[sarathlal]

Skoda Auto will introduce a new 1.5-litre diesel engine in Rapid with a 7 speed DSG automatic gearbox in October 2014.

Source: http://auto.economictimes.indiatimes...matic/35101125

[ozzyrules]

Hey folks,

Bought a 1-year old Rapid AT Ambition few days ago. Planning a few mods and need your valuable inputs:

Tires:
This variant comes with steel rims and 175/70/R14 Apollo Acelere tires. Want to get alloys for sure. Should I get the 15-inch Antares alloys from Skoda? How much does a set cost? Or should I go with aftermarket alloys? What size, 14 or 15-inch?

ICE:
Since wifey will also be using the car, need a reverse-assist camera. Want an integrated, 2-DIN system. Don't really care for/want Bluetooth and GPS. What are my options? Something with green backlighting would be nice, as it would match the car's instrument cluster light.

I'm also looking for rear door speakers with tighter bass. What size does the Rapid take in? Currently, it has JBL 2-way speakers at both front and rear and sounds quite tinny.

Thanks in advance for reading through and for your suggestions.
Cheers!

Originally Posted by ozzyrules

Hey folks,

Bought a 1-year old Rapid AT Ambition few days ago. Planning a few mods and need your valuable inputs:

Tires:
This variant comes with steel rims and 175/70/R14 Apollo Acelere tires. Want to get alloys for sure. Should I get the 15-inch Antares alloys from Skoda? How much does a set cost? Or should I go with aftermarket alloys? What size, 14 or 15-inch?

ICE:
Since wifey will also be using the car, need a reverse-assist camera. Want an integrated, 2-DIN system. Don't really care for/want Bluetooth and GPS. What are my options? Something with green backlighting would be nice, as it would match the car's instrument cluster light.

Congratulations on your new new Rapid. Wishing you many happy miles ahead. Gift us with your ownership thread.

Coming to tyres, How much the vehicle has clocked? Does it badly needs new tyres or can it run for few thousand KM's. If it can run few days, i would suggest you to run through our threads to get more info on this, and then decide. And regarding those Alantres, i would say no. You can buy 2 pairs of alloys with that price. So Avoid.

For ICE
What is your Budget? 2 pairs of RF components + a Blaupunkt AMP + RF or a JBL GT Sub should give you a decent music system setup.

Coming to your reverse parking equipment. i would suggest you to check what's available with skoda official accessories and go with that. Even if it is slightly expensive

[ozzyrules]

Originally Posted by gemi_kk

Congratulations on your new new Rapid.

Thanks! Although it isn't brand new, it still has the new car feel to it. It's done less than 3k Km on the odo and has some plastic covers still on!

Tires - I'm not particular about upsizing. But if I get the Antares alloys, then I'll have to swap out my tires for 15-inch ones.
If the Antares alloys are prohibitively expensive as you suggest, then I may settle for 14-inch aftermarket alloys (Plati, League, Lenso, or similar).

ICE - I'm definitely not getting amps, subs and the kind
Main feature I need is the reverse cam and don't want something sitting on the dash or on the IRVM. An integrated 2-DIN system would be clutter-free and look nice too.

Cheers!

[dspeter]

I visited Vinayak Skoda showroom to fix the scratch on my bumper. It just required a quick brush of paint on the sweet spots, however they asked me to get it done over the whole bumper which wud cost me 4500. I refused, but hate to see a scar on my brand new car. So I may eventually get it fixed for the price they're quoting.

Question - Are there any alternatives in the open market to get the paint fixed? Its a RED color.

Secondly I also mentioned the mileage issue which has been nagging me for a while. However the SA mentioned the mileage displayed on the ODO may not be accurate as it takes into account various factors and asked me to check it the conventional way (manually noting the distance covered while refueling).

However the point which brings me to this forum is about the software update the SA mentioned to fix the problem if it indeed turns out the car is gulping more fuel than its supposed to. I was in a rush so couldn't probe the matter further with the SA as they had already made me wait for an hour.

Has anyone on this forum experienced similar problems and can someone provide me more insights into the software update?

Cheers
Peter

[IshaanIan]

First off, congratulations on your ride and as Gemi, suggested, please give us an ownership review soon since I'm pretty sure that you're the only AT rapid owner on this forum.

Coming to your requirements, I can see that you would want to avoid spending too much. So here's my advice:

Alloys: Go in for 15 inch ones they don't really compromise ride and will certainly look more well balanced than puny 14 inch ones. I would suggest aftermarket alloys since the OEM Skoda Alloys would definitely be more expensive to buy. You could even consider buying used alloy wheels and refurbishing them for about 10k (max) a set. Now since I am suggesting that you upgrade your alloys, you will definitely need new rubber too. So if your current tyres are good, use them till they are worn out, and then go in for the 15"upgrade along with some new Yoko Earth 1 rubber.

ICE: I don't know of any double din touchscreen HUs on sale today that don't come with bluetooth. Anyway, you might want to look at a Pioneer head unit because they usually allow you to change the backlight of the buttons to any colour you want. As for wanting more punch, I highly recommend that you buy just a 4ch. AMP to power the whole setup and a pair of tweeters to compliment the front. Have a good installer do the whole thing up. This will cost about as much (just a wee bit more) than buying a good pair of speakers, but I promise you, it will be buckets and buckets better.

Hope this was helpful
Cheers!

[ozzyrules]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Go in for 15 inch ones they don't really compromise ride and will certainly look more well balanced than puny 14 inch ones.

Thanks, exactly my thoughts too!
Since the car's done less than 3k Km, I'll have to wait a long time for the tires to wear out. Might get them swapped right away and get a decent price for the existing tires
And yes, will put up an ownership thread soon!

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by dspeter

I visited Vinayak Skoda showroom to fix the scratch on my bumper. It just required a quick brush of paint on the sweet spots, however they asked me to get it done over the whole bumper which wud cost me 4500. I refused, but hate to see a scar on my brand new car. So I may eventually get it fixed for the price they're quoting.

Question - Are there any alternatives in the open market to get the paint fixed? Its a RED color.

I don't think you have put up a picture of the scratch here so it's difficult to tell you what needs to be done. If you do get any panel repainted at the workshop it will never be 100% like what comes out from the plant. It will be close but not the original finish. For small scratches it is best to leave it as it is.

If it looks ungainly and you want to hide it using some touch up go to any of the body shops recommended here like Sai Colorium or Trend and they will touch it up for minimal charge.

Details can be found here:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/bangal...-colorium.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/bangal...bangalore.html

Just ask them for a touch up. The dealers don't agree for touch up only to extract money from a repaint.

Secondly I also mentioned the mileage issue which has been nagging me for a while. However the SA mentioned the mileage displayed on the ODO may not be accurate as it takes into account various factors and asked me to check it the conventional way (manually noting the distance covered while refueling).

However the point which brings me to this forum is about the software update the SA mentioned to fix the problem if it indeed turns out the car is gulping more fuel than its supposed to. I was in a rush so couldn't probe the matter further with the SA as they had already made me wait for an hour.

Has anyone on this forum experienced similar problems and can someone provide me more insights into the software update?

Cheers
Peter

It is perfectly normal for them to upgrade the ECU firmware to the latest one. Think of it as upgrading your operating system or a software update on your phone. It will fix some known issues.

Mileage you can calculate on tank to tank basis or the best way is to brim the tank up. Drive for 100-200kms normally and the brim up again. This will close to accurate number.

Not sure if you have been driving AT's before but the best way is to drive them with a light throttle and avoid too many kickdown's i.e. pressing the accelerator pedal hard to get quicker acceleration.

Noopster owns a Vento 1.6AT and maybe able to give you some pointers on the mileage you are getting and how it can be improved:

Originally Posted by noopster

My Vento 1.6 NA petrol that produces 103 ps power returns a highway average of 15 kmpl and regular running FE of 11 kmpl approx. Used to be pretty proud of that (my Swift delivers around 12 kmpl) but am very impressed by the TSI numbers.
As Adi mentioned, higher speeds don't seem to matter much to these Germans, between 80-100 you get very good FE numbers, which dip slightly when you go over that speed. But the worst in my car is when you stay in low gear (1st/2nd) where is becomes an absolute gas guzzler, I get numbers like 6 kmpl regularly in South/Central Mumbai traffic.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by dspeter

I visited Vinayak Skoda showroom to fix the scratch on my bumper. It just required a quick brush of paint on the sweet spots, however they asked me to get it done over the whole bumper which wud cost me 4500. I refused, but hate to see a scar on my brand new car. So I may eventually get it fixed for the price they're quoting.

Peter,

A good idea is to hide the scratch under a Live to Drive sticker.

Of course you can also get those reflector conspicuity strips from 3M. Available on ebay.

[Vahanam]

Ultima caught my attention and i wanted to explore. Submitted my interest in skoda site. Got a call from them asking my interest, etc. They told me that they will send a quote to my email. As you would have rightly guessed i never got that email. So i went to TAFE, JP Nagar to check it out and boy what a bad experience that was!

I walked in and expressed my interest in Ultima. SC asked me to sit inside a white ultima on the passenger side and i asked him to explain the features and differences. He was quietly standing outside and explaining. I was wondering why he did not come in and explain. And then i asked him if its a delivery car and he said yes. I was not comfortable checking out a delivery car and got out. I told him the same. I asked why there is no demo car. He said we don't have space. He could have explained the basic functions on the rapid demo car. Am i expecting too much?

What is shocking is that he did not even offer me a chair to sit and explain about the car. The whole thing was done standing.I felt terrible. He took my number and i just left the showroom. I was asking : why should i do 10L + business with such a guy. He was courageous enough to call me today and ask what i decided. I told him i am not ready to do business with a guy who gave me such bad experience.

I read quite some horror stories on skoda ASS. Recently some members also posted how happy they are with skoda. I mustered some courage to explore a skoda. Boy! Even sales experience scared me. I think this might be one off case and exploring the other showroom of TAFE to see if there is some luck!

I am beginning to feel that skoda car is only for those who drink mountain dew! I mean only for those who can face fear and go beyond!

Called up the other TAFE, St Marks Road showroom on Saturday and checked if they are open on Sunday. The answer was a resounding Yes. Called on Sunday to fix an appointment and Alas! There is no one in the showroom. Security Guard asked me to call on Monday. One of the SC who was kind of coordinating with me apologized and offered to bring the car home for TD. Not all hope is lost.

What interested me in the Ultima Elegance was the Garmin and Tom Tom GPS, Reverse Camera and Sensors. If the GPS is going to be fitted at the dealer level (and not integrated), i may rethink.

[zulfi hansi]

@Vahanam, ask for Vikram at TAFE St. Marks road, he is good SC, not aggressive at all but will not leave you till you have decided with a right mind set, experienced too. I am sure you will not be disappointed.

[500ContyCruiser]

Originally Posted by Vahanam

i went to TAFE, JP Nagar to check it out and boy what a bad experience that was!

Suggest you to check at Vinayaka Skoda, SadashivNagar.

Talk to Ms. Prabha, 9902046724

[KevinP]

You could speak to Madhu from TAFE Hosur Rd 9731535761

He was most helpful and patient and got me exactly what i wanted fairly quickly.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Vahanam

Ultima caught my attention and i wanted to explore. Submitted my interest in skoda site. Got a call from them asking my interest, etc. They told me that they will send a quote to my email. As you would have rightly guessed i never got that email. So i went to TAFE, JP Nagar to check it out and boy what a bad experience that was!

I walked in and expressed my interest in Ultima. SC asked me to sit inside a white ultima on the passenger side and i asked him to explain the features and differences. He was quietly standing outside and explaining. I was wondering why he did not come in and explain. And then i asked him if its a delivery car and he said yes. I was not comfortable checking out a delivery car and got out. I told him the same. I asked why there is no demo car. He said we don't have space. He could have explained the basic functions on the rapid demo car. Am i expecting too much?

The Ultima is not a new model. It is a silly special edition. It doesn't make sense to have demo vehicle for a limited edition variant. Also, the JP nagar showroom is just a small facility to cater to nearby customers. It will most likely not even have their own TD vehicles. They will have to request for a TD vehicle to come to the JP nagar showroom based on customer request.

I don't think the sales guy did anything wrong in the entire interaction except for not offering you a seat.

If they locked the car meant for delivery and some other customer wanted to see Ultima from inside and they refuse, he will then go away unhappy saying TAFE is useless as they don't even let you see the car from inside. There are 2 ways to look at it.

[Vahanam]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

The Ultima is not a new model. It is a silly special edition. It doesn't make sense to have demo vehicle for a limited edition variant. Also, the JP nagar showroom is just a small facility to cater to nearby customers. It will most likely not even have their own TD vehicles. They will have to request for a TD vehicle to come to the JP nagar showroom based on customer request.

I don't think the sales guy did anything wrong in the entire interaction except for not offering you a seat.

If they locked the car meant for delivery and some other customer wanted to see Ultima from inside and they refuse, he will then go away unhappy saying TAFE is useless as they don't even let you see the car from inside. There are 2 ways to look at it.

Fair enough. I think i could have made peace with it if SC explained me that they don't keep demo cars for ultima and the only way to check it out was the delivery car. So i will account for this when i visit the other showroom.I was keen to see the camera, sensor and GPS at work. So my instantaneous reaction was to refrain from doing it in a delivery car. I could not have known that they may not even have TD vehicles. May be reason that he did not offer a TD was this. At least if this was explained on that day that he is not able to offer TD now because of this and can bring home TD vehicle later would have helped.


Thanks KevinP, 500ContyCruiser, zulfi hansi for suggestions.