My Santro was giving starting problem since last week. So, I went to the Safdarjung Hyundai showroom in Gurgaon for repairs. They informed me that my company fitted Exide battery (I got my car in 2006 with Exide OEM battery, though now Amaron is the OEM) needs replacement as one of the cells was damaged. And since these batteries are completely built units, so whole battery needs to be replaced.
They quoted Rs. 4000/- as the price for Amaron battery with 3 year warranty, plus ~ Rs. 400 VAT and Rs. 50/- labor. So the total stood at 4450/-. I was offered Rs. 200/- discount if I give them the old battery, to which I agreed. So, I ended up paying Rs. 4250/-. All the time, I felt that they might be overcharging as authorized dealers often do but then got content thinking that it would be at the most Rs.50 or 100/-.
But to satisfy my suspicion I searched for battery price over the internet. I found that they overcharged Rs. 800/- !!! The 200/- they gave me in exchange for the old battery was generally Rs. 600/- from other dealers. And the battery price was 3600/- instead of 4000/-. So, if you wish to get your battery replaced, prefer Amaron over Exide and do compare the prices before finalizing the deal.
PS: I found that Amaron was recommended over Exide almost everywhere.
