[theragingbull]

That looks like an awesome HU but(please do not mind) I'm not sure if it complements the Polo's interior as well as the Caska did Anyways great buy! Have you sold off the original HU? And btw does this void VW warranty?

[Chethan B G]

Originally Posted by theragingbull

That looks like an awesome HU but(please do not mind) I'm not sure if it complements the Polo's interior as well as the Caska did Anyways great buy! Have you sold off the original HU? And btw does this void VW warranty?

That is true. Witson, Caska & similar Chinese HU are on one side. Every thing else are on the other side. What we get in one - we do not get in the other. Right now, any thing after market is a compromise.

If the branded ones come up with integrated GPS/BT models, it will be better. Also, if only Polo/Vento was equipped with CAN-BUS. That would have changed the entire game plan. Right-now, Skoda cars are better placed in this respect compared to VW.

I have not sold my stock HU. I am looking for a buyer. 5-6K should be reasonable. Hope to get one! This should not void VW electrical warranty since I have not tampered with any of the wires.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Whilst it doesn't try to imitate VAG house style, there is nothing out of place about it either. It is nicely understated design, which is just what is wanted in a VW. I think it looks superb: congratulations

[Chethan B G]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Whilst it doesn't try to imitate VAG house style, there is nothing out of place about it either. It is nicely understated design, which is just what is wanted in a VW. I think it looks superb: congratulations

Thanks! I agree with you. Even though we can see the difference, the new set-up by itself, does not look out of place. Compared with the features & quality it comes with, I feel that the setup is much better.

[ventoman]

Congratulations Chethan.

This was one HU that I had in mind before heading towards Witson. It does look very well integrated.
Happy motoring with the new HU.

[tburman]

Good going Chethan. I'd be interested in your HU if it's still around.

tushar

[Chethan B G]

My plan was to get the first oil-change service done at 12,000 Kms. May-be, that was because of my concern with the long service interval. More so, for the first service.

Things that I had in mind for the first service:

1. Change engine oil, oil filter, air filter & pollen filter - as per the schedule mentioned in the manual. Fuel filter & Break pads are changed once in 30,000 Kms for Polo.
2. Tyre rotation - To make sure that the tyres wear-out evenly.
3. Back wheel had jammed once - I wanted to get it checked /cleaned.
4. Sometimes, steering was slightly pulling towards left - I wanted to get this checked.
5. Top 2 lines of the rear de-fogger was not functioning - I wanted to get this checked.
6. Day/Night rear view mirror - Whenever I change the mirror from Day View to Night View, The field of view also used to change. This had to be corrected every time. I wanted to get this checked.
7. Thoroughly check the under chassis for visible damages.
8. Regular service including washing and cleaning of the car.
9. And off-course, to check all fluid levels.

I thought of making sure that all the consumables needed for the first service was available, before I leave my car for service. Since it was the beginning days for Polo, I expected few surprises. When I first contacted (over phone) the dealer WRT first service, I was told that my car will be the first one to get the service done. And as I had expected, oil-filter was not in stock! I waited for almost 10 days for the stock to arrive. By then, my car had run 1500 Kms more!

Finally, today I left my car for service to VW-Downtown . I was in for another surprise! This time, it was on the commercial front! I have AMC for my car as I had mentioned earlier on this thread. Even then, I was told that I will have to pay Rs.600 for consumables & Rs.450 for VAG-COM analysis of the engine! (They mentioned that they were charging for the VGA-COM analysis, since they would send the report to Germany!! - I felt like asking them, if they were hand carrying the report to Germany!! - Otherwise, it takes only a rupee to e-mail it.)

This was a rude shock in the first place. I contacted the service / sales managers and told them that - This, is definitely not done. I was clearly told that AMC would cover everything, at the time of purchasing it. I had reasons to believe it - as I was using a Chevy car before Polo. I told them that either they do it free of cost or I take back my car without service. After this, the service manager started explaining that it was the policy of there company (Dealership).

I get an impression that this AMC is valid only at the particular dealer, where ever it is purchased. But I am not sure. However on the contract booklet, it is mentioned that the services can be obtained from any dealer.

I asked him to give it to me in writing, if it was actually a policy. And then, I could take my decision. Otherwise, I was adamant that I take my car back without service. After spending money on Warranty, Insurance & AMC, what more do these guys want from a customer?

After this, things started falling in place. It was agreed that I will not be charged anything extra. This discussion took almost an hour. This experience has saddened me & has made me think about the business ethics, these VW dealers practice.

By now, my car was in the service bay & was literally taken care. Excellent I should say. 3/4 guys were on the job simultaneously and almost 50% of the work was done. I can stand by-them and say that they are efficient and their work-integrity is top notch.

At this point, I left my car and went to work. At 3 PM, I got a call and was told 2 things:

1. Water hose nozzle, in their car wash area was broken accidentally. So, cleaning and washing the car could not be done. Other than that, every thing else was set right.
2. I can get the car again any day and get the car washed / cleaned.

I thought that was fine. Not very bothered about an immediate car wash. I arrived at the dealership to pick-up my car at 4 pm. To my surprise, they had some confusion with the billing and sent a mail to Bombay for clarification!! I had to wait until 6 pm to get the gate pass!!

Result: Most of the major things have been done to my satisfaction. I am not sure about point #6. I forgot to ask them. I did not get an opportunity to check point #4 & 5.

Car has become smoother now. One drive made me forget about all the wrong things that happened today at the dealership!

Service Bill:

Engine oil ------------ Rs. 3,312
Oil Filter ------------- Rs. 325
Air Filter ------------- Rs. 508
A/C Filter ------------ Rs. 588 (Pollen filter)
Drain nut ------------ Rs. 45 (Replaced with every oil change!)
Paid service --------- Rs. 1,600
--------------------------------
Total ---------------- Rs. 7,188 (Including tax)
--------------------------------

Since I was under AMC, this was free for me. For others, I think they will add another 450 rupees for the VGA-COM analysis.

All in all - Quite an experience!! - What do you say? lol

[Thad E Ginathom]

I say that trying to charge you Rs600 and Rs450 is just petty and ridiculous. I suggest you invoice them for your wasted time talking about it. To come back, after having reached agreement, to find there is still a problem is absolutely unacceptable.

What is this charging for analysis all about anyway? How could they dream it up?

Another post that makes me wonder about dealing with VW in the future.

[jesal]

honda charges 500 since donkey years to do the similar check ups. whats new in this. now they give in breakups earlier it was charged all in one. also why paid service ? doesnt VW have free services at all ?

[uvmallya]

@Chethan - It was good to know about your experience with the servicing of your car. VW seems to have many conditions for AMC of cars, even though they are not mentioned in the contract. My AMC is yet to come and will probably be handed over to me when the Mangalore Dealership is opened. Incidentally I had called up the VW dealership to enquire about fixing Fog Lamps on my Trendline model. Yes, the fog Lamps and required wiring has arrived..........but was really surprised and disappointed to learn that it costs Rs.14,500/-. So I decided to go without the Fog Lamps. VW accessories are really quite expensive.

[jesal]

Originally Posted by uvmallya

@Chethan - It was good to know about your experience with the servicing of your car. VW seems to have many conditions for AMC of cars, even though they are not mentioned in the contract. My AMC is yet to come and will probably be handed over to me when the Mangalore Dealership is opened. Incidentally I had called up the VW dealership to enquire about fixing Fog Lamps on my Trendline model. Yes, the fog Lamps and required wiring has arrived..........but was really surprised and disappointed to learn that it costs Rs.14,500/-. So I decided to go without the Fog Lamps. VW accessories are really quite expensive.

honda fog lights are 22k for the city and 25k for civic. rims. are above 60k for the city

[rahulrajeev]

@ Chetan - Thanks for sharing this info. My POLO will be arriving in next 15 days. I have always been following this thread for info on POLO. Maintenance was one of the points which pulled me back and once I saw AMC details which you have posted I decided to go ahead. My dealer (VW Thriruvanathapuram) did not tell me anything about AMC. But after seeing your post I checked with them and then they confirmed.

You have mentioned Paid Service cost Rs.1600. Does it mean Labor charge and other miscellaneous consumables. It appears too costly.

@uvmallya : Fog lamps costs Rs 14,500/- is too expensive. Hope after some time it will be available in grey market at a cheaper cost.

[Chethan B G]

Originally Posted by ventoman

Congratulations Chethan.

This was one HU that I had in mind before heading towards Witson. It does look very well integrated.
Happy motoring with the new HU.

Thanks VentoMan! I am waiting for the GPS adopter. Should be getting it in a day or two.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I say that trying to charge you Rs600 and Rs450 is just petty and ridiculous. I suggest you invoice them for your wasted time talking about it. To come back, after having reached agreement, to find there is still a problem is absolutely unacceptable.

What is this charging for analysis all about anyway? How could they dream it up?

Another post that makes me wonder about dealing with VW in the future.

Any periodical service without checking the ECU for error logs & resetting the service interval, is incomplete. Having said that, charging extra for a VAG-COM analysis for a car that is covered under AMC, is nothing short of being ridiculous.

When AMC covers all parts needed to be replaced including labor, charging extra for cleaning & lubricating meterial...etc is really petty. More than the money that I had to pay, I was irritated when I was informed about this.

Originally Posted by jesal

honda charges 500 since donkey years to do the similar check ups. whats new in this. now they give in breakups earlier it was charged all in one. also why paid service ? doesnt VW have free services at all ?

Jesal - I am in the service industry for the past 2 decades. There is a way to price a product. Once a periodical service costing is done, a customer can-not be charged separately for the tools involved to carry out the job. If VAG-CAM is needed for the job, Rs.450 should be added in the first place to the cost. Breakdown repairs are different. Everything is charged separately, as per the requirement.

Here, we are discussing about periodical maintenance & that too about a car under AMC. Unfortunately, VW do not provide any free service. But that is a different issue and we digest that fact before buying the car.

Lastly, if Honda does a mistake, it does not mean that VW should follow it - Right?

Your comment: "honda fog lights are 22k for the city and 25k for civic. rims. are above 60k for the city"

Polo falls under a different category. How much does Honda charge for JAZZ fog lamps? Any idea?

Originally Posted by uvmallya

@Chethan - It was good to know about your experience with the servicing of your car. VW seems to have many conditions for AMC of cars, even though they are not mentioned in the contract. My AMC is yet to come and will probably be handed over to me when the Mangalore Dealership is opened. Incidentally I had called up the VW dealership to enquire about fixing Fog Lamps on my Trendline model. Yes, the fog Lamps and required wiring has arrived..........but was really surprised and disappointed to learn that it costs Rs.14,500/-. So I decided to go without the Fog Lamps. VW accessories are really quite expensive.

IMO, If some thing is not mentioned in the contract - interpretation should be in favor of the customer. If the company has any policies, they bloody-well mention about it, clearly on the contract.

RahulRajeev: Service cost of under Rs.8000/- looks OK to me. Mainly since it is done once in a year or 15,000 Kms. For a Petrol Polo 1.2, it should be lower by Rs.500 - since engine oil capacity is lesser. My concerns are the policies of the Company, WRT AMC customers

[uvmallya]

@Chethan - Since my AMC is yet to be issued by VW do you think I should tell them to mention clearly that I should not be charged extra for the VAG-COM analysis? I see there is no mention at all of this clause in the specimen AMC contract copy forwarded to me by VW.

[Chethan B G]

Originally Posted by uvmallya

@Chethan - Since my AMC is yet to be issued by VW do you think I should tell them to mention clearly that I should not be charged extra for the VAG-COM analysis? I see there is no mention at all of this clause in the specimen AMC contract copy forwarded to me by VW.

Try to get details of everything that will be charged for AMC customers - in writing. That can be a reference to all of us.

IMO, if the contract covers maintenance for a specified period, anything that is supposed to be replaced as per service schedule, should be done free of cost. Brakedowns are covered under Warranty. Accidental repairs are covered under Insurance.