Is My Skoda Karoq Rubbish or are Skoda Dealers Inept?

Recently, Clarisa Carwrong (not her real name – funnily enough), is a Gaycarboys reader with a Skoda Karoq, and a whole lot of grief.

Clarisa’s barrage of abominations began when her Skoda Karoq went through its first heavy rain. Queensland, perfect one day, under water the next, is known for apocalyptic weather events and is the location for this tale of trouble.

Clarisa’s previous car, a Volkswagen Tiguan, earned itself a Diesel Gate payout, but was not enough to deter Clarisa’s purchase of an other VW Group marque

The discounted Skoda seemed a bargain, heavily discounted due to an undesirable interior colour selection.

Before you read on, remember the Volkswagen group involvement in denying faults?

DSGgate saw the group’s dry-sump double clutch automatic transmissions declared a disaster. Many failures not only caused distress for owners, and in most cases the owners were blamed by VW for causing the faults. In truth, it was a design fault. While many transmissions were replaced by VW, most cost their owners thousands.

Dieselgate was a deliberate attempt by Volkswagen to fake the results of diesel emissions testing. In power tests the engine’s electronics increased emissions to increase the power figures. During the emissions test, the power was decreased in order to lower the figures, particularly the NOX emissions.

Clarisa’s Tiguan sold after 10 years ownership for a mere $5,000.

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ABOVE:

The turmoil starts

From new, peripheral sensors malfunctioned after heavy rain. Surely the Germans aren’t so haughty that didn’t account for heavy rain. Despite many mentions, the dealer has not mended the troublesome technology, denying the problem exists.

The next incident came after being gifted a dual camera dashcam.

The rear camara was professionally installed, and the front cam connect to the 12V outlet in the front cabin. The camera worked beautifully, but Clarisa failed to notice the camera was still recording once the ignition turned off as it was tucked behind the mirror so as not to obscure the view.

The next day the errant Karoq wouldn’t allow entry, with the battery as flat as a pancake.

Let’s set the scene:

“We were in a hurry to get about some busy chores”

Clarisa noticed that the Karoq wouldn’t unlock. Ninety-Nine attempts to charm entry into the belligerent German met with NEIN NEIN! Get it?

Assistance summoned; a man came.

You see, although the emergency key opens the driver’s door via the concealed key hole within its handle sans power, that’s the only door that will open. Not seeing the problem yet? OK, the battery and its terminals are in the engine bay accessed by the bonnet. The bonnet is released by a handle locked closed on the passenger’s side by the protruding door card. The handle would normally by operated by opening the door and pulling the handle sitting flush with the bodywork.

There is no emergency key access on the passenger’s side so the door stays shut.

The help chap suggested contacting the dealer. The dealer sent a second little man who brought bad news, the only way to release the bonnet was to force the plastic handle to bend sideways and rearward over the locked door’s lower plastic bin. Bending at that odd angle could possibly break the flimsy lever. The flat battery suddenly becomes time consuming and very expensive.

It did bend, to within an inch of its life.

The Skoda man was able to carefully coax the cable’s lever almost to breaking point, open the bonnet, and jump start the battery.

With the Karoq’s subdued glow fanned to a comforting blaze, the chores were dispatched with haste. The dealer offered no explanation as to the poorly designed emergency access, nor to the battery flattened by the dashcam. It transpires that the USB and 12V outlets up front, are always on. VW, Skoda, and the dealer all deny this, but unplugging the camera fixed the problem. Leaving it plugged in and monitoring the camera for an hour clearly shows its operation continues happily. Were this left to run overnight, it would be more than enough to use all the power needed to start the car next day. What a shambles.

Volkswagen continued to deny the fact that the outlets were permanently live.

Frustrated, Clarisa accepted that she would make no further advancement on the matter, and let it drop.

Next, the (small) service, completed after an 8-hour wait, left the owner and her cantankerous matriarch in a state of frustration. “You need new brakes and tyres”, the service agent casually ejaculated. Naturally, the princely price was not included in the free service programme. Clarissa smelt a diesel-gate sized rat, and hightailed it to another mechanic for a second, less controversial opinion.

Neither the tyres nor the brakes were within coo-ee of the replacement claim made by VW Service. The low milage (3,000km) Karoq got new tyres anyway, but the brakes pressed on, so to speak.

Clarisa complained of her dealer’s communications, but this fell on deaf ears.

Pumpgate

“I was contacted by Skoda Servicing (SS from now on) to notify of the “replacement water pump” arrival. They were sorry for the 6 months wait on the part but “it was here now”. I was not aware I was in need of a new water pump, but was told that I was notified at last servicing.

I consulted the servicing notes, and to my complete lack of surprise, no mention of anything untoward.”

By now Clarissa was both confused and angry, but wait, there’s more-

“SS- That’s ok you need it.

Me- Do I?

SS- Yes yours is leaking.

Me- Is it?”

Remember, this was the first Clarissa had heard of it.

“Well, it’s here now, we recommend you come get it done.”

Clarissa went down to the VW service next day.

“SS- on the notes you have noticed a leaking water pump.

Me- no, no leaks. First time I knew I needed one was yesterday.

SS- ok it will be 5 hours.

Me- Ok.”

“When given paper work after. VW Service still claimed I was the one that initiated the water pump gate. “

“I think there was a recall and if there wasn’t. They are aware that there is a water pump issue”

So far there has been no recall for the water pump. Clarissa is of the opinion that VW knows the water pumps are an issue, so will replace them but only if the customer complains. The shoddy treatment seems to have soured Clarissa’s driving pleasure.

Clarisa didn’t want her real name, or that of the dealer to be revealed, fearing retribution.

Another reader has a Polo GTI with a noisy turbo waste gate, and a clunking noise in the steering at low speed. Repeated attempts to have VW repair the issues have failed, and the 12-month-old Polo GTI is still giving its owner grief. The “fix” is a weight fitted to a shaft that will quieten the noise, but will not stop the part from failing.

The earlier issues have been joined by numerous rattles in the cabin panelwork. Just as will Clarissa, the dealer has no remedied the numerous problems.

Has VW Group quality got a problem?

The water pump and turbo waste gate troubles are the object of many comments in online owner forums. Are the dealers at fault? Both owners have contacted Volkswagen customer service help, but as with the earlier Diesel Gate inquiries, actual help is short in supply.

Volkswagen Australia’s Customer Satisfaction Director was created after Diesel Gate but the position was filled for the shortest of tenures. A systemic lack of interest in owners tarnishes the brand beyond repair, and what seemed to be isolated issues soon congeal into a mire of unresolved angst once gathered together.

Volkswagen could do what we did, listen to VW owners, and read some of the forums.

Both readers are gay and proud, just not proud of their cars. Both vow never to buy VW group again.

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