[jamminbobin]

This EPC issue that's popping up in the Kushaq, is it all in the DSG variants?

[eccentric]

Below are the questions that intrigue my mind,
- How this EPC error was not caught in any Media drives?
- How much KMs were the media allowed to drive before publishing a review?
- Were the media drive cars equipped with a different sound functioning component that didn't throw this error even once?
- Was there any last-minute cost reduction activity in the production line that has gone wrong?

Originally Posted by dh.harshal

- Isn't it the manufacturer responsibility to provide the tight specs to the suppliers?

We must understand that the Sourcing department of an OEM always wants the supplier who could manufacture the desired component at the lowest cost. Therefore, tight fit and tolerances are sacrificed even in critical areas in favor of low-cost acquisitions.

- Isn't it manufacturer responsibility to test the material lots for quality and reject anything that doesn't adhere to specs?

Absolutely. What they just check is," Fitment to Assembly." Sadly, the Quality department is the least relevant one in an OEM. They have the least power in the hierarchy, will be forced to qualify a less-sound product by the pressure of the top management for time being and later bear the brunt from the service team and co. for warranty claims!

- Isn't it manufacturer responsibility to provide and guarantee the finished good quality to the customer?

Yes, unfortunately no OEMs care about us! Reading threads in our forums, I understand how difficult it is for consumers to claim basic warranty on spares. An OEM and its dealer thrive via selling spares. For example, if a Tier-3 supplier bills the OEM Rs.2/- for an oil seal, the OEM sells the same to us for Rs.250/-. The profit margins are un-imaginable. An OEM just operates for profits and their assured customer satisfaction slogans and reviews are just another hogwash.

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

This justification that localisation means quality drop is seriously absurd. If the plastics seem cheap for instance its because that's what the OEM chose and not what could have been supplied (for cost reasons obviously).

We have Indian made cars with components from India based suppliers being exported to other markets, even developed one's, so if anyone is to blame here it's the OEM for not doing their validation properly!

Again, be it any OEM, the components say nut, bolt, sheet metal thickness and composition allocated for export is way superior to the same corresponding part allocated for local production. Even, the overall dimension and weight of the final product will differ.

As you rightly said, it is the mentality of OEMs to treat Indian consumers in such a poor regard.

Originally Posted by MADMAX111

They should build their cars to their usual standards, localisation be damned( it definitely lowers the quality) as it dilutes their USP

Spot on, brother! The synergy level offered by a localized part in an imported assembly is always poor, at least to me.

[avishar]

Too much snobbery over a car which is like developing world entry-level product of a mass-market brand. T-Rocs in Europe are popular as beater cars for Learner's organizations and buying them excludes no other perception, other than the fact that you are really on a budget.

Of course, in between all this we need to blame bash Tata a bit too. Here you have a brand new model, whose owners are trying to calculate compression ratios and what not to try and fix a problem which Skoda should have caught while they were doing "lakhs of kms" of testing in India.

I am sorry Skoda is not even apologetic over what is happening. If this had happened to Mahindra and Tata - where it seems it is a roll of the dice of when your car will stop in the middle of the road, the internet would have broken by now. Unfortunately we have no consumer protection laws or else Skoda should be forced to stop selling the Kushaq temporarily and issue a recall. This is not a "niggle".

And let me add I really want VAG to be successful with the twins but it is been pretty disappointing so far.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by eccentric

- How this EPC error was not caught in any Media drives?
- How much KMs were the media allowed to drive before publishing a review?

Not sure about the Kushaq issue with EPC but in general, media cars can be specially prepared with some hacks and overrides of certain warnings which otherwise in series production cars might throw check engine lights or limp modes. Not sure if thats the case here too. But media drives would be hardly a few hundred kms at the most. Here owners are experiencing it at various distances some even a few thousand kms already.

[shancz]

Quite concerned with the EPC issues. Was expecting the first iteration to have niggles and some issues but not total breakdowns like this. Worst is the issue is recurring.
But most importantly its a loss of trust in the car to finish a journey, in 2021

After the threads on issues faced by new Kias, Tatas and now Skoda trumping them in severity and frequency doesn't paint a rosy picture of our car scene at all.

Skoda and Zac with their "customer centric" approach should :
1. Find the cause
2. Find the solution
3. Communicate all details to the customers at the very least
4. Issue recalls and fix it for good

Communicate is before the fix as I have noticed that recent issues seem to swept under the rug. We don't get to know either the cause or the fix. This would be a very welcome move from Skoda and help its image.

I hope it turns out to be faulty sensors and not something major.

[nitinsagar22]

Zac tweeted, a handful in thousands of delivered cars have shown this problem.

I presume similar issues would occur in upcoming Taigun as well as the components are shared with Kushaq. It isn’t a simple niggle to workaround something or drive to a service Center to get sorted. The cars are stalling and need be towed to service station. This in itself is a nightmare considering the amount of money spent on these cars. Even if there is 0.1% chance for this to happen Within first few thousand kms it’s very scary to get stuck on road with family in the car. Does anyone know for sure are these issues 1.0L variant specific or were seen on 1.5L DSG as well?

[AB84]

Hi

Amongst all the news around EPC, have gone ahead and taken delivery of my 1.5 MT yesterday.

Apparently , out of 65 odd cars rolled out from South Mumbai Mody Skoda since launch , none has reported this issue so far.

Fellow BHPians who have taken deliveries and have opted out of essential kit, any recommended places to get after market mats , flaps, sun shades, matting etc

[adventureseeker]

Originally Posted by avishar

Unfortunately we have no consumer protection laws or else Skoda should be forced to stop selling the Kushaq temporarily and issue a recall. This is not a "niggle".

I beg to differ Sir. There are ample consumer protection laws in our country and this can be termed as deficiency in goods/services under the Consumer Protection Act and the manufacturer could be held responsible if taken to consumer forums. What is lacking in India is the awareness and the will to fight for our own rights. The system of disposal of cases in consumer forums are quick as well unlike the regular courts, issue can be resolved in 6 months.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by igemini

Somehow this is only one side of the story.

Just wondering - what could be the other side of this story? What's the owner to gain from bashing his brand new car, one for which he spent 16-17L, on social media?

He cannot demand, and hasn't asked for accident repair to be covered by Skoda. Doesn't look like a fake profile either.

On the other hand, can clearly see the opposite trend of fanboys (or sponsored profiles!) attacking every negative comment on the groups. So much so that people are attaching proof of ownership along with their story - not to get trolled.

Here is one latest example -

[GTO]

If these Kushaq owners think they have it bad with the niggles & problems, just wait till they experience the world-famous, notoriously incompetent Skoda service at dealerships run by thugs. Then they will know the true meaning of torture.

A problematic car backed by the second-worst after-sales in the country (Nissan is the worst) is a recipe for disaster.

Zac cannot be stepping in everywhere. The system should automatically run like a well-oiled machine (e.g. Maruti's).

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by GTO

If these Kushaq owners think they have it bad with the niggles & problems, just wait till they experience the world-famous, notoriously incompetent Skoda service at dealerships. Zac cannot be stepping in everywhere

I believe "Skoda = dreaded service" is an equation that's been around ever since they stepped on Indian soil. Has anything changed for the positive till date? No. I'd say it is to do with org. culture and leadership commitment.

As an example, why is Toyota's service acclaimed? Not because they have competent staff. It is only because a) products are generally built to last which is an outcome of the Q culture, b) thus fewer complaints are reported and, c) there are good service practices in place.

While best practices can be "copied", org. culture cannot.

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by vigsom

I believe "Skoda = dreaded service" is an equation that's been around ever since they stepped on Indian soil. Has anything changed for the positive till date? No. I'd say it is to do with org. culture and leadership commitment.

Beg to differ, the service in Bangalore and Trivandrum too have been great. Infact I have seen the improvements over years and now it’s very professional in Bangalore, at least Tafe where I give. Infact once accidentally they happened to damage the windshield of my Octavia (barely visible, just a dot) during regular service and they proactively called me and replaced it.
On the contrary for my alto service they did not fix the problems I asked them to and I have been waiting since 5 months to get a call from Maruti to give a low rating

[CEF_Beasts]

One thing that confuses me is that how did media cars have no issues related with EPC but people buying them are facing issues?? Did Skoda make some changes to the cars after the media drives?

[bosem123]

We already knew that India receives minimum features on the whole, as an automotive market. The types of errors I noticed in the above posts make me seriously think that Skoda has made Indian consumers into beta testers. What else can explain the unheard-of errors being seen right now?

[Rahul9229]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Just wondering - what could be the other side of this story? What's the owner to gain from bashing his brand new car, one for which he spent 16-17L, on social media?

He cannot demand, and hasn't asked for accident repair to be covered by Skoda. Doesn't look like a fake profile either.

On the other hand, can clearly see the opposite trend of fanboys (or sponsored profiles!) attacking every negative comment on the groups. So much so that people are attaching proof of ownership along with their story - not to get trolled.

Here is one latest example -

Attachment 2201273

Attachment 2201274

Hello friends.

This was my post and I would like to request all prospective buyers not to buy this car till this issue is fixed. It's a real pain realising that the 18lakh car you just got, can stop anytime on the middle of the highway stranding you and your family.
Today , I got an update from the service manager that all rattles have been sorted out, power window motor is changed. But they are still working on EPC and starting issue as both may be related to each other and skoda India is directly handling this particular issue.