AGMort

In November 2019 I bought a new Octavia, 1.5, SE L, DSG to replace my 3 1/2 year old one. Is it correct that the gear ratios have been changed as I find that starting off has more of a 'woosh' that the old one, to the extent that it is very easy to skid on my gravel drive? Next, I find to my dismay that the DSG box defaults to 'Normal' mode whenever one switches the engine off. I had occasion to deliver some 30 cards just before Christmas, thus stopping and starting the Octavia a couple of dozen times within two hours or so. Imagine the nuisance of having to re-set the DSG every time. Well, as you can imagine, I gave up in the end and left it in its default 'Normal' mode. If I forget to alter the mode before starting the car, (quite easy for me!) I either have to stop the vehicle or alter it on the move – with the possible lack of concentration involving a) either pressing the ‘Mode’ Button four times or b) pressing it once and looking for the ‘Mode’ icon on the screen and pressing the said icon. This is clearly nonsensical and potentially dangerous. Why should I have to do this because of some thoughtless soft-ware engineer’s decision in the factory, changing a perfectly acceptable arrangement as on my previous car, to one of complexity and potential danger? Why does my Climate Control system not default to the factory set-up? Why don’t the radio stations yet, default to zero so that I have to retune them every time I start the car? Why do my lights program not default? Why does the DSG not default when the ‘Stop-Start’ system actuates? I could go on. If I want to drive in ‘Eco’ mode, I want the car to remain in ‘Eco’ until I chose to alter it to ‘Sport’ or ‘Normal’ or whatever. I note that the new Superb boasts of its default to 'Eco' and that my daughter's Karoq remains in the set mode until specifically changed. Needless to say that complaining to the service department leaves one in the 'you've bought the car and now you can live with it' mode!

Thanks to all of you who took the trouble to comment. Skoda have been in touch (!) so I'll see how we get on and comment in due course. maybe a 'Damascene' conversion!

Thanks, all of you who have replied so quickly, with virtually similar replies! Do Skoda ever respond to the poor publicity that this sort of exchange engenders? I have copied my Post to the great Customer Service in the sky - but who knows whether they will bend. I will email that Mr Trump for some ideas on Twittering; he seems to get a rapid response. Perhaps I described my upholsterer friend a bit unfairly. He does know what he is talking about and spoke to me in a break from re-trimming a Ferrari 250GTO - so somebody trusts him! Anyway, I will report on any comeback from Skoda.

Hullo I'm new to contributing to any forum so I hope I am doing the right thing as I really need some advice. I bought my leather upholstered DSG Octavia in June 2016 (after Skoda had built the wrong spec car!) Loved it, still love it after 7500 miles... BUT after a few months the leather on the front seat cushions started to pucker or, as Skoda will have it, 'Augment'. I took the car to my dealer, Citygate, Watford and the first comment from the engineer who had a look at the seats was, "Well, someone's been sitting on them with a back pocket stuffed with money or something." After recovering from this dopey remark, I pointed out that a) yes, I had sat on the driver's seat - it was necessary to do so in order to drive the car and, more rarely, so had my son on the passenger seat but that b) we, neither of us, carry more than a couple of notes in our back pockets. The manager was more positive and photographed the seats and suggested that they could be recovered. Great! But no! After contacting higher Skoda powers-that-be, he told me that help was not to hand - so I raised a complaint, SD564692x to the Help Department, Sheffield. This decision not to help was confirmed by Zalikha Nazir, the Customer Services Manager, who sent me a waffling email saying that wear and tear was not subject to warranty. Come off it! 7 months and three thousand miles! Does that represent fair wear and tear? I think not. Any way, having gone into recess due to family illness, I have emerged and yesterday took the car to a well qualified car upholsterer in Wooburn Green who had a careful look at the seats. He said that as the leather (if it was real leather) was such **** quality he would not make any attempt to cure the puckering seating with a heat gun as this well used process would probably do more damage than good. The creasing by now has extended to the sides and squabs of both front seats. The odometer registers 7400 miles. So, what do I do? Court action is prohibitive although I did suggest withholding my PCP payments until some action was taken. This met with a prompt promise to compromise my credit rating... Help, someone please.