[Hayek]

Originally Posted by kedarwalke

Long time no see Mr Hayek;hope all is well!!!

@kedarwalke, I must admit that I have neglected this thread - no posts in over two months is clearly not done. One excuse is the emergence of @dkaile's thread as the definitive Superb thread on T- BHP; there is not much I can add to that.

The last two months have been quite uneventful as far as my Superb is concerned. The car has crossed the 25,000 km mark in the interim without any significant developments other than the need to top up the engine oil once (I have added a little more than one litre of engine oil in the 6,000 km since my last service). Oil consumption is down from the car's early days, but still high enough to make me uncomfortable unless I have a can in the boot. I have been fairly busy in the interim, barring a short weekend break to watch the Indian GP in Delhi (for which I flew - no T- BHPian style Bombay Delhi drive), so my running has just been the usual commute to office with the odd trip to the suburbs - Powai is about as far from my place as I have travelled in the interim.

The more interesting thing my in automotive life has been my hunt for a second car. As I mentioned a few posts ago on this thread, I booked a Shadow Blue Highline Vento AT in September. As @ninjatalli feared, my "waiting for delivery" experience was not fun. The initial indication had been that I should get the car by Dasera, with some chance of even an end September delivery. This did not happen. And when Diwali drew near with no sign of the Vento, and no commitment on delivery dates, I lost my head and cancelled the booking. I restarted my car hunt post Diwali, considered the Corolla, Fortuner, Laura and Rapid (as you can see, I was fairly segment agnostic). I zeroed in on the Corolla, but backed off from booking it when I found that the dealer had sent me a price quote for the low end Petrol AT instead of the top end model, and the top end model was Rs. 1.5 lakhs more. I then turned to the Rapid - negotiated a good discount despite adding on leatherette seats and a reversing camera, and was assured of ex stock delivery of a Elegance AT. But the day before I was to book it, I decided to check with VW dealers to see if the Shadow Blue Vento Highline AT was available. And in a couple of days, I had more than one dealer offering to deliver the same immediately; and managed to get a larger effective discount than my original booking price. Thereafter, it took about a week for my company to process the purchase order and payment - but we finally have taken delivery of our Shadow Blue Highline Vento AT. My wife is thrilled - it was love at first sight for her with the Vento, and she is glad to have finally got what she wanted.

I am travelling for the year end holidays, but shall probably start a thread or add our experiences to one the Vento threads once we are back and have a chance to drive the new car a bit. I had half a mind to start with our booking process and consideration set, but decided to wait given the prohibition on reviews without actually experiencing the car after purchase.

[Hayek]

Quick update. As I had mentioned almost 3 months ago, I had been planning to get a detailing done for my Superb. I tried to set this up with Jehangir from Kamyo, whom I had used about 18 months ago. However, thanks to some restrictions on water usage in my apartment block, I was not able to use his services (Kamyo does not have a place of their own where they can get things done).

A quick search on Team BHP led me to GTO's thread on Rhyme n Rhythm, Colaba. It amazes me that I had never heard of them given that I lived in Cuffe Parade for a number of years, but it turned out that a number of my friends had used their services (though I found that out only after getting the car back). They took a full day to get both the exterior and interior detailed. I must say I am extremely satisfied with their work, and both the interiors and exteriors of my Superb ended up looking almost like a new car. The only area that still has some grease in it was when the parking brake lever was extended, and I am not clear if that is because the grease got back onto it when the lever was released.

Unfortunately, I did not take any "before" pictures, but my car was quite messy given that I last got it done up almost a year back, and my son insists on getting his shoes all over the car. Shall try to take some "after" pictures and post them when I get a chance.

So, GTO, thanks for your thread and Sachin, great job done.

Not much to report apart from that, my Superb has now completed 26,000 kms. With relatively cool weather returning to Bombay, mileage has improved - got 7.5 kmpl on my last tankful to tankful.

[Hayek]

Another update after a while.

All is quiet on the Western front. Have taken my Superb past the 27,000 km mark in an uneventful manner. I am now just about a month from sending the car for its third service. Time sure flies. Thanks to some loving care including through the detailing done at Rhyme and Rhythm, the car still looks as good as new. I am certainly not one of those finicky guys - but I sure feel good about how fresh my car looks compared to a friend's Accord which was purchased at around the same time.

I have been tracking fuel efficiency with a new app for my Galaxy S for the last few months, and thought of sharing some stats with you.

In the last 3 months, I have covered 1653 km, entirely within Bombay, mostly comprising office runs with the odd trip from Nariman Point to BKC or to my in laws place in the suburbs. I have filled up 273 litres of fuel at a cost of Rs. 20,500 over 7 fill ups. The best tank full to tank full mileage has been 7.55 km/l, the worst has been 6.68 km/l, and the average has been 7.18 km/l. My accumulated average fuel cost has been Rs. 10.46 / km.

The last year sure has been eventful - what with a fuel gauge failure, DSG mechatronics failure and a self inflicted scrape against a pillar in my building parking lot. Against that, a relatively uneventful 4-5 month period has certainly been a relief. I hope that lasts. The only concern I have had in the recent past is that oil consumption seems to have risen again - will probably have that checked when I give the car for service.

In related news, VW has announced the recall of 380,000 cars in China for fixing the DSG boxes. This was triggered by an exposé on China's state run CCTV. A few links are given below:

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/vo...ars-56637.html

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-0...t-gearbox.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...032364394.html

Wonder if this will lead to a recall in other parts of the world as well. Not good news for us Superb 1.8 TSi AT owners, as this is only likely to hurt the resale value of the car even more.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by Hayek

In related news, VW has announced the recall of 380,000 cars in China for fixing the DSG boxes. This was triggered by an exposé on China's state run CCTV. A few links are given below:

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/vo...ars-56637.html

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-0...t-gearbox.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...032364394.html

Wonder if this will lead to a recall in other parts of the world as well. Not good news for us Superb 1.8 TSi AT owners, as this is only likely to hurt the resale value of the car even more.

I created a thread on this last year- http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...not-india.html

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

I created a thread on this last year- http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...not-india.html

Yes. And your thread flagged the extended warranty on the DQ 200 in China to me. in fact, I attached references to some of the articles on this when my mechatronics failed (out of warranty) and managed to get it replaced under "goodwill warranty". However, VW did not recall cars then even in China, but has been forced to do so now by a combination of a CCTV exposé and also regulatory action under a new Chinese law. Incidentally, they also offered the extended warranty in the US but have not recalled the car there.

[Hayek]

And so its that time of the year again. I turned a year older, and so did my Superb. Its amazing how time flies - I still think of my Superb as a relatively "new" car, and its already 3 years / 28,000 kms since I bought it. If I had opted for a company lease, this would have been the last year with this car, of course, that does not apply since I bought this in my own name.

I have been traveling relentlessly for the last few months, and so the mileage addition to the Superb had dropped to a crawl. One morning, I saw a message - service due in 20 days. I had not seen this the previous two years (even though I got the service done with less than 20 days to spare), so I suspect that the dealer must have changed some setting during either the last service or when the car went for repairs to the mechatronics back in August. The next day, I was traveling again, and before long, it was warning me that there were only 4 days left. Fortunately, that gave me till the next Sunday, and I booked my service appointment with Autobahn for the Saturday before that.

Autobahn followed up on Friday to confirm that the appointment was on. A few hours after the car was delivered, I got a call from the SA suggesting that I need to get a fuel injector cleaning done as part of the service. I agreed to that. By 4 PM, the car was ready. Damages came to Rs. 24,283 - with oil accounting for Rs. 4,000 and the major labor items being injector cleaning (Rs. 4000 ++), water gallery cleaning (?? - Rs. 2000 ++) and AC disinfection (Rs. 1,200 ++).

I have attached a copy of the bills for reference





Have done about 400 kms since the service, and all seems well so far.

So how has the last year been? As readers of this thread would know, I had two issues shortly after the warranty expired - first a fuel gauge problem, and then the infamous mechatronics giving up on me. Both were addressed through goodwill warranty, though I did have to incur some relatively minor costs. As you would observe from the bill posted above, my horn has been giving a problem - it sounds like it has a sore throat, but it is functional and I have not yet got it attended. I also got the car detailed at Rhyme n Rhythm, and I must say they did a good job. Had delayed posting this since I hoped to get some fresh pictures taken to celebrate three years of owning the car, but have not yet gotten around to doing that.

At a time when the Polo GT Tsi DSG has been launched, and everyone is debating whether or not DQ 200 DSG equipped vehicles are suitable for India, all I can say is that you should test drive the car, and follow your heart. More later.

[dkaile]

I must say Hayek, I am surprised at the bill amount. I think they have taken you for a ride as 30k is a normal routine service which should have costed you around 10-11k. Brake fluid and coolant replacement charges seem high as does the injector cleaning cost. And water gallery cleaning seems like some fancy term for a thorough wash. And what did they do in AC disinfection? Did you check personally? Overall I am not convinced with these charges at all.

[ninjatalli]

I'm sorry but @hayek you seem to have been clearly taken for a ride, the following items need to be checked/validated if they are necessary!

- Replaced brake oil (after charging for "brake fluid" & "brake bleeding")
- Replaced coolant (after charging for "coolant additive")
- Water gallery cleaning
- VAS inspection
- Weights (after charging for "wheel alignment & balancing")
- A.C. Disinfection

The above list itself costs around 8-10k!

[dkaile]

Also I have confirmed from Skoda Service that the coolant is life-long and does not need to be changed routinely like in other cars. It just needs topping up, if needed, till 80000kms. Same with the brake fluid.

From the manual - The cooling system does not require any maintenance under normal operating conditions.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by Hayek

Have done about 400 kms since the service, and all seems well so far.

This must be your 45,000kms / third service. THe bill is unusally large given that there were no major consumable parts changed like brake pads, rotors etc...

Why did they say injector cleaning was necessary? Did the VAS scanner throw up an error?

What is water gallery cleaning??? THey have charged 2k for that apart from Rs. 350 for washing and cleaning.

Separate labour charges for brake bleeding and brake oil replacement is just daylight robbery. I got the front brake pads and brake oil replaced recently for my Laura and have been charged Rs. 350/- labour for "brake fluid replace and bleeding charges"

AC disinfection also seems like a gimmick. And the coolant, I thought the coolant is supposed to last a life time in these new age Skodas. Looks like they have charged you with some sort of 'coolant additive'. Rs. 1,100 for the additive and Rs. 350 labour! I think your car ran fine without the additive for the past three years didn't it?

Rs. 750 for the VAS scan is a rip off too. Its their diagnostic tool to check for errors in the cars various systems. If they are charging you for the scan they should hand you the report as well. I bet they didn't.

Sorry for scanning your bill item wise and raising so many questions. I know there is a tendency on our part to agree to these suggestions by the service advisors, thinking that this is an annual service and we want the car to run trouble free for the next one year without visiting the service centre. But 24K for a routine service is a bit too much considering that your car did not require major consumables to be changed and there were no issues as such.

Originally Posted by dkaile

Also I have confirmed from Skoda Service that the coolant is life-long and does not need to be changed routinely like in other cars. It just needs topping up, if needed, till 80000kms. Same with the brake fluid.

From the manual - The cooling system does not require any maintenance under normal operating conditions.

Exaclty! I am not sure about the brake fluid though. Its a good idea to replace this once in two years atleast as the fluid gets contaminated and absorbs moisture. I voluntarily asked for brake bleeding and fluid replacement when I replaced front pads recently. Damages were only about Rs. 600/- including labour for the fluid replacement.

[Hayek]

Thanks for the inputs. Live and learn - will probably pay more attention to charges next year - frankly, did not even notice some of the heads, but Rs. 24 k did not seem out of line relative to what some others have paid. Was given some unclear explanation on why injector cleaning is needed - and yes, decided to do it since I decided that the cost of one tankful of petrol is worth it for peace of mind.

[Vid6639]

Water gallery cleaning could be cleaning of water pump and not car cleaning. This is the only reason I can think of charging 4K.

[anandpadhye]

@Hayek,

Thank you very much for uploading the bill. It really helps.
As Santosh mentioned, some things look bothersome - VAG scan charged Rs.750 and this injector cleaning thing (4000 reupees for petrol injector cleaning)! Just my views.

My Laurs TSi is in for 3rd service right now and I am looking for things to watch out for when I settle the bill in the evening.

Does someone know where we can find the documentary evedince that the service guys should not charge for VAG scanning?

Thanks!

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

@Hayek,

Thank you very much for uploading the bill. It really helps.
As Santosh mentioned, some things look bothersome - VAG scan charged Rs.750 and this injector cleaning thing (4000 reupees for petrol injector cleaning)!

Can't blame them for the injector cleaning cost - they told it to me before doing it, and I approved the same. Agree that the water body cleaning and VAG scan charges seem inappropriate - once again my fault as I went to pick up the car with a deadline to reach some place, and did no bother to look at all the details - somehow, Rs. 24 k for third service including Rs. 4 k for injector cleaning seemed ok to me based on what others had told me.

[Hayek]

Quick update, triggered by @dkaile's post and by rediscovery of a very useful feature.

I went to pick up a bicycle for my son today. We wanted one that would last till he is about 10 and so picked a Firefox Combat 7-9 model. I had grossly underestimated how big bikes are - his previous bike is something we bought when he was less than 2. Needless to say, the bike did not fit in the car's boot. I was just wondering whether to move my son to the front seat and see if the bike fits in the rear, when the shop assistant suggested I fold the rear seat down. Upon checking, I rediscovered the 60-40 split in the rear seat. Needless to say the bike fitted in with the seat down, and my son was delighted to drive home with his beloved bike jutting into the car by his side. (Plus I was delighted to be able to stick to my principle of never letting him into the front seat)

Apart from that, the car is doing fine as I approach the 30,000 km mark. Have been tracking mileage on my mobile and it is remarkably steady at about 7.1 kmpl (mostly run in the worst traffic Bombay throws at the car). As mentioned on dkaile's thread, a friend who owns an Accord was in my car recently and was amazed at how good the interiors of a car that is just 6 months newer than his Accord look. I strongly feel that the refreshed Superb would be a great buy, especially if they up-rate the engine to 170 bhp.