[normally_crazy]

Note from Mod : The Team-BHP PDI Checklist is now available as a PDF file which you can carry with you. You can download the PDF here: Team-BHP PDI Checklist.pdf

You are obviously excited about the delivery of your new car, but WAIT! Many have paid a huge price for the resultant haste, and its best to take some necessary precautions before driving away in your new machine.

Team-BHP enlists all that you should check for as a part of the pre-delivery inspection:


Before Registration:

We recommend visiting the dealerships stockyard and checking your car prior to registration. Once it is registered in your name, there is little you can do. Check the car manufacturing month / year, especially when buying in the first quarter of any year (Link to VIN Decoding Article). Fiat India was notorious for selling cars that have been manufactured up to 18 months earlier. Ascertain that the year of manufacture is current, and the month is recent. Best way is to ask the dealer for the "Form 22" certificate (issued by the manufacturer). You will find the engine / chassis numbers on this certificate, while the month / year of manufacture are on the "road-worthiness" certificate (part of Form 22).

If the odometer is disconnected, in all probability, the allocated car has been used as a test-drive vehicle. Also check for any repair jobs / body damage; damage to some cars is inevitable in transit and most repair work is glaringly obvious.

IMPORTANT : Check the tax calculations on the dealership invoice. Overcharging for RTO / octroi / lifetime taxes is a popular scam at many Indian dealerships. Pay only the actual charges due to the authorities and not a rupee more.


Preparations:

1. Confirm: the date of delivery with your dealership. It is best to go there only after the car has been prepared and is ready. If you have a preference for a particular day / time (for auspicious reasons), inform the sales person.

2. Daylight: We recommend accepting delivery in broad daylight, since the dark can conceal a lot. You may also not get good service in the evening since dealership personnel are in a hurry to wrap the day up.

3. Documentation: Ascertain that you carry any required documentation with you. This may include forms, receipts etc.

4. Payments: If any payment formalities are to be completed, carry along the relevant PDC’s / Cash / Credit Cards.

5. Third Person: It’s always a good idea to take a relative / friend along for suggestions, observations and comments.

6. Memories: Take a camera along.

7. Gift: Take a token gift along for the sales guy.

At the Showroom:

1. Be Courteous: Don’t bully around. It’s a nice happy moment and the sales staff is as excited as you are. Treat them with respect, and you will get better service.

2. Get a Demo - Part of the salesperson's job is to acquaint you with your new car's features and how each one operates. Ask him to demonstrate the car fully, and top to bottom, in order to understand how everything works on the vehicle.

3. Visit the Service Department: We recommend meeting the service manager and getting familiar with the service center facilities.


Final Inspection:

1. Check the car again: A lot could have happened between the pre-registration inspection and today. It’s best to walk around the car and ascertain that the car is super clean! Look for any signs of repair work / damage such as paint difference, dents etc. Even the interiors should be squeaky clean.

2. Check that all lights and electric accessories are working fine.

3. Confirm that all the accessories you ordered are fitted on the car.

4. Check that the spare wheel is fresh. And that all related tools (spanner, jack etc.) are present. Are there wheel locks? If so, ensure that the lug key is there in the car.

5. Misc : Wipers, floor matting, first-aid kit & hazard sign.

6. What is the mileage on your car? It should not be more than a 100 km (or in the whereabouts) for most brands.

7. Ensure that there is enough fuel in the car. At least to get you to the nearest petrol pump.

8. Somehow, most new cars are delivered with over-inflated tyres by the showroom. Check the tyre pressure and make the necessary adjustments.

9. Tally your car's registration number on the R.C. Book, with the number plate. Dealers are known for their carelessness here. One BHPian was about to take delivery of his car with different numbers on the front & rear plates!


Documentation:

Read the paperwork! Don't take anybody's word for anything. Make sure all the blanks in the contract are filled in.

1. Invoice. (Check that the Chassis and Engine number of the car matches with the Invoice and / or Challan).

2. Sales certificate.

3. All payment receipts.

4. Registration book or temporary certificate (Some States). Is your name spelt correctly? Are the car chassis / engine number matching with the actual?

5. Insurance: Ensure that coverage is valid and active.

6. Original PUC certificate. This is valid for one year.

7. Owners Manual.

8. Duplicate Keys.

9. Original warranty with all relevant dealership stamps.

10. Extended Warranty (If opted for).

11. Warranty of third party items such as battery, tyres etc.

12. Roadside assistance Contact details.

13. Business cards of dealership and service personnel.


Say Thanks to everyone and leave!

Credits: This thread has been heavily influenced by SMGs Comprehensive thread on PDI.

[Surprise]

These yards will mostly be in the outskirts & we need to be prepared to travel there. Note down the engine number and chasis number & cross check the same upon delivery.

Once you take the delivery, please check your tyre pressure in nearest Petrol bunk

[mithun]

1. Be Courteous: Don’t bully around. It’s a nice happy moment and the sales staff is as excited as you are. Treat them with respect, and you will get better service.

I admit that it's good to be courteous/diplomatic but sometimes sales personnel may exploit this personal quality of yours and dish out bad offerings. In addition to being courteous, give them a sense of feeling that you're a stubborn/knowledgeable person.

[s0uljah]

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

6. What is the mileage on your car? It should not be more than a 100 km (or in the whereabouts) for most brands.

Can we insist upon this, In that case chances of the counter being reset?
I want to exchange tyres/rims the moment I take delivery so this low mileage would be a good bargaining factor I reckon.

Originally Posted by Surprise

These yards will mostly be in the outskirts & we need to be prepared to travel there.

I visted Mandovi@Lavella Road the other day and their staff were extremely courteous. I wanted see the new colours on the swift and the Sales Rep was more than willing to take me to their Peenya Stock Yard. He just asked me to keep myself free and goto the Mandovi showroom at 9AM and that we could visit the stock yard in their company vehicle. They also have a city stockyard @ shivajinagar, but the vehicles are brought here onyl after the booking at registration.

[anonymous]

I agreed with all the points here specially
At the Showroom:

2. Get a Demo - Part of the salesperson's job is to acquaint you with your new car's features and how each one operates. Ask him to demonstrate the car fully, and top to bottom, in order to understand how everything works on the vehicle.

When I took the delivery of my Indica, I didn't ask for it and I later on I had problems with almost everything. For example, I didn't know how to take out the ash tray, so I started pulling it off by holding the bottom of it. If I had asked the sales guy to explain it me, I would have known the correct way.
Small mistake :-(( and now in order to take out the tray, I have to pull it off everytime.

[EatMyDust]

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

Before Registration:

We recommend visiting the dealerships stockyard and checking your car prior to registration. Once it is registered in your name, there is little you can do. Check the car manufacturing month/year. Fiat India was notorious for selling cars that have been manufactured up to 18 months earlier. Also check for any repair jobs / body damage; damage to some cars is inevitable in transit and most repair work is glaringly obvious.

Hi,

I plan to take my new car delivery within a week, and as advised by you, i too have asked for a pre-registration check.

Just wanted to know a few things:
- how old a car is acceptable? (2 months?)
- what all problems other than dents and paint job patches should i look for?
- Is it possible to get a short test drive?
Suppose I feel that the vehicle is not upto the mark, OR in short I'm not satisfied with it, do I have the final word in demanding "I want another vehicle!"


One last thing-
Is it possible that the vehicle be tuned for ideal performance in terms of FE/ smoother gear shifts by the mechanics at the time of assembling/ just before delivery. If that is the case, maybe i should pay special attention when this is being done...

-EMD

[GTO]

- how old a car is acceptable? (2 months?)

Depending on the manufacturer, this may be anywhere between a month to 6 months. However and in the worst case scenario, it should be a Y2007 build.

- what all problems other than dents and paint job

Thats pretty much it and you wont really need to do any mechanical checks. Just check the body for any damage or repair jobs.

- Is it possible to get a short test drive?

Yes but it depends on your dealership policies. I have taken some of my cars for tests before the registration.

Suppose I feel that the vehicle is not upto the mark, OR in short I'm not satisfied with it, do I have the final word in demanding "I want another vehicle!"

If there is visible damage / repair job to the vehicle, dont sign on the registration papers. Insist on a different car allocation.

Is it possible that the vehicle be tuned for ideal performance in terms of FE/ smoother gear shifts by the mechanics at the time of assembling/ just before delivery.

Not really. The dealership would "tune" primarily over the first service.

[sabret00the]

holy molly I wish I had got read this tread a couple of months back...

[amitk2kin]

Guys, this was a great help. I am off to pick up my city VTEC tomorrow. This is really handy.

[binoy_tharakan]

May be it is bit surprising that even after reading many PDI articles before I failed to perform some of the key checks.

When I got my Safari Dicor Lx from the dealer (7:30PM!) the odometer read 109 Km. After reaching home I checked for the tools and jack slot. The Wheel spanner was not there. The rear left break light was not glowing. and there was a 'micro' dent on the bonnet.

Its all my mistake as I was blinded due to the excitement of owning my 4 years of dream.

Later the the brake light got replaced by dealer but could not get the wheel spanner. Now I am using my old Maruthi 800s additional wheel spanner along with a steel pipe- really comfortable with that!

And about the "micro dent" I just have to forget it as none other than me has ever noticed it!

I bet I will take a copy of the PDI check list for my next vehicle delivery! And I advice all to do so, even if you think the sales guy will stare you as you look "silly".

[bottle]

Well heres the scenario , when you get a new car most of the time you get your insurance papers before you get your RC book. So most of the time it does not have your vehicle registration number but only chassis number and engine no

PLEASE DO CHECK IF THEY MATCH

what happened to me was that the engine no and chassis number were totally different while it was fine in R/C book. So now i am unable to claim insurance till i get this sorted out

Just sharing this experience. It shouldnt happen in most cases but you never know.

[GTO]

Ever driven on the wrong number-plates? A friend of mine drove her Optra for about a year, until she realised that the numbers on the plates and her RC book dont match. National garage goofed up when making the plates.

[Akshay1234]

teflon is not required but you should get anti-rust. also if you are keeping the car for a long time then get extended warranty.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by GTO

Ever driven on the wrong number-plates? A friend of mine drove her Optra for about a year, until she realised that the numbers on the plates and her RC book dont match. National garage goofed up when making the plates.

whoa, must have been a nasty surprise. if the cops had caught her and checked the rc book then it would have been troublesome.

pabheda - anytime mate.

[Ramon]

Something worse than what happened to GTO's friend could have happened to my dad 12 years ago. We had booked a red maruti 800 std from Popular automobiles in TVM in August 94. The delivery was done in July 95. (in those days the delivery periods were really long) On that day my dad along with two of my uncles went to popular and inspected the cars there. There were only two red 800's in the lot. One had small deformations in the dash and one of the door locks would not work properly. So my dad selected the other one and all the paper work was completed. Then he asked them to do all the fittings (mud flaps, seat covers, etc). He was told that the car would be ready only in the evening. So they came back. In the evening we went to take the car. All formalities were completed and just before leaving when the salesman opened the bonnet to show us the where the engine number is, he became really panicked. Popular had goofed up big time and had already given our car to someone else.(the engine number was different). Then immediately all of us piled into the car along with someone from Popular and took off to the other customers house. There we exchaged our cars. The next day we had take our car to Popular once again as there were no extra fittings on this car. But we got only grey seat covers as the red ones we had orginally got fitted were not in stock. But since those were the days in which the dealers were the rulers we could not do anything.
But imagine what could have happened if the goof up had not been discovered on time (accidents, insurance, tax renewals, reselling(we have not sold that car yet because it was our first car and we love it), inspection during police checkings............ The possiblities are mind boggling and we would have been in big trouble for no fault of ours.