[searacer932]

It's a shame that owners are getting such a poor response from Skoda/VW group on a component which is known for its failure.

Until we see Kushaqs/Taiguns ownership report of >1 lacs KMs I wouldn't recommend anyone to touch even the Kushaq/Taigun 1.0 AT/MT.

[sachin_cs]

Posts like these send shivers down my spine, I'm a fellow Rapid owner with 47k kms on the odo and I'm taking utmost care possible to keep my DSG healthy but in the back of my mind I always have this thought that I should be prepared for any such failures in the future. Fingers crossed, hope my ride doesn't sees those days.

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by GTO

VW-Skoda owners: How much cheaper would an independent garage be in this case?

I did have a chat with Wolf Moto and Engineering Exponent regarding the DSG's when I was getting my remap done for the EcoSport. They do deal with VAG cars regularly and I think they might get the OP's problem sorted for a significantly lesser amount than VW Service center.

[vinaydatla]

Originally Posted by GTO

Thanks for sharing, vinaydatla! They are also taking advantage of our weak legal system; compare this to China where they were forced to recall and offer a 10-year warranty on DSG models!

Thank you @GTO for creating a new thread to spread awareness and share my ordeal.

Originally Posted by itwasntme

I'm surprised with this reaction from Skoda. It is a known issue and is going to needlessly provide ample negative publicity.

Shame on Skoda!

I have expected this as the dealership folks were adamant that they have never given any discounts or goodwill warranty.

Originally Posted by padmrajravi

Will any sane person, his friends, or family who went through this DSG drama ever set foot in a Skoda showroom?

I was a staunch supporter of VAG and have recommended VAG cars to various folks. I won't dare to do it anymore.

Originally Posted by 1.2TSI7DSG

How many manual trannys get clutch replacement? If we take that into account the DSG is not a big thing.

Appreciate the complexity of a shaft on shaft with two sets of clutches all controlled electronically. Hell in electronics, a 1 lakh phone also fails without warning. Or atleast at the slightest exposure of water/dust, it will collapse.

As compared to that a DSG, it's is still a brilliant piece of engineering. I take it as a high risk high return. The day I bought a dsg (touch wood 8 years 87 k kms) i put aside a lakh for the failure.

I agree, but clutch failure is not instant and give us enough warning. This failure is on the spot with no warnings or issues.

Originally Posted by vredesbyrd

I knew Mahavir Skoda was scum (terrible experience with my Superb, their test driver left a foot long gash and they refused to repair it or give any sort of reimbursement) but this is just way too much.

Better going to an FNG, who knows what they will damage or steal?

They have been very lethargic. I have never got the car back in 1-2 days. Even for regular yearly services they take 1 week or so. For 75000 Kms service in Oct 2021, they have kept the vehicle for 2-3 weeks and returned it without solving any issues. When I question why do you need 2-3 weeks for only oil and filter changes? There is no answer.

Originally Posted by Hayek

Please try escalating to Zac. However, even if they don’t, if this is the first failure at 78,000 km and nearly 7 years, I don’t see it as the end of the world as long as they do a proper repair job and give a warranty on the replaced part. This adds just ₹ 1.2 per km for the kms run so far - and will hopefully last another 20-30000 km at least without giving trouble.

Whatever response I got is only after escalating to Zac. Before that there was no formal communication. This is the first failure w.r.t DSG but I have changed water pump, coolant assembly (twice), Injector #3, Ignition switch, Timing belt, power window switch etc. during the ownership tenure and I have replaced all of them at my cost.

Originally Posted by roadrunner_nv

I changed 6 injectors on my Rapid. Once under extended warranty and twice out of warranty. In one case, the injector failed just a week after the warranty on replaced component expired. I argued that this needs to be settled under goodwill but no avail. This was the last straw, I changed the injector, sold off the Rapid (in pristine condition) to Spinny at whatever price they quoted. While booking my new car, I had the budget to go in for the Kodiaq but as a principle, no more VAG cars in my garage ever. Not mine, not my extended families, nor my friends nor anyone that I know or whoever comes to me for car advise.
First the uninformed dieselgate fix which screwed up the cars character and then the constant failure of parts followed by the lack of ownership from Škoda. I did not want to wait till the gearbox screwed up. This has to be the most screwed up brand to open shop.

I have changed one injector. I am also looking at changing my cars and have been looking at Slavia to Kodiaq.

My inclination is now moving towards Mahindra XUV 700 or Hyundai Tucson. No suitable options in Honda and Toyota.

Originally Posted by charanreddy

Please consider replying back documenting in detail the various issues faced by Skoda customers over the years along with cases where the DSG replacement was approved. Please also quote various other countries where Skoda was forced to issue a recall. Make a case for why your demand of a good will , full or in-part replacement is not over the top and justified.

Incase the reply is still negative, consider forwarding this to Transport Ministry highlighting how Skoda takes advantage of weak laws in India to sell sub standard products to Indians while it offers recalls in other countries.

Like others suggested do find a competent FNG to get your issues sorted vs Skoda after sales. No point trusting the brand or ASS.

This happened in another city and state (Vizag and AP) while I live in Hyderabad. Going with an FNG may not be possible. I may have to get it repaired in the dealership and travel back home. I cannot stay for long in another city.

Originally Posted by shancz

That's a pretty bad response from Skoda on a "known issue"
Would go a long way in cementing their India 2.0 vision but maybe I need a strong coffee and wake up

I have quoted all such examples with their corporate team on various calls but they were only replying with a standard answer that considering the vehicles age and other factors we cannot honor your request.

Originally Posted by dingolphie

My 10 year old, dealer serviced, 80k run Vento has eaten up Rs 80K and suffered 3 breakdowns over the last 4/5 months.

I am in a continuous state of anxiety when driving my cars especially Skoda Rapid. Every other long drive results in a minor/major repair.

Originally Posted by Sidban85

I also have Skoda Rapid 1.5L Diesel and now that I was considering to buy a new car, the hanging DSG sword and my experience of 4 ABS sensor failure and 1 injector failure ruled Kushaq out day 1. Even starter motor gave issues and that also came out as a known issue with Skoda Rapid.

I also had bad experience 2 times with Autobahn Skoda in past, which Skoda never bothered to even follow up.

Skoda can make the best driving cars but if you are scared about reliability when driving, you cannot truly enjoy the drive. On top of that, every visit to service center was a source of terror for me.

My experiences have actually made 2 of my ex-collefues drop Skoda from their list almost at final stage, even though I go gaga over my highway driving experience.

It is not as if the cars cost cheaper than competitors like in say UK.

And I do not truly believe their 'improved the DSG' PR that they did with Kushaq.

I still hope that Skoda does something good for OP's car.

Exactly my dilemma now.

Originally Posted by Ays7

This is surprising. DSG failures are a known issue with this brand. And till late you would always read posts on this forum about how VW group always replaces it under goodwill warranty, or at least provides substantial discount on replacement. Moreover, failures of DCT by Hyundai are also well documented.

They are not even ready to talk about discount forget about free replacement or goodwill warranty. May be they are of the opinion that Rapid has been discontinued and Slavia can be sold as a new product.

Originally Posted by AKSarkar1

It is truly horrible that VAG customers have to go through this predicament over and again. One would think that Skoda/VW would learn from this? Evidently not sadly.

This is exactly the reason why I stuck to a manual iteration of the Vento when I made the purchase because I intended to own the vehicle for over 7+ years and didn't want any long-term hassle.

In this case, I must say that Skoda has been somewhat responsive, there are many other stories about customers having to deal with horrible dealers just adding to their woes. VW in Mumbai is way worse and treat every car with a DSG problem as their money-making cash cow of the month.

+1 to GTOs point of getting it done from a reputed place outside, can be done for much cheaper.

Good luck and I am your car would be sorted real soon!

I am stuck in a not so familiar city so can't take the risk of FNG.

Originally Posted by tiagoatrix

I have come across forums where DSG was repaired under Good will after warranty in many cases.
This issue is very well know to VW/Skoda, so you should just wait and be persistent in your request. In your email, you can mention that some Team BHP members DSG were replaced under Good will. Fearing negative publicity in Team BHP, they might act nice.

As there's proper service history and no mods, there's nothing to worry. Be patient and optimistic.

Write to top executive of Skoda, attach the failure /repair cases of other DSG.

They know that I am a Team-BHP member and acknowledge it.

Originally Posted by axe_deo

I have recently shifted to Vijaywada from Mumbai. Here in Vijayawada, I have had an extremely poor service experience from Mahavir Auto. They are extremely uncooperative. And it seems that Skoda has no check on standard operating procedures regarding warranty. My car is under extended warranty and they refused to replace the ABS sensor under warranty citing external battery. Last year I had got one of my ABS sensors replaced under warranty at JMD Skoda Mumbai with an external battery in my car without any issues. An interesting point here is Skoda itself in its manual states that battery is a third party fitment which is to be serviced by external vendors. Sadly Skoda has no uniform policy on these matters and it's upto the dealership to honour or not honour such claims.

I think this is due to Monopoly of Mahavir group in AP and TS. New dealers are coming up and I am glad we will have alternatives.

Originally Posted by Turbohead

Safe to say that Slavia will be DOA with such a petty move.

Guess we know who will soon be following Ford out of India.

I was planning to recommend Slavia to some friends but now I am skeptical. Skoda/VW have lost a loyal customer. I would sell both my cars at the earliest.

Originally Posted by techmotor

I too had gone through the same horrible experience and it's still going on. The first injector failure was during the warranty period(2nd year of ownership) and at that time they had replaced all 4 injectors free of cost. The second time it was replaced under goodwill. The third time I had to shell out 25K. The thing to look here is the number of times the injector has failed. The vehicle hasn't been reliable and hence I never used it for long trips. Not to mention the number of times ABS sensors had to be replaced. Mine is Rapid 1.6 TDI (MY 2012).



Since this is now in team-bhp forum, I hope it'll get the attention of Skoda India. As mentioned by others, try tagging Zac Hollis in twitter. Also it's worth giving a shot to see what you can fetch by selling this in the current state in used car market.

As mentioned above, I am in a different state. So selling a out station vehicle which is immobile is tough.

Originally Posted by arvishnu

I think Skoda (VW group) have not learnt their lesson. This is bad PR, especially when they are using the same (apparently improved) gear box in their new launched cars.

I guess they are not worried about bad PR.

Originally Posted by Chrome6Boy

My Vento TSI suffered a Mechtronix failure at 99,920 KMs when it was 4 years old. I got it replaced under warranty. I had taken Team-BHP's advice and purchased the extended warranty when I bought the car.

Can you believe I was only 80 KMs away from a huge bill? At 120,000 KMs I had another failure and the service centre diagnosed it as a worn clutch and it needed to be replaced. However they managed to find a way to make it work without replacement. It cost around Rs. 5000 for this. They advised against driving the car at very high RPMs or using sports or manual mode. I have stuck to their advice and the car has even since been working properly. The car has run 131,000 KMs now.

I have booked the MG ZS EV which unfortunately has a huge waiting period. I hope my Vento lasts until then.

I have really enjoyed my driving experience with my Vento. I was tempted to look into buying the Kushaq / Taigun but I have learnt my lesson. I will not buy another DSG.

Only after I pay 95000 for mechatronics replacement, they will be able to check the situation of the clutch and other issues.

Originally Posted by aadya

I avoided VAG due to dreaded DSG reliability for so long. At last opted for MPI + TQ at the cost of driving pleasure. Octavia was high up the list for upgrade. Now its out. VAG did not loose 75% of INR 95K. They lost a business of 50Lakhs - If I were to buy an OCTY.

I would entirely be okay if the VAG says you have to replace DSG at 1 Lakh Km or after 6 year service or offer a DSG warranty for a fixed sum. But can't really accept the vehicle stalling on a family trip and taking another month for all this circus.

I was also contemplating in purchasing a Superb/Octavia/Kodiaq but now I am done.

Originally Posted by searacer932

It's a shame that owners are getting such a poor response from Skoda/VW group on a component which is known for its failure.

Until we see Kushaqs/Taiguns ownership report of >1 lacs KMs I wouldn't recommend anyone to touch even the Kushaq/Taigun 1.0 AT/MT.

Most of the owners need 6-7 years to reach those milestones especially in pandemic days where people may not use the car dialy. That's a long time.

Originally Posted by sachin_cs

Posts like these send shivers down my spine, I'm a fellow Rapid owner with 47k kms on the odo and I'm taking utmost care possible to keep my DSG healthy but in the back of my mind I always have this thought that I should be prepared for any such failures in the future. Fingers crossed, hope my ride doesn't sees those days.

Even I took care of the car very well, never missed timely maintenance and serviced the vehicle before 15000 kms are done. Whatever we do, the failure is looming around us. I had to tow the car twice in the last 1 year and luckily in both the instances I was in urban areas with less than 10 kms distance from dealerships.

[MinivanDriver]

What are the options for sourcing the part independently and getting it fitted outside? The dealer markup could be saved and you could have the job done under your watch to make sure the job is properly done.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by vinaydatla

replying with a standard answer that considering the vehicles age and other factors we cannot honor your request.

Well then they're essentially saying that don't look at us for a economical or fuss-free experience and forget reliability.

IIRC whenever we talk about Skoda the service issues, niggles and costs are always mentioned whether its the Rapid or the Superb. I was hoping that this starts changing with their India 2.0 but will leave it at that.

IMO if anyone's buying a DSG they should add 2-3 lakhs to its price as DSG fees over a 7-10 years ownership.

[AP_1812]

This thread alone will cost VAG multiple potential customers. Classic case of being penny wise pound foolish. Just extend the same warranty in every country, i am sure the added cost will be nothing infront of the potential sales benefit.

Parts can fail on any car, but this different warranty for different regions is a great way to lose customers.

[hsingh]

Skoda's has an excellent reputation here in the UK, and their products are considered reliable. The brand's market perception is slightly different in India, and I hope Zac and his team can work on this. Recently, I was looking for a used car for myself and found some well-maintained vRS models.

Their products are good-looking and well built, but they still fail to attract many customers.

[TNAWAYAJ]

Empathy for the OP author and the countless others who have suffered at the hands of VAG and their ill-fated DQ200 DSG. I’ve been a victim too - and had to suffer with no car + being completely dependent on rickshaws and cabs for more than a month (my wife and I had just become parents for the first time too making the lack of a car even more painful!) as my Polo GT TSI languished at PPS Motors’ service station awaiting a DSG replacement under warranty.

It was a harrowing experience that has ensured I will NEVER go back to VAG again in India.

In my opinion, my car’s well-functioning gearbox was tampered or swapped by a notorious authorised VW service station in east Bangalore - there were several suspicious things that took place during my 3rd scheduled service that all point to foul play, but then J have no concrete evidence so not taking any names here.

Hope VAG relents - there is no point in opening dozens of showrooms if after-sales service and product quality continue to be dubious!

[vinaydatla]

Originally Posted by MinivanDriver

What are the options for sourcing the part independently and getting it fitted outside? The dealer markup could be saved and you could have the job done under your watch to make sure the job is properly done.

As I am in an unknown city, I won't be able to get it done at a FNG.

Originally Posted by shancz

Well then they're essentially saying that don't look at us for a economical or fuss-free experience and forget reliability.

IIRC whenever we talk about Skoda the service issues, niggles and costs are always mentioned whether its the Rapid or the Superb. I was hoping that this starts changing with their India 2.0 but will leave it at that.

IMO if anyone's buying a DSG they should add 2-3 lakhs to its price as DSG fees over a 7-10 years ownership.

That's true. We may have to start a SIP or RD to take care of the long term costs.

Originally Posted by AP_1812

This thread alone will cost VAG multiple potential customers. Classic case of being penny wise pound foolish. Just extend the same warranty in every country, i am sure the added cost will be nothing infront of the potential sales benefit.

Parts can fail on any car, but this different warranty for different regions is a great way to lose customers.

I don't know about others but they have lost me (a loyal customer who owns only VAG cars)

Originally Posted by hsingh

Skoda's has an excellent reputation here in the UK, and their products are considered reliable. The brand's market perception is slightly different in India, and I hope Zac and his team can work on this. Recently, I was looking for a used car for myself and found some well-maintained vRS models.

Their products are good-looking and well built, but they still fail to attract many customers.

A six digit repair bill and months of waiting for repair leaves a very bad impression. If I give approval for procurement, the SLA for repair is 15+ working days. It will be 6 weeks of waiting for me since the vehicle is towed.

Originally Posted by TNAWAYAJ

Empathy for the OP author and the countless others who have suffered at the hands of VAG and their ill-fated DQ200 DSG. I’ve been a victim too - and had to suffer with no car + being completely dependent on rickshaws and cabs for more than a month (my wife and I had just become parents for the first time too making the lack of a car even more painful!) as my Polo GT TSI languished at PPS Motors’ service station awaiting a DSG replacement under warranty.

It was a harrowing experience that has ensured I will NEVER go back to VAG again in India.

In my opinion, my car’s well-functioning gearbox was tampered or swapped by a notorious authorised VW service station in east Bangalore - there were several suspicious things that took place during my 3rd scheduled service that all point to foul play, but then J have no concrete evidence so not taking any names here.

Hope VAG relents - there is no point in opening dozens of showrooms if after-sales service and product quality continue to be dubious!

VW PPS is good in Hyderabad especially the Kukatpally branch. They are also taking up Skoda dealership which would remove the existing monopoly.

[roadrunner_nv]

Just one thread on a gearbox failure opens up a can of worms. Looking at the experiences of fellow Škoda owners, it is truly amazing how they have survived to launch their new products in India. A place where reliability and service drive people to chose relatively unsafe cars over strong platforms.

If the guys at Škoda are reading this, please know that the propensity to sell the products to existing customers is high is you offer a good experience. This is not rocket science. You also got to price your own products competitively and offer reasonable prices during exchange.

The most hilarious part was saved for the last salvo; a couple of years ago, when the Diesel Kodiaq was around, I had gone to the showroom to check it out and exchange my Rapid for it. The Rapid had just had a change of all 4 injectors and was purring like a kitten. Just to make sure that I knew what could be offered, I evaluated my Rapid at Cars24 and they offered me 8.5L. When the guys at Škoda examined my Rapid, the came to me with a final quote of 3.5 L + 10K as exchange bonus. I nearly fell from the chair as this was revealed. I tried to reason but they simply said that you can sell your car to Cars24. Why would someone buy a manufacturers car if they value their own products at such sub par rates?

I’ve developed a natural hate for Škoda and I intend to pen down every single ordeal that I faced in my ownership. I loved my Rapid and the driving experience on the highway was second to none. But, it was turning out to be a joy for one day, sorrow for 364. Two instances of failed injector on the highway with my family onboard were enough for me to sell the car. It is in such instances that one feels that overpriced, underpowered, low feature list cars BUT reliable ones make a lot of sense. Skoda should go to manufacturers like Toyota, Hyundai to know what this means.

[Guna]

Skoda should simply provide lifetime warranty on the DSG gear boxes including the ones which are already running (provided the cars have been serviced at the authorised service centers as per schedule)
Cost of replacing the broken down gear boxes will be minuscule compared to the goodwill/consumer confidence gained which would result in significantly increased business.
Even better: Own and manage the DSGs like how some EV makers are dealing with the batteries.

[GrammarNazi]

When a gearbox is going to decidedly fail with normal usage, it is an engineering design defect.

IMO their refusal to even a small (even conditional) discount indicates Skoda is likely going to stop extending any goodwill support to their past products anything beyond the vehicles legal liability within the warranty policy.

This attitude I guess in summary, is designed to be part of the "Full Skoda/VW/Audi Experience" that the company offers.

[PratikPatel]

I am a bit curious; who makes these transmission packs for VW/Škoda? Why is VW so laid back if it’s a design defect? Why does it continue to live with it? If these breakdowns are due to manufacturing defects then why are they not taking up these with the vendor. This behaviour of VW group is a bit bewildering.

[Metallicar]

VW Jetta 2.0 TDI DSG owner here. Car is 10 years old. 85k ODO.

Water pump, timing belt, AC compressor (twice), flywheel, roof liner, suspension have been replaced. Plenty of other things have been replaced too but I don't remember the specifics.

I did not get the diesel gate fix for my car so at least the driving pleasure is still present. When VW wanted us to get the ECU remapped for diesel gate, calls that the service center made to me were like " sir this is only a software update, just like we do in our mobiles ". They were giving a car cleaning kit worth Rs. 2000 for taking the soul of the car.

Thankfully the DSG is still working fine. Anyway will be selling the car now and won't go into VW/Skoda for long. I had thought of Kushaq/Taigun but nah...