[sinharishi]

Originally Posted by riziali

Hi, i would like to understand from your experience of driving the manual for over 5500 kms now, how is the clutch travel and how are the gear shifts?
Is the clutch travel too long and heavy or its just one of them ( either too long or too heavy) or none and its perfect. Do let me know. Been looking for some answers on the same.
Some reviews on the virtus manual say that the clutch is extremely hard and travel is long too.
Thanks in advance.

Yes the travel is long, that is it. It is not hard/heavy. However, MT will not be my preferred choice if I had to drive daily in B2B traffic.

[AlokSharma]

Originally Posted by sinharishi

Yes the travel is long, that is it. It is not hard/heavy. However, MT will not be my preferred choice if I had to drive daily in B2B traffic.

Hey thanks for providing us with these updates from time to time.

I want to know about the two major issues that was plaguing the slavia owners till recently. The Ac cooling and the interior rattling noises. Since your car is a recent batch of production, have they addressed these issues. Do you find the ac cooling sufficient or is it still below par. Did you choose the manual over dsg for the fact that you won't have to deal with any issues that crop up with the dsg in the future and your car ownership remains a hassle free experience or it was for pure driving thrill of a manual?

Thanks.

[sinharishi]

Originally Posted by AlokSharma

Hey thanks for providing us with these updates from time to time.

I want to know about the two major issues that was plaguing the slavia owners till recently. The Ac cooling and the interior rattling noises. Since your car is a recent batch of production, have they addressed these issues. Do you find the ac cooling sufficient or is it still below par. Did you choose the manual over dsg for the fact that you won't have to deal with any issues that crop up with the dsg in the future and your car ownership remains a hassle free experience or it was for pure driving thrill of a manual?

Thanks.

Hey Alok,

The AC was below par, post fix it is ok now but nowhere close to Scross or even say a Polo. I had to keep the blower at 4 post fix to keep the cabin cool when outside temp was 42 degrees. No rattling noises from the dashboard yet, had to take detours on my recent trips via some internal broken roads of UP. Was maintaining decent speed given the ride quality is top notch. Nothing cropped up.

I went for MT only because of DSG. Had 1.5 came with a TC, I wouldn't have bought the MT. Having said that, I don't use my car daily for office commutes and NCR does not see traffic as bad as Mumbai or Bengaluru. So you don't find yourself changing gears that often.

Hope this helps.

[AlokSharma]

Originally Posted by sinharishi

Hey Alok,

The AC was below par, post fix it is ok now but nowhere close to Scross or even say a Polo. I had to keep the blower at 4 post fix to keep the cabin cool when outside temp was 42 degrees. No rattling noises from the dashboard yet, had to take detours on my recent trips via some internal broken roads of UP. Was maintaining decent speed given the ride quality is top notch. Nothing cropped up.

I went for MT only because of DSG. Had 1.5 came with a TC, I wouldn't have bought the MT. Having said that, I don't use my car daily for office commutes and NCR does not see traffic as bad as Mumbai or Bengaluru. So you don't find yourself changing gears that often.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the reply. I have the same mindset of buying the manual for both reasons i.e thrill of driving, a manual is a manual and the issues that can crop up with the dsg. Buying a manual in 1.5 gets you peace of mind. Offcourse, the dsg is a beautiful piece of a gearbox. But the risk reward of buying it for me is not in favour of it.

I live in Mumbai and currently drive a manual. For the above reason, I am ready to live with the manual and hope they solve the rattling and ac issues in the recent batches that they are manufacturing.

Only issue now is they don't have a 1.5 manual on a test drive vehicle. Though I have been offered to test drive Kushaq 1.5 manual, the clutch travel and stiffness can differ between the two. Nevertheless, atleast I get to feel the 1.5 TSI in a manual form.

I will be doing the test drive in a week's time.

[riziali]

Originally Posted by sinharishi

Yes the travel is long, that is it. It is not hard/heavy. However, MT will not be my preferred choice if I had to drive daily in B2B traffic.

hey, thanks so much for the update. Mumbai is crazy with traffic and for daily use i do have an Ignis AMT which serves the purpose. This would be a second car and not driven that regularly. Highway trips and late evening drives mostly.
Thanks again for sharing. All the best with your Slavia

[Gotham]

Originally Posted by audioholic

The usual remove, put tape and refit procedure. Some day I will ask them to replace the front fascia of the dash under warranty. The new part is solid with no creaks.

I had given the car to diagnose the rattle / vibration noise from the dashboard and also wanted them to check the tweeter for buzzing noise while playing high frequency tracks.

They kept the car with them for 24 hours & managed to find a loose clip inside the dashboard near the glove box and they also found another loose contact near the AC that was causing noise but wasn't audible inside. They fixed both promptly , have driven the car on the same stretch where I used to get the noise and happy to report its completely gone

However the tweeter issue is something I have to live with as the master technician concluded its working fine as designed. I've a pair good speakers from my previous car along with the AMP , will have them installed in few weeks and move on in life.

Got the horn replaced & boy oh boy what a stark difference. While at it got the hood insulation done just because I didn't like empty space.

As this was my first experience with Skoda ASS I had kept my expectations low but I must say they did a fab job in handling my case and service was very prompt. I was assigned SA Akash at Tafe Kudlu was very knowledgable & knew what he was doing. He kept me posted at every stage over WhatsApp and ensured the car was delivered to me at the promised time. Hope this is not a one time wonder experience for me.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by Gotham

buzzing noise while playing high frequency tracks.

They kept the car with them for 24 hours & managed to find a loose clip inside the dashboard near the glove box and they also found another loose contact near the AC that was causing noise but wasn't audible inside.

I was assigned SA Akash at Tafe Kudlu was very knowledgable & knew what he was doing. He kept me posted at every stage over WhatsApp and ensured the car was delivered to me at the promised time. Hope this is not a one time wonder experience for me.

Good to know about your experience. What I have observed is that when I play music over wireless carplay, there is a slight distortion somewhere at the higher frequencies. However with wired carplay, the sound is just amazing.

The SAs at Tafe Kudlu are pretty well trained. You can also approach Sudarshan next time and he is also a gem of a person. Maintaining a good rapport with these guys can change any ASC experience day and night. During my brake service the SA invited me over to the bay even though I didnt insist, and stood beside during the entire job. In return I treat them with some chocolates etc which is very well appreciated. So this has worked for me from the Maruti times to Toyota till Skoda.

Their feedback system is now equivalent to Maruti. If you give a negative remark they have a team to sit and get it resolved before it reaches Skoda Pune and they will never let that happen unless its a technical complaint which is formally recorded against your vehicle for Skoda to resolve.

[Gotham]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Good to know about your experience. What I have observed is that when I play music over wireless carplay, there is a slight distortion somewhere at the higher frequencies. However with wired carplay, the sound is just amazing.

So far I didn't think of using the wired CarPlay , will try it today and see if that makes the difference. I agree the ASC experience can change by having good rapport with the SA. My previous car was a Maruti so I can relate to what you said. I hope they continue to have such well trained staff

[amit1agrawal]

I'm facing issues with TAFE Access Bangalore regarding the activation of a 4-year SMP package for my Slavia. They initially missed activating the package, and I only discovered it when I dropped my car for the first service. After numerous difficulties, they finally activated the package, and though they agreed to refund me, I had to pay initially. However, it now appears that the package is only activated for the 2nd and 3rd year, and they are asking me to pay for the first year, contrary to their previous resolution (which I have in writing). The TAFE Access CRM Manager is insisting on payment for the first service, causing immense frustration.

I am considering escalating this matter to Skoda management. Previously, Zac was very responsive on Twitter, but his replacement Petr seems less so. Any advice on how to get the attention of senior officials in Skoda would be greatly appreciated, as I am reluctant to rely on TAFE Access to resolve this issue. Thank you in advance (TIA)

[Gotham]

Originally Posted by amit1agrawal

I am considering escalating this matter to Skoda management. Previously, Zac was very responsive on Twitter, but his replacement Petr seems less so. Any advice on how to get the attention of senior officials in Skoda would be greatly appreciated, as I am reluctant to rely on TAFE Access to resolve this issue. Thank you in advance (TIA)

Write a strong email to Skoda Management along with proof of payment for the SMP & the writing confirmation from Tafe , this should be enough to get the ball rolling

[amit1agrawal]

Originally Posted by Gotham

Write a strong email to Skoda Management along with proof of payment for the SMP & the writing confirmation from Tafe , this should be enough to get the ball rolling

Skoda customer care was already involved in the email chain. Do you have pointers to the Skoda India management team. If yes kindly share. TIA.

[sizz28]

Hi Team-BHPians,
Looking for your feedback and advice - So I have booked Slavia 1.5 AT Lava Blue edition because we (me & spouse) took the test drive of 1.5 only and were super impressed by the driving dynamics and looks (both almost equally imp). We booked the Lava Blue edition as it comes with few extra features that I personally felt are going to be quite useful.
However, we got an update earlier this week that the 1.5 AT models for Lava Blue editions are delayed by 2 months, which is pretty disappointing.
The SA mentioned that the 1.0 AT will be available fairly soon so if we want to go for 1.0, we can get it quickly. I took the TD of 1.0 on city roads and it seemed fairly good for that. The driving dynamics and feel was more or less similar, however I noticed a few things different than the 1.5L model -
1. The engine grunt and noise is noticeably higher in 1.0L specially above 2.5k rpm.
2. The initial pickup (from stop position) was smoother in 1.5. In 1.0 I felt more jerkiness i.e. more power being delivered initially.
3. I also felt the suspension to be more firm in 1.0L, which doesn't make sense because the suspension is same. Maybe difference in TD vehicles. I confirmed the air pressure was 33 in 1.0 and it was same in 1.5 also when I had done the TD.

Are these observations in line with yours (those who did TD of both)?

However on an overall level, both me and spouse felt okay with 1.0. No major performance difference. While 1.0 is around 2 Lacs cheaper but that isn't a major concern for us.
I am seeking inputs from you guys on -
A. what else should we consider in choosing between these 2?
B. Those of you have have 1.0 AT - how is the highway performance? Our usage is city drive on weekdays (20-25kms per day max) and visits of Bangalore outskirt (in around 100km radius) on weekends with around 1 longer trip (300-400 kms from Bangalore) every 2 months.

Overall seeking advice on should we wait for the 1.5 AT or just go with 1.0AT right now. The wait time difference would be 2 months (can be more too) for 1.5 vs around 10 days for 1.0.

[Gotham]

Originally Posted by sizz28

Overall seeking advice on should we wait for the 1.5 AT or just go with 1.0AT right now. The wait time difference would be 2 months (can be more too) for 1.5 vs around 10 days for 1.0.

The 1.0 AT is no slouch and is quite a performer in City & highway but if I were in your shoes I would wait for 1.5 & also explore other dealers. I took delivery of mine in the first week of June. While booking I was told Lava Blue has issues in supply however I was offered Anniversary edition in Red which anyway was our most preferred choice. I took delivery from Tafe Access St Marks Road , not sure if you have booked with the same dealer.

[sinharishi]

Originally Posted by sizz28

However on an overall level, both me and spouse felt okay with 1.0. No major performance difference.

Well, you are right. 1.0 pulls like a maniac till 140 kmph before running out of breath. On the other hand 1.5 keeps pulling, also has linear acceleration vs 1.0.

The 1.5 is powerful and yet fuel efficient. My 1.0 AT Polo gives lesser mileage vs my 1.5 TSI MT Slavia in both city and highway. So out on the highway, I can be at good speeds and yet yield some good FE with the 1.5. The way 1.0 reacts will make you drive it fast, but at the cost of FE.

If FE is not a factor, IMHO the 1.0 AT should be the choice. It has the ASIN 6-Speed TC vs the 7-Speed DSG on the 1.5 (known to be unreliable).

[sizz28]

Originally Posted by Gotham

The 1.0 AT is no slouch and is quite a performer in City & highway but if I were in your shoes I would wait for 1.5 & also explore other dealers. I took delivery of mine in the first week of June. While booking I was told Lava Blue has issues in supply however I was offered Anniversary edition in Red which anyway was our most preferred choice. I took delivery from Tafe Access St Marks Road , not sure if you have booked with the same dealer.

My booking is also at Tafe St Marks road. I have already talked to Raja Skoda and their SA basically said that book 1.5 Style as they don't have any Lava Blue allocation. He said that Skoda is rebadging anniversary edition as Lava Blue (which is true) and there isn't new production of vehicles in this model so dealers may get 1 or 2 more allocation at max. It was over phone only and somehow I didn't feel convinced about this because if there is no new units being produced then why would Skoda announce the Lava Blue edition, they would have continued calling it anniversary edition only.

Btw, your recents posts about your Skody have been helpful. So wanted to say thank you.