I'm starting to think my car is cursed!

 

After the issue when I first got the car of the "lorry versus vrs" and a number of warranty repairs I had a corker the other month. 

This is an issue that started on Nov the 22nd and still isn't resolved but I wanted to wait until it was pretty much sorted to post up.

 

So I was up at my dad's over the weekend and we'd just set off on a ~150 mile drive home at about 1pm when we got a "Engine Overheating - stop immediately warning" 5mins down the road.  Luckily we were by a layby so I pulled in and checked the water etc - no issues that I could see.  So I phoned Skoda recovery (RAC logo on the card) and got through to the AA (calling themselves Skoda recovery).

 

About 1hr 30 mins later someone from a 3rd Party Garage turns up (baring in mind it's about 0c and I couldn't run the engine - we were quite cold by this point).  Guy takes a look at it and says there's nothing he could to but I could try driving it and see if the warning comes back, I refused as overheating a diesel is a bad idea and the specific road is a really nasty one with very few stopping places.  When I said I needed to get back to Edinburgh he refused to take us and went to phone Skoda recovery/The AA.

 

After speaking to them the guy said another recovery vehicle would come to collect us and it would be about an hour.  I asked if he would take us and the car to my Dad's house where we could wait in the warmth.  He refused because "the next recovery agent won't take you if the car has already been moved" and off he went.  I phoned my Dad to come and get us and told Skoda/AA that they would have to collect us first and then get the car as I wasn't waiting any further in the cold.

 

About 1 or 2 hours later an actual AA truck turns up, picks us up from my Dads and then goes to pickup the car. He then announces he hasn't got enough hours to take us to Edinburgh so would arrange to relay us in Perth.

 

When we got to Perth we were just in time to see the recovery truck (another 3rd party)  s*dding off with someone else.  The AA driver phoned to find out what was going on and they said they'd had to take this other person as they'd been forgotten about and had been waiting 3 hrs!  We were told our truck would be 10 to 15 mins, as the AA driver had an enforced break he kindly let us wait in his cab for the next truck.

 

Unfortunately the 15mins came and went and then Skoda/AA phoned to say it would be at least an hour for the next truck to turn up.  We questioned timings as we were supposed to be going to the airport to collect a hire car as part of Skoda recovery's service, they suggested we leave the keys in the car unattended (in a service station in perth at about 7PM).  Told them to s*d off!  They then suggested we leave them with the guys in the petrol station -  errrm no!

 

We were forced to wait until about 10.30pm for the next recovery truck (3rd Party again) to turn up - driver had no idea what was going on.  After a number of phone calls (including him not using a handsfree whilst speeding in a lorry that said BRAKE FAULT ABS! on the dash) it turned out he was to drop us at Edinburgh Airport and then take the car back to Perth.  It was decided that wasn't what was going to happen (ie the driver wasn't keen on that) and that the car would be dumped on the main road outside the Skoda Dealers in the middle of the night.

 

So the driver dropped me off at the Airport and took SWMBO and the car to the dealers where I met him and got the keys for the car.  We didn't get home until after midnight and then I had to get up at dark o'clock to get the car into the dealers as soon as they opened in car anything happened to the car (was still dark and raining).

 

That morning I dropped the car into the dealers and went to work in the hire car (2.0 Passat DSG saloon).  A couple of days later the dealers had replaced the water pump and all was ready to go, (still wet and rainy).  I went and got the car and then went to work (Late).  At lunch I went to the supermarket.

 

Got back out from the supermarket to see from a good way away that the wheels were "scuffed".  Every single alloy had scuffing on the lacquer that wasn't apparent when the wheels were wet.  On further inspection 3 out of the 4 wheels were also badly kerbed.

 

Queue angry calls to AA/Skoda/Dealer....  Turns out when there's a claim for damage from Skoda's agents - you have to contact them directly.  Skoda customer service have been very helpful chasing AA but won't actually take responsibility.  It's taken from about the 26th of November to today for me to get all the details together (including quotes for repair and replacement), an engineer to come out and inspect the damage, the AA to agree to replace the wheels (diamond cut geminis - not accepting a repair) and the money to appear in the Dealer's bank account....

 

Total cost £1359.20, and the wheels are on back order to will be a few weeks!

 

 

Pics - sorry iPhone camera on yet another miserable day and the lacquer damage is really difficult to photograph.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be fair both the AA and Skoda have taken the issue seriously and sorted the issue, I just wish Skoda would have taken responsibility and dealt with it through the dealer network (I personally regard Skoda as my "contractor" and the AA as Skoda's).

 

If it hadn't have been for the extremely long time it took for the recovery (the AA have apologised and given me an acceptable "gesture of goodwill") and the damage to the wheels (the AA have paid for a new set from my local dealer along with fitting of tyres) the service would have been top notch.  A hire car was available for as long as I needed it and they were quite happy to add SWMBO to the insurance as well.

 

What I have learnt from this debacle is don't buy diamond cut wheels if you can help it and double or triple check the state of a car when it comes off the back of a recovery truck!

What a sad state of affairs. Kind of makes you wish for the early days, when a water pump could be changed at the roadside in twenty minutes,.

What a sad state of affairs. Kind of makes you wish for the early days, when a water pump could be changed at the roadside in twenty minutes,.

Apparently the water pump is a bit of a weak point with the mqb vehicles. I can't quite remember how much the dealers said it would have been out of warranty but I think it was about £400.

The real issue with the AA is unfortunately one that's the same with all recovery services, out in "the sticks" (Ie about 20 miles out of the city) they contract out cover to 3rd party garages and they're often cr4p!

I'm still annoyed by Skoda not dealing with the wheels issue mind!