[aseem]

The difference between Ambition and Elegance is 2 lakhs

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by aseem

The difference between Ambition and Elegance is 2 lakhs

I think the difference is totally justified. Is there any way you can push your budget? You won't regret the buy.

[aseem]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

I think the difference is totally justified. Is there any way you can push your budget? You won't regret the buy.

I know Adi but you begin with a budget of 15-16 lakhs and end up at 22. Then you feel why not another 2. This can go on and on and there is no end to it. I have to put a stop somewhere.

[dkaile]

Though its a little late in the day, but Congrats on the Octavia. Now only if Skoda properly manages their ASC's. My authorised ASC has just shut shop in Meerut leaving 100's of Skoda owners in the lurch. No reply or alternates being offered by the company. We may have to drive 50kms to Noida to get our cars serviced in the future.

Anyways, drive safe and congrats once again...

[ToyotaFan]

Originally Posted by dkaile

Though its a little late in the day, but Congrats on the Octavia. Now only if Skoda properly manages their ASC's. My authorised ASC has just shut shop in Meerut leaving 100's of Skoda owners in the lurch. No reply or alternates being offered by the company. We may have to drive 50kms to Noida to get our cars serviced in the future.

Anyways, drive safe and congrats once again...

The Skoda ASC has closed and Fiat ASC has opened. Ironically I somehow get the feeling both will meet the same fate. There are not enough volumes for these two brands (thousand odd cars from 100 odd dealers) to justify a dealership in Meerut. Skoda India do not seen to have a mass market volume car on the horizon (unlike fiat) and the future of the brand is thus looking a bit shaky.

[adi_petrolhead]

dkaile I can understand your worry. You never know when these German 'marvels' can stop dead in their paths, mine did, and thankfully I was in Ahmedabad and just 5 kms away from the workshop. Well lets hope yours doesn't, and you continue your tryst with destiny meanwhile mine's up for 1st major service and oil change. The MID scares me everytime I turn on the ignition with a message 'OIL CHANGE NOW!' If it were a colour screen, I am sure it would have shown the message in Red, LOL. Booked an appointment for Monday morning. Always gives me the chills, going and interacting with Skoda's 'superb' (not so) staff. Planning to get the horn changed to wind tone, need to replace RHS Wiper blade, something has damaged it, otherwise no hicups in the car. Though cold starts are a little jerky now, but I think it should be solved with some fresh fluids in the car!!

[adi_petrolhead]

Got the car recently serviced at 15400 kms. I know, I know, I should have taken it way earlier, but did not get time because of a busy work schedule and didn't have a spare car.

1) Engine Oil was changed
2) Oil Filter was changed
3) Air filter was cleaned

These were the only things done nicely on the car. The next things have made my days irritable and uncomfortable (mentally that is).

1) The complaint regarding the noise in the ORVMs folding mechanism was not solved, no query raised yet to the company as well, because they say they cannot raise the query on their test drive vehicles as it is not covered under warranty . Why I asked them to raise the query on their TD cars and not mine? So that my car doesn't stay at their service center for an indefinite period till their query is responded to, and because I checked their 3xTD cars and all of them had the same issue. How ever their "Awesome" & "Informative" staffer tells me that the earlier ORVMs were rounded, and the current ones are more aerodynamic, which is causing a less smooth operation!? Can anyone believe this shit reply? This made me so furious I just walked out with my car from there.

2) They seem to have a tie up with 3M for all cleaning purposes but trust me, neither do they use 3M products, nor proper microfibre clothes, no wax, no polish, rather they made the car so dirty i cannot explain. They are supposed to do " Engine Dressing" which is basically cleaning the engine cover with some dressing liquid, what they have used is something so bad, its sticky, and making the engine cover even more dirty.

3) To solve the problem mentioned in the 1st point, they sprayed synthetic grease on the mirrors, and did so without covering the metal body(read door). This has caused such a big mess and the grease is now leaking as and when the rains have started to pour in. The grease leaks and sticks to the door below the ORVMs and no matter what cloth or polish I use, it keeps on oozing the grease every day. The LEFT ORVM is ok now, not the RIGHT.

4) The morons with their 3M tie up have used the same cloth they used to clean the exterior and wiped the excess grease with, on the interior as well! Yes, they also used it on my touch screen, the instrument cluster, the gear lever, windows from the inside, the windshield, every single damned thing.

5) After 2 Hours of labour and sweat, I have managed to bring back the original feel to the interior which I maintain always very meticulously.

6) I was promised to get the car delivered after service by 4:00 pm but only got away with it at 8:00 pm.

7) Yesterday I opened the hood for cleaning, and I see that the Coolant Expansion tank is pretty much empty! It was full when I gave it for service. I called up the Service Manager and he advised to send the car to their workshop on a flat bed. Without asking me for any details, any problems with the cars running. I told him that firstly there is no indication of 'Coolant Low' in the MID, and I am not ready to send the car 150 kms on a flat bed, you rather send your team to my residence. He bluntly refused and told me he cannot help me unless I send the car. I asked him how do I check if the coolant is leaking? He said if its leaking, there has to be some residue below the car. There was nothing, so he advised me to top up the coolant tank with RO Purified Water and move on, and bring the car in for a check up at the earliest opportunity, to which I agreed and took a sigh of relief.

I don't get it, how the hell has coolant disappeared from my car?
Did they not check the same while delivering my car after service?
I did not check since I was busy with handling other issues they did not solve on the car.

All my worst nightmares about the after sales service are coming true.

Experts, pls let me know, do I need to get Wheel balancing and alignment done although I have no problems with the ride? The steering is dead centered and no vibrations are felt at high speeds or under heavy braking. Pls suggest, so I can get it done at a private garage, I am definitely not spending 4000 odd on the alignment and balancing at Skoda.

Pls, I request all other owners and Octy thread starters to pls share your experiences, so I can know, am I the only victim? Or is Skoda so consistent all over India. I never faced such issues with my Laura. Hell I drove it for 3 years and I dont remember the coolant being this low ever!

Only one good thing about the service was the cost of service. The labour was free, and the consumables were at about Rs. 4500. The total bill paid was Rs. 9000 including tax and cost cum labour for changing the horns to wind tones which costed Rs. 2700 alone. I have still not received the invoice from them. Hence I am not sharing the copy.

[mav2000]

I was planning on going with the base Octavia, but it's posts like this that stop me from putting 18 lacs on a car where the service ends up like this. I am happy I decided to keep to my budget and not go overboard with my finances.

[Chethan B G]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

Experts, pls let me know, do I need to get Wheel balancing and alignment done although I have no problems with the ride? The steering is dead centered and no vibrations are felt at high speeds or under heavy braking. Pls suggest, so I can get it done at a private garage, I am definitely not spending 4000 odd on the alignment and balancing at Skoda

Wheel rotation, alignment is a very necessary activity every 5k Kms. Balancing can be done every 15k Kms. Please try this and you will see the difference in tyre wear.

This is very essential and please don't ignore it.

[dkaile]

I always stand on their head and get work done. As 2 years have already passed of my Skoda and my local ASC has shut shop, and I had only recently got the 2nd year service done and will be officially needing them only next year, I am planning to search for a good 3rd party mechanic who has experience with Skoda and get the future work done from him.

[Santoshbhat]

Too bad Adi, I was going to suggest you to edit your thread title. But the love hate story continues!

Washing quality at most ASC's is so so. Never a good idea to take any extra cleaning or detailing services from them.

Regarding coolant tank low on coolant, I don't remember this happening in my car so far. I googled a bit and came across this information on Briskoda

"Cooling circuit

This cooling circuit operates under the cross-flow principle. The coolant flows from the radiator to the coolant pump module, which drives it to the inside of the engine block. Like in other overboosted petrol engines, the circuit has an electrical pump, V51, for coolant post-circulation.

This pump protects the turbocharger, after stopping the engine, against excess heating up after being under intense loads and thus prevents the oil accumulated in the blower fan shaft from carbonizing. The electrical pump is activated by the engine control unit for a maximum of 15 minutes from the moment of switching off the ignition. During this period of activation, the pump drives the coolant from the radiator to the turbocharger, in the opposite direction".

Source : http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic.../#entry3597679

My car is due for for 60,000 kms service next week. Don't know what surprises are in store for me. Good thing is my car has never given me any issues. Except for a dead fog light bulb, I can't think of any other issues to report this time also.

[sunny310c]

Sorry to hear about your experience and I can fully understand the mental agony this must have caused. Why don't you register a complaint with the service centre? Surely they must have a feedback form of some sort where you can vent your frustration. Its a 20 lakh+ car and the least that you expect after a service is that the car looks spic and span (inside & outside). The fact that they dirtied the cabin by using a greasy cloth, especially when you maintain it very neatly, must make your blood boil. It just shows a complete lack of respect for you as a paying customer. I don't think you should let this slide. Let them know you are very displeased with the quality of their work. And register a complaint with Skoda as well.

At the end of the day, I think this kind of shoddy work comes down to the attention the service supervisor pays to the work being done on each car. If he doesn't care how the car looks when it's delivered, then why would his workers. Next time you give your car for service, make sure you speak to the supervisor and show him how the car looks at that time and tell him it has to look better than that when he delivers it back to you. Basically, just let him know that you are a not just another average Joe who will take things lying down. Speak sternly, make eye contact and let him know you are one tough customer. Basically, make such an impression on him where he looks at your car and remembers your face.

[SedatedDrive]

Adi, it isn't too late. Next time, give the car for service at a different dealer and stay with the car while it is done. There is no other way. Or get the service done at a renowned private garage like I do and you will never look back.

If one has the tools, the time and the will, can self-service the car for most issues with the help of the internet and the manual.

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by SedatedDrive

Adi, it isn't too late. Next time, give the car for service at a different dealer and stay with the car while it is done. There is no other way. Or get the service done at a renowned private garage like I do and you will never look back.

If one has the tools, the time and the will, can self-service the car for most issues with the help of the internet and the manual.

Hi. The problem in Ahmedabad is that there is no other dealer. Whenever Skoda customer care calls me up and asks my feedback and whether I will visit the same delaer again for service and repairs? I laugh. And then I ask the person, Do I have a choice? Self servicing is not an option for me. I would happily get it serviced in a private garage, but the problem is that will give Skoda all the more excuses to void my warranty et all, you never know what they can come up with.

Originally Posted by sunny310c

Sorry to hear about your experience and I can fully understand the mental agony this must have caused. Why don't you register a complaint with the service centre? Surely they must have a feedback form of some sort where you can vent your frustration. Its a 20 lakh+ car and the least that you expect after a service is that the car looks spic and span (inside & outside). The fact that they dirtied the cabin by using a greasy cloth, especially when you maintain it very neatly, must make your blood boil. It just shows a complete lack of respect for you as a paying customer. I don't think you should let this slide. Let them know you are very displeased with the quality of their work. And register a complaint with Skoda as well.

At the end of the day, I think this kind of shoddy work comes down to the attention the service supervisor pays to the work being done on each car. If he doesn't care how the car looks when it's delivered, then why would his workers. Next time you give your car for service, make sure you speak to the supervisor and show him how the car looks at that time and tell him it has to look better than that when he delivers it back to you. Basically, just let him know that you are a not just another average Joe who will take things lying down. Speak sternly, make eye contact and let him know you are one tough customer. Basically, make such an impression on him where he looks at your car and remembers your face.

By now all the service supervisors and the GM service, know me by name and car. They fear they might end up with my car in service and try to skip it. But since I know the owners of the dealership, I can escalate the matter but it won't help until I involve the top management. I have given them this week as a last and final time period to solve the issue with my ORVM, other wise I will complain to the top management, read Sudhir Rao, to which they are really concerned and keep calling me to bring in my car so that they can raise a query, to which I bluntly refuse because I am not going to keep my car in their hands as a test mule for trying out different techniques of solving the issues. I just dont understand why they wont use their one of three test drive vehicles parked in their showroom! all of which have the same issue.

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Too bad Adi, I was going to suggest you to edit your thread title. But the love hate story continues!

Washing quality at most ASC's is so so. Never a good idea to take any extra cleaning or detailing services from them.

Regarding coolant tank low on coolant, I don't remember this happening in my car so far. I googled a bit and came across this information on Briskoda

"Cooling circuit

This cooling circuit operates under the cross-flow principle. The coolant flows from the radiator to the coolant pump module, which drives it to the inside of the engine block. Like in other overboosted petrol engines, the circuit has an electrical pump, V51, for coolant post-circulation.

This pump protects the turbocharger, after stopping the engine, against excess heating up after being under intense loads and thus prevents the oil accumulated in the blower fan shaft from carbonizing. The electrical pump is activated by the engine control unit for a maximum of 15 minutes from the moment of switching off the ignition. During this period of activation, the pump drives the coolant from the radiator to the turbocharger, in the opposite direction".

Source : http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic.../#entry3597679

My car is due for for 60,000 kms service next week. Don't know what surprises are in store for me. Good thing is my car has never given me any issues. Except for a dead fog light bulb, I can't think of any other issues to report this time also.

I am sure you wont face any issues in the Laura and even I never did. My Laura had clocked 46000 kms. Trouble free and maintenance free besides regular servicing. Over all there are no problems in the car. But if there is a fault in the way of making these new ORVMs then they have to be resolved. There is no excuse for that. I am not very sure how the hell can coolant disappear from the tank. Ther is definitely no evidence of a leak. I am going to the workshop yet again, today, to figure it out. God save me.

Originally Posted by dkaile

I always stand on their head and get work done. As 2 years have already passed of my Skoda and my local ASC has shut shop, and I had only recently got the 2nd year service done and will be officially needing them only next year, I am planning to search for a good 3rd party mechanic who has experience with Skoda and get the future work done from him.

I really did stand on their heads in the first service and when my car had the fuel pump failure. But since then I decided that I cannot end up wasting my time because they are going to do what they are originally planning to do and that doesnt change by my presence in the workshop. Hence I have strated letting go of the thing. Today I plan to leave my driver there. Hoping he'll be able to update me and keep tabs on the stupid service personell, no I usually don't abuse service personnel, my old Hyundai service supervisor still calls me and just checks on me how am I doing and sometimes even tells me to get the car serviced at his workshop rather than Skoda, they are very professional and informative. Only drawback, they dont have VCDS.

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Wheel rotation, alignment is a very necessary activity every 5k Kms. Balancing can be done every 15k Kms. Please try this and you will see the difference in tyre wear.

This is very essential and please don't ignore it.

GETTING THAT DONE TODAY STAT!

Originally Posted by mav2000

I was planning on going with the base Octavia, but it's posts like this that stop me from putting 18 lacs on a car where the service ends up like this. I am happy I decided to keep to my budget and not go overboard with my finances.

There is nothing wrong with the car overall. Only thing to complain about is the service. That depends on your dealer, if you have a choice of dealers, do a proper survey and choose the right one. Actually if you have multiple dealers, you can exploit the situation where in you can coax them to give you a sooner delivery of a booked car since there are long waiting periods. Secondly you can also always get better service if you threaten them to leave their center and go else where. In my case, threatening doesnt work because they know I dont have any other choice.

[VeyronSuperSprt]

All the problems reported by you have just one solution. You have to be there by the vehicle while it is being serviced - this point cannot be emphasised enough. Your argument that the service people would have done what they wanted is completely wrong. You can get them to service the car that you want it done and you have to be firm about it.

If it is not possible to be there, cases like this will keep repeating itself at every service, and you will be wasting your time with follow ups, frustration and posts like this. It's your call - the time can be spent during the servicing to get it done properly or after the service following up on the various issues.