[graaja]

Last week, the car crossed the 2000km mark.



This includes an 800km round trip to Bangalore for the projector retrofit. Otherwise, the car is used only inside the city and has very low mileage.

Drive Experience:

Inside city, driving the GT is bliss. The gear shifts are smooth and quick. While driving at 40 to 50kph inside city, it is totally silent inside the cabin, it sometimes feels like a battery operated car.

Got a chance to take the car on the highway when I drove to Bangalore for the projector retrofit. Got to experience the highway manners of the car the first time.

Most of the time, I engaged cruise control and was cruising at speeds of 90kph to 110kph, occasionally touching 120. It is very relaxing while cruising, and it is totally silent inside the cabin except the slight wind noise above 100kph. While returning, for a short period of about 30 minutes, when there were many slow moving lorries on the highway, I engaged sports mode and redlined the car. In one word exhilerating. Though the GT is not a torque monster like the Jetta, the engine smoothly revs to 6500 RPM without sweat, and the acceleration and engine note is just addictive.

There were two things I was apprehensive about the GT - the rear drum brakes and the roll that many owners had commented about. I haven't faced any emergency braking situations - touchwood. Though the braking force is a little less compared to the Jetta, during the 800km Bangalore drive, I found the brakes to be quite adequate on the highways.

Though there is some roll (I am comparing it with the Jetta here), the car definitely feels well planted. While returning back from Bangalore, in the early morning, I was cruising at 100kph, and before Salem, there is this small hill section. I noticed this long never-ending curve just after entering the curve. As I did not want to risk braking inside the curve, I just held the steering tight, and the car definitely was well planted and it took me out of the curve safely without going out of the lane. Now I am very much looking forward to that Bilstein B6 upgrade

About fuel economy, inside the city, I have been getting 9 to 10 kpl in bumper to bumper traffic. In free moving traffic, I get about 13kpl. On the highways, I got 16.5kpl from Coimbatore to Bangalore and 17kpl from Bangalore to Coimbatore. All this is with AC on 100% of the time.

During the Bangalore drive, I found that there were vibrations when the car touched 120kph. At city speeds, and even while cruising at 100, there was no vibration. The vibrations started at 110kph and became very strong at 120. As I touched that speed only on very rare occasions, it was not much of a bother. Last week, took it to a wheel alignment center and got the wheel balancing checked. The rear left wheel was not balanced properly (there was an imbalance of about 150 grams). This was fixed. Have not had a chance to check it on the highway.

Projector Upgrade:

Upgraded the headlights to projectors.



Details can be found in the below thread.

Installed! Bi-Xenon Projectors on my VW Polo GT TSi

Below are comparison pictures of halogen vs. projectors low and high beams.

Low Beam comparision


High Beam comparision


And below is a drive by video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnloXJzWKv0

Auto Dimming IRVM:

Changed the stock IRVM to auto dimming IRVM. As Gannu upgraded his IRVM, he gave me his auto dimming IRVM at a good discount

Details of this IRVM may be found in Gannu's below post.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post3740721

Here are the high level steps involved in the DIY.

1. Removed the OEM mirror. Gannu did this with a mallet. As I did not have a mallet, I managed with some twists and tugs.
2. Removed the cabin light assembly
3. Soldered two wires from the cabin light assembly from the 12V supply that remains ON when the car is unlocked. This signal goes off when the car is locked.
4. Mounted the auto dimming IRVM to the mirror base and tightened the screw.
5. Routed the IRVM supply wire into the roof lining and brought it to the cabin light assembly
6. Connected the IRVM supply to the wires that were soldered to the cabin light assembly
7. Fixed the cabin light assemby

Here are some photos of the IRVM DIY.

This auto dimming IRVM is quite wide compared to the stock IRVM.


Wires soldered to the 12V supply. Used a glue gun to cover the solder joint.




Soldered the other side of the wires to a terminal block. The IRVM wires can be connected to this terminal block using the screws. Used heat shrinking tube to seal the solder joint.


Connected the IRVM supply to the terminal block


Fixed everything back.



The green light shows IRVM is active. When the car is locked, the supply to IRVM is cut off, and this light turns off.

I checked the dimming function during day time by covering the sensor on the back side of the IRVM, and the dimming works perfect. Yet to test its performance in the night.

The IRVM is quite wide compared to the stock IRVM. This gives a very wide view of the back. When adjusted exactly to the center, I am able to even see myself on the right side corner of the mirror. I feel a little uncomfortable because of this huge size. Maybe the mirror would look perfect in a bigger sedan. But I think this is just a matter of getting used to - a couple of days maybe.

That's all folks, for now.

[keeru]

Originally Posted by graaja

Yet to test its performance in the night.

Hi graaja, any updates on its performance at night?

I feel there is a time delay for the mirror to dim when there is a glare and felt very uncomfortable. Do you recommend this over normal IRVM which can be adjusted manually?

[graaja]

Originally Posted by keeru

Hi graaja, any updates on its performance at night?

I feel there is a time delay for the mirror to dim when there is a glare and felt very uncomfortable. Do you recommend this over normal IRVM which can be adjusted manually?

The performance is great. No more glare from vehicles from behind. In fact I don't even notice whether it is dimming or not dimming. It has naturally blended with the car and does it's duty.

As Gannu mentioned in his thread, the only irritant is the very bright status LED. I am planning to mask it using a tape.

[keeru]

Originally Posted by graaja

The performance is great. No more glare from vehicles from behind.

I have also installed the same on my GT, but I felt the manual mirror was good at night times IMO as there was no glare when I adjust the mirror to anti glare mode. But the new auto dimming mirror gives a glare for a while and then dims off which I felt uncomfortable.
May be I need to get adjusted with this setup.

Originally Posted by graaja

I am planning to mask it using a tape

Seriously, it is too very bright. I'm also planning for a similar workaround today.

[graaja]

After lots of procastination, got 3M paint sealant treatment done. Got it done at 3M car care at RS Puram.

The car was covered in a thick layer of dust. Also, there was a bird dropping on the bonnet which I failed to clean in time and then was away on a week's travel. Even after washing, this had left a mark on the paint. Even the 3M outlet manager was doubting if the bird dropping has penetrated too deep to remove. Thankfully, they applied rubbing and polishing, and the mark went away. Lesson learnt - IMMEDIATELY clean bird droppings!!!



After the treatment. The surface turned out to be smooth, glossy and also looks a shade darker.







Very satisfied with the outcome. Cost of treatment 4.1k

[keeru]

Ganesh, mind sharing a picture or video when the indicator lamps are ON?
BTW, have you installed LED indicator lights as Gannu suggested?

[graaja]

Installed Street Guardian SG9665 dashcam

I have been following the Dashcam Thread for a long time reading about dashcams. Listed down the below requirements.

1. Very good video quality both day and night
2. Should be stealthy
3. Should be capacitor model
4. Budget of $200
5. Should have GPS capability and embed speed data on the video

Shortlisted the following models:

A118C
Found this to be a widely used model. This camera is manufactured by a Chinese company called Tiesfong and is sold by many vendors. The main advantage of this model was that it is stealthy and is not easily visible from outside. However, the drawbacks are average night time video, GPS is optional and it does not embed speed data. I also read reviews that the camera is not suited for very hot temperatures.

DOD-LS460W
From the reviews, I found that this is the best camera in terms of video quality both day time and night. This also has lots of features like built in GPS and speed embedded on the video etc. However this is quite big in size and will be very prominently visible from outside. Also, many users had complained that the camera loses focus in hot temperatures.

Street Guardian SG9665GC
While reading reviews of A118C, I came across this model. This camera has the same footprint as that of A118C, but was reported to have very good night time video quality. Also, the cost was 2x that of A118C. On further research found the below differences between A118C and Street Guardian.



Street Guardian satisfied 4/5 of my requirements. It does not embed speed data on the videos. I felt I could compromise on this feature. Also, I found Street Guardian to have very good technical support in the DashCamTalk forums. So decided to go with Street Guardian. Got it from Amazon with 64GB SD card.

SG9665GC

Total cost came to $248. A friend hand carried it to India. Installed the camera on Sunday.

The box, and the feature list



The contents - The box had the camera, two bases, GPS antenna, power supply and an assortment of cable ties, 3M tapes etc for ease of installation.


The camera - Found the camera to be of very good quality and finish.


The SD card slot, mic and the angle adjustment knob. Using the knob, the angle of the lens can be adjusted.


Came with a Transcend 64GB SD card


The SD Card reader. On one side it has a USB connector that can be plugged into a PC. On the other side there is a micro USB connector to plug it into an Android phone.


First I stuck the camera using the base and 3M tape (forgot to take a picture of the base) behind the rear view mirror.


Plugged in the GPS antenna to the camera, and routed the wire through the roof lining.


Stuck the GPS antenna to the windshield close to the roof lining.


Next step was to make power connection. The camera comes with a power adaptor that plugs into the 12V cigarette lighter socket.


The small box in the middle of the cable assembly is the 12V-5V DC-DC converter.


Instead of running the cable all through the roof lining, A pillar, below the glove box and to the cigarettle lighter socket, I decided to power the camera from the cabin light assembly. I cut out the cigarette lighter adaptor. This left with open wires at the input of the DC-DC converter box. I opened up the cabin light assembly. I had already soldered a 2 pin terminal block to the cabin light assembly to power the IRVM. This terminal block gets a 12V supply whenever the car is unlocked.


I connected the red and black wires of the DC-DC converter to the same terminal block.


Now, the camera gets its power when the car is unlocked.


Next I pushed the power supply inside the roof liner and fixed the cabin light back.


The camera with both power supply and GPS cables plugged in.


The final setup.


The camera is completely invisible to the driver. It is neatly concealed behind the IRVM.


The camera is not visible easily from outside either.


Here is a video with daytime and night time footage.

https://youtu.be/wiGeGhcgXz8

Note: There is some compression introduced by YouTube. The raw footage is much sharper.

Video quality is quite good as mentioned in the reviews. One issue I am facing is the dashboard reflections when sunlight shines from front or street lights shining on the windshield. There is a circular polarized filter (CPL) available for this camera that can greatly reduce reflections.

CPL for SG9665GC



Image Source: Amazon.com

However, at $42 this is quite expensive. Will buy this sometime in the future.

[graaja]

Brake Upgrade

One of the weaknesses of the Polo GT TSi is the brake. Even after considering the fact that rear brakes are drums, it required lots of pressure to get a good bite from the brakes. At city speeds, the brakes are quite adequate. Even on highways, the brakes are adequate for sedate driving style and well planned braking. But for a little aggressive driving (especially with the S mode), they do not inspire any confidence at all. So, brake upgrade was in my top priority list. But this was delayed as I did not know the right upgrade option.

I would like to thank fellow TBHPians prithwi-81 and polo_ankit and few other fello GT TSi owners on their inputs on upgrade options. Here were the options:

1. Brembo pads with stock discs. Prithwi-81 has documented his experience with Brembos in his ownership thread. He also mentioned that while the newer Brembo pads provide good performance, I should not expect a long life out of them.
2. VW motorsport pads. These are twice as expensive as Brembos, but have fantastic performance. A drawback was these brakes have very poor bite while cold. They need warming up before they start performing. So, for very short city rides the brakes may still be cold and will not be fully effective.

Decided to go with Brembo pads. Sent a mail to Laxmikant & Co who are the distributors (They have a listing in TBHP classifieds as well. Search for "Brembo pads Polo GT TSi" in TBHP classified). They sent me a quote of 3.8K for the Brembo red pads. Got the pads today afternoon. As the dealer would not fit the Brembo pads, took the car to the Bosch workshop and they changed the pads in half an hour and charged Rs.450 for the job. The pads are direct fit to the OE calipers and do not require any modification.

The pads


The part number is P85121S


Pads changed


Final result


Initial impression:
I can definitely feel significant improvement in braking. The bite is good and requires significantly less effort - about 30% less effort. The mechanic said that the brake pads have to bed in for attaining peak performance, and that would take 50 to 100km of driving. I have a long highway drive coming up in a couple of weeks. Will provide an update on the performance after this drive.

[coolboy007]

Nice update graaja, a friend of mine is using the brembo discs+ black pads on his Rapid and am mighty impressed with the braking improvement that upgrade has given. Myself shifting to Brembo when i come back to India in may, even the normal Brembo rotors reeked of great quality

I would have suggested you to swap the discs with brembo as well since the OE Polo/Vento/Rapid have terrible quality rotors and the brakes start shuddering once you clock 15-17k kms as the rotors get warped easily. This issue is well documented on the threads here and a recurring issue with OE VW rotors.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Nice update graaja...

I would have suggested you to swap the discs with brembo as well since the OE Polo/Vento/Rapid have terrible quality rotors and the brakes start shuddering once you clock 15-17k kms as the rotors get warped easily. This issue is well documented on the threads here and a recurring issue with OE VW rotors.

Thanks coolboy!

As my car has run only 3000km, I decided to just change the pads and keep the OE discs. When the time comes to change this set of pads, I will plan to change to Brembo discs as well.

[sunilsoft]

Graaja, Are the brake pads upgrade is for front wheels only? Can we install these pads on non-tsi variants as well?
Regards to camera what about an option like this http://www.aliexpress.com/item/VW-OE...4-b7da384b2729

[batterylow]

Originally Posted by sunilsoft

Graaja, Are the brake pads upgrade is for front wheels only?

Yes, as the car comes shod with disc brakes only at the front, so you can only upgrade the front pads.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by sunilsoft

Graaja, Are the brake pads upgrade is for front wheels only? Can we install these pads on non-tsi variants as well?
Regards to camera what about an option like this http://www.aliexpress.com/item/VW-OE...4-b7da384b2729

As batterylow has mentioned, the brake pads are only for the front wheels. The back wheels in the Polo GT TSi are drums and hence brake pad upgrade is not possible.

I am not sure of this, but I think non GT Polos also share the same components for disc and pads for the front brake. If this is the case, then you can upgrade these also to Brembos. Just make with your service adivisor if non GT Polos share the same disc and pads.

Regarding the rear view mirror with camera, I do not know much about these products. As I wanted a camera that I can switch between my two cars, I only researched on stand alone cameras.

The Dashcam Thread has lots of user feedback on various dashcams. Maybe you can find some information about the IRVM/Camera models here.

[graaja]

6 Months Inspection:

The 6 month inspection was due last week. Called up the dealer yesterday evening to fix up an appointment. The lady who gave the appointment said that if I leave the car in the morning at 10:30, I can get it by 4:00 in the evening. But as I wanted to get the TPMS fitting done as well on the same day, I asked her why it would take 6 hours for inspection and requested to do just the essential check ups like oil level, coolant level etc and give me the car by noon. She would not promise. I talked to Mr. Vibhu, the senior executive and he in turn talked to the service manager. I told the service manager that I do not need washing or wheel balancing etc and he promised me that I can stay and take the car by noon.

Today morning took the car to the service station at 10:30. I met the service manager and he immediately had a Service Advisor to take the car in. While I was passing time in the waiting room, Mr. Vibhu invited me for a test drive of the Beetle. Went for a long test drive of about 50km. A fun way to pass time. During the test drive received a call from the workshop that the car is ready.



I had left the car quite dirty as I was planning to take it to 3M for the scheduled wash service (part of the annual package). To my surprise, found the car completedly washed inside out and as good as new. Cost of service - Zero. Left the workshop extremely satisfied.


TPMS Installed:

I would like to thank @FrankMehta for his inputs during the selection of the TPMS system.

One of the items in my wishlist was a direct TPMS system to monitor the pressure of the tires. There were two types of TPMS systems available - DIY type and professional type.

In the DIY type, the sensor directly fits on the valve and does not require any special tools or expertise. Another advantage of the system is that the battery is replaceable. However, the disadvantage is that everytime we go to fill air, we need to remove the sensors using a special tool and fix it back after filling air. Also, as the sensors are sitting outside, chance of theft or damage is also high.

In the professional type, the sensor is fit inside the wheel. These sensors have a battery life of approximately 5 years (so the vendor claims). The advantage with this system is that it is much more accurate than the DIY type and does not require to be removed while filling air. However, the disadvantage is that the battery is not replaceable. When the battery dies, the whole sensor has to be replaced.

I wanted to go with the internal sensors as that will save lot of inconvenience and had shortlisted the below TPMS system in AliExpress.

Steelmate TPMS 85

However, the system was quite expensive at $250 (the cost now shows $321!!). Including shipping and customs, the cost could reach 25K. Because of this I had postponed this installation. A couple of weeks back, the system was available at a huge discount at $139 in AliExpress. Including shipping, the cost came to INR 12K. I immediately placed the order and received it last week.



The box has 4 sensors and one receiver. The sensors go inside the wheels and the receiver plugs into the 12V socket.


The valve.


Using this screw, the sensor angle can be adjusted to suit the profile of the wheel.


Took it to the tire shop for the installation. All wheels removed.



Tires being removed.



Sensor fit to the wheel.


Wheel balancing is a must because of the weight of the sensors.


After the wheels were fixed to the car, plugged the receiver to the 12V socket and downloaded Steelmate TPMS app from Google PlayStore.


There is a button on the receiver to initate bluetooth pairing. When this button is pressed for 6 seconds, the status light starts flashing. In the cell phone, the system appears under Bluetooth devices. Once paired, the device appears in the list in the App. Selecting the device connects the App to the receiver.


Once the phone connects to the receiver, the car has to be run for a short distance and the tire pressures start appearing one by one. Here is the screen shot of the pressures and temperatures being displayed.


Detailed view of individual tire.


Options screen where temperature and pressure units, max pressure and max temperature can be configured. If temperature exceeds max limit, I believe the App will sound an alarm.


There were a couple of issues.

1. I could not get the bluetooth paring to work on my Android HU. Gave up after trying for almost 15 minutes. Took some effort to pair with the cell phone as well.
2. When ignition is turned off and on, the bluetooth connection breaks and does not connect automatically. We have to open the App and manually connect.

Will try some more this week end and see if these issues can be resolved. However, for the time being, as the main purpose of displaying the pressures on the cell phone is done, I am not very much concerned with the above issues.

Beetle Test Drive:

Thought I would mention my experience with the Beetle test drive as well. Though I did not do a very thorough test of all the features etc., of the Beetle, here is the list of my likes and dislikes of what I observed during today's test drive.

What I liked:

• The 1.4 TSi engine 150bhp/250Nm + DSG is a very powerful combination. I felt the drive to be almost as explosive as what I feel with the Jetta 2.0TDi. Also, unlike the Polo where the DSG in 'D' downshifts only on pedal to the floor, in the Beetle, the DSG willingly downshifts on a slightly aggressive throttle input. Because of this, overtaking is a breeze.
• The multilink suspension provides a very balanced ride. Though I felt there was a little roll compared to the Jetta's suspension, it many times better than the Polo GT TSi.
• The interiors feel very premium
• The panaromic sun roof that covers almost all the roof adds to the rich look

What I did not like:

• At 37Lacs on road, I felt this to be too expensive. Maybe this is because VW is trying to continue with the iconic image
• For a 37Lacs car, goodies like electrically adjustable seats, reverse camera, navigation etc are sorely missed.

[graaja]

Replaced the halogen indicators with LED indicators.



Details in below post.

LED Indicators Installed

Here is a comparison video of halogen vs. LED indicators.

https://youtu.be/DXconZUtFVQ