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BHPian Rambo-RS recently shared this with other enthusiasts:Long Term Ownership Report – 3 years and 26,000 kms Very happy to share that it’s been a little over 3 years with the car now and the ownership experience has been truly amazing! The running has reduced a little this past year so the service was carried out well before the 15,000 km service interval. The bill came out to be around Rs. 350 since everything was covered under the 4 year SMP, but since Skoda recommends only cleaning the Air Filter in the 3rd Service, I went ahead and paid for the replacement Air Filter myself as I always like to change it at every service. Service Experience @ Krishna Skoda, Ludhiana – Unfortunately my nearest Authorized Service Centre of Skoda i.e Krishna Skoda, Patiala has closed their operations there. So this time the Service was carried out at Krishna Skoda Ludhiana which is at a distance about 70 Kms from my home. I don’t really mind the distance as I believe that if the car is reliable and the service experience good, making an annual trip to the Service Station, once a year is not really a problem. I made an appointment by contacting them 2 days before and got it for the first slot itself. Thus I was there at exactly 9:30 AM and the car was on the Service Bay right away. Mr. Kamaruddin was my service technician. Work carried out during this service was – 1. Engine Oil Replacement – The Engine Oil is the same spec as earlier i.e 0W20 confirming to VW 508 00/509 00 standards. But I noticed that now it also has Porsche C20 approval as well which was earlier not the case. If you refer to Point 10 of my very interesting earlier thread i.e Skoda Kushaq Chronicles you’ll notice that it was not present then. 2. Oil Filter Replacement – The price of Oil filter was Rs. 221 which has seen a price increase compared to last year which was Rs. 135. Although its still a very competitive price considering that its being imported from Germany (You can refer to Point 12 of another thread mentioned earlier). 3. Cabin Filter Replacement 4. Air Filter Replacement The Customer Lounge was very good and had decent collection of Magazines and Newspapers. Coffee was perfect! I noticed a new touch given by them i.e before putting the car on the service bay that some stickers were applied on some key places – ORVMs, Driver Seat, etc. On asking I got to know that these were applied so the car could be returned to the customer with same driving position and settings as they received. This was new to me and very thoughtful touch indeed! Notice the yellow stickers The service was complete in around 45 Minutes and was sent to the washing area. It took a little time there since some cars were there before mine but the washing too was fantastic. The reason for saying ‘fantastic’ is that after the washing, when the whole work was complete and I was bidding a good bye to the whole team, Mr. D.S. Maan (Service Manager at Skoda Ludhiana) suo motu noticed some water marks on the windshield and called the washing person to clean it again for me. This was such a thoughtful gesture and I shall always remember the whole service experience here at this centre . SOME OTHER NOTABLE MENTIONS:- 1. Fuel Efficiency – As I have stated in my earlier posts that I always fill HP Power95 and that too from the same Petrol Pump, but I have noticed that now after the E20 fiasco, the car’s mileage has indeed taken a hit. On the same route what used to be 22 – 23 Kmpl has now reduced to around 19 – 20 Kmpl. Although its still a lot for the size and performance of the car thus I have no complaints. Sharing a pic of a short trip I did earlier that included 3 people in the car (including driver), 75% National Highway, 20% State Highway and 5% City traffic. 2. E20 Compatibility – Skoda has come up with a circular that all Kushaqs have been E20 Material Compliant since its inception, but I somehow cannot trust this. The reason for this is that my Car has a sticker of E5 and E10 since its March 2022 manufactured model. But the newer Kushaqs are having E20 Sticker too which is missing on my car. My point is that if the car was already E20 compliant since inception then why was the sticker of E20 not there neither on the fuel lid, nor mentioned in the Owners Manual. I can only hope that what they say is indeed true and not just a marketing statement. 3. AC Performance – is just about Satisfactory, nothing legendary about it. Whenever I sit in friends/ relatives Cretas or Brezzas, I do notice that Kushaq does miss out on this front. But this is only noticeable in the Peak Summer Season of May-June, rest of the year is completely normal and passable. Overall, in these 3 years and 3 months of Ownership, I can proudly say that the car has been very reliable and niggle-free (touchwood). It has truly been a “fill-it, shut-it, forget-it” kind of an experience. It’s easy on the pocket too, especially with the SMP and I have consciously adapted my driving style to this Turbo-GDI engine such that I extract excellent fuel efficiency as well. Signing off with some shots of the car. – Ranvir Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.
