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-   -   Disgruntled Skoda Superb owner advertises on NH8, Gurgaon (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/128290-disgruntled-skoda-superb-owner-advertises-nh8-gurgaon-4.html)

Ouch!!! Yes restarting an engine, when its stalled, with tailpipe under water, will injest water into the engine internals, leading to extensive damage. I am not sure if the bill will be 9lacs, however reading from some other thread, a new Safari 2.2 Dicor engine is about Rs 2.5 lac or so, hence engines I believe are an expensive affair!!

This is what I was saying earlier, its so easy for an owner to print out handbills/pamphlets and bad mouth a manufacturer, because we have lax defamity laws.

^ Didn't know driving through waterlogged roads can cause such extensive damage to a car's engine!
We once had to wade some distance through a flooded highway in Kerala (the water must have been over half a foot deep), and the car developed some trouble the next day. Thankfully, repair cost just 3k. :P

But yes, in this case I think Skoda cannot be held responsible for what has happened to their car. The autobox plus low ground clearance must have been responsible for the damage. But still, will it require an engine replacement?

Completely agree with you. And reading the whole write up can say that it was infact the owners fault of driving an auto under water!! Me and you like many others on the forum are owners of Skoda products and are quite happy with their car. All well that ends well.

Umm.something doesn't add up right?
The consumer court report where the owner wrote about the car stalling on a waterlogged road was from the time when the car was just 3 months old. It said the car was at the skoda service centre with the engine dismantled and what not!
The picture of the car and the pamphlet posted a little earlier today says the car is now 38k Kms and 2 years old. Unless the car is moving around ncr on a flatbed, it means it has been fixed right?
Perhaps 9.5 lakhs is the cost incurred over the 2 years the owner has had the car.

But, hats off to the owner for the time and effort in what he's doing. Most would have just sold the car and moved on. He's really taken skoda's case.

Again, every coin has two sides. It would be interesting to hear skoda's side and more information and details from the owners side.

Ps- I wonder where in Gurgaon he's going to park and distribute pamphlets tomorrow! :D

Edit: @puchoo. Sorry I over looked that bit. But still spending 9.5L in the first two years is absurd. It's really fishy. Assuming the car is running now, the owner must have forked out that much. Now, after spending 9.5lakhs he realises he's been taken for a ride?

one of the images of the leaflet mentions that - repairing cost is 9.5 lacs in 2 years

@puchoo : I Agree without doubt. Unsure is the Right word.

@akshay1234 : The complaint mentions that they 'immediately' called Skoda Helpline. Now, that could be 'True' or 'False'. Unsure again. Most probably 'False'.

@apachelongbow : True. But do we know that it did happen ? Or that it did not. oops.

@one-77 : I have done some water wading myself on my poor Indica. On maintaining 40 km/hr the water touched the headlights. Thanks to Bangalore during heavy monsoons. I knew that I just had to keep the engine squealing.

@Y@SH : After paying up 30L, I as an owner would expect that my car runs where other cars do. If a 4L vehicle goes through a patch successfully, I will expect my 30L to do the same (unfortunately. more so if a non motor head.). I respect his sentiments.
That said, If a engine restart was attempted - God save him ! He needs to be educated of realities.

@promit : Agree with you. Specifics needs to be looked into before we debate.

I once heard that Diesel Engines are better equipped to counter the 'water entering tailpipe' situation due to stronger exhaust gas output. Probably a rumor.

In a water-logging situation
- Exhaust Pipe would be lesser of my concerns.
- The Air Intake would be my largest concern.
- Electrical and Electronic mechanisms (ECU, Battery, Fuses, Wiring's, etc) would be next on my list of concerns.

What about a person who pays 1.5cr for an R8? Does he expect his car to go through a river? I mean even a buyer should have common sense. A vehicles price should have nothing to do with its ability to tackle terrain.

In water logging the exhaust pipe is the lowest point and therefor the easiest for water to enter. Intakes are usually higher unless you have a cold air intake.

I think it is at this point where the debate on features versus functionality starts as well- one pays a certain price for many reasons and honestly the price can be governed largely by features rather than functionality. i wont take it upto the cost of 1.5cr crore ( at that price point i would expect the car to throw out my wife automatically if there is too much cribbing) but if one is trading ground clearance for something else , at some point or the other it MAY come back to haunt you.

I wonder if someone has to spend 9+Lacs on repair in 2 years, what's the use of warranty and extended warranty.
I have no experience with skoda, but I have seen that both tata and maruti honor their warranties without any issues.

There isn't enough information here.
While its clear that the car stalled on a water logged road, and the "extensively damaged engine" indicates attempted restart, what has happened since then? Its been more than 2 years since this happened. Did the owner get the engine repaired by Skoda and they did a shoddy job that resulted in more expenses? If yes, then that's bad on Skoda's part.
Or did the owner get the engine work done outside at a "trusted" local mechanic who botched it up? And now the owner is trying to pressure Skoda into fixing it?

We just dont know. Yet.

You might be right and question the driver's judgement but did he had a choice? . Gurgaon is a peculiar city having one of the highest density of cars with pathetic roads (Understatement). Water logging starts even before the rain and you need to drive through small ponds. Ironically you cannot stop after seeing a pond as it will create a traffice Jam. Believe me even in R8 you have no choice but to move on. Add to that- Superb is a street car not a track car, that means it is made for roads (or Indian roads- I assume as it is selling in India)

Buying a car is not like buying an insurance policy for which you need to go through terms and conditions. Owner was travelling on a city road and was not involved in off roading. Other cars were passing through but Superb could not get through. So I would say vehicle is not suited for Indian conditions. Ultimately Skoda is solely responsible for selling a product unfit for Indian conditions and should take full responsibility of the mishap.

regards,
Maddy

Sorry for asking a really elementary question here, but regarding the RPM thing, is it the same story if you drive an A/T in 'Manual Mode'?, in which (i asssume since i dont drive an Automatic) you can keep the RPM high?.

e.g if its a PRND123 config, then you shift to the 1,2 or 3; and if its a PRNDS like a BMW 3 Series Corporate Edition, you shift into 'S' and keep it on 1.

Keeping the RPM high in an automatic?,it will push you further at a higher speed isnt it?,unless you plan to drive around standing on brakes.

Oh how I can relate to all this. The crappy company doing what it does best. Make crappy cars and extending even more crappy support.

@ shankar balan - Consider yourself lucky that your yeti is behaving like a car and capable of being used like one. When you spend that kind of money the last thing you want is mental harassment. My superb sucked water from the road while we were travelling on national highway. And it was hardly any water. Barely would wet the soles of my shoes. The vehicle seized. Also happened to two more people i personally know.
If your yeti is working fine thats an exception not the norm. I have gone over the same patch of water in my camry, sonata but nothing happened. Lets see how many suzuki , honda , hyndai owners you know who are sick of their cars and want to get it rid of it. They may not like something about it but they dont despise it.
So enjoy your skoda and I do hope you dont get to go through what some of us skoda owners had to go through.

There is such a thing as common sense you know. Porsche for example sell the 911 in India. They have even lower GC than the skoda. So would you say that in the same event, Porsche should repair their cars free of cost.

Given your logic, we should all be driving around in monster trucks as they have a few feet of GC and you can then pass through any stagnant water Indian cities are likely to throw at you.

No offense, but any driver going through water is taking a risk. Admittedly, he may not have had a choice, but that does not mean the subsequent damages should be borne by the company. If the 9L cost was excessive or was due to shoddy repairs the first time by skoda, that is a different issue