[al90]

So this is basically a rant, which I should have written in Sept but never actually got a chance to do it until now. Here is the link to the start of things

#post5607710https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...l?#post5607710 (1-year up, but Skoda-VW EPC issues are still unresolved!)

The Short Version :
On the 19th August while we were on a trip to Kochi for a wedding my 1.0 MT Taigun began to stall and after stopping wouldn't start courtesy of the infamous EPC error, car got towed to EVM VW Kochi (Maradu) service center and I got the car back after an entire month on 14th September. Absolutely no communication from the service center and not sure why VW treats Cochin as a rural remote village and takes almost a month to deliver parts.

The Story:

We had gone for a wedding to Kochi from Chennai and on our 2nd day there I filled up at an IOC bunk in the city and proceeded to Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple,

On our way back around 9:30 pm, I felt the car being sluggish and no power on the 3rd gear and then the dash lit up with the EPC error, luckily we were literally at the doorstep of my cousins place and so pulled over there.

We checked the car by turning it off and on, the car started the first time and then wouldn't start at all and then letting it cool for an hour and trying again , but it wouldn't start at all. I called the RSA and then told them that its an EPC issue and to send a tow truck, which they absolutely refused to do, since they wanted their mechanic to check if its a battery issue before towing it. procedures need to be followed so i let that one slide, the mechanic arrive after an hour at around 10:30pm confirms that its not a battery issue and then requests for a tow, then the flat bed guy let us know that he will only be able to reach post 12:30 am, since my kid was also hungry at this point, we left and my cousin told me that he would get the car towed in the morning, the car was subsequently only towed in the afternoon around 3:30pm and taken to EVM VW Kochi service center.

Considering 20th was a Sunday , the only thing i expected was a confirmation that the vehicle was received at the service center which never came and trying to reach out to the service center was in vain.

Monday morning around 10pm after repeated calls received a confirmation that they has got the vehicle and were checking. I asked then if they could let me know if I would get the vehicle back in a day or two, then I would postpone my return back to Chennai, else I would head back the next day. This question was never answered and the for the subsequent calls I made there was no proper response, finally being fed up with the BS response from the SE (Service Engineer), I went to the service center to just see that car parked there with the hood open and the SE letting me know that diagnostics has been running on the car since morning and its still not completed , and they will only be able to give me an update once its completed and report generated.

I decided to head back to Chennai on Tuesday since they confirmed that the car wouldn't be available anytime soon.

No calls on 22nd on 23rd i receive a call letting me know that the fuel injector and fuel filter needs to be replaced and due to Onam Holidays coming up it would take them about a week to get it done and then again radio silence.

Due to there being absolutely no updates, no ticket raised no SMS or email, I had no updates, in between I kept getting SMS and calls for someone else's vehicle, frustrated I called back on 1st of September, the SE doesn't even answer the phone, finally had to read out to the SM (Service Manager) who then called the SE to give me a call back to just to tell me parts haven't arrived and they will get the parts and work will be completed by 10th of Sept.

Again no updates, calls or response from the SE when I call on the 9th and , frustrated again call the SM, who then informs me she has no clue since the SE is on leave, I sent them an email for which they responded with the standard response stating that the car would be ready by 11th . Then the SE calls be the next day 10th letting me know that parts are still in transit and they have not received it yet and now I get a new date of 13th Sept.

Finally on 13th Sept. I get a call letting me know that the car is ready but they need to do a TD of 30-40 kms check if there are any further issues and they need to fill fuel for Rs.1000, I approve and they added in a engine cleaning which also I agree to, since I don't let anyone other than the VW service center clean inside the engine bay ( which I would regret very soon).

So finally my brother in law picks up the car on 14 Sept almost a month from when the we were stranded in Kochi, only to find that now there is screeching noise from the brakes and the engine bay cleaning hasn't been done properly, the back of the bay and the bottom sections were pretty much still covered in dirt.(see pics attached).

The last bits

Not sure if I got the special treatment from EVM VW Kochi cos my car was other state registered or parts availability in Cochin is really pathetic for VW. For a known issue like the EPC error at service centers should have spares in surplus and this is something VW need to look into.

Next time, the car breaks down in Cochin , I would rather tow it back to Chennai than dealing with VW service in Kochi.

[GTO]

Thanks for sharing, al90! Moving your post out to a new thread. A new thread means 100X the views & 100X the visibility in search engines, including Google. Will add to homepage later this week .

@ BHPians, if you should spot any good post in an existing thread that deserves its own new thread, please report the post and we'll move it out for greater visibility.

Thank you!

[TorqueKnight]

Disheartening to hear the ordeal. EPC issue is a known issue in latest Skoda/Volkswagen cars but still they are unable to source the part at the earliest is not acceptable. Our Hyundai Elite i20 had a gearbox issue and Hyundai sent the part from Chennai factory in 2 days. What’s stopping Skoda/Volkswagen to address these kind of issues?

Nowadays all the data are centralised. If a car is in the workshop for more than a week then the Skoda/Volkswagen management can easily identify those cases. Seems they haven’t learnt any lessons at all. Pathetic state of German Engineering pride

[RMN]

I feel you @al90!

While we are on the topic of EVM VW Kochi - here is my recent experience.

So, my dad has a 2014 Vento TSI and for many years we have been getting it serviced at FNG's. But a lot of ignored maintenance was adding up and when EVM called me in 2022 for a service camp with special discounts for returning customers, I obliged. Primarily because I wanted them to thoroughly check the vehicle and call out all required replacements so that I can select the needed ones. They did - with an estimated of 60k Rs. I gave them a go ahead for at least 85% of the parts. But since they did not have most of the parts in stock, they asked me to take the vehicle and bring it back once they update me that the parts have arrived. Perfect, everything seemed fine.

A week later, no updates, 2 weeks later, still nothing. I waited it out for another week and when I called them up, they had 0 idea about any of this. And my service advisor had resigned too. No tickets, nobody knows anything, no trace of anything!

Next 2-3 weeks was a to and fro between EVM and me, I let the episode slide and asked them to just get the parts so that the work can be done. Ever since then, they kept promising me to resolve this, and they would never call back. I have to call them and start everything all over again.

I got everything done at a FNG by the next week. They still call me for service camps - in fact called me yesterday too and that would probably be the 20th time I've told them never to call me until they have addressed my previous issue.

[BhayanaV]

Whenever we make up our mind to test drive Taigun or Kushaq, some new story like this would drop in. Can't take a risk with mostly a single car in my garage.

[madsood_mpm]

I own a Polo 2014, Petrol and has been servicing at EVM VW Kochi (Maradu) all these years and so far my experiences have been good. For all the annual services, I generally get back the vehicle on time, the same day. There was one instance where the vehicle had to be towed. Everything went well. They completed the repairs and delivered the vehicle the very next day. The service advisor has been the same person, for me, for the last 3-4 years.
I hope the good experience continue in the coming days also.

[al90]

Originally Posted by BhayanaV

Whenever we make up our mind to test drive Taigun or Kushaq, some new story like this would drop in. Can't take a risk with mostly a single car in my garage.

I won't dissuade you from not taking a TD of the Taigun, I still like that car and the thrill and excitement that it brings. Safety is also somthing that isn't compromised in the Taigun ( I can attest since I already had a drunk guy crash into mine I have posted it on here as well).

But I have never had a car till date that has left me stranded, which is a worry that I have had at the back of my head but my cousin assured me that even for him this was a one time occurnace.My cari isn't from the 1st batch whereas my cousin has one from the initial batches with he major EPC issue ,when we both compare we can see that things have certainly improved.

Things like roof-lining, door bushes and few other little bits ,but improvements are definitely being done by VW, I didn't want the start stop which had just come out when I booked my car and specifically asked for one without, the new 2023 ones have even electronically adjustable seats, and I believe the 2023 models do have the India spec filters and injectors so no need to worry there as well.

This is already a team bhp mantra at this point but nevertheless.

You buy a car/bike either with emotion or logic, whatever you base your decision on, you will happy at the end of the day.

[BhayanaV]

Originally Posted by al90

You buy a car/bike either with emotion or logic, whatever you base your decision on, you will happy at the end of the day.

Thanks. Have plans to TD in December holidays, will have to sit and decide afterwards, does the driving pleasure really justify the risk. Very true its a heart vs head decision. But honestly, my car sitting in workshop for 1 month, even if that happens for once is too much. And it will ruin my OCD brain forever, will always be worried on the road.
Never left stranded even once in my 22 years of driving.

[Brumby]

Having short supply or no supply of spares for known issues is something that ridicules me.

How can one claim to be as one of the largest carmaker in the world when they do not even make sure that known issues are taken care of with sufficient stock of spares availability across all service centres.

As we read various reports and pre-launch information about cars being tested for xx lakh kilometers, I wonder where do the car makers test their vehicles. Probably in air-conditioned and controlled environments, else how is it possible that customers notice/report the issues within 2-3 months of driving these cars.

My recent visit to VW service center in Thane for annual service, was a waste of time as the wheel speed sensors were not in stock.

It was surprising to know that all the customers on that day did have an issue with ABS/TC due to malfunction of wheel speed sensor of at least one of the wheels.

For VW failure of wheel speed sensors is an issue ever since they started selling cars in India, and not having sufficient stock of the parts with known issues is not a positive experience for the customer, specially when VW advises to use cars with failed wheel speed sensor locally (preferably) and below 80 kmph on highway.

Owners of the cars equipped with DSG need to be more cautious as the wheel speed is being transmitted to the transmission as well.

Its hard to believe that the service manager started comparing the body shell of cars when I was comparing the electronic components of Suzuki/Toyota.

I have a 15 year old Innova and a 12 year old Swift with much more kilometers and passing through water of much higher depths as compared to my Polo GT TSI. Never ever have I changed any of the sensors so far.

Is it really so difficult to manufacture reliable electronic components?

[rohits]

have booked the taigun, but now after these stories in double mind

[shibujp]

EVM is a monopoly having effectively cornered the dealerships for German cars south of Kochi. VW, BMW, Skoda and even Porsche. Not great in customer service but I have heard that if you know higher ups things are much better. My personal experience with them was pedestrian during my VW ownership as well as the one time I went there recently for a brake pad replacement for my X1.

That said what may have aggravated your issue would have been the Onam holidays. Ideally given you were an out of state car the urgency should have been identified and prioritised.

Drive on,
Shibu

[Jeroen]

Sorry to hear about your ordeal. Glad it got sorted in the end.

Do you know what caused the EPC light? What part(s) did they replace. Are these the one that fail most commonly? Just asking out of interest. There are many reasons, and subsequently many parts, that can cause an EPC failure.

Thanks
Jeroen

[ajmat]

I used to get the EPC light a lot on my old Octavia vRS. Used to happen in some odd conditions forcing me to drive on limp home mode. Came on with the check engine light. The exhaust pipe pointed to a rich mixture.

- Tried cleaning the oxygen sensor - no luck
- Cleaned and reset Throttle Body - no such luck

All these niggles made me to decide to sell the car

In between, agreeing to sale and actual sale. I read that the coolant sensor was problematic. Ordered one from the UK. Changed it in 10 min and boom! The engine ran even more sweetly.

What was happening was that the sensor kept giving wrong signals forcing it to run on a rich mixture triggering the EPC light

Oh - either tomorrow or Tues, I take delivery of an Elevate. The VW twins were totally off the radar from what I read and saw!

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by ajmat

In between, agreeing to sale and actual sale. I read that the coolant sensor was problematic. Ordered one from the UK. Changed it in 10 min and boom! The engine ran even more sweetly.
!

Thanks!

There could be many reasons for the EPC warning to come on:
To name the most relevant ones:

It could be due to:

The Mass Air Flow Sensor
The Brake Light Switch
The Throttle System
The Steering Control Unit
Engine sensors like the Crank Position Sensor, Engine Speed Sensor, and more
The Traction Control System
The Battery Voltage Level

Many cars have a sort of Achilles heel when it comes to EPC and or Limp Home mode. On my Jaguar X308, it is the cruise control microswitch on the brake pedal.

The quickest way to diagnose it, is to hook the car up to a proper OBD scanner and check the codes. So you do need an OBD sensor. In your case, it would have thrown a code relating to the coolant sensor. All you need to do is check the wiring and the connector for visible signs of damage or corrosion, if nothing shows replace the sensor. (you might just want to check the resistance of the sensor if you know what value it needs to have against what temperature.

On most cars, the whole process of diagnosing with the aid of an OBD scanner and ultimately replacing the thermostat would take less than an hour.
Jeroen

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

The Mass Air Flow Sensor
The Brake Light Switch
The Throttle System
Engine sensors like the Crank Position Sensor, Engine Speed Sensor, and more
The Battery Voltage Level

The quickest way to diagnose it, is to hook the car up to a proper OBD scanner and check the codes. So you do need an OBD sensor. In your case, it would have thrown a code relating to the coolant sensor. All you need to do is check the wiring and the connector for visible signs of damage or corrosion, if nothing shows replace the sensor. (you might just want to check the resistance of the sensor if you know what value it needs to have against what temperature.

On most cars, the whole process of diagnosing with the aid of an OBD scanner and ultimately replacing the thermostat would take less than an hour.
Jeroen

I had scanned the car but the failed / erratic sensor dod not show up. All I got was reset Throttle Body and rich mixture