[300 KMPH]

Hello Bhpians! I’m late to the party. There have been Bhpians updating their ownership reviews of their Ventos from day 1 with full dedication. I was not at all into writing a review of my car but recently saw my friend’s Jetta’s review on Tbhp (Vishy76), so that kind of changed my mind. Also, since my car is more than 7 years old, I thought that this might be the correct time to write about the experience with this product so that readers could get a good insight as Team-Bhp is so influential that guest readers do hop into this forum for some concrete & honest experiences. Writing a review is not just a fun-factor or a test of patience, it is a responsibility as well, because there could be people reading this & will be thus putting their hard-earned money on a vehicle based upon the review.

Before the review, let me quickly go through the Likes & Dislikes:

Likes:

1. Reliability & long service-interval (15,000 kms / 365 days)
2. Fantastic balance of Performance & Fuel Economy (Min: 14.5 kpl, Max: 20 kpl)
3. Build quality (Best for bumper to bumper traffic)
4. Ride quality (especially high speed rough patches)
5. Interior quality (Very minimal wear & tear)
6. Smooth gearbox
7. Paint quality (Very hard to ruin the gloss)
8. Music system output

Dislikes:

1. Loud engine clatter which increases with age
2. Instrumentation looked dated in 2013, now looks outdated
3. Loud suspension & feels soft sometimes
4. Clutch is heavy to operate
5. Plastic mudflaps scrape everywhere which make a scary noise
6. Expensive Bodywork
7. Dead Pedal absent

RECAP:

We had a 2003 Tata Indica LSI MPFI 16Bit Microprocessor 75 BHP Petrol. A sleeper in its own way with a free flow exhaust with Coral Green shade which was supposedly the first car in Mumbai with that shade, or maybe in India. We had the car for around 9 years & used it for only 43k kms. It was now time to upgrade. Tata spoiled us by its space & comfort, & build quality. So, the next car had to be robust.



21st March, 2013:

We booked the Volkswagen Vento TDI Highline without even test driving it. The Polo was test driven by my brother but we booked the Vento for its interior space & boot space.

23rd March, 2013:

Car’s PDI was carried out by my brother. He just had a walkaround of the car, saw the odo reading & left. That’s it!







24th March, 2013 to 28th March, 2013:

The trusty old Indica was sold to Volkswagen Downtown, Mumbai by giving it a respectable farewell on 24th March, 2013. On 28th March, 2013, the VW was delivered to us. It was the first German car of our family.



It was a time when the Vento was booming with its image of expensive spares & unreliable life of parts like injectors for example. But there were no options good options in diesels in that segment which could satisfy our requirements as an Indica replacement.

I was studying in Nasik so I was not there for the delivery due to my college hours. The car was driven to Nasik on the very next day & I almost spent my entire day in the car exploring the limited yet useful features. That’s when I had its first photoshoot.

[300 KMPH]

After 2000 kms, knowing the oil drinking habits of VW, we topped up the oil from a local garage to its optimum level. In 6 months, the car covered 10,000 kms. There was nothing abnormal to report apart from wiper blades giving up in the first rainy season itself. They were replaced from Nasik’s service centre Shreekripa Automotive.

Some more when the car was between 1500-2000 kms.






10,000 kms:

Within 6 months, car crossed 10,000 kms running normally just like day 1.



67,000 kms:



The car only went through regular maintenance till now. Till 67,000 kms, only maintenance car went through was fluid change & brake pads. No unnecessary surprises till now but things took a violent turn cosmetically.

On Nasik highway at 7 am in the morning, a dear family member was driving the car downhill when suddenly cows came out of nowhere on a turn. The car was stopped in time but sadly, the Quails behind my car with a bull bar rammed into my car at 100+ kph followed by an entry-level hatchback (Spark I suppose) which rear ended the Quails.

Thankfully, no one was injured but my car had turned into a Volkswagen Ameo. Since there was no help available at early morning, it was observed that the car was mechanically running fine. So, the car was driven back to Shreekripa Automotive in Nasik which was around 90 kms from the crash site.

Upon arrival, the guys at Shreekripa couldn’t believe their eyes. The dealership employees couldn’t believe that the driver of the car was unhurt & the car was not hampered mechanically. There were really worried about the driver. There was slight body ache which was cured in next 2 days without any special care.

More than 2 months were taken for the car to be repaired. The dealership had never performed such an exhaustive repair. It was a learning lesson for them as well. The final bill was close to 3.5L out of which 17,000 bucks were not covered by the insurance.

Parts changed:

1. Entire boot including the interior part of boot storage.
2. Both the rear fenders
3. Both taillights
4. Rear bumper
5. Rear mudflaps

On 30th March, 2016, the car came back home just after its 3rd birthday. The car was reborn & the repairing job was very well executed & we were thoroughly impressed. The car was running perfectly fine with no squeaks & rattles at all. To avoid any rust issues, the underbody of the rear end was also painted. Here she is shining altogether again.






NOTE: There is some water leak into the spare wheel area. I’ve opened up one drain hole permanently so the water doesn’t stay stagnant & drains off directly to the ground. I couldn't give my car to the service centre again due to time constraints as I need my car everyday. Though I have a spare car with me, it doesn't tick all boxes like this one.

[300 KMPH]

90,000 KMS:

Again, there were no issues whatsoever apart from regular fluid change & wear & tear parts. The battery was replaced somewhere in 2016 as VW suggested to. On a long trip, the brake pads gave up 100%. The car was stopping decently but was making horrible grinding noise. This even caused the brake discs to give up. This was the first time the brake discs were replaced since purchase.

1,00,000 KMS:



In July 2017, the Volkswagen Vento crossed 1,00,000 KMS without any hiccups in its journey of 4 years. Touchwood, it was running extremely well. Never expected it to a VW to be so reliable & yet stand strong even after such a major accident.

1,05,000 KMS:

On our way back to Nasik from Kalyan, the biggest fear in a VW owner’s life was coming along. Glow plug light started flashing on the highway that too in the midnight. There was no misbehaviour from the car but still a warning light is a warning light & it is an uncomfortable sight, especially if its German, & very specifically if it’s a VW.



The car was shown to the dealership. Nothing was detected in the scanner & the car was sent back home with a clean chit. In a few days, the light came up again & since there were many other projects coming up, we decided to ignore it & solider on. For good company, even the Check Engine Light joined the Glow Plug warning light within a few days. These warnings were not permanent but used to come & go occasionally.

Post 1,05,000 kms, the real use of our car was going to start. There was a horrible road on the outskirts of Nasik which no sedan owner ever wanted to drive on. But buying a new car just for a bad road wasn’t the most economical solution & the Vento had to be used. We even thought of using the car on this road & then letting it go after the project is completed. I’m sharing a youtube link to give an idea of the quality of the road on which the car was used.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdZW10Oozdk

1,16,000 kms:

This was a time for a disaster. As mentioned earlier, the roads were in horrible condition. A slight distraction & one would end up scraping the underbelly of the car. In 2018, same thing happened. The car hit a super massive ditch. In 5 mins, there was a low oil warning light & locals pointed out that something is leaking below the car. The car was still driven as the area wasn’t very friendly & the car was then stopped after 2-3 kms. The worst had happened.

The bottom part of the engine had got badly damaged & all the oil leaked within 2 KMS. The car was towed to the service centre. Though the car was manually switched off, we were not sure if the engine was alright or it had seized. The front bumper had also taken a hit from the bottom.




On 28th March 2018, the car came back home fully repaired. The Service Advisor told us there though there was heavy repair performed externally, the engine was completely alright & it is running completely fine so didn’t even touch the engine. All the other dents on the car were also taken care of & the total bill was around 80,000 bucks. Insurance took care of most of the bill.



The timing belt was also replaced. The timing chain kit costed 13,000 bucks alone.

Breakdown:

1st May is observed as Maharashtra Day in the state of Maharashtra so each & every shop is shut as it is a public holiday. The car running normally, no abnormal signs or any funny behaviour was observed. The car was stopped at a shop to buy some necessities. And there you go! The car refused to crank! Luckily, this was close to my place of residence. So I went with my other car & found a major workshop open. I took him to the Vento with jumper cables & the car started. There was only 1 battery shop found open on that day. The only battery we could find was ‘Power Zone’. It is orange in colour & looks very funny in the engine bay. The capacity of battery is more than the standard VW’s battery & the price was decent. Can’t remember the exact specifications now but I would suggest one thing that never ever go for the OE battery of Volkswagen. It fails without any warning.

1,47,000 kms:

Time for an overhaul! As the car was already ageing, the clutch had become hard but was not slipping. Suspension had become bouncy & the steering rack was slightly making some noise.

This was the first time the mechanical parts of the car were touched & the following parts were replaced:

1. New Clutch
2. New Suspension
3. New Steering Rack
4. New Brake Discs (2nd time after 90,000 kms)

There was also some denting & painting on the boot & the total bill was around 80,000 bucks. The car got its first foam wash in its life and a basic interior detail. I was happy to see that the car looked very fresh despite its age.

[300 KMPH]

1,60,000 kms:

At 1,58,000 kms, I had observed that car’s coolant was turning into water a few thousand kms after the service. I got the coolant refilled from a local mechanic who put Green coloured coolant instead of Pink G12 Coolant which VW recommends. My car touched 1,60,000 kms in the 2020 rains & I observed that the engine fan was running in rainy season. It usually runs only in summer season or in heavy traffic & I was driving on an open road. That’s when I realised my coolant tank had gone empty. I immediately figured out that this has to be the water pump. So I refilled the tank with water & drove 60 kms back home comfortably.

After 2 days, I reopened the coolant tank & found it empty. For safety, got the car towed to the service centre, & we detected that it was the water pump. Anyway, the car was due for a service. This was the first time when the 365 days came earlier than 15,000 kms. Thanks to the lockdown.





Since the leaking coolant had made the timing belt wet, the advisor recommended to change the timing belt also with the water pump. The total bill including service came up at 22,000 bucks. Picture of the car back home from the service centre.



1,62,000 kms:

Today, my car is at 1,62,000 kms. It’s a beautiful machine. Runs perfect & can cruise unlimited miles without even batting an eyelid. My car hasn’t visited unbelievable locations as such but has seen Mumbai – Nasik highway throughout its life. I don’t want to part with this car ever. The car is been with me since my college. I also wish to get back my Tata Indica (MH 01 MA 3146) which is in Akola as per VAHAN’s database. If you find any leads, do let me know.

Attaching some latest pics of the car after DIY detailing at home.

[300 KMPH]

To sum it up, let me give you a quick insight on the car by dividing the various departments:

Engine & Transmission

The engine & transmission are tuned very nicely & are a perfect match. The engine has become very loud & clattery after so many kilometres especially during cold starts. VW should have learned from Hyundai on how to make a refined engine. But, the car still performs like a new car & flies in any gear. It does throw out black smoke under super hard acceleration but the performance even after 7 years has not been hampered by even 1%. I'm still able to give surprises to much bigger cars. Overtaking is not a problem & in-gear acceleration is very enthusiastic as well.

The gearbox isn't as perfect as a brand new VW but it still shifts smoothly. There is some grinding in engaging reverse gear. Apart from that, there are absolutely no complaints & the short-throw gearbox is still a joy to use.

Ride Quality & Handling

Again, an excellent balance between the two though not the best. The car absorbs all the rough patches even at triple digit speeds & handles expansion joints with ease. The car can become bouncy at higher speeds on expansion joints but those speeds are rather unrealistic for National Highways. No bad jolts are ever felt in the car but as mentioned earlier, the suspension is loud. No funny noises from chassis even today after so much abuse. Just like most European cars, the faster you go, the better it gets.

The handling is very much safe & predictable & I've not faced understeer till date. Maybe the car is supremely engineered or else I am not pushing it hard enough, lol. The sheer torque of the engine compensates for everything. Even if I take a line incorrectly in a corner, the torque can pull you back in the line if you're at controllable speeds. This is one of the rarer cars in which I can correct my lines by using the accelerator as well just like the brakes. Taking corners on a flyover with expansion joints is the best part because most of the cars lose composure in such type of conditions but the Vento soldiers on without any trouble.

Brakes & Suspension

The brakes are sure-footed & car stops in time. You're better of using engine braking while slowing down as braking becomes a comfortable affair & also increases life of the pads. The brake pad wear is something I have not been able to understand completely as sometimes they give up in 15,000 kms & sometimes they survive upto 30,000 kms. There is no nose-dive at all no matter what speeds you brake at. There are some instances where you have to tail-gate & that's when I feel that the brakes could be better. Though they are very progressive, they could've been a bit sharper. Maybe I'm complaining unnecessarily?

The suspension is very tough on this car. It can go through most horrible parts of the road & can still remain unharmed. The suspension was changed at 1,47,000 kms for the first time as I had mentioned earlier. The suspension had become bouncy & was changed as preventive maintenance. We were told that even when the old suspension was changed, there were no leaks found in the old suspension. The suspension was not perfect but still doing fine as per the service advisor.

Interior

I've seen newer cars with worn-out interior & used far lesser than the Vento but the leather seats of the Vento still look fresh & the upholstery has not been torn at all. All the buttons inside are working perfectly well & the quality of switches is top class. Getting-in & getting out is very tough, especially from the rear seat as they are sloping you've to lift yourselves while getting out which is not good for elderly people. Front seats are the worst. The suspension compensates for that but they provide no support whatsoever. It's exact opposite of the Swift where the ride quality is horrible but front seats compensate for that horrible ride.

The dashboard colour has appeared to change a bit & that can be easily felt looking at the airbag cover. There is a mismatch between the dashboard colour & airbag cover. The harsh sunlight of Nasik has taken its toll. It has seen temperature from 9 degree Celsius to 45 degree Celsius. But overall, it is still very solid & doesn't vibrate or rattle at all.

[300 KMPH]

Miscellaneous:

1. I made a very nice friend due to this car who also happens to be on Team-Bhp. I met him on Instagram & he had a tastefully modded Vento from D.A.D. Mumbai which was trending in 2014-15 era when wraps were relatively new in the market.




2. My brother got married in 2016 & his wife’s family also owned a white 2012 Vento TDI. A couple like no other! Now that car is replaced with a BS4 Rapid TDI DSG. (Last batch 2020)




3. Let’s see the details of cosmetic parts:
- FR Bumper: 2 times
- Hood: Painted 2 times
- FR LHS Fender: Painted Once
- FR RHS Fender: Painted 3 times
- RR RHS Door: Painted Once
- RR LHS Fender: Replaced once, painted 2 times
- RR RHS Fender: Replaced once, painted 2 times
- Boot: Replaced once, painted 3 times
- RR Bumper: Replaced once, painted once
- FR Windshield: Replaced 2 times
- LHS Headlamp: Replaced once (Lens & Reflector)
- LHS & RHS Taillamp: Replaced once

4. The car is running on 4th set of tyres
Goodyear Assurance Triplemax (185/65/R15)

5. The car has also carried cement bags for 52 kms. It looked like the real suspension had collapsed that’s how loaded the car was.

6. The Air Conditioning system never malfunctioned till now & has been untouched till date

7. One of the alloys had cracked due to the existence of poor roads in the commute is what I suppose. The rim was fixed in 1500 bucks from a tyre shop. In the process, the hubcap was stolen & I had to order a new hubcap which costed me 700 bucks.



8. I had lost the front foglamp chrome cover at around 1,30,000 kms. VW asked me to buy entire piece for 1300 bucks which I didn’t. Later, I order both the trim pieces online for 700 bucks (genuine parts)

9. Headlamps were upgraded to Philips 100/90W in 2013 itself. After 2 years, they started acting up & started failing repeatedly. So 6000k Philips HIDs were fitted on the car. The setup survived for 2016 to 2019 & it was very reliable. The beam wasn’t great & due to constant heating it burnt my LHS headlight assembly.

I went to VW to install new headlamp which was costing me 5,000 bucks & was not available in stock. Went to the scrapyard, replaced the headlamp reflector & lens which costed me 1400 bucks. I went for halogen setup Philips 100/130W. The shop owner told me that if you’re lucky, this setup might survive for 6 months, maximum. It’s more than a year now & they are still working nicely.

10. Apart from GTI grille & an aftermarket lip spoiler, we didn’t spend a single rupee on any accessories. Even the floor mats are universal floor mats provided by the dealer at the time of purchase. The driver’s side matte is now giving up slowly. I’ve put up the stock grille again as the GTI grille was looking tired.

11. I have been doing DIY detailing to keep the paint shining since Jan-2020. It is not a very professional job but keeps the car looking fresh to say the least.

12. With some careful driving, the car gets a range of 1,000 kms. I have made a record of the least & the maximum mileage from this car in 2020 itself.

Min: 14.5 kpl
Max: 20 kpl

(Tank to Tank method city + highway)

13. Maximum I’ve driven in a month was in May 2019 where I had done 5,000 kms in a month.

14. In 2018-2019, the car was almost driven for 105 kms daily excluding Mumbai – Nasik trips.

15. I’m 6 ft. 1 inch tall. While removing the bottle from driver’s side door pad while driving, there is always a fear of my knee touching the key & the car getting turned off while driving. I’ve to be very careful with that.

16. The Check Engine Light & Glow plug light still come & go. They might be related to EGR, Injectors or MAF Sensor. Instead of stressing it out a lot, I’ll just keep on driving till I face any major issue. I don’t want to fiddle with the factory fittings.

17. There was dent in C pillar & boot as a tree branch had fell on the car. The car was given to the service centre for repainting & unfortunately, lockdown was declared by the Government. As a result, the car was stuck in the service centre for almost 2 months. Thankfully, the car was parked inside the paint booth & there was hardly any dust on it. The body shop manager told me that the car started in first crank without any drama & was in a healthy condition.

18. The driver side power window used to act funny in rainy season since past 2-3 years. I asked the service centre to look into it & I was asked to change the entire switch costing 5500 bucks. I showed this to a local workshop which deals with only Euro cars in Nasik. The switch was just opened & cleaned & it started working normally. The bill was 0.

19. Even if you’re in the wrong gear, power delivery never gets jerky. The power delivery is really strong from 2000 to 4000 rpm & can eat most of the cars in the straights & also in the corners. The way it wheelspins in 2nd gear in corners always makes me smile.

20. The road where the car was abused at the maximum (youtube link above) has now been reconstructed. It now as smooth as silk. The car & the road, both have grown together. In fact, the suspension was changed as soon as the road construction was complete.

21. Last but not the least, the cost of one service is around 15,000 bucks if there are no other repairs to be performed.

A journey from 2013 to 2020 & still a long way to go. The car has crossed 1,62,000 kms. This pic is 2 weeks old.



I hope I keep on building more memories with this car & I want to have it my garage for the longest possible time. I may have missed or skipped many other stories but I wish I’ll reserve a few of them. That is the story of my reliable Volkswagen Vento. Just as the tagline said, ‘BEST IN CLASS GERMAN ENGINEERING IS HERE, THE NEW VOLKSWAGEN VENTO’. Whatever they claimed is absolutely turning out to be true. I shall update this thread time to time.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[el lobo 6061]

Thank you for this detailed thread.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading every bit and could relate to it. Even we had Indica V2 DLS'03.

VW 1.6 TDi was a revelation back then in 2011 and could do unimaginable speeds in no time.

Your thread gives confidence, if you have a competent VW Authorized Workshop and do regular service interval, this car will last a lifetime.

Now I'm thinking to update my Vento TDi Mar'2011 "Dark Knight" thread which has been due since Dec 2016.

Originally Posted by 300 KMPH

Today, my car is at 1,62,000 kms. It’s a beautiful machine. Runs perfect & can cruise unlimited miles without even batting an eyelid. My car hasn’t visited unbelievable locations as such but has seen Mumbai – Nasik highway throughout its life. I don’t want to part with this car ever. The car is been with me since my college.

Same here. Will retain this car as long as possible unless NGT plays spoilsport with their policies.

Till today there is no C-segment sedan that can match VW Vento 1.6 TDi even after a decade.

[saisailendra]

Beautiful ownership thread.

Vento is a great car for high mileage owners, and probably the best diesel in that segment during those times, for munching miles.
And your interior too is looking as good as new in the last pics. Very well maintained, one must say.

I wish you have many more years and KMs with your car.

I was wondering, after the first accident, when a Qualis read ended into your Vento, you mentioned that both rear fenders were changed. Does that mean they've also changed the roof ? I'm curious as the roof and fenders are one unit.

[Varun_HexaGuy]

You managed to complete the ownership report in a day? I'm impressed I started an ownership thread on my Polo ages ago in the lockdown. Was halfway through then, it's still the same six months later xD

On another note, your mile muncher has been munching miles like nobody's business and it's been well-looked after in all these years. Your recent detail has managed in covering up her age a fair bit. Looks lovely post the detailing job.

Here's wishing you many more years of mile munching, hassle-free ownership and a lot more of 'em CEL warnings on your instrument cluster

[asit.kulkarni93]

That is one comprehensive report. You have used your car to it’s full potential and these German diesels need this kind of usage otherwise they start throwing tantrums. If your car is diesel gate updated, you should consider remapping it. A dear friend has a 2014 Rapid 1.6 TDi which has done 2.4 lakh KMs and its running a stage 3 setup from tune-o-tronics. He hasn’t faced a single issue with the car. Speaks a lot about the robustness of these cars. Happy mile munching!

[BeemerBug_06]

Finally ! The much awaited thread is up at last and I must say you have done a great job summing up the 1.6 lakh km experience in a concise and comprehensive manner. The Vento TDI is a brilliant contender for mile munching and long distance drives as proven by your thread and experience. I wish you many more miles with the car and hope you don't let go off it anytime soon . Well, at least till the 2 lakh km mark is reached
Good luck with the warning lights

[300 KMPH]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

Thank you for this detailed thread.

VW 1.6 TDi was a revelation back then in 2011 and could do unimaginable speeds in no time.

Till today there is no C-segment sedan that can match VW Vento 1.6 TDi even after a decade.

It is still a very quick car. The 1.6 TDI can still outrun many cars in it's segment even after a decade. Especially, the in-gear acceleration department.

Originally Posted by saisailendra

Beautiful ownership thread.

I was wondering, after the first accident, when a Qualis read ended into your Vento, you mentioned that both rear fenders were changed. Does that mean they've also changed the roof ? I'm curious as the roof and fenders are one unit.

Thanks mate. I had the same doubt just as you. In such cases, the C- pillar fender is cut up to the deformed/damaged part & it is replaced with a new part by welding it. To understand more, you can follow 'Mechanic Jack's Team' on Facebook. They post accidental repair videos of multiple types.

[300 KMPH]

Originally Posted by Varun_HexaGuy

You managed to complete the ownership report in a day? I'm impressed

Looks lovely post the detailing job.

Here's wishing you many more years of mile munching, hassle-free ownership and a lot more of 'em CEL warnings on your instrument cluster

Thanks dear Varun. I wrote this thread in 4 hours. Instead of introducing this thread with a long story, I thought it will be better to give insight based on the kms covered by the car because that's what ultimately matters for the daily driving cars.

Now I've ordered all purpose cleaner to get the interiors cleaned thoroughly. Shall post pics of the detailed interiors soon!

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

A dear friend has a 2014 Rapid 1.6 TDi which has done 2.4 lakh KMs and its running a stage 3 setup from tune-o-tronics. He hasn’t faced a single issue with the car.

If possible, please post the pics of this car. Would love to see it. I'm sure its a highway runner just like mine. German cars used in the city tend to give problems. These cars are built for open roads & they will show reliability similar to Japanese cars.

Originally Posted by BeemerBug_06

I wish you many more miles with the car and hope you don't let go off it anytime soon . Well, at least till the 2 lakh km mark is reached

I wish to keep it as long as possible. All depends upon future circumstances. The maximum run Vento I've seen online is 4,16,000 kms. Gives me a lot more confidence sometimes!

[TheParsiStig]

This is a very well written article. Congratulations and fingers crossed you don't get the infamous injector failure which I had in 2016 in my 2012 Skoda Rapid 1.6 TDI.

Hope to do one like this myself when I reach 1L km. Mine is a garage queen by comparison; I'm currently at 68,000km and my car is older than yours by about 5 months.