[thirdmainroad]

Thank you for the honourable mention! I am happy that you got your sound done in Speedfreaks and that you are satisfied. They are simply phenomenal aren’t they? I’ve gone to so many installers and tried so many different audio products in search for “perfect sound” and I really am glad that I came across Speedfreaks. They are surely not just Chennai’s best audio installation teams, but among the best in the world!

That 1.5 might seem expensive, but I think it’s well worth it if you are in an audiophile. I’ve sat in BMWs, Jaguars, even a Bentley, the Seltos with its boses - and all their sound systems have paled in comparison with my humble WRV! Not only, like you said, can many of the components be carried forward, for good speakers should last a long time and not become outdated, but Speedfreaks actually saved me money for before, I was constantly upgrading my speakers for head unit or such, hoping to hit the sweet spot, before realising its not only the products that matter, but a whole lot lies in tuning and installation.

When I read posts here where people recommend other audio shops in Chennai like VV cars, Jeewaji Techno Tracks etc .. all places I’ve been to, I actually feel so bad because there - people are just going to be sold audio products and they’ll completely miss the experience of a great audio install!

[NTO]

Originally Posted by thirdmainroad

Thank you for the honourable mention! I am happy that you got your sound done in Speedfreaks and that you are satisfied. They are simply phenomenal aren’t they? They are surely not just Chennai’s best audio installation teams, but among the best in the world!

I’ve sat in BMWs, Jaguars, even a Bentley, the Seltos with its boses - and all their sound systems have paled in comparison with my humble WRV! Speedfreaks actually saved me money for before, I was constantly upgrading my speakers for head unit or such, hoping to hit the sweet spot, before realising its not only the products that matter, but a whole lot lies in tuning and installation.

When I read posts here where people recommend other audio shops in Chennai like VV cars, Jeewaji Techno Tracks etc .. all places I’ve been to, I actually feel so bad because there - people are just going to be sold audio products and they’ll completely miss the experience of a great audio install!

Sir, I should thank you for your review initially. I have done the exact same things and have spent serious time and money in search of the perfect audio. Finally found it in my backyard. I have been a very long term customer of Jeewajee. However, as you rightly mentioned, they sell audio products and Speedfreaks gives you an experience. I would straight away not throw Jeewaajee under the bus, all his suggestions have been good so far. They are really good when it comes to things like seat covers, floor mats, etc but, audio requires some knowledge and cannot be done by anyone and everyone.

[contact.nitin7]

Originally Posted by NTO

Mine was imported from Thailand. Now I believe they are making it in Delhi. Any aftermarket accessory shop should have them. My unit costed 28K for the assembly, and 11K*2 for the HID kit and installation was free of cost.

There are a lot of makers/importers in Delhi NCR of the same.

But the problem I faced with them is the light is not so efficient the throw is very small, the intensity/brightness is too less compared to any Company or any other OEM manufacturer.

I changed - to new stock headlamps with LED lamps, and I am now a little satisfied.

[Thyag]

Originally Posted by NTO

Audio Upgrade on my Vento TDi

Wow, great upgrade.The Long trips are going to be very pleasant & vibrant inside the vehicle. The sound proofing also seems very good, that is an additional advantage in the upgrade.The team has done an awesome work indeed .

My only gripe being the subwoofer which eats up some boot space, anyway when you are an audiophile nothing matters .

[jalajprakash]

Originally Posted by NTO

4. 3 layer damping on the doors

I have a 2018 Polo GT TSI and am quite satisfied with the sound in my car but I am looking to get damping in the doors and under my seats in the Polo to make the car really silent otherwise. Could you please share the approximate cost of only the damping?

[jaguar.runs]

A good audio install will always put a smile on your face whenever you drive it!

A quick question though, was the subwoofer enclosure custom made as per the specification in the Hertz user manual? The reason why I am asking is, I am using a HX250D and the the subwoofer mounted on a box "made to spec" sounded much better than mounted in a generic "off the shelf" box.

[NTO]

Originally Posted by contact.nitin7

I changed - to new stock headlamps with LED lamps, and I am now a little satisfied.

Lately, I also feel that the low beam throw is not sufficient. Will look for another set up soon/shift to stock.

Originally Posted by Thyag

My only gripe being the subwoofer which eats up some boot space, anyway when you are an audiophile nothing matters .

Small price to pay for the gain. However, Vento's boot is sufficiently big to negate the damage

Originally Posted by jalajprakash

I have a 2018 Polo GT TSI and am quite satisfied with the sound in my car but I am looking to get damping in the doors and under my seats in the Polo to make the car really silent otherwise. Could you please share the approximate cost of only the damping?

A full insulation can set you back by up to 1 lac. Including floor, wheel arches, roof, doors, hood and boot.

Originally Posted by jaguar.runs

A quick question though, was the subwoofer enclosure custom made as per the specification in the Hertz user manual? The reason why I am asking is, I am using a HX250D and the the subwoofer mounted on a box "made to spec" sounded much better than mounted in a generic "off the shelf" box.

Yes this one was specially made to the specification. There were space saver options but, that would've compromised on the performance of the sub.

[NTO]

Vento Update - 73600 km.

Since the start of the lockdown Vento has not run much. The last service happened in February and since then the car has been driven only 5000 km.

Tyre Change
Rs. 31000 (inclusive of old tyre exchange, balancing and alignment)
The car's tyres were due for replacement. This is the third set. The second set were Conti MC5 195/55 16s. This time I went with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 205/50 ZR16s. MC5s lasted 41000 km and still had a 1000 km of life left. However, frequent micro punctures started to happen. The OEM Apollo Alnacs lasted only 30000 km. MC5s were very comfortable till the end of their life and road noise was also unobtrusive till they were replaced.
A few pictures from BM Lal tyres






Replaced damaged wheel hub
Rs. 9100 (Wheel Hub, wheel bearing, 5 bolts, Lathe charges and Labour)
Rs. 1300 (One momo hub cap)

Not sure if it was due to age or wrong handling of spanners, the threads in the front right hub cap were damaged. I sent the car to Jai Prakash and got the wheel hub replaced. In the process, one of the momo wheel hub cap went missing. I had to replace that as well.

Missing hub cap.


Indicator and wiper stalk

Rs. 10600 (7800 part and 2800 labour)

After the audio install at Speed Freaks, occasionally when I used the pass switch, the audio from the new setup used to get cut off for a few seconds and would be back up. This happened a couple of times and I informed Karthik at Speed freaks.
I dropped the car there and they diagnosed it to be due to a short circuit in the pass switch. Apparently, the steering mounted audio control and the pass switch have been connected to the same wiring harness and when this short circuit happens, the steering mounted audio control sends blank signals to the audio head unit.
The new setup in the car takes signal from the high output of the head unit and this blank signal from the steering mounted audio control paused the audio output for a second or two.









After this replacement, I did two highway trips and this audio pausing frequency has reduced but not completely gone. It happened once on a 200 km round trip and thrice on a 800 km round trip.

I have informed Karthik regarding the same. He is now suggesting to try a hi-low converter in the setup. I hope this gets fixed soon!

Lesson learnt from the entire process is that, it is better to not meddle with the car's electronics. Vento is a simple car in terms of electronics. If so many problems can be created in Vento, I can only imagine what could happen in a much more complex car!

Infamous wheel speed sensor

Rs 3000 (Part 2500, Labour 500).

In the first 200 kms road trip, the ABS light started to pop up. I had planned a 800 km round trip the following week for my son's first tonsure in my family temple. Took the car to Jai Prakash. He connected his computer to the OBD port and the diagnosis suggested a faulty wheel speed sensor in the rear right wheel. Got it replaced and error codes were cleared. The issue did not occur again.

The wheel speed sensor


So, as mentioned before, I went to the temple of my family deity at Thanthondri Malai near Karur, Tamil Nadu, 390 Km one way. This trip was for the pending first tonsure for my son. I was the only driver and I had to return the same day because we were skeptical to stay anywhere with this ongoing pandemic. The trip was economical (780 kms with 330 kms left on DTE) and comfortable for the passengers. As the only driver, my left leg gave up due to Vento's clutch at the end of the trip. The car performed flawlessly though.

A couple of shots from the highway




Ayudha Puja 2020

[mbz180]

Lovely reading NTO! Made my day.

I just bought a pre-worshipped Dec 2018 Vento 1.5 TDI (manual) with extended warranty & 13k kms on the odo from the first owner & am loving the car. I did a 460 kms journey in the Vento over this past weekend. I started with a full tank & it's dropped by only 1/4th! The MID shows an average FE of 20.6 kmpl & let's just say I did not drive with a light foot

I have a few questions not just for you but other former & present Vento owners here:

a) Is there a significant difference between the performance of the Vento 1.6 tdi & the later 1.5 tdi? I find the torque & in-gear acceleration very good.

b) The reverse parking sensor beeps annoy me & make me panic. Even if there is a tall blade of grass they go bonkers. And the rear visibility is poor. I really miss a reversing camera. I'd like to retain the classy looks of the OEM Rcd320 & would like to install an upgraded OEM unit with rear camera function & a rear camera. Where do I buy the OEM unit & which model along with the rear camera without any worries about VW not honouring warranty.

c) Tyres: With just 13.5k kms on the clock, the stock Goodyear tyres have a lot of life in them but if I do replace them now, what size & exact make is recommended which will improve handling & at the same time not compromise too much on ride quality.

d) Is the Race Dynamics Dieseltronic unit suited to the 1.5 TDI?

e) My understanding is the OEM headlamps lack relays. I find the headlamp illumination just about average. Without VW getting upset with warranty etc., is there any simple bulb upgrade (exact model) that does not require splicing wires, installing relays and will not damage the OEM double barrel reflectors? I would love to install the current LED set-up on the latest Ventos but I think they cost around 50k each!

f) My car seems to lack the roll up/roll down window function on the long press of the lock/unlock buttons on the key fob. The first owner confirmed he tried it & it never worked. His 5 year old Rapid was next to his Vento & on his Rapid it worked. Did VW India do away with this function in later cars & can it be enabled by VAG software/VCDS.

Observations:

I agree with all the points you have highlighted.

The clutch release is very springy & fierce. You need to get used to it.

I find the electrically assisted steering vague. My Ford Fiesta with hydraulic assist is a joy in comparison.

I love the cruise control feature! On long empty stretches, I found it useful & the 1.5 tdi engine is well suited to cruise control.

Lack of motorised folding ext mirrors is missed. In the Fiesta, their absence is not a problem since rear visibility is good & the rear view mirror gives a view of the entire length of the rear windscreen. On the Vento, the smallish rear view mirror & limited rear visibility necessitates using the LHS ext mirror. In over 20 years of driving, I haven't had the need to use the ext LHS mirror (I have a couple of classic cars & guys like us are used to a single mirror!). Since I live in a congested area, power folding mirrors would have been a boon to avoid damaging the LHS mirror.

My mother was in the car & it started raining. She thought there was a hailstorm. I know through team bhp write-ups that Vento headliner insulation is poor & raindrops on the roof sound much louder inside the car than other similar cars. It was really loud inside even though it was a medium intensity rain shower.

Once again, great article & helpful comments from others. Thank you!

A couples of pics of my Vento bought 3 weeks ago, white with OEM black vinyl wrap roof, black alloys, black side strips & boot lip spoiler & black ext mirrors. Stock so far!

Regards,

Prithvi

[SaiSW]

Just came across this thread. Brilliant read. I hope you keep the car. They don't make them like that no more. Our market will never again see such a engine + transmission combo ever again.

The 1.5 Figo TDCi is close in it's madness but the power delivery is more linear compared to your 1.6.

[Amsdoc]

Originally Posted by mbz180

I have a few questions not just for you but other former & present Vento owners here:
a) Is there a significant difference between the performance of the Vento 1.6 tdi & the later 1.5 tdi? I find the torque & in-gear acceleration very good.
c) Tyres: With just 13.5k kms on the clock, the stock Goodyear tyres have a lot of life in them but if I do replace them now, what size & exact make is recommended which will improve handling & at the same time not compromise too much on ride quality.
e) My understanding is the OEM headlamps lack relays. I find the headlamp illumination just about average. Without VW getting upset with warranty etc., is there any simple bulb upgrade (exact model) that does not require splicing wires, installing relays and will not damage the OEM double barrel reflectors? I would love to install the current LED set-up on the latest Ventos but I think they cost around 50k each!

I find the electrically assisted steering vague. My Ford Fiesta with hydraulic assist is a joy in comparison.
Prithvi

Hi, Congratulations on your new Vento! She looks beautiful with those black alloys. I can attempt to answer some of your questions based on my experience.
The 1.6 Vento was superb..definitely better than the 1.5. Especially the pulling power in 2/3 gears was just awesome....made overtakes very easy.

I haven't had great experience with Goodyears. You should definitely change for a better drive/comfort. Question is do you want to upgrade the size of alloys to 16 and change those sweet black rims or not. I had Conti MCX on mine with R16s and Michelin PS before that. Both were superb. The Michelins were probably a bit softer so they wore out a bit quicker. Chose your rim size and get conti or michelins and you will find definite improvement in road noise, comfort and grip.

My 1.6 Vento had a single reflector set up so not sure of options for double barrel. But the stock lights were very bad. I had initially changed to a xenon with relay et all, but later found very good plug and play LEDS that were superb and only cost 7k each. I am sure you will find some LED bulb setup for the double barrels

The steering on the Vento is not bad and you will get used to it soon. There is no comparison with the Fiesta steering which I had as well. But overall it does drive well with little understeer and it manoeuvres well in ghats.

[NTO]

Originally Posted by mbz180

Lovely reading NTO! Made my day.

Apologies for the very late reply. Your car looks dashing in the different shade of white. Mine is the candy white color! Let me try to answer your questions to the best of my ability.

Originally Posted by mbz180

a) Is there a significant difference between the performance of the Vento 1.6 tdi & the later 1.5 tdi? I find the torque & in-gear acceleration very good.

1.6 TDi has a sudden burst of torque compared to the linear acceleration of the 1.5 TDi. I love the 1.6's characteristics but 1.5 is more friendly and usable in the real world. Cruising ability should be more or less the same in both the engines.

Originally Posted by mbz180

b) The reverse parking sensor beeps annoy me & make me panic. Even if there is a tall blade of grass they go bonkers. And the rear visibility is poor. I really miss a reversing camera. I'd like to retain the classy looks of the OEM Rcd320 & would like to install an upgraded OEM unit with rear camera function & a rear camera. Where do I buy the OEM unit & which model along with the rear camera without any worries about VW not honouring warranty.

You can get the OEM RCD 340 HU and install the factory cameras without tampering with the existing wires. All these are plug and play installs. If you were in Chennai or Bangalore, I could've helped you source both of these. But, in Kolkata, you need to scout around a little bit.

Originally Posted by mbz180

c) Tyres: With just 13.5k kms on the clock, the stock Goodyear tyres have a lot of life in them but if I do replace them now, what size & exact make is recommended which will improve handling & at the same time not compromise too much on ride quality.

If you are going to retain the stock wheels, 195/60r15 would be a good size. If you are going for a 16", go for 205/50/r16. I used MC5s of the latter size earlier and now using Michelin pilot sport 4s. Pilot Sports are better in handling (read marginally) but, MC5s were significantly quieter and more comfortable. I would suggest to run these tyres until 40K on the odo and then replace, just to save the few bucks.

Originally Posted by mbz180

d) Is the Race Dynamics Dieseltronic unit suited to the 1.5 TDI?

No Idea as I have not done any alteration to performance. However, I would suggest to get a custom map done by TOT or Petes if you are in for a performance tuning. Custom maps suit your needs better.

Originally Posted by mbz180

e) My understanding is the OEM headlamps lack relays. I find the headlamp illumination just about average. Without VW getting upset with warranty etc., is there any simple bulb upgrade (exact model) that does not require splicing wires, installing relays and will not damage the OEM double barrel reflectors? I would love to install the current LED set-up on the latest Ventos but I think they cost around 50k each!

My civic has the twin barrel setup. I have installed Auxbeam LEDs 8000 lumen. They have a slight tinge of yellow color. So they do not scatter with dust or rain and provide phenomenal visibility. Also, their installation is plug and play and will work with stock headlamp unit reflectors. In addition to this, the power consumption is only 35W and your electrical system will never get over loaded, negating the need for a relay.

Originally Posted by mbz180

f) My car seems to lack the roll up/roll down window function on the long press of the lock/unlock buttons on the key fob. The first owner confirmed he tried it & it never worked. His 5 year old Rapid was next to his Vento & on his Rapid it worked. Did VW India do away with this function in later cars & can it be enabled by VAG software/VCDS.

It can be enabled. Any tuner or your VW service centre should be able to do this for you. Also get the lane change indicator to 5 flashes when you are getting the windows done.

Originally Posted by SaiSW

Just came across this thread. Brilliant read. I hope you keep the car. They don't make them like that no more. Our market will never again see such a engine + transmission combo ever again.

The 1.5 Figo TDCi is close in it's madness but the power delivery is more linear compared to your 1.6.

Very true. Retaining the car for the foreseeable future. My choices are also the same. I love the 1.5 TDci after the 1.6 TDi

[nutcracker]

I own a 2014 Vento Diesel 1.5.
While overall I am very happy with the car, there are some problems that neither me nor the VW guys are able to solve:

1. Rear parking sensor issue:
It is malfunctioning. When I engage the Reverse gear, instead of the normal beep I get a lengthy high pitch beep, which I guess means "malfunction". On somee odd days it works though. It's pretty random. The VW guys say I'll have too replace it, which costs aa whopping 8500 INR.

I can get an aftermarket sense for around Rs. 2500 but I don't prefer them because they install aa separate unit for thee beep, and they feel cheap.

I'm sure there is an electrical problem with thee rear parking sensor that can be soolved by a skilled electrician. Any leads on how I go about troubleshooting this problem?

2. Car air ventilation faulty
When when the air-ventilation is engaged to not take air from outside, whenever I'm driving across a sewage like area, the odour seeps in like the seal is just not engaged. VW engineers have given up on this.

[JoshMachine]

Originally Posted by nutcracker

I'm sure there is an electrical problem with thee rear parking sensor that can be soolved by a skilled electrician. Any leads on how I go about troubleshooting this problem?

Getting it done from aftermarket might affect the warranty bit, if you have availed of it.

When when the air-ventilation is engaged to not take air from outside, whenever I'm driving across a sewage like area, the odour seeps in like the seal is just not engaged. VW engineers have given up on this.

This is an oft-occurring problem. The only way is to get that checked multiple times, also to replace the air filter if not done already.

[kalpak2021]

Hey guys,

I own a 2011 Vento 1.6 TDI (CLNA) Highline. The car has been an absolute joy to drive but an absolute nightmare to maintain. I probably would have spent nearly 3 lakhs in last two years only on maintenance. And by maintenance it includes a full engine rebuild, a new turbo (the engine had seized due a failed turbo), a suspension overhaul, multiple injector failures (a known cause for trouble) and minor wear and tear issues.

After all these years, I just cannot get myself to part ways with this car. It is the first proper car I've owned and driven. Even to date, the car revs quite happily, almost as if it is begging to be unleashed (anyone who's driven a turbo TDI would agree). There are plenty of scratches and dents on the car at the moment. It has been subordinated to my salesman for his travelling purposes. I am now planning to get him a used Alto or something and bring back the Vento back home and restore it.

I am looking for a reliable FNG (preferably in the north Bangalore) who can check the condition of the car/engine. I have never gotten a second opinion on the rebuild so I would look for someone who has worked on VWs previously. Secondly, while at it I would like to get the car repainted completely.

I am new here and have discovered my passion for cars very recently, so pls excuse if I sound naive or ignorant.

Regards,
Kalpak Khemka