[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by Sunilrj

The Purchase Bill Helps Here. Just Take a Copy of the Print out of the SAIPL website and The dealer will be in tears. and a call to Skoda Customer care, the Dealer will be falling at your feet.

For wiper blades? Are you sure?
The owner manual itself says you should change them every year.
Warranty will come into picture only if there is any manufacturing defect, isn't it?

[Sunilrj]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

For wiper blades? Are you sure?
The owner manual itself says you should change them every year.
Warranty will come into picture only if there is any manufacturing defect, isn't it?

this is what the website Says:

Did you know that your safety in the unfavorable conditions that the weather sometimes gives us depends, in particular, on the quality of a view from your car?


Every driver should, in his own interest, pay proper attention to the windscreen wipers and replace them at least once a year. The ideal time is the period before rainy season or after the end of the winter season, when frost on the windscreen can cause, serious damage to the wipers' rubber which may not be easily visible.


Which properties of the wipers are the most important and guarantee a quality view from a car?


• The length of the wipers clearly defines the wiped field of view.
• Correct design guarantees equal grip of a wiper throughout the whole length, which is important in particular for modern cars with a rounded windscreen.
• The state of the wipers’ rubber determines the quality of the wiping.


Aero-wipers
Aero-wipers are an advanced technical solution that you can find on all newly marketed SKODA models, starting with the second generation Octavia and Fabia. Their significant functional benefits include:



Perfect wiping performance throughout the length of the wiper enabled by an equal distribution of strength;
Precision wiping even at high speeds thanks to the aerodynamic optimisation of the wipers;
Minimum aerodynamic noise thanks to smaller bypass areas;
Improved resistance to freeing ice thanks to removal of levers and joints;
Easy replacement and fitting of wipers thanks to advanced design of joints between wipers and arms;
Longer service life enabled by even size of pressing force and use of hard wiper rubber.

A Simple reading of the warranty terms would state that the Rubber should work without issues for Two years. if the rubber cracks or results in a wiper shudder before the Two years then its a case for claiming warranty. Say you install the wipers in January and by end of March the Rubber disintegrates, is it because of wear and Tear or because of a quality issue ?

[anandpadhye]

I have not had such premature rubber failures but I do change the blades every year (in fact on the Tucson, I change them twice a year as they have priced them reasonably).

I will order the cheaper ones online, just as an experiment and let you know how they work. It's a waste of time to go to the dealer for fighting over wiper blades (in case of Hyundai, it's different experience altogether).

[Swanand Inamdar]

What is the average life of a clutch plate?

My Laura seems to have a clutch problem. Today morning, while leaving for office, I felt that the clutch was iffy. Meaning, it would get stuck midway while changing gears. Dropped the car back home and asked brother to take it to an independant mechanic.
While he was driving the car, the clutch lever got stuck completely, leaving the car stranded in the 1st gear, without moving an inch. Called for a towtruck to take the car to A.S.S where inspection shall be done.

My question is, what do I expect the damage to be?

Edit: BTW, the car has clocked 52XXX kms till date.

[Cesc]

Problem might not be with the clutch or pressure plates but with cylinders or even the spring. In fact if this cropped up all of a sudden (meaning you have not experienced clutch judder or an 'iffy' clutch prior to today) it might very well be a cylinder/spring related issue.

Clutch wear entirely depends on how one drives the car. But if one drives it normally then 52k is rather low for a clutch change in a Skoda. The clutch in my Octy was changed at 110k kms and on a friend's Laura at 96k kms. I would think it should last till at least 75k kms.

Edit: If it is the cylinder or spring the damage to your pocket would be relatively minor but if you do need a clutch change (along with the DMF) then it will set you back by around 50k at the A** and around 25k outside if you use genuine parts. Only a clutch change (without a DMF replacement) will be around half that cost.

[anandpadhye]

Do you see any oil leakage anywhere?
Of course now that the car is already at service center, they will figure it out.
Master/slave cylinders won't be very expensive (in relative terms).

[Omtoatom]

Swanand, you say the clutch felt iffy. If you mean that it was slipping when you tried to depress it, it is usually an indication that the clutch disc or the pressure plate has reached the end of the road. Also if the clutch fails to disengage and it stuck, the clutch cable could be the problem as well. I suspect it to be one of the two. Of course, now that it is being investigated at the service center, we'll know soon.

Ordinarily speaking, the average life for a clutch is about 100,000 KM, but mind you I've rarely seen it last that long in India. As is well known, a clutch's life is determined by a number of factors; your driving style being one of them. So also in India we tend to drive in stop and go traffic quite a lot - in which case the clutch also tends to wear out sooner. Nonetheless offsetting for all the above, I'd say it should still make it to about 75000 KM. 50K is still a little premature.

Will be keeping a tab on your thread buddy - a very relevant issue for us Laura owners.

[nitinbose]

Is there any dealer in Bangalore who can sell genuine Skoda parts? Other than Skoda dealers - I meant.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by Omtoatom

Swanand, you say the clutch felt iffy. If you mean that it was slipping when you tried to depress it, it is usually an indication that the clutch disc or the pressure plate has reached the end of the road. Also if the clutch fails to disengage and it stuck, the clutch cable could be the problem as well. I suspect it to be one of the two. Of course, now that it is being investigated at the service center, we'll know soon.

In my knowledge, the Laura doesn't have a clutch cable! Instead it is a hydraulic assisted clutch which means that there is a hydraulic circuit which drives the clutch actuation and typically has a master-slave cylinder setup where the clutch pedal movement actuates the master cylinder and a hydraulic pipe takes the pressure to the slave cylinder which engages/ disengages the clutch plates.
The point of failure in Swanand's case seems to be most probably leakage and subsequent failure of the hydraulic mechanism (could be master/ slave / pipe) which is causing the clutch to not disengage.

As this problem has happened suddenly, it may not be a case of clutch disc failure as it is quite gradual and one would start to feel the pedal dip lower and also feel the clutch start to slip for quite some time before that.

Let's hope that it gets sorted quickly and professionally by the service guys!
Do keep us posted.

Regards,
Behemoth

[Swanand Inamdar]

Ok, here is the update.
Prima facie, it looks like the master and slave cylinder are the culprits. They need to be replaced.
What the SA would do is, check for any clutch plates damage. If present, that needs to be replaced too.
Also, if indeed there is a plate damage, there is a high chance of the flywheel needing a replacement too (as per the SA).

Now, apart from the hydraulic cylinders, all other parts can be examined only when the gearbox is opened. I have told them to open it in front of me tomorrow morning.

Rough estimate for parts as under:
Slave and Master cylinder: ~8500
Clutch set: ~17000
Flywheel: ~37000

Taking into consideration that all the above need to be replaced indeed, Im looking at a bill of ~69000 (incl of labor charges) .
If not, the expenses would be minimal.

EDIT: Can someone tell me if those spares indeed cost that much? Give or take a few k's.

[anandpadhye]

How did master/slave cylinders fail?
Was there leakage that became worse over time?
What's the level of clutch fluid? Is it empty?

The master/slave cylinder and clutch plate prices look OK.
DMF prices that I have seen on the internet are around 800 euros...

I would say be there in person and ask the SA to demonstrate to you all the parts they claim have been damaged. I know you know the Europa owners, so if you trust them then it's a non-issue. For an aam aadmi like me, I will have to stand on their head to bring out the truth.

[Swanand Inamdar]

Anand, Im not sure if they have failed.
Their analysis says, there could be a leakage too, that caused the car to stop.
As of now, nothing is clear. Only when the GB is opened can the true culprit be declared.
Initial analysis indicates the master/slave cylinder failure/leakage. If it is only that, the expenditure would be minimal (relatively), but if it has failed, then I intend to ask them how and why and when would it fail.

Also, yes I do know the owners, but then again, its my car and my money, so I shall be present when they are in the process of opening the GB. Whether the SA likes it or not .

[F150]

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

Ok, here is the update.
Prima facie, it looks like the master and slave cylinder are the culprits. They need to be replaced.
What the SA would do is, check for any clutch plates damage. If present, that needs to be replaced too.
Also, if indeed there is a plate damage, there is a high chance of the flywheel needing a replacement too (as per the SA).

Now, apart from the hydraulic cylinders, all other parts can be examined only when the gearbox is opened. I have told them to open it in front of me tomorrow morning.

Rough estimate for parts as under:
Slave and Master cylinder: ~8500
Clutch set: ~17000
Flywheel: ~37000

Taking into consideration that all the above need to be replaced indeed, Im looking at a bill of ~69000 (incl of labor charges) .
If not, the expenses would be minimal.

EDIT: Can someone tell me if those spares indeed cost that much? Give or take a few k's.

Hey Swanand,

Slave and Master cylinder: ~8500
- OK. Confirm the price

Clutch set: ~17000
- OK - Confirm the price.

Flywheel: ~37000
- NOT REQUIRED. Check the condition of the flywheel if it has friction marks it can be resurfaced.

Replacing the fly wheel along with the new clutch assembly is analogous to replacing the rotors when installing new brake pads.

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

but then again, its my car and my money, so I shall be present when they are in the process of opening the GB. Whether the SA likes it or not .

Exactly Sire !!

[Omtoatom]

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

Rough estimate for parts as under:
Slave and Master cylinder: ~8500
Clutch set: ~17000
Flywheel: ~37000

Taking into consideration that all the above need to be replaced indeed, Im looking at a bill of ~69000 (incl of labor charges) .
If not, the expenses would be minimal.

EDIT: Can someone tell me if those spares indeed cost that much? Give or take a few k's.

Swanand: buddy it is not unusual to Skoda owners to shell out that sort of money on a clutch assembly. Although in your case I doubt the flywheel will need replacement because that would be tantamount to some serious wear and tear which is improbable. So let's hope for your sake that the damages will be minimal.

A couple of Skoda owners I know have in the past spent upwards of Rs. 50K on clutch plate, pressure plate and the flywheel here in Mumbai. So an estimate of Rs. 69K (labor/service included) is not entirely out of the ballpark assuming all the above need replacement. That is, if at all.

While on the subject; did you check what is the extent of coverage under extended warranty? Oftentimes what falls or does not fall under the purview of "wear and tear" is hazy and/or a gray area. It is a very wide umbrella and many a time, at the service center's discretion. I have known the service guys to "pass" marginal claims for "special" customers or those that have stood their ground. Have these folks given any indications yet?

[ACM]

For info:

Had replaced Laura DMF Flywheel for Rs. 42000 Approx at about 50,000 kms. The indicators were viberations in the steering during idle and running and start up with a much bigger jerk than was normal.

It is an AT so had no clutch to replace at the same time.