[nik_kapur]

The Guy who did your leather did a great job. I have not seen better aftermarket execution of leather on the steering and door pads.

[maxaud]

Originally Posted by nik_kapur

The Guy who did your leather did a great job. I have not seen better aftermarket execution of leather on the steering and door pads.

All thanks to Karlsson.

Originally Posted by blackasta

The mean machine looks impeccable in Red, and oem Alloys looks great too.
Leather work is very nice with excellent finishing - looks like factory fit!
Just curious - in the second picture from top - there is an orange hue on the hood. is it just a reflection of something (building etc) or does the color reflect sunlight like this when viewed from certain angles?
Happy mile crunching!

They call the fit OEM finish, and I guess they mean it. Regarding the hood, I dont remember anything adjacent to the car to cause the reflection. I have not noticed the change in hues in real life. Will check it out and let you know.

[Sandeep_K_Ram]

Congrats ! I think this is one of the best VFM cars on the market now and I am also considering the same model and trim.

I especially liked the leather work - I will be definitely visit the shop for my cars leather work.

[krish.sathish]

Congrats Maxaud. But for the hard clutch, I am enjoying my ride with a similar red chic. If you ever want an idea of how an after market spoiler would look, here is mine (that I installed just a week back)

[himanshu_j]

Originally Posted by krish.sathish

Congrats Maxaud. But for the hard clutch, I am enjoying my ride with a similar red chic. If you ever want an idea of how an after market spoiler would look, here is mine (that I installed just a week back)

The vRS look-alike alloys are looking good Try getting Skoda center cap stickers. You can try Acromann Online Shop.

[Turbo car]

Hi guys,

Its sure raining Rapid's and Vento's here in Team-BHP

Congrats to all the proud owners. Please post detailed reviews and your user experience, especially from Skoda, as lot of the previous Skoda owners shudder when they think of the costumer service they had received earlier.

[maxaud]

Originally Posted by Sandeep_K_Ram

Congrats ! I think this is one of the best VFM cars on the market now and I am also considering the same model and trim.

I especially liked the leather work - I will be definitely visit the shop for my cars leather work.

Thanks Sandeep. I totally agree with you on the VFM part. (but as I have indicated on the main Skoda Rapid review thread, the prices have gone up now. Yet, I believe the Rapid is still the best VFM car around in the C segment). W.r.t Karlsson, please do by all means. I dont think you will be disappointed.

Originally Posted by krish.sathish

Congrats Maxaud. But for the hard clutch, I am enjoying my ride with a similar red chic. If you ever want an idea of how an after market spoiler would look, here is mine (that I installed just a week back)

Thanks Krish. The spoiler looks just right, nothing over the top. Can you please post a few more pictures from the rear three quarter and full rear views? Also, how much did it come to?
As for the clutch, I think I have got used to it. But city driving in peak hour traffic is a pain (was always a pain, now more so).

Originally Posted by Turbo car

Hi guys,

Its sure raining Rapid's and Vento's here in Team-BHP

Congrats to all the proud owners. Please post detailed reviews and your user experience, especially from Skoda, as lot of the previous Skoda owners shudder when they think of the costumer service they had received earlier.

I sure would love to see more threads like Kryptonite's . Yet to get a true feel of Skoda's A.S.S. But, I have a story to share -

As I had indicated in the original thread, I was in the hunt for a Laura for quite some time before I decided on the Rapid. I had been literally glued to the classifieds on TBHP, Craigslist, Cardekho, Carwale, OLX, Sulekha, Quikr, you-name-it for nearly a month.

(OFFTOPIC, MODS please note that this listing was originally for sale in Bangalore, then changed to Vishakapattanam after 2 weeks; and then to Bhubaneshwar and is still active. There was absolutely no response to this ad over phone, sms or email and I honestly believe this is a rogue one. Its been live for close to 2 months now. Kindly check)

There was a particular L&K model that I had got my hands on from a dealer, which looked quite good. I had bargained and nearly settled for it for 9L. With just 45K on the odo, the interiors looked well maintained and apart from the odd niggles here and there, the car felt fine. The fact that all the four tyres were different (which should have really warned me) did not bother me too much. I paid a token advance to block the car and took it for a test drive, with the intention of taking it to the Skoda service centre near Singasandra for a check-up. I used the contacts of a friend who owned an Octavia and a trusted mechanic(Skoda lover) to help me. Since it was a Sunday, there was no way the car could be plugged in for a diagnostic check, but fortunately for me there was an SA (known to my mechanic) at the service station who agreed to take the car for a spin. With just a short drive, he was able to point to a couple of things that I had noticed already (clutch and rear shock issues) and a few things that I couldnt (steering column warning light, which I did not even notice plus an engine bay paint job). He did not say so in so many words, but what I inferred was that he seriously doubted the mileage on the odo. He said, there was no way the clutch could be so bad with just 45K on the odo. He specifically asked me to not quote him as he had faced problems in the past from dealers who had been short changed from a quick sale because of honest evaluations. 9L is no small deal for me. So the next day, Monday, I again went to the service centre, met with the same SA and requested him to get me the last service mileage of the same Laura. It took some amount of coaxing, but finally he checked the system and confirmed that the last service of the Laura happened at 88K km. I felt absolutely let down.

I was prepared to spend additional money on maintenance to get the car to shape, but how can anyone come to terms with this sort of thing? There was no way I was going to buy this car, even if the same was offered at a throw away price. One thing I have decided is, this guy will be my SA as long as I own a Skoda! (and as long as he is at the service centre, obviously )

To add, this service can be availed by any potential second-hand Skoda buyer quite easily. You can directly approach the Skoda showroom (Vinayak or TAFE in Bangalore) for the last serviced mileage (if the car has always been serviced at Skoda) for which they might charge you a nominal fee.

With the weeks of second hand car hunting experience that I have, putting a couple of points that potential second hand Skoda buyers should keep in mind :-

1. Always check the tyres; quickest and easiest way to identify the true life of the car. A true car lover will never have a low quality brand or more than one brand on the car. Even if after-market tyres/wheels are used, check the quality of the installation.
2. Check the treads; the odo reading and the treads should sync. A decently driven car cannot run for more than 40-50K on a good set of tyres. So an odo reading of 30K with a bald tread can mean only 2 things - bad driving or a false odo. This, ofcourse, depends on the rubber. But IMO is a good thumb rule for Skodas in India.
3. The clutch. If you are coming from a petrol car, Skoda clutches will be harder. But around 80K km, the clutches are really hard and you can really feel the engine under your feet. Around this time, the Skoda clutch assembly needs a replacement. Bear that in mind when negotiating the price. I found this to be true for some of the cars I test drove.
4. It is best to avoid dealers (at least in Bangalore). They will go to any lengths to sell a car. If you have the money, deal with owners directly. Knowing the real owner is knowing the car.

[Sandeep_K_Ram]

Thats a scary story !

[Turbo car]

Originally Posted by maxaud

There was a particular L&K model that I had got my hands on from a dealer, which looked quite good. I had bargained and nearly settled for it for 9L. With just 45K on the odo, the interiors looked well maintained and apart from the odd niggles here and there, the car felt fine. So the next day, Monday, I again went to the service centre, met with the same SA and requested him to get me the last service mileage of the same Laura. It took some amount of coaxing, but finally he checked the system and confirmed that the last service of the Laura happened at 88K km. I felt absolutely let down.

I was prepared to spend additional money on maintenance to get the car to shape, but how can anyone come to terms with this sort of thing?
1. Always check the tyres; quickest and easiest way to identify the true life of the car. A true car lover will never have a low quality brand or more than one brand on the car. Even if after-market tyres/wheels are used, check the quality of the installation.
2. Check the treads; the odo reading and the treads should sync. A decently driven car cannot run for more than 40-50K on a good set of tyres. So an odo reading of 30K with a bald tread can mean only 2 things - bad driving or a false odo. This, ofcourse, depends on the rubber. But IMO is a good thumb rule for Skodas in India.
3. The clutch. If you are coming from a petrol car, Skoda clutches will be harder. But around 80K km, the clutches are really hard and you can really feel the engine under your feet. Around this time, the Skoda clutch assembly needs a replacement. Bear that in mind when negotiating the price. I found this to be true for some of the cars I test drove.
4. It is best to avoid dealers (at least in Bangalore). They will go to any lengths to sell a car. If you have the money, deal with owners directly. Knowing the real owner is knowing the car.

Hi Maxaud,

Thanks for sharing your shocking experience with us.

The odometers of these new generation cars aren't supposed to be reversible but apparently all dealers do that. even if you check the tyres, it will be difficult to find out, if the tyres used are of the same brand and has even wear. The undercarriage of the car often shows clear signs of age and usage but that is not a clear indicator of the distance traveled.

I feel that the best way to buy a second hand car, is to go for individual sellers and that too, keep a reservation in mind that they are also susceptible to such malpractices as there are too many garages around anywhere who would alter the audometer of a car for few hundreds of rupees.

BTW, can a person really tamper with the audometer of a merc, bmw or audi successfully ? does any one have any experience of such a kind of tampering ?

[maxaud]

Originally Posted by Turbo car

Hi Maxaud,

Thanks for sharing your shocking experience with us.

The odometers of these new generation cars aren't supposed to be reversible but apparently all dealers do that. even if you check the tyres, it will be difficult to find out, if the tyres used are of the same brand and has even wear. The undercarriage of the car often shows clear signs of age and usage but that is not a clear indicator of the distance traveled.

I feel that the best way to buy a second hand car, is to go for individual sellers and that too, keep a reservation in mind that they are also susceptible to such malpractices as there are too many garages around anywhere who would alter the audometer of a car for few hundreds of rupees.

BTW, can a person really tamper with the audometer of a merc, bmw or audi successfully ? does any one have any experience of such a kind of tampering ?

Thats what I thought too, I mean that the new generation car odos are tamper proof. Quite clearly, they are not. But tampering of such nature can easily be detected by running an OBD scan. In my case, a simple service history check revealed the true mileage. You can always go deeper if you have a good rapport with the SA. Since I was a new guy on the scene, they were initially not really keen on sharing any kind of information with me. They insisted on a signed document from the original owner that he was ok with me running an OBD scan on the vehicle. Obviously they wanted to protect themselves from any repercussions.

Personally, I dont have any experience with the Mercs, BMWs or Audis, but I think with sufficient know-how even they are susceptible. And whatever be the case, the OBD will always reveal the truth.

[don_carmaster]

Originally Posted by maxaud

Thats what I thought too, I mean that the new generation car odos are tamper proof. Quite clearly, they are not. But tampering of such nature can easily be detected by running an OBD scan. In my case, a simple service history check revealed the true mileage. You can always go deeper if you have a good rapport with the SA. Since I was a new guy on the scene, they were initially not really keen on sharing any kind of information with me. They insisted on a signed document from the original owner that he was ok with me running an OBD scan on the vehicle. Obviously they wanted to protect themselves from any repercussions.

Personally, I dont have any experience with the Mercs, BMWs or Audis, but I think with sufficient know-how even they are susceptible. And whatever be the case, the OBD will always reveal the truth.

Hi maxaud,
I live in Noida and just in the final stages of booking a Rapid Elgance Tdi.
Reading on to the experiences of the skoda vehicles i am really concerned about the relaibility of these vehicles. bundled with Very BAD *** experiences.

Tyres are being changed 40k and many integral parts too

How would you suggest the rapid as?
OT- my mahindra Xylo is at 61k and still the tyres will run for another 5k km according to *** and Tyre Guy
I take utmost care of my vehicles(all BHPians do) and expect the rapid to perform in a No -Nonsense Way

Thanks
Sahil

[girishglg]

maxaud that a very nice looking car indeed in your stable and have to say Red is the colour in which the Rapid looks the best. Partly IMO due to the lack of chrome bits compared to its sibling Vento which highlights the colour even more.

The difference in GC would be a major difference and would require adapting driving technique compared to the SX4. Other than that everything else seems to an improvement. Great miles ahead!

[maxaud]

Originally Posted by don_carmaster

Hi maxaud,
I live in Noida and just in the final stages of booking a Rapid Elgance Tdi.
Reading on to the experiences of the skoda vehicles i am really concerned about the relaibility of these vehicles. bundled with Very BAD *** experiences.

Tyres are being changed 40k and many integral parts too

How would you suggest the rapid as?

Extremely sorry for the late reply. I was off the grid for some time. Regarding the bad experiences that you have read, are you referring to Skoda in general or Rapid in particular? So far, I have not seen major bad reviews on the Rapid. May be I have not been following up, would help if you could point me some references.

My personal experience has been fair, if not good, so far. Just completed 3 months of ownership yesterday and have 6900km on the odo, long trips on less than perfect roads included. The suspension setup had sprung an oil leak once, and TAFE replaced the entire suspension setup under warranty. Other than that, no issues so far.

On the tyres getting worn out at 40K km, I am not too concerned. That really depends on the terrain and driving style one follows. I have changed tyres at 40K kms in the past.

Let me also add that the car is a pleasure to drive. I am a proud owner and I recently gave it the 3M treatment as a treat

Originally Posted by girishglg

maxaud that a very nice looking car indeed in your stable and have to say Red is the colour in which the Rapid looks the best. Partly IMO due to the lack of chrome bits compared to its sibling Vento which highlights the colour even more.

The difference in GC would be a major difference and would require adapting driving technique compared to the SX4. Other than that everything else seems to an improvement. Great miles ahead!

Thanks Girish . Very honestly, i would have loved chrome on the car. Have seen a couple of red A4s with chrome window beadings. They look awesome.

The only other thing, apart from GC, that I miss on the SX4 (petrol) is the part about it being ready to run from the word go.

[nkrishnap]

@maxaud Hearty congrats on the getting the Rapid home. Wish you many more happy miles with the rapid

Originally Posted by DeKay

The leather wrapping on the steering looks pretty good. Did the folks at Karlsson remove the steering wheel for the procedure? I had asked them for the same, but they told me that they would have to remove the steering wheel and then do the stitching work. I wasn't comfortable with that, so declined.

Did you get seat covers from them as well? What was the overall cost of the work?

If the steering houses the airbags, they dont remove the steering, instead take the pains to stitch it with the steering intact.

The steering without airbags, will be taken out to stitch it.

[don_carmaster]

Originally Posted by maxaud

My personal experience has been fair, if not good, so far. Just completed 3 months of ownership yesterday and have 6900km on the odo, long trips on less than perfect roads included. The suspension setup had sprung an oil leak once, and TAFE replaced the entire suspension setup under warranty. Other than that, no issues so far.

On the tyres getting worn out at 40K km, I am not too concerned. That really depends on the terrain and driving style one follows. I have changed tyres at 40K kms in the past.

The Suspension Change at such a low mileage is never really expected! Even though they did it in warranty( which they had to anyways) It spoils the complete trust and love for your Vehicle IMO, especially in my case

But still the feel of driving a german, cant be matched by any!

For some pointers on Hate stories-
http://www.facebook.com/groups/27937...ref=ts&fref=ts

Also the skoda rapid Facebook page!
Loads of dissatisfied people there!

Regards,
Sahil