[durgaprasan]

Hi,
I've been driving my Fabia 1.2 TDI ambiente April 2011 model for 20k km till now. Bought it from Marikar Skoda Calicut, which has shut shop now. I took almost a year to finalise this car, after test driving various options. Simply love driving it, and i think the turbo lag below 1300-1500 rpm is there in almost all cars. After 1500 rpm, it simply takes off, and in my initial days of switching over from alto to fabia, i had trouble controlling the surge in acceleration. I had a major accident with the car toppling over after hitting a milestone along the road side. My family was with me, but thanks to grace of God, all of us were safe. The car body shell was overall intact, and we were able to come out of the upside down car by simply opening the door and crawling out. No injuries. I still remember being impressed with its build quality when i test drove it and compared it with Japanese counterparts. Now I am thankful i made the choice. Marikar skoda cochin repaired the body and the dmaged parts, including axle, ac compressor, wiring, and other stuff. It took them 4 months to do so. The work executed is excellent in some areas and terrible in some others. I had the option of condemning the vehicle and getting a new one, but decided to get the old car back simply because its got very little competition in terms of the value it brings. Have done 2000km after the car was repaired, so far so good .

[mempheS.D]

Originally Posted by durgaprasan

Hi,
I've been driving my Fabia 1.2 TDI ambiente April 2011 model for 20k km till now. Bought it from Marikar Skoda Calicut, which has shut shop now. .
.
.
.
I had a major accident with the car toppling over after hitting a milestone along the road side.

Marikar Calicut has shut shop??? Does that mean a Skoda in Kannur would need to go towards Mangalore or Cochin for a routine service or check-up?

Glad to hear that the Fabia did its job well in protecting you safely within the shell. I've heard the Fabia(and Skoda cars in general) does a good job at that after hearing from a few who've experienced it themselves when I've met them at service centers. They ve said its a miracle! And I would agree.

Since your car has been through a horrendous accident, I recommend keeping a close watch on the behaviour of the vehicle and do not take any warnings lightly. It may be the symptom of a disease.

Drive Safe.

[durgaprasan]

Originally Posted by mempheS.D

Marikar Calicut has shut shop??? Does that mean a Skoda in Kannur would need to go towards Mangalore or Cochin for a routine service or check-up?

Glad to hear that the Fabia did its job well in protecting you safely within the shell. I've heard the Fabia(and Skoda cars in general) does a good job at that after hearing from a few who've experienced it themselves when I've met them at service centers. They ve said its a miracle! And I would agree.

Since your car has been through a horrendous accident, I recommend keeping a close watch on the behaviour of the vehicle and do not take any warnings lightly. It may be the symptom of a disease.

Drive Safe.

Thanks for your concern. There is a new Skoda dealer in Calicut, called Vision Skoda. Marikar is active in Cochin and Trivandrum. Marikar was asked to spend 2cr and upgrade facility at Calicut, similar to Cochin and trivandrum. They refused due to poor business volumes, and hence were asked to shut shop. At the time of my accident, Vision Skoda(run by Popular motors of maruti fame) had not established its service and body shop in calicut. They have now, so you dont have to go to Mangalore or cochin. But like VW, Skoda should open a showrood and service in Kannur too. Or share the same facility at least.
You are right about warning signs. In the initial days, there was a troublesome issue. When the vehicle was undergoing final check before delivery after repairs, the service chaps noticed a strange noise. Initial check pointed to radiator fan, which was replaced. Problem persisted. Wiring was checked, and even AC compressor was replaced at the eleventh hour. The wiring symbol came on once even after i took delivery. I wrote back to Marikar who promised to send a team to check it out. They characteristically havent done so for one month now. Anyway, the sound disappeared on its own, so did the issue of wiring symbol. I have driven 2000km since then without trouble. Hope it remains that way!!!

Hi,
By the way, in the new TV commercial on gifts with Skoda cars in festive season, the Fabia is prominent by its absence. The company is represented by 4 cars, not 5, and Fabia is missing. Is it the first sign of the car being phased out? Would be sad, if thats the case. Its still got the potential to be a winner, and should be sitting above the citigo in product range.
Durga Prasan

Note from Team-bhp support: Please use the EDIT or MULTI-QUOTE buttons instead of typing one post after another on the same thread.

[lurker]

Originally Posted by mempheS.D

Marikar Calicut has shut shop??? Does that mean a Skoda in Kannur would need to go towards Mangalore or Cochin for a routine service or check-up?

Sudhir Rao visited Kerala a few days ago and announced that Skoda would be opening 3 new showrooms in Kerala. First to come, i.e. within 3 months, Skoda would open showroom in Kottayam. Followed by Quilon & finally Kannur. I suppose Skoda would open service centres along with showrooms in those locations as well.

[mempheS.D]

Originally Posted by durgaprasan

Thanks for your concern. There is a new Skoda dealer in Calicut, called Vision Skoda. .
.
.
The company is represented by 4 cars, not 5, and Fabia is missing. Is it the first sign of the car being phased out? Would be sad, if thats the case. Its still got the potential to be a winner, and should be sitting above the citigo in product range.
Durga Prasan

Thanks for this information indeed. Its time I update my skoda service center contact numbers.

Don't worry about the Fabia. It's here to stay at least for a bit longer. Here's another thread discussing the same.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...oritizing.html

Originally Posted by lurker

Sudhir Rao visited Kerala a few days ago and announced that Skoda would be opening 3 new showrooms in Kerala. First to come, i.e. within 3 months, Skoda would open showroom in Kottayam. Followed by Quilon & finally Kannur. I suppose Skoda would open service centres along with showrooms in those locations as well.

This is a huge sigh of relief to Skoda owners from Kannur. Do you have any links to an article mentioning the same? Or is this insider hush-hush?