[dezrskb]

I took a test drive of a new Skoda Superb Tsi 1.8 AT with 7 speed DSG a week back. It was so good that more than a week I was thinking of ordering the L & K version straight away. I was even thinking of stretching my budget for this car. Non availability of Diesel version facilitated the decision even further.

But then sense returned to my head and I thought lets do some more research on this 7 speed box. I don't keep two cars and this car I am going to buy next should be as reliable as possible. I called the sales person at Skoda and asked him to find out the model number of the gear box this car uses and he told me DQ200 "wet clutch" !!! By this time I had done enough research on this to know this was the "dry clutch " and later SP confirmed it. For me it was over then and there.

Also I recollected the hassle I had in replacing the front windshield of the Skoda Laura 2.0 CR TDI MT which I drive now since 4 years. Even though Bangalore Tafe Access had the part, they decided to get it from Aurangabad and the glass came after two weeks of wait but had come cracked from factory they said! So I had to drive to Bangalore 350 kms away and they replaced it in a day!

Now Tafe Access Mangalore claims there is a stock of VW -Skoda- Audi parts at Bangalore and getting any part shouldn't take more than couple of days. But still my colleague has his Superb which met with a minor accident there since 13 days because non availability of parts. So I guess nothing much has changed since then.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by arunphilip

I'm not sure why they'd not gone back to the drawing board to make a version 2 of the DQ200 to get it right.

I thought Skoda has done just that and renamed it the DQ200-7F? My Octavia has the DQ200 but the Superb gets the 7F.

Unsure what is the difference as both are 7 speed dry clutch DSGs with capped torque ratings of 250 Nm.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by dezrskb

Now Tafe Access Mangalore claims there is a stock of VW -Skoda- Audi parts at Bangalore and getting any part shouldn't take more than couple of days. But still my colleague has his Superb which met with a minor accident there since 13 days because non availability of parts. So I guess nothing much has changed since then.

The strategy is to stock mostly service parts. Since this is a new, low volume model. Body parts stock would be minimal. They would need to put in a special order for this

[mysticmonkey]

Hello BHPians,
I have received the vehicle today. Since Skoda has maintained a studied silence, delivery of the vehicle was taken under protest.

Way Forward / Next Steps
1. I have already taken the first step i.e. filing a police complaint against Skoda India, Skoda a.s and its directors. Hopefully, it will take its own course.
2. The action item is a consumer complaint. I have managed to get the dealership on record (on tape) stating that DSG is a manufacturing defect and since it is a widespread problem, Skoda continues to offer protection even after the warranty period. Hopefully this will bolster the case.

Help needed
I need your help in getting information about vehicles with the DSG 200 which have undergone replacement. Need this is establish that the problem is widespread and that the product is inherently defective. For now, if you or anyone you know has received such a replacement from Skoda, request you to PM the vehicle details (model, year and some identification like registration or VIN). This is only for the purpose of inclusion in the complaint to make it stronger.

Thank you. Will keep updating as and when things unfold.

[shyamkb]

I bought my Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI, in July of 2014. It is now in a workshop, where it has been languishing for the last 2 weeks and no end in sight.

My hopes, dreams and arguably, ill-placed faith in Skoda is over.

When I first bought the car, I saw questions about the DSG gearbox and, in my eagerness to get into this smooth revving beauty, I ignored the warnings. It was driving perfectly alright until September 8th 2016. While driving, the car suddenly lost power and the MIDI system flashed "gearbox failure."

I thought the gear lever had somehow slipped to neutral but that was not the case. The MIDI said "D" but the car refused to engage and I stalled dangerously near a cross road, causing a traffic jam. I stopped the car and after a few attempts of starting and restarting , the gear engaged and I drove it slowly back home.

When I called Skoda, their first response was to ask me to get it towed or drive it myself. After much back and forth, they sent a driver who drove it back to the workshop. After analysis , their report (verbal) was that the gearbox has to be replaced and they are now waiting for the unit to come from the Czech republic and it could take up to a month!!

I am very sad and disappointed that after spending 23 lacs on a car, it can fail in such a dangerous manner. Next week i had to drive to shimoga from bangalore. The car isn't here, but even if it was, I am not sure I have the confidence to drive it. Worse still (yes worse than even a 23 lac car faiing miserably) is the after sales Service at Skoda. The ASS ( and the acronym is apt here) is abysmal .

I have no idea when my car will be back and there seems to be no urgency on their part. They do not have parts stocked, and they do not seem bothered either.

Does anyone here have any suggestions on how I can expedite this? I am trying to escalate it through some contacts and I also seek the support of the Team-BHP community.

Also, please consider my experience before you spend your hard earned money for VW/Skoda products.

[Voyager-1]

Originally Posted by shyamkb

Also, please consider my experience before you spend your hard earned money for VW/Skoda products.

Just when I am considering the same Octavia 1.8 TSI, I come across your thread. It is shocking how it failed in the middle of the road and that too for a vehicle just over 2 years old.

Do you have extended warranty? if so, at least you don't have to shell out lakhs for the gearbox. Please ask for a replacement vehicle for you to use while the car is in the workshop. If possible, don't leave the car in the workshop and keep it at your home. I can't imagine a car gathering dust in the workshop for a month.

Skoda's 100 Crores promise of revamping their service centers with 1-2 days access to spare parts is very hollow.

[Santoshbhat]

Oh No!! DSG woes are not over yet! I simply can't believe they have not yet sorted out this gear box after so many years (DQ200) and yet they want to equip every other car with it. For such a mainstream application across a large group (VWAG) the DQ 200 7 DSG is simply not reliable enough. Seeing how common the failure rate is, I would recommend the VW group to give a spare gear box to every car buyer just like they give a spare key.

Just trying to understand the kind of usage the car has been subject to which lead to the failure.
Current mileage?
Usage pattern? City / highway split?

[shyamkb]

Originally Posted by Voyager-1

Do you have extended warranty? if so, at least you don't have to shell out lakhs for the gearbox. Please ask for a replacement vehicle for you to use while the car is in the workshop. If possible, don't leave the car in the workshop and keep it at your home. I can't imagine a car gathering dust in the workshop for a month.

Skoda's 100 Crores promise of revamping their service centers with 1-2 days access to spare parts is very hollow.

No, but they indicated that the replacement would be taken care of , since it's a manufacturing defect.

Yes good idea. I will get the car back until the gearbox arrives
Thanks

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Just trying to understand the kind of usage the car has been subject to which lead to the failure.
Current mileage?
Usage pattern? City / highway split?

I use it for short daily runs with weekend longer trips, and the occasional highway trip..

Havent used it too much, as you can tell from the mileage of 9500 km in 2 years. Is that the issue?

Originally Posted by shyamkb

I bought my Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI, in July of 2014. It is now in a workshop, where it has been languishing for the last 2 weeks and no end in sight.

Does anyone here have any suggestions on how I can expedite this. I am trying to escalate it through some contacts and I also seek the support of the Team BHP community..

We should connect. We definitely need lemon laws in this country. I would like a full refund , frankly. And it pains me to say it, because when it works, the car drives absolutely beautifully. But what use of beauty when it lets you down!

NOTE FROM T-BHP SUPPORT: Please avoid quoting the entire post as it may inconvenience small-screen / mobile users. Quote only the relevant portions of the post instead. Please read the Announcements carefully before proceeding. Thanks.

[landcruiser123]

Shocking to know that Skoda still suffers from DSG failures. I know a friend who had a scare in his Polo GT TSI, but it was just a 'disconnected coupler' as explained by the ASC at Hyderabad.

I think you should tweet this and mail the higher authorities. It would help to have some documentation, dealer info etc on this thread.

Originally Posted by Voyager-1

Do you have extended warranty? if so, at least you don't have to shell out lakhs for the gearbox.

Agree that extended warranty is nice to have, but it's a risk buying these vehicles which are prone to transmission failures. A transmission failure should almost never occur and it's inconvenient not to have your car for daily commutes for 3-6 weeks.

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Just trying to understand the kind of usage the car has been subject to which lead to the failure.
Current mileage?
Usage pattern? City / highway split?

Usage pattern must not lead to gearbox failures over for a 2 year old car which has run 95xx kms. I think Skoda has still not optimized the gearbox to serve reliably in the harsh Indian conditions and lack of effective consumer protection laws means that they are selling the car without any worry as they can get away with it.

[Voyager-1]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Agree that extended warranty is nice to have, but it's a risk buying these vehicles which are prone to transmission failures. A transmission failure should almost never occur and it's inconvenient not to have your car for daily commutes for 3-6 weeks.

Totally agree.

I think Skoda has still not optimized the gearbox to serve reliably in the harsh Indian conditions and lack of effective consumer protection laws means that they are selling the car without any worry as they can get away with it.

In the recent Team-bhp meet in Kurnool, this topic came up. Our mod (Vid6639) said that in the manufacturing process, the best quality gear boxes would go to Audi, the next quality to VW and the rest would go to Skoda. I was shocked to hear this, but it is evident from the fact that Audi and VW have stopped selling this DQ200 gearbox and only Skoda sells it.

I can't help, but recollecting this old joke. This is how Skoda India treats Indian customers.

A man bought a donkey from an old farmer for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day.

Come morning, the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry, but I've got some bad news. The donkey died."

"Well then, just give me my money back."

"Can't do that. I spent it already," replied the farmer.

"OK then, just unload the donkey."

"What're you gonna do with him?" asked the farmer.

"I'm gonna raffle him off."

"Ya can't raffle off a dead donkey!" exclaimed the farmer.

"Sure I can. Watch me. I just won't tell anyone he's dead."

A month later the farmer met up with the guy and asked about what happened with the dead donkey. "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at $2 apiece and made a profit of $898."

"Didn't no one complain?" asked the farmer.

"Just the guy who won. So I gave him his $2 back."

[Arjun Reddy]

So what happens after waiting a month for a gear box change ? They will replace it on warranty with a similar box which is again going to fail ? Lol. On a serious note Skoda seems to spending their 100 crores on advertisements and not on solving the actual gearbox issues. Time for Skoda to detune their engines to probably 140 BHP in the hope for reliability. Probably that the reason the they will switch to the 1.4 L engine shortly.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by shyamkb

No, but they indicated that the replacement would be taken care of , since it's a manufacturing defect.

Yes good idea. I will get the car back until the gearbox arrives
Thanks



I use it for short daily runs with weekend longer trips, and the occasional highway trip..

Havent used it too much, as you can tell from the mileage of 9500 km in 2 years. Is that the issue?

Was your gearbox oil changed to a mineral based one during any service?

[shyamkb]

Update on the issue

The dealer (Tafe access) called and informed me that the mechantronic unit has been dispatched from czech, and should be here by the 28th, and hopefully I will get the car back on the 30th.

[Voyager-1]

Originally Posted by shyamkb

Update on the issue.

Thanks for the update. In fact, I have been talking to the same dealer for the TSI for the last few days and have taken couple of test drives in both TSI and TDI. Yesterday evening, I had sent them the link to your post and expressed my concern for the gearbox reliability, the long wait for replacing the gearbox and the fact that the gearboxes are not stocked here.

[Acharya]

Does it really work in this fashion? As far as I remember, manufacturers have certain quality standards, quality checks are defined on these standards. A unit either passes the tests or fails it. In fact, in sample testing whole lot is expected to be scrapped even if few units are found to be faulty.

Is VAG, knowingly passing faulty parts to Skoda, especially to developing markets?

This sounds similar to what VAGs were doing with emission norms, design an intelligent fraud which is difficult to prove by a common Joe

Originally Posted by Voyager-1

the best quality gear boxes would go to Audi, the next quality to VW and the rest would go to Skoda.