[BigBrad]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

2. Philips X-treme Vision W5W LEDs:
Sourced a pair of these Philips X-treme Vision LED 360 6000K off Powerbulbs UK (link)

3. OEM LED number plate lights:
Previously, I was using a W5W LED inside each number plate light. This was again the cheap LEDs which replaced the W5W halogen bulb inside the units.

Gannu, will changing these W5W halogen bulbs to W5W LEDs cause any CANBUS errors or any other unusual behavior similar to the one mentioned by bhpian adi_petrolhead:

My misery begins when I lock the car. This time, the lights fade out in normal fashion, but the slightest of the light still stays on. It keeps flickering and does not go completely off. I fear that causes battery drain. Hence I have stopped using the lights as of now.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by BigBrad

Gannu, will changing these W5W halogen bulbs to W5W LEDs cause any CANBUS errors or any other unusual behavior similar to the one mentioned by bhpian adi_petrolhead:

Nope, none whatsoever for the Polo. Adi was referring to the case in his Octavia.

[chintu_91]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Got the pre-trip checkup done at the VW service center last weekend:
- They checked all the important bits

All the best for your trip Ganeshbhai.
Have a safe and memorable trip in India's most searched(arguably) Polo GT. Click pictures, click lot of them.
Cheers.

[Gannu_1]

Hello guys, it’s been a while!

I was on a fortnight long road trip to Ladakh in the GT with my best friend/colleague/DIY partner - Moorthy. Clocked 5543 km, drove through 8 states over 13 days, just two good friends and the car!

We had an amazing time – I loved the drive to bits pushing the car through empty straight stretches and through the winding roads. To be brutally honest, it was the drive that I loved the most than the destination! It was so much fun, taking a couple of weeks off from work, being disconnected from the internet, just 2 friends, unknown lands, unknown people, unknown roads!

While the travelogue (which I am yet to begin) will have all the finer details, here's the breakup of the 13 day summary of how the days went by:

1. August 15 - Navsari, GJ to Bagru, RJ - 882 km.
2. August 16 - Bagru, RJ to Pathankot, PB - 825 km.
3. August 17 - Pathankot, PB to Srinagar, JK - 398 km.
4. August 18 - Srinagar to Kargil - 201 km.
5. August 19 - Kargil to Leh - 223 km.
6. August 20 - Local sight-seeing at Leh - 117 km
7. August 21 - Leh to Nubra Valley - 153 km
8. August 22 - Nubra Valley to Tangtse - 298 km
9. August 23 - Tangtse to Leh - 117 km
10. August 24 - Leh, JK to Keylong, HP - 355 km
11. August 25 - Keylong, HP to Rupnagar, PB - 376 km
12. August 26 - Rupnagar, PB to Bagru, RJ - 564 km
13. August 27 - Bagru, RJ to Navsari, GJ - 1035 km

This was the route:



The concluding day of the trip i.e. yesterday, also saw us doing the longest drive in a day, both distance and time-wise - 1035 km and 19 hours! The hot chai at the roadside dhabas, music and my partner's dry humour kept me awake! I had never done such a long drive before and was in two minds if we should take a break at Dhule but decided to push our luck and reach home at night so we could avoid another night stay at a hotel, the check-in/check-out chores etc.

I was extremely tensed and nervous during the last few days before the trip as to what would be the kind of things that were in store for us. Things like:

a. What if the car breaks down in the middle of nowhere? VW has no service center once we cross Jammu, JK until Mandi, HP.

b. What if some random component in the car decides to fail? Say one of the 4 injectors?

c. What if we drove over a large stone on one of those passes and the engine oil sump or the fuel tank breaks?

d. What if a dog or a stray cattle decides to cross through the median and we hit it when no amount of braking force helps? Some dividers had large bushes and there were cattle feeding on them.

e. What if a speeding vehicle from the other lane decide to cross the median
and hit us head on?

f. What if some random sensor throws an error on the cluster? Say the airbag or the CEL comes on!

g. I have done several modifications in the car. What if it just catches fire?! (This was the worst fear of all!)

These were some of the nightmares haunting me on the last few days before the trip. I wasn't getting a proper sleep either. Heck, I didn't sleep well on the night before the day we departed for the trip! But, we chose to take the risk knowing that what has been planned for over 3 years and decided is done, the leaves were approved after some pain, we will go on the trip come what may and will deal with the situation accordingly.

But how did the car perform? In a word - flawless! Took both of us and the tourists on the Innovas, Taveras and Xylos by surprise! We saw a few Indian Army truck drivers giving us a while they waited for us to pass or climb a stone-ridden incline. Here are some observations from the trip:

1. The oxygen levels up top are low and the tacho was idling at 1000-1100 rpm whereas the normal range here is 850-900 rpm.

2. Mornings at Leh and Tangtse were very cold (sub 5'C) and despite letting the glow plugs warm up for a couple of minutes, the engine would not crank at the first turn of the key. At the second turn however, it would.

3. We had changed the air filter a week before the trip but it had already turned grey with all the dust being sucked in. We cleaned the filter using a HP pneumatic line at a local garage before undertaking the trip to Nubra Valley via Khardung La.

4. The Michelin Primacy 3 ST tires - I have got to hand it to them! They took all the brunt with ease. I was worried if the stone filled stretches would rip apart the tires but no, they held up really well. We also maneuvered the bad stretches carefully. But we didn’t bother about the air pressure in the tires – releasing the pressure at the high altitude areas or fill more air after the descend. Whatever was filled in the tires before the trip was sufficient for the whole trip.

5. The trip also taught me the significance of the first gear. While we all disregard the first gear here and slot it to the second gear quickly, at Leh, the car would get frequently use the first gear to climb up the stony inclines. But she did it gracefully without over-revving. The parking brake trick helped a lot.

6. The Xenon projectors – these performed brilliantly during the night drives. It was dark when we drove from Bilaspur to Rupnagar and this was a horrible stretch – single laned road + potholes + crawling trucks + winding Ghat roads! Need anything more to make it any worse? We had to overtake the trucks one by one cautiously while looking out for the potholes. Had it not been for the projectors that highlighted them all, we would have ended up going through a hellhole!

7. Did the underbody not scrape at all? Nope! The mudflaps did however at some of the crossings. This may have been because we were just two of us plus some load due to the luggage. We’ve been told that 1 or 2 occupants on the rear bench will increase the sprung load even more resulting in lesser GC thus scraping the underbody.

8. No Team BHP stickers visible on the car? Yep, unfortunately we had to remove them since we were warned that at Leh, this could be a problem.

It may have partly been due to the luck being on our side that we didn't face any issues such as landslides or river crossings blocking the road and having to wait it out until the situation eases. There was absolutely no issue with any permits or passes. We had to give a copy of the filled self-declaration form at only 2 places during the entire trip – at the South Pullu check post while heading to Nubra Valley and at the North Pullu check post after descending the Khardung La. While returning, they did not collect the forms and chose to make an entry in their register. That’s all. There was no checking by any taxi union guys anywhere in Leh or elsewhere. Private cars with white number plates were all over the place and there were no issues anywhere. Neither of the two faced AMS issues – our health was in top shape although we did pop in a Diamox tablet every day morn after breakfast.

Here are some of the random snaps from the lot:























Lowest ambient temperature (- 2.0 'C) with the elusive snowflake symbol recorded somewhere en route Tanglang La:



Highest ambient temperature (39 'C) in Rajasthan:



Shall upload the rest on the travelogue.

Also brought up the 45k mark as we reached home:



So dropped the car for the third service today. Here’s the copy of the bill:



One of the windshield wiper nozzles were replaced since it was beyond repair. The air filter was cleaned and replaced since it was in good shape. The leftover engine oil from the previous stock was used so they just charged me for 1 can of 4 L. Also got the wheel balancing and alignment done from the service center itself. Cost me Rs. 8460 all inclusive.

Before I conclude, I owe my heartfelt thanks to the following people:

1. My boss and our shipyard head – for sanctioning our leave and letting us go on the trip. Without my boss’ intervention and the shipyard head giving us the final go-ahead, this trip would not have been possible. We owe a lot to them.

2. Our parents – for the love, support and trust on us during the trip and at all times.

3. Moderators Anshuman, Tanveer, Jaggu, Rudra, Rehaan, Manson, Moralfibre and GTO for their suggestions and inputs on the trip. Thanks a lot guys!

4. BHPian etchemkay (Himanshu) for his inputs on this trip – you were of immense help buddy! Thank you so much. He was also one of the first (or probably the first) to take the GT TDI to Leh.

5. HV Kumar for the route plan for the entire trip, helping us with the hotel bookings on the go and the suggestions. Thank you so much Sir. We are greatly indebted to you.

6. Paragbhai, for keeping in touch with us during the course of the trip and helping us with the tidbits. Thanks a lot Paragbhai! I hope we can do the Abu Road trip sometime soon!

7. BHPians schakravarthy and mpksuhas for their inputs. Thanks a lot guys. Appreciate the prompt responses!

8. The car - for chugging along without breaking a sweat and not throwing any tantrums during the course of the trip. You've become a part of my life!

9. The Almighty.

PS: I had received a few PMs and WhatsApp messages over the last 2 weeks. WhatsApp and SMS are currently not working in Gujarat due to the current situation here. I shall respond to the PMs shortly. Sorry for the delay!

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

I owe my heartfelt thanks to the following people:

And before he gets hurt, I will add to the list:

• Gannu's wife, for her permission to go on the trip

[frankmehta]

Someone had to say this! Hahaha eddy. You saved him a good, long hiding.

[no_boundaries]

Man, that's one helluva trip !! Fills my heart with hope to take the GT on such trails. What was the overall mileage ?
Looking forward for the travelogue.

[mmridul]

One word after reading your post: BRILLIANT.

Glad to see that you finally completed the trip you have been planning ever since you got the car, and even more thrilled to see that you made it without any hiccups.

On the service aspect though, the bill mentions (in the top left) that it's the 30,000km service, but you have completed ~45,000. Any reason its mentioned like that?

[Kanasu]

Congratulations for a safe and successful adventure.
And, thanks a lot for your detailed update Mod Master. I was among the few blessed, who saw the pics before they sprung up here

Now, I'm almost ready for mine next year. However, need to get few mods done before that. Looking forward to eating your head

[phamilyman]

Congratulations on a drive well done - the service bill doesn't indicate any/much damage as opposed to a few other hatchback Ladakh threads!

Now we NEED PICS! GET ON WITH IT!

/but after you've taken your wife out on an expensive shopping dining trip to atone for this cardinal sin!

[rakesh_r]

Gannu etta,congos for the awesome trip.Nowadays I see lot of people driving hatchbacks to LEH.This is tempting me to take my humble Swift.Glad to see that the Polo performed very well.
You were at an advantage with chiefly two factors-First the car being a Diesel and second it being a 1.6. Diesels love being driven at high altitudes main reason Diesels are lean burn engines. Injector failures are prone to happen in case of adulterated fuel.
Kudos to you and the car.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by Eddy

And before he gets hurt, I will add to the list:

• Gannu's wife, for her permission to go on the trip

Originally Posted by frankmehta

Someone had to say this! Hahaha eddy. You saved him a good, long hiding.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

/but after you've taken your wife out on an expensive shopping dining trip to atone for this cardinal sin!

Guys, there were no issues with the home ministry's approval for the trip.

We had prolonged the trip for 2 years, the wedding happened last year and it had to be postponed to this year. My wife got enrolled into a university last month and she's staying in the university hostel for a year. In fact, the bigger problem here was my partner's leave approval from work - it wasn't approved until the last day before we departed and we had to approach the senior management for such a petty issue! Got it approved finally and when we reached Ladakh, he was asked to report back on 28th morning when the plan was to reach that day evening. We had to request a senior official to intervene which could have been avoidable.

Originally Posted by no_boundaries

Man, that's one helluva trip !! Fills my heart with hope to take the GT on such trails.

You should do it! The car is perfectly capable of these terrains during this time of the season. Not much water crossings and the roads get better by the year thanks to the efforts by BRO and the local labourers employed by them.

Originally Posted by no_boundaries

What was the overall mileage?

17.42 kmpl tankful to tankful for the whole trip.

Originally Posted by mmridul

On the service aspect though, the bill mentions (in the top left) that it's the 30,000km service, but you have completed ~45,000. Any reason its mentioned like that?

Must have been a mistake. They have however entered the odo reading correctly in the Kms In tab.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Now we NEED PICS! GET ON WITH IT!

We have clicked some snaps on our respective cameras. Shall try my best to pen down a log with these.

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

Nowadays I see lot of people driving hatchbacks to LEH. This is tempting me to take my humble Swift.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

the service bill doesn't indicate any/much damage as opposed to a few other hatchback Ladakh threads!

In the Ladakh circuits and through the treacherous passes, we saw several hatchbacks, both petrol and diesel - Maruti 800, Alto, Alto K10, Santro, Figo, Micra, Swift, Beat etc. Looks like gone are those days when hatchbacks would have been a nightmare to be driven on these stretches.

Had popped up the hood out of curiosity and was surprised to see that the engine bay was cleaned but I wasn't charged for it in the invoice. Looks shiny just like it did when it rolled out of the showroom:

[paragsachania]

Excellent and much awaited update Gannu_1.

A wonderful trip that was executed in a careful and accurate manner beating all the odds that we discussed and what a way to end it when situation wasn't that great to make an entry into the state of Gujarat! You managed to reach right on time & peacefully, for celebrating Onam.

You actually did a round trip by ensuring to reach Leh via Srinagar and return via Manali and this is a fantastic feeling I must tell you.

Manali-Leh stretch was one of the worst that we drove exactly last year with at least 3-4 water crossings and one river crossing at night due to a broken bridge and it is quite ironic (but heartening) to learn that the roads were way better and there were no water crossings at all.

Like my friend who I drove to Leh last year mentions - One shouldn't bother if the roads are good or not when you talk about Leh; What matters is whether the roads are open to take up that drive or not !

Now coming to your car - The Polo GT TDI, I guess this proves it all that it is always the driver and then the car. You were prepared against all odds, your mind was ready to take this up and your car managed to behave the way you were expecting it too (Including the Mud flap scrapping that we discussed that you would try to take it off before Zozila). Kudos to the German Machine.

The FE Figures for the overall trip are impeccable to say the least. With 2 Adults and the luggage good enough to add at least weight of 2 more adults along the terrain this is phenomenal. Kitna Deti hai should not be the question. Kitna dilaa sakte ho should be it.

It was great staying in touch with you before and during this trip - During few conversations, I was just flying back in time for almost a year as you narrated where you were.

Time for me to plan my usual annual trip for 2015 and that should happen very soon.

Lastly, your partner Kiccha as you refer him was truly awesome. It takes a lot when you want someone to accompany you for a drive who doesn't drive. There's a lot more than just belting up and sitting next to the driver and he executed this very well I suppose.

Now, eagerly awaiting that Travelogue from you.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

I was on a fortnight long road trip to Ladakh in the GT with my best friend/colleague/DIY partner - Moorthy. Clocked 5543 km, drove through 8 states over 13 days, just two good friends and the car!

The simpler pleasures of life! A beautiful place, nice car & great friend. Time well spent, Gannu . Thanks for giving us a preview of the upcoming travelogue .

But how did the car perform? In a word - flawless! Took both of us and the tourists on the Innovas, Taveras and Xylos by surprise!

Keep her well, you are driving a legend. They don't make cars like the 1.6L GT TDI anymore!

they waited for us to pass or climb a stone-ridden incline.

Just my personal opinion: I prefer renting a self-drive vehicle over such brutal terrain, than putting my own car through the abuse.

[delta5]

Hi Ganesh,
What an epic journey! Kudos to you, your friend and the little German.
It fills my heart with hope to prepare my car to embark on the trail one day, to the true automotive Mecca.

I am unsure though wether the petrol GT would perform as flawlessly as its diesel brother especially with that DSG in it.
And I am glad that you didn't any face with Taxi unions as well, hope all these stuff dies down soon.

Thanks brother for doing this from all those sitting in a chair wanting to do this once in a lifetime trip!

Waiting for the Travelogue now!

Cheers,
D.