Fabia DSG Gearbox Failure

[Trevarth]

My Estate  car  bought new ,fully serviced by registered dealer , had a failing gearbox after 16000 miles.  Recovered to dealer 10 days ago, complained to Skoda Customer Care, no progress,  no replacement vehicle etc 7 emails ignored including to CEO. No idea when get car back repaired under warranty. Anyone else had same experience , how do I resolve it?

[Ootohere]

Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear this..

?

What engine has your car and how old is it?

What actually happened to the gearbox, did it lose drive, or something else?

?

Can the Dealership not diagnose the issue, have they not looked at it, or what are they saying?

?

Do you have a courtesy car?

Edited 7 January, 2020 by Roottootemblowinootsoot

[Trevarth]

Hi Rootetc,

Thanks for your interest. I have Fabia Estate 1.2 TS1 110PS SE DSG bought new in March 2017. It lost power when I was driving back from holiday on the 27th. Vehicle Status showed a failure. I called in to a Car Sales forecourt . They diagnosed a failure of gears 1 and 6. My  breakdown cover with my Bank arranged a hire car and recovery by low loader to the dealers. They say they do not have a suitable courtesy car which I have been requesting since 28th December. The car has been with them since the 30th. All they are saying is a part has been supplied and they are carrying out extensive tests. They will not give me a date when the car will be repaired.

[Ootohere]

Are you in the UK?

 

You have Skoda Assist.

They arrange a Hire car if the Dealership can not.   Best call Skoda UK Customer Services and get them to arrange to have a car delivered to you.

 

Tell them you want the car by the end of the day.

Read your Warranty & Skoda Assist T&C's.

http://skoda.co.uk/discover/contact-us

 

http://skoda.co.uk/owners/warranty

 

 

SKODA_Warranty_Terms_November_2018.59c8de521ff537083074db669bd4a47d.pdf

Edited 7 January, 2020 by Roottootemblowinootsoot

[Ootohere]

Skoda Assist.

SKOEXTC1 0218 web.pdf

[Trevarth]

Yes I am in the UK. Skoda Assist so far have failed to provide a car. They originally said I should have gone through the AA  on the 27th even though I had not broken down on roadside. Then the dealers ordered a car through Europa that did not turn up on New Years Eve.  Later Europa rang me to take a £50 deposit on the 2nd January, I was willing to give bank details  and £1 as per Enterprise . This refused. I caved in on Saturday and sent email to Skoda and dealers reluctantly agreeing £50 deposit. Heard nothing since.

[Gmac983]

Seems a little strange to me, at your vehicles age and mileage you are covered by the Skoda assist service and should have had nothing more to do than phone them and they should have done the rest for you....

Any hire car deposits I have paid under similar circumstances (hire car supplied through manufacturers assist programs from the likes of europcar or hertz) in the past have just been for fuel deposits and you get that back when you return the car with as supplied quantities of fuel as the hire car will be supplied to you in this situation (ie delivered to you) full of fuel. Or the hire firm takes your card details to cover any fuel discrepancies when you return it. 

What were skoda assists reasons for not supplying a hire car @Trevarth? 

Edited 7 January, 2020 by Gmac983

[Ootohere]

There is no excuse that would hold water.

 

As to a car recovered other than by Skoda Assist.  That is just how things go.  Car to Main Dealer,  then they can move their butts.

 

Skoda UK Customer Services not fit for purpose yet again.

Car is under Manufacturers Warranty, and Skoda Assist in place.  That is the important bit.

Edited 7 January, 2020 by Roottootemblowinootsoot

[Trevarth]

 Hi GMac,

 

Both dealer and Skoda  Customer Care said that If I had called the AA they would supplied me with hire car on the 27th. However I was 300 miles from home and the Skoda Garage in the major town where my car was failing, was shut.  I was aware I had breakdown cover through my Bank and that is why I contacted them and obtained a hire car for 2 days through Enterprise.  My car was stored by a recovery firm . When the dealer asked me to contact AA on the 28th , the young lady in the Call Centre said they would only recover from roadside and not from storage or forecourt.  My bankers insurers recovery team ,however, were happy to deliver to my local dealer and I made these arrangements.

[Gmac983]

I'm still not understanding the situation fully. In any event skoda assist should have provided you with a car as a last resort when the dealer could not. Did you specifically contact skoda assist yourself? Or was it the dealer speaking to customer services on your behalf? You shouldn't have needed to, or been asked to contact the AA or whatever yourself. I was In a similar situation a few years back with Audi assist and after some discussion common sense prevailed, after I said I would move my car of their premises and then phone assist from the roadside in front of their forecourt. 

It seems you have been fobed off. As skoda assist should have organized the recovery of your vehicle, taken you home or to a hotel and then provided a hire car delivered to you as soon as possible. 

[Trevarth]

Thanks for your continued interest. When I broke down I tried to contact the nearest garage of Skoda as 10am on Friday 27th. They were shut . I wasn't even aware of the AA involvement . Being over 250 miles from home I used my bankers insurers breakdown scheme.

The next day I phoned my local dealer who told me about the AA and said I should ring them to recover my vehicle from where it was being stored by my bankers insurers firm . The AA refused . The dealer gave me the number for Skoda Customer Service and they issued a complaint number.

Incidentally I have just rung the dealers .My car is on the ramp , being put together and then will be road tested. They have replaced a part in the DSG gearbox but details of the costs etc will be invoiced to Skoda. I have asked for a written report of what they have done. The car has 3 more months under Warranty. Should I insist on this written report, before taking delivery. Needless to say I'm desperate to get my transport back and may be arranging a lift from a friend this afternoon to travel the 15 miles to the dealer.

[Gmac983]

You should be presented with a full report on what was done and explained to you why, if not most definitely ask for this. 

I think there are a few reasons for the issues you have experienced here. 

In the first instance you yourself should have called skoda assist directly (who indeed are currently using the AA for breakdowns and recovery, this contract periodically changes so it may not always be the AA) on 0800 526 625 and explained your situation, they would have taken care of you thereafter. It was unfortunate timing that your chosen dealer was closed for the festive period as they would/should have advised you to call skoda assist. 

On finding yourself in the situation you were in you understandably utilized your own breakdown cover which again due to the festive period over complicated the situation. However common sense should have prevailed from all parties concerned (your dealer/the AA/skoda customer services). There should have been some understanding shown by them and worked to resolve the problem with you with the minimum of fuss. 

 

P. S

When you bought your car new the dealer at the time should have as a very minimum made you aware of skoda assist and the fact that you have 3 years free roadside assistance and recovery + homestart with a guaranteed courtesy car (hired car or otherwise from the dealer) 

 

Hopefully your car is as good as new. 

 

Also dealer or skoda should be at the very least offering you transport to collect your car since they fumbled getting you a courtesy car or hire car to keep you mobile. 

Edited 8 January, 2020 by Gmac983

[Trevarth]

Many thanks Gmac for your time and advice.I think my local dealers realise I have lost all faith in Skoda and no-one is making any effort to create goodwill. It's their loss in the long run.

 

[Gmac983]

Who was the dealer? Name and shame them! 

Edited 8 January, 2020 by Gmac983

[Trevarth]

Friend drove me to Truscotts Skoda Helston, Cornwall and I've now got  Fabia back. Was handed invoice  which showed they had replaced mechatron unit. My warranty runs out in 3 months time. Can I get an extended warranty on this part? After a week of no response from Skoda Customer Care suddenly  young lady left a message for me to contact her concerning an escalated complaint. I am concerned that this fault may have reduced the resale value of the car and an extended warranty might compensate. Would value your opinion as to how I should approach Skoda. They do not reply to my emails.

[Ootohere]

The MCU they fitted is just under warranty until the 3 year warranty ends.

 

You can buy an Extended Warranty, and they can not say Known Issue, as they say there are no issues, just a one off.

 

I would push for Skoda to extend the warranty, they have with Mk2 owners with Engine & DSG failures, now probably a hopeless ask.

https://insurewithskoda.co.uk/extended-warranty/

 

This is what the T&C for your Manufacturers Warranty says.

 

Edited 9 January, 2020 by Roottootemblowinootsoot