[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

I thought the Czechs have been obsessed with Quality since 1895.

When I was in the UK in the 70's Skoda was rated at par with Lada, i.e., above Trabant. Never had a reputation. The old story about the model T being as useful as a bathtub was applied to both Skoda as well as Lada. The Czech's may have been obsessed about ... but Skoda ... It was a lousy rear wheel drive car!

[charan23]

even my laura which i had purchased in chennai was running fine till its warranty got over..only after the warranty got over did the compressor and fly wheel go. recently i even got the gear lever changed

[loving_alaap]

Rs. 80,000 quoted for an AC!!!

Has Skoda gone mad???

I am sure if some one calculate all the parts (for replacement) from Skoda ***, it will definitely cross 25 Lacs for Laura.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

When I was in the UK in the 70's Skoda was rated at par with Lada, i.e., above Trabant. Never had a reputation. The old story about the model T being as useful as a bathtub was applied to both Skoda as well as Lada. The Czech's may have been obsessed about ... but Skoda ... It was a lousy rear wheel drive car!

OOPS! Forgot to say that Skoda was a Rear Engined RWD car.

[anandbhat]

ACM,
How much did regular service at each 10000km cost you?
Regards,
Anand.

[ACM]

Originally Posted by anandbhat

ACM,
How much did regular service at each 10000km cost you?
Regards,
Anand.

Rs. 8000 -8500 per service (every 7500 kms for models before 2008, and 10000kms for models post 2008) till about mid of 2008 - (using synthetic Oil only.) -

Currently after oil price hike it is about Rs. 9500 -10000.
Polen Filter is changed in that as also the VAS cost is also included in this.

[ACM]

OK an update on the Laura, it's been a while, currently use the Aria much more and somehow have rather late discovered that I am more an SUV kinda guy.

Safari to Laura itself was not the best Idea but it seemed to make for sane logic when I picked up the car. But later the intimidation and threat to side view mirrors , head lamps etc, (threat that converted to reality requiring replacement of the side view mirror and head lamp plus the front bumper over 3-4 minor incidents - with substantial dents to the pocket each time insipite of insurance) made me feel the need for a larger vehicle that people move out of the way off - entry the Aria in 2010 NOV.

Still the Aria is not an AT so what about wifee so we go ahead and get an I10 AT - but with it comes the -ves of petrol and poor fuel effeciency of the previous generation transmission (compared to the DSG of the Laura Diesel). Besides the suspension of the Laura - a car from a couple of segments ahead just can't be matched from the back pain point of view. But then yet again there is peace of mind in a small car and no huge bills to look at in case something does go wrong. Wifee prefers the i10 and it is the kid who loves the Laura and I end up driving that when we go for short distances within town.

So still do have the Laura though if offered a great deal will probably part ways with it.

The Laura is presently at about 88,000 kms.

In the course of it's life with me (-29000 - 88000 kms) it has required the change of 1) AC compressor and AC fan at cost to me. 2) 1 Turbo and intercooler paid for by the company in warranty and one at my cost post warranty. 3) Initially a lot of horns replaced within warranty by the company and later repaired twice by my electrician for 1/6th the cost of a new one.The repaired ones actually last longer than the original ones. 4) Changed EGR and thottle body and one turbo pipe at cost to me. 5) Head unit - music system replaced once within warranty - working very well since then. 6) A couple of door speakers repaired by my electrician. 7) Seat memory switch reparied by my electrican at 1/6th the cost of a new one with the authorized guys wanted to replace. 8) Airbag wiring issues were intermittent but have got sorted out. 9) The DSG Unit required to be disassembled and refitted in a last try before requiring replacement but it worked and has worked since then for the last two years. 10) The Inside roof material came off and I had to get it refitted outside with a change in material. 11) The sunroof mechanism rusted and required to get it repared outside by my electrician using a salvage piece again at 1/4th the cost of a new one. 12) Presently there are no pending issues except that the suspension has aged and does need to be worked on.

Overall to the above if you add the new battery and two sets of tyres it has not been a low cost afair by any means (for a 60,000 kms journey in my hands) but then when it drives well it is pure bliss. I did find alternate places to get a lot of my work done but it does add to our BP and tension is not much fun in life. Yet the car is still there and somehow my kid loves it the most among our vehicles.

Will in another post put up some detailed snaps of the Sun Roof removal and show some of the Airbag mechanism that becomes visible in the process.

[ACM]

The Sunroof had stropped working; basically a metal clamp (or rather two - one on each side) had rusted and that caused the mechanism that opened and closed the roof to not work in the right manner.

Authorized centre solution - Replace the Sun Roof (entire glass roof and mechanism)

Got my local electrician to remove the entire top roof interior fittings and repair the mechanism using salvage parts from another Laura (the superb and octavia mechanisms did not fit) - Cost Rs. 12500.

The Snaps sadly do not show the refitted roof but that is as in a normal Laura and what they do show is the kind of open heart type operations one ends up doing to the vehicle, with the various cylinders and pistons of the Airbags being visible. The guy took almost a week to source and complete the job and getting the roof to fit correctly once the part was available itself took them 3 days. I guess a new factory fitted part comes perfectly alligned and one would need an expert mechanic to get this to work properly.

[Rameshdude]

ACM, a clean and crisp update of the car. I have always wanted to have a Laura or Yeti. Just want to clarify a point. I also do have back pain, does Laura aggravates the pain? How is the suspension and ride quality? Thanks in advance.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by Rameshdude

ACM, a clean and crisp update of the car. I have always wanted to have a Laura or Yeti. Just want to clarify a point. I also do have back pain, does Laura aggravates the pain? How is the suspension and ride quality? Thanks in advance.

Hi Ramesh
If I may share my experience, as I have both a Yeti and a Laura, I find the laura seating much more comfortable and it does not cause me back pain (I also have a back problem due to an old sports injury). The Laura seats are softer and the low seating is more comfortable. The Yeti seats are more hard and upright. But the Yeti can go where the laura cannot even dare and which is why we bought it. You can find more info my yeti and laura threads.
Regards
Behemoth

[ACM]

Originally Posted by Rameshdude

ACM, a clean and crisp update of the car. I have always wanted to have a Laura or Yeti. Just want to clarify a point. I also do have back pain, does Laura aggravates the pain? How is the suspension and ride quality? Thanks in advance.

Thanks Behemoth further:

In the Laura I have tried on tyres:

1) Micheline MXV8 - 205/60/R16 - Fuel effecient and comfortable upsize - not great too look due to the size.
2) Yokohama S- Drive - 205/55/R16 - Sporty but bad for the back. - Stock size. - good to look at.
3) Yokohoma ES501 - 225/55/R16 - Fuel Effecient, Quite, Sporty due to the size and good for the back - upsize.

The later revised shape version of the Laura has a more comfortable (raised) suspension as well.

Tires can make a lot of difference in the Laura and upsizing to option 1 or 3 above can make the ride very comfortable.

That said the rear seat can be a bit of a stomach upset for some (like my wife) while it would be fine for others. So do take family - seated in the rear for a test drive.

[ACM]

The Laura is now at about 88,000 kms.

It is the third car at home and used when my other car goes for service.

recently the windshield glass broke due to a stone bouncing of a truck tyre and hitting it at it's edge.

Got it replaced under insurance - Total bill Rs. 17,xxx, I had to pay Rs. 3551. (The Glass itself is Rs. 11xxx). They picked up and dropped the vehicle free of cost though they had mentioned that there is a Rs. 250+ 250 charge. Got the work done at JMD Bhandup in Mumbai.

They during the service replaced a plastic cover that is used for the Air Intake near the Air Filter. It is a part costing Rs. 650. They replaced this under warranty though the vehicle is not about 7 years old. The guys said that they are doing this to all the Old Laura that come to the service centre as per the instructions from the company. The car somehow seems to be breathing better after this fitment and has smoother power delivery - Though why I have not been able to figure out.
Looks like they realized this issue quite late in the day. But it is good to seem some +Ve proactive support from skoda for it's customers.

The current FE is 13.5 kmpl of diesel over the last 1000 kms driven mostly with the city though sedately.

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by ACM

They during the service replaced a plastic cover that is used for the Air Intake near the Air Filter. It is a part costing Rs. 650. They replaced this under warranty though the vehicle is not about 7 years old. The guys said that they are doing this to all the Old Laura that come to the service centre as per the instructions from the company. The car somehow seems to be breathing better after this fitment and has smoother power delivery - Though why I have not been able to figure out.
Looks like they realized this issue quite late in the day. But it is good to seem some +Ve proactive support from skoda for it's customers.

Very interesting. Is it same as that in the new (face-lifted Laura)?
Can you post a picture of tis new air box?
May be someone on the forum can figure out looking at it?

[ACM]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Very interesting. Is it same as that in the new (face-lifted Laura)?
Can you post a picture of tis new air box?
May be someone on the forum can figure out looking at it?

Will try and take a snap in the next couple of day, It is not the Airbox itself that they replaced, they changed the Air Intake (Made of Plastic) adjacent to the Air Filter Box. This sits just next to the radiator.

[EagleEye]

Originally Posted by ACM

They during the service replaced a plastic cover that is used for the Air Intake near the Air Filter. It is a part costing Rs. 650. They replaced this under warranty though the vehicle is not about 7 years old. The guys said that they are doing this to all the Old Laura that come to the service centre as per the instructions from the company. The car somehow seems to be breathing better after this fitment and has smoother power delivery - Though why I have not been able to figure out.
Looks like they realized this issue quite late in the day. But it is good to seem some +Ve proactive support from skoda for it's customers.

You mean to say that if I take my second-hand 2006 Laura into JMD they have to replace this part? I went to SkodaJMD Kandivali last week but they did nothing of the sort!