DON'T buy a 2017/18 150PS, 4WD, MAN, 7 Seat if you tow....

[willcrick]

Also, if you buy a Kodiaq SE 1.4 125ps 7 Seater without a tow bar, fitting one afterwards will cost you up to £4000 as you have to upgrade the entire cooling system. The specs say it can tow 1600Kg, but without a cooling system upgrade it cant! I assume that if you buy one with a tow bar already fitted they do this upgrade in the factory, but they dont tell you that when you buy one.

Seems like their towing specifications were a bit dodgey.

Edited 20 February, 2018 by john999boy

[patrolman]

Just read this thread with interest I have a Karoq 20 diesel dsg 4x4 I got it from uk stock so options were a dune deal 

 I asked about a tow bar and the dealer said we can get a local guy to fit one but he can’t even get a bar so through work I have axses to vw technical via one of our liaison engineers and this was what I found out about the cooling upgrade they advised it’s a new cooling fan it goes from a 3.2kw to 4kw basically it moves more air and there’s also a new grill with bigger holes in it

the fan is £370 and the grill £80 

i prised a bar from TPS and this was £650 retail so if there charging £4000 this seems a bit of a rip off 

as has been pointed out the price of tow bar prep doesn’t include cooling upgrade 

I personally think some thing has got lost in translation and the cooling upgrade isn’t for a UK climate 

 

[silver1011]

Were you able to note which engines it affects? I'd heard it was only the lower powered 125PS 1.4 petrol engine.

[patrolman]

15 hours ago, silver1011 said:

Were you able to note which engines it affects? I'd heard it was only the lower powered 125PS 1.4 petrol engine.

I couldnt say i just gave him my vin no so he could look into options

[AndyPee]

Not sure if you his isvrhe correct pls e to post this. I’m hoping someone can help me with some advice. I’ve just bought Skoda Kodiaq 2.0 diesel seL 4x4 150ps 7 seat manual, I had to get from uk stock to apparently avail of the best offers, plus the fact that I needed a car in a hurry coz someone crashed into me in my rapid which was written off. So when we were going through the final details I asked about a tow bar and was told as I was going from stock none were available with a tow bar but they could get one fitted for me, I wanted it as we have a plans to buy a caravan for next summer plus I wanted it for a bike rack.  I paid deposit to secure the car over the weekend then returned to sign the paperwork the next week. I then decided to look for the towing capacity and found it could not tow according to the spec. I challenged the dealer on this and they told me no it was fine and got me the price to fit the tow bar. I found this thread two days before collecting the car, by which stage I knew the reg of the car, called skoda uk and asked them who also told me it was fine. Thinking that the dealer and Skoda uk knew what they were doing I assumed that this issue was sorted and the info I was getting online was out of date.   I collected the car, got the tow bar fitted, my wife went to collect and I got her to check what the capacity was and she was told 1000kg, but she did comment that they seemed unsure. 

Since then I’ve had a phone call from the dealer telling me that actually it is illegal for me to tow with the car, and not really to tell me much information as to why!! 

I bought the car on Skoda finance, and am now wondering what am I going to do, the sales guy says he has to speak to his manger and get back to me. As far as I’m concerned I’ve been mis-sold the car, can I hand it back and get my money? Should they be swapping it for an automatic? I did ask all the questions before taking delivery. 

[Ryeman]

Do you have anything in writing from the dealer mentioning this vehicle and the fitment of a tow bar to it - demonstrating their lack of product knowledge?.

Do you know who you spoke to at Skoda UK?.

 

[Dr Zoidberg]

It sounds like the dealer had the tow bar fitted so they can hardly deny any knowledge that it was going to be used to tow. 

[Ryeman]

1 minute ago, Dr Zoidberg said:

It sounds like the dealer had the tow bar fitted so they can hardly deny any knowledge that it was going to be used to tow. 

If that’s the case he has nothing to worry about surely.  I got the impression he might have wanted a less expensive direct purchase.

[AndyPee]

The dealer contacted and recommended the company to fit the towbar(though I knew of them as they had fitted towbars and roof racks on vans for me previously) they got me a price for the job, however I took the car to them and paid it myself. Tge problem only came to light when the dealer tried to send another identical model up to get one fitted and the tow bar company said they would not fit it. I didn’t get a name, but it was skoda uk technical. 

[Ryeman]

I’d be looking for any hard copy of communication about this towbar arrangement/suggestion from the dealer.

[AndyPee]

I have the cost and company name for the tow bar written on the paperwork. I think the dealer is not denying what happened and they knew I wanted to tow. Anyone any ideas what would be reasonable to expect from the dealer. I’ve had the car 11 days now and put 400 miles on it. Does anyone know if there is a “cooling off period” with new car purchases. I don’t want to be fobbed off until any such period may run out. 

[silver1011]

Cooling off period or not, the car was miss-sold.

 

The car can physically tow, but as it isn't homologated for towing you won't be insured and it will likely affect any warranty.

 

You are in a position of strength as both the dealer and Skoda UK confirmed that car was OK to have a towbar fitted.

 

If you are intent on towing you have no choice but to hand the car back for a full refund, including the cost of fitting the towbar. The dealer, Skoda UK, Skoda Finance and the towbar fitter have to bear the brunt of the cost.

 

The towbar fitter should have known the car wasn't suitable to be fitted with a towbar, it's their job, so in my opinion they're just as culpable.

 

Either way it isn't your problem. Take the car back and ask for your money back.

[Kenny R]

If you want a car to tow, and they  sold you a 7 seater 2.0 Diesel 150 that is not homologenated for the fitting of a tow bar, then hand the keys back, they can’t magically turn round and say the car you’ve got is fine for towing, it’s not. If you still want a Kodiaq after this debacle, you would need a 2.0 150 DSG or   a 2.0 190.

 

[Ryeman]

Dealerships shouldn’t have to be advised by others about their products.

Rediculous.

[Ootohere]

OT on the Kodiaq.

 

But people need to be aware that the Karoq 1.6 TDI SCR 115ps Manual (needs AdBlue) that will be coming soon to dealership can not tow either.

MY19 Changes .pdf

Edited 14 July, 2018 by Offski

[H1UBS]

On 14/07/2018 at 13:50, AndyPee said:

I have the cost and company name for the tow bar written on the paperwork. I think the dealer is not denying what happened and they knew I wanted to tow. Anyone any ideas what would be reasonable to expect from the dealer. I’ve had the car 11 days now and put 400 miles on it. Does anyone know if there is a “cooling off period” with new car purchases. I don’t want to be fobbed off until any such period may run out. 

 

The legality of whether your car can tow or not can be found in two places.

On the car on the VIN plate (low on the B pillar - drivers side). There should be 4 weights in kg. The top one is the Gross Vehicle weight and the 2nd one below is the Gross Train Weight. By subtracting the 2nd from the 1st you get the maximum permitted trailer weight for towing. If the figures are the same, or if the 2nd says 0000kg then it is not homologated for towing. The towbar fitter should have checked.

These wights can also be found on the V5 Reg Document.

[DonkeyKong]

If you have a Kodiaq 2.0TDi 4x4 DSG and want to fit an aftermarket towbar, also beware. I was quoted £2200 from my local Skoda dealer for a genuine electric bar. I declined, not just because of the cost but I don't want the added complexity which is unnecessary and a potential cause of future failure. I had a Witter removeable towbar fitted professionally, with a single, coded dedicated electric pack to tow my tiny box trailer. 

 

The cost from the main dealer is partly to cover the additional cooling grills in the front bumper cover, which the dealer says is necessary for transmission cooling. They had had bad experience when doing the same work in the past, with the bumper splitting when attempting to prise off and fit the new grills (which are apparently about £120). It takes 2-3 days to carry out the work.

 

Without these grills, or if an aftermarket towbar is fitted, any warranty claim for drivetrain related issues would be declined they said. The fact the trailer it's towing is (in my case) lighter than a boot of luggage would not matter. Smacks of opportunism to wriggle out of any claims to me. They'd have to prove the cause was towing rather than product failure (without their approved bar and with the mods), in order for the Sale of Goods Act not to apply, as they could decline to honour their own warranty and you'd be left having to dispute this or claim under the Sale of Goods Act as unfit for the (published) purpose. 

 

Ironically, the 'Towcar of the Year' that Skoda make a play on (see https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/whats-on/awards/towcar-of-the-year/SKODA/ ) shows one of the winning Kodiaqs with an aftermarket Brink towbar. Hope they don't get any transmission issues 'cos they might have problems getting it covered under warranty if my dealer is to be believed. As mine has a DSG transmission rattle from new (see my other post) I could have issues too. 

 

The real problem is that the Kodiaq will not tow the weights published in the Skoda literature without significant modification. This is not made clear in the sales brochure, or owner's handbook. I think this is a gross misrepresentation, as many owners will have the reasonable expectation that a pseudo SUV such as the Kodiaq, is likely to be suitable for towing duty, within the stated specification. Many will take the published weights into account when comparing to their caravan or horsebox. The reality is it won't do it without significant modification, certainly on the TDi's (the 1.4TSi  towing situation is better known). If you took this argument to its extreme, you could claim it would accelerate 0-60 in 2 seconds (but only if fitted with the supplementary, genuine Skoda rocket pack), or carry 30 tonnes of luggage (but only if fitted with the genuine curtainsider trailer option) etc etc. Most owners would expect a standard car to conform to the stated and published specification, otherwise what is the point of publishing it? 

 

It's a mess and not fully thought through in my view. 

Edited 5 September, 2018 by DonkeyKong

[DryAsSticks]

13 minutes ago, DonkeyKong said:

If you have a Kodiaq 2.0TDi 4x4 DSG and want to fit an aftermarket towbar, also beware. I was quoted £2200 from my local Skoda dealer for a genuine electric bar. I declined, not just because of the cost but I don't want the added complexity which is unnecessary and a potential cause of future failure. I had a Witter removeable towbar fitted professionally, with a single, coded dedicated electric pack to tow my tiny box trailer. 

 

I also went down the independent route with my 2.0TDi 4x4 DSG. At the time I was buying the salesman mentioned 2 local independents he'd had quotes from for his own Kodiaq, one of which I had intended to use anyway. Also, when the fitter messed up the wiring on mine, the dealer servicing department fixed it in conjunction with the fitter. At no point did any of them mention any impact on any warranty.

[Ootohere]

After Market Towbars are EU Type Approved for the vehicles that are Type Approved to tow.

 

If Skoda / VW Group are using restrictive practices on after market tow bars so that only theirs can be fitted without voiding a warranty that will be illegal in the EU.

If the reason the Warranty is invalid is that not only are the Tow Bars not 'Factory Approved; but the vehicles need additional Factory fit or Dealership hardware to be able to tow to their Official tow weights they submitted and have on the vehicles plate then they are in a bad situation when a owner takes actions against them, if they do.

[AndyPee]

So I forgot about this post!! 

 

Just to update everyone, as far as I can figure from the situation the dealer tried to place the blame on this solely on the sales person and took little or no responsibility themselves. After a lot of going back and forward I ended up with the offer of handing the car back with no reprisals or the same car in the auto box, for a few extra quid, I went for the automatic.   The company that fitted the towbar to the manual kodiaq reluctantly agreed to remove and refit at no extra cost. As far as any modifications to the air intake, this was not mentioned by the dealer of the aftermarket specialist that fitted the tow bar (I am however not surprised). 

 

The 2.0tdi 4x4 Dsg is a nice car to drive, however I do think it is fairly stupid on skodas behalf to produce an suv that has so many issues around towing 

[silver1011]

The towbar was one of the reasons I went for a factory order with a factory fitted towbar, the extra wait for a factory build was worth it knowing that everything was as Skoda wanted it to be.

 

There is a guy on the Skoda Kodiaq UK Facebook page that will fit a genuine Skoda towbar, including all of the electronics and switch for £750, more than £100 less than the factory option...

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1771062699874271/permalink/2033426143637924/?comment_id=2034878170159388&reply_comment_id=2035057180141487&notif_id=1536163887207283&notif_t=group_comment_mention

 

No mention of new bumper or radiator grills though.

[DonkeyKong]

In an ideal world, we'd order a factory car with all the options we want so there is no problem. Many of us choose (and the industry dynamics lead us towards) buying a stock car and compromise on the specification. It is available there and then, and often the dealer makes it far more attractive to buy a built car, than one that may take months to arrive. 

 

Is this fitter a Skoda approved fitter working for a franchised dealer? If not, although using original parts the issue remains that it could still compromise the Skoda warranty. Still leaves the issue with grills and cooling, that this dealer claims are required. They want to keep the work in the network, which is more restrictive practice. I'm very dubious about the need for new grills anyway, is it really needed or was it an over cautious dealer covering their backsides getting their retaliation in early?

 

As it's Skoda's warranty and it sits on top of the basic legal position (which they can't duck under Strict Liability), Skoda can decide whether they are going to honour it or make it difficult for an owner by either challenging that decision through a legal process, or leaving you to rely on the Sale of Goods Act or the Ombudsman. Their small print states that any non-approved parts fitted will invalidate it, they are at liberty to include such clauses but of course can't ignore the basic legal position.

 

Skoda have not thought the addition of a credible SUV through. Dealers and owners seem to have discovered the hard way several models either can't legally tow at all, or need modifications in order to to do so. This must dent customer confidence in their new brand segment?

 

[silver1011]

Slightly related.

 

Just configured a 2.0 TDI 190PS DSG 7-seat SportLine and tried adding the panoramic sunroof...

 

 

Does the sunroof reduce the structural integrity that could be exposed when towing heavy loads?

[DonkeyKong]

Could be a weight or stability issue, in just the wrong place.

 

To quote from the owner's handbook,

 

'But even with OFF ROAD mode activated, your vehicle is never a true SUV' (page 216). Which from our experiences includes towing it seems...strangely they never mention that when selling the car or mention it in the marketing material..

[TheRobinK]

1 hour ago, DonkeyKong said:

'But even with OFF ROAD mode activated, your vehicle is never a true SUV'

 

They really are the worst when it comes to their manuals, translations and meaning. All their web pages say "Skoda Kodiaq - a versatile SUV for your business and family".

 

It absolutely is an SUV, provided they mean suburban or sports utility vehicle.

 

What they should be saying is that "... even with OFF ROAD mode activated, your vehicle is never a true OFF ROAD vehicle'