Picked up my new Scala SE 110 DSG today - I previously had an MK3 Fabia SE L 110 6-speed Manual. The SE seems like a perfect "middle of the road" trim - especially when compared to the Fabia SE L.

 

Things I've lost:

❌ Climate Control

❌ Keyless Start

 

Things I've gained:

✅ Automatic Gearbox

✅ More interior space (both cabin and boot)

✅ Electric windows on all doors

✅ Automatic wipers

✅ LED headlights

✅ Spare wheel

 

Initial experiences:

• DSG gearbox seems hesitant when moving off - it seems that you have to pre-empt your departure by a couple of seconds to get things moving along. I'll try in S-mode tomorrow...
• Seats seem very similar to those in the Fabia - perhaps slightly wider? Either way, very comfortable and supportive.
• Impressive storage space - the driver's cubby is excellent for facemask and pen storage.
• Android Auto implementation and touchscreen seems far more responsive than the old system in the Fabia.
• USB-C ports and phone "shelf" are perfectly positioned.
• I wish that the "jumbo box" arm-rest would stay in position once lifted up (similar to how it works in the Golf) - I may have to make a shim or something to raise it up permanently.
• The windscreen filler cap that turns into a funnel is an extremely clever bit of design. Perfect!
• Car seems very well-planted on city roads and motorways. Will try some rural driving tomorrow!

Unfortunately, the first problem has already happened...

 

Cruise Control doesn't always seem to be available. When starting the car, the cruise control icon on the dash will have an exclamation mark next to it, and cruise control cannot be engaged. Switching the car off and starting it again seems to bring it back. I don't have Adaptive Cruise Control, so I'm not entirely sure what the issue could be.

 

Either way, it'll be going back to the dealer later this month to see what the issue is.

Cruise control only works when you are driving you set to the speed you want if you stop it keeps your last set speed. It won't let you set when stationary 

 

In my case, it doesn't let me set it at all when driving if the exclamation mark is there.

I had a 2018 Superb 1.5 DSG and that was always jerky when starting off, dealer told me it was a feature, you sort of get used to it but beware at roundabouts if you are pulling out into a tight gap

I have found that putting it into "Sport" mode seems to make it a bit more eager to get going - the problem seems to be that if you don't quite give it enough gas, it will change out of 1st gear quite quickly and then hesitate if you put your foot down. Need to adapt my driving style!

Knocking the gear selector mode into 'S' will help hugely with the initial lack of urgency off the mark.  

 

That aside, I have always found you need to adapt your driving style slightly when using DSG gearboxes to 'squeeze' the accelerator to get more responsive throttle response than just flooring it, (as you can with a normal torque converter auto box). Our 2014 Audi A3 TFSI Quattro S-Tronic (DSG) has almost exactly the same issue and have also experienced the same on Golfs. 

@sparckzero

Getting out of 1st by 6mph is not a bad thing, it is a 7 speed box and 1st really is for starting off, and for going really slow, or coming to a stop.

 

Getting to know the car and 'Driving in / running in' it will help lots in getting to know the DQ200 7 speed twin dry clutch DSG.

Getting to know there can be a delay from brake pedal to accelerator and moving.

 

'S; just lets it go to a higher RPM before shifting up. 

In winter on the factory fit tyres even after the pressures are set and the TPMS reset it is a balance between getting away without wheel spin and getting off into traffic.

 

TC/ASR will have the car cut drive if there is wheel spin, and nip the brakes and that is in 'D' or 'S'.

On slippy slidy / icy / snowy roads it is handy going back to 'S' when off the accelerator to slow down and getting braking / deceleration without using the brakes

 

@terrygriffyou can tell when some dealership staff are lying or talking guff, their lips move.

 

 

Edited 2 February, 20215 yr by e-Roottoot

Some additional thoughts after a few more miles:

 

• The heating in the car is exceptional. The car seems to warm up extremely quickly in a way that my Fabia never did.
• The DSG is still taking some getting used to. I have found that the gearbox feels quite sluggish in low-speed corners where you need to accelerate away (e.g. roundabouts) - kicking the box into "S" mode on entry and then back into "D" once established in a straight line on exit seems to improve things.
• The LED headlights are superb.

Thank you.  I'm looking at a Scala DSG to replace my MK3 Fabia in the next twelve to eighteen months.  At the minute I'm weighing up either going for a Scala or jumping ship to another brand.  Any reviews really help give me an idea of whether I want to buy from Skoda again.  The local Skoda dealers level of customer service has been appalling throughout the process of buying the Fabia in 2019 to the complete shambles I've had to put up with over the servicing agreement and the endless hidden extras they keep trying to charge me for.  If I do buy another Skoda then it absolutely won't be from the same dealer.

16 hours ago, Jb133 said:

Thank you.  I'm looking at a Scala DSG to replace my MK3 Fabia in the next twelve to eighteen months.  At the minute I'm weighing up either going for a Scala or jumping ship to another brand.  Any reviews really help give me an idea of whether I want to buy from Skoda again.  The local Skoda dealers level of customer service has been appalling throughout the process of buying the Fabia in 2019 to the complete shambles I've had to put up with over the servicing agreement and the endless hidden extras they keep trying to charge me for.  If I do buy another Skoda then it absolutely won't be from the same dealer.

The all new Fabia is out in the autumn. What hidden extras 

I'm fairly aggrieved with Skoda tbh and have little trust left in their franchises and their appalling customer service. 

 

I bought the Fabia 2 years ago and was charged upwards of £500 for a comprehensive service plan. 

 

The dealer went bust last year after my first service. Another Skoda franchise took over the dealership but refused to honour the remaining services on the agreement. Skoda customer services were disinterested and unhelpful.  They shrugged their shoulders and pretty much said they and the new franchise had no legal obligation to assist me. 

 

The insolvency practitioners dealing with the bankruptcy have confirmed there will be no refund for the plan as I am one of many unsecured creditors.  My bank were also unable to offer me a refund because the plan was not paid for on a credit card and they couldn't do a charge back against an insolvent company.

 

With great reluctance I have bought another service plan through Skoda themselves rather than through the franchise.  I need dealer servicing to maintain resale value.

 

It's probably my own fault for not reading the exclusions of the service plan.  I was then charged another £80 this week on top for brake fluid replacement.   I just feel as though I have been continually ripped off and I will be very wary of buying another Skoda because of this experience. 

On 01/02/2021 at 13:48, sparckzero said:

Unfortunately, the first problem has already happened...

 

Cruise Control doesn't always seem to be available. When starting the car, the cruise control icon on the dash will have an exclamation mark next to it, and cruise control cannot be engaged. Switching the car off and starting it again seems to bring it back. I don't have Adaptive Cruise Control, so I'm not entirely sure what the issue could be.

 

Either way, it'll be going back to the dealer later this month to see what the issue is.

 

Update: after multiple trips to the dealer, and a software update, it seems that the root cause of the problem hasn't yet been identified. Now waiting to hear what the next steps are...

 

Has anybody else experienced this Cruise Control fault?

With regards to the DSG, I've found the key to a smooth set off from standstill is to take my foot off the brake, let the car realise that's what I've done (the revs rise to 1000rpm in my 1.4 TSI and clutch starts to engage) and then lightly press the throttle. If you try and press the throttle too sharply or before the clutch has bitten it almost always end up with a jolt forward. I can only liken this to a manual where you would press the throttle harder and suddenly release the clutch.

 

And also setting off from roundabouts etc (while still creeping forward). What you may find is that the gearbox is between gears. It drives in 1st but upon pressing the throttle to set off it uses 2nd gear (and the 2nd clutch) and slips the clutch to smooth out the change. This makes it feels sluggish but it isn't really. Just hold a steady, light but firm throttle and the car will sort it out.

On 28/04/2021 at 19:29, sparckzero said:

 

Update: after multiple trips to the dealer, and a software update, it seems that the root cause of the problem hasn't yet been identified. Now waiting to hear what the next steps are...

 

Has anybody else experienced this Cruise Control fault?

The problem is related to an insufficiently charged battery. I have an Octavia and the same thing happens to me during the first start of the day, especially during the winter months. Charge the battery well and the problem will disappear.

6 hours ago, gedo said:

The problem is related to an insufficiently charged battery. I have an Octavia and the same thing happens to me during the first start of the day, especially during the winter months. Charge the battery well and the problem will disappear.

 

The dealer also went down this route - unfortunately, it doesn't seem to match with my experiences. The car will sometimes do this directly after a long journey (for example, driving on the motorway for 1hr+, stop for fuel, start car again and cruise control disabled).

 

The dealer has also fully charged the battery before testing and it happens again. When they've had it on test, they haven't been able to detect a problem with the battery or the alternator etc.

 

It has been fine in recent weeks, but occasionally it'll flare up. I'm still waiting to hear back from the dealer to see what the next stage is - in fact, this is a good reminder to give them a call to see what's going on!

They will only be charging the battery as full as they should, that is not fully charged.

 

They need to be sure that the car is charging the battery as required when the car is being driven.

I have had 5 Skoda Cars with DSG gearboxes, the first being a Yeti that blew 2 sets of DSG clutches while under warranty. (I got rid at 3 years). We have had 3 DSG Fabia's all covered 30K miles plus  all worked faultlessly (now sold on)

My car at the moment is the 1ltr SEL Scala DSG with 11k miles on the clock, glad to say it is the smoothest Skoda DSG to date. I have found the DSG box is the very best for my budget. Far better than the 5 Fords 6 Vauxhalls 3 Nissan automatics that I have owned in my lifetime of driving.  Without doubt the car with the most dangerous and god awful auto box was the wife's little Skoda Citigo  it went back after 3 months for a Fabia DSG.   

Just wanted to provide an update as it seems that my cruise control issue has been solved.

 

Attached is a photo of what would happen when the cruise control was unavailable. Didn't matter if I had been driving for a while or was just starting the car for the first time that day - it was very random. Sometimes cycling the ignition would clear the problem, sometimes it would not.

 

Took the car in for its first service last week and asked them to look at the issue - they have applied an update to the GRA/Cruise Control System and the issue hasn't reoccurred since. Apparently it is now a known issue with a known fix - I'll keep you updated!

 

On 23/02/2021 at 21:45, Jb133 said:

Thank you.  I'm looking at a Scala DSG to replace my MK3 Fabia in the next twelve to eighteen months.  At the minute I'm weighing up either going for a Scala or jumping ship to another brand.  Any reviews really help give me an idea of whether I want to buy from Skoda again.  The local Skoda dealers level of customer service has been appalling throughout the process of buying the Fabia in 2019 to the complete shambles I've had to put up with over the servicing agreement and the endless hidden extras they keep trying to charge me for.  If I do buy another Skoda then it absolutely won't be from the same dealer.

 

We swapped from a 2018 Fabia Monte Carlo DSG to a 2020 Scala SE DSG.  Obviously the Scala is very familiar but this aside we are generally happy.  We needed a bigger boot and more rear leg room to accommodate child seats but at the same not something too big that is a pain to park.  I agree with some of the comments regarding the DSG up shifting too early but this will have been optimised for the cycle to obtain the best figures.  It's not terrible and can be overcome by pressing into the pedal a bit more to push out the shift point (shift points are primary based on accelerator pedal angle).

 

The company I work for has a colleague car scheme and two close friends of mine have had Scalas (they get exchanged every 6 months).  Their feedback was very positive to the point they were urging me to get one.  We all drive a variety of cars and the Scala does stand out in its class.  We all work in the automotive industry so we are a bit more critical than most.

 

My car has been back to the dealer a few times, once for a sticking seatbelt and other times for an SOS ECU replacement and various software updates to rectify problems with the MMI.  For me it's not a big problem as the dealer is less than 10 minutes away and I can run home, but if I lived far away then this would have been a real inconvenience.

 

I probably won't be taking out a service plan as there is a very good VW specialist I use and I've had a few insights into what happens in some main dealer workshops!  The specialist uses genuine VW group parts to maintain the warranty and fills in the digital service book.  They are also a lot cheaper so if there is a reduction in the value of the vehicle due it not having a "main dealer service history" then this will be offset my the money saved in servicing.  I will also have the peace of mind that the car has been serviced correctly.  

 

If you have any questions let me know.

Resurrecting this thread as someone has reached out to me via PM with the same cruise control problem and wanted to know if I'd been able to resolve the issue - for the benefit of everyone else, I can confirm that since the GRA fix was applied in February 2022, the issue has never reoccurred! 👍

On 22/04/2024 at 19:29, sparckzero said:

Resurrecting this thread as someone has reached out to me via PM with the same cruise control problem and wanted to know if I'd been able to resolve the issue - for the benefit of everyone else, I can confirm that since the GRA fix was applied in February 2022, the issue has never reoccurred! 👍

I found this very helpful, thank you. Recently bought a used Scala and had the cruise control malfunction light intermittently, mainly if I left the CC in the "on" position when parking the car overnight or even for short periods.. When next starting the car the malfunction light displayed. Restarting the engine cleared it. Skoda main dealer applied a BCM software update yesterday so hoping this resolves it. I noticed the software update also added some menu options to the infotainment "car" menu such as changing how the remote fob works (opening one or all doors) and an option to turn off interior monitoring for the alarm. The car was supposedly serviced at a Skoda dealers for all services to date so I'm surprised they wouldn't check for and apply updates as part of servicing.