[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by novice

Thanks GTO and Ajmat. After having used to acres of space in the Mondeo for last 6 years the Laura feels little too small for my liking. Also read somewhere that the Superb handles better than the Laura. I am kind of sold on the Superb at the moment, I really need to find strong reasons not to buy one.

Yes, European cars are unreliable. The Mondeo had tested my patience, so I think I have some experience in that area. But what bothers me the most is the thought of getting stranded on a highway with the family due to DSG failure or other such serious problems.

The dealer told me that the DSG was replaced few months back. What are the chances of it failing again, say in the next two years? Did anyone face this problem multiple times?

Also how good is a manual Superb compared to the DSG one? There is an MT on offer that is pretty much a brand new car but comes at a premium.

Thanks.

Absolutely untrue. As a vRS owner myself let me tell you the Superb is nowhere close to as much fun as the vRS is DSG or no. While the Superb is a good handler for its size, it doesn't come close to the Laura.

I wouldn't be too worried about the DSG if it was replaced recently. Failure is most often because of heat. So by taking preventive measures like putting it into N when stopped, etc you will significantly lower the chances of it failing again.

Manual Superb again has a nice slick transmission, but personally I would prefer DSG unless you want to remap the manual Superb and maybe get 17s and 225 tyres. That would be a fun big car.

I forgot to add - If the vRS posted by Ajmat fits in your budget (I'm sure you can negotiate a fair amount since the asking price seems a bit high) then buy it without a second thought.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by novice

Thanks GTO and Ajmat. After having used to acres of space in the Mondeo for last 6 years the Laura feels little too small for my liking. Also read somewhere that the Superb handles better than the Laura. I am kind of sold on the Superb at the moment, I really need to find strong reasons not to buy one..

Err, you have one of the finest front wheel drive handling cars in the country, go drive the Superb and Laura and then take a call. The manual Superb should shift sweetly (I had Passat TSi for a week which has a similar gearbox!)

[dkaile]

Superb does really handle very very well. I drove a friends DSG Laura recently and it was nowhere as much fun to drive as my Manual 1.8 TSI Superb. The control I had over acceleration was totally in my hands rather than a machine. The cornering abilities of the the Superb with TCS are just, so to say 'superb'. It is just my perosnal opinion with no offense to anyone.

[VeyronSuperSprt]

Originally Posted by blacknebula

1. Is 41K nothing<1/4 life<1/2 life for a Skoda engine
2. Does the 2011 model have the DSG failure issue. Since the same has been replaced does it mean peace of mind.
3. What is the average cost of a regular service after every 15k kms
4. What are the absolute essential checks (WRT Superb) I should do before committing?

1. Is 41K nothing<1/4 life<1/2 life for a Skoda engine

It depends entirely on how the car has been used / abused during the 41K kms and you may not be given the answer by the owner. For instance, was the car driven with low level of engine oil for a period of time, has it been continuously redlined (indication of higher levels of wear), etc.

2. Does the 2011 model have the DSG failure issue. Since the same has been replaced does it mean peace of mind.

No

3. What is the average cost of a regular service after every 15k kms

The costs are given on the Skoda India website.

4. What are the absolute essential checks (WRT Superb) I should do before committing?

You need to know

(a) if the car has been chaffeur driven
(b) owner driven but with what level of care
(c) driven by various people such as owners friends and relatives
(d) used predominantly in the city
(e) used predominantly for highway use
(f) the quality of the treatment meted out to the car by the ASC

Answers to these questions are not usually easily available and that is what increases the uncertainties of buying used.

However, if the car has been a single owner driven with high level of care and used predominantly (95%+) for highway use as he has a second car for use in the city, you can buy the car (in fact you can buy any European used car that conforms to this mode of use) with your eyes closed even if it has a DSG.

However, a failure of the DSG indicates that it has been subjected to fairly high levels of city use too.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by ajmat

1: Make sure it has had the transmission oil changed to mineral oil.

Ajmat, please elaborate on this

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Ajmat, please elaborate on this

Part of the DSG recall was to change the gearbox oil from synthetic oil to mineral oil as the synthetic oil carried electrolyte charge (or something like that) which caused the mechatrnics unit failures

[Kontoo]

Hello!
Despite reading all the threads about why not to buy a DSG 1.8 TSi Superb, I still went ahead and bought a used Superb (2009 model) last year which had 31 K on the Odo. The car had everything NOT going for it: a 7 speed DSG, 2009 model (prone to DSG failures), driver driven, original Mechatronics module etc. But after driving it for a full year for roughly 8000 kms mostly in the city barring a couple of long drives, I am still in love with the car. I am plain lucky I guess. Hopefully, I will not Jinx myself with this post.
My annual service costed me 23 K which included change of brake pads, connecting rods in the front and the regular oil change and some minor parts replacement. It is expensive without a doubt. But I guess I can live with it. Skoda service sucks, no two ways about it.
At the end of the day, I guess it is a trade-off between the price you are paying vis-a-vis the features that you get in the car. It would certainly help to set aside about 100K for some unexpected repairs.
Trust this helps.
Cheers!

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by Kontoo

Hello!
Despite reading all the threads about why not to buy a DSG 1.8 TSi Superb, I still went ahead and bought a used Superb (2009 model) last year which had 31 K on the Odo.

If you don't mind revealing, how much did you pay for it?

----
@Novice: I don't mean to be rude and not respond to you thread question. But I am highly biased at this point hence choose to be fair and not respond, reason is this : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...g-worse-3.html

[Kontoo]

[quote=Sahil;3374780]If you don't mind revealing, how much did you pay for it?

Sure, I paid 11 lakhs. I did upgrade the tyres as soon as I bought it though, so you could add another 30K to the price.

[urajkumar]

We have a skoda 2009 model and true to its reputation, DSG failed and it was grounded for 3 months with Skoda with a legal notice etc (check the link). Finally after looking as history of other owners, we took back the car after DSG was rectified since we didnt want the car to rot there. However after that the car has been running extremely well and the only second car which has crossed 5 years in our garage (Lancer was the first). Till date people prefer the superb instead of the 2014 Eclass at home.

So to cut a story short, its a "superb" car and even with the DSG history, its worth the risk since it makes up for it with all the other features, ride and luxury.

[novice]

An update...

Finally succumbed to the temptation..closed the deal yesterday for a 2011 Superb Elegance TSi DSG with 28K Kms on the odo.

Took the car to Skoda service center for a through check-up. On my way to Skoda the car's rear was making huge noises, also the "check engine" and a "lamp malfunction" warning lights were on. Initially thought the suspension is broken and almost gave up on the car. But anyway took the car to the dealer. On inspection they found that the boot door was making loud noises. A missing MAF sensor coupler(don't know what it is) was behind "Check Engine" light. The car has LED rear lights, probably imported from abroad. According to the service advisor the difference in voltage level is causing the lamp malfunction light. He said both these warning lights are not serious problems. They fixed the boot noise and the boot door release switch that wasn't working. Also removed and refixed all boot and door rubber linings. They charged Rs.1100 for all the work.

The Service advisor gave clean-chit to the car, said it is "not bad" (I interpreted it as good ) and recommended buying.

The return journey was very peaceful and also the roads were free of traffic. I could floor the pedal, it accelerated well and the DSG was super smooth except for the initial gear change which was slightly notchy. Is it normal with DSGs? I had earlier driven a Superb TSI DSG a long time back but only for a short distance. Have been driving Manual cars for a long time and a die-hard fan of manual transmissions. My left foot and hand felt very uncomfortable throughout the drive, they just didn't know what to do. Hope they would get used to the saga of auto gearboxes.

I couldn't resist posting this bit...while the Superb is a very high tech modern car with quality materials. But my current car, Mondeo, is leagues ahead when it comes to the driver appeal - be it the steering and brake pedal feedback, well sorted out suspension that offers good ride and an exceptional handling and stiffer chassis. Superb's suspension setup comes out as hard for broken city roads. And the instant throttle responses of the Duratec, Superb takes a second to respond to pedal inputs in lower gears. And also the build quality, I believe the Mondeo is better put together though the quality of materials may not match the Superb. None of Mondeo's panels squeak or rattle ever after 12 years and 110K Kms.

Decision to buy the Superb wasn't a difficult one to make but guess the decision to sell the Mondeo would be a tough one.

I thank everyone who took time to answer my queries. I would most certainly bug some of the Superb owners on the forum

PS: In one of my earlier posts mentioned that the DSG was replaced few months back. But the service advisor confirmed that only clutches were replaced, car is still running on original gearbox. Also queried the service advisor about prices of usual consumables like shock absorbers, lower arms, brake discs, pads etc.,. Most of them are atleast 40 to 50% cheaper than that of the Ford's.

[nitinbose]

Congrats novice!

I'm sure you'll enjoy your ride and wish you quite some happy miles ahead!

Did you also perform a VAS scan for any errors?

To install the LED lights, the BCM and relevant gateways should support this type of light. The software should also be suitably adapted. I believe this has not been done correctly hence the errors.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by novice

On my way to Skoda the car's rear was making huge noises, also the "check engine" and a "lamp malfunction" warning lights were on. Initially thought the suspension is broken and almost gave up on the car. But anyway took the car to the dealer. On inspection they found that the boot door was making loud noises. A missing MAF sensor coupler(don't know what it is) was behind "Check Engine" light.

First, congrats on our new car. But in my opinion, the flashing MIL is not a very good sign. Also, you have not stated if that light went off after the sensors were replaced/ repaired. Also, little amazed as why did you pick the car despite such a problem and not to mention the noise. Some electrical problem plus that body noise signals that the car wasn't kept well. Sorry to play the spoilsport, but I really hope you have a troublefree ownership of the car in future. Good Luck!

Regards,
Saket

[AirWind]

Congrats Novice, wish you many pleasurable miles... mind sharing the final price? and where you picked it up from? Cheers!

Originally Posted by novice

An update...

Finally succumbed to the temptation..closed the deal yesterday for a 2011 Superb Elegance TSi DSG with 28K Kms on the odo.

Took the car to Skoda service center for a through check-up. On my way to Skoda the car's rear was making huge noises, also the "check engine" and a "lamp malfunction" warning lights were on. Initially thought the suspension is broken and almost gave up on the car. But anyway took the car to the dealer. On inspection they found that the boot door was making loud noises. A missing MAF sensor coupler(don't know what it is) was behind "Check Engine" light. The car has LED rear lights, probably imported from abroad. According to the service advisor the difference in voltage level is causing the lamp malfunction light. He said both these warning lights are not serious problems. They fixed the boot noise and the boot door release switch that wasn't working. Also removed and refixed all boot and door rubber linings. They charged Rs.1100 for all the work.

The Service advisor gave clean-chit to the car, said it is "not bad" (I interpreted it as good ) and recommended buying.

The return journey was very peaceful and also the roads were free of traffic. I could floor the pedal, it accelerated well and the DSG was super smooth except for the initial gear change which was slightly notchy. Is it normal with DSGs? I had earlier driven a Superb TSI DSG a long time back but only for a short distance. Have been driving Manual cars for a long time and a die-hard fan of manual transmissions. My left foot and hand felt very uncomfortable throughout the drive, they just didn't know what to do. Hope they would get used to the saga of auto gearboxes.

I couldn't resist posting this bit...while the Superb is a very high tech modern car with quality materials. But my current car, Mondeo, is leagues ahead when it comes to the driver appeal - be it the steering and brake pedal feedback, well sorted out suspension that offers good ride and an exceptional handling and stiffer chassis. Superb's suspension setup comes out as hard for broken city roads. And the instant throttle responses of the Duratec, Superb takes a second to respond to pedal inputs in lower gears. And also the build quality, I believe the Mondeo is better put together though the quality of materials may not match the Superb. None of Mondeo's panels squeak or rattle ever after 12 years and 110K Kms.

Decision to buy the Superb wasn't a difficult one to make but guess the decision to sell the Mondeo would be a tough one.

I thank everyone who took time to answer my queries. I would most certainly bug some of the Superb owners on the forum

PS: In one of my earlier posts mentioned that the DSG was replaced few months back. But the service advisor confirmed that only clutches were replaced, car is still running on original gearbox. Also queried the service advisor about prices of usual consumables like shock absorbers, lower arms, brake discs, pads etc.,. Most of them are atleast 40 to 50% cheaper than that of the Ford's.

[novice]

Thanks everyone.

Originally Posted by nitinbose

Congrats novice!

I'm sure you'll enjoy your ride and wish you quite some happy miles ahead!

Did you also perform a VAS scan for any errors?

To install the LED lights, the BCM and relevant gateways should support this type of light. The software should also be suitably adapted. I believe this has not been done correctly hence the errors.

Yes, I got the VAS scan done. I checked the manual as well. The warning is due to malfunctioning rear lights. But LED lights look cool.

Originally Posted by saket77

First, congrats on our new car. But in my opinion, the flashing MIL is not a very good sign. Also, you have not stated if that light went off after the sensors were replaced/ repaired. Also, little amazed as why did you pick the car despite such a problem and not to mention the noise. Some electrical problem plus that body noise signals that the car wasn't kept well. Sorry to play the spoilsport, but I really hope you have a troublefree ownership of the car in future. Good Luck!

Regards,
Saket

The MAF sensor connector need to be replaced. Service advisor said they didn't have the part in stock when the vehicle reported for service last time. I got the car in my possession only yesterday, need to order the part. Yes, it is bit of a gamble to pick up a car with flashing warning lights.

Originally Posted by AirWind

Congrats Novice, wish you many pleasurable miles... mind sharing the final price? and where you picked it up from? Cheers!

Rs.13.25l, bought it from Royal Carz, Koramangla.