[ajmat]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

After a few days, they got back to me saying the BCM module and the indicator stalk requires replacement as there is some short circuit in these parts.

They cannot offer a warranty replacement as I've installed the audio system. Do note the audio installation was completely on a separate wiring using a separate HU, so no internal wires were cut or spliced.

They quoted around INR 78K for the BCM and INR 12K for the indicator stalk initially, which later turned out to be INR 30K (for the module and the stalk). I had no other option except to succumb to them.

I went back to TAL on Saturday, 12th January, 2013, to see if the parts have arrived and was told the "module" has arrived. Apparently, the module they showed me was the "CANBUS gateway" which costs around INR 21K. I was told they would install this unit and code it and see if the issue resolves - which means they're not sure of themselves!

This left me wondering as to which parts have to be replaced and what could be the actual cause.

Skoda, are you listening?

You also neglected to mention that you also changed the main beam headlights to HID versions. This could be the cause. Since everything in the car is controlled by a CANBUS, anything could have happened due to the modifications.

[vb-saan]

^^I agree. Infact, the title actually is a bit misleading.

IMHO, since you have done a few modifications, the ASC is not really at fault in refusing to honour the warranty. But yes, the ambiguity in providing the right information (on the replacements needed) is a concern.

[nitinbose]

Originally Posted by ajmat

You also neglected to mention that you also changed the main beam headlights to HID versions.

That was removed immediately I saw the error on the screen. The washers were working fine for a long time afterwards

Originally Posted by vb-san

^^I agree. Infact, the title actually is a bit misleading.

IMHO, since you have done a few modifications, the ASC is not really at fault in refusing to honour the warranty.

You cant call it a modification as nothing stock is altered. I've installed the audio system separately right from HU to speakers, with complete wiring. All of us do this on our cars, even dealerships install audio systems, amplifiers, sub-woofers etc., and no car has failed unless there's something at fault in the design/wiring.

In anycase, they should have mentioned this at the time of purchase. When you're buying a skoda, they'd say you can even fix rockets to the car and that Neil armstrong actually took a Skoda to the moon!

[mayankjha1806]

Thank you @nitinbose, this strengthens my resolve in staying away from Skoda. I seriously do not get it, how come an Audio system install can be a reason for voiding warranty? There were days when cars came without one and one had to necessarily get it done aftermarket.

I am aware Vinayak is better (My neighbor used to use them), so do take your car there, there are good sensible folks there.

[mac187]

If the dealer is refusing warranty, Please take it in writing as to why they are doing so. These guys always try to pull a fast one on you when it comes to replacing parts. And since you can get OEM spares from outside, suggest you to get them replaced at the reliable service station.

OT: I really do not understand why people continue to plonk their money in this brand! The number of stories here alone are enough to make me stay clear of this brand. Maybe I am too conservative and not 'Living on the Edge' types

[shankar.balan]

Hi
When I bought the Skoda, the folks at the dealership clearly told me that there was no need to get any extra fittings done to the car, since it already came with everything.
Then, when signing on the Extended Warranty receipt form, the GM reiterated that if I wished to get anything done at all, after market, such as the Blue Tooth kit etc, to contact them and that they would help in securing the necessary permissions from Skoda Auto so that there would be no ambiguity when it came to the warranty. This, especially since it involved a lot of work on the wiring etc.
I also had casually asked about the Tyre upgrade/ upsize. I was clearly told that upsizing the tyres might cause some impact on the suspension settings and in case something were to happen to the suspension, then the extended warranty etc would be void.
These are some of the reasons why I simply havent allowed for any circumstances which can end up creating trouble in terms of my warranty.
This applies to anything related to electricals and certainly in ref tyre changes from the stock size.
I dont even feel the need to upgrade my headlamps to HID or Xenons - for one thing I dont like them and for another Im concerned that the warranty will be void.
The stock car is more than fine by me!

Originally Posted by ajmat

You also neglected to mention that you also changed the main beam headlights to HID versions. This could be the cause. Since everything in the car is controlled by a CANBUS, anything could have happened due to the modifications.

[mempheS.D]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

I am aware Vinayak is better (My neighbor used to use them), so do take your car there, there are good sensible folks there.

Take my 2 cents with a pinch of salt. This is OT, but I've burnt my fingers bad from Vinayak and still bearing the pain. It was the TAFE guys who identified and fixed the issue although 20% still remains only because I opted not to weld the body of a new car.

So, @nitinbose - while it is good to take a secondary opinion before plunging your money into the repair/replace, do NOT place your bets on it. Unless of course, there is a certain contact that you've built trust with at the service center.. especially at a Skoda A.S.S.

[amit_mechengg]

Actually the service centre can deny warranty legally as its writtin in your manual that warranty is void if any aftermarket fittment is done. But a goodwill can be offered if you have good relations with the service centre.

The only car manufacturer that is most ethical in this matter is FIAT. They have clearly stated in warranty terms that we can fit aftermarket accessories if they are fitted with good engineering principles using adapters and pins.

I have fitted projector headlights, hid kit, new headunit, woofers, amplifiers and what not, and still have an approval for all sorts of warranty. I havent cut a single wire on my car.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

That was removed immediately I saw the error on the screen. The washers were working fine for a long time afterwards

You cant call it a modification as nothing stock is altered. I've installed the audio system separately right from HU to speakers, with complete wiring. All of us do this on our cars, even dealerships install audio systems, amplifiers, sub-woofers etc., and no car has failed unless there's something at fault in the design/wiring.

In anycase, they should have mentioned this at the time of purchase. When you're buying a skoda, they'd say you can even fix rockets to the car and that Neil armstrong actually took a Skoda to the moon!

I understand these were taken out of your Fortuner. The Skoda uses a CANBUS system which is not always compatible. considering the headunit does more than control audio, it would have been best to check with the dealer first.

It is quite possible that somewhere along the line, an electrical surge has corrupted the ECU which later failed.

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Thank you @nitinbose, this strengthens my resolve in staying away from Skoda. I seriously do not get it, how come an Audio system install can be a reason for voiding warranty? There were days when cars came without one and one had to necessarily get it done aftermarket.

Well those days are over unless you get a poverty spec Polo/ Fabia where the provision to install aftermarket HU is clearly defined and demarcated.

Originally Posted by mempheS.D

So, @nitinbose - while it is good to take a secondary opinion before plunging your money into the repair/replace, do NOT place your bets on it. Unless of course, there is a certain contact that you've built trust with at the service center.. especially at a Skoda A.S.S.

I second that and when one plays around with things directly linked to the CANBUS, you need to ensure the technician knows how to work with these systems

Originally Posted by amit_mechengg

The only car manufacturer that is most ethical in this matter is FIAT. They have clearly stated in warranty terms that we can fit aftermarket accessories if they are fitted with good engineering principles using adapters and pins.

I have fitted projector headlights, hid kit, new headunit, woofers, amplifiers and what not, and still have an approval for all sorts of warranty. I havent cut a single wire on my car.

Way to go!

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Hi
When I bought the Skoda, the folks at the dealership clearly told me that there was no need to get any extra fittings done to the car, since it already came with everything.
Then, when signing on the Extended Warranty receipt form, the GM reiterated that if I wished to get anything done at all, after market, such as the Blue Tooth kit etc, to contact them and that they would help in securing the necessary permissions from Skoda Auto so that there would be no ambiguity when it came to the warranty. This, especially since it involved a lot of work on the wiring etc.

When I looked at the Yeti, they did offer me a bluetooth module which they would fit

[nitinbose]

Hi,

I have taken the effort to restore the car to complete stock. Its now the same as same as on the day of delivery.

It is okay and I have realized that Skoda, VW, Audi, BMW and Mercs., sell you not just a car but a complete motoring solution where you have everything provided from the company. The circuitry is designed in such a way that unless the controllers/softwares recognize the additional hardware its going to cause problems.

However, the dealer should have mentioned this at the time of selling.

When someone tells you that you need not install anything or you cannot install anything additional is NOT the same as telling you NOT to install it.

This is the communication gap from the sales team.

In any case, I have found someone who is experienced with Skoda/Audi/VW etc., and has the genuine, brand-new BCM module and has agreed to replace it for me at the correct price.

I will keep you all posted! Stay tuned!

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Thank you @nitinbose, this strengthens my resolve in staying away from Skoda. I seriously do not get it, how come an Audio system install can be a reason for voiding warranty? There were days when cars came without one and one had to necessarily get it done aftermarket.

Mayank, this is never a reason to stay away from Skoda. I would still never say Skoda is a bad car or it was a complete bad idea to have bought one.

If Skoda's policy on the particular model is not to have any additional aftermarket accessories installed, this should be communicated clearly to the customer at the time of purchase, preferably in writing. However, the sales team never tell you such details or inform you in a confusing manner leading to warranty issues later.

I do recall an engineer at Nandi Toyota tell me of an incident they'd faced. A customer complained that his Fortuner keeps stalling every few minutes. Upon diagnosis they found that he'd installed an overhead monitor (DVD player) which had power drawn straight from a wire going to the ECU! The ECU sensed power variations and goes into protect mode, hence the engine stalls. Because the car was used in such a condition for quite sometime, the ECU was partly damaged. The customer did try to claim warranty but Toyota refused - which I feel is a genuine from Toyota's side.

So, the bottomline, at the time of sale, the car sales team should communicate clearly to the customer on what's allowed and NOT.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by ajmat

When I looked at the Yeti, they did offer me a bluetooth module which they would fit

This was a "Parrot" unit which was available in KR Puram. I did not like it as it was ugly and priced too high. Nearly 25 grand. I had consulted Sunilrj at the time and he recommended importing the original Skoda Bluetooth unit from the UK.
I was afraid that the workshop would stuff up my electricals and hence I did not go in for that solution.
I still am afraid that the workshop will stuff up most electrical thingys so as far as possible I dont want to tamper with them!

[nitinbose]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I had consulted Sunilrj at the time and he recommended importing the original Skoda Bluetooth unit from the UK.
I was afraid that the workshop would stuff up my electricals and hence I did not go in for that solution.
I still am afraid that the workshop will stuff up most electrical thingys so as far as possible I dont want to tamper with them!

Indeed there are so many Skoda genuine accessories which we may purchase from Skoda UK/czech and have them installed, but the question is how well our service centers can support us!

The first thing they do is to scare you with the warranty jazz and the second part is that they're never knowledgeable so dont want to put the extra effort. All they do is to run scans, send them to Skoda India who seems to diagnose and suggest the next steps, and finally give the customer a exhorbitant quote!

[nitinbose]

Hi Team,

I managed to solve my Laura's issues through Vagtune, Cochin. After diagnosis, the BCM module, indicater stalk and steering module were found faulty. The steering module had nothing to do with the malfunctions however I found the wires simply cut, and these are wires serving the airbags & immobilizer. The headlamp units also had wires tampered in the inside. I therefore decided to replace that as well.

I'd also replaced the steering wheel with the three-spoke type that comes with paddle-shifts. A skoda genuine bluetooth kit was also installed.

As of now, the car is back in ship-shape. Everything is Skoda genuine!

I would only go for Skoda genuine upgrades henceforth and that's also my advice to all skoda owners.

Mods: Please close this thread if that's the right course of action.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

Hi Team,

I managed to solve my Laura's issues through Vagtune, Cochin. After diagnosis, the BCM module, indicater stalk and steering module were found faulty. The steering module had nothing to do with the malfunctions however I found the wires simply cut, and these are wires serving the airbags & immobilizer. The headlamp units also had wires tampered in the inside. I therefore decided to replace that as well..

Glad you got these resolved! Looks like the wiring of your car got butchered through those prior mods. I can certainly understand Skoda not supporting these. Bit like chopping the doors off and expecting Skoda to repair them under warranty

[maheshramaling]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

Hi Team,

I managed to solve my Laura's issues through Vagtune, Cochin. After diagnosis, the BCM module, indicater stalk and steering module were found faulty. The steering module had nothing to do with the malfunctions however I found the wires simply cut, and these are wires serving the airbags & immobilizer. The headlamp units also had wires tampered in the inside. I therefore decided to replace that as well.

I'd also replaced the steering wheel with the three-spoke type that comes with paddle-shifts. A skoda genuine bluetooth kit was also installed.

As of now, the car is back in ship-shape. Everything is Skoda genuine!

I would only go for Skoda genuine upgrades henceforth and that's also my advice to all skoda owners.

Mods: Please close this thread if that's the right course of action.

Thanks nitinbose for details on the mods you have done. Could you pls. share the share the cost of the modifcations done?

BTW - I am wondering if those lamps are Skoda GA's or after market ones?