[ivar1951]

The warranty for my Skoda Superb 1.8 FTSI A/T is for two years and will expire in early May 2012. A few months after I bought the car, Skoda introduced the "Skoda Shield" warranty, i.e., 2+2 years, but only for new buys. So far, Skoda has given no indication that this "shield" will also protect people like me.

I was wondering what to do after the expiry of the warranty period to save myself from heavy expenses in case of breakdowns, etc?

[v&v]

IMO write a mail to Customer service citing your interest in buying Skoda Shield, might be they may offer you the same at some additional charge.

1.8 is a gem of an engine, if maintained reguarliy in don't think any major issues till your vehicle is 5 years old or 50-60k kms.

Delhi also has good number FNG capable of handling skoda vehicles.

[prajwalkashyap]

Originally Posted by ivar1951

The warranty for my Skoda Superb 1.8 FTSI A/T is for two years and will expire in early May 2012. A few months after I bought the car, Skoda introduced the "Skoda Shield" warranty, i.e., 2+2 years, but only for new buys. So far, Skoda has given no indication that this "shield" will also protect people like me.

I was wondering what to do after the expiry of the warranty period to save myself from heavy expenses in case of breakdowns, etc?

ivar: If you knew that the car will have heavy expenses after the warranty expires, what were u thinking when u plonked in the money? Weren't you prepared for the "heavy expenses in case of breakdowns" before the "Skoda Shield" was introduced? I am sure you did your research, so have confidence in it.

Your question seems to me that you lost confidence in your car after Skoda has introduced the new warranty "shield". Perhaps you can "buy" the extended warranty if its on offer. Skoda is known for good cars and crappy after-sales service. As v&v mentioned, 1.8 is a good engine and should last a good while. Even our favourite travelogue writer Sam has invested in a Skoda. So you can take inspiration from there too.

Prajwal

[GTO]

Ivar, I know how you would feel after a near miss on the Skoda Shield. However, that's the case with any update (e.g. how owners of the old i10 would feel after new VTVT engine was launched). The company is under no obligation to offer you the Skoda Shield.

I can tell you that a high-end European, feature laden, car will never be cheap to own in the long run. Not the Superb, nor the Passat, C-Class, 3 series etc. What makes it worse is the poor long-term reliability of European cars. I don't mean to dampen your spirits; just preparing you as a fellow Euro-car owner.

Advice : Find a good, honest independent garage that understands European cars. Believe me, this is the best decision you can make with a premium car. I now get my Benz serviced / repaired at 1/3rd the cost of an authorised outlet.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by GTO

I can tell you that a high-end European, feature laden, car will never be cheap to own in the long run. Not the Superb, nor the Passat, C-Class, 3 series etc. What makes it worse is the poor long-term reliability of European cars.

Rush, do you think it applies to European cars in India or worldwide?
I ask this because it is quite common to see Skoda Octavias/Lauras which have clocked over 300,000kms doing taxi duty in many European countries and I feel that a taxi owner/driver would retain his old car if it becomes prohibitively expensive to run or unreliable.

Also, Mercedes are amongst the most popular taxis in Germany and Singapore is what I have been told.

All ears..

[ACM]

IVAR, well you missed out, yes the extended warranty would have been good to have, and there is a fair bit of probability that you will face some minor or major issue in the next two year, so you could for a marginal bit of amount more have reduced your risk in such an eventuality. But then that's how it always is with a new offer and it can't be helped.

You could write to Skoda and give it a try but the chances of them adding you to the 2+2 program would not be too high. But it's still worth a shot.

The good news is that the 1.8 engine if maintained well should go on for a while, the other electrical and electronic systems though would age and something could sign off. The better news is that most stuff is repairable at about 50% of the cost in an authorized centre outside and the parts are genuine but the tools the private garage uses would not be specific to VW/Skoda models and general in nature.

Compared to the original cost of the car the extra expense in a year should be less than 10% of that cost and possibly even less than 5% so the cost in relative terms is not too high. Just get whatever goes wrong whenever repaired and move on.

[ivar1951]

Thanks all for pitching in. I wish to clarify that I have not lost confidence at all in the Superb and also that I chose it after quite a bit of research. In fact, I am loving it day-to-day. So no regrets at all -- "Skoda Shield" or no shield. Having said that, my intention in the post was to find out if there was a way -- may be insurance -- which covered what a warranty covers. That's all. So far, I am extremely satisfied with the service I am getting from Krishna, Chandigarh Skoda dealer. And I am also hoping as I don't drive the car much -- 6000 k.m. in 270 days so far -- the normal wear and tear may not be much.