Buying Experience
Negotiated with all dealers, got best offer from Manipal Motors, their Sales person/manager spoke to me in a very courteous way and committed on the phone itself, for the others everytime they would call me and then sleep for 2-3 days to wake up again.
Got the following along with the Safari.
- Seat covers(fabric)
- 3M Sunfilm with warranty
- Body wax polish
- Basic accessories (Floor mats, flaps, perfume and Idol)
- Offered Bull bar -> I converted to Reverse sensors, not confident with their fitment again to Original Safari body cover, finally.
All commitments were met without any ifs/buts, contrary to stories of false promises.
I would recommend Manipal Motors, K.R. Road to others too, sales person Jagadeesh S.
Have to collect, Number plate, Seat covers and Extended warranty in 2-3 days.
Delivery
Went on the 26th late evening to check the vehicle, except for Seat cover, others were done, reason: fabric covers of 3.0 were not fitting well, need 2 days for 2.2 covers, fine, no problem.
Went on the 27th,I checked the safari as per T-BHP delivery list, paperwork was already done and kept ready, few signatures and ready to takeoff, vehicle was cleaned in the meantime. Warranty for tyres/PUC was not present, as per them its as per delivery date. All other documents (battery warranty, Immobilizer/ICE remote/vehicle manual was given). Service periods explained. They were out of stock for Extended warranty booklet.
Jagadeesh, explained all the features including the hidden fuel flap opener at the back, how to fold seats, console button, ICE operations, engine oil checking, double checked the chasis number and engine number on insurance, jack usage etc. reminded me to fill fuel first, Vehicle was at 18Kms on running.
This is Jagadeesh. Couldnt help the Sun.
Temple Experience
Drove on to the the Fuel pump, filled the diesel to the brim, moved onto the temple.
Pandit did a good pooja and then asked me to put lemons under the wheel and drive a bit forward. This is where the fun began.
Crank, no start, only a click. Crank again, no start, am confused look at the ICE and door light for power(loose battery cable, turbanmans experience), no they were running.
Get out close the door, open again and get inside.
In the meantime, both the pandit and my wife look stunned, pandit asks "not starting" I reply in a faint demotivated voice, no, try the other key, no luck.
Suddenly I press the "Unlock" button on the remote and twist the key, roar....it starts.
Realize that it locks itself even if the door is left open and no key activity after sometime.
Wait for the driving experiences post after few days.