[hrman]

I have had a good experience with Vinayak Skoda. I took my Rapid yesterday to their KR Puram workshop for the 7500 kms/ six months free checkup.

My appointment was scheduled for 10 am. I reached there a few minutes before 10. I was immediately attended to. I got a reminder call a week before the appointment, and one day before the appointment as well.

The service advisor was pretty prompt. I told him that I would like to drop the car and pick it up in the evening. He told that if there is no major issue, he will get the free checkup done in an hour and I can take the car back.

The entire process took 2 hours, which also included polishing of my bumper to cover some scratches on my request.

The final bill was "Nil". I saw some really mangled rapids and Fabias and was chatting with the paint shop incharge. He said they receive around 80-100 cars per month for Body work. Tafe at Hosur received around 400 cars per month.

Overall good experience with Vinayak Skoda.

[500ContyCruiser]

Originally Posted by hrman

Overall good experience with Vinayak Skoda.

Thanks hrman! I booked my car today.

Booked Rapid Elegance, Silver color, Petrol.

Still little confused on Petrol or Diesel.
Atleast after yesterday's news on again Diesel price hike.

Originally Posted by hrman

The final bill was "Nil". I saw some really mangled rapids and Fabias and was chatting with the paint shop incharge. He said they receive around 80-100 cars per month for Body work. Tafe at Hosur received around 400 cars per month.

so many cars for body work?

[rajni]

Originally Posted by hrman

I have had a good experience with Vinayak Skoda. I took my Rapid yesterday to their KR Puram workshop for the 7500 kms/ six months free checkup.
...
...
Overall good experience with Vinayak Skoda.

Thanks for the feedback hrman. I have now made up my mind for Vinayaka for my 15k service. I was at hometown (at Kerala) when it was time for the pre checkup (7.5km). The experience with Marikkar wasn't good. They were not at all customer-friendly. They charged me only for the Windscreen washer fluid. However, I seriously doubt if they have done anything other than that. I asked them to wash the car (which I could pay separately) and also requested for a couple of things - like rubbing some minor scratches on the bumper, also for the cpu tuning for enabling horn as the buzzer for lock/unlock etc. However, when I got the car it was not washed and some stupid justifications for not doing other works also. I suspect if they have topped up the windscreen washer with some local fluids. There was a pleasant fragrance earlier whenever I pull the wiper stalk for spraying the washer. But, it is no longer there after the topup. I really don't want to repeat the mistake of choice again. By the way - how many days before you had to book for the service?

[hrman]

Originally Posted by 500ContyCruiser

Thanks hrman! I booked my car today.

Booked Rapid Elegance, Silver color, Petrol.

Still little confused on Petrol or Diesel.
Atleast after yesterday's news on again Diesel price hike.

so many cars for body work?

My advise is: If you dont mind paying more upfront for a diesel car, and feel you want to spend lesser on each refuel, go for diesel. I personally dont believe in the Minimum monthly running to break-even for diesel. I dont mind paying upfront and getting a diesel car so that I spend less per refill. At least I can use the car as much as possible without the fear that I will pay out of my nose for fuel. Diesel prices are controlled by the government, so there is no way it will reach the levels of petrol, at least for the next few years. Diesel gives better mileage too. I started out with a diesel Indica in 2006, when there was a price difference of 9-10 Rs. between both the fuels. Moved to petrol for the next 5 years, and recently moved back to diesel. If you see my usage, its roughly 5000 kms in less than 6 months. The experts would advise you against buying a diesel with that kind of running, but for me, my logic is different.
Instead of the Elegance petrol TSI, you can look at the Ambition Diesel (Rs.37000 more) or Ambition Diesel Plus Rs.(70000 more). Out of all the variants, I found the Ambition Diesel the most VFM and then comes Ambition plus.

And all the numbers of cars he reported for body work were not Rapids or Fabias, it was a mix of all Skoda Cars, so you can relax.. It was just incidental that I saw quite a few Fabias and Rapids.

Originally Posted by rajni

Thanks for the feedback hrman. I have now made up my mind for Vinayaka for my 15k service. By the way - how many days before you had to book for the service?

They started giving me a call when the five months was due. I was pushing them off till the end of September, since I purchased the car in April, and have completed less than 5000 kms as of now. You can call them and ask them to fix the appointment.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by hrman

My advise is: If you dont mind paying more upfront for a diesel car, and feel you want to spend lesser on each refuel, go for diesel. I personally dont believe in the Minimum monthly running to break-even for diesel. I dont mind paying upfront and getting a diesel car so that I spend less per refill. At least I can use the car as much as possible without the fear that I will pay out of my nose for fuel. Diesel prices are controlled by the government, so there is no way it will reach the levels of petrol, at least for the next few years. Diesel gives better mileage too. I started out with a diesel Indica in 2006, when there was a price difference of 9-10 Rs. between both the fuels. Moved to petrol for the next 5 years, and recently moved back to diesel. If you see my usage, its roughly 5000 kms in less than 6 months. The experts would advise you against buying a diesel with that kind of running, but for me, my logic is different.
Instead of the Elegance petrol TSI, you can look at the Ambition Diesel (Rs.37000 more) or Ambition Diesel Plus Rs.(70000 more). Out of all the variants, I found the Ambition Diesel the most VFM and then comes Ambition plus.

Even I would advise against European Petrols. Their forte is diesel, which have same or better HP, much better torque and more fun to drive. The petrol performance is highly dependent on fuel quality and most European petrol engines are derated for Indian fuel.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by 500ContyCruiser

Thanks hrman! I booked my car today.
Booked Rapid Elegance, Silver color, Petrol.

Diesel economy notwithstanding, my recommendation is to stick to the Petrol Elegance. And if you are really tilting towards diesel, try to budget up to the top variant, as you will miss on the passenger airbag and alloy wheels in the Ambition / Ambition Plus.

Originally Posted by hrman

Instead of the Elegance petrol TSI, you can look at the Ambition
Diesel (Rs.37000 more) or Ambition Diesel Plus Rs.(70000 more). Out of all the variants, I found the Ambition Diesel the most VFM and then comes Ambition plus.

I guess there is a typo there. We still don’t have the TSI engines in the Rapid/Vento range. Its still the old 1.6MPI.

[hrman]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Diesel economy notwithstanding, my recommendation is to stick to the Petrol Elegance.

I guess there is a typo there. We still don’t have the TSI engines in the Rapid/Vento range. Its still the old 1.6MPI.

You are right. I was thinking of typing MPI, ended up as TSI. :-)

[500ContyCruiser]

Originally Posted by hrman

At least I can use the car as much as possible without the fear that I will pay out of my nose for fuel.

Yes... I thought about it and it makes a lot of sense!

Originally Posted by Aroy

Even I would advise against European Petrols. Their forte is diesel, which have same or better HP, much better torque and more fun to drive. The petrol performance is highly dependent on fuel quality and most European petrol engines are derated for Indian fuel.

I will see if I can work out on diesel car. Hope they will be able to change my booking without much hazels.

Originally Posted by vb-san

Diesel economy notwithstanding

Sorry, did not understand your point?



Separately, Vinayak Cars guys mentioned they will give free Teflon coating, I have asked them for car cover instead of Teflon. Just wondering, is Teflon really required for new cars??
He tried to convince me saying, Telfon coating will help with scratches and blah.. blah... He is right, but really required for new cars?

[joslicx]

Originally Posted by 500ContyCruiser

Sorry, did not understand your point?



Separately, Vinayak Cars guys mentioned they will give free Teflon coating, I have asked them for car cover instead of Teflon. Just wondering, is Teflon really required for new cars??
He tried to convince me saying, Telfon coating will help with scratches and blah.. blah... He is right, but really required for new cars?

what vb-san probably meant is prioritize safety features over diesel benefits or raise your budget and go for high end model in diesel that has all safety features.

And I have that petrol engine and dont understand why people hate it! It is really quite quiet, refined smooth engine that has not yet left me wanting for more power (and I have an AT). I did not feel any difference with respect to performance vis-a-vis the segment benchmark (that is the City i-Vtec) when I drove both of them back to back.

Unless your running really justifies diesel, I'd still say stick with Petrol Elegance. You'd love to be in the car, enjoy the creature comforts and appreciate safety features (if ever any eventuality occurs). So what, at the time of selling it you'll lose some money. Thats not everything in life.

And dont go for the Teflon coating. Rather negotiate a useful accessory (like the cover if you are gonna use it) or something like that.

[500ContyCruiser]

Originally Posted by joslicx

And I have that petrol engine and dont understand why people hate it! It is really quite quiet, refined smooth engine that has not yet left me wanting for more power (and I have an AT). I did not feel any difference with respect to performance vis-a-vis the segment benchmark (that is the City i-Vtec) when I drove both of them back to back.

I did TD for both petrol and diesel variants, and felt equally good. Both have good power. Whereas I felt diesel lags a little bit on low RPM or cold start (may be my bad driving style).


I really need car cover as I do not have covered parking and most of the times car will be parked on road. Hence I am pushing them on it.

Other thing they agreed is, for reverse parking sensor.

How I wish if they provided USB option for ipod (instead of SD card) and this would be perfect car for me!

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by joslicx

what vb-san probably meant is prioritize safety features over diesel benefits or raise your budget and go for high end model in diesel that has all safety features.

Originally Posted by 500ContyCruiser

Sorry, did not understand your point?

Thanks joslicx for clarifying. Yes, what I meant is not to compromise on the safety aspects if you are changing the booking to a diesel.

Originally Posted by joslicx

And I have that petrol engine and dont understand why people hate it!
...
...
Unless your running really justifies diesel, I'd still say stick with Petrol Elegance. You'd love to be in the car, enjoy the creature comforts and appreciate safety features (if ever any eventuality occurs). So what, at the time of selling it you'll lose some money. Thats not everything in life.

Excellent point indeed. If the running does not justify a diesel, why to spend the extra cash upfront? And 1.6 in Vento is quite refined and have ample power.

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by Aroy

Even I would advise against European Petrols. Their forte is diesel, which have same or better HP, much better torque and more fun to drive. The petrol performance is highly dependent on fuel quality and most European petrol engines are derated for Indian fuel.

Sorry, but there is nothing wrong with European petrols. Like all petrols, they continue to be much quieter and more refined than even modern diesels. My Superb TSi works perfectly well with ordinary petrol, and my cousin's Vento MPi has been fine as well. Even with European Luxury brands, petrols score well - drive the 328i and 320d (both of which have 2 litre engines, by the way) back to back, and you will see what I mean.

And the driving comfort of the Petrol AT is far superior to that of the diesel Vento, which has an incredibly hard clutch.

Originally Posted by joslicx

And I have that petrol engine and dont understand why people hate it! It is really quite quiet, refined smooth engine that has not yet left me wanting for more power (and I have an AT). I did not feel any difference with respect to performance vis-a-vis the segment benchmark (that is the City i-Vtec) when I drove both of them back to back.

Unless your running really justifies diesel, I'd still say stick with Petrol Elegance. You'd love to be in the car, enjoy the creature comforts and appreciate safety features (if ever any eventuality occurs).

Agree fully. Btw, have taken your advice and booked a Vento Petrol AT. No visibility on delivery times though. Why Vento over Rapid? Partly because Autobahn irritated me when I went for the test drive. But also because we felt the interiors of the Vento look much better, and the price difference was not material given that I am buying this car for my wife :-)

[joslicx]

Originally Posted by 500ContyCruiser

I did TD for both petrol and diesel variants, and felt equally good. Both have good power. Whereas I felt diesel lags a little bit on low RPM or cold start (may be my bad driving style).


I really need car cover as I do not have covered parking and most of the times car will be parked on road. Hence I am pushing them on it.

Other thing they agreed is, for reverse parking sensor.

How I wish if they provided USB option for ipod (instead of SD card) and this would be perfect car for me!

Tdi's forte is its torque which is useful to have if you are gonna do lot of highway runs and would like to outrun others. If you are my kind of a driver (happy to cruise along, not bothered with indulging in racing with others) then the Petrol engine is also good enough for any highway driving. Of course it cant meet diesel's FE (that what others mean when they say diesel benefits) but if your running is not much then the savings are not really substantial vis-a-vis your initial investment (as theres about 2L difference in price between the two and if you are going for a loan then it means and extra 6k per month over next 3 years in EMIs). You can do the calculations yourself for your particular case.

Originally Posted by Hayek

Sorry, but there is nothing wrong with European petrols. Like all petrols, they continue to be much quieter and more refined than even modern diesels. My Superb TSi works perfectly well with ordinary petrol, and my cousin's Vento MPi has been fine as well. Even with European Luxury brands, petrols score well - drive the 328i and 320d (both of which have 2 litre engines, by the way) back to back, and you will see what I mean.

And the driving comfort of the Petrol AT is far superior to that of the diesel Vento, which has an incredibly hard clutch.

Thats the reason I went for the AT confort over everything else. Am not complaining so far. I am enjoying the experience. Most recently I saw FE of 15.2 on the console while driving back home from office (all in city and over distance of 6 KM) which was nice to see, given that the engine would hardly have warmed up to optimum in that time. So I think over larger distances better FE is definitely possible, maybe even 18 or 20 if you drive sedately enough.

Agree fully. Btw, have taken your advice and booked a Vento Petrol AT. No visibility on delivery times though. Why Vento over Rapid? Partly because Autobahn irritated me when I went for the test drive. But also because we felt the interiors of the Vento look much better, and the price difference was not material given that I am buying this car for my wife :-)

Congrats on your booking. So its the newest the facelifted one you'll be getting. I hope you have chosen the right dealer

[Turbo car]

Originally Posted by rajni

Thanks for the feedback hrman. I have now made up my mind for Vinayaka for my 15k service. I was at hometown (at Kerala) when it was time for the pre checkup (7.5km). The experience with Marikkar wasn't good. They were not at all customer-friendly. They charged me only for the Windscreen washer fluid. However, I seriously doubt if they have done anything other than that. I asked them to wash the car (which I could pay separately) and also requested for a couple of things - like rubbing some minor scratches on the bumper, also for the cpu tuning for enabling horn as the buzzer for lock/unlock etc. However, when I got the car it was not washed and some stupid justifications for not doing other works also. I suspect if they have topped up the windscreen washer with some local fluids. There was a pleasant fragrance earlier whenever I pull the wiper stalk for spraying the washer. But, it is no longer there after the topup. I really don't want to repeat the mistake of choice again. By the way - how many days before you had to book for the service?

Rajni,

Marikar motors has been one of the reasons as to the low sales of rapid in the state. You aren't the first to make a complaint about their service quality of skoda cars, and believe me, you wont be the last.

Still, Skoda loves to keep them as the dealers for south Kerala and to the best of my knowledge, there has been innumerable complaints about their shoddy dealing of skoda customers since they started being the sole dealers in kerala. Now the situation has changed as there are other dealers for skoda cars in the state, but Marikar has still some how managed not to improve their service; in spite of the competition.

For consistency of that level,you some how has to respect them.

[500ContyCruiser]

Discussed with Vinayaka Cars, Sadashivnagar; they cannot my booking from Petrol to Diesel.

Any ways? Else I will have to live with Petrol car