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Advice Needed URGENTLY
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I dont know whether anyone can help but I need some advice. Having major problems with our car. We see it as faulty workmanship. We have complained to the manufacturer but they have bounced it back as the responsibility of the franchisee/retailer. Basically, I think they will try to brush me off with some excuses but we really feel that we have been taken for a total ride here!
Skoda CS have explained and I have accepted that the servicing costs are not excessive which I accept, but its the unnecessary work that has been done that is winding me up the most.
Here is a copy of the letter I have sent to customer services of Skoda and now to the retailer. I was wondering if there is any independant advice I could be given or somewhere I am go to get some?
Anything would be greatly appreciated! Apologies that it is so long but there is a lot of detail in here! sorry!
COMPLAINT
Vehicle registration - PJ56 NCY – SKODA FABIA AMBIENTE 12V HTP (Regd.21/12/06)
Retailer - David Ian Skoda – Middlegate, White Lund, Morecambe, LA3 3BN
I purchased the above vehicle from the above retailer on 12th March 2007. It was an ex-demonstrator. It had only 180 miles on the clock.
First Service - Carried out on 23rd February 2008 at 13745 miles.
At that service, the brake fluid was changed along with the normal activities for a service. According to recommendations and confirmation received from the garage itself following its 3rd year service, this shouldn’t have been done quite this early. This service cost me £176.47 including VAT. This was an extreme cost for a 1st service that was billed to me.
Second Service - Carried out on 10th December 2008 at 23810 miles
At this point, the vehicle had been recovered by the AA as, inconveniently, the stalk that controlled the windscreen wipers had failed and had to be replaced under warranty. According to the accounts invoice, the brake fluid was once again changed along with the normal service, which would not have needed to be done again at my expense. This service cost me £225.39 including VAT, another extreme cost which needn’t have been billed. At this service, I informed the garage that there was a problem with the rev counter, while standing still it revved itself, rising from 10k revs to 30k. The engine would also stick at 30k revs whilst idling. They couldn’t find anything on the car’s memory to register a problem and failed to find a reason. No action was taken despite our serious concerns about this dangerous situation.
I would like to point out that my Service Schedule book was not completed for the second service.
Third Service - Carried out on 22nd September 2009 at 34604 miles.
A normal service was carried out at £123.90 inclusive. We were advised by David Ian Skoda that the console bushes had spilt and would need replacing. This would be covered under the warranty; as a result, the tracking that needed to be completed would cost £57.50 + VAT to complete as this was not covered under warranty, (Please see enclosure – Accounts Invoice 22/09/2009). We feel this was incorrect as the job was warranty work. We were also advised to get new brake pads on the front, and also that the disks would need replacing. The cost quoted was £141.88 inclusive (Please see enclosure – Accounts Invoice 22/09/2009). Again, a problem like this on normal vehicles should not arise at this level of mileage.
I once again brought to their attention the rev counter/engine problem and advised it was getting worse, the rev counter would stick at 30k revs more often; in our opinion, making it dangerous to drive. Again nothing was found on the memory and no action was taken, despite our appeal to them for further investigation.
Warranty Work/Repairs/MOT
I booked the vehicle back in for the bushes to be replaced, along with the work on the brakes to be done on the 29th October 2009. I was lent a new Fabia for the day whilst my vehicle was being repaired. When I came to pick my vehicle up, I drove away from the garage and found the brakes to be not much different from when I left the car. They were not as responsive as I expected them to be. I thought it was my imagination as I had been driving a different vehicle, so I continued on my journey home. However, during my journey I found the brakes to be extremely poor and now accompanied with a vibration through the vehicle whilst pressure was applied to the brake pad, which also caused the vehicle to pulled to the left, both while braking and driving in a straight line!
My Husband called Skoda to discuss the brake problems and brought to their attention that the steering didn’t seem to be tracked very well. He was told to bring the vehicle back in and they would check the pads. He was then insultingly advised that the tracking would likely be our fault as we would have hit a pavement or pot hole on the journey home! I will let you draw your own conclusion about the confidence that their mechanics have in the reliability of their workmanship.
A further visit was made with a 67 mile round trip at great inconvenience and cost to us again, where the brakes were checked out and found to have dust on them. However, this still didn’t solve the vibration problem, which was again ignored and no action taken despite expressing our serious concerns.
At this point, my husband brought back to their attention the problem with the engine racing whilst standing still. Only after my husband insisted that a mechanic take the vehicle for a test run, was the problem acknowledged by the mechanic. Following a discussion with the mechanic after the test drive, he shared the same opinion as us - that it was very dangerous to be driving. They then ordered a new accelerator pedal for the vehicle.
We brought the vehicle back into Skoda for its MOT on 29th December 2009 costing £54 inclusive at 37129 miles. It should have been earlier than this but the snow prevented me from travelling over to get this tested. The new pedal was fitted on this date. However, the mechanics weren’t convinced that this would be enough to solve the problem and ordered a new throttle body to fit, now agreeing that there was a problem to solve.
We brought the vehicle back again on 12th January to get that fitted, causing us yet another journey at our inconvenience and cost.
Now, at 40500 miles, I notice a whirring/grinding noise coming from my passenger front wheel. The noise comes and goes when driving. This has been advised to be a wheel bearing that has gone! We have been advised that it could be to do with either the bushes replacement that we had back in October or the disk replacement due to torque setting on the brakes. When I called to see if a wheel bearing going on such a young car with average mileage was ‘normal’ the answer was ‘No!’ from the services department. I was also advised that it wasn’t a dangerous situation and could continue to drive; the noise would get louder but the car would be ok.
As you can see from my address, I live in Hellifield, North Yorkshire. The garage that I bought the vehicle from is in Morecambe – a 67 mile round trip and a hour and 20 minutes journey each way depending on traffic.
Following our service in September, we have had 4 more journeys of 67 miles round to get these problems sorted, plus having to take days off work unpaid to be able to bring it back in.
If we had realised that the build quality was as poor as this, we would have bought from a different retailer. If we had realised that David Ian Skoda was only interested in selling cars and then carrying out unnecessary servicing and repairs, we would have bought elsewhere.
Our decision to buy Skoda was based on reputation, for build quality and reliability (we were told it was really a Volkswagen with a Skoda badge and in some cases, the Volkswagen was a Skoda with a VW badge). I am sure you will understand us, when we say we do not agree with your ‘Driving Happiness’ statement from your website!
It is very important for us to have a reliable and economical vehicle as we live where we do in North Yorkshire. We therefore have no choice but to sell this vehicle and purchase one that will fulfil our requirements. However, before we can do this we require the wheel bearing to be replaced. We feel very angry that once again, we will be left with a large bill due to poor workmanship.
To say we are disappointed is an understatement. Please can someone contact me within the next 7 days to discuss/advise us about these complaints?
thank you if you have made it to the end.
Skoda CS have explained and I have accepted that the servicing costs are not excessive which I accept, but its the unnecessary work that has been done that is winding me up the most.
Here is a copy of the letter I have sent to customer services of Skoda and now to the retailer. I was wondering if there is any independant advice I could be given or somewhere I am go to get some?
Anything would be greatly appreciated! Apologies that it is so long but there is a lot of detail in here! sorry!
COMPLAINT
Vehicle registration - PJ56 NCY – SKODA FABIA AMBIENTE 12V HTP (Regd.21/12/06)
Retailer - David Ian Skoda – Middlegate, White Lund, Morecambe, LA3 3BN
I purchased the above vehicle from the above retailer on 12th March 2007. It was an ex-demonstrator. It had only 180 miles on the clock.
First Service - Carried out on 23rd February 2008 at 13745 miles.
At that service, the brake fluid was changed along with the normal activities for a service. According to recommendations and confirmation received from the garage itself following its 3rd year service, this shouldn’t have been done quite this early. This service cost me £176.47 including VAT. This was an extreme cost for a 1st service that was billed to me.
Second Service - Carried out on 10th December 2008 at 23810 miles
At this point, the vehicle had been recovered by the AA as, inconveniently, the stalk that controlled the windscreen wipers had failed and had to be replaced under warranty. According to the accounts invoice, the brake fluid was once again changed along with the normal service, which would not have needed to be done again at my expense. This service cost me £225.39 including VAT, another extreme cost which needn’t have been billed. At this service, I informed the garage that there was a problem with the rev counter, while standing still it revved itself, rising from 10k revs to 30k. The engine would also stick at 30k revs whilst idling. They couldn’t find anything on the car’s memory to register a problem and failed to find a reason. No action was taken despite our serious concerns about this dangerous situation.
I would like to point out that my Service Schedule book was not completed for the second service.
Third Service - Carried out on 22nd September 2009 at 34604 miles.
A normal service was carried out at £123.90 inclusive. We were advised by David Ian Skoda that the console bushes had spilt and would need replacing. This would be covered under the warranty; as a result, the tracking that needed to be completed would cost £57.50 + VAT to complete as this was not covered under warranty, (Please see enclosure – Accounts Invoice 22/09/2009). We feel this was incorrect as the job was warranty work. We were also advised to get new brake pads on the front, and also that the disks would need replacing. The cost quoted was £141.88 inclusive (Please see enclosure – Accounts Invoice 22/09/2009). Again, a problem like this on normal vehicles should not arise at this level of mileage.
I once again brought to their attention the rev counter/engine problem and advised it was getting worse, the rev counter would stick at 30k revs more often; in our opinion, making it dangerous to drive. Again nothing was found on the memory and no action was taken, despite our appeal to them for further investigation.
Warranty Work/Repairs/MOT
I booked the vehicle back in for the bushes to be replaced, along with the work on the brakes to be done on the 29th October 2009. I was lent a new Fabia for the day whilst my vehicle was being repaired. When I came to pick my vehicle up, I drove away from the garage and found the brakes to be not much different from when I left the car. They were not as responsive as I expected them to be. I thought it was my imagination as I had been driving a different vehicle, so I continued on my journey home. However, during my journey I found the brakes to be extremely poor and now accompanied with a vibration through the vehicle whilst pressure was applied to the brake pad, which also caused the vehicle to pulled to the left, both while braking and driving in a straight line!
My Husband called Skoda to discuss the brake problems and brought to their attention that the steering didn’t seem to be tracked very well. He was told to bring the vehicle back in and they would check the pads. He was then insultingly advised that the tracking would likely be our fault as we would have hit a pavement or pot hole on the journey home! I will let you draw your own conclusion about the confidence that their mechanics have in the reliability of their workmanship.
A further visit was made with a 67 mile round trip at great inconvenience and cost to us again, where the brakes were checked out and found to have dust on them. However, this still didn’t solve the vibration problem, which was again ignored and no action taken despite expressing our serious concerns.
At this point, my husband brought back to their attention the problem with the engine racing whilst standing still. Only after my husband insisted that a mechanic take the vehicle for a test run, was the problem acknowledged by the mechanic. Following a discussion with the mechanic after the test drive, he shared the same opinion as us - that it was very dangerous to be driving. They then ordered a new accelerator pedal for the vehicle.
We brought the vehicle back into Skoda for its MOT on 29th December 2009 costing £54 inclusive at 37129 miles. It should have been earlier than this but the snow prevented me from travelling over to get this tested. The new pedal was fitted on this date. However, the mechanics weren’t convinced that this would be enough to solve the problem and ordered a new throttle body to fit, now agreeing that there was a problem to solve.
We brought the vehicle back again on 12th January to get that fitted, causing us yet another journey at our inconvenience and cost.
Now, at 40500 miles, I notice a whirring/grinding noise coming from my passenger front wheel. The noise comes and goes when driving. This has been advised to be a wheel bearing that has gone! We have been advised that it could be to do with either the bushes replacement that we had back in October or the disk replacement due to torque setting on the brakes. When I called to see if a wheel bearing going on such a young car with average mileage was ‘normal’ the answer was ‘No!’ from the services department. I was also advised that it wasn’t a dangerous situation and could continue to drive; the noise would get louder but the car would be ok.
As you can see from my address, I live in Hellifield, North Yorkshire. The garage that I bought the vehicle from is in Morecambe – a 67 mile round trip and a hour and 20 minutes journey each way depending on traffic.
Following our service in September, we have had 4 more journeys of 67 miles round to get these problems sorted, plus having to take days off work unpaid to be able to bring it back in.
If we had realised that the build quality was as poor as this, we would have bought from a different retailer. If we had realised that David Ian Skoda was only interested in selling cars and then carrying out unnecessary servicing and repairs, we would have bought elsewhere.
Our decision to buy Skoda was based on reputation, for build quality and reliability (we were told it was really a Volkswagen with a Skoda badge and in some cases, the Volkswagen was a Skoda with a VW badge). I am sure you will understand us, when we say we do not agree with your ‘Driving Happiness’ statement from your website!
It is very important for us to have a reliable and economical vehicle as we live where we do in North Yorkshire. We therefore have no choice but to sell this vehicle and purchase one that will fulfil our requirements. However, before we can do this we require the wheel bearing to be replaced. We feel very angry that once again, we will be left with a large bill due to poor workmanship.
To say we are disappointed is an understatement. Please can someone contact me within the next 7 days to discuss/advise us about these complaints?
thank you if you have made it to the end.
0
Comments
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What exactly are you asking for here?
On the face of it, I'd say you've had some terrible service from your garage and you're right that all these problems shouldn't have arisen on a motor of this age and mileage.
You seem to have covered all the bases in your letter.0 -
First service of £175 isn't an "extreme cost" for a service and brake fluid change. Sounds reasonable to me from a main dealer, especially as it it recommended that brake fluid is renewed every 2 years which is about correct.
I'm not sure why you're quibble all these invoices if you had paid them? It seems you've been stewing over them for quite a few years. The right time to query them would have been at the time of invoice or fairly soon afterwards.The man without a signature.0 -
its not the cost i am really quibbling. its the problems that we have had. things that have gone wrong on such a young car? I am wanting to know whether there is anywhere we can go for independent advice on motoring problems like this.
Yes we have paid this bills over the last few years, not really paying attention to the problems. Now with the wheel bearing gone at 40k miles? advice already received suggests that this could be as a result of the brake disks replacement? Should we now have to pay out again to get this sorted or should we persue the garage for repair costs?
I know proving faulty workmanship is a difficult one but does anyone know of any support for independent checking of facts like this?0 -
A 'first service' at 2 years?0
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30K revs!!! The engine would have self-destucted!"You were only supposed to blow the bl**dy doors off!!"0
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30k for discs and pads is normal
as for the wheel bearing failing due to incorrect torque when fitting brakes/bushes is utter tosh
what do want from skoda?
they may offer you a good deal on a new car
0 -
well 30k reves was what it was doing! to make it stop, i had to push the acelarator up to the red for a second and it stopped. so obivoulsy we didnt leave it revving for long!
I have spoken to the retailer now and they have offered to go halves on fixing the wheel bearing which is more then i was really expecting. So we are just compareing the costs to see whether it is worth it with the travelling etc.
They have also agreed to sort my service history book out as well which is good.
it may be that we can get them to agree a deal on a trade in for something else but we shall see.
so at least there is a result for something. More then what I knew really to be an offer!0 -
I think you probably mean 3,000 revs. I've never seen a car engine that will go over 10,000 (as a ballpark figure)0
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Even a formula 1 car can only hit around 20k RPM.... Again I think it's 3k.“I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to make an a** of yourself.”
<><><><><><><><><<><><><><><><><><><><><><> Don't forget to like and subscribe \/ \/ \/0 -
Harry_Flashman wrote: »A 'first service' at 2 years?
VW/Skoda/Seat (probably Audi as well) have, IIRC, several servicing patterns depending on your driving (e.g. mainly short in-town journeys or mainly longer commutes). One of them is oil change at the end of year 1, proper service end of year 2."One thing that is different, and has changed here, is the self-absorption, not just greed. Everybody is in a hurry now and there is a 'the rules don't apply to me' sort of thing." - Bill Bryson0
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