[SKODA_RS]

We bought a Skoda Laura 1.8TSi..but to my horror it got breakdown within 8 days from the delivery..!!
Here's the complete story-->>

hi,i have been a member of team-bhp since 2005.Since then i have been a silent spectator of all the threads...and till 24th Dec 2009,we did not have a good car(sedan).i had always crazed for a skoda...may it be any of its models.Later on after reading here i realised that the bid daddy of all skoda's is the vRs.but then it it went out of production.

My dad is a petrol-head and and a performance enthusiast from start.
Earlier we had a Baleno arnd 4 years back.But my dad sold it...dont know why he sold such a nice vehicle...(which i realised later)

Then on the 24 Dec 2009 dad told all of us that we have an important function to attend.My mom asked who's is it..?? then dad told that we would find out when we reach there.He also had called the driver to drop us.
Then at around 4.30 pm we started from home.Did not realised where we were going..until we reached the gates of the skoda showroom.
Everyone including me,my mom,and my brother were shocked..!!
Then dad announced that we are here to take the Delivery of our Laura..!

The first question i asked my dad was is it a petrol or diesel..??
My dad gave a wicked smile and told that its a petrol..!!
And then i sense of adreline rushed through my body..just by hearing that its the 1.8Tsi 160bhp Laura.

I had read all over the net about this car and its performance from its 6 speed mannual gearbox..!

All were extremely happy...it was so unexpected..!! ohh my god....such a pleasant surprise.
Then dad was clearing up all the formalities..till then me and my brother were checking out the car.
Then after all the formalities keys were handed over to my dad.
Then the cars's pooja was done.

Then the sales's guy explained all the features of the car.
Then it was time to go home...the Tsi monster was extremely silent..we could not guess if car is on or off.
Then for the first time we experianced the power of the Tsi.That feeling was so awesome.i cannot forget that ever.All had a smile on their faces that i cannot forget ever.

Then i thought Finally "All is well..."

But i was wrong...skoda proved me wrong
To our horror when my dad decided to come home for lunch form office,
he started the car on neutral and tried to put it in 1st gear but it was impossible hard.He did not understand what had happened.he tried again but it was not going into the slot of the first gear.Then dad tried second gear still no luck.Then he called me and told the situation i said how is that possible??

Then he called the helpline number and that guy said he will pay a visit at rnd 3.30 pm.So dad parked car at office and came by auto.

Then my enthusiasm about what had happened was killing me.SO i went to my dad's office parking.Got inside the car and to my horror what dad said same was happening.I tried to assess the situation and found out that when cluth is completely pressed and released it was getting stuck in the middle.i was shocked and terrified.i put my leg under the clutch and pulled it up.Then pumped the clutch for sometime and voila...i was successful in moving the car.SO drove the car back to our house and called the helpline guy at skoda and told him about the problem and also told him that its solved now so no need of coming.

Then in evening we had to attend a function.
Then after dinner we sat in Laura and dad started the car.Then again laura had the same problem.It was around 11pm and we were stranded there in the parking.All people were leaving and we stood there in the car feeling sad.
and we also were feeling what to tell to people that a new car like this had broken down.Then again we called the helpline.The guy said he would come to that place in the morning.Fortunately our relatives had brought the innova that day.So they dropped us home.

Next day morning at 9.30 reached the parking where we had parked the car.
The guy came assessed the problem and said and said the clutch fluid was leak.He meant to say that the fluid which is carried to the clutch was leak.


He then tried to do all sorts of things to put the 1st gear but he failed.As clutch was totally failed..!!
Then he said we need to tow the vehicle to the showroom.
Then i was totally shocked...i was like hey its just 220 kms on the odo and we need to tow the vehicle ??? what a same on a company like Skoda.!!

Then he towed the vehicle to the showroom i followed him on my second car.
At showroom people saw the new laura and thought it was an accident case and started to check for any damage.

Then when i asked why this had happened...the skoda guy was speechlesss.!!
HE said to leave the car and said we will assess the problem and call u.

i had read about harish kanchan's case and many other skoda cases and i was preparing myself for the worst..because i thought i had got a lemon..!

But then some hope came as i had a call from skoda and they said its a minor problem as its only a pipe leak...i was like only????
He said he has ordered the pipe as this kinda problem in such a new vehicle is rare.and would be getting it in 2-3 days.
So our Brand new laura is lying in the showroom eating dust.

Guys please help me out if i should take anything in writitng from them that such a kinda problem will not occur.
i will ask them tomo is its a manufacturing fault.

Also help me what all i should do in order to build a stong case in consumer court if required.

Car Details:
Skoda Laura 2009 Facelifted.
Engine:1.8TSi
Color:Brilliant Silver
Date of delivery:24 Dec 2009
Date of problem when it arised:1st Jan 2010.
Type of problem:Clutch oil leakage due to which clutch failed.
Result:Car was towed to the service station.

Gladly we did not go out on 31st otherwise we would have been stranded somewhere on the the highyway.
Thats almost entirely what happened.

Also attaching some pics of car.
Also attaching pics of car when it was being towed away.
(Spare the quality of the pics as all were captured throught my cell phone)


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[phamilyman]

Jesus man. That's quite unfortunate.

However, hope for the best. if you have time, do stand on their head and ensure its done to satisfaction - that's all one can do. if you can find a personal contact with the GM, then your car will be well taken care of. Calling HQ never really helps unless $hit hits the fan!!

and on a lighter note, chillll - I'm sure this pipe is just another poor quality rubber like some tata owners report. India's anyways not known for the quality of rubber given the population we have

[krreddy]

Sad to see a 220KM odd car at workshop already. One thing i still appreciate about our totalled Octavia was its reliability. We hardly experienced any sort of problems in our 5 years of ownership. Too bad it's reliability didn't carry over to the Laura....

[SkyWalker]

Another brand new Skoda breakdown - Why am i not surprised?

Skoda-RS - my heart goes out for you. Its so unfortunate to have such incidents in your new car. Do escalate this to Skoda directly and also sent them a link to this thread.

[sandeepmdas]

The response you can expect from Skoda:

"Sir, this is a 2009 model car, since this is 2010 such things are bound to happen."


@krreddy, completely agree with the bulletproof reliability of the Octavia...unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

[cedizen]

So sorry to hear about that Incident..Dont know why but Unfortunately Skoda is spoling its Reputation by its own dear hands.I would suggest that you ensure that you have all the right documents with you for this Repair/Replacement with a statement clearly mentioned that it was a "Manufacturing Defect".

Reason being,there are chances of coming accross with more problem with this vehicleif the leaking pipe hasnt affected anything.I wish nothing o fthat sort happens with you again but if it does you should have a proof and a strong reaons for them to replace the vehicle under any such circumstances.

All the Best!!

[jkdas]

Indian companies are moving forward rectifying issues as they gain experience while a firm with years of experience in car industry, and 'obsessed with quality' have products issues cropping up now and then? No, not acceptable.

Hope they do sort out the issue asap and rekindle your love for Skoda.

[aaggoswami]

This is not bound to happen in a brand new car costing big. Again Europeans prove that they never tested the car in India or are not aware of Indian operating conditions.

I would like to compare Skoda with a manufacturer that is called Slow mover as far as products go, i.e. Ford.
Ford took its own time to strike in India, but they have constantly worked upwards with products that are good, reliable and generally not troublesome. Improving their A.S & S. and reducing spare prices.

Now look at Skoda. Fantastic car Octy comes in first. Its damn reliable and to this date remains the only Skoda that is reliable. The only Skoda to buy IMO.
They have faced issues with Fabia, Laura, Superb. Disgusting to say the least. No amount of explanation or excuse can justify this problem. Not when sales are in mid 500's. With such low number and high cost, quality should not be a concern.
There is something wrong with Skoda and its QC department.
Do not let your car attended without your presence.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

I'm sure this pipe is just another poor quality rubber like some tata owners report. India's anyways not known for the quality of rubber given the population we have

Tata does higher volumes in the first place. Next, why Koreans and Japs never face this issue.
On a broader note, what about tyres then ?

Originally Posted by SkyWalker

Do escalate this to Skoda directly and also sent them a link to this thread.

What help has it given till now ? They met TBHP mods, but still have case pending. They have admitted to Subperb GB problems in Russia, but for India they have simply refused to help.
Escalating the problem with Skoda is a waste of time IMO. Get the car repaired and enjoy.

[prince_pervez]

Kindly pay regular visits to the service centre and ensure no one is fooling around with the other original parts of the car. Sigh! 220 Kms.

[ImmortalZ]

You say you were a member since 2005 and you didn't notice all the threads about Skoda reliability?

Clutch hydraulics failure eh? Could it be that a rat chewed through the piping?

[Vid6639]

As a goodwill gesture the warranty on the car should be increased by another 2 years.

This will atleast ensure peace of mind for the owner of a so called luxury car. I don't see what they loose in extending the warranty.

[sachinj12]

Skoda Does it again. Skoda is obsessed only with cheating people. What has that Skoda representative on TBHP got to say now? Where is she? Skoda getting their act together can be put up in your wish list permanently. Sorry to hear that your week old Laura has already troubled you. I pray this is your last trouble with the car :-)

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by vid6639

As a goodwill gesture the warranty on the car should be increased by another 2 years.

This will atleast ensure peace of mind for the owner of a so called luxury car. I don't see what they loose in extending the warranty.

Vid, extending warranty will not bring much peace of mind to an owner. The first thing that the owner of any car, be it luxury or not, expects is that he will not be left stranded anywhere. When he/she gets into the car, they need to be comfortable in the knowledge that the vehicle will bring them home, not the knowledge that oh if it breaks down, it will be under warranty.

It almost breaks your heart that Skoda is one company still making cars for the enthusiast in us, and yet.... sigh!

[n.devdath]

To my knowledge and experience with Skoda so far, it doesn't seem like a lemon to me. Once this issue is sorted out, you should be able to enjoy the car to its fullest, and yes, please do not think of going to court etc for such issues as it will not result in anything other than worsening of the situation.

[mnhegde]

God! Another car?? That too only 220 kms done . Please keep track of the services or any part changes to be done in the service centers. Don't take chances (doesn't matter how good or trustworthy the service centers are).