[TheGearBox]

Originally Posted by Aurelius

Skoda Monte Carlo: Local Repair vs. Authorized Service Center

I'm assuming you're not planning on claiming insurance for your repairs. In that case, and as long as its only body work, I would prefer to get the work done at a competent local garage. If your lights have gotten damaged and need to be replaced, better claim insurance and get the work done at the service center.

Originally Posted by Aurelius

Will getting the repairs done locally affect the warranty in any way?

As long as its only body work, and the quality of work done is good, it would tough to tell the difference.

[thanixravindran]

Originally Posted by maverick_kushaq

TLDR: Previously non-existent clutch issue started after giving my car for second service. Service center initially denied any issue in clutch, later mentioned it's a Major Issue.
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Will update here on how it goes after giving it to service center on Monday. Given my experience dealing with these people to get those initial Kushaq niggles fixed (door rattling noise, dashboard creaking noise etc), I seriously doubt they'll fix it sooner, but fingers crossed.

Is there any update from service centre? I don't think it is to do with any fluids as they bled the clutch system. Please check the technical stuff threads as they may need to check the clutch assembly master cylinder. Please let us know the diagnosis. It is always scary to visit the service centre as they may create issues with a perfectly running car.

[maverick_kushaq]

Originally Posted by thanixravindran

Is there any update from service centre? I don't think it is to do with any fluids as they bled the clutch system. Please check the technical stuff threads as they may need to check the clutch assembly master cylinder. Please let us know the diagnosis. It is always scary to visit the service centre as they may create issues with a perfectly running car.

Finally got my car back today(Dec 13th). And yes, like you rightly pointed out, it was issue with the master cylinder. They have replaced it and the issue seem to be resolved now. But what caused this to suddenly fail after second service is still a mystery.
--

Ordeal of service center visit

TLDR: They fixed the clutch issue taking 2.5 days, but this time, they stole my dashcam's SD card

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Dec 11:
Visited service center to drop off my car like I had discussed with the service advisor. He took the car keys and said he'll call me the next day after fixing the issue. When I asked for the job card, he was very reluctant to give the job card and he kept insisting for the job card. He started giving new reasons every 5 mins that his system is not working properly, that the server is down, his system has to be restarted, none of which seemed believable considering other service advisors were generating the job cards for other customers right next to him.

On too much of my insistence, he came back to the desk, filled the check-in sheet(where they note down the odometer reading, complaint, scratches etc) and gave me a copy of it. I denied and asked for the proper job sheet. He again started denying and roamed around.

After too much of reluctance and making me wait for 30 minutes, he finally decided to create a job sheet and gave it to me. Not very sure about the motive behind his reluctance


Dec 12:
At 10:30, I called the service advisor to check the status since he hadn't given me any update. This time he mentioned, they are still working on it and it would take more time. He mentioned they need to check the clutch master cylinder and for that they need to open the gearbox(Not sure if it was genuine because atleast as per multiple online sources I checked, no one mentioned about removal of gearbox etc for master cylinder replacement. However for slave cylinder, there was a mention of slave cylinder being inside of the transmission in some cases). I still agreed to him since I'm not an expert in this area.

At 12:15, he calls me back and he started asking from where I got my foot mat. And he suddenly started blaming that the foot mat has caused the problem by obstructing the clutch everytime it's pressed and so on. But this definitely was fake because I clearly know the foot mat I'm using doesn't cause any obstruction and there is atleast 0.5-0.75cm of gap between the clutch pedal(when fully pressed) and the mat.

I blatantly denied his claims and he started mentioned not to use these unauthorised mats and they have sent the video to the Skoda team and they have also warned about not using those mats which might not cover this kind of repairs under warranty etc. But later he mentioned this time, he'll get it done in the warranty this time and he'll deliver the car the next day

At around 4:30, got a call from Skoda customer care. Context: I had replied to one of the tweets where one more person had mentioned about the same issue on his Kushaq and he had to visit the same service center as mine multiple times and yet his problem was not solved. I hadn't tagged Skoda explicitly in this reply, but still customer care called me to enquire. I mentioned the what had happened, and asked them not to raise the complaint to avoid conflict with the service center people. But still the customer care person escalated and raised a complaint.

At 5:15, I got a call from CRM of the service center. She started asking why I raised the complaint, while I could've directly talked to her or the service manager about the issue. I mentioned the same thing to her that firstly I didn't directly tweet to Skoda and told her that I even had asked customer care person not to raise any complaint since service center was already working on the issue. She still seemed very frustrated and asked me to delete the tweet.

Just to not escalate the situation, I even replied to the email from customer care(with service manager and CRM in cc) that I don't want to raise this as a complaint and service center is already working on the issue.


Dec 13:
I got a message from service advisor that my car would be ready around 4:30pm.

Went to the service center around 5pm, and then service advisor started giving me the papers to sign. On insisting that I want to check the car before signing, he took me near the car and asked me to check and left immediately.
I checked my car and clutch issue seemed to have been resolved.
I started checking if everything else is in place and noticed that they had completely disconnected all the cables to my dashcam(power supply and rear dashcam connector) and even the power socket plug. (context: Everytime I used to drop the car to service center, they used to disconnect the dashboard by removing the power socket plug. This time while dropping the car at service center I had turned off just the dashcam screen, while the dashcam was still on and recording just to see if they'll avoid disconnecting the cam thinking it's already turned off. Was curious to know how they take care of my car while it's in service center)

This is when I noticed that the SD card was also missing from dashcam. On enquiring the service advisor, he asked me if I really left it in dashcam. On saying yes, he came to the car and searched around. After searching, he mentioned he'll try getting the CCTV footage checked to find who would've taken it. On insisting him to get it checked while I was there, he again started acting reluctant by saying, it needs to be checked by IT people and it'll take time. Even after I mentioned I can wait, he was not ready to get it checked while I'm there and he asked me to give time until next morning. He started saying if they don't find, he'll pay for the new one from his pocket.
This is when I started suspecting they intentionally removed my SD card to cover up something they might have done while thinking the dashcam was off.

Anyway, I'll again follow-up on this in the morning and see what happens

Here's the reference document mentioning labour and part details

[VBHYD]

Dear folks,


I took a Kushaq Ambition AT variant from Skoda dealer in Hyderabad [ Somajiguda] in last week of November. The dealer is yet to deliver the documents for registration and after a lot of delay he says that he will deliver it by tomorrow. The reason given is some software changes in their system. Now I will have to get it registered through an RTA agent as I donot rely on dealer anymore and he says that they donot have an RT Agent with them. Can anyone help in providing contact details of RT agents based out of Hyderabad and particularly who dealt with Skoda Hyderabad. My RT office is Uppal Hyderabad.

Hope I have not written anything against the forum rules .

[Vandit]

Update: completed 150km on the car and absolutely loving the experience so far. The only concern I have is the confusion with how the suspension is set up.

On a couple of occasions a few innocuous potholes have caused enough jarring thuds to reach the cabin while at other times the suspension seems to be pretty well sorted at high speeds in driving behaviour. Is this because the stock suspension is soft or hard??

I did find the couple of instances of thuds to be covering enough to wonder if that's because the suspension is bottoming out too fast?

Another observation.. the showroom pumped up the tyre pressure to 44 on all tyres on delivery. I noticed the recommended pressure values are for 2 and 5 passengers.. most of the time in my car, is only 2 adults or 2 adults 2 kids.. What would be the best psi recommended?

This brings me to the Apollo tyres. Surprisingly I've found them pretty quiet and decent in terms of grip for everyday scenario. Although a couple of friends have reported instances of people in their circles having experienced ballooning or bubbles in the sidewalls of Apollo tyres on their cars after months of use. Fingers crossed I don't face it.

[hrk997]

In need of advice.

I had to drive my kushaq 1.5 through flooded streets in chennai. I had no power in my phone and didn't realise the gravity of the situation. In any case, i didn't have any options.


I drove through 3km and 20 mins thorough heavily inundated streets. The water level was between just touching the front bumper and under the door at its highest point. While driving, at some point the engine started making knocking sounds. The car was not turned off at any point, and i kept my foot on the accelerator throughout. At one point, it was idling in water for a minute. The exhaust was submerged for a good chunk of time. The mileage was 3.5 kmpl after this. The knocking sound stopped only when I turned on the car the next day.

However, the next evening, as i turned on the car to run a quick errand, the check engine light was on. I was flustered and drove a short distance. It drove as usual, engine felt a little more loose and vibey. The next day the check engine light disappeared.

Two weeks later i took it out on a proper drive for 10km. I don't know if I'm imagining the power loss, but car felt a little slow to respond to my throttle input. Engine vibrations felt slightly more pronounced, idk if I'm imagining that either. I have to do a 400km drive after which i can give for service. But idk how to present this issue to the service centre. I don't want the engine taken apart or anything. I'm 99% sure the car is fine, but knocking sounds during the drive in the rain and the subsequent check engine light turning on for a day and then off have made me quite paranoid.

Thoughts on how to go about this?

[aks812]

Originally Posted by Vandit

Another observation.. the showroom pumped up the tyre pressure to 44 on all tyres on delivery. I noticed the recommended pressure values are for 2 and 5 passengers.. most of the time in my car, is only 2 adults or 2 adults 2 kids.. What would be the best psi recommended?

Keep it at 32-33psi for 2 adults or 2 adults 2 kids.

Originally Posted by hrk997

In need of advice.

I had to drive my kushaq 1.5 through flooded streets in chennai. I had no power in my phone and didn't realise the gravity of the situation. In any case, i didn't have any options.


I drove through 3km and 20 mins thorough heavily inundated streets. The water level was between just touching the front bumper and under the door at its highest point. While driving, at some point the engine started making knocking sounds. The car was not turned off at any point, and i kept my foot on the accelerator throughout. At one point, it was idling in water for a minute. The exhaust was submerged for a good chunk of time. The mileage was 3.5 kmpl after this. The knocking sound stopped only when I turned on the car the next day.

When the exhaust is submerged, the car should not idle, you should have kept the accelerator pressed. Take it for SC at the earliest for engine checking.

[vinaygeorgeroy]

Originally Posted by DragonHawk

I wasn`t really a great fan of chrome in the car and especially with Kushaq, those thick chrome inserts in the grill were too ugly for my liking. I was in a dilemma on whether to go with wrapping it or get it painted to black. My main concern was the chipping of paint/wrap over a period of time. Finally, based on the discussion with a couple of my friends who are in the detailing business, I decided to dechrome the chrome bits including the Skoda decals and rear chrome panels via painting. Surprisingly it came out really well, sharing a couple of pics and I will post a few more pics in my ownership thread in the coming days.

Attachment 2342093

Attachment 2342094

Helli @DragonHawk, your car looks amazing. I just wanted to know where you got this done from, I was looking to do the same with my Kushaq. I asked the skoda showroom, but they told me that, they don't dechrome the skoda logo and the lettering, as it seems to fall down once its put back after painting.

They advised me to order those two black components from monte carlo edition. Any advise on the same ?

[sgiitk]

lazter After being really and justifiably bombed for the original Laura they have pulled up their socks. I have had mine for three years and the service has been exemplary. I am glad that the manufacturers have all switched to an annual service (I remember twice a year service + twice a year inspection) specified for my Civic. An even in the warranty (1 Year) period we had to pay for the oil and sump plug washer. I refused to 3 monthly visits by omitting the inspection, but twicer a year was too much. We had four Honda cars in the family - Civic AT, City VX (late model with leather seat)s, Brio AT, and the saloon version of the City (I forget the name). After three years I put all of them on an annual service regime.

I must say we have been very satisfied with the Kushaq (3-pot turbo, 1.1l) with exemplary service. Let us see how things develop. Hope they continue the action.

So far I have been pretty satisfied with the service

[mdesai_1981]

Name of the car: SKODA KUSHAQ 1.5 DSG MAY 23 MANUFACTURED.

Kms driven :3300kms precisely.

Issue: D1 to D2 and D2-D3 shifting is abnormal. It goes all the way to 2200 rpm to upshift at times…at low speed also thereby unnecessary revving of the engine.

Is this normal? Or am I the only one facing this issue.

I have reset the transmission by depressing the accelerator pedal for 30 seconds when the car is switched on( not the ignition). Surely made a difference in the car but this peculiar issue has not gone.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Regards,
Mihir

[KapilD]

OEM add on Update to my 2 year old Kushaq

Added elegance accessories to my 1.5 TSI style.

It feels good.

First the Puddle Lamp



Next the Neck Pillow and Seat Belt Cushion

Take a look at the new global logo, now in India.

[StripleRider03]

Originally Posted by KapilD

First the Puddle Lamp

Next the Neck Pillow and Seat Belt Cushion

Did you get these directly from the showroom? If yes, can you please provide the part numbers and their cost?

[KapilD]

Originally Posted by StripleRider03

Did you get these directly from the showroom? If yes, can you please provide the part numbers and their cost?

Yes, I got them from the service centre (not the showroom).

The cost for

1. Puddle Lamp: ₹ 3500 for a set of 2
2. Neck Cushion: ₹ 1200 for a set of 2
3. Belt Cushion: ₹ 400 for set of 2

In addition, I also saw that they have 7D mats in black. Forgot the ask the price.

[KKapadia]

Originally Posted by hrk997

In need of advice.

I had to drive my kushaq 1.5 through flooded streets in chennai. I had no power in my phone and didn't realise the gravity of the situation. In any case, i didn't have any options.


I drove through 3km and 20 mins thorough heavily inundated streets. The water level was between just touching the front bumper and under the door at its highest point. While driving, at some point the engine started making knocking sounds. The car was not turned off at any point, and i kept my foot on the accelerator throughout. At one point, it was idling in water for a minute. The exhaust was submerged for a good chunk of time. The mileage was 3.5 kmpl after this. The knocking sound stopped only when I turned on the car the next day.

However, the next evening, as i turned on the car to run a quick errand, the check engine light was on. I was flustered and drove a short distance. It drove as usual, engine felt a little more loose and vibey. The next day the check engine light disappeared.

Two weeks later i took it out on a proper drive for 10km. I don't know if I'm imagining the power loss, but car felt a little slow to respond to my throttle input. Engine vibrations felt slightly more pronounced, idk if I'm imagining that either. I have to do a 400km drive after which i can give for service. But idk how to present this issue to the service centre. I don't want the engine taken apart or anything. I'm 99% sure the car is fine, but knocking sounds during the drive in the rain and the subsequent check engine light turning on for a day and then off have made me quite paranoid.

Thoughts on how to go about this?

I can totally understand your situation. Sometimes you just have to go even if the roads are flooded.

Since the engine never stopped running its relatively safe, you will not have to take apart the engine for anything. It’s not hydro locked .

But always keep in mind a couple of things before you venture out into the floods. Keep distance from other vehicles so that your car is not hit by the bow wave created by other moving vehicles. Keep watching the water level on other cars body work like the bumpers or the exhaust of the car in front. If the car in front has the exhaust submerged that’s probably the case with your car too. Don’t idle in such situations as it’s easy for the engine to stall and water will be sucked in through the exhaust during that process. Always keep the revs a bit high. Enough to engage gear and prevent stalling. In case your engine ingests water from the intake. It will stall and that is the problem when it’s hydro locked. As long as the intake is above the water level nothing to worry which is in your case.

What you have is most likely water affecting one of the sensors or electrical connections after driving through water. Most likely it will evaporate with use. Otherwise you can take it to a service centre with compressed air and just air out whatever electrical connections you can visually see in the engine bay, around the ecu , battery, charging system, fuel system, intake etc, and spray a liberal dose of WD 40. Then take it for a longish drive to heat things up.
Most likely everything will come back to normal. If this doesn’t solve it only then take it to the dealer. He will run a scan and pinpoint the issue. But doesn’t involve engine opening surely. !

[VND]

To all the owners,

Especially to 1.5 DSG owners,

Have anyone faced a low oil warning in middle of service interval? My SA says it's normal for Kushaq and the customer has to get the oil topped at own expense when it comes up.

I own a 1.5 DSG, at 7800 kms I got a low oil warning and there answer was "it is a common issue / in fact normal for the car. We have mentioned it in the owner's manual that car may consume 0.5l/1000 kms depending on driving style and operating conditions".

I found this to be ridiculous that we need to have oil topped up in between service intervals i.e. 15000 kms / 1 year . Would appreciate your inputs.

P.S. I have a 4 year service package as well.