A Superb purchase experience

[SMOKEY]

Ouch, you seem to be taking the scratch quite well. I'd be catatonic!

I spend more time on a detailing forum than on here and from looking at that scratch you'll be able to get some, but not all of it out....unfortunately.

Some parts of the scratch, particularly the leading edge on the LHS, looks like it's gone past the clear coat and past the colour coat. Once that's happened, no amount of polishing will bring it back.

If you're not familiar with paint correction, maybe best to take it to a professional detailer (not a car wash cafe) and get them to do their best. The good news is that it's brand new paint so will have plenty of clear coat depth to work with.

From there, a steady hand and a touch up brush might get you back to 95%.

[blueSup]

Surprise and delight.
That’s a phrase used by car sales people when they are explaining how your new car works.
They take you through a list of features and functions in a way to elicit surprise (I didn’t know it did that!) and delight (ooooh it’s blowing cold air up my back).
These little upticks during the high of the new car delivery are a way to program the buyer to relive the same new car emotional high each time a feature or function is used.
Some of those upticks were downticks for Betsy’s delivery.

Were.
Well, one of them has changed.

On the same day that Mr A from Service announced that the fault had been cleared, an email had been sent to Mr S from sales.

Mr S called me at the start of the week. “We’d like to replace the number plates.”
The downtick was now an uptick.
There was no “Leave ya money on the fridge!”, just an apology for the “bloody shambles, of course!” and a promise that it was a learning experience for everyone.
That makes it a double uptick.

Let’s keep those wins coming.

[Mysticality]

This is one of the best threads I've read in a very long time, and I've been keeping relatively up to date with the Yeti with the TT-RS engine swap, over on Briskoda!
Keep up the good work!

[tigger73]

This is one of the best threads I've read in a very long time,

Yes agree 100%. blueSup has taken a bit of a different approach in this thread and it is both refreshing and entertaining.

and I've been keeping relatively up to date with the Yeti with the TT-RS engine swap, over on Briskoda!
Keep up the good work!

That Yeti is an epic build - it's just taking a little long to get the engine/gearbox back in for the second time... Hopefully will be back together by the end of the year and chasing some more exotics around the track. There's a thread in the Yeti section with some of the highlights: Skoda Yeti with TT-RS Conversion

[blueSup]

Well, I tried. I tried all the way from Christchurch to Arrowtown then Queenstown.
The rental car business is a lottery. You click a picture of the car you want (or similar) and then you turn up at the airport (or similar) and retrieve your car (or similar).
On this day I was or similar. Or similar is Kiwi for Mazda 6.
The 6 was on my short list when I started this purchase journey. I’m glad it fell off.
There’s a lot less room inside the 6 and it feels a little squeezy. Hard plastics abound and a screen just juts up out of the dash.
Time to start the engine. No key - where’s the button?
I’m about as co-ordinated as a tartan when using my left hand so it’s a bit of a slap to find the button to the left of the dashboard and partially hidden by the steering wheel. Pressing it with my right hand feels a bit numpty. I can use numpty as the dictionary says it’s a word.

Out of the car park and I meet my first roundabout.
Kiwis love roundabouts. They love sailing through them and changing direction with abandonment. Abandonment of the use of blinkers that is, like BMW drivers. So I was a little nervous when the engine died. A smug little light on the dash was lit saying “i-stop”. Yes, i-have stopped, now stop doing it! I lurch off the line and through a few roundabouts.

I know! Turn the stop/start off. Where would they put the off button? On Betsy, the correct button is right next to the gear selector. To me that’s logical. So I look around the gear selector. There’s two knobs, volume and infotainment twiddler, plus the Sports mode selector. Three knobs if you count me. I feel a bit silly as I can’t find the button. I twiddle a bit but there’s no menu in the infotainment for it.
It’s always in the last place you look (Mum taught me that) so I skipped to the last place I’d put a button. Directly in front of my right knee.
Yes folks, in line of sight of my knee. i-Stop.
So I press it and nothing happens. I hold it in and am rewarded with a chime and a light that changes colour. Win!

Japanese car suspension has always, for me at least, felt like it consisted of rubber logs instead of springs and dampers. 6 didn’t disappoint. I also learnt that to make any progress in overtaking or through the twisties I had to press the Sports switch forward, do the deed, then switch back. Leaving it in sports mode just kept the revs too high.

The whole car just felt a little odd. Not enough to make me want to leave Betsy.

Enough of that, what of the 49 other ways to leave your lover?
They are all hexagon shaped and at the front of the car. There’s not exactly 49 of them, but if I used the right number in the title it wouldn’t have made sense.



We had our second tub today. I also took the number plates off to see what sort of dealership workmanship I had to deal with.
True to form with close enough is good enough.
And the rear screw point on the right has been pulled to a 10 degree angle.
Those 49 (or similar) hexagons are a pain to clean.

But freshly tubbed and with door open, waiting for a drive, there’s still much to love.




Whilst travelling I also received an email, but not from Orbiting Skoda HQ. Speaking of Orbiting Skoda HQ, I have found a webcam of the interior*. This might explain their lack of answering.



Back to the email.

In the coming weeks we would like to invite you back for a complimentary "One Month Vehicle Check-Up". At this time our trained technicians will thoroughly check your new vehicle to ensure everything is in top condition. This also provides you with another opportunity to ask any questions you may have about your vehicle.

I'll be taking them up with their offer. It will be an excellent time to ask them about the rolling noise in the door. Drive up a hill and the noise rolls to back of the door. Drive down a hill and the noise rolls to the front.
But only sometimes.
Was this covered in the technician training?





*Orbiting Skoda HQ looks a lot like the entrance to Wynyard Train Station.

[Delewin]

BlueSup. Congratulations on your purchase. I pray that you have many years of totally trouble free motering with your Superb. I leart a lot. Your experiences are applicable across the whole car industry.
Keep safe,
David

[blueSup]

This purchase experience is coming to an end.
The replacement number plates will be here on Tuesday, and we’ve had the first (courtesy) service. The rolling noise in the door was noted, but the technician couldn’t hear it (that’s how it works - it never happens in front of the technician, but as soon as you drive out of the workshop up the hill….), and the courtesy boot mark to the door and oil drips on the engine cover were applied. Luckily the speaker grille was missed and avoided being remodelled.




Interestingly, I was informed that all Volkswagen engines use oil so if I am concerned, or the oil light comes on, I should drop in to the dealership and they’ll top up the oil for free. I now feel that someone has grabbed me and asked me to turn my head and cough.
Stupidly I didn’t check the oil level on the day of purchase, nor on the day I took Betsy in for the courtesy inspection. That the oil use should be mentioned (plus the oil on the engine cover) now has me nervous that Betsy is a drinker. One to keep an eye on.

Speaking of eyes, I got the inside of the windscreen fogged up the other night (nothing like Rose and Jack the night the iceberg struck) and saw proof of aliens. All of the marks were on the inside of the screen and wiped off. Here I was thinking that the suction cups were only used on the outside of the screen when placing it on the vehicle. They sorta match the permanent fingerprint that is right in the middle of the rear view mirror, under the glass. I’m torn about reporting it as a warranty claim because it looks like a large amount of work is required to replace the mirror, and because of the already documented “no care no responsibility” previous work. It only worries me when I look at the rear view mirror and if I want to be a Real Sydney Driver I should stop doing that. Looking, not worrying.





Next weekend we’ve planned a roadtrip to Roundabout City. Eight or so hours (and 700 kilometres) of bonding time should help me find the perfect seat position and iron out any other niggles.
By then Betsy will be 22 (2,200 kms old) and into that experimental phase, just like at Uni.

[skodian]

Next weekend we’ve planned a roadtrip to Roundabout City. Eight or so hours (and 700 kilometres) of bonding time should help me find the perfect seat position and iron out any other niggles.
By then Betsy will be 22 (2,200 kms old) and into that experimental phase, just like at Uni.[/QUOTE]


I am not too worry about the TFSI engine as it is known to consume(drink) oil a bit. My dad's 2005 Passat (same as GOLF GTI) engine drinks 0.5 L per 3000km. In the old days, the manual says it will take up to 1L per 1000km under normal operation not sure it is the case still .

The suction cup is hilarious as I got that from my previous Superb , you can easily remove it by glass cleaner if not try the glass polish agent (Autoglym that's I used) . The stealer delivery does Not include marks removal apart from adding swirl marks to your paint ....

I believe these small things may happened to any of the dealers yet you need to pursue them.

At the end of the day, just enjoy them

Have you tried the launch control yet ?

Does it also comes with the Performance Monitor screen in the Columbus stereo system which shows
the Gs , Turbo Boost and the Power (Kw) gauges as the Passat (206TSI)

[blueSup]

Skodian - I haven't tried the launch control as there's plenty shove from standard.
The Columbus doesn't have the Performance Monitor.

[blueSup]

What’s this?!?




A pedestrian impact?
An example of the carnage I can cause if the autonomous emergency braking fails?
A carefully cropped example of an image I once saw on a friends computer?


It’s another survey! The purchase experience continues. I’m still coming down from the high of the number plate replacement (soon to send in the receipt) so let’s get started and click here.

BTW, have you all seen the opening 5 minutes of Top Gear Two (The Grand Tour)?
Grinning from ear to ear. But back to the survey.



Welcome to the Vehicle Driving Survey.

Lucky for me I’ve been driving a vehicle - on all these repeat trips to the service department.


We look forward to receiving your feedback regarding the vehicle you purchased approximately three months ago.

Technically it’s two months but what’s a month between friends?


How satisfied are you with the following aspects of your new Škoda Superb on a scale from 1 – 10?
The quality of your Škoda Superb
Your Škoda Superb overall

This is a tough one. The paint chips like Erik Estrada (if you need to look it up) but the rest of the car is screwed together in an acceptable way.



What do you consider to be the major strong points or best features of your Škoda Superb?

The overall design of the vehicle is it’s strongest point. The design is cohesive, not overtly flashy, and has enough “fun” stuff (ambient lighting colours, umbrellas, bum coolers) to keep the car interesting. Some of the detail parts (the grille, around the headlights, and chrome trim) make it difficult to keep clean but that’s a small price for the looks.
Funnily enough, the scarcity of the model on the roads is also a strong feature if you like to be looked at with people wondering what you are driving.
The Lego bricks approach to parts (engine, transmission, drive parts, electrical) is a huge strong point for future ease of servicing. With so many models sharing parts they should be easily obtained in the future.



What do you consider to be the weaknesses or worst features of your Škoda Superb?

The paint. It is very easily chipped (the front bumper bar is the worst receiver of chips) and will quite easily detract from the looks and future value of the car the more it is driven.
The front seats are the next weakness. A little too flat and wide but the Sportline seats may correct this.
Coming back to the design, we aren’t offered the light up whiskers in the headlights and the lighting advantages that they bring.
Lastly, why can’t a global company invest in putting the indicator stalk on the correct side?



What if anything, large or small, is there about your Škoda Superb that surprised and delighted you - nice touches you didn't really expect that really added to your satisfaction?

The handling came as a surprise. The car grips well and holds a line in a satisfactory way. The delight came when the electronics realised I was driving spiritedly and started holding gears on downhills.
Painting the brake disc rotor hubs and the inside of the ventilations also made me smile. It’ll keep them looking good.
The ease of pairing a mobile phone and the fast system connection at startup is also good.



Next were some questions about the car, was it a replacement, private/business, blah blah
Then a huge matrix of questions from 1 - 10 about the interior features, exterior features, vehicle specifications (Off-road ability?!?)
Then the survey repeated itself. I see it’s a trick! Do I answer all the questions the same each time? Hidden in the fine print, the first time through was how does the feature rate in my purchase decision overall, the second time through was how well the Superb delivered.

And then it gets interesting:


Have you had any problems with your Škoda Superb during the normal use of your vehicle that were NOT the result of an accident, vandalism, severe weather events/floods etc in the last 3 months?

We have 4 wins:
Vehicle Electronics / Electrics - ACC not working due to towbar coding problems
Exterior - paint scratch
Interior - mirror thumbprint
Noises - the lose thing in the drivers door or sill


Then there's lots of detail exposition and some boring personal stats.



Is there anything else that you would like to tell Škoda about your Škoda Superb?

Have more faith in your product. Get things here faster (e.g.: Sportline) and bring in some of the higher options like the active headlight system. Get a bit of colour into the palette; 5 variations of white/grey, plus black and blue? Even New Zealand gets 14 colours!