[StarScream]

Originally Posted by daniel990

Guys , this is my ( I am 55 ) first post, (long term admirer of T bhp) , always read, never posted. So here goes

Cars owned : 85-86 Premier Padmani (boring)

86-90 Maruti 800 (genius car of its age) ,

88-98 MM 540 jeep (had for 10 years , enjoyed every minute, had major accident and survived)

98-04 Maruti 800 (again)

04-15 Maruti Baleno (original Baleno - the best, far better than the latest - ultimate confidence inspiring handling, and silent ride)

Now Vento TSI automatic petrol 6 months old - great engine - phenomenal mileage average in town 12-15, highway 15-18 in D mode.

Great power in S mode without much drop in mileage.

Now for the negatives:

Squeaky car, with noises all over especially on cement roads , noises in dash and boot , creaks audible in doors when turning slowly on slopes, Ramani in Coimbatore tried to fix noises, but flailed miserably thrice.

Gets confused in shifting in D2 D3 gears and jerks occasionally in heavy traffic.

Handling of the Vento ( MRF) - not even close to my old Baleno (Bridgestone)

Pathetic mentality of the Volkswagen staff at Ramani in Coimabtore - just incompetent -( or cant care attitude - delay and the customer will leave)

The entire car seems to be built for poor awestruck "Indians" who dont know any better.

Will Volkswagen ever learn ? After a Maruti product , their service is below pathetic.

Will I buy another Volkswagen? - never ! You cant fool all the people all the time !

Why did I buy in the first place - unbelievable auto gear box of the TSI.

The only way forward for Volkswagen - copy Maruti service and treat the customer as king - else shut shop

Sabko mukamal jahan nahin milta!

The fact is there is no other car in that price bracket that can hold a candle to the TSI in terms of technology and modernity.

I've owned a number of Maruti products and the distinct impression I had was that they were weaker products and therefore need very good after-sales support.

The door rattling issue is very common. A number of people on this forum have suggested fixes. In my case, my dealer fixes it for a while and then it dutifully returns before the next service.

I'm surprised that you find the handling poor. My experience with the stock Apollo's has been quite good but a change of tyres for you should fix the issue.

[volkman10]

India to be IT backend office for all VW Group brands globally .

With an aim to build its internal IT capabilities and offering Volkswagen Group brands across markets a centralised IT delivery and support location, Volkswagen has set up Volkswagen IT Services India at Hinjewadi in Pune. The latest move will help Volkswagen further strengthen its presence in the country as India will now also serve as the IT backend for all brands – Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche, Škoda and Volkswagen – from the German automotive giant, across geographies

At present, Volkswagen IT Services India Private Limited employs 300 personnel with expertise in areas like JAVA, Microsoft Technologies, Business Intelligence, SAP, ServiceNow, Mobility & Testing. This team of tech experts will be focused on providing end-to-end IT software development and support the rollout of IT solutions across different brands. Additionally, the team will also work on helping brands take advantage of technologies like Cloud Foundry and Social Media Analytics. Over the next few months, the company aims to increase its employee headcount by another 150 tech professionals

Souce

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by volkman10

India to be IT backend office for all VW Group brands globally .

I suspect this is more about paying Indian, rather than European, salaries. Probably there are Europeans loosing their jobs.

[Guite]

On Saturday I adjusted my family's itinerary to include a visit to VW South Delhi Metropolitan Mall to check out the Vento TSI. To my surprise the showroom had closed recently. There was some VW item still lying around. A notice on the glass front says the showroom has been shifted to Safdarjung Enclave, which BTW has been in existence for a long time.

Yesterday (Sunday) I set out to visit VW South Extension. I did not bother to check on the VW website phone number thinking surely this one also would not have shut down. To my shock it has closed down and some other showroom (not vehicular) has started taking shape in its interior space.

This is a setback in my shopping for the VW Vento TSI. It has put a doubt in my mind and my wife's mind as to the long term existence Volkswagen India. Where are they headed?

By the way, about this door squeaking issue: is it heard on normal driving over bumpy roads? Someone mentioned it occurs over bends. Is it due to flexible chassis?

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by Guite

This is a setback in my shopping for the VW Vento TSI. It has put a doubt in my mind and my wife's mind as to the long term existence Volkswagen India. Where are they headed?

Volkswagen is here to stay in India. After China, India is the next big growing market. Closure of VW Showroom might happen since there are no new products to launch and current lot of cars are getting old. Also multiple showroom in one city will also close since sales of new car will be low. Those showroom who stay afloat will do better in terms of higher sales and car serviced daily basis.

VW will be seeing a lot on action in 2018 when new Polo launches, followed by Vento, Jetta and Passat. Tiguan and Taigun will also be making their debut in 2018.

If you like the Vento TSi, go for it. Nothing to worry about. Purchase extended warranty 2 + 2 yr and extended road side assistance. Read manual once thoroughly.

Originally Posted by Guite

By the way, about this door squeaking issue: is it heard on normal driving over bumpy roads? Someone mentioned it occurs over bends. Is it due to flexible chassis?

I'm not aware what you mean by flexible chassis.

Reason why sound comes is due to velvet felt type material on door beading border which rubs against metal frame leading to these sounds.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Guite

[VW...] Where are they headed?

Chennai? Our dealership has grown to three outlets now

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

If you like the Vento TSi, go for it. Nothing to worry about.

But seriously... there is something to worry about for potential buyers where the local dealership and service facilities are not strong.

I can't believe that they are not well represented in the capital city, but still, for any individual, both the showroom and service facilities need to be conveniently located.

[daniel990]

Originally Posted by StarScream

Sabko mukamal jahan nahin milta!

The fact is there is no other car in that price bracket that can hold a candle to the TSI in terms of technology and modernity.

I've owned a number of Maruti products and the distinct impression I had was that they were weaker products and therefore need very good after-sales support.

The door rattling issue is very common. A number of people on this forum have suggested fixes. In my case, my dealer fixes it for a while and then it dutifully returns before the next service.

I'm surprised that you find the handling poor. My experience with the stock Apollo's has been quite good but a change of tyres for you should fix the issue.

Originally Posted by Guite

On Saturday I adjusted my family's itinerary to include a visit to VW South Delhi Metropolitan Mall to check out the Vento TSI. To my surprise the showroom had closed recently. There was some VW item still lying around. A notice on the glass front says the showroom has been shifted to Safdarjung Enclave, which BTW has been in existence for a long time.

Yesterday (Sunday) I set out to visit VW South Extension. I did not bother to check on the VW website phone number thinking surely this one also would not have shut down. To my shock it has closed down and some other showroom (not vehicular) has started taking shape in its interior space.

This is a setback in my shopping for the VW Vento TSI. It has put a doubt in my mind and my wife's mind as to the long term existence Volkswagen India. Where are they headed?

By the way, about this door squeaking issue: is it heard on normal driving over bumpy roads? Someone mentioned it occurs over bends. Is it due to flexible chassis?

The doors squeak when turning over ramps and road inclines driving very slowly ! Audible clearly in silent locations. The solution is a foam beading of about 1/4" dia inserted in the main beading. It has to be vociferously demanded from your dealer, else they act as if you are hearing things !! The chassis definitely flexes, not confidence inspiring to say the least !

If you buy this car , its only for the gem of an engine. Period. Every thing is bad bad bad for a Rs 12+ lakh car .

Positives: the S mode with the surge of power , puts a evil grin on your face . Makes you forget the negatives

[volkman10]

Some reports indicate the future plans of VW for India. Likely not to launch the Next Gen Polo/Vento( MQB) in India.( see link below)

Link

[Gannu_1]

Wasn't sure where to post this.

Volkswagen is coming up with a massive dealership and service center at Malappuram (Koottilangadi) located at the Palakkad-Calicut highway. Only noticed the board 'Volkswagen Malappuram' (also in the vernacular) there as we passed by. Going by the looks of it, the place should be up and running in about a month's time.

There was no place by the side of the road to stop the car and click snaps so sorry about that.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Wasn't sure where to post this.

Volkswagen is coming up with a massive dealership and service center at Malappuram (Koottilangadi) located at the Palakkad-Calicut highway. Only noticed the board 'Volkswagen Malappuram' (also in the vernacular) there as we passed by. Going by the looks of it, the place should be up and running in about a month's time.

There was no place by the side of the road to stop the car and click snaps so sorry about that.

Thanks for the info. Interesting place for a VW dealership. Looks like the Calicut dealership is not able to handle the load from Malappuram (I do see a lot of Vento's and Polo's in the towns in Malappuram Dt).

But still a surprising choice of location, would have thought that somewhere around Perinthalmanna or closer to Palakkad would have been more logical.

[2500cc]

Am looking out for a CUV/SUV replacing my Scorpio which I owned for over 5yrs. None of the current offerings in the market excite me and have been hearing a lot about such mini offering (T-Cross) from VW. Does anyone here have near accurate info about this launch ?

[csnanjappa]

Originally Posted by 2500cc

Am looking out for a CUV/SUV replacing my Scorpio which I owned for over 5yrs. None of the current offerings in the market excite me and have been hearing a lot about such mini offering (T-Cross) from VW. Does anyone here have near accurate info about this launch ?

Not until early 2018 - the prototype was launched during Geneva motor show and we might get some more info during the forthcoming Paris motor show. Anything earlier than 2018 would be good news .

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Some reports indicate the future plans of VW for India. Likely not to launch the Next Gen Polo/Vento( MQB) in India.( see link below)

Link

Whatever it is they smoke when they gaze at the VW India crystal ball is pretty powerful! . In my opinion, not upgrading the current PQ25 Polo/Vento to the global MQB platform will be disastrous in the medium to long term. The Polo is already starting to look dated even after the long-overdue styling tweaks.

I fear India will be left with a "emerging economy" version (i.e. the PQ26) which will remain a poor cousin of the MQB platform and be long overtaken by Hyundai and Maruti.

[halfbytecode]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Some reports indicate the future plans of VW for India. Likely not to launch the Next Gen Polo/Vento( MQB) in India.( see link below)

Link

I was actually hoping the news may be based on rumours, but reading the quotes of VW India MD about working upon the PQ25, has left me really disheartened.

There are reports of next-gen Jetta being discontinued in India. There seems to be no hope for good products in India. Most of them being diluted due to the government imposed taxes, and some being affected otherwise, unfortunately.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

The Polo is already starting to look dated even after the long-overdue styling tweaks..

Never! A timeless classic design that will always look good.

(Signed: a fanboy )

But seriously, their designs do have more longer life than all the curves and flares, which tend to look dated the very next year.

(Did I mention, I'm a fanboy?)