[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by Sen

Incredibly useful thread, thank you for sharing!

A few questions if you don't mind:

* Has the armrest never squeaked due to the plastic top where your arm rests? Or is it just the cost reduction efforts that cheapened it in my MY2020 edition? Everyone knows they don't make Volkswagens like they used to in the early 2010s
* Where did you source the Sachs' components from for the suspension? I was thinking that sounded like the best way without giving up on the plusher ride (Bilstein B6s were my other consideration but are likely to be stiff)

I also find Engineering Exponents to be truly amazing, planning a remap but warranty holds me back. The juddering with the discs is common, I upgraded to Brembos of the same size with ATE pads.

I've been procrastinating writing a review update for Taco since 3 years have flown by with him, I should get to it.

Thanks again for the review!

Thanks for the kind words. On the armrest, no it does not squeak or rattle at all. The Sachs install was from Engineering Exponents. Not sure where they sourced it from, but had it in stock when I approached for the suspension check.

Please do pen down your review when you get a chance.

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

2023- The 10th Year-Clarity of thought and at peace with the car

[LIST[/center]

Excellent write up detailing the 10 year journey. Reminded me of the push to upgrade when I was buying my Polo GT TDI in 2014. The Vento was at a 3 lakh premium then and I was more into the power to weight ratio of the Polo GT so did not got for the Vento. Sold the car after 3 years and 90k specifically because of lack of legroom at the rear especially with child seats installed. A Vento might have had a more extended stay. But it taught me never to compromise on space when purchasing a car. In retrospect you made an excellent call.

Drive on,
Shibu

Drive on,
Shibu

[RMN]

@Rajeevraj
Good read. Gave me a dejavu too since I have a 2014 Vento TSI in black with a BP835 still to this day...that has been a wedding car for a friend too! 😁

[shifu]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

…
auto head lamps/wipers to name a few.
…

Hi Rajeev. Your thread is quite valuable and I keep coming back to refer to it.

For the auto head lamps, I bought this switch from AliExpress about 4-5 years back. Simple plug and play. Worked very well for me so far.

Btw, taking inspiration from you I am also at EE. Hope they do a good job ��. They do appear a bit expensive for a FNG (almost comparable to VW ASC rates), but I have the peace of mind that the work is done properly.

I am also contemplating a remap. Still in two minds.

[scorpian]

Originally Posted by shifu

I am also contemplating a remap. Still in two minds.

I think I saw you and the car at ee yesterday while it was being worked upon. I believe you had a short haircut and were wearing glasses and sitting in the chair.
I was with my white Creta.
Go for the remap,it's money well spent. I drove from goa to ee to get a stage 2+ done and I have only good things to say about their work and maps.
You won't be disappointed with a remap.

Regards
Manoj

[Ramaraju]

Hi Rajeevraj,
Your car looks as good as it was on Day 1!!
Great details and well maintained.



I own a Rapid 2017 and I would like to get the underbody cover installed. Can you please let us know from were did you sourced this part?

[Rajeevraj]

So a worst nightmare came true last month. Had a breakdown inside the Bandipur/Mudumalai forest at 5.30pm in the evening late last month. Will put up a detailed post later, but in summary it was apparently a minor issue(a clamp in the pulley was not fixed correctly) in an AC Compressor Pulley repair that was done prior to the trip(AC had stopped cooling) that caused it to have some play when running, which in turn triggered a failure at higher speeds and also have a cascading effect where due to this pulley play at high speeds, the engine VBelt also broke. Luckily it happened right near Theppakadu-which is the Ooty turn off inside the forest and the only area with lots of people. Hence got people to help quickly Got it first towed to a garage outside the forest(again a very good guy and very helpful). Tried to source the needed parts but was unable to. I also did not want any half baked work done and hence the next day did a flat bed to Calicut where the compressor and belt were replaced.

Couple of mistakes from my end also where I rushed to take delivery after the fix. Ideally the main folks at EE would have done one more test before handing it over. Also, in the middle of the trip after a break, when I cranked the engine, it spluttered and died. I restarted and everything seemed ok. I should have done a check at that time which I did not do. All cumulated in this failure inside the forest. A worst nightmare.

Originally Posted by shifu

Btw, taking inspiration from you I am also at EE. Hope they do a good job ��. They do appear a bit expensive for a FNG (almost comparable to VW ASC rates), but I have the peace of mind that the work is done properly.
I am also contemplating a remap. Still in two minds.

Sorry for the delayed response. Hope you had a good experience.

Originally Posted by Ramaraju

Hi Rajeevraj,
Your car looks as good as it was on Day 1!!
Great details and well maintained.

I own a Rapid 2017 and I would like to get the underbody cover installed. Can you please let us know from were did you sourced this part?

Thanks. This was an OE part from VW itself. I had it done in the Volkswagen Service Center only. Now that the car is out of production, not sure if these kind of accessories will be available.

[DeKay]

Originally Posted by shifu

I am also contemplating a remap. Still in two minds.

Don't upgrade to Stage 2 yet. Your Vento TSI's stock brakes and suspension can't handle the increased power. A remap alone won't cut it. You'll need a full upgrade: brakes, suspension (Bilstein is a good option), and the remap itself. Expect to spend around ₹2 Lakh.

I learned this the hard way. My upgraded Vento TSI pulls like crazy, but the stock brakes and suspension hold it back.

[Gurudeep BN]

Since it's a thread filled with 1.2 TSI owners, thought I can get some answers to service and some issues that I am currently facing.

Below is the link to the post. Kindly advise.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...e-queries.html (Vento 1.2 TSI: Issues and Service Queries)

[Ramaraju]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

2018 and 2019 -5th and 6th years, 50,000km and series of minor issues

• Again in 2019, somewhere, hit a hump hard. Seemed ok apart from a small crack in the inner bumper lining. Planned to take it over the weekend to the service center. Went off on a mall visit and as I reached the 2nd floor parking, I saw the bumper give away. It was totally broken. Again, good thing was that it was 3-4 km away from Volkswagen Whitefield. Managed to bring it down to ground level and arranged a tow truck. Got it fixed the next day and also installed the underbody guard.

Hi @Rajeev
I own a 2017 skoda rapid 1.5tdi and looking for the underbody engine guard.. i did check with hennur skoda service center but they said it won't be compatible with my car model..

Can you help me with the service center where you got this installed please...
Appreciate your help

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by Ramaraju

Hi @Rajeev
I own a 2017 skoda rapid 1.5tdi and looking for the underbody engine guard.. i did check with hennur skoda service center but they said it won't be compatible with my car model..

Can you help me with the service center where you got this installed please...
Appreciate your help

I got it from VW Palace Cross Hesserghatta road service center. It was 7-8 years back. With these models discontinued, may be they don't stock it and don't want to go into the trouble of placing an order. Maybe check with any other FNG focusing on VW group cars to see if they can source the right part.

[Rajeevraj]

11 Years and 91000Km. A quick update

So another year passes with the Vento TSI. Now completed 11 years and stepping into the 12th year. Will it be the last year of my ownership? Maybe or Maybe not. Some quick updates:

• The 11th year started well enough. In the quest for incremental changes to keep the car fresh, went ahead with damping on all the 4 doors. This was planned when I upgraded the HU and speakers in 2022, but did not do it at that time. Work was again done with Vignesh from Engineering Exponents. The damping definitely made some good difference in the cabin. Made it quieter and the audio impact went up a step. Even my wife who does not notice these things commented that the cabin felt more well insulated than before.
• Post that went into a bunch of issues. The AC suddenly conked off one fine day in April. It was diagnosed to a faulty compressor pully which was replaced and things seemed fine.
• Couple of days after this replacement, on election day- April 26th 2024 set off on a solo trip to Kerala. Got caught into a massive 1 hour jam in NICE road in peak heat and the AC conked off again. Once I cleared the jam, it seemed to be working again.
• Then the worst nightmare happened- Inside the Bandipur Forest the car started throwing multiple warning lights starting from check engine, coolant, steering etc.. The whole story is detailed in an earlier post, end summary was that a sequence of events starting with a missed clamp in the compressor pully, led to this break down, had to stay overnight at the Mudumalai forest Entrance and finally took the car to Calicut via flat bed the next day.
• A week at a known FNG there- Compressor, Alternator belt, condenser replaced- A full check up and service done, and it all seemed good.
• Once back to Bangalore, did one more full check up at Engineering Exponents. The Water pump was replaced.
• Had one more scare. Unbelievably in the exact same place as the first failure. Had stopped for a break and then the car would not start. Fortunately it was just a loose battery terminal which happened when I hit an unmarked speed hump fairly fast.
• Finally, today when I started off for a drive in the city- the ABS warning turned on. Once again quickly called Engineering Exponent and went there. Scan revealed a failure of the left ABS sensor and was quickly replaced.

Overall, not a smooth year as before with multiple issues. Some just wear and tear and some just an unfortunate sequence of events. With a 91k run car in the 11th year, I guess I had to expect these things. Fortunately since I do have a strong FNG in the form of Engineering Exponents to look after the car, I am generally confident that any issue can be dealt with. Even that nightmare inside the forest, people were there to support at the right time and it could have been much worse than it was.

Which again brings back the question. Time to upgrade? When the major issues happened, I was like-I am done. Once things got settled, after thinking more rationally, I was- Ok: This can continue. In spite of all that, the upgrade thoughts are more frequent now. I did test drive the Kodiaq and was maybe 40% decided to go ahead but then backed out. The thoughts are around- What can trigger an upgrade?

• From a use case view, the car meets all my needs. I do have more frequent need for a 7 seater, but it is a nice to have.
• Mechanically the car is throwing up issues, but I am prepared and am promptly fixing these. Within the last 2 years the car has got good mechanical upgrades and replacements. A remap, suspension overhaul with shocks from Sachs, New compressor, alternator pulley, condenser, belt tensioner, water pump, Tyres, LED lights to name some key ones.
• Several functional and nice to have upgrades including HU, speakers, damping, mats, internal reading lamp etc..
• Still lovely to drive- Flooring with the remap is addictive. I drive sedately it gives some awesome mileage. The Sachs shocks- while not too great on Bangalore Roads, does beautifully out on the highway. Can drive long distances without any fatigue.
• I, as a driver may be biased with the car, but what does the family think? Wife and kid are totally comfortable with the car. One way I judge it is how well they sleep in the car. Sometimes, extended family are in the car for longer drives. I see them relaxed and napping in the car. They are surprised, saying-'I don't generally sleep in our car'.(which are couple of those not great handling Urban SUVs- So personally not surprised).
• The big question of- What Next? mostly remains unanswered. The Kodiaq is a favorite, was super impressed with the BYD Seal, Pre-owned A4s. 330Li's, Volvo S60s come and go from my mind. When it happens, I guess it will be one of these.

So the car is mechanically solid, I still enjoy driving it, meets most of the requirements, family is comfortable, no logical upgrade available. The only big elephant in the room: Still on its original DSG. That is definitely a big worry. Maybe that may force my hand. If it happens, replace/repair and then sell.

Some random pictures and a video below. I have stopped focusing on detailing and try to do the minimum needed to keep it looking decent.

An example of MID Milage when I am just cruising. This was over ~50km which did include 10km of downhill with no traffic. (Pic taken by co passenger by zooming in).


A small video. Shows how quiet the car is at idle. And when some music fills the car.

https://youtu.be/ZnhrFD18hDQ

So that was a rambling 11th year update. Will I come back with a 12th year update? Or will some car make me forget all my rational points and make me upgrade? Let us see what 2025 brings.

[rkv_2401]

Great to see your update. My Vento TSi is only 8 years old, but I'm also in a similar boat as you, starting to think about a new car from a similar list of options, but don't really have the need for one, etc.

Maybe upgrades would help, but I don't know by how much. It was never really spacious enough for my comfort (coming from an Elantra), I don't drive fast nowadays so I don't experience the addictive pull and nimble handling as much as I used to except in the hills, city traffic is too irritating to really enjoy music so an ICE upgrade may not be warranted, etc. I installed sunfilm and got my car detailed earlier in the year to get rid of that nagging feeling of wanting a change.

Can I ask how much it approximately costs to get the doors + boot damped? I feel a large portion of the external noise in these cars enters through the boot - when I drive around the city with an empty boot, the honking + other noises feel very intrusive.

[Katryks]

91,000 Kms and no DSG issues is good to hear. I own a Virtus 1.5 DSG and not sure if I will own it for so long. Had a Honda City for 10 years with 90,000 kms on the odo and not once I visited their service centre other than for the regular service.

Anyways happy motoring!!

[Autofahrer]

Great Summary. Vento was my favorite car since it was released.
I was pleasantly surprised that for the age of the car, it Looks young. Wishing you more miles without any issues.