Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Skoda Service is Bad but you still love it. Why? Check out

Monday, 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.

Skoda

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

Worried about your car mileage? Check out

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

Driving habits and few car maintenance tips can help you increase mileage. They are basic ones if you can remember it.

1. Proper usage of gear and throttle. More you change gear, more fuel will be consumed. Try to drive more on top gear. That is why we get good mileage on highways.

car mileage

2. Properly inflated tires can reduce fuel consumption by up to 3%. Your tires also lose about 1 PSI per month, and when the tires are cold (e.g., in the winter), their pressure will decrease due to the thermal contraction of the air. It is recommended to check tires at least monthly, preferably weekly.

3. Don’t run the AC at a stretch. Alternate using AC and just the blower.

4. Whenever buying petrol, always make the tank full. This increases the efficiency of engine. Running on reserve most often puts pressure on engine.

5. Most of the petrol pumps have tampered meters. So, keep changing the petrol pump to see where you get better mileage, and then stick to it.
6. A properly tuned engine maximizes power and can greatly enhance fuel efficiency.

7. Check the condition of engine air filter. A dirty filter will reduce fuel economy, or make the engine stall when idling.

If you find any problem with mileage, you can go to nearest car service station in your area.

Source:
http://www.wikihow.com/Increase-Fuel-Mileage-on-a-Car
(yahoo answers)
Picture: http://autoraiders.com

Customer expectations are high for car servicing – JD Power Survey

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

JD Power study released on Monday, points out that customer expectations are high and they want quick turnaround time for car servicing.

The administrative processing and booking of appointments at car service station are some of factors affects the survey for customer satisfaction. The Customer Satisfaction Index Study is based on evaluation of 6821 car owners. The study was fielded from May to August 2011 and includes customers who purchased their vehicles between May 2009 and August 2010.

J.D. Power and Associates has been conducting customer satisfaction research based on survey responses from consumers worldwide. J.D. Power is translating survey responses from consumers and businesses into studie. Their reports are used to improve businesses worldwide.

The study measures satisfaction among car owners who visited their authorised dealership service centres for maintenance or car repair during the first 12 to 24 months of ownership. The study measures overall satisfaction by examining five factors (listed in order of importance): service quality, vehicle pick up, service advisor, service facility and service initiation. Overall customer satisfaction is measured on a 1,000-point scale, with a higher score indicating higher satisfaction. (India Today)

Maruti Suzuki India has topped again in customer satisfaction with dealer service for a 12th consecutive year, with a score of 879 points. Maruti has a large network of Maruti Authorized Service Station.

According to reports, 94% customers who are highly satisfied from authorized service station say they will definitely revisit their service dealer for post-warranty service, but according to Muti-brand car workshop chains (source HT) 60% car owners change their decision after post-warranty and visit other car workshops. The major reason is high labour cost post warranty.

Source:
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com
http://indiatoday.intoday.in

Your car is worth millions–keep it clean.

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Though we have not been meeting for some years, Harshendu Bhardwaj, one of my close friends was in fact sharing all that was happening at his side over phone. When he visited me recently, I was quite surprised to see him drive a silver colour Porsche car with all its shine. This was because he never told me that he had purchased a new car recently. On enquiry, Bhardwaj told me it was Ford Fiesta 1.4 Duratec EXI of 2008 make and that he bought it in the same year during its release in the market. I could not but help than being amazed at the way he was maintaining his car for over three years with a brand new look. My conversation with Bhardwaj revealed me more than shelling out a huge amount and buying a Porsche car all that is required by the owners is to maintain it through proper care, cleaning and servicing.

Bhardwaj said, “My car is worth millions and it is my primary duty to care for it by all means.” During my interaction with Bhardwaj over the next two hours, I could gather some useful tips on car cleaning. Bhardwaj added to my surprise when he said he was not using costly car cleaning products to maintain his car.

While baby wipes are the best to use on your dashboards, soft paint brushes can reach into all the groves. Cuticle removers can wipe off any stains on the leather that is otherwise hard to remove. Apply some cuticle remover over the stains for about ten minutes and wipe it off to get a stain free leather surface in the morning.

Wet a rag or cloth with concentrated white vinegar and run it down on the full length of your windshield to get a crystal clear view through it. Spray some WD-40 on your rusting name plate and wipe it with a clean cloth. There can be no better handy mitt than an old soft sock to buff the wax accumulated on your car.

I think I have left you with a few useful tips got from Bhardwaj that can help you retain the brand new shiny look for a long time on your car. But, don’t forget that the most important thing is to cherish the habit of a regular cleaning of your car without waiting for too long.

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About the author:

Vivek is a mechanical engineer and has more than 7 years of experience as a writer. He blogs about various topics; entrepreneurship being one. His interests range from poetry, music to photography and travel. He can be reached at sdkrdk@gmail.com

Parts Shortage affects Car Production

Saturday, April 23rd, 2011

Japan’s quake affected automobile industry and major car manufacturer has shortage in spare parts. In India, auto experts think it may not affect because of localization of supply and small dependence on Japan, as some parts coming from Thailand. Japanese carmakers Suzuki and Honda were anticipating similar problems in sourcing critical parts from home companies.

Toyota is more affected than others because it builds a larger percentage of its vehicles in Japan. Honda, Nissan and Suzuki-are all planning aggressive strategies for India’s top growth market.

Today India announced cuts production. It will cut production at its 13 North American plants by 75 percent in the next six weeks. Those plants build about 70 percent of the vehicles Toyota sells in North America.

Honda Siel Cars expects some production bottleneck from May, when its stock of critical parts could go dry. Suzuki, which operates in India through Maruti Suzuki, may face problems from tier-II supplies.

There are reports state that Volkswagen, BMW and Porsche have all commented that suppliers are having problems as demand for German cars booms in the United States and China.

Source:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

http://www.eetimes.com