Buying Advice New tractor purchase.

[Gasifier]

I gave this suggestion weeks ago and learned that Gassifer does not have any documentation to back up his claim.

I suggested he start doing things the official way and get work orders with all the info on it every time the dealer touches the tractor.

Upon following both his threads on this, even after meeting with the rep today, he does not have a single work order copy that has his info and complaints on it.

He would have to find a very hungry lawyer to start a case with no documation whatsoever.

I mean no disrespect to Gassifer. It is just frustrating as a reader to hear what he is going through and know that the dealer is not even giving the man a receipt of work being done.
Gassifer likes the dealer, but to me the dealer is taking advantage of that "like"

So I spoke to the mechanic when he took my tractor to fix the transmission problem several weeks ago. I told him I needed receipts or records for each time my tractor was worked on or fixed. He said that was no problem he could pull it up out of the Mahindra database and mail them to me. I never got them.

I then learned from Mahindra corporate that they only see two things in the warranty database. I said 2? They have fixed it like 6 times at least. So Mahindra corporate talked with them about that and dealer told them they didn’t get them all in yet.

And I would have thought that this thing with records and receipts would be the responsibility of the dealer. Not the customer having to ask or beg for them. But there I go thinking again.

 

[sixdogs]

Was the dealer at the meeting with the rep?

 

[Gasifier]

Was the dealer at the meeting with the rep?

No. He told me he wouldn’t be there.

 

[sixdogs]

You're too nice of a guy. Bite onto that regional's pant leg and don't let go till you get what you want. You aren't going to get compensated for lost time but I'd go for a new tractor if they can't fix the old one soon. If he says the old one's fine tell him you both know otherwise and to stop it. If it's fine, tell him to sell it and you guys are only out a little instead of a lot for a manufacturing or design error.

Next time he's close to you, get his cell phone number and call it to make sure it works. Then he can't avoid you. This is a business deal and you want what you paid for. Don't say it but he has a moral and legal obligation to give you that. Persistence pays off and the squeaky wheel gets the grease. He wants to do the least possible to get rid of you so don't settle and eventually he will. Oh, the dealer is nice but should have been at that meeting. Good thing I believe in coincidences.

I speak from experience here, having been a trusting soul--and still am--but now I know what not to do in these situations. I did win. You sound like a great guy so keep it that way for the family but win for all of us here rooting for you. And...this is just free advice here so do what is best for you.

 

[DieselBound]

Like I'd mentioned, one needs to set parameters. There needs to be a drop-dead deadline and agreed upon conditionals. OP didn't buy the tractor to be a guinea pig, he shouldn't be expected to be one. If the factory really wants to figure out what the issue is then they should buy it back (or replace it) so THEY can spend all the time they need to figure it out. I'm ALL for being cooperative, but there need to be well-defined parameters/expectations: the factory, and a dealer, wouldn't allow open-ended perks; why should a customer be subject to open-ended resolutions?

I'm not thinking that I'm all that impressed with Mahindra's troubleshooting expertise.

 

[jb1390]

Like I'd mentioned, one needs to set parameters. There needs to be a drop-dead deadline and agreed upon conditionals. OP didn't buy the tractor to be a guinea pig, he shouldn't be expected to be one. If the factory really wants to figure out what the issue is then they should buy it back (or replace it) so THEY can spend all the time they need to figure it out. I'm ALL for being cooperative, but there need to be well-defined parameters/expectations: the factory, and a dealer, wouldn't allow open-ended perks; why should a customer be subject to open-ended resolutions?

I'm not thinking that I'm all that impressed with Mahindra's troubleshooting expertise.

I think Mahindra hasn't been aware of these issues until recently. If the dealer hasn't bothered to enter all the information about what has been fixed, how would Mahindra know? The experience that I had with Mahindra and my dealer seems a bit different than Gasifiers. My dealer quickly provided me with official repair documentation that they had kept throughout the lifetime of the tractor. They even had work orders for the power loss issue when no repair was made - they simply reset the light to make it run correctly in the short term. They also recorded a bunch of data to send to Mahindra to try to help them develop a fix - all this despite the dealer being relatively small.

The parameters for buyback are already set by industry. After 3 failed attempts within a "reasonable" time frame they are required to buy back the machine. However, with no paperwork there is no evidence of failed repair attempts.

I'm also surprised/disappointed by the rep's reaction to the power loss. A good tech would want to hook it up to a computer, and force it to lose power while recording the data. That is the only way that you get any insight into what the engine and electronics are doing. Since Gasifier was able to get it to fail at the dealer - with Mahindra diagnoistic equipment there - it would have been the perfect opportunity to at least perform some diagnostics. Even if it is just firmware, how are the programmers supposed to figure out what to change with no data?

 

[DieselBound]

jb1390,, exactly. I don't think that these folks are good at troubleshooting. A "fix" requires there to be an understanding of what's really going on, which means that data needs to be captured. They're failing in the basics here.

 

[wagne223]

So I spoke to the mechanic when he took my tractor to fix the transmission problem several weeks ago. I told him I needed receipts or records for each time my tractor was worked on or fixed. He said that was no problem he could pull it up out of the Mahindra database and mail them to me. I never got them.

I then learned from Mahindra corporate that they only see two things in the warranty database. I said 2? They have fixed it like 6 times at least. So Mahindra corporate talked with them about that and dealer told them they didn’t get them all in yet.

And I would have thought that this thing with records and receipts would be the responsibility of the dealer. Not the customer having to ask or beg for them. But there I go thinking again.

You are correct, records and receipts are the dealers responsibly.
You should not even have to ask.
Every time they touch your tractor they should give you a copy of the work order.
It is standard operating procedure.

All you should be doing is saving them.

That is why I feel they are taking advantage of your kindness and patience.

 

[ShelleyWeals]

My brother does not think too much about buying and he just went to see it directly and compare to others. Then buy it easily...

 

[bspeedy]

You're too nice of a guy. Bite onto that regional's pant leg and don't let go till you get what you want. You aren't going to get compensated for lost time but I'd go for a new tractor if they can't fix the old one soon. If he says the old one's fine tell him you both know otherwise and to stop it. If it's fine, tell him to sell it and you guys are only out a little instead of a lot for a manufacturing or design error.

Next time he's close to you, get his cell phone number and call it to make sure it works. Then he can't avoid you. This is a business deal and you want what you paid for. Don't say it but he has a moral and legal obligation to give you that. Persistence pays off and the squeaky wheel gets the grease. He wants to do the least possible to get rid of you so don't settle and eventually he will. Oh, the dealer is nice but should have been at that meeting. Good thing I believe in coincidences.

I speak from experience here, having been a trusting soul--and still am--but now I know what not to do in these situations. I did win. You sound like a great guy so keep it that way for the family but win for all of us here rooting for you. And...this is just free advice here so do what is best for you.

Seriously. You're being way too accommodating to these clowns.

Here's the thing - people will ALWAYS take the easiest route - ALWAYS. You have made the route of putting you off the easiest route for the dealer / regional rep. You have to make that the most difficult route for them. And you have to make giving you a new tractor (or your money back) the easiest thing for them to do because they are JUST SO TIRED OF DEALING WITH YOU. Or maybe they're scared of your attorney. Or maybe they don't like the way this thread looks to the general public (hint, hint).

Keep being polite. Stop being nice. Be the most polite, professional jerk they've ever met. It works. So well, in fact, that I've made it a bit of a sport in situations like this...

Side note - PLEASE sit down and write a log of trips to the dealership, phone calls, discussions. promises, etc. Dates, times, tractor hours, etc. Show this to the regional rep. He needs to know the pain you've felt.