[amitoberoi]

I bought a Skoda Kodiaq on 28.07.2018 from Jai Auto. Even though I had heard many horror stories of Skoda customers and many people advised me against buying a Skoda vehicle, I went ahead as Skoda was at that time publicizing their India Initiative 2.0, with extended warranty and promises of a better service. I realize now that I made a big mistake going ahead with that decision.

My problem started on 23.05.2019, within a year of buying the vehicle. I was on the way to my office, and the vehicle jerked and stopped cold. This was the 2nd time but this time It did not start. I sent the vehicle to the Jai Auto workshop and little did I realize I was in for a shock. This started a long chain of emails and calls in which they accepted the following:

1. They first told me point blank that the repair shall not be done under warranty as adulterated fuel was responsible for this, not the vehicle.
2. Upon stating multiple times the obvious that I buy fuel from govt petrol pumps, and not roadside dealers, they said that as a special case they will change the part but still not under warranty as the problem was due to fuel as per them. This was not acceptable as I cannot and will not use a fuel testing kit every time I buy diesel, which is apparently what Skoda expects.
3. Further on, they agreed in writing that the fuel filter of Skoda Kodiaq works only to a certain extent, which was a shock as this is not true even for the cheaper cars costing 1/10th of Skoda Kodiaq.
4. While all of this was going on, I happened to discuss this with a diesel Engine Vehicles expert known to me, and he confirmed that there is a real possibility that the metal particles if any, which the Skoda guys are talking about have come from the Engine. I asked the Skoda guys to give me in writing that this issue will not hamper the engine. Neither Skoda not anyone from the dealer agreed to this. I feared that this vehicle might stop anywhere anytime, which had already happened to me a couple of times. What happens if I am with my family and it stops at night somewhere. Not ready to take such a risk with the safety of my family.

After that I had multiple conversations with Jai Auto people and Skoda officials, but not one of them was ready to assure that there will be no problem in the Engine due to this issue. I was told multiple times by SKODA Officials that i will be contacted soon but that never happened. As a result, the vehicle is lying with Skoda/ Jai Auto for more than 3 years now, and no action has been taken. I have fully paid for a vehicle which I have used for less than a year. But I have learnt my lesson here. SKODA IS LEAST BOTHERED ABOUT ITS CUSTOMERS. I contacted Zac Hollis too on linkedIn with this, but in his words, "You should take back the vehicle and enjoy it". I I hope this gets to the top management of Skoda so they know how customers are actually treated by Skoda India. I have the full email trail and I will put it online for the entire world to see how Skoda harasses its customers.

I have also filed a case in consumer court, but these things are so slow, specially during and after Covid hitting India, that it will take years. One thing I have learned though is that Skoda is not a trustworthy vehicle and the same issues were faced by many in Kushaq recently. And moreover they have been giving this excuse of faulty fuel form more than a decade now as per some people who have faced this issue with Skoda. What I understood is that they do want to sell their vehicles in India, but done want to customize the vehicles as per Indian conditions, or maybe their quality is actually pathetic and for every Skoda owner it is a coin toss whether they will face issues or not.

I did get a call from Skoda after I contacted Zac Hollis but that also did not result in anything and they told me to take back the Kodiaq. I told him what I told Zac Hollis, to deduct whatever depreciation is there and return my money, and If for some reason I am forced back to take the vehicle I will do with it exactly what the Nizam did with the Rolls Royce.

[lonetraveller89]

Gosh, leaving a Kodiaq at the service garage for 3 years for a faulty fuel filter sounds a bit too drastic, imho. Did the vehicle stall even after the replacement? Did they check the fuel injectors? Did you consider having your vehicle checked at another service center or FNG? Please post the document you’ve mentioned about Skoda admitting that their Kodiaq’s fuel filter “only works to a certain extent” - whatever that means. This sounds like another one of Skoda’s “robust” fuel pump cases. I understand that by posting here, you’re hoping for your issue to get noticed and resolved and I wish you all the best. But I still can’t wrap my head around abandoning a relatively new car for so long expecting an ‘assurance’ certificate from QC masters and reliability champions, Skoda India of all people - it’s just not happening, pal.

[mints21]

Leaving vehicle for three years because of faulty fuel filter is extreme. You have left your vehicle only anticipating further problems. No company or dealer will give you anything that you were expecting in writing. Let's be practical.

Skoda Horror stories are well known. But leaving vehicle at dealership because of the fear that there can be problems in future is quite surprising and such situation could have been avoided.

Since the matter is in court, I have my doubts if the dealer or the company will extend any further help. You have burned bridges with both of them.

I wonder if a car parked for three years would be road worthy now.

[rkv_2401]

Ah, man, you've traded a possible problem with the fuel filter and the car potentially stalling occasionally for a definite problem that's much worse - an almost totally ruined car.

It's foolish of Skoda to not give you those, rather simple, assurances; but I can't help but feel like leaving an almost new car with them for 3 years has only affected you adversely. There are things you can do to work around a somewhat-unreliable car : don't take it out with your family at night if you feel it's reliability is affected. Or if you were that worried, at least take the loss and sell it off, clearly stating your problems and worries with it. But now you've taken a massive depreciation loss, your car may not even work altogether, and even if Zac Hollis himself were to come down and inspect your car's engine and give you the all clear, it will never be as good as it was 3 years ago.

[ajayc123]

Oh no! Feel very very sorry about your situation. Thanks for bringing your experience to the public domain, that itself is a 'nawab' like move.

I acknowledge your decision about leaving your car at the dealer for years, my only hope is that they are not going to surprise you with the double whammy of a fat parking bill.

Now that this story has come in public domain, I hope that it is fast tracked to a reasonable logical closure.

Apart from the shock, your post ignited my curiosity about what the Nizam did with his Rolls Royce, and I was in for a surprise when I found out the following:

After landing in Hyderabad, the Nizam ordered the city municipal department to use 6 Rolls Royce cars for cleaning and transporting garbage. He made it very clear to the department that the municipality using the high-end cars for cleaning and transporting garbage should be visible to people living in Hyderabad.

[heydj]

I think if you wished to do Nizam thing then should have written on car your horror story and got driver to drive it around town for days. Leaving in garage does not matter to Skoda.

[Akash86M]

I'd suggest you just take back the car & hire someone to collect your locality garbage in it...post videos on social media platforms, tag everyone from skoda top management. Contact some news channel if they'll be interested in your story, I'm sure you'll find one of these people interested in it. Should get some results out of this.

[MT_Hyderabad]

If you are an advocate, this will be fun, but if you are not, then you should reconsider your decision.

1. Bad fuel is a huge possibility in our country, it cannot be ruled out. Take the car out after the said repairs and then take a call what to do.
2. Your car is depritiating each day. You should have got the car repaired and sold it off if you doubt Skoda's quality. We should trust the brand to enjoy if fully, if that trust us broken, there is no reason to continue with that brand. However, clogged fuel filter is not a good enough reason.

What I am trying to understand from your post is, that there were metal particles in the fuel, filter didn't work 100%, some particles clogged the filter, some may have gone to the combustion chamber. As fuel filter was clogged, car stalled.

If the above assumption is true, you should get the filter replaced and fuel lines flushed, check for any damage to the engine or the injectors and drive happily.
If there is damage to the engine, the liability lies on you, as you filled bad fuel; what will Skoda do here?

Your last threat is childish. They will have an upper hand in court if you do that.

You whole story is assumption. You did not prove anything.

[maheshm619]

Originally Posted by amitoberoi

As a result, the vehicle is lying with Skoda/ Jai Auto for more than 3 years now, and no action has been taken. I have fully paid for a vehicle which I have used for less than a year. I have the full email trail and I will put it online for the entire world to see how Skoda harasses its customers.

Is the car still at service center ( you haven't mentioned City/State) since Skoda haven't started working on it or due to you refusing to pick it up ?. Either ways, the car might have started rotting or else serving as a parts bin.The garage will surely be billing a storage charge for this whole period.

It is a relief that this isn't your primary car since most people cannot live with such delays. Hope a positive verdict is given by the court in your favor.

[AROO7]

Originally Posted by ajayc123

Apart from the shock, your post ignited my curiosity about what the Nizam did with his Rolls Royce, and I was in for a surprise when I found out the following:

I guess you have the wrong story, here is what actually happened-

As the story goes one fine day Jai Singh, Maharaja of Alwar, in Rajasthan strolled into the showroom of Rolls Royce in a Mayfair Area, London to see some beauties around. His attire or maybe his skin colour did not impress the salesman who booed him away, thinking that the guy could not afford a Rolls Royce. The king had no Passover.

He was in no mood to take the humiliation lying down. But instead of lodging a complaint with the company he found an innovative way to teach them a lesson. He asked his staff to tell the showroom owner that king Jai Singh would buy a few Rolls Royces from their showroom. As expected a red carpet was rolled out for the king.

The king, dressed in his princely attire walked over it with élan. He bought all the six Rolls Royces in the showroom and ferried them back home. Here is the interesting part. He did not ride any of them but donated them to Alwar Municipality to sweep streets and collect and dump the garbage. An ultimate insult heaped on brand Rolls Royce.

The story has a happy ending. When the news reached back to London, the Rolls Royce sent a telegram apologising for their conduct. The king accepted their apologies and Rolls Royce’s self-esteem was restored.

They also offered six more brand new cars free of cost. The king then asked the Municipality to stop using the Rolls Royce for collecting garbage, he also accepted their apologies. Thus the matter was amicably settled. The moral of the story – Never bruise a king’s ego if you do be ready to apologise.

[Gummybear]

Unfortunately, most people in our country will not even put a fight, specially if opposite party is such a big company.

Our judicial system is too slow, which not only adds to pain of victim but also cost at most of the time outweigh the justice itself, as a result common man avoids to sue companies or individuals. It's well said, justice delayed is justice denied.

I personal opinion is to go with Japanese brands for reliability and quality of service and for real German taste go Beemer or Merc. VW group vehicles doesn't tick well on any these boxes for me and gives a feeling of compromise purchase.

Wish you get justice soon or else we get to see Nizam's history repeating. Either way, VW brand is taking a hit.

[ajayc123]

Originally Posted by AROO7

I guess you have the wrong story, here is what actually happened-

See I quoted the story from Google search. That was first result for me, which I have quoted, after validating across a few other stories. However, the key message is the same, that the vehicles were used for garbage handling.

I will rest my case here.

[buzzy_boy]

Automobiles are designed and engineered to work under certain conditions. Quality of fuel is an important consideration, and many CBUs are designed to work for cleaner fuels. This is the main reason why I don't buy them.

The best you could have hoped for from Skoda is warranty on the new fuel filter, and continuation of warranty for the engine.

It is hard to imagine a consumer court granting any other kind of relief. The terms of warranty pretty much exclude any manufacturer from any liability for 99% of real-world failures. Skoda is just going to argue that you knew what you were getting into as it is all there in the document. You could have still gone to court after taking delivery of the vehicle.

Now, it has been sitting at the workshop for 3 years, and has likely been plundered for spares.

Still, the way I see it, you have already lost 40 lakh rupees. So, chance it, and take the vehicle back. Who knows, you might still get some decent miles out of it.

[jkrishnakj]

I’m thinking that your post has not managed to bring to light more details. But if a written assurance on fuel filter was the core of the issue, I don’t know what to say. No car service dealership gives anything ever in writing regarding parts. Not getting a written assurance and leaving the car for 3 years over there would have actually worsened the car now.

I see you’ve approached the consumer courts too. Good luck with that.

Oh, please be ready/don’t be surprised to get an invoice for parking charges from the service centre now.

[KKapadia]

Sympathies about poor skoda service. Bad fuel or not . Metal shavings in the fuel filter mostly means a busted fuel pump. It could happen to any car.

That definitely does not warrant to abandon the car at the dealership for 3 years. Just a quick clean up of the fuel tank, new fuel pump, new fuel filter, flush the fuel lines, clean up injectors if required and then a good Italian tune up along with a prayer and you are good to go. Vw engines are pretty hardy. It’s not easy to bust a vw diesel.

Unfortunately India doesn’t have comprehensive consumer laws to protect car owners from manufacturers. Once you buy the car it’s your problem. Every company has its own set of rules for warranty claims.

Wishing you luck for the court proceedings. But the car is definitely finished lying with the dealer for 3 yrs.