A Superb purchase experience

[blueSup]

Suck it up Princess. Stuff happens.
Paraphrasing my friends a little there. Everything can be fixed, it’s just time and patience. Enough of the feeling disappointed.
I’M SITTING IN MY NEW SUPERB!

I opened the door whilst holding three keys so it’s a lottery as to which one was “picked” by the car, but I didn’t think about it at the time.

Seat adjustment is fun. Soooo many adjustments.
I’d popped an SD card into the infotainment slot so we were all tuned up.
Steering wheel adjusted. A slight niggle with the mechanism that I haven’t seen on other cars - just as the mechanism locks into place, it lifts the wheel ever so slightly.
The seatbelt is so soft! And the webbing is much thinner than previous cars I’ve been in.
Mirrors adjusted.
Deep breath.

Time to move out into Sydney traffic and aim the nose for home.
I remember the time I tried biting the steering wheel and am wary of the brakes.
And then we stop. Traffic. Major traffic. Excellent. I can use the time to press some buttons.
When on the move the most important part of the car is the sound system. Let’s check that out.
I had read about people complaining the sound wasn’t that good. I can see room for really screwing up the settings so that might be a root cause.
This system was set to workshop settings. Maximum subwoofer level, not so much on anything else.
I correct that by bringing the subwoofer down to 5 and the others are configured from a pre-set choice (Rock).
We moved a car length.
I try the navigation system and set it for my home suburb. The nav voice is surprisingly pleasant and works well for SuperBetsy. The maps look OK.
We move another car length.
The traffic is facing up hill and the start/stop system is spooking me a little so I remember how to turn it off. There are some water spots on the windscreen so I risk a quick squirt and wipe. There are lots of stories about a limp stream from the driver side (*cough*) wiper but not in MY17. Water everywhere. I even catch some water spraying up from the front of the car.

It’s getting dark. Where’s my ambient lighting? Looking. Looking. Oh, driver personalisation. It says Guest so I’d better change to Driver 1 and save these settings.
Now, I’m a normal height fella, some would say short (but I’m taller than Mum!) at 5 foot 6, so the seat is adjusted accordingly.
Pressing Driver 1 signals the car to change the ambient lighting to red. Woohoo it works!
It also lowers the seat to the floor, moves it back as far as it can go, and sets the cushion flat.
I can *almost* see over the door window sill.
And I know the people beside me are watching.

Should I be wearing a backwards baseball cap now?

The seat is really slow to move when you want some pace. Forward first, pedals are important (hill hold works), then height to see in front. I ponder the thought that SuperBetsy is toying with me. A joke to break the ice.
The seat is back to normal now and I resume looking for the ambient lighting.
Not on the first page. Tap on the right of the screen to move to the next page. Not on that page either.
I repeat this process a few times, much like some CEO’s repeat the same process but expect different outcomes.

I found the ambient lighting section. Tapping in the scroll bar on the right normally moves to the next page. In this system it moves to the next page plus one row. I kept skipping past it. Dragging my finger up the screen showed the cheeky missing row. We are now electric blue.

It’s dark and the traffic is still heavy. The headlights are working well. Very crisp cutoff at the top of the beam. We approach the freeway turnoff and Betsy instructs me to turn right. I’m behind time due to the traffic so that’s the best route.
I drive straight ahead toward the Old Road. Aim for some fun. Oh look, more red traffic lights.

The music track changes to Immune (feat. Greenland) by Murano & Toka. The car literally shakes in time with the subwoofer. My baseball cap comes back. Those Canton settings can be fiddly to find quickly, even when sitting still at the traffic lights. Subwoofer to a less embarrassing 2.

There’s still plenty of traffic around and I notice that the headlights reflected in the wing mirrors are a funny colour. Part of the auto dimming function. That will take a little time to get used to. So will the seat. It’s huge. Plenty of width on both sides of me.

I finally turn off to Berowra, north of Sydney. The speedo keeps telling me I am 20kph faster than I think I am. We pass through the main drag and the first corner arrives. Make way! Barge coming through! There’s a bit of wallow and bounce. Time for Sport. Unlike my test drive, I can feel things change in the car, most notably the revs of the engine are maintained higher for longer. I’m not pushing past the speed limit, but the engine has lifted the game and holds a lower gear.
This is fun. More fun than I expected. And those headlights are working really well.
Back to Comfort as we drive over the horrible gaps in the old bridge. The gaps are definitely felt and heard, but not as much as I expected. Regrettably I turn back onto the freeway and rejoin the masses struggling home.

Some of the guys are working late tonight at the shed and ask me to drop by so they can see just what I bought. Apple CarPlay works very well for calls. I pull up and they are most impressed by the Knight Rider Kitt car look of the interior lighting. Their inspection finds the same things I found, even down to the hole that was butchered into the underside of the rear panel for the tow bar. They think the flip down tow plug a neat touch.

A quick drive home and we’re done. There is much to like about the Superb. For the money, there’s nothing that can touch it. I look at Dory and wonder if I would have been as happy with a Holden Sportwagon. The immediate answer is no. The long answer is no. The Superb has more equipment, better vision, more room, bigger brakes, a panoramic sunroof, interior lighting whizzbangery, Car Play, heated and cooled seats, more adjustment, 4 wheel drive, start/stop, better economy, more speakers, self driving (in some situations), autonomous braking, and umbrellas.

SuperBetsy is parked now, and I’m listening to her cool-down noises. This is one of the fun parts of getting to know a piece of complex machinery. These new noises are to be learned, and over time will be “part of the car”. Sudden changes will mean something isn’t right. An early warning system if you like. I turn off the garage light and Betsy makes a sound like a soft fart. New noises.

[blueSup]

We polled a recent studio audience and came up with these two surveys.

The day after picking up the car I received an email to welcome me to the Dealership family. It continues, “Our ongoing commitment is that we will continually strive to deliver a level of service that will exceed your expectations.”
Working well so far. Perhaps not in the direction intended.
Please click here to complete the Dealership Customer Satisfaction Survey.

It’s Sunday night, Betsy spent the day at Garage Spa, and I’ve polished 4 rims for another car due to come home soon. The sparkly results of both have dulled my disappointment from Thursday, so I click the link.
There are few questions; what was the sales process like, what was the delivery process like, would I recommend Dealership Mitsubishi to my family and friends?
Huh?
“No” to that one. Why would I recommend dealership Mitsubishi after dealing with Dealership Skoda? I am reminded of a Wheels article (back in the day when Sat Nav was new) where the destination in the new BMW was set as BWM HQ and the voice announced, “You have arrived” directly out the front of Mitsubishi.
The delivery process was rated as 1 out of 5. The comments box was filled with part of the text from these posts and sent off never to be heard from again - judging by the experiences of other posters here.

The first survey I was asked to complete is still sitting untouched. That's for later.

[blueSup]

Monday morning: 11:53am. The phone rings with a local number.
“Good morning Sir, we’d like to speak to you about your new car.”
Oh dear, I’ve done it now. That line about Mardi Gras being straighter than the cutout for the tow bar must have gathered their attention in a bad way.
One of the many things I didn’t write about during the initial viewing of the car was the way they’d hacked into the underside of the bumper to make a hole big enough for the tow bar. Then someone realised it was on the wrong side so they made it bigger in the right direction. The cuts are so straight they could be an aerial map of the end of Bathurst Conrod straight.

Miss A assures me that the service technicians simply failed to do a system reset on the ACC and they’d like to correct that. They also have an idea to fix the number plates and the tow bar.

PlaySchool had an episode where someone accidentally made a hole in their pants. The good scissors were obtained (the evil scissors were away at the time) and the hole was cut out, leaving a perfectly formed pair of pants.
Wait. The hole was bigger now. We must have cut wrong. Try again.

Miss A is but a messenger so we book a time next week for me to listen to their ideas, and Betsy to receive a reset. If the ideas involve making the hole bigger (but better finished) and drilling yet more holes in the number plate, I’ll decline both of them.

Being a day of surprises, I arrived home to find a communication from Orbiting Skoda HQ. The communication was wrapped in sturdy white plastic and felt very solid.
Inside was a nicely printed book and a form letter. There must be many Directors in Orbiting Skoda HQ; this one might be low down the chain as the title is just “Director” and nothing else.
A picture is below.




ooooohh Page 10 Built for Australian Conditions






I’ll turn to the page.


Except it’s on page 7.





Many other page numbers don’t align either.


Sooo close. And that really typifies my dealings with most points of Empire Skoda so far. Close, but just not right.

[Gerrycan]

But your story telling would not be half as entertaining if the process had been perfect.

The best, and funniest stuff I have read in a long time.

[2009fsi]

Wow! You got a welcome book, bluesup. Good luck to you.

Five months from taking possession, still nothing forthcoming from Skoda. Or the dealership post one dealer initiated under the auspice the MTA. Perhaps my answers didn't suit their purpose.

One wonders what the dealer expected when my salesman got the chop 5 days after selling the Superb to me, the dealership getting in a 162 instead of a 206 & not recognising the difference until delivery day, ending up in another 4 week delay. The salesman who delivered the vehicle ultimately got the chop next day too. He's now a Honda man. As for their service department, it took them 2 goes to get the right mud flaps in & a week of chasing to get them fitted, as they were supposed to have been at delivery. Every time I made contact with the dealer, it was a case of starting again with yet another new oil can Harry. It is fair to say, I wouldn't recommend the dealer to my worst enemy! Or maybe I should.

The One of these days soon I might ring roadside assist, just to find out if my car exists within Skoda's bureaucracy! There is no sign of it being so, so far. Just as well the car is so good.

[blueSup]

Tell us who you are and we might give you petrol!
And so begins my journey into The Survey. The one marked with A Big Red Pen.




The first question gave a chuckle.

Is it correct that you bought a new Superb from Dealership?

Bloody hell. My email address and purchase details were sent to the survey company who then wrote back to me to ask me to take a survey and their first question is to ask if their details were correct?
Is this a drinking game? Do I take a swig or a gulp?

Yes, I did buy a Superb, let’s move on.

I think I fell asleep. The survey is quite boring. Nothing that lends itself to re-writing or odd humour.

69% complete.
How strongly do you prefer Skoda over other car brands?

Umm. I bought one. Is that strongly enough?

Before long the survey is done.
I need some entertainment. I check the moon and tide charts to see if Orbiting Skoda HQ is within communications range. It is a month since I wrote to Customer Experience Ambassador about the conflicting paint care information in the manual. I have also had a Mummy and Daddy drink.


I won’t retype the return email, simply attach it as an image. Blurs protect the innocent or guilty as the case may be.

[blueSup]

Welcome to the Vehicle Purchase Survey. We look forward to receiving your feedback. This will be kept in strict confidence, unless you choose to share it with the manufacturer at the end of the survey.

If you need help completing the survey, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) link, or contact us via the link below.


I clicked the link. You know I enjoy doing things like that.
This section looks interesting.


Where did you get my address/email address from?
Your address/email address was supplied to Potentiate by the manufacturer of your vehicle with the purposes of seeking your feedback regarding areas where they are doing well and areas where they can improve. The information you provide will help inform manufacturers on the needs of Australian car buyers and is fully endorsed by the Australian Automotive Industry.


The manufacturer asked Potentiate to do the survey so the manufacturer could receive feedback. But only if I approve. At the end of the survey.

*sigh*

Oh well, another survey completed. This time I included a link to this very thread.
I wonder what will happen?

[blueSup]

Either the seats are wide or my arse isn’t.
I’ll admit it, the seats are wide.
That width, combined with it’s very flatness, is the only area of the Superb that doesn’t make me grin.
But why should that matter?
I’m pointed north, away from Sydney. Home is the destination but this time there is no pressing need to be somewhere. And it’s still daylight.
Passing through Berowra along the old road and the car in front pulls off to the left.
Sport is activated just as I hear one of my favourite passages begins on the stereo (For nerd cred, the track was I Am the Doctor https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/i-...96?i=400623307)

And there’s no one in front of me.
The odometer is at 487 kilometres. The gearbox holds 3rd and 4th, with the revs between 3 and 4 thousand. The rational part of my head explains that this is a good running in procedure. I can’t hear rational over my grin.
This sort of driving feels more fun than it should, simply by virtue of doing stuff that a large box shouldn’t really be seen doing.
A 65 corner, a 45 corner, and back up. Is that the exhaust sounding sporty? The extra weight on the steering in this mode helps the car to feel secure. Entering a corner at grin speed, the arse end seems to swing slightly (wide seats remember) and the rear of the car dips back in to help push you through. Could that be the 4x4 system kicking in?

It’s dark enough to need the headlights just as I pass the freeway on-ramp that I took on the first trip home with Betsy. The old road continues. This time with many more dips and potholes, rough surfaces and warnings, than I remember.
Last time heading along here I had a big throbber between my legs.
A Kawasaki ZX-9. But that was a different time.
I am really enjoying the Superb. This is going to be an excellent trip in summer.

Then I see taillights ahead.
The brake lights seem to be randomly flashing.

OH NO! A CRAPTIVA!!!!!

Could there be anything worse?
We are safely under the speed limit. And by safely I mean you could wear a colander full of chicken fruit on your head and not worry about getting home damp. (Top Gear reference!)

Now there’s 3 sets of headlights behind me. This is no fun.

I pull over to the side of the road for a full song whilst I safely stow the colander.
I wait just a little bit longer and then the fun continues.
This time I turn on the high beam and am met with a wall of light. Literally. The height of the illuminated area is huge. And it moves ahead of me into the corner. I thank Mr Preston Tucker (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tucker_48) for his Cyclops Eye and continue to chase my headlights.
Such bright light means I avoid all the sticks and debris on the road from a very windy Sydney day.

Almost to the end of the old road and I spy the tail lights again. Those poor people.
Time to rejoin the Craptiva conga line and head back to the dull orange glow of civilisation.

That was a fun drive.

It made up for the lack of service action. I was in Sydney to have the ACC fixed and the tow bar coding applied. Computer said “Yes” for the recoding but then Betsy said “No” for the fix.
Apparently their servers/internet were down.
At least they followed my instructions and didn’t make a bigger hole in the rear panel, and better still, didn’t drill more holes in the number plates.
A special request for assistance has apparently been sent on the subspace link to Skoda Command. A reply is usually achieved in less than 12 hours. I hope they don’t have Ambassadors there.

[blueSup]

This might be the second trip to Service in less than a week, but I’m looking forward to going. Even if it is raining and the car will be getting dirty.

The gentleman that drives the courtesy bus, let’s call him Bruce, is an excellent fellow. He has a very Australian sense of humour and has petrol flowing through his veins. Huge knowledge of all things motoring. He turns the courtesy trip into a fun time. Was I making the other passengers uncomfortable with all the car talk? Possibly. Did I care? Nup.

SuperBetsy is back to 100%. A magical 5 digit number provided by Skoda Command saw all the systems back to chatting with each other.
Now I get to play with all the buttons and features.
During a drive along a deserted back road I may have giggled when the car moved the steering wheel to keep me in the lane.

All of this led to her first wash. And the discovery of her first scratch. Did it happen in the service centre? I can’t say. My garage isn’t exactly a hive of activity and she hasn’t been parked anywhere else to receive a scratch.

Time for a photo. Just after her first real bath, and the scratch above the passenger side tail light.
Forgive the lighting as it was very overcast at the time.

And to add to the sad, not a peep from the Ambassador. Out of range? Too many iced Vovo’s?

[bego9]

aahh.. I thought I will read another fun/interesting story from you bluesup but when I saw your car scratch oww...my heart sad with you as well. You can try with the scratch x from meguiars, I think it will reduce on the right area. Hopefully it helps.