Re: Friendly Neighbourhood Garage - World of Service (Sector 63, Noida) Except for accessory installation and fixing of the camber bolt on the Palio, all work on my car has been done at Fiat ASC, including engine overhaul.
Also, despite the somewhat higher price of labour (since I would have used genuine spares anyways) I was satisfied with the work at Kashyap Fiat. But, that does not mean the realities of an ASC change. The pressure to generate revenue, allocating work to mechanics as per their own logic rather than customer's choice, rushing through jobs, etc etc sometimes leave you dissatisifed. No amount of rating them less than 9 out of 10 helps because the business model is such.
I know WoS owner personally, but that was no guarantee of satisfaction. So I was continuing with getting my car serviced at Kashyap Fiat. My sister's Alto went to WoS twice and work was carried out as per requirement, though it was only a service and minor fixing of headlamp with broken clasp. That is the beater car, a simpler car and really easy to handle. I was a little apprehensive of giving my car there initially. But this time, the situation (work pressure, lack of clarity from ASC on parts availability, etc.) meant that I decided to give them a try with some serious work. I had to go to WoS twice within three weeks. The works done were as follows:
a. Diagnosis of noise from power steering. Detected to leaking PS fluid container. Rack was replaced 6 months ago so I was afraid it was the pump. But thankfully it only the container which was for Rs 1,500/-
b. Diagnosis of noise from front suspension. It was traced to FL lower arm and shocker mounting. These had been replaced at 85,000 km and now car is at 1,58,000 km so I am not complaining.
c. While car was on lift during the last service, a leak was detected in the return pipe of the oil separator. It was resealed with an adhesive. However, since the car was started within 45 minutes of sealing, I think the seal failed and leak started again. When the car was lifted at WoS for checking the suspension, this leak was found again, though car was losing oil at a very minute rate and only when hot (which is how I did not detect it during my weekly dipstick check, since no patches were found under the car either). Another leak was detected at the valve of the oil sump.
d. Now, suddenly, I was faced with a car with not only a noisy suspension but also engine oil leaking from two places!
e. A few phone calls by Anupam and we found that Palio MJD oil sump was coming for Rs 500/-. This rang a warning bell as Palio spares are never that cheap. I checked with my contact at Fiat ASC and was told that the sump for Punto MJD and Palio MJD are different in weight and thickness of metal (possibly because Punto has an engine guard and Palio doesn't). The Palio engine guard is made of thicker metal and is priced at around Rs 3,500/-. By Palio Stile price standards it was believable so we decided to go for the more expensive one.
Now this is where WoS excels. They have different channels for sourcing parts (from dealer / ASC, from distributor, from other sources including importers from Brazil and China, from local manufacturers and even from the used / accident car salvage).
They took 2 days to arrange for the part. They did not ask me to leave the car before that. Even after getting the part, they did not take my car for a day because they were full to capacity and I could not give the car for one day due to my own appointments. The idea was that once the sump and oil seperator valve would be sealed with sealant, the car would have to remain on the lift for a half a day for the sealant to dry, so they could not take the car on a very busy day. It was a fair request. It is also better to take the car when you can do the job and parts are ready than keep delaying the return of the car.
The car went for one day and all work oil stopping leakage, replacing sump, changing suspension parts was carried out properly. Parts were priced at par or lower than ASC (all genuine FIAT parts were used, though local suspension arm was also available as a choice) and labour for the entire work was under Rs 2,000/-. Car was washed complimentary.
My opinion is that I have seen them grow from the initial days when the Alto was sent for service till today and they have built up infrastructure and capacity. If you are an involved customer, they take you as part of the diagnosis / repair process (unlike the closed-door, customer not allowed in workshop policy of ASC) and that helps in your confidence. Regarding parts, it may take some time to source some parts. If you are dealing with all brands, you can't keep all parts of all cars in stock. But they manage well for a multi-brand outlet. They are worth a try. Definitiely.
Last edited by architect : 13th November 2015 at 23:59.
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