[ike]

Originally Posted by aargee

Did you get this done prior to lockout or during the lockout pls?

Hey Ganesh, I got this done in March just before the lockdown. Managed to reach Thrissur too on the 21st of Mar. I don't think any service centers are open now during the lockdown. The on road assistance is working though, I got a Key fob battery changed during the lockdown by contacting the toll free Nexa helpline. The emergency response teams are not moving any cars to the workshops, the technician told me all he's been doing is jump starting the cars with drained batteries and fixing flat tires with a puncture kit. He had in his Omni at least a dozen new Amaron batteries. I wonder how the new batteries will get charged if you get it installed now. Probably would get discharged before things are back to normal.

[ike]

While my car sees close to 20k KMS and 2 services a year usually, thanks to the pandemic and the work from hometown, just about did 10k post last service in March'20. This is the first time the car is being serviced in Thrissur (it was purchased here but right from the first service everything happened in Chennai where I work). There are no Nexa service centers in Thrissur (though the SA said one is in the pipeline) and I took it to Popular Maruti service near Kalathode. Labor rates in Thrissur are very reasonable compared to grade A cities. Overall a good experience, I was in by 0800 hrs and out by 1300 hrs. The people were very friendly and polite. There is no paperwork anymore and everything comes via SMS/URL where you can access the job card.

They did not push for unnecessary jobs like "rust smash", "AC disinfect" etc. Only what was in the manual was carried out though the SA did ask if I need wheel alignment. The advantages of being a small town, people are willing to take accountability. I did not see anywhere that "we re not responsible for what is left behind in the vehicle, collect all your valuables like pen drive etc" in the premises. I asked the SA whether I need to remove my stuff but he asked me to leave everything in the car itself. Most importantly, nothing was flicked. Compare this to a metro like Chennai (in my experience) where whatever is accidentally left behind does not come back. I have lost a pen drive, a keychain and a pair of sunglasses to name a few.

There was a dedicated bay for Nexa vehicles and the technician allotted was a very young chap but seemed thorough. All the routine stuff like oil change, Coolant change & brake line bleeding were carried out and all filters were also changed. EGR was also cleaned using diesel.

I'm not complaining here but one thing I noticed is that there was no urgency. People took their time with everything unlike Service centers I have been to before where everyone seemed to be in tearing hurry. Probably the advantage of being in a one mule town where everyone are a little laid back.