[rajivrt]

Many thanks for your suggestion, we are now preparing letters to be sent to the MD and other senior officials (whatever addresses we can get) by registered post.

in case of the Yeti the car started the next morning (i.e., day 1, year 5 after the 4 year warranty expired) but the engine started knocking and the engine malfunction light/prompt came on. We tried starting it a couple of times and then gave up and got the car towed to the dealership at Noida, Nawab motors.

The dealership took about 15 days to arrange for another ECM to test it with (or so they said) and then diagnosed that the ECM is faulty and needs to be replaced.

By this time we were alarmed as exactly the same thing had happened to Laura a month earlier. The Laura was repaired under some goodwill warranty at Jai Motors, Delhi where we had to foot 50% of the ECM replacement bill (our share 27k). But since that was a first instance we took it with a pinch of salt thinking it was sheer bad luck.

But when the second car (the Yeti) stalled the same way the very next day the 4 year extended warranty expired, we thought this cannot be a coincidence. Now the vehicle is with the dealership for over a month. We paid them 40k advance to replace the ECM under the same goodwill warranty, but nothing has moved- no news of the goodwill warranty, no news of a new ECM being sourced, etc.

For now we have raised a complaint by sending a mail to their customer services mail id, and have had a response that we should contact the dealership!

[ACM]

How can an ECM fail and that too in two vehicles and further in only 4 years. It is nothing more than a PCB with components mounted on it. It should have a life of 25 year and at the min 15 years. The only way it can blow / go bad is if it is submerged in water (which too does not happen for modern silicon coated and sealed ones or though an electric surge - but on two?

This is very fishy.

[rajivrt]

Yes, indeed fishy to happen very next day the extended warranty expires when you start the engine.

Someone told me that the service centers/dealers do not update their ECM software every year as there is a substantial license fee to be paid and therefore the ECM is bound to fail in this fashion. Anyone can throw light on this, whether this can really be the case?

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by ACM

How can an ECM fail and that too in two vehicles and further in only 4 years. It is nothing more than a PCB with components mounted on it. It should have a life of 25 year and at the min 15 years. The only way it can blow / go bad is if it is submerged in water (which too does not happen for modern silicon coated and sealed ones or though an electric surge - but on two?
This is very fishy.

Not actually accurate. I used to work for a company that remanufactured automobile ECM's (a.k.a. ECU's). It was one of our most profitable lines due to the fact that MANY of them do fail under normal conditions of heat/humidity/vibrations/cold, as well as due to inherent design flaws (underrated components, etc - and like apples, it only takes one to spoil the bunch). When I worked for that department, I was sent for training in Surface Mount Technology - which is used in these modules for reasons of compactness mainly; they do have more fragile components and solder joints than traditional boards. What we saw was a lot of "thermal" and "shock" failures; also failures in coatings intended to moisture-proof the circuits. Our ECM's were placed in freezers and then ovens before testing. Test machines used automated pneumatic hammers to cause shock/vibes during the testing.

Climatic / road conditions in the subcontinent could probably be considered some of the worst possible for electronics... All that to say that ECM failures should be considered completely possible / not uncommon, and in some car models, fully expected.

That it should happen immediately after expiry of the warranty is another matter...

-Eric

[rajivrt]

Many thanks Eric for clarifying. Your knowledge is very comprehensive. Can you also elaborate on when you say in some car models it is expected. Do they purposefully cut costs to earn on replacement or similar?

[kovilkalai]

Has Skoda service improved? I owned a Laura which I loved. I sold it and bought an XUV500 because I couldn't stand the service. I wouldn't mind going back if I get a reasonable level of confidence that their service is decent. I am not looking for people to give me a massage and a pedicure when I take the car into service. Just fix the problems and don't add any new ones.

Is there anyone who can testify to recent service experience with Skoda?

[harishpr]

Originally Posted by kovilkalai

Has Skoda service improved? I owned a Laura which I loved. I sold it and bought an XUV500 because I couldn't stand the service. I wouldn't mind going back if I get a reasonable level of confidence that their service is decent. I am not looking for people to give me a massage and a pedicure when I take the car into service. Just fix the problems and don't add any new ones.

Is there anyone who can testify to recent service experience with Skoda?

I can confirm that the service with vinayak skoda in bangalore has been an absolute pleasure. I own a yeti and has completed 3 services with them, one including water pump failure that was promptly replaced under warranty. Service was smooth and predictable.

[VeluM]

Vinayak Skoda has certainly improved, but there are still issues. If you can live with lethargic personnel and the occasional non-critical issue, they're fine.

For example, my car was in for accident repairs and service week before last. There were two service personnel that wouldn't keep in touch with each other, I had to coordinate.

At the end of the work and service, I have a brand new dent on the bonnet (which wasn't damaged to begin with), a missing hub cap (logo), and the rear seat base is now not fixed in place.

They also charged me twice for interior cleaning, in the accident repair and separately in the service, but the interiors aren't very clean.

Finally, the rear-left brake lamp wasn't working at delivery which they didn't notice, and the car wasn't ready for delivery despite my informing them a day in advance because I didn't give them two hours notice on the day I arrived.

These are minor issues at Skoda. Patience is a virtue.

[zulfi hansi]

If these are minor issues in one go, then Skoda has certainly made you a patient man. Had it been an average Joe who has experienced only Maruti and Hyundai in his life, he would either sell his car after the third service or start a legal battle with them, and eventually become popularly known as the guy who suffered Skoda among his friends and family, since he would be obsessed of the topic. I know a guy who has become one.

[Dushyanth]

Update on the ASS.

It was an unfortunate set of events very close to my residence that I ended up with a smashed driver side window on my Rapid which is 3 years old, this was just 3 days before the GST was to come in and there was not stock of the glass at either Vinayak or Tafe, both of them had not ordered spares and were not going to order them until the GST completely came into effect, the sales representative at Tafe and Vinayak said there are not enough spares to even carry out a general service of an cars and they had and there was a big pile up of cars! With the monsoon around this was not what i was expecting, so parked my car inside my garage for a week and covered the window with the help of cardboard sheet and some masking tape to avoid dust getting in.

Once the GST came into effect, I waited for a couple of days so as to let all the confusion and chaos settle down and then eventually ended up at Tafe since there was no availability of stock at Vinayak. We had purchased the vehicle From Tafe and the first checkup was done at Tafe, but the subsequent services were done at Vinayak since it was closer to my place and also during my first visit to Tafe, things didn't go as expected. We had nothing to complain about the Vinayak facility at KR puram as well, nothing good to write home and nothing disappointing as well, we never faced any issue with them. But was certainly better than my first experience at Tafe!

So it was my Father who took the car to Tafe that day as I was busy and even he had experienced the service before and was hoping things would be better, he left home at around 10 A.M and since we live at the north side of the city, it was easily going to be a two hour drive to Tafe. I on the other hand had clearly told him that whatever happens, always keep an eye on the car and make sure they DO NOT run the software update on the car since it was due and had received calls from Skoda several times.
Time went on and there was no update from my father about the work being done on the car, and I was very busy and even skipped lunch that day. It was around 4 P.M that I managed to find some time and quickly grabbed my phone and called my Father, I was really surprised to find out that he had already started his drive back home! Since it was a long drive back home in the peak hour of Bangaluru traffic, he ended up telling his experience.

The Experience-
There has been a major overhaul of the complete workshop and its layout, those who are not familiar with Skoda will be able to figure out the difference as well. Gone are the old arrogant S.A's and the complete personnel have been replaced! There was a good sense of professionalism which was lacking before and every customer if he or she wished could access the shop floor to view the work being done on their car! The manager and his deputy certainly had a good grip on the subordinates and all of their employees. You can spot the manager on the shop floor most of the time rather than in his cabin.
My father managed to have a conversation with the manager and was mighty impressed, he admitted that there was some issues in the past and they are collectively working to get things right and back on track. Skoda also are putting in a lot of effort and their big bet on improving ASS is certainly showing results.
What was even more overwhelming was that the service manager offered my father lunch and since he obliged, the manager ended up ordering lunch from outside just for him! That was very kind and something you rarely get to see these days!
The S.A also asked to get the software update done, my father did not agree to this, so he asked my father fill up and sign some form when the car comes in for the next service. once that was done, they are not going to run the update on the car. They apparently even promised a few other customers also that without prior approval from the customer, they are not going to carry out the update.

[NitinMakhija]

Thanks to Team-BHP, I didn't go for Skoda/ VW. Frankly, I like their cars, but I am more inclined towards my peace of mind.

[mudhasir]

Originally Posted by NitinMakhija

Thanks to Team-BHP, I didn't go for Skoda/ VW. Frankly, I like their cars, but I am more inclined towards my peace of mind.

I think it is more important to avoid Skoda than Volkswagen. I would someday like to own Volkswagen car if it comes with all boxes ticked (read as features + performance + safety + styling). I personally avoid Skoda for obvious reasons and Renault for their sub-standard treatment towards Indian customers.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by mudhasir

I think it is more important to avoid Skoda than Volkswagen. I would someday like to own Volkswagen car if it comes with all boxes ticked (read as features + performance + safety + styling). I personally avoid Skoda for obvious reasons and Renault for their sub-standard treatment towards Indian customers.

At some level they're all the same!
Skoda may just be better than VW & Audi too depending on the dealerships in your city! It's definitely better than Audi in Mumbai.

[skchettry]

So this thread started in 2009? I just happened to stumble upon it as it appeared on the front page of 'Indian Car Scene'. I am just wondering how can there be a NO to this poll. But there ARE quite a few NOs. I believe they think this way T-BHP is biased. Well I would always like to know the stories behind the screen although never thought of Skoda or VW as a brand to look for although one of my close friends is a great admirer of his Octavia.

[arunramaswamy]

Originally Posted by skchettry

So this thread started in 2009? I just happened to stumble upon it as it appeared on the front page of 'Indian Car Scene'. I am just wondering how can there be a NO to this poll. But there ARE quite a few NOs. I believe they think this way T-BHP is biased. Well I would always like to know the stories behind the screen although never thought of Skoda or VW as a brand to look for although one of my close friends is a great admirer of his Octavia.

Let's put it this way. There are always 2 sides to a coin for any scenario. These folks must be related to Skoda in some ways.