A Superb purchase experience

[blueSup]

Ensuring the accessories are factory


Mr F returns to his desk and we start talking dirty. Dirty money. I'm worried about the towbar. Mr X from the first dealer mentioned the bar had to be fitted locally and wasn't a factory option. ("Because I like you, I'll knock the price down to $1700 fitted, but only for you.") The Owners Manual made a point that a factory bar must be used because of all the computer gubbins; I've been involved with the perils of an auto electrician so I can vouch this as true for many cars on the market today. The Road Vehicle Descriptor website made specific mention of a towbar option, so that points to a factory fitment (maybe). The first wagon I saw had a hole in the rear cover for the towbar (It's just a plastic cover, not a bumper bar! The last car I owned with a real bumper bar was an HX Holden.), the second wagon didn't have the hole.

Mr F mentions a freshly sold sedan is parked out the back. We toddle out for a look. Sure enough it has the hole but no towbar. Whilst looking at the spare wheel (it is full sized) well to see if there's a physical difference to the wagon I ask Mr F if the foam centre filling the spare wheel can be ordered as a spare part. Oh dear, I had gone off-script with ad-libbing the spare wheel spare part stuff and Mr F took a second to catch up - we'll look at that one later I think. There certainly appears to be room in the well for a full sized spare but the wagon wheel well had a slightly different construction, and the baby spare in the 4x4 has a different toolkit holder that would rattle around in a full sized unit. The phrase 'c*ck in a sock' comes to mind but I'm too polite, so consider trying to get away with 'bringing an organ to church only to find I'm playing in a cathedral'. Nix that too.

We return to the desk to "bargain". I know there is no bargaining to be done - I want a specific exterior colour with a specific interior colour. I want options. I want it all and I want it now! Well, I don't really want it now.
If you get the Queen song stuck in your head you might need to sing "What's new pussycat?" by Tom Jones to get rid of it.

The car is new to the market and stock is (currently) fixed. The only leverage I have is that I'm prepared to wait. I signal my intention by placing $1000 cash on Mr F's desk. He gives me a look like I just took my pants off for the air conditioned seat - uncomfortable. He's not allowed to handle cash so it's back in the wallet with my intention. Some paperwork is produced but the towbar is listed as a 3rd party option. I borrow Mr F's uncomfortable face. He assures me that the bar will be a factory option, just fitted locally, and as it doesn't currently appear in the system, this is how he must record it. I squint a little and we continue the process; of bargaining, not squinting.

Given that I'm fixed on the external colour, might I be flexible on the interior? OK. Black isn't that bad, so we agree either colour for the interior. I know that the orbiting Skoda HQ is holding all the cars in order to stop dealers using them as bargaining chips against each other, so Mr F has to phone home and check inventory. We should know soon.

I now have many mental notes to investigate the availability of spares and keep an eye on the web site for the towbar to appear.
There is some more signing, handshaking, and we're done.
Sort of.
It's time to be passed off to Finance.


Next, the dealer pass-off

[blueSup]

The dealer pass-off

The finance office is tucked into the back corner of the showroom. They would probably put it under the stairs if they could. Horrible thing that finance, we can't have it on show. We need to cloister it away as it's dirty and unloved.
At least that's how I feel it is seen. A dealership should have it out in the open with natural light. That shows confidence and clarity, not secret dealings and opacity. Enough of my rant.

I am passed into the office. Ms Finance meets me and we shake hands. In a way, she brightens up the room. English is not her native language so she plays on some of the words but I get the idea it's a tactic to make me feel at ease.
Of course I'm at ease, I don't need finance, don't want finance, and won't be using finance.
Ms Finance takes a seat on the opposite side of the desk. At the end of the desk is the child in Dad's suit; Mr Apprentice Finance? We also shake hands.
I really really really want to suggest he see a tailor, or at least invest in a suit that was paid for whilst he was present. For most of the meeting he will sit mute.
Ms Finance and I start talking and I show Ms Finance my intention. Is that a smile on her face? She asks if I can make my intention bigger. Perhaps not a smile, a smirk? From $1k to $5k. I prefer to leave things at $1k and decline her generous offer.
That's OK, says Ms Finance, but we'd prefer not to have to handle cash. That one point showed me exactly where things stood and how they would proceed. Time to claim back a little bit of the control.

I pocket the cash and ask if their EFTPOS machine does pay wave contactless stuff. It does. I rest my watch on it. Both make a noise. Transaction done.

Ms Finance does a small double take and checks the machine. My turn to smile. Ms Finance is satisfied that everything is above board and then the pixies send me a note to say I just spent up big at "Ford Showroom". My turn to question what is happening. Ms Finance is unsure how I knew of the Ford bit so after an explanation (me doing a show and tell) Ms Finance tells me that this, indeed, was a Ford showroom and none of the payment facilities have been changed over.
That explains the jumbled up look of the place and Mr Apprentice Finance's suit - it is all brand new and they are still fitting it all in, or filling it out as the case may be.

What follows is quite dull. Some explanation about how getting finance for the car would let me spend the cash on other stuff *right now* and then I could have the car *plus* other stuff. Plus debt. I hate debt. Ms Finance shows me a graph with some made up figures and asks me for some figures of my own. So I make some up and we look at them on screen too. Lots of downhill curves there. And sometimes wheels hit sharp downward curves (potholes) so how about some insurance for your wheels and tyres? I listen and take the brochure as that's the fastest way to get to the next bit.
We all shake hands and I am passed off again, this time back out to the light and to the lass that first met me as I walked in.

She asks if I'd like some protection. I consider the intention.
It's only polite to allow her to practice the spiel. It's how she earns a living and I'm not going to kill the practice. A ceramic coating this gear isn't and I'm told that the light interior will easily show marks from my jeans. Fit for purpose? I take the leaflets and promise to let her know of my decision when (if) a car can be supplied.

I wander out past the wagon and smile at the number of people that are stopping to take a closer look.
Dory is warming up when I SMS a screen shot of the Ford receipt to my best mate. He's rabidly Holden. I milked it for all it was worth.


Next, some followup

[2009fsi]

A tip for avoiding the dreaded finance office, bluesup: Buy on Easter Saturday or Monday. All I got was a receipt for deposit, issued from the finance office, by the salesman. No spiel on all insurance for rims @ a cost equal to a new set each year, or the wallet vacuuming offers on overpriced paint, plastic, leather, fabric, purchase price & a dozen other 'protections' for my already depreciating investment, if I don't act now. According to these 'ex-spurts', paint technology hasn't advanced since the Model T, your vehcile might be rusting away & your interior disintegrating while you dither. One thing that is cheaper now than 6-7 years ago is solar tint, but not from dealers.

I didn't have to shake hands with the Devil once, check my ring & watch were still there, or count my fingers. Sometimes, you can just be lucky!

Of course I got a follow up phone call, from the obligatory young lady with one of those ridiculously annoying sing-song voices, apologising for not being available on the day. "No thanks. No thanks. No thanks. Yes, that's right, I'm perfectly capable of arranging my own insurance." Finally, she betrays her Golden Arches roots, "Have a nice day." I half expected her to try one last offer, "twoallbeefpatiesspecialsaucelettucecheesepickleso nionsonasecemeseedbun" Alas. 'click, beep, beep, beep....'. Miss Songbird was gone.

I'm keen to read your story on follow up, bluesup. Here's mine: .......................................

To be fair, maybe they were working on all the days the Telstra's mobile network, wasn't.

[blueSup]

The dreaded finance office was sorta fun. A good learning experience for the things they run through trying to make you purchase products.
It's a shame they haven't followed through with you on your purchase.

[blueSup]

Some followup

There's plenty running through my head during the drive home and lots of leads I want to follow up. Will the towbar turn into a debacle? What is the current availability of spares for model specific items? When will the car appear on insurance websites? I had checked the previous week and there was no mention of the car. Are any accessories currently available?

Dory faithfully deposits me at home and I hit the innerwebs.
Well, first I crank up iTunes so there's some music whilst I research and just for giggles I type Skoda in the search box. Lo and behold there are Skoda apps!

There is a Media app that houses lots of press releases and links. That might come in handy.

There is a Service app that lets you set your preferred Dealer and see the same news as the Media app. It contains an Assistance section with a "Where did I park?" reminder, emergency tips, and a feedback section. But the last section of the app really caught my attention. My Car. It wants to connect to the car. Connect. To the car. I get a little excited. Digging a little deeper it only reports errors and possible fixes, when the next oil change is due, and points me to literature about the car. Still, it's a nice way to bring the car into your pocket. I wonder what else this connection is capable of?

There is a Drive app that makes use of even more data from the car but it also makes use of You. It is centered around driving goals to increase the efficiency of your driving style. For it to work properly you need to log in, either through Facebook or an account that is created with Skoda. hhhhmmmmm. Some boffin was wondering how they would collect large amounts of real world data about the car, so they came up with this app. Reward the driver with some animated circles whilst the driver freely gives you all the data. Win! Digging through the Terms and Conditions it is clear this app will take some further investigation. One for later.

There is a G-Meter app so I can see just how many G the car pulls before the shopping falls over. That could be amusing. At what values of G do passengers reach for the overhead grab handles? I remember the Russian lass that liked to suddenly press against the car door in the Youtube video. It would have been nice to put a figure against the time my flatmate slid from her side of the rear seat to the other (it was late, raining, in an empty concrete car park and we were in a rear wheel drive V8. What else was I meant to do?).

There is a Performance app that lets me record "Tracks" and analyse my "performance" over those tracks. It will be perfect for comparing those quick dashes to Maccas drivethru, or the laps around the christmas shopping centre car park.

There is a Motorsound app. I can choose three different 'motor racing engine' sounds and have them piped through the speakers in the car. The app connects to the car systems to get engine revs and matches the audio that way. There's every chance the audio will induce giggles. I can't wait to try it. I might even be able to hack it and replace the audio with silence except for the upper rev range where the sound would be "Stop driving so fast Dear!".

Speaking of shopping, the coverings in the rear of the wagon are a little, umm, cheap. So it's time to accessorise. If my shopping is going to fall over because some hoon is testing the G-Meter, I want a way to contain it all. Contain my shopping that is, not my mirth at trying to hit the G spot.
I find a nice moulded tray, with aluminium dividers no less, a reversible floor mat for the cargo, some rubber floor mats for the front, even some fender flaps! Was that too close to the G spot joke? The mud flaps are rear only. I can't seem to find front ones.
All the prices are in CZ so I convert them to AU. That'll be handy for the dealer to see so they know that I know just how much they rip me off when I ask for their price. Front floor mats - $30. Rear mud flaps - $23. Sensible prices.

It's now time to follow up with the Dealer about the questions I have. It's sunday night, 10th April, 7pm, and I send Mr F an email about the accessories and confirming the factory fitted towbar.

7:03 PM Mr F replies. Three minutes. On a Sunday night. I am impressed. He says he will find out and get back to me.

Tuesday, 12 April, 9AM, phone call from Mr F. He can't match the car that I want with what is available in stock so he'll need to order it. Am I happy to do that? Yes I am. Could I please confirm the order via email? Yes I can.
Mr F states there is an estimated 4 to 6 month delivery time. Perfect. I can look for spare parts and insurance.
I send an email to Mr F.

9:26am Mr F replies to say he would be placing the order later today. True to his word, at 11 am, I receive some screen shots from an order system with mention that the towbar is a genuine accessory that gets added in Australia rather than the Czech Republic.
At noon I write back and congratulate Mr F on his efforts to keep in touch and provide sensible information when asked. Such behaviour makes it easy to recommend him to friends when they ask for recommendations.


Two weeks pass and so does the long weekend. Mr F had mentioned that they usually have information about builds a fortnight after the order so it's email time. A commercial for the Superb had aired on Channel 10 the previous night so I also make mention that I expect the number of enquiries to increase.
Later the same day Mr F replies they have a build week of 32 assigned (start of August near enough) and the car should be here mid-November, possibly sooner.


**********
On 26 Apr 2016, at 21:33, blueSup wrote:

Hello Mr F,

Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I think your delivery prediction could be close to the money, as early August is traditionally the summer holiday factory shutdown. Perhaps the system is being optimistic for week 32?
Given that I was expecting such an extended delivery time, how do you go with the average punter off the street that knows nothing of the process?

blueSup
**********


**********
On 26 Apr 2016, at 22:02, Mr F wrote:

No problem at all blueSup!
I believe it should be spot on, but again we will see! They close down around week 22 for the summer (we were hoping to slot it in before the shutdown but you can't win them all!) To answer your question the average punter usually likes the waiting time because it's their own particular car! But then again you're correct they don't know much of the process so the day it hits the '6 month mark' they're asking when they can pick up their car! But all this can be managed with communication throughout which I'm sure you'll agree with

Cheers,

Mr F
**********

There’s that thing about communication again.




Next, the wait

[blueSup]

The wait

This is the easiest part so far. There's not a lot left to do but wait.
Wait.
What garbage that is. I could write about my experience so far, even if just to remind myself of events when the car does become due. I could reply to posts on the forum and help others find information on the car that I discovered in the research phase of this journey. I could investigate the way the apps talk to the car and learn about that. There's heaps to do. And there will need to be heaps because 6 months is a fair whack of time in anyone's book.

[Mcsteve]

Hey blue.

You'll have to re write the motoring journo pieces as well when you finally get the car aka 'extended' test drive.

Interesting journey. I had a similar journey trying to find the car i wanted. Said the same stuff
, talk shop, no drive, etc.
Personally i was soft when i decided to get an Octavia RS wagon. I didn't even bother negotiating with dealers., I hate it. I used a fleet dealer to find and get my car. The only time i spoke with the dealership was when i picked up the car!!!

[blueSup]

JB. That’s what I’ll call it.
John Bobbitt. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Finally got around to writing an email addressed to Mr F.

“Has there been any news about ADR approval for the tow bar? I have heard that 3rd party bars need to be used as ADR compliance has not been obtained.“

Mr F said he wasn’t sure and would have to check. He also sent along a PDF brochure for Accessories.
Page 20 lists:
Detachable tow bar (3V0 092 155A)
Electric wiring kit for cars with preparation (3V0 055 204A)



I think that confirms it. We don’t get a built-in one that falls out when you pull a handle. We get a detachable one. With looks only a ..., well, someone could love.
That's how I came to naming it John Bobbitt. He had a wife named Lorena. Lorena had a knife. And the rest is Adult movie folklore.

Back to waiting. August doesn't seem that far off now.

[dec76]

Hi Bluesup,
I have the JB fitted and is great. Has been ADR Approved last month and fitted to my car not long after. There is said to be 125 in country and my bar was build 7 of 125 in first shipment. The bar is made in Czech and is a factory Skoda part. It is the same style as the Westfalia branded bar and has swing down electrics (13 pin euro spec). I will post some photos of the bar, electrics and ADRsticker when I get back to my car early next week.
You should be able to have one fitted straight away and no issue

Heath.

[OilBurna]

Great write up so far really enjoyed it


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