[Tanveer_2558]

Taking into consideration your poor camera skills, I have to say, Is this the same car i saw the last time we met couple of weeks back? I don't really think so, I can easily assume you have bought another black jetta right out of the showroom

That looks sweet! I will surely trouble you for more details in a couple of weeks time after my second service is over, I will do the same

Thanks for the update karan and some more pictures whenever you can will surely be an eye candy for us.

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by Tanveer_2558

Taking into consideration your poor camera skills, I have to say, Is this the same car i saw the last time we met couple of weeks back? I don't really think so, I can easily assume you have bought another black jetta right out of the showroom

Shh, don't let my secret out!

I know what you're talking about, the lack of any real waxing on my part+oxidation over the months really took a toll on the look of the car. Simply told Motoshines I want that showroom look back and they did a great job of it.

Originally Posted by Tanveer_2558

I will surely trouble you for more details in a couple of weeks time after my second service is over, I will do the same

Some more pictures whenever you can will surely be an eye candy for us.

No problemo, I'm a call away if and when you want to hit me up for details! Will try and snap some more pics when I get the time!

[graaja]

Hey Karan,

Hope you are enjoying the Black Beauty.

Have a question. I guess you would have done the 2nd year renewal of insurance for the Jetta. Can you please share some details on how much premium you paid, did you go with Bajaj Allianz, did you take any Drive Assure package etc? My insurance is coming up for renewal in 20 days and I am getting an online quote of 50K with zero depreciation and roadside assistance.

Thanks in advance for the pointers.

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by graaja

Hey Karan,

Hope you are enjoying the Black Beauty.

Have a question. I guess you would have done the 2nd year renewal of insurance for the Jetta. Can you please share some details on how much premium you paid, did you go with Bajaj Allianz, did you take any Drive Assure package etc? My insurance is coming up for renewal in 20 days and I am getting an online quote of 50K with zero depreciation and roadside assistance.

Thanks in advance for the pointers.

'Sup!

Yes, I did go for Bajaj Allianz, but I didn't opt for Drive Assure or Zero Dep or anything else. I have to admit I waited till the last minute (only renewed it on the penultimate day directly from Bajaj Allianz). The idea was to play one guy against another, which worked. Reliance Gen Insurance was my ace in the hole

I paid about Rs. 15.5k for the policy eventually, with roadside assistance thrown into the mix. I already opted to renew Roadside Assistance from Volkswagen though, so this wasn't much of a sweetener.

I'm not sure I'd be willing to pay Rs. 50k for a policy, although Zero Dep would be great to have. My advice: don't go through an aggregator like Policybazaar. Go directly to Bajaj Allianz or elsewhere, you'll get the best deals that way. Keep us posted!

[graaja]

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

I paid about Rs. 15.5k for the policy eventually, with roadside assistance thrown into the mix. I already opted to renew Roadside Assistance from Volkswagen though, so this wasn't much of a sweetener.

Wow. That is a great deal you got there. Did you have NCB which resulted in this low premium?

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by graaja

Wow. That is a great deal you got there. Did you have NCB which resulted in this low premium?

Yup. My NCB was at 25% or so, don't foresee using insurance save for something adverse. I wanted to opt for an NCB protection clause too, but it skipped my mind to do so. Would have allowed for 1 insurance claim without me losing my NCB. Sounded like a sweet deal, except for the fact I forgot to opt for it!

[iliketurtles]

The black mamba completed 30,000 kilometres last night, and I got a snap of it, albeit a few kilometres too late.



I'm still besotted by the car, and the service experience has surprisingly been good to very good, both in terms of customer service and costs. The only issue pertains to the speed of getting things done and getting parts for the car if needed (such as the door lock module).

Let me try to sum up my experience succinctly (a somewhat difficult task given that I'm someone that will always use 800 words where 80 will suffice)

Likes
1. Solid build quality translates to a rattle free experience, although it is perhaps way too soon to talk of this.
2. Very well-rounded car. It does the daily grind and the fun runs with equal aplomb.
3. Fuel economy. This is not critical for me, but getting a consistent 12.25 to 12.5 kmpl with my almost entirely in-city running (measured tankful to tankful)
4. The car still makes my head turn. It's got a classic look that will age beautifully.
5. Hugely mod-friendly, something that takes centerstage given that I'm now looking to take my relationship with the car to the next level
6. Surprisingly reasonable service costs. Off the top of my head, I've paid in the region of 22-23k for my 2 services spread over two years. Given its a D1 car, those are very reasonable costs. I expect that to change at the next service though.

Dislikes
1. The persistent rattle below the centre armrest. I know I could just tape that panel down, but that's a desi jugaad solution I'd rather avoid. I reckon I'll succumb to temptation though.
2. The a/c does fine really, but it's nowhere as much a chiller as some other cars (such as Hyundai's)
3. The transmission hump at the rear makes the 5th passenger feel unwelcome. Amusingly, when an uncle remarked that I paid so much for the car and a 5th person can't even sit comfortably, my mum-in-law reprimanded him saying that "mehengi gaadi mein aise hi hota hai, aapko kya pata?" God bless her soul

On the whole, I'm more than happy with the car and I've no intention of letting her go for the next few years at least.

Inevitably, the itch to mod the car somehow or the other will have to be scratched. I'll get around to talking of that if and when it happens. Thanks for reading, until next time, ciao.

[iliketurtles]

Just when I try to be a mellow fellow on the weekend, someone goes and does this.



Clearly the work of a lesser mind with plenty of time at hand. The upper set of scratches is not that deep, a good waxing and polishing should reduce it substantially. But the lower one is deeper. Not deep enough that my nail travels through it, but enough that waxing or polishing it won't do away with it totally.

Imbeciles.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

Just when I try to be a mellow fellow on the weekend, someone goes and does this.

...
Clearly the work of a lesser mind with plenty of time at hand. The upper set of scratches is not that deep, a good waxing and polishing should reduce it substantially. But the lower one is deeper. Not deep enough that my nail travels through it, but enough that waxing or polishing it won't do away with it totally.

Imbeciles.

That hurts mate! Imbeciles indeed. What sadistic pleasures do these humans derive out of such deeds?

As there is nothing you can do about it now, I would suggest you to stop worrying and look forward. Take it to a good bodyshop, or even the dealer and get it painted and bring it back to its original glory.

In the future maybe, you can take precautions to avoid such mishaps. Maybe get a cover, park it inside, or park it some other place etc.?

[mav2000]

That's just sad. I wonder what anyone gets by doing something like this. Hope you can get this sorted out by wax and Polish, and otherwise it seems the whole bonnet would have to get repainted because some idiot had too much time.

[Tanveer_2558]

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

Just when I try to be a mellow fellow on the weekend, someone goes and does this.


Clearly the work of a lesser mind with plenty of time at hand. The upper set of scratches is not that deep, a good waxing and polishing should reduce it substantially. But the lower one is deeper. Not deep enough that my nail travels through it, but enough that waxing or polishing it won't do away with it totally.

Imbeciles.

Thats bad, But i feel its removable so don't worry about it, I have had such scratches too which were able to disappear after some rubbing, This happened with you and with me? Someone dented my jetta from rear when it was parked in a parking lot, Result ? 9k damage!

Anyways, Jetta trio drive is going to happen soon.

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by graaja

As there is nothing you can do about it now, I would suggest you to stop worrying and look forward. Take it to a good bodyshop, or even the dealer and get it painted and bring it back to its original glory.

I did give it in for waxing and polishing to try and reduce it, and it did work to an extent but as expected the deeper ones didn't go away. No matter, there's very little to be gained by wailing over spilt milk. I'll give it to the bodyshop at some point to do it up. There were a few stone chips on the bonnet from several highway drives anyways, that'll go too, so it's not all bad

Originally Posted by graaja

In the future maybe, you can take precautions to avoid such mishaps. Maybe get a cover, park it inside, or park it some other place etc.?

I can take as many precautions as I want man, but what is to be will be. Slightly fatalistic view, but c'est la vie. I think I will get that cover though.

Originally Posted by mav2000

That's just sad. I wonder what anyone gets by doing something like this. Hope you can get this sorted out by wax and Polish, and otherwise it seems the whole bonnet would have to get repainted because some idiot had too much time.

Well, guess I'm going to have to get it repainted since it's not gone away to my satisfaction. Sad, but can't be helped. Vandals gonna vandalize.

Originally Posted by Tanveer_2558

Jetta trio drive is going to happen soon.

There's something about shiny, beautiful cars that draw wreckers to it :P Ain't nothing we can do about it. And yeah, let's organize that drive soon!

[bharat4ever]

Will like to join that drive, but it's not in Bangalore Is it?

[iliketurtles]

Naa Bharat, we're based out of Bombay. But you never know, give it a long weekend and a free schedule and we could even drive down to Bangalore!

[iliketurtles]

As the car hit 35000 kilometres earlier this weekend, thought I'd pen some thoughts on the car in a jiffy.



There's a lot to like about the car from a pure driving perspective as well as its versatile, utilitarian nature, but that is well documented so I won't get into that. What I have particularly appreciated is the way the car has aged. Save for one slight rattle below the armrest, the car is quiet as you like.

What's more, the service experience and its associated costs have been a pleasant surprise to me thus far. It's safe to say that it's not quite the Japanese ownership experience yet, but I can more than live with this.

What I am growing increasingly dissatisfied with is the sound system. Integration with mobile and Bluetooth telephony is seamless, but I do wish audio sounded better. It's currently too...how do I say this as a non-audiophile, garbled, flat and even distorted in bits. I am mulling an ICE makeover at some point.

The first point of action though is to get the car remapped and get fresh shoes as well. The P7's have held up very well indeed (I am mulling going with them or the PS3's) and I can bide a little more time with them.

I bought this car as a long-termer and I'm more than happy to note that that plan hasn't changed one bit. Where do I go from here? A 2 liter BMW might be an option, but is that big a step up from the Jetta? I'll have to take a call on that when the time comes. For now, the most appealing option is the 525 or 530d, but that is a distant pipe dream for now. One I must and am working towards. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Until then, I'm more than happy to be astride this black stallion.

Ciao, and here's a parting shot for your viewing pleasure.