[nks81]

Originally Posted by solaris007

I was able to drive my Kodiaq around quite a bit over the last few weeks and I am just so utterly disappointed by the interior quality!

Every creak and rattle is a constant reminder of how I needlessly spent so much money on something I am so unhappy with. I just cannot get over the incessant rattles over small bumps, annoying creaks from the door panels and the phantom sounds that come and go. My entire mind space every drive is taken over with which new or old sound will crop up.

So much so that I seriously consider taking my Hyundai Venue instead (1/4th the price!) to the office. Sure the plastics are hard (it turns out the Kodiaq is not much better in this regard) but they are oh so solid - every drive is silent apart from the road noise.

I know this car is far from being a lemon but I always wonder what could have been. Sure the Kodiaq is supposed to represent value and feel like 60-70% german at 50% of the price but the car is showing every bit why it is only worth 40-50% of the price. I keep wondering if I should have just spent the extra cash and "upgraded" to a GLA or a Q3. Even the Tucson would have been a better choice given my experience with Hyundai.

Your quote seems to say that Kodiaq in general has these issues. I am not sure if other owners have shared this thought. There could some owner of Hyundai Venue sitting somewhere cursing hyundai for lack of space, rattles and what not in the car.

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by solaris007

I was able to drive my Kodiaq around quite a bit over the last few weeks and I am just so utterly disappointed by the interior quality!

You're absolutely right, but in your case the issues seem pronounced. For me as I mentioned earlier, there is a creak from the front passenger door card area, but I cannot pin point it. The centre dash tunnel handles creak when flexed, and there is some noise from the rear left seat bench if it is not aligned properly with the right side seat. Other than that, I have written down issues I am going to need to address during first service.

1. The LED light in the third row on the left works when the doors open, but its manual operation button is stuck from day one.
2. There were a few errors when I did a random scan with OBDEleven, concerning the headlights, need to get that checked as well.
3. The left dipped beam vibrates over rough roads and on idle as well.
4. When I turn the steering towards the right from cneter, there is a creaking sound which I have seen on other Skodas but not Kodiaqs, on international forums. On those forums however are horror stories of pre-facelift Kodiaq's front and rear door handles creaking badly even on pulling the door to close it, random noises from the dashboard, etc. Our cars are not that bad in comparison.

There are also some noises from the gearbox when driving sedately or just starting your journey. The clunks and clangs from D1 to D2 and D3 to D2 are pretty evident and the car does jerk when doing so. But I have learnt to accept these as part of behavioural traits of the specific powertrain.

Originally Posted by nks81

There could some owner of Hyundai Venue sitting somewhere cursing hyundai for lack of space, rattles and what not in the car.

Recently in Goa I rented a Kia Sonet Diesel AT for three days. The car was great to drive, wireless CarPlay worked seamlessly, overall comfort was good, even though it was a brand new car, there were no rattles or creaks of any sort. Only the fit and finish was questionable, as is expected from the segment.

But compared to that, the Kodiaq does have its fair share of these non-mechanical niggles which spoil an otherwise fantastic ownership experience. I like the car very much, as I have mentioned in previous posts. But yes, I also was expecting a more robust build, and complete insulation from any weird noises. These noises are not only audible by petrolheads, everyone who has sat in the front seat with me has noticed this. The mechanical noises, only my ears are blessed with those

In comparison, my dear old Octavia manufactured in July of 2013 and bought by me in October 2013, till date does not have a single rattle, creak or any interior quality issues! It is just brilliant how the car has held up in 9 years and 185000 kms. The cheapening of materials and quality started somewhere around 2016 when Skoda realised we need to add more features to keep product relevant and in doing so we can cut cost by cheapening the materials. It is a fact and no denying this. The same perceivable difference was also evident to me when I bought the Octavia, after owning and driving a Laura TDI DSG for 3 years and 50000 kms. That Laura was some tank, and was a sedan on steroids. I have taken all my cars to various roads and places where there have been no roads, and likes of Cretas and Seltos' will be afraid to venture.

All of these Skodas have managed those with aplomb. Its a progressive trend in terms of size and power for me (140<180<190 hp) but a regressive trend in terms of interior feel and quality of plastics, rubbers, etc.

[SilverSmoke]

Case Update 2:

Parked today on slant, with gravity pulling front end.
There was a small dip from concrete - about 2 inches, front tires crossed that & landed up in muddy area - I slid into P mode & parked comfortably.

When I was back after 4 hours, depressed the brake pedal - I started the engine & shifted into R mode from P.

As there was a tree about 18 inches from hood, I gradually raised the RPMs while lifting from brake pedal - all in R mode.

To my utter shock, car didn't moved a inch. I quickly applied brakes - avoiding tree collision with front end.
I tried again - but the same result even at 2500 RPMs the car wasn't backing off - seems clutch wasn't fully engaging the engine.

I tried third time by steering left & right - that finally engaged the engine & car backed out.

Might go to that spot in near future & will try to re-creat the scene again for in-depth analysis.
Was very strange - might happen in hilly areas with grave risk.

Though car is driving great, no creaks or unwanted noises are observed till now, except from brakes.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by SilverSmoke

Case Update 2:

To my utter shock, car didn't moved a inch. I quickly applied brakes - avoiding tree collision with front end.
I tried again - but the same result even at 2500 RPMs the car wasn't backing off - seems clutch wasn't fully engaging the engine.

I tried third time by steering left & right - that finally engaged the engine & car backed out.

Slotting it in to offroad mode should have helped, as that activates the hill-hold function (at least that's what happens in Tiguan Allspace)

[SilverSmoke]

Originally Posted by Guna

Slotting it in to offroad mode should have helped, as that activates the hill-hold function (at least that's what happens in Tiguan Allspace)

Thats very true. But issue was non-engaging rear gear with engine revving free in R.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by SilverSmoke

But issue was non-engaging rear gear with engine revving free in R.

I think that is done to protect the gearbox. DSG doesn't allow 'slipping' like in a manual or even like on a torque converter. It is either completely engaged or complete disengaged. When the car is rolling forward due to the downward slope, wheels are turning in the opposite direction of what they would be doing when the reverse gear gets engaged and this can potentially damage the gearbox (if engaged). 'Auto hold' function also can help coming out of such situations.

[Jangra]

Originally Posted by solaris007

I was able to drive my Kodiaq around quite a bit over the last few weeks and I am just so utterly disappointed by the interior quality!

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

For me as I mentioned earlier, there is a creak from the front passenger door card area, but I cannot pin point it. The centre dash tunnel handles creak when flexed, and there is some noise from the rear left seat bench if it is not aligned properly with the right side seat.

There are also some noises from the gearbox when driving sedately or just starting your journey. The clunks and clangs from D1 to D2 and D3 to D2 are pretty evident and the car does jerk when doing so. But I have learnt to accept these as part of behavioural traits of the specific powertrain.

When it comes to rattle, my threshold is very low, so much so that I loose my sleep. Thankfully, there have been no major concern on the rattle with my Kodiaq. It ONLY comes to life at the speed of >80 on a very rough concrete roads OR rumble strips. It comes from left side but could never point to it. My wife on the passenger seat thinks its from the right Guess will never know. Else its non existent. I drove 600 kms today and mostly without any music, and the ride was quiet.

Also, the cabin light switch quality feels premium to me.

My top 3 concerns are below

1- AC - Cooling is no where close to the cooling of my Vento. Automatic mode is a joke as it turns the air circulation on. Why can I not turn it off in Auto mode - Vento allows it.
2- Like you mentioned, clanks from transmission from D2-3-4 and backwards.
3- Battery voltage low warning! Within 4 months of ownership, I keep getting Battery low warnings on my instrument cluster. Since past 2 months, KESSY systems sometimes work and other times doesn't. It also shuts mySKODA connect, in cabin lights doesn't turn on upon unlocking the car etc.

[sachinjoseph]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

All throughout the journey on highways,I was missing the instant and ferocious acceleration of the Octavia. But I could feel that I am also in a safer, more reliable car and that is enough to justify the buy. A car I look forward to sit in every day.

Lovely review. I have the same fears since I have a VRS currently and planning to keep both the VRS and the kodiaq, my friends say it’s a stupid decision since both the cars have the same interiors and feel to it except that one is an SUV and one is a fast car. Trying to convince myself otherwise now

[SilverSmoke]

Had a trip of around 300 KMs, couldn't hear a single creak / rattle of any kind - even on rough roads with rains, apart from noisy brakes while coming to standstill & occasional gear shift knocks - no vibrations - no shudders - no nothing.

Amazing handling in corners.

Though, got clicked by speedcam at 160 Kmph - Avalanche's first speed ticket delivered by SMS.

Super smooth & enjoyable drive.

[LeoMachine]

Quick question to all who bought new kodiaq recently. How do you get intimation of car allotment to your booking? Is it through some email communication centrally from Skoda or through verbal confimation from dealer?

I've made a booking and dealer is claiming that he can allot a vehicle in a week's time but I'm being pestered to make full payment or most of it. I'm reluctant to make further payment till I get any documentary evidence like allotment email/VIN number etc

[Jangra]

Originally Posted by LeoMachine

I've made a booking and dealer is claiming that he can allot a vehicle in a week's time but I'm being pestered to make full payment or most of it. I'm reluctant to make further payment till I get any documentary evidence like allotment email/VIN number etc

This is exactly how I made the payment. Even I was hesitant in making full payment without any evidence but then I did and 10 days later I brought the car home

[adi_petrolhead]

First service update: Odo at 8750 kms

Decided to carry out the first oil change post Jodhpur trip. Pretty standard affair, nothing special. Engine oil, oil filter and pollen filter were replaced. Bill came to ₹6411 including taxes. Labour was free for the first service.
Reported all the issues I had listed down here before, only two of them got a resolution, the interior LED light for the third row has been ordered under warranty as the switch is stuck in off position, and the passenger side front door rattle was narrowed down to the panel that houses the passenger airbag on/off switch. The cover was opened and lined with felt tape. I can still hear it over extremely bad patches but not on good roads. Headlight vibration issue required to be raised to HQ via query and for that they need the car for a day. Left it for now, and the steering wheel creak required to open the airbag cover and airbag, would take a lot of time and patience. It was lunch time and I decided to get that checked later when I go for the LED interior light replacement.


Nice clean underbody with lots of high quality protection bits.


So the front cover under the engine now has this dual flap design which I wasn’t aware of. There are a total of 14 screws and bolts to get the cover off. I think there were 6-8 on the Octy.


Mucky 3 months / 8500 kms old oil, caught it just when the tech popped the drain plug


So happy they’ve again shifted to 1L cans for the engine oil instead of filling in a jar from a drum previously. Grade is also new, VW Longlife IV FE 0W-20 and is oriented towards better fuel efficiency. Marketing gimmick? 5.7 litres went in, billed the same amount. Already have a 1L can in the boot from delivery day.

Discussed the gearbox noise issues, slight gruffness, lead tech said Superb B8 and Kodiaq TSI both make the same kind of noise / transmission clangs and other bits. It’s inherent to the design of the gearbox, but the more I drive it, more robust it feels. Sounds / noises / rattles aside, it’s a good car under 50 lakh I’d say. It won’t take home any trophies for best feature loaded SUV or best off-road SUV, it’s a good sized car with a higher GC, and precise manoeuvrability. It’s not meant to compete with the Fortuner and Meridian. Only competition might be the Tiguan and the Tucson but again petrol buyers are not liking the latter that much, Tiguan has better appeal too. It’s a good opening pair from the VW stable. Das Autos are Simply Clever

[kurups]

Originally Posted by Jangra

This is exactly how I made the payment. Even I was hesitant in making full payment without any evidence but then I did and 10 days later I brought the car home

@Leomachine/@Jangra - In both your cases, just a query...when was the New Kodiaq booked (month/year) and which month was delivery confirmed by dealer (if you made the payment to them) ?

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

First service update: Odo at 8750 kms

Are Skoda service centers proactively open to owners of the car being present during the service at the service center? Do we need to push them for such access to the service centers or Skoda has some policy on allowing owners to be present irrespective of dealer service station rules?

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[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by kurups

Are Skoda service centers proactively open to owners of the car being present during the service at the service center?

I personally have never asked, was never stopped. Some new dealers might restrict, but I don't think there is a specific policy to allow / disallow customers inside the service area. Toyota is very strict in that respect but they do have a viewing gallery in the waiting area where you can see the work being done on your car, almost all dealers across brands have this facility. Do note that I have been using this particular Škoda dealership service centre since last 12 years now, and there is hardly anyone there who doesn't know me personally I'll admit I do get a slightly preferential treatment when there.

[SilverSmoke]

Originally Posted by LeoMachine

How do you get intimation of car allotment to your booking?

I'm reluctant to make further payment till I get any documentary evidence like allotment email/VIN number etc

Much of my case.

Intimated by phone call from the dealer - seems like they were preferentially adjusting the allocation.

Didn't get VIN too - even after allocation was done - got it only after I made 60% of the amount.

I was also wary of being pushed up a defective car.

But in the end, everything went well & I got my Avalanche in a week time with zero defects.