service again, for free, at a more trusted SVC. I wouldnt just leave it at a checkup.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by ashwin.terminat

[*]Now they say Motul 5100 15W50 was used - a 1.5L bottle. Their stance has changed compared to the 10W40 300V they claimed earlier

It is really odd that they would admit to using a different oil than they claimed, however you're in luck as this would be fairly easy to test; 300v comes in a unique green color and even smells different compared to other engine oils so if your bike has not run much since the service, you can easily verify whether or not they used 300v. Also if they did use 300v, my recommendation would be to shorten the service intervals as the oil offers excellent performance but degrades pretty fast. It is also quite odd that they replaced the coolant.

[Lokesh Soni]

I think in general TVS's sales and service is not dependable. I have ordered a BTO 1 month back, done full payment (including RTO), still the confirmation has not reached plant to start production. I only have to follow up regularly, no one calls from their side. Their customer care email id is good for nothing.
A good product alone is not enough, no wonder why BMW g310r demand is more.

[Raghu M]

I never leave my car at the service center while it is being serviced. I ensure to stay there and keep an eye on what is being done. I know that it can still be tampered around with but at least the mechanics know that the owner is around. I can't imagine giving my car to the pick and drop service too. No matter what car, I will always be there to check all the consumables and service they do to the car. TVS seems to be too irresponsible here, they need to be on top of their game when they introduce high end bikes.

[abhi802]

A few of my friends had similar bad experiences with their Apaches, & I had to defer my purchase of the BTO RR310. Don't want this sort of experience during servicing, when I give them a bike & they have various versions of the story where they botch up some part or worse, create an issue which wasn't there in the first place.

[Reaper666]

Originally Posted by Lokesh Soni

A good product alone is not enough, no wonder why BMW g310r demand is more.

Haven't they moved the RR 310 also the Motorad division now? I thought I heard someone tell me that recently when I was asking an owner about the "M" stripes on his bike, which I thought was done as a custom job. The bike didn't have any TVS insignia from what I remember.

That's really sad to hear Ashwin. Had a similarly bad experience with the Triumph dealership a year and a half ago. My Tiger had gone in for its regular service. Since I was out of town, I'd sent my brother to collect it post service. He left their service centre and headed straight home. He'd barely reached Ulsoor lake when the bike started flashing the engine overheating warning and shut down before he could pull over. My brother couldn't figure out what happened so I asked a friend who lives nearby to go over and check. He immediately called me and said there was no engine oil. It was almost bone dry! I immediately called the service center and the lady who answered after checking with someone said "No Sir. Our technician is sure he filled the oil. It's also mentioned in your bill". I patched my friend into the call and he asked her if she thinks we were lying. He offered to send her a picture of the dipstick as proof to which she suggested that it could've had a leak. We told her there clearly is no leak, to which she responded that it could've been a slow leak. So I asked her whether she's suggesting that a "slow leak" was going to drain 3.7L within 8-10 minutes of the bike leaving the service center. When I'd dropped the bike off their tech had claimed that there are "many issues" which need to be sorted as the bike was nearing 50k km and gave an estimate of 72k. I insisted on them doing a normal service this time and that I'll bring the bike back for the remainder. What luck I didn't!! At this point I was done listening to their nonsense and got my brother to take the bike to Joe's Garage. The problem was that my brother who is not too mechanically savvy hadn't checked the oil levels and had basically signed the service slip. Its unfortunate how dealerships take us for a ride. Premium products clearly doesn't ensure premium customer service. Pathetic!

[FalconRed]

Feel sorry for you Aswin. Also for the fantastic machine.

Yes when we buy TVS we do sign up for all these troubles and it seems TVS is completely okay with it.
TVS manufacturers really good bike, the recent RTR and RR series are really the top notch. But they completely messed up in the ASS department.

I wanted to upgrade from my current RTR 180 to a more powerful one but the ASS is keeping me away from TVS.
They do have only one good SC in Hyderabad (Susheel TVS Kukatpally) but that is also hit and miss.

[curiousbolt]

Originally Posted by ashwin.terminat

In October 2021, I took delivery of my RR310 BTO. On top of the standard RR310, it was equipped with:[list]
.

That's really unfortunate. Looks like a clear miscommunication. Sometimes all we ask for is communication and somehow it just doesn't happen.But personally, I've used rr310 and I use a GS310 as well. The after-sales is still miles better in TVS when compared to BMW or even Kawasaki. They don't even respond. A faulty alternator in my BMW took 2 months to replace even after I wrote to BMW, not one person called me to enquire what went wrong. Thank gods for JSP motorrad now we atleast have someone to listen to us. In that sense, all my friends who have rr310 have way better connect to the company and as you mentioned people from company directly call you to sort your issues out. But this doesn't invalidate the issues you've faced, I really hope you get a resolution soon my friend.
Just join their AOG groups, the company team is well connected to their AOG groups and even their customer care is really active (unless it's related to parts )

[shancz]

Agree with neil.jericho's post of taking up the offer and get it serviced again in your presence.

Glad to see TVS owning up and responding with corrections and I expect the ASC got their well deserved "internal communication" from TVS.

On the ASC, clearly they had zero experience with the RR310, not sure if they even have anyone who underwent the training. Their operations and floor management is a mess. Hope they catch up soon.

Given the careless/uninterested attitude of quite a few mechanics which hog the service centers anything outside of the usual batch of products, service or schedule has a very high probability of getting messed up. In your case it was the chain lube.
I know it's frustrating but keep repeating the specifics until the SA/mechanic makes a note of it and writes it in the job card.

I have had good experience with Bharath TVS Jayanagar and a middle aged gentleman Mr. Murali as the supervisor. In future, if he still works there, explain your issues and tell him to take his time and get it fixed. In my case the mechanics were the usual " no problem sir/ its in all bikes sir" but having given them a chance I explained the issue to Mr. Murali who just asked me to leave the bike for 3 days, he got it fixed in 2.
Even if he doesn't work there in my experience patiently explaining what needs to be done, getting specifics like oil, lube etc. written on the job card and not rushing them to deliver the bike the same day works well. That's not saying that issues don't get missed but they're usually the minor ones and just 1-2 out of 10 rather than the other way round.
Forgetting the service reminder reset seems like a favorite across manufacturers

Anecdotes:
- Trying to get a friend's Himalayan serviced in 2018, we walked out of 2 Royal Enfield ASCs because they told us that the service and oil change interval was 3months/3000kms and the engine oil would be the same as "any other Bullet"

[ashwin.terminat]

Originally Posted by Divya Sharan

No wonder they don't enjoy good trust levels anywhere. A good machine can only take one this far.

Shame on you TVS!

This also reminds me of the false Neutral showing up on the console. I've given it to two SVCs, both of whom said I was shifting gears wrong!

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

If I were you, I would take the company up on their fair offer of performing the service again, for free, at a more trusted SVC.

Yes, seems like a case of bloating service bills unnecessarily to me too. As suggested by you and Divya Sharan offline, I will be getting the bike service again this weekend. I am certain they will make sure I have a stellar experience after all that has happened

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Also if they did use 300v, my recommendation would be to shorten the service intervals as the oil offers excellent performance but degrades pretty fast. It is also quite odd that they replaced the coolant.

The service center now claims to have used Motul 5100 instead. Regardless of what oil is in it now, it will be drained and refilled this weekend when I take it for a second 3rd free service.

Good tip on the 300V, though. I had used 300V many years ago on my Hunk and completely forgot about its green colour. Will keep an eye out for this going forward.

Originally Posted by Lokesh Soni

I have ordered a BTO 1 month back, done full payment (including RTO), still the confirmation has not reached plant to start production.

Which dealer is this?

Originally Posted by Raghu M

I never leave my car at the service center while it is being serviced. I ensure to stay there and keep an eye on what is being done

While I agree with you in principle, this isn't always possible. Eg. This service center told me it will take 8-9 hours to get the bike back. Whereas Prakruthi Motors said it will take 2-3 hours - in which case, I did stay back. And the experience was satisfactory.

Originally Posted by abhi802

A few of my friends had similar bad experiences with their Apaches, & I had to defer my purchase of the BTO RR310. Don't want this sort of experience during servicing, when I give them a bike & they have various versions of the story where they botch up some part or worse, create an issue which wasn't there in the first place.

Not all service centers are like this. Eg. My experience with Prakruthi Motors has been pretty good. Bharath Automobiles was good too sans the random chain lubricant they used. I have also asked the Territory Service Manager for a list of SVCs officially authorized to service the RR310. Will probably stick to those going forward.

Originally Posted by Reaper666

He immediately called me and said there was no engine oil. It was almost bone dry! I Premium products clearly doesn't ensure premium customer service. Pathetic!

Yikes! That sounds horrible. Reminds me of the thread where Kawasaki forgot to tighten the caliper bolts on someone's Ninja. The warranty is a big reason to stick to TVS outlets. Else, I would have sought external service centers too. Like I did with my Hero Hona Hunk - it only took one free service for me to make the switch completely to an external garage.

Originally Posted by FalconRed

TVS manufactures really good bikes, the recent RTR and RR series is really top-notch. But they completely messed up in the ASS department

The TSM already has a link to this thread. Hope he sees the trend and understands where people have a problem with TVS and resolves it. Not just for their premium customers but for all customers.

In any case, I will highlight a few of these points to him as well.

Originally Posted by curiousbolt

In that sense, all my friends who have rr310 have way better connect to the company and as you mentioned people from company directly call you to sort your issues out. But this doesn't invalidate the issues you've faced, I really hope you get a resolution soon my friend.
Just join their AOG groups, the company team is well connected to their AOG groups and even their customer care is really active (unless it's related to parts)

Credit where it is due, TVS did call me on a Sunday less than 24 hours after my Email to them. So they are paying heed to our complaints and taking action.

I am on the RR310 Clan group owned by fury_44 as well. They are well aware of the shenanigans with this SVC. As for parts, TVS actually has an e-comm page where one can order various parts. I have not actually bought anything. But it seems to have a lot of parts. Have you tried it? It is called TVS e-Catalogue or some such.

Originally Posted by shancz

Agree with neil.jericho's post of taking up the offer and get it serviced again in your presence.

I know it's frustrating but keep repeating the specifics until the SA/mechanic makes a note of it and writes it in the job card.

I have had good experience with Bharath TVS Jayanagar and a middle-aged gentleman Mr. Murali as the supervisor.

Yes, my plan is to take it to Bharath TVS this weekend for round 2 of the 3rd free service. Will try and connect with Mr. Murali as you mentioned. I will inform the TSM from TVS as well. He will direct the SVC to ensure a smooth experience, I am certain.

SVCs in general pay little heed to the maintenance schedule from what I have observed. It is upto us to keep a hawk-eye on these things to ensure they do the necessary and don't add any fluff to puff up the bill!

[ashwin.terminat]

Got the bike serviced again at Bharath Automobiles over the weekend.

They said the engine oil was fine and did not need to be changed. No major difference in how the bike feels. Just glad that this fiasco is over.

Kudos to the TSM for following up regularly to check if I have gotten the bike serviced again at Bharath Automobiles. While the saga started poorly, TVS made an earnest effort to correct it - credit where it is due.

I have asked them to update their site with the list of SVCs authorized to service the RR310. Hopefully that happens soon and other owners don't get confused.

[shancz]

Thanks for the update, glad that the trust has been restored.
Did you find Mr. Murali there ? Although I doubt it.
What did they say about the coolant ? Was it fine too and just an intentional/unintentional drain-replace ? Which chain lube did they use ?

While the ASC/technician didn't work as they were supposed to, TVS did and that still keeps my confidence in the brand.

I hope that Flagship TVS develop the capability to handle TVS Flagships