A road trip through the scenic location of Ladakh, with its valleys and mountains, is a dream of many. And a lot of people are fortunate enough to live their dreams and embark on this beautiful road trip. Recently, a family also started this journey in their two Jeep SUVs, a Compass and a Meridian; however, only the Compass managed to finish the trip. The Jeep Meridian of the family suffered some undercarriage damage during the journey, and for this, the repair bill came out to be about Rs 12 lakh! Fortunately, after the insurance company stepped in, the bill reduced to just Rs 1.1 lakh.
Jeep Meridian Ladakh trip fail
The story of this Jeep Meridian’s extraordinary bill coming down to a nominal amount has been shared on TeamBHP’s forum. An active user shared this entire story that happened with his family a few months ago. It started with the user telling that his brother and his family recently embarked on a trip to Leh Ladakh in two of their family’s Jeep SUVs: the Compass and the Meridian. He stated that the Compass and its driver (his brother) had already done multiple trips to these areas. His nephew (the driver of the Meridian) is also a seasoned driver of these treacherous conditions. The Jeep Meridian, however, was new to their family with around 10,000 km on the odometer.
Following this, it was stated that both cars and drivers were doing great on the trip. They drove around all the popular places near Ladakh. However, when they were crossing the Tangtse, things took an unexpected turn. While traveling at a modest speed of 25-30 kmph along a dirt track, the Meridian suddenly encountered vibrations and noises, suggesting damage to its undercarriage. The vehicle in front, the Compass, had smoothly passed over the same terrain just moments earlier. This then raised a few questions about the nature of the obstacle.
After checking for any physical damages, it was found that there were some scratches and damages on the undercarriage of the Meridian. Following this, the vehicle also showed some lights on the dashboard as well. After this, they were suggested to leave the vehicle at the spot, and the family was then helped by the military in continuing their journey. The family, after this, flew to their home from Srinagar, and the car was taken to the workshop in Srinagar on a flatbed trailer.
Upon reaching the dealership, it was then inspected by the workshop technicians. They then quoted the owner of the vehicle around Rs 12 lakh for all the repairs and gave them an extensive list, including things from rear cross members to all the AC pipes of the vehicle, along with a ton of other undercarriage parts. Soon after getting this quote, the insurance company stepped into the matter.
The saving grace
Following this, the insurance company sent their official who inspected the vehicle and reduced the bill to Rs 4 lakh. The workshop then ordered the parts for the vehicle. However, they ordered the wrong parts, and it then took them another few weeks to get the correct parts and fit them into the vehicle. Finally, after almost 3 months, the car was done, and the brother of the user drove the vehicle from Srinagar to Gurgaon, where they once again got the car inspected.
It was found that the job was done well. However, they still wondered that had the insurance company not stepped in, they would have received the massive bill of Rs 12 lakh. The final bill came down to Rs 1.1 lakh, which was fully covered by the insurance company. The owner then stated that they were also wondering how this could happen, as the entire time the Compass was in front and it crossed all the obstacles without any hiccups, but somehow the Meridian was the one that received all the problems.
