February 3rd, 2012
The continuous increase in rubber prices till second quarter of current financial year has severely dented competitiveness and profitability of the industry.
“The tyre Industry has passed through an extremely difficult phase of continuous and significant increase in the price of natural rubber and other key raw materials. Since raw materials account for approximately 70 per cent of industry turnover, the input cost pressure has resulted in severe erosion of net margins. We keenly look forward to the budget for addressing specific concerns of automotive tyre industry,” Mr Neeraj Kanwar, Chairman of the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA), said.
All large tyre companies have made substantial investments for new projects and expansions primarily in radial truck and passenger car tyres. The radial tyre investments have multiple benefits in terms of fuel saving, longer life and efficient utilisation of scarce raw materials. However, the industry needs an enabling policy framework from the government for these investments to be meaningful.
To increase competitiveness of the industry, ATMA has also asked for waiver of customs duty on those raw materials that have no domestic production.
More detail at:
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/agri-biz/article2857892.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economy
Tags: atma, tyre industry, tyres
Posted in car manufacturer | No Comments »
February 2nd, 2012
Bajaj Allianz has convinced auto makers to make small changes in the process and supply child parts at service station and include high end equipment to reduce repair costs.
Denting are very common to include into insurance claim and increase cost of repair because of labour. The insurance company claims that in a four-year car a dented door is replaced, the owner will have to bear half the cost because of depreciation. But if the dealer had hi-tech dent removal equipment, the repairs would be done at a fraction of the cost.
All private companies are making use of data and approaching manufacturers. “We have been in continued dialogue, encouraging them to introduce child parts and bring down costs,” said Gaurav Garg, MD & CEO, Tata AIG General Insurance.
Source: TimesOfIndia
Tags: car insurance
Posted in car manufacturer | No Comments »
February 1st, 2012
How many times did you stop your car on the way and doubt if there is a problem to your car? Very Common. Sometime we notice car has a problem and try to find out ourselves without calling to car mechanic. Here are some common problems you can guess yourself.
1. Your car steering wheel vibrates at certain speeds.
It happens because of a front wheel is out of balance. You feel the vibration only in your seat, it’s probably a rear wheel. You can check up with your car workshop for wheel balancing. You will be surprised at the difference it will make in the way the car will ride.
2. Your car drifts to the left or to the right when you let go of the steering wheel on a straight and level road.
There is a possibility that your car tires may not have proper air pressure. If air pressure is ok, then you need to check wheel alignment. Also your all 4 tires should be of same size, type and brand.
Some cars have adjustments to correct pulling problems. Your car mechanic should check for bent or worn front end parts that can cause this condition.
3. When You drive over a speed bump or a dip in the road, your car bounces 2 or more times before settling down.
This condition is usually caused by worn or broken shocks or struts. This condition happens gradually over the life of the shocks and it is hard to notice the change, but when they are replaced you should notice a big difference in the ride and stability of your car.
You can ask the expert at MeriCAR Expert Section to get your answers to your problems which you can ask before you decide to go to car workshops.
For More Reading:
http://www.familycar.com/CarRepair/symptoms.htm
Tags: car mechanic, car problem
Posted in car tyres, car workshop | No Comments »
January 30th, 2012
Recently came in contact with some customers, everybody have similar complaints and negative reviews about Skoda after-sales service. Dealerships are good to sell Skoda but after-sales service is not good. Some still like to buy this because of its quality and security features.
According to Skoda buyer “When I decided to take Skoda Fabia , there was a lot of negative reports of Skoda but now I feel things are changing after the parent company also has come into India, the Volkswagen. I planned to take the risk of taking Skoda keeping in mind its quality and Safety features which I didn’t find in many other cars, the quality is what keeps Skoda apart from rest of the lot.” Says Yeswant ( yeshwanthlive.com)
Skoda is known to be good in luxry interior and popular for its sporty look, it always attracts car owners.
Some believes Skoda is certainly not a car which has low cost of ownership. Though the car is great, there are significant cost attached to it in owning, so they do not mind having costly after-sales service.
Even it is a fine product, but after sales servicing is not good, here are some of the reasons:
1. Lack of trained mechanics at some Skoda dealers workshop.
2. Skoda servicing and spare parts are costlier and not easily available.
3. Lack in standard processes and customers expect quick solutions to their servicing issues.
Skoda is cosly vehicle and car owners find servicing cost very high after warranty and search for another car workshops. Few multibrand workshops can make them satisfy because of skilled mechanics and non-availability of spares.
Search for authorized and multibrand workshops at: http://mericar.com/skoda/
Source: Public Forum.
http://www.team-bhp.com
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum
skoda-service-cost.html
Tags: car service, skoda
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
January 27th, 2012
Imagine you are going on a trip with your family and your car has a breakdown on the road. Everybody wants to avoid this situation. This is always recommended to have your car properly checked from car service station when you go for any trip. Not only trip, but regular check up at service station saves you from any problem on the road.
There are following possible options available to get out of on-road breakdown situations.
1. Enroll with Car Breakdown Helpline company
There are many companies which help customers for on-road emergency service. They charge for one year membership. Their 24×7 call center receive calls for these enquires. For non-members, they agree to help in case of their Emergency Van is just nearby. They avoid serving to non-members who can manage other mechanics without informing them and they had to waste their time reaching to them.
2. Keep Your Mechanic’s Number
Small garages owners are aggressive to serve customer at anytime. If you trust some mechanics who serve you on regular basis. You can keep their contact number. Sometime your mechanic may be busy and he cannot see your car, so you must have alternatives.
3. Calling Workshops at Night
Mostly car workshops are closed after working hours but some good workshops have car mechanics at night for serving their existing customer. You can find those workshops and keep their owners contacts.
4. Manufacturer’s 24×7 Call Centres.
All new cars come along with 24×7 helpline service access from Manufacturer. Mostly these companies are the same who enroll their own memberships, but work on Manufacturer’s behalf. You can look for stickers when you buy new car and keep them handy.
For any on-road emergency in New Delhi and NCR, you can call PROMPT SERVICE. And can enroll for membership at: http://www.mericar.com/car_breakdown_services.php
Source: Image: theleader.info
Tags: car breakdown, car service, car workshop
Posted in car repair | No Comments »
