I have had a Skoda Laura since 2006 January. Right from the beginning I have faced problems with the A/C(poor cooling, excessive moisture buildup on the glass etc). I have sent the car in several times and I was told each time that there was some minor problem which was fixed - belt tension adjustment, gas pressure too low, dust in air intakes, air-filter needing replacement etc.
Even after doing all these minor repairs(the car has been to the dealer 6 times in 2 years), the poor A/C performance persisted; cooling was not even as good as a typical Maruti 800.
In Feb 2008, I sent the car in to the dealer again, just 15 days after the 2-year warranty got completed. The dealer now tells me the compressor needs to be changed. I am sure that this was known to the dealer(and perhaps to Skoda) earlier, but they were just waiting for the warranty period to get over so they could charge me for the replacement, and not have to do it for free. The replacement compressor will cost me over 1 lakh.
I am now selling the car. While the transmission is very nice, and fuel economy is very good, I don’t think it is worthwhile putting up with such aggravation from Skoda dealer for this.
Further, the car needs a new battery each year. I have already replaced the battery once in 2007 Jan and again in 2008 Jan. This is apparently the case with Skoda Lauras - the dealer tells me they need a new battery each year. Factor in about 7, 000/- a year as charges for this.