[fogg_23]

Originally Posted by Aditya

I rejected a car during the pre-delivery inspection | Have you? - Post copied to a new thread.

Hi Aditya, is there any way we would get a notification when this post has been copied into a new thread? I had no idea about this thread until @kaps454 quoted me. I usually get quotes and subscribed thread notifications via mail.

Originally Posted by condor

Hey @Fogg,

did you check this ?

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...ght-sonet.html (Did you ever reject a car in the PDI? I rejected a Nexon & bought a Sonet)

Hi condor, yes we did check this thread. This post is an eye-opener and we prepared well for the PDI assuming all odds.

Originally Posted by Small Bot

So even if you had paid the full amount, you could still fight your case. However the best practice is to not pay anything beyond the booking amount until you've thoroughly inspected the car and found nothing beyond acceptable limits.

Hi Small Bot, we paid only the booking amount and it's currently being processed for return. I agree with you regarding PDI first and cash payment next.

Originally Posted by audioholic

While I'm really not a fan of Tata QC, in this case I believe you have blown the issue up by a fair bit. The corner of the bumper has those inconsistency due to the edges of the plastic mould after which it has been painted.

However the other issues like non working sunroof return(which might just need calibration) and dirty upholstery is something that is not expected since the seats should arrive with their plastic covers on.

Hi audioholic, thanks for enlighting me on the inconsistency in corner of the bumper, we all thought it was damaged. The major reason for rejecting this nexon is the non-working sunroof. Even though they fixed it in 2.5 days, we felt scared of having a potential problem right on top of our heads.

Originally Posted by GTO

Big believer of PDIs and I know of a lot of bad cars that have been avoided this way. That being said, I agree with audioholic. You blew the issue up a bit too much, especially for a car from Tata, a brand known to have production inconsistencies.

Most of these issues were minor or easily fixable.

Hi GTO, thanks for your clarification on determining minor vs major issues.

Originally Posted by shabash

When I bought my scorpio way back in 2009, the first car that was allotted was rejected by me due to issues with the bonnet not closing properly and also alignment was an issue. I told them that I am not happy with the vehicle. They tried to convince me that this is something that can be fixed in the first service. I told them if they are confident, then I can give them 2 days to fix and show me.

Hi shabash, now I think about your situation vs mine, I consider myself lucky. The SA was transparent and immediately agreed to fix the problem once noticed. You made an intelligent decision back then by going for the following vehicle.

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

After two weeks I took delivery of a brand new car. Registration number was the same but the engine and chassis number were different.

Great!! That's one inspirational story you have.

Originally Posted by Tgo

Also depends on how long I can wait for the next car to be allotted to me.

Hi Tgo, In my case, we were willing to wait for a good car. In meantime, we were checking other models, and went with a readily available Honda City.

Originally Posted by kaps454

the only thing out of place is the sun-roof not closing. Always wary of buying cars with sun roofs anyways

I agree, the sunroof issue gave me chills. We decided not to go with cars with sunroofs. We selected Honda City V CVT for the same reason. The PDI experience is here https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...ml#post5438406 (The 5th-gen Honda City in India. EDIT: Review on page 62) (The 5th-gen Honda City in India. EDIT: Review on page 62)

[benzinblut]

I too rejected a car at PDI.

When I purchased my Swift in 2013, I wanted it to be oven fresh and max 1 month old.

During the PDI, they tried to push me a 4 month old one. I rejected it even without looking at it. I know it makes no big difference but since the sales guy promised me a 1 month old car, I stood my ground. I was immediately allotted the same month car and the PDI was smooth.

Here's a pic from the PDI

[speed79]

In March 2011, I had rejected a Vista just before PDI as the VIN number indicated a October 2010 manufactured car. I rejected that car, and left the dealership (Prerana) without PDI. Later head of customer relations of Prerana Motors Mr Kumar, an humble gentleman, visited my home, said sorry and gave some freebies (reverse parking sensor, sunfilm and mats), and I got another Feb 2011 manufactured Vista delivered within a week, which is still doing its duty. (Later in Sept 2015 I bought Storme Vx 4x4 manufactured in same month, and in Sept 2022 Punch manufactured in same month from Tata motors.)

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by fogg_23

The 9km ODO reading
Attachment 2378266

This is one odd reason out. Almost every other car you buy will have a single digit figure on the odometer. You had pretty strong reasons like the sunroof issue.

Adding the 9km reading on the odo to the list of reasons for rejection actually makes the case a bit diluted.

[fogg_23]

Originally Posted by clevermax

This is one odd reason out. Almost every other car you buy will have a single digit figure on the odometer. You had pretty strong reasons like the sunroof issue. Including this (9km on the odometer) reason actually makes your case a bit diluted.

Hi clevermax, the PDI post details all the nice things and not-so-nice things we observed. I agree with you that single digit reading on the odometer does show that car is new, and I am happy with that. We rejected the car due to sunroof headaches and went with a car without a sunroof. We only paid the 11k booking fee, and SA assured me of a refund.

[Cresterk]

I don't know man, other than the sunroof these seem like minor issues. I have also rejected a Tata car this year: the Safari XZA+ dark during PDI because the AC and blower wasn't working. I had posted about it on teambhp as well.

But I didn't reject that car straight out of the bat. I listened to the excuses given by the salesman and his manager and even though I was 90% sure they were lying, I still gave them the benefit of the doubt when they said it's a minor issue that can be fixed in just one day via software. It was only when I had no response from their end even after waiting patiently for a week that I concluded it was defective and cancelled my booking.

I also talked to other safari owners on teambhp to see if this was just a quirk of the Tata Safari before making my decision.


Scratches or smudges or other small damages that usually occurs when loading/unloading, you can just ask the dealership to clean and fix it before delivery. This is India, some form of damage is inevitable even within first year of ownership because of how everyone else drives here. It's best not to get too worked up about it because especially in metro cities, touchup paint is something you will be doing often anyway. If someone on a bike scrapes your side, will you replace the entire door or just get it buffed?

Personally, I would have given them a few days to see if they could find out why the sunroof is acting up and whether it is a simple fix. You definitely don't want a car where the sunroof randomly decides not to close when you are in a rainstorm!

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by fogg_23

We rejected the car due to sunroof headaches and went with a car without a sunroof.

I was also in a similar situation before booking my present car. Decided in favour of sunroof since I wanted the Diesel AT variant and that anyway came with a sunroof.

Now 5 years down the line, the sunroof is working as new, touchwood! Turned out to be more reliable a fitment than I expected it to be.

[Arindam_Nayek]

I did reject a Fiat Linea delivery post a PDI. Dealer was not willing to share the VIN initially, while I insisted on PDI came to know that the car was more than 6 months old. With a lot of efforts and help from our Team Bhp members got the down payment back. Great car but bad dealer.

[NoLurkerForLong]

Originally Posted by Small Bot

...

There was even a recent Supreme Court ruling that said: not delivering a new car or delivering a defective vehicle despite full payment of sale consideration can be said to be "unfair trade practice".

...

Surprising part is, this litigation went all the way to the supreme court

[Small Bot]

Originally Posted by NoLurkerForLong

Surprising part is, this litigation went all the way to the supreme court

Oh, that was an old case that was concluded only this year. Our legal system does need continuous improvement.

If I recall correctly, this case was heard at the district level, then state - where both forums upheld that the car being sold was a defective one i.e. a demo car sold unfairly as a brand new one.

Then the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) surprisingly set aside that order in 2016, probably on technicalities, leading to the aggrieved party appealing against it in the Supreme Court. I have my opinions on that, but I don't think that's appropriate here.

Then the Supreme Court concluded in 2022 that the NCDRC order was unfair and set that aside.

This entire half-a-decade saga is why customers should properly do a PDI before taking delivery and making the complete payment. This all might have been avoided by at least checking the VIN, I suppose.

[Car_Therapy]

I rejected a Honda City ZX during the PDI in the last week. Here are my reasons:

1. I observed that one side of the car was unusually clean and the other side was mildly dirty. Upon close inspection, found the door panels to be painted. (key observation - found sticky tape lines near window panel)

2. The mats were installed in the car (which is not standard); seemed to me that it was returned to yard.

Although the dealer did not agree to my reasonings for rejection; I was in no mood either to accept the vehicle. The dealer told me that the waiting would be long for the fresh car. I accepted it with folded hands.

P.S- The total KM was 4KM (like any other car in the yard). I found it so much mysterious.

[Gotcha]

"out of the 3 million plus new cars that get sold in India each year, a staggering 16% suffer from severe manufacturing defects" says the blog at Zekardo, a new car PDI inspection service. Along with putting up with increasing minor defects, as though its the norm, we'll now have to spend extra on such services too.

Example: most new cars have minor paint defects and inconsistent panel gaps now which can't be identified during a quick PDI even by someone with an eye for detail. So basically, customers are forced to double up as amateur quality control and then be liable to deal with it if something is overlooked - if a car gets registered, we're stuck with it!

We seriously need to stop being saddled with defective cars, except for minor niggles. It's high time we have lemon car laws with refund/replacement policies in India too as the Consumer Protection Act 2019 does not have specific product liability provisions for automobiles.