So a year has almost come since my last update. The car has seen very minor usage over the last 2.5 years as I was out of the country on work. During this time the car was lying with a close friend for a year and half and then with the better half for the rest of the period.
From 2011 to 2014, the car did about nearly 60,000 kms under me with hardly any issues other than normal wear and tear, and a few warranty related repair/replacements.
From 2015 to 2017, the car did about 11,000 kms under the ownership of friends and family; and has seen a few problems primarily in the last 8 months that I'll talk below.
October 2016
The car was being used by the better half and mostly driven by my driver. I did share a few minor updates on other threads 6 months back, quoting the same here below.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ninjatalli Just got an update from Bombay - apparently two of the injectors have to be replaced. The lady has been given a 25k estimate (only????) per injector.
Will have to dig deeper and get a more detailed estimate of expenses. |
I was out of the country so asked for the car to be parked and left unused till I was back in Bombay.
December 2016
I return to the country for a short 3 week break and immediately head for a short drive to test the condition of the car. My driver brings a "friend" over to the house, a Skoda workshop 'engineer' who quotes that nothing is wrong with the injectors (as per him), but just some issue with the engine.
I point out the clearly noticeable reduced power output and to this he again reaffirms that is a known issue with several Skoda Rapid cars and should be an easy fix. I was planning on taking the car to VW workshop in Sewri which I knew was the relatively better of the dealers in Mumbai; but I get persuaded to take the car to the (VW Mumbai East/) Kurla workshop. He assures me that he'll be there at the workshop and help in getting the right person on the job immediately.
Next day morning I keep the car under 40 kmph and head early out to the Kurla workshop. The 'engineer' is nowhere to be seen. An SA is assigned who notes my feedback and hooks up the car for diagnosis. On further inquiring I finally get to know the Skoda 'engineer' is far from what he says; probably just a workshop guy. Alarm bells start ringing in back of my mind, but I'm already here so I go with the flow.
A few hours and I get a vague feedback from my SA. He says atleast more than one injectors have failed and they would have to get my go-ahead to do the replacement work. I ask for a full quote on the costs and wonder aloud what they were doing all morning if they still haven't done a full-on diagnosis. He gives me a vague 1 Lakh+ quote and says it might be higher if more issues are found out.
I thank him, pay the cost for the diagnosis (about 650Rs) and head back home. Back home, I look for other options online and land on this thread
link They have a Mumbai workshop in Nerul, address is as belows
Name: Sk Karzone: Bosch Car service Center
Address: PLOT NO. D- 233/1, MIDC TTC INDUSTRIAL AREA, LP, Service Road, Nerul, MIDC Industrial Area, Shiravane, Nerul, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra 400706
I have a few calls with the owner Manoj Khanna who advises to get the car immediately to the workshop and connects me to a service advisor, Harpreet. Next day the car is parked and a complete diagnosis is undertaken. A few hours later, I receive the results - 3 injectors are gone and the 4th is functioning. I am advised to replace all 4. The replacement would be done with Bosch injectors which are replaceable to the OEM VW injectors.
I show them this
thread by @VeyronSuperSprt which talks about the repair option instead of replacement, but I'm told that is not possible on these injectors.
I feel a little worried on this angle and wonder if I should get more opinions, but I decide to trust their feedback. I take a decision to go ahead and get all 4 replaced with a hit of about
~90,000 Rs for the entire work. Along with the injectors, I also get the EGR valve cleaned. The entire work takes about 3-4 days and I'm handed over the car with a clear set of instructions for the next 200-300 kms of riding. I'm also advised to get the car back for a check-up after a month of usage (or ~1000kms of usage).
I had a trip planned to Goa immediately so I get to implement them immediately; basically I am advised not to keep the speeds below 70, and not to accelerate the engine and run-in the new injectors. That was the slowest I ever went up the Mumbai Pune expressway; giving competition to the trucks while other cars and buses just buzzed by me. I kept the speeds under check till Amboli ghat and only started upping the speeds after I reached Goa. A few days later, and 1000+ kms, the car was back to normal with no issues.
Overall experience: Harpreet and his team do a great job of the work and are very approachable for questions/clarifications. Manoj is always reachable if you have any questions. The work bay is accessible and you are welcome to view the work if you have the need to do so. They do work on most if not all brands; I could see Maruti, Hyundai, Tata and a few European brands in the workshop on the days I was there. And if you allow Manoj, he'll take up your entire day with anecdotes and examples of past customer experiences

As for me, I have a workshop that I can depend on for future servicing requirements and other issues.
Improvement Areas: The location is a bit of pain, especially if you live within the city. They do offer pick-up/drop options till Vashi but not beyond that. If you plan on dropping the car for work, please do make arrangements for return trip. Uber/Ola options are always there, but the availability isn't always guaranteed. And of course, Nerul station is about a 20 min walk from the workshop. I hope they come up with a pickup/drop option in the future, if not for the car, then atleast for the driver to nearby transport points.
February 2017
While I'm back in the states, the better half/driver is using the car sporadically when she sees the 'check engine' light come up. A few rides later, the light doesn't go away and the car is brought back to the workshop for a checkup. Harpreet and his team do a diagnosis and no issue is found and the light goes off too.
April 2017
The 'check engine' light comes up again. Over the last few months, the car has seen extremely low usage; so I advise the better half to keep the usage to the minimum till I come back. The light doesn't go away, but as the engine output doesn't see any drop or impact, I'm not worried.
July 2017
I return back to Bombay and immediately take the car to the workshop. Harpreet runs a full diagnosis and the issue is found to be a faulty glow plug. They order one and get it replaced.
Cost breakup
Glow Plug: Rs 1500
Diagnosis: Rs 650
Labor: Rs 295
GST: Rs 400
Total: Rs ~3200
After nearly 6 years, the car is chugging along with the odometer at ~72,000 kms. Having driven much powerful cars in US over the last 3 years, the comparison is of course inevitable; and of course the Vento seems to be the worse-off on several matters. I find the lack of Cruise Control and Bluetooth facility a big hindrance especially on long highway drives, but that is something I can live with. Ironically I could manage with the manual drive and Mumbai traffic without any issues.
I don't plan on selling this car for a while; and hopefully the vehicle will not give much surprises going ahead. Frankly I feel these VW tdi engines run better when they are used; than being kept in the garage. I know of a 6 year old Tdi in Gujarat that is nearing 2,00,000 kms and is running fine. Only time will tell I guess. Meanwhile, here's a quick check on the key parameters after 6 years of ownership:
Acceleration: The car still gives me the smile on 3rd and 4th gears when I get to do the rapid acceleration. Thank god for small mercies.
Power: I recently did a trip to Pune and back; and was surprised to see a slight lack of power, or rather more noise at higher speeds than what I remembered. Earlier I could easily cross 3 digit speeds and take it to speeds that aren't allowed to be talked about on this forum without issue. But now I feel a bit of strain on the engine. There are too many factors - the replaced Bosch injectors, 6 year old car, my flawed judgement; I'll have to evaluate that by driving other Ventos to do a one-on-one comparison
Suspension: This is where I'm concerned. Maybe my judgement is flawed due to my comparison with the much plusher and newer Altima I drove over the last 2 years and the much better roads of USA. However I feel the suspension has gone down on the car and will have to get this checked later.
Mileage: Who cares. Never worried on this parameter, and don't think I will in the future.