Our "Silver Bull": Skoda Octavia Style Plus 2.0 TDI AT

[KarVel]

Update after a long break:

20 K Kms done in 14 months. Car holds good and is fun to drive.



Nano coating : Extremely useful. The sheen and the brightness of the car has been consistent. Just a wipe with the Jopasu dusters make the car clean. Water wash/wipe is done only once in two weeks in dry weather. Dust just does not stick. Been washing the car on my own. No swirl marks or scratches in 14 months. People still comment that it looks new.

Tyres: Been with the stock ones. Goodyear Eagle NCT5s are wearing out evenly. Wheel balancing and rotation done once in 7.5k kms in Bridgestone Wheel care centre (not sure about the ASS work). Good grip, but getting louder above 85/90 kmph. Daily highway drive to office is about 45 kms at average of 70 kmph and hence the noise levels are a bit of bother. Will last for another 25-30 k kms easily. Following the thread of Nikhil B and hence interested in trying out the MRF Perfinza's when the time comes.

Engine : A gem truly. The pull when needed and the lazy thrumming @ 1750 rpm for cruising at 100 kmph makes for a lovely note. Excellent torque available at just the dab of the pedal and overtaking even the 40 ft trailers is a breeze. Very good mileage. City/Highway combo mileage is fantastic with 18-19 kmpl is default. A full tank gives about 850-900 kms. Zimbly love it.



DSG Gearbox : Has made driving a breeze - whether on highway or in the city traffic. There is a delay of atleast 1.5-2 secs before the downshift happens when an aggressive overtake or acceleration is required. Maybe the ECU is tuned to my soft pedal general drive.

Couple of niggles : Had some rattling issue in the sun-roof. Had it checked and lubricated in the second month of delivery. Was good till last month (for 12 months). Now sounding once in a while, when going through rumble strips or bad roads. Also looks like the left side view mirror rattles as well. Have to check both of these during some free time, before going to the ASS (i simply hate the idea of some mechanic touching the spotless interior while checking for this ).

Overall : Music system is good. Been playing the full quality FLAC songs as well. Spacious cabin and very good noise insulation upto 100 kmph and in city driving. Lights are good. Okay in the rains as well in city and highway drive. I prefer the yellow tinge rather than the blueishness of the LEDs.

All in all a happy and proud ownership experience.

 

[SilverEyez]

Amazing Update,
20k in 14 months is quite a running, you must be enjoying each and every KM of this gem thoroughly.

 

[KarVel]

Clocked 25,000 Kms in 18 months, nearly exact. Low miles munched in the last couple of months due to frequent official travel.

Engine and DSG combo is great. Once the engine warms up after initial 7-8 mins drive, it becomes super silent and revs up effortlessly. Max speed done till date is 123 kmph, and i understand it does not do justice to the capability of this machine. Even at this, it hardly crossed 2k rpm and still have not used even 40% of the torque band revs. DSG is acting good, with my mostly sedate driving and soft on the pedal approach, at times ECU is slow to respond, so it takes atleast 1-1.5 secs to downshift, when i feel like sprinting. Overall the mileage is good and clocks regularly above 18.5+ kmpl. In the last few tankfulls, seeing about 1000 kms per tank, indicating 20+ kmpl. Being soft on the pedal and predominantly highway drive (NH48) for daily commute is helping a lot.




Tyres, Goodyear NCT5s, are holding good. Even tread wear, regular (once in 7.5kms) balancing and alignment and rotation is helping. Good grip as of now, though noisy above 80+ kmph speed. Looks good for another 25-30k kms, as commented by the Bridgestone dealer guy where i take it for balancing and alignment. Have tried multiple combination of tyre pressures - 36/34, 35/33, 34/32 and 32/32. While 32/32 does give a softer ride, felt 35/33 combination gives a better handling and braking as well as mileage. Thats what the tyres are filled up as of now. Using nitrogen filling, for what its worth, though not sure if the gas filled is actually only nitrogen. Anyway normal air is also 78% nitrogen.

Onyxaa 9H coating is helping. The shine and water beading is still good. Once in 2-3 weeks washing is the practice and in-between Jopasu duster is good enough. Driving in the highway mostly and silver colour too helps. Had couple of minor rear-ending experiences by bikers in Gurgaon traffic, but PPF on bumpers came in handy and no scratches so far on the bumpers, touchwood. Interior looks well and very little aging is noticeable. Till now its self cleaning and it helps in avoiding swirl marks.

 

[Akash1886]

Nice to see a happy Skoda Customer. Even better to see the car performing well..god bless the car My dad was with Skoda's Turbine Wing in Gurgaon and there were a fleet of Skoda cars in the office. Have closely seen the Octavia(s), Laura(s) and 1st gen Superb there. My favorite for the luxury was Superb and for the performance was Octavia. Sadly the Laura had a lot of downtime thanks to the Gearbox and other niggles as I remember. The service bills also were quite high back then i.e about 9-10 years back. Being a 2.0 L Diesel, the FE seems good to me. Skoda does make good performance oriented cars but its their after sales that holds back many buyers. How's your experience of Skoda's after sales in recent times?

Regards

Akash

 

[KarVel]

Drove down from Gurgaon to Ranthambore last week. Google showed up three options
1. Gurgaon - Alwar - Dausa - Lalsot - Ranthambore
2. Gurgaon - Manoharpur - Dausa - Lalsot - Ranthambore
3. Gurgaon - Manoharpur - Kothun - Lalsot - Ranthoambore

Opted for the Manoharpur - Dausa - Lalsot route on the onward journey.
Started around 8.20 am on Diwali day and reached by 4 pm. Had a halt at Old Rao Hotel near Biwadi for the breakfast. Reached Manoharpur around 11.30 and then Dausa by 12.15 noon. Journey till this was very enjoyable. Then the nightmare started - Dausa to Lalsot was(is) a complete mess. This took about 1 hr and 30 mins negating all the smooth drive till then. Once we crossed Lalsot, then the drive to Ranthambore was good again. All in all took about 6 hrs and 30 mins for 345 kms drive.

Gurgaon - Manoharpur - NH48, Overall good, but regular patches where the top layer has eroded. No need to slow down, but a bit uncomfortable. Two tolls, Fastag helped. 170 kms / 70kmph. Two tolls - Shahjahanpur - Rs 130, Mahoharpura - Rs 60

Manoharpura - Dausa - NH148 - Entry from NH48 is still under construction - about 1 km. Once this was crossed, the next 65 kms was butter smooth, one of the best i had driven in the northern part of India. Clearly marked, good dividers and picturesque as well. One toll before half way. Fastag helped. 70 kms / 85 kmph. One toll - Nekawala Plaza - Rs 45

Dausa - Lalsot - NH148 - Just before the Dausa town, need to take right on to the Agra-Jaipur highway and then take left through the ring road to join the Lalsot road after the town. The nightmare started here. The next 30 kms was a torture to drive even in an automatic. Road construction work was(is) going on in the entire 30 km stretch. It was(is) like every one km, the roads were dug up and filled with gravel and concrete patch for the next one km (not yet completed through, with sharp edges and rods protruding on the sides). Maybe one year down the line, the road will be good. But now, if you have (even if you do not have )a choice please avoid it. Suspension, engine, gearbox, tyres, your legs and passengers will be saved. 40 kms / 25 kmph. Luckily no Toll.

Silver Bull needs a special mention here. While i was worried that it might scrap in many places, still suspension setup helped a lot and managed without much issue. At one place slight scrapping happened where the diversion joined with a high concrete patch.



Lalsot - Ranthambore - SH 24 - This was a welcome bliss after the previous 40 kms of hell. Good road. But lot of villages/small towns on frequent intervals and hence need to slow down regularly. Few unmarked speedbreakers, visible during day, but not sure during the night. Need to be wary of these. With farms/cultivation on either side a good soothing drive. 70kms / 65 kmph. Two tolls - but private cars were waived off. Only commercial vehicles were charged.

Return Opted for Lalsot - Kothun - Manoharpur option.
Started around 1 pm after lunch and reached by 10 pm after couple of breaks including dinner at Old Rao Hotel. Googled for other options with drive time. Instead of Lalsot - Dausa, the other option was to go to Kothun and then drive skirting Jaipur to reach Manoharpur. Checked drive time and google maps showed 1km/min drive time which is very good in day time. Additional distance was about 40 kms compared to previous route, but drive time more or less same. Hence opted for this. All in all took about 6 hrs and 45 mins for 385 kms drive.

Lalsot - Kothun - NH23 - This road can be reached by taking a left into the Chaksu-Lalsot link road which comes 2 kms before the Lalsot town starts. Good road and about 3 kms on this, take left to join into NH23.While 1-2 kms of this stretch was bad and made me think to turn back to the hell ride, but maps kept showing very good average speed. Hence kept moving on. After that the road opens up and is a good 4 lane one till Kothun, recently laid, markings not yet done. Definitely better than many roads but not as good as Dausa - Manoharpur stretch. 43 kms / 65 kmph. No toll as yet.

Kothun - Manoharpur - NH52 / NH248 - Good road. Tonk road it is. After 34 kms on this, take a right and go through some outskirts of Jaipur and join the Mahal road for about 7 kms and then join into NH248 and then onto NH48 few kms before Manoharpur. Mahal road and upto NH48, speeds will be low due to high local traffic and people crossing at odd places. 105 kms / 50 kmph. One toll - Barkedha Toll Plaza on NH52 - Rs 90. Fastag works.

Basis this recent experience, would recommend to take the round about way, rather than Lalsot-Dausa stretch atleast for the next 12 months.

Few shots from our visit

 

[KarVel]

2nd Service Update:
Completed 30k a month back, on 2nd Feb. Took the car to Jai Auto's in Gurgaon for the scheduled service. Had asked for the service appointment through the Skoda App. Got a prompt call back from the service center in couple of hours.

Went in by 9.30 am. SA was with me in 5 minutes. Told him i have the 4 yr service package. SA inquired about any issues i had. Told him about couple of observations: 1. Sunroof noise once in a while, like when going over the rumble strips or at fair speed on some stone paved roads. 2. The left sideview mirror stopped tilting while engaging reverse. 3. Battery seems to have weakened as there was some flicker once in a while after the weekend stop

Went out for a test ride, but as it usually happens, there was no noise from the sunroof. Anyway, told the SA that i will be with the car during the service.

Car was taken into the bay by 10.15. Work was done quick and Engine oil, Air filter, pollen filter, Diesel filter was all changed in quick succession. Complete underbody check was done. Except for a couple of scratches, it was fairly a good sight.

After this scanning was done on the logs and reset was done for left side view mirror tilting function. Started working. The logs also showed that there is some issue with the batter. Battery strength test was done and it come out that the cells had weakened test result came with “Replace Battery”. This was when all the fun started. SA walked over and said that battery needs to be replaced and whether he can go ahead. I said yes as it will be free. He was a bit surprised and said that battery had a warranty of only 1 year. I told that might be true for batteries from outside india, but the one in my car was “Made in India” and hence it should have minimum 3 years warranty. Some discussion happened and the service general manager was brought in. TeamBHP came in handy. Showed the few threads on free / goodwill replacement done. Though most of these cases were in about 12-15 months, mine was nearly 22 months. The GM wanted to sound it out with the Skoda team. Even though it was a Sunday, some calls were made and then I was offered a replacement with a nominal charge of Rs 1,800 + tax, with two year warranty. Looked to be good offer, as in the meanwhile checked for price of equivalent battery from Amaron and Exide. Was costing upwards of 7k. So took it and asked the SA to go ahead with the change.

Picture of the new battery and brake pads

Overall experience in this 22 months and 30k Kms:

• Engine and Transmission are smooth as butter. Power on tap with the addictive pushback into the seats whenever I feel like. Excellent mileage, average hovering around 18-19 kmpl.
• Brakes are fantastic. With 30k done and mostly sedate driving, it looks like the pads are good for another 20k minimum.
• NCT5’s are holding good. The road noise level has gone up. The tread depths ranged from 2.9 to 3.1. The strange things was the front tyre depths were more than the rear. Had done the tyre rotation about 8k kms before. The service person said the tyres look good for atleast another 25k. I would want to get the Perfinzas at the earliest.
• No software or map updates as of now.

Will be checking out the 5th/6th year extended warranty announced couple of weeks back. Have asked the SA to update once the details are available. Have not yet got a call.

 

[KarVel]

Update: AC compressor changed @ 32.2 K Kms

Sometime during late Oct'18 felt that the AC cooling had a delayed start. Blower was working, but no chillness in the air. Peculiar thing was that this happened only in the mornings mostly due to overnight parking. Then after couple of days noticed it even during the late evening starts, with a 10-12 hrs stoppage. Took it to Jai Auto Skoda @ Gurgaon. All parameters were checked and everything including gas pressure and weight turned out to be okay. After discussion, the service manager asked the AC technician to deplete the gas & oil, vaccum the circuit and refill. This was done in about an hour. It was agreed that i would run the car for few days and incase of repeat of issues compressor check also would be done. No charges for this.

Since it was start of winter, it was not clear whether the cooling is getting delayed or working fine as the night temperature started dipping below 18 C and reached to low mid single digits over the next few months and continued the same till late March. Hence even during the 30 K Km service done in Feb, this was not attended to.

Come April, the temperatures soared and again the delayed start was very evident. Took it back to Jai Auto and was asked to leave the car for overnight check. Got a call from the SA, Nikhil, that the issue had been diagnosed as Compressor failure and will be changed under warranty. I had meanwhile crawled most of the SKODA forums found that RCV – Refrigerant Control Valve – going kaput leads to this issue. To replace it a AC specialist guy will be required. Would have searched for one rather than going with Skoda service as that valve is about Rs 6k. But as the vehicle was under warranty, agreed to go ahead with the entire compressor change. I felt lucky as the replacement compressor was available readily in the stores. Delivery was confirmed for the next day.

Small niggles attended to:
Asked my SA Nikhil to also check on the sunroof rattling over rumble strips or potholed roads. This was initially attended by doing some lubrication on the sunroof channels and was expected to solve the problem. While doing the test drive before giving delivery of the vehicle the rattling was noticed again and hence SA Nikhil asked to hold the vehicle for one more day and check with the Skoda engineering team. Was told that they advised to remove the assembly and then realign and tighten some link rods.

3M Upholstery & Interior cleaning:
Meanwhile SA Nikhil after checking the car when taken for servicing advised to go for the 3M drycleaning of the leather seats as over the last two years some stains and dirt had accumulated with generous contribution from kids. Checked the rates – Rs 1.5k for the entire seats, roof lining, carpet and doors/dashboard. Checked out few of the comments in our forum and understood that its value for money offer. Agreed and asked him to go ahead.

All in all the vehicle was at the service centre for 3 days. Did a longish test drive along with SA Nikhil and tried some rough roads as well. The sun roof rattling was gone and the rubber beading grinding noise as well had disappeared. The seats were cleaned well and the entire floor board along with dashboard and door padding looked like factory new. Seat leathers were soft and supple, looked shiny but not slippery.

Need to mention that the service experience was very good and left me pleasantly surprised. No unnecessary delays or push for additional services, with just the needed suggestions like the 3M cleaning. Timely updates. Kudos to SA Nikhil. Even when he had to go on a leave on one of the in-between days, Nikhil had arranged for another of his colleague to give me an update on the repair status, including the pre-delivery internal test drive and the delivery timelines. So far so good over the two years of ownership. Hope this continues so that Skoda ASS rating improves. Fingers crossed.

The total cost of compressor change and Sun roof rattling servicing was about Rs 76.5k, but charged Nil as all these were covered under warranty. The 3M dry cleaning cost was Rs 1.5k+GST and the Silver Bull is now ready for munching more miles.

 

[allhyundaicars]

There are many instances of ac compressor going kaput on Octavia and I have also read about the fuel pump issues. Wonder whether this happens in Indian condition or all throughout the world. Parts sure are pricey.

 

[KarVel]

There are many instances of ac compressor going kaput on Octavia and I have also read about the fuel pump issues. Wonder whether this happens in Indian condition or all throughout the world. Parts sure are pricey.

Based on various skoda forums including briskoda, this looks to be a relatively common failure. This is a clutchless model.

 

[KarVel]

Extended warranty:

Update after a long gap.

Finally, got the extended warranty purchased. When i enquired during Apr/Oct 2019, based on the ads by Skoda and our forum info's, at Jai Skoda, Gurgaon, they were not sure if it was available for existing vehicles. While i showed them the various forum threads and news paper clippings i was asked to wait while they will check with Skoda service team and update me. Everytime i was told that it was not available.

I had also called up the Skoda helpline to check and to my surprise i was told that i had to take insurance from dealer or should have existing insurance from Bajaj Alliance and only then i will be eligible. My insurance cover was from ICICI. Hence decided to wait for the next renewal cycle to check again. Was determined to get it anyway, as the previous experience of AC compressor replacement and the cost mentioned in the job card was good enough motivation.

Meanwhile, on 3rd Jan'20, came to know from another thread that extended warranty was available for purchase without any hassle from Jai Skoda. Was happy to hear that and went next day to the service center to get it.

Since vehicle was within 3 years of purchase, the rate worked out to be around Rs 67k including GST. Paid it and walked out in less than 10 mins. This was on 4th Jan. And by last week, around 20th, the details got updated in the Skoda app as well. Yet to receive detailed document on coverage items or exclusions. SA had confirmed that all items covered under standard warranty are covered and no specific exclusions. Have to check.

Now warranty applicable till April 2023.

 

[KarVel]

Tyre Change:

Changed tyres couple of weeks back with odo reading of 43.2K Kms in about 34 months.

GoodYear NCT5s had held up good till two months back. In the last two months had about 4 punctures in the front tyres, even though there was no change in the route taken daily. Also, they were getting more noisy and were getting hard day by day. The last couple of punctures were at the areas where the treads meet the side wall and i was a bit worried as there was no visible puncture marks or nails or any other telltale signs. Over and above, started feeling slight vibrations when doing about 50-60 kmph speeds, though regular balancing and alignments were done every 7.5k kms without fail. Tread depth was still good, with about 1 mm above the tread depth indicators. Considering all the above symptoms, decided to go for the change.

My usage is mainly on the highway for daily commute of about 60kms with major portion on 75-90 kmph speeds. And the roads are mostly good, except few small patches, which too get repaired on regular basis. Hence was ready to go for more softer and quieter option. Was not panning to go for any upsizing or experimentation as the potential warranty issue was flashing a red bulb.

Was reading a lot on various forums on tyre reviews. Had read about the feedback on MRF Perfinzas and also read a lot of positive feedback and recommendations on Michelin P4STs. Was checking out the price for both of these options over the last two months.

MRF Perfinzas were not readily available in 205/55/R16 sizes. Checked with three MRF T&S centers. Two were ready to procure them in couple of days, if i was ready to go ahead. Price quoted ranged from Rs 7.3k to Rs 7.7k per tyre including balancing and alignment.

Michelin P4STs were available at couple of places in Sikanderpur and Sohna road areas, but were being quoted at Rs 8.5k to 9.2K per tyre.

Meanwhile, visited the Jai Skoda ASS in the beginning of Jan'20 to get the extended warranty and one of the SAs while checking the sale date of the vehicle, asked me the mileage of the car. As i told him its about 42k, he asked whether i had changed the tyres and when i said no, offered to get them changed with Pirelli P6s which was available with the service center. Offered them at Rs 8.7k per tyre. Till then had not considered any other tyres other than Perfinzas and P4STs. After this conversation read reviews on the web and came across good feedback and recommendations on the P6s as well.

Prices of both P4STs and P6s looked to be on the higher side. Hence was procrastinating, with the choice between the three.

Two weeks back, got a TPMS warning on one of the front tyres and was actually frustrated. This pushed me out of procrastination finally.

It was a sunday and the P4STs shops were closed, when i called up. Went back to google and checked for Pirellis, got a hit on the authorised dealer in Gurgaon - Tyre City Pirelli Performance Centre. Gave a ring, shop was open. Checked on the price for P6s. Was pleasantly surprised when it was offered at Rs 7.5k per tyre. Immediately confirmed the visit and reached there in next half an hour. They had ready stock in 205/55/R16 and the tyre dates ranged from 4719 to 4919 indicating Nov/Dec'19 makes, as good as we get from the factory. Tyre change was a breeze and was in and out in straight 40 mins. Final price was package of Rs 29k, including the discount for the older tyres. Had the Hunter machine for alignment, when checked it was already okay and no adjustments were required.

Pirelli P6s are offered with 5 yr warranty, with the first 2 years being unconditional - no tread wear check, no damage reason check - exchange on the spot. Warranty from 3rd to 5th year is in proportion to the tread wear. This was mentioned on the invoice clearly.

Have done about 600kms on the new set. These Pirelli P6s are a marked difference from the hard NCT5s. P6s are very silent on the highway and when cruising at 80-90 kmph speeds, tyre noise is virtually absent, while the NCT5s will make you acknowledge them without any doubt. Marked improvement in the grip levels and feeling easy movement/less resistance to roll compared to the earlier tyres. Ofcourse, i am comparing a 43k done tyres to a brand new set, still the experience is better. Mileage looks to be improving, though not sure if it is due to traffic conditions.

Was assured of atleast 50k kms tread wear for my driving conditions. Hope to munch these many miles on Octy from now.

 

[Kumar_CarFreak]

Skoda Octavia has been my dream car since my college days, however God hasn't made me financially equipped for that.
Happy and Safe miles with your Octy... I know Octy is the only D segmenter diesel with a 2.0 L engine and around 20+ kmpl mileage. No other D segmenter Diesel returns this range.

All the best.

 

[KarVel]

Back after a long break:

3rd Service Update - 45k Kms (Feb 2020, before the lockdown):
Actually done about 44.1k when i took Silver Bull for the 3rd service. A bit early, as some travel was planned after. Visited Jai Auto's in Gurgaon for the scheduled service. Had got a call in mid Feb reminding of the service due. Asked for last week appointment and was booked in the first slot for the day. +1 for this reminder call and booking, which was as quick as booking on the app.

Went in by 9.30 am on the Saturday. A new SA was with me in 5 minutes, when i enquired about SA Nikhil, was informed he was on leave. Unlike last time, SA was aware of the 4 yr service package for the car. SA inquired about any issues i had. Told him about occasional Sunroof noise (again!) once in a while, like when going over the rumble strips or at fair speed on some stone paved roads. Otherwise the car was holding good.

Went out for a test ride, but as it usually happens, there was no noise from the sunroof. Happened during earlier visit as well. Anyway, told the SA that i will be with the car during the service.

Before taking to the bay, car was hoisted and the 40 point (i could actually count some 20 odd) winter check was done as part of some service camp underway. On the rear left tyre the wheel nut cover was missing. Was noted for adding during service. Otherwise the under-body cover looked okay with some minor scratches that were there during the second service as well.

Car was taken into the bay by 10.15. Work was done quick and Engine oil, Air filter, pollen filter, Diesel filter was all changed in quick succession. In this service Brake oil was changed including bleeding of the brake cylinders. Suspension and brake inspection was done. Brake pads looked okay and the technician said it will be good for another 15k atleast. Overall the changes took about 2 hours to complete. Then the vehicle was taken to washing bay and was given a good bath. Asked the drying guys not to polish anything in the interiors and just use vacuum to clean. Handover was quick and finally was out of the showroom in under 4 hours from entry. Total cost about Rs 256.

And Silver Bull was ready to munch the next 15k Kms.

 

[KarVel]

4th Service Update - 54k Kms (supposed to be the 60k Kms)

The "Pandemic" had a topsy turvy impact on most of our lives and consequently reduced my drive time as well. While the initial few months, Mar to Jul, was spent starring at the laptop screen most of the time, sitting at home, started going to office from Aug. Infact not many came to office and still had to spend a lot of time starring at the screen, but driving on wide open roads with the entire highway mostly to yourself and getting to cross the infamous Gurgaon toll within 30 secs, in-itself, was much of a liberating feeling after all the time spent holed up at home.

Managed to do about 10k Kms over the last 8 months, including a long trip across Rajasthan roads (covered about 2.5k kms in 6 days, including the famous and racecourse like, arrow straight Jaisalmer / Pokhran roads), which are fantastic, by the way.

Did the servicing at Jai Auto, Gurgaon. Had booked the appointment earlier. Was there well before the time and was promptly attended to. Vehicle was in the bay by 9.30 am and all the work got completed by 11.15 am. This was the fastest service I had gone through. At the 60k service, ATF was also changed. While engine oil change was a normal affair, ATF change needed the battery and its base plate to be removed and the oil was filled in through capillary gravity (I think this might be the right way to explain?) wherein the oil was pushed in through the drain hole. Earlier these ATFs were considered as sealed for life. To take care of DSG failures, i think Skoda has started including these in the service now. This was added by default into the pack without any additional charges.

Got the Steering mounted Control Switch module changed under warranty. These had become loose and started rattling, though not broken. SA Nikhil was very helpful in getting this checked and the warranty claim was processed without much of a problem. While there was nothing charged for the parts or the labour, as this was changed under warranty, this part costs a whopping Rs 21.5k. This took another 1 hour and after the regular washing and cleaning, the car was ready in about 4 hrs all in all. Pretty good experience. Stayed with the car during most of the service duration.

While waiting for the bill, was checking on the MySkoda app on the service cost, as I had the 4 year service pack, to see what would it actually cost if the service pack was not there. It was a surprise to see that the 4th/60k Kms service is actually double the cost of the earlier services and was costing about Rs 25 k. And strangely for cars of MY 16 and before, the service cost is lower than the MY 17 and after cars. Also the Brake Fluid change is being done at 75k kms for MY16 and before cars compared to 60k kms for MY 17 and after cars. And the pollen filter costs are also different along with VBelt change for MY17 and after cars.

So if the pack was not taken, I would have shelled out about Rs 58 k for the 4 services over the years. Luckily, had the opportunity of taking the 4 year service pack during the vehicle purchase for Rs 14k as there was some offer going on. That definitely helped. In the end had to pay Rs 645, as strangely the ATF drain nuts/o-ring was not included in the service pack.

Also over the years, the labour cost and material cost would go up and considering that picked up additional 2 year service pack covering the 75k/90k kms service @Rs 24k. So the next two years are covered with extended warranty and the service pack. And, all said and done, this gives a lot of comfort..

 

[KarVel]

4 Years and counting

Journey so far, to 54K Kms

Stepping into April'21, the SilverBull is completing 4 years of blissfull ownership. The 2.0 TDI with Wet-clutch DSG has been a good companion whether its the city run or in effortlessly munching miles during the highway tours.

Suspension is on the firmer side and is noticeable at lower speeds, when driving alone without any other passenger or luggage. Once loaded up with the family and/or luggage, the ride is much suppler and even in low speeds bad roads are no issue. Also, with various combination of tyre pressure experiments, started using 33/32 combination for F/R when driving alone, the ride turns a much plusher one and 36/38 in F/R when on family trips. Suits well for GC as well as highway handling.

Steering is precise and weighs up to a good extent when cruising at triple digit speeds. Feedback is a bit muted to my liking at city speeds, though the road imperfections are transmitted back at times with a thud of the suspension.

Braking is continuing to be excellent and inspires a lot of confidence, with the combo of the Pirellis. Still running on the stock brake pads, at 54k kms. During last service the service technician said these will last easily till next service, ie another 15k kms.

Tyres - Pirellis have settled well and are giving a very comfortable ride, with a marked difference compared to the Goodyear NCT5s. Excellent grip at all speeds, both in dry and wet roads. As soon as it rains, Gurgaon roads turn into rivers, with torrential flow and the tyres behaved well in the limited runs, during the last flood season. Had to brake suddenly from mid triple digits, twice, during the last Rajasthan trip as cattle stepped into the road from the shrubs in the highway dividers. No squeaks or skids, just calmness personified and passengers sleep was not disturbed as well. While I thought that I might end up calling for RSA, Pirellis braked evenly and stopped well in time to avoid the cattle. Very silent and minimal tyre noise in the band of 80-120 kmph. Anyway, higher triple digit speeds lead to higher wind-noise effectively drowning the tyre noise if any. Have done about 10k kms after the tyre change. Minimal tyre wear noted as most of the driving is done sedately within the highway speed in the band mentioned above. While choosing Pirellis was in a double mind of whether to go for the Perfinza’s based on few good reviews in other forums. As of now, no regrets. Maybe next change will be into Perfinza’s.

Seating comfort remains excellent, with sustained long distance rides as well. During the last Rajasthan trip covered about 2400 kms in 4 days of driving. No complaints either from my side or from wifey or kids. Seat supports were good and the lumbar support was very helpful. Headrests for back seat too at correct height making life easier for rear seat passengers as well.

Mileage has been one of the highlights of this tireless workhorse engine + transmission combo. Peak Torque across the wide RPM band and lightning quick-shift DSG means, no need to be excessive on the accelerator pedal. The more the gentler in the inputs, driving is smooth with very high mileage returns on the highway and even within the city. I do cross the infamous Gurgaon KD Toll twice in a day for the office run and this 4-5 mins spent on crawling and haggling to get into the lane brings down the benefit of the 25+ kms run on the expressway, each way. Inspite of that, been getting around 18+ kmpl averages regularly and this has gone up into the 20+ kmpl category during the semi-lockdown periods of Aug to Jan. The MID shown mileage is consistently higher by 5-6% compared to the tankful method. Maybe it’s a deliberate configuration done by Skoda to make us feel happy, when one relies only on the MID.

Have been noting down the mileage details and other expenses from the purchase date. Its costing about an average of Rs 3.8 per Km in fuel expenses and about Rs 6.2 in other expenses (Insurance, tyre change, PPF, Ceramic Coating, Extended Warranty, Service pack and other minor spends). Total of about Rs 10 per Km. Looks to be a good economical running cost for a D1 segment car and as frugal as it can get. And diesel price has been going through the stratosphere lately and is reflecting on the cost per Km. The overall range hovers around 900-950+ kms per tankful and the last few months mostly ranging above 1000+ kms as seen in the Estimated Autonomy graph. All the graphs are based on tankful to tankful data captured after every fuel fill.

Took the extended warranty for 5th /6th years, last Jan. Got the RSA benefit for 2 years as part of the pack. This extended RSA has been removed now from Extended Warranty pack and has to be purchased separately, though the extended warranty pricing remains the same. Also took the Periodic Maintenance pack (PMS) which covers 5th and 6th services (75k/90k kms).

Bill + Others - EMI & Downpayment done
Major service - Includes extended warranty / additional 2 year service pack / ppf / ceramic coating

Overall costs of ownership is about Rs 37/Km. Might have been lower at about Rs 33/Km if normal running would have been there without lockdown/WFH.

In the four years, following changes/replacement were done:

1. AC compressor replacement – Compressor failed and was changed under warranty
2. Battery change – Battery test advised change and was changed under warranty with a minor charge of Rs 1.8k, as the two year period was just over by a month.
3. Front windshield change – A chipping and crack appeared due to a flying stone from a truck going in front, hit the glass. Was changed under 100% insurance. Voluntary payment of Rs 4k
4. Steering Mounted Controls button module – Became loose, but not broken. Was checked and changed under warranty during the 4th service.

Overall, the ownership experience has been good. The Service Centre – Jai Skoda – has improved a lot in their approach and attending to the issues and sorting them out without any delay, and a special mention of my SA Mr. Nikhil. Very prompt and clear in communication with periodic updates and now I have started requesting the front desk to book my appointments only when he is available.

Skoda processes too have improved compared to 3 years back with the warranty claims or response from customer service teams taking considerably lesser TAT, days coming down to hours. Mr. Zac Hollis is definitely bringing in the change. Hope this trend continues and improve further in future as well and Skoda gets to play a bigger role in Indian Automotive scenario.