Unacceptable practice by Skoda

[Jigger72]

Hi

i have no comment to make on the spare wheel issue.

if you have the stream MP3 radio you CAN get long wave on it. What you need to do is press the AM button to switch to medium wave then press the fast search button (double arrow / triangle) the radio will scan up or down the frequency and when it gets to the end it automaticaly searches on the long wave frequency, when it stops at 198LW press and hold the number 1 button when the radio beeps the station is stored. if you go back to MW the station is still stored and will be displayed as 198LW.all you do then is press AM to listen.

thats how mine is set.

Hope this helps.

By the way i run in excess of 50 cars and minibuses and we have had 2 punctures in the last 3 years!!.

John

What the…?

[skomaz]

What the…?

Actually Johndad's comment is valid as the OP did suggest that his radio wasn;t capable of receiving LW which is not the case (although granted the majority of the discussion has been related to the spare wheel).

[Burnsey]

You mean someone actually read the OP, then offered sensible advice. Surely not. But yes that how the LW works, as just an extension of the MW frequencies.

[rich17865]

You have got to feel sorry for the dealer in this case, if the OP was unable to discuss this in a friendly manner and get the problem resolved at the dealership before signing the release form, what is going to happen when something actually goes wrong?

People with an attitude like that get their dinner spat in at restaurants, people are so much happier to help someone who is nice to them. What is wrong with the world today, screaming and shouting gets nowhere, all it does is upset people (including the one shouting).

I have no doubt that the OP would have also complained if the dealer told him that a full size spare wheel was still included as printed, but it has pushed the car over the VED banding and is now £405 a year and not £215. Then I would have like to have seen him go to the government and try and argue the spare tyre Vs Co2 emmissions argument.

Granted this is something that the OP agreed to as part of ordering the car, but ranting at the dealer was going to achieve what? The OP was at fault not to have checked the car before signing to say he accepted it, I have no doubt a spare and tools would have jumped in the boot if he refused to sign.

To the point of a spare tyre, I drive as much as 450 miles a day, what sort of poor and shoddy condition have the tyres go to be in to blow at the sidewall? Dont you check them daily?

Just in case you are unsure, its got to be ancient, underinflated and or bashed into curbs that much, its dead in the water before you leave. Surely the running pressure as to be so low for the sidewall to be in contact with the road (to blow at the sidewall) that it wasn't checked before driving on it or the operator cant tell the difference of driving on a flat tyre as to a properly inflated one (in which case shouldn't have a license).

I can understand punctures, and yes they do happen (very, very rarely) which the can of slop and sometimes a compressor DOES FIX to get you to a tyre retailer. for repair or replacement.

Apologies for the rant, but miserable, stuck in their ways, unrealistic, moaning and down right stubborn arrogant shouty people get on my wick.

[cheezemonkhai]

To be fair on a mini with a puncture repair kit and not run flats, there have been two punctures inside of 6 months for which the repair kit was useless.

One a failed side wall the other a leaking valve.

Punctures happen and I certainly won't buy a car that has no spare at all as I have to be able to carry on from where I am.

Even if it's a space saver and at a reduced speed that is better than stuck waiting 4 hours for the recovery (Yes I have waited that long).

He has every right to moan and you calling him arrogant, miserable and stuck in his ways just shows how you can't empathise with the persons position.

[djlocky]

I hope no one reads my post and thinks I'm being rude, I might have not chosen my words very well but hopefully you'll get the jist of it.

I'd be really suprised if the dealer wouldn't just put a wheel in the car, I didn't even question it with my people. It might be a different story if I told them at the time it comes with a inflation kit but I didn't so it was my problem that I had to sort out.

I Have also done the same thing twice, No doubt all my demo's will end up without spare wheels, but everything I order from now will have a spare wheel.

[Captain Sisko]

Yes there are people who rant and rave all the time.

BUT what do you do when the problem is there and no-one is doing anyhing? It's going to get irritating!

Just remember a can of foam = 1 use then you buy another in addition to the cost of a new tyre.

would the dealer not "exchange" the can of foam for a wheel?

If the guy complained about the VED banding with the spare then let him complain as you really can't have it all otherwise buy an older car which doesn't follow VED taxing.

I'll admit punctures are rare, I havent had any in my Skoda but my spare comes in handy when I rotate my wheels.

Back to topic I think the OP should stand his ground for a spare wheel.

Also write to whatCar

One guy did after a nearly new Mondeo he bought from a car supermarket had no spare (there was a note stuck to the steering sheel or somewhere.

But until What Car intervened the supplier wouldn't have given a wheel.

Edited 10 July, 2009 by Captain Sisko

[vRS Carl]

:iagree:

I have had 2 punctures in my vRS parked up in Trafford centre and came out to find tyre flat with a small nail in it drove back to cheshire on the 50mph full size spare. Then next morning drove to get it fixed cost £12. 3 days later had a slow puncture on a different wheel which again cost £12 to get fixed.

However (correct me if im wrong) you put the Tyreweld stuff in it writes the tyre off which would cost around £70 (ball park figure) to get a replacement tyre.

Im sorry it's a no brainer that if the OP was expecting a Spare then he should get one. If i had only been given tyreweld those 2 punctures would have cost me around £200 for 2 new tyres. Not the £24 to have them Repaired.

Granted shouting/ranting/raving/tap dancing etc get's people's backs up and a more diplomatic approach at the start may have saved all the Aggro. However if the delear is then un helpful then the OP has every right to get a bit irate and complain to whomever he see's fit to solve the problem

To the OP - stick to your guns and hopefully the dealer will see sense and provide a spare.

Carl:thumbup:

[sicknote]

totally agree with you. Some might say that this is the way forward,but not for me the sight of a spare wheel is very reassuring. It is something that I will certainly be looking for and if Skoda cant supply it when I look at buying in a couple of years time then sorry Skoda I will look elsewhere even though I love my car (not physically)

As Martechnology focused on imagine 0400 in the morning blow out Skoda assist (RAC) come out remove wheel and set of to find the nearest tyre dealer...........thats open. I don't think so. Hours spent by the road side waiting and waiting and waiting.

sorry Skoda I think you got this one wrong

[rich17865]

Thanks cheezmonkhai for your thoughts, please let me defend myself. My sympathy for the OP disappeared when,

1. The OP signed an order form based on a brochure that says "*Subject To Change Without Notice" and then got upset when it was changed.

2, Signed the release form accepting his car from the dealer, which is an agreement that he is happy that the car has been supplied to his satisfaction, and then got upset when he wasn't happy with what he received.

I do empathise with the OP I appreciate his position, as I ordered my first Fabia 3 when all the literature said that you got ESP as standard on the level 3, when I went to collect the car, I refused to sign the acceptance form, the dealer asked why, a conversation ensued and we sorted this out between ourselves in a humane and courteous manner. The OP is obviously unapproachable and unreasonable, he admits this in his 3rd post,

Strictly speaking my letter was not necessary, because I made my opinion perfectly clear at about 3.15pm on Friday.

If he was so upset about this then why accept the car?

To dispel the myth that tyre weld renders your tyre useless, here is the manufacturers website FAQ page that says the tyre can be repaired following its use. FAQs :: Car Care :: Holts Auto

To dispel yet another myth that you are sat around waiting for hours for a tyre at 4 in the morning, there are large tyre depots that people like the AA and RAC and Green Flag visit out of hours that are open 24 hours or on call 24 hours specifically for this reason.

[Gillywibble]

Apologies for the rant, but miserable, stuck in their ways, unrealistic, moaning and down right stubborn arrogant shouty people get on my wick.

I've seen nothing to suggest that the OP was any of these things. I think he has every right to be upset.

[rich17865]

the whole of the OP's first post suggests this....... if he was none of these things this would have been resolved before he drove away.

[cheezemonkhai]

Sorry I don't accept your points as you still label the OP as out of order.

He has spent a large sum of money, especially as he is retiring and the car was not to the spec he asked for.

Also in respect of the clause "subject to change without notice", once a contract has been signed on a vehicle, then I think you'll find that would constitute an unfair contract term because the dealer can change what is supplied at any time without informing the other party.

That's like me selling you bulbs, advertising high quality items with the clause then providing the cheapest ones by the same manufacturer and saying well they are bulbs when you complain. Hardly fair is it?

Anyway, I think the OP has full right to be annoyed and I would have given them two choices:

- Fix it now and paying for my taxi home and back the next day to collect the fixed car.

- Keep the car and give me my deposit back.

RE the tyre can be repaired comment, yes it can, if the repair place has the time to use soapy water to remove the latex and then time to dry the tyre then time to buff the inner surface to make it rough so that the plug sticks. Also all tyreweld must be removed or it can react with the patch adhesive. Most tyre places I've spoken to hate the stuff as they make repairs much harder.

Edited 10 July, 2009 by cheezemonkhai

[Brimma]

the whole of the OP's first post suggests this....... if he was none of these things this would have been resolved before he drove away.

:iagree:

Reasonableness costs nothing. To notify Trading Standards as quickly as he did was completely OTT - I should like to think they've got more important things to investigate

[rich17865]

See, now I think you are still missing the point,

The dealer is at fault for not telling the OP about the change, granted. This I do not disagree with.

But how can you disagree that the OP IS at fault for accepting a car that he was not happy with.

To use your example, what he has done is the same as signing for and accepting the car with a smashed light, then complaining that the light is smashed.

[rich17865]

:iagree:

Reasonableness costs nothing. To notify Trading Standards as quickly as he did was completely OTT - I should like to think they've got more important things to investigate

Exactly, there is nothing in this world that can lead me to believe that if the dealer was about to lose a sale over a spare wheel, they would throw one in, if they were approached about it in the correct manner.

[Gillywibble]

But how can you disagree that the OP IS at fault for accepting a car that he was not happy with.

Presumably because the contract was signed based on trust. I understand the principle of Caveat Emptor, but dealers wouldn't get very far if this maxim was employed every time a car was sold.

[Jigger72]

Actually Johndad's comment is valid as the OP did suggest that his radio wasn;t capable of receiving LW which is not the case (although granted the majority of the discussion has been related to the spare wheel).

I forgot about the radio

[gadgetman]

Thanks cheezmonkhai for your thoughts, please let me defend myself. My sympathy for the OP disappeared when,

1. The OP signed an order form based on a brochure that says "*Subject To Change Without Notice" and then got upset when it was changed.

2, Signed the release form accepting his car from the dealer, which is an agreement that he is happy that the car has been supplied to his satisfaction, and then got upset when he wasn't happy with what he received.

I do empathise with the OP I appreciate his position, as I ordered my first Fabia 3 when all the literature said that you got ESP as standard on the level 3, when I went to collect the car, I refused to sign the acceptance form, the dealer asked why, a conversation ensued and we sorted this out between ourselves in a humane and courteous manner. The OP is obviously unapproachable and unreasonable, he admits this in his 3rd post,

If he was so upset about this then why accept the car?

To dispel the myth that tyre weld renders your tyre useless, here is the manufacturers website FAQ page that says the tyre can be repaired following its use. FAQs :: Car Care :: Holts Auto

To dispel yet another myth that you are sat around waiting for hours for a tyre at 4 in the morning, there are large tyre depots that people like the AA and RAC and Green Flag visit out of hours that are open 24 hours or on call 24 hours specifically for this reason.

Rich,

Do you check the spare, every fuse etc etc prior to leaving with your car? I think you're being harsh on the OP for not checking every item on his car. The dealer knew there would be no spare.

HOWEVER, we've not had clarification on which brochure the OP ordered from, and which was actually in force at the time of order. You also have the dealer that didnt make the OP fully aware that there was no spare, either at time of order, or as soon as they became aware if the car was on order at the time.

And yes Holt may say that, but take such a tyre to any major tyre place, and I bet they wont have the stuff to remove the tyre weld from the tyre fully! Tyre weld is also only good for 30mph. Based on both of these (I've been with someone trying to get a tryre repaired and turned away) I wont use the stuff.

[Jigger72]

Don't forget to keep us updated on this martechnology.

It's sparked off a decent debate

[expostmanpat]

I don't get the impression that the op made a point of emphasising the spare wheel when he ordered the car, just that it was in the brochure and hence part of the contract when the dealer accepted it. IIRC oin most brochures not only do they (skoda) stipulate that spec is subject to revision, they also say that the illustrations etc may not be relevant to the model sold in your country (as I presume the brochure pictures and text content are generic) Most feature a left hand drive car in point of fact, just to play devils advocate what would the op say if Skoda honoured the brochure and delivered a car with the wheel on the left ??

Whilst I don't relish driving a car with no spare I can appreciate the reasons behind it and don't see the point in going off on one. As mentioned a nice word with the dealer would probably have seen a wheel appear, failing that I would just visit ebay or the scrappers and get any old wheel, after all it should only be on the car for the time it takes to get the damaged tyre repaired.

[rich17865]

Rich,

Do you check the spare, every fuse etc etc prior to leaving with your car? I think you're being harsh on the OP for not checking every item on his car. The dealer knew there would be no spare.

Are you telling me that you part with around £18k of your hard earned cash for a car and not check every last inch before you leave?

I had my new car back in the garage twice for imperfections in the paint, the dealer said he couldn't see them but the painters could.

So yes, I do check every last part of my car prior to leaving with it, 18k is nearly a years wages! I wouldn't spend that without some serious interest that I was getting what I paid for.

And the tyre weld refusal to repair a tyre, is just the tyre fitters fleecing you for a new tyre.

[gadgetman]

And the tyre weld refusal to repair a tyre, is just the tyre fitters fleecing you for a new tyre.

Have you personally had such a tyre repaired? Bit hard to if every tyre place is saying they wont repair. They also can only repair IF they have the correct stuff to fully remove the gunk from the tyre.

Although Holts seems to use different materials to most out there, and I found this but no reference as to where it came from -

MINI2 - MINI Forum - View Single Post - Tyre Weld Question

But everywhere on the net says to replace a tyre that's been inflated using such a product.

[mr_awol]

I've only read page one and part of page four, as i really cant be arsed with all this. I will, however, summarise my view as follows:

1) On the one hand the OP seems to have gone overboard very quickly in complaining to anyone who would listen. I'd have asked the dealer, then Skoda UK for a spare wheel.

2) My VRS doesnt come with a full size spare, but some kind of 16" steelie. My last car had no spare wheel at all.

3) The dealer should really have chucked a spare alloy at the guy to keep him happy. They must have some kicking around from a wheel upgrade or something like that.

4) If it'ss bring world peace he can have my spare wheel (but sorry it isnt an alloy).

I dont mean to sound unsympathetic, i just dont see the need to get seemingly) so worked up over it all

[jzc008]

As I am also awaiting delivery of an Octavia, ordered in May, I will be very interested in your progress in resolving this quite unacceptable situation. I am however pleased to hear that you like the car itself. Please keep us all posted and good luck