[1.2TSI7DSG]

A lot of the reviews keep me pondering what a good service experience really means.

We often confuse service experience with ownership experience which also says that "car should not fail ever" or there are too many niggles (or hidden features as we know them) in the product.

I personally have experienced Maruti, Tata, VW & Honda and very frankly I have expected different things out of each brand in terms of how the front-end team actually interacts with me.

But across all the brands, there are a few fundamental things that I have always expected.

1. I don't want the car to be in the workshop overnight unless I have planned for it beforehand (body shop stuff)
2. I prefer a longer (day long) but good quality service over a quick non-TLC service
3. I don't want the service center to cheat me (eg non-required stuff, not changing stuff)
4. I need the car in the same condition in terms of cleanliness I have left it for the service.

Things that were different for each brand:
1. With Maruti, I always wanted no kit spares. I don't need a set of glow plugs. If I need one, I want only one. Always say no to "Saab sab kuch change kar lo khol rahe toh". I used service centers to buy spares, & do complex repairs. But normal service beyond the free ones & body work repair was always done at FNGs. Confidence in the FNG to know a Maruti car was high.

2. With Tata I really didn't expect anything at all. Filters and lubricants were the only things I did at the service center. Got every special repair done at a local expert mechanic. Never had the confidence to have a single FNG for all the work.

3. With VW, it was the scariness of the DSG failure that made me do everything at the service center. Be it body/warranty/post warranty. That said, I was always pleased with the service facilities (esp the paint shops, service center cleanliness & technician (not Advisers) behaviors etc) checks the SA did before taking the car in, checking spare inventory to estimate the time and allowing me to take the car and plan it later if it was not going to happen in a day. It reaped its reward with a 1.1 l coverage on the stock DSG till date.

4. With Honda, while I have had only 2 experiences, the expectation is that the car does not require anything else other than standard service. That apart I don't expect anything. Let's see how this pans out

If you were to mark what a good service means what would be your must haves?

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Turbohead]

Here's my definition of good service experience-

• Transparency - I need to know why certain parts need to be changed before their scheduled replacement.
• I only want the car to be kept behind only for genuine reasons and not because they are overloaded.
• Fixing nagging issues reported by the customer. This is the biggest reason why I moved to an FNG. They simply wouldn't want to fix the smaller stuff beyond regular service unless it's big ₹₹₹.
• Say what you mean - we hate it when the SA gives a call stating that the car is ready only for us to wait an hour to get it because of xyz reasons
• Reliable RSA service. Only needed it once but would like a real estimate of how long it takes for them to come
• Cost is specific to vehicle class and is part of the ownership experience unless you are forced to pay for junk like AC disinfectant. So zero junk is mandatory.

[rpunwani]

My definition of good service:-

1. Fast, same day delivery (considering routine servicing only)
2. Great Infra - clean waiting lounge and possibility to see what is happening with the car
3. Transparency - only parts that are required to be changed are changed with standard pricing

We have a BMW, Ford & Honda in our garage. Out of the three, I have established excellent relations with the service centre people at BMW & Ford.

BMW has the best service facility in Turbhe, world class if I may say so. Extremely clean service bays - not a drop of oil seen on the floors. The waiting lounge is also amazing.

All three service centres are fast - generally same day delivery.

The Honda service centre is a bit finicky about letting me go in to see what is happening with my car.

[sriniadk]

A very good service from a service center is a combination of many of the poll points . My prefernce of the same would be

- A great Infrastructure of the service station because I just don't drop it in the service station get it back home delivered . I wait beside it and see what all is being done in my car. So my luxury also has to be prioritized .

- Same day delivery because of the reason I am being there .

[NTO]

In addition to all the good things mentioned about service, for me, the most important thing is to not visit the service centre other than regular scheduled/ planned maintenance activity. And also not following up and going back to the service centre for certain niggles / already reported problem not solved.

[ssoni.1411]

My definition of a good service experience is
-Transparency: I need to know which part and why is it needed to be repaired or replaced.
-I don't need to visit the Service Centre again for any niggles and issues pending.
-Have a courteous and customer friendly bay and technicians.

I own a Hyundai Venue and the service experience has been really good. They offer pick-up and drop service as well. Give regular updates and pictures of every work that is done by them in the SC. Also have always been quick and on time with all my services, except one repair job which took days since part wasn't available.

[ARAY]

Step 1: book the vehicle

Step 2: join a bunch of vehicle owners group for the particular vehicle you are buying.

Step 3: search the group for keywords like error ,problem , issues and the like. Every group has nerds and geeks who explain the matter much better than the average consumer search for their posts and keep an eye on the issues they have reported.

Step 4: Go through the comments in the team BHP for a particular vehicles "owners review" and TeamBhP review and comments. This is to understand what you are getting into.

Step 5: get the delivery of the vehicle.

Step 6: join the WhatsApp group for the same Facebook owners page that you have joined in step 2 earlier.


Step 7: Make good friends in the WhatsApp group, having technical knowledge about the vehicle makes you an instant hit in the group.

Step 8: if there is a preferred service center that the team members like to go no matter how far it's from your home target that service center specifically.

Step 9: if the step above is not relevant in the group share the idea and explain the concept of going to the service center as a group of 8 or above. Do your homework and understand where special attention is needed. Eg: duster AWDs are known for injector and fuel pump failures however a detailed scan of the OBD and few pressure tests reveal the state of the injectors and gives a fair idea how long they might last.

Step 10: prebook your service visit along with other team members and make sure at least 8 cars or above visit the service center on the same day.

Note: I followed this formula and it has worked flawlessly for my last three cars and a bike, The service centers have a notorious reputation however when we went together as a group and we gave extra preference to a particular service center things were absolutely different. My duster AWD is always given special attention, other than the normal service service interval I get the duster thoroughly checked up before and after a long trip and for those visits I don't even have to go to the service center The head engineer gets it picked up runs all the scans and gets a thorough checkup of the underbelly and shares all the details over a video call with me. This is not the scenario just for me other members are also given special preferences.

The definition of good service varies from brands and location but it is totally up to us how best we can handle the situation.

[anjan_c2007]

For me TLC, no unwanted spares push from SA (some of them are novices) and transparency matter the most. Yes it needs to be fast, same day car return if the jobs involved are simple, that can be done within working hours of the day. Here it's the owners job to get his car at the earliest possible to the ASC to be the among the first in queue. Or else, reaching the ASC by noon after lunch or later and demanding "Same Day Car" to move out for dinner or for freaking out will be asking for too much - stress on ASC and injustice to the car.

The car gets there to the ASC only once in a while and it needs a thorough job done. Else, the car will be aggrieved like those gents who are stressed out and only in their 20's and 30's, suffer cardiac arrests.

[Mystic]

I voted same day service. No over night. I had never left my car overnight anytime and many times I used the pick and drop from my home.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “A customer is the most important visitor in our premises. He is not dependent on us, we are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work, he is the purpose of it.

I think the above quote is religiously being followed by all automotive dealers now because of competition and close monitoring by leadership. Thanks to Twitter for giving us a forum to throw the frustrations on social media visible to the leadership team.

[Evyas]

Voted fast and well kitted service centre.

Of course all others are also important but from my last ownership of a Duster, I used to hate going to even get a normal service done.

The first service centre (near Saki Naka I think) shut down. It was so tiny it could hardly hold 10 cars at a stretch. Then they shifted to Jogeshwari East which was massive and well equipped. But the waiting lounge was horrible and getting there and back meant the whole day is gone. And they could never really fix my engine check light issue. So I changed to a different service centre.

This was near Andheri East but in a service lane so getting to it was a small adventure. In the early days I wouldn’t even get a rickshaw ride to that place easily. Guess the only big real estate left is in hard to get to areas in Mumbai. This final service centre was the only functional one but they literally shared their car parking lot with Jeep Service, if I remember correctly. So it would take 5-10 mins to even find space, manoeuvre and park the car and get to the actual service centre. Then a long wait for your car to be attended. I’ve actually spent 2-3 hours on an average every time I’ve gone there since they were always overbooked. No idea why they gave me a slot if they were so busy.

And now this is a personal gripe but their ‘waiting lounge’ was a small room with 3 tiny sofas and a TV. Since most people sent their drivers with their cars, I would be waiting with them as they watched the latest soap or the oldest Hindi movie they could find, at full volume, on the TV A few would be asleep. It was so depressing waiting there for hours, I vowed never to come back to the service centre but had no other choice as it was the ‘closest’ by Mumbai standards to my place.

That and the fact that they were never transparent about the service, and couldn’t fix my engine check light in 7 years of owning it that I decided not to go for a Renault when buying my next car.

Loved the Duster and still feel it was the best car for me, but the service centre experience itself was enough to make me look for another brand now that I’m in the market. And funnily I’ve realised most service experiences are similar unless you go into the luxury segment as per my friends!

[FiatDiesel]

I have 23 years of driving 5 different cars of 4 different brands with cumulative 3 Lac+ KMs across India experience which have exposed me to different facets of indian car service industry. My experience has been mixed with both authorized service stations and FNG's.

Also I have observed that while a brand might be doing well overall in customer service, but a lot depends on your local dealer / service station and it can swing your experience considerably.

I will summarize following in terms of good experience: -

MG:-

They are the best in my ownership experience till date (2+ years now). They go beyond the regular deliverables to give positive experience.

While they deliver on technical tasks with full quality, my three specific cases among many positive experiences with them stood out among all experiences I had in last 23 years:-

1. My car had left pull after 5000 KM round trip of southern India and I was about to leave in a week for my road-trip to Himalayas right near to Tibet / Nepal border. I informed them accordingly about the importance for its resolution.
It didn't got resolved through normal tyre alignment process hence they kept the car for 2 days.
They took multiple test rides in those two days on the highway in front of service center and I could see that in My iSmart app. Finally, it was resolved, car was ready and they gave me the final test ride at the time of delivery which was successful.
They also topped up the diesel in the car worth Rs 1000/- as resolution process has required multiple test rides by them. This was not asked and not expected by me.

I was positively surprised as I have never experienced such kind of gesture by any service center till date. Infact I have friends owning major brand SUV's with left pull problems not resolved as the respective service center's refuse to work on them.

2. I left my sunglasses in the car while dropping it at the service. SA picked it up and informed that I should take it from her at the time of delivery.
At the time of delivery, due to rush we both forgot about it. Later in the evening she called and apologized that she forgot to hand them over and requested if I can come back again as per my convenience. I rushed (they were my rayban's and more importantly gifted by wifey), it was already dark and find her waiting for me outside service station gate. I felt bad as it was miss from my end and I thanked & appreciated her for same.
This could be termed as individual experience but lot of times our values and behaviors are not only groomed at home but at our work place too. Isn't it?

3. RSA : My two tyre burst incident in documented in this thread:-

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...xpressway.html (2 tyres of my MG Hector burst on the Samriddhi Expressway)

In short, I was kind of literally pampered by MG RSA in middle of jungle

- Got flatbed and Taxi in 3.5 hours from incident time. All through this I was getting regular updates on status of both vehicles. It was like whole team was working to get us out of that situation.
- Hector went to Nagpur 150 KM's on Flatbed.
- We (myself and family) went to our home in Pune 600 KMs in AC cab.
- Hector's front tyres (30K KM driven) replaced including 1 alloy wheel with 100% claim from Insurance. Absolutely seamless experience.
- To pick up the car, landed in Nagpur in morning and by 10 AM I was back on highway to Pune in my Hector.

All I had done is that I had purchased Classic MG Shield worth 50K at the time of vehicle purchase which gave me MG RSA for 5 years and 0 service costs for 5 years / 75K KM's.

More importantly its not about money but the commitment of the brand once they have signed up to provide the service and adhering to it.

The above three incidents happened at different times of my ownership and had interaction with different set of people working for MG. This naturally have built deep trust for this brand in me.

Fiat: -

Fiat in general is not known for great service experience however here in Pune there two dealers within same city gave me very different experiences.
Back in 2014 I had purchased Fiat Punto 90 HP Sportz from Sky Moto in Pune.
Delivery of the car was disaster with check engine light on and we drove directly after delivery to service station. :(
They deleted the error however telling us its resolved and we drove happy faces (with sad heart) in our new car to pick our young son from school as his Red Car surprise to him.
Since they had deleted the error, it resurfaced within few days and multiple visits followed to Sky Moto, they couldn't resolve.
After escalation Fiat redirected me to Pandit Auto (now closed), second Fiat dealer in Pune with service station in Bavdhan.
I didn't have high expectations when I visited them but to my surprise, they fixed the root cause within 30 minutes. There were some choked pipes in brand new car which were replaced.
And this started my relationship with Pandit Auto and the folks Rahul Jadhav (SA) and Anil (Tech Supervisor). They were among the finest you will find in Industry with Anil having won Golden hands award from Fiat for him deep knowledge and expertise.

Since then, no issues with Fiat ownership and as Pandit closed down I ditched my 5 year warranty and continued to get support from Rahul and Anil when they opened there own venture for servicing Fiat cars (FNG). I was never able to convince myself to go back to Sky Motto for the sake of warranty who are still and only FCA dealer in Pune as of today. They were pathetic and downright unprofessional. They were the primary reason I didn't considered Compass during my search for an SUV / Crossover.

Overall I feel it’s the Values and Behaviour approach & its on ground implementation with in an organization & partners which also plays a vital role.

I am lucky in case of MG, both brand & dealer are among the best I have experienced.

In case of Fiat, it was Pandit auto & fantastic individuals Rahul & Anil who saved me from heartburn.

[Biker Ram]

Competency and skill of the mechanics and the service advisors to acknowledge, identify and rectiy the problems. That's more important than any other single factor. Or as important as a cominbation of most of the other factors. Depending on the make and age of a car the complexity of the problem may vary. For most people a service just means change of fluids and shining up the car. Service centers usually get away with impressing this category of customers with a neat lounge that serves coffee, tea, biscuits and wifi. I service my Maruti at Pratham, and their feedback questionnaire gives almost full emphasis on washing and waxing only. To me that sounds like a fully wrong format but who knows, may be it fits well majority of their other customers.

[Mortis]

I would divide this into two sections :

Service CENTER :
Good accessibility and location
Good stock of spares
Good infrastructure (space for cars and also waiting lounge)

Service EXPERIENCE :

- Knowledgeable SA who listens and does not dismiss issues
- Access to work area in case I want to discuss a particular issue with the mechanic handling it
- PROACTIVELY fixing issues, especially the minor stuff. For example nowadays the SC I visit dont even grease the door hinges when the car is sent in for service. If mentioned (since I have to nowadays it seems) the first response is to try and chipkao some service plus magic package. Other stuff like on collecting the car if the SA tells you something like " Sir we tightened the coolant reservoir because it was making some rattling noise on bumps", feels good.
-Letting you know in advance if some part needs to be replaced soon or has X life left
- I think this needs a special mention - NOT returning the car back with new problems or new dents and scratches.

So far in recent years, I have never given the SAs more than an average rating. Average rating is for when you get the car in and they do only and exactly what is required. Above average rating is for when they go above and beyond.

My most recent ASS interactions have been with Maruti SCs and even when complaining to Maruti for warranty related issues and subsequently Maruti giving them the stick, they have been more inclined to listen and maybe a bit more polite but even then its nothing more than they should have been doing and my feedback form reflects this no matter how much they tried to convince me otherwise.

With respect to time and quick turnaround, obviously the shorter the better but I never press them for a quick turnaround because in India for sure that will result in shortcuts being taken. I let them take the time they need because I dont think any SC, atleast in Mumbai have the space to leave a car unattended for too long so they will not keep your car for longer than necessary anyways.

[autobahnjpr]

Voted for speed(fast), no unwanted spares and parts and transparency in billing. In my opinion, if these are sufficiently attended to, the others are manageable.