Just been on the phone to SUK regarding a build week for my order. In passing I mentioned ATCO (not by name of course) who was trying to get the same and if there was any point in talking to Craig (the guy who I have spoken to on a number of occasions).

He said that he was aware of the current request (ATCO's I guess) and he said that the factory were clamping down on "special" orders and it was unlikely to offer this change for UK customers any more.

Perhaps its time for Auto Express or whoever it was to get involved again - eh TP!

No, I'm too busy to be spending time in the corner, so no comments about rimming from me.

Just been on the phone to SUK regarding a build week for my order. In passing I mentioned ATCO (not by name of course) who was trying to get the same and if there was any point in talking to Craig (the guy who I have spoken to on a number of occasions).

He said that he was aware of the current request (ATCO's I guess) and he said that the factory were clamping down on "special" orders and it was unlikely to offer this change for UK customers any more.

Perhaps its time for Auto Express or whoever it was to get involved again - eh TP!

I really can't understand why Skoda would be reluctant to fit the 16" wheels. Do the maths as that annoying Johnny Ball says: To upgrade to the 17" wheels from 16", according to the new car configurator, is £450, to have the 16" wheels instead of the standard 17" is a 'no cost' option. In my book, although maths was never my strong subject, that means they make an extra £450. They should bite your arm off! I will stand corrected if my calculations are wrong :think:

Your maths are impeccable but your underlying assumption isn't. The charge of £450 for the larger wheel is not the cost or profit it is simply the fee they exact from lower spec purchasers who wish for a feature they include on higher spec cars. The actual difference in cost to Skoda will be very much less. The fee is an administration cost and the marginal cost difference plus a healthy profit.

It doesn't work like that for the manufacturer.

The tyres are probably only £10,s of pounds more ,and the wheels maybe a pound or so if that.

Not worth the hastle to them.

Interesting, although I get the feeling that it's more likely that SUK are passing the blame on to the manufacturer for their own stubbiness on the issue. Other countries still run their higher specs with both options and for the factory I'm sure it's just another build code, not a fitter at the end of the line getting out a jack and changing things after the car has been completed.

Certainly if I replace the current Yeti and this option is no longer available I would be looking elsewhere myself, however SUK would probably be glad of that

TP

This is not good news.

TP said ('Questions before you order...'): '...Also worth noting that the UK is almost alone in running the Yeti on 17" rims for the mid and upper range trim levels and in the home country of CZ these size rims are only an option other than on the special editions....' .

So there's not a shortage of 16" wheels, and it should surely be easy enough to switch an occasional set over to the RH Drive assembly line. For goodness sake, there are enough 'official' options that are accommodated there at one point or another!

Someone with experience of the wider Skoda range (i.e. anyone other than me...) might care to say which other models (if any, I suppose) are fitted with the 16" wheel as the UK standard.

If they are prepared to change the production line in order to build cars with contrasting colour roofs (an expensive additional process on the line), then the option of offering 16" wheels in one market when they are already offered in others is effectively a "no cost" change to the build process. This sounds more as though someone at SUK has decided that they don't want to deal with the option code, rather than the factory deciding to withdraw the option.

Interesting, although I get the feeling that it's more likely that SUK are passing the blame on to the manufacturer for their own stubbiness on the issue. Other countries still run their higher specs with both options and for the factory I'm sure it's just another build code, not a fitter at the end of the line getting out a jack and changing things after the car has been completed.

Certainly if I replace the current Yeti and this option is no longer available I would be looking elsewhere myself, however SUK would probably be glad of that

TP

Tim, this is, and has been, quite a talking point hasn't it?

I, like you, have seen the views of bods who can see no point in banging on about the availability of 16" as an option. Which is OK for them...they are happy with - or prefer - 17". Equally others DO distinctly prefer the possible 'trade off' of higher profile sidewalls and a more forgiving ride....over a possibly better grip on faster cornering and perhaps more precision. No point in trying to persuade one group that they are right or wrong.

And I would have specced the 16" from new had it been an option...but it wasn't at the time. My winters are 16". My standard 'non winters' (hesitate to call them summers for fear of upsetting people) are 17" To be honest I get on with them both but, like yourself, tend towards the 16" and am sorry that SUK don't seem to want to offer them as an option in future and therefore I support your 'one man stand' in threatening to boycott the vehicle..on principle. The cheaper tyres for16" is, in itself, a bonus for me given that I don't drive in the manner that would take full advantage of the better grip of 17"'s. I doubt that they would be grateful if you did withdraw your custom, as you, and the site in general, must have increased sales by a reasonable figure. But equally they won't lose sleep over anything that's said on here. I don't even know how much notice they take generally? But it is a shame that an option available elsewhere, isn't made available readily in the UK given it's not costing them anything. Someone will be along soon to say that you are cutting your nose off to spite your face and tell you to get a life...and if you like the car that much, why boycott it for the sake of an inch of tyre size? But I say 'good on yer' So there! :-)

Certainly if I replace the current Yeti and this option is no longer available I would be looking elsewhere myself, however SUK would probably be glad of that

TP

If it was me in that situation, I'd take the new car with the 17's then swap them with the 16's from the older car and sell the old one on with the 17's

Thank for support oldstan

It is a simple case that I have owned two Yeti's and tried and run most of the official tyre and rim combinations on them, covering a combined 32 thousand miles to date. From that experience I am now of the firm belief that the current generation Yeti works for me on 16" rims but does not on 17's. Therefore I would be unwilling to spend a large amount of hard earned money on an inferior specification, purely because the someone has restricted my choice from that offered by the manufacturer, based on where I live in the world.

What happened to that darn human rights act on fairness and equality when you need it :yes:

TP

I think it is simply that Skoda do not have to make much effort, or offer any concessions, in order to sell Yetis in the UK.

You could argue that it is 'discrimination' that they will give 'zero rate VAT' on every other model that Skoda sells in the UK - EXCEPT the Yeti. Why is that? Because they can sell all the Yetis they can produce - without offering any discount

It's not discrimination or unfairness - its economics. And why wont they try to accommodate customers by offering 16" wheels on the higher spec Yetis? Because they don't have to - and we will still buy them.

I asked for the 16" wheels myself and was told it was no longer possible. BUT I didn't cancel the order. And if I had - how hard would it have been for them to sell it to somebody else?

I support those who want the 16s as an option and I can't see why SUK are adopting this attitude. There is a precedent, it's been done a number of times.

It needs someone strong enough to cancel an order and make sure that the reason is published in as many places as possible.

I know it's said that there's no such thing as bad publicity but I can't see Skoda being happy with negative publicity for what is a fairly insignificant thing.

Fred

Your maths are impeccable but your underlying assumption isn't. The charge of £450 for the larger wheel is not the cost or profit it is simply the fee they exact from lower spec purchasers who wish for a feature they include on higher spec cars. The actual difference in cost to Skoda will be very much less. The fee is an administration cost and the marginal cost difference plus a healthy profit.

Agreed, and surely they must also make a nice little earner from selling the 'discarded' 17" wheels to the 16" 'upsizers' (my brain hurts!) :think:

But they don't sell them to anyone!!

When a car is being built it has a build sheet on which is specified what "bits" are required.

Those bits are ordered, and often only delivered to the line as the car is about to be built. And I mean literally as it is about to be built.

Therefore if 16" wheels have been specified then only 16" wheels will come from the manufacturer. Nothing else!

So 17" wheels being "sold" elsewhere won't come into it.

So, if this really is the end of the story, Vegit8's 16-inchers wil be the last (https://docs.google....Y5eTFaSmc#gid=0) .

If TP's original is added, that suggests that there will have been only eight 'UK Special Build Club' Yetis recorded here. Am I right, or does anyone know of other confirmed examples?

But they don't sell them to anyone!!

When a car is being built it has a build sheet on which is specified what "bits" are required.

Those bits are ordered, and often only delivered to the line as the car is about to be built. And I mean literally as it is about to be built.

Therefore if 16" wheels have been specified then only 16" wheels will come from the manufacturer. Nothing else!

So 17" wheels being "sold" elsewhere won't come into it.

Oh my god, I've been 'Grahamed', I will now go and have a cool shower, a large glass of wine and try and live down the shame of it all

TP - I wonder if AutoExpress might be interested in running a follow up article to the one published earlier this year? You could ask them to investigate why Skoda has down-graded it's Customer Service.

Certainly not boding well for Skoda's rankings in the next motoring survey - sadly it seems inevitable that complacency and arrogance sets in once a brand has achieved high customer service rankings for a few years.

Too much to hope I suppose that SUK are withdrawing this 'special' option service (ie the 16" wheel) only to reinstate it when the FL model launches so as to create a marginally longer bullet list of new features and options? I've no sense of how hard manufacturers try to encourage existing model owners at perhaps 2-3 years old to trade-in their old vehicle for a shiny new and improved one, but of basically the same model. Is encouraging model loyalty part of the marketing, or is that just wishful thinking?

It needs someone strong enough to cancel an order and make sure that the reason is published in as many places as possible.

Fred

Threeshoes did exactly that - although I don't think he made he made a big fuss about it. He was trying to get the change made at the same time as me and was repeatedly given assurances that his request was being looked into, but promises of emails to confirm never materialised. In the end he cancelled and went for a BMW.

If TP's original is added, that suggests that there will have been only eight 'UK Special Build Club' Yetis recorded here. Am I right, or does anyone know of other confirmed examples?

Make that nine ! I had a call from Skoda UK Customer Services (Charlotte Wormwald) late this afternoon and they have pursued the matter on my behalf and "taken the circumstances into consideration" - the upshot is that I shall receive a Yeti Elegance on 16" Moon wheels. Full marks to Customer Services for apparently fighting my corner and a special thanks to vegit8 for his support via PM which added weight to my follow-up email.

Thanks one and all for the support and suggestions.

I wonder how much support there is across the forum, if the JD power survey was due to take place and the majority of Yeti owners on this forum contributed ccomplaining about the lack of choice of wheel size, would it be enough to affect the score that Skoda achieved. If it was it would give them a bloody nose and then they may take more notice. I don't mind the 17 inch wheels but I do think it unfair that someone who would prefer the smaller size cannot buy what they want.

The Yeti got good publicity on Top Gear maybe they would be a good voice in the arguement.

Make that nine !....

Absolutely delighted for you! And rather relieved that all is not totally lost with Skoda UK; let's keep this cool, and build on it if we can. More thoughts on this later, if I may.

...I don't mind the 17 inch wheels but I do think it unfair that someone who would prefer the smaller size cannot buy what they want.

The Yeti got good publicity on Top Gear maybe they would be a good voice in the arguement.

Could we think of it as 'bigger tyres' rather than 'smaller wheels'? That's really what the UK Special Build Club is about, I think . And I'm not sure about Top Gear; aren't they all about getting round corners as fast as possible? - that's not in the UKSBC brief!

Edit=typo

Edited 8 August, 201213 yr by brijo

Make that nine !

Excellent news - persistance pays off then.

And just goes to show that SUK really dont know what their corporate stance is.

Its all rather confusing as people who seem to accept that a 16" option is fine for one purchaser will suddenly say no to the next one.

Vegit8,

The news that ATCO is going to get 16 inches could be good for you.

It adds weight to your request as his order was agreed yesterday and you originally made your request prior to that.

If you had no knowledge of his request being granted, they would be able to get away with it, but as you do know, I don't see they have a leg to stand on.

Worth a call to Trading Standards perhaps?