[jimmy_iaf]

I thought that Skoda makes great cars. When the current Civic made it's debut in a showroom close by, I had gone down to have a 'dekko'. There was a compatriot of mine who was the salesman and he tells me, sotto voce, in my native tongue, "Sir, why are you buying this? This is just tin - you should buy a Skoda!"
Having read this thread, it looks like I have to revise my opinion - and maybe so should that salesman!
Re: insignias and special numbers, why do we do it anyway? I am sure it is not just for better servicing!

[jasher26]

hey harish, hows it going witht he court case? any updates?

[Jaggu]

I dont think there are major updates from Harish or other Skoda owners, and their plight continues :(

Meanwhile Harish has moved on from Skoda and bought a Toyota Altis limited edition for daily drives and peace of mind.

[navin]

Originally Posted by jimmy_iaf

I thought that Skoda makes great cars.
Having read this thread, it looks like I have to revise my opinion - and maybe so should that salesman!

Skoda does make good cars (except for the underpowered Fabia they have dumped on us in India). It is just that their A.S.S is suspect.

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by amit_mechengg

i just asked him in marathi , does your car always stalls like this, his reply was,
" jam waitag ahe hi gadi mhanje, pandhra hatti ahe, sarkhi nahi band padat pan hi tisri wel ahe"

he said owning a skoda is like having a white elephant as pet. the car doesnt stall regularly but this is only the 3rd time

Let me tell you an incident of a person who appeared similar to the description in your post. I was collecting N_C's car from Acumen Skoda which is a less than a kilometer away from my house. A person with a Laura came by for his scheduled service after 18000 kms. I am not sure about the service interval but he had shown up at the service center exactly 18,000 kms after he drove the car out of the showroom. The service advisor, who was quite friendly with me by that time took the owner and his driver for a test run to give out an estimate of replacements required. Some basics included synthetic oil, all filters, etc. The clutch was hard a stone since this gentleman was probably used to driving a Tata 1210 with the clutch pedal doubling up as a dead pedal.

After he gave out all the requirements, the gentleman mentioned he doesn't want synthetic oil and he would opt for mineral oil. His driver asked him dust out the air filter with compressed air. The clutch was fine. There was no need of diesel filter replacement since the car was "New". To end it all he wanted the car to be serviced within Rs. 3,500/-. I feel, if I see this person pushing his car to the roadside I would not be surprised. The service advisor also mentioned that they have begun stocking mineral oil since many people like the person in reference above simply refuse to use synthetic oil. I am not surprised. Some people can't reach their pockets for recommended replacements.

I have driven Team-bhp member Amey's Skoda on several occasions . If I remember right, he bought the car in 2003-04. He has driven the car in all sorts of terrain in various towns, villages across Maharashtra and clocked around 1,85,000 kms. He drives the rider version 1.9 TDi. The clutch is stock, the drive shafts are stock, the suspension is stock. Only parts he has replaced are oil, all filters, and some basic required components as per the service manual. I am not sure if his car broke down ever due to an engine fault. It did once, I remember, when the battery conked off and once more when there was a loose connection in the coil or something. He has also replaced the head lamps once because they had turned brown due to the use of HID lights. His car still drives like new and I am sure that the clutch can last another few thousand kilometers.

[harishv]

Originally Posted by jasher26

hey harish, hows it going witht he court case? any updates?

An elaborate process. Lot of factors involved. Will inform and post soon.

I dont think there are major updates from Harish or other Skoda owners, and their plight continues :(

Absolutely. The numbers are increasing.

Meanwhile Harish has moved on from Skoda and bought a Toyota Altis limited edition for daily drives and peace of mind.

Verrrrry peaceful ... ( 4000 kms so far )

[soccer]

Such a suggestion could only come from a politician's Son, besides there wouldn't be any special numbers left if we all followed this suggestion. Honestly, Do special number really cost that much ? 30K is all you need to pay in Bangalore and thats the official route.

God bless.....

[ImmortalZ]

The money you pay depends fully on whether or not you have to bid for it. If no one bids for a number, all you have to pay is some 2.5K. If someone also claims the number, an auction is held.

[Thomas8700]

so whats the end result of all this. i really dont think skoda has considered this as an issue.

[diffsoft]

Originally Posted by Thomas8700

so whats the end result of all this. i really dont think skoda has considered this as an issue.

The end result is yet to come. Harish is patiently working at it, building his case. In my view Skoda decided to make some minor amends for future customers but not as much for the existing ones. They are already suffering with poor sales compared to others for this year. But they do not seem to come to terms with this reality.

Cheers,
P.S: I had a look at Skoda India's balance sheet for year ending Dec 08. They incurred good losses for Jan - Dec 08. Their debt is far in excess of equity and what is reasonable within large bounds. If an Indian credit rating agency had rated their debt it would have to be junk (unless there is parent support for the debt in which case the parent's rating will need to be considered). As a buyer or as their dealer I would wonder how they can keep up their support for customers, including warranties, with such impaired financials.

[sajanpt]

Dear GTO and Harish,

I hope you are already aware of the Skoda story of one Mr. Kuriakose which was posted earlier in one of the forums

Doubt regarding year of manufacture and CMVR Cirtificate date - Page 2 | General Discussions | Car Forums - CarWale.com

I did suggest a few things to him. I'm not sure whether the solution (not even sure whether it is a real "solution") accepted is an amicable one and wouldn't like to comment further. Please check link below

Doubt regarding year of manufacture and CMVR Cirtificate date - Page 3 | General Discussions | Car Forums - CarWale.com

At least we can come to some conclusions.

1. They are feeling the pinch and the dealers know very well about how much damage could be caused to the reputation of a company(dealers) through word of mouth and the blogs, both of which are the best marketing tools in today's world and that too, available for free.

2. Despite all the existing problems they are facing, Skoda had neither taken any stringent actions to prevent the forgery, unprofessional practices and counterfeiting in India with their vehicles, nor warned any of their dealers about the consequences if anything is found.

3. There are definitely many other cases like this which gets settled under the table or which goes unnoticed since people are not aware of what's happening and which usually does not see light. This incident so happened to come out just because Kuriakose had access to the web, knew how to use it and above all was honest with the outcome, for which he should be highly appreciated (and not crucified).

If this was a different case: for eg: (Note: I don't intend to offend anybody in the following statements)The filthy rich people in Kerala; some of them from remote places who may be illiterate or not having access to web, media etc and who may be buying a luxury car for the first time in his life will not go through the paper work or know what to check and be able to find out anything. And if in case they find it out the dealers know that it can be settled, sealed and buried in unethical ways offering meagre discounts / accessories. The customer in India who takes everything for granted would be more than happy to do so too. (probably due to the flaws in the system )

This is just FYI and the others following this thread. Looks like they scored one more in their black book of records. Just can't understand for how long they would continue to solve problems in this perspective, on a one to one basis !

[harishv]

Originally Posted by diffsoft

The end result is yet to come. Harish is patiently working at it, building his case.

You understand the issue very well. Thanx once again for the pep up.

Originally Posted by sajanpt

Dear GTO and Harish,

I hope you are already aware of the Skoda story of one Mr. Kuriakose which was posted earlier in one of the forums

I am aware.

Skoda does not beleive in the maxim ' prevention is better than cure '.

Since they have lost control over their dealers, all that they can do is try and cure those matters that can be settled by offering incentives, freebies etc. In other words try and keep the complainant quiet.

It is left to the individual to be satisfied with a short term gain, take a frivolous incentive and let the matter die a quiet death. However, he has to realise that this incentive will be recovered the next time the car goes back to the dealer, and the defrauding process will continue. In the larger interest, I would rather nip it in the bud.

Despite confirming that forgery had been undertaken at their dealers how can they still have the dealer up and running ??

I conclude, Skoda need their dealers more than the dealers needing them.

[Thomas8700]

@sajanpt.

dude your statement clearly does offend.
i know many such filthy rich guys you mentioned. can i ask one question to all the guys on this forum.

how do you expect all those guys especially rich enough to buy a skoda and maintain it to be car enthusiasts or for that manner always have a detailed look at service and records and stuff? heck how many of these guys have enough time to check out blogs and forum like ours??

Team - Bhp stands for the truth. but not skoda they are here to do business. they weill solve problems by hook or by crook.

so why all this hupla??
I can see it by the sheer number of new facelifted Laura in my city that Skoda is least affected by this whole Scene.

one of us got unlucky and my prayers are with him. all the best for him.

please dont make comments such that rich guys old or not. are being fools by believing skoda dealers and all.

Everyone is entitled to choose whichever brand he wants.

[Thad E Ginathom]

You have clearly missed the point.

Hard, because it is more like a blunt instrument, than a "point"

Still everyone is entitled to get whichever point he wants... or not.

[navin]

Originally Posted by Thomas8700

how do you expect all those guys especially rich enough to buy a skoda and maintain it to be car enthusiasts or for that manner always have a detailed look at service and records and stuff?

Team - Bhp stands for the truth. but not skoda they are here to do business. they weill solve problems by hook or by crook.

one of us got unlucky and my prayers are with him. all the best for him.

1. At one time 4/5 of the 18 TBHP Mods had Skodas. That is ahuge number given that Skoda's share of the marker has always been in single digits (less than 9%) and currently is less than 1%. Each one of kept/keeps detailed records of our cars.

2. Skoda is here to do business. Is it not good business to keep existing customers happy after all for Skoda it would easier to upsell the Laura or Superb to an existing satisfied Octavia customer than trying to convert Honda/Toyota/Hyndai customers. Is it not good business for Skoda that they avoid the adverse publicity of a well documented case like Harish's.

Originally Posted by Thomas8700

one of us got unlucky and my prayers are with him. all the best for him.

...unless that one person turn out to be you; paying EMIs on a car that you cant use is in-excusable.

Remember Skoda does not have just one or two cases of poor service recorded here (on TBHP) but cases like Harish's detail a pattern of cheating by many of Skoda's dealers/ex-dealers (be it Mumbai-Nummer Eins, Bangalore-TAFE, or any other place). Not Honda, not Toyota, not Hyundai, not Maruti each of whom has sold many more cars than Skoda have as many cases of poor service/cheating recorded here (on TBHP).

Skoda, I repeat makes good cars (if we discount the poorly engined Fabia). Their biggest issue is service ergo their cost of service/parts, longevity of parts, and the attitude of their dealers/service centers. Skoda seems to have taken a few steps in this direction but...they have still not resolved long standing cases like Harish's.