V550dB's are great on the RS and VW know the Dunlops are NOT!!!!!

[jbee]

A while ago I posted about the battle I fought with VW Australia over the excessive and intolerable noise that the standard Dulop SportMax tyres made, and how they treated us like morons and told us to go away talk to Dunlop about it. They were also secretive about the wheel alignment settings, as if it were some trade secret. The apathetic dismissive responses we got from them were enough to make us both vow to never touch another VW product, despite the fact we really love our VRS Diesel wagon, it's a great car. VW Aust. are one of the worst companies we have ever dealt with and have no interest in listening to valid concerns once they have your money.

Well here's my revenge and some feedback First off we swapped to the V550dB tyres at our own expense as the car was undriveable with the row from the Dunlops. The tyre shop we went to did a very careful alignment and then checked it at 5000K again for free for us. The tyres grip great and were a revelation noise wise and are still quite after 10,000K so we recommend them highly for this model Skoda. it is now a joy to drive again.

Well I have it on good authority that the dealers have been advised by VW Aust. that there is indeed a noise issue with the Dunlops fitted as standard, not a recall or any public acceptance of a fault, or offer to recompense anyone you understand, that would be to admit those they sold the cars to know more than they do, which in my experience with them, you do.

If you have a Skoda Octavia RS with noisy tyres go and talk to VW Aust. maybe you will get the result these no hopers were unwilling to give us, all we asked for was a pro rata rebate on the cost of a new set of tyres, they stopped talking to us after I made that, what I consider reasonable offer.

Good luck all - we still love the car - even more now you can drive it without earplugs

[K1W1]

Never had a noise problem with the OEM Dunlops on my car. They were noisier when they were at the point of replacement but not excessively compared to other tyres I've had (think Michelin). Unfortunately noise is a personal thing and wha might be a huge issue for one may not be noticeable to others.
I find it strange that VW would tell dealers about a potential problem but not give them a recomended remedy or course of action. That goes against everything I have ever seen in the auto industry.

[jbee]

Me too Kiwi - but I am sad to say it no longer surprises me with VW. Ours made my 4WD running Mud tyres and with a singing roof rack sound like a luxury limo. The source we got it from was also slightly bewildered by the somewhat tacit admission that the Dunlops while a nice Grippy tyre may not have been a wise choice on this particular car. At the time i even told VW that we did not expect they would have tested every tire they use for suitability, just admit it when they got it wrong. A search on the Briskoda forum also shows a large volume of ignored complaints in the UK on the same issue. I would never buy a car from a manufacturer that simply brushes off and abandons its buyers like this.
This disappoints me more than VW no doubt, as the car itself is a real pleasure to drive and the build quality is outstanding, we would have happily and definately bought another if Skoda had they been more reasonable.

[pologti18t]

I am not sure what you expected them to do? How old were your tyres when you reported this issue?


They could have swapped the tyres for another brand and had exactly the same issue.

[dArK5HaD0w]

I find it strange that VW would tell dealers about a potential problem but not give them a recomended remedy or course of action. That goes against everything I have ever seen in the auto industry.

nothing strange there when it comes to vw aus having to remedy skoda vehicles - take the "rattle on acceleration wastegate" issue.
vw eventually decided to do something about it for their own kind, but will not extend that to the skoda stable.

[K1W1]

That's a different issue.
What the OP said was that VW had told dealers there was a problem but has told them to be quiet about it. That doesn't make any sense because it actually puts VW in a very difficult legal position if it could be proved to be correct. The statement the OP made sounds to me more like rumour and scuttlebutt rather than fact.

[VRS-Vic]

I overheard the guys down at Bob Jane say that the standard of Dunlops has dropped off since they moved things off shore?

[pologti18t]

That's a different issue.
What the OP said was that VW had told dealers there was a problem but has told them to be quiet about it. That doesn't make any sense because it actually puts VW in a very difficult legal position if it could be proved to be correct. The statement the OP made sounds to me more like rumour and scuttlebutt rather than fact.

I agree... noisey tyres is hardly a safety issue.
For all we know Skoda had access to a limited set of authorised tyre brands and the Dunlop was the best of a bad bunch. For all we know the Dunlop tyre design or construction could have been upgraded on later models.

The OP also said they had a 2009 Skoda (did they own it from new?). The OP's initial post said they loved the car. Suddenly it's turned into a "never buy another VAG product" issue.

[daft1014]

jbee, thanks for the update on the 550db's. It sounds like you have found a combination that works for you.. I will look into these tyres for myself when it is time for a replacement.

pologti18t, I can see where jbee is coming from. I have been very disappointed with the way Skoda/VW Australia has provided product support in my case. I would struggle to bring myself to buy another new Skoda, or recommend a new Skoda to a family member. When the customer has an issue or when there is a complex technical issue to resolve they do not give the impression that they care, in many instances leaving the dealers in the lurch. The lack of support from VWA has for me also made me question about whether I would buy a new VW product. I'm presently looking at getting a new dual cab ute. Despite the Amorak getting great reviews it is presently down on the list due to my concerns about support.

[GTR27]

i thought all vrs's came with conti cs2's? mine does and they are fantastic. will try michelin ps3's when they die as they are rated even better.

[sh|tbmxrider]

Nawww... There there, dry your eyes...



Unless your 'good authority' comes through with some sort of service bulletin, I call B.S.

The back-room side of the automotive industry does not work on whispers, conversations on phonecalls, or smoke signals. If it isn't in writing, it does not exist...

[dArK5HaD0w]

i thought all vrs's came with conti cs2's? mine does and they are fantastic. will try michelin ps3's when they die as they are rated even better.

i got the conti too with mine.
the vrs come either with conti or dunlops fitted, from factory.
there didn't seem to b a pattern or logic as to how or when they rotated between the two brands. seems more like "at that moment in time".....

[woofy]

Mine came with Michelin pilot exalto 2s which have been awesome. It depends on the deal they get at the time. PS3s will definitely be the replacements.

[K1W1]

i thought all vrs's came with conti cs2's? mine does and they are fantastic.

It was originally a bit hit and miss I think with some having Continentals and some Dunlops. Mine had Dunlops and I had no real problems with them they were round, black and lasted about the same length of time as the Continentals of the same size that were on our Audi.
When they died I was going to get PS3s but there were none in the country so I got Kumhos, saved over $100 per tyre and I have to say I'm very, very impressed with them so far at around 8000km use. I'll probably buy them again.

[GTR27]

I've been tossing up between khumo KU36's (almost a semi slick) or tirerack and get Michelin PS3's.

But with 15K on the conti's they dont show much signs of wear. Odd cause i certainly chuck the car about. I know from experience with my motorbike, I always get good mileage out of tires no matter what the tire. I check pressures once a week and generally use higher pressures most of the time which I think helps.