My wife just received this email from the dealer where she bought her present car. It looks like a national marketing campaign in which the dealers are getting some financial support from Skoda UK. Does anyone know the size of the discounts on offer? Is it for PCP only, maybe? We're unlikely to travel 50 miles to find out unless the deals are likely to be exceptional. Normally marketing stuff of this kind goes straight in the trash but in this case we like and trust the dealer principal who runs a family-owned business.

"You have been selected by Škoda UK and West End Garage Škoda to receive a brand new manufacturer upgrade on your current vehicle.

Your selection means that you have been chosen along with only a handful of other drivers in the region to receive considerable financial support in upgrading to a brand new Škoda or approved used model at a significantly reduced price.

Your support must be redeemed between the 8th and 12th August to qualify and is exclusively available at West End Garage Škoda.

Please be assured this is a genuine opportunity to upgrade your vehicle and is only for drivers who qualify for this exceptional incentive.

We look forward to welcoming you to West End Garage Škoda and helping you drive away a Škoda at a very special price."

Any comments? Not on such offers in general, thanks, but on the specifics of this campaign.

Edited 31 July, 202531 Jul by mumpsim

There have been heavy discounts on unregistered Karoqs for at least a couple of months. I paid a shade over £28k for a 1.5 DSG SEL Edition in metallic last month, with a variable boot floor & spare wheel. That's around £8.5k below list.

Oddly the price of used vehicles doesn't seem to reflect that.

If you're in the market to change, have a look at Autotrader first, as most dealers seem to list there.

Also beware if trading an older Karoq. While some of the tech is upgraded, certain features have been dropped. Probably most noticeably the Varioflex seating, which is now a nearly £1k option.

There are some weird things going on, and this isn't the first offer recently. Linking a thread recently where the nearly new price with its high interest cost more than brand new with low interest

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/533456-%C5%A1koda-ex-demonstrator-event-is-it-poor-value/

But have to remember, these offers generally apply to cars that they are stuck with, as no one else has yet wanted to buy them, they are the unsold and unwanted dregs of the inventory. I bet you won't find a big selection of unregistered vehicles sitting in their showroom for you to choose what suits you best and drive away within hours.

The very fact that ŠKODA are involved as well as the dealer, suggests they are stuck in a dockside compound and no dealer wants to risk taking them unless they have a buyer (the spec is inconsistent with what most are prepared to pay for) And as you will see from thread above, appears they can make more money by selling a used car. So I wouldn't be surprised if offer vanishes if you don't want to part ex, or instead offer them a beat up second car in your family.

They might pitch it as good deal (vs the recently increased list prices), but is it really, maybe it is good for them (otherwise why are they doing it), but is it sensible for you as well.

I don't know what's normal, but there are currently 867 Karoq's in UK inventory, so they're probably quite keen to shift some of them.

https://www.skoda.co.uk/apps/stock/carSearch?CarType=N&Model=BIBM&Sort=DATE_OFFER&SortDirection=DESC

I found when I was searching that the prices on that Skoda list bore no resemblance to what was readily available. The cheapest 1.5 DSG SEL Edition on that list is £36,150 in basic blue. Yet here's one on Autotrader with metallic for £29,570, before you start haggling.

But equally, there's clearly some "bait" on Autotrader. Several cars I enquired about had "just sold" minutes before, but there were more expensive options available. The Autotrader ads remained live though.

Trying to buy from Marshall at Canterbury was reminiscent of John Cleese trying to buy cheese... 😉

Edited 31 July, 202531 Jul by Rbz5416

29 minutes ago, Rory said:

I don't know what's normal, but there are currently 867 Karoq's in UK inventory, so they're probably quite keen to shift some of them.

https://www.skoda.co.uk/apps/stock/carSearch?CarType=N&Model=BIBM&Sort=DATE_OFFER&SortDirection=DESC

That is very revealing. It shows my local dealer, which is by no means one of the biggest, has 28 Karoqs to shift. No wonder they are writing to past customers. Have Karoq sales fallen off a cliff since the electric Skodas started appearing in quantity?

Thanks for the illuminating and highly specific answer, which is what I was looking for.

I suspect that the glut of Karoqs arose because of config and spec changes, most notably Varioflex which is the Karoq feature to have yet not only is not standard, but not even an option on higher end Sportline models. Dropping the manual gearboxes in favour of DSGs does not help when it is done at precise time when high incidence rate of failure / much more frequent servicing needs of DSG boxes become evident to many people (either existing owners or through family/friends grapevine). Ridiculously high list prices also do not help. Shame, because the Karoq is one of the better Skoda offerings at present, and far more in line with traditional Skoda values than other cars in the range.

It seems the entire VAG put itself in this position for one reason or another, it is almost hillarious to watch the discounts on new high end Audis with delivery mileage only.

11 hours ago, mumpsim said:

Have Karoq sales fallen off a cliff since the electric Skodas started appearing in quantity?

It seems incredible that in Aug 23 we couldn't find a new one anywhere - same as the "bait" story above, some dealers said they had one, but didn't. Our dealer was talking 9mths leadtime. So bought nearly new as was keen to get rid of our 8yr old Tiguan (which had been brilliant but felt like I was tempting fate hanging on to it).

Of course me buying triggered a market collapse! The dealer had left our new order in place and it turned up just 4 mths later but the cost to change was insane so I refused it (dealer assumed I would).

As well as the other comments in the thread about Karoq, one thing we don't like is the lack of colour choice. Ours is metallic petrol blue and we ordered the new one in that colour but it immediately disappeared off the configurator. The other thing is that Karoq is an old design now - I imagine there's a number of people who have been through two PCP cycles but now want a change.

22 hours ago, mumpsim said:

That is very revealing. It shows my local dealer, which is by no means one of the biggest, has 28 Karoqs to shift. No wonder they are writing to past customers. Have Karoq sales fallen off a cliff since the electric Skodas started appearing in quantity?

The VW group half year sales figures came out this week, and ŠKODA Karoq sales fell compared to 1H24. It is 5th most popular ŠKODA model

1st half 2025 sales by model

1. Octavia 97,500

2. Kodiaq 64,800

3. Kamiq 64,100

4. Fabia 60,400

5. Karoq 52,200

6. Enyaq 38,700

7. Superb 36,600

8. Elroq 34,300

9. Scala 27,200

10. Kylak, 20,100

11. Kushaq 6,800

12. Salvia 6,700

Those lower names are Asia only models.

Have to think the similar size Enyaq must be taking some sales from the 8 year old Karoq design.

In UK just 3 run out Edition trim levels are now available to order new priced from £30,940 to £43,440 (list price) before adding options

Another thing, is it appears 1-31 Aug if you chose Elroq instead, get extra £1500 guaranteed electric car contribution, there is the OVO electricity offer, and get choice of 0% APR or 6.4% with £2750 deposit contribution. Rather more offers than on a Karoq

There's always a number of fixed build vehicles sent to dealers, I was already aware of that before our sales guy told me exactly the same, so yes they need to shift stock (especially with September plate)

They also have a 'discount' or Skoda contribution on PCP, not new, always there, but frequently marketed as if a new deal

It's not a new tactic, you are just on the mailing list.

I have just received an invitation to a Skoda VIP event at a dealers in the north west. I can have a specific appointment time and a lanyard to show I am a VIP! I have had them before and binned them.

What a load of twaddle. Call me a cynic but as far as I am concerned dealers can't shift their cars so invent these events to drum up sales. They are simply marketing ploys that some people fall for. For me, I will replace my car when it suits me provided the deal is acceptable at the time. Walk round the showroom wearing a lanyard to make me feel important indeed! Wouldn't it be better if dealers just reduced their prices to sensible levels to attract customers?

On 02/08/2025 at 09:12, Frizzbee30 said:

It's not a new tactic, you are just on the mailing list.

It's not a new tactic, but it is one they have not had to use in the last two and a half years. Then, when we bought our car, Karoqs were scarce. Now they are over-stocked.

Edited 3 August, 20253 Aug by mumpsim

On 01/08/2025 at 05:19, dieselV6 said:

I suspect that the glut of Karoqs arose because of config and spec changes, most notably Varioflex which is the Karoq feature to have yet not only is not standard, but not even an option on higher end Sportline models. Dropping the manual gearboxes in favour of DSGs does not help when it is done at precise time when high incidence rate of failure / much more frequent servicing needs of DSG boxes become evident to many people (either existing owners or through family/friends grapevine). Ridiculously high list prices also do not help. Shame, because the Karoq is one of the better Skoda offerings at present, and far more in line with traditional Skoda values than other cars in the range.

It seems the entire VAG put itself in this position for one reason or another, it is almost hillarious to watch the discounts on new high end Audis with delivery mileage only.

Can you tell me about the specifics of issues/new servicing requirements on cars with the DSG gearbox please.

10 hours ago, JimG59 said:

Can you tell me about the specifics of issues/new servicing requirements on cars with the DSG gearbox please.

For starters, the servicing interval keeps shortening over the past 20 years. Originally when they appeared, there were claims of DSG gearboxes being sealed for life, then it was 80k miles, then 40k miles, then you can see recommendations of doing it at least every 4 years.

Currrent list of mileage based is here at TPS together with the key phrase "the increase in vehicles fitted with DSG gearboxes presents increased opportunities for workshops" 🙃

Compare this with any manual VW gearbox servicing, theoretically lifetime, in practice an oil change every 100k miles / 6 years, whichever shorter, is enough to keep it going for 200k+ miles / 12+ years. I have been using 6 years/100k miles interval on my cars for the past 25 years, all the way to ~220k miles on one of them, and past 12 year mark on a couple of them.

Regarding DSG gearbox failures, they range from premature clutch wear ("clutch packs") through sensor and control electronics failures ("mechatronics") to in-cabin switchgear failures (e.g. gear lever switch). That is before the interaction between ageing engine torque and an automatic gearbox is taken into account, which was/is also an issue on older style automatic gearboxes, even the tiptronic ones (a lot of old Audi engines are chipped for extra torque just to restore smooth gearbox shifts and prevent dropping into lower gear when an older engine cannot produce sufficient torque and the gearbox insists on driving a gear lower). An example summary of multiple DQ200 DSG box autopsies is here.

In summary, my opinion is that if one is happy with manual gearbox and intends to drive the car for more than 10 years / 100k miles, a DSG gearbox will be/is a disappointment from maintenance cost and hassle (of going to the dealer more often) point of view. Shame that car manufacturers are forcibly removing manual vs automatic gearbox choice or restricting it to low powered engines only, knowing full well this shortens the average lifetime of a car (in line with their accountant's wet dreams of disposable cars with 7-9 years hard restricted lifetime). Aside from loathsome attitude, it is also not very eco friendly design choice, as on average, most emissions of a car are in making its materials, production of components, assembly and utilisation/recycling, not the actual driving. Shortening the life of a car by various dubious means is probably far worse for the polar bears than driving a manual gearbox diesel 🙃

Edited 5 August, 20255 Aug by dieselV6

1 hour ago, dieselV6 said:

For starters, the servicing interval keeps shortening over the past 20 years. Originally when they appeared, there were claims of DSG gearboxes being sealed for life, then it was 80k miles, then 40k miles, then you can see recommendations of doing it at least every 4 years.

Currrent list of mileage based is here at TPS together with the key phrase "the increase in vehicles fitted with DSG gearboxes presents increased opportunities for workshops" 🙃

Compare this with any manual VW gearbox servicing, theoretically lifetime, in practice an oil change every 100k miles / 6 years, whichever shorter, is enough to keep it going for 200k+ miles / 12+ years. I have been using 6 years/100k miles interval on my cars for the past 25 years, all the way to ~220k miles on one of them, and past 12 year mark on a couple of them.

Regarding DSG gearbox failures, they range from premature clutch wear ("clutch packs") through sensor and control electronics failures ("mechatronics") to in-cabin switchgear failures (e.g. gear lever switch). That is before the interaction between ageing engine torque and an automatic gearbox is taken into account, which was/is also an issue on older style automatic gearboxes, even the tiptronic ones (a lot of old Audi engines are chipped for extra torque just to restore smooth gearbox shifts and prevent dropping into lower gear when an older engine cannot produce sufficient torque and the gearbox insists on driving a gear lower). An example summary of multiple DQ200 DSG box autopsies is here.

In summary, my opinion is that if one is happy with manual gearbox and intends to drive the car for more than 10 years / 100k miles, a DSG gearbox will be/is a disappointment from maintenance cost and hassle (of going to the dealer more often) point of view. Shame that car manufacturers are forcibly removing manual vs automatic gearbox choice or restricting it to low powered engines only, knowing full well this shortens the average lifetime of a car (in line with their accountant's wet dreams of disposable cars with 7-9 years hard restricted lifetime). Aside from loathsome attitude, it is also not very eco friendly design choice, as on average, most emissions of a car are in making its materials, production of components, assembly and utilisation/recycling, not the actual driving. Shortening the life of a car by various dubious means is probably far worse for the polar bears than driving a manual gearbox diesel 🙃

The only DSG schedule that was changed was the 40k mile service for the DQ250 and that was back in early 2000's

All the others have not changed and remain the same since launch

The confusion comes with independents doing their own recommendations or dealers/owners not identifying the gearbox that is fitted.

As for VW Group / Skoda and DQ381,s and no Filter Change until the 2nd Oil Change, what a nonsense from them.

@80,000 miles or sooner, and for the extra / messy work, have the filter changed, by the competent operative.

Not just by someone / someplace with all the gear, but no more than ideas,

so that your car keeps all its gears.

I am not that amazed that VW have not yet changed the Service Schedule and advice on DQ381,s.

They just keep ignoring the growing premature failure rates.

Edited 5 August, 20255 Aug by Ootohere

I'm afraid that the DSG 7 speed dual clutch is 'disposable', a skoda mechanic told me he broke some

On 04/08/2025 at 22:37, JimG59 said:

Can you tell me about the specifics of issues/new servicing requirements on cars with the DSG gearbox please.

On 05/08/2025 at 11:22, Guest_ said:

As for VW Group / Skoda and DQ381,s and no Filter Change until the 2nd Oil Change, what a nonsense from them.

@80,000 miles or sooner, and for the extra / messy work, have the filter changed, by the competent operative.

Not just by someone / someplace with all the gear, but no more than ideas,

so that your car keeps all its gears.

I am not that amazed that VW have not yet changed the Service Schedule and advice on DQ381,s.

They just keep ignoring the growing premature failure rates.

They have to decided to make a disposable gearbox