Friends, to the best of my knowledge and as per the service schedule chart, the p/s belt is to be changed every 1,00,000 kms.
The 1st time it broke, I thought that it was a freak happening, one that can happen to anyone. I was stranded on a deserted highway with wife and kids at 1 am. Had to call friends to help get the car to their home, and 2 days later towed it to a garage. Then the persons of the dealer have come on the 3rd day with a wrong belt, 5th day with the right belt and a spurious / fabricated bolt (for which to I paid), and installed the belt using the same damaged tensioner. Later the mechanics at their workshop in Jaipur told me that this has happened in 5-6 more cars.
The process of getting the car on the road took me 5 days with 1.5 days of missed work for me and driver and an lot of phone calls. What levels of harassment and what torture these Honda people can put you through. This should have been done under extended warranty (as requested by me at that time also) in the 1st place.
What is the extended warranty for? I THINK REFUNDS OF ALL THESE AMOUNTS I HAVE PAID including the Garage charges should be given to me.
Now in the current case I was stranded again on a Rajasthan afternoon on an open highway due to the same problem recurring. This time I had to leave the car on the highway, wnt with my uncle to my office, got another car, ropes, belt, more persons etc. and towed the car back to Ajmer.
Rectified on 14 May, checked up on 16th May at Jaipur, recurred on 11th June. Car standing absolutely idle in Delhi from 30th May to 7th June (8 days). Working days 17 only, kms run about 1800 or so, since the work was carried out for the 1st time.
I have paid the garage charges last time, this time also I have already paid welder charges.
On phone with Mr Vinod the Sevice manager of Pinkcity Honda, after I had checked up and stopped them trying to use old 2nd hand parts without any information, I was assured that the changes were being done FOC (free of cost as I understood). Then they suddenly, after completion of the work, slap me with a bill of Rs.5400+ for the parts (not tensioner) and labour. Is this not cheating?
On talking to Mr Vijay Sharma, the owner of Pink city Motors I was asked to talk to the Sevice Manager Mr.Vinod and not the GM. What is the GM there for?
On calling their GM I am told that I have to pay, they have come to Ajmer and done the repairs in good faith, on an emergency basis (by trying to use old parts without telling me). Then he tells me that we can keep the bill in abeyance and talk the next time I am in Jaipur.
Mr Vinod had the guts to cut my phone while I am discussing with him about why should I pay again, after telling me that I have to pay.
I shudder to think what would have happenned if the car had been in their Workshop. Probably they would have not let me take the car without payment.
Also, the belt they have used this time is an unsealed / open belt, without any pricing info (unlike last time). It seems a genuine belt, but the pricing has gone up by 6 times. A case for MRTPC I think?? Fraud?? Monopoly?? The Honda way of working, increase prices when you have captive customers.
Is there no warranty of any kind for work carried out by the company? 1800 kms, and I am stuck again? What of my mental harrasment and hardships that I have endured? What about my image (Izzat)? Will I be compensated? And they want the car in their Jaipur Workshop? Why? Cant the Honda Co. people come here?
They are not even ready to give me the email ids, phone and fax nos. of their top management persons including President, MD, Directors, GM etc., in India and Japan, as requested by me many times.
Can anyone help me with these, I will be obliged?
I think more than the breakdown, it is the attitude that has hurt the most. This is mental torture to be saddled with such an unreliable car.
My family and I had gone to Delhi on 29th May (for a foriegn trip) and returned on the 7th. We had travelled by the Civic from Ajmer to Delhi, where the car was left standing at my aunt's place, and come back on 7th night (reached Ajmer on 8th at 4 am, only 3 days before this 2nd incidence of belt failure). What if something like this had gone wrong on these journeys, and at those times. I would have been in major trouble. What then?