Skoda Superb 2009 - 1st car replaced, 2nd Seized - Rs. Refunded now - Case Closed!

Thad E Ginathom · 8th December 2009, 22:55

Excellent: nice to hear the happy story

.anshuman · 9th December 2009, 00:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by gagananand

just thought that I should inform fellow bhpians that as of now my car has done almost 5000 kms and is doing very well. it is a pleasure to drive the car

Good to know that your replacement car is doing good and well upto your expectations. Superb is wonderful car for the price its offered here. Please keep posting ownership experience with the car.

gagananand · 17th February 2010, 12:33

well friends. Here I report with the latest major problem with my replaced car. The petrol Engine superb consumes engine oil. Every 1700 or 1800 Kms we need to add engine oil and the best part is skoda feels there is no problem.ON my telling them that the service interval is 15000 Kms and I should not be visiting the service centre before that suggested I should carry engine oil for refilling in my car. They want me to check engine oil every tankful and top up if neccesary. WOW great technology

. We were better off in the days of old fiats and ambassadors where we checked engine oil every fortnight. My car has done about 8000 Kms and has already consumed over 3 litres of engine oil. a latest test conducted by skoda on my car states that the oil consumption of my car engine is 398ml per 1000 kms which is well within the skoda norm of 500ml per 1000 Kms. Great quality. Initially they kept on telling me that the car will stop consuming oil after 5000 Kms but here I am stuck with a skoda . I AM TIRED OF VISITING THERE SERVICE CENTRE WHICH I HAVE ALREADY VISITED 6 TIMES IN LAST 4 MONTHS

Please find below the last mail from skoda.

Dear Sirs,

At the very outset would like to thank you for all your co-operation. Further to the inspection of the vehicle yesterday at M/s Arshia Motors and our subsequent telecon please note our following observation.

In your vehicle the engine oil consumption has been found to be 398ml per 1000kms. This is well within the specified limit of upto 500ml per 1000 kms. Also would like to bring to your kind notice that though the engine oil change interval is 15000kms or one year (whichever is earlier) but the regular checkup of engine oil level and topping up with the specified oil if required should not be ignored.

It’s suggested and recommended to regularly check the engine oil level preferable every time the fuel tank is topped up or before driving for long stretches. We recommend refilling of the engine oil with the same specification i.e Shell Helix Ultra 5W40 (for petrol engines), meeting VW 502 00 specifications. Also it’s recommended not to use any kind of additive with engine oil.

You are requested not to have any apprehensions about the performance of the vehicle.

Thanking you and assuring you of our best services at all times.

gagananand · 17th February 2010, 12:44

May I please request the Moderator to modify the heading of my thread according to the current problem with my replaced car

shekharlele · 17th February 2010, 12:55

Hi Gaggan,

Sorry to hear about your new car consuming oil. I am surprised that Skoda is OK with almost half a litre of oil being consumed every 1000 Kms. With newer engines and technologies, that should not be happening at all. None of my cars seem to consume oil right upto 10000 Kms. and I drive in crawling city traffic all the time, with occasional out of towners.

Do you notice any other engine related issues like a drop in power / mileage or any smoke from your exhaust at startup?

I am concerned about the piston rings / seals. You would do well to get the ASC to perform a compression test on your engine (if they have'nt done that already), although I would not expect such a new engine to have issues like that.

On the bright side, since it's a new car, maybe the running in period is causing oil consumption and it'll go away with time.

Gurus, would the engine diagnostic test show a tell tale?

Sn1p3r · 17th February 2010, 13:00

Hi Gagan,

I am no expert in engines but one of the Audi's A4 Cabriolet (2004-05) that my peer had also had this issue, I think Skoda inherited the same technology if not the same engine. The car used to drink engine oil and soon the car was more expensive than the Mercs and BMWs he owned.
The engine specs rightly mention that the consumption can be 500ml for 1000kms though pathetic it is true some engines do gulp rather than sip engine oil. You can rightly talkback if the engine oil is consumed then why is the 15000 change required, to this the answer was the filters and oils are cleaned for the compartment cleaning and not oil cleaning. I feel you dude.

I do not know how Skoda will deal with your complaint for this.

All the best!

ajmat · 17th February 2010, 13:03

vw's do drink oil initially until bedded in

A patient method, I suggest to set up a paper trail. Go to the workshop every 1000km for a top up. You will need to pay for the oil etc no doubt, but after around 5000km, you can hold them to it if consumption is greater than stated based on "their data".

gagananand · 17th February 2010, 13:09

Wel thanks for the concern. I did not check for smoke. But skoda carried out endoscopy on the engine. They inserted a scope after opening the sparkplugs and finally concluded there is nothing wrong. Yes the vehicle vibrates a lot for about 45 seconds at cold start

Sahil · 17th February 2010, 13:28

Gagan- My Superb 1.8 TSi also has the tendency of oil top ups. But you do not need to send the car to the service center. Just buy an oil that meets the recommendation and top it up yourself, thats what I did the first time. The second time I thought this was a major problem and was near the service center so they topped it up for free. I think initially it does drink more oil and later on it should get normal. My car has done 8000kms and I think it must have totally been topped up by around 3 liters. My last top up was at around 5000kms since then no problem.
Only plus point is that recommended oil change is every 7500kms as per the experts, Skoda does it at 15,000kms. But with half the tank with new oil in it, I don't need to do an oil change at 7500km

However this vibrating at cold start you mention isn't normal. My car is completely vibration and noise free. You can't even tell the engine is on at idle.

BTW, if you are still unhappy with the car why don't you sell it ?

KSM-Vtec · 17th February 2010, 13:43

Good to know that you have got a new car after all the effort that you put in. But such instances really scare a prospective buyer. Hope you have a trouble free ownership experience.

nirmaljusdoit · 17th February 2010, 14:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by gagananand

In your vehicle the engine oil consumption has been found to be 398ml per 1000kms. This is well within the specified limit of upto 500ml per 1000 kms. Also would like to bring to your kind notice that though the engine oil change interval is 15000kms or one year (whichever is earlier) but the regular checkup of engine oil level and topping up with the specified oil if required should not be ignored.

It’s suggested and recommended to regularly check the engine oil level preferable every time the fuel tank is topped up or before driving for long stretches. We recommend refilling of the engine oil with the same specification i.e Shell Helix Ultra 5W40 (for petrol engines), meeting VW 502 00 specifications. Also it’s recommended not to use any kind of additive with engine oil.

.

Gosh, that's quite a lot of oil consumption for a current gen petrol engine !

One would think that buying such expensive cars & facing such silly issues like checking of oil regularly beats the purpose of buying a 7 star car in the first place !!!

Just theorizing, does having a turbo charger on a petrol engine increase the oil consumption ??

From my experience of Swift & ANHC, i haven't noticed such a drastic fall in oil level even 5 ~ 7 K kms. after the oil changes. There hasn't been a single instance of me having to top up engine oil too.

Its really shameful that you have do this even after spending a bomb in purchasing this car. Skoda/VW really needs to pull up their socks and look at the engine design.

entropy · 17th February 2010, 14:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sahil

Gagan- My Superb 1.8 TSi also has the tendency of oil top ups. But you do not need to send the car to the service center. Just buy an oil that meets the recommendation and top it up yourself, thats what I did the first time. The second time I thought this was a major problem and was near the service center so they topped it up for free. I think initially it does drink more oil and later on it should get normal. My car has done 8000kms and I think it must have totally been topped up by around 3 liters. My last top up was at around 5000kms since then no problem.

Is it 1.8 TSi specific issue ?. I do check the engine oil levels in my 2.0 TDi once in a month and so far after having done about 8K on odo in 9 odd months, the level still seems to be in the acceptable range. And almost all of the driving has been city run mostly.

Sahil · 17th February 2010, 14:33

@nirmal- I am no technical expert but perhaps turbo's do increase oil consumptions. And this seems to be a german trait, even my 525d popped up a message at the initial 3000km mark asking to refill with 1 liter oil.

@entropy- Oil issue would be engine specific, IMO.

rjalihal · 17th February 2010, 15:06

Skoda Superb and Lauras are turbocharged engines right? So turbo engines are bound to use more engine oil. I am no car expert, just a thought. Would this be correct?

gagananand · 17th February 2010, 15:31

can i again request the moderator to modify the title of the thread suitably

8th December 2009, 22:55	#286
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 11,471 Thanked: 30,161 Times	Excellent: nice to hear the happy story
	() Thanks

17th February 2010, 12:33	#288
gagananand BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: delhi Posts: 80 Thanked: 117 Times	well friends. Here I report with the latest major problem with my replaced car. The petrol Engine superb consumes engine oil. Every 1700 or 1800 Kms we need to add engine oil and the best part is skoda feels there is no problem.ON my telling them that the service interval is 15000 Kms and I should not be visiting the service centre before that suggested I should carry engine oil for refilling in my car. They want me to check engine oil every tankful and top up if neccesary. WOW great technology. We were better off in the days of old fiats and ambassadors where we checked engine oil every fortnight. My car has done about 8000 Kms and has already consumed over 3 litres of engine oil. a latest test conducted by skoda on my car states that the oil consumption of my car engine is 398ml per 1000 kms which is well within the skoda norm of 500ml per 1000 Kms. Great quality. Initially they kept on telling me that the car will stop consuming oil after 5000 Kms but here I am stuck with a skoda . I AM TIRED OF VISITING THERE SERVICE CENTRE WHICH I HAVE ALREADY VISITED 6 TIMES IN LAST 4 MONTHS Please find below the last mail from skoda. Dear Sirs, At the very outset would like to thank you for all your co-operation. Further to the inspection of the vehicle yesterday at M/s Arshia Motors and our subsequent telecon please note our following observation. In your vehicle the engine oil consumption has been found to be 398ml per 1000kms. This is well within the specified limit of upto 500ml per 1000 kms. Also would like to bring to your kind notice that though the engine oil change interval is 15000kms or one year (whichever is earlier) but the regular checkup of engine oil level and topping up with the specified oil if required should not be ignored. It’s suggested and recommended to regularly check the engine oil level preferable every time the fuel tank is topped up or before driving for long stretches. We recommend refilling of the engine oil with the same specification i.e Shell Helix Ultra 5W40 (for petrol engines), meeting VW 502 00 specifications. Also it’s recommended not to use any kind of additive with engine oil. You are requested not to have any apprehensions about the performance of the vehicle. Thanking you and assuring you of our best services at all times.
	() Thanks

17th February 2010, 12:44	#289
gagananand BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: delhi Posts: 80 Thanked: 117 Times	May I please request the Moderator to modify the heading of my thread according to the current problem with my replaced car
	() Thanks

17th February 2010, 12:55	#290
shekharlele BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 100 Thanked: 5 Times	Hi Gaggan, Sorry to hear about your new car consuming oil. I am surprised that Skoda is OK with almost half a litre of oil being consumed every 1000 Kms. With newer engines and technologies, that should not be happening at all. None of my cars seem to consume oil right upto 10000 Kms. and I drive in crawling city traffic all the time, with occasional out of towners. Do you notice any other engine related issues like a drop in power / mileage or any smoke from your exhaust at startup? I am concerned about the piston rings / seals. You would do well to get the ASC to perform a compression test on your engine (if they have'nt done that already), although I would not expect such a new engine to have issues like that. On the bright side, since it's a new car, maybe the running in period is causing oil consumption and it'll go away with time. Gurus, would the engine diagnostic test show a tell tale?
	() Thanks

17th February 2010, 13:00	#291
Sn1p3r Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Germany Posts: 1,024 Thanked: 234 Times View My Garage	Hi Gagan, I am no expert in engines but one of the Audi's A4 Cabriolet (2004-05) that my peer had also had this issue, I think Skoda inherited the same technology if not the same engine. The car used to drink engine oil and soon the car was more expensive than the Mercs and BMWs he owned. The engine specs rightly mention that the consumption can be 500ml for 1000kms though pathetic it is true some engines do gulp rather than sip engine oil. You can rightly talkback if the engine oil is consumed then why is the 15000 change required, to this the answer was the filters and oils are cleaned for the compartment cleaning and not oil cleaning. I feel you dude. I do not know how Skoda will deal with your complaint for this. All the best!
	() Thanks

17th February 2010, 13:03	#292
ajmat Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 15,218 Thanked: 31,662 Times View My Garage	vw's do drink oil initially until bedded in A patient method, I suggest to set up a paper trail. Go to the workshop every 1000km for a top up. You will need to pay for the oil etc no doubt, but after around 5000km, you can hold them to it if consumption is greater than stated based on "their data". Last edited by ajmat : 17th February 2010 at 13:18.
	() Thanks

17th February 2010, 13:09	#293
gagananand BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: delhi Posts: 80 Thanked: 117 Times	Wel thanks for the concern. I did not check for smoke. But skoda carried out endoscopy on the engine. They inserted a scope after opening the sparkplugs and finally concluded there is nothing wrong. Yes the vehicle vibrates a lot for about 45 seconds at cold start
	() Thanks

17th February 2010, 13:28	#294
Sahil Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 6,360 Thanked: 8,091 Times	Gagan- My Superb 1.8 TSi also has the tendency of oil top ups. But you do not need to send the car to the service center. Just buy an oil that meets the recommendation and top it up yourself, thats what I did the first time. The second time I thought this was a major problem and was near the service center so they topped it up for free. I think initially it does drink more oil and later on it should get normal. My car has done 8000kms and I think it must have totally been topped up by around 3 liters. My last top up was at around 5000kms since then no problem. Only plus point is that recommended oil change is every 7500kms as per the experts, Skoda does it at 15,000kms. But with half the tank with new oil in it, I don't need to do an oil change at 7500km However this vibrating at cold start you mention isn't normal. My car is completely vibration and noise free. You can't even tell the engine is on at idle. BTW, if you are still unhappy with the car why don't you sell it ? Last edited by Sahil : 17th February 2010 at 13:30.
	() Thanks

17th February 2010, 13:43	#295
KSM-Vtec Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: MH-02-India-Bombay-Bandra Posts: 1,561 Thanked: 447 Times View My Garage	Good to know that you have got a new car after all the effort that you put in. But such instances really scare a prospective buyer. Hope you have a trouble free ownership experience.
	() Thanks

17th February 2010, 14:33	#298
Sahil Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 6,360 Thanked: 8,091 Times	@nirmal- I am no technical expert but perhaps turbo's do increase oil consumptions. And this seems to be a german trait, even my 525d popped up a message at the initial 3000km mark asking to refill with 1 liter oil. @entropy- Oil issue would be engine specific, IMO.
	() Thanks

17th February 2010, 15:06	#299
rjalihal BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 714 Thanked: 103 Times	Skoda Superb and Lauras are turbocharged engines right? So turbo engines are bound to use more engine oil. I am no car expert, just a thought. Would this be correct?
	() Thanks

17th February 2010, 15:31	#300
gagananand BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: delhi Posts: 80 Thanked: 117 Times	can i again request the moderator to modify the title of the thread suitably Last edited by gagananand : 17th February 2010 at 15:35.
	() Thanks