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Old 27th October 2012, 21:09   #91
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Re: Disgruntled Skoda Superb owner advertises on NH8, Gurgaon

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Originally Posted by apachelongbow View Post
Two sides to this argument. Where in Skoda manual is it mentioned about the inches of water the car can ford through? Does it say if your exhaust is under water, the car will stall and engine will get ruined especially in a autobox equipped car? If this line is not mentioned, then sorry Skoda got to pay for a water damaged engine.

I fully agree one must know his/her ride before they take it to extreme levels or offroading as such, however a regular city drive which involves going through a flooded road or puddle, shouldnt harm a car, rather an owner expects the car to be able to handle 'indian' conditions per se.
Well the post above shows Skoda has given some guidelines, hell even I didn't know about that.

Generally only for SUVs do manufacturers give the MM a car can ford through. Cars are not expected to go through water bodies.

Skoda should pay for a water damage engine? I'd love to see even one case where a manufacturer has paid for a water damaged engine.

Waterlogging is kind of extreme. Its certainly not normal city use. The Skoda would have gone through a puddle just fine, but evidently this was quite deep.
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Old 27th October 2012, 22:52   #92
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Re: Disgruntled Skoda Superb owner advertises on NH8, Gurgaon

I knew someone in Chennai who had a Daewoo Cielo and due to the innumerable problems with the car and lack of support from the manufacturer, resorted to a similar way of getting back. This was the mid/late nineties and he had a big banner on the rear windshield of the car which listed out the issues with the car. The car could be seen in MEPZ, Tambaram.

Last edited by GTO : 29th October 2012 at 11:25. Reason: Quoted post has been deleted
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Old 27th October 2012, 23:02   #93
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Re: Disgruntled Skoda Superb owner advertises on NH8, Gurgaon

Have driven my 1.9 PD DSG AT L&K Skoda Laura though extreme rains and modest water collections both at high and low speeds . (not extreme enough to cover / reach the exhaust but high enough to cause the brakes alarms to come on for a short while. The Engine was safe. Infact did worse in by Cielo GLX AT and the engine was safe and only lost the number place - but did keep the foot firmly on the acc all through. The Safari ofcouse (manual) has waded though water at levels just below it's really high bonnet and it too was fine.

If the skoda superb in this case was indeed driven such that the water entered the exhaust and damaged the engine then skoda may indeed not be expected to replace the engine.

That said the cost of the engine work quoted seems too high (almost twice what It should be at max - dont think that everything needs to be replaced for sure.)

The Laura with the same engine would be sold at loss if the engine actually costed so much.

Also would Insurance not cover this under water flooding damage at least partially?

Somehow there seems to be multiple aspects to this and it is not as simple as it seems.

Yep if indeed the water level was indeed very low and still the car got damaged then the car owner is indeed quite right in his grevance but I just don't know how he will prove it. Am sure the manuals and warranty docs etc are clear enough about such aspects.

Honda had not obliged even in the case of the CRV and I dont see other manufacturers replacing engines in their cars under warranty in a similar case.

Both parties seem to have a point here.
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Old 27th October 2012, 23:30   #94
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Re: Disgruntled Skoda Superb owner advertises on NH8, Gurgaon

More often than not, the cars I have seen at ford and maruti with bent rods, and popped blocks, and where drivers have agreed to pay for the damage(almost 100% of the time) , they have also sheepishly admitted to having tried a restart or two when they've stalled.

lets see how long, and which direction THIS one turns to.
But to be very fair, I havent seen enough rain in gurgaon in the past few months to warrant more than a sprinkle of water on the roads, some patches of water only in BAD potholes.

OT: There was also a similar case with a civic/city belonging to a bhpian's friend posted some time. Anyone remember how that concluded?

Last edited by mayankk : 27th October 2012 at 23:33.
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Old 27th October 2012, 23:31   #95
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Re: Disgruntled Skoda Superb owner advertises on NH8, Gurgaon

Well we can go on hating Skoda or otherwise. But what I am surprised at it the general consensus that the owner should have read the manual and not taken the car through water filled roads. Now I think this is very easily said than done. He wasn't really off-roading, is it? From what I read in the first few pages it was just a case of driving the car through a regular water filled road and we have plenty of examples of that in every city across India. So are we now suggesting that the next time I am in my 25L sedan ( regardless of the brand) and driving to work or otherwise and happen to encounter a water logged stretch then the following should be my options:

1. Drive the car through the water logged stretch and risk running a bill of 10L plus for my adventurous mistake.

2. Get the owner manual out and re read the appropriate sections regarding driving through water logged roads. Ofcourse traffic behind me be damned ( they are anyways most probably going to be driving those el-cheapo japanese stuff that usually doesn't seem to be sensitive to all this nonsense). Then on finding the appropriate section I should get down from the car and measure the water level and see if it reaches the indicated mark at the bottom of my car. Also would have to run some mathematical skills that I learnt in school to factor in the effect of ripples and waves that fellow commuters might cause while I am driving through the water logged stretch. If all goes well then I may proceed further and cross the stretch. Ofcourse there is still no guarantee that I might be successful in managing such a risky endevour.

3. I should firmly explain the fellow road users about the limitations of my 25L sedan and my inability to move the car further. So either I can drive through all that held up traffic behind me and reverse back my car to the safest exit or just park the damn thing there and take a cab home. Drink a cup of coffee and pray to the rain gods to show some mercy and let the water get cleared, so that I can drive off with my beauty.

You can see my post in light humor or sarcasm but please do enlighten me as to which of the above is the best option or you can add your own. So the next time we can be better prepared to fight this devil.
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Old 27th October 2012, 23:46   #96
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Re: Disgruntled Skoda Superb owner advertises on NH8, Gurgaon

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Originally Posted by drmohitg View Post

You can see my post in light humor or sarcasm but please do enlighten me as to which of the above is the best option or you can add your own. So the next time we can be better prepared to fight this devil.
None of the above, evaluate the situation if its too deep avoid the road and take an alternative route. This irrespective of whether the car costs 25L or 4L.

If its too deep and unless your car have high ground clearance take an alternative route.
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Old 28th October 2012, 00:12   #97
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Re: Disgruntled Skoda Superb owner advertises on NH8, Gurgaon

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None of the above, evaluate the situation if its too deep avoid the road and take an alternative route. This irrespective of whether the car costs 25L or 4L.
But how practical is that advice? Assuming that fellow swifts, WagonRs, altos, Hondas are wading through that stretch ( not mentioning any brand but these are the most common vehicles I see on the road). And most of the times it would be impossible for a sedan driver ( a luxury sedan which is of considerable dimensions like the Superb) to be able to reverse back since there would be loads of traffic. I have seen owners of these sedans finding it difficult to come out of a tight corner or taking a u-turn, how would they reverse in that traffic since there is surely gonna be held up traffic slowing down to cross the water logged stretch. And no one on our roads and manners would make the slightest of effort to give him the space to do that but would just honk and angrily abuse him for holding up traffic.

Last edited by drmohitg : 28th October 2012 at 00:14.
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Old 28th October 2012, 00:22   #98
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Re: Disgruntled Skoda Superb owner advertises on NH8, Gurgaon

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Originally Posted by drmohitg View Post
But how practical is that advice? Assuming that fellow swifts, WagonRs, altos, Hondas are wading through that stretch ( not mentioning any brand but these are the most common vehicles I see on the road).
Then option 1. Pray god and take the plunge

Every car has its limitation.
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Old 28th October 2012, 00:36   #99
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Re: Disgruntled Skoda Superb owner advertises on NH8, Gurgaon

Quote:
Originally Posted by drmohitg View Post
Get the owner manual out and re read the appropriate sections regarding driving through water logged roads. Ofcourse traffic behind me be damned. Then on finding the appropriate section I should get down from the car and measure the water level and see if it reaches the indicated mark at the bottom of my car. Also would have to run some mathematical skills that I learnt in school to factor in the effect of ripples and waves that fellow commuters might cause while I am driving through the water logged stretch.
That was funny, doc!

Option (4) Pick an insurance plan that covers hydrostatic lock.

Option (5) If the damage was done due to poor drainage facilities, get together people who have been through similar nightmares and file a class-action lawsuit (not sure if this exists in India) against the city municipality for damaging private property due their negligence and incompetence. Before that quit your job, get a divorce, rob a bank and take up yoga classes, so that you have enough time, resources and patience to fight against the inconceivably daft redtape-worm a.k.a the indian judicial system.

Of course, option (5) is feasible only in an alternate reality. So, option (4) is the only practical solution as far as I can see.

Last edited by ashwin489 : 28th October 2012 at 00:47.
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Old 28th October 2012, 00:56   #100
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Re: Disgruntled Skoda Superb owner advertises on NH8, Gurgaon

I completely agree in principle , but on the ground the situation is different , additional technology means higher prices , take something as basic as Air Bags , we still need to buy a higher model in most car lines today to get it , sure Skoda could have got in the technology (assuming for a minute that they had it) , but there could have been a trade off with keeping costs low - and at the end of the day thats what the decision would have been based on - higher costs and some more technology or lower price on the car.




Quote:
Originally Posted by lapsi View Post
.

The car is high technology which makes me wonder if Skoda could have engineered an exhaust with one-way valves or any other systems that do not allow the engine to flood from the exhaust.


If it could have saved heartburn to even one customer, then this type of technology would have been worth it.


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Old 28th October 2012, 01:10   #101
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Re: Disgruntled Skoda Superb owner advertises on NH8, Gurgaon

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at that price point i would expect the car to throw out my wife automatically if there is too much cribbing
Ha ha, puchoo, that was really funny! I read your post just after watching Sean Connery as 007 eject the bad guy from his Aston Martin in Goldfinger.

Just how much cribbing and/or backseat driving do you put up with?

No offense meant!

Last edited by Pacifica : 28th October 2012 at 01:11. Reason: Spelling mistake.
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Old 28th October 2012, 01:43   #102
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Re: Disgruntled Skoda Superb owner advertises on NH8, Gurgaon

Guys!! Let us just take a break and analyse the facts of the case with the limited information available.

PLEASE NOTE: The water logging incident did not happen now. It happened two years back and the car has run 38,000 Kms in toto after that!!

Key Facts: (Going by the report at consumercourt.in)
  • The car was purchased in May 2010
  • The water logging incident reportedly had taken place in August 2010
  • The date of report on the above website is 4th Sept 2010
  • BHPian @vsoneja spotted the Ad on 26th Oct 2012
  • The car has run 38,300 kms in the interim period (between 2010 & 2012)
  • The vehicle cost according to the consumercomplaint.in report is 28 Lacs (2010)
  • The vehicle cost according to the flyer (2012) is 26.57 Lacs (Negative Inflation?)
  • The repair estimate in 2010 was 11.5 Lacs
  • The repair cost in 2 years (38,300Kms) is 9.5 Lacs
  • The vehicle is reportedly accident free

His only grouse seems to be that when other cars could go thru' the water logged stretch, his superb could not do it.

An excerpt from the report:

Quote:
We approached the authorities at Skoda, its regional Head after sales, to tell him the story and solicit some support, but in vein, as he refused saying that the same cannot be covered under warranty as the vehicle was plying in the water logged on the road. We have written back to him saying that this Skoda vehicle was purchased just 3 months back, was being driven by a driver who is driving the automatic vehicles since more than 5 Years, and the vehicle was not the only one going through the water on the road, there were several other vehicles waiting behind to cross and crossing along side. This only indicates that this vehicle “Superb” has some manufacturing defect otherwise why have the other vehicles not reported the same problem?
Maybe the Gentleman did not take cognizance of the fact that his Superb (139mm) has much much lower ground clearance than a Honda CIVIC (170mm) or for that matter even a humble M800 (160mm). Interestingly, SKODA has given a detailed guide on driving thru' bodies of water on road. Check this out!

If only he had argued his case properly stating the shallowness (if genuine) of the water logged area, he could have seen some positive response.

And more importantly what triggered the skoda bashing campaign after a break of two years is unknown.

BTW, nobody here knows how deep was the water logged stretch. But here's an insight about the general road conditions in that area during rainy season.

Long time back a bhpian has reported a similar incident with a Benz near Golf Course Road, Gurgoan

Quote:
Originally Posted by gd1418
...a proud Scorpio moment, I also recall a E240 stranded and stalled on the DLF Phase V, Golf course road in Gurgaon, in deep waters a few days back when it rained incessantly, while I royally strode past it in the deeper waters safely to home
To conclude, it would be not be correct on our part to unnecessarily bash SKODA on the pretext that it should have provided the Superb enough ground clearance.

At the same time we shall also try and help Mr. Sachdev if he has a genuine case against SKODA.

Here are some pics supporting the above facts:

Disgruntled Skoda Superb owner advertises on NH8, Gurgaon-skoda-3.png

Disgruntled Skoda Superb owner advertises on NH8, Gurgaon-skoda-4.jpg

Last edited by Warwithwheels : 28th October 2012 at 02:12.
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Old 28th October 2012, 01:57   #103
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Re: Disgruntled Skoda Superb owner advertises on NH8, Gurgaon

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Originally Posted by Warwithwheels View Post
Guys!! Let us just take a break and analyse the facts of the case with the limited information available.
Finally, a logical post, after all that needless OT discussion on Skodas A$$, comparison with other brands, and discussions on water-logging and stuff. Thank you @warwithwheels.

I had posted a mail with a link of this thread to the owner hoping that he might be able to join(register) and provide his side of the story, like in the case of the Mumbai based VW Jetta that was resolved recently. Unfortunately that didn't happen, and meanwhile this thread just went on and on, with no actual updates on what is the current scenario of the car and what are the actual problems/expenses faced by the owner over the past two years.

If someone who has had any discussions with the owner, please share any further info (you have) on the case, it would help a lot more, than us coming up with our own hypothesis.
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Old 28th October 2012, 05:55   #104
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Re: Disgruntled Skoda Superb owner advertises on NH8, Gurgaon

Let us be blunt here. The owner is at fault for driving the car through a water body and getting the engine flooded (most likely via the exhaust). If he attempted to restart the engine, he just damaged it further is all.

Yes 9.5 or 11 lakhs is a lot for the engine servicing cost but the only question here remains, did skoda cheat the man. That we can only determine by the following.

Did they overcharge him for service.

Did they do a bad job the first time round and did subsequent service costs come about because of that.

If either of these is true, then the bashing campaign has some merit. If not, this is defamation.
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Old 28th October 2012, 08:22   #105
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Re: Disgruntled Skoda Superb owner advertises on NH8, Gurgaon

A couple of years back, my 3 months old SX4 got submerged in knee deep water while parked during heavy rains. I did not start the car, pushed it out of the water, drained the water out of the car and then started the car. Still after all the precautions, all the electronics of my car like, power steering, airbags, abs etc went kaput. MASS refused to repair any part under warranty, plain and simple. My bill was a staggering 70K!!! That too when the car was not started under water. I was told that the bill would have risen by another odd lakh rupees had I started the car while it was still submerged!!! Insurance did help to bring the bill down to a reasonable 17K.

Now if the driver of the Skoda drove it in water or restarted the engine, then he is clearly at fault. But still just like my case insurance should have helped a lot.
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