How many of you decided against buying a Skoda after reports on Tbhp?

.anshuman · 28th October 2009, 22:50

@Entropy- Even i agree to you about Superb being a better car than Accord but the problem starts with the scary ownership experience that any 20lakh rupee car buyer would hate.

singh.amrit · 28th October 2009, 23:05

Never really liked a lot about the car apart from the engine and the stability

.. but still recommended two friends and my dad not to go for it , despite the apparent very low running costs compared to his CRV - not a real comparison though.

Paradox · 29th October 2009, 00:04

I’m planning to get a hatchback and indeed had 'Škoda Fabia' in my list for their built quality. But after reading horror stories here, my answer remains a definite NO. I've also suggested my friend not to go for Škoda.

There's no point of investing on a 'Premium' car who least care for their valuable customers.

ampere · 29th October 2009, 00:25

I know things look bad for Skoda, but I am still keeping my fingers crossed on the Yeti!

KishoreC · 29th October 2009, 00:52

I guess I will go against the tide here as a Fabia owner.

Can't comment on others experience, but narrating my own till now.

Even after reading all the horror stories of Skoda owners (specially the Bombay case which went to court) I thought of not having Skoda as an option. I was in the market for a Good hatchback/sedan in the range of 6-8 lacs. Now if you discount Swift and keep in mind that i20 is a Hyundai at the end of the day, there is no real competition to Fabia. GM stable is lame, Palio is old (Grande punto wasn't out then), honda had a old awkward city(new ivtec was not in yet), and everyone else just concentrating either on small car or on luxury cars.

I know Fabia is costly, but it is way ahead of the rest of the cars in the segment, when it comes to quality. God bouled over by the handling, breaking and the sheer build quality.

My Fabia has gone though 2 services (cost 5K and 6K, mainly for the synthetic oil). tested it on Bangalore - Mangalore highway (can be claimed to be the most important and worst highway of Karnataka), clocked 26K on odo in 7 months, but still don't have a simple complaint to report here. No rattling, no failure, nothing. She is as sturdy as on day one.

The service is so so (I use TAFE in Bangalore), but haven't come across anything that I can complain about.

In Bangalore, the recent news is that, there is a New GM who joined Skoda recently and he has big plans to improve the image of the company and it's service. Also, you can see the new 2 year in stead of 1yr/10K warranty in place, on the new vehicles.

I feel pity for the company, who are quite popular in EU, who make such good cars, but got such a bad name in an important market like India.

Hope their officials are listening and would do something to bring back customers who turned away from Skoda.

PM - B · 29th October 2009, 01:30

Skoda used to be the aspirational car for me for a very long time.
Having read the owners experiences on teambhp, i was shocked to say the least.
And knowing how painful it is to part with hard earned money, specifically if one is being cheated, i do caution all the people i meet against a Skoda.

stanjohn123 · 29th October 2009, 02:29

Me too guys..I would go for a Skoda anyday..Their cars are just brilliant..except for all those unlucky customers who had gotten a bad product..Yes..Skoda's treatment towards their customers should improve drastically since we are all paying a premium for their cars...Skoda should have recalled all the superb vehicles sold with a defective gearbox and should have had it replaced..(I have no idea why they didn't do that

) But i guess with a few cases against them will change their attitude towards Indian customers

maglev · 29th October 2009, 04:01

Just months after the expiry of our Octavia's warranty we were pretty much decided that this would be the last Skoda in the family.
(At least till they start producing parts in India and not importing them).

After going through Harish's thread, this is the last Skoda in the family period.

ahuja365 · 29th October 2009, 08:20

I got the punto and waited instead of going for the fabia.I now need a car and would go for the corolla instead of laura.

prince_pervez · 29th October 2009, 08:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

Their cars are just brilliant..except for all those unlucky customers who had gotten a bad product..Yes..Skoda's treatment towards their customers should improve drastically since we are all paying a premium for their cars...

Agreed, but, if you get duplicate parts or second parts every service and good parts replaced by the said ones then whats the use of paying through the nose and not getting peace. Thats where it loses badly. People would turn to Toyota any day. These are just few thing I have pointed out. The list is comprehensive.

SkyWalker · 29th October 2009, 08:42

I for one have changed my views on Skoda after i came to this forum. No doubt they make some great cars - but the price of spares, service and the horror stories in this forum is enough to scare me away from this brand for a decade to come.

I would rather go to VW and get similar stuff from them with possibly a better service. Too bad VW is a little lethargic about engines and newer technology compared to Skoda. Where's the TSI, VW?

jyobeb · 29th October 2009, 08:59

YUP! I will not buy a Skoda and have actively advised my friends against buying Skoda too!
The Cruze came in just in time!

ajmat · 29th October 2009, 09:16

As a Skoda owner, I am fairly happy with my dealer, Vinayak. They are customer centric although very process oriented. They may not think outside the box so I need to nudge them at times.

The cars are good. I would consider a Skoda again as long as Vinayak maintain their standards. However, I would only recommned a a Skoda to someone who has the assurance of a good dealer and the ability to to understand/ diagnose the problems

The other aspect is that for the newer models, you will also have the added back up of a Volkswagen dealer to maintain the car. (a lot of vw / audi owners in the UK go to the superior skoda network for servicing). Laura = Jetta, Superb = Passat with older engine, Fabia = Polo

What Skoda should do is bring out the knives and kill the bad dealers and take on newer players with more favourable terms.

Or some VW dealers ought to take on a Skoda franchise on the side and utilise economies of scale with the similar service equipment

pacman2881 · 29th October 2009, 09:30

I was very impressed by Fabia . But when I was looking for a premium hatch I kept off Skoda. I didn't even visit their showroom nor bothered to check it's prize. In fact one reason I didn't wait for the Polo was the worry that VW being it's parent would still have to prove itself that it is better than Skoda which would mean waiting atleast 6 months after the launch of the Polo.
I checked all other models- Swift, i20, GP and finally settled for the Ritz.

I am not sure even this list will be enough to convince Skoda to correct itself. But let's hope for the best.

an_and · 29th October 2009, 09:35

Well, i had an octi/laura to my list of the cars to buy, but struck them off, because of t-bhp. Recently I had met a guy who owned a laura, and he told me that just before his warranty expired, he had been to the service center and asked them to check everything and rplace any part if it is wearing out. They told him that the clutch has a huge problem, and needs to be changed. Though he was not convinced, he took their advice and got it replaced. Within two months the warranty expired, soon thereafter the clutch conked off. And wonder of wonder he also receieved a bill from the service center later saying that skoda warranty had not passed his clutch replacement and charged him some 30 K.

Well the point that I am trying to make is that there are a lot of skoda owners who do not know about team bhp, but are being looted by the wonder full a** of skoda. I have infact received advice where skoda owners say 'gaadi tou achi hai, par jab tak kuch fault nahi aaye, ek baar fault aa gaya tou bech do'

I have myself taken a decision not to buy a laura, and have convinced three of my friends to move to honda/toyota from skoda.

View Poll Results: Has the negative feedback on Skoda on TBhp affected your impression of Skoda India
Yes, I choose not to buy or recommend Skoda.	254	86.10%
No, I will still buy or recommend Skoda	41	13.90%
Voters: 295. You may not vote on this poll

28th October 2009, 22:50	#46
.anshuman Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Good-Gaon Posts: 7,763 Thanked: 11,064 Times View My Garage	@Entropy- Even i agree to you about Superb being a better car than Accord but the problem starts with the scary ownership experience that any 20lakh rupee car buyer would hate.
	() Thanks

28th October 2009, 23:05	#47
singh.amrit BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Lucknow Posts: 106 Thanked: 0 Times	Never really liked a lot about the car apart from the engine and the stability .. but still recommended two friends and my dad not to go for it , despite the apparent very low running costs compared to his CRV - not a real comparison though.
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 00:04	#48
Paradox BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 55 Thanked: 11 Times	I’m planning to get a hatchback and indeed had 'Škoda Fabia' in my list for their built quality. But after reading horror stories here, my answer remains a definite NO. I've also suggested my friend not to go for Škoda. There's no point of investing on a 'Premium' car who least care for their valuable customers.
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 00:25	#49
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,951 Thanked: 12,939 Times View My Garage	I know things look bad for Skoda, but I am still keeping my fingers crossed on the Yeti!
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 00:52	#50
KishoreC BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 170 Thanked: 6 Times	I guess I will go against the tide here as a Fabia owner. Can't comment on others experience, but narrating my own till now. Even after reading all the horror stories of Skoda owners (specially the Bombay case which went to court) I thought of not having Skoda as an option. I was in the market for a Good hatchback/sedan in the range of 6-8 lacs. Now if you discount Swift and keep in mind that i20 is a Hyundai at the end of the day, there is no real competition to Fabia. GM stable is lame, Palio is old (Grande punto wasn't out then), honda had a old awkward city(new ivtec was not in yet), and everyone else just concentrating either on small car or on luxury cars. I know Fabia is costly, but it is way ahead of the rest of the cars in the segment, when it comes to quality. God bouled over by the handling, breaking and the sheer build quality. My Fabia has gone though 2 services (cost 5K and 6K, mainly for the synthetic oil). tested it on Bangalore - Mangalore highway (can be claimed to be the most important and worst highway of Karnataka), clocked 26K on odo in 7 months, but still don't have a simple complaint to report here. No rattling, no failure, nothing. She is as sturdy as on day one. The service is so so (I use TAFE in Bangalore), but haven't come across anything that I can complain about. In Bangalore, the recent news is that, there is a New GM who joined Skoda recently and he has big plans to improve the image of the company and it's service. Also, you can see the new 2 year in stead of 1yr/10K warranty in place, on the new vehicles. I feel pity for the company, who are quite popular in EU, who make such good cars, but got such a bad name in an important market like India. Hope their officials are listening and would do something to bring back customers who turned away from Skoda.
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 01:30	#51
PM - B BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 215 Thanked: 326 Times	Skoda used to be the aspirational car for me for a very long time. Having read the owners experiences on teambhp, i was shocked to say the least. And knowing how painful it is to part with hard earned money, specifically if one is being cheated, i do caution all the people i meet against a Skoda.
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 02:29	#52
stanjohn123 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: TN 75 Posts: 1,345 Thanked: 1,798 Times View My Garage	Skoda 4 me !!! Me too guys..I would go for a Skoda anyday..Their cars are just brilliant..except for all those unlucky customers who had gotten a bad product..Yes..Skoda's treatment towards their customers should improve drastically since we are all paying a premium for their cars...Skoda should have recalled all the superb vehicles sold with a defective gearbox and should have had it replaced..(I have no idea why they didn't do that ) But i guess with a few cases against them will change their attitude towards Indian customers
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 04:01	#53
maglev BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New Delhi Posts: 840 Thanked: 153 Times View My Garage	Just months after the expiry of our Octavia's warranty we were pretty much decided that this would be the last Skoda in the family. (At least till they start producing parts in India and not importing them). After going through Harish's thread, this is the last Skoda in the family period.
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 08:20	#54
ahuja365 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Jamshedpur Posts: 216 Thanked: 16 Times	I got the punto and waited instead of going for the fabia.I now need a car and would go for the corolla instead of laura.
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 08:42	#56
SkyWalker Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,531 Thanked: 136 Times	I for one have changed my views on Skoda after i came to this forum. No doubt they make some great cars - but the price of spares, service and the horror stories in this forum is enough to scare me away from this brand for a decade to come. I would rather go to VW and get similar stuff from them with possibly a better service. Too bad VW is a little lethargic about engines and newer technology compared to Skoda. Where's the TSI, VW?
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 08:59	#57
jyobeb Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Madurai Posts: 1,010 Thanked: 704 Times	YUP! I will not buy a Skoda and have actively advised my friends against buying Skoda too! The Cruze came in just in time!
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 09:16	#58
ajmat Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 14,864 Thanked: 27,975 Times View My Garage	As a Skoda owner, I am fairly happy with my dealer, Vinayak. They are customer centric although very process oriented. They may not think outside the box so I need to nudge them at times. The cars are good. I would consider a Skoda again as long as Vinayak maintain their standards. However, I would only recommned a a Skoda to someone who has the assurance of a good dealer and the ability to to understand/ diagnose the problems The other aspect is that for the newer models, you will also have the added back up of a Volkswagen dealer to maintain the car. (a lot of vw / audi owners in the UK go to the superior skoda network for servicing). Laura = Jetta, Superb = Passat with older engine, Fabia = Polo What Skoda should do is bring out the knives and kill the bad dealers and take on newer players with more favourable terms. Or some VW dealers ought to take on a Skoda franchise on the side and utilise economies of scale with the similar service equipment Last edited by ajmat : 29th October 2009 at 09:17.
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 09:30	#59
pacman2881 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 411 Thanked: 529 Times	I was very impressed by Fabia . But when I was looking for a premium hatch I kept off Skoda. I didn't even visit their showroom nor bothered to check it's prize. In fact one reason I didn't wait for the Polo was the worry that VW being it's parent would still have to prove itself that it is better than Skoda which would mean waiting atleast 6 months after the launch of the Polo. I checked all other models- Swift, i20, GP and finally settled for the Ritz. I am not sure even this list will be enough to convince Skoda to correct itself. But let's hope for the best.
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 09:35	#60
an_and BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 277 Thanked: 65 Times	Well, i had an octi/laura to my list of the cars to buy, but struck them off, because of t-bhp. Recently I had met a guy who owned a laura, and he told me that just before his warranty expired, he had been to the service center and asked them to check everything and rplace any part if it is wearing out. They told him that the clutch has a huge problem, and needs to be changed. Though he was not convinced, he took their advice and got it replaced. Within two months the warranty expired, soon thereafter the clutch conked off. And wonder of wonder he also receieved a bill from the service center later saying that skoda warranty had not passed his clutch replacement and charged him some 30 K. Well the point that I am trying to make is that there are a lot of skoda owners who do not know about team bhp, but are being looted by the wonder full a** of skoda. I have infact received advice where skoda owners say 'gaadi tou achi hai, par jab tak kuch fault nahi aaye, ek baar fault aa gaya tou bech do' I have myself taken a decision not to buy a laura, and have convinced three of my friends to move to honda/toyota from skoda.
	() Thanks