[Jamsukh]

Originally Posted by senthils27

I think that is engine braking. Especially when the car downshifts from D3 to D2 you will observe it easily. The characteristic DSG jerk is never mild and you will clearly get shocked when it happens. Mine is a August 2015 TSI and used to experience the jerks. I did do the recent software update. It was all cool for a month but couple of days back it reappeared again. The frustrating thing is it happens randomly even when you simulate the scenario so you cannot pinpoint a pattern.

It seems like there will not be a solution unless VW seriously look into this which I am struggling to understand why they are not doing. I am still lucky that whenever it happened no one is close to the rear otherwise they could easily bump into me.

Apart from this, it is a fabulous car so you will enjoy your time with it and let us hope that somehow it will disappear on its own.

Hi what is the previous DSG software version your car had and post upgrade what is the version that is currently installed? I guess yours would be the facelifted version with the new mechatronics unit and hence it is surprising that you are still facing this issue.

[P242]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Today my Vento completes 2 years. Hence a quick recap.

• Steering vibration under heavy braking. Not resolved in 2nd service.
  

I had the exact same issue with my Vento TDI, had vibrations during hard breaking and they increased over time. To fix this get the front disks skimmed. I had done that a year ago and never faced that issue again.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by P242

I had the exact same issue with my Vento TDI, had vibrations during hard breaking and they increased over time. To fix this get the front disks skimmed. I had done that a year ago and never faced that issue again.

Thanks for the info. Did you do this from the VW service center or from outside? I did report this issue during the 2nd service, but was not resolved.

[P242]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Thanks for the info. Did you do this from the VW service center or from outside? I did report this issue during the 2nd service, but was not resolved.

The service center removed and re flitted the disks, the actual skimming was done from a different workshop but all the process was handled by service center itself and was charged in the final service bill only. I don't remember the correct amount but it was around 800.

Its a fairly simple process and should take about an hour or so.

[katariusmaximus]

Thanks guys! Guess sometimes it is engine braking. Don't feel that shocking gear change as mentioned (not actively felt it atleast).
Took the Vento on a drive from Bangalore to Coonoor and back and she handled very well on the highway. cruising at reasonably fast speeds and not loosing its composure. No issues while undertaking overtakes on the highway. Ample torque provided on demand. The 36 hairpin bends before Ooty were taken very well without breaking a sweat and also managed a few overtaking manoeuvres during that bit. All this in D mode. Used manual mode while going down from Ooty to Coonoor and on the 36 hairpin bends too to ensure being in 2nd or 3rd gears. Also had to go to a farm stay through some really bad patches and the Vento handled it well when taken very slowly over those. That was also well done. Though did noticed black soot kinda coating on front wheels (was it due to extra usage of front brakes?) and probably some burnt smell while going down the hairpins. The brakes were functioning well and smell was not strong so kept on. Bought the car end of November 2015 so wasn't sure if this is normal.

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by katariusmaximus

Though did noticed black soot kinda coating on front wheels (was it due to extra usage of front brakes?) and probably some burnt smell while going down the hairpins. The brakes were functioning well and smell was not strong so kept on. Bought the car end of November 2015 so wasn't sure if this is normal.

VW OEM brake pads are known to generate lots of brake dust. All normal. During a long drive, even I face the same brake dust settled over front alloy wheels. Since rear are drums, you don't face this issue.

Only when you brake very hard, then you get the brunt smell from front brake pads. Used them once so ferociously while coming down ghats, they literally started smoking.

[Rajeevraj]

So finally had my first non standard expense after 2 years and 3 months. I have had this issue of a steering shudder/vibration when braking from high speeds (90+ kmph). The longer the journey goes, the more pronounced it becomes. Since with the summer vacation coming up and potential for long trips, decided to get it checked and rectified.

From the Vento and Rapid threads, several folks have faced this issue and was said to be due to the brake discs. Some folks did a skimming of the discs and that resolved the issue. Few other replaced the discs (most recently Bhpian deepfusion had done it for his Rapid). Below is the experience and details.

• As is typical with VW in Bangalore, had to wait a week to get an appointment. Service center was VW Whitefield. They have the capacity to handle only 30 cars a day and handle twice that. Even this they do by running multiple shifts. I was observing the floor when I was waiting and half the time they spend in resolving mini jams on the work floor.
  
  
• The appointment did not start off well. The SA assigned was a trainee (almost a young kid) and although very enthusiastic, seemed to not understand clearly what I was trying to explain. Went through step by step 3 times and he got it. But still was focused on finding scratches on the car.
  
  
• Post that he gave me the job card to sign with nothing written on it. Told him to first write everything down, which he did. I added couple of phrases of my own.
  
  
• Said he would be able to deliver only Monday evening (I had gone Saturday morning) as they had a large backlog. If it was a disc/brake pad problem, from the others who did this work, I knew it was a max 2 hr job. But did not want to hurry them and said it was fine, and clearly told to call me before any work is started (The kid was vaguely talking about a suspension problem and all. Did not want them to start taking things apart).
  
  
• Post this he went to his senior (Mr Bharath), who looked at the job card, came and looked at the car and told this problem was due to the discs and pads and both need to be replaced. I knew that skimming was an option that was talked about, but did not want to do a trial and error. So asked to go ahead. He said if I can wait for 2 hours, he will get it done and deliver it immediately. I was pleasantly surprised, from a questionable 2 days to an assured 2 hours. I said I would wait.
  
  
• I wandered around to the Renault showroom next door to see if I can see the new Duster. No Dispay car yet. Came back and work was already on.
  
  
• As promised within 2 hours the car was ready. I also got the wiper blades replaced. Billing and exit was also pretty quick. Car was taken for a road test and from quick bursts that the Outer Ring Road allowed, things look to be fine.
  
  
• One interesting thing before I left was that the SA said that the GM of Service wants to meet with me. He is meeting with every single customer to review their feedback and address any concerns. A nice move I felt. I told my concerns with their capacity constraints (for which he was helpless).
  
  
• Total damage was Rs 7600 as per break up below.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Here are the old discs. Any expert feedback. I have no clue as to how good or bad this looks

Overall, a satisfactory experience with the service center. True test will be when I go for my next long drive.

[Gannu_1]

Rajeev, why didn't you opt for skimming the discs instead of replacing it? Have the discs ever been skimmed before? Would have ended up being cheaper IMO.

[shetty_rohan]

@Rajeev:
The bill shows that VW has put "Ventilated" brake disc. From my limited knowledge, I understand that there should be holes in the "Ventilated" disc. Can you please confirm this?

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by shetty_rohan

@Rajeev:
The bill shows that VW has put "Ventilated" brake disc. From my limited knowledge, I understand that there should be holes in the "Ventilated" disc. Can you please confirm this?

Most brake discs are ventilated. The ones with holes are known as drilled rotors. Example of ventilated and non ventilated discs:



image source: http://maxbrakes.com/ft-1793-technical-support.html

Then you get drilled rotors and ones with vanes for even better cooling. But this impacts the strength of the discs.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Rajeev, why didn't you opt for skimming the discs instead of replacing it? Have the discs ever been skimmed before? Would have ended up being cheaper IMO.

No have not skimmed the discs before. Problem was that skimming worked for some and did not for others. Since I have some highway drives coming up, just wanted to go for the solution that I knew would fix the issue. The dealer was also not willing to attempt a skimming (Of course, it was a half hearted request from my side). With the long lead times for an appointment here, would have meant delays if the skimming did not work.

Originally Posted by shetty_rohan

@Rajeev:
The bill shows that VW has put "Ventilated" brake disc. From my limited knowledge, I understand that there should be holes in the "Ventilated" disc. Can you please confirm this?

Yes, there are holes. The disc is similar to what Vidd6639 posted above- "Drilled Rotors". Now I know the name.

The other point I noted was that when Bhpian deepfusion did it for his Rapid in Gurgaon, as per his cost details, the disc was ~ Rs 400 cheaper. Wonder if that is a Gurgaon to Bangalore difference or a Rapid to Vento difference. I assume both should be using the same discs.

[ashi4877]

Dear Friend. After your two year ownership of VW Vento TSI, would you recommend it for a family of four in Bangalore with regular monthly visits to Kerala. The other car I have in mind is Suzuki Ciaz AT, price wise both are similar in Bangalore. Suzuki has lot of service networks too.
Now you being an owner of VENTO TSI, would like your opinion.

Thanks

[noopster]

Originally Posted by ashi4877

Dear Friend. After your two year ownership of VW Vento TSI, would you recommend it for a family of four in Bangalore with regular monthly visits to Kerala. The other car I have in mind is Suzuki Ciaz AT, price wise both are similar in Bangalore. Suzuki has lot of service networks too.

While we wait for Rajeevraj to respond, let me toss in my 2 cents here. I have the first generation VW Vento AT (6-speed torque convertor with the boring 1.6L NA petrol engine). Honestly if I were in your dilemma I would opt for the Vento TSI. However let me qualify that response:

• Engine: 104 ps turbo-petrol vs 91 ps naturally-aspirated engine. No contest in favour of Vento
• Gearbox: 4-speed torque convertor of the Ciaz is no match for the 7-speed DSG box of the Vento. However the latter has had issues in other cars primarily the Superb.
• Features: Ciaz lacks the very useful steering reach adjust though the ZX has a start-stop button and reversing camera that the VW lacks. Otherwise feature to feature they are quite similar.
• Ride & Handling: From personal experience Vento with its lower seating position and European genes will be more involving a drive than the Maruti
• Build quality: Again this would go to the German
• Image: German cars still have a mystique about them that Marutis lack. The understated styling of the Vento still brings a smile on my face after all these years. Must be said that even the Ciaz is quite sharp to look at, not to mention much fresher in the market.
• After sales service: The VW will go in once a year and cost you 8-12K per annual service. It's a fair bet the Ciaz will be a lot cheaper to maintain. Also, if your AC or gearbox conk off (known to happen!), VW will be a losing proposition. Maruti all the way on this front!
• Resale: ATs are hard enough to offload in used market. I suspect Maruti may be slightly better than VW here (I know from personal experience the resale for my car is abysmal!)

Hope this helps!

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by ashi4877

Dear Friend. After your two year ownership of VW Vento TSI, would you recommend it for a family of four in Bangalore with regular monthly visits to Kerala. The other car I have in mind is Suzuki Ciaz AT, price wise both are similar in Bangalore. Suzuki has lot of service networks too.
Now you being an owner of VENTO TSI, would like your opinion.

Thanks

Firstly, to be honest, I have not driven the Ciaz AT. So will not be in a position to offer a comparison.

On the Vento TSI, I would definitely recommend it. It is perfect for a family of four. As you would know, Kerala is primarily made up of 2 lane roads with heavy traffic pretty much everywhere. In such a scenario, a powerful Automatic is definitely important. It ensures that overtaking is a breeze and at no point of time do you feel let down by the car or its performance. I doub t the Ciaz will be able to match up to it in anyway. Not sure which part of Kerala you will be driving to, but my trips are to Calicut via Mysore-Wayanad and good performance is critical for me. The TSI makes it a relaxed affair. The super quiet engine, noise insulation and build and planted feel ensures you arrive fresh.

Several of the other points have been nicely summarized by noopster above. Maintenance has been reasonable for me. The regular service stuff. Only extra was the Disc replacement. There may not be much difference with regular service costs, but non scheduled maintenance/repairs will definitely be cheaper on the Ciaz.

Ciaz has some extra features, but the TSI compensates with features like Hill Assist, ESC, Steering reach adjustment, Cruise control (not sure if Ciaz has it).

In summary: The Vento TSI is the better buy in most aspects. The key aspect where the Ciaz scores is the fact that it potentially is cheaper to maintain and more reliable. The DSG's infamous history will always be there at the back of your mind. If you are ok with that the Vento is the way to go. If that is a deal breaker for you, it has to be the Ciaz. For me, if I have to buy once more, it would still be the Vento.

Note: Also recommend this post from Bhpian CrimsonKnight. He has put down his TD experience in detail and ended up with the same 2 options-Vento or Ciaz: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-c...ml#post3980218

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by ashi4877

Dear Friend. After your two year ownership of VW Vento TSI, would you recommend it for a family of four in Bangalore with regular monthly visits to Kerala. The other car I have in mind is Suzuki Ciaz AT, price wise both are similar in Bangalore. Suzuki has lot of service networks too.

Just a simple answer:

1. Trouble free, extremely spacious car with cheap maintenance: Maruti Ciaz
2. More difficult to maintain but fun to drive car: VW Vento

Originally Posted by noopster

Resale: ATs are hard enough to offload in used market. I suspect

With growing market of Automatics, selling an old automatic in about 5-7 years from now ain't going to be a problem.