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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-63.html)

Erring on the safer side, you could use the stock wiring maybe upto 25% more of the existing wattage which would be about 70W. Anything more, it is better to use relay.

Congrats and good to hear that the ownership thread helped you in your decision.

:thumbs up

I am really not sure about it since the newer cars now come with the dual H7 setup and we had the H4 bulbs in the single barrel setup. The stock bulbs are rated at 55 W. An upgrade to 70 W bulbs shouldn't be a concern going by graaja's post above. Do the dual barrel headlamps have a poor throw during the night drives? Are the headlights aligned/aimed properly?

rl:

On an unrelated note, she's crawled past the 97k mark. We have a trip to Guruvayur scheduled this weekend courtesy a friend's wedding. Should be a relaxed fun drive with 2 friends onboard.

Gannu, I have been researching the possibility of the auto-headlight mod by integrating a new auto-headlight switch with the stock rain+light sensor in my 2016 Polo instead of adding a new sensor. I have read that the light sensor in this module is meant for the auto-headlights as well. Do you know if this is possible as a retrofit?

Nevermind, I did a little more research and found this is either not possible with the stock BCM or even if it is, not without a little splicing and VCDS coding. I do not have VCDS yet. The auto headlight module is probably just neater and easier.

To implement auto headlights, you need a BCM upgrade and a completely new set of wiring, along with VCDS coding. I have documented this in the below thread.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-do...x-upgrade.html

The easiest is to go for the Auto headlight retrofit available in AliExpress that uses its own light sensor. Fixing this is a 10 minute job.

Thanks graaja. I read your (incredible :Shockked:) DIY. I'm just getting started so I'm going to go the quick and safe route with this one! Not that this is of much consequence, but I wonder how the static cornering (fog) lights work when the light switch is completely independent of the BCM - guessing there's a parallel connect between the BCM and the fog lights alone for this functionality. (I'm new to car electronics - the BCM, CAN etc.)

I have another question though - I'm planning on getting the Golf MK7 switch just like Gannu, plus the auto headlight module + sensor. However, the seller on AliExpress insisted they won't work together. Is there a particular version of the switch and module that I need to get?

AliExpress link to switch
AliExpress link to module

The part number for the switch is different here (5GG 941 431 D), but there's just one result on Ali for the part number in Gannu's post (5ND 941 431 E XSH) and that result isn't inspiring much confidence :) Do you know if these two are interchangeable?

Battery talk again.

Two days ago, I took my car out for first time in almost a week. It started without a problem. Picked up a friend to go to a concert, with a brief stop at a shop maybe 4km from home.

First attempt to restart gave that horrible grrrj-phut result typical of a dead battery. But second attempt worked, and I continued on to the concert.

Afterwards, despite my worries, the car started normally.

Next day I put the meter and got 12.6 and 13.9. And I thought, oh, that's OK then, despite the thing being 4 years old.

But now I see that much the same readings prompted Gannu to make the change.

Car is too be serviced next month. It's it really cheaper to buy the battery outside? Sounds like a good price that Gannu paid, 5k.

@Gannu, seeking help with my Polo 1.5 Tdi. Same has been posted on the VW polo - do's and don'ts thread as well

Context: Got my battery changed to Amaron Flo 60 Din recently after the original battery went dead in 2.5 yrs, 20k km run Polo 1.5 Tdi.

Issue: dashboard fuel gauge has started showing instantaneous avg in the range of 13-15kmpl (instead of 17-19 kmpl). In actual number as well, car is running lesser kmpl. Have got the tire pressure checked to rule out puncture etc. issues. also, AC is not so effective any more.

Need guidance from you on what's the actual issue.

Not sure how the module handles the switch signals and if the switches are interchangeable. If you are upto some experimenting, you could get both the module and the separate MK7 switch and if it does not work use the one that comes with the module :D

If you measured 13.9V when the engine was running, and 12.6V after switching off the engine, then it is not possible to predict the battery health with this no load voltage. When a battery ages, it's internal resistance increases which will affect the battery's capacity to source current. The open circuit voltage would still be good. But when you load the battery, there will be a huge drop in voltage.

Measure the battery voltage when the car is being cranked. If the voltage drop is very high - say it drops below 11V, then it is time to change the battery.

Yes, I had a sneaking suspicion that I really needed to do that.

A non-driving wife can hold the probes and read off the numbers for me while I crank the engine, but she is away being a grandmother until Saturday night, and I do not think I can coordinate this with a non-English-speaking maid! Tea and cat food we can manage...

Once upon a time, cars used to have a solenoid, with a pressable button, under the bonnet, which would run the starter motor. But I am talking about the age of generators and carburettors! An age when there was much less under the bonnet, and I could name most of it.

By the way, I may have said that the car, and thus the battery, is four years old. It is not: it (they) are coming up to three years old. Which would, I suppose, still be a reasonable life for the battery.

There is another way to check battery health - a crude one though. Turn on the cabin light, and then crank the car. If the cabin light flickers strongly then there may be lot of voltage drop while cranking and it may indicate a poor battery health.

After the OE battery in my Jetta failed twice in 3 years (I have now installed an Amaron), I would never trust a VW OE battery!

4 years is pretty good battery life in Indian climatic conditions. I am considering a 'proactive replacement' of my car battery (turns 4 in Aug '17) because I don't want it failing unexpectedly.

A quick battery test? Switch on your headlamps and crank the engine. If it fails to crank and/or the headlamps' illumination becomes really dim then it's time for a new battery. If the headlamps flicker but retain their illumination when cranking (normal behavior) you're good to go for now. But keep in mind the battery is probably already living on borrowed time.

The idea behind using headlamps instead of cabin lights is to test the battery under load.

As per correction above, I should have said three. I guess this car feels like home, and I seem to have had it longer than I have.
I don't remember the last time I started the car with the headlamps on. As long as I can remember, cars turn off a lot of stuff, even including the radio, to keep the power for cranking. Doesn't that include headlights? I'll have to check.

I too never start with the headlamps (or other accessories) switched on under normal conditions but use this technique a couple of times a year to perform a DIY load test on the battery.

As for the ignition switch cutting off power to accessories, headlamps and other circuits when starting the car, it doesn't happen to my vehicles because I can see interior lights and headlamps, foglamps etc staying on when cranking the engine. I ensure all the ICE components are switched off before performing this test.

Not sure how VW have configured the Polo's ignition switch, so it's YMMV.

Seems @Gannu is away from TBHP these days. The problem persists and the car seems less responsive as well