[dark.knight]

Visiting Shell outlets these days, one would almost find a car on their hydraulic lift at any time, the cars range from Toyota Etios (yellow boards) which line up in the multiples per day, to other cabbie favorites like Dzire, Xcent etc, to Benzs & Audis, quite a varied bunch of cars from the basement bargains to the executive favorites, for changing engine oil & topping up of/replacement of coolant, and replacement of engine oil filter as well.

If I were owning a service station, I'd be very, very worried by now, I'd withdraw all schemes and trickery and attempt to give the best service possible at the lowest cost with thorough cleaning of the vehicle, their days are numbered if they keep up the current tricks of inflated bills, unnecessary jobs, pathetic cleaning and 'n' number of additives, because :

- Shell doesn't mind if the owners watch and even peek into the engine oil change process, they even encourage it as there'd be no complaints afterwards.

- Quality of Shell oil is any day better than Castrol or Indian Oil

- No labor cost for replacement

- Motorbikes and scooters are taken care of as well

- Simpler walk-in and walk-out process, hardly 20-30 minutes, people can get brake assembly cleaning and wheel-alignment done at an FNG or tyre specialist for the same amount of time, rather than give the whole car to the ASC for 10+ hours.

- Coolant of Shell would be of a higher quality than the OEM recommendation as well.

The way I see it, Toyota, Maruti and Hyundai would've lost a few hundred service opportunities due to competition from Shell, in due course and as the word gets around, that number will only go up to thousands. Personally I'm happy, no more snake-oil greasy salesmen walking up with a clip-board and writing E.O.R, B.D.C, E.O.A, dc (degreasing), dc (decarbonizing) etc etc without my permission.

I also believe that in the interest of warranty and long term interests, a dealership service station would be most suitable, however they should now realize that the jig is up, no more can they make unwarranted money as I've seen women drivers or people with little or no technical knowledge pull into Shell stations for oil change and not stick to "tried and tested", obviously something about the ASC has irritated them and they understood that this is the easier route to take.

With Shell products such as wax, shampoo, degreaser etc (all much better than pathetic 3M/Meguiars products), they're threatening the detailing industry as well. This oil giant has turned out to be a maverick all of a sudden, hope all ASC's wake up before they're wiped out and just used as spare-part procurement agencies.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Quality of Shell oil is any day better than Castrol or Indian Oil

Second to none boss!! Even Motul is second to Shell in some of the FS oil types.

Their standardized way of experience irrespective of customers across states (experienced at multiple Chennai & Bangalore outlets) shows the effort being put on training. RMZ Millennia in Chennai has 8 floors/1 tower dedicated for Shell office & I'm sure this is just one of them in the country. I hear they pay the staffs well & treat their employees nice. And even when refueling, the staffs are focused only on work.

Add their convenience store (Shell Select) & deli is something I've been longing to see on highways for a quick stop over on long drives.

Recently had a horrible experience at one of the newly started Shell outlet where there was power outage & they were struggling to bring it up. Problem was my SCro was being filled up when the power outage occurred, so I can't even move away. It took over 45 minutes for them to become operational. Yes, one of a kind & I just happened to be there

But all said, Shell experience is most welcome & PSU companies have to learn one or two things from them on customer service.

[Sreesh1009]

I agree with you a 1000%. I get my Santro's oil and coolant changed here and get the service done from the FNG. What I really like is that they let you watch the process happening and show you that they are using new stock of oil, oil filter and coolant. It's also easier to buy Wipers, Shampoo, Wax, Microfiber Clothes and other things from them.

I hope they expand and offer other services as well. This will surely give authorised service stations some serious competition.

[RSR]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

The way I see it, Toyota, Maruti and Hyundai would've lost a few hundred service opportunities due to competition from Shell, in due course and as the word gets around, that number will only go up to thousands. Personally I'm happy, no more snake-oil greasy salesmen walking up with a clip-board and writing E.O.R, B.D.C, E.O.A, dc (degreasing), dc (decarbonizing) etc etc without my permission.

Ha ha, very true!

Both our Hyundais are out of warranty, and I change the engine oil only at Shell fuel pumps nowadays. It also helps that a Hyundai Mobis authorised spares outlet is not far from the Shell pump. So I just go over there, pick up an oil filter & air filter and go to Shell and change the oil.

Also, when I was travelling in an Uber Xcent one day (before the pandemic), I was chatting with the friendly driver about the car (he was an owner-driver on Uber). He casually mentioned that the service bills at the Hyundai dealership were rather high as he changes the oil frequently due to his high usage. I recommended that he just buy the filters from Mobis and get the oil & filters changed at Shell (for just the oil's MRP), just like I do. He was excited but didn't know how much oil was needed for his car. I googled the information (engine oil capacity for Hyundai 72 PS 1.1 CRDi - an earlier, smaller version of the 75 PS 1.2 CRDi) and gave it to him. He was delighted that a customer had helped him save a fair amount of money on every oil change!

On a related note, I simply love the way Shell Helix Ultra 5W40 fully synthetic engine oil has improved the engine's characteristics. It's clearly smoother, noticeably more refined (on an already very refined engine) and revs very cleanly & easily all the way to the redline now!

I'd happily recommend Shell fully synthetic engine oils to anyone.

[Nalin1]

Nice thread Dark Knight!. I have had my bike's engine oil changed from Shell many times and can vouch for its superiority. It is a thorough job done every single time with nothing to complain about.

Never tried on the car as yet, though there is always one or more cars undergoing oil change at every Shell bunk most times.

What else do they do?

Do they also have the required expertise to do a mini service/underbody/suspension check?

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by Nalin1

Do they also have the required expertise to do a mini service/underbody/suspension check?

No, they do not.. they barely have enough knowledge to fill the correct specification/quantity of engine oil and/or coolant, thanks to a detailed chart by Shell, even then, technical knowledge from our end would be good to have (it's a no-brainer these days as Indians in general aren't obsessed with precision or quality of work, just money).

In terms of quality of products though, Shell is right there at the top, be it interior cleaners, waxes, shampoo or consumables like windshield wiper fluid, coolant or engine oil, all tested personally so I am sure of it. V-Power is top notch fuel as well, only complaint is that it's over 13 rupees per litre more expensive than regular government fuel and that's a bit too much even for a person with sizable wealth, leave alone the bourgeois like us.

There are good number of independent garages in Bangalore for the rest of the work including that of suspension and underbody repairs, better to go to them.

This is a fantastic option to escape the technically deficient and financially proficient ASCs who want nothing more than to earn money by pushing teflon coating, additives and decarb while ignoring mechanical weak-points, strange noises by calling them normal and then handing over a car with dust crusted on the paint by applying "waterless wash" solution which is oily and attracts more dust like a magnet, truly horrifying. This isn't a salon, its supposed to be a workshop.

Shell has saved me a ton of money though, their detailing products have saved me at least 20 trips to 3M Car Care or other assorted gyppers charging Rs.1500+ for 1 hour of work, with cement and sand flying all over this 3rd tier village, a wash every alternate day is a must and it gets me some exercise as well.

[Sreesh1009]

Attaching a picture of an oil change I had gotten done two years back.

Sorry for uploading it now, it took me a lot of time to dig it out

[sagarpadaki]

I have used their oil change facility a few times and am happy about the ease of getting job done outside service centers.

Few things to keep in mind

1. Take your own oil filter. Although Shell has tie up with Bosch and stock filters for many cars, it is impossible to cover all the cars and models. Many a times, the filter may be out of stock with them. I have observed once where they washed the old filter with diesel and put it back and another when they put a filter of a different car since the one required was not available. In both the cases the owner was away sipping tea/coffee in their cafe.

2. Engine oil quantity. They have a chart with different cars and oil capacity. But they try to over sell quantity. Say car needs 3.3L. It is ok to put 3L or 3.5L. But they try to sell you 4L and fill all 4L in case you do not know the oil quantity needed. Very dangerous

3. Push for fully synthetic oil always irrespective of the car in question.

[Sreesh1009]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

3. Push for fully synthetic oil always irrespective of the car in question.

I don't understand this point. If I have an old car which I hardly use or only a city car, why would I spend the extra money when I can get Mineral Oil or Semi Synthetic?

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by Sreesh1009

I don't understand this point. If I have an old car which I hardly use or only a city car, why would I spend the extra money when I can get Mineral Oil or Semi Synthetic?

That is what I meant. They push their top of line Shell Helix Ultra even if the car in question in an old battered maruti zen.

A funny thing happened during one of these oil changes a couple of years ago. There was another customer ahead of me at the billing to whom the staff were pushing for the fully synth oil. They explained the usual benefits and asked the customer to try it. The customer OKyed the purchase without asking the price and used his card to make the payment. He was shocked when he found out the cost of the fully synth oil billed at MRP for 5L can when his car needed 3.xx litres. He got so angry and blasted the cashier and almost hit him before others intervened. A lot of swearing afterwards, the staff agreed to put the normal oil and fuel worth the difference amount between the normal and fully synth would be filled since the payment was already done! You can never be vigilant enough

[hserus]

Watch for the usual scams of course. Every time they are fueling your car they'll offer to check your oil.

At more than one shell pump, my friends who have fallen for this offer will more often than not end up buying oil because the guy won't push the dipstick in fully so that it will always display as a low oil level.

In one case my friend decided to call me, and I asked him to try the dipstick himself. The car had barely run 4k km since the last oil change and oil was, as expected, at normal levels. The pump attendant got to hear some well selected Kannada words as a result.

Also - for certain cars (especially Germans) that have specialised coolant (even more so than oil) requirements, steer clear of getting generic alternatives at Shell pumps. The correct spec may not be available.

[logicalidiot]

I love Shell but I'd say technical knowledge is a must while visiting some of their outlets. They are obviously better than ASC's but they are no saint in my opinion.

Why I love them? They let you watch the whole process giving a sense of assuredness. Their products are of really good quality if not the best. Not to forget the super clean petrol stations and then there is Shell Select where you could spend time munching on things .

What I don't like? They always push you to go for premium fuel/products and it gets kind of annoying. Some employees don't budge when the customers say 'No' and will to try change our mind. Also, some outlets ask you to change the fluids and oil unnecessarily. If you don't have the technical knowledge, you tend to fall for it and you end up changing. Speaking this since my brother fell for coolant change once when it was not really required. He realised this later when the next time he visited the same outlet, they suggested a change again.

[Bibendum90949]

Originally Posted by hserus

Watch for the usual scams of course. Every time they are fueling your car they'll offer to check your oil. At more than one shell pump, my friends who have fallen for this offer will more often than not end up buying oil because the guy won't push the dipstick in fully so that it will always display as a low oil level.

They even go to the extent of telling that oil level is far too low and that your engine may cease. i've noticed this in many Shell bunks. This particular one in Vastral, Ahmedabad once tried their best to scare me off with the same trick. They were quite popeyed when I politely and non chalantly brushed off their advice after having checked the level myself.

Their convenience stores are really good to stock up beverages and snacks during a long journey.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by Bibendum90949

They even go to the extent of telling that oil level is far too low and that your engine may cease. i've noticed this in many Shell bunks. This particular one in Vastral, Ahmedabad once tried their best to scare me off with the same trick. They were quite popeyed when I politely and non chalantly brushed off their advice after having checked the level myself.

I just don't open the hood for them, problem solved.

They usually try to sell me a coffee then, once I have rejected shell premium fuel, oil change and coolant change.

[landcruiser123]

I've heard a fair share of scams too. Happened to a friend of mine in Bangalore. According to an attendant, his oil needed changing. Fact of the matter is: he had just finished the 10,000km service (oil was changed) on his Ciaz. Also, it seems like they didn't have the 0-W16 oil used by the Ciaz. (This was the early days Maruti updated the engine)

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Visiting Shell outlets these days, one would almost find a car on their hydraulic lift at any time, the cars range from Toyota Etios (yellow boards) which line up in the multiples per day, to other cabbie favorites like Dzire, Xcent etc, to Benzs & Audis, quite a varied bunch of cars from the basement bargains to the executive favorites, for changing engine oil & topping up of/replacement of coolant, and replacement of engine oil filter as well.

I think one has to be careful. You need to get filters, seals, and know the right oil quantity. Wouldn't recommend non-enthusiasts & people with no basic knowledge to go there.

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

2. Engine oil quantity. They have a chart with different cars and oil capacity. But they try to over sell quantity. Say car needs 3.3L. It is ok to put 3L or 3.5L. But they try to sell you 4L and fill all 4L in case you do not know the oil quantity needed. Very dangerous

You're right. 0.7 liter of excess oil in a small engine can cause wear and tear of seals.

3. Push for fully synthetic oil always irrespective of the car in question.

Well, not an issue IIRC. Just business practice. As long as they willingly oblige filling up mineral oil for the customers who request it. Caveat emptor