Mahindra not honourable

<p>Mahindra Scorpio 2.2 M-Hawk broke down on 30 October 2015, with 6,647km on the clock (not even reaching 10,000km). Mahindra inspected our vehicle and found that our vehicle’s engine had ceased as a result of an OIL DRAIN due to a LOOSE BOLT ON THE ENGINE BLOCK. Mahindra advised that they will not pay for the damage to the engine and is refusing to honour the warranty, as they allege that we missed our vehicle’s 3 and 6 months services respectively. Mahindra’s services are EVERY 3 MONTHS!! Nobody advised us of this.</p> <p> </p> <p>When we bought our vehicle, the sales person indicated to us that we should service our vehicle before 5,000km as per the record of service (NO TIME PERIODS WERE INDICATED), which we duly did. We bought our vehicle with a motor/service plan being included. We had no reason to skip a service, as we had already paid for it, had we known about the service intervals.</p> <p> </p> <p>Our vehicle was serviced by Mahindra on 28 April 15 with 4,407kms on the clock (11 months after date of purchase).</p> <p> </p> <p>Our vehicle was serviced by Mahindra on 31 January 2014 in accordance with the PDI. Our vehicle had to be serviced 3 months later in accordance with Mahindra policies, being the 30 April 2014. At this stage our vehicle was still part of Mahindra’s stock list. We only bought our vehicle from Mahindra on 15 May 2014. Warranty was compromised even before we bought our vehicle.</p> <p> </p> <p>Mahindra in their rejection email changed the service dates to justify their reasons for rejecting our claim against the warranty, hoping that we would not notice that the PDI was in actual fact done on 31 January 2014, and not on 15 May 2014 as they allege in their e-mail.</p> <p> </p> <p>Mahindra also allege that we missed a 4th service to further substantiate their reasons for rejecting our claim. At this time our vehicle had already broke down and was standing on the premises of Mahindra.</p> <p> </p> <p>We were at no time, before breakdown of our vehicle, advised by any person employed by Mahindra (or any other person), whether in sales, services, management, finance or any other department that our vehicle had to be serviced in terms of the owner’s manual and not the service history due to low mileage.</p> <p> </p> <p>Even when we collected our vehicle after its service on 28 April 2015 with a mere 4,407kms on the clock (we bought our vehicle 11 months earlier), no mention were made to the fact that our vehicle had missed any “alleged” services.</p> <p> </p> <p>If it is Mahindra’s practice to enforce strict adherence to the owner’s manual, why did Mahindra Alberton not also attend to a 20,000km service when our vehicle was booked in for a service on 11 months, but rather a 5,000km service? A 20,000km service is surely a more intense service, compared to that of a 5,000km service? Could their failure to attend to the correct service during the correct time frame have had an impact on the fact that a bolt came loose on our engine allowing the oil pressure to drop?</p> <p> </p> <p>Even after buying our vehicle, no mention was made that the 3 month service was due and that the 3 months service will be done before/after handing/signing over our vehicle.</p> <p> </p> <p>Due to the loose bolt on the engine causing our vehicle’s engine oil pressure to drop, not only has Mahindra put the lives of my daugther and I in great danger, as we were driving alone and scared senceless when our vehicle broke down, Mahindra has also put us in a difficult financial position whereby the damage to our vehicle’s engine is close to the replacement of our vehicle. Instead of trying to assist or retrify the matter, they are looking for any possible way or means not to be held responsible for this default.</p> <p> </p> <p>To repair the damage to our vehicle’s engine only, Mahindra estimated the damage at R179,071.23. The damages to our vehicle will be in excess of the price for a new Scorpio.</p> <p> </p> <p>In an attempt to resolve this matter, we asked the assistance of MOISA and lodged a claim with them. A full comprehensive 40 page report with photographs and annexures were sent to MOISA on various dates and times (commencement date 5 December 2015, both via fax and e-mail) as they kept misplacing our documents. After sending them our comprehensive report, and after various telephone calls over a period of 4 months, they responded on 22 April 2016 asking just for a “copy of the offer to purchase document signed by both parties at the point of sale as well as copies of all services carried out”. The service history was sent with our comprehensive report 5 times before. Mahindra did not even provide us with a “purchase document”, which we advised MOISA of. MOISA’s decision was made on these 2 documents only, one of which we were not even in possession of. No reference were even made to our comprehensive report. MOISA did not even look at all the information sent to them. A waste of time.</p> <p> </p> <p>Questions as a consumer:</p> <p> </p> <p>Why did Mahindra not fully inspect our vehicle when it was manufactured? They missed a crucial loose bolt on the engine which caused the engine to cease.</p> <p> <br />Why did Mahindra not attend to the 3 month service as required in terms of the owner’s manual before we bought our vehicle?</p> <p> <br />When our vehicle was in for its service on 11 months, why did Mahindra not indicate/advise us, that a service was missed?</p> <p> <br />Why did Mahindra not indicate the two missing services in our warranty booklet and/or on their system?</p> <p> <br />If the correct service (20,000km) was done by Mahindra on 11 months (a more intense service), should this not have allowed them to see the loose bolt, which resulted in our engine oil pressure to drop? </p> <p> <br />Why did Mahindra not pick up that a bolt was loose on the engine when it came in for a service on 28 April 2015?</p> <p> <br />Was it not Mahindra’s responsibility to check for faults during services?</p> <p> <br />Had our vehicle gone for the “alleged” 3 and 6 months services, would that have made a difference to our vehicle’s engine ceasing due to a loose bolt causing the oil pressure to drop?</p> <p> <br />If Mahindra is so strict in adhering to the owner’s manual, why did they not attend to the 3 month service whilst our vehicle was still on their stock list within the required time frame period prescribed by in the owner’s manual?</p> <p> <br />Mahindra has declined to honour our claim due to service not being kept up to date. How can Mahindra hold us responsible, when Mahindra is in clear default of the owner’s manual by not attending to the 3 months service when our vehicle was still on their stock list?</p>