[Santoshbhat]

When I saw the thread title I thought that you were being sarcastic and opened it gingerly thinking What did Skoda do now?

THe 1.25L figure sure seems to be inflated. But the bottomline is you were not made to pay anything and the issue was resloved quickly to your satisfaction. Coming from where Skoda was this is surely a big improvement for them. People like me took the plunge and bought their products, as Androdev mentioned correctly, for the sheer value proposition that they offer, knowing very well that their customer service was a bit notorious. The way they handled your case brings a smile on my face .

[gemithomas]

Originally Posted by jeeva

Replacing the cylinder head of a "well maintained" 3 year old, 11000 km run petrol car doesn't sound all right to me and more so, because of the 1.25L involved to cure a cylinder misfire.
Normally, misfiring happens due to blocked injectors or electrical issues and in most cases involves components which can be serviced/replaced individually and wouldn't really add up to a fraction of this astronomical figure.
Anyways, all is well, if you are happy with the service.

Had the very same doubt while reading. But let the doubts rest. If the customer is happy. ALL IZZ WELL!!

[shankar.balan]

Good One Skoda!
Am happy to see a happy customer, particularly on account of having become one recently myself!
I like their vehicles - excellent fit, finish, equipment and very engaging to drive and use.
I am sure they will come up trumps on the service side as well, when the requirement comes - things here certainly are a-changing and everyone, including the big boys are going out to look after their consumer!

[jaysmokesleaves]

Wow.. thats utterly expensive. Muchhh more than a Tata Safari 2.2 Dicor.
If one were to assume that both Skoda and Tata are unreliable, then a Tata is way cheaper to maintain than a Skoda.

And if it a design flaw, then has the flaw been rectified in the new parts fitted ? Or is the customer expected to spend 1.25L next time from his own wallet after another 11k kms..?

[viny2k8]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

Oops! I jumped into this thread expecting the title to be highly sarcastic , but alas! Skoda has done something which should be appreciated. I have heard stories about Ford and also Honda allow warranty claims after the expiry of warranty on Goodwill basis. But such an act from Skoda is a pleasant surprise! If Skoda corrects its A.S.S issues, then there is nothing much to crib about from the customer's side. Good work Skoda

I too entered this post with the same idea in mind. However, it is nice to note this attitude of Skoda A$$ and deal with it rather well.
Just be on the look out for the repeat of the problem, and if that is the case it is surely not the cylinder head problem. Long periods of non-usage could mean gummy / clogged injectors too.
Take care and drive safe, Cheers!

[himavanth_m]

Have I read the post correctly was my first reaction.
This is really good on Skoda part. Most companies if not all will not bear any expense after warranty. I am impressed. I just hope no other problems repeat itself.

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

Wow.. thats utterly expensive. Muchhh more than a Tata Safari 2.2 Dicor.
If one were to assume that both Skoda and Tata are unreliable, then a Tata is way cheaper to maintain than a Skoda.

Any day Tata is cheaper to maintain than a Skoda.

[bala80]

While the SA who dealt with you was honest and deserve compliments, skoda should actually take responsibility for not voluntarily recalling and fixing the issue. It is only expected of them, their standards have stooped so low, that we are appreciating these things, instead of criticizing them for not being proactive enough.

I'm sorry, but I don't see how this is excellent customer service from skoda. If anything, its actually the other way round. No offence meant to you please.,

[Ford5]

Shouldn't Skoda be recalling all old fabias with the old 1.2 engine? Have they done that yet?

[noopster]

As much as I'd like to stand up and cheer, Androdev's explanation rings more true: Skoda should probably have recalled all those faulty-head engine cars rather than quietly fix them and pretend they did the customer a big favour in the process.

Couple of questions for the OP:
- Do you have a personal relationship with the service manager in question? I have heard owners in my city who get EXCELLENT personalised service because they have a personal equation with the owner of a prominent dealer. That doesn't count for "good" service in my books- what about teh rest of us plebs?
- Do these guys know you are a Team BHP member? It's possible they went the extra mile suspecting you may go and post this positive experience online, instead of the usual "Skoda woes" threads!

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by noopster

As much as I'd like to stand up and cheer, Androdev's explanation rings more true: Skoda should probably have recalled all those faulty-head engine cars rather.....

- Do these guys know you are a Team BHP member? It's possible they went the extra mile suspecting you may go and post this positive experience online, instead of the usual "Skoda woes" threads!

Come on, this is India, not the US. Recalls happen in the US because US law mandates it, and because of the risk of disproportionate damages being awarded in class action suits, not because of the goodness of heart of manufacturers. Its only when there are serious safety concerns that recalls happen worldwide. In several cases, like that of DSG gear boxes, recalls have been carried out in the US but have not been carried out even in other developed markets like Europe.

It's obvious that every single DSG gear box does not fail, and every single Fabia engine does not stop working. Hence there is no need for a recall, as long as the manufacturer takes prompt case by case action, as has been done here.

Plus can we please stop viewing everything Skoda does so skeptically. As several Skoda owners have maintained, there is nothing to suggest that Skoda is much worse than any other brand when it comes to service - they all will try to get away with whatever they can, and expecting Rolls Royce service while buying mid sized and priced cars is unreasonable. (Lets remember that the Net Sales realisation for Skoda on a Fabia is probably under USD 8 k, net of duties et al).

[jeepster]

a good move by skoda!

but what about customers like Harish Kanchan & others ??

IMO they should have started by solving existing issues .

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...d-3-years.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...its-users.html

rgds,
Nikhil

[vb-saan]

^^IMO, this is quite different from Harish's case. And I guess that case is now not his hands or with Skoda.

IIRC, Harish mentioned in his thread that Skoda did try for a settlement when things were going out of hand, but Harish rightly declined and decided to proceed with the court case.

I feel overall this was a good gesture from Skoda.

[Smokey Anoop]

Looking at the title of the thread i had this thought in mind: "Sigh.. What did you do now Skoda?"

My doubts:
1. Is it possible to know the cause for misfire in 11,000kms of running(especially in a petrol engine)?
2. What are the internals that were changed?
3. Any warranty promised after the replacement of parts?


On having read so many thread of horrible experiences with Skoda, this thread and attitude of Skoda A.S.S. comes as a personal shock to me! On a hillarious note, do you have a Team-bhp sticker on the car?

[mempheS.D]

This was the most apt thread to place this post as a note of appreciation for TAFE Service center for Skoda located on Hosur Road.

My vehicle - a Skoda Fabia 1.6 - has done about 15000kms in my one year of ownership. All was well except a rattling noise from the engine bay area since about 12500kms. I made a quick run to Vinayak since it's closer to my office and they simply and politely said it's common with all Fabias and shunned me away.

Come weekend, and I crashed into the TAFE Service center on August 1, 2012. A service engineer was assigned - Mr Harish. He promptly acknowledged after a 5 min test drive through some broken roads and said that it's the engine mount! I was shocked and told him it's only been a year. He replied saying a different kind of mount (Q-mount) needs to be installed replacing the current one. As soon as we got back to the service center, he handed me a print out from the Technical Service Handbook. Similar to the one posted on another thread for a Polo. Harish promptly confirmed that the work can be performed under warranty but unfortunately, they do not have the spare.

As posted on another thread, it appears the spare had to come from Germany. Shocking isn't it? The delay wasn't really affecting my daily commute to work as my workhorse is the RE TBTS. But, 10 days at the service center was starting to tick me off. Thankfully, Harish gave me a call on August 11, 2012 saying the parts have arrived and the work has been completed.

Reached the service center around 4pm - and there "she" was. Glowing and smiling on seeing me again after 10 "LONG" days. Harish had not only replaced the mount but performed a quick general service too to arrest all squeaks from doors, topping coolant levels, etc.

All said and done - I was HAPPY, for a change. And that too, at a Skoda Service center.

Maybe things are beginning to look brighter for Skoda India with service engineers of the likes of Mr Harish, Mr Mahi and Ms Latha at the TAFE service center on Hosur Road.

KUDOS TAFE !

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by Tumbler

The Manager at Tafe Skoda, Mr Jose Thomas and the service staff, especially Mr. Mallesh, were very courteous and have defined a new benchmark in customer service. I should know, as this is the 13th vehicle in my list of acquisitions over the years.

I am touched by this gesture of Skoda and their attention to customer satisfaction. Skoda build and performance are top notch and now their customer service is too. I will remain an eternal fan of Skoda.

I came across this thread very late. But just wanted to add that, Mr. Jose Thomas is my classmate from engineering days and my best friend. I will defenitely pass on this note of appreciation to him

More so, its heartening to see more and more people being satisfied by Skoda service of late. May be the Horror basket Skoda has gone for good and we have in front of us a company that is seriously looking towards improving the after sales reputation it has.