[itwasntme]

Breakage of Octavia (MQB, 2013+) AC vent

I know this is a perennial problem with many Polo owners, but I was shocked to see my precious 2016 Octavia's center-right AC vent's adjuster suddenly break (without any intervention) and fall to the floor!













Some notes:
1. My Octavia is 100% driven by me
2. Went for its first service in Dec' 16 and AC duct was specifically cleaned on my request as the initial throw of air used to be stale
3. Vents are always gently adjusted by me (used to own a Polo) and definitely not manhandled.
4. I suspect they were lightly oiled during service as I can smell sewing machine oil on the vents
5. Could the vents have been damaged then by inserting AC cleaner nozzle(s) etc?

Coupled with an earlier issue I had with the steering right-side button panel coming loose, I am now seriously concerned about variable interior quality with the MQB Octavia.



Can fellow Skoda owners advise about successful warranty claims as these are typically termed 'wear-and-tear' parts ? To top it all, these small bits cost a BOMB!

[Maibaa]

Air vents in Skodä are delicate!

I own a Laura TSI and had air vent related problem twice when my car went for service. First the centre vents were broken when I went to pickup the car after service and the service Center claimed the vents were already broken when I got the car for service. I had to make a lot of noise to get them to replace the central AC vent free of cost.

Second time too I noticed another vent broken and someone has tried to fix the broken vent with fevicol or adhesive. Luckily I saw that before taking the vehicle out of the service Center. The service guys owned up and got the vent replaced ( mostly plucked from another car).

My suspicion is that the interior cleaners are careless and fiddle with the vents that break easily.

Since then I am very careful to check the air vents and tell the service advisor to acknowledge the air vents are in working condition before I leave the vehicle for service.

[vishy76]

The A/C vents of almost all of the VAG group cars feel fragile these days. I think the dimwits at the service centre tried to fidget around with the vents when doing the A/C disinfectant (probably inserted a brush) and this happened. Our Jetta also has a broken rear A/C vent and I have no evidence against them.

Even the steering mounted control buttons coming loose is a known problem in the later Skoda steering wheels. I can clearly recollect Autocar India complaining of the same fault in their long term Octavia TSI. A Vento owner was able to coax the VW service centre into replacing them for free.

Were you able to get a quote for the A/C vents and the steering in case they disagree to fix them under warranty?

Regards,
vishy

[Rehaan]

Linking to the related thread for the Polo/Vento : here

Given that your car is still fairly new, have this replaced under warranty (or goodwill warranty) as a manufacturing defect (weak / poorly made part).

Just today I saw someone on Facebook say that VW is replacing vents under warranty for up to 2 years : see Anand Poddar's comment here

[ashwinmanuk]

Hello Guys,

The direction adjustments knob for the AC vent on my Rapid has come off and won't fit back in. Where can I get it sourced online?

[skarface]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Breakage of Octavia (MQB, 2013+) AC vent

I know this is a perennial problem with many Polo owners, but I was shocked to see my precious 2016 Octavia's center-right AC vent's adjuster suddenly break (without any intervention) and fall to the floor!

I bought a pre-owned Octavia MK3, the passenger side AC vent adjuster was broken when I bought it.
Now after 6 months the adjuster on the center-right vent has also decided to pop out all of a sudden, just like how it has been shown by @itwasntme, can this be repaired? Or do we have to replace the entire vent.
I enquired in the ASS they have told me that the entire vent has to be replaced ~4.5K per piece!

On a side note, I park my car outside and it comes under the hot sun during the late afternoon, wondering if this affects the plastic bits in the interior trim.

[sandygordon]

Originally Posted by skarface

Or do we have to replace the entire vent.
I enquired in the ASS they have told me that the entire vent has to be replaced ~4.5K per piece!

I too have broken sliders of all the four front vents
Service has quoted 18k + GST + installation cost for vents as they cannot replace the sliders and need to replace the entire vents
Any spares available anywhere?

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by sandygordon

I too have broken sliders of all the four front vents

I'd suggest keep a thin flat rod/pencil on hand to manually adjust it. I mean, how many times do you really adjust it? And is it worth 18K + the risk of dismantling the dashboard?

[skarface]

Originally Posted by sandygordon

I too have broken sliders of all the four front vents
Service has quoted 18k + GST + installation cost for vents as they cannot replace the sliders and need to replace the entire vents
Any spares available anywhere?

I did check on boodmo, even there only the vents were listed but were out of stock.

Originally Posted by itwasntme

I'd suggest keep a thin flat rod/pencil on hand to manually adjust it. I mean, how many times do you really adjust it? And is it worth 18K + the risk of dismantling the dashboard?

Agreed, I have learnt to not look at them. Only problem is that my toddler son keeps fiddling around with the vent which still is intact. I guess I just need to accept that it might be broken at some point .

[Nikhil080]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

I'd suggest keep a thin flat rod/pencil on hand to manually adjust it. I mean, how many times do you really adjust it? And is it worth 18K + the risk of dismantling the dashboard?

Wondering if there are any alternate sources - I could find anything online. However, I don't think any dismantling is necessary, they are just clipped on. If we have the new vents, they can be replaced within a matter of mins.