my octavia vrs pd broke down on me last monday 15/2/10. i got it to the nearest skoda dealer on thursday 18th. the dealer has had it since then and up to today they still dont know whats wrong with or how to fix it? they havent contacted me and i have had to ring them for updates. all they told me so far was that it is a problem with the injector system. they said they havent seen the problem before and arent too familiar with the vrs model!! i have asked to speak with the mechanic who is suppose to call me back but no call as yet. they havent given me a projected date when it might be ready or how much it might cost.

am i being impatient? surely a dealer should have the specific problem identified by now?

if i lose my temper which im close to doing, and take the car somewhere else will they just charge me a bomb for all the man hours and for plugging it into the computer?

my car is not driving and i have not been given a loan of a car for the interim.

any ideas?

Why don't you ask them to transfer it to another dealer who is familar the Octavia, the vRS is just a trim level and a popular one at that! Hope it gets sorted, they should'nt charge you for anything as they don't appear to have fixed it. Seems to be a worrying level of PD issues around at the moment which don't appear fixable.

Why don't you ask them to transfer it to another dealer who is familar the Octavia, the vRS is just a trim level and a popular one at that! Hope it gets sorted, they should'nt charge you for anything as they don't appear to have fixed it. Seems to be a worrying level of PD issues around at the moment which don't appear fixable.

Hi.. No self respecting Skoda dealer in the U.K. should have trouble fixing a Octavia RS diesel. It's not like there arne't many on the roads!. This is a very popular model. Get it taken to your local Skoda dealer and get them to fix it. Alternatively, speak to the Dealer Principle at the dealership where your car is now. This normally works, because 1) They like to keep the customer happy, and 2) They realise that the customer can always contact Skoda Customer Services (in effect the manufacturer) and they don't like that because they dont like adverse publicity especially as its the manufacturer that hands out the franchises to the dealerships. I'm sure either way you'll soon have it fixed and back on the road ...

unfortunately i live in ireland and this dealer is located is a small town. think the guy who owns the garage is their main mechanic too!! i didnt know any of this before i brought it there by the way! but ye are right the vrs is fairly popular here too so they should definitely be familiar with them.

do they have a right to charge me even though they havent fixed it? could i get onto skoda ireland and complain through them?

unfortunately i live in ireland and this dealer is located is a small town. think the guy who owns the garage is their main mechanic too!! i didnt know any of this before i brought it there by the way! but ye are right the vrs is fairly popular here too so they should definitely be familiar with them.

do they have a right to charge me even though they havent fixed it? could i get onto skoda ireland and complain through them?

Hi Joonggun

I live in Ireland too and I know your pain. I recently spoke with skoda (VW) Ireland and they intervened with a Skoda dealer to make them get their finger out and fix a leaking door seal under warranty.

Interestingly, Skoda Ireland told me that all warranty work has to be done at a Skoda dealer even though Skoda is run in Ireland by VW and Skoda dealerships are few.

If the dealer in question is listed on skoda.ie as Skoda authorised then I would give them a chance to fix it. If it isn't and you are under warranty then do take it elsewhere.

If you think they don't know what they are doing then i think you have to give them fair warning before you take it away otherwise they will want paying for their time and may not release the car without payment. It all depends on whether this is a real Skoda Dealer or just a local garage. Skoda garages should be able to fix a Skoda and if they can't why would you need to pay them anything?

Under contract law (refer to a real lawyer here) there is a fair probability an independant garage could charge you something for their time in investigating the fault even though they haven't fixed it. You brought it in you need to pay sort of thing. That said, they would have to detail the work done and I don't think they can charge for their incompetance and run up a huge bill. Perhaps an hour's labour?

If it's an independant. I suggest you be very clear with them and make sure they know you will only pay for work that leads to a solution and you will not pay for incompetance and dawdling.

If it were a full on Skoda garage and they don't know how to fix it, then I would suggest you tell them thanks for their time and that you intend to go to someone who does.

I suspect a local Irish Skoda garage will be talking to Skoda (VW) Ireland for help on fixing the problem. The problem will have a set number of hours for a fix and I would not pay for more than the bookable hours. You can talk to Skoda Ireland if you think you are being over charged.

Edited 27 February, 201016 yr by FriendlyFire

@ friendly fire - my car is a 07 so unfortunately the warranty has expired. the garage is listed as one of the main skoda dealers on the skoda website.

im trying my best to be patient but im getting no feedback and i havent gotten any of the callback i have requested. today is working day number 8 and still nothing. i have no problem taking it some where even though ill have to get it towed. i just dont want to be hit for a list of charges when its still not fixed.

@ friendly fire - my car is a 07 so unfortunately the warranty has expired. the garage is listed as one of the main skoda dealers on the skoda website.

im trying my best to be patient but im getting no feedback and i havent gotten any of the callback i have requested. today is working day number 8 and still nothing. i have no problem taking it some where even though ill have to get it towed. i just dont want to be hit for a list of charges when its still not fixed.

(Again - refer to a lawyer for real advice) The Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act requires that tradesmen/professionals are competent to perform the services they offer. I would suggest calling personally to the garage and ask why there isn't at least a diagnosis after 8 days. Then you can have the car towed and tell them to whistle for their money. Garages tend to go wild with your money if you let them but they have to have some form of authorisation from you before they can spend hours "exploring the possibilites and learning on the job" and then bill you for correcting their ignorance.

Seems to me you have left them plenty of time to find the problem and advise you of the solutions and cost. If they have done that they would probably be in order to ask for payment for their time. - would have to be reasonable IMO. If they are not competent and are playing with your car then they have no right to ask for money. If they had to do serious dismantling to find a fault they should have alerted you to that need and the cost of it before proceeding. Common law contract law would give a competent tradesman a reasonable fee for their time and work - even if you didn't agree exact terms when you first went there - but it isn't carte blanc to run up a bill without agreement.

Go in and brace them. We don't complain enough in Ireland! :yes: