Are we going to see a turnaround in Skoda/VW servicing?

[Transporter]

The Internet also brings out the die hard loyalists who find it hard to acknowledge a genuine issue. I have never ever, across multiple brands and vehicles, received service as poor as that offered by Skoda dealers. And that was unknowable when I bought mine several years ago.

I have moved on, literally...

I'm not die hard loyalist, if I'd have 1/2 of the problems you had I would be swapping the brand and moving on, that's what I did with the Merc and the Jeep. I moved on and never went back to their forums.
I didn't feel the need to waste my time and try to change what I couldn't change.

[BluChris]

Still got the Skoda Transporter, so I figure I should still be here for now

I wasted my time trying to get results on my car, for sure. As a last gasp I made an effort for everyone who values Skoda (as I do) to improve things. That's why I answered the survey and later agreed to talk with the survey company. I had already put down the deposit so I won't benefit if anything comes of it. It wasn't payback either, because I suspect Richmond staff could cop a smack for this and that's not what I want.

I washed the Octy last night for the last time and can't tell you how sad I was that it turned out this way. The cars and their owners deserve better.

[Transporter]

Well, as I said earlier, every brand has lemons. Even I couldn't take anymore of the meaningless trips to the Jeep dealer and traded the KJ Jerokee on the Touareg in the hope that it would be a better experience and it is. It was the reliability of the automatic transmission that put me off from getting another Jeep, so it's complicated when it comes to time to replace the car you liked because you feel like everything alse is against you.
I wish you it works out for you. Sometimes the change is good.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

[wai]

It is a case of people making views known because they have problems, but that is the issue.

Perceptions are everything. If someone sees your car and asks you what it is like, you are not going to say nice things about it if you have had problems and were fobbed off. It is one thing where problems are nothing to do with the manufacturer (like tyres or brakes even if they supply rubbish to start with). It is something else when the problems relate to their design or actions.

The problems I have reported and have been acknowledged relate to the transmission and safety.

On the transmission, if you stop uphill on a hill and then move off, the transmission will not change out of 2nd, even if you take the engine to the red line. This has nothing to do with whether the car is now on a hill or level ground. It can be 10 to 15 seconds (a long time) before it decides to change up unless you do it manually.

The other is the delay in the reverse clutch engaging. Stop on a hill facing down. Press the brake to engage hill hold. Engage reverse and then try to reverse up. As soon as the system senses a change in accelerator position, hill hold is released, but the transmission takes almost 1 second before the clutch engages. You roll downhill until the clutch engages and launches you backwards. You press the brake and it all happens again. The manual says that the release of the brake is supposed to be gradual, but it is instantaneous.

Both these issues have been reported, and acknowledged by the dealer, but they will not report the matter to VW because they have been told to tell the customer that it is standard for that type of vehicle.

On the safety side, it is the cigarette lighter powered up all the time. The Polo was subject to a recall on this with the grounds cited as "Fire". The design of the area of the lighter has not changed, but now VW will not rectify this. Essentially, if the lighter element gets stuck in, you have to try and find which fuse to remove, or locate a spanner (none provided in the tool kit) and disconnect the battery. All the while, the lighter is doing what it is designed to do, and that is heat up an element to a point where it will ignite something. The requirement for the cigarette lighter to operate with the ignition key in the on or accessory positionwas removed from ADR 42 was because manufacturers had all decided to make this operation standard, only VW broke ranks.

Once again dealers have been told to tell customers that this operation is standard for their type of vehicle.

If other manufacturers are also starting to use this to deflect complaints, then this does not legitimise things. It simply means that those manufacturers will eventually also feel a backlash.

This is not a case of VW bashing, after all, I paid over $40,000 for my car. The last thing I would want is for VW to fail. What VW need to understand is that there is an equally important part to the customer relationship, and that is service. How they respond to complaints is what sets them apart. This is where VW falls down. If VW don't want to hear this, then all they are doing is reinforcing a perception about them. Customers have paid large amounts of money for VW cars, but there are those who feel like they have been taken for a ride. I actually tried to talk my brother, a niece of mine and a friend to get a VW. Fortunately they decided on other vehicles otherwise it would have caused me issues with family members and a long term friend.

It is not the money side of things, but the attitude that is what needs to change. My servicing costs for my Hiace were much higher than for my Caddy Maxi Life (more than double AND service intervals were every 5,000 km), but the thing about the service I got was that any issues I had were properly addressed and I was never given a snow job.

Every car manufacturer will have problems, but it is how they respond to these problems that the public will judge them on.

[PassatB6]

You don't hear of too many problems with Skoda dealers because Skodas are well sorted vehicles anyway. VWs on the other hand contain a lot of new tech which their Dealerships cannot seem to cope with. Correct me if I'm wrong but in my opinion the problem lies not with the cars but the lack of well trained VW service techs in Dealerships and Salesman and Service managers who don't really comprehend the problems they are faced with. VWs are some of the most technically advanced cars on the road but their Dealerships are often not sophisticated enough to cope with the problems they face.

[woofy]

Wai, that issue with reversing isn't a fault as such but just the way it is. I encountered it a lot with rental Skodas and is why I have a manual. The always on 12V port is a very very good feature, it was something implemented on purpose as people want to be able to charge things when the car is off. The way to perhaps improve it is to provide a switch that depresses when something is in it though.

Something for you to consider BluChris and I keep forgetting about it is statutory warranty. Basically the more expensive and premium something is marketed the more onus on the company to honour things, especially out of warranty if its a defect. Skoda make no bones (and charge for it as well) about how they are a premium car here in Oz (not so much in the UK) and they charge accordingly for services etc. Because of that it would be well within reason for them to cough up the cost of repairs within a year or so out of warranty. I've had 14mth old mobile phones that you need only hint at that warranty to get it fixed free, it should be moreso effective with a 40k car.

[BluChris]

Thanks Woofy, it did cross my mind at the time. I didn't because I figured it would be hard to get agreement to cover these issues and I also felt I was prepared to wear the cost on the basis that if I had a big issue - DSG, turbo etc I would push hard then, hopefully not having exhausted any goodwill. I definitely agree that goodwill repairs or contribution out of warranty should be a part of the deal, for all manufacturers really when there is premature failure not related to driver abuse.

[K1W1]

I have never had a problem getting things done out of warranty either for free or at least at substantially discounted rates. If you want to ensure this happens the best thing you can do unfortunately is pay the excessive service costs at the dealership during the warranty period. Manufacturers always take the vehicles service history (i.e. whether it has been serviced at one of their dealers) into account when making ex gratia subsides after the warranty expires.

[PassatB6]

The other is the delay in the reverse clutch engaging. Stop on a hill facing down. Press the brake to engage hill hold. Engage reverse and then try to reverse up. As soon as the system senses a change in accelerator position, hill hold is released, but the transmission takes almost 1 second before the clutch engages. You roll downhill until the clutch engages and launches you backwards. You press the brake and it all happens again. The manual says that the release of the brake is supposed to be gradual, but it is instantaneous.

Handbrake?

[wai]

Handbrake?

Yes, that is what I have to do on mine, only problem is a conventional handbrake is not provided on all models in the range and so you have no way of using a handbrake to control it. When I demonstrated this to the sales rep who was told to "take care of me", he said that it should not operate that way, but then the CSR refused to pass it on to VW.

The transmission is effectively sold as an "automatic", and no automatic I know of does this. A work colleague has an Eos with a DSG, and it is so bad there that both he and his wife have to take this into consideration when they park. In one instance he said they had to leave the car where it was, take a taxi home and come back in their other car when there were no cars parked in the front or rear. It is a major problem that can be easily fixed, however the CSR's simply refuse to do anything about it. It involves altering the delay between accelerator position detection and clutch engagement to something like what happens in D rather than the 1 second it takes in reverse..

As I said, it will take something major to happen before anything is done. VW can easily avoid this, but they are either not being told about it, or choose not to do anything about it, just as with the cigarette lighter issue.

[Inego]

As I updated in the other thread, Trivett Alexandria provided great servie and the faulty exhaust pressure sensor was replaced under warranty.

I wonder whether VW's thoughts about fixed price servicing are hastened by Opel's announcement of same?

[BluChris]

To wrap this up, I heard from VAG today. The young woman I spoke with was focused on 'your car has an issue perhaps we can help', then realised I had sold it so was then at a loss. She didn't quite seem to get why the survey company had suggested they should hear about my experiences. It didn't give me much confidence that they are looking at the big picture, though I accept she would have been a junior staff member. Probably not at the right level for the type of conversation needed.

One thing she did confirm for all you diesel owners - the timing belt is definitely an inspection at 60k, replace if necessary or otherwise 7 years/105k.

Interestingly the dealer I traded the Octy to has put it on their lot with what I'd see as an ambitious price. They were worried being a VAG product that there was something wrong with it that might bite them, but I reassured them there was nothing major. Most worried about the DSG, unsurprisingly.

Enjoying the Focus, a lovely car for anyone looking at a well priced (with factory campaigns) non-VAG car.

Best wishes to you all.

[woofy]

Richmond Skoda have always said there was an inspection at 60k, but also said by the time someone got to the point where you could properly inspect it you may as well replace. Someone else here though piped up and said it was very minor to inspect. I don't know...