Hi all,

 

I bought a 6 month old Skoda Superb SportLine plus today. The advert on AutoTrader said it has an auxiliary heater which I thought was great. I was looking forward to a warm car to climb into in on winter morning. When the dealer handed over the keys I asked for the remote for the heater.... I know what an auxiliary heater is, normally a Webasto unit, I read the link below and thought happy days...

https://www.skoda-storyboard.com/en/press-releases/warm-safe-clever-skoda-auxiliary-heating-systems/ 

It doesn't have one.

 

When I got home I noticed the paint on the bonnet looked a bit dodgy, photos below. I'm guessing this isn't normal for a Skoda these days? In 2002 I had a Octavia vRS and it needed two doors painting as you could see the primer through the base coat and the vRS was new, factory fresh!

This car is 6 months old...

I bought the car from Birchwood in Eastbourne which is about 320 miles away for me. £22,500... sick as a chip, I have emailed the dealer but not sure what to do now. Any suggestions?

 

 

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

Is it from Birchwood Skoda Eastbourne and a Skoda Approved Car,

but not Approved to Factory Spec paint?

 

Minimum they will need to do is get a new bonnet and have it fitted at an approved repairer near you and painted to have the Warranty Valid.

 

Approved cars, 1,000 miles, you can return it.

 

Why did you take the car at the price if it never had the heater?    *Advert lies, enough to stuff up the Sales Executive and Dealership.*

 

Who was the car First Registered too?

How many miles covered?

 

Best go to a body shop and have it checked for accident damage unless you can find it, that paint is terrible and not going to meet the requirements for a Skoda Warranty, paint or more important corrosion.

 

Pity you never inspected it better before driving off with it.

 

 

Edited 14 September, 20196 yr by Roottootemoot

I believe that every Superb has some sort of electric heater which helps warm the car quicker when you turn the  ignition on.  This is listed on specs on Autotrader as auxiliary heater but it isn’t a remote Webasto- this is an option.  

 

It strange to have driven off with those paint defects. 

Probably referring to the REST function which uses residual heat in the heating system to warm the cabin for <30 mins after the ignition is turned off. 

 

That paint is awful. I would be getting an inspection on the front end to access what, if any, further secrets this car has.  If the supplying dealer has thought it acceptable to sell a car in that state then I would question their ability to remedy the problems, to a satisfactory standard.  

 

 

 

 

When I collected the car it was parked close to some other cars on the nearside. I looked down the doors and front panels of the car but the paint defect is only really visible when you look from the passenger side mirror along the front it that makes sense. I have attached some more photos so you can see what I mean. In hindsight I should have asked them to move the car out.

Yes, the car was from Birchwood Skoda in Eastbourne which is an approved dealer.

The car has done  and about 7,000 miles and was a dealer demonstrator.

I agree I should have inspected it better at the garage, as this car was from an approved dealer I was confident that I was buying something to Skoda specification, including paint. I agree I should have inspected car better... 

 

As for the Auxiliary heater all of the SportLine Plus cars are advertised with it. I honestly thought it was a standard. When I asked about the remote for it the salesman said thats all the keys he had so I then thought it must be activated by car settings or Skoda app.

 

As a minimum I would expect the bonnet to be re-sprayed. It is about 650 mile round trip for me but if I have to I return the car. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auxiliary heater is NOT the same as webasto. All superbs have Auxiliary heater. 

3 minutes ago, JackySi said:

Auxiliary heater is NOT the same as webasto. All superbs have Auxiliary heater. 

 

Have a look on the Skoda web site, is says auxiliary heating system. This is a Webasto

https://www.skoda-storyboard.com/en/press-releases/warm-safe-clever-skoda-auxiliary-heating-systems/

 

and if you search good for Auxiliary Heater it comes up with 

https://www.webasto-group.com/en/original-equipment/thermo-systems/

 

Same here 

 

2 minutes ago, JasonT247 said:

 

Have a look on the Skoda web site, is says auxiliary heating system. This is a Webasto

https://www.skoda-storyboard.com/en/press-releases/warm-safe-clever-skoda-auxiliary-heating-systems/

 

and if you search good for Auxiliary Heater it comes up with 

https://www.webasto-group.com/en/original-equipment/thermo-systems/

 

Same here 

 

 

2 minutes ago, JasonT247 said:

 

Have a look on the Skoda web site, is says auxiliary heating system. This is a Webasto

https://www.skoda-storyboard.com/en/press-releases/warm-safe-clever-skoda-auxiliary-heating-systems/

 

and if you search good for Auxiliary Heater it comes up with 

https://www.webasto-group.com/en/original-equipment/thermo-systems/

 

Same here 

 

 

What about this? this is from the Skoda Superb Manual it says auxiliary heater... I read the manual before I bought the car to check the terminology. 

@JasonT247   If the bonnet has filler on it,

a likely it has they can get a New Bonnet so that then the panel is to factory spec with factory spec / thickness paint.

 

Do you have in writing it was their Demonstrator or just an Ex Demonstrator.

  Driven by their staff and potential customers, or came from someplace else.

 

Ask tomorrow, in writing.  If it was theirs and unless a customer had a bad repair they never noticed it has a 'Kerb Side Autos' crap repair done.

They should know the cars history or Skoda UK does.

 

The bad repair voids the Paint and Corrosion Warranty, and you need to know of any other damage and repairs.

 

Trust nothing given verbally, get from the Dealer Principal in writing.   If their lips move they might well be lying.

Edited 15 September, 20196 yr by Roottootemoot

The rejected car could be trailered if that is what BIRCHWOOD SKODA, EASTBOURNE think is an acceptable standard of prep on a SKODA APPROVED USED CAR.

 

If keeping a VW Group Approved Bodyshop with courtesy car near to you could do the work and bill the supplying dealer.

 

 

This is important, cars can be from anyplace, but if you are told it was their demonstrator it should be, 

if a staff members family member drove it, or it was a Courtesy car / Body Shop loan car then that is not a 'Demonstrator'.

Whatever, they should know when repairs were done and by whom.

Edited 15 September, 20196 yr by Roottootemoot

I would have to see the paint in person by they don't look like run marks from the factory.

 

This looks like it had some damage and someone used a touch up kit by mixing the clear coat with the base coat and then not sanding it down , compounding and polishing to get it level 

 

The scratch is annoying but that could have happened on day 1 of ownership for anyone. I can't work out where it is or how big the scratch is. They are nearly always a total panel respray 

No the paint is not from the factory, the lacquer felt soft yesterday where the repair was done and you can feel and see if you look the right angle where they have tried to blend the clear coat.

 

I was verbally told that the car was a demo car and used by their Service Manager.

 

The blind spot monitoring system on the passenger side appears to work intermittently too. The drivers side one is fine but the other side is doesn't register cars sometimes.

 

Apart from the problem the car is really good. I'm struggling to get the Skoda Connect to work but i'll get there.

 

2 hours ago, JasonT247 said:

 

Have a look on the Skoda web site, is says auxiliary heating system. This is a Webasto

https://www.skoda-storyboard.com/en/press-releases/warm-safe-clever-skoda-auxiliary-heating-systems/

 

and if you search good for Auxiliary Heater it comes up with 

https://www.webasto-group.com/en/original-equipment/thermo-systems/

 

Same here 

 

Basically the world "Auxiliary" means alternative heating and can mean both Webasto and Electric heater (which it is in newer cars like Superb). But in "basic" principle it is not webasto. Webasto is based on "small" engine that heats up air while simple Auxiliary heating system is electrical system that makes heating much faster due to no requirements for the engine to be hot. 

Fun part is that even in Service Manual Auxiliary heating is meant "Webasto", but in car air con menu u can enable Auxiliary heating without Webasto installed, which is the heater I just described before. So its up to VW/SKODA Who made it so stupid

I had this with an ex demo Mazda 6 I bought. It only had 3500 miles on it. When I got it home I noticed that the rear bumper had been sprayed. Turns out it had had a smart repair after a bump. The match was awful (soul red) once noticed and there was areas of overspray underneath. I took the car straight back and got a refund no problems. The dealer was fine and offered to respray to a better standard but you don’t buy nearly new from a main dealer to have a dodgy repair. It’s difficult to spot on the forecourt sometimes.

 

 

@JasonT247

Have you contacted the Dealer Principal yet to find out what the story is on their Service Managers perk and what damage it had and why a dodgy repair has been carried out and passed inspection?

 

An Email with that first to the Dealer Principal asking for a call back is good and then if needs must forward to Skoda UK Customer Services who could not care less but who can have a Communications manager contact the Dealership.

30 minutes ago, Roottootemoot said:

@JasonT247

Have you contacted the Dealer Principal yet to find out what the story is on their Service Managers perk and what damage it had and why a dodgy repair has been carried out and passed inspection?

 

An Email with that first to the Dealer Principal asking for a call back is good and then if needs must forward to Skoda UK Customer Services who could not care less but who can have a Communications manager contact the Dealership.

I am waiting for a call back from them. I don't know the dealer principals email address. I can't find it.

 

You don't need it, use the Dealerships and say for the attention of.

Don't let minions pan you off or Sales Executives / Service Managers.   You want the grinder to deal with it, or you then go to Owner / Directors.

 

Monday mornings will always be busy.

I am sitting in a Skoda Dealership now, so many head ones around.

Edited 16 September, 20196 yr by Roottootemoot

33 minutes ago, Roottootemoot said:

You don't need it, use the Dealerships and say for the attention of.

Don't let minions pan you off or Sales Executives / Service Managers.   You want the grinder to deal with it, or you then go to Owner / Directors.

 

Monday mornings will always be busy.

I am sitting in a Skoda Dealership now, so many head ones around.

 

 

 

I will give them until noon then i'm emailing Peter Parker.

17 minutes ago, JasonT247 said:

I will give them until noon then i'm emailing Peter Parker.

Bonus points if you manage to get "with great power, comes great responsibility" into the email. 

14 minutes ago, penguin17 said:

Bonus points if you manage to get "with great power, comes great responsibility" into the email. 

Now there is a challenge I must take up!

 

 

1 minute ago, JasonT247 said:

Now there is a challenge I must take up!

 

 

I spoke to their Sales manager earlier. He told me that the car has had a repair, I think it cost them £150+VAT to cover some stone chips. Earlier today I took the car to a Skoda approved bodyshop to see what it would cost to get the bodge repaired. I am waiting for the quote. The examiner went over the whole car with a paint depth meter, about 1/8th of the bonnet has been sprayed. One part was over 1mm thick and full of filler, it's probably had something dropped on it.

 

The dealer said they would pay £150 to £200 to get the bonnet painted but after that they have no money left in the car....

 

I Linkedin with Peter Parker and he is now included in the emails. 

 

Take no notice of the "no money left in the car" bull. If they have to replace the bonnet and make a loss on the car then so what? Don't try and rip off customers. It won't be true anyway, dealership overheads require a bigger margin than that. They need to put it right.

The £150-£200 is not paying for a repair to Factory Standard for a 12 years Corrosion Warranty on a 6 month old car.

They really should read the T&C's of Paint & Corrosion warranties.

 

Did the Dealer tell you that pr staff that work at the dealership?   Look at the crap job £150 plus VAT got them already.   Maybe they need to suck it up and stop being crap car traders.

 

Even Evans Halshaw have started to know that bad customer service and after sales can catch them out and they do the right thing,

Skoda Approved Cars are selling at a premium.

 

If they had a Demonstrator for 6 months /7,000 miles the tax break was very very nice and you never stole it from them i bet.

 

Their Sales Staff will be on commission as well as a wage and not a straight wage. 

That just needs held back from the chancer that parked up the car and did the handover if that was who did the paperwork.

Edited 16 September, 20196 yr by Roottootemoot