[Racer911]

Originally Posted by halfbytecode

- Replacements for the mighty heavy-duty shock absorbers were a nightmare to get a hold of. VW dealerships put in the localized, normal suspension shock absorbers into my car. (No VIN number and part number cross checks prior to the installation. ) Combined with the heavy-duty coil springs, the suspension felt noticeably under-damped and the ground clearance dropped by an inch or so. Despite that, the vertical movement was this setup was too much and the body roll almost tripled. Cornering abilities were almost lost. I could no longer even maneuver around pot holes, due to the excessive body roll. Traction was greatly reduced, and the braking power became very poor. Steering wheel became very light. Part numbers: 6RF 413 031 C, 6RF 513 02.

Hi, I just bought a Vento TDI 2018 model. I bought it with my eyes closed as I previously had a 2010 1.2 TDI Polo which I drove for 5 years till 2015. I was so happy with the Polo's driving dynamics, highway stability at high speeds etc etc that I didn't even care to test drive the new Vento and just ordered over the phone and got it in a week. The first day I drive the car, I was literally banging my head inside my head. The VW is not a VW anymore. Its almost like any other car. No driving dynamics, nothing to make it stand out from the rest. I was almost sure that VW India have been the usual cheap idiots now that they've autonomy over operations and cut corners in the driving dynamics department but everyone in the family said I was being too fussy and that the cars great. I know it's still marginally much better than the competition but there's a huge difference in being relatively better and being in a league of it's own that the Old 2010 Polo was. It used to put to shame cars double it's price from other brands. I know because I also owned a Toyota Corolla Altis in the same period as the Polo.

Long story short, I then came across your thread and read about the suspensions. So do you think I'll be able to restore that same old nostalgic drive quality in my Vento if I'm able to get hold of the suspensions being used in the earlier models? When you say heavy duty, is there any visible difference in the current localised and the euro spec suspensions when they're put side by side. Will only shock absorbers do the job or springs also need a change?

There are discussions on the forum regarding Bilstein suspension upgrades which also increases the ride height. I don't want to spend a fortune or increase the height either as that would make the car look ugly. VW has raised the rear height as such which looks bad as it is when no one is sitting in it.

For me, if you think the same OEM suspensions from 2010 will do the trick, I'm more than happy. Plus, that drive quality is enough for me. All I want is for my Vento to run as good as my Polo did and nothing more. Don't want to get into any awesome aftermarket suspension upgrades or tuning.

After a lot of search there also seems to be multiple brands that are offering OEM replacements. FKG, Sachs, Borsehung etc.. FKG I read in a thread were being used in the 2010 models in VW India cars, Sachs I read in a UK forum were also the OEM suppliers, Borsehung I saw in a YouTube video being installed in a 2012 Polo so I'm guessing that's before the cheapness revolution by VW India.


Please help me out here.

[halfbytecode]

Originally Posted by Racer911

Hi, I just bought a Vento TDI 2018 model. I bought it with my eyes closed as I previously had a 2010 1.2 TDI Polo which I drove for 5 years till 2015. I was so happy with the Polo's driving dynamics, highway stability at high speeds etc etc that I didn't even care to test drive the new Vento and just ordered over the phone and got it in a week. The first day I drive the car, I was literally banging my head inside my head. The VW is not a VW anymore. Its almost like any other car. No driving dynamics, nothing to make it stand out from the rest. I was almost sure that VW India have been the usual cheap idiots now that they've autonomy over operations and cut corners in the driving dynamics department but everyone in the family said I was being too fussy and that the cars great. I know it's still marginally much better than the competition but there's a huge difference in being relatively better and being in a league of it's own that the Old 2010 Polo was. It used to put to shame cars double it's price from other brands. I know because I also owned a Toyota Corolla Altis in the same period as the Polo.

Long story short, I then came across your thread and read about the suspensions. So do you think I'll be able to restore that same old nostalgic drive quality in my Vento if I'm able to get hold of the suspensions being used in the earlier models? When you say heavy duty, is there any visible difference in the current localised and the euro spec suspensions when they're put side by side. Will only shock absorbers do the job or springs also need a change?

There are discussions on the forum regarding Bilstein suspension upgrades which also increases the ride height. I don't want to spend a fortune or increase the height either as that would make the car look ugly. VW has raised the rear height as such which looks bad as it is when no one is sitting in it.

For me, if you think the same OEM suspensions from 2010 will do the trick, I'm more than happy. Plus, that drive quality is enough for me. All I want is for my Vento to run as good as my Polo did and nothing more. Don't want to get into any awesome aftermarket suspension upgrades or tuning.

After a lot of search there also seems to be multiple brands that are offering OEM replacements. FKG, Sachs, Borsehung etc.. FKG I read in a thread were being used in the 2010 models in VW India cars, Sachs I read in a UK forum were also the OEM suppliers, Borsehung I saw in a YouTube video being installed in a 2012 Polo so I'm guessing that's before the cheapness revolution by VW India.


Please help me out here.

Hi,

I went through pretty much the same a few years ago, as you have already read. I would suggest changing the shock dampers, coil springs, and sway bar links. My car has front dampers from FKG, rear dampers from Monroe (part numbers: 6R0 413 031 AJ, 6R0 513 025 A). The coil springs are also firmer than the units in the newer cars (part numbers 6R0 411 105 F and 6R0 511 115 G). Sway bar links part number: 6C0 411 315.

Furthermore, the older Vento did not have spacers on the front shock dampers. Those should also be removed to get the driving dymanics of the 2010 cars.

As far as the differences in appearance are concerned, there are subtle differences in terms of build quality, which are visible when the dampers are compared side by side. Otherwise, there are not much differences in the appearance of the heavy duty dampers.

Let me know if you need more information.

[Racer911]

Originally Posted by halfbytecode

Hi,

I went through pretty much the same a few years ago, as you have already read. I would suggest changing the shock dampers, coil springs, and sway bar links. My car has front dampers from FKG, rear dampers from Monroe (part numbers: 6R0 413 031 AJ, 6R0 513 025 A). The coil springs are also firmer than the units in the newer cars (part numbers 6R0 411 105 F and 6R0 511 115 G). Sway bar links part number: 6C0 411 315.

Furthermore, the older Vento did not have spacers on the front shock dampers. Those should also be removed to get the driving dymanics of the 2010 cars.

As far as the differences in appearance are concerned, there are subtle differences in terms of build quality, which are visible when the dampers are compared side by side. Otherwise, there are not much differences in the appearance of the heavy duty dampers.

Let me know if you need more information.

Hi

All the above replacements did you do simultaneously or one by one. The reason to ask is what from the other upgrades would be absolutely necessary to get the old dynamics. I mean do you think I'd be well of with just the shock absorber replacement or removing the spacers or both. Thing is, I'll have to convince higher authorities (if you know what I mean) to even spend the minimum amount on anything on a new car.

Could you basically re order the above changes based on their importance. Shock absorbers, springs, sway bar, sway bar links, removing spacers. (spacers as in just to increase or decrease ride height or some other functionality).

I ask for this because some people even go as far as saying that even the sway bar bushes have a huge impact because the earlier cars had harder bushes so there was less flexibility in the overall suspension assembly. I don't wanna go overboard with upgrades as It'd be my first time with modifying anything in a stock car. I can basically go with the main stuff that would give me about 95% of what I require. The rest 5% I can get done one by one as per my personal satisfaction level. (don't wanna spend on an upgrade that I personally wouldn't be able to feel and experience) even though theoretically it'd be an upgrade.

[halfbytecode]

Originally Posted by Racer911

Hi

All the above replacements did you do simultaneously or one by one. The reason to ask is what from the other upgrades would be absolutely necessary to get the old dynamics. I mean do you think I'd be well of with just the shock absorber replacement or removing the spacers or both. Thing is, I'll have to convince higher authorities (if you know what I mean) to even spend the minimum amount on anything on a new car.

Could you basically re order the above changes based on their importance. Shock absorbers, springs, sway bar, sway bar links, removing spacers. (spacers as in just to increase or decrease ride height or some other functionality).

I ask for this because some people even go as far as saying that even the sway bar bushes have a huge impact because the earlier cars had harder bushes so there was less flexibility in the overall suspension assembly. I don't wanna go overboard with upgrades as It'd be my first time with modifying anything in a stock car. I can basically go with the main stuff that would give me about 95% of what I require. The rest 5% I can get done one by one as per my personal satisfaction level. (don't wanna spend on an upgrade that I personally wouldn't be able to feel and experience) even though theoretically it'd be an upgrade.

I should reiterate that the entire heavy duty suspension setup came factory installed in my car. Errors at the dealerships led to replacement of the shock dampers and stabilizer links, with the ones meant for newer car, which caused the issue for me.

I don't know of anyone who has tried the heavy duty dampers, with the coil springs in the newer cars. You are free to try that, and replace the coil springs after that as needed. However, it is easier to replace both at the same time, putting aside the costs. That should be taken into consideration as well.

You can have the spacers removed when you change the dampers. Apart from increasing the ground clearance, the spacers also introduce additional body roll.

You do not need to change the sway bar, but just the stabilizer links. The last time I checked, the sway bar bushings were identical in older and newer cars. The same goes with the control arm bushings, and rear axle beam bushings.

That's roughly the order I would suggest.

[Racer911]

Originally Posted by halfbytecode

I should reiterate that the entire heavy duty suspension setup came factory installed in my car. Errors at the dealerships led to replacement of the shock dampers and stabilizer links, with the ones meant for newer car, which caused the issue for me.

I don't know of anyone who has tried the heavy duty dampers, with the coil springs in the newer cars. You are free to try that, and replace the coil springs after that as needed. However, it is easier to replace both at the same time, putting aside the costs. That should be taken into consideration as well.

You can have the spacers removed when you change the dampers. Apart from increasing the ground clearance, the spacers also introduce additional body roll.
.

How do spacers affect body roll? will they not just increase the ride height? I guess it's not going to change suspension stiffness.

Is it possible for you tell the part numbers for the anti roll bars and send me a.pic of your sway bar link rod? I wanna know if there's a difference in your part which might be affecting body roll. also if possible your anti roll bar pipe diameter.

I compared the part numbers. The front shocks part no. is same as yours. with slight change in the letter that more or less signifies country of manufacture. rest the digit codes are same. and they're same in the oem replacement available in Europe from Sachs Bilstein etc. its the rear shocks where your and my part numbers differ.

[halfbytecode]

Originally Posted by Racer911

How do spacers affect body roll? will they not just increase the ride height? I guess it's not going to change suspension stiffness.

Is it possible for you tell the part numbers for the anti roll bars and send me a.pic of your sway bar link rod? I wanna know if there's a difference in your part which might be affecting body roll. also if possible your anti roll bar pipe diameter.

I compared the part numbers. The front shocks part no. is same as yours. with slight change in the letter that more or less signifies country of manufacture. rest the digit codes are same. and they're same in the oem replacement available in Europe from Sachs Bilstein etc. its the rear shocks where your and my part numbers differ.

With the increase in ride height, the point of center of gravity goes higher, resulting in additional body roll. You can verify this practically, if you want.

I will have to look up the part number of the anti-roll bar. The pictures of both types of stabilizer links are available in this thread already. They are two distinct products, offering different performance characteristics.

For the record, my car never had any spacers installed.

I had extensively researched about the suspension components. Some of my research is documented in this thread, and rest of it is in coolboy007's Vento TRW damper thread.

You should understand how part numbers are assigned for VAG components. The difference in a single digit, can indicate part from a completely different manufacturer, offering significantly different performance characteristics. A change in a single character can also mean a part is from standard suspension setup, while another is from heavy-duty suspension setup.

[Racer911]

#halfbytecode @halfbytecode

Hi

Today morning I checked under my car both the front and rear suspension and shocks but couldn't seem to find any spacer being used to increase ride height.
Am I missing something? I even took photographs incase that'd help. Let me know if photos would help. I'll upload them. The rear of the car is definitely very soft. After every speed bump, the rear always bobs a second time after the 1st rebound. Will this be improved just by changing shocks or stiffer springs will also be needed?

I feel the front is not as soft when compared to my Polo. I'd like to first experiment with just the rear to see how much difference it makes.

Please suggest a good website outside India that has good prices and shipping time.

Thanks.

[halfbytecode]

Originally Posted by Racer911

#halfbytecode @halfbytecode

Hi

Today morning I checked under my car both the front and rear suspension and shocks but couldn't seem to find any spacer being used to increase ride height.
Am I missing something? I even took photographs incase that'd help. Let me know if photos would help. I'll upload them. The rear of the car is definitely very soft. After every speed bump, the rear always bobs a second time after the 1st rebound. Will this be improved just by changing shocks or stiffer springs will also be needed?

I feel the front is not as soft when compared to my Polo. I'd like to first experiment with just the rear to see how much difference it makes.

Please suggest a good website outside India that has good prices and shipping time.

Thanks.

The spacers would be hidden inside the shock dampers' bellows, above the coil springs I think. No really visible like that.

Rear bobbing can be improved by changing the dampers, with further improvements possible by changing the coil springs.

I am not sure about the websites that will ship these parts, as I was able to order mine at the service center. It was easier for me as the parts are as per my car's VIN.

[halfbytecode]

Update - 1,50,000 kms completed

This was quite a landmark for me, as I had never thought I would clock such a high mileage on the car.

There are no issues with the car to report.

• I got myself a pair of LED bulbs for the headlights, but they had manufacturing issues. Replacements are on the way. I got pretty good results with properly aligned headlights. I will detail this once I receive the replacement bulbs.

• I performed AC duct cleaning, using 3M's AC cleaning product, but it did not help much. I will try this again, but after popping open the plastic covering below the front windshield, where the wipers are fixed.

• I also got Areon KEN car perfume (New Car fragrance) from Amazon.in. It seems pretty good, and bearable. I am usually not in favour of car perfumes, but I thought I would try it once, after a number of years.

There is nothing much to say at this point, so that would be it for now.

[Pavitpal]

hi halfbytecode,
I am facing a range of issues on my Volkswagen Vento. I see that you have tons of experience in maintaining your Vento. I have visited a few workshops and all of them seem to tell me a range of issues with the car. Is it possible to connect offline and request your support in sorting out my car issues?

[halfbytecode]

Update

The side turn signal, on the right fender, had stopped working. I had suspected a fused bulb, but it turned out the wires leading to the bulb were chewed up by some rodent. This seems to have happened despite the fact that the car is driven every day, and does not remain parked for a long duration.

I will have to figure out how to prevent something like this from happening again.

[halfbytecode]

Originally Posted by halfbytecode

Update - Steering rack changed!

...

They look almost identical, and the build quality seems the same. Having said that, the newer one is revised and should not go bad as soon as the older units did.

Well, the new steering rack has gone kaput in just 4 months, and the car has run for just about 13000 kms since it was installed.

I will have it replaced again, but in warranty applicable on it. I may have gotten a lemon. I will see how long the yet-to-be-installed one lasts.

[Kal.Wiz.]

Originally Posted by dsr_rpm

Great Ownership thread.

Good see VW owners clocking high ODO in their cars.

I am at 110000 km on the ODO and running on stock clutch and shocks. The suspension change you have made is due to issues or due to wear?

The reliability that VW gives is what is helping me keep it even after 5 years of ownership.

My Ice Queen TDi 1.6 Hl just completed 100k. trading in it for a new Red Priestess 1.5 TDi HL+ next week. overall good ownership experince. A good service executive certainly helped.

It clocked 24 kmpl on the day it crossed 100k mark

[halfbytecode]

Update - 1,60,000 kms done


• Another milestone. I had the 1,65,000 kms service done a few days ago. The engine oil now used at the dealership was Castrol Edge Professional 5W-40. It complies with VW 505.01 standard just like the Castrol Magnatec Professional. However, this is different from Castrol Edge available in the aftermarket.

I have driven the car for more than 1500 kms post the oil change, and I can say the lower end response of the engine is noticeably improved. City driving has greatly improved as a result.

• I also had the steering rack changed, once again, in warranty this time though. Earlier one went bad in about 12000-13000 kms.

• I finally had the Liqui Moly Gear Oil Additive added to the gear oil. I have only driven about 20-30 kms after that, and I will see if I notice some significant difference over time.

Might as well be the end of the road for my journey with this car in a year or so, thanks to the age ban on vehicles from all over the country, from entering Delhi-NCR. I hope the news about the government making efforts to alter the ban to be based on the emission values of the vehicles instead, is true, and hopefully comes to fruition at the earliest.

[Ramsagar]

Originally Posted by halfbytecode

Update - 1,60,000 kms done
• Another milestone. I had the 1,65,000 kms service done a few days ago.

Congrats Halfbytecode.

My vento is at 152000 Kms. with stock clutch. Steering rack is showing it age.
Radiator fan is running with high noise, specially with AC on. I don't have problem with cooling. Have you observed this?
Other than these, it is absolutely running fine. Able to achieve good triple digit speeds & mileage of 19-20kmpl on my highway runs.