[shiva75]

I own a XUV W10 (2015). This has largely been a trouble free vehicle so far with niggles that is not worthy any mention. I had also purchased a RSA (road side assistance) package which is paid annually from my dealer. I was blissfully unaware that this so called RSA is provided by Allianz and not by Mahindra. There seems to be some tie-up with the dealership and my ignorance just led me to purchase it.

I discovered the inadequacies of this so called RSA recently during a road trip to Chennai from Bangalore. I was on the Chennai Outer Ring Road which is simply great infrastructure and will tempt one into speeding. I was on this road doing between 120-130 kmph when suddenly the right rear tyre deflated and I had to pull over. I was stranded on the ORR with my family. I called up the Mahindra road side assistance number and they in turn told me that I have signed up for RSA therefore they will direct me to the right team.

I got the RSA customer service agent on the line and he asked me to provide my location. Since I was on the ORR with no significant landmark on either side of the road, I asked if I can somehow send it to him. They sent me a link from allianz assistance and I used the same to help them know exactly where i am located. I was told that in about 60 minutes, I will receive assistance. The nightmare then began, I received 4 calls from the 4 different RSA agents who kept asking me for my location and each time I repeated the same. All 4 of them could not find me any Mahindra service center or help nearby. I kept asking them to google and told them that there are several in the vicinity and I could find one myself within 5.5 kms of my location.

Then, they would connect me to a service center and asked me to directly talk to the people there to explain where exactly I am located. I sent my location via whatsapp to multiple such centers and all of them declined to help. Strangely, none of them were really Mahindra dealerships and seemed to be some sort of local garages or service centers.

I finally managed to call my hotel and asked them to send a driver with a mechanic. Help arrived from the hotel in 30 minutes and we were able to replace the tyre (which took quite some effort as the wheel would not come out). RSA called me later to find out if everything is ok and this is when they told me that they are not linked to Mahindra Service centers and are from Allianz, have no role to play in getting the needed Mahindra assistance. I asked RSA to not close my complaint as I got no assistance whatsoever when I was stranded with my family and now people up the chain in their org have started contacting.

Long story short, I am not sure if I should have signed up for this package.

[Zappo]

Well, I frankly don't believe in this RSA stuff at all. And for a good reason. Companies sell RSA generally for support only within the city limits. Compared to that most big insurance providers include RSA as a part of their insurance package and many provide with towing service for up to 50 kms distance. That's better and free (since it comes complementary with most insurance plans). Its a different matter that many of these insurance companies again provide the RSA/Towing through Allianz.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by shiva75

the right rear tyre deflated and I had to pull over. I was stranded on the ORR.

Help arrived from the hotel in 30 minutes and we were able to replace the tyre (which took quite some effort as the wheel would not come out).

Without offending anyone, please permit me to state this.

I personally believe that every driver should know how to remove a deflated wheel and install the spare wheel. I agree that 17 inch wheels are quite unwieldy but still one must know and practice.

The other issue I've seen in many flat tyre cases is of the wheel not coming off; because the hub gets stuck to the rim - because of water stagnating and thus corroding the hub surface - because of the car cleaners who throw water on the tyre/wheel to make it look clean.

One needs to tap the inner sidewall of the tyre and the wheel would come off.

[shiva75]

Originally Posted by vigsom

Without offending anyone, please permit me to state this.

I personally believe that every driver should know how to remove a deflated wheel and install the spare wheel. I agree that 17 inch wheels are quite unwieldy but still one must know and practice.

The other issue I've seen in many flat tyre cases is of the wheel not coming off; because the hub gets stuck to the rim - because of water stagnating and thus corroding the hub surface - because of the car cleaners who throw water on the tyre/wheel to make it look clean.

One needs to tap the inner sidewall of the tyre and the wheel would come off.

I agree with you and in my case, I reached out to assistance once I found out that I could not move the wheel. Any amount of tapping/knocking did not work and that's when I called for help. When the mechanic could not move it either, we resorted to a "jugaad". We gently moved the vehicle back and forth with sudden braking which ultimately helped get the tyre get loose and was then taken off. Yes, you can argue that this can further damage the rim, tyre etc. but this was done in a as gentle manner as possible and as a last resort.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by shiva75

I agree with you and in my case, I reached out to assistance once I found out that I could not move the wheel. Any amount of tapping/knocking did not work and that's when I called for help. When the mechanic could not move it either, we resorted to a "jugaad". We gently moved the vehicle back and forth with sudden braking which ultimately helped get the tyre get loose and was then taken off.

One of the reasons why I get wheel balancing done regularly (every 5000 km) is that all wheels are removed and put back in. That way, there is no risk of wheel nuts getting jammed.

[shiva75]

Originally Posted by smartcat

One of the reasons why I get wheel balancing done regularly (every 5000 km) is that all wheels are removed and put back in. That way, there is no risk of wheel nuts getting jammed.

Yes, I had mine done recently ~6 months ago but still had the issue. In any case, I got one done yesterday and this time I stood there to ensure it is done in my presence. I am starting to suspect that this was never done during the previous service as was claimed by the service center. Not to digress, but also recently read one post on team-bhp where someone gave his car for service and it was returned with only a car wash with absolutely no service done while claiming that all was done. The only way the owner found out was because he had installed a dash cam in the car and caught the entire episode on camera. But this is a topic for a different thread.

[IndigoXLGrandDi]

Sorry if Off-Topic.

Originally Posted by vigsom

One needs to tap the inner sidewall of the tyre and the wheel would come off.

My thoughts are different here.
If I noticed that the wheel has stuck to the hub and doesn't come out easily, I put on all (4/5 Nuts/Bolts as case may be) and tighten them 70-80%, lower and remove the jack and see if the car load frees the wheel. MOST of The Times, This Does the Trick. If not, then I start the car and move the car just a few inches. This definately frees the wheel (Personal Experience on our Xylo and Elite i20).

Originally Posted by shiva75

We gently moved the vehicle back and forth with sudden braking which ultimately helped get the tyre get loose and was then taken off. Yes, you can argue that this can further damage the rim, tyre etc. but this was done in a as gentle manner as possible and as a last resort.

Sudden Braking is not necessary. Just letting the wheel roll (even half a turn) with the vehicle load on it will do the trick.


On a Side Note, atleast now you came to know how much the so-called RSA (for which you were paying annually to the M&M Dealer) is helpful to you under such circumstances.
Now before renewing this service, please do your homework well.

I am not saying all RSAs are bad. But Before taking RSA, please verify which company actually provides the RSA in reality and how well-spread is "their" network.

[_nitink_]

Maybe this is the reason why my dad taught me how to change a flat tyre even before he taught me how to drive. A similar strategy was followed for my sister when she started to learn driving. My dad always say that we must be aware of all the basic stuff in the car and we should be able to do such small things so that we are never stuck in a situation like this. Apart from this, he also taught us how to diagnose multiple common problems and how to deal with them. I always suggest everyone that before knowing how to drive, we must know about what are we driving and how does everything functions. I am not talking about in-depth knowledge, but a basic understanding should be there.
RSA on the other hand has always be controversial. I personally prefer to stay amay from such things. We have owned cars since 14-15 years and with god's grace, we were never left stranded on the road.

[GTO]

Frankly, all RSAs are a hit or miss as they are outsourced to 3rd parties. And these small garages / operators are from the unorganised segment. It's pure luck whether you have a good experience or bad.

When our test-drive Jeep Compass had a puncture, I faced a similar situation. The damn wheel just wouldn't come off, despite taking all the lug nuts out. Someone came and heavily whacked the wheel from the inside -> outside and it popped out.

[AJo]

Originally Posted by GTO

Frankly, all RSAs are a hit or miss as they are outsourced to 3rd parties. And these small garages / operators are from the unorganised segment. It's pure luck whether you have a good experience or bad.

Unfortunately even the much vaunted Toyota RSA is outsourced to a 3rd party small-time operator. I called the Toyota RSA number when my Fortuner battery died suddenly & was surprised when the guy who turned up was not from any of the Toyota dealers in Pune, but from a local towing service. (The Toyota Call center made me pay Rs 800 odd in advance for sending this guy for a jump-start). Felt like I was ripped-off.

AJ

[hotspot]

My apologies for being a late entry to this topic, but wanted to share my pleasant experience with Mahindra Road side assistance when i had a breakdown of the car in middle of nowhere.
Sometime around last new year we were returning from a holiday in jaiselmer. Our XUV was fully loaded with 6 people and luggage. As the roads were being renovated car had to be taken on broken unpaved tarmac a lot of time. Half way into the journey, i noticed screeching sound coming from front right wheel of the car. We stopped the car on road side and checked the problem and found the front right disc brake was making grinding sound though there was no loss of power or pull towards the right. We opened up th wheel and checked the disc brake but couldn't find anything abnormal but on moving the car sound was pretty loud. I called my service advisor in city and sent him a Watsapp video of the issue. He advised me to not use vehicle in such condition and call for road side assistance to tow the car to the service center.

We did the same and RSA on call asked us for the issue and our location. As we were in middle of nowhere we could only tell RSA about the highway and nearest village as per google maps. RSA immediately connected us with a towing service based out of jaiselmer and told us the person would reach us in 2 hours. Within 15 Mins we got the number of driver of tow truck to whom we explained the location. RSA offered us free pickup cab along with tow truck but as that would take two hours ,we sent our family in a vehicle of relative living nearby. The truck driver came in about two and half hour but updated us with his location continuously. Handing over the car was seamless and tow truck driver asked to remove all valuables from the car. He assured us that car would be delivered to workshop next day morning without fail and without any damage.
RSA called us as soon as we handed over the vehicle to confirm if we needed any other help. He also confirmed the service center we want our car to delivered to. Next day early morning i got a call from my service advisor as well as the tow truck driver about car being handed over to service center without any damage.
I never really bothered about RSA before this incidence as we never really got stuck with a major issue before. But after this experience i immediately renewed my RSA for 5 years along with extended warranty of vehicle.

BTW, it was just a small rock which got into the disc brake which caused all this inconvenience. MASS thoroughly checked all brakes of my vehicle and reported all was good. May be the niggles thread in the forum made me overly cautious about the brakes of XUV.