Hi and hello !

I am now the owner of a courtesy car from Melbourne and my first Skoda. 
I looked at buying a Skoda  4 years ago and was quite impressed with them. Did a lot of research, but people I knew  including my family who include mechanics  and ‘dyed in the wool’ Toyota  people were disgusted that I was looking at anything else apart from a more Aussie vehicle!

So I let it slide for awhile and had an unexpected tip to perhaps purchase a Skoda in Victoria in March. 

So I rang the dealership and spoke to a wonderful man called Jonathan who was both knowledgeable and very helpful.

So yes they had the car, hadn’t yet advertised it and to secure it they would require a $1000 dep. Did all this and then went to QLD for 5 weeks.Bought it and had it delivered within 5 days,  a month ago . 
Love it, and especially the very uncluttered dash but the lights are deplorable. For a car that has just had a full service  they could be much much better. Around town no problems but on the highway last night sitting behind trucks and lots of traffic  coming towards me with their very bright lights, my lights need an urgent update . Right hand side is beautiful but not for the other side. The side that wildlife sits on…it has a serious dip to it and is dim.
Question is,  am I allowed under my warranty to put a light bar on it ? And I ask this because I wanted to do some interstate driving  and we have Roos here too.  I do a lot of night driving but was told by someone here who owned a Skoda a few years back  that my Skoda has a delicate electrical system that can be upset if I add extra things to it and can also void my warranty. 
In Europe that may be the case but we have different driving conditions here in Australia  and I live in a landlocked area that has a lot of hopping marsupials that can do some real damage  if I cannot see them on the road .

My other car was a Prado with a light bar and more expensive on fuel. Big difference I know . So can I update  and put brighter bulbs in and/ or a light bar? Or should I  talk to someone more knowledgeable at Skoda Australia ?

Thanks for listening and very happy driving !

 

Welcome.

Surely having a light bar fitted correctly will not affect the warranty any more than having a tow bar and electrics at the other end of the vehicle, but you could always check with the warranty provider.   That would be Skoda would it not.  No idea if you have Skoda police or emergency vehicles in Australia but they do in New Zealand and they will have additional lighting.

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/491168-driving-lights-lightbarspotlights-etc

 

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/488296-led-spotlights

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/457554-let-there-be-light-160w-led-bar

 

“Correctly” is surely the key word here. Skoda are not going to be interested if someone goes splicing and dicing wires for additional lighting which then causes an electrical issue. Why would that be their issue to sort?

Sounds a bit like the headlights may be set up for driving on the right?

If you message me with your VIN I may be able to investigate that later.

The Octavia's lights are pretty good when properly set up. I'd get the lights checked first, it does sound like they're poorly aimed. This should be checked and rectified by Skoda under warranty. Headlight aim should also have been tested at the pre-purchase roadworthy inspection so I'd question why the car was sold to you with this problem. As for 'sensitive' electrics, yes they are, but it's not unique to Skoda. Electrical systems are very complex in all modern cars these days and sensors will likely pick up an aftermarket add-on, even an incorrect bulb type  i.e. something that's not intended to be there. An accessory needs to be wired in professionally. I had a similar issue on a VW when having an aftermarket tow bar fitted and the trailer plug required a device to ensure the car's circuit would accept the socket without throwing a wobbly.

Edited 20 June, 20232 yr by SouthernComfort
error

On 21/06/2023 at 08:44, SouthernComfort said:

The Octavia's lights are pretty good when properly set up. I'd get the lights checked first, it does sound like they're poorly aimed. This should be checked and rectified by Skoda under warranty. Headlight aim should also have been tested at the pre-purchase roadworthy inspection so I'd question why the car was sold to you with this problem. As for 'sensitive' electrics, yes they are, but it's not unique to Skoda. Electrical systems are very complex in all modern cars these days and sensors will likely pick up an aftermarket add-on, even an incorrect bulb type  i.e. something that's not intended to be there. An accessory needs to be wired in professionally. I had a similar issue on a VW when having an aftermarket tow bar fitted and the trailer plug required a device to ensure the car's circuit would accept the socket without throwing a wobbly.

Well from what I have seen of Skoda, all things work together very well.  However, my local car dealership that services Volvo, Volkswagen, Kia and Rovers  informed me last week that it is not their responsibility to check the lights or put a light bar on, even tho I had told her I would pay for the light bar, she told me that I should take it to an auto electrician.  That they were too busy doing work on cars that had been purchased thru their dealership. Inferring no doubt that because it had been been bought interstate  my warranty had no value here, perhaps ? I had asked her about a copy of the service that was done on it on the 17/3/23 as I wanted to find out what was done and she told me that it may not have been put on line, as many weren’t  and this was after the dealership had informed me that since 2017 all their service notes and other relevant information had been put on line. And I could obtain a copy from any Skoda service centre. Apparently not in Dubbo tho. I drove to Orange yesterday for an appointment  and came straight home afterwards and it was an extremely tiring trip, with limited power on hills, misses in the motor  but ok on the straight stretches. Then this morning  I noticed black  flecks on the front right hand wheel cover . Turns out it is motor oil. So today is 2 months since it was delivered up from Melbourne and whilst I didn’t expect it to be a perfect car  to say that I am disappointed is an absolute understatement . Oh and the front assist has been coming and going all week. Tell me, if anyone is able to, where should I take this car too, to get it looked at  please ? I have not yet bought the service pack as I was not told about it until  after I had  paid for the car.. Again the local dealership told me that the extra 2 years warranty, was not a given, even tho Melbourne had told me that if I bought the service pack I would receive an extra 2 years of warranty . Is it only a Skoda thing ?

As for the lights, I think that a pre inspection would have only been done had it been brand new. 
 

 

 

Thanks in advance.

On 20/06/2023 at 22:47, Breezy_Pete said:

Sounds a bit like the headlights may be set up for driving on the right?

If you message me with your VIN I may be able to investigate that later.

Thankyou I will do that this weekend and get back to you..

15 hours ago, JemmRen said:

Well from what I have seen of Skoda, all things work together very well.  However, my local car dealership that services Volvo, Volkswagen, Kia and Rovers  informed me last week that it is not their responsibility to check the lights or put a light bar on, even tho I had told her I would pay for the light bar, she told me that I should take it to an auto electrician.  That they were too busy doing work on cars that had been purchased thru their dealership. Inferring no doubt that because it had been been bought interstate  my warranty had no value here, perhaps ? I had asked her about a copy of the service that was done on it on the 17/3/23 as I wanted to find out what was done and she told me that it may not have been put on line, as many weren’t  and this was after the dealership had informed me that since 2017 all their service notes and other relevant information had been put on line. And I could obtain a copy from any Skoda service centre. Apparently not in Dubbo tho. I drove to Orange yesterday for an appointment  and came straight home afterwards and it was an extremely tiring trip, with limited power on hills, misses in the motor  but ok on the straight stretches. Then this morning  I noticed black  flecks on the front right hand wheel cover . Turns out it is motor oil. So today is 2 months since it was delivered up from Melbourne and whilst I didn’t expect it to be a perfect car  to say that I am disappointed is an absolute understatement . Oh and the front assist has been coming and going all week. Tell me, if anyone is able to, where should I take this car too, to get it looked at  please ? I have not yet bought the service pack as I was not told about it until  after I had  paid for the car.. Again the local dealership told me that the extra 2 years warranty, was not a given, even tho Melbourne had told me that if I bought the service pack I would receive an extra 2 years of warranty . Is it only a Skoda thing ?

As for the lights, I think that a pre inspection would have only been done had it been brand new. 
 

 

 

Thanks in advance.

You have multiple issues going on it seems. You still have the residual of new car warranty which applies nationally, so I suggest your best bet is to have words with the Melbourne Skoda dealer you purchased it from. In my opinion the oil on the wheel, the lights problem and the faltering engine performance are all concerns that the dealer should address either directly, or refer you to the nearest Skoda authorised workshop for investigation under warranty. If the 'local dealer' you're referring to is an authorised Skoda workshop for warranty work then you should expect better service. Whether the car is new or used at the time of purchase it is still sold with a RWC by law, so at the very least the lights should have been checked at the inspection. Any dealer of repute would also perform a pre delivery inspection on the car regardless of RWC requirements. The warranty is your key card, so if all else fails maybe try contacting Skoda Australia for some answers.

Actually it wasn’t sold with a RWC. It was deregistered in Victoria and they kept the plates as they were dealer plates. I received the car totally unregistered as they had given me a 7 day permit. I required a blue slip in NSW and there were no issues with the mechanic. I have known him for awhile and he is very thorough. I am just disappointed in some little things that should have been checked and weren’t. Basic stuff that you would not expect to have issues with had it been done properly.

Anyway, I will follow thru on your suggestions and thankyou .

On 15/07/2023 at 17:12, JemmRen said:

Melbourne had told me that if I bought the service pack I would receive an extra 2 years of warranty

 

It seems the offer is still going. See: https://www.skoda.com.au/own/service-packs

where it says: 

If you purchased a Škoda prior to 1st September 2022, you may be eligible to upgrade to a 7 Year Warranty⁴⁴ by purchasing either a 7 Year Service Pack, 2 Year or 4 Year Top Up Service Pack or 4 Year Used Car Service Pack. Please see terms and conditions for details⁴⁵. Offer ends 31/12/2023.

 

I filled in the form there and for my car, new on May 2021 and having had 2 annual services so far, it offers a 4 service pack for $2100 with the warranty extension thrown in and the offer is valid to 31/12/2023.

I might even take it up before then. It works out at $525 per service. My first two cost $385 and $650 and the next 4, according to the website, will cost $533, $996, $533 and $706. so I could save $668 AND get 2 years extra warranty.

 

Yes I am going to buy one of these this week from the dealership I bought the car from. Locally are unavailable. It seems I may have bought a lemon which is a shame  because I love driving my car. It drives beautifully now that the lights are fixed but…

The local dealership does not recognise my warranty, seems it is not valid interstate? nor can they provide me with any  details about the previous history of the car  which the dealership that I bought it from, told me I could access from any dealership including the service which was done  in March when they deregistered the car. So we now have an oil issue which I brought to their attention nearly a month ago. Some  ‘local know-all guy’  came over and gave me this spiel about the black residue that is coated over Skoda cars after they are built  as they can come into contact with corrosive material in their long  journey to Australia and as the weather gets hotter this will then appear to be an oily substance on the outside the car.  It sounded like a very long tall story . (He may have missed his calling in life !)

I have been driving and changing my own oil in many cars over the last  50 years, so he no doubt had a good  laugh at my expense when sharing his experience in the workshop thinking that I didn’t know what I was talking about.

Being an older female driver should not exclude me from some simple courtesy  but this is not what I am receiving here. They may be the local Skoda dealers but have never actually sold a Skoda car here. Could not provide me with one to do a test drive so I doubt they would know what one looked like..I spied a little sign  advertising Skoda service on the back of their building the other day which was surprising in a business that does not want to deal with customers who have bought one.

Had I bought my car locally it may have been different but I doubt it. Courtesy and good manners come naturally  to most companies  who want your business in these tough times but not here it would seem. Constantly stonewalling me does nothing to foster good customer relations, so tonight I rang the Skoda Roadside Assist line and they are organising a mechanic to come out  and maybe tow my car to a safe  dealership who wants my business .. and if necessary provide me with a hire car for 10 days as part of my warranty. Now I know why in a city of over 60,000 population I own only the 2nd Skoda in town .

A genuine Skoda warranty is valid nationally but would only be recognised by authorised Skoda dealers. The authorised Skoda service dealer is Dubbo Volkswagen i.e. they are listed as such on the Skoda AU website. If they are refusing to recognise the warranty I'd contact Skoda AU to clarify. Similarly, they should also assist with obtaining the previous service history. VW dealers are authorised service agents for Skoda in many regional towns where dedicated Skoda dealers do not exist.

It seems Clancy Automotive in Dubbo also service Skoda along with a range of other brands but their site doesn't say if they are Skoda authorised, hence they may not do warranty work.

On 06/08/2023 at 00:38, JemmRen said:

Yes I am going to buy one of these this week from the dealership I bought the car from. Locally are unavailable. It seems I may have bought a lemon which is a shame  because I love driving my car. It drives beautifully now that the lights are fixed but…

The local dealership does not recognise my warranty, seems it is not valid interstate? nor can they provide me with any  details about the previous history of the car  which the dealership that I bought it from, told me I could access from any dealership including the service which was done  in March when they deregistered the car. So we now have an oil issue which I brought to their attention nearly a month ago. 

Being an older female driver should not exclude me from some simple courtesy  but this is not what I am receiving here. They may be the local Skoda dealers but have never actually sold a Skoda car here. Could not provide me with one to do a test drive so I doubt they would know what one looked like..I spied a little sign  advertising Skoda service on the back of their building the other day which was surprising in a business that does not want to deal with customers who have bought one.

Had I bought my car locally it may have been different but I doubt it. Courtesy and good manners come naturally  to most companies  who want your business in these tough times. Now I know why in a city of over 60,000 population I own only the 2nd Skoda in town .

It is actually my usual mechanic who has done all the service work on the previous Skoda. I wondered at the time he told me why the  other driver didn’t go to  the Skoda dealership ? Possibly the same reason I’m experiencing now.

 

…so no I don’t have an oil problem . It would appear  that the brakes throw out quite a lot of stuff with road grime. So I apologise if I sounded less than impressed . A simple solution to a problem that the dealership could have really helped me with. Thank you.