[shibujp]

Originally Posted by Sankar

Are you getting tak tak sounds from the front suspension when going over uneven surfaces?

I would highly recommend powerflex purple or similar top suspension mount for the Polo/Vento if you are on stock suspension or even Bilstein B6. These top mounts really change the way the car handles around corners and the change in steering response which becomes sharper.

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

During the 75K service, the SA remarked that the front shocks may require replacement during the next service as he had seen some oil marks leaked outside the damper. I had in my mind, the idea to swap these out with the B6 for sometime so I think everything fell in place. But no sounds anywhere on the inside or outside. *touchwood*

An update on the sounds. Yesterday I swapped out the existing stabilizer links for a couple of used ones and tightened it well. This seemed to solve the issue for now. A few hundred kilometers required for validation though.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[sunilsoft]

Gannu Bhai, any updates on the bilstein shocks. Please provide a performance review for the same.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by sunilsoft

Gannu Bhai, any updates on the bilstein shocks.

Unfortunately, no. The box is still lying in the corner of my bedroom.



Work has been terribly hectic here compared to my previous posting and I just can't find time during the weekends to play around or visit a garage. Will be getting it done in the next 2 weeks. Will share the experience here after some driving.

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Have also ordered some heavy duty front strut mounts from ECS Tuning. Hopefully, they will be here by next week.

Finally, the suspension mounts were delivered after almost a month of delay! Just when I thought India Post screwed up with the consignment, the postman turned up at my workplace.



Was also charged customs duties for Rs. 385. I am clueless as to why I was charged customs! The whole thing costs less than Rs 3k! Anyways, I was glad the package didn't get lost somewhere.





As for the mounts, they feel heavier compared to the stock mounts. Hopefully, will last that extra mile with these sports shocks too; only time will tell.





I owe my heartfelt thanks to moderator Mpower who shipped them from the US to India. ECS Tuning was charging a ridiculous 70+ USD shipping charges for these mounts.

In other news, her 3rd anniversary is coming up next Friday (plus the insurance renewal)! Will be driving home next Thursday to complete the registration transfer formalities. From what I see, this is going to be a solo night drive - no friends or wife this time around to give me company. I hope it goes well.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

In other news, her 3rd anniversary is coming up next Friday (plus the insurance renewal)! Will be driving home next Thursday to complete the registration transfer formalities.

Congrats Gannu on 3rd year ownership and all the mind-blowing mods that have held up

It is just beyond me bro, why the OEM rims have stayed on your GT for this long. lol

From what I see, this is going to be a solo night drive - no friends or wife this time around to give me company. I hope it goes well.

Considering its the GTs 3rd Anniversary and a Solo Night Drive, I have a funny feeling that you will not be complaining about this Romantic Decampment !!

Wish you many many more happy mile munching and drive safely.

[antardaksh]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

• Front parking sensor harness:
  

Hi Gannu_1,


Could you please help me with the connection from rear parking sensor to OPS module and headunit. Did your polo have an existing 4k ops module and you just replaced that with 8K or did you do wiring from rear of the car to headunit. Vento/Polo these days has rear parking sensor only with buzzer, hence I am trying to figure out what else (wiring) is required apart from ops module.


Regards.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

It is just beyond me bro, why the OEM rims have stayed on your GT for this long.

Never felt the need to upgrade them so far. But I must admit, they've held up quite well despite going over some bad roads and rough patches at high speeds. I might upsize them to 16"ers when I am upgrading the tires this time. They've already done 40k km and the treads appear good for another 20k to me.

Originally Posted by antardaksh

Could you please help me with the connection from rear parking sensor to OPS module and headunit.

Wiring diagram:

Originally Posted by antardaksh

Did your polo have an existing 4k ops module and you just replaced that with 8K or did you do wiring from rear of the car to headunit.

Yes, I had a CANBUS enabled OPS module and replaced the OPS module and did the additional wiring for the front bumper sensors and OPS dashboard switch, routed them to the right C-pillar bottom and connected the additional pins to the connector.

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

I might upsize them to 16"ers when I am upgrading the tires this time. They've already done 40k km and the treads appear good for another 20k to me.

That's great mileage you've been able to get out of the tyres. These are 195 Contis right?

Waiting for to see your take on handling once you replace your shocks.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[Gannu_1]

Happy third!

And so another year has rolled by pretty quickly and I thought I should share some details of the last year's ownership - the first performance upgrade, a more recent DIY, a couple of trips I undertook recently, an annoying niggle which has cropped up after 80k on the odo, an update on the amazing Michelin Primacy 3 ST tires, the insurance renewal for 2016-17, foreclosure of the SBI car loan, the expenses incurred so far and what's in store for the upcoming year. This is going to be a long post!

2015 – 16 : 33,000 clicks!

First things first, she clocked 33,000 km last year! I'll let the odo do the talking:



It was 49k last year around the same time (second anniversary post; scroll down to the last image) and at this time, the odo stands at 82,358 km.

I had initiated the registration transfer process (GJ > KL) couple of months back and the paperwork had been completed during my last trip. I had to pay the taxes to the Kerala MVD at the Palakkad RTO and one final step remains - the vehicle inspection. So I took a day off on Friday and drove home last weekend to complete the rest of the work. This was however, a different drive!

The longest solo all-nighter drive!

Now here comes the best part! This was going to be unlike any other drive I've done before - the longest solo all-nighter! My wife wasn't at home and my friends had other engagements during the Dussehra weekend which meant I had to do it all by myself. And I was a bit nervous since all this while I was used to someone sitting on the co-driver seat and we used to chat all things crazy, listen to good music, stop for the tea/loo breaks and such. So I managed to get a good 4 hour sleep before the drive and departed my Chennai home around 8:30 PM after a quick shower and a bowl of Maggi. Set the cruise control at 110 kmph after the Chennasamudram toll booth when the 6-laned roads turns up and after 2 short breaks for tea and 560 km later, I rang the doorbell at my Palakkad residence around 4:30 AM. What a lovely drive it was! I am pretty sure I am going to do more of these in the future. So, solo or company if you ask me? Solo definitely! (pray and hope one doesn't get stuck somewhere in the middle of the night!)

Since my folks were at home, I requested my dad to do the puja which I used to do otherwise with the help of Moorthy, my ex-roomie. It was a bright sunny day as usual and we got her washed and wiped in the morn, and decked her up for the puja.









Later, we went to the Palakkad RTO located at the Civil Station to pay the taxes (which came to about Rs. 60k), got the receipts and were asked to get the vehicle inspected which sadly couldn't happen as we ran out of the time window. I'll have to get this done during the next trip, next month.

Bilstein B6 suspension upgrade:

Next up, the upgrade - I got a set of Bilstein B6 suspension kit from Germany when a colleague-friend returned after a short Euro trip two months back. I had shared the finer details here. I must admit though, I don't suppose any sane person in his right mind would lug such a heavy box from there!

But the box was lying in the corner of my bedroom since another shipment essential for this upgrade was taking too long to arrive. I had ordered a set of heavy duty suspension mounts for the front shock absorbers from ECS Tuning and friendly moderator Mpower helped me dispatch them to my Chennai address. But looks like it didn't escape the radar of the customs department here! They conveniently delayed the delivery for over a month and slapped some duties as well. Once it landed here, I got them installed in my car along with the Bilsteins that weekend. We dropped the car at the nearby Bosch service center and they charged me Rs. 1900 to get them replaced along with a wash. And they did a good job too! I wanted to reserve my judgment until I did a long drive and the weekend drive to home was just the perfect occasion I could ask for!

And after the 1300 km odd drive to home and back, I must say I am a happy man! The B6s have transformed the ride completely. The immediate result was the ride comfort which had greatly improved. Reason? The front stock shocks were shot and I never knew it all this while! This was immediately evident when I drove the car back to the apartment’s parking lot from the Bosch garage after installing them and the driveway has a lot of those rubber speed breakers installed. The car was dead silent while I drove over them whereas it used to *bang* and *bang* when I used to cross them before. Ditto while driving over small potholes on the roads. The dampers are absorbing the undulations nicely. While cornering at high speeds, the car used to dip and bounce over bumps. Now the ride is a lot more firm, no more dipping while cornering, body roll has reduced substantially and stays absolutely F-L-A-T, planted on the road. It is a little stiff but I’ve got used to it already! The car is an absolute blast to drive now!

I shall request DBHPian Thad to drive my car one of these days. Since he owned a Polo 1.6 before and a stock GT 1.6 TDI now, there isn’t a better person to compare the rides. Here are some snaps of the setup:











The old front suspension bush and a new stock one:



The stock shocks:



Just look at the front ones with the piston rod completely pushed inside – it stays there forever without reverting back! The rear ones in comparison were in a better shape.

Purchase details:

Source: eBay Germany (link)

Price: 459 Euros but I ended up paying nearly Rs. 46000 (read the note below).

Like I had mentioned before, a colleague-friend was doing a short trip to Europe (Austria, Germany and Switzerland) and he had agreed to pick up the set for me and bring it back to India. I went ahead and placed the order on eBay.de using my Paypal account for 459 Euros. This included free shipping to a Germany based address. The dealer however was nearly non-responsive to the messages sent through eBay or email and did not dispatch the shipment for over 5 days and my friend was on a tight schedule! Fortunately, they dispatched it a day before he was to land at Germany and got it delivered the next day to the address only to be sent back to the nearest post office since the consignee was unavailable to collect it. They later picked it up from the post office and my friend was aghast when he saw the size of the box! We were constantly in touch on WhatsApp and I asked him to send me some images of the box. In that excitement, I couldn’t care less about his ordeal about bringing it back to Chennai!

However, during his return trip, he wasn’t allowed to carry the box in the bus from Germany to Switzerland and had no choice but to take the high speed train which set him back by 90 odd Euros and lose the bus ticket fare. Fortunately, while returning to India, he landed at the Delhi international airport and the customs department didn’t make a fuss as he gladly walked past the green channel. He had to then lug the box all the way to his home at Ludhiana in a bus and then into a Spicejet aircraft a few days later, to Chennai (who charged him an additional Rs. 1600 for the extra check-in luggage; and, the total expense thus tipped Rs. 45821). Honestly, when he handed over the box and narrated the whole story, I felt really embarrassed. And here I was at one point, pondering if I should have ordered the B12 kit with the Eibach lowering springs instead of the B6!

Front parking sensors – DIY completed!

I had some spare time at home last weekend so decided to get the OPS switch installed on the dash which was long overdue! This DIY was done in 3 stages – front bumper + sensors + wiring harness in the first stage, replacing the OPS module, adding the extra terminals and connector in the second stage and finally, the OPS switch and the necessary wiring in the final stage. The best part was, I did not have to tap or splice into any of the stock harness for the backlighting of the switch. I will have that explained in the DIY thread which will come up shortly. For now here are some snaps:









Also got the old worn out number plates changed to the Speedex type issued here in TN:





I love this simplistic design. Cost me Rs. 600 for a pair from Speedex Number Plates, Anna Salai, Chennai delivered to my office. The contact person is Dilip Cherian and he can be reached on his Facebook page. Very nice guy to deal with! The quality of the plates is very good.

A drive to The French Riviera of the East - Pondicherry!

I got transferred to Chennai during April this year and other than the visit to Yercaud during June, we didn’t really visit any other location. Blame it on the hectic work schedules; weekends are usually spent relaxing at home. For our wedding anniversary, we wanted to take a short drive to some place nearby and return back on the same day. Pondicherry was located about 160 km from Chennai and seemed like a perfect choice. Took a day off on a Saturday and we started from home around 5:30 AM taking the Perungalathur – Chengalpattu – Tindivanam route instead of the ECR:



I’ve been on the ECR sometime back during 2007 and the single laned road was an absolute nightmare with bikers and cars plying at high speeds. Although the ECR is a much scenic road with Mahabilpuram coming en route, we decided to play it safe and opted for the other route.

We drove peacefully enjoying the sunrise and reached there in about 2 hours and 30 minutes. We were hungry by the time we reached there and drove to A2B directly:



Had the usual fare of idli-vada-sambar-masala dosa and a cup of coffee, and walked to the Arulmigu Vinayagar temple located closeby:



And this painting done on the ceiling had me stumped for while:



I’ve seen several kamalam paintings done on the ceilings of the temples here (Google Images) but this was clearly something else! And hey, they don’t mind if you were to walk into the temple wearing shorts. They’re cool with that.

We then took a stroll outside and reached the Aurobindo ashram:



We sat inside the ashram for a while. It was a quiet and peaceful atmosphere there near the Samadhi.

It was almost 9 AM and the streets were nearly empty:





I suppose the folks at Pondicherry were waking up to a lazy weekend.

We passed by the French Consulate building located by the roadside:



And the road terminated by the beachside. There was a war memorial located close by:



And a rock sculpture:



Here’s a panoramic shot of the rock beach:



We walked and walked and realized that the car was parked somewhere else! We decided to get the car and park it somewhere closer. We found a compound with some demolished buildings inside and a gate locked so parked here at the entry:



The old lighthouse was nearby:



Walking a bit further ahead, we reached Bharathi Park which seemed like a perfect place for joggers in the morn. There’s a small track on the perimeter and these rock sculptures at random locations:





We spotted the French War Memorial as well:



And drove towards the The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus located bang opposite to Pondicherry railway station.:



We went inside the church and sat there for a while. The next stop was Matrimandir at Auroville which was located a bit far from the town. The Matrimandir was located far from where we park the vehicles and we had to walk a bit. Midway through, we reach a place with this banyan tree having aerial roots:



And finally Matrimandir:



We saw the dome from the outside. For visiting the inside, prior permission needs to be taken a day in advance I am told. Either way, in case you decide to visit this place, do consider carrying a bottle of water or two. You are going to need it after that exhausting walk!

And hey, just for info sakes, all the snaps above were clicked using my humble Redmi 3S Prime device. For a device worth 9k, this is sheer VFM!

We were done with most of the places here in Pondicherry (not all though; we did miss some and saved it for the next time) and it was almost 2 PM. We decided to get back to the town, have a nice lunch and scoot back home. A quick search on Tripadvisor revealed Hotel Kamatchi (link) had some really good reviews for a non-vegetarian hotel. We went there, ate a nice sumptuous meal, paid a bill of Rs. 600 for 2 meals and 2 plates of fish fry and left. I wholeheartedly agree with the Tripadvisor rating – the meal tasted awesome! There’s a small parking lot adjacent to the restaurant but we parked it further ahead besides the main road.

And so we bid bye to Pondicherry for now. The fond memories of taking the delivery of our ’99 model Zen LXi from here and the drive to Palakkad were still afresh!

The annoying irritant!

We drove off from the restaurant after the lunch and suddenly I notice something was amiss – the power delivery was a lot lesser and the car was attaining the speed very gradually. I realized the turbo was probably not spooling! I drove for a few kms and the speedo touched 100 kmph (not the limp mode obviously) gradually but it was very obvious something was wrong. I parked the car by the roadside, turned it off and on, revved the car in neutral for a few seconds and then drove ahead. Now, the turbo sprung back to life like before and everything was normal as usual. There were no warnings in the cluster when this issue turned up. Not that I should expect one since this is a petrol cluster and there’s no glow plug warning in this one nor is the EPC light programmed to work in place of the glow plug light! Anyways, we reached home safely and the issue did not come up after that. I reached home, connected the VCDS cable and did an Autoscan which revealed the following error codes under 01: Engine:

Address 01: Engine (J623-CLNA) Labels: None
Part No SW: 03L 906 023 NT HW: 03L 907 425 B
Component: 1,6l R4 CR td H33 9972
Revision: --H33--- Serial number:
Coding: 00110016032500080000
Shop #: WSC 01234 785 00200
ASAM Dataset: EV_ECM16TDI02103L 003013
ROD: N/A
VCID: 8501F79F04D47D36275-80D0

No ASAM data for: "EV_ECM16TDI02103L" (VW25)
2 Faults Found:
7380 - ROD - Unknown Error Code
- 00 [032]
Intermittent - Not Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00000001
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 80393 km
Date: 2024.14.17
Time: 13:47:26

7382 - ROD - Unknown Error Code
- 00 [096]
Intermittent - Not Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00000001
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 2
Date: 2000.00.00
Time: 00:00:00

Readiness: 0000 0000

Everything seemed good until I was about to start the drive back from my home at Palakkad last Monday. I started around 9:15 AM (the car was parked at our covered parking overnight) and everything was fine for the 5 odd km until I reached a traffic signal and stopped. When the signal turned green and I accelerated, the issue cropped up once again (after ~2000 km when it happened before)! The turbo didn’t spool – the same issue like the last time! Now this was getting annoying and equally embarrassing! I parked the car by the side of the road and like the last time, revved it in neutral for a few seconds and the issue went away. I drove for the next 550 km without any trouble.

A quick inspection in the engine bay did not reveal anything abnormal like broken hoses or rat chewed wires. Searching for the error codes 7380 and 7382 reveals some sensor related issues faced by folks having the 1.6 TDI engine. I am waiting to get the OBD2 adapter I’ve ordered off eBay. Will do a check and probably hand over the car at the service center and let them do the rest. For now, she’s driving like the way she used to. That addictive turbo boost is just too hard to be missed!

Unrelated - While driving back from Palakkad, I experienced a bout of rain somewhere before Vellore and observed that the rain drops were being repelled from the windshield before I could turn on the wiper. Probably the car wash folks used something, I am not sure but it looked pretty cool. Check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRZT4llUZOI

The Michelin Primacy 3 ST tires!

I had replaced the stock Apollo Aceleres with the Michelin Primacy 3 ST tires before we undertook the Ladakh trip when the odo was at 39,300 km (link). After 82,000 km, I am happy to report the tires have performed way beyond my expectations! While the Aceleres were debris magnets with frequent punctures every now and then, I have had only one puncture on the Michelins so far (documented here) and the patched tire has worked without issues to this day. No side bulges, uneven wear or cracks were observed. Tread depth has been consistent so far.

Here are the snaps of their current state:

Front:



Rear:



I am hopeful they might last for the next 10-15k km. When I am upsizing the wheels next time, the P3STs will be on the top of my list for sure!

Insurance renewal for 2016-17:

After ICICI Lombard, Bajaj Allianz and Tata AIG, I finally decided to opt for a govt. based insurance provider - United India Insurance. Paid Rs. 14,684 for a zero depreciation coverage including a 35% NCB for an IDV of Rs. 5.5 lakhs. I owe my heartfelt thanks to my dad for helping me source this policy from the Palakkad branch. Gotta love the fact that his retirement gives him ample time to run around for these chores and he loves doing this!

SBI car loan foreclosed!

I was extremely happy when I walked out of the Palakkad SBI Main Branch last weekend! The outstanding amount of approx. Rs. 3 lakhs were remitted and did not have to pay any pre-payment penalty or foreclosure charges. For cancelling the hypothecation in the registration card, form 35 in duplicate duly signed by the bank manager along with a letter from the bank has to be submitted to the RTO. We thought we will take this up after the registration is transferred to KL RTO.

The Osram 35W D2S HID bulbs have held up well for close to 2 years now and there has been no change in the cutoff beam:



I must add, this is one of those mods which has helped me immensely during my night drives to Palakkad! From a reliability point of view, HID bulbs last a lot longer than the regular halogen bulbs so I am expecting them to last a little longer. Replacements aren’t cheap at Rs. 5-6k a pair!

The footprint so far!

Thanks to my posting in Gujarat, I was very fortunate to visit places up north. And now that I’ve been transferred to Chennai, it is time to visit the regions in and around TN, KA, AP, TS, WB and some places on the east side (wishful thinking – the North-East!). So here’s the map which indicates where my car has been and has stayed for at least one night:



In the upcoming year, I intend to cover these places (in no particular priority):

• Thanjavur
  
• Rameswaram
  
• Kanyakumari
  
• Hogenakkal
  
• Wayanad
  
• Kollur
  
• Mahabalipuram
  
• Muzhappilangad
  
• Bekal Fort

Provided I get sufficient leaves from work!

Cost of vehicle ownership:

Here is a list of expenses I have incurred since October 7 2013 to this day.

1. Upgrades – Rs. 399133
2. Periodic services – Rs. 51483
3. Repairs – Rs. 17307
4. Wheel balancing and alignment – Rs. 2540
5. Detailing – Rs. 19031
6. Insurance renewal – Rs. 55932
7. Consumables – Rs. 5864

Grand total – Rs. 551290.

Refer this GT - Expense sheet.xlsx for the detailed breakup. I haven't logged in fuel expenses and tolls paid since I don't have a very accurate figure of that.

Pending upgrades:

1. 16” alloys + tires.

2. A performance DIY upgrade – in talks with my Russian friend for sourcing the components and dispatching it. Will share the details here in due time.

3. Skid plate for engine sump.

That would be all guys. I shall be updating this thread with my experiences and findings. Chao!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

I shall request DBHPian Thad to drive my car one of these days. Since he owned a Polo 1.6 before and a stock GT 1.6 TDI now, there isn’t a better person to compare the rides.

Hey, check out my driving before you let me do that! Because I'm noticing that my skills and abilities are ageing.

But I'd be very very happy just to meet you and your star car!

Going to Bangalore and back, a few weeks ago, with a friend doing most of the driving, it was interesting to experience the car from the passenger seat. He drove faster and pushed the car more than I would have done (nothing rash) and it was a good experience.

You are very welcome to a "test drive" on my vehicle, one day, to get the almost-stock experience as a benchmark of your own. Yeah... let's do that sometime.

[rageshgr]

Hi Gannu,

Always a fan of your threads. Your passion, your attention to detail, your DIYs.

Bilstein B6 is something I am mouth wateringly looking forward to in my GT TSI.

How do you find the PS3 ST in handling department? I have heard they are comfort oriented and a bit houncy with 195/60 profile

Also, ECR is now double lane with high median and with very few median brakes. It is a hoot to drive!

[avinash_clt]

The Bilstein's are on finally . Really compelled now to source a set and install them in our car. I always wanted to know how the Bilsteins's fared with the stock springs (almost all installs were with a set of lowering springs, which personally I think takes the practicality away from cars that cover long distances and newer routes on a regular basis). Congrats and keep munching those niggle free miles

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Pending upgrades:
1. 16” alloys + tires.

I am not sure how it would be the B6s, but 16" wheels/tyres with the stock suspension takes a hit on the ride quality, while not significantly reducing body roll. If your objective is for better grip levels primarily, I suggest look for good tyres in 205/55 R15. Also there aren't particularly great tyre choices 205/50 R16. Combine that with a simple Brembo OE replacement pads+rotors (better than the stock TVS Brakes-India units), you will complement those B6s even better.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Happy third!

Pending upgrades:

1. 16” alloys + tires.

2. A performance DIY upgrade – in talks with my Russian friend for sourcing the components and dispatching it. Will share the details here in due time.

3. Skid plate for engine sump.

That would be all guys. I shall be updating this thread with my experiences and findings. Chao!

Congrats Gannu and wish you a very happy 3rd GT Anniversary

I have always maintained that your ownership review and the suggestions shared during my 'Car Hunting' was one of the real reasons for me to buy a GT TDI myself. And I am closing in on my 3rd year anniversary myself, albeit in about 8 months.

With the kind of upgrades/updates standard that you have set on your GT, the 'Pending Upgrades' that you have listed sounds just so normal bro.

Wish you loads more mile munching and a very happy motoring.

[arun_747]

Hi Gannu,
Congrats for Your most recent upgrade !

Just need Your advise & help about Bilstein B6.

My Feb 2011 Vento TDi has completed 1 Lac Km (a month ago). I would like to install Bilstein B6 Shock-Absorbers for my Vento. However, I am not sure about the exact item number to be sourced from eBay for Vento. The one You purchased was for Polo.
Request Your assistance for procuring Bilstein B6.
Also request You to provide me Your contact number & confirm if I could call You sometime regarding the upgrade.

Thank You,

Happy Motoring !!

- Arun
9945866330
Bangalore

[halfbytecode]

Gannu_1, I have a suggestion for reducing the body roll. Upgrade the sway bar links to what VW used to use earlier, and have recently switched back to something similar. The part number for the earlier part is 6Q0 411 315 N, and the latest one that looks visually identical has the part number 6R0 411 315 A.

You should be able to find similar sway bar links in the after market, that are based on the former. TRW JTS393 and Lemforder has them too.

This will make the front end more grippy, and reduce the body roll. You can also have the sway bar bushings changed, along with the sway links for optimal performance. You may not need to upgrade to 16" wheels after this change.

I would like to hear your feedback regarding Bilstein B6s. Please mention about the difference felt on the front end and rear end of the car. The front shocks previously on your car were oil shocks, and the rear ones appear to be gas-assisted.

[keeru]

Hi Gannu, my 2014 GT TDI which is clocked at 52k kms has started behaving strange during cold start.
After the first start of the day followed by a 30 sec idling, the rpm shoots up by itself to 1000 and the engine starts to be misfiring (engine vibrates\shakes more than usual).

Restarting the IGN seems to correct the problem temporarily.

In the last 3 weeks, have noticed it thrice.
Any pointers to this problem?