[Optimus Prime]

Originally Posted by vid6639

cant have performance mods as dad drives it and lets just say he isnt light footed so am scared for any performance mods plus it will also be chauffered driven.

hey man, i know the feeling. i wanted to get some stuff done to the lancer but my dad drives it and he doesnt cross 50...

mine's a 2000 model and it's done around 37000kms.... but the car is always turning right and there's a steering wobble at high speeds. also the HU for the music system is RIP.

keep me updated on whatever you get done to the vehicle...

Edit : just read your post on the previous page..

[shazikon]

You lucky dude Vids..Lathangi motors worked for you.. for my ikon, i am still stuck with either cauvery ford for Metro ford.. I have almost the same problems as you have mentioned and even after pinpointing it i couldnt get it corrected. i have just lost hopes with the ford service in Bangalore.
Sorry for getting OT..

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by Optimus Prime

but the car is always turning right and there's a steering wobble at high speeds.

Those two are easy fixes (unless your car's been involved in a big shunt!) the first problem is due to faulty Alignment & the second problem is due to lack of Wheel Balancing. Get them both done at a good tyre showroom & that'll be th end of that! And remember if you let the pulling right problem continue for long, your tyre will have major uneven wear problems.

[Vid6639]

As many of you would know, my lancer had many problems which were rectified only after I changed my service centre from India Garage to Lathangi.

So I finished the 60,000kms service when the odo read 64,122kms at Lathangi. This was in December 2007. The bill came to Rs.14,000 and involved changing quite a few stuff like:
- One expensive engine mount that was eaten up by a rat. approx Rs.3000
- ac gas recycling
- coolant change
- alternator belt changed because of rat.
- power steering fluid change
- engine oil change

After this service the car felt absolutely amazing. Everything was just right.

In March I drove down with folks to Mumbai and the entire journey was trouble free and the car performed wonderfully. I even got a mileage of 14kmpl in one of the tankfuls on the way.

After that there was a trip to chennai which was also uneventful. By june 2008 the car had done another 8000kms and was at 72,000kms. I planned on giving it for service but to my dismay came to know that Lathangi had shut shop and moved over to Ford.

I put off the service as there was absolutely no issues with the car and the city mileage was now 9.5kmpl regularly. Sideways had come down to bangy and had driven my car and said there was absolutely no issues bar a few minor ones which could be fixed easily. He also suggested I do an engine flush as this had not been done even after 72,000kms and the engine was feeling a little gruff.

Before a recent trip to Tirupati I decided to get the brakes checked and accelerator cable lubricated as Farhan had told me to get these checked. The brakes were squealing a lot. Had no choice but to drive down to India Garage.

This was my first visit to India garage after more than a year. I could see not much had changed. The same chaos now quadrupled due to cars from Lathangi coming in. Severely understaffed with only 3 service advisors. Being in the centre of the city the small piece of land they are on is shared between HM for amby's, Mitsubishi, Mahindra for scorpios, boleros and Logan's. The number of Logans is huge since all the meru cabs come here for service. The Mitsubishi portion is really miniscule with absolutely no space to park once you enter.

I wait for a good 30minutes before the service advisor comes to me. I keep getting ushered to an ac room for customers but I know if I go there they will forget. Later the service advisor comes and asks me the problem. I tell him about the brake squeal and that i need it done urgently as I have a highway trip planned. The place is packed with other cars so I am told to wait till the hoist is available. The workshop only has 3 hoists whereas they service 40cars a day.

Once the car is on the hoist they remove the wheels and examine the brakes. One mechanic proclaims that the pads need to be changed and gets a set of new pads. I ask to see the old pads. By this time the senior mechanic comes and sees me looking at the pads. The old pads have 80% life left in them compared to the new ones. I ask why then does it need to be changed. The senior mechanic says if it is squealing we generally change the pads but if I wish they will clean the old pads and put them on. I tell them to do exactly that. While refitting the pads one mechanic notices that a metal clip in the caliper is worn out. They realise it's not the pads but the clip which is rubbing against the disc causing the squeal. All 4 clips are replaced on both sides and I am charged Rs.700 for the job. If I wasn't personally present I am sure I would have got a bill for a set of brake pads as well which cost Rs.2400.

The squeal is gone and the trip to Tirupati was a good one although the mileage was only 11kmpl due to the single lane road throughout.

Coming up next, the horrid service experience at India garage.

[hillram]

I think HM service sucks in every city.In HYderabad too we have the same fate with Sureka.Now a new dealer has come (Raima) and vows to take to ne wheights.
I recently bought a new Cedia from Sureka..looks like i have testing times ahead with HM After sales

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by hillram

I think HM service sucks in every city.In HYderabad too we have the same fate with Sureka.Now a new dealer has come (Raima) and vows to take to ne wheights.
I recently bought a new Cedia from Sureka..looks like i have testing times ahead with HM After sales

But, i am sure you knew about it before and opted for that wonderful car. Hope your run-in period is over and you must be raring to give it a go.

Btw, nice signature. Are you planning to invest in a property to keep all these valuables as knowing you the list may keep growing every now and then?

[Gregory]

hillram
I thought the sports model was stopped?

Mistsu needs to break away from HM and start their own assembly plants and a.s.s. Thats the only way they can improve in India.

[Vid6639]

Finally I have no choice but to go to India garage for the service as 10,000kms is up since the last service in december and the car's odo reads 74,000kms.

Booked a service for 31st July Thursday morning 9am. Land up at the garage only to find out that the person who took my booking got confused and booked it for friday. I ask them if I should come back tomorrow as they would have scheduled some cars and may not be able to handle the load. They say no they will manage. After a good one hour of waiting the service advisor finally takes my car details. Other than the service I wanted some work done like:
- headlight focusing.
- central locking check for front left door.
- rear bumper fix.
- left rear door beading replace as it keeps coming off.
- 70,000kms service.
- no oil/oil filter change.

Since Sideways had advised for an engine flush I told them not to change the oil. I decided I'd get the engine flushed and change to synthetic oil from another garage. (More on that later)

They told me the car would be ready by evening as oil change is not to be done. I warn them that not a single scratch should be there on the car and leave.

By evening 6pm no call from them. Call up service advisor who tells me that all the work is over, just the rear bumper fixing and body wash is pending. He suggests I take the car the next day at 12pm and everything will be done by then.

Reached the garage at 12pm sharp and find my car at the wash bay. Ok, looks like they finished everything or so I think.

Car comes to delivery section and I go around doing my inspection.
- headlight focusing - not done.
- central locking front left door - not done
- rear bumper - fixed but rattles like crazy.
- left door beading - now hanging out completely.

Added bonus: front skirting has now come loose.

Upon asking him as to why nothing has been done, I get the reply that central locking is not their problem as the car has autocop so I should call autocop guys, left door beading they forgot but they will do now and will take only 5minutes, headlight focusing will also be done now.

He shows me a metal bracket from the rear bumper that he changed saying that was broken. I ask him why it still rattles and he says the bumper is bent so it will rattle. I say then I will not pay for that. He quickly calls the body shop guy who realises that he forgot to put back the plastic clips that hold the bumper. Puts them back on and the rattles are gone.

Then I ask about the loose front skirting which was not loose when I gave the car. To this he replies that it must have been like that before but he forgot to put it on the job card. I tell him no chance as even my driver is sure it was not loose since he washes the car everyday. He changes his argument and says that all SFXi's have the front skirting loose. He tries to show me another SFXi but that car has the skirt bolted on so it doesn't even budge. He looks ashamed and tells me he will fix it free of charge but will need one day.

I need the car back to go to work so I tell him to forget it and I will drop the car some other day and he should finish all pending tasks as well. I Pay the bill for the service and bumper fixing and make the guy write and sign that he will fix the skirting FOC on my next visit.

Total bill amount is Rs.1815. Rs.650 for service, Rs.750 for bumper bracket, Rs.150 for Oil filter and Rs. 250 for bumper refixing labour charges. The feedback form was handed over to me and I have given a stinker of a feedback.

Car feels the same after service just the suspension is tighter since he has retorqued it.

I have decided to focus the headlamps on my own and also called the autocop guy home to fix the central locking. Now I just have to send the car to fix the skirting.

Oil flush and change is planned next week after fuel tank is near empty. Will update on that once completed.

[ajmat]

You should have let Ramamurthy sort your car out. Why go through this hassle

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by ajmat

You should have let Ramamurthy sort your car out. Why go through this hassle

Ramurthy is booked for monday for engine flush and oil change. It was so difficult to convince them to give me the oil filter separately.

Small things are best left to Ramurthy but scheduled service I have no choice as he doesn't know the lancer's mechanical aspects.

[iraghava]

Why do you go back to India Motors instead of Suraksha when your car is already 7 years old & you know IM are going to do a crappy job?

And parts I'm sure are available off the shelf in the after market now.

[PatienceWins]

I have heard bad feedback about India Garage. Though a relative was charged for air filter in his lancer, the lancer was delivered with the old filter. Good you decided to get oil changed outside.

[sj_koova]

This is really scary. I will have to go to them in another 2 months for my 10K service.
Any news about the new dealership of HM-Mitsubishi in Bangalore. I heard they are opening one somewhere near Jayanagar.

[theMAG]

Vid - I just dont see why you should leave it at India Garage anymore. There are smaller garages that give you just as much pain but at half the cost.

[razor4077]

Yup, absolutely agree. Lancer parts are readily available. Find a good (non-HM) workshop and get the work done there. Labour is cheaper, and they will do a better job than the HM charlies. I share your pain w.r.t HM my friend, as you well know I get all my work done at a trusted workshop. I avoid the HM places like plague unless I have to get something done that is not available outside (to do a scan, for example).