September 2002
As I cover 50,000mls a year, I chose to buy a Skoda Octavia on the basis that it had a 3 year unlimited mileage warranty and have Skoda literature to that effect. I was at the local Skoda dealer to have a 50,000mls service and told them there is difficulty in engaging 1st gear (this has been highlighted since its 20,000mls service). They told me that they would fit a new clutch assembly under warranty. However, it had to be fitted on or before 60,000mls, if it was to be done under warranty.
On questioning my local dealer about the 60,000mls limit, they told me this limit affected the suspension, bushes, upholstery and steering unit, but could not supply anything in writing.
I called Skoda UK to seek clarification on the matter and to obtain a full copy of the warranty agreement in writing. They told me that they had no written literature on the warranty. They told me that the 60,000mls limit was not accurate, and that each case would be taken on its own merit and that if it was the result of a manufacturers defect, they would replace it under warranty.
1. Can Skoda sell cars on the basis of a 3 year warranty, and then change the terms & conditions of the warranty at will?
2. To say each case will be taken on its own merit is not reassuring for future warranty work. Its almost like changing the goalposts as they please.
3. The fact that they will not give me the terms & conditions of the warranty in writing leaves me very vulnerable to future warranty claims.
4. Is this legal and if not what can I do about it?
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I have an intermittent fault on this.
Sometimes it suddenly blows out cold air even when the temp is set high.
Ocassionally it packs in altogether.
Sometimes (on auto) no air comes out of the middle vents.
I've tried replacing the control unit but I still have problems.
Anyone got any ideas on this.
The car is a 1997 2.5 CDX auto.
The main dealers say they can find nothing wrong.
Any good climate control service centres recommended?
Thanks.
V
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Just over £100 including VAT
regards,
V
Whilst driving on the M3 outside Winchester on Monday I was overtaken by a nice-looking black Toyota saloon, badged 'WINDOM'. It had a square rear no. plate which I think denotes a grey import.
Does any backroomer have any info on it?
P. Read more
its gone right again.
Does anyone know of a honest reliable and reasonable service garage in the cambridgeshire/northampton/bedford area for a 10 yr old Audi 80.
thanks
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Try contacting a garage from HJ's "Good Garages" guide;
www.honestjohn.co.uk/directories/good_garages/DirG...m
Chad.R
Anyone had experience of Dent Wizard. I read an article about them a few weeks ago in the Saturday Telegraph and was thinking of letting them have a go at the dent in my car. Read more
Apologies to all, for the typo!
I just recieved my new car & was wandering how easy it is to swap number plate registration with someone via the DVLA, who is willing to swap with me as long it is a "52" (xx52 xxx).
And if it is possible, where on the web can I find/advertise someone who might be interested?
I'm interested in getting a specific 1st 2 characters of my plate & don't wanna spend £499 to get a cherished one from the DVLA.
Any ideas anyone??
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Didn't I read somewhere that if you compared like with like, ie long haul car travel with short haul air travel (300 - 500 miles I think) the death rate per passenger mile (passenger journey?)is comparable (ie cars actually get safer over 500 miles, planes more dangerous under 300)?!
I have a Becker Mexico radio in my Mercedes 350SL 1972. But it won't work without a screeching interference whenever the ignition is switched on. Any ideas why? Read more
Yes, you need to fit a condenser unit in line with the radio power lead/coil unit, as far as I can remember. You can pick them up for a couple of quid at any local car store.
Rgds
Dom F
Hi All, I've been lurking for a while but this is my first post so be gentle :-)
I'm a mid-twenties guy who has recently got a decent job and I'm currently looking to replace my old Citroen AX with a newer supermini. By reading around and talking to other people I've pretty much concluded that the best value and least hassle route will be to get a under 2 year old, low-mileage car.
I have thought about lots of cars but so far I've only test-drive two. Lots of people here seem to like the Yaris so I've had a look at a 1.3 SR petrol. I have also had a look at a previous model Fiesta with the old 1.3 engine in it.
In my opinion the Yaris is definitely the better car. It had a great engine, reasonable handling and lots of equipment. However the Fiesta was pretty good and nearly £2000 cheaper. Seeing as I will have to take a loan out to pay for either of these cars that could save me up £500 on repayments.
Anyway does anybody have any advice. Which of these would you go for or would you suggest something different?
Thanks for any help :-) Read more
Thanks for the warning, I imagine you where spitting feathers when you found out about that clause!
I think that the dealer finance deal I've been offered does allow you to make early payments but I'd need to make sure before I actually took it. There is some chance my job will pay a bonus next year so I'd like the option of using it to pay off my loan.
In the end I will probably take a separate loan deal as it does work out cheaper. However I would add my own warning as well. I've been using moneysupermarket.com to find good loan rates and a number of the best rate loans do also have early repayment charges. Ultimately when you're dealing this much cash you just have to be extra careful and read everything.
I have lately bought a Citroen ZX Turbo Diesel (1993 K) and inherited all the problems. Whereas, the car came with 'full service history', I am not impressed with the customer service from the dealer.
I asked him if the radiator cooling fan should remain on when the engine reached normal temperature. He said that on this model Citroen (and a similar Peugeot) the fan remained on.
Not convinced I went along to the local Citroen dealer and asked. The guy behind the desk went to ask a mechanic and came to say that the fan should only operate to cool the radiator and then go off. Call me cynical, but he did not convince me either!
Can anyone with a Citroen ZX turbo diesel help?
Thanks
Pete Read more
Having owned in the region of 35-40 cars in the last 18 years, from Simcas to Vectras and everything in between, somewhere along the way I seem to recall that if the fan wasn't cooling very well, you could pull off the connector to the radiator thermostat and put it back on so that the connectors made contact in reverse (ie + with -, - with +) which made the fan come on permanently. I wonder if someone has done this with yours, Peter?
The Bitron, as far as I can tell, is a brand name thermostat unit.
Rgds
Dom F
I was in South Molton Street yesterday and noticed that all the motorbikes and mopeds were parked on the pavement with their number plates covered by white paper stuck on with tape. Clearly these people would not ride on the roads like this so I assume they have fixed these covers on after they have parked up. They would obviously be quite easy to remove so my question is, is there a law that says that parking attendants can not touch the bikes and therefore can not determine the plate number in order to issue a ticket? Plus presumably bikes can be towed away the same as cars so if the attendants can not determine the plate number would they not just call for a tow? Read more
Surely speeding must be transportation be definition?
Having given Skoda the opportunity to clarify the warranty situation, which they have not, I have followed Skodas complaints procedures and put it in writing to SMMT.
I will post the outcome of this when they get back to me, it will take a few weeks!
Cheers for all the input.