[gopalnt]

I am from Chennai and I do travel a lot down south, especially on the eastern belt - Chengalpet, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Kumbakonam & Thanjavur.

When I checked the list of service centers of Skoda in TN, except Chennai, all of them are in central TN or western TN - Vellore, Erode, Salem, Coimbatore (western belt) and Trichy, Madurai, Tirunelveli (central). There is not even one service center mentioned for the entire eastern belt of TN.

I like the car and I was planning to by 1.0 AT (no DSG, never!). Is Kushaq reliable on all roads (at legal speeds) that I don't have to worry about being stranded and that there are no service centers?

Thanks.

[sunikkat]

I have an Octavia and have travelled the length and breadth of South India and Konkan belt for last 6 years. The car have never let me down, and this is never my worry even when I take those secluded forest routes.

However the fact is Skoda will not have service coverage outside cities similar to Maruti, Hyundai or even Tata / Mahindra. So thats a risk that you will carry when you buy Skoda, Jeep, VW or any other small players.

After the intial niggles, we havent heard much complaints about Kushaq. But the risk will still be higher for Skoda in case of a breakdown compared to major players. So its a calculated risk that you have to take.

If in your place, I would have defintely gone ahead with Kushaq.

[Pyrotek]

When in doubt, exercise caution. A car is meant to be driven all over with ample support should things go wrong. Especially in this case where we are talking about cars for everyday use. If the areas of TN you most frequently traverse do not have sufficient Skoda service centers, please don't buy a Skoda. The fear and anxiety of getting stranded will negate any joy you might experience. Skoda is among the most notorious for its reliability. This is well known. In your case, I would recommend against buying a Skoda.

[Rajeev1]

@gopalnt - I echo comments by @sunikkat.

I have owned 3 different Skoda cars over the last 12 years - Fabia (TDI), Rapid (1.6 MPI) and a Yeti (TDI). These cars have been driven a cumulative 2 lakh kilometers till date through highway and city traffic and so far I have never been left stranded due to lack of a service centre.

Keeping the cars on a scheduled service regimen with a combination of safe driving practices ensures reliable performance from these machines.

All my cars are manual and I cant comment on DSG though.

I recommend you go ahead with your decision without thinking too much about the spread of service centres.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by gopalnt

When I checked the list of service centers of Skoda in TN, except Chennai, all of them are in central TN or western TN - Vellore, Erode, Salem, Coimbatore (western belt) and Trichy, Madurai, Tirunelveli (central). There is not even one service center mentioned for the entire eastern belt of TN.

Thanks.

I think you are over-stressing on this point. Example Skoda doesn't have a center in Thanjavur but Trichy is just about 50 kms away. Similarly the center in Puducherry would be close enough to Chidambaram and a few more.

If you like the car, go for it and make sure you get extended warranty, a full RSA cover and a good insurance cover with zero dep, return to invoice and engine protection and you'll at least be sorted from a financial cover.

As for the vehicle's reliability, there are numerous threads on Skoda cars (than just Kushaq) and Skoda dealerships that detail out what one needs to worry about and plan in advance.

[androdev]

I don't think proximity of the service centre will have that much impact on RSA. Your day would more or less be ruined. In other words, it makes no sense to buy an unreliable car just because there are service centres in every town. Towing service is what matters the most. The likelihood of a breakdown due to tire bursts, broken roads, accidents, etc. is far higher than a "check engine light" type of problem. Whether you are driving an Innova or a Kushaq, you should always have a contingency plan to deal with exceptions.

Obviously VW cars are not as reliable as say Toyota cars. Upto 60-80K km, there will not be much difference between VW and other brands. As you clock higher mileage, the reliability differences become significant. VW also tends to be expensive to repair outside of warranty.

You will have to assess your risk appetite and take a call. If you need the car to clock 2 lakhs of KMs without a sweat, stay away from VW. If you are a car guy, want a nice-to-drive car and your expectation is to use it for 80-100K km, I think you will do just fine taking on a little risk with Kushaq 1.0 AT. It's certainly a good package in the current market.

[EV NXT]

Here’s how the odds are stacked:

(a) You can either enjoy all your drives and regret the 1 or 2 days when it breaks down - if it breaks down. (Expecting a breakdown manages your internal pain of dealing with the breakdown)

OR

(b) You could regret all your drives with a dull boring SUV and keep wishing every day you had bought a Kushaq BUT not have to deal with any breakdowns.

Be in no doubt, you may have a few incidents that are unsavoury but the number of hours of driving pleasure you get should more than make up for it.

It’s a no brainer if you are an enthusiast who loves driving. The road to driving pleasure with affordable cars in India isn’t a smooth one as yet.

[Raghu M]

While the heart would like to buy it, the head would press caution. Some times, you need to listen to the head. I for one, wouldn't buy a Skoda in the city leave alone the rural areas. Given the service nightmares, Skoda is not a brand synonym to trust/reliability. One of the cases where a good engine is not good enough, you need professionals to service it.

[sal]

Skoda cars are pretty reliable.
The car wouldn't let down if it is maintained properly. I dont see the issue, unless you dont have a service center near your home.
I would get the Kushaq, if I were you..

[lsjey]

Originally Posted by gopalnt

When I checked the list of service centers of Skoda in TN, except Chennai, all of them are in central TN or western TN - Vellore, Erode, Salem, Coimbatore (western belt) and Trichy, Madurai, Tirunelveli (central). There is not even one service center mentioned for the entire eastern belt of TN.

The number of service centres IMO is less important IMO. The key is the quality and reliability of the service centres. Škoda over the years has improved the service experience. But it is moot if the improvements are uniform across all dealerships.

Also, it is still early days for Škoda. Given the increase in sales, they will be improving on the service coverage too. So in the next few years there is a good chance that dealer network will come up in your areas of interest. And in the initial few years, cars will generally be reliable. But, Škoda EPC problems are well known.

So if you really like the car, go for it. If there are still doubts and the car does not tug your heart, then choose an alternative car.

Regards,
lsjey

[kpkeerthi]

Originally Posted by gopalnt

I like the car and I was planning to by 1.0 AT (no DSG, never!). Is Kushaq reliable on all roads (at legal speeds) that I don't have to worry about being stranded and that there are no service centers?

Thanks.

Honestly, you will never know. But would like to remind you about their awful service experience and incompetent mechanics should something go wrong. You will most likely return home with more issues than you originally had.

Think twice if you are planning to own a Skoda/VW as your only or primary daily driver. It all depends on your tolerance levels. If you had owned a Suzuki or a Toyota in the past you should be prepared to deal with "the Skoda experience".

[Dushyanth]

We own a Skoda Rapid 1.6 TDi for the last 8 years and have clocked nearly 1.2 lakh Kilometers without a single breakdown, still running with the stock clutch and suspension, and still running the same way she drove on day one, there certainly is a lot of difference in the way skoda was back then and what it is now when it comes to ASS. I have been getting my vehicle serviced at TAFE all through its life, and never faced any issue with them whatsoever, for sure their attitude has changed for the good over the last 8 years.

I would buy the Kushaq if i were you. and enjoy the car for what it offers. Take the Maximum available warranty. There is always a chance of things going wrong irrespective of which manufacturer you go to, but at the end of the day give me a Slavia over a City, Kushaq over a Creta/seltos, Octavia/Superb/Kodiaq over any Mercedes/Audi/BMW having an Inline 4 Cylinder setup.

[careind]

Most of the issues reported on Škoda/VW are by owners of Diesel vehicles, but it could be due to the fact that Škoda sold more diesel mills as it is known for the diesel mills rather than the petrol mills.

But there are general observations like incompetent dealership, growing failures with age etc. that one needs to put up with to enjoy the ownership of the car.

I have the Rapid DSG and it routinely gives issues but I am lucky that I was not stranded when the water pump failed or my injector gave up and so personally, I have decided there is no Škoda for me in the future.

If you travel more and that too along the routes you detailed, I would suggest going for a car that gives peaceful ownership rather than a car that is high on performance but with frequent failures.

[gopalnt]

Thank you everyone who replied on this thread. I have decided to err on the cautious side, so not proceeding with Skoda/VW for now. Once again, appreciate your time to reply to my post.