[shancz]

Originally Posted by navrddy

- But i think, the problem looks more deep than just fuel quality issue.

- Usually TSI engines are more sensitive to fuel quality issues.

- Agree, seems to me too.

- Then why aren't the Polos and Rapids reporting the same issues ? Same TSi and gearboxes right(except the 1.5) ?
That's why I don't think its a fuel quality issue.
Only one way to find out and that way is through Skoda India, hopefully.

Also we've T-Rocs running with the 1.5TSi-DSG combo, I haven't seen an issue so far but yes, they're very limited in number so could ignore them for now.
IMO a classic case of cost cutting gone wrong but still hopeful on getting a honest root-cause analysis from Skoda.

[John]

If you Google the term 'EPC problem', you'll see that this is a problem not just limited to India.
Seems to me that it's an electronics problem and not due to faulty fuel pumps. The robust fuel pump solution appears to be a ploy to buy time.

This is from a Jan '21 article J D Power article :

"EPC stands for Electronic Power Control, a computerized ignition and engine management system used in many recent Volkswagen Group vehicles. Originally designed to manage ignition and throttle functions, EPC's role now includes oversight of a number of electronic systems like electronic stability control and cruise control.
In normal operation, your vehicle's Electronic Control Unit (ECU) is the "brain" of the car, enabling the engine, drivetrain, and other systems to operate properly. The EPC works in concert with the ECU to monitor functions, and if something goes wrong, the EPC flashes a warning light on the dash.
At the same time, depending upon the malfunction, other warning lights like the "check engine" light might also illuminate. The cruise control could turn itself off, and the electronic stability control might cease functioning as well."

Link to the article:
https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shoppin...-mean-on-a-car

[Travelling_Monk]

Not all owners of Kushaq are facing problems. I have one from the first batch, took delivery on 12th of July and have done around 2500kms. I haven't faced any major issues apart from door rattle which I fixed myself using silicon lube. I don't care about quality of roof liner or plastics since my priority is ride, handling and engine performance. I have also taken it on long tour to Coastal AP and did some 1200kms on odo, filling petrol from random petrol stations. Not faced any EPC or fuel pump issues whatsoever. It's been more than 2 months of happy ownership for me with zero service centre visits and I cannot deny the fact that this car never fails to leave a wide grin on my face when I floor the pedal and leave everyone behind. Brilliant product by Skoda and I am not paid by anyone. Lastly would I suggest this car to an enthusiast?? Definitely a big resounding 'YES'.

[John]

If we go by what Skoda claims about fuel quality and fuel pump, then how come you haven't faced a problem? All the more reason to believe it's due to the electronics.
Auto industry’s technology is racing ahead of quality-control testing. It’s troubling for owners of any modern car that’s basically a computer on wheels.

[Travelling_Monk]

Originally Posted by John

If we go by what Skoda claims about fuel quality and fuel pump, then how come you haven't faced a problem? All the more reason to believe it's due to the electronics.
Auto industry’s technology is racing ahead of quality-control testing. It’s troubling for owners of any modern car that’s basically a computer on wheels.

The problem with social media is that 10-15 people can blow an issue out of proportion and make it look like everyone is facing similar issues. There is this EPC problem and no denying to that fact. But it is not that 99% owners are facing it, which social media exaggerates to make it look like. I am not a fanboy to defend this brand but I am yet to complain on issues faced and surprisingly there's none.

[Sebring]

I think if you stick to one trusted petrol bunk, you can achieve this reliability. Kudos to you for that

Originally Posted by Travelling_Monk

Not all owners of Kushaq are facing problems

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Zac Hollis' reaction to the Team Bhp article on BHPian Rahul9229 ordeal - He maintains the stand that the new "robust fuel pumps" are not failing and the EPC issue could mean something else for the dealer to trouble shoot.

The new trend - it looks like you ask him about the car and he replies about the new fuel pump (not just this example, can see multiple such replies in the last two days). Frankly, I don't see why a customer should care!

Customers bought the car for 20 lakhs, not the fuel pump!

Attachment 2213520

It is getting quite funny to read his responses for the issues on the Kushaq. On the social media platforms, it is being labelled as conspiracy against the Kushaq. Being a smart businesman, Zac knows how to make the critics speak for the brand, will figure a way out. Not meaning that the issues would be resolved, but finding a way to silence the critics.

Off late his responses sound like this.

Mr X asks "What is your name?
Response comes "I am from Bangalore"

Relevant it may be, but not to the question asked.

[Rahul9229]

Originally Posted by Travelling_Monk

Not all owners of Kushaq are facing problems. I have one from the first batch, took delivery on 12th of July and have done around 2500kms. I haven't faced any major issues apart from door rattle which I fixed myself using silicon lube. I don't care about quality of roof liner or plastics since my priority is ride, handling and engine performance. I have also taken it on long tour to Coastal AP and did some 1200kms on odo, filling petrol from random petrol stations. Not faced any EPC or fuel pump issues whatsoever. It's been more than 2 months of happy ownership for me with zero service centre visits and I cannot deny the fact that this car never fails to leave a wide grin on my face when I floor the pedal and leave everyone behind. Brilliant product by Skoda and I am not paid by anyone. Lastly would I suggest this car to an enthusiast?? Definitely a big resounding 'YES'.

My car ran trouble free for 2800kms including a 500 km and a 300km highway trip before the troubles started. I was equally impressed with the cars handling and dynamics and that was my only reason to book it but this surprise package from skoda has been more than overwhelming. We all expect a few niggles in newly launched cars but it also has the USP of having a new product that turns heads in the first couple of months at least but nobody could imagine this kind of a blunder by any manufacturer in today's era. Skoda has disappointed a lot of prospective future buyers of their more expensive products as well with this blunder.

My car will be picked up today finally, though the EPC light is not glowing at the moment but the car is behaving as it's being pushed to do hard labour on a cozy Sunday afternoon, I am actually taking the risk of driving it to nearby places to see if the it gets stalled or not. Yesterday evening there was another strange issue, the car was Going straight to D2 from N. Made a video and sent it to ASC (this car has made me an expert videographer behind the wheels ). This has happened a few times even before my first EPC failure, But yesterday, there was significant power loss at a certain point of time. I switched to sport mode , car was slotting in S1 like normal business and power delivery improved but was still sluggish, thankfully enabling me to reach home safely without any further embarrassment. Other Owners can keep a note of this as it may help them in future.

[Lalitha Venkat]

Originally Posted by officer416

Threads like these should be the answer to those people who go to "Ford quitting India" thread and complain that Indian consumers suffer from herd mentality or blame the Government.
Word has been spread in the market that Kushaq suffers from this issue, this puts potential buyers at fence and at the end they go with the tried and tested Creta, Seltos or Harrier. Quality niggles with interiors can be dealt with in first gen products, but engine failures that leave you stranded are unacceptable.
Don't understand what products do they test under the camo that don't produce such issues.

Mate while I drive a VW car and I am supremely happy about the product, I am not a torch bearer for the Group. But we need to be really objective when we discuss issues like this. Even a Company like Boeing has been impacted with some malfunctioning parts which caused serious damage to life, Boeing and airline industry. Boeing has the most stringent QC policy and onboarding of new vendors and x-ray very part before being dispatched before by a component supplier. Still there was an issue. Any new technology will always have its share of issues. Yes the new product has an issue either for all the buyers or some of them. Skoda should get into a root cause analysis and give a new vehicle replacement to enhance customer experience. I am sure if the engine had issues it would have been picked up during extensive test drives. I hope Skoda fixes the issue on a most high priority as they would have sold 9 k vehicles at max. The Group has invested 8k cr and their intention would not be to take Indian market for granted.

[Nithesh_M]

Would be weird if like the Mahindra thread this too ends up being loose connectors from factory throwing out signals. The replacement happy service folks just replace components instead of checking for loose connectors?

[Travelling_Monk]

Originally Posted by Rahul9229

My car ran trouble free for 2800kms including a 500 km and a 300km highway trip before the troubles started.

Try filling XP95 petrol from a reputed IOCL COCO pump and see if there's a difference in performance. I prefer XP95 in Hyderabad where it's easily available. The manual too clearly states that petrol with 95 or more octane is preferred choice. Also make a note that cold start idling for a minute or two is mandatory to prime the fuel pump and turbo. Make note that a slight hint of moisture in fuel since ethanol is hydrophilic, can also lead to fuel pump issues. It might also be that fuel quality in general is quite good down south. I cannot comment on the gearbox issue since I own a manual variant.

[wilful]

Originally Posted by Travelling_Monk

Try filling XP95 petrol from a reputed IOCL COCO pump and see if there's a difference in performance. I prefer XP95 in Hyderabad where it's easily available. The manual too clearly states that petrol with 95 or more octane is preferred choice. Also make a note that cold start idling for a minute or two is mandatory to prime the fuel pump and turbo. Make note that a slight hint of moisture in fuel since ethanol is hydrophilic, can also lead to fuel pump issues. It might also be that fuel quality in general is quite good down south. I cannot comment on the gearbox issue since I own a manual variant.

Does this mean that one has to treat it with Kid Gloves?
That would make it tough for folk to fill fuel from unknown pumps esp when one travels beyond larger towns into the interior.

[Travelling_Monk]

Originally Posted by wilful

Does this mean that one has to treat it with Kid Gloves?
That would make it tough for folk to fill fuel from unknown pumps esp when one travels beyond larger towns into the interior.

I have filled petrol from a random Essar pump which did not even have a roof over it in a remote AP village on my trip and not faced any problem. I just want him to give reputed COCO pumps a try just to figure out if it's indeed fuel quality issue at his locale. We know WB uses almost 20% ethanol in fuel and Kushaq is mated to run on E20 aswell but one cannot deny the fact that ethanol being hydrophilic attracts moisture when improperly handled by petrol pumps while decanting trucks, especially in this monsoon season. Complex TSI tech makes matter worse in this scenario.

[mayank0782]

Any reason why this issue has not made it yet to the list of "Skoda Kushaq Cons" section in the official review of the Kushaq ? Even though DSG and after sales concerns have been mentioned, this issue should find a place in that list on its own. Non Team BHP members might not be following this thread continuously. Many readers blindly trust the Team BHP official reviews and make their purchase decisions based on what is mentioned over there.

[TurboGuy]

Originally Posted by wilful

That would make it tough for folk to fill fuel from unknown pumps esp when one travels beyond larger towns into the interior.

Of late, I learnt it's best to refuel from a popular outlet after I had my Polo's fuel filter clogged, filling at a shady place in a remote location. This was in 2016 or so. Ever since, refueling was planned in advance and mapped whenever I had to travel to remote places.

My present ride is a Rapid TSI which demands min. 95 RON which wasn't available in the market when the car was purchased and I was relying on regular 91 RON fuel from Essar, Reliance or Shell. I never visited a PSU outlet until XP95 was launched. XP95 is quite popular now and even small towns have them, however most of the big outlets along the highways still don't stock them - at least along the Bangalore-Chennai GQ I couldn't find any. In short, I feel it's worth pinning outlets prior to your drive.

If it's of any help, here's the IOCL pump locator.

https://associates.indianoil.co.in/P...r/routeROs.jsp