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Old 27th April 2011, 23:36   #226
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re: My Fräulein arrives: Vento AT *Updated* 9000 km update"

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Originally Posted by blackdiesel View Post
I am going with 3M hopefully by this weekend; but still thinking about the visibility.

BTW, am also planning for the front windshield film from 3M. What do you guys think? Will it be useful?
Have a look at the sunfilms, front sunfilms and 3M sunfilm cost threads in the "mods and accessories" sub forum for some interesting discussions. However in one quick summary: they are pretty useful.
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Old 28th April 2011, 07:57   #227
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re: My Fräulein arrives: Vento AT *Updated* 9000 km update"

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@noopster: nice pics! which location was that?
Yeoor Hills, at the Thane end of Sanjay Gandhi National Park.


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Need some advice here: At the time of delivery, I felt mud flaps wouldnt look nice on Vento & also thought they are not required in summer. Hence didnt buy them from dealer. Now that rain gods have started showing their blessings in Bangalore, I am in a dilemma if I should go for it or not! Dealer was suggesting to go for it as water & mud may get car interior parts. Your opinion...
I went with the mudflaps because I felt at the time they were "required" accessories but in truth they get in the way and I have banged them hard a couple of times on rough roads.

In the rains your car is going to get dirty anyway so see how it goes. If it's too bad, go ahead and get them.

Quote:
BTW, am also planning for the front windshield film from 3M. What do you guys think? Will it be useful?
Front film is absolutely essential and I don't think you can go wrong with 3M. Go for it!
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Old 28th April 2011, 10:46   #228
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re: My Fräulein arrives: Vento AT *Updated* 9000 km update"

Great pics Anoop. This an excellent thread, great details and very informative. Rating it with a well deserved 5 stars.

BTW, any update on the touchscreen ICE side?
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Old 28th April 2011, 14:50   #229
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re: My Fräulein arrives: Vento AT *Updated* 9000 km update"

Hey noopster,we booked a vento on monday.
The HU and Speakers in the car is disappointing.
Upon asking the salesman if we could change the ICE,he said the warranty would get Void.Is it true?
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Old 28th April 2011, 15:24   #230
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re: My Fräulein arrives: Vento AT *Updated* 9000 km update"

^^I haven't asked my sales guy but to my understanding, warranty should remain intact if you are not changing wiring - simply changing the HU should not impact the warranty.
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Old 28th April 2011, 17:50   #231
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re: My Fräulein arrives: Vento AT *Updated* 9000 km update"

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Originally Posted by cityvic View Post
Hey noopster,we booked a vento on monday.
The HU and Speakers in the car is disappointing.
Upon asking the salesman if we could change the ICE,he said the warranty would get Void.Is it true?
Congrats. VW salespersons usually don't know what they're talking about, pardon my bluntness. Upgading the HU voids the warranty in general but if you use a plug-and-play compatible model with no wire-cutting there is absolutely no reason to. Also, since you asked THEM to upgrade the HU, it would be rather silly if they say even authorised dealer upgrading the HU voids warranty!

Upgrading the speakers is almost certain to void the warranty since it involves re-wiring.

On a related note, I experienced it first-hand again (the pathetic VW sales experience). Had to collect my RC and went to VW Pune (Vidyut Motors). The more I interact with these guys, the more I am disappointed. For example- nobody there recognises me, though I know most of them by face and some by name. The person who gave me my RC didn't even ask me, "So how are you liking the car?" which should be second nature to anyone in such a job. I asked about the IPL edition HU and the sales guys, who'd lost interest the moment they realised I was already a customer, listlessly directed me to the "accessories guy", who in turn smugly assured me that there is no HU that I can upgrade to, everything is out of stock and the IPL edition HU comes only with the IPL edition.

Apparently lifetime value of the customer is lost on these idiots.

One man's screw-up is another's opportunity, so I decided to stop by VW West Pune (BU Bhandari) which is on my way home. And was pleasantly surprised by the following, which I have never in nearly a dozen visits to Vidyut, experienced:
  • A warm "Welcome to VW" sign at the entrance
  • Being warmly greeted by an attendant at the entrance
  • The greeter immediately asked for my name, number and preferred car(s). This info found its way into a register as well.
  • I was led to a waiting are where there were comfortable sofas, full glasses of water to drink and a number of auto magazines (latest editions) to read.
  • A salesperson came over, greeted me warmly, gave me a step-by-step demo of the vehicle I showed interest in, answered my questions honestly and to the best of his ability, redirected difficult questions to his seniors etc.
  • I checked out the Vento IPL, got a demo of its HU (my primary objective!) and for good measure the Passat as well.
While the IPL edition HU is OK, there are some major issues:
  1. There is a thick chrome strip saying "Multimedia Player" towards the top of the HU. I know Indians are obsessed with chrome but what next: an engraved caption near the horn saying "Steering wheel"?
  2. The start-up menu has the DLF IPL logo alongside the VW one. The Jetta and Passat has a lovely "Welcome to Volkswagen" message. This is just lame.
  3. The system hangs too often for my liking- happened twice during my demo alone. Not a good thing.
  4. Worst of all, VW is not offering this HU as a standalone accessory. Apparently they are getting a lot of requests from Highline owners requesting a paid upgrade but there is no plan to offer this on anything other than the IPL edition.
Offtopic: Passat deliveries start May 6th. It's a nice enough car but I didn't get that luxury feel in the back seat. Suprisingly the highest-end Superb feels incredibly luxurious in comparison.

I am running out of options for the HU now. Will meet up with subodh and demo his HU and probably get the same one if I like it. Else Caska or JVC it is.

Last edited by noopster : 28th April 2011 at 17:53.
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Old 28th April 2011, 19:05   #232
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re: My Fräulein arrives: Vento AT *Updated* 9000 km update"

Thanks, Anoop. I got a chance to see the IPL edition and I actually liked the HU. The best part is the way it gels with the dash board - found a clear OEM feel (that's what I find missing with other systems such as Pioneer 4250). However, if I remember correctly, it can't play CD's (ala the HU of ANHC) and you can only play through the USB and AUX slots, which is not good at all.

I too tried to convince folks over there to at least offer it in the accessories list and got a similar response. Also, I got to know from them that VW gets them manufactured from Nippon.

It will be good to know about Subodh's HU - Waiting for your input. I'm planning to checkout Caska too, will probably visit the authorized dealer this weekend.
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Old 28th April 2011, 23:03   #233
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re: My Fräulein arrives: Vento AT *Updated* 9000 km update"

Seems like the other VW dealer is more organized than your current one.
the IPL edition HU hanging is just unacceptable. I feel you will be better off with other options like the JVC.
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Old 28th April 2011, 23:17   #234
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re: My Fräulein arrives: Vento AT *Updated* 9000 km update"

Not sure which JVC HU you have selected/thought about, but have you checked out the JVC XR816? ( @etchemkay's thread on ICE section).

Had a chance to audition that HU today on my friend's Etios. A bit glossy black finish, but may suit the Vento's dashboard. One real deal is the tuneable color which can match with the instrument console's color. Friend's system had a JBL 6*9 (GTS6-S699) at the back and OEM speakers at the back. So it was not balanced very well. Didnt have time to fiddle around also, but planning to do that soon.
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Old 29th April 2011, 10:12   #235
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re: My Fräulein arrives: Vento AT *Updated* 9000 km update"

Just after delivery of my Vento, I checked with the accessory guy at the showroom, who upon request, accepted to fit Witson HU at the showroom itself. He said it can be fit without cutting any wires.

I had actually decided on Witson at that time and even contacted Witson directly through mail. Here is the reply I got from them:
Quote:
This is Anna Lee from Witson,responsible for car A/V products.It is my pleasure to follow your inquiry from now on!

Nice to know you are interested in our model W2-D723V , for details you check this link:
VOLKSWAGEN SERIES CAR----ZHUHAI WITSON INDUSTRIAL CO.,LTD.---Professional Car DVD Player Manufacturer

1. The price of W2-D723V with GPS (no map included)+shipping cost by DHL to India (door to door service) is USD410.00 .
If you buy from China, you need to advise the shipping address in China, and then we send it. Cause we have no shop.
The price of W2-D723V with GPS (no map included)+shipping cost to China (door to door service) is USD330.00 .

2.USD10.00 for 2.0 GB SD card with copy Igo map for India, please confirm do you need it or not?

3. USD25.00/pc for rear view camera W2-C320V( Camera For VOLKSWAGEN----ZHUHAI WITSON INDUSTRIAL CO.,LTD.---Professional Car DVD Player Manufacturer ), please confirm do you need it or not?

4. USD90.00/pc for DVB-T-08(CAR DVB-T BOX(MPEG-4/H.264/AVC)----ZHUHAI WITSON INDUSTRIAL CO.,LTD.---Professional Car DVD Player Manufacturer )which is digital TV receiver box, please confirm do you need it or not?---MPEG-4

5.Western Union for payment and if you need Paypal for payment that need to add 6% transfer fee,and our Paypal
account is bob_witson@hotmail.com, after your payment please let us know,thanks!
But after checking with couple of accessory shops who had actually fitted HU's to a few Ventos, their suggestion was not to go with Witson. Their reason: not really high quality, audio is not that good! One guy asked me to select any make HU (of course smaller than the HU fitment area of Vento) & he can then fit it with appropriate packaging; making it look neat with surrounding look & feel.

So I decided to explore more HU's and havnt found the best one yet :(
If any of you have already checked out lot of HU's, please list them out in one post
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Old 29th April 2011, 13:14   #236
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re: My Fräulein arrives: Vento AT *Updated* 9000 km update"

Quote:
Originally Posted by blackdiesel View Post
Just after delivery of my Vento, I checked with the accessory guy at the showroom, who upon request, accepted to fit Witson HU at the showroom itself. He said it can be fit without cutting any wires.

I had actually decided on Witson at that time and even contacted Witson directly through mail. Here is the reply I got from them:
But after checking with couple of accessory shops who had actually fitted HU's to a few Ventos, their suggestion was not to go with Witson. Their reason: not really high quality, audio is not that good! One guy asked me to select any make HU (of course smaller than the HU fitment area of Vento) & he can then fit it with appropriate packaging; making it look neat with surrounding look & feel.

So I decided to explore more HU's and havnt found the best one yet :(
If any of you have already checked out lot of HU's, please list them out in one post
Having used it for 3 months, I agree with the feedback you have got so far on Witson. While its a fantastic value for money, SQ is same as the stock one. Please refer to my posting on Witson's comparison with Pioneer 3300BT.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2309860
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Old 29th April 2011, 14:55   #237
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re: My Fräulein arrives: Vento AT *Updated* 9000 km update"

Guys i have a question:

Is it the system that is bothering you guys or is it the sound quality that is a bother?

If the system in itself is a bother, then i can understand the change, but if the sound quality is a bother, then just plain change in system is not going to change anything. For better sound quality, you have to go in for change in the speakers and more over component speakers as this car has no provision for fitting the oval speakers. I was initially looking for changing only the speakers but then went in for the complete package with helix component speakers, marshall amp and the HU. For me the system is not so much of a bother as much is the sound quality.

In terms of dealers, BUB is anytime better dealer than Vidyut Motors. Vidyut motors used to be ashwamesh auto; dealers for Fiat and Premier padmini earlier and they have not missed even a single opportunity to regain their roots of shoddy service. when I had gone for TD of vento, the sales man actually had a nerve of telling me " Sir bahut waiting hai for this car. Nearly 3 months. It will be a better deal if you buy a Honda City" I was stunned and didnt know whether to slap him or slap myself for coming to that dealership.

Last edited by subodh : 29th April 2011 at 15:05.
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Old 29th April 2011, 15:34   #238
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re: My Fräulein arrives: Vento AT *Updated* 9000 km update"

I'm not an avid music buff and am primarily interested in upgrading the HU to a touchscreen for the following desirable features:

1. USB
2. Bluetooth for hands free phone operation (I hope the OEM sound quality is enough for this)
3. Reverse camera display on the dash
4. GPS
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Old 29th April 2011, 15:42   #239
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re: My Fräulein arrives: Vento AT *Updated* 9000 km update"

@ Sith: Good reasons for going in for the touch screen although all these features are also available individually and it might turnout to be better if you check them out individually as well. As fof GPS, i found it better to get a map my india unit since i use multiple cars and it was easier to switch that unit from one car to another. Also if i am travelling in brothers/friends car, i can just take it along and use the gps navigation. But if u use and stick to only one car, then this could might as well turn out to be a good option. Personally i think the reverse sensors are more useful than the reverse camera as reverse sensors give a complete feel of back. In the camera, there are blind spots and you have to make use of the mirrors.
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Old 29th April 2011, 20:19   #240
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re: My Fräulein arrives: Vento AT *Updated* 9000 km update"

@subodh- dude, since you're too lazy too post pics and description of your ICE, guess I will have to do it for you! On this thread!

Let me know when's good.
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