[jithin23]

This isn't just another polo GT. That's a lot of mods which can put VW to shame for such cost cutting. Congrats on the car as well as the numerous mods!

That too the mods are all very functional. I'm surprised that the paddle shifter mod has been left out :P

If at all in getting a VW, I'd be bugging you and Thelizardking for helping me with the mods.

The only gripe with the polo is the rear seat space,it's strictly a 2 seater if 2 6ft people sit in the front

[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by Utsav3010

Brilliant ownership review with very detailed insights Viraat. Having seen the car in person, I know how much effort you have put in to make the car stand out, and the way you have customized it as per your needs shows your passion and love towards this car
...
I have vowed to get minor blemishes fixed from a reliable FNG.
...
Once again, heartiest congratulations on this car, and yes, can't wait to go on a drive once the situation eases out

Thanks so much for taking out the time to read! I've not really done anything exceptional other than put features that the Polo got in the European market. It's been fun.

FNG route can often be less painful, and quicker too. I didn't mention this on the thread because it didn't occur to me, but the crappy paint job took 3-4 days, and then another 2 days to correct it. The repaint of the boot was done in 6 hours.

Rest, waiting for Sunday Starbucks ritual to resume ASAP.

Originally Posted by agambhandari

This is one DETAILED thread and shows the dedication you have for your beloved GT TSI. Perfectly detailed DIYs and thanks again for doing some of them in my car too : D
seeing your average fuel consumption brings some solace for me, as I get the same FE as well. 5 star rated thread.
Now you can start a thread for the other VAG you have :P

Thanks Agam. Happy to do more mods if you are so inclined.

The other VAG will be covered after I've put some km on the odo. It would be difficult to write an ownership review in such a short duration. I'll try and document everything for that car like I did for the Polo.

Originally Posted by AKSarkar1

As a fellow VW owner, it is always fun to read about YAPGTs!
...
Regarding the tyre upgrade, was there any particular reason why you chose Yokohama over the current Goodyear shoes? Since you mentioned you drive with a generally heavy foot were there any other options considered e.g. Conti or Pirellis? A new set of tyres are due for my VW and therefore the aforementioned question.

The Goodyear tyres have no redeeming quality. They are noisy, prone to damage, have a poor ride, don't have great grip, and it seems they don't even last very long. My car had 2 original tyres and 2 tyres that had been replaced at some point (different manufacturing dates) yet all 4 were trash at 28000 km.

Frankly my experience with Yokohama has been excellent. I've been using some tyre or the other since 2011 in various cars. Regarding the choice for Earth1 - I already had prior experience with them, plus this was the best option within my budget.

Originally Posted by gaurav.kokra

I had one question though. From where did you source the dome light for this dirt cheap price?

This was from the days when AliExpress wasn't banned. Hence almost all the DIYs were pretty cost effective.

Originally Posted by Asta_la_vista

Can you shed some more light on the brakes??
I mean, any info art the parts used and from what cars did you pick them up would be useful!!

It was a scrapyard find. The discs are 288mm from the Laura and the calipers and brackets are from MK1 Octavia. Some variants of that came with 256mm discs, so you will have to do a test fit before buying.

Originally Posted by jithin23

That too the mods are all very functional. I'm surprised that the paddle shifter mod has been left out :P

If at all in getting a VW, I'd be bugging you and Thelizardking for helping me with the mods.

The only gripe with the polo is the rear seat space,it's strictly a 2 seater if 2 6ft people sit in the front

Thanks. I basically have added a lot of the features found in the euro-spec model which makes day to day living easier

The paddle shifter alone is probably worth more than all the mods I've done put together.
I would certainly like to have one, but the cost is too much, and I don't mind the tip-tronic either.

The rear seat space is definitely poor. You can see the photo in post 12 of this thread itself.

[Everlearner]

What an extensive list of mods! It shows how much passionate you are with cars. Wishing you lakhs of KMS on your ride.

[vhharan1]

Viraat, what a Wow thread that defines passion for perfection to the T. Certainly Love for Cars but also defines the detailing that goes behind the scenes to procurement to installing hands-on is super cool. Am sure the learnings & the sheer unique experience is something in itself. Thanks again for taking the time to document & share.

[nklabr]

As a fellow VW GT-TSI owner, it's always a delightful experience to read about YAPGTs! . I am just amazed by your account of mods on this beauty. Reading the in-depth and dense account of your modifications made me like a kid in a gym seeing Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson train. This post is to truly appreciate the effort you have put for those mods.

Also Viraat, I would be happy to catch up offline to know more about the Headlight modifications you made. As you pointed out, my GT-TSI only disappoints me with the headlight's sub-par throw.

[RaghavEvoX]

While this is a superb thread with great details and shows how much passion you have towards cars, the only thought that was running in my mind was 'Why did he spend this much instead of buying a better new car'

But Kudos to your patience and more for documenting everything and sharing in the forum, I loved going through the details.

[Gorkey]

Man you've opened up my eyes. The things you added and modified your car which I thought wasn't even possible. You took the time and effort to correct every little imperfection in the car. Respect bro.

[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by nklabr

Also Viraat, I would be happy to catch up offline to know more about the Headlight modifications you made. As you pointed out, my GT-TSI only disappoints me with the headlight's sub-par throw.

Since you're a newbie, you'll have to open my profile and send a message via email. Will connect with you.

Originally Posted by RaghavEvoX

Why did he spend this much instead of buying a better new car

Hi Raghav,
Not sure if I understand your point.

• Ignoring maintenance bills - any car will have those
• And audio upgrades too - audio bug can be caught with any car; and usually turn out much more expensive (just see the ICE section)

The other work I've done cost as follows:

• Leg room: 5K
• BBK: 20K
• Lights: 15K (although this again one of those things that is upgraded by people who want to upgrade)
• DIY Tools: I had a huge selection of tools to begin with, but let's say I spent 5K augmenting my tool kits with various supplies
• Various mods lump sum: 30K

Total: 80,000.

Considering the above I don't think I've spent an earth shattering sum in making the car more comfortable or enjoyable to me, and INR 80,000 would hardly have taken me into the next league of hatchbacks like a BMW 1 series or A Class.

[ibisbrew]

Originally Posted by Viraat13

DIYs - Basic Tools


This is how your car will probably be looking like during a DIY:
Attachment 2163026

Great car and an equally great thread. I recently acquired a Honda City 2012 and I'm loving every DIY opportunity I get.

I have a rather trivial question but it would be helpful if you could tell me what ratchet set is that in the quoted picture.

I have seen multiple one's like that online, all of them seem similar, but it would be easier for me to decide based on your opinion of the one you've got.

Happy motoring!!

[S.A.N.]

Originally Posted by Viraat13

Choices
The asking price was ~7.75 lakhs, which was negotiated down to 6.3 lakhs. Additionally, I got an exchange value of 75K on my Octy (I would have got ~1 lakh for the car in Himachal, but this was easier, as I drove in with my Octavia and drove out with the Polo).

Great detailed review about the car and mods, love your enthusiasm. I'm new to T-BHP and it's my first time commenting on a post so really unsure if this is the way to quote.
I'm trying to buy a used car for family and will probably only use it on weekends. If you could, tell me how did you manage to get the price down from 7.75Lacs to 6.3Lacs, that's 1.45Lacs reduction in price, never heard about anyone getting such a good bargain on the price, definitely not from a dealer.

[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by ibisbrew

I have a rather trivial question but it would be helpful if you could tell me what ratchet set is that in the quoted picture.

I'm using a Force 46 pc kit. It is popular with all the mechanics here in Delhi, so I figured it must be alright. You could probably see what your local mechs are using and go for one of those. Else Taparia is a safe brand to go for.

Originally Posted by S.A.N.

I'm trying to buy a used car for family and will probably only use it on weekends. If you could, tell me how did you manage to get the price down from 7.75Lacs to 6.3Lacs, that's 1.45Lacs reduction in price, never heard about anyone getting such a good bargain on the price, definitely not from a dealer.

Negotiating with a dealer is like negotiating with a tight fisted client who doesn't want to let go, and I've had my share of those.

The car was on park & sale, which means the dealer hasn't bought the car from the owner but is facilitating the sale and it is up to the owner to decide whether or not to proceed with the offer. It had been let slip that the car had been unsold for 4 weeks or so, so I knew they would be getting eager to sell it and move on. Besides in 2018, the GT TSI was not really in great demand. The market sentiment has changed dramatically since, and everyone is on the lookout for an automatic hatch, hence prices have gone up. You just have to know what's happening in the market while negotiating. Good luck!

[S.A.N.]

Originally Posted by Viraat13

The car was on park & sale, which means the dealer hasn't bought the car from the owner but is facilitating the sale and it is up to the owner to decide whether or not to proceed with the offer. It had been let slip that the car had been unsold for 4 weeks or so, so I knew they would be getting eager to sell it and move on. Besides in 2018, the GT TSI was not really in great demand. The market sentiment has changed dramatically since, and everyone is on the lookout for an automatic hatch, hence prices have gone up. You just have to know what's happening in the market while negotiating. Good luck!

Thank you so much Viraat for sharing your knowledge about it, will help me deal better with the sellers.

And thanks for the awesome detailed thread on your car, look forward to see more updates

[nishchal316]

Originally Posted by Viraat13

Ownership Experience
[*]Climate Control: This is one feature I am happy to forgo for the rest of my life. I am very particular as to how I like the AC to be adjusted and the damn thing keeps reducing or increasing the fan speed of it's own accord. In fact, sometimes it is irritatingly insolent, as demonstrated in the GIF below. [/list]

It is really quite irritating and the only thing I have been able to understand is that when you are accelerating, the fan speed starts going up automatically and when you at a halt, lets say you stop at a traffic light, the fan speed automatically starts reducing. I am not sure why that should be happening but that's all that I have noticed.

[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by nishchal316

It is really quite irritating and the only thing I have been able to understand is that when you are accelerating, the fan speed starts going up automatically and when you at a halt, lets say you stop at a traffic light, the fan speed automatically starts reducing. I am not sure why that should be happening but that's all that I have noticed.

I've not been able to identify any consistent behaviour other than the fact that it is almost always consistently doing the wrong thing.

It is a constant fight with the climate control, but I think it is second nature to adjust the AC how I want it, so as long as I don't notice it - things are fine. My basic setting is temp on LO, and fan on 2 or 3; this is what I keep it at for 85% of the year.

[Thad E Ginathom]

GT TDI, 2014, here... Just to say that I never had any difficulty with the climate control, and that I have always found climate control superior to manual-AC over the years and cars of the past.

Ours stays on 22.5/auto for ever. Only exception is when we need urgent cooling. Mind you, "22.5" is just the setting that works for us: it bears no relation to actual temperature, which is probably more like 25-27. At an actual 22.5, I'd be feeling cold. I think my previous Polo worked well with 22.5 too. Maybe it's the magic number.