[low_bass_makker]

The post here are copy of email sent to the showroom guys. So the context will be a bit different but will clearly help you understand the issue.

I bought a brand new LAURA Classic TSi Petrol from Giriraj Motors dealer located at JMD Pacific Square, Sector-15 Part2, Behind 32nd milestone,Gurgaon, Haryana, 122001. I was given the delivery of the vehicle on 31st of Aug 2011 and Pre-delivery inspection could not happened as I was given a delivery time of 7 pm also at the time of delivery I was not satisfied with the cleanness of the car, there were marks on the front seat plastics (pics attached), and the engine bay was not clean thoroughly, also I mentioned the same to Mr Kausal Tyagi for the same. In the continuation I also mentioned to Mr Tyagi that the VIN No of the car suggest the manufacture date of the chassis of the car is done in DEC 2010 (VIN No is .TMBCKM1Z2AAXXXXX) one can easily decode the in information it contains.

VIN Characters: 17 (beginning with TMB...)

Decode:
6th character represents the MONTH of Manufacture
10th character represents the YEAR of Manufacture
An Example:
If your 6th VIN character is G, then it represents the Month - July
If your 10th VIN character is A, then it represents the Year - 2010
Month Codes:
A = JAN
B = FEB
C = MAR
D = APR
E = MAY
F = JUN
G = JUL
H = AUG
J = SEP
K = OCT
L = NOV
M = DEC

Year Codes:
A = 2010
B = 2011
C = 2012
D = 2013
E = 2014
F = 2015
G = 2016
H = 2017
J = 2018
K = 2019

Me along with Mr Tyagi also checked the other few cars which were there in the showroom which were JUN 2011 manufactured. Now today I noticed the paint fading of front fender on the driver side and difference in paint could easily be noticed by touching or visually, The paint has been virtually evaporated and one could easily see the blackishness on it. Even the surface is rough. One can easily judge by looking at it that it was repainted somewhere and someone did a really bad job in covering it. I seriously suspect the vehicle was involved in a frontal accident and to cover it dealer has repainted same in his premises. Now when I today approached the dealer for this i was encountered with one of the sales representatives and the workshop GM Mr Satbir Singh over there who after seeing it said this is normal and said the Teflon coating is not done.I said what the heck??? Why are they passing this as if it is nothing , I was shocked. Is this the kind of service I as in customer should i expect from automobile giant SKODA?? It means i should pay 12+ Lakhs of hard earned money for an accidental car??

I also today observed two more thing the glass on the all the door except the driver door is made in the year 2010, and the one on the driver door is of 2011. How come one glass is new and others are older ???? (pics attached) Also the temporary number plates fixed on the vehicle at the time of delivery were wrong. The plate put on the front had the following number HR99KG TEMP 5128 and one on the boot had HR99KG TEMP 5131. I am thankful to god that I was not stopped by any Police and the embarrassment I had to face do to this silly mistake done on the showroom part.

[low_bass_makker]

This is in continuation of my last post, I am very sad to say that I am still not satisfied with the service given to me by Giriraj Motors staff/employees. I have done two more visits to your showroom after the first mail I have sent. And I was promised with a very positive attitude that your customer satisfaction is your utmost criteria. But after today's visit I hate to say I do not find it that way. On the visit to your showroom on 5th September I meet Mr Vivek Ahluwalia (Vice President) and MD Mr Jaipal. both were very courteous and sober the whole time and were only trying to convince me that there is no issue with the car. If there had been any issue with any vehicle they recvie they would have not accepted when the Skoda ships them in trucks. They do not accept the car if there is a single scratch on the vehicle. They also shared how the quality is maintained in Skoda now days. The whole setup is in control of skoda directly. If there is any part has to replaced the part has to be issues directly from the company and the part is assigned on the specific car on which it will be installed..Mr Jaipal was so confident that there cannot be any issue as he is running a very transparent business here. He also mentioned to me that he will replace the vehicle if there is a quality problem with fender. I was highly satisfied with his comments and I thought I had came to the right place but the things turn a different way when I visited the workshop yesterday.

Yesterday when I reached the showroom I took Mr Kaushal from the showroom and then reached the workshop. To my surprise no job card was issued. I even asked the gate keeper for same. I was approached by Mr Vivek and Mr Satbir Singh (Workshop Manager) . They instantly gave a order for car wash. The car was thoroughly wash and was brought into the inspection area . There after so called teflon coating was to be done. But when I check the stuff with the teflon coating guys (they were wearing 3M tshirts) It was a normal 3M polish and 3M wax, None of the products had anything to do with teflon. Just for knowledge teflon is used in non-stick cookware and I have seen factory where these are manufactured in ovens with temperatures over 300 C. I do not think teflon has to do with the coating done by these guys., for further reading on teflon one can refer this link...Polytetrafluoroethylene - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Okay after the so called teflon coating/wax polish it was time to inspect, Mr Satbir Singh thoroughly inspected and found it was not satisfactory done as the finish was not good and by touch one can easily check the roughness. Then again more teflon/wax polish was ordered and again the finish was not good. Then the buffing was order, in all this I do not understand why all this need to be done on a brand new car. Also the funny part in this is the part of the fender which is defective/rough is not covered by sticker which was mentioned by Mr Vivek (Vice President) in yesterday meeting. Like he said the part of the sticker has a air gap the glue remains on the body rather than on the plastic with which it is applied. So definitely there is no sticker applied and that is not the issue but it is some thing else !!!

In the meantime some random fellow arrived, I cannot recall his name as I was not introduced with him nor did we exchanged any visiting card nothing. He came strolling opened the hood checked few thing casually took a round around the car , discussed for a minute with Mr Satbir. An said every thing is okay and went away. I do not not understand what the hell happened there. Who was he, what was his name,nothing. I was promised a joint inspection not a eyewash or a joke. I am capital machine manufacturer. I have supplied machines to various automobile manufactures like Benda Amtek, Clutch Auto, etc, I also supplied machine to the Defence also. When the machine is ready to be dispatched the machine is checked for the parameters which are mentioned in the Purchase order and is measured using specific instruments. Not just by visual inspection. I was hoping the skoda people must have a instrument to measure the paint thickness or check the surface finish. But I am glad to see that they do all this just my human eyes and touch. Great how can one maintain quality with such methods. Do they check the paint by physically seeing the paint or measure the thickness of the same in the factory in Europe where the car is built ????

Okay we were at the buffing which should not be done on a six day old car in which the part of the front driver side fender is defective and the rest of the car is spotless clean !!! Strange but I ordered the buffing to be done knowing that it will damage the car paint further. After the buffing was done the surface is still rough and dull as it was when I have arrived at the showroom. Mr Satbir inspected the same and said to use the car as it will not affect on the performance of the car. He also said if any issue rises he will take care of the same. But I said that I have bought a brand new car and still the finish in not good. Then one of the paint shop expert suggest to clean the surface with fine emery paper with water which will clean any unwanted roughness and will bring a clean smooth surface. I straight away denied on the same. Also there were few more skoda cutomers seeing this eye wash also came and talked to me I requested them to also check they also agreed on the same with me about the roughness on the paint. So are we talking about a second hand care or a brand new car. Finally when I was leaving the workshop still not satisfied with the paint finish to which even Mr Satbir agrees on the same and has offer to change the fender with a brand new one. But I will stick to what Mr Jai said. If there is a issue with the paint I will give you a new car. Let us see does he stick to his words or they were just false commitment.

The Picture below are after two times so called teflon and buffing !!!! All hail to the great Skoda Paint Quality which is done in Austria !!!







This area is okay , one can compare in the pic posted above !!!!

[low_bass_makker]

Dear Sir,

This is in reference to your below mail would like to inform you that when your car was inspected by Mr. Rohit Raghav (senior engineer from Skoda) the following points were checked:

· No difference in paint of bonnet, Fender & right front door.
· Every detachable piece like Door, Fender, hood, boot & bumpers gets painted in paint booth only after removal from vehicle.
· If this piece gets painted on the vehicle so this could make spray effect on the surface of other body parts of vehicle like windshield or bonnet
· This piece has not been removed from vehicle, which has ensured by fitting bolt of fender, there are no marks of unscrewing the bolts
· This kind of roughness can be there due to adhesive of protection film on fender only.
· There is no sign of repainting found in piece.

After the above points were inspected only then Skoda approved that your car is in perfect condition. However if you wish to get the car inspected again we would arrange for the same but would like to inform you that same points would be inspected again.

Regards
Pooja Sahni
HEAD-CRM.

My reply !!!

Thanks Madam for such a informative mail. But I tend to disagree here. I would love to do another inspection only if it is done on some parameters and not just visual inspection. Also in the email you mentioned your points which I would like to clarify you point to point !!!!

• I never said there is difference between bonnet, fender,right front door. It is just the right fender which has the issue. I have attached the pic and do let me know if you can find the difference
• Where in the world it is written that a car cannot be painted with the piece attached on the car ?????
• There is something called Masking tape Google it up you will find a lots of information on the same !!!! Just in case here is a link..Masking tape - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• I never said the piece was removed for paint it can be done with it fixed on the car !!!!
• The roughness on the fender is not due to the adhesive of the protection film as it is not put there but it is on the upper portion of the fender which is okay not the part I am discussing of (lower portion). For more info which area I am saying check the pic attached and check the cars parked in your stock yard where the sticker is put. Also one more thing in the last mail you mentioned about the so called Teflon coating which was done with my consent the roughness is still there. I would also like to mention that Buffing was done on the fender to which I did not agreed but had to get it done as Mr Satbir (Workshop Manager) suggested that it will clear any roughness if there is any. But VOLA.....Roughness is still there !!!! Which in turns indicate according to you the Adhesive is so strong that it does get removed even after two sessions of Teflon and one session of Buffing. What type adhesive is used here, Is it to protect the car or to damage it ?????? (PICS ATTACHED)
• As I mentioned in the earlier mail that I would not simply go for visual inspection I want the things to be check in a professional manner. If you do have any do let me know as Mr Vivek told me that he will get back to me for the same and I am still waiting. And I found the front fender is painted.

Please do let me know when it can be possible for joint inspection only if you can provide any technical parameter for the same. I do not waste my time to come in for just another visual inspection which in turns out to another joke !!!!

Also I believe Mr Jaipal / SKODA can arrange for such a small thing to satisfied his valuable customer who has bought cars from him worth more than 35 lakh and also that I would refer Giriraj to many others !!!

Waiting for positive reply rather than ranting on the same points which were in the first mail of yours

I am getting just excuses that they have contacted Skoda and waiting for there reply...!!!

[low_bass_makker]

Okay after 6 days on 15th they replied...

Dear Sir,

Would request you to come to the Giriraj Workshop tomorrow at 10:30 am for the inspection which would be held by Skoda engineer. Kindly confirm

Regards
Pooja Sahni
HEAD-CRM.

And I replied !!!

Thanks for the call !! I would request you to check with Skoda that the inspection will not be a physical inspection which can be done anywhere by anyone !!! I would also like to mention that I have asked Mr Vivek for any parameters for the same for which I have not got any reply. Do let me know ASAP so that I can plan it for tomorrow morning !!

To which there response was this !!!

Dear Sir,

As per your request we have arranged for the Inspection. And as I mentioned that the inspection will be done by the Skoda engineer who have their own parameters to inspect a particular Vehicle. However once you are there tomorrow for the inspection you can yourself ask the Engineer to check the car as per your norms.

Regards
Pooja Sahni
HEAD-CRM.

But again it was a EYE WASH !!! It was just time wasted to see which was shown on the last 4 visits !!!! I have sent a mail...

This is my last visit to your showroom and I am fed up with kind of service you are providing. Anyone with normal eyes and hand can tell by seeing and touching that the fender is painted and has rough finish. I am attaching the pics again for your reference. The so called Skoda Engineer Mr Yuvraj Patel wasted my whole day in checking the car and said to me the paint is okay . I do not think this will resolve without legal interference. I will be consulting with my Advocate and you will be receiving a Legal notice in a day or two. Now it is not my issue it is your issue to resolve.

Regards

And I have sent a Legal notice with CCing every news channel , newspaper , other vehicle manufacturers, international forums etc...

They have sold me a DEC 2010 manufactured car , with glasses with one manufactured in 2011 and the other 3 in 2010. And along with the painted fender that to a with a very bad workmanship !!!!

Let us see what they have to say about the same then ????

[.anshuman]

This is not acceptable. I can understand the Dealership guys must have damaged an old car in stock and sold it to a unsuspecting buyer, but if the Skoda engineer says this panel is not repainted, this is a clear case of promoting this kind of behaviour at their sales and service outlets by Skoda India.

Keep us updated on the issue.




Note from Support: Thread moved here from Assembly line section. Thanks for sharing

[neoonwheels]

Looks like the Skoda horror stories are not going to stop. Though at first it looks like that the dealer has messed up things but then Skoda engineer saying the paint is in factory condition is a bit suspicious. Even we can make out the difference looking at pics.

Can you please find a relatively new Laura in their stockyard and compare the paint quality on its fender?

[VW2010]

Pre-delivery inspection could not happened as I was given a delivery time of 7 pm also at the time of delivery I

I personally would not accept this. You should have insisted a day time to pick the car and told them you will not pick the car untill you complete your PDI. You could have rejected to take the car home and creating a confusion with potential customers looking at other cars. I feel you made a judgement error by taking the car in the condition you stated.

Its so sad and shocking. Sad that by just looking at the pictures one can easilly feel the difference in paint texture if not the paint quality.

Shocking that the whole pain job will cost less than 3K for them to match and correct.

They could have asked you to simply leave the car in their garage and ask you to collect it a day later while finishing of the paint job.

My Jetta front bumper got a scratch from a road side tap on day 5 of ownership. Hated myself but got it repainted and till date i cannot find a single issue with the paint job.

A 3K worth of saving is not really worth it if Skoda is losing reputation.

I guess it has to do with the dealer attitude and not skoda.

IMHO, if you feel you are disturbed too much, think of 3-5K as money wasted on those fancy dinners and get this repainted. Atleast it will give you, your peace of mind. I know its really wrong to suggest this, but at the end of the day you should not worry everytime you look at that panel.

[Piyush_Vroom]

Why Does Skoda always have to get so low tactics on such things. LBM bhai a legal Notice is the only way to go forward. This should teach them a lesson.

[Motoringlover]

Mate - Sorry to hear about the trouble with the car.

I know its frustating when Dealers are not being supportive of an expensive cars, which they themselves have sold, I am not sure if a legal option will generate a material change, rather you would be inviting yourself to a brawl of legality, which can be both capital intensive and time consuming, i would only advice that you try to get it fixed - My two cents.

Best - Motoringlover.

[low_bass_makker]

Originally Posted by neoonwheels

Can you please find a relatively new Laura in their stockyard and compare the paint quality on its fender?

They are just a bunch of jerks...I have been to the showroom/workshop Four times just for them to check the paint. They plainly say it is okay !!!! I got tired of this and I have just sent a Legal notice to them today !!!!

Originally Posted by VW2010

I personally would not accept this. You should have insisted a day time to pick the car and told them you will not pick the car untill you complete your PDI. You could have rejected to take the car home and creating a confusion with potential customers looking at other cars. I feel you made a judgement error by taking the car in the condition you stated.

I should have checked the day I took the deliver !!!! It was after 2 days I observed the same. It was small mistake of taking deliver without checking, As I was there repeat customer , I have just bought a Superb TSI AT from them in March this year. I did not excepted this from them. Let us see what happens next !!!

Originally Posted by Piyush_Vroom

Why Does Skoda always have to get so low tactics on such things. LBM bhai a legal Notice is the only way to go forward. This should teach them a lesson.

I have sent a legal notice today it self. I had created the thread on 7th Sep but did not shifted it in the public as I did not want to make things public till the time I have sent the legal notice. But they let me no choice !!!

[anujmishra]

This is simply hogwash by Skoda. Seems like they have got Mastership in Cheating Customers.

You can simply use you window glass proof for fight. No way this is possible where car is manufactured in 2010 and they waited one year to fit the driving side window glass. What is their parameter on denying this?

[2cents]

The fact that it's a Dec'2010 car is reason enough to suspect that something's fishy. After all, Lauras don't spend so much time in the yard for a prospective buyer. But I'm surprised that you didn't get a chance for PDI before delivery! I hope the issue is only with the fender. But if so, I wonder what's the big deal for Giriraj Motors in repainting it to your satisfaction. I noticed some scratches on the bumper during PDI on my Fabia, and they repainted the whole bumper (not Giriraj, not F'bad).

[Parm]

sorry to hear about what happend with you, but glad to know that you have sent them a legal notice!

Fighting back is the only answer to such dealerships.

good work.

[CtrlAltDel]

ah...a familiar Skoda tale....

I would never touch a Skoda even if its given to me free of cost.

Would this case come under the purview of the Consumer Court? If so, things may move fast in court for you.

[shineshine]

This is really horrific and simply unacceptable.

No technical knowledge is needed to see that the fender has been tinkered and repainted. The flowline is not ending smoothly towards the front (Pic 1 and 2) which itself indicates that the fronter has been tinkered.

Its almost sure that the glass has been replaced, and I dont think that, in normal situations, something can shatter a glass without damaging the door.

Low_bass_maker,

Please check for screwdriver marks on the screws of driver side door pads.

Also, have a thorough inspection of the inner side of the driver door also, especially towards the front part keeping the window raised. The inside portion of the fronter can give you a much better idea on the damage and the extent to which its hidden under the paints.