Even if they offer to replace the motorcycle, it is not in production anymore. And repayment of the entire cost is not going to get me my bike back.
BHPian accidental.doc recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Do not buy TRIUMPH motorcycles in India
(How Triumph India, and a service centre in Bangalore DESTROYED my CBU Daytona 675R)
I own a 2014 Triumph Daytona 675R. I got the third bike in India; this was a CBU unit that was unboxed in front of me. The bike was booked at a Triumph dealership in Bangalore much before the showroom was even built. The bike was delivered in the month of February 2014.
I am the stereotypical middle-class guy who saved up for several years to get his dream bike, which was a poster on the wall for most of my life. The bike has been treated with the love and respect that she deserves. She has had her niggles from the get-go, which were attempted to be addressed at the authorized service center in Bangalore, including and not limited to the engine switching off at low RPM/idling (which they could not figure out for several months). Recurrent starter motor issues, recurrent battery replacement issues, coolant and oil leaks.
To keep the post as short as possible and less boring. I will stick to the story of the current event, where this service centre and Triumph India destroyed my bike completely. The bike had an Odo meter running of 28k km in November 2021, and the following are the series of unfortunate events that occurred.
November 2021
Recurring starter motor issues (cold starts are okay, but once the bike is up to running temperature, she refuses to start) and a new sticky clutch issue. The bike was towed to the service centre (for the umpteenth time, as usual). The bike was received by a technician, and the bike was assessed. The option of repairing the starter motor was given. I asked for a replacement starter motor, frustrated with the bike stranding me on multiple rides in the middle of nowhere. They were also asked to check the clutch assembly and change the clutch cable. Starter motor replacement was done, I was orally told the clutch was good, and that they forgot to replace the clutch cable. The bike was released with a Rs 60,000 bill in December 2021.
On the way back home noticed some clattering noise and the next morning took the bike back to the service center. It was returned to me the same evening and the issue was that the air filter box screws were left inside the air filter box (they had not screwed the air filter box lid back on, just closed it shut and left the screws inside the box)
January 2022
Took the bike out for its first ride after getting it back from the service/repairs, and barely 100 km from the service/repair interval, the clutch exploded catastrophically on the Kolar NH4 highway, with instant loss of power and nearly got me run over by the bus behind me. This happened in the middle of nowhere during the Covid night curfew time. With a lot of difficulty, a flatbed was called and the bike was towed back to Bangalore (with cops stopping us at every possible checkpoint). We got the bike back home at 1 am on Saturday night. Monday morning, my bike was towed to the service centre from my home (again for the umpteenth time, I think the towing agency was kept afloat by my bike alone).
The bike was assessed by the same technician, he told me the entire clutch assembly had disintegrated and needed to be replaced, and as it is a wear and tear component, it has nothing to do with the previous issue I had raised, and it decided to do a spontaneous Hara Kiri as it was depressed and fed up with its life of abuse.
MARCH 2022
In the month of March, parts were received and the clutch assembly was completed. After this pre delivery, they noticed some new mechanical noise and decided to keep the bike back for further evaluation. After a week, I was appraised that it was a timing belt issue which needs to be replaced. The order was placed for the belt.
April 2022
The timing belt was received, replaced and the bike was ready for delivery. The bike was given to me on 9/4/22 at 630 p.m. Nearing closing time with an empty fuel tank (nearly full when given) and a bill of Rs 90,000. Hopeful that the bike was sorted out, I headed to the nearest bunk. In the 3 km that I did manage to ride, there was a new onset of extremely loud mechanical noises and a significant loss of power like she was being strangled. I had to stop the bike and get her towed home (as the service centre had closed) and towed on 12 April morning (again for the infinite time towed back to the service centre at my cost) in view of a holiday weekend.
The bike was received by the technician who assessed the bike and said that they had to open up the top end head assembly.
May 2022
The head assembly was opened, and it was found that the exhaust valves had deformed and the exhaust valve guide in the compression head was deformed and had lost its dimensions. I was given an estimate of 2 lacs and upwards for parts not including labor (which included the head assembly of 1.2 lacs and all inlet and outlet valves 30k plus and gaskets of 35k each) by the service manager.
When they were questioned about how this could have happened, they had no answers. Some due diligence was done and discussed with outside subject experts, and the issue was attributed to faulty timing belt assembly.
This was raised with the service manager representing the service centre, they played it down. I was then given the option to attempt to repair the head assembly guide to dimensions by lathe and replace the valves to save a cost of 1.2 lacs, with a new estimate of 1.2 lacs plus for the remaining work.
July 2022
They get the head assembly back from the lathe and the service manager calls me up to tell me that the head assembly is up to the standard acceptable dimensions, and they will reassemble the bike and get back to me.
August 2022
The bike reassembly was completed but the mechanical noise of March 22 persisted. The service manager gave me an update that they need to open the bike again (each tear-down costs me a gasket of 35K for the top end and another 35K if they open the bottom end). After the assessment, I was told that the top end is fine and that they need to check the bottom end. The bottom end was opened and was informed that the crankshaft ball bearings had disintegrated. They needed to be replaced. Parts were ordered.
September 2022
Parts were received and the bike was reassembled. Ther service manager calls to say everything looks good and I was told that the bike would be taken for a long test drive to make sure there are no more problems, and after that, I will be updated.
This is followed by a long radio silence.
October 2022 goes by with no contact from them
November 2022
After multiple calls to connect to the service manager and the service centre (calls not received). The service manager finally responds back, saying the mechanical noise still persists, they have no clue what the issue is, and they will tear the top and bottom end down again.
There was also a large number of cosmetic damages, including dents, broken plastic bits, paint chips, caused by repeated tear downs and assembly, and poor handling of the bike in general.
Frustrated and distrustful, I decided to escalate events to Triumph India’s head who in turn forwarded me to a representative of Triumph India. Multiple conference calls were held with myself and the guy representing Triumph India, and the service manager, representing the service centre in question.They took the responsibility upon themselves and assured speedy, thorough, and complete work to factory specs.
December 2022
The bike was disassembled again. Top and bottom ends taken down; told that the compression head is completely destroyed, all valves are deformed again, and piston rings are damaged. And possible crankshaft damage. The service centre manager gives me an estimate of nearly Rs 3 lacs for the parts to be ordered not including labor costs.
When questioned on the cause of this huge damage with the bike in the “safe hands” of the service centre from the last one year, the service manager and the service centre had no answers other than that entire engine decided to commit suicide spontaneously because they were fed up with their life in the care of the service centre.
When this was again escalated to the Triumph India representative, they were attributed to natural wear and tear on moving parts of the engine. There were some arguments over the initial timing belt insults and subsequent therapeutic misadventures.
They sidestepped the issue, blaming it on non-authorized center oil change and spark plug change during the peak of the pandemic when everything was shut down, including the official service centre. When it was pointed out that it was impossible for a routine oil and spark plug change to have caused this issue and that it was caused by the authorised service centre’s incompetence.
Then Triumph India started a new narrative that the head assembly must have been replaced in the month of May/June and it should not have been attempted to be repaired. When it was pointed out that this was the official work carried out by their official authorized service center as per their assessment and directions and it was not the owner’s decision or fault.
According to Triumph India, the authorized service center was so good at what they did that the bike spontaneously decided to disintegrate and self-destruct in the service bay, and I should pay the complete ransom for the attempt to fix Endeavor failure and get the bike back.
January 2023
At this point, I threatened them that I would go the legal route and file a consumer court case. There were some heated arguments and Triumph India’s representative immediately became hostile, went into incognito mode, and they became unresponsive.
February 2023
All parts are received, and the engine is reassembled. Before mounting the engine on to the bike they turn the engine using the battery and I get a call from the service centre manager saying that there is some crankshaft imbalance. They will discuss this with Triumph India and get back to me.
I get a call back subsequently saying the case has been discussed with Triumph India and it has been advised to replace the entire crankshaft assembly, and they will order those parts.
For me, there are more delays and more escalating costs/ bills.
At this point, I made a post on the Whatsapp Triumph groups stating the issues that I am facing. This is shared on the Team-BHP running thread and on the very same evening I get a call from another Triumph India representative. They tell me that they will do everything in their hands to expedite the repair works and again I am reassured that Triumph India will take responsibility. They also inform me that the previous representative is no more a part of the organization.
March 2023
I get multiple calls from the new representative that parts have been ordered and that they will keep me updated at every step. When I questioned them on the competency of the service centre and their quality of work and that I would prefer the engine to be assembled at their factory plant, I was informed that it would not be necessary and that they would keep a direct eye on the work at each and every step.
In spite of multiple requests to remove the bike from this service centre and shift it to their plant, Triumph India refused with false assurances.
The owner of the service centre calls me up to make some small talk, he casually mentions that they have cut corners at the service center at multiple steps during the work on my bike not restricted to lathe repair and the crankshaft assembly but they did it wholeheartedly with very good intentions to save costs for me (by which they mean them).
Over the month I get multiple calls from Triumph India about the progress of parts ordered and the transport logistics.
By mid March most parts have arrived and I get calls from the representative and the service centre manager that they will work on the assembly as a priority.
April 2023
The last two weeks of March and the first week of April go by with no updates, I casually drop by the service centre and I am told that the service manager has quit for personal reasons. The technician gives me an update that the bike will be ready in a day or two.
Mid-April I get a call from the technician from the service centre that the motorcycle is ready and the bill for the bike is Rs 4.11 lacs for the parts not including the labor.
Triumph India representatives had switched off their phones and with Bajaj now having taken over Triumph operations in India there was a change in the hierarchy and I had no clue on whom to contact or connect to. I did mail Triumph UK and Triumph India customer service again and did not get any response.
Subsequently, I get a call from the ex-service manager that he is representing the owner of the service centre they want to negotiate and what are my expectations regarding the billing. He also adds that they have discounted all the labor costs and I need to only pay for the parts that have been changed (Rs 4.11 Lacs).
After being adamant about not paying up that exorbitant amount of ransom, followed by multiple negotiation calls from their side represented by the ex-service manager (the owner never spoke to me again), they have been gracious to give me a generous discount of 50 %. I had to pay 2 lakhs and collect the bike (ideally they should be giving the bike back to me for free and paying me a ransom to shut my mouth up).
The ready-for-delivery mail shows the job card entry date as July 2022. The bike was given to them with the clutch explosion in January 2022, after an unscheduled timing belt change was delivered to me on 9/4/22, the bike was returned back on 12/4/22. They closed the April 2022 job card without my knowledge and they are showing a false new job card entry as of July 2022 when the bike was with them for 14 months. Where did the bike disappear between April and July 2022? This was done to show a falsely disrupted timeline to Triumph India.
I turned up at the service center on 13th April 2023 with a lot of excitement and hope that I am finally getting the bike back even though I am paying them 2 lacs (over the already paid 1.5 lacs in the last 200 kms) that I am at the least getting the bike back.
When I got there, I inspected the bike and I was shocked to see the status of the bike. It looked straight out of the scrap yard, the bike was put back together with plastic tags, super glue and duct tape and shoe strings.
Discolored, dented tank, broken distorted fairings. Fairings held with plastic tags with the original bolts and internal clamps completely missing, torn seat. Broken dangling mirrors, burnt and chewed up plastics. Deeply scarred metal eg ( chassis, swing arms), gasket sticking out from the engine block, wiring harness hanging all over the place, rusted exhaust headers and pipes etc.
I did not take the bike back, if the outside looked so shabby and damaged, I could not have even imagined what the insides would be like.
I am going live on social media on this issue.
I am filing a consumer court case at the Bangalore district forum, a cheating case and damage to personal property at the local Lalbagh police station.
What do I expect from this?
They cannot replace my bike. I have a strong emotional attachment to my bike. It was never bought with the idea of selling. It was a keeper for life. The bike is not in production even if they offer to replace the bike. Repayment of the entire cost of the bike is not going to get MY bike back.
The service centre in question should be shut down.
I want to put it and Triumph India representatives in prison for what they did to my bike.
Triumph UK and Triumph India should put up a public apology for what they have done.
No compromise.
The moral of the story
Triumph makes great bikes. Some of the best bikes I have ever seen or ridden. Then there is Triumph India, who have no clue who or what they are representing, and all the management is interested in is their own paychecks with no pride or responsibility for the products that they sell. Multiple customers’ grievances and issues faced have been met with blind eyes and deaf ears by the Triumph India management. When individual efforts failed. A cohort of customers held negotiations and in person, met up with Triumph India management which did not bring about any change.
The service centre in question is absolutely the most incompetent and unqualified authorized service center. The staff are underpaid, under trained. They are constantly migrating service personnel and supervisors sourced from Bajaj or KTM, who are looking to jump to their next big paycheck and have no clue what they are doing with the motorcycles. The workers have your face, your ass makes no difference attitude, no ethics, no accountability, and zero responsibility for their work as long as the bills are marked up as high as possible, and they are incentivized with labor costs and parts cut for amounts that are billed.
Do not buy a Triumph in India and do not get any work done at this service centre. Period.
Keyword: How my Daytona 675R has been destroyed by Triumph & its service centre