Hello everybody,

Since over a year now I have this annoying clunking sound coming from the front of my superb, when driving on stone paved roads (quite common in my city, unfortunately) but I can also feel it on more irregular tarmac. This seems worse going uphill than downhill. After many complaints at the dealer they never found anything, but my guess is they never really looked for the problem. Later I did notice that stepping on the brakes (which I normally wouldn't do going uphill) the noise is gone, or at least it becomes unnoticeable. In my last visit I pointed out this fact and NOW they found that the noise was from the brake pads that rattle around. Even though the car is still under a warranty extension, they proposed a solution that involved puting some films/stickers on the back of the pads to stop the noise, but that would cost me over 100€ for both front wheels!  If this is a known problem with the brakes, since they have a solution for it, shouldn't they provide the solution for free given that I'm still under warranty?

 

I'm also not 100% convinced that it's just the bakes, as I can feel this knocking in the steering and I would imagine that the pads are not heavy enough to cause this? It also feels less enjoyable to drive than my other (old) car since more vibration seems to come through the steering. Could there be something loose, other than brake pads, that would stop moving/clunking when applying the brakes? 

 

Cheers!

9 minutes ago, pcspinheiro said:

they proposed a solution that involved putting some films/stickers on the back of the pads to stop the noise, but that would cost me over 100€ for both front wheels!

Can you ask them to provide part numbers? This sounds rather like brake pad shims, but the price seems excessive.

Hi,

I had the same problem with my Superb.

There is a recall for this problem.

The problem is the excessive play in the brake pads. What they do is apply some "stickers" to stop the noise. The problem is known as "trovoada".

You don´t have to pay for this.

Best regards,

Bruno Silva

Yes, exactly this! It sounds like thunderstorm on bad roads. Horrible, horrible noise, cannot believe they "couldn't find anything" for so long! But they asked me for over 100€ to sort it out with said "stickers"!!! I told them no, obviously. Bruno, do you have the recall notice so that I can stick it to their faces? The car is with them today to have the AC checked (because of  their mess too. They left a refrigerant leak somewhere when exchanging the compressor under warranty AND wanted me to pay for the recharge and to have it checked!!!). 

 

Thanks!!

I believe I have. Let me check.

I just checked. I don´t have anything written, sorry.

The thing is, they solved the problem under warranty. You have to insist with them.

Thanks anyway! I just wrote them a message complaining about this situation. I won't do it in person because I dislike speaking to the people in the car reception area, they look at me as if I'm the stupid one there! I was the one who told them to check the freakin' brakes!!!

The noise has been there for like 2 years now, it's their fault they couldn't find it - despite my repeated complaints - particularly if this is a known issue. No other car I own, including a 20 year old opel Astra, does this so it's quite disappointing and makes the car a real drag to drive. There's lots of stone paved roads in inner Coimbra city (where I drive slow and hear it a lot!), and many tarmac roads around here are also not in the best shape, so I constantly get this noise at higher speeds too... 

I know your frustration and I already gave you my opinion.

I don´t go to Skoda dealers no more. I got to an independent authorized workshop, who I trust 100%.

Anyway, they have to solve your problem. It´s well know by Skoda and VW. They had the same problem some Golfs.

You don´t have to pay for this.

I know, and I really appreciate your suggestion regarding the independent shop. Trust me, I can't stand those people at the dealership anymore. Bunch of morons that need you to go in with the diagnostic already, otherwise they can't find anything! I'm really curious to see what they'll say about the AC losing refrigerant gas after the compressor was swapped under warranty.  It only started losing the refrigerant AFTER they touched it, but they seem to be trying to dodge the blame.

 

My windscreen washer jets also never worked properly. They said they would try to set them right (water jets go in weird directions). When I picked up the car they said I needed new ones but warranty wouldn't cover... 

 

However, as long as the car is under warranty (1 more year) I'll keep pushing to get things solved at no cost. It's annoying and frustrating but I don't like relieving companies of their obligations, including respecting a warranty extension. After that I'll for sure take the car to those guys in Sta Maria da Feira. It's not close, but not too far either. From the videos they seem to know what they do and are cheaper than Skoda. 1 month ago I paid over 220€ just for an oil and filter change, nothing else... 

I can assure you, they are cheaper and 100 times better!

 

You were not lucky with your car. I had my problems too, the morons don´t solve anything at the dealer. And be carefull, the oil they use at the dealer, is usually Galp, not VW official. Did you know that? If you don´t tell them you want the VW one, they apply Galp.

 

The dealers are bad, really bad. I hope you really have your problems solved. The ac problem... Really?! New one and still leaking? Thank God I never had tha problem with mine.

 

Make pressure on those morons, they have to solve your problems. Don´t go pick up your car, leave it there. Tell them you will call CM TV.

The original problem with the AC was a loud rattling noise, not a refrigerant gas leak. They identified the problem as being the compressor (actually, I had repeatedly complained about the noise and, to them, it was normal, from injectors to whatever they said at the time... I was the one who found out it was related to the AC system, not them! They exchanged the compressor under warranty but managed to leave a leak. In under 1 year it lost 500g of gas. Only two weeks after a recharge (that i didn't pay for, since I pointed out they caused the issue) it was already making a hissing sound when turning the AC on, indicating missing gas. Left it there today to see if they sort it out... but I'm not very hopeful. 

This is really frustrating.

Don´t the manufacturers do satisfaction surveys?

One thing I learned from Skoda dealers - let them touch your car the less possible. To fix one thing, they screw two things.

Amazing.

That's my feeling exactly: they fix something but mess something else in the process. 

So, soon after my last message I called Skoda to enquire about the AC issue and they found none. I was told the "technician" tested it and it was cooling. Wtf??? The agreement was that they would remove all the refrigerant to see if and how much was missing, NOT to test if it cooled!!! If it cooled ok-ish with 500g missing after 1 year it surely would cool 1 month after recharging. It's so hard to deal with these morons, seriously exhausting...  I'm going by tomorrow morning and ask what they tested exactly and how (my guess is they turned it on, it cooled, we're done). I'll ask if they consider normal for an almost new car to lose 500g of gas in 1 year after they changed the compressor, but apparently none in the 3 years before, as I NEVER heard the hissing sound. If I don't like the replies I might ask the "technician" how the AC system works, just to see if I'm dealing with an actual technician or with someone who can connect the hoses to the recharging machine and click "ok". These interactions with the people at the dealer are raising my blood pressure, that's for sure.

My God, this is unbelievable.

You bet that's what they have done - turned it on, means it's ok. That's how they work. One thing I can tell you, a healthy air conditioning system, doesn't loose refrigerant. I have a Honda with 19 years old, never lost refrigerant. Still works fine today.

Man, I feel sorry for you. Forget those guys.

23 minutes ago, pcspinheiro said:

I don't like the replies I might ask the "technician" how the AC system works, just to see if I'm dealing with an actual technician or with someone who can connect the hoses to the recharging machine and click "ok"

You think that will work? I know it doesn't work the other way round, because I know how AC (and full climate) work, but not where to connect the gubbins to drain and recharge a system.

To anyone who wants to understand why dealers work so bad: https://youtu.be/BdWOdtZ_m7s

Well, it might not work the other way around, but a real technician must know how the system works, otherwise what kind of technician is that, and how is he supposed to diagnose a fault? Any fault.

The technician who works in my car is an Air Conditioning teacher at CEPRA. He teaches other guys from another workshops, including dealership guys.

Is he also at the shop in Feira? As soon as my warranty is over I'm so ditching the dealer! But they MUST sort out this AC issue, they caused it!!! I'll go to Skoda directly, have done it once already though I was told to direct my complaints at the importer, SIVA. 

Yes, the same shop at São João da Madeira. The name is Solving.

 

The guys at Skoda found nothing, did nothing... Said they checked the gas level, etc, but along the talk I realized they only listened to the noise I was complaining about and couldn't hear it (the hissing noise when turning it on, but even that they didn't get right, because the noise  ONLY happens when first turning it on after not using it for a few hours, not every time it is turned on!). The conversation kept coming to the same: it's cooling fine, so that's really probably all they did. I'm frustrated and will just get the car back. In a few months I will take it in again and demand to stay during whatever checks they make. It is very unlikely it stopped losing refrigerant and I have better things to do than to make up hissing sounds and gas leaks, so they have to show me that there is no gas missing. Annoyingly, I never got to talk with the person who actually worked on the car (if any), it's always the head mechanic, who seems to have very little sympathy for customers and very little understanding of things. He even said that if there was just a small amount of gas missing it won't cool anymore, so that's proof that there is no leak! Either he's a complete moron or he thinks others are morons. He's the same guy who told me the rattling sound when accelerating was normal injector noise and it turned out it was the AC compressor. He's the guy who couldn't hear the horrible knocking on the front end of the car until I told him it was likely the brakes. I wrote a complaint about this last issue just yesterday and they are already looking into the warranty to see if it covers it, so I guess this is the best route. The lady at the reception seemed displeased but talking to them is useless... 

I knew that would happen. That is why I throw away 3 years of warranty. You have no chance, the warranty will end and you will still have the same issues. I am so sure about that, as I am sure I will die one day.

You know my advice - go to Solving, ask them to make a good diagnosys and then decide what to do. You don´t loose warranty just because an independent workshop did a diagnosys. And don´t forget, they use the same tools the dealer does. They are connected to the factory, just like the dealer. Pay them to do that, it´s cheaper then all the time and money you wasted so far. At least, you will know the truth about the problems in your car.

Picked up the car today and guess what, it's not doing the hissing sound anymore and seems to be cooling better. Just the day before I took it in it would do the hissing sound for 2-3 sec after turning the AC on, and this had been getting progressively worse. I wonder if they recharged the system just to shut me up and try to delay an intervention past the warranty period... . The lady there said it was still under warranty until September and that we could see about it further on, to which I told her "no, it's November NEXT YEAR!" So I wonder...

Edited 6 July, 20214 yr by pcspinheiro

There is a big probability they did that, as you said, to delay the intervention. What about the noise from the brake pads?