Who or what is the biggest threat to SKODA?

[xman]

The single biggest threat to Skoda as far as I am concerned are the dealers (on service/warranty not sales).

 

Mind you, I suspect many other dealers in other marques are just as bad.

[CWARD]

20 minutes ago, xman said:

The single biggest threat to Skoda as far as I am concerned are the dealers (on service/warranty not sales).

 

Mind you, I suspect many other dealers in other marques are just as bad.

 

My experience they are terrible. Prior to the Skoda I had a Ford and never had any issues  but I hadn’t needed to use the warranty as much as it was more reliable. The only warranty work was after been picked up on service inspection. 

The Skoda was through DM Keith in Leeds. Warranty work was refused, servicing was mediocre and you were made to feel like they were doing you a favour. Unfortunately they had all the Skoda dealerships in the area and my brothers feedback from using an another was they were no better. 

BMW, after the Skoda, have been great and you’d expect to all because they’re so expensive but the servicing has been cheaper than the Skoda. Only warranty work so far was a squeaky boot lid which was soon fixed. 

[Ootohere]

Skoda UK & Rod McLeod need to get their act together, get the Skoda UK Media / Communication & IT departments communicating relevant info to prospective customers.

& VIA Dealerships would be 'Simply Clever.'

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/451463-configurator-update-sort-of 

 

Is Skoda UK know what vehicles are available from July 2018 or for First Registration after August 2018 then why are potential customers having to search out info rather than just go to a Skoda UK Website or Sales Executive in a Skoda Official Dealership, anyone in the UK...

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/452010-return-of-non-scoutvrs-4x4-dsg 

Edited 27 June, 2018 by Offski

[tinkytinca]

6 hours ago, CWARD said:

 

My experience they are terrible. Prior to the Skoda I had a Ford and never had any issues  but I hadn’t needed to use the warranty as much as it was more reliable. The only warranty work was after been picked up on service inspection. 

The Skoda was through DM Keith in Leeds. Warranty work was refused, servicing was mediocre and you were made to feel like they were doing you a favour. Unfortunately they had all the Skoda dealerships in the area and my brothers feedback from using an another was they were no better. 

BMW, after the Skoda, have been great and you’d expect to all because they’re so expensive but the servicing has been cheaper than the Skoda. Only warranty work so far was a squeaky boot lid which was soon fixed. 

 Couldn't agree more. DM Keith, who seem to have Yorkshire and Humber sown up,  are appalling .  Arnold Clark (Inverness) were just as bad. So I would say that in Skoda UK contempt for the customer/consumer is endemic.  I wouldn't recommend Skoda to my worst enemy (and I have quite a lot to choose from).

[Skodaboy1983]

After sales at my Skoda Dealer has not been perfect in my experience with them, they damaged my Fabia twice in their care.

 

Davy

[Bowdie]

I'm amazed to hear all the bad press. We've had a few dealings with Skoda Customer Services and always found them to be courteous, professional and efficient. We've always used West End Skoda in Dunfermline and found them to be spot on with sales, after-sales, service and warranty. We took delivery of our 4th new Skoda, a Karoq Edition for the wife in January and our 5th new Skoda, an Octavia Scout for me yesterday. We have an Arnold Clark dealership that's actually closer but I wouldn't even walk into an Arnold Clark Showroom as a matter of principle after the appalling way they've treated friends, colleagues and family members, but that's not just the Skoda dealership!! I think the broad brush demonisation of Skoda and their dealers is quite damaging and from my experiences, completely unjustified as there are good ones out there!.

[Ryeman]

Perhaps the UK, as a mature market, is simply taken for granted whereas out here the Japanese/South Korean (built in Thailand with zero tariffs) competition plus their long warranties makes for stiff competition.

Note, motoring journalists don’t live with those sophisticated cars out of warranty, so their praise needs to be taken with that grain of salt.

[Octy0GG]

7 minutes ago, Ryeman said:

Note, motoring journalists don’t live with those sophisticated cars out of warranty, so their praise needs to be taken with that grain of salt.

Agreed, if they did I'm sure there would be a lot fewer highly stressed tiny little turbo petrol engines hauling big heavy cars about.

[Ryeman]

3 minutes ago, Octy0GG said:

Agreed, if they did I'm sure there would be a lot fewer highly stressed tiny little turbo petrol engines hauling big heavy cars about.

They all have a 10 year design life and with the blessing of the environmentalists too........assuming Trump is trumped soon.

[stratosg]

For me as well, Skoda's biggest threat is their bad self and their bad attitude. Cars are poorly equipped in base trim level and for me lacking the assembly quality of the past, while their prices reaches medium trim levels of rivals. Also dealers are not willing to offer good will gestures on manufacturing defects (you can call me defective timing chain) and their prices are 3 times an independant VAG specialist.

 

I am not willing to buy another Skoda as a brand new car. I am more keen on buying a Skoda as a used car. After sixteen years of owning Skodas I do feel really disappointed by Skoda as a brand.

 

Currently there is a campaign for servicing in my country that is called Skoda Clever Packs which makes a distinction in cars older than four years and those younger than four years. For older cars, prices are lower than newer cars, using Skoda Economy Parts that are up to 40% cheaper yet offering the two years warranty (what is stated by importer, not my words). I do not get it. How comes the same quality and warranty from different kind of parts? What's the catch?

 

Way out of my taste.

[marcusthehat]

Having bought a new 1.6TDI DSG Octavia in Sept 2010 from Howard Abrahms in Lurgan, specced with towbar and electrics.

Towbar fitting was subbed out(but we were not told this when pricing the car) a bypass relay was very very shoddily fitted,

I then ended up giving an extra £200.00 to get the correct Skoda wiring kit, but the dealer ordered the wrong one!

So "strike 1"

 

Then with our DSG issues, when I sent the wife down (I was working) after phoning and explaining, they parked the car round the back and ignored her for 3 hours before sending her away, assuring her, quite wrongly, that there was no fault. And having subsequently taken the car to a v reputable Motor Engineer, DSG fault codes HAD been logged.

So "strike 2"

 

Ended up with the car at Mullhollands of Antrim,  who with constant communication with Skoda spent a full 3 months attempting, and failing, to fix the DSG fault. (and recently, courtsey of an Aussie forum, Skoda were attempting to fix a VW software "patch" designed to protect the troublesome dry clutch packs, i.e. the cursed "dropping" out of Drive or Reverse fault)

So "strike 3"

 

as a result of the above very prolonged Fiasco, I got an extended warranty package, for 5 years.

Literally in about month 57 I got various(I cant remember now) dash lights, looked like the DPF symbol, took the car to Mulhollands, NO faults logged Sir!

Hmmm?

Repeat performance a month or so later, but including limp mode this time, again "No faults logged Sir", the car being temporarily recovered by the time I got to the dealership.

Getting SERIOUSLY  peeved by now.

Waited for a 3rd re-occurance, took the car to a local Indy, got the fault codes downloaded to a memory stick, went back with this and a laptop, this time "ah yes Sir it is the EGR. leave it with us"

But on this 3rd occassion, as per the previous 2 occassions, no lights showing on the dash by the time I got to the dealership.

So they simply lied to me twice, when they could get away with it.

Hmmmm?

This was in the middle of the 60th month of the 5 year warranty btw,

So "strike 4"

 

Now the mechatronic unit has shat itsel, Mulhollands refused to return my calls,  until I got Skoda UK involved, They finally did ret my call, with an inflated price for the mechatronic unit.

I queried this, v nicely, they volunteered to check with the manager and get back to me.

This was going on 2 weeks ago, Mulhollands have not yet returned my Ph Call.

So "Strike 5"

 

I then took the car to an Indy.

 

Skoda UK are still involved (cos I sicced Senior Management onto them) and we are currently awaiting a Ph call fro our NI area Manager.

 

So what is the main threat to Skoda you ask?

I really dont know where to start.

 

But I lust after a Kodiaq as our next and last new car, except  .  .  .

 

Edited 1 July, 2018 by marcusthehat

[Ryeman]

2 hours ago, marcusthehat said:

Having bought a new 1.6TDI DSG Octavia in Sept 2010 from Howard Abrahms in Lurgan, specced with towbar and electrics.

Towbar fitting was subbed out(but we were not told this when pricing the car) a bypass relay was very very shoddily fitted,

I then ended up giving an extra £200.00 to get the correct Skoda wiring kit, but the dealer ordered the wrong one!

So "strike 1"

 

Then with our DSG issues, when I sent the wife down (I was working) after phoning and explaining, they parked the car round the back and ignored her for 3 hours before sending her away, assuring her, quite wrongly, that there was no fault. And having subsequently taken the car to a v reputable Motor Engineer, DSG fault codes HAD been logged.

So "strike 2"

 

Ended up with the car at Mullhollands of Antrim,  who with constant communication with Skoda spent a full 3 months attempting, and failing, to fix the DSG fault. (and recently, courtsey of an Aussie forum, Skoda were attempting to fix a VW software "patch" designed to protect the troublesome dry clutch packs, i.e. the cursed "dropping" out of Drive or Reverse fault)

So "strike 3"

 

as a result of the above very prolonged Fiasco, I got an extended warranty package, for 5 years.

Literally in about month 57 I got various(I cant remember now) dash lights, looked like the DPF symbol, took the car to Mulhollands, NO faults logged Sir!

Hmmm?

Repeat performance a month or so later, but including limp mode this time, again "No faults logged Sir", the car being temporarily recovered by the time I got to the dealership.

Getting SERIOUSLY  peeved by now.

Waited for a 3rd re-occurance, took the car to a local Indy, got the fault codes downloaded to a memory stick, went back with this and a laptop, this time "ah yes Sir it is the EGR. leave it with us"

But on this 3rd occassion, as per the previous 2 occassions, no lights showing on the dash by the time I got to the dealership.

So they simply lied to me twice, when they could get away with it.

Hmmmm?

This was in the middle of the 60th month of the 5 year warranty btw,

So "strike 4"

 

Now the mechatronic unit has shat itsel, Mulhollands refused to return my calls,  until I got Skoda UK involved, They finally did ret my call, with an inflated price for the mechatronic unit.

I queried this, v nicely, they volunteered to check with the manager and get back to me.

This was going on 2 weeks ago, Mulhollands have not yet returned my Ph Call.

So "Strike 5"

 

I then took the car to an Indy.

 

Skoda UK are still involved (cos I sicced Senior Management onto them) and we are currently awaiting a Ph call fro our NI area Manager.

 

So what is the main threat to Skoda you ask?

I really dont know where to start.

 

But I lust after a Kodiaq as our next and last new car, except  .  .  .

 

 

Patience personified !

[Ootohere]

marcusthehat,

the DQ200's have their issues, like the World Wide recall / Service Campaign to change Synthetic oil to mineral, but just recently you were biging them up.

Maybe you were expecting just a bit too much.

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/450744-dsg-gearbox-what-to-expect/?page=2 

[marcusthehat]

Offski,

Oddly, to some but not including yourself btw.,

I always attempt to give a balanced opinion on matters mechanical, and yes the DSG once moving in a forward direction is a pleasure to drive,

BUT, perhaps the VAG should have discontinued their use of the DQ200 dry clutch packs sooner, rather than their choosen deceitful software workaround.

(per my Aussie forum find, which also confirmed my own observations regarding the DSG software being written so as to ignore the throttle pentiometer input under certain conditions)

How any engineer test driver could rubber-stamp the DQ200 as fit for production, specifically in respect of its reversing under load or on a gradient behavouir, will continue to be a total mystery to me.

And this dropping out of gear, quite without warning, was reasonably widely discussed on this forum and others some  8,7,6 years ago, so shall we say it was endemic.

That and the deceitful shambolic nature of the Skoda dealership network, who appear to rely on customers almost blindly buying a new car and changing it every 1,2 or 3 years.

Is, at least in part, what poses the biggest threat to the Skoda Brand.

But, as I also stated, I would like my next new car to be a Kodiaq, so it is not that I simply got a knife into Skoda.

regards

Marcus

P.S.

If I was expecting too much, it was probably & simply because the VAG/Skoda were promising too much.

 

A last Edit, my car buying is a protracted studied process, and when I buy a car, it is to be run for 12 or 15 years, for say 200 to 250,000 miles, hence my ongoing committment to our current Skoda.

Edited 2 July, 2018 by marcusthehat

[Ootohere]

Skoda produce 2,200 DQ200 a day.

There was the issues 2009-2012 which had VW Group doing a world wide recall & just a European Service Campaign.  34F7'.

Mineral Oil used instead of Synthetic and a software update.

In some World Regions MCU's replaced and a Warranty Extension.

http://skoda.co.nz/news/dsg-service-campaign 

Then after the factory filled with Mineral oil 2013-2015 there were still fundamental design, manufacturing and component software issues and Service Campaign '34H5'.

That might have been the end of issues, but no there are issues 2015 on with some and Clutch Pack software issues and a TPI covering that.

 

Common Faults in the 7-Speed DSG Automatic Transmission _ AxleAddict.mhtml

ŠKODA produces 1.5 millionth DQ 200 dual-clutch transmission at Vrchlabí plant - ŠKODA Storyboard.mhtml

ŠKODA AUTO produces two-millionth DQ 200 dual-clutch transmission at Vrchlabí plant - ŠKODA Storyboard.mhtml

Edited 2 July, 2018 by Offski

[Ryeman]

They are all “fit for purpose”........................if they are a company car (wink)

[Ootohere]

& common sense given to towing limits and the likes even for ones with Quality Control & Engineering as it should be.  Horses for courses and all that.

As it was Skoda never made it legal for a Tow Bar to be fitted to allowing towing  MK1 Fabia vRS Diesel (they are manuals), or Mk2 Fabia vRS 1.4 TSI Twincharger 180ps with DSG, 

but then it did with the sister cars, but then that was more to do with VW holding Skoda back & the weights not being submitted rather than vehicles with the same drive trains not being up to the same job on a Skoda compared to a VW, Audi or Seat model.

Edited 2 July, 2018 by Offski

[Ryeman]

Import them from India?.

http://europe.autonews.com/article/20180702/ANE/180709941/skoda-to-make-suv-in-india-as-part-of-big-bet-on-market?cciid=email-ane-daily

[Ryeman]

More on the new Indian plans -

http://europe.autonews.com/article/20180710/ANE/180709841/how-skoda-aims-to-end-vw-groups-india-failures?cciid=email-ane-daily

[marcusthehat]

Hopefully the call-centre fielding Indian VAG customer complaints will be located in Tyne and Wear, then "they" might get to  understand how we feel!

I have been put through to an Indian call centre so many times I now pronounce my surname with an Indian inflection.

[Ryeman]

18 minutes ago, marcusthehat said:

Hopefully the call-centre fielding Indian VAG customer complaints will be located in Tyne and Wear, then "they" might get to  understand how we feel!

I have been put through to an Indian call centre so many times I now pronounce my surname with an Indian inflection.

Out here it’s pretty much a case of who doesn’t end up there

[TonyTonic]

From a UK perspective, no threats from waht I can see if they continue to develop their cars they way the have, price/performance ratio is still the best.

 

Korean cars are great for giving you tech and option but I don't think the engines are as good yest.

[Skodaboy1983]

9 minutes ago, TonyTonic said:

From a UK perspective, no threats from waht I can see if they continue to develop their cars they way the have, price/performance ratio is still the best.

 

Korean cars are great for giving you tech and option but I don't think the engines are as good yest.

 

korean cars are defo catching up,in styling stakes and tech, engines are on par with other makes , I had a 1.6 CRDI in a Kia Ceed and I thought it was a cracking engine, fuel economy on par with my current 1.0 MPI estate if not a tiny bit better.

 

If it had not been written off early last year I would have had another Kia in a heartbeat, but I honestly could not get another one after it had been written off as I would have compared it my written off one.

Davy

Edited 6 August, 2018 by Skodaboy1983

[TonyTonic]

4 minutes ago, Skodaboy1983 said:

 

korean cars are defo catching up,in styling stakes and tech, engines are on par with other makes , I had a 1.6 CRDI in a Kia Ceed and I thought it was a cracking engine, fuel economy on par with my current 1.0 MPI estate if not a tiny bit better.

 

Davy

Tell me honestly which Korean Kia or Hyundai models would you actually buy?

I have been and tried the Hyundai Tuscon and Santa fe and Kia Sportage and Sorrento. They look very pretty in pictures but when yo actually sit in one and on closer inspection it's just not as good as a Karoq or Kodiaq for example.

 

I don't know, the new Tuscon My19 has jsut come out to order now, it really does look amazing and premium in the pictures but when I look at the engine line up the actual engine I would want diesel 180BHP costs 36k!!!!

 

I find the Korean strategy a bit cheeky, their entry models are very cheap , but those are the ones noone actually buys.

Edited 6 August, 2018 by TonyTonic

[Skodaboy1983]

Ceed or Rio for me, if you said to me a few years ago I would be driving a Kia I would have laughed, same applies for the Skoda, I would have laughed, I went on a recommendation on getting my first one back in 2007, and at that time Skoda Dealers or one I went to actually treated you like a customer, knew who I was when I walked in, had the car ready for a test drive and after the drive knew I wanted it. Now having to buy off dealer chains I feel I am just a sales figure.

 

Davy