Do I have warranty or not? More lousy customer management from Skoda/VW

[brad]

Skoda has a 3 year warranty.
I took delivery of my vehicle on the 12 July 2008 & this is written in the Service book.
Vehicle was first registered on the 8th July 2008
Pre-delivery done on the 4th July 2008

On Thursday 30th June (last week), I took the car to Nepean Motor Group Skoda Service to have my first warranty issue looked at - it was getting a recurring N249 code coming up on the scan tool. While explaining the issue to the Service Advisor I mention that I thought I better get it looked at before warranty runs out. He tells me the dealer (Paul Wakeling Campbelltown) was "registered" with Skoda on the 30 June 2008 & therefore my warranty expired on the 29th June 2011.

He advised me that any diagnostic & repair work would be at my expense. As it had taken me several months to get time to book in the car & organise to work from a different office, I was left with no choice but to agree to pay for diagnostics at a minimum charge of $121.

I asked for them to contact Skoda about the issue but they seemed not to care & had not done so when I picked the vehicle up that afternoon.

The vehicle needs a new N75 valve ($65 part plus $70 labour). So I'll eventually be out of pocket $256.

According to the Service Advisor, Skoda/VW rarely give goodwill for "such small amounts of money" and only help customers out if they have major issues such as engines, gearboxes or turbochargers, etc.

As in the past, great cars, lousy customer management.

[ian]

The Warranty should start from the first day the car was registered, i would tell them i was going to contact Consumer affairs , as your car was legally not out of warranty / So are they saying that your car was registered to another company before you bought it, so was it a DEMO?
but you can still extend your new car warranty while there's still some warranty left..

[brad]

The Warranty should start from the first day the car was registered, i would tell them i was going to contact Consumer affairs , as your car was legally not out of warranty / So are they saying that your car was registered to another company before you bought it, so was it a DEMO?
but you can still extend your new car warranty while there's still some warranty left..

Nope. The car was brand new.

I ordered it around mid-June IIRC. It was for Skoda stock in the holding yard at Ingleburn. They stuffed up the first order (got the interior colour wrong), then got this one in. It was brand new & had 12km on the odo when I got it.

My guess is they "registered" it with Skoda as some type of End of financial year thing.

I don't think registration date is pertinant. The service book has a date for predelivery & a vehicle handover date. I think the latter is the date to work with.

Sent an email to Skoda this morning asking what their stance was as it also meant the dealer wouldn't look at the striations in my windscreen or the wear on my seat bolster unless I wanted to spend more money.

[theduckster]

The warranty starts when the dealer reports the car to Skoda Australia.

Yes it should be on the day you take delivery of the car but dealers are under pressure to meet their monthly sales targets set by Skoda Australia. So in order to meet their monthly sales target for June 2008 I bet the dealer reported your car at the end of month to meet their target. The person who most likely reported your car isn't the person who registered your car and the person who registered your car usually fills out the books and puts the current date into any date fields. The system sucks but unfortunately it doesn't look like changing soon.

I pick up my Superb on the 14th of July, but I know my car was reported on the 30th June. So as I type my warranty is ticking away on a car I don't have. At at least in my case, the Sales Manager rang me and explained the situation. For what it's worth I will be writing to Skoda Australia after I pick up my car and ask them what they are going to do. I doubt I will get a favorable response.

[Jake02]

It's when you drive the car away. We picked ours up on July 7th, 2008, therefore our warranty ends July 7th, 2011. It says it in our service booklet.

[brad]

Jake
actually your's should end COB 6th July but I get what you are saying.

Anyway, you've confirmed my thoughts although theduckster & I seem to have similar stories except my dealer didn't tell me..... And I think what is written down in the service book trumps a verbal.

I'll update you as news comes to hand.

[jbviajero]

I don't see how the dealer can argue that the clock starts ticking before the engine is ticking over and you are in the drivers seat for the first time.

I would go straight to the fair trading people.
Motor vehicle warranty and repair disputes - NSW Fair Trading

[brad]

I don't see how the dealer can argue that the clock starts ticking before the engine is ticking over and you are in the drivers seat for the first time.

I would go straight to the fair trading people.
Motor vehicle warranty and repair disputes - NSW Fair Trading

As it is Skoda's warranty & the dealership is only the middleman, I'll give Skoda a chance to reply to my direct enquiries. As I said, dealer CBF - probably because I was being reasonable & didn't blow my top. I do come across as quite mild-mannered. What they don't realise is that I run engineering contracts for a living & usually get the result I want in the end.

[The_Hawk]

probably because I was being reasonable & didn't blow my top. I do come across as quite mild-mannered. What they don't realise is that I run engineering contracts for a living & usually get the result I want in the end.

I have the same issue. It's one thing to be nice and rational and understanding ... but then the squeaky wheel and all that.

Document everything, raise it to higher and higher authorities documenting as you go. Eventually you get to someone high enough that can either make a decision or who is just pissed at his underlings for letting piddly issues get to his level

[K1W1]

Skoda has a 3 year warranty.
On Thursday 30th June (last week), I took the car to Nepean Motor Group Skoda Service to have my first warranty issue looked at - it was getting a recurring N249 code coming up on the scan tool. While explaining the issue to the Service Advisor I mention that I thought I better get it looked at before warranty runs out. He tells me the dealer (Paul Wakeling Campbelltown) was "registered" with Skoda on the 30 June 2008 & therefore my warranty expired on the 29th June 2011.

Plain and simple you have been lied to. Unfortunately there is one dealership in Melbourne where this seems to be a recurring theme.

[K1W1]

The warranty starts when the dealer reports the car to Skoda Australia.

Wrong. The warranty is three years / 100,000 from the day the owner takes delivery. The car is covered by warranty the OP has been ripped off and should complain directly and very loudly to Skoda Australia.
He should also consider a complaint to the VACC and investigate what remedies he has from the ACCC.
I've never in my life heard of a car manufacturer refusing a warranty on something that is mere days either side of the warranty expiration and certainly not for such a piddly amount of money.

[Transporter]

Wrong. The warranty is three years / 100,000 from the day the owner takes delivery. The car is covered by warranty the OP has been ripped off and should complain directly and very loudly to Skoda Australia.
He should also consider a complaint to the VACC and investigate what remedies he has from the ACCC.
I've never in my life heard of a car manufacturer refusing a warranty on something that is mere days either side of the warranty expiration and certainly not for such a piddly amount of money.

One call will fix the dealer no worries. I've been there, done that. When I had MB Vito, there was the dealership called South Star, until... they refused to replaced front brake discs when they had an excessive run out at 8,000km. One call to head office and 10min. later the dealer rang me to make a time, but he made a mistake and let the not qualified mechanic replace the brake discs and he left all the wax on them. A month later they closed down. Later I found out from my mate who worked there, that my complaint was the last straw that broke their back.

[dArK5HaD0w]

I pick up my Superb on the 14th of July, but I know my car was reported on the 30th June. So as I type my warranty is ticking away on a car I don't have. At at least in my case, the Sales Manager rang me and explained the situation. For what it's worth I will be writing to Skoda Australia after I pick up my car and ask them what they are going to do. I doubt I will get a favorable response.

why is it sitting with ur dealer for 2 weeks?!?!?!
it should only take a couple of days, or a week max.

anyways, back to the warranty, it should start when the customer signs the paper, not when the dealer signs their papers!!
its unfair. wat if a car they got sits at the yard for 3 months before being sold as new - its not fair for the customer to miss out on those 3 months worth of warranty.
u can bet ur bottom dollar the dealer will b telling the customer that it comes with 3 yrs manufacturers warranty, as opposed to 2yrs 9mths warranty!!!!

same thing with appliances - warrantly starts from the date of purchase by the customer, not the reseller!!

[PassatB6]

The warranty is three years / 100,000 from the day the owner takes delivery.

Exactly. The only exceptions are where a Dealer advertises 'balance of 3 yr warranty' which can occur on some older models particualrly demonstrators.

[woofy]

From memory by 3rd year of warranty it's all VAG Australia and not Skoda anymore. So they can cover it. I've had a few new cars and warranty is date of delivery, if a dealer has done the wrong thing, then that is between them and vw Australia to take action over, the car owner is legally entitled to their warranty unless it was a demo model that had balance of warranty noted.