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Old 10th May 2024, 20:12   #31
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Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 90,000 km Review

I was contemplating for a suspension mod for quite some time as my stock ones had already done 85k kms. I also saw BHPian Tuisha110BHP's review on Sachs and since then I wanted those. I got the contact of Germancart from Tuisha and discussed my mod plans with him. He suggested that I go for the Sachs setup as he owns two Rapids himself and based on his personal experience, Sachs was the best your VAG can get. The other options were Schaeffler, TRW, OEM, Meyle, Monroe, Alko Spain, etc. I decided to go for the best one out there- Sachs Front and Rear shocker. I placed an order in November 2023 but unfortunately due to Red Sea conflict my shipment could arrive only in February 2024. Since my car has seen a lot of abuse in those 85k kms, I decided to get the entire suspension overhauled. The following parts were ordered-
  • Sachs Front & Rear Shocker
  • Borsehung Germany rear Mounts
  • Meyle Front Mounts
  • Magnetti Marelli Suspension kit
  • Meyle Germany Lower Arm Bushes
  • Vika Link Rod
  • Magnetti Marelli Balance Rod bushing
  • Some child parts which I forgot

Total Cost~ ball park of 40k, if you want to replace steering rack then around 50k

A. Installation-

I scourged the Raipur FNG scene and I didn't find anyone worthy to do the job. Either they asked too much money or they were too shoddy. Finally, I requested my Skoda CRM to please get it done in the Showroom itself but she said it won't be possible because these parts are technically aftermarket however superior they may be to the OEMs. But she helped me get in touch with a Skoda mechanic and he agreed to do it on Sunday in some ABC workshop of his friend. Finally, the day arrived, I went there to get my dream suspension setup installed on my Car. It was a 4-5 hour job and it almost took my entire day considering I live 40kms away from the workshop.

You will need a hydraulic lift, a wheel gun, tools, and a bit of space for a suspension job. Regarding the quality of work, it was okayish to be honest, though the guy had worked at Skoda, he did a hasty job and he was not very careful with my car. He broke my wiper cowl, scratches on the bonnet, and even while loading/unloading parts from the boot, he accidentally banged my car with link rod. Overall a mediocre experience, I gave him an earful but that doesn't make any difference to the damages. Labour cost- 5k

Experience with Sachs: (I have done 5000kms on Sachs)

As informed by the guy from Germancart and Tuisha, the Sachs are on the stiffer side when compared to the stock gabriel shockers. So, naturally the low-speed ride quality is on the stiffer side. On the other hand, my gosh, the car literally flies. The high-speed ride quality has improved by leaps and bounds. I will explain how-
  • Expansion joints are not felt when you are driving fast, it just glides over them
  • Dips after flyover are taken with maturity, it just goes in the dip and gains back its composure. Other cars bounce over such dips, Rapid just sticks to the road
  • Body-roll... what does that even mean? Take a corner at 40 or 60 or 80, the car stays flat
  • Braking has improved a lot, the car just stops and there is minimal nose dive
  • Shockers take some time to open up, initially they were very stiff but after driving 2000 km, they have settled in nicely.
  • Because of stiff suspension, underbody hits have reduced
  • Low-speed ride is stiff but in a good way, it takes bigger potholes & bumps with maturity i.e. it does not make a thud sound and even if you hit a big pothole, it doesn't make you feel as if your car will break, it just feels robust
  • There's less sagging when the car is loaded with passengers and luggage
  • I took a test drive of Verna 1.5 Turbo, Slavia 1.5 DSG post-installation and they don't even come close to the confidence you get on the Rapid

Negatives:
  • If you regularly drive on bad roads then it might not suit you
  • At slow speeds you will feel the road a lot more, once you speed up things smoothen out but you can't always drive fast, especially in the city
  • Expensive, the stock shockers cost 10k and the Sachs costs 28k [F & R]. But I feel it's a one-time investment, so I went ahead with them.
  • The rear makes a thud sound at times when going over bumps, it feels like something is loose, I will get it checked soon.
  • You tend to drive fast because the speed is not felt

Experience with Germancart:

I got his contact from BHPian Tuisha and we both are not associated with him in any way. I had a great experience with him right from placing the order to delivery & post-delivery feedback. He was transparent throughout and kept updating me on the status of my shipment. He is a fellow VAG enthusiast who started this venture during the lockdown and you may find his insta id here https://www.instagram.com/german_cart_/ He mostly deals in parts of German cars.

Please find some pictures below-

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-1-workshop.jpg
The workshop in Mahadevghat Raipur

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-2-cowl-broke.jpg
That's how you break the cowl, I asked him to remove the cowl and then work on suspension but he thought he was the expert

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-3-old-shocker.jpg
Old OE shocker

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-4-shocker-removal.jpg
Removing the shocker

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-5-shocker.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-6-lathe-bushing.jpg
Bushings in lower arm were changed in Lathe/Press machine

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-7-bushing.jpg
Meyle

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-8-old-bushing-audi.jpg
Old Bushings had Audi logo

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-9-bonnet-suspension-removal.jpg
Shocker un-mounting resulted in scratches in the bonnet because of his carelessness. I asked him to be careful but he

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-10-meyle-bushing.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-11-front-shocker.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-12-audi-logo.jpg
Perks of owning a Skoda

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-13-link-rod.jpg
Just see the difference in the build of stock vs Vika link Rod

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-14-link-rod.jpg
These days the Kushaq comes with a plastic link rod

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-15-rear-mount.jpg
Metal rear mount from Borsehung

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-16-preparing-shocker.jpg
The seller advised me to manually push the shockers before fitting for 20-30 times so that gas is equally distributed

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-17.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-18-new-shocker-.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-19-work-progress.jpg
Glad that Rapid came with underbody protection. It not only saves from underbody damage but also keeps the engine bay clean

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-20-removing-under-tray.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-21..jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-22.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-23.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-24.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-27-furry-friend.jpg
When I returned home, this random dog strolled into our house

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-28.jpg
I guess he also likes Rapid

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-29.jpg
Random shot

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-30-petrol-pump.jpg
Finished the day with a refuel at Jio Bunk

P.S. Please feel free to ask any doubts regarding Rapid or Suspension, I will be more than happy to guide you.

Mod Note: Please continue discussing this topic on the dedicated thread.

Last edited by Aditya : 20th May 2024 at 11:15. Reason: Dedicated thread created
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Old 17th May 2024, 18:19   #32
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re: Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 90,000 km Review EDIT: 1 lakh kms update

As of writing this, my car is in service centre and I was supposed to pick her today but I just couldn’t accept my car in the state in which they wanted to return me. My car was given for Service on 15th May 2024 for 7th General service and a minor dent repair. Upon request I was given a courtesy car- Rapid petrol, which I really appreciate. I specifically asked them to be careful with my car, went on a test drive with a senior mechanic and explained him the rattling issues from doors and underbody. Today I got a call that my car is ready and I may take my car back. When I walked in the Skoda service centre, what greets me was-
  • My car has a missing roof antenna
  • Car is covered in dust and streak marks
  • Cheap & smelly interior polish on the inside
  • Upon close inspection, I saw damages on Front-Right door and door card

This was a clear disappointment from them, after a lot of promises that we are doing a lot to improve our service quality feels like all talk and no show. So, sat with the management and we came to conclusion that-
  • Antenna was removed during bodyshop paintwork and it was installed back in my presence. Fair enough!
  • Door panels were opened and instead of using prying tools, metal screwdriver was used
  • When I asked the mechanic to provide me an explanation, he blamed it on someone else that a new guy has done it.

Dear Skoda, my car is not a Guinea pig that you will teach your mechanics a hand-on experience. When I’m sending my car for service, I expect my car to be returned in a better shape and not with more damages. It was a sheer disappointment. For them, it might be a small issue, but for me its not. I can’t stand a scratch on my car and I always bring my car to service centre to repair, the least I expect is to get new damages from the place where I’m supposed to get repair my previous damages.

So the service team assured me that they will take care of it- please take your car back, whenever you come back, we will get it repaired. Had they been slightly more proactive, I would have not wasted half of my day. I made it very clear that I’m not taking back my car till the time it’s back in shape. Let’s see how long does it take, I dropped my car on 15th May & on 17th it was supposed to be with me but alas.



Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-img20240517wa00042.jpg
If the authorised service centre is supposed to use screw driver to open the doorpanel, I would rather take it to a roadside mechanic, if both have to do the same thing.

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-img20240517wa00052.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-img20240517wa0001.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-img20240517wa00012.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-img20240517wa00032.jpg

It really pains me that when I'm giving you my time (showroom is 40kms from my home one way), energy, money and in the end this is what we get. Incidences like these really make me feel that at one point in my life I should open a workshop myself and cater to just mine and enthusiasts cars.

Last edited by sachin_cs : 17th May 2024 at 18:40. Reason: Adding photos
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Old 19th May 2024, 11:26   #33
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re: Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 90,000 km Review EDIT: 1 lakh kms update

Really sad to see the treatment meted out. A Skoda-VW workshop is the last place I expect a car to be mutilated like this. Reading through the post, I honestly felt that these might be minor scratches and you might be exaggerating the damage. But seeing the pictures, my heart sunk. The fact that I own the same car in the same color and variant made me feel the pain as my own.
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Old 19th May 2024, 11:56   #34
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re: Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 90,000 km Review EDIT: 1 lakh kms update

Quote:
Originally Posted by R_Gowardhan View Post
Really sad to see the treatment meted out. A Skoda-VW workshop is the last place I expect a car to be mutilated like this. Reading through the post, I honestly felt that these might be minor scratches and you might be exaggerating the damage. But seeing the pictures, my heart sunk. The fact that I own the same car in the same color and variant made me feel the pain as my own.
Thanks R_Gowardhan for relating to my plight and understanding the pain it gives to us owners who have bought the cars with our hard earned money. And while confronting them, they were like it’s just a minor scratch, the car has not met with an accident as such, you may drive it for now and whenever you come back, we will repair it. I stood my ground and asked them to call me when my car is back in the condition in which I gave them. I don’t know how hard is it for them to take care of customers property, the last time I gave my car, the sd-card from dash cam was stolen, they gave me a new card later after a lot of escalation.

Last edited by sachin_cs : 19th May 2024 at 12:00.
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Old 18th June 2024, 14:57   #35
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Update after the door panel change!

Update: 20th May 2024-

I was in constant touch with the service advisor and I asked them to get everything in order before I show up at their door. I usually don’t bother to take the drop-off service from Skoda because it gets easier for them to wash off their hands with the persisting or newly developed issues. I prefer to drive down and personally ensure that everything is in order before I make the payment. Because, it’s an Skoda A.S.S. & you can’t expect them to work like clockwork, there has to be some issues as I have seen in the last few years.

Following were the updates-
  • Door panel was changed and it was sourced from their own demo/courtesy car
  • The new door handle which is part of the door panel has scratches, but I just don’t have energy to haggle and I’m ready to let it go. Atleast they owned to their mistake this time.
  • The paint touch-up done on the scratched part feels like you have used nail-polish to do the job. Drops of paint on the scratched part. As I said, I have lost the energy and I have accepted the fate that given it’s a Skoda, it can’t be 100% perfect.
  • The Bill was of 4.5k which includes a minor dent repair & air filter (A biker was on a suicide mission & decided to take a sudden right turn from extreme left of the road without checking mirrors or giving indicators)
  • I have bought the service package yet I was charged for the air filter. When I asked the service team, they said it’s not included in the SMP. Strange! From last 5 years I never paid for air filter under SMP.
  • Timing kit and coolant flush is the job to be done next. I have got the estimate of 24k + 10k for both the job.
  • For some reason, the Skoda dealer never enters the correct date of receiving & delivery of the car. I got the car back on 20th but according to the feedback call I received from Skoda, my car was returned on the same day i.e. 15th. This has happened many times in the past, even when my car was parked in the dealership for 10 days once, they didn’t mention it to Skoda.
  • The interior was smelly and all slippery-shiny with some cheap interior polish, after getting home I cleaned the interior myself again! The saving grace was- the exterior was cleaned much better than the last time.


Am I happy with the car? A big yes, it was a right decision to buy the diesel DSG Rapid, it’s a beautiful machine. It rides well, it has got the safety, comfort, power, practicality, fuel-efficiency. I can’t ask for more, it’s my priced possession and I love her to the core.

Am I happy with the brand? Yes, Skoda has some USPs like brand value, dynamics, sorted handling and they have largely fulfilled it. They also respond if I escalate an issue.

Am I happy with the After Sales Support? A big No! Skoda India needs to pull-up their sock and they need a guy like Zac Hollis, who kept the rogue dealers in control & he was there to listen to us. Now it’s again back to corporate red tapism.

The dealership has a monopoly and the quality control has gone downhill. Every now & then the staff changes and there’s no consistency, no professional work culture (you steal belongings from cars, use screwdriver to open door panel, change well functioning parts without informing the customer & add it to the bill, you claim to change air filter but in reality just use the old filter after cleaning it…. I can go on). People are clueless, there is not even a dedicated guy to handle warranty claim, they themselves are learning the nuances of their system. I am just done with them, from next time I am going to take a day off and go for service & stand next to my car. Can’t trust them anymore.

Would I buy a Skoda again? Probably No, until some other dealer comes up here or I change my place of residence.

What do I have in my mind as an upgrade next year? Preowned A4 diesel or 320d, Virtus GT or if family insists then XUV700 AX5 D AT.

Last edited by sachin_cs : 18th June 2024 at 15:27.
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Old 20th June 2024, 15:46   #36
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re: Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 90,000 km Review EDIT: 1 lakh kms update

I read these nightmares with VAG ever so often on this forum and from the family & friends that own a Skoda that I won't touch the brand with a 10 ft pole.
All the ride quality and dynamics be damned if I have to lose my mental peace over the service center making every effort to make my life & ride miserable.
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Old 21st June 2024, 07:18   #37
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re: Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 90,000 km Review EDIT: 1 lakh kms update

As rightly pointed out by @sachin_cs, dealer monopoly in Tier-2 or Tier-3 towns is affecting their workmanship. And yes, ever since Mr. Zac Hollis moved out of the company, things are no longer the same and there's no continuity in their leadership team in India. The way Mr. Zac Hollis interacted with customers/prospective customers of the brand, was mind-boggling. I doubt any other executive can replicate that. During his tenure with the brand in India, my family bought two Skoda cars, and touchwood, till date, we are well contented and satisfied with both our purchases.
However, it will be worthwhile to mention here that I stay in Delhi and have access to multiple dealers. My go-to dealer is Zedex Skoda, Sahibabad (Ghaziabad), and I am happy with their service.

However, going down the memory lane, let me recall my ownership experience of our almost 14 years old VW Polo (which my family still owns). Despite being in Delhi, I was was never satisfied and always felt short-changed with one particular VW dealer in Noida. I guess the last visit I made to their ASC was in 2015, post-which I shifted my allegiance to a FNG. The last visit I made to this particular VW dealer was in March 2022 when I was enquiring for a Taigun and noticed no perceptible change in their attitude. Needless to say I opted for a Kushaq instead of the Taigun solely because of dealer apathy.

I sincerely hope someone like Mr. Zac Hollis takes the reins of their management in India.

Last edited by sanyog26 : 21st June 2024 at 07:19. Reason: Typo
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Old 22nd June 2024, 18:34   #38
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re: Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 90,000 km Review EDIT: 1 lakh kms update

Quote:
Originally Posted by ABeeBytes View Post
All the ride quality and dynamics be damned if I have to lose my mental peace over the service center making every effort to make my life & ride miserable.
This is the exact feeling I experience whenever my car is in the service centre, it’s just so frustrating to deal with them every single time that I get second thoughts if I should buy something else.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sanyog26 View Post
As rightly pointed out by @sachin_cs, dealer monopoly in Tier-2 or Tier-3 towns is affecting their workmanship. And yes, ever since Mr. Zac Hollis moved out of the company, things are no longer the same and there's no continuity in their leadership team in India. The way Mr. Zac Hollis interacted with customers/prospective customers of the brand, was mind-boggling. I doubt any other executive can replicate that. During his tenure with the brand in India, my family bought two Skoda cars, and touchwood, till date, we are well contented and satisfied with both our purchases.

I sincerely hope someone like Mr. Zac Hollis takes the reins of their management in India.
So happy to see that you are satisfied with your service experience Sanyog, you lucky NCR people. Couldn’t agree more on the Zac part, it indeed was Mr. Hollis that we thought of buying a Skoda in the first place. He knows how to run a ship tight, now it’s like these guys are clueless and “chalta hai” attitude is ingrained in their work ethics. Anyways, it’s been long we haven’t met Sanyog, hopefully we shall meet soon with our other F.O.S. members. Cheers!
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Old 8th July 2024, 10:35   #39
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re: Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 90,000 km Review EDIT: 1 lakh kms update

After paying all the one time tax, duties, etc the car owner is the most vulnerable tax payer in India. He / She does not get proper roads, in case of accident, even with no mistake whatsoever of the owner / person driving the car the blame is many times put on him/her.
And when it comes to insurance claims it is nightmarish experience.
Many times one has to go to courts to get compensation and that too is offset by delayed court rulings.
And very common thing with after sales service is fleecing at the expense of the car owner. This country is cursed.
There is absolutely nothing for honest tax payer here. The laws are useless and they take the victim to a trip of “near death” if nothing near.
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Old 17th August 2024, 23:02   #40
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1L kms with Rapid DSG

1,00,000kms and counting...

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-0001-.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-0001.jpg


Dear DSG fence sitters, I’m happy to update that I have completed 1,00,000kms with my 2019 Skoda Rapid DSG. There has been no issues with the gearbox ‘yet’ and the car is still running on the original clutch plate. I will divide the post in three sections-
  • Experience with the car in the last 1L kms
  • Major Updates
  • Pros & Cons after long-term ownership

A. 1,00,000kms in Skoda Rapid DSG:

When we bought the car back in 2019, I never thought that I would be using this as my daily driver. The purpose was to use it during our weekend trips or long road trips we take each year, because we had hatches to take care of the city duties. Due to change in many aspects of family life like transfers, new venture, change in responsibilities etc, I ended up using the Rapid as my daily, I take it to my office, library, outing with friends & family, grocery shopping, road trips… you get the gist right. We also have an official Tata Sumo & a 2019 Kwid as a beater, but I hardly use them, most of the time I end up using our Rapid, even in city, mostly because of two reasons 1. I feel more comfortable in taking my big car to small spaces (Kwid by design has lots of blind spots so visibility is not as good as rapid) 2. Rapid is cheaper to run, yes you read that right- 17kmpl vs 24 kmpl that too on a cheaper fuel. As a result, Rapid has done 1,00,000km and Kwid has done 49k kms in almost the same ownership period.

B. Major updates:

1. Rear Sachs struts were replaced:

For those of you, who have been following my thread and BHPian Tuisha110’s thread would be aware of a problem we were facing. There was a distinct thud noise in the rear especially over minor bumps. I was in touch with Tuisha110 and the seller GermanCart for the same, since the BHPian had good review after the rear shocker replacement, I requested Germancart guy to ship me the new shockers too. I got them in a week and got them fitted. It was a 30 minute job as the rear ones are relatively easier to install. Post installation, I have done 5000kms and I’m happy to report that the new shockers are definitely quieter. I must say that I’m impressed by the service provided by the seller, he didn’t even ask a question and sent me the new shockers and took the headache of dealing with Sach India upon him. I have not got an update since if the company honored the warranty or not. So far, I’m happy with the Sachs setup on my car, the handling and the dynamics have really transformed. The other day I was driving to my work in the morning, it was an NH with a speed limit of 80kmph & I was doing 83kmph in the fast lane, a baby cow jumped in front of my car at 2 car lengths. I slammed on the brakes! Steered towards the left, got off the highway and joined back, my heart beat shot and it took a while to understand what exactly happened. I thank my stars that everyone was safe and it established the importance of maintaining your suspension, brakes and tyres in good shape. No matter how safe your vehicle is, how many gizmos it has, if the basics are not right, it’s of no use. I also saw the ESP light flashing in the instrument cluster and the combination of ESP-Michelin Tyres-Sachs shocker saved me that day. My faith in sedans have grown even stronger, I can’t imagine what would have happened if I was driving a high C.O.G. car with bad dynamics and sloppy handling.

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-1-sach.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-2-sach-ramp.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-2-sach.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-3-sach.jpg

2. Timing Kit & Water Pump replacement along with coolant flush:

There was confusion on the replacement interval of the timing kit, Skoda A.S.S. told to get it replaced at 90k mark while the user manual said 120k kms. Since it’s a critical part and it’s better to replace it proactively, I decided to get it replaced at 100k mark to celebrate the occasion and burn some money on the car ownership. This year has been the most expensive car maintenance year for me- fixed dents & scratches, 50k + suspension upgrades, zero dep insurance with all the add-ons & now 25k for timing-water pump and 9k on coolant flush. It has already crossed 1L this year and there’s still 4 months to go, not counting the fuel bills.


Because of the earlier saga of scratches on my door when I left the car, I decided to take a day off & stay next to my car and I literally stood next to my car in the workshop when the mechanic was working on my car. I was told that the car would be returned the same day but it wasn't, I was okay with it because I didn’t want them to do a hastily job anyways. Changing timing kit and water pump is a complex task and it’s best you get it done from right place. It needs removal of wheels, disconnecting axel, removing engine mounts, lifting or rather tilting the engine on a jack and then you get the access to water pump. Timing & pump were replaced by evening and then started the coolant flush job, Skoda sells the 2 flushing liquid for ~ 6k. The point of getting coolant flushed was because I could see the coolant turning black and also the coolant reservoir started developing black deposits. Process was- drain the coolant, mix the liquids and pour it in the coolant tank, drive for 30-40kms and then drain. Repeat the process with water till the water gets clear. I went on a drive with the mechanic, the senior mechanic told us to drive for 40kms but the the guy I was with said 20kms is good enough. During the drive, the coolant temperature increased to 95, it usually stays at 90. We got back and the refilling-draining process went on and I realized that I’m not getting my car back the same day. As usual, the courtesy car was not available, so I asked them drop me at a friend’s place and I borrowed her car for a day. The next day I went to the service center and the car was ready, definitely an improvement over the previous service experience as the car was cleaned much better. Cleared the bill of ~33k and asked them to drop the car at my friend’s place because I was driving her car.

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-img_1445.jpeg
The Coolant flush made in Germany

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-img_1446.jpeg
Comes in two bottles, you have to mix them before pouring in the car

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-img_1447.jpeg
Pampering your car is not cheap

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-img_1450.jpeg
Once you mix these two, bubbles emerge like the ones you see in carbonated drinks

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-img_1449.jpeg
The ticking time bomb called Water Pump

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-4-wp.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-5-wp-.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-5-wp-jack.jpg
You may notice the jack on the underside of the engine

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-6-wp-.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-7-wp.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-8-wp-debris-rust.jpg
Rust and debris coming out after coolant flush

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-9-wp-kodiaq-leg.jpg
Saw this Kodiaq, looks like it skipped legs day


3. Headlight Condensation:

My happiness was short lived though, when the chauffeur parked the car at my friend’s place, I noticed heavy condensation on the front-left headlight. It was clearly not there when I dropped my car, I immediately called the service advisor and he connected me with the technician who worked on my car. The technician informed that he used the pressure gun to clean the radiator, which has probably resulted in the moisture seeping into the headlight. Spoke to the managers and they asked me to come back. Since it was late and I had already devoted 2 days to my car, I decided to keep a watch on the headlight and then take a call because condensation on German cars are normal. Waited for 3 days but the condensation was too much & was not going away on it’s own, despite me using the headlights throughout, decided to drive back to the showroom and let them do the troubleshooting. They opened the bumper and removed the headlight & checked for physical damages, there was none, blew high pressure air inside the headlights assembly and the condensation was gone. Fitted back the headlight and I drove back home (35kms) and while I was parking the car, I saw the condensation was back . I immediately called ASM Abhishek and explained him the ordeal, he said he will connect with Skoda India and wait for their directions. We discussed the warranty procedures as well because in case of replacement, I will have to leave my car for few days again. He called me back the next day and said the Skoda India has advised to drive the car with headlights ON and dust cap removed in clean environment. They said if there’s no physical damage or fault, they can’t replace the headlight right away. I decided instead of giving back the car to the service center again and live without a car, I took their advice and started troubleshooting it by my own. I was not comfortable with driving the car without dust cap, so what I did, I drove the car for 90 minutes in the night, engine became proper hot, returned back home and parked the car in closed parking and left the headlight in ON position with the dust cap removed. Repeated this process for 3 days and the voila! The condensation is gone for good, however the condensation has left some water marks on the headlight lense but I’m just done with it, don’t want to fiddle it anymore as I have already given way too much time on my car. Regarding the service center experience, I would say the managers Abhishek and Simranjeet were supportive throughout, they tried to do their best and it was better than the previous time. However, I was not satisfied with the workmanship of the technicians and the turnaround time, they clearly need to be more careful with cars. Overall it was 8/10 experience, not the best but not bad either.

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-10-hl.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-12-hl.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-13-hl.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-14-hl.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-15-hl.jpg


C. List of likes and dislikes after 1L kms with the car:

Likes:
  • No rattles even after 1L kms of abuse on Indian roads, can’t say the same about new gen cars from Skoda/VW
  • Great NVH levels and if the roads are good, you don’t feel the speed much, it masks speeds very well.
  • Comfortable cruiser for the long journeys, I have done many trips like Hyderabad, Nagpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, South Bastar etc. but it eats roads for breakfast.
  • Whenever we see a new car, my Mom judges the boot space of the car by keeping Rapid as a benchmark. It is that good.
  • Efficiency, getting 23-24kmpl is a piece of a cake for this engine gearbox combination. I don’t get the logic that we are killing diesel engines which do double the distance than the petrol counterparts for same amount of fuel. Are we not doing more pollution by burning double the fuel in gasoline vehicles for the same distance? For e.g. the car I borrowed from my friend is a petrol automatic and it gave 13.1 kmpl on the same roads where I drive my Rapid.
  • Performance is surprisingly good even by current car’s standards, just a small dab on the A-pedal and the diesel locomotive pulls cleanly. It’s one thing to produce 110BHP/250NM but what matters more is that how you put that power down! Heisenberg does a great job here.
  • Strong body panels! This car doesn’t lose shape over time, i.e. it doesn’t pick small dents easily. Just for example, the Honda, Maruti, Renault we have at home/relatives, their body-line is not clean, there are a lot of unevenness and small dings.
  • Handling-braking combination is great, more so after the suspension mods. The modern day car feels like toys when it comes to handling prowess of this old beauty.
  • Straight line stability is amazing and the car feels in control almost all the time. I have noticed that we tend to cover the distance faster whenever we travel in the Rapid. I guess that explains the name
  • Good glass area inside the cabin makes it airy. AC performance has been satisfactory and I feel that the 1.5 TDi has better AC performance than 1.5 TSIs
  • Great ergonomics, everything falls in place. On the other hand, I feel really weird when I drive Renault cars, French & Italians have messed up ergos for sure.
  • Sense of safety, we always prefer our Rapid whenever we are out on the highway. Skoda has a proven track record on safety and it comes with a host of safety features like- ESP, Airbags, Hill Hold Assist, EDS (Electronic Differential). ESP was not a common feature when we bought the car and I can’t put enough emphasis on the fact that how vital feature it is, it saves the car from losing traction during high speed emergency maneuver. It has saved us from strays many times.
  • The combination of stiff suspension, great body control and good glass area makes it a great car for people with motion sickness. Put my family in the rear seat of Scorpio, Sumo, Bolero, old Verna, 1st gen alto, City etc. and you will be in for some nasty surprise. I have got the bragging rights that in the last 5.5 years, no one has puked in our car, nor has felt any motion sickness.

Dislikes:
  • Expensive! This was something I didn’t realize initially but the maintenance can get really high when you rake up miles. Majority of the parts are made in EU, be it ABS sensors, water pump or other child parts. Localization was low for these models and they are very costly to replace.
  • This year itself I have spent more than 1L on maintenance (service, suspension, water pump-timing kit), DSG clutch/mechatronics are yet to throw an error but I have mentally prepared myself to embrace future expenses on them.
  • Ground clearance can be a challenge in not so perfect roads, I had 2 underbody hits recently one in Kashi & other in remote area of Jharkhand-CG border
  • Compared to Hyundai-Kia diesel engines, the VW TDI is on the noisier side, especially on the low rpms
  • Headlights are crap, they just look good with DRL & projectors but they don’t serve the purpose at night.
  • Service is a hit or miss. I’m having love-hate relationship with my dealer here, many a times my car was damaged when I left it in the service centre. They need to invest on skill development of their mechanics, they are no longer working on a roadside workshop where in you are opening door trims using screwdriver instead of prying tools
  • Availability of spare parts- since the car is not in production, you need to place orders to get parts. E.g. I had to wait for water pump, abs sensors, ORVM knob, air filter! Right, even air filter was not available.
  • Low ingress/egress is becoming a problem for my aging parents. We might have to join the bandwagon of so called suvs unfortunately
  • The biggest problem- what should be the next upgrade? Rapid has set a very, very high benchmark.


Below are some small updates that I could not post here because of paucity of time & procrastination:


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-16-random-vento.jpg
Some random guy parked his vento next to my car & the co-passenger slammed-open the door on my car

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-17-window-tint.jpg
The car looked so good with the tints but...

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-18-tint-remove.jpg
The cops were not happy with that since my car doesn't sport a flag of xyz political party

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-snapchat1780698882.jpg
Monsoons can be fun if you know how to play safe

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-snapchat2036185566.jpg
Munching miles for a breakfast

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-snapchat1970473540.jpg
This is the place from where the state machinery is run


Reached 30 photos limit, so ending this post on a realistic meme-

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-img_1501.jpeg


Continued...

Last edited by sachin_cs : 10th October 2024 at 23:10.
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Old 10th October 2024, 22:22   #41
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Re: 1L kms with Rapid DSG

Bastar Trip:

My father is in the Government service, so he keeps getting transfers, this time, he was posted in Bastar for a small stint and I decided to accompany him for a week. Following photos are from that trip & those of you who want to travel back in time, want to see the simplicity of life, balance between life & nature, you should definitely visit Bastar once, before it becomes industrialized too.


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-19-makri.jpg
The famous stop between Raipur-Bastar: The Makri Dhaba


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-40-kanker.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-20-bastar-.jpg
Bastar in monsoon is magical


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-21-bastar-kanker.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-22-monkey.jpg
There's a patch just before Keshkal Ghats, it has become a monkey land these days


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-22-monkey.jpg
They are way too friendly


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-23-keshkal-monkey.jpg
Say hi

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-24-keshkal-shot-roads.jpg
Ever since I was a kid, I have never seen the condition of Keshkal in good shape


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-25-keshkal-shit-roads.jpg
When BRO can make butter-smooth roads in Ladakh, why can't they?


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-42-driving-no-roads.jpg
We ventured on some interior roads and it was all gravel, Rapid took the bad roads surprisingly well


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-26-driving-enthu.jpg
The road between Kanker-Keshkal is an enthusiast's dream. The road offers some fast curves and it's so much fun pushing the Sach specced Rapid on such roads.


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-27-roads.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-28-organiz-sabzi.jpg
The tribals selling organic products


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-29-org-sabzi.jpg
The mangoes I bought were heavenly, devoid of any chemicals, just pure fruit, the way it should be. The leafy vegetable is called Kanda Bhaji


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-30-organic-saz.jpg
They are- Chind (desi dates), Zari Bhaji (green leaf), java plum and the ones in bags are raagi millets, urad dal


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-31-return.jpg
Clicked at new Kanker Bypass

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-32-return.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-33-return.jpg

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Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-35-return.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-36-return.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-37-return.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-38-return.jpg
The new Raipur-Dhamtari highway

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-41-driving.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-39-return.jpg
Back to concrete jungle

Last edited by sachin_cs : 10th October 2024 at 23:11.
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Old 10th October 2024, 22:38   #42
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Re: 1L kms with Rapid DSG

Below are some random shots which I keep clicking every now and then for no reason, because, why not?:


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-47-circuit-house.jpg
At Circuit House


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-48-currency-tower.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-49-currency-tower.jpg
This is Currency Tower of our town (Don't worry, I didn't change the colour, it was the courtesy Rapid)


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-43-wash.jpg
After a nice hose wash

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-44-top.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-46-top.jpg

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-50-outside-gym.jpg
Outside my gym


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-51-parking.jpg
Different shades of grey

Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-52-date.jpg
On a date with my Czech Beauty


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-53-nice-wash-home.jpg
After a therapeutic wash & wax session at home


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-54-siblings-asc.jpg
With it's siblings at Skoda A.S.C.


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-55-parking-polo.jpg
Don't miss the TSI behind


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-57-pressure-wash.jpg
I once pressure washed the cowl area & there was some water seepage inside


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-58-thar.jpg
Went on a Thar drive with my school friends


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-59-thar.jpg
Friend's new priced possession


Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review-60-thar.jpg
That's our idea of hanging out: meet-up | some good food & most importantly cars!

Last edited by sachin_cs : 10th October 2024 at 23:02.
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Old 11th October 2024, 04:59   #43
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re: Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 90,000 km Review EDIT: 1 lakh kms update

Mod Note:

Post for 1,00,000 kms update moved from Assembly Line to Ownership thread.
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Old 11th October 2024, 13:10   #44
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re: Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review

The car still looks so fresh and appealing despite all these years. Such a timeless design. With CG not having random 10-15 years bans, you should be able to enjoy the car for many more miles. 3XO in the last pic looks quite tasteful similar in dimension compared to Rapid, maybe width is a bit more than yours.
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Old 11th October 2024, 17:10   #45
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re: Life with a Skoda Rapid DSG | 5 year & 100,000 km review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian View Post
The car still looks so fresh and appealing despite all these years. Such a timeless design. With CG not having random 10-15 years bans, you should be able to enjoy the car for many more miles. 3XO in the last pic looks quite tasteful similar in dimension compared to Rapid, maybe width is a bit more than yours.
Thanks Utopian for the kind words, I really hope that such stupid bans don't make their way here. I plan to nurse this car to it's extinction, I have a lot of memories attached to it, no matter what, I will keep her running. Recently, took my car to the service centre and they had to say that the car is good to go for another 1L kms easily as most of the preventive maintenance has been taken care of. I'm also particular about the scratches and dents in my car and I get those battle scars repaired as soon as I get time, my family is definitely not happy with my OCD

Regarding the 3XO, its is a taller and wider car but Rapid is the lengthier one. It costed him 12.5 onroad (AX5) & I feel it's a fantastic value proposition in current times, especially when cars are overpriced.

Last edited by sachin_cs : 11th October 2024 at 17:13.
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