[souravc]

Today I got my second service done , my car has completed 28,857 kms . I could have waited for a month to be nearer to the 30K kms mark but unfortunately that meant the service date hovering dangerously close to the Ganpati festival dates and given the location of VW Downtown (Parel , bang opposite Lalbaugh puja) I decided not to take a chance . That aside the engine oil level had also gone down so rather than spending a grand on a litre of top-up , which would be drained out in a month's time, I thought it better to have the servicing done now itself.
Apart from the 2nd service , I asked the workshop to do the following :-
1. Complained about the door mini squeaks ( I know that there is no permanent cure but have resolved to pain VW on an ongoing basis )
2. Hard clutch ( in the hope that clutch hose would be changed for these "bench press" clutch under warranty and it would bring in some much needed solace to my left leg )
3. Cold braking screech
4. Change engine and gear mountings under warranty

I also forbade them from doing the following :-
1. Spare the perfumed windshield wash liquid - have hit a sweet spot with a mix of a certain kind of "Mr Muscle" mixed with 10 times water. It works like a charm on the greasy grim that gets deposited in the Mumbai traffic
2. Wheel alignment and wheel balancing - prefer doing it at Premji's tyre plus
3. Fuel filter - had mine changed under warranty at 24000 kms . Since it has to be changed every 30000 km it can wait a couple of service visits more.

Total bill came to Rs 9553 /- , parts / consumables was Rs 6576 and labour was Rs 2977 /-
Breakup of the parts :-
1. Magnatec Pro 5W-40 ( Engine Oil ) - Rs 4850 /-
Last time I had changed over to Mobil 0W-50 but given that VW refuses to budge I thought its better to back down. It was getting too cumbersome - if I used mobil I would have had to get it done outside which means that either i get my oil filter changed twice or screw my record in VW system which would update it as "Oil filter not changed" .Many TBHP-ians have given good feedback about Magnatec too so I chose peace of mind . Curiously, I thought that Magnatec has been phased out - at least thats what I was told at an Castrol shop around 3-4 months back
2. Filter element with gasket - A "stretched limo" euphemism for Oil filter , cost Rs 380 /-
3. Air filter - Rs 392/-
4. Dust and Pollen filter - Rs 731 /-
5. Gasket - Rs 139/-
6. Plug ( thats the bolt through which the engine oil is let out ) - Rs 83 /-

The breakup of the labour costs is as follows :-
1. Interval service - Rs 1180 /-
2. Consumables - Rs 225/- ( presumably the cost of the paper floor mat and a neat gear knob cover , which impressed me quite a bit - I don't grudge this )
3. A/C disinfection - Rs 899 /- ( Come to think of it , a full house pest control is as expensive . I am curious to know what they do here , as they change the whole filters )
4. Service plus - Rs 197 /- ( No idea, whats that !)
5. Battery test - Rs 84 /-
6. Brake cleaning done - Rs 393 /- ( I can feel the difference , mild screech noise used to come when brakes were cold - now its not there !)

Amazingly they didn't charge me for wash
Feedback :-
I can't feel any major difference , my car was anyways running smooth so I guess it could not be made any smoother
- The brake noise is cured
- The door squeaks have vanished but I have a sneaky feeling that they would be back - been there, done it !
- The "thud" when going over a hump is still there - changing the engine and gearbox mountings haven't helped . I can't comment on whether its a "less" as compared to earlier but the "thud" still exists
- Clutch is slightly better - my VIN number does not entitle me to receive a clutch hose replacement

Overall I am happy . Yusuf was the SA - prior to this he was at National Garage for 16 years , loves Chevy( and Cruze) and knows his stuff. I never found him fumbling for answers and he delivered on time.

Saw the service checklist of VW - if they do check all that , then its impressive and if they capture that in their system then trust me any car's warranty can be voided . They are supposed to note down even the depth of the tyre tread ! Mentioning about tyres , VW downtown had a "new improved" Accelere on display , maybe thats what going on 2012 Ventos

Originally Posted by noopster

Sourav, I was shocked to find my Aceleres losing grip at 26,000 km but it seems this is the planned life of these tyres! Member subodh who has an identical car to mine just had his tyres changed at the 30K service on VW's advice. Anyway, more on the tyre thread

Noops , average life of tyres anyways is seldom more 35,000 kms and with the condition of the roads its drastically coming down . Acceleres are hard tyres so the wear outs happen in the form of chip offs ( the edge of the treads would be broken ) and given their price point I am not surprised that they last 26000 kms . You are still better off than my C drives which lasted me less 15000 kms ! Which tyres are you planning ? Which tyres did Subodh get ?

[samarjitdhar]

Originally Posted by souravc

- The "thud" when going over a hump is still there - changing the engine and gearbox mountings haven't helped . I can't comment on whether its a "less" as compared to earlier but the "thud" still exists

I thought the thud issue was something to do with the suspension. Am I mistaken? From what I recall the engine mounts are specific to a constant noise from the front when the car is running. I don't recall if the thud issue with the suspension had any solutions. If it had it would have been discussed on the TBHP thread first .

[souravc]

A bit of an update of my continuing saga with tyres . As briefly updated earlier on this thread out of the 4 Yoko C-drives that I got last Nov'11 one got ripped within 1000 kms and other two were hemorrhaging with bulges due to internal organ failure within 12,000-13,000 kms . The C drives had good dry and wet grip, were silent but proved to be pathetic on side wall strength - learnt it the hard way after spending 19+ grand. One C drive survives and I had replaced the ripped one with a Michelin which is also intact. Thus I wanted to buy 2 tyres . The criteria were :-
1. Side wall strength ( top dog this time after my recent past experience)
2. Good dry and wet grip
3. Silent
4. Good ride quality

I was on the verge of going for a Bridgestone (trying to choose between ER-60, G III or RE 88) post inputs of bala80 and online research and had gone to a Bridgestone dealer for buying it when I had the chance to pick his brains on tyres that match my requirements . He suggested Conti CPC2 since they match Bridgestones on all aspects and score over them on tyre noise and plushness of ride. Quick googling to settle my doubts landed me even more confused since I figured that all tyres are panned by someone or the other. Contis may not last 30000-35000 kms which was okay with me . I used to have G III on my Swift and they were not very quiet tyres - of course not in the league of the noise of Acceleres but all the same Contis seem to be better than that. The clincher was when the dealership showed us the thickness of the sidewalls with cross section cuts of an old Conti , Bridgestone and also Yoko tyres - it was an eye opener . The Yokos sidewall was the most frail , whereas in the BS and Conti the interwoven synthetic fibre re-inforcing of the rubber seemed much denser - this is the stuff that can be seen when the tyre is cut from the inside. So in the tyre poker I put my chips on the Contis this time - the silver lining is that in one single stroke I can give feedback on C-Drive, Michelin and Conti The contis are 195 / 60 R 15 88V , the new tyres go in the front. They cost Rs 5400 each

I also took a few pictures of the Yokos failure , these are of the inner layer of the tyres and show why there were bulges in both of them.


I also clicked a couple of pictures of the Ride On slurry at work. There is a nail which has gone through and through the tyre and there was no drop in tyre pressure over a period lasting a few months . It would be a major coincidence if the nail got lodged in the tyre while driving on the way to the dealership, even though it cannot be possibly ruled out .

The slurry had completed covered the nail and sealed the puncture thus preventing escape of nitrogen.I removed a bit of the slurry with my finger to mark out the area to take the picture, one can make out the sharp end of the nail. I am impressed with the slurry and getting it in my new CPC2 too . If I have to spend 1300-1400 per tyre to stop worrying about punctures for the life of a tyre , it seems worthwhile .

Right now , its too premature to give feedback on the CPC2 , i will run it for about a week before commenting on grip and comfort, etc . Its a quiet tyre thats all I can say now.

[kpzen]

Sourav,

Any reason why you didn't go for Bridgestone turanza er60 ? Please share the price as well.

Keep the C drives at the back, it will provide fantastic grip while cornering and impact of potholes would be lesser than the front tires.

[souravc]

Originally Posted by kpzen

Sourav,

Any reason why you didn't go for Bridgestone turanza er60 ? Please share the price as well.

Keep the C drives at the back, it will provide fantastic grip while cornering and impact of potholes would be lesser than the front tires.

Prajesh , few reasons why I didn't choose ER60 are :-
1. I have doubts over its wet grip and wet braking
2. Its noise levels are higher than CPC2
3. The highest speed rating available was H in the 195/60 R15 specs, for a few hundred bucks more I got V rated CPC2 which gives me a buffer of 30 kmph

I often do a bit of expressway driving and I love to drive in and around Mumbai during the monsoons so wet grip and braking are extremely important to me.

Within Bridgestone I was more inclined towards Potenza RE88 or G III in that order.

I only have one C drive left unscathed and thats indeed one of the rear tyres as suggested by you ( the other being Michelin Primacy LC)

[bala80]

That was a surprise choice!

But I'll be honest in admitting that it was in the final list of my contenders and rejected it based on feedback on the forum.

If its CPC2, why not go for 205/15?

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by souravc

Prajesh , few reasons why I didn't choose ER60 are :-
1. I have doubts over its wet grip and wet braking
2. Its noise levels are higher than CPC2
3. The highest speed rating available was H in the 195/60 R15 specs, for a few hundred bucks more I got V rated CPC2 which gives me a buffer of 30 kmph

Interesting that you would pick CPC2, considering the other day we (@mikon & I) were discussing the options for his tire(s) change. Funny point, the two top picks considering all aspects (feedback from both our cars, cost, forum inputs, etc) were CPC2 and Aceleres! Nopes, not kidding on the later contender! For me, the Aceleres have performed quite well so far, CPC2 for him.

Will look forward to your feedback when my turn comes up. But I wonder how you will be able to figure out the differences between the multiple (brands of) tires.

Btw the other day got my first puncture for these tires - 9 of them! Was observing the puncture guy keenly (also getting drenched in the rain too for that) there were 9 punctures, 5 of them in the sidewall. The possible reasons for that was driving on the punctured tire from Bombay to Pune over the previous weekend.

Still one (set of) puncture for 25k kms is acceptable by all standards.

Edit: Saw that you consider the Contis not to last 30k kms. Contis have lasted 40k kms for @mikon, and quite satisfactorily as per him!

Originally Posted by bala80

That was a surprise choice!

But I'll be honest in admitting that it was in the final list of my contenders and rejected it based on feedback on the forum.

If its CPC2, why not go for 205/15?

Welcome (back)! Been busy with work it seems, by the absence on the forum. Got a suitable replacement for the Vento yet?

Edit: @bala, 2 tires on 205/15, two on 195/15? I don't think he'd want to replace all 4, all again!

[souravc]

Originally Posted by bala80

That was a surprise choice!

But I'll be honest in admitting that it was in the final list of my contenders and rejected it based on feedback on the forum.

If its CPC2, why not go for 205/15?

Hey Bala, good to see you back ! I read a lot of the feedback on CPC2 on the forum and the net but I realised that there is no tyre ( in the range that I am considering) which has 100% good feedback , each has its fair share of horror stories . Yokos has a huge fan club out here but my experience is a case in point. I considered the ER 60 based on your suggestion but I was concerned about the wet grip.

205/55 was not considered because I replaced only 2 tyres given the other 2 has hardly done 12,000 - 13,000 kms

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Interesting that you would pick CPC2, considering the other day we (@mikon & I) were discussing the options for his tire(s) change. Funny point, the two top picks considering all aspects (feedback from both our cars, cost, forum inputs, etc) were CPC2 and Aceleres! Nopes, not kidding on the later contender! For me, the Aceleres have performed quite well so far, CPC2 for him.

A huge factor in going for CPC2 was Mikon's feedback , we exchanged notes a few weeks back.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

But I wonder how you will be able to figure out the differences between the multiple (brands of) tires.

Between C-drive and CPC2 I should be able to give comprehensive comparo on tyre wear, dry/wet grip , braking , comfort, steering feel and of course side wall strength.
I can rightaway give you a comparo between Michelin primacy LC and C-Drives :- The primacy sidewall is much better than the C-drive ( I can PM you the exact circumstance what makes me believe so if you are curious ), the C drives are marginally quieter, didn't notice any difference in braking and dry/wet grip . Can't comment on tread wear at this point but should be able to comment in due course, with pictures to support

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Btw the other day got my first puncture for these tires - 9 of them! Was observing the puncture guy keenly (also getting drenched in the rain too for that) there were 9 punctures, 5 of them in the sidewall. The possible reasons for that was driving on the punctured tire from Bombay to Pune over the previous weekend.

9 punctures !! Wow ! Is it on a single tyre ? Then a double wow ! Bhagwan jisko deta hai, chhapad phadke deta hai Be careful on the expressway because 5 on the sidewall means its weakened.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Still one (set of) puncture for 25k kms is acceptable by all standards.

Certainly ! Apart from noise , I didn't have any grouse against the Acceleres for the 13-14K kms that I drove on them . On hindsight , I should have let them run their full course and then changed .

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Edit: Saw that you consider the Contis not to last 30k kms. Contis have lasted 40k kms for @mikon, and quite satisfactorily as per him!

I know - if it lasts well and good , if it doesn't last beyond 30k kms then also I am fine .

[bala80]

Yeah, work coupled with some crazy traveling after I moved here 3 months ago. I was away for the most part of it, returning back only a week ago!

I picked up a Nissan Rogue here, but still miss my dear old vento. Just learnt from my friend who picked it up from me that the car is doing great and has completed its first service.

@Souravc - I would have been tempted to replace all 4, but that's just me! Having experienced LC's and C-Drives before, we can look forward to your experience with CPC2's. Good luck.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Welcome (back)! Been busy with work it seems, by the absence on the forum. Got a suitable replacement for the Vento yet?

Edit: @bala, 2 tires on 205/15, two on 195/15? I don't think he'd want to replace all 4, all again!

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by souravc

I can rightaway give you a comparo between Michelin primacy LC and C-Drives :- The primacy sidewall is much better than the C-drive ( I can PM you the exact circumstance what makes me believe so if you are curious ), the C drives are marginally quieter, didn't notice any difference in braking and dry/wet grip . Can't comment on tread wear at this point but should be able to comment in due course, with pictures to support

Not as of now, but when the time comes, I'll definitely have that discussion with you.

9 punctures !! Wow ! Is it on a single tyre ? Then a double wow ! Bhagwan jisko deta hai, chhapad phadke deta hai Be careful on the expressway because 5 on the sidewall means its weakened.

Yup, on one tire. I'll have to be careful, considering the 5 sidewall punctures are quite close to each other. Will see how it lasts. I have a pressure gauge with me, so I'll keep track of the pressure in this tire for sure, in addition to being careful on the road.

[souravc]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Yup, on one tire. I'll have to be careful, considering the 5 sidewall punctures are quite close to each other. Will see how it lasts. I have a pressure gauge with me, so I'll keep track of the pressure in this tire for sure, in addition to being careful on the road.

Pressure gauge is not of much help to understand the tyre wall strength. I would suggest that you better put a tube inside and drive in case you feel the tyre treads are adequate for the tyre to run a few thousand kms more

[nileshch]

Hey Sourav, congratulations on becoming a senior BHPian!

I am eagerly looking forward to your review of the CPC2. This tire does not seem to have a lot of favour among TBHPians, though @mikon has had a good experience with them.

Though I am about 10k kms away from changing my tyres, I still am anxious to know which tires would be best for the Vento -- quiet & grippy (for the high speeds that the car entices you to) and sturdy sidewalls (for Indian roads).

I guess that probably is what people most want

[samarjitdhar]

Please accept my congratulations as well for becoming senior BHPian.

All that Nilesh has said regarding tires stands true for me as well. Both you and Bala have shared some great insight about what tires to go for the Vento discussing pros and cons of the different options considered. Hopefully your tires woes end with the CPC2 now and may you have a blissful ride experience on the new tires.

[souravc]

Originally Posted by nileshch

Hey Sourav, congratulations on becoming a senior BHPian!

I am eagerly looking forward to your review of the CPC2. This tire does not seem to have a lot of favour among TBHPians, though @mikon has had a good experience with them.

Though I am about 10k kms away from changing my tyres, I still am anxious to know which tires would be best for the Vento -- quiet & grippy (for the high speeds that the car entices you to) and sturdy sidewalls (for Indian roads).

I guess that probably is what people most want

Thanks Nilesh - yeah , the feedback about Continentals on TBHP is scary but then if one searches the internet then for every tyre there are some scathing words. Gautam's (Mikon) feedback certainly helped clinch the deal since I know that he is a heavy mile cruncher - does quite a lot of expressway driving which does result in tyre wear . His CPC2s have done 40,000 kms which is quite good. I have done more than a 1000 km on the new ones , in another 10000 kms I should get a good idea on the tyre wall strength. 08th , 9th Sept did a short trip to Alibaug , which boiled down to around 30-40 kms of pathetic broken roads each way , the CPCs held up quite okay. I am not yet ready though to express my satisfaction with the sidewalls - I don't think the tyres have been tested enough to draw a conclusion

Tyre grip in the rains was severely tested on 4th Sept when Mumbai was lashed with heavy rains and we were rushing home before the roads got flooded and clogged, the CPC2 passed the test with flying colours

Till date ABS has kicked in with the CPC which I guess augurs well
CPC2 are quiet tyres but C drives are quieter IMO.

Originally Posted by samarjitdhar

Please accept my congratulations as well for becoming senior BHPian.

All that Nilesh has said regarding tires stands true for me as well. Both you and Bala have shared some great insight about what tires to go for the Vento discussing pros and cons of the different options considered. Hopefully your tires woes end with the CPC2 now and may you have a blissful ride experience on the new tires.

Thanks Samarjit , my wallet also hopes that it would not bleed any more on account of tyres

[LandCruiser]

Any vento owners ever faced the "clutch getting stuck" problem? Especially this seems to happen when trying to release the reverse gear and after pressing the clutch for sometime. Couple of times the car jerked and stalled. I had to then using my hand release the clutch pulling it back. This is sad as it has happened from as early as the car had run 300 kms. Have fixed an appointment with service. Will do a detailed write up shortly.