[07CR]

Originally Posted by tsi_niks1989

Is it? Would request the admins to create a Poll for owners of the VAG 2.0 cars if they are not happy with the car ownership. I know this will not help much but atleast draw the correct picture.

I don't see so much participation when Kia/Hyundai brake fade issue happens, their DCTs start over-heating, rusting happens in a Honda, new Honda City 5th Gen rattles, etc.

There has been plenty of hue and cry over the dct and brake fade issue of Hyundai Kia. For 4th gen city there is a separate thread for niggles which has gone for 29 pages.

Difference here -The examples of Hyundai Kia and Honda are either quite lower (considering their huge sales volumes) or either not severe (like niggles of 4th gen city). Even the dct issues have been fewer than what VW -skoda have been reporting. There's also the fact that the 4th gen city costed around 10-16 or so lakhs at that point of time. The VW 2.0 cars are now breaching 21-22 lakhs in few cities. Car prices have been through the roof for all manufacturers but it's just the human mentality that's not accepting it yet (when you pay 20+ big one's, in a way rightfully so).

[tsi_niks1989]

Originally Posted by 07CR

There's also the fact that the 4th gen city costed around 10-16 or so lakhs at that point of time. The VW 2.0 cars are now breaching 21-22 lakhs in few cities. Car prices have been through the roof for all manufacturers but it's just the human mentality that's not accepting it yet (when you pay 20+ big one's, in a way rightfully so).

Vento-Rapid were also available in similar price range when compared to Honda City 4th Gen. Price increase is something across the brands and not specific to VAG.

Their have been cars similarly priced to VAG twins but barely managed to cross 2 stars in safety so yes cars have become costly and even after paying 20+ big ones customers might not be getting what they actually paid for.

[samitjain]

The issues seems to be more dealer related than Skoda.

If such issues are quite common then dealer would have known how to resolve this issue in one go. Also saying that part is coming from Germany is also wrong. Most companies keep such parts as stock.

It’s more of dealers end issue than Skoda.
Skoda 2.0 has its share of issues just like other brands. That’s why I preferred going with Octavia. I believe international models have some sense of reliability compared to Made for india as issues would have been sorted out with complaints coming from all across the world and not only india.

I have Virtus in family as well and the car doesn’t feel as well built as Octavia, obviously it is one segment above. Maybe few years down the line they would have rectifiy their 2.0 cars, like AC issues

[eyesice]

I bought a Skoda Rapid back in 2021 and I can confirm that the power window issue is very common in recent skoda cars. My Left side power window does not go up all the way (one touch up). I have taken my car to Kun Skoda Perungudi alteast 5 times and they havent been able to fix it. Infact, they have made it worse (too much rattles).

Since then, I have decided to not open the left side window at all. Kun Skoda is highly incompetent. The good news is that Chennai has a lot of VAG FNG garages. I am planning to switch to these FNGs and stop going to the ASC altogether.

[Arun_S]

Many people have already given lot of valuable advice.

My only suggestion is, don't go the legal way, it would be too time consuming plus this group pretty big one with lot of political backing they will make you run from pillar to post.

[Hayek]

Yet another example of customers having unrealistic expectations from car manufacturers or dealers.

Don’t think any of the earlier cribs (rattling, screeching etc) are a big deal - on rattles, I find some folks over sensitive (remember someone on this forum cribbing about a Lexus), while the other problems can happen in any car.

For the breakdown, I am a bit concerned. Something similar happened to my Superb several years ago - but it turned out to be just a battery failure. I don’t see why an ABS failure will lead to the Airbag or EPC light coming on. I do hope that the Kun team checked the battery before jumping to conclusions on ABS modules.

ABS modules unlike ABS sensors don’t fail that often - so having to source a part from abroad is not extraordinary. The same has happened to owners of various other CKD cars. Even if this is locally assembled, this is quite likely one of the imported parts. So a long wait is not surprising.

The replacement car is terrible and am shocked the dealer or it’s vendor did not bother to renew the insurance. It also has private car plates - so am surprised a dealer gave it as a loaner (which should be cars with Yellow on Black plates in my view). So that is bad service from the dealer - but they will see giving a replacement car as doing you a favour - most people do not get loaners from their dealer.

So chill, hope the car gets repaired soon, and enjoy the drive instead of wasting your breath and energy on needless cribs or impossible to win (with this fact pattern) lawsuits.

[true_sedan]

I feel everyone here is over reacting. It’s shocking to even see some bhpians say “I’m cancelling my plans to buy a Skoda.” The issues faced by the OP are not that big issues to warrant a response like this. All the issues are easily fixable and I feel like there is a lot of miscommunication between the SA and the OP.
Issues like this are bound to crop up every now and then which is common with car brands all over the world. Before throwing out your plans to buy a Skoda or VW just ask yourself this:
Is every car sold by VW group faulty?

My kind request is to stop overreacting for every issue that’s posted in the forum.

My advise to the OP is all these issues are easily fixable. Don’t just give up yet and don’t threaten legal action. Threatening legal action will escalate this to a different level and the service centre guys will stop responding to you as advised by their lawyer. Instead gently press them everyday for an update. Keep explaining your situation and they will do everything they can to fix the issue for you. Coming to the crappy loaner vehicle which was given to you. Yes, it is simply atrocious that they gave one with an expired insurance and broken head and tail lamps. But loaner vehicles are crappy everywhere and are purely a hit or a miss. Giving out a loaner is at the sole discretion of the service centre depending on availability. Wait till April 28th as promised and see where you can go from there. My gut instinct is that the issues will be fixed.

I can’t imagine a world where Skoda and VW stop making fun to drive cars and instead start making cars that are a boring to drive.

[Kashief]

Having a car is to travel from point A to B for anyone. One difference between a regular joe and the enthusiast is the feel they get when A pedal is pressed. Under any circumstance if a prospective buyer think that the car can fail mechanically anytime then why they have to invest the hard earned money. On top of that most of the service centers are incompetent to diagnose the issue and fix it on time. There are more mechanically reliable cars with little less enthusiasm. And the driving sense and traffic is not as it is like a decade before to utilize the additional bhp, even though the infrastructure is improved. As many suggested it’s better to take back the car and sell it off if he don’t trust it’s reliability anymore. At least the owner can have peace of mind.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by tsi_niks1989

Vento-Rapid were also available in similar price range when compared to Honda City 4th Gen. Price increase is something across the brands and not specific to VAG.

I am comparing the expectations of a 4th gen city buyer who shelled approx 40% lesser money than a Virtus top end owner. With increase in price the expectations increase, and hence the dismay.

Originally Posted by tsi_niks1989

Their have been cars similarly priced to VAG twins but barely managed to cross 2 stars in safety so yes cars have become costly and even after paying 20+ big ones customers might not be getting what they actually paid for.

This depends on customer to customer. Reliability and fuss free ownership experience is top priority for many. Some might favor a 5 * rated car over anything else. Different strokes for different folks. My personal preference remains reliability and fuss free (read absolutely niggle free ) experience above everything else (I have my reservations about the GNCAP and it's testing)

[KryptonMonkey]

Originally Posted by Hayek

ABS modules unlike ABS sensors don’t fail that often - so having to source a part from abroad is not extraordinary. The same has happened to owners of various other CKD cars. Even if this is locally assembled, this is quite likely one of the imported parts. So a long wait is not surprising.

This is a car currently in production. Let's assume for a moment that it is indeed an issue with the ABS module and also that some of the parts are imported and locally assembled.

• Is it not possible to source the part from an India-based Skoda/VW factory?
• Are the inventory levels so tight that they wouldn't have a few spares in the Indian factories?

My question pertains to not just Skoda/VW but to all manufacturers in India. I've always been curious/skeptical when the "imported parts" reason/excuse is given, especially for in-production vehicles.

[fiat_tarun]

The Kushaq has ESP as standard so I hope they are referring to the ESP module as the 'ABS module' here. Additionally, VW group will source from either Bosch or Continental and both make ESP units locally in India, so I'm definitely not buying this story !

I request a Kushaq/Taigun owner to check under the hood and see the supplier name on the ESP unit and I'm 100% sure it will be made in India !

There is something else that is the problem and the dealer is not being transparent. If it really is a faulty ESP unit and they are taking so long to get a replacement, I don't know what to say !!

[Himalayan_Ice]

Classic Skoda. Come to think of it, the showroom manager at Mega Mall, Gurgaon plain scoffed at my questions about after sales situation. Feeling so relieved about not putting down money on that Monte Carlo.
Feel really bad for you mate. But unfortunately in this country, customer comes last, and justice arrives (if at all) later than the effects of it being denied.

[Surya1]

I would like to share my thoughts on this from a different perspective. After living for years in Europe, I see Skoda here is considered among a relatively reliable car after Japanese manufacturers(Honda, Toyota etc.). But that is for european made cars. Given the level of localization of VW/SKODA 2.0 cars, I am skeptical about the quality of parts made locally. I had a friend working for JBM group, he used to tell me they supply auto-compenents 2 quality grades lower than the agreed upon with manufacturers. Sometimes, they skipped the QC to save pennies(read paisa). Remember Maruti recall for fuel pipe/hose replacement long back, I had info much before, courtesy of my friend that they were not even testing to save time/money. Every (non-ethical)businessman/group wants to shoot for the moon in short time, cutting corners, putting others at risk and without thinking once about the consequences. It's just sad. I believe sometimes we can't blame the manufacturers 100%. Suppliers, dealers and all have their fair share. Hoping the ASO is competent enough to diagnose the fault correctly, given the complexity of these cars and not keep you waiting for inessential part import which is not gonna fix anything.

[SeshSrini]

Extremely sorry to hear this saga of yours. I would strongly suggest you to get this addressed to your basic level of acceptance and get this sold in the market. Honestly many of us are facing one or the other issues with various brands. It all boils down to what can you endure and define your breaking point. It's now more of a luck in today's Indian context considering the sheer volume of buyers who are queuing up in front of showrooms. Sadly it's a seller's market.

[raptor_diwan]

Issues like these are common with overhyped Skoda/VW products and when you choose to buy a Skoda product in India, it is important to be aware that you may encounter this type of problem.It is fortunate for those who haven't faced any problems, but it is not unusual for others to encounter similar issues.

In terms of your refund case, I don't believe it will be possible to obtain one unless you have some leverage or high-level pressure from the GOI. However, there have been cases where customers have received complete refunds and even compensation for minor issues, such as a repainted panel. For example, you can refer to this case:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...-refund-2.html (Skoda lost a repeat customer of 12 years | Dealer repainted panel of new Slavia, I got a full refund)

Nevertheless, it would require significant support to achieve this kind of result.

Personally, I would never purchase a Skoda/VW car, nor would I recommend them to any of my friends, even if they are available at a significantly lower price. In my opinion, these overhyped German cars are not worth the problems they often cause.