Skoda Superb II known faults

[Boynielaad]

The catch for the seat belt on the passenger seat 'squeaks' but only when the seat is occupied.

Perhaps the awful stuttering 'characteristic' (as VAG put it) of the 140 PD engine at around 1500 RPM could be added. From my point of view this is the worst thing about the car. Everything else is quite brilliant.

[chadlington]

I have noticed that on my Superb with the 140pd engine. Does the same happen with the 140CR? I'm about three weeks off taking delivery of a new Superb Elegance with the 140 CR engine...

[kingscouser]

colombus sat nav froze permanently when searching on poi,why does skoda contnue to supply cars with this unit when it knows there are problems.you only have to read all the posts about failed units,my own car was delayed for delivery because the unit failed,it is now 5 months old and already starting to malfunction,if skodaknows these units to be faulty and continues to fit them they should give lifetime warranty with the unit

[Cown]

Thread is now updated with all your posts since april.

Thanks to everyone who have helped me creating this list. This is very much appreciated.

[rojtatton]

the columbus issue will affect every satnav eventually, the problem you have is that it contains a hard drive laptop type 2.5".

after 14 years in I.T i can say without much doubt that if you get more than 3-4 years before it fails you are lucky.

hard drives in laptops which get hard use i.e on the road all the time, tend to fail between 2 and 3 years. they may not be complete fails may just corrupt the software and require complete reinstall of software. (this works cos it recognizes the bad sectors)

good luck getting a dealer to admit that he just reloaded the software.

mine failed with hdd problem but skoda and dealer covered cost of "motherboard repair" ,bet it isnt the motherboard either.

[gianthotdog]

It's not motherboard. The Columbus just needs to be re booted using the SWL disc from the dealer. There is a process to follow which results in a fixed head unit.

Just had my bricked Columbus repaired and it is now like new. Not even lost any of my music or favourite destinations. The Columbus is basically a computer in your dash and will occasionally need a complete re boot due to it being a complex electrical item.

I do think dealers are sometimes a bit quick to recommend a replacement. A good re boot is more likely to be sufficient.

I feared the worse for my Columbus after reading lots of threads. I have no doubt if it were still in warranty the dealer would have replaced it. I am sure there are loads of Columbus units replaced without need.

[stevehg]

I think you expect too much of a dealership. Frankly, for them. it's easier and probably cheaper to replace the unit. At dealer labour rates and with possibility of return, it just doesn't make sense to troubleshoot some of these electrical issues. Just a fact of life in how these things are now.

[gianthotdog]

I think you expect too much of a dealership. Frankly, for them. it's easier and probably cheaper to replace the unit. At dealer labour rates and with possibility of return, it just doesn't make sense to troubleshoot some of these electrical issues. Just a fact of life in how these things are now.

Going to the dealership is not about it being easier & cheaper for them???

[stevehg]

Going to the dealership is not about it being easier & cheaper for them???

I get the initial point you were making, but look, like it or not, this is how they run their businesses today. Frankly, if you turn up in warranty and they decide, along with manufacturer, to replace the unit that's their call. At labour rates of £80+ an hour it doesn't make business sense to spend 3-4 hours trying to troubleshoot an item, so now the solution of most dealers is to take the known cost route of replacing an item.

Out of warranty, you can take your car where you like, so it's your choice. If you do not like how they run their business, you can go elsewhere. They are not there as a charity or to run at a loss.

There are specialists that will repair Columbus units, and there are independents with lower labour rates that may spend time troubleshooting, so it's not a case of people not having a choice.

Cheers

Steve

[gianthotdog]

Funny!!

When I bought my 2 cars from my Skoda dealer I definatley didn't think they were a charity and running at a loss.

Next thing you will be asking for customers to drop their old clothes off for the poor guys!!!

I don't expect too much from a dealer, I just expect HONEST customer service and value for money, piece of mind and technical expertise regardless of my cars being in warranty or not.

To ask a dealer or any garage for that matter to spend time troubleshooting is very normal. This should be the first stage undertaken by any technician. A competent technician (any main dealer) should be able to troubleshoot very quickly.

[stevehg]

To ask a dealer or any garage for that matter to spend time troubleshooting is very normal. This should be the first stage undertaken by any technician. A competent technician (any main dealer) should be able to troubleshoot very quickly.

You just don't get the point I'm trying to make. Lets say a Columbus unit costs Skoda ~£350. Why would they advise dealers spend 3-4 hours trying fix a problem with a unit, which Skoda pays for, when replacing it is easy and guaranteed fix. They then send unit back to continental, and if its no fault found pay out significantly less than troubleshooting hours would have cost. If it is faulty, continental would pick up replacement cost, so Skoda have just paid out dealer time to replace. It's a numbers game and this s most cost efficient way to it.

This is how these dealer and manufacturer processes work these days.

[Mart Vrs]

I've had a variety of Skoda models over the last 9 years, needing more space I just changed from a mk1 Octavia vRS to an '09 Superb 140tdi se, 100k miles. So far I'm very happy, it's very economical for its size/weight and cruises very comfortably. The only faults so far are a creaking from the back seats (perhaps the leather edging of the split back rests moving slightly) and a slight buzzing/rattle from the glovebox or console and the from badge like many others is rubbish. I chose the SE over the Elegance having read here about the variety of electrical problems also I prefer the half leather/suede effect seats. Fingers crossed for the reliability I've enjoyed previously.

[Cown]

An update. For some reason i am now unable to edit my post and add stuff to them, so i'll post here ind the end.

• Several users have reported problems with buzzing speakers in the back. Reason seems unknown.
  
• There are loads of owners who are very displeased with the service they are getting from skoda dealers. Finding an independent workshop, who has good knowledge of VAG cars can save you lots of money and time. Paying for an extended warranty also seems to have helped quiet a few people...
  
• Battery life and size of battery for the diesel cars have in some cases proven not to be sufficient. Upgrading the battery to larger one has helped some users here on the forum. More info here: http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/259542-battery-upgrade/
  
• Another user "jonnie5" has started a topic discussing: "Most annoying things on your Superb". Could be a good read, which can be found here: http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/261107-most-annoying-things-on-your-superb/
  

That's it for now, i'll do another upgrade in 6 months time.

[Ashmount]

The old glove box rattle problem which I had in mine has, since return from service, disappeared. Next time i'm in the dealer's I'll ask if they tweaked anything to make it go away. Right now I'm enjoying the silence, unless I have a front seat passenger when the seatbelt connector rattles something awful.

[pbarclay]

Climatronic problems!

My Skoda Superb Elegance was entirely faultless until the usually very effective air conditioning system decided to pump heat into the car last August 19th, when the outside temperature was around 28 C. I thought that it might be due to a problem with the servo-motors that operate the flaps which direct hot and cold air into the interior compartment. There were plenty of error codes when I took it back to the dealer but he couldn't work out what the problem was and hoped that a re-boot would sort it out. It didn't and I had several further trips to the dealers over the next few months, the last of which involved me driving a Fabia Estate whilst they kept my car for a fortnight. They replaced the servo motors and Climatronic head unit and that did seem to sort out the problem.

Unfortunately for the past month I have been driving a Peugeot 508 SW as an idiot in an Astra ran into the back of my stationary Superb on December 11th. I really miss the teutonic logic that comes as standard with VAG group cars. Trying to use the telephone hands-free in the 508SW is very difficult as there are so many different knobs and buttons scattered around the cockpit. The Superb has far better handling and also far better fuel economy than the Pug. Hopefully I will re-united with my car on Friday evening: body shop repairs always seem to take ages at Xmas.

[Mondo]

A bit off topic but I've just had a PEUGEOT 508 for 3 weeks since some very silly lady ran in front of us and both cars were totalled. I couldn't agree more with PBarclay - the plethora of buttons, most of which are tiny, makes the whole experience very counter intuitive. Thankfully I've managed to persuade the Mrs to replace her very dead Pug with a Suberb which is now on order. :-)

[Napier]

the columbus issue will affect every satnav eventually, the problem you have is that it contains a hard drive laptop type 2.5".

after 14 years in I.T i can say without much doubt that if you get more than 3-4 years before it fails you are lucky.

hard drives in laptops which get hard use i.e on the road all the time, tend to fail between 2 and 3 years. they may not be complete fails may just corrupt the software and require complete reinstall of software. (this works cos it recognizes the bad sectors)

good luck getting a dealer to admit that he just reloaded the software.

mine failed with hdd problem but skoda and dealer covered cost of "motherboard repair" ,bet it isnt the motherboard either.

If this is the case it it feasible to fit a solid state hard drive?

[Gizmo]

I have seen a post on a VW? forum where someone fitted a SSD to the RNS510(?)

[Cown]

I have seen a post on a VW? forum where someone fitted a SSD to the RNS510(?)

It should be possible to ghost the original HD and replace it with a SSD including the ghost copy.

[mandp]

Blimey...I feel like calling in Derek Accora!!!

[twotter]

Blimey...I feel like calling in Derek Accora!!!

Is there anyone here with a relative called John....or David....or Andrew....anyone???

[pmh]

Feel unlucky with my superb 2 1.8tsi dsg elegance

Warranty repairs:

Fan

Oil level sensor

Fog lights

Replaced instrument cluster because of rattling.

Seat repaired.

My charge:

App. 120.000 km

Clutch replaced. Had complained even in the warranty period but at the end had to split the bill.

App 125.000 km

Broken timing chain tensioning unit. Local dealer said the engine was dead for me to pay. At the end found another dealer that put new chain kit, tensioning unit, camshaft etc. in.

App 166.000 km

Dsg gear box would not change gear. First diagnose was the megatronic Unit. They then found metal scrap inside the gearbox. Had to purchase a refurbished gearbox.

Nice car.

All my problems has been with vw supplied parts. Engine, clutch, gearbox.....

Bad dealer support.

[mandp]

Talking Km instead of Miles, I assume you are not UK.

Also such high numbers I'm guessing not a newish car. How old exactly?

[bill2]

thats only about 90.000 miles shocking.

i would be going mad

bill

[nczernus]

Ok so I will wonder in with my findings in case anyone else reads this.

 

I have a 12 plate superb 2 L&K CR170 The first Superb to have partial LED lights on the rear.

 

Fantastic car.

 

Have had it from New.

 

121000 miles in the clock.

 

Had an EGR fault with the valve getting stuck this was replaced under warranty.

 

First set of brake pads replaced at 90000 miles (still on original disks).

 

Radiator and water pump died (started leaking water and was empty after almost every long journey, around 96000) replaced radiator, water pump and cambelt, cost £360 total.

 

Still runs like a dream.

 

Origional Columbus, needs a reboot every now and then but apart from that no issues.

 

Economy, 50 mpg around town and 76-80mpg on the motorway.

 

Don't get rid of your car's guys, these engines have only just started to run in at 150000 

 

I will keep it until it dies.

 

Great car.