[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by SanjuInGgn

1. Shuddering on 5th at times:
Thanks for that. Nope, I don't ride the clutch. Have been having a similar thought as yours w.r.t. this being a clutch issue. However, do you think that such a problem would not manifest itself at all times on the 5th? As I mentioned earlier, this happens "at times" when riding at 70 - 80 kmph; does not occur at all times.

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Technically, if there is clutch slip, it should also be visible in other gears too, as the torque is much higher in other gears.
Have you noticed the rpm of the engine when this happens - is there is any sudden jump / skip in the rpm or is it consistent. If the RPM is above 1400, the engine should not have any issues in pulling. Only if it falling to 1200 and below, it can have some difficulty in pulling.

To add to what Behemoth has said, the Judder(if it really is severe) can also be due to worn out Flywheel or damaged/worn out Engine mounting. The reason why it is more evident in 5th gear might be higher difference in gearing ratios between 4th and 5th or maybe you are shifting earlier to 5th. Does it happen only when engine is under load, like when taking on a incline?

The best way to determine if there really is a problem is to drive a car of similar make back to back with your car, or get someone who drives the same car to drive your car to make out the difference.

[SanjuInGgn]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

To add to what Behemoth has said, the Judder(if it really is severe) can also be due to worn out Flywheel or damaged/worn out Engine mounting. The reason why it is more evident in 5th gear might be higher difference in gearing ratios between 4th and 5th or maybe you are shifting earlier to 5th. Does it happen only when engine is under load, like when taking on a incline?

The best way to determine if there really is a problem is to drive a car of similar make back to back with your car, or get someone who drives the same car to drive your car to make out the difference.

Originally Posted by .anshuman

To add to what Behemoth has said, the Judder(if it really is severe) can also be due to worn out Flywheel or damaged/worn out Engine mounting. The reason why it is more evident in 5th gear might be higher difference in gearing ratios between 4th and 5th or maybe you are shifting earlier to 5th. Does it happen only when engine is under load, like when taking on a incline?

The best way to determine if there really is a problem is to drive a car of similar make back to back with your car, or get someone who drives the same car to drive your car to make out the difference.

Thanks for your thoughts, Anshuman. Yes, I did try to take a fleeting glimpse the last time the "judder" occurred....it was roughly around the 1500 mark or maybe slightly above. It was a level road and I was cruising comfortable at the 75 or 80 kmph mark - no stress on engine beyond the normal cruise load - till the judder occurred. However, as has happened earlier too, it doesn't last beyond a 1 to 2 secs at max...and then goes away (at times without downshifting, though mostly realize I downshift at that moment). Infact, every time that it has happened, I realize that on none of the occasions have I been trying to accelerate or anything. Every occurrence has been at normal cruising load.

Waiting to see if Giriraj is able to fix the issue once the car is back from service tomorrow.

BTW Anshuman - have you managed to get your Laura's cornering lights enabled? Tried doing it with the VAS at the service center sometime back but could not find the relevant textual option.

[SanjuInGgn]

Hi .anshuman and Behemoth,
Apols gentlemen for the vanishing act that I had played for a month since our last exchange on this topic. Things have been pretty busy on the personal front - and this time not due to our love for our rides. We just had an addition to our family - this time a daughter.

So going back to our conversation around the "judder" and things post the 2nd service, here's where things stand:

1. 1st on the regular servicing bit (2nd Free Service, ODO at 24K) - this was one of those times where I could not take the car for servicing myself. However, was pleasantly surprised by the fact that apart from the standard oil change, Giriraj also possibly did some clutch adjustment I guess, since now the gear change appears to be much more smoother. Not sure if this is a temporary feel, but lets see how things go in the next couple of days/weeks.
Also, looks like they did some door joint greasing / adjustment, since the doors seem to be closing really smooth now, instead of making a nasty "thud" sound as earlier.

2. Now for the "judder" that I had mentioned earlier which had got me really worried : Am keeping my fingers crossed, since I have not noticed this occurring over the last couple of weeks. Not that I have done too many longish freeway trips since this mostly occurs at cruising speed. However, the few that I have, I realize its not occurred till date. Had checked with Giriraj post service if they had been able to "detect" and "fix" it. Unfortunately, they were not even able to detect it during their test drives.

Also - now that my Laura has completed its 2nd year - and out of warranty - have been able to muster courage to finally go ahead with the horn replacement. The "peep-peep" honk just does not do justice to a car of the Laura's stature and hence replaced it with a Roots Windtone. Sounds like the original Skoda OEM horn that comes on the earlier versions. Also,decibel output standing in front seems to be adequate, though from inside, it somewhat sounds a bit feeble. In spite of all the sound insulation, am slightly apprehensive if I made the right decision of going with Roots or should I have gone for the Hella one.

Another interesting thing that I saw available at the accessory store (while waiting for the horn replacement) was an LED equivalent of a PY21W bulb. PY21W is the bulb used as DRL in OEM. The interesting bit is that the bulb has a lens in front (as a part of the whole PY21W LED unit). I looked it up in google and came across eBay selling it too (link for the same LED bulb with amber color output is http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canbus-Error...-/280709475309.

Am quite excited with the LED option. However, would appreciate you gurus thoughts and comments on viability of using such an LED replacement for the DRL bulb. The light seems nice and bright for this LED bulb. However, apprehensive about couple of things:

(a) Do these bulbs throw a "blown bulb" warning indicator on the instrument cluster?
(b) Given that the wattage rating is slightly higher, is there a chance that the DRL lighting case can get over-heated?
(c) Has anyone had any experience with using these LEDs as DRL replacements?

Appreciate your thoughts.

Warm Regards,
Sanju

[SanjuInGgn]

Hi All,
Hoping alls good for all of you. I had last posted about trying to find a good quality PY21W canbus led bulb set for replacing the stock DRL bulbs in the Laura. So I was able to get a set from Autozone - and with the help of resistors, was able to get them working with no Bulb error.

Everything was running fine the last 6months or so. However, what I realized a few days ago is that if the DRL has been on for some time, then one of the bulbs starts switching off and then comes on in a few seconds. Not really fast flickering but more like a sine wave of switching off and on.

Question for all you folks - what do you think is causing this behavior? Is it potentially the register which might have gone bad OR is there something else thats causing it?

Appreciate your responses.


Rgds,
Sanju

[d3mon]

Originally Posted by SanjuInGgn

Hi All,

Everything was running fine the last 6months or so. However, what I realized a few days ago is that if the DRL has been on for some time, then one of the bulbs starts switching off and then comes on in a few seconds. Not really fast flickering but more like a sine wave of switching off and on.

Question for all you folks - what do you think is causing this behavior? Is it potentially the register which might have gone bad OR is there something else thats causing it?

My guess is that the resistance of the resistors changes with the increased temperature, which then shuts off the DRL. On getting cooled down again, the resistance goes back in the expected range, which is when they come back on.

Try replacing the resistors, maybe?

On a different note, how's the car doing?

[SanjuInGgn]

Originally Posted by d3mon

My guess is that the resistance of the resistors changes with the increased temperature, which then shuts off the DRL. On getting cooled down again, the resistance goes back in the expected range, which is when they come back on.

Try replacing the resistors, maybe?

On a different note, how's the car doing?

Thx, D3mon; that sounds quite logical. Will try replacing the resistor and see.

Cars doing fine otherwise. Just clocked 40k and still rides like new. Only issue that's been a nag since the last 3 yrs has been a dusty smell from the AC - and trying to fix that, Giriraj motors seem to have screwed up something since the ACs been tripping at times. Car's with Giriraj Motors last 4days while they try to figure out what's the issue. Service guy said could be faulty valves they had replaced as part of a "recall" 6 months back - but will hopefully get to know by trow.

Cheers,
Sanju

[Behemoth]

Updating this thread after a long time.
Looks like the Skoda A.S.S experience just turned bad for me. Our Ruby Raptor has covered just under 25 K Kms in 3 1/2 Years and is still under extended warranty.

Around a Month back, the AC stopped cooling and I took it for repairs to the Giriraj Motors workshop in Gurgaon. After being there for nearly 5 days, my Car was returned and I was told that the N90 Valve had gone bad and that it has now been changed and now the AC would perform effectively.
But within 7 days, it again started acting up and lost all cooling. Again I left it at the workshop and after another 5 days, I was told that the Condenser unit airflow had choked and it has now been fixed. After 4 days of getting the car back, Again the cooling was abnormal.
I am still struggling to get the resolution of the problem from Skoda and they have called their technical team which will inspect my car on the 3rd September.

To me, it appears to be a simple case of compressor failure (due to the notorious N90 Valve, which shreds metal into the refrigerant pipe and damages the compressor).
I wonder how many days it will take Skoda to finally diagnose the issue correctly and replace the compressor.

This issue has had me really perplexed and unhappy with the way that Skoda has handled customer service issues and failed to give a solution, within reasonable time. The car has already been at the service station for 10 days in the past 40 days and I still don't know how much more time it will take.
Will keep everyone updated about the developments.

[Behemoth]

Well the ordeal continues and mine is a classic story of how apathy and a total lack of belief of customer's genuine issues can make an ownership experience turn completely upside down.
I left my Laura again with Giriraj for another 4 days on the Sep 3th as was told by their Skoda AM Mr Sanjay Shukla that the Skoda Technical team would come to inspect my car's AC and then advise on what to do. So after another 4 day of leaving the car at the workshop (got my car back on the 7th Sep) I was again handed over my car back without anything getting done to it.
The AC as earlier was still completely underperforming and it cools only for the first 10 mins (that too only when the refrigerant is cold at start). After 15 min of running, the AC gets back to its usual self of not cooling and cannot bring down the cabin temperature to anything below 27, when the ambient is above 37.
Surprisingly the SKoda Technical team with all their VAG scans could not find any problem and tell me that the AC performs fine, while even a Blind man sitting in the back seat of the car would be able to tell that the AC is NOT cooling properly and the cabin temperature is too high.
It is really ironical the extent that the company goes to save it's own money and in this becomes penny wise pound foolish.
By education I am a mechanical engineer and in fact started with Automobiles and then went on to further specialize in Air Conditioning and BMS systems - my knowledge and experience far exceeds what Skoda has in any of its service advisors at any of their workshops. But still Skoda still firmly refuses to accept that the AC is NOT cooling.

The car is still under extended warranty -it has covered only 22,500 km and is 3 1/2 years old and still has another 6 months extended warranty.
It is really a Traumatic experience for any customer to go through and the irony is that they think I am lying or don't know the car?
I have driven the same car for 3 1/2 years and know how the AC used to work. I also have a Skoda Yeti in which the AC works fine (that too had undergone AC compressor failure and was replaced).
Honestly, if a company does not believe it's customer's problems, how will they even try to resolve them?
I have even tried writing to senior management of Skoda and surprisingly I have not received a single email response or call from them to even ask about why the issue is not getting resolved. Their AM Sanjay Shukla is the only one who has responded and that too with the same response that "the AC has been checked and is fine"

Honestly it is incidents like these which can make or break a company's future and turn even the best of customers into completely dissatisfied ones.
God help Skoda customers because the company won't.

Regards,
Behemoth

[invincible7]

Why don't you take your vehicle to some other dealer for diagnosing the AC issue and see how they respond, since the car is within warranty it wont affect from which authorized service center you get the compressor changed if its faulty. I would even suggest to get the AC checked by some outside competent mechanic and see if it can be resolved by simple means instead of compressor changed - just a suggestion.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by invincible7

Why don't you take your vehicle to some other dealer for diagnosing the AC issue and see how they respond, since the car is within warranty it wont affect from which authorized service center you get the compressor changed if its faulty. I would even suggest to get the AC checked by some outside competent mechanic and see if it can be resolved by simple means instead of compressor changed - just a suggestion.

I am ready to do that too, but in Gurgaon there is only one dealership/ service station and the only other option (non-JMD) is Fahrenheit in Moti Nagar.
I am ready to take my car there if Skoda wants me to but the time and effort to go there would be really substantial.

Also, in these entire 3 times when I left my car with the workshop for 4-5 days at a stretch, not once was I given a Standby car, which is what they have in other countries and are supposed to have in India too.

[invincible7]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

I am ready to do that too, but in Gurgaon there is only one dealership/ service station and the only other option (non-JMD) is Fahrenheit in Moti Nagar.
I am ready to take my car there if Skoda wants me to but the time and effort to go there would be really substantial.

Also, in these entire 3 times when I left my car with the workshop for 4-5 days at a stretch, not once was I given a Standby car, which is what they have in other countries and are supposed to have in India too.

Well I understand your plight and we are aware of how things go wrong with Skoda services, there is a lot of scope of improvements but yes till the time the manufacturers dont take things in their hand the dealers will act in their own ways. However another way to check this issue is if you can check with any competent AC repair service center to pinpoint on exact issue and then deal with Skoda engineers, I am sure it would help.
You can refer to the Team-BHP Directory Delhi page for this.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/delhi-ncr/

Hope you are able to resolve this issue at the earliest.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by invincible7

Well I understand your plight and we are aware of how things go wrong with Skoda services, there is a lot of scope of improvements but yes till the time the manufacturers dont take things in their hand the dealers will act in their own ways. However another way to check this issue is if you can check with any competent AC repair service center to pinpoint on exact issue and then deal with Skoda engineers, I am sure it would help.
You can refer to the Team-BHP Directory Delhi page for this.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/delhi-ncr/

Hope you are able to resolve this issue at the earliest.

Thanks Invincible, but I don't want to take that route yet as my car is still in warranty, as that would give them an escape route where they could say that the AC system has been tampered with.

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Honestly it is incidents like these which can make or break a company's future and turn even the best of customers into completely dissatisfied ones.
God help Skoda customers because the company won't.
Regards,
Behemoth

I would suggest you to visit Fahrenheit, Moti Nagar and meet Mr. Vikas Tyagi (service manager i think) there. He is a really nice gentleman and am sure will help you out with this issue, i will PM you his number shortly and you can talk to him over the phone before going. Do not expect very high levels of service but i have found them to the best of Skoda service centres in Delhi NCR.

Sad to see the ownership turn sour so quickly, i have had multiple poor experiences with VAG service now and have sworn to never buy their cars in India, the cars are unreliable and the support from company is pathetic, all these VAG thugs do is to forward your mail to the dealerships with absolutely no way to escalate matters.

[parth.jain]

It's sad to know that Skoda is not able to satisfy their customers even when there is a lot of news that they are concentrating on After Sales Service and complaints redresal.

Also, I would ask you to get your car checked at a good independent garage. There is a workshop near to Dwarka whose owner is an engineer and used to work in Skoda some years. I used to get my Skoda Octavia serviced/repaired there only after having some bad experiences at ASC. You can get your car checked there, he should be able to pin point the exact problem and then go to the ASC and sit on their heads!

[.anshuman]

Even after a wonderful 5 year ownership experience(Only because of the wonderful product, no credits to Skoda India) with my Skoda Laura, i still do not recommend Skoda cars in India. Reason is- Absolutely terrible after sales support especially the Giriraj and Jai Auto chain, Fahrenheit is slightly better but still not much good. Skoda India Customer care is icing on the cake, they are even worse than BSNL/MTNL helpline, drop them a mail and most of the times they won't respond, if you are lucky and someone replies, all they would do is redirect you to Service manager.

After a compressor change under warranty, now my car's A/C has become weak again. My Father approached the newly appointed Skoda dealer in Hisar, he declared the A/C to be perfectly alright. Looks like i'll have to find some independent workshop to fix the issue this time, i am in no mood to pay these Joker a lac rupees and queue up in their dealership again next year with another lac rupees in my hand again.

Laura's compressor has some design flaw, it fails in every car, they should own up and issue a recall.