Tedb

A courtesy vehicle was provided but it was a Golf with an electronic park brake - my wife wouldn't drive it. After a couple of weeks I requested another vehicle with a manual handbrake and eventually (about ten days before my car was fixed) was loaned an Octavia. Had I known the repair was going to take so long, I would have insisted on a Yeti. During my training as a Quality Engineer, I remember being told that any Company that uses its Customers as the final inspector cannot claim to be a quality manufacturer / organisation. I accept that, in complex manufacturing, things can go wrong. But what makes a quality manufacturer stand out is the way that the Customer is handled. My experience indicates that Skoda are not capable of competently dealing with problems. They can fix cars but they can't fix Customers.

Yes it is a manual gearbox. .

I would advise all Skoda vehicle buyers to purchase the extended the warranty option. My experience has been that major mechanical parts are unfit for purpose i.e poor quality. I have just had the gearbox, clutch assembly and flywheel replaced on my vehicle (23,500 miles on the clock). Luckily, my car was just within the 3 year warranty period otherwise I would have had a bill for £4600. But it was off the road for 6 weeks (Skoda couldn't source a gearbox). Please don't fall for the hype that states Skoda is now a quality car manufacturer. And as for Skoda Customer Care - they really have no idea what that means. Unamused - Whatever you decide to do, take the time to write to Martin Winterkorn (CEO VAG) letting him know of your Skoda experience. Herr WinterKorn is also Chairman of the Skoda board.

Totally agree with VRSKeith. Over the past 10 months my yeti has been off the road for 2 months. The latest incident took 6 weeks to fix (Clutch, Fly Wheel, and Gearbox replaced). When I approached Skoda to extend the warranty for 2 years, I got the sort of response that Ford would have given in the 1970's. I had intended to keep the car for 5 years but I've now lost confidence in Skoda. I am in the process of writing to Martin Winterkorn (VAG CEO) to express my disappointment with Skoda aftersales and Customer care. Such a nice car to drive - what a shame.

Skoda are aware of this issue. My Skoda dealer originally said that the paintwork blistering was due to stones hitting the vehicle. I didn't accept this as an explanation. Eventually a VW rep inspected the paintwork and agreed to carry out the work under warranty.

Thanks for the information. The paint coating system Skoda use to protect the bodywork is obviously not fit for purpose. So I will continue to pester the local dealer until they agree to carry out remedial work under warranty.

Have reported lower door paint blisters to the dealer that sold me the car. I was assured that these were "stone chips" but have asked that their body repair shop contact me. I wanted an explanation for "stone chips" that have no external impact marks. That was two weeks ago, service manager not returning my calls. I will give them another week then get an independent assessment carried out. Is this an indication that quality standards are being lowered within the VW group of companies?