[sidhu_hs]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

5. I’ve almost dropped the idea of upgrading to 16” wheels for now due to two reasons:

a. The Michelin Primacy 3 ST tires aren’t available in the recommended 205/50 size for the Polo.

I don't know if you have noticed this but a far better alternative is available from Michelin in 205/50R16: Pilot Sport 4.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by sidhu_hs

I don't know if you have noticed this but a far better alternative is available from Michelin in 205/50R16: Pilot Sport 4.

1. Expensive than the Primacy 3 ST.

2. A lot less useful life. Bet they won't even last 35000 km.

I would have opted for the Yokohama S Drive which is available in the 205/50 size but I am not sure how long they last.

[avinash_clt]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

I would have opted for the Yokohama S Drive which is available in the 205/50 size but I am not sure how long they last.

Have ran two sets of Yoko S-drives on the GT TDI while on 16", before changing back to 15". Lasted around 45-50k KMs. 215/45 R16 of the Polo GTI is also a possible size, but I am not sure of the tyre options.

[sidhu_hs]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

1. Expensive than the Primacy 3 ST.

2. A lot less useful life. Bet they won't even last 35000 km.

I would have opted for the Yokohama S Drive which is available in the 205/50 size but I am not sure how long they last.

Hard to argue against that!

If the newer Polos that come with 195/55R16 tyres have the same ABS unit as the earlier ones, I think you can safely go up a step and slap on 205/55R16 Primacy 3ST. Otherwise, better to stick with 15".

[AMG Power]

The brake fluid needs to be completely replaced in the 3rd year and every 2 years after that.

Just checked your earlier service - it hasn't been done which means it is overdue now. This isn't a DIY as it needs special equipment to bleed the brakes and replace the fluid - as per the sequence (farthest from the master cylinder first and so on). A little difficult to do this manually and can be time consuming and faulty too.

Advisable to do this at the earliest so that your wheel cylinders and kits aren't damaged.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by AMG Power

The brake fluid needs to be completely replaced in the 3rd year and every 2 years after that.

Thanks for the heads-up! It's the next thing on the to-do list. I was discussing with BHPian Aayush today morn about the process of changing the brake fluid/bleeding the system and the next thing I see is your post on the thread!

Looks like the service center also missed it unless the stock fluid was in an uncontaminated condition. But the service manual recommends a mandatory change after the 3rd year and 2 years thereafter.

Originally Posted by AMG Power

This isn't a DIY as it needs special equipment to bleed the brakes and replace the fluid - as per the sequence (farthest from the master cylinder first and so on).

It can certainly be done as a DIY except it is a little time consuming esp. for a first timer. The issue with me is the service center is located some 25 km from my home and I've to travel through maddening traffic during the rush hours to drop/receive my car which I absolutely detest! The last time, it took me over 2 hours to drive back home after picking her from the service center!

Originally Posted by AMG Power

Advisable to do this at the earliest so that your wheel cylinders and kits aren't damaged.

Will be sourcing the OEM DOT 4 brake fluid first - would need about 2 1L bottles for the job. Will buy another one and keep it as a standby/spare. Better be safe than sorry!

[AMG Power]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Looks like the service center also missed it unless the stock fluid was in an uncontaminated condition. But the service manual recommends a mandatory change after the 3rd year and 2 years thereafter.

Service centres usually miss out on this - that's why I pointed this out. The change is mandatory regardless of the condition of the fluid. The main issue is the accumulation of moisture which reduces braking efficiency. Since you've missed one year of change, you will find a noticeable improvement in braking efficiency after the replacement.

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

It can certainly be done as a DIY except it is a little time consuming esp. for a first timer.

It can certainly be done as a DIY (pumping of brakes and releasing fluid once the pressure has built up) but the probability of air remaining in the system is high. It would also take a much longer time. As this is a very important part I suggest that you take the trouble of doing this now and every 2 years at the ASS.

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Will be sourcing the OEM DOT 4 brake fluid first - would need about 2 1L bottles for the job.

You will need only 1.2 litres max when you use the brake bleeding machine.

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

1. Expensive than the Primacy 3 ST.

2. A lot less useful life. Bet they won't even last 35000 km.

I would have opted for the Yokohama S Drive which is available in the 205/50 size but I am not sure how long they last.

I get around 40 - 45K from each set of Yokohoma S Drives (15 inch).

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Some updates:

Good news is I replaced them with a pair of Philips 55W H11 bulbs (stock fog lamp bulbs are H8 35W). Got a set from a shop here in Palakkad. Cost me Rs. 1450.

Top view indicating the difference in notches between H11 (left) and H8 (right) bulbs:

So how did you fit the H11 bulbs. I had to file away at the the broader tab on the H11 to get it to fit on the left side. I also noticed that the beam of the H11 bulbs was better than the stock H8s.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[Gannu_1]

We (wife and I) drove to Rameshwaram last weekend during the 3-day holiday and had an enjoyable, short but sweet trip. There was only a night’s stay planned at Rameshwaram since Indigo decided to reschedule her return flight to Sunday morning.

Onward journey map:



I picked her up from the airport around 2 AM (the Indigo flight was on time fortunately!) and started our drive. It was pouring plus there were trucks and travels' buses on the busy 4-laned road. To make matters worse, I started sneezing out of nowhere! I was terribly missing that Otrivin nasal spray! We pulled into a tea shop around 4:30 AM and took a power nap. Resumed the journey after 20 minutes after a cup of coffee and downing a paracetamol tablet. I began feeling better but the sneezing continued! Took another break around 5:45 AM and this one went beyond half an hour. Both of us had conveniently slept off! Woke up, had another coffee and drove. This time however, I began feeling a lot better and the sneezing had stopped.

The traffic had also eased a bit by now and we were cruising at 110 kmph. About 50 km before Trichy, we paused for breakfast at Hotel Aryaas – food was great, good service, hygienic washrooms and had a covered parking. From thereon, it was a straight drive to Rameshwaram until we stopped at the Pamban Bridge for some snaps. I must however add that from Trichy till the outskirts of Rameshwaram, it’s a single laned undivided road, 50 km of which is in bad shape with potholes.

Some snaps from the Pamban Bridge:





The remnants of the older bridge’s columns are visible adjacent to the current one.

We were staying at Hotel Pearl Residency (TripAdvisor rates it as the best hotel in Rameshwaram). It was definitely VFM, I can pretty much say that after the brief stay there. We paid Rs. 1541 for an AC room with a double-bed (taxes of Rs. 276 had to be paid to the hotel directly). The room was good, equipped with clean bedding and linen, had an attached balcony (perfect for drying the wet clothes after the theerthams’ visit), a clean and hygienic bathroom without leaky faucets and an open parking lot (too scared nowadays to park anywhere outside due to rats!).

We checked in around 1:30 PM and had a lunch from the attached vegetarian restaurant that serves mostly north Indian food (probably because the restaurant caters to a lot of tourists from that part of the country?). I ordered aloo paratha with 2 bowls of curd while the wife had some fried rice. Food tasted pretty good - no complaints there. Took a nap until 4:30 PM and left for the temple darshan around 5 PM. Had to drive through a narrow street amidst all the crowd to reach the parking spot. Parked the car, took a bag with a set of fresh clothes and took a dip in the Agnitheertham (the sea) and proceeded to the 22 other theerthams which are located inside the temple premises. After the last theertham, we changed our clothes and had a round of darshan. We were out by 7:30 PM. Retired to our room after having dinner at the attached restaurant, spoke for a while and we crashed.

Speaking of which, the Ramanathaswamy Temple is also one among the 12 Jyotirlingas in the country (Jyotirlinga Wiki) and we've been to 3 of them with our ride!

We woke up at 5 AM, freshened up, paid the bills and checked out of the hotel around 6:30 AM. I am a stickler for punctuality during road trips and my wife has sort of gotten used to it. Man, I hate the fact that ladies take some time to get dressed up while us gents take 10 minutes tops, once they’re out of the shower! Rants aside, we got into the car, set the map to Dhanushkodi and drove off. The 9.5 km road to the ghost town Dhanushkodi and further ahead to Arichal Munai is a newly laid stretch which was inaugurated last month by the PM. The timing couldn’t have been better!

The single laned undivided road is in top nick and is surrounded by bushes and tall trees at the start of the stretch:





And the sea begins to surround it from both sides as the road progresses:



And finally, we begin to see the dilapidated ruins and whatever is left of the settlements before they were washed off during the 1964 cyclone. I am told by my parents that we did visit this place when we were really young but I can’t recollect a thing!

The ruins of the church:











The ruins of the Dhanushkodi railway station:





There’s an India Post office as well:



Some more ruins close to the church:



The road finally ends at Arichal Munai in a small roundabout:



Which has an Ashoka Pillar at the center:







There’s some temple-like structure built away from the road. Whatever it is, it isn’t functional yet:



On this stretch, it is quite easy to spot these scavengers (not sure if one would call an eagle as a scavenger) up close:





More ruins:





On our way back, we stopped by at the APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial (no cameras were allowed inside):



A model of the AGNI II missile stands tall at the rear of the memorial building.

One final shot of the Pamban Bridge before we departed:



Return journey map:



The return journey was pretty much uneventful. It was a straight drive back home with a lunch stop after Trichy around 1:30 PM and a couple of tea breaks. Took the ORR (typical weekend traffic during the evening) and we were back home at 6:30 PM.

Hotel and stay details:

Hotel Pearl Residency
Location: Google Maps
Contact No: 04573 222262

Pros: Clean rooms, hygienic washrooms (with hot water facility), attached veg. restaurant, reasonable room tariff, located very close to the railway station
Cons: Open car parking

Toll paid - Rs. 730 (Rs. 365 for a one way journey from Chennai to Rameshwaram).

And so, she marks another territory on the country’s map:



And she’s going to mark a few more as this year’s long drive is due in October. Last year’s was the Farewell Gujarat trip (details in this post if you missed it).

I owe my thanks to our members who posted their inputs in the Rameshwaram road trip query thread and to Parag bhai as well for quickly getting in touch with his group of friends for the road conditions.

The odo stands at 1.08L km.

Originally Posted by shibujp

So how did you fit the H11 bulbs. I had to file away at the the broader tab on the H11 to get it to fit on the left side.

The broader tab of the H11 bulb could be accommodated through one of the holes on the fog lamp socket so it fit without any filing. Probably the newer fog lamps from the 6C variant does not require any modifications - fits both H8 and H11 bulbs.

[ike]

Hi Gannu, considering that we stay only a few KMs apart, curious to know where you fill up from. Any reliable pumps around Manapakkam?

[shetty_rohan]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Nope, this one - https://www.ecstuning.com/ES3089117/

Thanks Gannu. I have placed the order for these front strut mounts.
Any idea about the rear strut mount part number or link?

[shetty_rohan]

Originally Posted by shetty_rohan

Thanks Gannu. I have placed the order for these front strut mounts.
Any idea about the rear strut mount part number or link?

Do you think https://www.ecstuning.com/b-ecs-part.../016554ecs01a/ would fit the Polo?

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by ike

Hi Gannu, considering that we stay only a few KMs apart, curious to know where you fill up from. Any reliable pumps around Manapakkam?

Hi Raj, I usually fill from the IOCL pump right outside Prestige apartments since it is close-by. I'm not very fuel quality conscious; at least not yet! Never faced any problems.

Originally Posted by shetty_rohan

Thanks Gannu. I have placed the order for these front strut mounts.
Any idea about the rear strut mount part number or link?

Originally Posted by shetty_rohan

Do you think https://www.ecstuning.com/b-ecs-part.../016554ecs01a/ would fit the Polo?

Hi Rohan, I haven't checked the rear shock mounts yet. Will get back to you once I get some information on this.

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by shetty_rohan

Do you think https://www.ecstuning.com/b-ecs-part.../016554ecs01a/ would fit the Polo?

I am curious as to why you would want to replace these? Are you hearing any suspension noises that warrant replacement. I thought these were pretty long life parts.

Drive on,
Shibu

[shetty_rohan]

Originally Posted by shibujp

I am curious as to why you would want to replace these? Are you hearing any suspension noises that warrant replacement. I thought these were pretty long life parts.
Shibu

No, there is no suspension noises, which warrants the replacement.

I have decided to go for the Bilstein B6 struts. I thought it is better to change the mounts when I install the B6, and my guess is "ECSTuning heavy duty suspension mounts" would easily last for another five years.