[hemanth.anand]

Nothing much to update apart from the steady kilometres that these 2 cars are covering.


9000 on 21st Jan 2019


38000 on 29th Jan 2019

Off late the usage pattern of the cars are like this

• Both the GT and the Alto do the home-office-home runs for 4 days of the week.
• On 1 other day whenever my wife works from home, I take the Alto to Office .
• Alto is used over the weekend.

This gives us the advantage of relatively easy drive in city and easy parking in the weekend. And the Alto runs a little more compared to the GT...as you can see, its far behind the GT

[hemanth.anand]

4 months since I last updated this thread. Since then, the K10 has covered 3000kms; The GT has covered 4000kms with an ~1000 kms drive to and around Sakaleshapura.
In total, the Polo crossed the 42000kms mark today morning and the Alto crossed the 12000 Kms mark Last Saturday. With Ather added to the garage, We expect it considerably slow down Alto's running.
At this rate, The GT will go into the 45k service somewhere in August.
Alto suffered a couple of punctures, but the last four months has been uneventful otherwise for both vehicles.

Alto 10K on Valentine's day


Financial year closing at 11k. 12k picture not taken


Polo Financial year closing at 40k


Somewhere in Bisle Ghat-41k milestone


42k today

In the last 2 weeks, when driving the Polo, I've heard misfiring sound around 4 times now. I am still not sure whether it was from my car or some 2-wheeler around. I'd never come across a misfire in any of my cars till now but when I read through Polo and Vento threads, there are quite some instances of this. I'm planning to connect an OBD reader to see if there are any error codes recorded. Will keep a close watch on this from now on. This will be one point for the next service.

[hemanth.anand]

an update to this thread after almost 3 months...goes to show that both the cars have been doing their duty without much issues

K10
Apart from a couple of punctures (a feature of Bangalore ORR) and a couple minor nudges, one by a bike and another by a cab (again normal for Bengaluru), the K10 is running well. It crossed the 12000kms mark on 18th may and the 13000kms milestone 29th July



GTTSI
My daily driver and my daily dose of fun...the car is nearing 45K Kms.


24th June


17th July


A special one

The 30K/2yr service was done in August Last year. The 45K/3yr service was done yesterday at VW palace cross Rajajinagar. I had called for appointment but they told that the appointments were blocked but if I reach by the time they open at 9AM, they might take it. I took the risk and went there at sharp 9AM and mine was the 3rd vehicle and the first non-appointment vehicle. they took it! The vehicle was returned back in the evening.

Apart from the regular 45k service, there were 3 complaints I had mentioned
1. Brakes feel weak sometimes in city conditions. I had even touched a car in front of me. Thankfully it was nothing more than a number plate bender. The SA told that since the brake fluid was changed, it should be sorted out. he told that I should pump to ensure sufficient vacuum in the booster. When I asked why I should pump in an ABS system, he told I should. I didn't pursue the discussion further

2. the headlights were misaligned and I was trying to align them together. however the left side headlight alignment was stuck! when I put a little more force, one of the plastics gear knobs broke and fell down
The SA told that only that part will not be available and I've to replace the entire headlight assembly which may cost around 10k. I left it as it is...probably a GTI headlight in future

3. Misfiring issue as reported before

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

In the last 2 weeks, when driving the Polo, I've heard misfiring sound around 4 times now. I am still not sure whether it was from my car or some 2-wheeler around. I'd never come across a misfire in any of my cars till now but when I read through Polo and Vento threads, there are quite some instances of this. I'm planning to connect an OBD reader to see if there are any error codes recorded. Will keep a close watch on this from now on. This will be one point for the next service.

The Bluetooth OBD reader that I had in partnership with Torque lite app didn't show me any errors, but the misfiring was confirmed when I heard the noise when there were no other vehicles on the road.
The SA told me that the High tension cable connecting the the spark plug (Cylinder 2) had salt deposits. So he had replaced the cable and also cleaned the spark plug and put it back. he told the if the issue persists, I should get the spark plug replaced too. He told that paossibly during water wash, this might have happened. I told him that apart from VW service centre at every place where the car is washed I make sure no water is used under the bonnet. He didn't have an answer for that but he did show me the corrosion in the replaced cable. I'm still wondering how it could happen...is the moisture content in air so high. Bengaluru is not a coastal area to have such salt content! anyway, will keep an ear out for misfiring sound. This cable cost around 1.3k


The replaced cable


The corroded part of the connector

He had also done the A/C disinfectant treatment without informing me and without that being in the standard service checklist. Last time too they had done the same thing for whihc I had paid. This time, I told them that I'll not pay at all. So around 900 was removed from the bill.

Apart from these issues, the regular 45000 service cost was around 11k taking the total bill to ₹12,511.

The car was shining when I took it back but as luck would have it, by the time I reached home, it rained heavily!!! Overall I was pretty satisfied with the work carried out...

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

an update to this thread after almost 3 months...Overall I was pretty satisfied with the work carried out...

Congrats Hemanth on a peaceful German ownership so far.

You seem to be piling up kilometers on your TSI like the way you did on your Punto, which is truly commendable. From first hand experience, I can assure you that it is a Russian Roulette and there is always that element of a fallout. Just as sure is the fact that you will love every bit of the machine. Probably the reason for me gravitating towards this car

Wish you many more happy, fun-filled and fuss free ownership miles.

[hemanth.anand]

The GT TSI crossed 45k on 13th of August and 46K on 11th september


45000 kms


46000 kms

in between, at 45650kms I went to Madhus for the regular wheel balancing and alignment. During balancing, found that there was a nail in the tyre which is the first puncture for this tyre set.

Last week I was not home for the festival holidays and the car was parked home. On return, I was welcomed by a dead battery (the odo was 46650). starts were taking longer than usual times even before the holidays but due to the daily running, it was able to manage. Ordered an Amaron from BatteryBhai and in 3 hours, I had the new one in the car.

The Alto OTOH is being used only for nearby trips around home and it still hasn't crossed 14k Kms.

[hemanth.anand]

GT crossed 47k on 24th october exactly 34months after purchase which is 1382kms per month


47k

Today was sitting at home doing nothing...so decided to stick a PETROL letters that I had with me since many days. Finally pasted it today. The stock PETROL sticker given by VW was an eyesore (but served it's purpose). I didn't want to leave it empty (even though I like it) and take a chance with this one.


Fuel

While I was at it, I decided to debadge the rear. A plastic wire and some thinner was all that was needed to remove the GT TSI letters. The sun helped the cause. The GTTSI stickers on the C-Pillar was removed long back


Debadged!

[hemanth.anand]

2019 closed and both cars completed 3years (+1 week). Here are some updates

K10
Alto went for the scheduled 30K Kms /3 years paid service. The Odo stood at 14300 kms. No major issues, only the usual oil changes and filter changes. the boot opening lever on the floor, had really become hard. many times when security guys at malls and office request to open, I had to open the door and use both my hands to open it. This cable was lubricated and now it's a lot more easier. the car was picked up in the morning and returned back in the evening. The service costed ₹6522/-. A small 300kms trip to a closeby place for a family function was made and no new issues have come up (which generally happens after a service). The year end ODO stood at 14622kms

GT
Everything has been smooth-sailing with this vehicle so far. it's approaching 50K kms with the year end ODO at 49766kms
At 30150 Kms, I had changed brake pads and discs to brembos. While changing the mechanic had told that brembos will last for 20k kms only. Now form 2-3 weeks, whenever I do a spirited drive, the brakes make a metal rubbing sound. In sedate conditions, it doesn't make this sound. The brake pads have worn out. Have to get it replaced soon.

Now time for some 3-year graphs.

Kilometeres per year


GT reducing from 20k in the first year to 12k in 2019. Average is ~16.5k


K10 increased from 2k in first year to 6k in 2019. Average is ~5k

Average Kilometeres per day


GT around 45kms a day


K10 around 13kms a day

Number of days per 1000 kms


GT average of 78 days per 1000 kms


K10 average of 22 days per 1000 kms

Expenditure pie


GT


K10

[hemanth.anand]

My GT crossed a Major Milestone yesterday...50K Kms.


3 years and 20 days later...

This weekend I'm planning to get the Disc pads replaced.

The K10 on the other side is approacing 15k kms

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

My GT crossed a Major Milestone yesterday...50K Kms.

Congrats Hemanth on this relentless mile-munching

You seem to have taken it right where you left off with your Punto buddy.

Wonder if GT TDI was available in DSG guise, would you have hit this "Major Milestone" in 1 Year and 10 Days!!

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

The K10 on the other side is approaching 15k kms

Do you experience any judder in your K10 AMT while releasing the brake pedal whenever starting off from a stop?

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Congrats Hemanth on this relentless mile-munching

You seem to have taken it right where you left off with your Punto buddy.

Wonder if GT TDI was available in DSG guise, would you have hit this "Major Milestone" in 1 Year and 10 Days!!

Actually, Punto and the GT have been crunching miles in different scenarios. Punto was mainly used on the highways and only 5-10% within city. But with GT, I'm driving daily to office which is the major contributor to the ODO reading. When I had a Punto, very few of my friends/colleagues had cars and most of the trips were in my car. Now many people have cars and majority of them are bigger cars like Ecosport/Ertiga/XUV and for trips, we take those cars.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Do you experience any judder in your K10 AMT while releasing the brake pedal whenever starting off from a stop?

In the first gear, only on sudden acceleration I see that judder. Otherwise it is not felt. In second gear at slow speeds...there's lot of it. Especially while taking a turn. Had complained this and the A.S.S say that all AMTs are like this. I've seen this is other Alto AMTs too but not in Ignis. This is the reason why I don't prefer driving the K10 along with the jerky gear shifts.

This is one car purchase that I'm not that happy with myself but due to lack of other options for the criteria I had, I had to settle for it.

[hemanth.anand]

at 50407, I got the Brake pads and rotors replaced. Like Last time, I called Cartisan and got the work done at my doorstep. This time I opted for a little more expensive Drilled rotors. Last time it was solid rotors. It set me back by ₹16,500 (₹11,800 for 2 Rotors, ₹4200 for 4 brake pads, and ₹500 for labour). The last ones were installed at 30150 kms and these lasted 20257 kms.

Looking at the pads, some friends told me that I could've used for a few thousand more kms, but everytime I applied brakes, there was metal to a loud metal grinding noise. The braking had reduced to a great extent and I was not confident of braking too. Getting the rotors milled was an option I thought, but looking at the scoring, lot of material had to e removed and it wouldn't help I thought. So got it replaced Below are the pictures.


Scoring on old rotor


Scoring on old rotors


Pads Old and New


Pads Old and New


New Rotors


All 4 old Pads

I checked my Punto records and the pads were replaced 4 times in total at around 15k, 28k, 50k and 70k. The rotors were changed once at 50k. The Polo has both pads and rotors change at around 30k and 50k. So both are pretty much the same. Hope these Drilled rotors will last longer and perform better longer owing to better heat dissipation.

[hemanth.anand]

An update after 2 months (understandably so)!

The car actually saw many small updates in February. After the Brake pad + Rotors in the first week, I got my car detailed on Valentine's day. I regularly park under a tree at office. The sap of that tree has covered the entire surface with dots...black dots on white surfaces and white dots on black surfaces. Pressure and steam wash also was not enough to remove them.





After the detailing session, the car is back to it's shining best

The next thing was the Windshield wrap in preparation for the summer. But Little did I know that the car would spend almost the entire summer in the basement of our apartment. I took my car to 3M JP nagar and got the CR70 installed. Apart from the Factory affixed RFID, everything else was removed during this application. Just for the front windshield, the CR70 film cost ₹9K.
My dashcam holder is the sticker type and it was pasted again by 3M themselves. I got the apartment parking lot sticker immediately after reaching home. My company Parking lot sticker was obtained the next Monday. I got the Fastag 3 days later.

The next thing was rewrapping the roof with black. the earlier film had started to tear along the edges and was looking really bad. Got it wrapped with Hexis Gloss Black wrap.

After all the above mentioned 3 things, I had planned for a good ride and photoshoot but the COVID-19 spoiled all my plans.

As regards to the Odo Milestones, February saw the car cross two milestones...51K on 6th Feb and 52K on 29th Feb. But then it pretty much stopped there itself. Friday, March 13th was the last day of office and the ODO was around 52600. Working from Office has restarted yesterday May 18th and the ODO started to roll again from 52626
In the entire Month of April the car has run for ZERO kms...A first in the three and a half years of my car's ownership






Alto K10
As regards to the Alto, it's at a slow 15500kms now. The Boot door lock has started giving problems. it doesn't lock easily if opened and it doesn't open easily if locked after many time. We are using the boot area from the rear door right now. Will get it repaired at the M.A.S.S after some time when situation probably improves.

[hemanth.anand]

Small update to the thread after 4 months. This shows that nothing much is happening out there with cars with this pandemic! on 30th june, On March 13th the car was around 52600 Kms. the next 400kms took 3.5 months with the ODO turning 53K on 30th June! A drive to my native village in July and another trip to Mysuru in August. I went on a small Independence day drive just to get some fresh air when the car crossed 54K on the 15th of August.


A slow 122 days for the last 1000kms!


46 days for 1k -Slow but faster comparitively


Some fresh air after many days


Freedom drive

Meanwhile in August, the car would complete 1 year after the previous service. it had run 8000kms only. This was the first time I've given any of my car because of the time condition and not the kms condition of the service. It was a simple service without anything special. I had lost the wiper liquid container cap which was replaced.
With the pandemic, the A.S.S was taking scheduled vehicles only. I scheduled it two days before, went in early in the morning, mine was the first car and the car was ready by 6PM. Had taken a friend along in our Alto. If it was 2019 BC (Before corona) I would've probably taken an uber for returning home and then again to take the delivery. The bill was also as expected 15K.

One thing I have noticed is that the car has forgotten me! the shifts especially are not in the usual revv ranges as before. It's learning again.

With regards to the Alto, after I dropped my GTTSI for service, I took it to Kriti Car care. The beige seats over these 4 years had almost become brown with lot of marks and stains. A good exterior wash and a deep interior clean treatment made sure it came back to how it was previously


A much needed wash


Shining


Bright!

Apart from the usual washes and services, this was the first real detailing treatment the Alto had received. It was shining after many days and probably this was the first time it was shining so much! But it didn't last long...as soon as the treatment was completed and I headed out, it rained cats and dogs!

[hemanth.anand]

Today both the cars complete 5 years! The fact that my last update was close to 4 months ago just means that it's been smooth sailing.

Yesterday night when I parked my car at home, The GTTSI was exactly 62000Kms


This is an average running of 12400kms per year, 1033kms per month and 34kms per day. But the last two years has seen only 12500kms.

The Alto is now close to 19000kms with around 4000kms in the last 2 years (only 1000kms this year). That's an average of 3800kms per year, 316kms per month and 10kms per day!

Both the vehicles have not had any major problems. When we purchased this, our plan was to change it after 3-5 years. But with other priorities, changing a car has taken a backseat and we will continue using these two cars for another 3-5 years.

Last week I purchased the insurance for both the vehicles and Add-on warranty for the GTTSI (mainly for the DSG). The GTTSI was serviced in August itself. The Maruti A.S.S called and told that since Odo reading is less, I can get it service later. I'm planning to get oil change at a Shell station