I finally collected it again this morning. I had informed the dealer that I was rejecting it & we had looked into the possibility of a replacement vehicle (obviously not another Blackline but the nearest to an equivalent spec vRS as there is in UK stock - however there aren't a lot left).

They have traced the fault to the wiring and fitting in the main fusebox which was faulty, apparently they could replicate the fault with this. The wiring and fuse etc have been replaced/repaired and after more testing (and several cold nights) it seems to be working properly - we'll have to see how it is over the next few days. I really do hope that it is fixed now - almost 4 weeks off the road out of 5 weeks of ownership is not good.

I've got everything crossed for you mate! :yes:

(Hopefully) Final Update:

After almost three weeks the car still seems to be behaving itself. I've finally got the working car that I wanted. The dealer principle has insisted that I have his mobile number as well in case I had any issues.

As compensation/goodwill gesture, Skoda UK are extending the warranty to 5 years for me, and the dealer is matching that by extending the free servicing (with them) to 5 years. I suppose that's helped sort out the question about whether to swap or keep it at the end of the 3 year finance period

Only outstanding problem is trying to prise the keys out of the wife's hands...

Phew - glad you finally got there. At least you have got something out of your major inconvenience.

Paul

(Hopefully) Final Update:

After almost three weeks the car still seems to be behaving itself. I've finally got the working car that I wanted. The dealer principle has insisted that I have his mobile number as well in case I had any issues.

As compensation/goodwill gesture, Skoda UK are extending the warranty to 5 years for me, and the dealer is matching that by extending the free servicing (with them) to 5 years. I suppose that's helped sort out the question about whether to swap or keep it at the end of the 3 year finance period

Only outstanding problem is trying to prise the keys out of the wife's hands...

Glad this is all sorted for you finally! They really are great cars, I worked for my local dealer for 7 years almost and I have to say that not all dealers provide such a poor level of customer service, I assure you!

I'm amazed by the terrible service you've had from Hortons.

I've never had to deal with them in such a way as you, but they've always been very helpful whenever I've needed them.

Just read this thread through, was screaming "REJECT - REJECT" all the way through. But seems after a VERY poor start, you have got a result. The extended warranty and servicing - presuming you are intending on keeping the car - could be worth quite a bit, and good peace of mind too.

Did I understand "hire car" as in you had to pay? The only time I ever had a problem with a vehicle I just pointed out I didn't buy a car to use the bus. One free courtesy car.

I had given them notification that I was formally rejecting it, however even if I took all my money back there are no other (new) cars out there that tick all the boxes that the vRS does, and a check of UK stock for a replacement would either be a vRS vastly under spec from the Blackline or one with about £5.5k of extras fitted which even I'm not naive enough to think that the dealer and/or Skoda UK would stump up the extra to swap. Even the managing director admitted after it had finally been fixed that he wouldn't be even trying to dissuade me from a rejection if the fault had still been present.

The hire car was provided by Skoda UK so it did not cost anything, and the service (or lack of) that I received from the dealership seems to have been a shock to the managing director when he returned from his holiday. We're both hopeful that there won't be a repeat of this episode

At the end of the day, I'd rather have my local dealer onside than have to travel 45 minutes to the next nearest to have any work done.