[noopster]

Today is my baby's 4th birthday. How time flies!

The MID had been warning me of impending service ("INSP DUE") since November. Lots of activity on the family front meant that the car was heavily in use through the festive season. I finally called up BUB around New Year's and they gave me a slot about a week later.

Got it done at BU Bhandari again. This time didn't depend on their unreliable pick-up/drop service and booked a Uber cab to and from my office instead.

Positives:

• No-nonsense, pleasant experience that one has come to associate with BUB in Pune.
• This being the 60,000 km service I was worried it was going to poke a big hole in my pocket. But it turned out to cost almost exactly the same as the previous three.
• Didn't try to screw me over on unnecessary stuff. e.g. they recommended I change the front suspension bushes (estimated cost: over 9000/-) but didn't push it when I refused.

Negatives:

• No reminder of the appointment at all. I called them on the day to confirm and even then they needed a while to find my booking. Technology has moved on from writing car numbers on a whiteboard guys!
• Service booklet was not updated. While Vidyut never bothered with this, BUB has done this assidiously in the past. Are they losing their grip?
• My designated SA- the guy whose name appears on the invoice- never showed up, either when dropping the car off or picking it up. Someone else pitched in each time. This is strange.
• Boot lamp not working and central lock indicator lamp not flashing when boot shuts has been diagnosed as a latch issue- replacement costing 5000+ - told them to shove it. VW really needs to start repairing stuff instead of throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
• ATF checking/replacement which is recommended in the manual at 60,000 km doesn't seem to have been done.

My front bumper has gotten really ugly now with some brushes and scrapes, most of which were not my fault. BUB confirmed that these can be covered under insurance, which is heartening and will get it done soon.

My front tyres have lost tread on the inside, probably caused by the suspension problem mentioned above. I will ride this set through to May or so and then change in time for the monsoons. The suspension job needs to be done at the same time to prevent the same problem recurring.

The car feels good to drive still, after 4 years but I do sorely feel the lack of a TSI engine and a DSG on this. The torque convertor lag and lack of low-end grunt is really annoying, especially when you consider there is a Tdi DSG out there now! But it's aged reasonably well, inside and out, and doesn't feel like a nearly-60K covered car.

Uploading some customary pics:

[famousshoes]

Originally Posted by noopster

Today is my baby's 4th birthday. How time flies!


My front tyres have lost tread on the inside, probably caused by the suspension problem mentioned above. I will ride this set through to May or so and then change in time for the monsoons. The suspension job needs to be done at the same time to prevent the same problem recurring.

The car feels good to drive still, after 4 years but I do sorely feel the lack of a TSI engine and a DSG on this. The torque convertor lag and lack of low-end grunt is really annoying, especially when you consider there is a Tdi DSG out there now! But it's aged reasonably well, inside and out, and doesn't feel like a nearly-60K covered car.

What tyres are you running on if, i may ask? and how would you rate the ride quality as compared to the stocks?
thanks!

[noopster]

Originally Posted by famousshoes

What tyres are you running on if, i may ask? and how would you rate the ride quality as compared to the stocks?
thanks!

Am on Yokohama Earth1 now- in fact got a brand new set on just today. Replaces the Yoko dB series that did duty after I changed the stock Aceleres at around 30,000 km. No complaints with the dBs, even the early days of the Earth1 feel fine. The latter are harder and not as quiet as the dBs but better suited to rough roads and feel gripper.

[savyo]

Hey Noopster
I have been following your threads for long now, started with the swift long term ownership review. Loved your simple and descriptive style of writing. Have read almost all you posts and joined team-bhp myself. Finally ended up buying a pre worshipped 2007 swift vxi myself. Loved the car to bits and clocked 50k kms in 3years. Frequent Mumbai – Pune, Mumbai – Goa trips. Only love and respect for the humble maruti suzuki swift. Have clocked 95k kms on the odo now and looking for an upgrade.

So, I read about your “Fräulein” . Have been reading every post and the upgrades and the TL’s and devoured every bit of information. Thank you for taking the time and patience and painstakingly updating the information in your posts and threads. Helps newbies like me a great deal.
And now for the real deal, I recently found one of my friends friend wants to sell of his Nov 2011 Vento petrol AT. And guess what, I am thrilled to bits at the opportunity of owning my own pre worshiped “Fräulein” The car seems to be in excellent condition and has clocked only 24k kms in the last 4 years. (being the second car)I have been reading up everything on VW since. Have read and reread you posts and all of the inputs and discussions from the rest of the members on team-bhp. I love this car and have already driven it. Actually, I don’t mind an AT because I live in mumbai and mostly drive in peak traffic. Highway drives are to pune once a month and the drives to goa , which happen once almost every 2-3 months

The problem now is, have been reading about too many issues on the VW maintaenance front, recent one being “anilkalvani”. Read all about the injector failures (those are diesels), suspension issues, problamatic vw service, etc. So, all of this leaves me on the fence and is surely not helping the decision making prosess. Althought, the car seem to be clean and I have always been a petrolhead, the heart says yes. But, the mind is disturbed with practicality.

Please, if you and any of the team-bhp members could help me make this decision. I depend on you advise.
Thank you.

[kkkkkaran]

Hey noopster!
My vento 1.6 petrol is supposed to go in for second service in December (jan actually, but want service and diagnosis done before end of warranty, so going in a month earlier).No prior experience since i got the car preowned.. In pune, who do you find better in terms of service? Vidyut or BUB? My car was purchased from Vidyut along with 1st service done from them by the 1st owner..
The car should be at 17500kms approx at time for second service. The car was last serviced at 11200kms. What kind of service costs should i be looking at? Since our cars have the same engine, im not expecting a big difference.
And, any particular SA you would recommend?

Sorry for barging into your thread, just a little nervous since this is my first car, and the first VW accross the entire family.

[noopster]

Sorry for the delayed replies. Have been virtually inactive on the forums since August and somehow missed some posts:

Originally Posted by kkkkkaran

Hey noopster!
My vento 1.6 petrol is supposed to go in for second service in December (jan actually, but want service and diagnosis done before end of warranty, so going in a month earlier).No prior experience since i got the car preowned.. In pune, who do you find better in terms of service? Vidyut or BUB?

BUB beyond doubt. There is a reason they have a 2-3 week waiting period for service. They also offer a pickup/drop service (150/- one way) which is very convenient if a bit erratic.

What kind of service costs should i be looking at? Since our cars have the same engine, im not expecting a big difference.
And, any particular SA you would recommend?

Around 10-12K per service which includes oil change, oil filter change, air filter change and dust/pollen filter change (these are mandatory annually). Apart from this typically you'll have to change bake pads/discs at around 30,000 or 45,000 km depending on your usage. Miscellaneous suspension and AC related parts may take up some of that as well. In all respects it's a fairly reliable car. 5 years down, I think I've earned the right to say that!

Sorry for barging into your thread, just a little nervous since this is my first car, and the first VW accross the entire family.

Glad to help. You should have PM-ed me!

Originally Posted by savyo

Hey Noopster
I have been following your threads for long now, started with the swift long term ownership review. Loved your simple and descriptive style of writing. Have read almost all you posts and joined team-bhp myself.

Very flattered (hey! I'm only human). Thank you for your kind comments.

And now for the real deal, I recently found one of my friends friend wants to sell of his Nov 2011 Vento petrol AT. And guess what, I am thrilled to bits at the opportunity of owning my own pre worshiped “Fräulein” The car seems to be in excellent condition and has clocked only 24k kms in the last 4 years. (being the second car)

I realize it's a bit late to be commenting on this but by all means go ahead. 2011 Vento ATs will be available dirt-cheap- I say this with the full knowledge that I am an owner

The problem now is, have been reading about too many issues on the VW maintaenance front, recent one being “anilkalvani”. Read all about the injector failures (those are diesels), suspension issues, problamatic vw service, etc. So, all of this leaves me on the fence and is surely not helping the decision making prosess.

Ok- maybe this will help...

My car started beeping with "Inspection Due" alerts since September or so. I travel a lot out of Pune these days and mostly the car is with me, so was waiting for the right opportunity to get it done. The 75,000 km mark came and went. Car was still purring so didn't take the service warning seriously. Finally the 5-year mark came and went. So, left with no more excuses, I finally called BU Bhandari.
Service appointment was on 30th January- it had to be a Saturday since that is usually when I am in town. Worryingly I did not get a confirmation SMS so on the 29th I called the service appointment lady on her mobile. It was after 7 and I was gratified when she picked up and assured me that in all probability my service appointment WAS booked and that since she was out of office, she'd confirm it first thing in the morning. I got a callback from her promptly at 9:30 the next morning and drove the car to BUB.
No major issues to fix except that my roof lights were not working (since they both died together, figured it was a fuse issue). The SA called me later in the day and said that a driveshaft boot was leaking oil and needed to be replaced. This would mean I couldn't get my car back the same day, so I told them to drop it off home instead.
There was an oil change as well but only 2.5L went in this time (I had some spare oil in my boot which they probably used to top off). One parking bulb was replaced (hadn't noticed). Told them not to touch the wheels and refused the interior cleaning (costs only 1500 or so but the car reeks of benzene afterwards- hate that!)
Total Damages= Rs 8,050

Considering it's a 5-year old, 77000 km-run car, am telling myself that isn't bad at all! Specifically asked about the ATF change. Turns out I was mistaken- the fluid change per 60,000 km is recommended for the DSG box along and not for the conventional AT. Who'da thunk!

Coming back to your question: I don't think this car is unreliable at all. Am sorry to hear about anilkalvani's problems (will look those up after I type this) but I can only speak from my own experience and it has been good. I was warned by German car-owning friends that it would be expensive and troublesome but by and large the car has run as it should. Regular maintenance, tyre changes every 30000 km and heeding part change requests from VW (within reasonable limits) is all you need to do to keep it ship-shape. I wish the bumpers looked better but they've taken their share of wear and I can't fault the poor car for my carelessness in driving!

I was pretty certain that I'd sell this baby off after around 5 years but now that I am at the mark, it seems silly especially considering the resale for petrol ATs is so abysmal. The car has great ergonomics and a super-comfortable & flexible driving position, which is becoming increasingly important as one grows older. The engine and gearbox, defined as "boring" with just cause by many, are at least not the kind that leaves you stranded on the highway at midnight. My family loves this car (note that with the exception of me, they are all of slight-to-regular build so back seat comfort is not an issue). We have gotten into the habit of renting SUVs from Zoomcar on those rare occasions we need to drive with extended family or friends. It beats upgrading to a bigger car that would bring its own share of problems such as navigating dense city traffic.

I've owned 3 cars in my life (4 if you include the family's Padmini I drove almost exclusively in college). Hyundai was probably the best ownership experience: I owned the Accent for 7 years across 3 cities and never had a problem with service. The Swift is nearly 10, seven of those in my possession, and I'd rate that as somewhere equivalent to Hyundai. Both these carmakers have reported deteriorating service experiences in the last few years, if you look at forum reports. My take is they have just moved from personalized experience to a more "assembly line" approach to cater to volumes.

The latter is precisely the kind of service you can expect from VW. It does the job and you will be left satisfied. Don't expect "customer delight" or anything else you learnt in B-school! It comes at a cost that is non-negotiable (my Hyundai dealer used reconditioned parts or other innovative solutions on occasion). Also you are pretty much tied to the ASS since VW parts are not easy to source in the open market- if you manage they are expensive. If you're the type who has access to a good third-party garage AND can order from Europe as some friends do, you're better off. I repose my faith in the official channel. So far they haven't really let me down.

I guess that's as fair an opinion s I can venture! Good luck and thanks for following this thread.

[Alisiddiqui]

Hey. I remember your car having projector lamps. And I guess in the recent pics above, those are clear smoked lamps. Is it the pic or did you switch back to normal headlamps. In case of latter, would request you to share your reasons too.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by Alisiddiqui

Hey. I remember your car having projector lamps. And I guess in the recent pics above, those are clear smoked lamps. Is it the pic or did you switch back to normal headlamps. In case of latter, would request you to share your reasons too.

You remember right but they were not very good in terms of illumination so I reverted to stock. Upgraded to the 2nd generation headlamps (mine were 1st and the 3rd gen are the smoked double-barrel ones that cost a bomb!) Don't exactly remember when this was but must be at around 60,000 km.

Car has been undergoing heavy use since last August and odo is currently at 87,000 clicks. Will be ready for her 90k service soon. Need to get the suspension and engine thoroughly looked at this time.

[savyo]

Hey noopster,

thanks for your reply, and detailed service report, though a little late.
I, did go ahead with the 2011 Vento AT and boy i am having the time of my life. I though it wise to comment on the ownership only after a while and 10 months down and 10k kms of driving, I AM IN LOVE. Plan to put up a full and detailed thread on my love affair with my "SILVER VIXEN". She deserves it.
Many thanks again, reading your detailed threads helped my decision.

[msudhir]

It's about time I did something about the headlamps on MY12 Vento TDi Highline which has come with smoked headlamps. Lighting is totally inadequate and as we are doing some high way driving of late we need better lamps. Please suggest the best option without having to do major changes.

[VivekCherian]

Originally Posted by msudhir

It's about time I did something about the headlamps on MY12 Vento TDi Highline which has come with smoked headlamps. Lighting is totally inadequate and as we are doing some high way driving of late we need better lamps. Please suggest the best option without having to do major changes.

I am taking the liberty to reply since I have been seeing this car regularly for more than 1.5 years now. Noopster's Vento runs on upgraded 90/100W Osram Nightbreakers. I am a lot more happy with the lights on his car than I am with the ones on my own Rapid and Vento (both cars still have the stock setup).

My mom's humble Alto 800 and the cousin's even more humble Nano have very good headlights compared to the pathetic lights that the Vento / Polo / Rapid have.

[noopster]

That time of year again. Right as clockwork the "Inspect Engine" icon started flashing and I booked my appointment with BU Bhandari for the year 6 service. Odo reading was 91,500-odd km.

I was dreading a big expense this time and asked them to check for an annoying flapping noise in the engine bay, check the suspension and replace the Auto transmission fluid (ATF-which has never been even topped up). Also, I am really finding it tough to make time for multiple garage visits these days, so told them to do the wheel alignment/balancing/rotation at the VW ASS as well (I never do this).

Service cost was 9500/- odd with some 1500/- more for the wheel work. Suprisingly no need to top the ATF- they said it will last another two service intervals. The flapping noise is apparently due to some play in the AC compressor which will cost 16,000/- to fix (replace the entire compressor). Told them a polite No Thank You.

Spark plugs were also replaced this service in addition to the usual oil, oil filter, AC filter, air filter and the like. No real surprises, which is one thing I like about the car. Runs good as new after the visit to workshop; just did a Mumbai round-trip over the weekend.

Am actually looking forward to see how this car holds up post 1L km. No plans of selling or upgrading for the moment!

[F150]

You are playing with fire Anoop!! What if the AT fails ? I think you should salvage what ever is left as of today unless you have amount already reserved for AT repair.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by F150

You are playing with fire Anoop!! What if the AT fails ? I think you should salvage what ever is left as of today unless you have amount already reserved for AT repair.

Why? Are there tranny reliability issues in the 6 speed TC unit of VAG cars? I for one, haven't come across a single one, when compared to the DQ200.

[aah78]

Originally Posted by noopster

I was dreading a big expense this time and asked them to check for an annoying flapping noise in the engine bay, check the suspension and replace the Auto transmission fluid (ATF-which has never been even topped up).

Service cost was 9500/- odd with some 1500/- more for the wheel work. Suprisingly no need to top the ATF- they said it will last another two service intervals.

There's no topping the ATF .

Don't fret over the transmission fluid change. Do it at an indy or do it at your next VW service.

Rather than rushing to change the fluid, make sure it's done properly - proper fluid, etc., etc.

Originally Posted by F150

I think you should salvage what ever is left as of today unless you have amount already reserved for AT repair.

The car will be fine - it has a torque convertor, not a DSG.