Sorry about dead thread revival. But I know of many car enthusiasts who know more about the car then the dealer mechanics themselves. Are they supposed to keep their mouths shut too? And how about your local neighberhood mechanic who owns his own business... He is suppose to keep his trap shut? I find all of this nonsence utter and complete bullsh*t. Bloody hell... If I wanted control over the free speech of my vehicle I would have bought a Lada.

This thread was as a result of a specific problem that was encountered, and was an attempt to build up a source of reliable technical knowledge.

If you have read the forum,you will have seen the many helpfull suggestions made by many - some with technical background and some keen amatuers - at no time is anybody stopped from offering advice, as that is all it is advice.

As you say there are many people who have a good knowledge of their cars, however as the cars become more complex with more electrical system that require diagnostics and more knowledge, it is important that if possible we can gain the knowledge from the trade.

Take our dealership for instance, we have 3 apprentices who attend Audi's Accademy, previously we have trained the apprentice of the year - who now attends Oxford university on an engineering degree.

We have 2 qualified Master Techs -- the usual is 1. We currently employ 14 Technicians,our budget shows that we expect to loose 1 technician per week for training - wether this be in house training or training at the VAG National training centre.

Within a few years the level of technology used on the car will be beyond most home mechanics - wether you think this is right or wrong makes no difference -- you will need the knoweldge and assistance of the trained dealership staff.

And if by having a thread like this a few of those dealership employees can help out then maybe you will be able to solve a problem you might not have been able to solve without a visit to a dealership or similar diagnostic garage.

Within a few years the level of technology used on the car will be beyond most home mechanics - wether you think this is right or wrong makes no difference -- you will need the knoweldge and assistance of the trained dealership staff.

And if by having a thread like this a few of those dealership employees can help out then maybe you will be able to solve a problem you might not have been able to solve without a visit to a dealership or similar diagnostic garage.

First off I would like to apologize for coming off harsh. But as you state above there will reach a point where unless you are a rocket scientist... You will have to take your vehicle into the dealership. I however am stuck in Canada with not 1 nore 2 but 3 Skoda 120's which I plan on restoring... I have personally phoned a dealership in the UK (because you blokes speak english as do I) And who ever I was speaking too found the need to laugh... and point out I should buy a new car and forget about those heaps. So if I cannot get help from the dealer themselves... I should be able to get help from other sources such as this forum.

Now when peoples employment are put in jeopardy because they are helping the consumer... Who is really helping who?

Employee is not allowed to help unless at the dealer. (more money for the VW umbrella)

Dealer wont ship me parts let alone assist me with questions... (dealer isnt making money by not selling me what I want to purchase. Nore are they getting any good publicity when they laugh in my face)

Skoda HQ is more interested in looking at forums to make sure their employees are not offering free help instead of perhaps actually making sure their dealers are doing what they are suppose to be doing... Selling Servicing Skoda Products and helping its customer base.

I have Contacted Skoda's HQ about this already. They stated that since the 120 line is so old they may not have had parts. They also stated they may have laughed because they did not think I was serious. However they would look into the matter.

Anyways... Sorry if i got side tracked. My point being... Those who work for Skoda and offer adice on here should be rewarded, not punished. They are not profitting from posting on here but enhancing the Skoda Ownership experience. If I ran Skoda I would include a Briskoda Business card and "comically" state... "Check with them before you check with us" Then in a more serious tone explain what this site is about and say how some of our employees are on there and they can offer suggestions and so on.

Instead you have Skoda acting KGB on its employees. I just sincerally hope that things get a lil more friendly within the VW Umbrella.

If this post in anyway offends anyone or goes against a posting rule I may have missed. I apologize and ask a moderator to edit it as he/she sees fit.

This post is strictly my own opinion and experiences and has nothing to do with any Skoda employee or Briskoda member.

Hmm I agree with a lot of the positive comments here. My son "sold" me a VRS so Skoda gained instead of Peugeot. Surely comments just help the trade or are they worried garages will lose on service contracts, parts etc. Put your thinking cap on Skoda and use sites like this as a Marketing aid, with reservations of course. Support those who support you and maybe Skoda sales will hold or increase to avoid layoffs like those currently being introduced by VAG. A simple disclaimer would suffice. I shall write to Skoda and point out the error of their ways but offering Marketing advice. Perhaps they will offer me some commission as I have been touting their cars to my friends and have acheived one "sale":thumbdwn:

Hmm I agree with a lot of the positive comments here. My son "sold" me a VRS so Skoda gained instead of Peugeot. Surely comments just help the trade or are they worried garages will lose on service contracts, parts etc. Put your thinking cap on Skoda and use sites like this as a Marketing aid, with reservations of course. Support those who support you and maybe Skoda sales will hold or increase to avoid layoffs like those currently being introduced by VAG. A simple disclaimer would suffice. I shall write to Skoda and point out the error of their ways but offering Marketing advice. Perhaps they will offer me some commission as I have been touting their cars to my friends and have acheived one "sale":thumbdwn:

Dad, I tend to agree that comments and advice on forums like Briskoda can only help the brand! As a potential owner (first in the queue for my Dad's vRS when I return to the UK later this year), I am sad to hear that Skoda UK have shunned the enthusiast base.

To make a comparison, I own a Honda S2000 and often visit s2ki.com, an enthusiast site. We have a Honda employee (Scott Pruettikangura) in the North Texas section of the site, also a member of our local Dallas & Fort-Worth enthusiasts group. He is a great asset to our site and his dealership General Manager doesn't have a problem with him helping out, nor have Honda USA imposed restrictions on his contribution to the forum.

Scott often informs us of SB's and so on, he's a bright chap and is careful to use disclaimers - this is the litigious US after all, lol! As a consequence of Scott's 'help' to S2000 enthusiasts he's ensured a number of repeat sales of S2000s to current owners through his dealership in Lewiswille, TX. Furthermore, partly due careless attitude of other Honda dealerships in the area seen hammering our cars, or denting and scratching them, much service and warranty work is going to that dealership - we know Scott will ensure our cars are babied while in the care of Lewisville Honda. This is probably why his General Manager encourages Scott's support to s2ki.com