[Thad E Ginathom]

Yes, it is a time bomb.

Timing belt plus pump should absolutely be replaced according to schedule. It doesn't matter how low the mileage!

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Will give this thread a proper closure soon enough. The car deserves at least that much.

Isnt it a small world

PS- The windshield still sports the L&T logo.

[TopLiveCentre]

Gear oil change of 1.5 TDI: 1.8l came out and 2l went in. Is it fine?

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by TopLiveCentre

Gear oil change of 1.5 TDI ... ... ...

At a tangent. .. I wonder if mine has ever been changed. I should check back through the reports. What is the recommended interval?

[TopLiveCentre]

No recommended interval. The gear oil was blackish but surprisingly clean and lucid against light. So don't worry, you should be okay.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Thanks for that.

Coincidentally, I passed by something on the internet concerning transmission oil only the other day. It mentioned that the colour should be reddish. I was just surfing this and that, I did not stop, I can't say if it is right or wrong, but if right, looks like you did the right thing.

I'm sure the oil is a lot cheaper than transmission components!

[Thad E Ginathom]

As I may have mentioned, I am over one lakh poorer, and my GT TDI is richer by new suspension components front and and back, and a new steering box, plus a handful of et ceteras!

It's amazing what one gets used to. I was not noticing the play in the steering: I suppose it developed slowly and I adjusted to it. I certainly notice how taught and precise it is now!

I had noticed that the shock absorbers were not absorbing much shock, although I had got used to the resultant ride. A pothole is still a pothole and a bump is still a bump, but at least it feels softened.

Due to eye problems causing one blurry eye, I am driving very cautiously. Which is a pity!

Next... new tyres.

[Gannu_1]

The Final Update - Part 1:

Hi everyone, this is going to be the final update as far as my Polo’s ownership is concerned as the car left us for good on 30 Oct 2022, Sunday after having served us faithfully for 9 years and 1,78,325 km on the odo.

It was a very emotional departure as the sequence of events will tell you. Some of you are already aware of this development and a few did ping me asking when the ownership thread would be updated. Honestly, I really did not feel like penning this down (unlike the other update posts on this very thread) but I must give this ownership thread a meaningful closure. Since this will be a long read, let me split this into 2 parts - the last 2 road trips we had undertaken and the breakdown leading to the scrapping of the car.

I purchased the Polo back in October 2013 when I was posted at Surat, Gujarat. I was 26 years old then - young, enthusiastic, 5 years of work experience, just joined Team BHP and this was my first car. At that point, I really liked small, fast and chuckable cars which was really why I went with the GT diesel. After the car came home on 07 Oct 2013, a Monday I fondly recall, my interests gradually started swaying towards travelling and fiddling with the car from computers, gaming and audio equipment. We began travelling and exploring a lot! And of course, DIYs!

Every other weekend, the two of us - Krishnamoorthy, my colleague and good friend for life and I, would draw plans to travel somewhere - Saputara, Daman, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, etc. or tinker with the car. A year later, I tied the knot with Soumya who was doing her post-grad. in Udaipur. So on another weekend, we drove to Udaipur! And then another trip to help her with her documentation and thesis submission. Then she enrolled for her PhD at Anand. I began travelling to Anand during the weekends.

Time flew and we travelled to several places in the North all the way to Ladakh and the West covering Somnath, Dwarka, Kutch, Koteshwar while missing some of the places which I really looked forward to visit - Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, the border at Longewala, etc.

In April 2016, I moved down south to Chennai. I ended up covering the places of interest south-side. Before the pandemic struck, I used to drive to Palakkad every month to visit my folks who’re retired and settled there. And then, gradually the fuel prices and toll rates were hiked and I switched to travel by train. I began saving a lot of money, effort and time! But the charm of travelling in the evening on a 6-laned highway was missed. You lose some, you gain some.

My colleagues and I would visit Pondicherry and Yercaud often. And thanks to the ships that were being built at our shipyard, I would often be posted there during the final phase of sea trials and delivery of the ships. Life was really good. Thanks to my postings at two different parts of the country (Surat & Chennai), I traveled to a lot of places as I’ve indicated in the map below (a star/ yellow dot shows the car & I have spent at least one night’s stay at the place):



I enjoyed the trips but the heavy clutch would take a toll on my left knee which I have mentioned several times on this thread; a clutch replacement wouldn’t solve it either. After the extended warranty period expired, the usual engine oil services were done by me at my home periodically and I would leave the more critical and time consuming jobs like the timing belt and coolant pump change, clutch replacement and steering rack replacement to an independent garage - German Motors.

Before we come to it, let me share some bits on the final trips we undertook during August and September last year.

During August, my wife and son (who was 2 years old back then) had flew down from Gujarat for their vacation and spent a month with me dividing the time between Chennai and Palakkad. Whilst at Chennai, we drove to Mahabalipuram and Yercaud during the weekends and had a great time.











At our usual place of stay in Yercaud - MM Resorts:



We then drove from Chennai to Palakkad. We had planned a trip to the Mookambika temple, Kollur for my son’s vidyarambam (a Hindu tradition performed before a child begins his education). Broadly, the route would be Palakkad - Mysore - Kollur - Calicut - Palakkad. Before we undertook that trip, the annual oil change service on my car which was due was completed at my home, the night before we started the trip.









Day 1:

Palakkad to Mysore - 260 km, 6 hours

The first halt was at Mysore and we drove via the Sathyamangalam - Dhimbham ghats. Immaculately maintained roads with 27 hairpin bends through the forest reserves and with the intermittent rains, we loved this drive! Based on some earlier reports, I was expecting traffic and road blocks but the roads were nearly empty and we had a hassle-free drive.

















I was also visiting Mysore after 2008 when I had joined for work after graduation and had stayed for over a month.



I also met my cousin who was doing her graduation and we had a dinner at a restaurant based on her recommendation - Gufha. https://g.page/GufhaMysuru





We were stay put at SBI’s guest house and retired for the night.

Day 2:

Mysore to Kollur - 380 km, 8.5 hours

Before we departed Mysore for Kollur, we wanted to visit Chamundeshwari Temple situated at the Chamundi Hills. The route to the temple seems popular with cyclists in the city as we spotted several cyclists doing this route.



Here is a pic taken 30 years apart in front of the famous Mahishasura statue (the statue wore a different paint scheme back then):





One from the top of Chamundi Hills:



Also learnt that the name Mysore originates from the Kannada word Mahishooru meaning the village of Mahishasura.

Parag (he’s been AWOL for a long time now) suggested that we do not miss a monastery which is hardly 90 km from Mysore and not even a detour from our road to Mangalore. Little did I know we were passing through Coorg and this was the famous monastery situated in Coorg - the Namdroling Monastery!



We took a stroll inside the monastery and spent close to an hour:





















Resumed the journey and we broke for lunch at a vegetarian restaurant at Puttur - Hotel Keerthana. https://goo.gl/maps/P8XX2wcMoUHCaWt9A

I am sucker for naan! Give me a good gravy and I’ll devour 3-4 pieces of it. Aw man, this restaurant did not disappoint! For one, I wasn’t expecting them to have a tandoor and serve naans.







I usually eat light when I am driving but made an exception and gorged on the naans and mushroom gravy, finishing it off with a glass of gudbud - a Mangalore based dessert made of 2-3 flavours of ice cream with fruits, nuts, jelly, syrup etc. served in a tall glass. Essentially, a falooda. During this trip, I must have had at least 4 gudbuds on different occasions.



Coincidentally, this was also the same day the PM was visiting Mangalore and roadblocks for VIP traffic movement was apparent. A good friend and former classmate - Manu who used to stay at Mangalore back then, had warned me of this. Luckily, Google Maps put us on a route devoid of all the blockades and we joined the NH 66, Kochi - Panvel highway. It was a straight drive along the coastal route all the way till the right detour towards Kollur. We reached Kollur before evening and visited the temple.



Day 3:

Our main agenda for the day was to complete our son’s Vidyarambham ceremony. Completed that early in the morning and we were free by 9 AM:







We came back to our stay, freshened up and drove to Murudeshwar which was 60 km or less than 1.5 hours from Kollur on the 4-laned, Panvel - Kochi coastal highway which is being redone now as we speak.





The tower at Murdeshwar Siva temple gives a lovely, all-round view from the gallery atop. Depending on the time of the day, you may experience some crowd for boarding the lift.

Check out the views below:













Parag also suggested we have our lunch at Shetty Lunch Home, Kundapura which serves a specialty dish - chicken ghee roast, the order for which has to be placed at least 3-4 hours in advance. So I called the hotel before we departed Murdeshwar, placed an order for a plate and off we drove to Kundapura.



Parked the car close to the court area, walked to the hotel and we were able to get a table for the 5 of us without much waiting. They served the specialty dish and oh man, I’ve never savoured such an amazing starter in a long time! Absolutely loved it!







We had the usual dal fry, a chicken gravy (I forget which one it was now), tandoori rotis:

And of course, a glass of gudbud:



After lunch, we returned to our stay at Kollur and called it a day. Had a long drive the next day which I gathered through Team BHP & Google Maps, was going to be painful considering:

a. We were entering Kerala
b. Roadworks happening and,
c. Driving on a 2-laned highway during the day.

The route was Kollur to Calicut via Mangalore, Kasaragod, Kannur, Thalassery.



Day 4:

Kollur to Calicut - 360 km, 8.5 hours

We started as early as we could and hit the road by 0530. I knew Bekal was on the way and we stopped at the Bekal Fort.













Bekal Fort is the largest fort in Kerala, located at Kasaragod. The fort with its massive walls and the bastion overlooks the Arabian Sea. This fort was featured in the song Uyire (Tu Hi Re) in the 1995 movie Bombay:





And the song Dwadashiyil in the 2000 Malayalam movie Madhura nombarakaatu:



After an hour of strolling inside the fort, we resumed the journey and broke for lunch at MVK Travellers Restaurant, Kannur. Ate a good Thalassery Biryani here along with chicken curry and the malabar porotta:









Resumed the journey and we reached Calicut in the evening. We were staying at my maternal uncle’s home. No matter how many times I come to Calicut, I always love dining at Paragon! Of course, I love Sagar, Rahmath and Topform too but the lure of Paragon to people who stay outside of Calicut, like me, is different!

Anyhoo, here are the mandatory snaps of the food:

















After a loooooooong drive and a tummy full of awesome food, I just wanted to crash for the night!

Day 5:

Calicut to Palakkad - 140 km, 3 hours

The last leg of our road trip and little did I know this would be the last one, I would be undertaking in our Polo. We did this leg peacefully and reached home 3 days before Thiruvonam.

We spent the Thiruvonam at home and had a lovely sadhya.



A week later, on 11 September 2022, Sunday, I started back to Chennai from Palakkad after what was a lovely, long vacation with my family. This was also the first time, my parents tagged along with us for a road trip.

About 40 km from Salem, towards Ulundurpet, as the car drove over a flyover, I sensed a sudden loss of power, the brakes and steering became hard and lights on the cluster. Luckily, the car had climbed the ascend and I managed to steer the car to the side of the road. The car gradually descended the flyover and I parked the car besides the road.



To be continued…

[Gannu_1]

The Final Update - Part 2:

After I parked the car, my first instinct was to crank the engine. I think that’s what anybody would have done. In the middle of a drive, if your car turned off or stops all of a sudden, you would try cranking the engine? I did just that. I could hear the starter motor working but the engine was not cranking.

I knew this wasn’t going to be good. I got down, popped open the bonnet and to my horror, I see this:





The accessory belt that drives the coolant pump, alternator and the AC compressor had shredded.

This was shocking because I had changed it proactively during the 1.2 lakh km service when the timing belt, coolant pump, pulleys, etc. were replaced upon the FNG’s suggestion.

My adrenaline levels shot up and I was getting very nervous and upset not knowing what to do at that moment. 250 km into the drive and here I am stuck in the middle of the road! I was thankful to the Almighty, this mishap did not happen in the middle of our road trip with my parents, wife and a 2 y.o. kid! That would have been really bad.

I checked Google Maps for the nearest VW service centre which was at Salem but they were closed since it was a Sunday. The only other garage I personally knew was the FNG at Chennai owned & operated by Jaiprakash. I called him up and he asked me to get the car over. A long way from where I was (Palakkad, my home was closer) and yet my instincts told me to head to Chennai. A terrible decision which I would realise later and regret for a lifetime!

Now the only way out was to get the car on a flatbed truck. I called up BHPian Sai Aditya and he helped me arrange a flatbed truck from Salem and passed on their contact number. I called the number, spoke to the guy, told him my predicament, decided on the cost (Rs 10k) and he said the vehicle is in transit. This must be around 12:20 PM (judging by the timestamps of the photos I’ve clicked on my phone). I waited by the shade of the tree.

An hour passed. No sight of the flatbed truck. I called him up, he said he was en route and just a few more minutes. I waited. Another hour passed and no sign of the dude. I walked to the nearby shop and got myself a pack of biscuit. I was in no mood for any food or snack and just wanted to get my car repaired and back on the road. I knew it wasn’t going to be that fast. I waited for the flatbed truck.

Finally, after 3.5 hours, the guy shows up!









And goes on to open the ramp of the flatbed truck to load the car. The towing hook is attached to the front, the car is pulled to the truck with its winch, the stoppers placed and the wheels secured using belts. I did not want to send the car to Chennai alone and decided to go with the truck.

It is 4:15 PM. Off we start our journey on the flatbed truck, some 310 km. I thought we can go at a speed of 70-80 kmph and reach Chennai by . Boy, I couldn’t have been more wrong! The driver drove the truck at a max. speed of 50 kmph citing his owner has placed a GPS tracker onboard and he can be sacked if he goes overboard. So we go excruciatingly [i]s - l - o - w[/], with the windows open, no AC, and the engine heat getting into the cabin. Crawling on a mix of 2 and 4-laned road, crossing the tollways and at 08:30 PM, we break for dinner at a roadside eatery - a no-frills place. I have a dosa.



We still have a long way to go, some 120 km and would take another 3 hours considering the weekend traffic returning to Chennai.

An hour later, the driver gets a call from one of his relatives that a close relative of his has passed away and he has to get back to Salem. He floors the throttle now. Whatever happened to the 50 kmph speed limit and his owner sacking him now?!

In the meantime, I also requested my good friend and colleague - Krishnamoorthy, to help me by coming to the FNG in his car. The FNG was located in the interiors and I knew I won’t get a cab back to my home which was 30 km away. Moorthy obliged - I always knew I could count on this guy at any point.

Anyways, around 12:10 AM, just a couple of km away from the FNG, a couple of traffic cops stop our flatbed truck. The driver steps out with the vehicle’s papers. He is not having his driving license with him and that irks the cop. He tries calling his family to send the snap of the license - no luck. They try searching but couldn’t find it. We plead to the cop but he is looking for some easy money. We pay him something and get out of this mess.

The flatbed truck is parked adjacent to the FNG, the car is unloaded and we push it close to the gate so it doesn’t block the by-lane adjacent to the FNG entrance.



What do we do to the car’s key now? Moorthy jumps the smaller gate and puts the key inside one of the table drawers:



It is 1 AM on 12 September 2022 after all these misadventures, we drive back to my apartment and call it a day.

Jaiprakash, the FNG owner and an experienced technician has worked with Audi, Lamborghini and Honda before (as he has conveyed to me during a casual talk with him during an earlier service). My Polo has been serviced at his garage four times before this visit with all the works personally overseen by him:

1. Timing belt change
2. Clutch hose repair
3. Clutch kit change
4. Steering rack replacement

I was happy with all the works he had done and the car has worked without troubles till that day. With the expectation that Jai would resolve the issues and return the car promptly, I had chosen to head to his FNG instead of Palakkad or a VW authorised service centre.

A day later, on 13 September 2022, Jai sends me an image and video showing the accessory belt entangled near the coolant pump pulley and he’s pulling out the remnants of the belt.

https://youtu.be/wXnL1aT_wrg

He also shows a video of the engine being cranked but not starting:

https://youtu.be/Y9DnhIGkvOo

We were in touch almost every day as I am curious to know how’s the work progressing. He said he was going to open up the engine shortly to investigate further.

https://youtu.be/bBnrXAv_OaY

He opens up the engine valve cover and the cylinder head and, conveys that the both the camshafts are damaged. His reasoning was since I had cranked the engine when the car had stopped during the return drive, it had altered the timing and has damaged the camshafts which must be replaced and the cylinder head must be machined and reconditioned.

Now there are 2 options - get a pair of new camshafts or used ones from salvaged engines for significantly cheaper. I okayed for the used ones, he promptly sourced them from the salvage market and installed them and also got the cylinder head reconditioned.

https://youtu.be/kCyqwtfd0P4

In the anticipation that I am going to get my car back in good shape with the engine repairs attended to properly, I also requested if he could do an EGR and intake manifold cleaning since it would have been built up with soot over all these years of driving and no cleaning.













Jai did that as well and sent me photos showing the soot buildup and the cleaning procedure:

https://youtu.be/m5eAbfCF83k

https://youtu.be/BtZuxJMSl58

https://youtu.be/vZksbQpJLy4

It was 14 days after I dropped the car. Jai calls me and says all the works have been completed, they’ve test driven the car for close to 50 km within the city, the pickup is good as usual but there’s an unwanted noise emanating from the engine. He wanted me to come over and take a look.

Jai, you are the master technician man! Who has previously worked with Audi, Lamborghini and Honda and, have started a garage all by yourself. You have a team of young technicians with whom you’ve been attending to various cars all these years. After attending to all the works, are you telling me that there’s some unwanted noise?

What do you expect me to do anyway? On an evening, I go with Moorthy to his FNG and we take a look. The noise as he said is indeed unusual and very loud! A very loud clatter.

At this point, after the car had spent over 2 whole weeks at Jai’s garage (dropped it on 12 Sep 22 and it was 28 Sep 22). I did not want the car to spend more time there with Jai himself pleading cluelessness as to why the noise is there and why it cannot be arrested. He did give a caveat - you may drive the car. Either it will damage the engine further or nothing would happen; it may just be an added noise which you can live with. Amazing, just amazing!

I decided to pay him and get the car out. I asked him for the bill. This was the bill he had shared:



On 01 Oct 2022, I paid him Rs 46,350 after some negotiations.



He gave a 10% discount. I was the biggest idiot that day after having paid the FNG a good sum of money for not completely resolving the issue. In retrospect, I should have just put the foot down asking him to resolve the noise completely but I couldn’t stand the sight of the car lying there so wanted to get it out.

The parts that were returned:



I began using the car there on with the added noise.

Dussehra happened in between and I decked up the car nicely after a good wash:





10 days later, during a routine drive back home from work, the noise intensified drastically! The clatter was so loud, people around me were starting at me and the other occupants in the car, pointing towards the engine bay saying there’s some problem. There was also a loss of power as if the engine was running on just 2 cylinders and a lot of dark smoke from the exhaust. I cut a sorry face and simply drove to my apartment basement parking.

Check out the noise levels:

https://youtu.be/d-64SgHts3o

A vacuum tube was also not connected I noticed. Connecting it did not resolve the problem. The problem was something bigger.

My dad suggested me to drop the car at the VW authorised service centres so they may be able to diagnose the issue and possibly, provide a solution.

I drove to VW Arcot Road near Saligramam. I recognised the service advisor from another VW dealership when I had dropped the car when it was under warranty. They raised the car and their chief technician suggested someone has opened up the engine and worked on it and that the only way out is a half-engine replacement which would set me back by Rs 4.5 lakhs. They won’t do engine repairs and politely showed me the way out.

I drove the car back. Man, I was extremely sad and depressed at the turn of the events. I never thought it would reach this stage. A car I had cared for so deeply all these years and here it is, with a shoddy engine repair carried out by an FNG I had previously trusted, like a racket pottering around the town with all the other commuters staring at the engine bay or me.

On 15 Oct 22, 2 weeks after the repairs were carried out by the FNG, as I was heading home from work, the car finally broke down for one last time. Luckily, the place was less crowded and with the help of a colleague, I moved the car to the side of the road.



And called a flatbed truck service. I decided THIS WAS IT, opened Google Maps and checked for contacts of car scrap and salvage yards. Found one with the highest rating, called him up and we spoke. He said he wants to see the car before committing to a price. Told him I am available at home during the weekend and they can come over to check out the car.

The flatbed truck I had called promptly arrived in half an hour, we loaded the car into the flatbed and unloaded it at the open parking of my apartment.

I clicked some images of the car and shared it with the scrap dealer.













He agreed to arrive on the weekend which was just the next day! I barely had any time to remove the additional stuff and parts I had installed. I removed whatever simple parts I could (the RCD340, LED bulbs, etc.) but retained so many other parts like the Mk6 steering wheel, euro tail lights, air intake guide, highline BCM, JBL components & Focal coaxials, auto-dimming rearview mirror, etc.

The dealer arrived with his brother, we agreed to a price of Rs 1.1 lakh and we mutually signed on a piece of paper like a formal sale deed since the scrap dealer did not intend to register the car and would either try replacing the broken down engine with a salvaged engine to put it back on the road or sell the parts for scrap.

On 30 Oct 2022, my car was finally towed away from the rear gate of the apartment.

https://youtu.be/OpbXX1pFmwA

The odo reading when the car was towed away:



My eyes welled up as I walked back to my apartment. To make matters worse, my parents who were with me for a few days left for our hometown, an hour before the car was towed away. And that was even more agonising and painful as I did not have anyone around. It was as if I was mourning the death of someone very close. I reached home and I wept and wept like a small child who had a broken toy.

After some time, I began speaking to my friends and family and that helped immensely as they consoled me. After all, it was just a physical object with no life. It has no emotions, no empathy. Sure, I’ve made many good memories with the car and it was my first car. I made peace with the departure.

In hindsight, I should have taken the flatbed truck back to Palakkad, my hometown. Perhaps, the FNG close to my home would have repaired the car properly? Can’t say. Or perhaps, I should not have taken the car from Jaiprakash till such time he repaired the car properly and that added noise wasn’t present. Never mind, the car is gone for good.

And the good part is, the scrapyard seemed to have replaced the engine and it finally made its way to my hometown, Palakkad! The car was spotted by my friend Arvind who sent me a short video of the car at a traffic signal and more recently, by BHPian Rakesh_R.

I was using our ‘99 Zen for 2 months. But I wanted another AT hatchback so we could do some longer drives and in comfort. Much to my dismay, the Polo was discontinued and the Jazz was the only hatchback on sale which had an automatic transmission other than the AMTs.

I did the booking for the Jazz in November 2022 and had shared the update on the The "I Booked my Car" thread:

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

The Polo has been sold to a scrap dealer after 9 years, 1.78 lakh km and an engine seize followed by a shoddy repair job by the FNG. It’s a long story which I’ll save for the ownership thread update.

Booked our new car last month and has reached the dealership. Got the PDI cleared by a BHPian and paid the full booking amount.

Make: Honda
Model: Jazz
Variant: VX CVT
Booking Date: 02 November
ETA at dealer: 13 November
Delivery date: 23 December
OTR Cost: Rs 11,20,000 (Palakkad)
Discounts: 20k
Free Accessories: None

In December that year, we took the delivery of a Honda Jazz VX CVT from Indel Honda, Palakkad. It was a good day as my family was present in contrast to the delivery of my GT when I was the sole guy that day.





That spot where the GT broke down was saved in the Google Maps. Man, I am not going to forget that place in a long time! Every time the Jazz passes by that route, I stop for a moment:





I’ve not been able to get the same feeling from the drives like I used to with the Polo GT. The usage dropped drastically and the Jazz has covered only 17,xxx km to this day. When I browse through the photos on my Google Drive folders, I see the GT in some of them and reminisce the good times I’ve had with the car:



Farewell. You will be deeply missed. Hope to see you someday at Palakkad with your new owner!

That will be all guys. If you’ve any questions, ask away; I’ll try my best to answer them (responses may be a bit late as I’m currently posted at our shipyard). Take care!

[dkaile]

Such is life Ganesh. "The old order changeth, yielding place to new". Change is a natural and necessary part of life, and that even the best of customs (and equipment, as in this case) can become outdated and harmful if they are not periodically refreshed. Lots more to do and lots more to live.

To newer experiences... Cheers

[Utopian]

This is a tragic end to the otherwise solid car. But I think you took the right call. No point continuing with the car which might endanger safety. Wishing you safe, fun times with the Jazz. It looks good in red albeit Polo looks much cooler any day.

[sachin_cs]

This is so sad for me, I haven’t seen your car in person, I haven’t met you either, but I always looked up to your thread for anything VW/Skoda, I distinctly remember speaking to you during covid times when I was trying to install my dashcam and wasn’t able to open the A-pillar. Your thread was among the ones which gave me the confidence to go ahead with a VAG. Finally, the Polo GT TDi got its due closure we all have been waiting for, I really wanted to know what went wrong & it was not the end I expected. I’m sorry for your loss, Polo GT is a big shoe to fill in, hope you get a car as competent as Polo if not better.

Key takeaways for me, I’m going to stick with the authorised service centre, no matter how incompetent they may be, I will at least be able to hold them accountable if something goes wrong. I was aware about your GT & when the time came for my water pump, timing kit replacement, along with coolant flush, I went ahead with Skoda A.S.S. As expected, the coolant flush wasn’t done properly and my coolant again developed rusting, I made them do it again.

I feel the car had so much life in it but because of someone’s incompetency such a beauty had to see a painful end . I can totally understand What you went through man, more power to you and hope you spend more time on the road with a car you love more than your polo, soon, as the saying goes, Change is the only constant.

[createrkid]

I've been on and off this thread, reading from time to time. I was in school when I discovered this. Went through years of college/work reading your updates and seeing this departure truly upsets me too. I can imagine the frustration you'd have after the amount of time and dedication you must have put into this. Wish you all the best for the future

[bamaboy]

What a painful goodbye. It’s truly disheartening to see your Polo TDI go. I used to follow your updates, and it was clear the car was more than just a machine. She was a trusted companion through countless memories.

Your write-up beautifully reflects the bond you shared. She served you well, and her legacy lives on in the stories you've documented. Wishing that she continues to serve the new owner just as faithfully.

[ssjr0498]

I'm sorry to hear about your recent issues. After reviewing the posts and basis on my experience with engine maintenance, I would like to offer a few general comments that may be helpful. Please know these are intended constructively.

1. It is advisable not to rely solely on manufacturer-recommended service intervals. Enthusiasts who care deeply about their vehicles should regularly inspect components such as belts and coolant, ideally every 6,000–8,000 kilometers.

2. Regarding your Lamborghini mechanic, it appears he must have been working as a helper/cleaner in his previous capacity as he missed such a crucial step in diagnosing the engine issue! He missed recognizing a rod knock, which is fundamental. Additionally, replacing camshafts without thoroughly checking the main and rod bearings, especially given the interference nature of the Polo diesel engine, may not have addressed the root problem.

3. Generally, it is recommended not to underuse or 'baby' a diesel engine, diesels like to be driven hard and give the Italian tune up at least once a week!