[HarshVShrotriya]

Originally Posted by StarScream

All cars with the DQ200 started coming with mineral oil from early this year (when I checked).

Hi,
Can someone please assist me here? I just now visited VW showroom in Bangalore (VW Apple near KR Puram). On my enquiry about this synthetic to mineral oil change, I was clearly informed by the sales guy (on repeated questioning, even by his manager) that Vento TSI had no oil change. It still comes with synthetic oil.
Can anyone (possibly a new buyer) confirm if it's true?
Thanks in advance.

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by HarshVShrotriya

Hi,
Can someone please assist me here? I just now visited VW showroom in Bangalore (VW Apple near KR Puram). On my enquiry about this synthetic to mineral oil change, I was clearly informed by the sales guy (on repeated questioning, even by his manager) that Vento TSI had no oil change. It still comes with synthetic oil.
Can anyone (possibly a new buyer) confirm if it's true?
Thanks in advance.

I checked with someone inside VW before buying my car in March and was told the switch has happened. I took that at face value.

[HarshVShrotriya]

The two guys at the showroom were ready to show me the engine and show the oil. They said issue was only corrected in 47 vehicles via oil switch. Now, this has thrown a real new confusion for me.

[rpunwani]

The oil in the engines of all VW cars made in India is Castrol Magnatec which is synthetic.

The oil in the DSG Gearbox of the Polo & Vento used to be synthetic, but as there were issues with the mechatronics in the auto gearbox, VW changed over to mineral oil and the issues seem to have been sorted out.

Trust this helps

[HarshVShrotriya]

I was under the same impression reading multiple such posts. However, does anyone have concrete proof for this? Volkswagen sales staff categorically denied any such oil change and maintain that all DSG boxes still come in combination with Synthetic oil and not mineral oil.
Has anyone actually seen and verified this oil change?

[rpunwani]

This is the extract from VW Australia website

"DQ200 DSG oil change

Within the framework of the continuous monitoring of vehicles in the field, Quality Assurance at Volkswagen AG has found that in vehicles with a seven-speed dual-clutch DSG gearbox (DQ200), electric malfunctions could occur in rare cases in the gearbox power supply if synthetic gearbox oil is used.

This applies in particular if the vehicle is subject to a hot and humid climate, coupled with a high proportion of stop and go driving.

Studies have established that using mineral oil will rectify this problem.

This recall does not affect vehicles equipped with a manual or a six-speed DSG transmission.

Volkswagen Australia is reviewing specific requirements to initiate the necessary repairs and will commence the process of the recall immediately.

In Australia, approximately 11,000 vehicles will require the oil in their transmissions to be changed.

Customers with affected vehicles are still able to drive their cars prior to the oil change.

To continue to ensure satisfaction amongst DSG customers, Volkswagen will notify all owners of affected vehicles with a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox (DQ200) filled with synthetic oil and advise them of when to visit a workshop for an oil exchange. The owners of affected vehicles will be informed by mail.

Volkswagen Australia is currently conducting a voluntary recall of 25,928 vehicles with DSG gearboxes manufactured between June 2008 and September 2011 with repairs expected to be completed next year. That program is approximately 40 per cent complete and is progressing in line with the timeframe anticipated at its commencement.

Customers who have already brought their vehicles in for the current recall are not affected by the new announcement as the oil in their gearboxes has already been replaced."

I must confess that most SA's in VW (and for most other manufacturers) are not well informed.

[HarshVShrotriya]

Thanks for this. Will carry the related info with me to the showroom. However, I have a tingling sensation that Volkswagen India may have totally been oblivious to this change for Vento. However, let me get a confirmation on this.

[HarshVShrotriya]

Just got off from a call with the Services head for Volkswagen (Apple Auto, Bangalore). He confirmed to me that in deed oil changes have been made(Synthetic to Mineral) and all new models(Polo, Vento) are coming now with Mineral Oil. As per him, no issues have been reported since the oil change.
Hope issue is addressed now and pray that he knows better than his own sales team (who were adamant that no oil change's been done).

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by HarshVShrotriya

Just got off from a call with the Services head for Volkswagen (Apple Auto, Bangalore). He confirmed to me that in deed oil changes have been made(Synthetic to Mineral) and all new models(Polo, Vento) are coming now with Mineral Oil. As per him, no issues have been reported since the oil change.
Hope issue is addressed now and pray that he knows better than his own sales team (who were adamant that no oil change's been done).

Thank you for the follow up and update. I would believe the Service Head more. When I took my Vento TSI for the 6 month checkup, the service guy who attended on me was kind of surprised to see a Vento TSI. When I had asked him for the oil change, he said that is only for Polo GT TSI since it is a DSG and not for Vento's. When I told him this was also a TSI he was surprised and went to the back to check.

[HarshVShrotriya]

Totally agree with you Rajeev. I cant help but wonder, if I should go back to the showroom and put my money as wager with those sales guys.

[Rajeevraj]

Just completed 1 year with the car and felt this is a good time to provide an update and wake up my thread.

So after one year the ODO is just about to touch 11,000KM. While this probably will not seem like major usage to most. But few things to consider

• I typically do not take the car to office. Bike is the preferred choice. Hence most of the running is during weekends and the highway runs to Kerala.
• My general average yearly run for my previous run has been 5000-7000 max.
• Without the usage pattern changing I have ended up driving 60-70% more. This can be purely attributed to how much I enjoy driving this car. In fact atleast 3 trips were planned purely because I wanted to drive.
• So I guess that kind of summarizes my attitude towards the 1 year ownership experience.

Positive Notes

• Enough has been said about the merits of the TSI DSG Combo, so not getting into those details again. It is a gem of a combo and technology and even after a year, every drive continues to bring a smile to your face.
• Have driven the car in all kinds of conditions, peak city traffic, light traffic, 2-lane twisties, ghat highways, 4 lane highways. The car seems to be at home in most conditions. At no point does the AT seem to be a disadvantage.
• The City: Highway split has been around 40:60. Lifetime efficiency is 12.1kmpl. Best mileage has been 18.5kmpl and worst in the ~9 kmpl range. Pretty happy with this and it is significantly better than my earlier SX4. The 55 liter tank capacity is also a boon. A small but significant feature.
• The S mode actually does not drop mileage much. In S mode with a light foot is the most practical way to enjoy this car. Ensures that you are always in the peak torque RPM range and hence a tap on the accelerator is sufficient to get it zooming.
• Have mentioned it before, Hill Hold is a real good feature.
• Noise insulation is excellent. Especially with the super quiet TSI engine, you hardly hear anything.

Not so positive Notes

• Miss cruise control. This car definitely needs it. Disappointed to see that even the refreshed facelift does not have it.
• The jerks when dropping to 2nd gear in situations of hard braking is an irritant and spoils the otherwise super-smooth gear-box experience
• With 5 people and a boot full of luggage, you kind of notice the additional strain on the engine. The peppiness goes down a notch especially in D mode. Guess that’s when you realize that it is a 1.2 engine. But it is a minor irritant, popping it into S mode masks any lethargy seen
• Most posts/articles/discussions about VW has a mention of poor after sales/DSG worries etc… So that is always a nagging thought in my head.
• Again, a point mentioned earlier. Headlights are pretty weak.

1st Service experience.

• Booked an appointment at VW Whitefield a couple of days in advance. Reached there on time and was attended to promptly.
• Was told the car will be ready by 6PM and was ready with a 15-20 min delay.
• The total bill was Rs11500. This seemed to be in line with what I have seen in the forum. Only additional change was the wiper blades.
• The one additional thing that they pushed through was the AC Duct cleaning, I also wanted to do Wheel balancing and alignment outside, but went ahead since I felt my schedule would not permit me to do it immediately.
• The post wash clean-up was poor. One reason was that they did it as it was starting to get dark and they did it in a hurry. Going to raise it when the feedback call comes.

Other thoughts

• I was one of the first buyers of the Vento TSI. The Polo GT TSI was reasonable popular at least among enthusiasts. But very few people had heard about the Vento TSI. VW also did not do any favors by hardly advertising the car and also stopping deliveries for 2-3 months.
• But over the last year, I have noticed that the car has slowing gained popularity and has got enough visibility to be on the shortlist of most folks looking for a C Segment Sedan. Now with the launch of the TDI DSG, the TSI DSG is starting to get even more attention.
• I have also felt that overall the awareness and interest in AT’s have dramatically increased in the last year. Largely due to Maruti who started aggressively promoting AT’s via the Celerio and now the Alto K10 AMT.
• Suddenly most people looking out for a car are atleast considering an AT. AT specific Ad’s have started popping up. The other day I was surprised to see an Amaze AT ad in the paper indicating quick delivery. Contrast this to one year back when the Honda dealer told me that Honda is not prioritizing AT’s and hence there is a long wait period.

Future Plans

• Am eager to do a remap as several Polo TSI owners have done. But a little worried about impacting anything. So probably will hold off another year.

[Rajeevraj]

Since there is always a question on 'mileage factor' of an AT car. Adding the detailed mileage statistics for reference.

[just4wheels]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Since there is always a question on 'mileage factor' of an AT car. Adding the detailed mileage statistics for reference.

Attachment 1315273

Your statement that because of the TSI you ended up driving 60-70% more, is a sentiment that I share equally. I did not initially plan to drive the car every day to office and now I am using it pretty much regularly. And have planned a trip to Yercaud, again purely because I wanted to take the car for a longer drive. Although, I had a car previously, I used to normally hire one from a travel agency to avoid the driving hassle. My TSI has changed this.

[abhjain]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Since there is always a question on 'mileage factor' of an AT car. Adding the detailed mileage statistics for reference.

Attachment 1315273

Pretty neat and well documented. Could you also elaborate on the fuel quality used?

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by abhjain

Pretty neat and well documented. Could you also elaborate on the fuel quality used?

Fuel had always been regular petrol. Once tried shell premium but did not feel any difference. Wanted to try the octane 91/ 97 fuels but was not sure about availability in Bangalore and feasibility of filling on a regular basis.