Since last one and a half or two years various car manufacturers have adopted a new practice while supplying the new car which come factory fitted with alloy wheels. Even though they advertise on their web side and in the broucher that the wheels supplied with the model will be alloy wheels but in reality when they give the car they supply only four alloy wheels which come fitted in the car and are visible. It is very rarely that a customer checks up the spare wheel supplied along with the wheel. Some do it later and some do not know about it at all unless somebody else mentions it. Well in reality almost all the car manufacturers in India are doing it. They supply four alloy wheels and the spare wheel is the normal steel wheel.
As per the advice of the car experts if you fit your car with one alloy wheel and one normal steel wheel then the car should be driven for a few kilometers and at a slow speed only. It is because of the different weight, profile and aerodynamic characteristics of the alloy and steel wheels. The car is likely to drift to the side where steel wheel is fitted and constant correction is required in order to keep it steady and straight. The other option is to get the wheel aligned. It is because of these irritating compulsion that the experts advice that the car should be driven for a few kilometers and at a slow speed. The aim is to take the car to the next repair shop, get the alloy wheel repaired and fit it back in the car and put the steel wheel in spare position again. The spare wheel is to be used so that the car can be driven up to the repair shop.
Now a days almost all the alloy wheel cars come fitted with tubeless tyres. It is all right in city driving conditions where you can find a puncture repair shop every 500 meters so or a petrol pump with repair facility. But on Indian highways it is difficult to find a puncture repair shop and that too who can repair the tubeless tyres. You probably have to travel about 50 to 100 kilometers before you can find a decent shop and with the new highways now being constructed with by pass to the city you will have to leave the highway to enter the city and then try to get the wheel repaired. There is another easy solution where you carry the repair kit yourself and a small mini compressor which can run on car battery and do the job yourself and may be endanger yourself and your companions to the mercy of robbers and dacoits which are found plenty in cities and highways, thanks to our efficient police system. Well the choice is yours and we are very sensible people and will take the best decision in our interest.
One or two cars companies have gone to the extent of saying on their website that they only supply four alloy wheels and the spare wheel is a steel wheel. The argument being that the alloy wheels come in set of four only but they forget that five sets can be easily fitted in four cars. It is just a matter of what comes first the five or four.
If you have found out that you have been given only four wheels then you have the option of taking up the matter with the company through the dealer. If you are lucky or have a clout with the dealer you might get one but most probably he will tell you that company supplies only four alloy wheels, all the car companies in India are only supplying four wheels only, you can use steel wheel with alloy wheel and there will be no problem and so and so forth. The explanations and justifications will be endless and it will be a long battle which you will loose ultimately. Or if you are a prudent and busy person you will ignore it or will go the same dealer to buy the fifth alloy wheel at double the price of it in the market just because it will carry the company logo.
Well I decided that enough was enough and unless one fights the system then it will lead to a practice and will gradually become a tradition. I went through all the process and due to my arguments the dealer lost its patience and used some unparliamentary language. It was enough to break the dam and on coming back I sent him a legal notice and gave him 30 days time to provide me with the alloy spare wheel. As expected the company did not bother to reply the dealer also decided to keep quite expect the salesman who rang me to complain as to why I was forcing him to loose his job. He even pleaded, requested and went on to family requirement to convince me to take back my legal notice. I think and am convinced that it was all done by the dealer in order to blackmail me to take my notice back. After 30 days I filed the case in the Consumer Court and decided to argue myself, under unfair trade practice.
After the initial hurdle of travel, finding the place and the usual babugiri hurdle I finally managed to submit my complaint. First hearing after a few days saw the case being admitted and a notice by the court issued to the dealer and company. In the next hearing the legal department representative from the company came and took a copy of the complaint. The next hearing was fixed after two months to give them time to file a counter to my application. About two weeks before the next hearing I got a call from the dealer that the company has decided to give me the spare alloy wheel of the same type and design as was fitted in my car and could I come to the workshop next day to collect the same. Next days my spare tyre was changed from steel wheel to alloy wheels. But this not the end of the story as the dealer wanted me to sign an undertaking that I was extremely happy and satisfied by their service. I promptly changed all that to just one sentence that I am satisfied that the spare alloy wheel was given to me. After a week I got another call from the dealer that since the spare alloy wheel has been given hence I should withdraw my complaint of unfair trade practice from the consumer court. The aim was not to get the case reported so that others do not come to know about it and use it as a precedence. I had to tell the dealer that now the case can not be withdrawn but will be closed after he states in the court that he has given me the spare alloy wheel and after that it is up to the court to close the case as the main demand has been met but not before awarding me the cost of litigation and the cost of my harassment.
In the end I realized that it was worth fighting for as both of us are very enthusiastic travelers and undertake a tour of 5000 to 7000 km in our vehicle every year or twice in a year and the spare alloy wheel was a necessity for us. I remember the rule by our apex court the Supreme Court of India where they said that you do not deserve relief if you do not fight for justice and I hope some other people will get benefit from my case.
As per the advice of the car experts if you fit your car with one alloy wheel and one normal steel wheel then the car should be driven for a few kilometers and at a slow speed only. It is because of the different weight, profile and aerodynamic characteristics of the alloy and steel wheels. The car is likely to drift to the side where steel wheel is fitted and constant correction is required in order to keep it steady and straight. The other option is to get the wheel aligned. It is because of these irritating compulsion that the experts advice that the car should be driven for a few kilometers and at a slow speed. The aim is to take the car to the next repair shop, get the alloy wheel repaired and fit it back in the car and put the steel wheel in spare position again. The spare wheel is to be used so that the car can be driven up to the repair shop.
Now a days almost all the alloy wheel cars come fitted with tubeless tyres. It is all right in city driving conditions where you can find a puncture repair shop every 500 meters so or a petrol pump with repair facility. But on Indian highways it is difficult to find a puncture repair shop and that too who can repair the tubeless tyres. You probably have to travel about 50 to 100 kilometers before you can find a decent shop and with the new highways now being constructed with by pass to the city you will have to leave the highway to enter the city and then try to get the wheel repaired. There is another easy solution where you carry the repair kit yourself and a small mini compressor which can run on car battery and do the job yourself and may be endanger yourself and your companions to the mercy of robbers and dacoits which are found plenty in cities and highways, thanks to our efficient police system. Well the choice is yours and we are very sensible people and will take the best decision in our interest.
One or two cars companies have gone to the extent of saying on their website that they only supply four alloy wheels and the spare wheel is a steel wheel. The argument being that the alloy wheels come in set of four only but they forget that five sets can be easily fitted in four cars. It is just a matter of what comes first the five or four.
If you have found out that you have been given only four wheels then you have the option of taking up the matter with the company through the dealer. If you are lucky or have a clout with the dealer you might get one but most probably he will tell you that company supplies only four alloy wheels, all the car companies in India are only supplying four wheels only, you can use steel wheel with alloy wheel and there will be no problem and so and so forth. The explanations and justifications will be endless and it will be a long battle which you will loose ultimately. Or if you are a prudent and busy person you will ignore it or will go the same dealer to buy the fifth alloy wheel at double the price of it in the market just because it will carry the company logo.
Well I decided that enough was enough and unless one fights the system then it will lead to a practice and will gradually become a tradition. I went through all the process and due to my arguments the dealer lost its patience and used some unparliamentary language. It was enough to break the dam and on coming back I sent him a legal notice and gave him 30 days time to provide me with the alloy spare wheel. As expected the company did not bother to reply the dealer also decided to keep quite expect the salesman who rang me to complain as to why I was forcing him to loose his job. He even pleaded, requested and went on to family requirement to convince me to take back my legal notice. I think and am convinced that it was all done by the dealer in order to blackmail me to take my notice back. After 30 days I filed the case in the Consumer Court and decided to argue myself, under unfair trade practice.
After the initial hurdle of travel, finding the place and the usual babugiri hurdle I finally managed to submit my complaint. First hearing after a few days saw the case being admitted and a notice by the court issued to the dealer and company. In the next hearing the legal department representative from the company came and took a copy of the complaint. The next hearing was fixed after two months to give them time to file a counter to my application. About two weeks before the next hearing I got a call from the dealer that the company has decided to give me the spare alloy wheel of the same type and design as was fitted in my car and could I come to the workshop next day to collect the same. Next days my spare tyre was changed from steel wheel to alloy wheels. But this not the end of the story as the dealer wanted me to sign an undertaking that I was extremely happy and satisfied by their service. I promptly changed all that to just one sentence that I am satisfied that the spare alloy wheel was given to me. After a week I got another call from the dealer that since the spare alloy wheel has been given hence I should withdraw my complaint of unfair trade practice from the consumer court. The aim was not to get the case reported so that others do not come to know about it and use it as a precedence. I had to tell the dealer that now the case can not be withdrawn but will be closed after he states in the court that he has given me the spare alloy wheel and after that it is up to the court to close the case as the main demand has been met but not before awarding me the cost of litigation and the cost of my harassment.
In the end I realized that it was worth fighting for as both of us are very enthusiastic travelers and undertake a tour of 5000 to 7000 km in our vehicle every year or twice in a year and the spare alloy wheel was a necessity for us. I remember the rule by our apex court the Supreme Court of India where they said that you do not deserve relief if you do not fight for justice and I hope some other people will get benefit from my case.
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