Yes its out of warrenty...so now its all going wrong!

[Supurbia]

What happened to your alternator?

Don't touch anything Chrysler, I know it looks all bad boy bentley etc, but they are dogs.

[Sam]

I'm only going by the experience of two friends here but they both had trouble with Mercs and they still own them because they have now spent too much on them to warrant getting rid, and if the JD power survey is to be trusted, then don't touch a Merc. The survey also reckons Superbs are excellent which I am guessing some of you may be disagreeing with at the moment. Mine has been trouble free for all 3 years of its life.....so far. I have always fancied an MG ZT and go on their forums a lot and they have as many problems with the BMW diesel in the CDti model. I love the look of the Chrysler 300 too but I drove one of those for a couple of thousand miles last summer in the states and my god are they cheap! It felt tinny on US roads so I wouldn't hold out much hope on our pot hole ridden streets. Another friend has a Volvo S60 which I quite like and he has nothing but praise for the dealer. So much so, I am thinking of approaching them about a trade in. Are there any cars out there that anyone can wholeheartedly recommend? I hope the general public get it that the Skoda problems are a VAG problem and not just Skoda themselves.

[rotodiesel]

There are two obvious factors which favour the Superb in the reliability stakes. Unlike the B5.5 Passat, the Superb has only been in production since '02, so there are no old ones around. The lack of old vehicles hugely skews the reliability figures.

The other factor in favour of the Superb is that the vast majority of them were sold with 4 cyl diesels (PD engines). The ownership survey on this site confirms the figures. In 1.9 litre form, this was by far the best of the bunch.

Why they ever tried to market the Superb over here with a choice of 3 petrol engines is completely beyond me. I hope they do a better job of marketing the new one.

The Volvo S60 was on my short list when I was shopping for a towcar. Nice enough, but there's no space in it - anywhere. It's a kind of reverse tardis.

rotodiesel.

[sidewaze samm]

What happened to your alternator?

Don't touch anything Chrysler, I know it looks all bad boy bentley etc, but they are dogs.

Don't actually know what was wrong with it - just relieved to get it sorted the day after the warning light came on. No doubt a pretty penny if it wasn't for the warranty !

Not really too serious about the 300C anyway: it would be a REALLY tight squeeze getting it on the drive past my other half's Mini - doing it with the Superb amazes people!

[Sam]

"Reverse Tardis", brilliant, it's a good description, I've been in one with 3 other people and you are dead right, it is completely full...everywhere!

What alternatives are there out there to compete with the Superb? I really want an alternative but can't seem to find one.

Good point about the Superbs newness making reliability look so good, I could never figure out why the Passat didn't score as high when it was virtually the same car!

[THE KICK INSIDE]

game over - engine is scrap metal (confirmed by dealer and skoda uk neither of whom seem bothered or even want to offer me a courtesy car!)

34k, skoda approved used car, main dealer service, babied all its life even do proper turbo cool down procedures....anyone want to buy a low milage superb with a stuffed engine ?

Don't buy a s60 the electronic throttle modules go - very expensive - (imagine fast lane of m6 and engine dies.....this isnt urban myth i know someone it happened to 6 time!) yes volvo dealers are very very good, unfortunately since they became fyord the cars arnt so good....by the old model v70/c70 they are proper volvo designed cars...

for £60 a month merc will cover the car i was looking at for ALL mechanical defects (inc brake pads, clutch, wipe blades, bulbs) and include all the servicing - all i have to do is put tyres and fuel in it.....only problem is i don't have a car to trade in now....since i have a pile of scrap metal ready for the crusher!

[johannapam1]

How much is a new engine and would not Skoda offer some gesture as an engine should not be knackered at this mileage. Appalling!!!

John

[wrenko]

Drop a line to people in the press. Best I've found is Honestjohn column in the Daily Telegraph. They seem to get results from manufacturers and give good advice. Even if they don't publish letter they do reply. Saved my folks £1500 by contacting them once

[johannapam1]

I have just searched the wb for 2.5 V6 and found some 10 with mileages from 25k to 140k - so you are obviously very unluckyand i do think you should contact Skoda and the Press as the previous post suggests.

Please keep us posted on your progress.

Regards and good luck

John

[THE KICK INSIDE]

awaiting skoda saying much apart from 'we are talking to the dealer'

a little independent research suggests a new engine is circa £4800, with fitting £7k bill....not worth it car is only worth £1-£1.5 k more.....

it also suggests this failure mode is unheard of.....funny you would have thought it would have more symptoms than an uneven idle.....

we will wait and see....not even getting a courtesy car so im having to hire from tomorrow, plus take the day off work to sort he mess out....

bit bored of the 'why do skodas have heated rear windows" jokes at work too!

bet my bosses v6assat goes pretty soon too!

thanks for the support guys.......

[Haza406]

34k and the engine is buggered! Think my old man should think twice before buying a VAG after reading this! Out of interest are you prepared to reveal the dealer yet?

[Sam]

You seem like you might be feeling defeated by this situation and lord knows who can blame you, but if it is possible for you to keep fighting this then please do. I know in these sort of circumstances it can become too 'all consuming' and you just want to get rid, accept the losses and move on, but I always think that big business hopes this is what you will do. I really hope you have the fight in you to continue squaring up to them because this is simply unacceptable treatment that you have received, from the car, the dealer and SUK... or should that be SUcK. The Honest John route is a good idea, and show them this site too. Skoda can't afford to lose the support of those of us who saw thru all the 'heated rear windscreen' jokes, ie us, because as you have proved at work, those jokes are just under the surface and Skoda can get a terrible name all over again very very quickly, whether justified or not, only this time it can probably take all VAG cars with it because I have learnt from this thread and others that I will not be looking at another VAG car when I change. I had a friend with a faulty Audi TT quite a few years ago that VAG did nothing about, I thought at the time that this was a one off, it seems not. I think everybody on this site will be behind you on this. I don't think we can do much other than offer support but I am pretty sure we will. We all have a vested interest in this case, pity VAG don't see it the same way.

[johannapam1]

Totally agree with Sam. I f we can do anything to help - please let us know. Keep fighting!!!!!!!!

John

[Supurbia]

Park it outside the garage with a terms of sale list all over it, write...

FOR SALE

SKODA SUPERB 2.5TDI V6

34000 MILES

1 OWNER

REQUIRES NEW ENGINE

SPARES OR REPAIRS

Watch the bodies fly out of the dealership insisting you remove it, so you need to place it on the road legally where they cannot touch it or get to the message, and also cannot get the law to take it down cos it's taxed and officially for sale.

Goodwill alone says they should foot a new lump for you, ok it's £5k to me and you, but to them it's a days labour and probably £500 material cost, if SuCK was my company I'd be feeling all the positive press this would generate, but being as it is SuCK and not me they probably won't see it that way.

[Sam]

My brother used to work for Green Flag breakdown services which was called National Breakdown at the time. A massive survey was done to ascertain the most reliable car on the market which back then was BMW. They then studied what it was that got BMW that result. It turns out that they had no less breakdowns than anyone else, however, the way they handled those breakdowns was very different. Immediately they would come to you with a courtesy car and take yours away. You were kept informed constantly and promptly and when your car was fixed it was fully valeted and delivered back to you and the courtesy car taken away. The owners were often paying a fortune for the repair or at least as much as anyone else was, but they were being treated with respect and attention. I don't doubt BMW are nothing like that these days but the principle still applies. How dumb are the people running VAG, and they are not the only ones, that they can't see what they are doing. Do they shift so many units that we as individuals really don't matter? In truth there seems so little to differentiate between one car and another that you would think they would use customer service as a way to shine. We really don't matter do we?

[Tom_vRS]

Surely they haven't just said "sorry sir you need a new engine"?

What exactly has failed to cause catasrophic engine failure??

[cheezemonkhai]

Also 7k for fitting a new engine? That seems a lot steep.

I got a new engine and had it fitted to a petrol car for under 1k using all existing ancillaries.

I could see the engine being maybe 2-3k and the labour another £500-1k.

What died, injectors, timing, valves, fuel pump?

Seems a bit nuts to me that you have a "dead" engine.

If nothing else I would think that the term "not fit for purpose" would cover the car and the dealer that sold it to you.

[rotodiesel]

I've just had a look through the posts. If you had a pump timing error of 14 degrees, it would suggest to me that the timing belt may have jumped a tooth - which might result in a wrecked engine after a bit of dealer "testing".

Consider an independent assessment of the engine condition before taking action against VAG. A slack or jumped belt is easy to spot with very little dismantling.

It's a great pity you fitted that pattern fuel filter - this will be their get-out.

I wish you the very best of luck with this problem - unfortunately you are not dealing with fair-minded people and publicity might be your way out in the end. I like the idea of putting a sticker on the car and parking it (legally on a public road) outside the dealer. Save it as a last resort though - you may yet be able to come to some agreement with VAG UK.

rotodiesel.

[Taxi 219]

Feel sorry for you!! We all support you on this.Must be the story of the year so far.People will always remember this one.

[Jenks]

I echo everyone elses messages of support. I think you have been treated very shabbily. The time is rapidly approaching for you to get angry, very angry. Have you considered the small claims court? of course making sure your case against either the Dealer and/or SUK gets the maximum publicity/

Legal advice - Cars

Please at the earliest opportunity name and shame that dealer.

Jenks

[THE KICK INSIDE]

Thanks guys,

the dealer is (at the moment) being very helpful ans pushing skoda uk hard...skoda uk are at least phoning every day....it has been referred to the skoda factory in the chec republic.....

I have been to see the stripped engine and taken photographs...which the dealer readily agreed to and indeed encouraged.

Although i have no formal engineering qualifications i know more than a bit about manufacturing practice and machinery and the fault is due to a catastrophic failure at the top of the engine, involving the structural failure of two components - which order they failed in is moot but suffice it to say its either a meterlergical failure n one thats exploited a design fetature in the other...or the failure of the second component (due to its design).....net result is the engine is - according to skoda uk and the dealer its not dead now but the metal in the sump means that its terminal....and will die.

Worry not i have taken advice as to what i do IF skoda dont play ball ...but i really hope they do as they SHOULD and it will take some time energy and money to do it the other way which i can do without....if it gets that nastyi will be saying a LOT more than i am now, but for now i am confident we know the cause and its a manufacturing or design (cost cutting!) fault (and i have the pictures to prove it) and its down to them to fix it - if they do then thats ok....what more could i ask 9a courtesy car would be nice though,...)

whatever they are taking their sweet time so im off to buy another car tomorrow - and no strangely enough its NOT VAG group!

[johannapam1]

Glad to hear that you think you may get somewhere and the Dealer is backing you - that's always a good start. However - I must admit to being concerned at a potential design problem which implies this could happen to a number of these engines. Can you be more specific in whether this wa just a **** up on your engine or is it a **** up on all V6 2,5 engines.

Thanks

Regards

John

[auroan]

I don't understand. The 2.5V6 is an old proven design. I think you may have just been unlucky.

Why did you keep taking it back to the same dealer ? There are loads in the area you mentioned.

[THE KICK INSIDE]

There arnt that many dealers...and i was sort of 'into it' with them at that point....plus they are main skoda approved dealers why should i take the car anywhere else...they are approved BY skoda and im told (by skoda) suitably trained/inspected and regulated...to be fair they were acting on advice from skoda uk anyway....(confirmed by them AND skoda uk)

It may be a proven design, but there are differing versions (from what i understand) and some aspects of what i have seen are 'novel'

Anyway the photo's are now with the factory im told....im still waiting...the car is still sitting at the dealers in bits and im having to buy a new car as i cant be transport less....(already used two days holiday trying to sort this out) - thanks audi (who made/'designed' the engine!)...

34k, full skoda main dealer service history.....just hope im not left holding the whole baby.....i can do without the agro of the fight that would (have to) follow...

anyway must go to bed, car shopping tomorrow....

[johannapam1]

I really do wish you all the very best in your negotiation/fight on this one.

Regards

john