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-   -   VW Polo GT TDI ownership log EDIT: 9 years and 178,000 km later... (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/142745-vw-polo-gt-tdi-ownership-log-edit-9-years-178-000-km-later-61.html)

Hi Gannu,

The Polo has aged beautifully.

Just wanted to point out that the service bill mentions your car as a 1.2 cr tdi and not a 1.5 cr Tdi. Please ask the S.A to get this rectified.

The variant listed is the Trendline and not the GT as it should be.

Regards
Vishy

:thumbs up

Kindly get the CCA(Cold cranking ampere) checked too. The workshops usually have a hand-held Bosch Battery tester, which compares all parameters and gives out the verdict.

The only thing which can be a bit worrying is timing belt, and this should be changed proactively IMO. Rest all other belts can be ignored for the time being.

I believe the aluminium sheet sump guard will cost a bit cheaper. lol: Some of the VW spares are funnily priced.

Regards,
Shashi

Hi Gannu congrats on reaching the milestone of 91k. Wanted your thoughts on the new LED lamps on the Vento and would it fit the POLO TSI?

I am not sure about the performance of the LED lamps in terms of intensity and throw of the beam. Best to take a test drive of the new Vento in the evening and judge. As for the fitment, it's a straightforward swap dimensionally. There are 2 ways to go about with the wiring part:

a. The proper way by swapping the BCM to the top end BCM and change the complete harness. The LED headlights (and the OEM bixenon headlamps sold on the models overseas) are powered by the BCM directly not from the fusebox.

b. Hack the wiring by keeping the stock BCM, provide the connections to the respective bulbs from the stock connector.

Both ways work without affecting the performance. But you lose the beam's vertical adjustment since the LED headlights have automatic adjustment.

Coincidently I used Mobil Delvac 1 for my oil change this time. Was using the regular Mobil 1. Been only a short while (500 odd kms) since the change but so far things look good. From the data sheet Delvac 1 is a bit more viscous and handled more power at the crank (which might explain why it is recommended for heavy vehicles). This might be just a feeling but its feels that the engine revs a bit more freely with Mobil 1 compared to Mobil Delvac 1 and takes a bit more time to warm up. There is quite a difference in price though 4.5k for a 5 litre can of Delvac 1 compared to around 6.5k for 5 litres of Mobil 1.

Good tip on the bearing lubrication. Will keep that in mind when I swap out the top mounts on my car.

I was recommended replacing my entire front suspension for 30K the last time I turned up at a service center complaining about suspension noise. Tightening a link fixed the noise and the car has done 40K since then. As you said if it ain't broke...

Drive on,
Shibu.

Hi Gannu I have the new Polo TSi. I wanted to know if I can get the side mirrors to close with the key when I lock it? Right now I have to turn the knob to do that? Can this be done via vcds or do I need to change any part for this feature? I have seen a few cars that vagtune has worked on and they have done that. Your valuable feedback is needed on this. P.S. Love the work you have done and the time you have spent on your car. You were the reason I changed my polo 1.2 to the GT TDi and now to the GT TSi due to the heavy traffic in Hyderabad. Happy driving.

There're 2 ways to go about with the auto-mirror-folding-upon-car-lock (and unfolding with unlocking):

a. Change the window regulators to the models that support it = expensive but a straightforward swap and your warranty is intact. You will have to import the regulators since none of the Indian models have this part.

b. Buy a module from China that does it (like this) and do the wiring at an FNG that is experienced in electrical works. Safe to assume your warranty is void.

Both give you the same result.

On a different note, the car has done 93k km. Looks like the GJ > KL registration change has gone through and she will be getting the new number soon. As much as I wanted to retain the last 4 digits (9759) of the current registration, looks like it isn't going to happen since they haven't reached the 9XXX series under the current set. I'll take whatever number they allot her.

During the last 2 drives, we left Chennai at 4 PM and reached Palakkad at 1 AM (3 breaks including a dinner break at Krishnagiri). Felt like a better drive compared to the departure at 9 PM. I think I'll stick to this hereafter.

Hi Gannu thank you for the information. With regards to your number you can always book the number in advance and you will get the same number. I have always done that with all my cars.

We inquired with the RTO. They said it can't be done. Usually numbers close to the currently running series are permitted to be booked and they charge a premium of Rs 3000.

Hi Gannu wanted to know if an amplifier can be connected to the RCD 330G or 330G+?

Hey Gannu,

IIRC, you had a RCD510 with 9W7 bluetooth module and a separate mic in the cabin light cluster. The RCD330g plus that replaced this setup in your car has bluetooth and microphone integrated. So you definitely must have removed the 9W7 bluetooth module but what did you do with the mic in the cabin light cluster and its wire harness? Were you able to connect it to the RCD330g plus? Because that's what I want to do. I think that the mic in the cabin light cluster is a much better setup than the one integrated in the ICE on the left side, given the cabin light's proximity to the driver's voice. Thanks

I am about to embark on installing the puddle lamps on my Suzuki S-Cross. I didn't find a separate thread for this DIY. Can you help spot it? I find the puddle lamps very useful feature since you can see the ground around the front doors when you are walking up to your car in the dark.

I also have a few questions

a. One option is to tap the power from the turn indicator wires in the mirror housing (I saw this approach for puddle lamps for Ford Mustang) and believe this should do it. How have you tapped the power?

b. Ideally I'd prefer if these are enabled only when cabin lights are set to power up in the door open position, but that will defeat the purpose of installing it in the first place. In other words, it would be best if the puddle lamps turn on when the car is unlocked AND the switch for cabin lights is synched with the door open. This would ensure that the puddle lamps can be controlled to not turn on during day times when it is not required. I am not sure how to go about this. Thoughts?

c. What is the size of the drill bit you used to make a hole in the mirror assembly to install these lights?

I am also planning to install foot well LEDs at the rear. My approach is going to use quick splice connectors (Link below) and tap the power from the door sil lights.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10pc...608.0.0.qEv9ZL

Have you used these quick splice connectors? They seem to be used in many kits but many have suggested against using them since they do not last very long. If you have used these, can you share any experiences? I am not in favour of lustre terminals since they don't have a strong connection either. They are completely useless for higher gauge wires.

Man, I haven't had a more hectic work schedule in ages! Been putting 12-14 hours at work over the last 2 months and it just doesn't seem to end! :Frustrati

*sigh*

Anyways, sharing a few updates that happened over the last couple of months.

- She's inching closer to the 1L km milestone:



- The stock battery (Exide, locally made) was replaced last month. The car was taking a wee bit longer to crank during Monday mornings after an idle weekend. Checked the voltage using a DC voltmeter and it showed 12.5 V when the car was turned off and 13.9 V when the engine was idling. Decided not to take a chance especially with these night drives to home and got a replacement battery from batterybhai.com.





Amazing experience with the website! Placed the order in the afternoon and the replacement battery (Amaron Flo 60Ah, AAM-FL-566112060) arrived in the evening. Headed to the apartment's parking lot and the bhai replaced the battery in less than 10 minutes. He tested the voltage of the new battery using a DMM, took the old battery, smiled and left. I so wish we had an oempartsbhai.com and caraccessoriesbhai.com - life would have been so much simpler!

- From being a Gujju to a Mallu! :D Her base-of-registry is officially changed to Palakkad from Surat.



Screengrab from the Kerala MVD database (FWIW, anyone can search for any car with the registration number):


(No. of cylinders - 3!)

Man, what an incredible 95k km journey she has had under the GJ registration! I am definitely going to look back and cherish the good times I've spent with her, back when I was posted in Gujarat. I got the laminated RC delivered by post to my home few weeks back. Got to apply for a refund from the Surat RTO now.

- A couple of snaps with ICGS Shaunak - a new offshore patrol vessel built for the Indian Coast Guard which was commissioned during February.





- The spare tire was used for the first time in the last 3.5 years!

Returned to the office's parking lot one day to find the rear left tire flat - I had a puncture repair kit with me but no pliers to take the sharp object out. Regretted that very moment! Luckily I had my colleague-friend with me around that time but after spending 14 hours at work, swapping a tire is the last thing in my mind! We had no go but to swap it out. Swapped the tire and drove home. Removed a small piece of a sharp flat metal plate and patched it up. Replaced the tire that weekend and the spare tire went back to its where it belonged. But inserting the tire back in that slot in the boot, was really really hard! Had to twist and turn the tire several times while I held the boot cover up. This was the third puncture in the last 55k km that these Michelins have run over - the present condition is alright for another 5-7k km but I may have to renew them shortly. Might buy the tires online this time over a B&M shop. Lot of discounts going on at PayTM.

No clue on that.

I've left the mic with the cable running through the left A-pillar as it is (disconnected). I was too lazy to remove it back when I swapped the HU. I don't suppose there is a provision to connect an external mic; might be wrong though. But do you really need one? The RCD 320 had a pathetic mic! But this one is far better despite being located at the same place on the HU. The reception is very clear and no one has complained of noise or low voice clarity from the other end.

Sorry man, I haven’t penned it down yet. I did the writeup some time back and I am yet to finish it.

From the cabin light.

While this is ideally how the puddle lights should turn on, unless the ambient light sensor is used, they won’t work this way. How would it matter if they turn on during the day time? Nobody would notice it. I am not sure how they work on the Superb and the Octavia. Do they turn on during the day time?

I made a pilot drill hole using a 2 mm drill bit. And used a 10 mm drill bit.

No. I am against these quick splice connectors since they seem to shear some strands of the wire while splicing. And the metal contacts rust over time. I prefer twisting, soldering and using a heat-shrink sleeve or a butt-splice crimp.

Thanks for all the information Gannu. I'd love to catch up with you sometime during my trip this month end, now that you are posted in Palakkad. I will be around for a while and would love to see you and your car.

The S-cross has an ambient light sensor which controls the auto-headlamps. I just don't know how to tap it. Honestly, it shouldn't really matter if the lights come on during day time. I just felt doing it that way if at all possible. That would have been pretty cool. I do not know how it works on Superb though, will have to find out. I have ordered the part, but will need some time to install them.

A few trips are coming up this month and next month with the vacations. I'll be mostly shunting around Palakkad, Thrissur and surrounding areas.

I hope your hectic work schedule eases out soon. Cheers!

Hey Gannu bhai ,
What was the cost of the replacement battery ? I can see it a Amaron Flo. Did you consider high current battery from the Amaron pro series ?