[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by Lambydude

I read a lot about issues with Octavia battery.
Can you advice me on the do's and don'ts of this.
1. Is this battery issue unique to Octavia TSI?
2. If yes, what are the precautions one should take during a long outstation drive?
3. What's the usual warranty of the stock battery?
4. If the battery fails during warranty period, is it replaced free of cost?
5. If battery fails, can we replace it ourselves or do we have to take the car to Skoda service centre. Concern is about Skoda warranty being affected.

Thanks

Based on ownership of Octavia Mk1 TPI and Laura TSI, it seems to be more an issue with Exide rather than the car. in my Mk1, exide lasted exactly 26 months, somehow was able to get a Amaron with exchange and the battery was a happy camper. In my Laura, 2 yr old Exide battery has been diagnosed with week cell. Its been 2.5 months since the diagnosis but i haven't seen a single sign of battery weakness or anything like that. Hence not changed. Battery is an Exide.

[adi_petrolhead]

These days cars do come with a very small warranty period for the OE Battery. My Crysta came with only 1 year warranty on the battery.

In my case, I do keep a check on the battery indicator. If the gel is green, its good to go, if its "white/clear", it needs charging, and if its "red", it needs top up of water or there is a fault in any of the cells. I could verify this in my old and new battery recently. Other tell tale signs are a slightly prolonged crank, using the horn while flashing the high beam or indicators, the horn sound will dip a little when the other bulbs are flashing. This is quite evident in most cases.

[saurabh sharma]

On the subject of Mechatronic, I own a 2013 model 1.8tsi 60,000km on the odo, on 14-Jan during an early morning drive on an open road the gears disengaged and gearbox error came up. Car was moved by flatbed to Jai Auto Skoda in Delhi. After about 48 hours I was notified that this is mechatronic failure, I was already aware that this is where we will end up so right from the go I had calmly requested my SA that this isn't my fault.

To the credit of Skoda and Jai Auto my mechatronic was replaced free of charge (I did pay some minor charges but i don't count it). This when the vehicle was OUT OF WARRANTY. They did it as they checked the service record and knew car has been diligently serviced at authorized service centres throughout.

Very Happy with the resolution, yes it took about a month for me to get my vehicle back, but the waiver of charges compensated the delay many times over. I have resolved that my next car will again be a VW group/Skoda vehicle.

[roy1010]

Hi Members,

This is my first post - glad to be part of a community like this!

Booked a Magic Black 1.8 TSI L&K with Mahavir Skoda - the only dealer in Vizag, on 22 April. Absolutely no discount offered! Tried haggling for the accessories and handling charges ( depot charges) - no luck!

Car arrived at the yard in a week . Got e mails about booking and then for VIN allotment. VIN decoder confirms March manufacture.

Since I'm sailing, won't be able to take the car, until the dotted lines have been signed. Will be taking delivery in two weeks. Car loan taken from SBI, through the dealer.

Can anyone suggest what add-ons to take as insurance ? Most likely will go for external insurance since that's looking cheaper than Skoda. Was surprised how the dealer hasn't pushed even once for insurance from them .

[Karvel]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

In my case, I do keep a check on the battery indicator. If the gel is green, its good to go, if its "white/clear", it needs charging, and if its "red", it needs top up of water or there is a fault in any of the cells. I could verify this in my old and new battery recently..

Hi Adi, sorry for the noob question. Where is this indicator present. Have got Exide battery replaced with discount at Skoda ASS. But could not find the indicator.

Originally Posted by roy1010

Hi Members,

This is my first post - glad to be part of a community like this!

Can anyone suggest what add-ons to take as insurance ? Most likely will go for external insurance since that's looking cheaper than Skoda. Was surprised how the dealer hasn't pushed even once for insurance from them .

Welcome to the Octavians group, Roy.

If you are in a flood prone area or likely to be in some knee deep waters once in a while, go for the engine protector along with consumables. Also go for zero dep bumper to bumper. Everything else, like RSA, is given by Skoda.

Go for the extended warranty 5th & 6th year. Not much of an interest saving by delaying it. Also it gives peace of mind and better treatment by the dealer. Even resale value will be higher if you plan to sell it much before 6 years.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by Karvel

Hi Adi, sorry for the noob question. Where is this indicator present. Have got Exide battery replaced with discount at Skoda ASS. But could not find the indicator.



.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3HQxoYdpIA

Hope this helps!

[Lambydude]

Originally Posted by roy1010

..........Can anyone suggest what add-ons to take as insurance ? Most likely will go for external insurance since that's looking cheaper than Skoda. Was surprised how the dealer hasn't pushed even once for insurance from them .

Take Skoda shield plus which is 6 year extended warranty and insurance for first year and third party insurance for three years. Extended warranty is not applicable if you take insurance externally.

Also, since you are in cyclone affected area, do take drive assure premium which protects from any water damage along with other features.

[roy1010]

Originally Posted by Karvel

.....Welcome to the Octavians group, Roy.

If you are in a flood prone area or likely to be in some knee deep waters once in a while, go for the engine protector along with consumables. Also go for zero dep bumper to bumper. Everything else, like RSA, is given by Skoda.

Go for the extended warranty 5th & 6th year. Not much of an interest saving by delaying it. Also it gives peace of mind and better treatment by the dealer. Even resale value will be higher if you plan to sell it much before 6 years.

Thanks Karvel!

Am looking at outside insurance with zero Dep, key protect, consumables, NCB protect.

The engine protect works only for damage due to water/ loss of lube, correct?

True that EW will help in resale value.

What have the current owners chosen, if I can get a feedback on that?

Originally Posted by Lambydude

Take Skoda shield plus which is 6 year extended warranty and insurance for first year and third party insurance for three years. Extended warranty is not applicable if you take insurance externally.

Also, since you are in cyclone affected area, do take drive assure premium which protects from any water damage along with other features.

Quote from Skoda :

Reg Insurance : 104k
EW and RSA: 55k
Drive Assure : 27k

As you can see, with the dealer refusing to budge on the quote, I see this offer as quite expensive.

This makes me want to look at outside insurance rather than go with the dealer.

And since I have overstepped my budget on this car, I was really looking for something economical at this point.

Need to confirm with dealer about EW validity, if insurance taken from outside - thanks for the heads up.

[itwasntme]

My information is that 5&6 EW can be bought separately.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post4582378

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the video link. I was talking about the same one, here's a pic of my battery's indicator. You really have to see inside the glass with a light source.

Originally Posted by itwasntme

My information is that 5&6 EW can be bought separately.

Originally Posted by roy1010

Quote from Skoda :

Reg Insurance : 104k
EW and RSA: 55k
Drive Assure : 27k

Originally Posted by Lambydude

Extended warranty is not applicable if you take insurance externally.

Second with @itwasntme here. You can definitely purchase the 5&6 year extended warranty even if you do not opt for insurance from the dealer. AFAIK the quote given by the dealer on the 95% of exshowroom price i.e. approx. INR 22,41,620/- seems okay to me. If you do go for insurance from your own agent or online, you'll save about 10-15K max. If I was in your place, I would ask the dealership to match the Basic insurance quote as per the quote that you have externally, then add Drive assure and you're good to go. If they don't discount it to your expected levels, just make peace with the extra expense and have the insurance, EW, Drive assure from the dealer itself. When you renew the insurance next year you can have your savings as you're free to do it on your own, that won't affect the EW. But please make sure the Insurance covers full cashless support. Minor accidents in these cars can rack up the bills in Lakhs if a critical component is damaged. Skoda typically is very strict in my experience giving cashless facility only to the insurance companies they have a commitment with.

If you plan on selling the car post 4 years, and want to skip EW altogether, then just get your own insurance and save whatever you can right now. Hope this solves your dilemma. Not only Skoda, all car companies these days have this weird policy that "we will offer you so and so service only if you take insurance from the dealer." Once you call their customer care, things are cleared out and you gain your freedom. Thats also a possible route for you. In my case, Toyota dealer was not ready to allot a car on priority if I had my own insurance, one complain at the customer care and I had the car with me within a week on my terms. Its really a case of being patient and letting go a few things in return for long term peace of mind, or standing up for the right thing to do and there's a chance the dealer will be a tiny bit less cooperative in the future.

[roy1010]

Thanks for that reasoning Adi.

The dealer in Vizag has been surprisingly accommodating in several aspects - as opposed to the horror stories from other cities. I've had a fantastic experience so far, with all promises being met - all except the price point. Dealer has refused to meet halfway on the pricing, and Franky I haven't pushed a lot -
I know what the car is worth!

But only because my budget looks thinner than a piano wire now, I am trying harder to save money than ever!

Dealer hasn't pushed even once for insurance from Skoda. He is OK with me getting outside insurance, but he cannot budge on his insurance quote. Now I know insurance and finance are the two big deal breakers, since they have a decent margin on these - but to be honest, dealer quote is way more than my affordability. Hence the scout for cheap(er) insurance.

But I will try again throwing a base quote of OD and TP at the dealer and see if he can level out.

EW, if can be bought later - that's what I'll do.

Need to confirm in writing from dealer, if outside insurance can interfere with future possible repairs including body work. Good thing is, roads in vizag are spectacular - traffic isn't that bad and I have high hopes on mine and my wife's driving abilities to steer clear from tight spots. Also, a black car doesn't make things easier. I would have gone for the gray - but then I figured the city is so clean with such roads - might take a chance with the black.

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

Thanks for the video link. I was talking about the same one, here's a pic of my battery's indicator. You really have to see inside the glass with a light source. Attachment 1874353
=======
Its really a case of being patient and letting go a few things in return for long term peace of mind, or standing up for the right thing to do and there's a chance the dealer will be a tiny bit less cooperative in the future.

[Lambydude]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

My information is that 5&6 EW can be bought separately.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post4582378

My bad. I agree that EW can be bought later.
However,if you consider that amount which is approx 50k and add the external insurance amount, it will definitely come to what Skoda dealer is offering, if not more.

[roy1010]

Received word from the dealer that they can finish all the finance and registration formalities in four hours. Since I'm sailing, I told them I can only come for pre registration inspection once I'm back. The car apparently is kept in their indoor holding area in the same building as the showroom - and not outdoors in the yard.

I have sent them an email trying for one last time, to show a better insurance deal - let's see what they come up with. If nothing, I'll settle for a comprehensive with few add ons, and take the EW when I can afford.

[br_876]

Guys! Skoda now offering Rs 50k discount for corporate employees (my finance is a government employed doctor). There's an additional Rs 50k available if you possess premium credit cards like HDFC's Regalia or Infinia.

I would say Rs 1 lakh makes it a great deal especially if anyone is going for the Style manual. I'm getting the L & K TDI. Booking has been made. Delivery promised on May 20th.

[Lambydude]

Need a help on extended warranty info.

Last month when I bought my Octavia, I paid for Skoda shield plus which includes the extended warranty for 5/6th year. However I haven't received the document for EW yet. My SA says that there is no such document and it is all updated in Skoda system tagged by VIN.

However, when I called up Skoda customer care to check on this, the pre-sales team told me it should be updated on MySkoda app after I register on the app using my VIN. The rep's explanation wasn't very convincing though. I checked MySKoda app and warranty is showing only as 4 years.

Is it the same for other owners who bought EW or Skoda shield plus? Did you receive any additional document for EW. Is warranty for 6 years showing on MySKoda app for you?