My aircon has been broken since I set it to low when spring finally warmed up earlier this year.

At first I attempted regassing (£39) but then was told when that didn't fix it, at 2 years only it won't need regassing. Very long story short, the compressor pump has sheared off filling the system with iron filings. If i replace the pump it will break again very soon. Nowhere has the equipment to flush the system any more, in fact one said the only real way to sort it is to replace all the pipe work, so I am left at the mercy of the mains dealer.

As I'm on 66k miles I'm out of warranty even though the car is not 3 until next March. No shifting on that from CSUK, even though I pointed out it's clearly been faulty well within the warranty period. They have provisionally offered 30-40% towards the cost of repair even though I have to pay for diagnosis when I already know what the diagnosis is (paid £150 of labor when it was diagnosed and fix attempted, old compressor put back on when iron filings discovered)

Has anyone else had this problem even if it was fixed under warranty?

I'm almost at the point where the cost of the repair isn't going to be worth it. I've heard the flush can take around 8 hours. 8 hours of mains dealer time could also pay towards a trade in of something else with less hassle. I dread to think what the cost of replacing all the pipe work and radiator would be........

As this is my 3rd superb I'm very disappointed with the black and white attitude of CSUK and the absolute lack of willing to help from mains dealers. It seems once the dealer has your cash then you're on your own against Skoda UK and they're just the hard done to dealer putting up with the big bad manufacturer.

If anyone's had any success getting more out of CSUK when their out of warranty I'd love to hear about it. At the moment, the way I'm feeling is that this will be my last Skoda and I'll choose a brand with a warranty that suits the mileage that the cars are designed for next time round.

The SAles of Goods Act does not mean that your warranty is limited to that warranty period. If an item should be deemed to last a reasonable period before Complete failure then that is the warranty time scale. Have a chat with trading standards. You will I presume have to obtain an indepentant report.

The SAles of Goods Act does not mean that your warranty is limited to that warranty period. If an item should be deemed to last a reasonable period before Complete failure then that is the warranty time scale. Have a chat with trading standards. You will I presume have to obtain an indepentant report.

I suppose the argument here is what is deemed a reasonable length of time. 66k miles or 2 1/2 years? If it comes down to the whole system needing replacing then I might have a case. I imagine that I would have a fairly tough and lengthy battle on my hands though.

I've found this on money saving expert which would go well in my case potentially.

But that's not all. There's another piece of legislation called the Limitations Act (it's thePrescription and Limitation Act in Scotland) that can help you out. This comes in handy if you buy goods, but don't use them for a few months or if something breaks after the six month rule and the fault was likely to have been there all along.

As I didn't use the aircon on low from October/November time last year, when I was well within warranty, I didn't know that the aircon was broken. From my mileage records I can see that I went over 60k on the 16th March. A long time before it started to warm up here!

This should give you the encouragement to pursue the main dealer.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mg74/features/consumer-victory-sale-of-goods-citroen

A good VAG indy or aircon specialist should have the correct 'blocks' to flush the system.

Has someone had a manifold gauge set or a/c station on it to check for leaks?

You need to confirm that the condenser isn't holed.

Only 6,000 miles out of warranty?

Full Skoda service history?

3 previous Skoda's?

Only 30-40% from Skoda UK as a gesture of goodwill?

Time to get firmer with them on the phone.

Only 6,000 miles out of warranty?

Full Skoda service history?

3 previous Skoda's?

Only 30-40% from Skoda UK as a gesture of goodwill?

Time to get firmer with them on the phone.

I suspect OP has gone direct to SUK rather than through his dealer, hence the low goodwill offer.

The SAles of Goods Act does not mean that your warranty is limited to that warranty period. If an item should be deemed to last a reasonable period before Complete failure then that is the warranty time scale. Have a chat with trading standards. You will I presume have to obtain an indepentant report.

If only Danny, try to get it put into practice though and they will legally have you one way or another, they employ the finest solicitors and as you well know the truth and justice flies out of the window once one of them is in the room.

If only Danny, try to get it put into practice though and they will legally have you one way or another, they employ the finest solicitors and as you well know the truth and justice flies out of the window once one of them is in the room.

If a small claims issue they can't recover legal fees so they'll either pay up or not bother attending so you win by default.

If a small claims issue they can't recover legal fees so they'll either pay up or not bother attending so you win by default.

If a small claims issue they can't recover legal fees so they'll either pay up or not bother attending so you win by default.

Yeah a small claim but getting your money back on a duff car is different, the process works that you issue a claim and reject the car, this means you give the car back to the dealer with a letter stating why etc, it then sits in a compound for at least 6 months until it gets to court by which time you've had to make other arrangements and you still might not win even if you are in the right as all the dealer has to prove is that it's fit for purpose, the interpretation of that is if it goes from a to b it's doing what you bought it to do and you will lose in court,

It's a minefield chaps.

Yeah a small claim but getting your money back on a duff car is different, the process works that you issue a claim and reject the car, this means you give the car back to the dealer with a letter stating why etc, it then sits in a compound for at least 6 months until it gets to court by which time you've had to make other arrangements and you still might not win even if you are in the right as all the dealer has to prove is that it's fit for purpose, the interpretation of that is if it goes from a to b it's doing what you bought it to do and you will lose in court,

It's a minefield chaps.

But the Op is out of warranty and not looking to reject, just cover the cost of a part which should last longer than it has

I agree Gadge,

But they do not like parting with cash for something they can avoid paying out on, I think it's really poor myself, if it was me I'd ok it to ensure he considered my cars for his next purchase.

Every dealer should have the correct flushing equipment. It's part of the mandatory tooling.

If a small claims issue they can't recover legal fees so they'll either pay up or not bother attending so you win by default.

Completely agree. The claim is against the dealer that sold the car to the OP, not SUK. SUK won't get involved or support the dealer, so there'll be no finest solicitors. In fact any competent commercial lawyer would state to the dealer that an air con system should last a reasonable time and 2 years 3 months is unreasonable and advise the dealer not to challenge.

You might find that a simple Letter Before Action will be enough to get it sorted. Close the letter with "In the meantime I still reserve my right." . Works a treat.

Thanks for all of the replies, it's been an interesting read.

It was never my intention to get to claims proceedings, and I doubt it would be a route I take as it's not worth the agro tbh. It's interesting seeing that the overriding feeling on here is that it's an unreasonable length of time for an aircon unit to last.

I may have an issue round the dealer, SUK thing though. My car was bought from a different garage to the one it's been serviced at so far. Knaresborough sold it and it was serviced in all but last service in Chesterfield. I've not been impressed with Chesterfield however, so I've currently got it with Sheffield. Neither Chesterfield or Sheffield could fit my car in for a service last time it was due so I took it into a local garage rather than carry on with it overdue, the theory being better something than nothing. I'm planning on asking Sheffield to service it while it's in this week.

It's interesting that many feel the issue lies with the dealer and not with SUK though. From experience of warranty repairs on my previous two Superbs, all authorisation came from SUK rather than the dealer authorising it which is why I went straight to CSUK to gauge their opinion.

It's going in first thing in the morning for 'diagnosis' and will see what comes of it later tomorrow. I've been promised a call from CSUK later tomorrow when they have the results of the exam.

Fingers crossed they are feeling generous.

The dealers are bad because of SUcK, they struggle to get the money for repairs from SUcK so they are reluctant to do work and then find SUcK won't pay up.

You should try to reach agreement with the seller (ie dealer). If what they are offering is not enough, then put everything in writing to them and stress the point that a reasonable person would not expect this fault within the first 3 years, let alone within the first 2 years (as you believe it probably occurred within such time).

Even if you did want to take it all the way to court, they would want to see that you have been reasonable and made an attempt to reach settlement.

The dealer will need to weigh up the hassle factor, goodwill available from the dealer, goodwill contributions from SUK, and possible legal fees in defending their actions, and probability of winning/losing the case. They have made you an opening settlement proposal by the sound of it, so it's with you to make a counter-proposal to them on what you would consider acceptable.

Don't let the Chesterfield, Sheffield, local garage situation put you off, or that you've started a conversation with SUK about warranty repairs.  Separate to all of that is the Sale of Goods Act that is between you and Knaresborough.

It would be well worth continuing with the SUK warranty conversation, but I also think it can be resolved with two very simple letters, the price of two second class stamps and a free certificate of posting from the post office.  The first letter is here. http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/theoneshow/txt/soga_letter_2.doc

When they fail to reply or reject the claim, the second letter is here.

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/wales/consumer_w/consumer_taking_action_e/consumer_legal_actions_e/consumer_going_to_court_e/before_you_take_someone_to_court/letter_before_action.htm 

I can see your point about the agro of small claims court.  But even after sending the second letter, you can still walk away if you want to, with no commitment to take it further.

The dealers are bad because of SUcK, they struggle to get the money for repairs from SUcK so they are reluctant to do work and then find SUcK won't pay up.

Dealers are bad because of customer choice. Partly also because during better economic days they were allowed to charge fortunes for work and people paid it. When the economic situation changed this gave rise to the 'independant'. Block exemption then meant you didn't have to take your car to a dealer. Naturally people went for the cheaper option, dealerships have less income and therefore less money to pay technicians. The good technicians worth their money left leaving the dealerships filled with cheap labour.

Thanks for the info articoke, car went into the garage this morning and I've asked them to service it while it's there.

If I'm not happy with the offer made when the diagnosis is done should I take the car home or leave it at the garage while I'm having the conversations with SUK?

I guess if it gets to letters going back and forth I need to take it back with me but the repair needs to happen really.

Dealers are bad because of customer choice. Partly also because during better economic days they were allowed to charge fortunes for work and people paid it. When the economic situation changed this gave rise to the 'independant'. Block exemption then meant you didn't have to take your car to a dealer. Naturally people went for the cheaper option, dealerships have less income and therefore less money to pay technicians. The good technicians worth their money left leaving the dealerships filled with cheap labour.

Can't argue with that either.