Rattling issues in my 2022 Kodiaq: Disappointed with interior quality

Every creak and rattle is a constant reminder of how I needlessly spent so much money on something I am so unhappy with.

BHPian solaris007 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I was able to drive my Kodiaq around quite a bit over the last few weeks and I am just so utterly disappointed by the interior quality!

Every creak and rattle is a constant reminder of how I needlessly spent so much money on something I am so unhappy with. I just cannot get over the incessant rattles over small bumps, annoying creaks from the door panels and the phantom sounds that come and go. My entire mind space every drive is taken over with which new or old sound will crop up.

So much so that I seriously consider taking my Hyundai Venue instead (1/4th the price!) to the office. Sure the plastics are hard (it turns out the Kodiaq is not much better in this regard) but they are oh so solid - every drive is silent apart from the road noise.

I know this car is far from being a lemon but I always wonder what could have been. Sure the Kodiaq is supposed to represent value and feel like 60-70% German at 50% of the price but the car is showing every bit why it is only worth 40-50% of the price. I keep wondering if I should have just spent the extra cash and "upgraded" to a GLA or a Q3. Even the Tucson would have been a better choice given my experience with Hyundai.

Here's what BHPian CFF_Beasts had to say on the matter:

Don’t let a few creaks and rattles get to your head!

You paid 40 lakhs and have got yourself one of the best 7 seater monocoque SUVs in the market today. The next best 7 seater monocoque SUV is a Q7 which costs 1 cr.

Our road conditions are not great either and these cars have to bear that beating! Even my X3 has an odd creak/rattle that comes occasionally. Play your favourite song, drown that noise and enjoy your car!

I myself still think when the updated Kodiaq came into the Indian market, why didn’t I buy a Kodiaq and save my 30 Lakhs rather than getting the X3. Nothing wrong with the X3, but the premium-ness, features, performance and AWD make the Kodiaq an indomitable package at the price it’s offered!

One of my friend has a G05 X5 30d for the past 3 years, he recently got home a Kodiaq L&K and is seriously impressed by the car!

You’ve got a great car, cherish it.

Here's what BHPian nks81 had to say on the matter:

Your quote seems to say that Kodiaq in general has these issues. I am not sure if other owners have shared this thought. There could some owner of Hyundai Venue sitting somewhere cursing hyundai for lack of space, rattles and what not in the car.

Here's what BHPian adi_petrolhead had to say on the matter:

You're absolutely right, but in your case the issues seem pronounced. For me as I mentioned earlier, there is a creak from the front passenger door card area, but I cannot pin point it. The centre dash tunnel handles creak when flexed, and there is some noise from the rear left seat bench if it is not aligned properly with the right side seat. Other than that, I have written down issues I am going to need to address during first service.

• The LED light in the third row on the left works when the doors open, but its manual operation button is stuck from day one.
• There were a few errors when I did a random scan with OBDEleven, concerning the headlights, need to get that checked as well.
• The left dipped beam vibrates over rough roads and on idle as well.
• When I turn the steering towards the right from cneter, there is a creaking sound which I have seen on other Skodas but not Kodiaqs, on international forums. On those forums however are horror stories of pre-facelift Kodiaq's front and rear door handles creaking badly even on pulling the door to close it, random noises from the dashboard, etc. Our cars are not that bad in comparison.

There are also some noises from the gearbox when driving sedately or just starting your journey. The clunks and clangs from D1 to D2 and D3 to D2 are pretty evident and the car does jerk when doing so. But I have learnt to accept these as part of behavioural traits of the specific powertrain.

Recently in Goa I rented a Kia Sonet Diesel AT for three days. The car was great to drive, wireless CarPlay worked seamlessly, overall comfort was good, even though it was a brand new car, there were no rattles or creaks of any sort. Only the fit and finish was questionable, as is expected from the segment.

But compared to that, the Kodiaq does have its fair share of these non-mechanical niggles which spoil an otherwise fantastic ownership experience. I like the car very much, as I have mentioned in previous posts. But yes, I also was expecting a more robust build, and complete insulation from any weird noises. These noises are not only audible by petrolheads, everyone who has sat in the front seat with me has noticed this. The mechanical noises, only my ears are blessed with those.

In comparison, my dear old Octavia manufactured in July of 2013 and bought by me in October 2013, till date does not have a single rattle, creak or any interior quality issues! It is just brilliant how the car has held up in 9 years and 185000 kms. The cheapening of materials and quality started somewhere around 2016 when Skoda realised we need to add more features to keep product relevant and in doing so we can cut cost by cheapening the materials. It is a fact and no denying this. The same perceivable difference was also evident to me when I bought the Octavia, after owning and driving a Laura TDI DSG for 3 years and 50000 kms. That Laura was some tank, and was a sedan on steroids. I have taken all my cars to various roads and places where there have been no roads, and likes of Cretas and Seltos' will be afraid to venture.

All of these Skodas have managed those with aplomb. Its a progressive trend in terms of size and power for me (140<180<190 hp) but a regressive trend in terms of interior feel and quality of plastics, rubbers, etc.

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