[Safeer]

Originally Posted by vignesh.cv

When the engine is fully warmed up, the engine torque when idle is about 30Nm when in neutral. When I engage drive mode, the torque jumps to about 50Nm. The torque output jumps to 50Nm when I switched on the A/C as well. So that should help understand the effect of the A/C as well as switching to D mode. And probably explains why one should shift to neutral while waiting in traffic (?)

:::::
Planning to activate/change the following via the VCDS:
1. Needle staging
2. Lane change blink from 3 to 4.
3. Activate day time running light
4. Activate cornering function on the fog lamps

Thanks Vignesh for the piece of information regarding torque buildup from N to D (I own a pre-FL Laura 1.9 DSG). Yes, explains part of the shifting to N while waiting for long periods, plus reduce the breakpad /clutch plate wear I presume.

Good to see the customization plans, and please do update after its been done.

[vignesh.cv]

Mandatory video of cluster staging enabled

Cluster staging enabled

Got the others in the list enabled as well. The day time lamp felt a bit odd though, so have deactivated it for time being. Planning to get the headlamp switch replaced with the euro model later.

[Safeer]

Originally Posted by vignesh.cv

Mandatory video of cluster staging enabled

Got the others in the list enabled as well. The day time lamp felt a bit odd though, so have deactivated it for time being. Planning to get the headlamp switch replaced with the euro model later.

Nice to see the staging video. Headlamp switch to Euro model -presume its the one which has the 'auto' setting as well -for auto headlamps and coming home lights etc.

[vignesh.cv]

Minor updates after 3 months of ownership. The car has covered 3100kms as of today. The engine has become more smoother and the torque is just amazing. I'm watchful of letting it rip in the lower gears, do that only when I'm in 3rd gear or so. Experienced torque steer for the first time in my life - backed off a bit and things were under control. Having said that, I do miss the connection that a NA motor offers in terms of throttle response. Maybe I'm still getting used to the turbo diesel.

The fuel efficiency figures are hovering around the 10-12kmpl mark in city limits, mainly because I'm driving around in lot of congested traffic and I'm stretching the legs of the motor whenever I can. The DPF regen cycle happened around 50kms back. The signs were - higher engine idle (1100 vs 800-850), cooling fans come on in full speed. I was initially worried at the signs, but after going through some posts I realized the engine is going through the cycle. When the motor is in the DPF regen cycle, the fans do come on very loud and the shifts even in D mode were longer i.e the gearbox does not shift up as much as the usual D mode.

Also experienced the A/C performance in hot conditions - I'd parked the car under the sun and had to take it out in the afternoon. Even after letting the air recirculate for a while by letting the windows roll down, the A/C cooling was not that quick. Took sometime to cool down the interiors satisfactorily. I think I'll have to consider putting a front windshield film atleast before next summer.

Originally Posted by Safeer

Nice to see the staging video. Headlamp switch to Euro model -presume its the one which has the 'auto' setting as well -for auto headlamps and coming home lights etc.

Yes thats correct. I havent gotten around to getting it fixed though.

[vignesh.cv]

Small update after 5 months of ownership. Car has covered approx 5.3k kms, and the 6 months checkup is coming up. My driving has been mostly within city, with a few highway drives thrown in between. Recently drove to Madurai and back. Got to test the ABS and braking capability when a truck guy decided to change lanes without any warning. I was doing decent speed and was a downhill section as well. There was sufficient distance, and I just held the brakes firmly - I could sense the ABS kicking in twice and could hear the wheel lockup twice for a brief moment, but the steering was straight and I had complete control. I was thankful for the brakes, am sure if the same scene happened with my Palio, it would have been a different story.

Fuel efficiency on the highway run was 15kmpl both ways, this was using S mode liberally and with a higher avg. speed. In city fuel efficiency hovers around 13-15 based on traffic conditions and the duration of idle. The fuel efficiency seems to have improved post the 5k kms, am hoping it'll get better as the motor logs in more kilometers.

[vignesh.cv]

Minor update after covering 7600 kms. Had completed the 6 month free checkup recently - did the check up at Vinayak on OMR. No complaints from my side, they added 400ml of engine oil and that was the only amount charged. Post that, had driven to Kollur over last weekend via Shimoga. Owing to the summer heat this time around, the A/C was on 100% of the time both ways. I could see the fuel efficiency dip by approx 2-2.5kmpl when using A/C. This is irrespective of whether running in the city or the highways.

Otherwise, it's been a pleasure driving this car every day be it work or cruising on the highways.

[vignesh.cv]

Completed the first annual free service yesterday and got the car back today morning. The car has run 12,000kms in the past one year. Technically, she'll complete one year tomorrow. The servicing was done at Tafe Access located near Kudlu gate. The folks at Tafe called up a week before intimating of the service coming up for the car. I got the appointment for the 10th of Sept in the 9:00 - 9:30 morning slot. I got a SMS remainder from them the day before. I managed to reach there by 9:20 and was asked to wait as the service advisor allotted to me was still attending to another owner. In about 10 minutes time, I was attended by Mr.Deepak Sharma. He went about inspecting the car for external blemishes and checked the controls, lamps etc., My only complaint was the brakes was less sharp than when I got the car originally. The service advisor promised me delivery by 6:00pm. I got a call from the service advisor promptly in the evening telling me the car is ready for delivery, but I told him I'll pick it up next day as had other appointments in the evening.

I went there today morning to collect the car. I reached there by 9:00am and waited for a few minutes for my service advisor to reach the office. As soon as he reached, the car was brought from the parking lot and polished. Meanwhile, he walked me through the check list and the report from the workshop. All the checks were marked ok. The total consumables amount came to Rs.7970. Attaching the service bill for reference



The replaced parts were kept in the boot - pollen filter and air filter.

Pics of the pollen filter





Pics of the air filter





After the service, the brakes do feel sharper - the advisor mentioned they've cleaned the brakes as part of the service. I did not feel any difference with respect to the engine's smoothness/performance. Maybe if I do a long drive, I'll come to know.

Overall, I'm happy with the service experience and the ownership of the car.

[YCJ]

Hey really nice car you have there!
Those alloys make your car unique.I haven't seen those alloys on any other Ambition variant Laura.They look too good.

[ajmat]

The service cost is very reasonable. I paid much more for my Jetta which has the same mechanicals except for rear suspense

[vignesh.cv]

Originally Posted by YCJ

Hey really nice car you have there!
Those alloys make your car unique.I haven't seen those alloys on any other Ambition variant Laura.They look too good.

Thanks YCJ, mine was the 2013 lot which came with these alloys and few other goodies.

Originally Posted by ajmat

The service cost is very reasonable. I paid much more for my Jetta which has the same mechanicals except for rear suspense

Yeah, I was surprised too at the service cost. Hope it stays that way

[vignesh.cv]

Update after a little more than a year of ownership:

The car is running well and is a joy to drive on the highways. The odo is at 16.6k kms now. I have recently been doing lots of highway runs and the car is a pleasure to drive every time. Driving fatigue is definitely less owing to the seat/steering adjustments. The brakes have good bite and stopping power, just as it was new. The motor is smooth and punchy and the composure at speeds is really awesome. I'm still running the Goodyear NCT5s and they seem to have quite a bit of life left. There is a bit of tyre noise, otherwise they seem to grip well at speeds or while hard braking. Have added a few more scratches thanks to the daily traffic. I'm thinking of changing the interiors to leather as the fabric on the seats have become quite soiled and are becoming difficult to maintain.

[vignesh.cv]

Been a while, thought of sharing some updates on this thread.

Recently, I've been using the car a lot more on the highways and have piled in a lot more kms than I'd originally planned. The car has done approx 25,000kms now in about a year and half. She is currently due for her 2nd service soon. The car is an absolute pleasure to drive on the highways, her composure and braking abilities inspire a lot of confidence. I had changed the low beams to use Philips Xtreme Vision sometime back to see if that makes a difference to night driving. I'm happy to say it has made some difference to the throw and brightness, I can safely maintain a higher average speed on highways thanks to that. Have not done any other changes to the car.

She is still running the original Goodyear NCT5's and they seem to have a lot more life. I had one puncture on the front right tyre and had to use a mushroom patch for fixing that. I also did a wheel alignment recently and swapped that front tyre to the rear. The tyres do have some road noise now when compared to when they were new. The grip and braking still feels nice and crisp as it was before - I'm talking about highway speeds here though.

The fuel efficiency of the car still hovers around 14 - 16kmpl on highway runs, be it in low avg speed congested runs to Kerala via Mysore or be it high avg speed runs to Chennai/Coimbatore/Madurai. I have seen the trip meter showing 20+kmpl while maintaining a steady 80 - 100 on the BETL flyover, so happy to note that she's still capable of sipping fuel if the need arises. I've noticed a significant change in my abilities with this car - I'm able to maintain a higher speed on the highways with confidence thanks to her.

I've been trying to get hold of folks in TAFE Hosur road to get access to VW 507.00 spec oil for the second service. Anybody on the forum have contacts there to help with the same?

[vignesh.cv]

Booked the second routine service for the car. I realized that the service folks do not necessarily understand the VW oil spec, they just bulk import what they call the 5w40 oil (essentially VW 505.01 spec) and use that for all the Skoda range of diesel motors. So instead of asking them for VW 507.00 spec, ask them for 5w30 diesel engine oil. They procure Castrol Edge Professional LongLife 03 in 1 litre packs upon request. The oil costs Rs.1,305 per litre and the Laura needs 5 litres. This oil confirms to VW 504/507 spec. Will post feedback on the same after the oil change.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by vignesh.cv

Booked the second routine service for the car. I realized that the service folks do not necessarily understand the VW oil spec, they just bulk import what they call the 5w40 oil (essentially VW 505.01 spec) and use that for all the Skoda range of diesel motors. So instead of asking them for VW 507.00 spec, ask them for 5w30 diesel engine oil. They procure Castrol Edge Professional LongLife 03 in 1 litre packs upon request. The oil costs Rs.1,305 per litre and the Laura needs 5 litres. This oil confirms to VW 504/507 spec. Will post feedback on the same after the oil change.

I had the same issue with regards to the VW 507 oil for my Yeti. The service centre had no clue, and told me to wait 10 days to source it. I just bought it from outside and saved like 300 rupees per bottle, since its sold below MRP in most shops. Adds up to a fair amount after a while.

[vignesh.cv]

The car had clocked 26,000kms and it was time for the 2nd service (first service was done at 12,000kms). I had given the car for servicing at Vinayak Skoda Old Madras Road center. I was attended to by Mr.Prudhvi and the car was delivered the next day. I was recommended a wheel alignment and balancing, but since I'd done that recently, I declined it. This was just the regular service + brakes clean/checkup + interior cleaning. There were no complaints from my side, neither did the service folks find anything wrong. All the scan checks were ok.

Attaching the scanned copy of the second service. The labour is now chargeable and a combination of that and me switching to the 5w30 oil made the bill more than twice as expensive as the first service. The engine feels a bit smoother after the 5w30 oil change, don't know if its just placebo. I'll know more looking at the fuel efficiency during a highway run. Overall, I'm happy with the quality of service offered by Vinayak and the ownership of the car so far.