Hi, my 3yr old Superb L&K with 39.5k miles on the clock failed it’s first MOT today, leaving me with a bill of nearly £1,000 to replace the front suspension.

surely this shouldn’t be happening to a 3yr old car with this mileage?

 

Would be interested to hear if anyone else has experienced this issue and whether they approached Skoda for assistance in sorting it out?

Ask a suspension place how long a shock will last, mileage wise. The problem with suspension, and I assume you mean shocks and/or springs, is that the way the vehicle is used can make for great variables in wear rates. Drive hard and give the suspension a good work out and it will wear quicker then gentle driving and lower weight applications.

 

From the onset, the basic suspension will be a compromise between quality and price. In real terms, the set-up will be fairly modest, when compared to high end parts.

 

Even straight from the forecourt, a new shock could fail, if you hit a large enough pot hole or kerb, etc. The unit may compress to such a degree that it "Bottoms out" And bursts a seal. Then it will leak and become at best, poor and at worse, dangerous.

 

I am somewhat surprised though, that you went the main dealer route and had the gear changed (Assumption here, by the price quoted) As I am sure an independent suspension place could have upgraded the shocks/springs for that sort of money!

Hi, thanks for the reply. Main dealer quoted £1,068 to replace the shocks, went to a different place and was quoted £950, so am going with that. Had a look online and the adaptive shocks seem to be quite hard to come by. Found Bilstein one’s on a motor parts site for £289 each, but not in stock. Chap at the garage I am using has said there was no OEM choice for this part.

@mrgf thanks for the reply. Skoda main dealer quoted £1,068, went to another place who quoted £950 and am going with that.

 

found the adaptive shocks on a motor parts site, Bilstein one’s for £289 each, but not in stock anyway.

 

thought Skoda might help out seeing as the car is only 3 days out of warranty, but turns out they are not!

Sorry, thought the first reply hadn’t worked!

Mines failed it's first MOT... Major oil leaks on both front shockers.

Repaired under the STD 3 year warranty, car taken for MOT to dealer about 3 weeks before 3 years old

Even although it was a major failure I was allowed to drive the car until the replacements arrived !... two days later

... I was not informed it was a major defect, only found out later from MOT history

 

MOT History....
28,488 miles

Repair immediately (major defects):
Nearside Front Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak (5.3.2 (b))
Offside Front Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak (5.3.2 (b))

Hi, thanks for the reply. Main dealer quoted £1,068 to replace the shocks, went to a different place and was quoted £950, so am going with that. Had a look online and the adaptive shocks seem to be quite hard to come by. Found Bilstein one’s on a motor parts site for £289 each, but not in stock. Chap at the garage I am using has said there was no OEM choice for this part.

If they are adaptive, they are already higher then standard quality so yeah they will be pricier. Be sure to check any mileage/age warranty though as Skoda spares usually have a two year warranty. If they are fitting them and offering that and the local one is offering less, it might be worth the extra bunce!

Perhaps even a chat with your main dealer, showing them the price you have been quoted by the local guy and still banging on about the low mileage/just over the three year period, etc. They might just come down and match the price. Mention Briskoda a few times, make them feel like they are being scrutinised and they may feel a sudden goodwill gesture. Was the dealer the place you bought the car from and was it from new? Do you get servicing done there, along with the MOT? All these things may make them feel obliged in lowering the bill somewhat.  When I first purchased my Fabia, the dealer allowed me 20% off parts and labour, for the time I owned the vehicle. Thats a nice incentive to keep going back. If they are not helpful, let them know further work will be carried out elsewhere.

 

Looking at that other post by DCC, I would also tell them about that and try to discover if others have had such failures. It might just be a dodgy supply of parts. 

Edited 13 July, 20205 yr by mrgf

I have mine replaced under warranty - I have DCC - I had my 'VAG specialist' check over the car and he reported that front shocks were leaking but that was 'normal'!! Ive since found a different garage....

 

Anyway my main warranty had run out - but the dealer I bought from had given me another years extended - I claimed at Skoda Aldershot - surprisingly they approved and I have a fresh new set fitted to the car. Agreed it should not happen. 

 

Parts were £567 excluding labour. List price of shocks is 258.75 excl VAT (3Q0413031AK). 

 

My warranty has now all run out. 

 

If you have to pay for a replacement I would consider Bilstein B6 as an OEM+ replacement. 

 

FG

3 hours ago, freeglide said:

Agreed it should not happen

+1

front DCCs replaced under warranty after 42k and 47k Km

Left and Right, but one month earlier, before new, they swapped both fronts to each other

17 hours ago, mrgf said:

If they are adaptive, they are already higher then standard quality so yeah they will be pricier. .......................................

 

Adaptive means more functionality, not better quality.  

 

Like everything else KISS applies, more functionality (complexity) means more chance of failure.

20 hours ago, Stewsinc said:

@mrgfthought Skoda might help out seeing as the car is only 3 days out of warranty, but turns out they are not!

Are you not entitled to some extra time period due to Covid 19? Could you argue the case?

Just now, Markbro said:

Are you not entitled to some extra time period due to Covid 19? Could you argue the case?

I am going to try and argue this, have registered a complaint with Skoda UK, should get a call back within 48hrs.

Due to COVID I have been working from home and not doing the usual miles, had things been as normal the car would have been serviced a month or two ago, when still under warranty, would have expected this to be picked up during a service?

The only issue is, I am proceeding with the work at a non Skoda garage due to both cost and timeframe as I need the car back in the road. I realise this may not stand me in good stead when it comes to having the conversation with them.

Was thinking of keeping the old shocks as ‘evidence’, what do you think?

If you have to change them asap you might be better off going with your main dealer in case there is a chance.of extension on the warranty due to Covid or even a goodwill gesture on parts/fitting.

 

If you go independent they will probably say they can't cover anything and the saving might not be a saving then!

7 hours ago, IJWS15 said:

 

Adaptive means more functionality, not better quality.  

 

 

I get that but you would normally expect the two to go hand in glove. You would not fit too much on a low quality, cheap item, if you see my meaning. They will almost certainly be better then normal. They will be plusher, higher quality then the stuff on my Fabia, for example.

 

FYI my front DCC shocks both have slight leaks, I was quoted £750 for OEM parts and fitting

 

Volkservice Blackpool - VAG car specialists

10 hours ago, mrgf said:

 

The Superb is still a Skoda, built to the same standards as a Fabia, not that the Fabia isn't built to a reasonable standard.  The Superb is a bigger car than the Fabia which explains the higher price, it isn't a higher quality car.

 

If you want Rolls Royce level of quality (I believe that around 65% of all the cars they have built since 1906 are still running) then go and pay Rolls Royce price.

 

Three years for dampers is still poor, looks like they are adopting the Henry Ford policy where he employed people going round scrap yards looking at scrap cars to see which components had not failed - those were the components he could then re-engineer to save cost.  The principle he aimed for was that all the bits wore out at the same time!

Not sure the last time you sat in a Fabia but the interior is covered with hard plastics and in the Superb you struggle to find anywhere you can touch in the cabin that is not soft. Is your Superb a company car? The Superb is the best built car Skoda make and that includes the £45,000 plus Kodiaq Vrs.

I would say without a doubt, the Superb is a better quality car then the Fabia. A larger cabin and boot only amount to a few hundred quid of extra metal and plastic!!

Sure, they may not be a Rolls but then, nor is a BWM or Mercedes...

 

I used to have an (Even when I had it) Old Mercedes 190E and it was considered the entry level, foot in the door version of the brand. The quality in no way matched the higher spec, better trim level, bigger engined Mercedes' produced at the time and thats the way it should be.  An 80's Ford Fiesta will not match the standard of an 80's Ford Granada and nothing has changed over time. Basic entry levels, even of the same model, better models, etc, as the price goes up, so does the quality. (Fabia's ranged from around £7K to £14K, when I had mine).

 

Oh, ShyVRS245, my Fabia had the optional, soft touch dash, available at extra cost.. This only then, covered the top half of the dash. 😀

 

Anyway, this is deviating from the initial post so I will quit at this.

Edited 15 July, 20205 yr by mrgf

At least the Octavia Mk4 is finally getting what the Superb has had for years under bonnet sound insulation and bonnet struts instead of the cumbersome and cheap rod stay.

2 hours ago, shyVRS245 said:

At least the Octavia Mk4 is finally getting what the Superb has had for years under bonnet sound insulation and bonnet struts instead of the cumbersome and cheap rod stay.

 

I was watching a video about the MK8 Golf last week and it has lost the bonnet struts that it has had for years; and gone back to a cheap rod.  The video was from Europe so maybe it is not across all markets, but still amusing if Golf and Octavia have 'swapped'.

19 minutes ago, JohnBob said:

 

I was watching a video about the MK8 Golf last week and it has lost the bonnet struts that it has had for years; and gone back to a cheap rod.  The video was from Europe so maybe it is not across all markets, but still amusing if Golf and Octavia have 'swapped'.

That's true they are saving money on the Mk8 Golf by giving it the Octavia Mk3 left over bonnet rods.

I got under bonnet insulation on the Fabia but it is a diesel... Fitted bonnet lifters myself and its massively better! (Boot pop springs, too).