The BIG Hatchback Dilemma!

[RSM]

But think, if the extended warranty option is removed by the manufacturer, you might loose a good option.

 

[cooldhaya]

Hmmm do they remove it? I think all cars have extended warranty till the third year atleast.

 

[350Z]

But think, if the extended warranty option is removed by the manufacturer, you might loose a good option.

1. There are absolutely rare chances of anything such happening in the competitive era.
2. Even in case it happens, that’d be one of the most unintelligent step by manufacturer and they sure will have more probability of loosing future potential customers.

That said, In any case whenever one buys an all new car, he/she hope that there should not arise a need to take car to workshop for repair, be it still under warranty. Now, considering the latter, if it still happens, that’d translate the manufacturer is either not trustworthy or erratic.

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[cooldhaya]

Which also indirectly sends out a message that expect a few troubles from your car after the two years of regular wear and tear use which in turn will spoil the reputation of the car and the manufacturer.

The condition posted by RSM is highly unlikely to happen i believe.

 

[350Z]

I’m wondering whether this topic is even worth debating about. Let’s create a new thread about extended warranty and have one-on-one there.

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[Akash]

Dont be sad Amaan, atleast you are getting a new car, and the other cars you are considering are fresh(face), so you wont bothered about your car getting outdated anytime soon. As for fabia, as you already know, it will be getting a facelift soon.

 

[mclaren1885]

Hey mclaren1885, didn't know you were here too!

Lol, now is that a good thing or bad thing?

Extended warranty? One should take it when buying a new car, unless you plan to mod your car.

 

[*Arkin_Young*]

^A good thing, obviously. The simplest to do is to go in for an extended warranty at the time of purchase. (IMHO)

 

[AMG]

@ amaan

Maybe it is time to show your bro this survey

The results of the 2010 JD Power customer satisfaction survey are out! Maruti Suzuki, unsurprisingly has ranked highest when it comes to satisfying the customers in India.
The highly regarded study, known as the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2010 India Sales Satisfaction Index is one of the best surveys to gauge satisfaction among car owners. Now in its eleventh year, the study examines seven factors that contribute to overall satisfaction with the new-vehicle buyer sales experience (listed in order of importance): delivery process, delivery timing, salesperson, sales initiation, dealer facility, paperwork and deal.
Here are the most important findings of the study:
1. Buyers of models that were launched in 2010 are less satisfied with their experience at dealerships, compared to buyers of one year or older models.
2. Satisfaction is particularly low among owners of newly launched models. These owners have said that the dealership did not deliver their new vehicle at the promised or requested time.
3. Owners of newly launched models indicate they received less involvement from the salesperson in various relationship-building measures, such as receiving thorough explanations to queries, being offered a test drive or being contacted following the sale to ensure that everything was satisfactory after driving their new vehicle home.
4. Among the 11 brands ranked in the study, Maruti Suzuki ranks highest with an overall SSI score of 819 on a 1,000-point scale, and performs particularly well in five of the seven factors: delivery process, salesperson, sales initiation, dealer facility and paperwork. Following Maruti Suzuki in the rankings are Honda (816) and Skoda (812).
5. Tata Motors is at the bottom of the heap with an overall score of 758
6. Overall sales satisfaction has increased by 10 points from 2009 to an average of 803 in 2010, with eight of 11 ranked brands demonstrating year-over-year improvements. The industry improves from 2009 in all seven factors, with the largest gains occurring in the areas of dealer facility and deal perceptions.
7. Among owners who are highly satisfied with their purchase experience at the dealership (sales satisfaction scores averaging above 873), 76 percent state they “definitely will” recommend their purchase dealer to a friend or relative.

The 2010 India SSI Study is based on responses from 6,178 new vehicle owners who purchased their vehicle between September 2009 and April 2010 and includes evaluations of more than 60 models. The study was fielded from March to June 2010.
“Excitement surrounding the launch of a new model can quickly become overshadowed in the minds of consumers if there is a lack of availability of the model and if the salesperson fails to display adequate enthusiasm, knowledge and skill in selling and delivering such models,” said Mohit Arora, executive director at J.D. Power Asia Pacific, Singapore. “In addition, given the fact that owners of newly launched models typically report longer waits for vehicle delivery than do owners of carryover models, manufacturers need to ensure prompt service delivery to exceed these heightened expectations.”

Source: Motoroids




Skoda finished in 3rd place.

This reaffirms my belief that Skoda's A.S.S. issues were blown out of proportion by an evidently Anti-Skoda lobby.

 

[amaan1994]

Sorry for not updating this thread. Was busy with my exam and other co-curricular activities.

In the meanwhile, we had a test-drive of the Wagon R, the Fabia and the Figo. Let's break the TD report into parts so it will be much easier to understand. First up, the Ford Figo.

Figo- The dealer and the salesperson specifically was not very receptive. Can't blame him though, there's just too many customers to deal with nowadays. Checked out the display cars and liked the one in Sea Grey (the LXI version which had a custom kit on it-complete with sport stickers). The SP made us wait for more than an hour for a test-drive. Finally, the car arrived at 6.30 p.m. Thanking God, we hopped in. All 5 of us. Now for the details-

Positives- 1.The car doesn't display any of the flimsiness of the Wagon R or any other Maruti (though compared to the Fabia it still felt clumsy). The interiors are quite well-made and though not plush, they are durable and will hold up well in the long run.
2.The seats themselves are quite supportive and comfortable. They have cushioning in just the right places. Better than the chapati-flat seats of the Wagon R. Space is adequate-though not the best (There was one niggling problem in the rear seat, which I will highlight later).
3.People say the petrol Figo is underpowered, but for newbies, it is one hell of a rocket! The gearshifts are just plain sweet and the motor sounds deliciously rorty after 3500rpm! On a deserted, slightly wet road we easily hit 80 kmph and the car was quite stable and planted. Driveability too is quite good, and all-round visibility is excellent. Quite an easy car to drive.
4.Ride quality, though a bit firm, is quite good for the city. Pliant enough to protect your spine and firm enough for having fun!
5.The Aircon is an absolute chiller! At Position 2, it cooled the cabin in no time at all. Credit goes to the 154cc compressor that is the largest in its class.

Negatives-1.The car is too low! Ground clearance IS an issue, we scraped the underbelly quite badly over two not-so-large speedbreakers.
2.Though the figures suggest that the Figo is a much larger car than the Wagon dimensionally (except for the height), it never feels that big. 3 people at the back in the Figo are just as cramped as they were in the Wagon R.
3.Which brings us to the rear-seat. The rear-seat, though well-bolstered, has an inherent flaw. You see, where the seat's side ends, there is a sort of plastic moulding which is very annoying for the third passenger. In fact, it can get painful during long drives. BIG minus point.
4.The EXI version we're looking at doesn't offer a lot of kit when compared to the Wagon R VXI. I know that they belong to different segments, but still, you can't help but feel this way.
5.The brakes were a big cause of concern. The version we tested was the Titanium version, which comes with the ABS-EBD system. The brakes were absolutely dead and lifeless! No response whatsoever. Makes stops nervous. Was wondering, if it will be the same in the lower versions?


Wagon R- The SP here too wasn't very warm or welcoming, and even though we had asked for a TD car in advance, we were made for nearly three hours for a TD. We drove the car at 8pm in the night. Ridiculous! Not very pleased with Maruti's response. Anyway, to the observations.

Positives-1.The car is surprisingly more spacious than I expected it to be. It is in fact, very close to matching the Figo for outright space. Three people at the back, though not utterly comfy, were still happy with the space on offer.
2.The car has great pick-up. Though it's not very good at low revs, the motor responds to accelerator inputs very well. Once past 2500rpm, this engine feels really nice and is ready to be driven hard. Gearshifts too are quite smoother and snappier than before, though the Figo's gearshift felt a tad more enjoyable. Also, the car is very easy to drive and newbies feel a lot more at home.
3.Equipment levels on the VXI version are quite good. OE music system with 4 speakers, powered mirrors, 14 inch wheels, rear defogger and wiper (something not available on the Figo EXI).

Negatives-1.The three-cylinder motor makes its presence felt. When the engine is running and you open the door, you can feel the extra vibrations. Doesn't feel very nice. Will pick up rattles way earlier in its life. The engine too sounds very boring and commuter-ish and my elder brother felt it lacked outright pace.
2.The Air Conditioner itself isn't very effective. During the night, when it's supposed to be cool, the Wagon R's AC struggled with the blower motor set to 2. Position 4 just about cooled the cabin adequately. Not nice.
3.Boot is meagre when compared to the Figo's. Also, the sound quality from the OE system is just crap. The Figo's music system is WAY better.
4.And finally, the quality is just awful. Though MSIL's cars have come a long way, they're still far behind. The body panels are plain flimsy, the doors and other body parts sound like they've been made out of recycled washing machine parts when you knock them! Door handles can be literally bitten off by septuagenarians who have no teeth, and all in all it feels nothing more than a cardboard box.

Fabia-The experience with the dealer has been the best so far. The most responsive, most warm and most welcoming salespeople. Test-drive was arranged quickly and we had to wait for almost no time at all. Dealership experience would be 4/5. People who actually say that Skoda's customer service is awful should go and experience it and then comment. Skoda has been defamed for no reason at all. I've seen people unhappy with run-of-the-mill cars like Wagon R and Swift. Not all cars are defective!

Positives- I'll just put this briefly. It is the most complete car of the lot. The most spacious, the most comfortable, the most well-equipped the most stable and the most well-built car of the three. We neared 90kmph on a wet road and it was raining heavily, and the car felt utterly planted on the road. No shenanigans whatsoever. The engine is responsive, has lots of low-down torque and is quite easy to drive too. The Fabia is mostly about the details, the small but special touches that go a long way in bringing a smile to your face.

Negatives-Not many to be honest. One thing that I felt was that this being an old model, we should probably wait for the facelift which is expected this month. The car won't be registered in Mumbai (because of BS4 norms) and the spares are still a bit more costlier than the Ford's and the Maruti's and I am not quite sure about maintenance costs. Don't want to have any rude, premature failures that will force me to sell my kidney.

I can wait for a month, but thing is, should I really wait for the Fabia facelift? Because something tells me that the new Fabia will have the fresher engine, can be legally registered in Mumbai and in this era of competition, may as well turn out to be much more cheaper than the old model! Even if the base variant costs Rs 5.20 lakh, that's terrific, because the Classic Petrol 1.2 model right now costs us Rs.5.34 lakh on-road after the discounts. What say people?

@ amaan

Maybe it is time to show your bro this survey



Source: Motoroids




Skoda finished in 3rd place.

This reaffirms my belief that Skoda's A.S.S. issues were blown out of proportion by an evidently Anti-Skoda lobby.

Thanks for the much-needed help AMG! Finally I have some solid proof to back-up my claims .

 

[Akash]

The version we tested was the Titanium version, which comes with the ABS-EBD system. The brakes were absolutely dead and lifeless! No response whatsoever. Makes stops nervous. Was wondering, if it will be the same in the lower versions?

This is really surprising! I drove the Figo few months back and found the brakes much more efficient than many of its rivals.

People who actually say that Skoda's customer service is awful should go and experience it and then comment. Skoda has been defamed for no reason at all. I've seen people unhappy with run-of-the-mill cars like Wagon R and Swift. Not all cars are defective!

I don’t mean to offend you but the things which are being said about Skoda are not just stories but unfortunate experiences of the owners with the Czech brand. I know a few people who have owned a Skoda and have taken an oath not to buy one again only because of the pathetic A.S.S. Only good reception at the showroom can’t assure good A.S.S.

I can wait for a month, but thing is, should I really wait for the Fabia facelift? Because something tells me that the new Fabia will have the fresher engine, can be legally registered in Mumbai and in this era of competition, may as well turn out to be much more cheaper than the old model!

The newer model will have a EuroIV engine, so no issues of registration. About the prices, Skoda recently said that the new Fabia will be priced competitively; I just hope your wish turns true!

 

[AMG]

I don’t mean to offend you but the things which are being said about Skoda are not just stories but unfortunate experiences of the owners with the Czech brand. I know a few people who have owned a Skoda and have taken an oath not to buy one again only because of the pathetic A.S.S. Only good reception at the showroom can’t assure good A.S.S.

Just 10 or 12 people have had issues with Skoda and you are reacting as if 95% of the customers are unhappy.

Read the survey above.
Skoda is on 3rd position in customer satisfaction.

 

[Akash]

@Amaan- I dont want you to stay away from Fabia. I just want you to ensure that the services they do(SS from where you intend to buy your FABIA) is upto the saisfaction levels of customers and that can be easily known by having chat with few of their customers.

Just 10 or 12 people have had issues with Skoda and you are reacting as if 95% of the customers are unhappy.

My opinions are based on the experiences of people who i know personally. I am least bothered about the stories running on forums.

Read the survey above.
Skoda is on 3rd position in customer satisfaction.

I am not at all commenting on the survey results. I had a detailed look at it yesterday itself.

 

[350Z]

I can wait for a month, but thing is, should I really wait for the Fabia facelift? Because something tells me that the new Fabia will have the fresher engine, can be legally registered in Mumbai and in this era of competition, may as well turn out to be much more cheaper than the old model! Even if the base variant costs Rs 5.20 lakh, that's terrific, because the Classic Petrol 1.2 model right now costs us Rs.5.34 lakh on-road after the discounts. What say people?

Indeed, overall quality of Maruti’s isn’t equally solid as rivals, but that’s what helps them keeping the costs in check and get better fuel efficiency in competition. No wonder why India still comes home in a Maruti Suzuki. The rumors point that new Fabia will have a revised pricing, and if you are so much inclined to go with it, it’s better to wait.

Just curious, In case you opt to go with current Fabia now, where it’ll be registered since registration of BS-3 models in Mumbai is not allowed any more?

Fabia-The experience with the dealer has been the best so far. The most responsive, most warm and most welcoming salespeople. Test-drive was arranged quickly and we had to wait for almost no time at all. Dealership experience would be 4/5. People who actually say that Skoda's customer service is awful should go and experience it and then comment. Skoda has been defamed for no reason at all. I've seen people unhappy with run-of-the-mill cars like Wagon R and Swift. Not all cars are defective!

Just 10 or 12 people have had issues with Skoda and you are reacting as if 95% of the customers are unhappy.
Read the survey above.
Skoda is on 3rd position in customer satisfaction.

I support.

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[RSM]

Regarding, Figo's braking, you need some empty roads to test ABS-EBD equipped cars (if you have not driven one before).

Actually these brakes take small amount of time to react (check this thread - http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/tec-talk/460-how-anti-blockier-system-works.html).

It happend with me as well first time. But be sure it will do exact what good breaks should do.