Ziggur

Collected new car today.

Surprised to see green mould inside the lower rubber window trims on passenger and rear doors. Dealer had no explanation but I suspect that the car has been standing outdoors for some time and that this was the North-facing side. (Boy Scout training !).

I thought that new cars parked in fields for a long time was a thing of the past. Is there any way that I can check the production date?

Thanks.

johnjohnhealy

I can explain it if the dealer cant -

They haven't PDi'd it properly or they would have spotted it and cleaned it!

Unfortunately unless you make a specific and/or unusual factory option order, your 'new' car most likely will have been sitting in a field for months!

gadgetman

Is this the problem? - Repairing Leaking Door Carriers

Remembered it from when Stu directed me to his site for another issue (now book marked).

Ziggur

I hope not

johnsilver

Re. production date I rang Skoda Customer Services with the Chassis number and I asked outright for the date of production (I had problems with all 4 ignition coils-but that is another story!). They gave it to me.

Ziggur

Thanks JS. I'll give them a call.

I bought a new Anthracite car but I now know from the paint code that it is Graphite Grey. I am sure that this is a MY06 car rather than a MY07. Paint colour, "old" Stream audio, and no 3.5mm socket in Jumbo box all point to a May/June 2006 production date but it could be even earlier.

No wonder I got an unregistered Elegance Estate with 20 miles on the clock and heated leather seats for £3020 off list price!

The annoying part of all this is that if the dealer had given me all the information I still would have bought it. I just feel a bit cheated.

"Caveat Emptor"

mannyo

Ziggur,

PM me your complete VIN number, and I can PM you the date of manufacture in return. As an example mine was 3 months old before it was registered with the DVLA.

__________________
Manny
2005 Octavia 2.0TDi Elegance combi
my skoda website http://www.octaviars.co.uk

Join the briskoda.net folding team click Here for more info

fordfan

Is the spare wheel steel?, they quite often have a date and time ink jet printed on them.

Ziggur

Full size alloy spare.

dan123

So let's get this straight...you ordered Anthracite and the car is graphite grey? Are these different colours or did Skoda just change the name?

Did you have brochures ahead of ordering showing the 3.5 mm jack and new stereo model?

If these things are true then I would be seriously unhappy.

On the other hand if the dealer showed you the actual car and asked if you wanted to buy it that would (IMHO) be a different matter.

I took delivery of my car late June 06, it is an 06 model. If I remember correctly the 07 models were being delivered just a few weeks later.

Please post any updates!


Dan

dan123

I have just done a forum search and these 2 colours are different.

If your order says Anthracite and the car is Graphite grey the dealer has shafted you and I would get trading standards involved.

The discount you got is very good but the dealer has lied to you about the car he was providing.

If he had said

"Look, I have this car it's brand new but in a colour that's no longer made, I can do you a really good price to reflect that"

That would be a different matter.

I'm getting really angry just writing this! God knows how you must feel.

Dan

mannyo

I have PM'd Ziggur the date of manufacture, lets just say if its an 07 reg then I am surprised.

__________________
Manny
2005 Octavia 2.0TDi Elegance combi
my skoda website http://www.octaviars.co.uk

Join the briskoda.net folding team click Here for more info

Ziggur

You have hit the nail on the head.

I went to the local dealer to look at colours and enquire about delivery dates on a new order.

The car was in the showroom along with other "new" cars.
The salesman showed me over the car. We looked at the current brochure and checked colour, trim, options etc. and all of the implications were that we were looking at a current model.
I liked the colour, the optional heated leather seats and the price. I realised that this car was a "special" because it did not have Active Head Restraints which are part of the current Leather pack and I asked him to explain. He said that, on an order, each of the pack components must be ticked individually and that this box had been missed.

Took my wife back to the showroom a couple of days later. We were planning to trade my Xara coupe VTS and her Fabia for a single car that would meet our joint requirements. She loved the car but was concerned that she might find it a bit too big for our local Cornish lanes. The salesman did not have a test car available at the time but offered to bring an Octavia to our home so that we could try it. (I had already driven an Octavia last year). When it arrived she went off for an hour and liked it because of similarities to her Fabia. I had a quick blast along a dual carriageway and confirmed my earlier impressions.

The salesman had already offered a good Trade-In on our two cars and I had checked them and saw them as fair. We agreed to do the deal. Three days later we collected the car and this saga began.

I bought what I saw but the information that I have received from Manny about the date of manufacture has me seriously concerned and I am now considering my options - if any.

dan123

I suppose the fact that you bought the "actual" car in the showroom makes things a bit better, including the fact that you had noticed stuff re the spec(head restraints).

Still it was an old model year and he should have told you. In your favour though I don't think there are any visual differences(so shouldn't be a problem come resale time), it wasn't pre reg and you got a corking discount.

gadgetman

I think the change was due to RoSH and paint? I know several other dealers have changed their greys & blacks slightly too.


Anthracite and Graphite are very similar though. Anthracite is slightly blue in appearance compaired to Graphite.