We have come across several recent incidents where the delivery of brand new vehicles has gone wrong. We have seen several videos in which owners have crashed their brand new cars while driving them out of the dealership or on their way home. In some cases, the cars don’t even leave the dealership due to technical issues. Recently, we came across an incident where a Mahindra dealership had mistakenly filled the wrong fuel into an SUV before delivery, causing a lot of issues for the customer. Now, we have a report from Punjab where the delivery of a brand new Tata Altroz was cancelled after the car refused to start due to water getting into the fuel tank.
https://twitter.com/manuudhawan/status/1675433410146488323
This happened to Mr. Mohit Dhawan, who had booked a Tata Altroz car from RSA Motors Dynamic Motors LLP in Zirakpur, Mohali, Punjab. The customer explains that he had booked the Altroz premium hatchback and the delivery of his car was scheduled. On the date of delivery, the car refused to start, and that’s when the problems started. We have seen this happen in the past—brand new vehicles sometimes refuse to start due to minor technical issues like drained batteries or other problems. Normally, technicians check all these things before delivery.
In this case, however, all the electrical components were working fine. The issue was with the fuel. When inspected, water was discovered inside the petrol tank. The customer learned about it when he inquired why the car didn’t start. He posted his grievance on Twitter, tagging Tata Motors and even Mr. Ratan Tata. He even shared a picture of the brand new Tata Altroz, with the rear seats removed and the petrol and water being pumped out of the tank. We’ve heard of cases where petrol pumps and dealerships have mistakenly filled the wrong fuel into vehicles, but this is probably the first time we’ve heard of water getting into the fuel tank.
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How the water got into the tank is still a mystery. It’s possible that the petrol that was filled into the vehicle had water content. Another possibility is that a technician might not have closed the fuel lid properly, and water might have gotten in during the washing phase. Water can actually cause a lot of damage to the engine of a vehicle. Most modern cars have sensors that completely shut down the engine when they detect water. This is done to minimize the damage. Such hydro-locked engines can only be repaired at an authorized service center, and it’s a labor- and time-intensive job.
The fuel tank has to be drained and cleaned, and the fuel pipes and fuel pump will also have to be inspected and replaced to avoid any issues in the future. As we write this article, we’re still not sure whether the customer actually received the delivery of his Altroz hatchback or not. Tata Motors did respond to the tweet and asked the customer to share his details so that they can look into the matter. The Tata Altroz is a premium hatchback that is available with 1.2-liter naturally aspirated and 1.2-liter turbocharged petrol engine options.
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