[Resolved]  Maruti Zen lxi — Complaint against D.D.Motors, Mayapuri, New Delhi

Shoddy aftersales Service by Maruti Authorized Dealer - DD Motors, Mayapuri
To,
The Chief General Manager (Service)
MARUTI UDYOG LIMITED
Palam Guragan Road,
Gurgaon – 122015

September 29, 2009



Dear Sir,

As a consumer who's been loyal to Maruti Udyog Ltd. for the last 20 odd years, I have to assert that the after-sales service that I have received in my particular case is way below expectations. The kind of treatment I have received from the Staff at your Authorized Dealer - D.D. Motors (Mayapuri, New Delhi) disgusts me. We purchased a Maruti Zen Lxi in July 2006, License plate DL NC P 5823 from your authorized dealer D.D. Motors. The car was doing fine when one day the engine overheated followed by a rattling sound and the car came to a halt while on my way to work. This was in October 2007. Since my office is in Noida, I preferred to get a mechanic do a temporary fix and once in Noida, handed over the car to motorcraft (another Maruti Authorized service station) who said that the fan had stopped working due to a loose wiring connection. I drove back to the office from Motorcraft and then back home. The car was immediately handed over to D.D. Motors who said that there's a problem with the relay. They changed the relay and handed over the car back to me. A week later, the same problem occurred, yet again on my way to work. I again handed over the car to D.D. Motors but this time, they said that they couldn't reproduce the overheating issue at their end despite repeated attempts. Anyway, after a day or two, they said that we have identified the issue and handed the car back to me. Soon enough, it became a daily affair. The car would overheat, the coolant would start boiling and ooze out of its compartment. The temperature gauge would often reach higher than H and I had to daily take out the thermostat coupler to let the fan keep blowing on direct connection.

After going through a lot of harassment for over a period of about 1 year and repeated visits to D.D. Motors workshop, I finally decided that this problem needs to be seen by a fresh set of eyes. In the meantime, the car had even stopped starting! I called up crossroads and a technical representative from Magic Auto (Mayapuri, New Delhi) which is close to D.D. Motors showed up and suggested that I shouldn't take the car to D.D. Motors if it has given me problems earlier. Magic Auto is again a Maruti Authorized service centre. During all this, the A/C also stopped working. Usually, when I turned on the A/C, the temperature gauge used to climb faster and overheat even sooner. I stopped using the A/C, and mind you, this all happened during the worst summer months of Delhi with my office-mates inside the car who carpool with me. The technicians at Magic Auto said that there seems to be a fault with wiring. They dissected it (atleast, that's what I was told) for the 1 week that they kept my car! I told them to do away with any faulty wiring and just FIX the problem. Mr. Ashwini was handling my Job card there and said that there was some damaged wiring which had to be removed and that now the car was fine. I went over there to check the car and found the A/C in working condition. Even took a test drive with Mr. Ashwini down to the Delhi Cantt. just to make sure that Maruti had not bluffed to me once again. Somewhat satisfied but still skeptical, I came back and started using the car to commute back and forth on a daily basis.

I then noticed that everytime I braked, a sharp sound came from the front left wheel. It felt as if 2 metal parts were rubbing against each other. All in all, my car is no longer in driving condition. The overheating problem is back and on several suggestions from relatives and friends, I decided to take the car to Maruti's own Workshop in Naraina. The car overheated while on the fly-over itself (I stay in tagore garden, so that should tell you how bad the situation is). I thought I'd leave the car for service as it was a weekday and I wasn't expecting a lot of rush. The guy at the reception told me that the car needs to be brought between 8am-10am. I was so infuriated that I walked out of there and decided that I've had enough with Maruti.

Not only am I sure that Maruti sold me a refurbished piece, I'm also sure that its so called 'technicians' are incompetent in fixing problems. I've never been subjected to such roguish conduct and being an ex-owner of a Maruti 800 that lasted a good 16 years for me, I'm disgusted at the treatment meted out to me and feel robbed by Maruti. A brand new car bought in July 2006 goes bad in 2007 despite perfect handling is only proof that Maruti has sold a goat under a tiger's skin.

This kind of service is not just unexpected from such a reputed brand but shows how lightly a consumer and his/her comfort is taken. I've completely lost my faith in Maruti and I'm already seeking legal advice.

Good luck!