[Control2freak]

These are some quality of life improvements right there. I'm sure you're gonna be enjoying the drives even more.

I want to ask you the contact details of the modder. I'm interested in doing some stuff to my Ford Fiesta as well. DM if you prefer.

[rideon74]

Originally Posted by ramgkulkarni

... the low end feels much better and you can hold the car in second gear in dense traffic and on most speed breakers...

Surely the best benefit of getting the coding done. Thanks again for helping out with this. Cheers & happy motoring!

[rideon74]

Originally Posted by Rocketscience

I understand i wasn't his potential customer that day so no incentive for him to be cordial but i could have become one day or could have recommended to friends or family which obviously won't happen now.

Sorry to hear that it didn't work out for you. I thought I should mention this: I found Bhandari to be a man of very few words, but a thorough gentleman. We've also had a few interesting discussions over calls after the coding job. So my experience was very positive.

[rideon74]

Originally Posted by Control2freak

These are some quality of life improvements right there. I'm sure you're gonna be enjoying the drives even more.

I want to ask you the contact details of the modder. I'm interested in doing some stuff to my Ford Fiesta as well. DM if you prefer.

Quite true - tiny changes that go a long way. I can't seem to DM you, so I've replied to your query by email from your user profile.

[xrules]

Awesome. I am curious if any software upgrade during yearly maintenance will bring these back? I mean back to factory settings with the dings and dongs? Would anyone know?

[Turbojet]

Please avoid these software tweaks, as OEM engineers are aware of it and the entire set up of components and sensors, including longevity and performance of a car is dependent upon a stable firmware.

Tweaks can definitely improve the performance, but you never know what issues you might encounter going forward. It may also void the warranty incase the software causes a physical problem in any of the components.

The entire team of engineers at Skoda or third party would have spent most of their professional life developing and testing the firmware on proven platforms.

[shrjun]

Originally Posted by Turbojet

Please avoid these software tweaks, as OEM engineers are aware of it and the entire set up of components and sensors, including longevity and performance of a car is dependent upon a stable firmware.

Tweaks can definitely improve the performance, but you never know what issues you might encounter going forward. It may also void the warranty incase the software causes a physical problem in any of the components.

The entire team of engineers at Skoda or third party would have spent most of their professional life developing and testing the firmware on proven platforms.

These are usually just turning on/off things that are present by default in other models in the manufacturer's stable.

Check out Bimmercode for BMWs

https://bimmercode.app

[rideon74]

Originally Posted by Turbojet

Please avoid these software tweaks, as OEM engineers are aware of it and the entire set up of components and sensors, including longevity and performance of a car is dependent upon a stable firmware.

Tweaks can definitely improve the performance, but you never know what issues you might encounter going forward. It may also void the warranty incase the software causes a physical problem in any of the components.

The entire team of engineers at Skoda or third party would have spent most of their professional life developing and testing the firmware on proven platforms.

There's a big diff between performance tuning and minor coding tweaks that just switch on or off basic warnings or inbuilt features that have been disabled/enabled.

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by shrjun

These are usually just turning on/off things that are present by default in other models in the manufacturer's stable.

Check out Bimmercode for BMWs

https://bimmercode.app

I agree with you but bimmercode is quite a poor example since it is a 3rd party tool and is very easy to go wrong with . Bricked modules are bricked cars are more common with it than others because they try to dumb down the coding to be accessible to all.

If you can access and use properly supported tools for your manufacturer's car, that is the best option and very safe in the right hands.

[Turbojet]

Originally Posted by rideon74

There's a big diff between performance tuning and minor coding tweaks that just switch on or off basic warnings or inbuilt features that have been disabled/enabled.

Agree but why do you think OEM would turn them off? They can charge premium by making it more fun to drive.

[rideon74]

Originally Posted by Turbojet

Agree but why do you think OEM would turn them off? They can charge premium by making it more fun to drive.

And we get them switched on because we can.

[Turbojet]

Originally Posted by rideon74

And we get them switched on because we can.

You can get anything changed because its a personal choice but that does not answer my question

[rideon74]

Originally Posted by Turbojet

You can get anything changed because its a personal choice but that does not answer my question

There's a couple of threads to get a better insights for your queries. These give a better understanding as to what can be done and what doing such mods entails. Obviously, I have taken made my choices after weighing the pros and cons. The forum's great for proper research.

[rideon74]

The 200days/15,000km update - Kushaq 1.0L MT Style:

It’s been a blissful period with the baby Skoda after I had the dashboard rattles & door beading squeaks sorted out by mid of Feb 2022. The car ran 9200km after that and it's just completed the first 15K service. Happy to report that none of the niggles which were rectified by the dealership (SGA cars, Coimbatore) have surfaced again.

Inferences after 15K on the odo:

1. The 1.0L engine is a pocket rocket – especially if you’re doing solo or +1 drives.
2. Go for the 1.5L if you can and make people wonder why you smile so much.
3. Both the VAG twins are for enthusiasts. Low on features, high on drive dynamics.
4. Carve all curves with confidence is what any Kushaq owner will tell you.
5. This is not a compact-SUV – more like a spacious hatchback with extra GC.
6. But it’ll graciously oblige should your adventure mode kick in at times.
7. VAG, just drop the MRF Wanderers will you?
8. The Kushaq’s exterior design is an aesthete’s weakness.
9. Try not to look vain by admiring it constantly.
10. The interior design will grow on you. No distractions while on long night drives.
11. The scroll wheels on the steering control – will never want to go back to buttons.
12. Do not press the interior plastics. Avoid the heartburn. Just drive.
13. Handle the AC vent fins with gentleness. They’re delicate darlings.
14. The AC cooling capacity could have been better – especially in the 1.0L variants.
15. For solo drives: 31/32 psi. The suspensions feel more pliant. Negligible drop in mileage.
16. Android Auto is okay but not okay. That ball is in Google’s court. Not a deal breaker though.
17. Hey, VAG! What’s with these crude sounding window motors?
18. The headlight throw & coverage is great. Active cornering feature is boon on foggy nights.
19. The audio package will grow on you like the interior design. Audiophiles will upgrade though.
20. Go ahead & plan for interstate trips with the Kushaq. Drive/travel fatigue is minimum.



The incident that shouldn’t have happened

In the past few months of ownership, I have had the usual near misses that every Indian car owner experiences – stray dogs darting across on highways, careless drivers casually lane changing without notice, two wheelers cutting too close for comfort though rush hour traffic & the likes.

Escaped all of these but for one minor calamity that struck the car (literally) and I didn’t even know it happened. Sometime in March, I was inching through a frustrating evening traffic snarl thanks to some politician’s visit & the vehicles had formed 3 lanes on a 2 lane junction bottleneck. When the cop at the signal ahead finally let us move, I heard a weird noise from my left that sounded like metal being slowly twisted. It was alarming, but since there wasn’t any thud or bump that raised a suspicion that something had grazed my car and because I had to move forward with the traffic, my focus went back to snaking my way out of the mess at that moment.

Much later ahead, I pulled over to take a look and I saw a fist sized depression very neatly carved into the left rear door, close to the hinged end. The front door there had only suffered a mild, surface level scratch about 5 inches long. There wasn’t any cut or tear on the rear door – just a sheared depression that left the base metal exposed bare. It measured not more than 4 inches in height and about 3 inches in width. The depth was around three quarters of an inch and the whole area looked scooped in. Jeez…not a good ending for a long, tiring day.

[rideon74]

And life goes on

Thinking back to the moment I had heard the noise, I remembered a disgruntled water tanker truck to my left that was determined to shoulder it’s way forward and a slew of jostling two wheelers to my right. I suppose there was some hard metal part sticking out from the mini truck and that had caused the damage.

The next morning, after a discussion with the Skoda service team it was decided that it was best to get the door outer panel replaced. The metal in the depressed part had been stretched and weakened. So a patch work was not recommended by them. I didn’t think twice about the loss of the NCB actually – just couldn’t bear the thought of a patch work job on the car within 6 months of ownership. Having engaged before with the team at SGA & the SVC manager closely for getting the dashboard rattles sorted out, I knew the car was in good hands.

But my project visit schedules were not flexible for the next 5-6 weeks and almost every week required an out-station drive. I briefly considered using my aging Scorpio but its dependability issues for long journeys made me opt out of that alternative. Took a chance and used the Kushaq as it were till I could make time to leave it at the SVC.

After approx. 1.5 months the car went in for the door replacement and the 15k km service job clubbed together. Surprisingly, not a spot of rust had developed at the damaged portion – even though some unusual, extended summer showers + the regular washing had happened during this period.

I decided to state the reason for the damage as actuals in the claim form & the insurance surveyor cleared the claim request without any fuss. The replacement parts arrived in six working days. The outer panel of the door was listed 15K inclusive of GST in the inventory order copy. The fitment, painting & 1st service was completed in four working days.



The entire episode was hassle-free and took 12 working days from start to delivery. The claim amount was for 38,000/- of which 36,250/- was sanctioned by United India.



The 1st service required only a payment of Rs. 250/- since I was on the SMP package. The total expenses paid out was 2k.

Did a test drive after singing off but just a one km from the SVC, I could hear an intermittent rattle from the inner half of the replaced door. The same was rectified by the next day and the service team did me a favour by dropping of the car to my place. A tiny potted plant was sent along with the driver as a gift and while it might not seem as much, it certainly was a nice touch.

So almost 2 weeks & 2K later the baby Skoda is back to looking as new as a 6.5-month old car can be.