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-   -   GT'ing around in my VW Polo TSI UPDATE: Let there be LIGHT! Halogen to BiXenon conversion! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/163353-gting-around-my-vw-polo-tsi-update-let-there-light-halogen-bixenon-conversion-6.html)

Agree on the conical completely. It's the same story with BMC - my car with stock filter was faster and the BMC filter was awfully clogged after 4-5 months of Mumbai driving. These filters need extensive cleaning, else performance goes for a toss pretty quickly.

Absolutely fantastic, I love the OE 16" as well, but these are better! Congratulations!

Hey, just type in the part # in boodmo and order if you don't want the hassle of visiting the dealer.

Those alloys look sweet. They completely transform the look of the car and being BBS would be pretty light weight too.

Driive on,
Shibu.

congrats on the upgrade! Saw the pic of a Blue vRS and a white gt tsi with upgraded wheels few days back on an insta page, and instantly I guessed who the owners were. I opened this thread within seconds :lol

The new wheels look great and the PS4s are the best tyre option for the GT TSI right now. and agreed, the Gunmetal OE 16 inch wheels look great. Love mine :D

Many thanks, will give this a go! Your alloys look brilliant. Has the ride quality changed after switching from 15's to 16's?

Boodmo has got pretty average or worse reviews recently, think I'll go with the service center. Thanks all the same though.

Is it pretty easy to swap the stock duct out and put the new one? Thinking of doing this myself.

Thank you, d_himan, shining and agam bhandari!! :)

Thank you s4ch! Ride quality has improved dramatically. It's definitely more plush than the Continentals. Also, I've tried a few times to 'unstick' the car, but the Michelins are super grippy.

Swapping out the air-duct is a 5-10 minute job and can be done at home with a little patience and the right tools. If you are looking to get it done, please note that you are essentially opening up the air box and the air filter's job gets harder. For the modification to be effective, get a K&N or BMC replacement filter, but ensure that it is cleaned every 4-6 months.

________________________________________________

UPDATE

The one modification I was always keen on getting done was installing a steering with paddles.

There are a few options available to those who are exploring this area. The cheapest being a rudimentary hack-job of the steering to fix the paddles to it. I can't imagine hacking my stock steering, however cost-effective the option might seem. So I steered clear from this idea.

The other option was to get a GTI steering. A quick look on the internet would reveal that the price of such a steering is stratospheric. Having spent a fortune on my wheels and tyres, I wasn't prepared to part with another small fortune for a steering wheel. Besides, I have no interest in turning this car into a wannabe GTI. So I decided to let that slide.

Viddy then got in touch with me on Whatsapp and shared a link from our very own Team BHP classifieds. The listing was for a Polo/Vento steering with paddles, for 28k. My eyes lit up and I got in touch with the seller immediately.

Mr. Sharan Anand from Chennai, the individual who had listed the wheel, responded to my questions immediately. But I was disappointed to learn that the wheel was equipped with white-backlighting. Sharan got into the act, by looking for a steering that fits my requirements, and a few days later he shared with me a steering with red backlighting. Thrilled with the find, I transferred the advance for the wheel, and as soon as it reached Chennai, he parceled it again to my address in Bangalore, after confirming the authenticity of the product.

Sharan was very helpful through the whole process, and had even shared with me a few videos on how to install the wheel. I had also referred Gannu's invaluable DIY thread on how to swap the wheel before taking the parcel with me to Azaan's for a quick installation.







Sharan's video assisted Azaan during the installation process, which didn't take longer than 15 minutes.

I must say, I am extremely pleased with the product! A huge shout out to Sharan for going out of his way to find the perfect steering wheel and for his videos with clear instructions on how to go about the installation process.

Highlights:

1) The steering looks almost identical to the stock wheel, which works perfectly for me.

2) The buttons on the steering are not the same as the stock steering. Audio controls (to increase/decrease the volume and to change the track) were located exclusive on the left spoke of the steering. The new steering has additional buttons on both spokes, the additional buttons on the left spoke now control the volume for the stereo and the additional buttons on the right spoke changes the track.

3) The mute button has disappeared - my only gripe with the new steering - as it was super convenient to kill the music at a moment's notice.





4) It appears that buttons for the cruise control are now located on the left hand side, where the audio controls used to be. These do not work on my car and are dummy buttons. But it doesn't bother me much.

5) The paddles - the reason why I went ahead with this swap - work brilliantly! I love how the '+' and '-' are also backlit in red. And I love how snappy the gear changes are. In my opinion, this modification is an absolute must for all Polo and Vento TSIs. It really transforms the driving experience!

6) The right paddle has 'off' right next to the '+'. This is to disengage manual shifts and put it in D. One can disengage manual control by pulling and holding the right paddle for about 3 seconds. Nifty!

7) The new steering did not come with its own airbag. We had to use the existing stock airbag. Fitting this to the new steering was no hassle at all.

8) I now feel the need for paddle shift extensions (never ending, isn't it :D) If anyone has come across a nice pair, please let me know. Thank you!



I am extremely pleased with this new addition to my car. Phase 1 (of modifications) is approching completion and the car is coming together really well! I have just a few small things to address, and the car will be ready for its long pending photo shoot!

Fantastic list of modifications there Suhaas - remap, alloys, auto lights and now the steering with paddles. You are on roll. Looking forward to all the other updates you have planned, and wishing you all the very best :) :thumbs up

The only issue is that in 16", only the Himalayan Grey is available. That was always my second choice after the Volcano Black. I didnt have a choice in 16" and went for the Himalayan Grey for my Civic.

@Suhaas - Well done with all the mods & especially that alloy wheel / tyre decision :thumbs up

All the best for the future mods :thumbs up

This is the Downside of being on this forum!! People tempt you with so many things :D
I was almost certain to get new alloys at the time of the tyre upgrade for my GT. But I stopped short and continued with the stock 15 inchers.
Wheels with paddle shifters were also not materialised due to the atrocious pricing!
Now here you come with these updates and my heart starts beating again!

Wonderful updates Suhaas307. Loved the picture of the wheels of your GT and Nikhilb2008's Blue rocket

Great work with the mods in your car. Absolutely love the looks with the BBS wheels.

I believe you can program the voice control button via VCDS to act as mute button. In my 2013 GT TDI, I had briefly set the mute button to act as voice control button - only to change it back to mute a few days later after realizing the uselessness of voice control at least to me.

Congratulations suhaas for the wonderful upgrade. As mentioned by Hemanth, this is too tempting. If possible can you share contact details of Sharan, Azaan? I want to see if I can upgrade by GT with paddle shifters.

Thanks mate!

I like the Volcano Black finish. It suits the darker colours really well. On lighter colours, the Himalayan Grey looks on point! *Wink*

Thanks mate!

Thanks mate!

I would say, try and find a set of the OEM 16" wheels. There are several in the used market. Try and get them with tyres as you can swap that out with better rubber, for maximum savings.

Thanks mate! And brilliant suggestion, let me see if I can try this. Will be visiting the workshop for finalizing the finer details soon, so will get this done also.

Thanks mate!

I believe Sharan's contact may be found in the Classifieds (accessories). You will see a few products listed, the steering being one of them.

Fitting the wheel is a 10 minute DiY job and only requires the right tools.

Update:

Phase 1 is officially complete (well, not quite because I need to get the brakes done ASAP), but for all practical purposes, Phase 1 is done!

Performance:

- Code6 Tuning Stage - 1 ECU Remap
- K&N 57-S 9505 air-box + Euro Spec Air Duct
- Sachs Super Touring Dampers + Chassis Overhaul
- Michelin Pilot Sport 4 ST (205/50 R16")

Comfort & Convenience:

- Steering Wheel with Flappy Paddles
- GTI OEM Arm-rest
- Brushed Aluminium Headlight Switch with 'Auto' function.
- OEM Sun Blinds

Styling & Appearance:

- 16" BBS SR (Himalaya Grey) with BBS Dust Caps.
- De-chromed face / Gloss-Black Wrap + Yellow tinted fogs.
- Keystone Autocare Detailing and Ceramic Coating Package.












Oh, I almost forgot to mention. Huge performance Upgrade is the above NOS (Nitrous Oxide) bottle - 24 lbs 2oz, good for about 3 squeezes and boosts power by about 30 bhp. Also works really well as a pillow - useful after your wife finds out about your modifications and throws you out of the apartment.

Upgrades planned in the future:

- Brakes (deliberating between Brembo Drilled Rotors + black pads / EBC Slotted Rotors + YellowStuff pads / Black Diamond Rotors + Pads / 288 mm Big-Brake-Kit - GTI OEM).
- KW Street Comfort Coilovers. (I've started an SIP for this :D)
- Code6 Stage - 2 Remap + Decat Downpipe.
- DSG Stage - 2 Remap.
- ICE upgrades (new HU + components).
- Headlights: Xenon / LED.
- Dash Camera

Some of the above upgrades will form part of Phase - 2 of my upgrades. Phase - 2 will begin in July. I accept donations.

Sorry for the thread hijack, but I did the deed a couple of weeks back - ordered from Boodmo and got the "Made in Italy" euro air intake. I plan to replace the stock air filter every 3-4000 km (takes me 5-6 months).

The swap hardly takes a couple of minutes. However, I also had to remove and 'move' the battery a bit to the right - the intake pipe was touching a plastic appendage of my battery.

Did not drive around the car much post the swap, so can't comment on the difference. I doubt I'd see any in daytime given the kind of heat my city is experiencing ..

UPDATE:



The goodies have arrived! :D

Full report, coming soon! Watch this space!