[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by shibujp

The Polo has completed 30,000 kilometers and is up for second service.

Way to go shibujp and I am sure as a product, we GT owners will never have a reason to complain.

The Polo revealed a side to me that I usually do not get to experience on Kerala's two lane roads and that is it's composure at triple digit speeds. At such speeds the Polo feels like the Swift at around 80 kmph. The suspension tuning ensures that the Polo is not upset easily by undulations in the highway unlike the stiff suspension of the Swift.

I have the exact same opinion and I can only fathom how superbly composed the Punto T-jet will be, considering if it comes with HPS. I have really driven my GT at speeds which I could either not do on my earlier cars or would kinda chicken out due to the ride!!

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by shibujp

The Polo has completed 30,000 kilometers and is up for second service

Congrats shibujp, the torque build up and power surge in my Vento TDi is so strong, i can only dream how fun the Polo would be with this engine.
Thanks to you for suggesting me S drives, have done 5000 kms so far and in love with these tyres, super grip and smooth. After completing 30k on S drives, have you felt any humming sound or very high road noise.

At such speeds the Polo feels like the Swift at around 80 kmph.

That my friend is the german build quality at work. Have extensively driven Swift, its more flat over undulations and more fun to throw around corners with a better steering but the seating position is too high + the build is so light that it shows on expressway driving, it does not feel safe above 100 whereas the Polo/Vento love expressways.

I wish though that the Polo had a 6th cog since the revs rise up to around 3000 rpm at around 120kph. The abundance of torque means that you rarely need to downshift to overtake another car on the highway.

I also wish it came with 6 gears. The engine is not refined and the gearing is not tall so at 120-130, the car starts roaring and revvs shoot high.

[no_boundaries]

Originally Posted by shibujp

At such speeds the Polo feels like the Swift at around 80 kmph. The suspension tuning ensures that the Polo is not upset easily by undulations in the highway unlike the stiff suspension of the Swift.

I wish though that the Polo had a 6th cog since the revs rise up to around 3000 rpm at around 120kph. The abundance of torque means that you rarely need to downshift to overtake another car on the highway.

White Polo looks majestic and it sure drives like that too.

On the handling front I suppose the suspension works well mainly due to the 205 patch tyres. My GT running on 195 patch(19k on the odo) usually bobs at speeds in excess of 120 over uneven roads and the corners are always a nervous affair. My Swift on the other hand would handle road adulations and corners with aplomb even at speeds over 100 after I swapped to the 185/60/R14 patch. A bone stock GT's suspension is not tuned for the GT character I suppose. I've even noticed this on another GT i've driven on the NH.

6th Cog - True that man, but the roar and grunt after 120 is so addictive. It makes up for that joke of a sound setup in the car

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

After completing 30k on S drives, have you felt any humming sound or very high road noise.

Yep, I think the S drives are a bit noisier than when they started out with. But they do not bother me.

Originally Posted by no_boundaries

White Polo looks majestic and it sure drives like that too.

On the handling front I suppose the suspension works well mainly due to the 205 patch tyres. My GT running on 195 patch(19k on the odo) usually bobs at speeds in excess of 120 over uneven roads and the corners are always a nervous affair. My Swift on the other hand would handle road adulations and corners with aplomb even at speeds over 100 after I swapped to the 185/60/R14 patch. A bone stock GT's suspension is not tuned for the GT character I suppose. I've even noticed this on another GT i've driven on the NH.
D

The 205s do make a difference. My Swift had 205 profile tyres and was sweet on well paved roads. But on unevenly paved roads usually had to slow down due to the bumpy ride. 185/70 profile tyres did improve the ride though. There are times when I do miss the better handling Swift suspension. But I guess you can't have it all.

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Way to go shibujp and I am sure as a product, we GT owners will never have a reason to complain.

Touch wood and hoping that VW service do not let us down.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[shibujp]

Got the 30k service done at EVM motors. Regular service. I did ask for a door lubrication to be done since I felt that some of my door handles were getting stiffer. However I was unable to find any great difference post the lubrication. So this in my opinion is 1000 odd rupees down the drain.

Total cost came upto 9400 rupees. Inclusive of a diesel filter replacement that I did separately the 30K service bill comes to around 11K. hmm.. pricey.



One question : what is the service interval for getting the EGR cleaned for the Polo?

Dog Hit

Yep you read that right. A dog ran into my car. Here I was motoring along peacefully at night. Now there is a raging problem (and a debate) of street dogs in Kerala. Apparently the pickup in front of me was driven by a guy who was not particularly charitable to them mutts. So finding a pack of dogs socializing in-front of a roadside store he promptly goes off the road and drives into the pack. A fear crazed pack member takes to his(or her) heels and promptly.......crashes into my front bumper before I could full comprehend what was going on. I just felt a muted thud and the car drove fine. A few hundred meters ahead, I got out to inspect the damage. This was it. A misaligned bumper that did it's job - protect pedestrians!!

Seems like the bumper support has bent a bit. I think straightening it out should do the trick but have not addressed it yet. Will look into it at the next service. The dog I am sure will be sauntering around as usually with a health fear of Mahindra pickups and a love for VW Polos!!

Drive on,
Shibu.

[shibujp]

And so i've hit the 40,000 km mark.



Been a reliable drive so far other than the central lock issue with the fuel hatch. I am pretty happy with the power, handling and braking that I keep on putting off modifications.

Interiors are a bit cramped but it all melts aways once you push the accelerator.

I still can't get over the left hand placement of the indicator stalks. Operating that and the gear lever together in a crunch situation becomes dicey. Also the horn pad is very hard and very often does not sound when you want it too in close shave situations. I don't use the horn much anyway but sometimes it does catch me out.

Mileage is impacted by the way you drive. Keep it smooth and at speeds around 90kmph and I get an instantaneous average of 21 kmpl. But start accelerating aggressively it and get into the triple digits and it drops to the 17kmpl territory. Here is a snapshot of the last 5 fill up averages.



Tyres are at their end of life after 40K. Brakepads look good for another 5 - 10k.

Given the performance on tap I am pretty happy with the cost of fuel and the other wear and tear bits.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[shibujp]

Did a DIY change of my brake pads at a little over 40,000 km. After searching high and low for the pads, i found a set at a spare parts shop at Cochin. Cost me 900 bucks but the company was no name that I have not been able to track down. Since then Bosch pads are available here at TVM and I intend to buy a set which costs amost 2000 rupees.



The used pads were almost run down to the metal and I was lucky to change them when I did.



The new pads have done around 3000 kms now and are working fine. I was not able to find any major different between OEM pads and these pads. An inspection at the next 5K brake cleaning interval will give me a better idea.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[shibujp]

The Polo is a couple of hundred kilometers short of 45,000 kms. The Yokohoma S-Drives had almost run down to slicks and were pending a change.

There were also a couple of minor accident fixes that I wanted to get done.

Look Ma!! New Shoes
Over the last couple of thousand kilometers I ha been driving with a light foot, primarily because the tires were almost down to the last vestiges of tread. Got all four tires replaced today. Did not go in for a size or brand change. 205/55 R15 S-Drives were the new choice as well.

Condition of the old tires



New Yokos

K&N Filter Cleaning
The K&N filter was pending a cleaning given that it had done almost 15,000 kms.

One of the problem I regularly was facing was to get enough space to remove the bolt shown in red circle. I had been trying to unscrew the bolt from the top but this time tried it from the bottom in the direction of the green arrow. Worked like a charm.


Drive on,
Shibu

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by shibujp

The Polo is a couple of hundred kilometers short of 45,000 kms.

The K&N filter was pending a cleaning given that it had done almost 15,000 kms.

Hey Shibu, nice and much needed swap on your GT

I have been contemplating on going in for a filter change on my GT as well. I have always used a K&N CAI filters on my previous cars, but this is my first diesel. Can you please answer the following queries I have:

- Would a regular K&N filter be good enough if I made the swap?

- Is the performance noticeable with the K&N conical filter on your GT?

- Can I swap the OEM filter myself with a regular K&N or does it need some particular tool to access the OEM one?

Appreciate your time in answering these queries.

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Hey Shibu, nice and much needed swap on your GT

I have been contemplating on going in for a filter change on my GT as well. I have always used a K&N CAI filters on my previous cars, but this is my first diesel. Can you please answer the following queries I have:

- Would a regular K&N filter be good enough if I made the swap?

- Is the performance noticeable with the K&N conical filter on your GT?

- Can I swap the OEM filter myself with a regular K&N or does it need some particular tool to access the OEM one?

Thanks. I have been running this filter since the 7500 free service.

• The K&N filter that I am using is a stock replacement for the GT TDi. The stock filter is also pretty similar in shape just that the filter material is paper and additionally has a cotton wool like cover over it. This is not a CAI setup along the lines of what you may have been used to.
  
  The piping of the European Polo's air intake is more toward CAI than ours. There is a discussion along these lines in Sankar's Polo thread here. Check it out.
  
• Performance with the stock replacement that I am using is not as drastic as if you were using a conical CAI setup. But where I feel a difference is that the engine revs more freely at higher rpms compared to the regular filter.
  
  To me one advantage is that it is one less item that I need to depend on the service for.
  
  Generally in my experience (using conical air filters on my M800 and Swift VDi) is that they make sense if you have some additional modification like a free flow exhaust setup or a tuning box. On my Swift for which I had a RaceChip tuning box the stock K&N filter was sufficient for the lowest setting on the box while the conical air filter really made a difference for the highest setting.
  
• The tools that you require are pretty simple. You only need a TORX-20 screw driver for the air box screws. I think that the screw driver provided with the car's toolkit is sufficient (I have another screw driver kit so did not check this out).
  
  The difficulty accessibility in unscrewing the bolt on the air intake pipe on the engine side as I pointed out in the image below. Having tools like a ratchet, screw driver extensions etc make life a lot easier.
  
  Also take care that screws do not drop down into the bay below. I lost a couple of screws this way. They end up stuck on some beam or engine cross member that you can't reach.
  
  Once you figure out a process that takes care of the above, replacement is a 15 minute job tops.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[shibujp]

Over the 18 months of ownership the Polo picked up some damage and I addressed the more vexing of those last month.

• Bumper misalignment due to a dog hit - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post3827831
• Damage RHS mirror - knocked off the parked car by a biker. This rendered the electric adjust for the RHS useless. Since the car was used only by me, I simply adjusted the mirror by hand and used it.

The bumper support was deemed to have been bent and required a bumper replacement (10K painting included) for a perfect fix. I told them to align it as best as they could and leave it at that. Turned out to be pretty okay except for a gap around the fog light.



The mirror assembly for the Polo comes in three pieces - the housing comprising of the motor and mirror adjustment, the body colored cowl and the mirror. So in the case of a mishap only the damaged parts have to be replaced. For me the mirror and the housing had to be replaced. The mirror cost around 250 rupees and the housing around 1500 rupees. However I had to wait for around two weeks for the housing to be ordered.



The total fix cost me around 3500 rupees. The housing was billed in an earlier bill so that was subtracted from the bill below.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[shibujp]

Of late I noticed that the floor of the boot is getting warm from the exhaust. Not sure if this is normal. I had not taken particular notice of this before.

Need to check out the heat protective panels above the exhaust. Any one else faced this problem?

Drive on,
Shibu.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by shibujp

Of late I noticed that the floor of the boot is getting warm from the exhaust. Not sure if this is normal.

Any one else faced this problem?

Hey Shibu, that is actually something that I have never checked on any of my cars, including my GT. I must do it this time around post some long drive.

How 'Warm' do you mean when you feel it has gotten warm? I mean, is it something that seems quite alarming, or is it just the usual heating of various parts post a lengthy drive.?

The reason I asked you is because I have noticed the gear leaver, handbrake, etc does heat up quite a bit after a lengthy drive. Is it on these lines that you are referring to?

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Hey Shibu, that is actually something that I have never checked on any of my cars, including my GT. I must do it this time around post some long drive.

How 'Warm' do you mean when you feel it has gotten warm? I mean, is it something that seems quite alarming, or is it just the usual heating of various parts post a lengthy drive.?

The reason I asked you is because I have noticed the gear leaver, handbrake, etc does heat up quite a bit after a lengthy drive. Is it on these lines that you are referring to?

Actually I never noticed this on any of my cars either. What drew my attention was when some frozen provisions started loosing their freeze at the end of trips. Previously they used to be frozen solid.

The left side of the spare wheel well become relatively hot, you can still touch it but more that a few minutes becomes uncomfortable not unbearable.

I also noticed that the carpet portion over the base board is is still cool to touch while the carpet that directly touches the wheel well becomes warm.

All my cars so far except the GT have had rubber boot mats. I assume this may be why it never was an issue in the other cars. Thinking of getting a similar mat for the GT as well.

TBhpian BigBrad did check it out for me on his GT and also mentioned that the left side of the wheel well does get hot. So I guess it is a normal phenomenon. Was worried that it might be some problem. But I feel VW should have been good enough to provide boot mats so that the heat does not get through.

The area surrounding the gear lever does get warm after a long drive. I've noticed that.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[shibujp]

Took my car in for the 45k service. The kms were 49k. I had replaced the oil and the oil filter due to which the service center expressed their inability to formally do a 45k service and instead offered an intermediate checkup and addressing the problems that I wanted them to take care of. Well, it's what it is. Part of the VW experience I bought into.

I requested them for a rear brake cleaning and re-torquing of all suspension bolts. Also asked them to look into a steering rack rattle issue. To sort this out it seems that the rack would have to be replaced. Since the center I deal with does not handle warranty repairs, I would have to take it up with the main service centre at TVM.

Total cost - 1555.
Oil - 5 litres Mobil 1 0W-40 - 6000 rupes. Used around 4.3 litres.
Oil filter - 370/-

Service centre bill. Customer indiscretions called out. :P


Drive on,
Shibu.