[Maverick Avi]

Originally Posted by SinghAnmol2911

Engine misfire was a one off incident, It was showing temps well in excess of 100°C & I was pushing the car with 3 other passengers & loaded boot! Any car can misfire under that load & duress. Although it shouldn't have happened! It's definitely not ideal for 50°C Delhi Weather!

None of the modern cars should be misfiring under these circumstances. The tolerance levels for cars are much higher and heating or misfiring is definitely a sign of things failing prematurely. Maruti Eeco with its puny 1.2 litre/80 hp engine is frequently stuffed with 8 adults along their full luggage and they still chugh along year after year on dusty village roads.

[Rio-AdiSha]

Engine misfire at 20k is a big no no, it comes as a big shocker. Also you have not mentioned about the long play of the clutch. Throw some light on that too!

[lemedico]

Originally Posted by SinghAnmol2911

2nd Service - 2 Year/30k kms & Non Routine Fix Ups!



MINOR ISSUES:
- Air-conditioning struggles to perform effectively in temperatures around 40°C.
- CH]

Regarding the aircon inefficiency, I saw a youtuber with a Kushaq, who diagnosed the fault across this range of cars, to be a blow out valve on the compressor. It jettisons coolant/refrigerant when the pressure becomes supposedly high! Over time there's not much left and the aircon becomes weak.
Requires frequent top ups of the coolant/refrigerant then to make it work at an optimum level.

https://youtu.be/_31hlkGsSM4?si=iy1io7EzIKF39q0U

I dont have the exact timestamp, but it's described well in this video

[dr.aviansh]

Originally Posted by TurboTales

I have Skoda Slavia Ambition and I recently installed Osram HL premium 6000 Kelvin 50 watts in my lower beam and will soon be installing the same wattage in my higher beam.


Osram HL premium is plug and play unit. Absolutely no hassle.

Thanks for the reply.

I beg to differ here. My father is a reputed Motor Vehicle Insurance Surveyor in Delhi NCR and when I discussed the headlight issues with him, he stated that incase of fire if any external fitting like LED bulbs (even if they’re lesser in power consumption) is found, the insurance companies will straight away reject claims. Then you keep fighting the matter legally by saying it was coupler to coupler but as these bulbs are susceptible to heat trapping even if there is a fan and the technician does drill a vent hole, you’ll still be at risk.

Luckily, that very day he was at Jay Auto Gurgaon, whose service advisor dad spoke to. He suggested either to upgrade to Style headlights which won’t be having warranty and in the long run a kaput light would mean a replacement of the whole assembly costing 21k/-
Or two upgrade to brighter bulbs within the power wattage.

So now I’ll check out Philips Crystal Vision H7 4300K. If they’re white enough then that’s it.

Otherwise, Osram Cool Blue Advance at 4500 K (if they’re in stock) in H7 with
Philips Crystal Vision in H1 to compensate for the dimmer Osrams.

If I’m very lucky then GE Nighthawk Sport H7 which have a unanimous upvote all over internet. Good balance of brightness and whiteness.

[Game_of_Roads]

For the last few thousand kms, I've been feeling the front suspension on my 1.0 AT Slavia to be handling Sharp bumps and particularly Rumbler strips worse than before. Over highway Rumbler strips at 50-60 kmph the shaking inside the cabin is so violent that the whole dashboard's shaking movements are very evident even to other passengers and it feels quite jarring. It also seems to be crashing worse than before on sharp edged bumps and potholes. However, over smooth surfaced speed breakers or at slower city speeds over bumps the suspension action remains good and as it was before and not as jarring.

I am not new to the suspension tuning on this car since I've done 25k kms now in 2.5+ years but have been observing this more over the last 3-4k kms, including a 2000 kms road trip with a full boot, 2 adults and 2 little ones.

Tyre pressures are 33psi cold all round in the city for 1/2 people in the car, and 36 psi cold all round for the long trip with a 3/4th full car. I have an active TPMS in the tyres with Android auto app so I know the tyre pressures have been ok all the time.

I visited PPS Skoda service in BLR near Majestic who couldn't observe the issue in the test ride owing to good roads and no potholes/rumbler strips in that area (who would have imagined this day would come, Had to pinch myself to check if I was dreaming). Anyway I was short of time so didn't pursue the test ride further.They did a basic check of the suspension by lifting the car but didn't find anything out of ordinary other than a nut that needed tightening on a metal rod that runs across the two sides of the front suspension (stabilizer rod/links maybe?). I felt a mild improvement in the city but could be placebo and I've not had a chance to check properly yet.

1. Does anyone have any similar experience ? Anything specific that I should check or watch out for ?
2. What's your experience with the Slavia over rumbler strips, especially the bigger ones. Does the car feel a little jarring over them in general ? Out on the highway from outside every other car seem to go much faster comfortably over rumblers and seemed to not slow down like I had to.

I will spend some time to look into this in more detail , but can't do so for the next few weeks or a month, so your inputs/opinions will be appreciated and helpful.

[Vibhav-Van]

Originally Posted by supernova105

Does anybody know whether the Skoda horn (1469/-) is plug and play with the Virtus as well?

Not sure about this. The part is so popular with Skoda service centers that they ask almost every customer if they want it as an accessory. That said, they seemed tight-lipped about general interoperability with VW as it might impact their sales. For example, even physical stuff like the Virtus GT boot spoiler.

But I remember seeing many VWs with the same sounding horn, so it should be a shared part. If you have the part number, Boodmo might tell us if it is a shared part.

[supernova105]

Originally Posted by Vibhav-Van

But I remember seeing many VWs with the same sounding horn, so it should be a shared part. If you have the part number, Boodmo might tell us if it is a shared part.

This is the horn I guess.

I spoke to a Virtus owner in Mumbai, and he said that he purchased it by giving a Skoda owner's details and fitted it outside in an accessories shop.

It was a direct fit and no wire cutting or extra couplers were needed.

[newway]

Hi All,

Wife test drove slavia, was initially thinking of 1.0 however felt the accelaration was a bit slow. She felt it wasn't as good as her old vento 1.2 TSI DSG. Immediately test drove 1.5 and liked it.

Dealer has a 2024 model with attractive discounts ( approx 2 lakhs) however its a red one which we did not like. I am thinking of exploring for 2024 model in other states. Any idea which states/cities may have 1.5 TSI in stocks, appreciate your inputs. Also open to Vertus 1.5.

[akg7091]

I wish to know if anyone has any escalation contacts at Skoda India ?

[Hatari]

Been pushing the Slavia on every empty stretch of road - which is rare in Kolkata.

Very impressed with handling and the confidence it gives in fast turns - even in the wet.
I would think the Fiesta was really good but this is better.

Thats when the paddle shifters come in handy.

[dr.aviansh]

Originally Posted by Game_of_Roads

1. Does anyone have any similar experience ? Anything specific that I should check or watch out for ?
2. What's your experience with the Slavia over rumbler strips, especially the bigger ones. Does the car feel a little jarring over them in general ? Out on the highway from outside every other car seem to go much faster comfortably over rumblers and seemed to not slow down like I had to.

Hey i have had a similar experience. Firstly, as most people say the car has a plush suspension, well it doesn’t, which is why on highways you’re better off than in the city. I have a Corolla Altis and have used old Fiesta, Linea, Ikon, Yaris, 2nd Generation Dolphin Honda City. These were the cars that have an amazing suspension : Soft enough in city and stiff enough to be stable on highways.

With my Slavia, i was upset initially and i ended up taking matters into my own hands, when i asked the ASC to open the shockers and check them physically. To my surprise, the left shocker was much harder than the right which i asked them to replace. Since they couldn’t find any difference , i had to pay for it. Ultimately it was worth it. You can try the same too.

Secondly, before getting this i had even downsized to 195/65 R15 from the Active variant. The taller profiles make rumble strips feel less. I lost on suspension warranty due to tyre size change, which is why i had to pay for the shockers.

Also the stock Ceat Secura-drives are terrible. If Michelin is manufacturing PS4 then you can change your tyres to those. Trust me, good tyres make a lot of difference and keep PSI front : 28 and rear 29 only. That 33 is only for highways with luggage.

If you’re too troubled with the ride quality you can downsize to 195/65 R15 Bridgestone Turanza. That will give you much softer tyres and taller side profile. You won’t lose much of handling either as this size also comes in Base Model Slavia.

Ultimately I am now happy with my Slavia’s ride Quality with the downsized tyres and lower tyre pressure.

[din_djarin]

Hi, even I have faced the same issue. had to replace windshield twice in two years of ownership. I even called up skoda if they have degraded the quality of the glass, as I have a 2014 VW Polo that had windshield issue only once in its entire lifespan. Any solution for the issue?
Driving Slavia 1.5TSI MT style variant.

[vnskvn]

Its been 7 months and 8k kms in my Skoda. I dont like the OEM speakers. Anyone has changed these to aftermarkets. Let me know which make and model. For both front and rear. I will get it done at SVC.

Mod Note: Please stick to one period at the end of each sentence.

[itsbaman]

So, after six months and 9800 kms, Slavia met with its first accident. It was my mistake as I was driving faster than usual. The vehicle in front of me applied the brakes to avoid stray animals, and I rear-ended it.
The impact was solid; the other vehicle got its boot bent in, the rear bumper was broken, and the right side tail light was damaged. I signalled the other driver to let's stop at an open space, as there was no space to park vehicles at the accident spot, and traffic was piling up behind me.
We sorted the things in a civilised way. I apologised, paid the compensation, and we moved on after a handshake.
Slavia got minor dents, and one of the locks in the front bumper broke. But nothing serious.
I realised I had to control my speed.

[nsd9]

Pre-context:
We bought the Maruti Suzuki Brezza in 2021 as a family car. Later in 2022 I had to move back to Hyderabad as IT offices are mandating WFO with hybrid policies. My love for cars has been increasing and I wanted to own one but due to parking issues where I stay, I postponed the plan for a couple of years. Also wanted to save up some bucks to buy a new car. Meanwhile I kept on looking at cars in the used market and was open to buy if a good deal came up. That’s when I started looking for a VW Polo but the used one's price is pretty high due to the demand after its discontinuation. Polo introduced me to German cars and I started exploring the current VW/Skoda cars and saw countless drive review videos and read many blogs. My brother-in-law who switched from owning Creta 1.5 Turbo DCT to 1.2 TSI Vento DSG gave me good feedback about TSI performance and DSG gearbox. He said that if maintained well, German cars are the best to drive. I always wanted to play safe with reliable cars like Maruti Suzuki or Honda or Hyundai/Kia for peace of mind, but from then I started considering VW/Skoda cars too.

Cars in mind:
In October 2024, started looking for a new car and wanted to give test drives. My sole requirement was to buy an Automatic car within a budget of 20L(had to extend from initial budget of 15L for more options) and with good looks of course. Options considered were:

• Kia Sonet - I liked the looks of Sonet and it has DCT in 1.0 Turbo and the compact SUV seemed sufficient for city traffic and highway drives.
• Kia Seltos/Hyundai Creta - Within my budget, I could only think of 1.5 NA IVT variants in both the cars. 1.5 Turbo DCT variants were too pricey around 23-24L on-road Hyderabad, are out of my budget.
• VW Skoda twins(Taigun/Kushaq/Virtus/Slavia) - Like mentioned before, I wanted to experience the feeling of owning a German car and prepared my mind ready for the high maintenance and unplanned expenses in the long run.

Test drives:
First test drive I took was a VW Virtus 1.5 TSI DSG. Oh man! I instantly fell in love with it. Me being mostly drove Maruti/Hyundai cars, this feeling was something new to me. SA asked me to drive towards an empty road and then put the car in Sports mode. Whoa!!! I just went crazy and felt the adrenaline rush that I see in Fast & Furious movies. I might be sounding exaggerated but being only driven the entry level cars or Naturally Aspirated cars till then, my heart pounded when I drove the 1.5 Turbo Virtus in Sports mode.

In my mind, I have decided on 1.5 TSI cars, but wanted to test drive other cars that I considered.

Test drive at Kia Showroom, Raidurg -> Sonet 1.0 DCT wasn't available for test drive that day. Drove Seltos 1.5 NA IVT and it felt smooth and refined. But back of my mind, the drive on Virtus is still reeling even when I’m test driving Seltos. I understood what I wanted. I know it's unfair to compare 1.5NA with 1.5TSI, but I’m comparing two options that were of ~20L which is a big stretch from my initial budget of ~15L. Hyundai/Kia 1.5 Turbo(23-24L) is way out of my budget.

SUV vs Sedan:
Now that I have shortlisted the engine and transmission options with the 1.5TSI DSG, the next question is which car to choose. All the four(Taigun/Kushaq/Virtus/Slavia) cars are technically identical with the same features. I considered SUV options for my parents for the easy ingress and egress, but later thought they rarely visit me and Virtus/Slavia GC is not that low.
Though I have never owned a sedan before, I heard great things about the driving stability of Sedans. From my driving experience on our Brezza, I sometimes felt kind of roll over during speeds>100kmph. Finally I decided to go with Sedan for a better driving experience.

Virtus vs Slavia:
Shortlist came down to the German sedans Virtus and Slavia. Since the technical specs are the same, I only had to choose between the looks. As I mentioned my budget is ~20L and I could only afford the 1.5 TSI DSG mid-variant of these cars. I didn’t mind losing features in the top end model like Ventilated and Electrically Adjustable seats, Digital Instrument Cluster and Subwoofer in the boot.

Since I’m up for sedans, lately considered Verna 1.5 Turbo DCT and requested Hyundai Shaikpet folks for a test drive and they said they will bring the TD vehicle, but never actually came. Called thrice and they were busy with other customer test drives. So I didn’t follow up again. The comparatively low GC on Verna made me stick to Virtus/Slavia.

Personally for me, Virtus has a Sporty look and Slavia has an Elegant Design. And I preferred Virtus over Slavia then. Virtus looks are not futuristic as other cars in the market but its timeless design will stay for long. Like how the older generation Honda City cars still turn my head on the roads even after 15-20 years of their launch. But for some reason I didn’t like the mid variant Virtus compared to top end Virtus in terms of looks. Maybe the black alloys made a big difference. Also the stance seemed to be different, not sure why. I thought I’ll get the alloys painted to black.

Slavia Sportline variant launch:
That’s when Skoda launched a new variant called Slavia Sportline in the mid-variant range with the same blacked out exteriors in top-end Monte Carlo. I loved it to the fullest. Dechromed variant in Virtus is named as GT Plus Sport which is around 24L on-road Hyderabad. Also, VW showroom guys weren’t that interested in selling the Virtus mid-variant and pushed me towards buying Virtus/Taigun DSG top-end variants and offered good discounts. They also said Virtus mid-variant is out of stock and the company is not accepting bookings for it. Another VW showroom SA said Virtus DSG mid-variant is not being manufactured by the company due to low sales numbers and if booking amount is paid, they’ll place an order request with the company.

(A big question I have is, Virtus and Slavia being the same cars have a big difference in the on-road price(Hyderabad) of Top end DSG variants. The features are also the same. Anyone know why?
Virtus 1.5 GT Plus Sport -> Nearly 24L
Slavia 1.5 Monte Carlo DSG -> A bit above 22L)

I jumped in joy when Slavia was offered in the same dechromed version in the price range of 20L. Finally after a couple of years of obsessive car buying journey and exploration, I decided to buy a Skoda Slavia 1.5 TSI DSG Sportline variant.

Wait for year end offers and Final Booking:
I waited for the year-end offers that are usually given for previous year models(2024) between December’24-March’25 based on the stock availability. But to my bad luck, offers were only given to either Kushaq/Taigun 1.5 variants or Slavia 1.0 variants. I thought about why to pay almost full price for the previous year model with less discounts and went ahead booking a 2025 manufactured model from Mahavir Skoda, Jubilee Hills.

Finally, we took the delivery of our black beast on 1st April 2025. On the same day, just hours before the car delivery we got to know that we are soon going to be parents, which doubled our happiness.



Initial impressions:

1. Loved the looks more than anything. Skoda’s elegant design with sporty blacked out exteriors.
2. DSG gear shifts are smooth and quick. But gearshifts between 1-2 gears could have been better. It shifts to 1st gear when it could easily pull off in second gear. Would love to hear other BHPian’s thoughts on this.
3. 1.5 TSI’s power is amazing and I’m loving the short rides so much. Haven’t used the Sport mode much due to City traffic, but when used my heart just revvvvs up.
4. Mostly running in city traffic and as expected Fuel Efficiency on Turbo Engines is showing its numbers. Getting FEs between 5-10kmpl. The average observed is 7-8kmpl.
5. Due to family constraints, I couldn't go on longer drives now. Eagerly waiting for highway cruising.

What I realised in this Car buying journey:
Most of us look for features when purchasing a car. Agree that there are essential and safety features that we definitely need. Rear camera with a screen is much needed these days. But there are many good-to-have features which we might not remember when we start driving the car. My car has a sunroof but I don’t realise/remember it, because I really don’t use/need that feature to be honest.
The road presence and features of Creta/Seltos is something I craved for. But in the end it’s the driving pleasure that I prioritised over anything else.

Final thoughts:
I have read many threads on this forum which clarified my queries about Skoda VW cars, DSG failures and educated me in a lot of things which helped me in making a good and calculated decision for myself.
A big shout out to all BHPians who take out their time and share their knowledge to educate the driving community. I'm humbled.