Experience With Local Agents

[sahanlak]

Want to Jump to the 2019 discussion on this? Click here.

Guys I want to do a little research on service quality, customer support from our local agents for different vehicle makes, please share your experience.

Even though most of us heavily depends on our own preferred mechanics, it's good to have some support from official local agent for our vehicles (if exists). This is something to consider specially for first owner vehicles since on serious damages there's nothing much a local mechanic can do other than saying "take it to the company", have you delt with the local agent for your vehicle make? how's your experience?

My Experience With Toyota Lanka

I bought my toyota aqua from a sale at dutugamunu street, so it's a JDM one and i've took it to Toyota Lanka 2 times and their service has been outstanding.

My car recently got attacked by a rat (http://forum.autolanka.com/topic/16551-rat-problem-advice-on-next-steps/) and did some serious damage and local mechanics couldn't even figure out what the warning light was for. They found the tiny wire break within 20 minutes and gave me a good walkthrough (they know their stuff).

Please share your experience, will help others to determine what kind of after sales support available for their vehicles.

Edited January 25, 2019 by Davy
Added link to continued discussion, Changed Topic title, Added Search tags

[john cooper]

Wonder what kinda after sale service for Korean SUV's in Sri Lanka, (KIA, Hyundai and Ssangyong)

regards

JC

[sahanlak]

Wonder what kinda after sale service for Korean SUV's in Sri Lanka, (KIA, Hyundai and Ssangyong)

regards

JC

Me too

[Magnum]

Wonder what kinda after sale service for Korean SUV's in Sri Lanka, (KIA, Hyundai and Ssangyong)

regards

JC

There were loads of negative feedbacks about the Kia agents sometime back but i read somewhere they have improved now.

[DMendis]

What about the "Sterling" , who is giving warranty to new vehicles?

[Watchman]

What about the "Sterling" , who is giving warranty to new vehicles?

Someone already gave a very detailed review on Sterling and how he was treated like crap.. Do a search and it should show up easily

[sahanlak]

What about the "Sterling" , who is giving warranty to new vehicles?

My car is under sterling warranty, though I never claimed warranty from them I'm doing 5000km oil change from them. They have a huge vehicle maintenance center at kadawatha, facility wise it's second to none, service is not bad either but again I only did the regular maintenance.

[DMendis]

As Watchman mentioned I did a search and found some experiences shared by few people.

I have 5 free services (Labour only) from Sterling and I need to get my car serviced passing first 1000Km s next week. Was having second thoughts whether to go to Toyota Lanka or Sterling.

According to posts by others, the service seems to be OK. Will go there and see.

[sahanlak]

As Watchman mentioned I did a search and found some experiences shared by few people.

I have 5 free services (Labour only) from Sterling and I need to get my car serviced passing first 1000Km s next week. Was having second thoughts whether to go to Toyota Lanka or Sterling.

According to posts by others, the service seems to be OK. Will go there and see.

Yes it's a no brainer, other than driving all the way to kadawatha. They insist of using them or otherwise can't claim the warranty.

[ramishkad]

Yes it's a no brainer, other than driving all the way to kadawatha. They insist of using them or otherwise can't claim the warranty.

If you are hoping to claim warranty from Sterling, you have to do all services from them. Dont even change any oils from outside as the buggers would make it a reason to not to give you warranty. But if your vehicle is not a hybrid, I doubt their warranty is worth much anyways.

[zeristo]

D*MO does excellent service for Mercs in Sri Lanka. They are very helpful (though expensive) and get things done in time. Also the quality of work is excellent similar to Toyota Lanka. Unit#d Mot#rs for Mitsubishi is average.

[Chaturathi]

Hi Friends,

As per my experience nu 01 service provider is Toyota L*nk* & WORST IS ST*FFR*D MOTORS. Unt*d Motors also giving a satisfied service (i have not visited it fr 6 years) But friend of mine who lives in Rathnapura (Using a Mitsubishi Out-lander) getting an exceptional detailed service from Rathnapura branch. What he said was service is better than Colombo agent.

If you are a Honda user do not go to agent or believe what they say as they have cheated me several times to achieve their sales targets where Toyota agent never does.

[sahanlak]

D*MO does excellent service for Mercs in Sri Lanka. They are very helpful (though expensive) and get things done in time. Also the quality of work is excellent similar to Toyota Lanka. Unit#d Mot#rs for Mitsubishi is average.

Hopefully it means same for Chrysler and Jeep. Can you elaborate more on "average"? they just want to fix it somehow and forget it?

[The Don]

Hi Friends,

As per my experience nu 01 service provider is Toyota L*nk* & WORST IS ST*FFR*D MOTORS. Unt*d Motors also giving a satisfied service (i have not visited it fr 6 years) But friend of mine who lives in Rathnapura (Using a Mitsubishi Out-lander) getting an exceptional detailed service from Rathnapura branch. What he said was service is better than Colombo agent.

If you are a Honda user do not go to agent or believe what they say as they have cheated me several times to achieve their sales targets where Toyota agent never does.

UM is possibly one of the worst agents in the country. In my experience them and Car mart are fairly close to the bottom. I have not visited both establishments in many years as I do not like being ripped off.

The Agents for Nissan, Suzuki and Maruti is probably one of the better ones, and my experiences up to now have been positive.

[Supra_Natural]

Hopefully it means same for Chrysler and Jeep. Can you elaborate more on "average"? they just want to fix it somehow and forget it?

Yup, D*MO's service for Jeep is just as good, expensive but you feel you are getting what you pay for.

Also, I've found Regency Automobiles (Jag agents) to be pretty good as well with great service and attention to detail. Their rates are not too bad as far as agents go, lower than D*MO and the like (Labour rates that is, parts are another story altogether obviously!)

[Devinda_Z]

UM is possibly one of the worst agents in the country. In my experience them and Car mart are fairly close to the bottom. I have not visited both establishments in many years as I do not like being ripped off.

The Agents for Nissan, Suzuki and Maruti is probably one of the better ones, and my experiences up to now have been positive.

+1 on A*W

Was a very satisfied customer having dealt with the Union Place crew from 2006-2012. Service was excellent, parts prices bearable.

I've been just as happy with their sister operation PITSTOP down Kitulwatte Rd having taken a number of cars of different makes there for everything from basic service & maintenance, wheel alignment++ to full valet services in the past decade

[Devinda_Z]

I have a rather poor opinion of Unit#d Mot#rs based on an unusually long repair period, inconsistent service and the age old Agent trick of trying to blow things out of proportion and over charge for things that don't even need replacing.....!

The old Colonial Motors, though over priced had some excellent technicians, most of whom are now overseas... No idea how things are after their fortunes changed (for the better financially under new management in the last 3 years or so)

Senok's Subaru Division is my top pick at the moment - clear leader with consistent service, very reasonable labour fees and good availability of parts - even for older or less common models.Having a service manager who actually cares about the brands, the cars and the customers makes all the difference i reckon - the staff i've had work on the cars at Grandpass have shared that same ethos.

[Watchman]

I have a rather poor opinion of Unit#d Mot#rs based on an unusually long repair period, inconsistent service and the age old Agent trick of trying to blow things out of proportion and over charge for things that don't even need replacing.....!

The old Colonial Motors, though over priced had some excellent technicians, most of whom are now overseas... No idea how things are after their fortunes changed (for the better financially under new management in the last 3 years or so)

Senok's Subaru Division is my top pick at the moment - clear leader with consistent service, very reasonable labour fees and good availability of parts - even for older or less common models.Having a service manager who actually cares about the brands, the cars and the customers makes all the difference i reckon - the staff i've had work on the cars at Grandpass have shared that same ethos.

I've never owned a Subaru nor frequented Senok or other agents but till a few tears ago the name Jehan popped up pretty frequently as someone who was decent and can be trusted with anything. And nothing but good stuff has been said about him on the forum... I guess that goes to show that it's the people who give the agent a reputation and not the vehicle's brand itself..

[RWD]

i too have had very positive experiences at union place A*W. always got good service and once you get to know the workshop guys they go out of their way to look after you. toyota lanka was also very good, but extremely pricey for even the most basic issue. even when they did not have parts in stock for my car they were able to bring it down but charged a hefty premium for it. lately I have just started going to colonial motors and the car is still new. so no issues so far but they are very friendly and seem quite accomodating.

[sahanlak]

i too have had very positive experiences at union place A*W. always got good service and once you get to know the workshop guys they go out of their way to look after you. toyota lanka was also very good, but extremely pricey for even the most basic issue. even when they did not have parts in stock for my car they were able to bring it down but charged a hefty premium for it. lately I have just started going to colonial motors and the car is still new. so no issues so far but they are very friendly and seem quite accomodating.

By any chance do you know how colonial handle repairs etc other than standard lube services?

[Supra_Natural]

I've never owned a Subaru nor frequented Senok or other agents but till a few tears ago the name Jehan popped up pretty frequently as someone who was decent and can be trusted with anything. And nothing but good stuff has been said about him on the forum... I guess that goes to show that it's the people who give the agent a reputation and not the vehicle's brand itself..

Jehan is still there, heads the service department and it can honestly be said that he is a top bloke! All the good stuff said about him over the years is justified.

[RWD]

By any chance do you know how colonial handle repairs etc other than standard lube services?

no idea mate. car is still new so i don't expect there to be too many problems for a few years

[Devinda_Z]

i too have had very positive experiences at union place A*W. always got good service and once you get to know the workshop guys they go out of their way to look after you. toyota lanka was also very good, but extremely pricey for even the most basic issue. even when they did not have parts in stock for my car they were able to bring it down but charged a hefty premium for it. lately I have just started going to colonial motors and the car is still new. so no issues so far but they are very friendly and seem quite accomodating.

Is Mr Ajith Sumanasekara still at Colonial?

[Devinda_Z]

I've never owned a Subaru nor frequented Senok or other agents but till a few tears ago the name Jehan popped up pretty frequently as someone who was decent and can be trusted with anything. And nothing but good stuff has been said about him on the forum... I guess that goes to show that it's the people who give the agent a reputation and not the vehicle's brand itself..

Fully Agreed D!

He is very much around and in charge

[Hyaenidae]

THREAD REVIVAL TO DISCUSS MAINTAINING/SERVICING AT THE AGENT

Quoted post from @iRage from this post to continue discussion here. 

On 1/23/2019 at 12:46 PM, iRage said:

As for people complaining about Toyota Lanka....well....in SL none of the agents are good and up to standards of their international counterparts. No one...period. But to be fair, most of the people complain about their agents and take it to 3rd party garages because they want to take short-cut fixes (legitimate or illegitimate ones). Agents have to follow strict and specific ways of doing repairs. So when something needs to be fixed (at most times) just fitting that part alone does not work and they have to check/fix/replace other parts as well. And in certain cases they are required to change the entire part as opposed to a component of the part (for example, control arm bushes..outside garages will pack a new one in...for most cars the manufacturer requires the entire arm to be swapped which the agent is obligated to do). Also, when agents do a service or a repair and do an inspection of the car ; they might give you a whole list of things that need to be attended to as it does not meet manufacturer's recommended thersholds (fine some are excessive but still). Most people not understanding this complain saying that when their car was taken in the agent carried out more repairs than that was needed or made up a list of issues with the car just so they can make money. Not always the case.

Then there is the issue of people complaining about not being able to be with their cars during service. The issue is a matter of safety and also people getting in the way. True, some mechanics at the agents are not very trustworthy or diligent. So you are supposed to check the car BEFORE you drive it out of the workshop (unfortunately not all agents have waiting rooms where you can see the car from). Also, you do have the right to complain right up to the Japanese head and if nothing happens right up to the manufacturer themselves (as long as it is within reason and legitimate).

 

 

On 1/23/2019 at 12:46 PM, iRage said:

 

Then there is the issue of people complaining about not being able to be with their cars during service. The issue is a matter of safety and also people getting in the way. True, some mechanics at the agents are not very trustworthy or diligent. So you are supposed to check the car BEFORE you drive it out of the workshop (unfortunately not all agents have waiting rooms where you can see the car from). Also, you do have the right to complain right up to the Japanese head and if nothing happens right up to the manufacturer themselves (as long as it is within reason and legitimate).

Well Mitsubishi agent in Sri Lanka allow customers to be with their cars during the service AND they have waiting rooms where you can see the car from  

I for one would definitely stop getting the car serviced from them if they don't allow it anymore.

Me being with the car has been proven beneficial a number of times. 

Incident 1 : The technician tried to top off the coolant reservoir tank with tap water.

Incident 2 : They're not aware that the ECU of the car is in the engine bay (I don't blame them for this though, it's kinda hard to remember small details of every make and model they sell) so they spray pressurized water to clean the engine bay, water gets in the engine bay when the under-body is being pressure washed too. 

Incident 3 : They tried to spray kerosene to wheel-arch area to remove tar. (Well, I couldn't stop that at the first time, I only realized this after the smell hit my nose. I make a point to inform them not to do this ever since.)

Incident 4 : Technician got brake fluid on the wheel - immediately got him to clean the area with water. He wouldn't have done this if I wasn't there.

Incident 5 : Technician forgot to rotate the wheels. This happened 2 times now.

I wouldn't be aware of any of these if they didn't allow me to be near the car when it's being serviced. I mean how could I realize they topped off the coolant with tap water by inspecting the car afterwards?

 

 

Edited January 25, 2019 by Davy
Merged post from other thread to continue discussion here