[punto_]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Thanks and congrats on your Punto too! I've no TD experience with the petrol Polo, but our official review speaks high of it.

Punto is a superb car,especially in the 90bhp avatar! I picked the Polo TDI as i found it was more city friendly than the 2011 Punto

Thank you. Yes, I agree.. punto especially while taking u turns or parking and driving in city is not easy as other cars. Completed nearly 31k in 18 months. Fiat must have gone for better plastics and useful storage areas.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by punto_

Thank you. Yes, I agree.. punto especially while taking u turns or parking and driving in city is not easy as other cars. Completed nearly 31k in 18 months. Fiat must have gone for better plastics and useful storage areas.

31k in 18 months is some running! Do put up a review for all of us. When you say better plastics, is it because you've had any issues ?

[punto_]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

31k in 18 months is some running! Do put up a review for all of us. When you say better plastics, is it because you've had any issues ?

Yeah, the plastics do rattle (the door ones) little annoying when the overall car is silent.
I have been planning to do a proper review but the laziness in me, never lets me start.

I will come up with one!

[shashank.nk]

The black beauty has crossed the 5k mark!

Our Octy which is at 73k in 5 years, has a weak clutch and so its restricted to in-city usage only which made us take the Polo out for 3 trips of 500kms each and its crossed the 5k mark. Here's an update:

Engine Neither love it nor hate it. The diesel clatter and noise is on the higher side if you drive with the windows down, else the noise is barely heard.

On the highways, its feels powerful till about 120km/hr after which the engine feels a bit strained but can still do 140 ish, albeit progress is slow after 120km/hr. Very good for a 3 cylinder engine i must say.

This car is more suited for the open road. If you buy this car and drive it within the city, you'll hate it for the turbo lag, out on the open road is when she impresses you the most. You have to carefully plan your overtakes and ensure the car is in the powerband before you start the overtake, else you'll be slowed down by the turbo lag which may be dangerous.

The only downside is the steering which offers ZERO feedback at speeds.

Suspension & Ride: On a recent journey, i sat in the rear seat for the first time and wasn't happy. While the front seats are very comfortable, its a totally different story at the back. One can feel a lot of bounciness and excessive vertical movements on highways with undulations. This despite going with 30 psi on all 4 wheels, 32 was much worser.

My mother and sister also complained of excessive sideways movement when i took curves at speeds of 80 km/hr. I'm not sure of other owners have the same complaints.

Gearbox: Its a lot better now, shifts are smooth and fast between 1-2 and 3, i still find shifting to 4 and 5 a little hard. Hope it gets better soon.

FE: I use an app called Fuel Log Pro on my android to keep a track of the FE.

Our recent highway trip, returned a FE of 18.05kmpl with 75% AC usage.

Other vital statistics are:
Highways
Best: 20.10 kmpl (max speed 100 kmph, avg 80)
Worst:16.17 kmpl (max speed 140kmph, avg between 100-120)

City
Best: 13.72 kmpl
Worst:11.95 kmpl

Average (Highway & City): 14.11 kmpl

I've checked the oil levels and they're fine after 5600 kms on the odo

[shashank.nk]

Update:

Looks like the car loves spending a lot of time at the A**, just like other euros.

I'd taken an appointment for a monsoon check-up and the SA asked if there are any other problems, i told him about the steering noise issue which was still unsolved on my car.

He calls me at 5pm (when i was on my way to collect car) and tells me that the steering cone needs to be replaced, and it'll be done under warranty.They won't give me the car today and i've to go back. Will update the detailed experience tomorrow once my car is back, along with the quality of service.

Polo has had 2 critical parts replaced in 6 months of ownership. In contrast our good old Octy which has been more abused than used, has never surprised us with such failures, all replacements were normal wear n tear parts.

I'm beginning to think of this as an unreliable car, i pray its not a lemon though!

PS: What exactly are steering cones and what purpose do they serve ?

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Update:

Looks like the car loves spending a lot of time at the A**, just like other euros.

He calls me at 5pm (when i was on my way to collect car) and tells me that the steering cone needs to be replaced, and it'll be done under warranty.

I'm beginning to think of this as an unreliable car, i pray its not a lemon though!

PS: What exactly are steering cones and what purpose do they serve ?

Sorry to hear about it. Don't lose your trust so soon.

In my Vento TDi HL Apr'11, there is a certain clicking noise coming out of the steering column. Was it the same in yours? If I unlock the steering and move it in vertical direction, there is a certain clicking noise.

I have been trying to ignore it till next service in Apr'13, but if the problem in your car too is same, then I will be heading to workshop ASAP. I have taken 2+2 yrs extended warranty and so for 4 yrs peace of mind.

[shashank.nk]

Update:

Its not the steering cone apparently, but the bearings near the struts are to be replaced as they are the source of the noise.

Reason for failure (as explained by manager of workshop): Rain water or water while washing has caused the damage.

Replaced under warranty.

Wiper blades also to be replaced as the rubber has become hard! I bought the car in Feb, and i fail to understand how it can turn hard so soon!

VW guys are taking me for a ride when i ask them why a part failed and also w.r.t what is being replaced.

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

Sorry to hear about it. Don't lose your trust so soon.

In my Vento TDi HL Apr'11, there is a certain clicking noise coming out of the steering column. Was it the same in yours? If I unlock the steering and move it in vertical direction, there is a certain clicking noise.

I have been trying to ignore it till next service in Apr'13, but if the problem in your car too is same, then I will be heading to workshop ASAP. I have taken 2+2 yrs extended warranty and so for 4 yrs peace of mind.

Here's how i checked it. Turn the steering lock to lock and then back to center, apart from the tyre noise you shouldn't hear anything. I could hear noise like somethings being dragged when turned form left lock back to center, no issues if i turn it right till it locks and then back to center.

[shashank.nk]

Mods, please excuse the various cross postings under the same section. I need help on escalating the matter.

I've updated the service experience on this thread;please suggest the best way to take this forward.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post2866686

[shashank.nk]

The car is back from the workshop. Looks like my car simply hates water, water caused the strut bearings to wear out this time.

The strut bearings were replaced under warranty and a bigger cap was fitted where the strut is mounted to the body to prevent water from entering and causing damage in future.

I could still hear noise and noticed slight hardness in the steering, but I was told once the bearings set in the noise would disappear, so will update after 3 days if the noise is gone.

Monsoon check-up was done and apart from the wipers all else was fine. I was charged for the windscreen additive as i specifically asked for it, later realized its some cheapo stuff they use.

Apart from this, i gifted the car door protectors and a body cover for the monsoons!

Here's the new cap:


The car drives like before, no changes worth reporting. Also while discussing a new engine for the Polo with the Manager, he mentioned VW is developing a 1.5TDI specifically for India. No idea about the launch dates though

My service experience has been updated here
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-feedback.html

[shashank.nk]

My very first detailing session! Armed with the right products and some knowledge i tried creating the 'whiplash' effect.

Webster dictionary defines 'whiplash' as: Injury resulting from sudden sharp whipping movement of the neck and head.

Blackfire has an interesting tagline for their products 'Don't just turn heads, create whiplash!' Lets see if a newbie can achieve it in his very first detailing session.

Day 1: Washed the car with Amway car wash using Autocraft wash Mitt. Cleaning with a mitt made the entire process quicker and a lot less tiring. The car was washed at the workshop and the wheels were more or less clean, but i wanted it very clean so cleaned the insides as well as the tyres and it looked a lot better afterwards! Dried the car with a MF towel, used blotting technique where possible, other areas were dried by dragging the towel carefully and slowly.

Interiors were clean, so just dusted the mats and wiped the dirty areas with a MF towel.

All done and very tired! Time taken: 1.5 hrs

Day 2:

Started at 12 noon and was done by 4.45PM with a break for lunch approx 30 mins.

Claying
First step was to clay the car. Used half a bar of Mothers clay bar with ONR as a lubricant in 1:64 ratio. Strange thing was, there was no dramatic change in the clay bar at all! I could feel it pick up bonded contaminants, but not once did i notice a lot of dirt. Either i did it wrong or there was not much dust on the surface. I washed the car after claying, as the ONR lubricant had dried up and left streaks here and there. The surface was super smooth after claying and the wash mitt glided over the surface effortlessly!

Swirl removal/Compunding: Skipped as i didn't have UC on hand and the car had light swirls. Will be done in the next detailing session.

Polishing:

After claying and washing the car, it was time to polish it. Out comes the BF Gloss enhancing polish. I used a applicator pad to apply, since the applicator was new I applied a few drops of the product onto the pad and let it settle in.

Then, applying a few drops of BF Polish went about the entire car polishing and buffing one section at a time eg:Half hood, left front fender, drivers door etc. till the entire car was done. I could notice a slight 'gloss' on the surface, but nothing like what i was expecting. A little disappointed, i thought i'll take a break for lunch and come back for the final session and apply the sealant.

Applying a Paint Sealant:

The last and the final step was to apply a sealant to protect the paint surface through the monsoons. BF wet diamond all finish paint protection is what i used. Applied a very thin layer, allowed it to dry and then buffed off with a clean MF towel. This product is magic! I could notice a clear 'before' and 'after' difference when wet diamond was applied to half of the bonnet. The one treated had a slightly 'wet' look and the gloss was simply superb! Went on with this process and finished the rest of the car.

Here's the results:

[shashank.nk]

A few more pics, new post as there's a 10 pics per post restriction

[rrnsss]

Originally Posted by madnish30

One hot ride! Do get the stubby antenna for it and add some nice DRLs or projectors, will be the hottest hatch on the road!

Where can I get the stubby antenna and how do I remove the xisting one and put the new one?

[madnish30]

Originally Posted by rrnsss

Where can I get the stubby antenna and how do I remove the xisting one and put the new one?

Unitedcustomz.in or ebay.in

Just unscrew it, no wiring or tools required - 15 second job.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Man! What a finish you have there! Smashing results from the detailing session.

I would also love to start detailing my car. Unfortunately/ fortunately - I have a white car, and would never be able to achieve such 'whiplash effects'. Since you also started detailing now only - few questions.

1. What is the clay bar for? Why do it before waxing?

2. I don't have such a nice car parking facility. Hence I would prefer to wash and wax the car only, and no more additional hours. Currently - I have Amway car wash + Amyway silicon glaze (Polish) / Formula1 Carnauba Wax (New. Haven't tried on the car). Is this combination good enough?

[thenomad]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

My very first detailing session!

Job well done!! The results are excellent.