THE KICK INSIDE

latest update, new engine 6000 miles old or so --------check engine light, 'emissions workshop!' message - here we go again.....

Well here i am again.... Yes thats a known problem with the tip box, well at least it is on Audi a4's a colleague of mines got one and had that happen at about 45k miles, exactly the same symptoms and problem, replaced by audi under 'goodwill'. Still got the superb, though as I cant trust it my wife driving it as a run about, moved to Merc and bought myself a Brabus - worlds better service...(and cheaper hourly rates/parts than skoda too!) The skoda has now packed up the passenger door lock, the dealer didn't do the power steering fluid lines up properly when they changed the engine so had to have that sorted, and the new engine has just started throwing warning lights (its less than <5000 miles old!). Now just less than 40k miles total, and just asking for ts 20k service (as they didn't reset the service indicator AGAIN when they put the new engine in) - shocking dealers, shocking car... we will run it till it dies again then then it becomes a skip - still its got a nice heated rear screen to keep yours hands warm while you push it! Funny though all three skoda dealers that were involved keep trying to sell me a new one - i really AM tempted to go to one of their sales nights just to have some fun!

I agree the bar mounting is good (shame the boot interior isnt easier to remove...but like you say 2nd time would be easier) why oh why dont manufacturers do like volvo do and just stick a big plug in the back....the bar took me maybe 2-3 hours the wiring...well lets say its done now but OMG what a pain! the chelsea tractor took me less time to fit and wire than the superb did to fit the towbar AND i did that one solo!

Thanks for all the suggestions, i thought i WAS buying a right hand drive kit - specifically for a skoda superb!...but apparently such a beast doesn't exist! even the supplier thought they were selling me one! The kit fits the back of the car perfectly (including the legal fog lamp requirements and killing the reversing sensors when the vans hung on the back). The reason for wiring to the front of the car is that 20 amps wouldn't be enough to feed a modern caravan (the fridge can pull more than that - and my big leisure battery after using the mover can also sup like a good 'un!) Plus the fact that i want to use the trailer fuse in the fuse box for the lights so i can change the fuse easily - separate feeds for the fridge and constant pins of course as per the regs..... If anyone ever wants to do the job pm me and i can shed some light - including how a good 90% of the interior comes out (repeatedly in some cases!). its about the 5th towbar i have chucked on and its been the biggest SOB to fit AND wire - always made my own looms before - sort of wish I had this time!

Well we decided to keep the superb, it seemed sensible....not so sure now! We decided to get rid of one of the other vehicles that we use to tow so a bar/wiring was needed for the superb.... I have always made my own looms but decided to buy one this time.... Bought the westfalia towbar (removable) and the dedicated wiring kit (13 pin) and fridge extension kit from towequipe. bar went on ok (apart from having to take half the car apart!).. Wiring loom doesnt have provision for (the extension kit to plug into it (kit is for the loom....go figure) ) so we had to mod the end of the loom....then fit it, get it to the front of the car and its for a left hand drive car...so the fuse box is on the other side and it doesn't *beeeeeeeeeep* fit! So now i will have to make supplemental loom and get it across the dash....i wouldn't mind but this total POS was £90 and supposed to be plug and play - no WAY am i stripping it out......to much time already gone into the fitting! Looks like another family holiday is going to be canceled/delayed AGAIN due to the superb....

i have to say i am now of the opinion that the variable servicing regime lead to the untimely death (34k miles!) of my v6 engine....i have no evidence for this but am pretty convinced! (note at 34 k it had had one service at 7.5 k when i bought it and another at 17k, then onto variable.....) just my gut feeling....

Amazingly im still about.....and we have decided to keep the v6....one point its NOT an obscure engine as its used in a the passat and a4/a6 too.... one thing i am damn sure about though....the new engine is going on 5000 mile oil changes....

I didn't suggest it because i would have had to pay for it and i am not intending on keeping the car - its already the worst depreciating/most expensive running cost car I have ever owned -and i have owned (even my 4*4 import costs less to run in total and that INCLUDES sub 20 mpg fuel consumption!) and no perspective purchaser is going to give me the cost of the new clutch back.... Even if you take the clutch prices out the £80 looks pretty decent... I certainly could do the work myself but I don't have the time...my time is (financially) worth more to me than paying (i get paid more than i pay if you see what I mean).... For me reliability and speed of repair/service are paramount -sadly Skoda uk dont vet their dealers so they cant give me that service...so I must vote with my wallet and my feet..... Skoda UK actually rang me up to ask if i was a 'happy driver' .... points for ringing, but I think they wont be ringing again....ever....

It was a skoda dealer.......and you expect common sense.....

I don't so much expect it to go, but i have been told its likely too....i agree the only clutch i have ever had replaced went at 240,000 miles...but i was told by someone 'in the know' that it was likely prior to 100,000k.....aand who am i to argue i wouldn't expect a cam shaft to be made in multiple pieces either!

omg rust on a 5 year old car....frankly that's below unacceptable...i though they were supposed to be fully galvanised 9so the advertising blurb says!)! I have had 15 yo volvo's with no rust on them - and i do mean NO rust period....my brothers 240 with 230,000 miles on a F plate is just starting to show odd bits..... I become more convinced im making the right decision and that cost have been cut in the wrong areas on these cars! Mind you i still say change cam belts on schedule (age or mileage) on any vehicle - because the damage if one lets go is just too nasty to be worth the risk...

wouldn't try it on pd engine! the injectors wont like it without fitting tank and fuel pump heaters - on an old school diesel you can run up to about 30% winter more summer with no issues but you need to do more frequent fuel filter changes, also you should process it strictly speaking to remove the glycerine and balance the pH. it will also give less mpg than derv but the engine tends to run better and on distributor pump blocks it helps pump lift (lubrication) - tends to run smoother and smell of cod and chips driving down the road.... to be honesti wouldnt put it anywhere NEAR a VAG deisel its a very differnt beast form say a merc block or a mitsi 4m40 - both of which will run on anything you like pretty much! (think tractor engiens!)

You do what the service center says for a number of reasons... 1. these things get changed over time (famously the vectra the cam belt mileage changed from 80k to 40k because of a number of failure at about 50-60k) 2. if you DONT and then you have a cam failure as i have you can kiss goodbye to ANY hope of goodwill from skoda....i only got good will because i had a full main dealer hsitory on the button every time and they tried to argue it!!!! (well its missing the latest service - no it isnt its on variable and it hasn't come up yet!) 3. if your cam belt DOES go you write the engine off - so its cheap insurance! DO NOT MESS ABOUT WITH CAMBELTS ITS SIMPLY NOT GOOD PLACE TO SAVE A FEW £... I dont know on the petrol but on the diesel v6 its a BIG job so prepare fora £500 bill! (the whole front of the car has to come off on a diesel!)

£80 includes servicing, mot, all repairs (parts and labour), leaks, aircon regas, clutch, brakes, recovery ..pretty much the only exclusions are tyres, rims and day to day oil/screen washer top ups! if you work out that a superb over the next two years would cost me:- Service *2 @ £250 = £500 Cambelt £500 Brakes £150 AA cover * 2 @ £150 = £300 Clutch £400 Warrenty 2 @ £360 = £720 £80 a month looks like a bargain FYI merc dealer rates are almost exactly the same as skoda dealer rates PLUS my merc dealer gives you 15% off if your car is over 3 years old to reward loyalty (now there's a concept strange to skoda dealers!) Driving the superb home i was struck again by how good it IS buti simply cant do with the dealers, no courtesy cars, having to fight for what's right, technical ineptitude and the general 'now we have sold it to you we don't care' attitude....god alone knows how bad parts will be to get once its out of production!

Well almost the end of a long saga... I picked the car up today from the dealers with the new engine fitted...2 year unlimited mileage warranty on the engine and its cost me about £1150 all in.... Now personally I don't think i should have had to pay anything and if i hadn't been a really obnoxious PITA i am SURE I would have paid out well in excess of £7k. Having driven the car home tonight the clutch problem its had from day 1 (and complained about to the dealer to be told 'its fine they are like that sir') has gone, the car is quieter than its ever been and much more refined...i wonder if that's how come i bought it (approved used from a skoda dealer) 14 months old 7500 miles....only owned by skoda uk....maybe its was a problem child engine from day 1! Anyway once its valeted it will be up for sale 34k fssh, new engine...now having experienced Merc dealerships its just really reminded me of what service I need and want.... So guys there you go...i really really like the car..but i just cant live with the engineering coupled with the dealers.

my current issues have been well documented and i wont bore people...but... 1. Lots of people are raving about their 30k motors - well sorry guys but i should HOPE so, my pug 405 did 300k and that i recon indicates reliability - this ONE of the reasons skoda currently do well in JD powers. 2, my issues is ths customer service ANYONE an have a bad car its how its dealt with. 3. if you have a bad gm/ford dealer its no problem spit and you hit another, this isnt true for skoda so the dealers have to be BETTER than the ford/gm ones.... 4. I have had experience of only two dealers. One i bought the car off:- a) didn't pdi it properly ad it hadnt got stuff i had paid for on it had 'lost' the service book and didnt include one c) had serviced the car but hadnt reset the service indicator the other a) Service the car and dint reset hte light to 'variable' Didn't stamp the book ('isnt in hte car mate' - when it was in the glove box...) c) MOT'd the car and failed it on emmisons with an oil temp of 12 degrees indicated on the emmissions test report ....my recent issues are well documented.. these arnt difficult things to get right, nor is there any excuse for NOT geting them right BUT if skoda want to play at he market level the superb is aimed at hey MUST be got right. Frankly its down to SKoda uk to start listening to customers and working WITH dealers (seems like they all like blaming each other a lot!) Skoda should be like volvo who suck you in and hang onto you - the only reason im not STILL a volvo customer is ford took them over and the accountants moved in! The superb is cracking car on balance, but that's only 50% of the ownership experience....if we think its bad now i wonder what it will be like when the new model is out......

Indeed but the point is we shouldn't have to and had not had the mechanical knowledge i do have (plus some very good support form someone in a user forum!) together with a lot of brass neck and 'wont' power - they would quite happily have taken my trousers down and charge me £5.5-6k for a new engine. So imagine the little old couple buying a fabia (go to any skoda dealership and they are there in droves) they would get just the same and its simply not on! To my way of thinking 'Skoda' (VAG/Group/UK/Dealers) have a moral and LEGAL responsibility to 'do the right thing' or their customers and if they DONT then we as 'customers' have a similar responsibility to 'do the right thing' and remove our complicity by simply not buying their products.... It was noticeable once i mentioned 'trading standards' and 'not fit or purpose' how much things started speeding up! - the point is i shouldn't have HAD too! Anyway hopefully im £1.2k poorer when i shouldn't be, but i can stand that (not happy but....) but no WAY am i keepng the superb without a extended warranty (may well not be keeping it anyway!)

As im being quoted.... my car does most of its millage on the motorway, I bought it at 14 moths old with 7.5k on it - its done about 14 k a year since then (commute is a rural 5 mile trip each way NOT town) other than that its 150-200 mile trips each way typically..at 70 mph.... My average overall fuel consumption is about 42mpg - so as you can see its NOT start stop! (doing a similar pattern i got 300,000 miles out of a pug 405 petrol!) Even if it was used as a taxi i think 34k would not be a reasonable milage for engine failure (as per skodas 60k/3 year warranty which a taxi woul easily reach in 3 years!) Also the fault was a cam failure - skoda are funding the entire new engine cost though he fitting is going to cost me £1k.... According to my trade contacts this isnt a typical v6 failure (though injectors, fuel pump collapse and turbo failure are more common) in fairness once i got talkign to skoda uk i was wasting my time UNTIL i found a customer support person (Edward) who took ownership of the problem and within 48 hours i had the news they were funding the engine.... They cant yet tell me when the engine will be available - but the decision is only 24 hours old in fairness.... The problem i have had has NOT really been the failure butt he resonse and speed of response from the dealer/skoda we have got there (or thereabouts) in the end but its taken a LOT of calls and perservernce...

They were built on the smart production line, then shipped to brabus who rebuilt them... Net result is about hp up from 80 to 101 and better torque (new pistons,crank,cams,valves,charegecooler rather than inter cooler, tik pipe, filter,exhaust), the suspension is lowered and stiffened with a semi adjustable front end, body kit includes splitter and skirts to improve the aero package (even the standard roadster has aero under he car), bigger/wider wheels (17" running 205/40r17 and 225/35r17 front/rear), leather interior with heated seats and a lot of the optinal smart packages as standard - upgraded audio, flappy paddle gear shift, fogs, side airbags etc.. and it still only weighs 850 kg or there abouts INCLUDING the driver. The figures arnt mega (9.1/120) BUT its the handling its amazing! So yes its proper brabus BUT its not a case of ubber tank with gaziilon hp more a case of proper sportscar in the old mg/lotus tradition

Well i went out and bought another car this morning, a Smart Roadster Brabus. I aim doing the Mercedes service plus on it (£80 a month and all i do is put fuel in it and tyres on it and they sort out the rest!) and so i got to deal with a merc dealer (skoda have a LOT to learn!).... The Skoda dealer rang me this afternoon to say that skoda factory are funding 50% of a new engine and skoda uk are picking up the other 50% on a goodwill basis in the superb. I will have to pay fitting and fluids and they recommend a new cam belt (now wouldn't you think that a new crated engine would come with cam belt and injectors...). Aparantly because im paying the fitting i will get a 2 year warranty on the engine! I am awaiting FIXED quote on the fitting! Anyway Roadster tomorrow (hopefully) skoda sometime....they cant tell me how long an engine will take to arrive....or whats on it or not...still progress!

There arnt that many dealers...and i was sort of 'into it' with them at that point....plus they are main skoda approved dealers why should i take the car anywhere else...they are approved BY skoda and im told (by skoda) suitably trained/inspected and regulated...to be fair they were acting on advice from skoda uk anyway....(confirmed by them AND skoda uk) It may be a proven design, but there are differing versions (from what i understand) and some aspects of what i have seen are 'novel' Anyway the photo's are now with the factory im told....im still waiting...the car is still sitting at the dealers in bits and im having to buy a new car as i cant be transport less....(already used two days holiday trying to sort this out) - thanks audi (who made/'designed' the engine!)... 34k, full skoda main dealer service history.....just hope im not left holding the whole baby.....i can do without the agro of the fight that would (have to) follow... anyway must go to bed, car shopping tomorrow....

Thanks guys, the dealer is (at the moment) being very helpful ans pushing skoda uk hard...skoda uk are at least phoning every day....it has been referred to the skoda factory in the chec republic..... I have been to see the stripped engine and taken photographs...which the dealer readily agreed to and indeed encouraged. Although i have no formal engineering qualifications i know more than a bit about manufacturing practice and machinery and the fault is due to a catastrophic failure at the top of the engine, involving the structural failure of two components - which order they failed in is moot but suffice it to say its either a meterlergical failure n one thats exploited a design fetature in the other...or the failure of the second component (due to its design).....net result is the engine is - according to skoda uk and the dealer its not dead now but the metal in the sump means that its terminal....and will die. Worry not i have taken advice as to what i do IF skoda dont play ball ...but i really hope they do as they SHOULD and it will take some time energy and money to do it the other way which i can do without....if it gets that nastyi will be saying a LOT more than i am now, but for now i am confident we know the cause and its a manufacturing or design (cost cutting!) fault (and i have the pictures to prove it) and its down to them to fix it - if they do then thats ok....what more could i ask 9a courtesy car would be nice though,...) whatever they are taking their sweet time so im off to buy another car tomorrow - and no strangely enough its NOT VAG group!

awaiting skoda saying much apart from 'we are talking to the dealer' a little independent research suggests a new engine is circa £4800, with fitting £7k bill....not worth it car is only worth £1-£1.5 k more..... it also suggests this failure mode is unheard of.....funny you would have thought it would have more symptoms than an uneven idle..... we will wait and see....not even getting a courtesy car so im having to hire from tomorrow, plus take the day off work to sort he mess out.... bit bored of the 'why do skodas have heated rear windows" jokes at work too! bet my bosses v6assat goes pretty soon too! thanks for the support guys.......

game over - engine is scrap metal (confirmed by dealer and skoda uk neither of whom seem bothered or even want to offer me a courtesy car!) 34k, skoda approved used car, main dealer service, babied all its life even do proper turbo cool down procedures....anyone want to buy a low milage superb with a stuffed engine ? Don't buy a s60 the electronic throttle modules go - very expensive - (imagine fast lane of m6 and engine dies.....this isnt urban myth i know someone it happened to 6 time!) yes volvo dealers are very very good, unfortunately since they became fyord the cars arnt so good....by the old model v70/c70 they are proper volvo designed cars... for £60 a month merc will cover the car i was looking at for ALL mechanical defects (inc brake pads, clutch, wipe blades, bulbs) and include all the servicing - all i have to do is put tyres and fuel in it.....only problem is i don't have a car to trade in now....since i have a pile of scrap metal ready for the crusher!

You hit the nail on the head - even if you exclude the appalling dealer (which could be just bad luck!) lets just look at the facts... 1. car is current in production 2. fault is VOR (vehicle off road) 3. fault is with injectors which are ,after all service items witha projected life of 100,000 miles 4. engine is used in other models in the vw groups 5. it takes 5 days to get parts into the engine bay of the car... wind that back....my motorbike that hasn't been made for 12 years honda can supply literally everything for within 2 days - even from japan:eek: -0 that includes essoteric bits i needed when i did an engine rebuild (like big end shells) my wifes car which is an import NEVER shipped into this country - and not currently in productuion - and Mitsi an supply a clip for the window (not used on any vehicle in this country btw) in 3 days - cam chain tensioner gasket off the shelf....i even got a brake calliper delivered next day (14 hours from phone call!) to a camp site in cornwall...now THATS service!!! Now brake caliper vs injector would be pretty similar items imho, service items but failure at 100,000 miles expected.... seems to me the much vaunted vw reliability/service/ parts availability is crock of something brown and smelly....buy japanese or merc seems to be the way of things...been to look at mercs today....least the dealer wanted to talk to me AND they will offer me a service + contract for £xx per month they cover EVERYTHING except tyres (bulb blows you just call into any dealer and they change it no charge....engine blows...pick it up next Wednesday sir.....AND it includes all your services!!! ps its not actually that expensive either!)