[BUSA]

NC, its a industry norm to give 2 + 2 warranty, not compulsary but expected by customers.

Funny about the test drive, i did a 200km test drive of the Optra 1.8 before buying it. It was send to Vashi from Thane and then from there i took it to VT from VT to Thane, from Thane to Bhiwandi, then back to Thane, from there to Mulund and VT and back to Vashi, then driver took it back to Thane.

I had called the Magnum it came fromn Thane again to Vashi for the test drive.

I called JMD, Bhandup for the test drive of the Skoda vRS, and yes the car came on time all the way from there to Vashi, so JMD is good i dont deny but not all dealers are like JMD :(

[GTO]

That is the real reason I have voted 'no'. Even though I don't own a Skoda.

Sorry I misinterpreted, TypeO. I take my comment back.

Originally Posted by BUSA

Laura sales are on the rise, Laura is selling very well but the Octys sales have gone down by a huge number.

I have always heard that the Laura is selling well. Out of curiosity, what are the actual numbers per month? Can anyone provide a one year sales chart?

P.S. @ BUSA : Hey, that “buttttttttttt” is trademarked .

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

Also the main point of discussion here seems to be the servicing costs. Ok, Skoda charges 9k? But say if one is to use Synthetic Oil in a accord too that would bring the Accord servicing costs to 4k (oil)+3k (labour, parts etc). While Skoda charges 4.5k (oil?) + 4-5k (service). Thats just about 1.5k higher than Honda with synthetic oil.

The key point here is that, in the case of the Accord, the consumer has a CHOICE whether to pay a 100 bucks per liter of oil or a 1000. There is no compulsion on paying a 1000 bucks per liter of oil. Statistics prove that over 99% of car owners in India do NOT want to pay the additional price for premium oil.

M800 costs peanuts to make as well, but does Maruti sell it for 1L?

They can price it at whatever they want. But the M800 does not cost 5 - 10 times more than its competition.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Rtech

It started off with certain members saying that Skoda India was a company with a bad attitude because they mandate the use of synthetic oil and then do not subsidise its cost. So that makes them a company that is not pro-active.

Absolutely. When you are the only one requiring a consumable that is 5 - 10 times more expensive than what the competition requires, you better work at making it more cost-effective. Last I checked, there is a huge difference between paying 400 bucks and a 1000 bucks for a product.

Then the topic on localization came up. Skoda should localise their parts and buy oil in bulk to sell at a cheaper rate to their customers. I agree. I for one would love to buy oil for cheap and genuine spare parts for the same price as parts of a M800.

I would like to pay less for everything that I buy and am a known cost-master at work. However, this is an *exclusive* situation....where there is only one manufacturer in that price band who *exclusively* requires a consumable that is 5 - 10 times more expensive that that of its competition. And that’s not once in a blue moon. It’s at every scheduled service.

Yes, diesel advantage. Granted. But they do finally compete in the same market.

Correct. But then, Skoda is not the only one to offer a diesel either in the 8 - 10 lakh segments. There are alternatives, and which do not cost 7000 - 9000 a service.

But then shouldn’t the Mercedes C class also be included? It is the same size and a diesel too! It just happens to be priced a tiny bit higher. How much does a service cost there?

It didn’t take a debate or a poll to call a spade a spade, nor am I biased toward the cars that I own. Do have a look at this thread (Maintaining a Mercedes-Benz in India) that was created by me within the first 3 months of Team-BHPs inception, lambasting Mercedes for their expensive servicing costs. Heck, it could have been the first thread on Team-BHP that actually discussed service costs.

Similarly, in My C220 review I have openly accepted and described the service costs as "exorbitant".

We then went on to say that Skoda dealers are the pits.

GTO says that this is rubbish and ….

So I did a quick search on this very forum. Let’s see what popped up:

As another member has commented, I could argue that:

The statistics on the number of Honda and Skoda links probably should not be considered to arrive at any conclusion. Quite a few of those links relate to Honda City incidents. There a loads more City owners on the forum than Skodas.

Simple statistical research function on considering the sample sizes. I have myself lambasted Honda for their poor and arrogant dealership attitude on several threads in the forum and openly accept that their service quality is certainly not in the league of a Maruti / Hyundai / MBenz.

However, I would like to add that of the 20 Skoda owners that I personally know from Bombay (including you, Monkey, My Jiju, Monkeys neighbour who is my cousin etc.) only 3 are actually happy with Skodas service. Navin, N_Crazy and a neighbour friend.

Unfortunately, we cannot add absolute numbers to dealership quality as we can to service costs. So until then, it will be my word versus yours. But maybe even that can change with a Team-BHP “rate your dealership” survey (made a to-do entry in my palm).

We have all heard horror stories about the prices of Skoda spares. I personally have had the shock of my life on seeing the bill after my accident.

Me too since I had come with you to drop the Octy off. If I remember correctly, your repairs cost you about 65% of what the cars market value would have been at that time. IMHO, it really wasn’t that major a crash.

So it seems that Honda too like to take their customers for a ride.

Not just Honda, but every car manufacturer has a certain set of parts that are exorbitantly expensive. Someone mentions that a Baleno air-con compressor costs 22 grand.

Butttttttttttttttttttttttttt that spare part comparison post from this thread clearly shows that Skoda has the most expensive spare parts in *MORE* categories (by sheer number) than any other of its competitors.

The facts above are quite clear.

Moral of the Story:
Costs:
Skoda costs more to maintain than the Magnum.
Skoda services cost more than other cars in its segment.

Exactly. Several times more than its competition. That, and the fact that its spares are more expensive in *most categories* simply makes the Octavia TDi the most expensive diesel car in its class to own. Ditto for the petrol.

[BUSA]

GTO, quoting from the thread about MB maintainance, MB happens to charge Rs. 700 per liter, thats 300 cheaper then Soda

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by BUSA

GTO, quoting from the thread about MB maintainance, MB happens to charge Rs. 700 per liter, thats 300 cheaper then Soda

Well, I think it's about Rs.690/- cheaper than Soda, actually.

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Well, I think it's about Rs.690/- cheaper than Soda, actually.

Actually Sam, soda costs Rs. 10/- for 500ml, so it's Rs. 680/- cheaper

[Rtech]

Man. When are you guys going to wake up and smell the coffee! I tried my best to put down that issues are the same, no matter which company we look at. But it seems people are out to pick up isolated instances and bring them to light! As I said before, there are good and bad stories about every dealer and every car manfacturer.

This is what I wrote about the first service done back in 2004:
Total bill for the first service came to Rs.3,457. The bulk of that was due to the Mobile 1 synthetic oil: (5Litres @ Rs.575.00 = Rs.2,875.00).

I was really impressed with the work done and more so by the efficiency and professionalism shown. The worst thing to see after a service is grubby paws on the bonnet and windscreen, and I was really happy with the way they returned the car with the scratch removed, the interior vacuumed and the body waxed.

damn...I believe this is the first time I actually have no complaints on getting my car back from a service.

Want to call me bias? Fine. Take da Motorhead's case. He was not exactly raving about service costs and nice dealers when he started the thread. However he paid Rs.6,750 each for the first 2 services, and then, after some help from BHP, got the next service for Rs.4,500 all inclusive.

Bomi, the member who helped him out has this to say about his service:
DMH, am pretty sure about my service bills. First one in Sep 05 cost me Rs. 3312. Second one in April 06 cost Rs. 3800. No labour cost, no parts except one air filter. Silvertone used Shell Helix oil. I always check if oil has been changed (look for lighter colour oil). The service engineer is a Mr. Naidu. So far my buying and servicing experience with Silvertone has been good.

And his third service:
DMH - did you try Silvertone Motors for the third service? I had mine done recently and it cost Rs. 4950 (incl Rs. 1250 labour).

My second service was 5,3xx (can't find the post). Monkey recently got his RS serviced at Autobahn for around Rs.4000/- (he was not charged labour). Autobahn charges Rs.3,500 for an oil change. NC has mentioned that a clutch job costs Rs.18K and can go up to 25-26K depending. Not close to 75K we keep seeing thrown around. Again, we have no base here. What does a Magnum cost? No idea. I'm sure its cheaper. But how much? Strangely, most of these absurd figures are thrown around by people who do not own the car nor have had first hand experience with it! I mean the latest snowball is the ridiculous thing about changing headlights every 2 years! Classic....

My last service was done at an independent garage. All inclusive, I paid Rs.6,xxx (I did change my discs and polish the car, so extra charges for that). The figure would have been the same even if I had a Magnum or Civic or whatever.

But, are we going to continue with this? Feel free guys. This thread is not to pull out instances from here of there. I mean this forum is full of members who have had lousy issues with every make out there. This is not about sticking up for what you own either. My reviews, positives and negative experiences are up on this forum for all to read. This thread is simply about separating fact from fiction. But I see that is an almost herculean task as either people really don't see the point or choose not too.

[GTO]

Sometime back, I had posted a thread with the title - Is it worth buying a Skoda anymore? (Is it worth it buying a Skoda anymore?)

A certain Octavia owner had made an interesting comment. Who was that owner? YOU!!

Originally Posted by Rtech

Not until they have trained staff, reasonably priced spare parts and improve their customer service.

You also voted a NO to the poll question “Is it worth buying a Skoda anymore” stating:

Originally Posted by Rtech

But, after getting a close look at their dealers, spare part prices and actual service itself, I'm going to have to say NO!

You did add:

Originally Posted by Rtech

However, the car itself is great, and if you don't bother with their service and do it privately as I have been doing, then it is a great ownership experience. Just hope that you never have to start changing parts!!

I agree too. It’s a great machine. Butttttttttttttttt not everyone out there is a knowledgeable enthusiast who would stand and get the cars serviced themselves at a private shop. Or willingly pay the premium price for Mobil 1, spare parts or services.

Originally Posted by Rtech

[i]Total bill for the first service came to Rs.3,457. The bulk of that was due to the Mobile 1 synthetic oil: (5Litres @ Rs.575.00 = Rs.2,875.00).

am pretty sure about my service bills. First one in Sep 05 cost me Rs. 3312. Second one in April 06 cost Rs. 3800. No labour cost, no parts except one air filter.

Rt, the prices you state are of the year 2004 / 2005 and the Mobil 1 MRP has shot up from 550 bucks to a 1000. I just saw someone stating (elsewhere on the forum) that Skoda does not charge labour for the first 2 services. Even without labour, their service comes up to 3,000 – 5,000 with some members STILL paying 6,750 (Da Motorhead). No one owns a car for two services, right? There isnt a doubt that the scheduled services are exorbitantly priced for the segment.

However he paid Rs.6,750 each for the first 2 services, and then, after some help from BHP, got the next service for Rs.4,500 all inclusive.

Are Skoda service costs bargainable / negotiable? That’s pretty surprising and yet another glaring insight into their unethical business practices since most manufacturers that I have dealt with have FIXED service costs and schedules.

This thread is simply about separating fact from fiction. But I see that is an almost herculean task as either people really don't see the point or choose not too.

Either could think the same of the opposite, couldn’t they?

NC has mentioned that a clutch job costs Rs.18K and can go up to 25-26K depending. Not close to 75K we keep seeing thrown around.

Actual Octavia owners have claimed (on TBHP) being quoted 50,000+ for a clutch job. It isn’t some folklore tale. The flywheel + clutch replacement crap is pretty famous now.

Don’t get me wrong; I myself use Mobil 1 in all my cars and am a self-confessed fan of the Skoda RS. Heck, I probably spent more on making up my Jeep than it was actually worth in the used car market. However, enthusiasts like me and you aren’t the typical Indian buyer. And that’s why I don’t like the way that Skoda treats them.

[theMAG]

Can some owners volunteer with scanned copies of their respective marques' common spares/labor costs, which they could request from their service centers? That should be most conclusive in light of all the varied costs mentioned here.

[v1p3r]

Originally Posted by GTO

However, enthusiasts like me and you aren’t the typical Indian buyer. And that’s why I don’t like the way that Skoda treats them.

Dude, they treat everyone like crap. Atleast here they do.

I bet Rtech hates us now.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Rtech

Monkey recently got his RS serviced at Autobahn for around Rs.4000/- (he was not charged labour).

The second last service of Monkeys RS cost him 4,000 ONLY because of a one-off special. This special rate was extended to monkey since they wanted to make up for a previously bad experience or something.

The most recent service cost him Rs.7,xxx. And thats after a 15% discount that they extended to him.

I was just wondering how it cost only 4 grand to service an RS...but there you have it!

[Rtech]

Wow GTO. I didn't think you could be so short sighted when it comes to a debate. You selectively choose posts to suit your purpose while excluding the others that don't. I have tried to show a fair picture here highlighting the deficiencies of Skoda. As you have found out, my old posts as well clearly point that out.

This thread is not about buying a skoda today. Hell, like I mentioned before, if I were in the market for a new car today, I don't believe it would be an Octavia. It's time has passed. But that is not what this is about.

My service example may have been from 2004 & 2005. But the others given surely were not. You mean to say that Bomi as well was given a special discount? But then you have no issues bringing up old threads which show a clutch job price which has now been reduced.

To prove the point, you fail to mention what da Motorhead wrote about his last service done in October 2006 (after which he sold his RS).
Hey Bomi, got the service done at Autostrada. Piad 4500. Synthetic oil, oil filter, fuel filter, synthetic lubrication, other oil top up, washing, polishing and tyre rotation & Labour..
Got it done infront my this time..
dMH

Yes its about a year old again. But like i did mention, autobahn still charges Rs.5,500 for a service which includes oil, all filters and labour. And yes, it is still more than the Japs or GM (again, not because the part prices or labour are high, but because of the price difference in the oil).

Discussion on company attitude can go on forever. I for one am still waiting for a test drive of a Chevy Magnum which was promised to me many moons ago (after having to call back 3 times as all their salespersons were either out for lunch or they were operating at half staff). I have been to a honda showroom with my father to test drive a CRV and we were left unattended for 30 minutes, after which we were flatly told that they don't give test drives on the CRV as there are enough customer who have booked it without even sitting in it. What does that prove? Nothing, just a dealer with a bad attitude or a salesperson who has not been trained.

I give up GTO. This was supposed to be a debate to freely discuss the truth behind the rumours. It is turning out to be a "I'm right and you're wrong" thread. All I say is paint a fair picture and not a one sided one.

[GTO]

Wow GTO. I didn't think you could be so short sighted when it comes to a debate.

=

Either could think the same of the opposite, couldn’t they?

This thread is not about buying a skoda today.

Of course, it is!! Wouldnt it help potential customers to know what bills to expect when their car goes in for a service? Or that the spares of their potential car are more expensive in more categories than the competition?

But then you have no issues bringing up old threads which show a clutch job price which has now been reduced.

Has it?

1. Irags posted a month back that his best bud got a RS clutch job for 50,000+.

Originally Posted by iraghava

My best friend got his RS's clutch replaced & the bill was 50k+.

Considering how well he documented his friends Accord bill, I am sure we dont need to verify the credibility of his statement.

2. In this thread itself, an ex-Octavia owner claims:

[quote=car_crazy1400;587013]Was quoted about 55,00 from Silvertone Motors, wheres the Dealer in Noida (Autostrada, i guess) had quoted 60K.

3. But what takes the cake is a conversation earlier this morning with Auto Bahn who told my secretary (and me) this morning that the cost of a clutch job is Rs. 52000. I immediately popped the flywheel question to which he replied that only 50% of diesel Octavias require a flywheel change with their clutch job. Without flywheel, he quoted "between 28,000 - 30,000."

But then, how many unsuspecting Octavia owners would actually know enough to ask about a flywheel? N_Crazy himself posted once that the service advisors were "insisting" on a flywheel change but he had "someone on his side". So he got the change at 18K.

My service example may have been from 2004 & 2005. But the others given surely were not.

Correct. But havent members also posted paying 7,000 for a service in recent times? So what you are saying is...the cost varied between 5,500 - 7,000 depending on what? Luck? Or how informed you are? The attitude of your service advisor?

[rchimni]

My two bits on my two week ownership .. and service cost


My Car was due for its 4th service and since I was in mumbai on work I decided to try JMD based on N_c's experience.
I arrived at the workshop about 0915 hrs before schedule , was asked to wait at the reception as the workshop only opened at 0930
five minutes after being seated I was greeted by asst works manager who deputed a service advisor to open my job card even though
I had asked specifically for Bhushan recommended by N_C.( Bhushan was late) The job card was opened within 15 minutes of being there and
later handed over to Bhushan after he arrived to whom I explained in detail on what needed to be done..

I was given an estimate for the work to be carried out soon after the job card was opened. In the meanwhile the car had been
taken in to the work shop, The asst works manager asked me to wait so we could see the two filters ( air and pollen ) he recommended
I change the pollen filter (and it looked like it needed to be changed) the air filter was fine and did not require to be
changed.
I left the work shop at 0950 hrs with a promise from Bhushan he would call me at 1600 to update me on the status , I did
as promised receive a call at 1615 telling me the car was in its final stages of being cleaned and that I could come and pick it up.
On arrival at 1700 , the car was ready as promised, they did a great job of cleaning the car interiors /under body etc
The bill was ready and the only thing now left was the gate pass which was made promptly.
I was offered a test drive by Bhushan to check if all the door rattling I had complained of been rectified which I declined as I needed to get back to Pune.

The one thing that they did overlook was the time on the display which was incorrect which might have happened while
reseting the service display.

On the whole, it was a great experience I have to say exactly as I would expect for car that costs 15 plus lacs,

The break up of costs below..

Paid Service - 950
Consumables - 200
Fuel Filter - 417
oil filter - 332
Eng oil - 3060 ( shell helix)
Windscreen washer - 90
pollen filter - 480
Labour for Door adjustments- 250

Taxes - 720
Total - 6500

[GTO]

Great to hear that JMD is offering good service. Mumbai Skoda owners have a viable choice.

What car? Laura?