[NaveenKBorra]

Hi Jinu, I am really sorry for your situation and Please don't get offended with my post.
I feel this is more of the purchase error than the issue with manufacturer or the A.S.S. DID JMD give you a full report on all the checks they performed or is it just a verbal communication that ALL is WELL.
Another question. when you say it was a company owned car, was it an individual who was using it on Company's lease policy or was it used by the driver(s). In case of multiple drivers there might be high chance, that mechanicals of the car have been dealt harshly, especially sunroof.
Also Do you mind telling what price did you get the car for? was it too irresistible?

[Contrapunto]

Originally Posted by jinu_joseph

Second hand cars make sense only in the lower segments.

I wouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to say. In my experience, pre-owned cars work best with

- Brands with a known reputation for standing by their customers over time with spares etc (Skoda/ VW is not one of them)
- Manufacturers with a reputation for long life models and consistent quality (Skoda/ VW- nada)
- A high-volume (relative to category) model that can probably be resold for something more than scrap after 4-5 years (Superb probably meets this criteria, definitely the diesel ones)

I feel for you. And as the others have said, I hope you can sell it off asap.

[CarJunki]

Really another appalling case of skoda, and how a diligent user can also be in for a lot of shock to the pocket as well as mental peace.

When trouble free ownership is more due to individual luck rather than product reliability, it is best to avoid such products.

Good that you posted this and that too with details about the length for which car was in workshop. May this thread act as reminder of the great product quality offered by Skoda.

[i74js]

Owners deserve peace of mind and VAG Group cannot give it - there is no track record of it atleast in India. Germany, where VAG has close to 40% market share might have a different situation.

To me it warrants a stop loss condition wherein whatever you can get from the machine, you should.

Even if you like it when it runs; the pleasure was short lived followed by lovely experience extended by JMD as well as Skoda Customer Care.

Move on friend.

[Starfire]

Originally Posted by Hayek

Sorry but having noises and minor errors is par for the course for a 5 year old car. Personally, I would not have bothered about minor noises in such an old car. As for the ABS warnings, they are commonplace as well. (Just look at Briskoda or any such forum). The problems you faced with the ABS etc in 2013 could have been due to a weakening battery. Attending to every minor fault is a recipe for spending through your nose, which is what has happened here. And the ability of service centres of any brand to diagnose problems is mediocre at best.

Just chill, and give your car for service only when it does not run or Red warnings come on. Telling the dealer that you want an economical solution instead of a perfect one is also a good idea. Best of luck.

Hey Hayek, i'm sorry but I do not agree with this opinion of yours. Ignoring the small things is a recipe for disaster in the long run because of two reasons:

1)It will worsen the condition at hand which at the current point of time maybe minor.
2)Ignoring things like ABS and Brake error light is never a good thing for that is playing Russian Roulette with your life. What if the Brakes have a real issue and might actaully fail?

What maybe dismissed as a normal noise/Rattle for some can turn out to be a major problem with the cars Shock up in reality (for example) which later may lead the suspension giving way at speed while going over a big pothole. Again that can sum upto one playing with his/her life and with that his/her family's as awell.

With all due respect, I do not see how you ask a person to chill in such circumstances.

Mr. Joseph i think what you have done is right. If i were you I would also do the same. We dont spend our hard earned money to bring on gratis headaches to ourselves and risk our lives.

And last of all, shame on you Skoda for not addressing your customers, especially when they write to you personally about their grievances.

[Petrolhead007]

Really sorry to hear your experience with Skoda. The story is not very different here in Bangalore either. While few people would have got lucky with their service, the overall review is not all that great for a brand like Volkswagen/Skoda.

Please share a link of this article with Skoda corporate and their dealer JMD so they know the damage they have done to you and people will be cautious the next time they think of duping someone. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[hybridpetrol]

Originally Posted by jinu_joseph

Well actually i did consider selling it often but the fact that i would not even get 40% of purchase price meant that i would have to invest quite a bit to get another one. I paid 17L when i purchased it.

But yes lessons learnt. I dont think i will buy a second hand car in this segment. Second hand cars make sense only in the lower segments.

Indian Used car market is not well organized, and this makes it tough for the buyers. Getting information is not very easy and things get darker due to the lack of transparency, even with some manufacturer owned used car outlets.
Good second hand cars can be bought at all segments - Check out GTO's BMW 530d M-Sport used car experience, if you haven't already read this. Similarly lemons seem to be available at all price bands, and segments.
As an e.g - When i was in market to buy a used car (Budget: 2L), one dealer showed me a "good car" without battery connected! Another "fresh as new" car had wires hanging all around. I got alarmed, and settled for a new car instead. I formed an opinion that, good used cars are found in bigger price brackets (just opposite of yours)!
The deals in the used car market are tempting, but I am yet to understand myself how to find a genuine car, that offers peace of mind at least for a few years.

There are several stories on team-bhp and other forums about the horror stories of the Skoda after sales support, and their attitude.
By the way, did you try inspecting the car with any neighbourhood garages? Any way, your car is out of warranty now, and there is nothing to lose if you go your own way in fixing the issues.

[rxpaul]

I too own a Skoda and the car has been trouble free for the last 6 years. I usually approach at least 2-3 authorized service centres as well as private garages, before I send my car for any (major) repair....you get all their opinions/comments and rates, evaluate & then service. Of course its time consuming and if you don't have the time, its better to dump the car and get a Japanese or Korean car.
All European cars usually need a lot more TLC as compared to their Asian pals.

[mvadg]

@ jinu_joseph

I can empathize with you. I think it was a combination of bad luck and poor knowledge and may be even missing street savvy. (I know, in my case it was).

A few signals from what you said:

1. Company-owned: Watch out! This was driven by numerous drivers or was sold on a lease plan to an employee, or even changed hands within the company multiple times. Also, if it was any good, wouldn't the employees of the company have lapped it up first?
2. You went back again and again to the same A S S - once you let them get away with it, they've profiled you as an easy mark [I've been there!]

This was possibly an abused 'lemon'; and these are always sold by the non-company outlets or brokers. Think Maruti TrueValue vs ??



Now, you'll be motivated to learn all about cars and the possible pitfalls in owning one. This is one great takeaway from this whole experience.



Another thing I've noticed is: MASS does not offer paid diagnostics anymore. I see it listed along with their services ("n-point check"), but unlike the other services there is no price mentioned. If you ask for it, you'll get a "we'll do it for free" - which implies that it is just some off the cuff advice that you shouldn't take seriously. (no liability!). At one time all the TrueValue centers did a 140(?) point check and gave you a full report. Even the competing chain (forgot the name) did the same. Now no one offers this for obvious reasons.

And you need someone like rxpaul to help you with the ASS/garages

[redohabitat]

Originally Posted by jinu_joseph

But yes lessons learnt. I dont think i will buy a second hand car in this segment. Second hand cars make sense only in the lower segments.

Its disheartening to read your experience. Second hand cars don't necessarily have to be in the lower segments, i have a second hand Landcruiser, and a Prado. 23 and 12 year old respectively. Have done numerous trips to far away mountains and zero problems. There must be a reason that Toyota is at the top. You can consider a Camry or an imported Prado/Lexus, and forget about reliability issues.

[rohan.xj]

Hi Jinu_Joseph, it hurts to read about your predicament, more than "who is responsible for what" it just spoils the whole car owning experience!

My two cents - I am a staunch supporter of pre-owned cars (Economic/value for money reasons) and have followed this approach with zeal having bought 3 pre-owned cars in the last 7 years. I think finding a trustworthy garage (not to be confused with an authorized dealer) goes a long way in making the car ownership "joyous". I have had 2 such dedicated garages where my cars have been serviced / repaired after the 4 year warranty expired.

Two key pros behind this recommendation - same spare parts are available at a 10-30% discount (original only) and the service is top notch (read personalized).

[jinu_joseph]

Originally Posted by NaveenKBorra

Hi Jinu, I am really sorry for your situation and Please don't get offended with my post.
I feel this is more of the purchase error than the issue with manufacturer or the A.S.S. DID JMD give you a full report on all the checks they performed or is it just a verbal communication that ALL is WELL.
Another question. when you say it was a company owned car, was it an individual who was using it on Company's lease policy or was it used by the driver(s). In case of multiple drivers there might be high chance, that mechanicals of the car have been dealt harshly, especially sunroof.
Also Do you mind telling what price did you get the car for? was it too irresistible?

Hi Naveen.. Did not understand your question. I did not purchase this from JMD nor did i get it checked from JMD before purchase. This car was owned by the CFO of an organization, i spoke to him before purchase. He had upgraded to an Audi A6 and returned this to the Audi showroom as part of the exchange deal.

Originally Posted by hybridpetrol

By the way, did you try inspecting the car with any neighbourhood garages? Any way, your car is out of warranty now, and there is nothing to lose if you go your own way in fixing the issues.

Hi I got this checked by Jatin from WagenWrkz who reached the same conclusion that the damaged parts (ABS, bluetooth, glovebox and radiator) need to be replaced.

Thanks folks for all your support and feedback. No offense taken to any feedback, i knew the pitfalls of going for a second hand car and that too a SKoda, but what i wasnt prepared for was the pathetic service of the dealer, the lack of good qualified people at the workshop and the attitude of the company - Skoda towards their customers. Thought this had improved. I thought wrong.

Some updates:
Out of sheer frustration i had written to the CEO/MD of Skoda Auto India Mr. Sudhir Rao regarding my experience. Yesterday i got a mail from Skoda Customer Care in response to the mail i sent Sudhir, with their standard response as follows:

Dear Mr. Jinu,
Greetings from Skoda Auto India!
This is to acknowledge the receipt of your concern
At the outset we understand your concern and regret for any inconvenience caused to you. We have taken up the matter with the respective dealership for further resolution of your concern at the earliest
Please feel free to speak with dealer CRM Mr. Shamit Salian on 7738150518 for any assistance required in this matter.
In case of any further assistance please feel free to contact our Area Service Manager, Mr. Ryan Pimenta on 7767813486
You may also email him on ryan.pimenta@skoda-auto.co.in
Assuring our best support at all times.

Late evening I got a call from Shamit Salian from JMD asking me to bring the car to the workshop to look at the ABS issue. When i told him that i had already brought the car to the workshop some days back they had said that a full replacement of the ABS unit is required, he said he will check his internal records and come back. So now waiting for his come back.

Knowing how they work i am sure they are going to try some patch up work to try and repair the ABS unit like they did for the glove box. This will ensure that the complaint is resolved. But in a matter of days/months like the glove box it will be broken again. I dont think i am going to let them do it, i will insist for a full replacement of the ABS unit and glove box and if possoble th bluetooth box also.

Lets see how this plays out.

[hybridpetrol]

I would say not the kind of response one would like to receive after writing to the CEO/MD, about their incompetence in solving issues!
Similar response I received from Maruti dealer, when I wrote an email to their first level of escalation, about an issue, as small as a doubt about petrol theft at their service station. I immediately got a phone call to clarify things.
If writing CEO can fetch only this much of response, I don't know what else will force these dealers to take the matter seriously.
Suggest to call the Area manager on the mobile number given directly and insist on good quality work at the earliest.

[GTO]

Jinu,

Terribly sorry to hear about your experience. Sucks that Skoda & its dealers can't take better care of an owner of their flagship car.

The Superb isn't a model I'd recommend in the used market. However, now that you've gotten one, I can totally relate to the "keep it (and be optimistic) or sell it (and suffer a loss)" predicament.

My suggestion is to hold onto it for now since the depreciation loss will be too much. Since your car is out of warranty, just take it down to an expert independent (like Sunil Shanbagh). You'll get an accurate diagnosis of the problem and your repair costs will be a fraction of the authorised dealer's.

[pikaxe123]

Wow jinu , it's like you have "emi of problems ".

I am slightly going off topic and pardon me . I have this glow plug light flashing after long drives especially at night time when I am returning from pune Same day return. It's a peculiar problem during mumbai -pune trip. But on Sunday after a short drive of 25 km again the problem started. A brief flashback, I have been having this trouble for 3 weeks out of which when the first time the problem occured I sent it to autobahn nerul for a check .The diagnosis was that couple of wire were chewed off by rats and hence needed to be replaced. This was done and set me back by 3680. After a week the same old problem has resurfaced. now after reading jinu's post I am having the hibbijibbies.
Now I am taking the car on Thursday. Before that i Need some advice and encouragement and from all of you what to look out for . I don't want to be a victim of this vag madness. Wow people are scared of doctors and now vw and skoda owners are scared of the service stations.

Fyi I have vw vento tdi and the glow plug light goes off when I restart the car.