Getting royally f***ed by Skoda

[Dr3w_vrs]

Sorry, I know there are plenty of other topics regarding this, but I felt this might get me more views and therefore chance of help.

 

I would be really grateful if anyone who has had an engine replacement, outside of warranty, with some goodwill contribution from Skoda to PM me their details. Case reference and/or registration number, perhaps name if you don't mind sharing that.

 

Some of you may have seen my other posts. My car is currently with Skoda requiring an engine replacement due to damage caused by a broken valve.

 

Skoda are offering me 60% goodwill contribution to parts and labour, so cost to me of £2,259. I know others with higher milers than mine have been offered a lot better.

 

I seem to have been lead on a bit by Skoda customer services and my Skoda garage. Initially I was offered 40% contribution. I then went to customer services directly and after discussion with the garage this was increased to 60%.

 

I told the garage I was not happy with this and they told me to go back to customer services, which I did. After doing so customer services spoke to the garage... the garage said that they believed 60% was adequate contribution!

 

I'm just off the phone to customer services, who are now telling me the garage has the ultimate decision on the amount of goodwill (what is even the point of customer services!). I have sent an email to the garage and am awaiting reply - after another failed attempt to speak to the manager by phone.

 

So it seems the garage is f***ing me, and Skoda are washing their hands of it.

 

Bit of background: 61 plate | CAVE | >35,000 miles | Full Skoda service history | Bought at 2,000 miles - Skoda approved used

 

I have been very calm in my dealings with both the garage and customer services so far, but frustration is setting in.

 

 

[bluecar1]

does it have full skoda service history, as that seems to be crucial I goodwill payments

[Chibakun]

When did the warranty expire?

[Dr3w_vrs]

does it have full skoda service history, as that seems to be crucial I goodwill payments

 

Yes it does.

 

When did the warranty expire?

 

October 2014.

[James@RRG_Skoda_Rochdale]

From an outsiders point of view:

You have a car that's 2 years out of warranty and the manufacturer are willing to pay 60% towards repairs and despite this you're still not happy? Given that with any other product you wouldn't really have a leg to stand on?

From an insiders point of view:

What was the exact cause of failure and result?

Engines have been paid for YES but only for specific issues that the Skoda factory have been good enough to cover. More details of the issue will help out here.

You have to get a decent rep from CS. If you do then they're worth their weight in gold.

[Rooted]

Total rubbish.

 

They settle because of the 1,800 CAVE engine Fabia in the UK the failure rate is over 20%, and even replaced engines have failed.

They SKODA UK will not go to court if someone raises a civil, action because they will need to be honest and give evidence where an Independent Engineer Expert has a report on the fundamental design, manufacturing, components choice and quality control issues on these and the Seat Ibiza from 2009 & Polo & A1 frpm 2010.

 

Simples really.  they would have to reveal the true failure rate in a court in England / Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

This is why so many 'gestures' have been made, and confidential agreements and settlements with other Warranty Underwriters.

http://revotechnik.com/support/technical/14tsi-twincharger-engine-issues

Edited 23 September, 2016 by Offski

[James@RRG_Skoda_Rochdale]

Total rubbish.

They settle because of the 1,800 CAVE engine Fabia in the UK the failure rate is over 20%, and even replaced engines have failed.

They SKODA UK will not go to court if someone raises a civil, action because they will need to be honest and give evidence where an Independent Engineer Expert has a report on the fundamental design, manufacturing, components choice and quality control issues on these and the Seat Ibiza from 2009 & Polo & A1 frpm 2010.

Simples really. they would have to reveal the true failure rate in a court in England / Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

This is why so many 'gestures' have been made, and confidential agreements and settlements with other Warranty Underwriters.

http://revotechnik.com/support/technical/14tsi-twincharger-engine-issues

Great rant and I know this is your specialist subject but the OP still hasn't clarified the failure and he's already been offered 60% goodwill. What kind of valve has failed? Internal engine or otherwise?

60% is a great base to start from. I dare say they'll contribute more if pushed, the point I'm making is when the warranty on your white goods is up, that's it, no more warranty. Yet people believe that even years out of warranty that the manufacturer should be paying for everything when a fault occurs on their car and that's why I addressed it as an outsiders point of view.

Now because I'm an insider and probably have more knowledge than most people on here on this subject and have probably replaced more CAVE/CTHE engines than any member on here I'm willing to listen to what failure the OPs car has suffered from and offer my decent, honest and educated advice. I've no doubt that if it's the result of an oil burning issue or failed cam chain that skoda will be all over it but neither of us know this with the vague details provided.

Edited 23 September, 2016 by James@RRGRochdale

[Chibakun]

You could ask them for a discount on a new car instead of trying to fix yours. I don't think it's worth spending 2.5k on a 5 year old car, especially as the gear box could fail next. I can't believe how fragile these cars are.

[Rooted]

Skoda never clarified anything on the 'revised engines' late 2012 because of the failures 2009-2012.

Any car from 2009-10 was still in warranty when VW knew the engines were being discontinued due to failures and that the revised engines would have new Engine Management.

 

They should at that point in 2012 extended warranties on the potential lemons of engines that VW had built.

They never and Dealership Employees were either ignorant of the failures or dismissed them and Skoda UK played each owner individually.

 

Many got good deals and others the run around.

Oddly Main Dealership employees were getting engines replaced easier than customers.

& if you bothered Alasdair Stewart Brand Director of Skoda UK or had a solicitor contacting Skoda UK there could be a senior Customer Services Manager on your case quickly 

and your new engine in within a fortnight.

 

Lots of runarounds from Skoda, VW, Seat & Audi and talk of Goodwill Gesture when UK Consumer Law actually was and is on the side of the customer.

 

PS 

As to Gearbox failings, 

there is another story and Ozfabia in Australia had a new DSG fitted rather easily in the end, and some Twincharger owners got new engines, 

due to the risk to Skoda (VW) Australia of an owner in court over the lemons built by Skoda / VW.

http://skoda.co.nz/news/dsg-service-campaign

in NZ there was a proper service campaign due to the low numbers that they had to replace MCU's in to save there being any court actions there

or actions by a Government Agency.

 

World Wide recall excluding the EU/ UK that got  a cheapo Service Campaign.

RoW got a Warranty Extension.

Edited 23 September, 2016 by Offski

[Brian69]

You could ask them for a discount on a new car instead of trying to fix yours. I don't think it's worth spending 2.5k on a 5 year old car, especially as the gear box could fail next. I can't believe how fragile these cars are.

The gearboxes are fairly robust - certainly not made of 'chocolate' as some used to say on here.

I've been reading this forum for five years - plenty of engine failures but gearbox failures have been very rarely raised.

[James@RRG_Skoda_Rochdale]

Skoda never clarified anything on the 'revised engines' late 2012 because of the failures 2009-2012.

Any car from 2009-10 was still in warranty when VW knew the engines were being discontinued due to failures and that the revised engines would have new Engine Management.

They should at that point in 2012 extended warranties on the potential lemons of engines that VW had built.

They never and Dealership Employees were either ignorant of the failures or dismissed them and Skoda UK played each owner individually.

Many got good deals and others the run around.

Oddly Main Dealership employees were getting engines replaced easier than customers.

& if you bothered Alasdair Stewart Brand Director of Skoda UK or had a solicitor contacting Skoda UK there could be a senior Customer Services Manager on your case quickly

and your new engine in within a fortnight.

Lots of runarounds from Skoda, VW, Seat & Audi and talk of Goodwill Gesture when UK Consumer Law actually was and is on the side of the customer.

Those are great points but they still don't highlight what exactly has gone wrong with the OPs engine.

I've seen the misery of the owners who bought brand new fabia vrs' and seat Cupra and bocanegras before that, then when the engines started having issues and the manufacturers were ignorant of the whole affair (and let me tell you now that Skoda are a hell of a lot more generous than seat ever were!). It left people who spent good money on new cars and had them serviced within the dealer network way out of pocket.

Then the car ends up traded in, worth peanuts then on the block, bought by some car sales outfit and some other punter comes along, buys it and your back at square one.

But the new guy with no brand loyalty gets a new engine for next to nothing.

If they took care of the issue initially then the decent customer would still have his car and it'd behave how skoda intended.

We regularly have these issues, I changed one yesterday, I have another next week and another the week after that and most have been covered generously, Skoda would appear to be making amends but so many dealers and customers go down the wrong channels then it seems that CS and the dealer are pitted against each other and that's not how it should work.

[Rooted]

How many Twinchargers have you now done Oil Consumption tests on, done breather mods and software updates and how many replacement engines have you fitted.?

 

You must have seen a few burnt out valves by now as well.

 

The fiasco has continued for 4-5 years and things were getting better with Milton Keynes and then the new Brand Director came in, the new Customer Services and its back to a fiasco.

Solicitors and Independent Engineers reports get Skoda's attention when the owner does not have the support of a Dealership.

Edited 23 September, 2016 by Offski

[James@RRG_Skoda_Rochdale]

I honestly can't recall how many I've done and it's not limited to the 1.4, the 1.8 suffers the exact same issue.

Breather mods, updates and oil jets were a complete waste of time on the CAVE. They never worked, the jets and optimised software does work on the CTHE provided it's not too far gone.

I'm currently replacing engines that have already been replaced early on with *unmodified engines!*

The one next week has already had 2 fitted between 2012 and 2013.

We have a good track record and a good relationship with CS. It's mutually beneficial for us as a dealer to help customers as well as customers getting their car repaired with as much help as possible from both us and Skoda.

Skoda realise that this issue needs putting to bed but we see so many dealers going down the wrong route or ignoring the issue completely and this just creates a ****ed of customer with an unrepaired car.

[James@RRG_Skoda_Rochdale]

I've never had one with a burnt out valve, loads of heavily fouled plugs and over stressed coil packs though.

Ironically the oil keeps the cylinders cool so the valves don't tend to overheat.

A faulty injector causing lean running and burned valves was a common issue on a few engines not too long ago and grabbing valve guides resulting in burned out valves has seen me replace more than a dozen cylinder heads on 1.2 and 1.4 engines in the past.

On another note; as much as VW AG want to put a brave face on it the emissions recall as of late has had serious financial implications on the company and cut backs have been noted across the various brands.

Edited 23 September, 2016 by James@RRGRochdale

[Rooted]

See post #25.

Just one of many that have had this happen.

I have seen a good few.

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/314870-lumpy-fast-idle-following-misfire

[James@RRG_Skoda_Rochdale]

It makes sense if the route cause was his injector.

The only time I've seen valve disintegration has been in cases of long term misfire, usually through misfueling of the injector.

Edited 23 September, 2016 by James@RRGRochdale

[CRASH67]

Reading through this... i find it tough one.

For a manufactuer to offer 60% contribution on a repair after the car is out of warranty by two years is very generious from my exprience in the trade... i work with commercials and seen loyal fleets get less just months outside warranty...

That said these engine issues clearly arent right and they know it. Its tough one. I see where your coming from, but it still sounds a generous offer

[Rooted]

40% of costs less generous than another member had last week.

& many others have been getting though.  

[James@RRG_Skoda_Rochdale]

@dr3w-vrs

What's happened with your engine and what area are you in?

[CRASH67]

Ohh dont get me wrong i understand your point, and id probley feel the same.

Just from my exprience its still a generous offer. Thats all i ment.

Not really sure how much further you push it though.

Your looking down the barrell of things like independant engineers or legal action etc. But is that worth the expensise to save a little more? Guess thats for you to do the sums on?

[Dr3w_vrs]

Thanks for all the replies. Appreciate getting others views.

 

Unfortunately I do not know what caused the burnt out valve, neither does the technician it seems. I queried and he said burnt out valves are usually due to excessive heat, or a valve faulty from the outset.

It happened when accelerating out of the 50 limit on the M5 roadworks. I gave it a bit of throttle to take it up to 70/80 and it just coughed, then the check engine light flashed on followed by the EPC light. I limped it the the garage.

 

I appreciate what has been said that for an outsider it looks like 60% contribution is good. However, my car has done less than 35k and has been serviced adhering to Skoda's service schedule, with a Skoda garage. It has never been run low on oil and always had 99RON fuel. It has never been modified or raced. It just doesn't seem acceptable to have a engine needing replacement given this history.

 

Reading about many others on here that have had much more generosity it seems has also made me feel they should offer more. I know the car is out of warranty, but this is a fairly catastrophic failure at low mileage.

 

I'm in South Shropshire, not too far from Ludlow.

 

I guess another thing that is really annoying me, is it seems the goodwill is very much at the discretion of the garage. Customer services more or less told me that if the garage felt more was justified it could be increased.

 

Not sure where to go from here, I've been without my car now for a month and it's getting frustrating. No courtesy car or anything, sharing my girlfriends car. I want to buy another, but I would rather deal with this first to see how much I'm out of pocket. Bloody tax and MOT is due now as well.

 

 

[CRASH67]

I get what your saying and feel your pain, but Goodwill is goodwill. They are not abliged to offer it. I dont mean to sound harsh but plently of other manufactuers would do what they could to avoid paying anything.

Im not sure what more you could expect. As they have basiclly accepted its a product problem hence goodwill. But as with all cases they are dealt with case by case as you say alot of it will come down to the dealer...

[MillsyVRS]

I can completely see your frustration at the fact others have got better offers of goodwill, and while your car is 5/6years old, as you've said its done very low mileage for its age. So an engine failure of this kind is awful and makes you think the engine was doomed from the start.

It seems that with these engines, nothing small and cheap to fix ever happens, just big expensive problems. Best of luck anyway, hope you get some form of good outcome at the end of it all.

[Rooted]

See the top pinned thread.

Another 2013 Twincharger in for a replacement engine.

 

Under 2,900 from Skoda first registered in the UK from 2010.

 

Yes they are obliged to replace engines because they dare not appear in a court in the UK if someone raises a Civil Action and Skoda / VW UK are required 

to reveal the failure rate of these engines with Fundamental Design, Manufacturing & Component Choice & Quality Control Issues & Software Failures.

Skoda UK just continued importing and retailing these vehicles first with the CAVE engines then the revised CTHE and many were and are not fit for purpose.

They even tried telling owners that the failures were few and far between.

[CRASH67]

Its the rumours surrounding these engines that made me opt for the monte carlo