[Sen]

If I had an experience like this, I would either sell the car, or switch to a trustworthy FNG and never look at the official dealerships again.

Frankly, I'm scared of these kinds of experiences, and am still looking for a great FNG to switch over to now that my Vento approaches the 3 year mark with 45k on the odo.

Sorry to see what has become of your Kushaq, hope you find solace/resolution in getting the trim fixed up. It's something you interact with every day, and that is what hurts more.

On a related note, accepting any suggestions for trustworthy FNGs that handle VAG cars in Bangalore. (yes I will look at the directory in the meantime )

[fiat_tarun]

I can imagine the frustration you must be feeling in this situation. Did you try tweeting to Peter Solc via social media ?

Originally Posted by baranib458

...

When I asked about the replacement of MID, the CRM outright said it won’t me changed and gave unbelievable explanations. He said changing the MID would make the odometer to zero and would have all the settings to zero. It would be impossible to change the MID and I have to keep it as it is with scratches all over. Such BS.

...

This is totaly BS. The new MID can be calibrated to the car's ODO reading. Many have changed clusters in their Polo's with other VAG clusters and this is possible.

Ask them if they reset all cluster failure / accident cases needing a ODO replacement to '0' ! Since they have to foot the bill for these changes, they are dragging their feet with excuses.

[Gamemaztr]

Originally Posted by baranib458

This post is regarding the latest saga which started in April 2023 with AC issues and how the ASCs and CRM teams in Maverick ŠKODA Madurai and Aura Motors Tirunelveli have multiplied the issue many folds.

This is really bad. This is one of the very reason that most people try to stay away from VAG-Skoda brand. They make one of the best and the safest cars with a very questionable post sale customer service. This has to really improve.

Such behavior needs to go up to the Skoda higher ups directly. Hope you have mailed them about this indiscipline. You can also check if you can reach out to them through social media.

You should definitely seek for some extended warranty or RSA or equivalent for the trouble you have undergone so far.

[NJ_9]

Originally Posted by Sen

On a related note, accepting any suggestions for trustworthy FNGs that handle VAG cars in Bangalore.

You can have a look at CarMed, North Bangalore. Just a suggestion

[kaushikduttajsr]

Skoda hadn't improved a bit despite hyperbolic terms like India 2.0 etc etc. It is unbecoming of a brand that has been brutally bad at ASS for a decade of it's existence in India. They need to get their act together, or should leave India soon. It is really unfortunate that brands like Ford leave India leaving behind slackers like this.

High time customers see through their facade and stop buying their products. And this comes from a fan boy drooling over Slavia.

@OP: Nothing is greater than peace of mind. I'd recommend sell off the vehicle and get something better. You've learnt the lesson about "premium" European brands the hard way.

[BleueNinja]

Originally Posted by UD17

Precisely for the peace of my mind i have kept one rule - Never ever look for owning a VW/Skoda + Never recommend to friends. There are numerous registered examples (in Team BHP and other social media platforms) which should beware people to not touch the Skoda/VW with a barge pole.

I think this is where we Indian consumers are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

If a consumer desires peace of mind and good service he has to turn towards Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Kia but if consumer wants performance or a sturdy vehicle he will have to look towards VAG twins, Tata or Mahindra which aren't exactly known for excellence customer service or niggle free ownership.

Honda and Toyota strike a perfect balance between the two but prior doesn't have a diverse product portfolio with its future in air and the later's vehicles are getting expensive.

[praviin05]

@baranib458 Feel the pain seeing the pics and reading your elaborate details, especially the fact that this isn't just mishandling but a deliberate attempt. Can't imagine why people would do this to someone. I hope you get respite from this ordeal soon. I guess this is the very reason, Indians prefer to opt for Maruti-Suzuki as they at least make an effort to try hard and do their best, despite the large numbers of people they are catering to. It is commendable, the scale of it all.
Recent news does show M&M taking steps to be proactive in controlling product issues though, a move in the right direction. Having said that, while the company/manufacturing plant and top management to be specific, take steps to do the right thing, having that attitude and that psychology percolated down to the ASCs is a different story altogether I'd say. The painful part is to see it take decades for such baby steps and still, the sum total of the core problem is almost the same.

[vagster]

This is horrible. Can completely understand where OP is coming from. The dealership could have simply said no to the work if they do not have the necessary skill. Seeing a car with such marks is definitely an eyesore, be it a 5L car or a 1cr car.

Skoda gives great vehicles, it's their crazy service stations that rip the customers off mentally and financially IMO. It was better when Mr Zac was there, he has direct eyes on the service centres. Upon Peter's arrival, their social media handle went silent again.

We should have Sales and service listed as separate in maps so that we can at least go by the actual user reviews considering the fact that most of the sales reviews will be 'positive' and the issues with service will be hidden in a plethora of positive reviews.

I would recommend engaging them vigorously on Social media and taking your car to a service centre that has the qualified workmanship on doing such complex work. (Something in metro cities). Never visit these Service centres again!

[pd1108]

Very unfortunate to go thru this. My sympathies are entirely with you. Hopefully, Skoda will rectify the damages.

Mods, I have a suggestion. We often read such stories, but soon the information gets lost, or we form a harsh opinion of the manufacturer, which may not be universally justified. So here is my suggestion (if it is not already implemented). Can we have an ongoing survey of our experiences with a car, so over time we will have comprehensive feedback about a specific car/manufacturer / dealer/location. This can be available as a radio button that will take us to the survey page.

It could also include positive feedback, and not only negative

TIA

[extreme_torque]

Man I feel for you. That the car essentially ruined as far I am concerned. This is horrendous attitude towards a customer's car. I for the life of me cannot understand how can they work like this.

[vijuk21]

I can understand how you feel as I have also had similar experiences with Skoda service centers in Bangalore and also in Coimbatore.

Everytime, I had given the car for service, it used to take minimum of 1 week stating non availability of spare parts. Lack of transparency and high cost of spares is a scary part of owning a Skoda. Issues never get resolved in a single visit and any amount of feedback goes to deaf ears.

Unfortunate for Skoda. They have great cars but let down by their service.

[deathwalkr]

Looking at the pics posted by you, I can understand just how much you love your car and the pain you must be feeling at the sheer lack of workmanship by the ASCs.

I really hope you do get this sorted out.

[vijaitech@gmail]

My sincere sympathies. I can relate to your pain. My Alto (2007 model) had clutch plate replacement and balance replacement work at around 12K kms. The Bimal svc did such a shoddy job with the replacement and had wires dangling from under the dashboard. They had even swapped out my car’s glovebox from some other Alto and no amount of escalation and fighting got me my glovebox back. I was very disturbed for months after that.

Nowadays, I look at these posts and I am convinced that my next purchase will be a Bolero and will have it serviced by my trusted mechanics only. There is no way I would remain at peace spending hard earned lakhs on such costly vehicles and be treated the way you have been. While the Bolero too will be loved, I will in my heart of hearts know that the car is designed ground up for rough treatment and maybe that will keep my nerves smoothed.

I digress; I wish you a speedy recovery from this nightmare my man. Best of luck!

[TheFonz]

I empathise with you and have faced similar but less extreme scenario recently with VW service.

I’ve been noticing a trend now a days that even ASCs are tending to spend less on upskilling labour force. The service technicians are underpaid and over utilised leading to such scenarios coming up quiet often. The cars coming into ASCs has gone up exponentially however the workforce haven’t which adds to the degradation of customer experience.

In Kolkata PPS motors ASC hadn’t setup a body shop with basics such as a power hose for washing cars before handover, but were taking up cars in 10s each day for body work related service issues and claims.

[baranib458]

Thanks everyone for your inputs, suggestions and support.

After lots of escalations, we had earlier agreed up on changing certain parts after they replaced from a demo car without my knowledge. Yesterday, all new parts that were agreed to be ordered and replaced were received and replaced in the car.

New parts replaced:
- MID cluster
- Top and bottom trims behind steering wheel
- Central SKODA inscribed trim along with Left front AC vent
- AT Gear knob (An internal memo is available. Warranty replacements available if customers state the tactile response from AT gear knob is fading away.)

Parts that were replaced from a Demo vehicle
- Top two trims of dashboard
- Left A-pillar trim
- Glovebox
- Rear AC vent
- Trim around front middle AC vent
- Protective caps on refrigerant lines
- Battery covers

I took the car to a nearby garage to double check AC related parts and found a tissue inside the AC air filter box. Not sure how a full tissue can go inside the filter box.

Another observation is, there is a black carpet like material was which is fixed with the firewall. After replacement of evaporator coil it is left unsecured. I did highlight to the team but looks like it is not fixed. I'm hoping it is not a fire hazard as it is in close proximity to hot engine parts. Will have to make a jugaad and be content with it.



One frustrating thing with SKODA customer care is, whatever the escalation is, it comes back only to the CRM posted in the dealership. What if CRM is the problem and needs to be esclated? No answers. Their Whatsapp complaint form just wastes our time and will throw an "incorrect input" error at the last checkpoint. After sales operations needs serious attention from top management.