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Old 4th November 2022, 14:11   #211
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Re: Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?

Hey guys,
Looking for recommendations for transport services. A friend needs to transport his VW Vento from Mumbai to Electronic City, Bangalore. Would appreciate any leads or references
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Old 21st May 2023, 11:57   #212
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Re: Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?

Folks, I am looking for pros and cons of moving a new XL6 from Delhi to Bangalore via 1. transport method vs 2. self-drive (with myself + 1 driver).

I don't mind driving long distances and will cover it in <3 days. I do mind bad roads if driving and delays in transport if taking that option.

Any idea of approximate cost now, in mid-2023? (I see Leo's review in the thread and I'm checking with them.)
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Old 21st May 2023, 22:35   #213
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Re: Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?

Quote:
Originally Posted by blackfog View Post
Folks, I am looking for pros and cons of moving a new XL6 from Delhi to Bangalore via 1. transport method vs 2. self-drive (with myself + 1 driver).
If it is a new car, I suggest you get your dealer to arrange for transportation. Accept a reasonable time-frame. Going through the dealer is likely to be more expensive, but at least MS can monitor the transport of your new car.

More than the bad roads, it is the heat upto June-end in MP and Rajasthan and then the mud once you hit the monsoon zone in Maharashtra.

Driving a new car, even after the break-in period, in high temperatures impact overall long-term performance. Outside temps cross 38 C till mid-June in MP.
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Old 22nd May 2023, 14:14   #214
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Re: Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?

Quote:
Originally Posted by blackfog View Post
I do mind bad roads if driving and delays in transport if taking that option.

Any idea of approximate cost now, in mid-2023?
After getting a quote from 2 different movers, I realized that I do mind paying 1.5% of car cost in transit insurance premium. That'll be ~2 lakhs. Not happening for me

Quote:
Originally Posted by mygodbole View Post
If it is a new car, I suggest you get your dealer to arrange for transportation.

More than the bad roads, it is the heat upto June-end in MP and Rajasthan and then the mud once you hit the monsoon zone in Maharashtra.

Driving a new car, even after the break-in period, in high temperatures impact overall long-term performance.
Thank you @mygodbole for the insightful response. A few questions, if you don't mind, please.
  • Dealer isn't interested and told me to explore options on my own. If someone doesn't want to do it, I don't want to force them to do it for me. Reluctance leads to shoddy work.
  • I've decided to drive and wish to take Delhi > Agra > Jabalpur > Nagpur > Bangalore route. I assume that the roads are good and because of it the monsoons/mud won't be an issue. I won't take Rajasthan route (say, via Kota). Would roads be OK on this route? Would mud be an issue, beyond a car wash?
  • Please help me understand the impact on the performance when driving in high temp. I shall be driving it back after 1k km on the Odo and after getting its first service done.
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Old 22nd May 2023, 18:30   #215
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Re: Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?

Check the relevant route guide pages for road conditions, diversions, fuel and food stops.

Excess heat is not good for any machine, so I can only urge driving sedately during hot hours.

Stay hydrated, take proper rest/breaks and enjoy the drive.

Write a travelogue afterwards.

Drive safe.
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Old 4th July 2023, 13:28   #216
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Re: Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?

I want to move my new car from Gurgaon to Bangalore, does any company provide dedicated flatbed transport vehicle? I don't mind paying extra for dedicated transport vehicle.
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Old 22nd September 2023, 16:30   #217
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Re: Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?

I'm planning to transport my Brezza from Delhi to Bangalore, and after going through this thread, I've figured out that APML (Topiwala) seems to be okay, but I'm still quite hesitant. I've also received quotes from Nobroker, but they are not willing to insure the car. Please suggest what to do. Additionally, driving down to Bangalore is not an option for me since I only started driving last year and have only been on the highway once, from Gurgaon to Mathura.
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Old 19th October 2023, 18:25   #218
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Re: Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?

We used APML (https://www.agarwalpackers.com/) in 2022 to transport my father's Mahindra XUV 500, which was over 9 years old then, from Delhi to Guwahati.
The initial quote by APML was around 50,000 INR. Later, we negotiated to around 43,000 INR.(The bulk of the discount was because I chose to drive to their Gurgaon warehouse and pick up the vehicle from the Guwahati warehouse. I did so not because of the money but because I wanted to minimize the amount of driving done by APML's driver.)

Also, we had another shipment including two carpets for which we were charged around 7,000 more. We were told that the carpets would be packed and sent in some other storage container. But, later when I went to deliver the car to their Gurgaon warehouse(narsinghpur), they wrapped the carpets in plastic and put in inside the car itself.


As per odometer reading, the car was driven for 2 KMs. I was told that it was driven within the warehouse while loading in Gurgaon, when the car carrier was changed in Kolkata warehouse, and while being unloaded from the carrier in Guwahati.
The car was dirty but there wasn't any visible damages. I paid their staff in Guwahati to wash the car.

Though it was expensive, I was fairly happy with their service. Time taken was 11 days(including days of drop and pick-up). So, the transit time is likely to be 9 days.


APML Gurgaon warehouse
Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?-apml-gurgaon-2.jpg

Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?-apml-gurgaon.jpg

APML Guwahati warehouse

Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?-apml-guwahati-2.jpg

Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?-apml-guwahati.jpg

Last edited by skywalker18 : 19th October 2023 at 18:31.
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Old 28th November 2023, 12:50   #219
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Re: Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?

Hey there!

In a bit of a dilemma right now, I need to transport a car from Ludhiana to Hyderabad and need suggestions for which transport company to go with. Driving all the way is unfeasible and the car can be driven down to Delhi, if needed.

Any leads would be appreciated, thanks!
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Old 28th November 2023, 14:16   #220
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Re: Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?

Quote:
Originally Posted by blackfog View Post
Folks, I am looking for pros and cons of moving a new XL6 from Delhi to Bangalore via 1. transport method vs 2. self-drive (with myself + 1 driver).

I don't mind driving long distances and will cover it in <3 days. I do mind bad roads if driving and delays in transport if taking that option.

Any idea of approximate cost now, in mid-2023? (I see Leo's review in the thread and I'm checking with them.)
Drive down. No issue in driving these new modern cars for long distances right out of factory. I do not think heat is going to be any issue on the car. It will be for the humans. So, plan your journey accordingly. Do not worry about heat affecting the car. Nothing is going to happen to it.
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Old 1st December 2023, 13:11   #221
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Re: Packers & Movers: Post all queries here

Hello Folks,

I am planning to ship my Swift Zxi 2015 from Gurgaon to Bangalore.

Have gone through a lot of BHP threads and understand that its quite a risky move choosing the Packers & Movers option. Although driving myself is not an option for now.

I have got a quote from APML at 28K (Negotiated to 26K). Website link as follows: https://www.agarwalpackers.com/

I have also contacted Riya Cargo Gurgaon, google review are really bad but one of my friend have used their service 3-4 times and says it is just satisfactory (Small accessories were stolen).

Please suggest and advice. Thanks in advance.
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Old 15th March 2024, 14:57   #222
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Transport service recommendations for car transport

Hi All,
Was looking for a dedicated thread on this but couldn't find. A friend of mine needs to ship a brand new luxury SUV to be registered at Noida to Bangalore.

After reading stories such as this was wondering how to find a good transportation service using container and what are the recommended ones?

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/stree...-movers-2.html (My harrowing experience | Transporting my car from Om International Movers)
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Old 4th July 2024, 19:41   #223
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Transporting a car by a truck from Gurgaon to Bangalore

(This is 2nd part of the posting and is in continuation to

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...-gurugram.html (My travails and tribulations of buying a used Tata Hexa at Gurugram)


Someone said that ‘nothing ages your car as much as the sight of your neighbour’s new one’. While this certainly was one of the factors that made me go ahead with changing the car, the ageing Safari, the limited budget I had, and the aspiration of owning a MUV car that suits my purse and purpose, and with a belief that for the price I pay, I may derive a much greater value, with all my assumptions, I jumped the gun, as mentioned earlier, and went ahead with the buy from SD. I’ll detail here how I chose the transporter, and the issues and challenges faced therein. The transport sector in India seems to be a most disorganized sector where felonies, misdemeanors, and infractions happen in a united, organized and in a routine manner as a matter of their prerogative. The so called Agarwals, Agrawals, JPs, JMs, Mehtas, Gatis, Battis, so on so forth; all of them seem to be apparently good packers and movers. However, I needed to learn how to check if all of these big names are fleet owners, as well, the fact of which is impossible to know. Maybe, few of them do have their own trailers and container-trucks, and hence one can safely say that they are more reliable service providers than those who doesn’t have their own fleet and act as agents. The reviews for each of them were discouraging and giving away one’s car to them is a hundred times worse than a ladki’s bidai, just won’t know how the car would be treated by these guys. Even more dreadful are the stories by a few, who wrote that their cars were actually driven from Delhi to Bangalore, with the odometer being disconnected and fast-tags taped.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shift...r-bike-14.html (Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?)
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/stree...al-movers.html (My harrowing experience | Transporting my car from Om International Movers)

The experiences shared by our BHPians only heightened my fear and I realized that I have to endure yet another onerous task and was hoping that I would find a good transporter. We (me and my cousin) zeroed in on BCT, which has a number of good ratings and reviews. A call to them was answered by a confident gentleman who allayed all my fears and assured me that the car will be delivered in about a week’s time and asked me to visit their office, the next morning. Also, he assured me that their pricing would be fair and competitive. The buying task was messed up by me and I very well know that the task of getting the transmission issue solved is going to be a herculean task. Therefore, I very much wanted the second task of getting the Hexa moved to Bangalore to be a seamless transfer and hence I carefully did a in-depth research, planning, and communication with a few transporter, including BCT, for a smooth and stress-free car transfer experience. But, nay, I could not have been more wrong, yet again. It was anything but a stress-free experience.

The next morning, I started driving to the location which is about 8 kms from the golf course road, the Google location of BCT was shared by the gentleman, with whom I had spoken, the last night. Hexa seems to be running fine with no transmission issues, and gear changes happening flawlessly, putting me in to a state of quandary. I was wondering if I should drive to Bangalore or hand over to BCT. My state of vacillating between driving and handing over increased as soon as I saw their office, which is nothing but a small shabby green-walled room. The gentleman with whom I spoke called and said that his brother will be attending to me! This guy seemed to be a friendly chap and immediately proceeded with the paperwork and instructed his boys to inspect the car and take pictures. He appeared to be a man of fewer words and seemed a work-oriented guy, which made me ignore his shabby office. He told me that the main factors in determining the cost of shipping are the size of the vehicle, the distance, insurance, and the delivery terms. In the meantime, that phone guy called me and said that they pride themselves in rendering prompt service and that the vehicle will be delivered safely with a minimum of delay and added that this is how they’ve become a leading player in this sector and that they are specialized in moving cars for over 20 years. This nailed it! Thereupon, one of his assistants, a young boy, came to me and told me to park the car in an adjoining compound area of a huge bungalow, which was in a dilapidated state. Upon parking, I was surprised to see a Jaguar, 2 BMWs, 1 Audi A6 and a few other hatchbacks parked. Reading my mind, the boy told me that all the cars are waiting for moving to Bangalore, except for the Audi, which is for Nagpur. By then, I was more than convinced, as these guys are moving luxury cars, as evidenced in their Google reviews, and also due to the fact that the car owners are confident in handing over their lovely cars, to take their services for moving my car. I felt I shouldn’t further hesitate to go ahead and be done with this work. Anyways, I am sure I wouldn’t be driving to Bangalore, due to the seeded doubts in my mind about the condition of the vehicle, be it the transmission issue or any other unforeseen niggles or breakdowns. I was all the more convinced after I was told that they own more than 40 trailer-trucks, most of which are closed containers and that my Hexa will be moved in one of these closed containerized trucks, which are insured. Later, the same boy, who took pictures of Hexa, got tea from a nearby tuck-shop and served in a cup that looked like was manufactured in my grandfather’s era and was indelibly stained. But understanding the horror look on my face, he was kind enough to change the cup and served in a disposable cup. Now that the mehman ki khatirdari was done, I was convinced I should go ahead with them! Agree or not, a cup of tea is a cup of positivity, solves everything! I did not want to try other transporters or wanted to obtain multiple quotes as I’m sure that all are sharks and there aren’t any saints in this line of business. Even Pikkol, which is a start-up, has enough number of negative reviews and hence did not bother to waste my little time in Delhi, as none can give a smoother experience.

With all the inherent risks in long-haul car moves, I quickly completed the paperwork such as sharing aadhaar card copy, self-declaration, copies of RC and insurance and was issued a consignee carrier’s note. A word of caution here, in spite of repeatedly asking for transit insurance, the guy claimed that all transfers and transits are covered by insurance and that I will be charged premium, and that the exact amount will be informed in due course of time. He further claimed that inspection will be done by the surveyor at the yard where loading of cars happens and hence he is unable to issue cover note at the time of handing over the car. Much to my own chagrin and mounting frustrations, I gave the key to the guy and decided to leave the place. I thought, at that point in time, it won’t take a week or so to see the car at Bangalore and decided to undergo a week’s time of suspense and stress. The thought that these guys will only take a week to ten day’s time to deliver my vehicle at Bangalore was my another malignant assumption, yet again. Quite surprisingly, a sense of relief swept me. Maybe, the fact that I’m not driving to Bangalore, and need not face the perils of a highway driving in an unknown car that may have some yet-to-surface defects, apart from the known devil, gave me a sense of solace. However, I was still wishing that if only the Hexa becomes anthropomorphic and tells me the list of issues that need to be fixed, I very well could have done a road trip to Bangalore from Delhi, after attending to the repairs! After witnessing my car being further moved in the building compound area and parked next to the Jaguar from the only window of this dingy green room and with an assurance from the phone-guy and the guy who issued the consignor note, that the car would be moved only in a containerized truck, I left the place. So, to sum up the process of handing over the car for onward movement to Bangalore, I handed over the car along with the copies of requisite papers (they don’t mind whosoever is the consignor and the RC need not bear the name of the consignor and can be in someone else’s name), the car, along with the other cars, will be moved to their truck terminal, wherein the container truck fleet are awaiting the next batch of cars for shipping. I am given to understand that about 5 to 6 cars, depending on their size and dimensions, will be loaded in a truck for onward movement. Points to be pondered here are that the car will be driven multiple times by the multiple guys at a multiple locations, giving the consignor multitude levels of stress. When start itself is bad and nothing goes right, better go right, exactly I did this, after keeping the consignor note in my wallet, I took a right turn from the green-walled room, on to the main road and hailed a cab to my cousin’s place at the Golf-course road, which is blissfully away from this Neo-Nazi’s place, for a good noon’s sleep, with a belief that by evening I’ll be updated that my vehicle has been loaded and the onward journey to Bangalore has started.
Though l am not a logistics professional, from the lessons, learnings and the livid yet laborious conversations had with the forwarders, I felt that I should be summarizing here the process one need to follow for shipping the car through a transporter.

1. Do your research and pick a reliable operator
2. Wash Your Vehicle
3. Take Pictures of exterior from various angles
4. Take a few clear photos of the odometer
5. Clean the Interiors of the vehicle
6. Secure or remove the accessories
7. Check radiator fluid levels, battery, and tyres, better to ensure the vehicle is highway worthy.
8. Fuel should not be more than a 1/4 tank
9. Disable alarms
10. Deactivate or Remove fast-tags
11. Handover only one key. Keep the spare key with you
12. Ensure the carrier’s cargo insurance is valid and also take transit insurance cover
13. Insurance of your vehicle should be in vogue
14. Tell the guy to move in a closed container truck only
15. Don’t forget to collect your copy of consignor note
16. Check the delivery terms, whether it’s a door delivery or you’ve collect from the yard
17. Make sure you understand all the terms mentioned in the note
18. Highlight the condition of your car and tell them that the car is in ship-shape
19. Have the car inspection done by both the parties together and have a consensus
20. Know the cost before and check for any additional and hidden costs
21. Take the Spoc number or the owner’s or the manager’s number for asking updates as they do not update proactively on the status and also tell them to share the truck number and loading pics
22. And finally, there may be multiple truck yards in your city, check in which yard the car would be unloaded.
23. Also, check if the same truck will proceed to your city and what are the multiple transit points of unloading and loading points before it reaches the destination.
24. Lastly, carry your spare key while going to pick the car in your city.

As a driver, you’ve always got to believe in your heart that you’ve got what it
takes to win it. You’ve always got to believe in yourself. You’ve always got to
arrive on the day and believe it can happen. You’ve always got to believe in the
positives. –Lewis Hamilton

-End of Part-2 of 4
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Old 6th July 2024, 10:34   #224
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Re: Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?

Hope the car will reach Bangalore safe and sound. And hope you will found the permanent solution for the breakdown. Thanks for the detailed information of shipping, Good luck and waiting for the next part
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Old 20th July 2024, 22:56   #225
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Re: Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?

Part - 3
Transporting a car by a truck from Gurgaon to Bangalore
________________________________________
(This is the 3rd part of the posting and continues to the following two articles)

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...-gurugram.html (My travails and tribulations of buying a used Tata Hexa at Gurugram)


https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shift...ml#post5797600 (Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?)

(I request this article to be posted under the above url. Thanks)

Communication is key. One has to communicate clearly to avoid misunderstandings that may cause hurt, anger, resentment or confusion. Keeping the lines of communication open is very important. If one is not transparent in his dealings, he’ll not communicate diligently. In the service industry, open communication is the spine that holds up the customer and they’ll be loyal. Any hint of a delay or issues, the transporter needs to proactively inform the customer about what's happening and how it’s going to be sorted out. In short, the customer knows very well that the truckers are tackling the vagaries and bumps in the roads head-on; keeping the customer in the loop ensures heartaches and heartburns are avoided. If we assume that the trip from Gurgaon to Bangalore will be smooth and fast, then we’re living in a utopian world. The way things are with the transporter, for sure, it’s next to impossible.

Every human being makes a mistake now and then, I made a few, such as buying the Hexa from SD. The trucks are going to be forever driven by human beings, It doesn’t seems to be reality that we will get something like Auroro driverless trucks in India too, and humans are prone for errors and mistakes do happen and more over the logistics, the lumpers and the drivers are managed by unprofessional individuals. So the inhumane managers, human errors of drivers and lumpers always add up to the already existing and inherent delays. The communication lines either go dead or calls remain unanswered. These guys aren’t even available on Whatsapp. We obviously know the pesky external factors that can throw a wrench and time-delays are inevitable but what bothers and hurts is the fact that the customer is completely kept in the dark.

On 17th Aug, I handed over the vehicle to BCT, with a strong certitude that by the same day evening I’ll be receiving an update that my vehicle had been loaded and the onward journey to Bangalore had begun. I felt a sense of relief and liberation. Belief is often the death of reasoning. As the evening dawned, the incoming call’s ringtone was never as mellifluous as it was on that evening, though the ringtone had been the same over the years! However, all the calls were either from someone else or spam calls. I, almost obsessively, continued checking my phone, hoping for a WA message from BCT. But no such luck. The next day I left for Bangalore and was hopeful that by the time I switched on the phone, I’d see a plethora of messages informing me the shipping status of my car. On the contrary, I had only messages for renewing membership or subscription from Bajaj Finance and Disney Hotstar and yes, another two cute messages, one from Airfreight informing me that my courier has been impounded by the Customs and that I have to pay fine and penalties, and the other one informing that I had won 1Cr lottery and that I have to share my bank details. Poor fellows, they don’t know that they’ve reached a guy whose luck has run out years ago.

All sorts of doubts started creeping in, what if BCT has engaged a driver to drive the car all the way to Bangalore or if the car is still lying at a truck yard, unattended and dumped along with a few other cars or if the car is being used for some errands at Gurgaon, any which way, being as helpless as a beached whale, I also had this weird feeling that they are having a whale of time with my car, parked at the yard, seated in captain seats, sipping country liquor and listening to songs from the highly impressive JBL system – the listener’s joy and the owners envy. Being a hypertension patient, I was futilely trying to look and think no further than my old Safari Dicor’s headlights can see during the night driving. With a mind full of bad thoughts, trying to remain positive and take the events as they unfurl, and also trying at the same time to calm down, by silently chanting “Sohum” whilst remembering the soothing voice of venerable Sri Sri Ravishankar, kept messaging BCT for an update. Only dates changed with no updates.

Finally, after three days, BCT called me and informed that the car has been loaded in a closed container truck and the onward journey had started and that I can expect the car in about 3 to 5 day’s time. He apologized the delay and assured me that I’ll henceforth be updated periodically. After this update, quite irritatingly, there was a 5-day break in communication. Those five days were longest days in my life, remember reading in my schooling that the summer solstice day, 21st Jun, is the longest day in a year, but I had five long days in Aug’23! The author Dan Brown had written in one of his books -“There’s a lot of stress… but once you get in the car, all that goes out the window.” I was hoping for the same and that I will do this very soon. But this seemed a far cry. I just wanted an update that the truck is safe and is moving, as long as it is safe and moving, it doesn’t matter how slow it’s moving.

Early morning of 25th Aug, BCT seems a morning-only guy, I got an update that the trailer truck had stalled due to a technical fault near Jhansi and that it appeared to be some kind of an electrical fault as complete electrical are shut-off. He also informed that the truck being a new one is in the warranty period, and that they cannot get it repaired from any roadside garage and that only Tata’s authorized service centre’s deputed personnel can attend for carrying out the repair works, else the warranty will become void. The guy gave a laundry list of excuses as to why another truck could not be sent to replace the defective one and even if he managed to send a help-truck, the container door, being an electrically operable door, couldn’t be opened. The shared pics are attached here. After listening to his lame excuses, I finally realized that all his initial assurances and talks over the phone were all hat and no cattle talks.

If the truck breakdown is true, I was wondering at the wonder as to how a transmission-failed-car did a direct transmission of a fault, albeit of a different kind, to its carrier! Tata breeds Tata! My exact feeling about myself at that point in time was that what an airhead I am for trusting these unprofessional guys and for committing mistake after mistake and only hoping that this wouldn’t cascade to something worse. Initially when I handed over the car, even though the BCT guy told me it would take about 7 days time, I expected it would take about another 3 days more, provisioning and factoring some unforeseen delays due to traffic conditions, or weather and driver’s side-hustles. Coming to the point, those five summer solstice days, I started reading daily horoscope and followed few advices given, viz., wearing the lucky coloured shirt, asking updates only during gulikaal and amritkaal hours.

Finally on 9th day of handing over the vehicle, I got an update that the truck has reached Nagpur city outskirts and is about 25 kms away from the city, without mentioning about when it started from Jhansi. However, he added that the some other technical snag recurred and that again the driver is waiting for Tata guys to attend.

While apologizing for the delay and for not updating in a timely manner, the BCT guy was quick to alert me on an obscure fact that Tata service centre was overloaded and that many trucks are lined up and were waiting for their turn for repairs / service and that his truck was in the queue. When asked “apka number kab ayega”, he just said don’t know. While I knew that he was just telling a big bluff story, I just cringed as to what I did and why I had given to these guys. It’s been a rollercoaster days, unpredictable and stressful. I became increasingly suspicious as to what these guys were up to. Was the car really in transit or was it still lying at Gurgaon. No photographs were shared, except that of a closed container lying beside a highway that did not show the truck’s registration number. He was careful in not showing the truck number in the first photograph in which the car was in a container.

The farce continued for five more days. And by then I got used to this rigmarole. I almost forgot that I bought a Hexa at Gurgaon and I feel kind of resigned to the fact that it was useless to protest because nothing would change as these guys are per se faulty, fallible, and unreliable. There are some things that are so unforgivable that they make other things easily forgivable, with this predicament, I am willing to listen all the silly excuses that were been given to me, with a fervent hope that the car is safe and that I would someday finally see it in one piece with no scratches and dents. Trying to gain a sense of positivity, all I can do is pray and let the spirit of faith guide me towards peace and tranquility. I lost the count; I don’t even remember when I handed over the car to BCT.

After a few days, got a call from them informing that though the technical snag continued, the truck has reached Hyderabad where it will be attended by the Tata service guys on a priority. I started contemplating if I can go to Hyderabad which is just about 530 kms from Bangalore and take the delivery there and drive down to my place. However there is a big lurking risk of transmission failure and a few more unknown technical snags that may happen as the car was still an unknown entity to me. I stopped dwelling on this point anymore though the prospect of driving to Bangalore seemed an attractive proposition. In two minds, when I asked if I can take the delivery, he was kind enough that he will arrange for it at Hyderabad. However, I was still in two minds, whether to drive or continue the snag hit car to travel in the snag-ridden truck till its final destination, which is Bangalore. Driving in this car to Bangalore would be a non sequitur fallacy and is fraught with a definite risk of breakdown in the middle of nowhere.

Though my 19 year old son was excited at the prospect of driving the Hexa to Bangalore, a better sense prevailed in both of us as our thinking became a null hypothesis by a rational analysis done by my wife on the pro and cons of driving the Hexa. And therefore, by default, we decided not to drive and the agonizing wait continued yet again. Hope is the thing with feathers, someone said this, don’t know who. Maintaining my rollercoaster emotions intact, I understood it is of no avail making calls repeatedly for updates and it would be only a beating a dead horse. Taking a break from my wild mash up of sensory impressions, I sought solace by interacting more with toddlers at my wife’s preschool and meeting a close friend, Mr Gururaj, multiple times, who happens to reside nearby and having more filter coffees at “The Rameswaram Café”. Trust me, having a good filter coffee with a friend heals a lot and does wonders to you. The caffeine enriched coffees boosts anyone’s morale and this is a simple lovely life-hack.

Finally, in the late hours of the night on 11th Sep, I got an update from BCT that the truck had reached Bangalore and was parked at Dabaspet which is about 55 kms from Bangalore city. He, however, hastened to add that the truck had an OTL and the lock would be opened in the morning only and asked me to go after 11AM to collect the car, putting rest to my thoughts that I should rush to take the car at midnight itself. He also said symphony-like words that the car was absolutely safe and that his team had taken great care during the transit period. Notwithstanding the assurances given, that night was long and restless. I had been tossing and turning in my bed, unable to sleep and frequently got up either to have water or to go to the loo, and in the process, I ensured that my family members remained awake too. Thereupon, somehow I passed the morning time, got into green-line metro, and reached Nagasandra metro station, from where I took an auto to reach the yard.

In the meantime, whilst travelling by auto, I got a call from BCT, which I answered with much anxiousness as was thinking about what else I needed to hear and endure. However, mitigating my fear, he told me that I should allow another one hour’s time so that he arranges for a thorough car-wash. He sounded as if I had approved a full 25-day transit time. Anyways, I took the address of the car-washing place and googled it to locate it on Google Maps. I started the walk and soon my walk galloped into a speed-walk, then into a light jog as I sped to that place as if to catch an international flight. While jogging, a thought occurred to me that maybe out of remorse he arranged the car-wash for compensating the inordinate delay and also for getting a 5-star rating in his Google business page.

And finally and finally, much before reaching the location, as being shown by Google Maps, I saw a shining Urban-Bronze Hexa, after a gap of 25 days, parked on the service road of Bangalore-Pune highway. I virtually jumped off the auto after spotting the number plate, and identifying it as my car. Quite amusingly, for me, it wasn’t easy recognizing the car since I had seen it only a couple of times in the last one month's time! As informed, the car was washed, though the interiors had a small amount of red soil dust accumulation, especially on the dashboard, aircon vents and also on the seats. I slowly inspected the exteriors and as assured, the car had no additional scratches or any tell-tale marks. With a sense of relief and freedom that I cannot even explain, I just took the key from the car-washing guy and sat in the driver’s seat as if to start a meditation session.

Looking around, I fiddled with ICE, tried putting on the best FM station that would play fast songs, started the ignition and moved away onto the highway. I noticed the initial sluggishness due to faulty transmission, but once the RPM was nearing the 1,000 mark, turbo engine was pulling the car effortlessly and within no time, I was almost doing 90 km/h. I reached my place in about an hour’s time and the entire drive was smooth, pleasant and uneventful. What happened thereafter and how I started working doggedly, trying to find a solution that would be a permanent fix to the transmission problem and what other failures and ordeals I had faced will be written in detail in my next write-up in part-4.

Based on my multiple interactions with BCT guys, and also based on a few occasional Freudian slips, I can safely conclude that this is how a car-transport and logistics work:

My Key Takeaways
1. Between Delhi and Bangalore there are multiple collection, loading, unloading and consolidation points or yards.
2. One truck or the same truck does not take our car to the designated destination.
3. Our car will be loaded, unloaded, consolidated with other cars, and multiple layovers happen before reaching Bangalore.
4. Jhansi, Nagpur, Hyderabad are prominent cities where trucks are shuffled and permutations are worked out to reach various destinations in the south, west and east, with maximum possible cars in one truck. They must be more efficient than our Mumbai’s dabbawalas to do this at a much faster pace.
5. The drivers usually drive just about 350 kilometers a day at an average speed of 60 only.
6. The cheaper way isn’t a safest way to ship a car while safest way may not be expensive carrier.
7. Most of the guys we reach to are actually brokers and agents and not fleet owners.
8. Like cargo, cars too are consolidated for their onward movement.
9. It generally takes about not less than 5 days just to find a carrier truck.
10. The highest-paying loads first, and then comes the lower-paying loads; this is how the loaders are instructed.
11. Unless they have FTL, the trucks won’t begin the onward journey.
12. The cars are arranged akin to that good old Nokia phone’s Tetris game. Max number of vehicles in one truck.
13. Carriers want to make as much as they can per vehicle; the brokers are trying to find carriers at the lowest possible price, hence the obvious time delays. What is charged to us by the brokers isn’t invariably paid in full to the truckers.
14. The committed transit time is just a wild estimation.
15. Transport companies often deliver multiple vehicles in one trip to a multiple destinations which is a cause for delay.
16. Terminal-to-terminal shipping offers carriers an easier way to transport your vehicle. Delivering cars to a central location within a city will further delay the delivery.
17. We can no way speed up or slow down the shipping process once the car has been given away.
18. Sadly, none can ever guarantee a specific date of pick up or delivery. Any company that offers. I would advise you to run away from it.
19. The car transport industry heavily relies and operates through brokers, middle-men and transport carrier owners.
20. Lastly, there isn’t a single efficient and reliable car transporter in our country who’ll commit and adhere to the given timelines.
Dear BHPians, In my earnest to convey my feelings, experiences and heart-burns, I had no choice but to be verbose in all the stories. Brevity is a special talent which very few possess.

End of Part 3 of 4 in series
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Attached Thumbnails
Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?-whatsapp-image-20240720-20.02.28-1.jpeg  

Whats the Best way to transport a car or bike?-whatsapp-image-20240720-20.02.28.jpeg  


Last edited by Aditya : 22nd July 2024 at 17:14. Reason: Spacing
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