[Rajeevraj]

It has been almost 9 years since the Vento TSI DSG came home. The Odo stands at a fairly modest 71,000km. The journey with the car has already been documented in detail in this Ownership thread.

This was among the first batches of Vento TSI's delivered and buying a car with a DQ200 DSG was definitely considered a major risk at that time. Unfortunately I guess even today it is a risk and is called out all the time when there is a discussion around purchasing one of the cars with the DQ200. Fortunately so far, it has been a trouble free experience and I have got to fully enjoy the TSI DSG combo over the last 9 years.

As it is natural, as the car exhausted its warranty, then the extended warranty and then the add on warranty, the thoughts of upgrading kept popping up. Never really translated into any real action as the prices kept going up and even the same segment (ok yes, with a few additional bells and whistles) now costs almost double of what I got the Vento for. The next segment is now well north of 30Lakhs and an upgrade did not realistically seem possible immediately.

Thinking practically, there was no real reason to upgrade to. The car was running well and thanks to VW's build and quality (which again is now questionable with the new platform and cars), the car looked and felt as it did on day 1 of purchase.

Having said that, over the last few months, I was not getting that great feel from the car. There was no obvious issue, it was running great- but there seemed to be a lot of smaller issues contributing towards my discomfort.

So decided that it needed to be looked at by an expert and did not want to send it to VW Service or any general multi brand center. In addition, wanted to start doing some stuff to refresh the car which I knew would satiate the upgrade itch for the near future. I also did not want to go to 3-4 different places to get different things done.

Made a list of things that I wanted to do. It was a mix of functional enhancements and then some good to have enhancements. Of course, all of these have been done by fellow Polo/Vento Owners many times over-So there may not be anything very new here, but there is always an excitement when finally doing it for ourselves

• Proper service and inspection to eliminate the minor niggles
• Headlamp and Foglamp Upgrades
• Suspension Overhaul
• New Tires
• New Mats
• Upgrade to a Android HU
• A full detailing session
• (last but not the least) A Stage 1 Remap

Detailing was planned to be done after everything else and since I knew the right places for that, kept it as lower priority. For the rest of the items, wanted to do it in one place.

After some research on the right place to do this, based on references in this forum and good reviews on the web- decided to approach Engineering Exponents-Whitefield(Location) with this list of stuff. Engineering Exponents are the authorized partners for WolfMoto in Bangalore and had read about a lot of cars running the Wolfmoto remaps here in the forum and also outside.

Reached out to Engineering Exponents through Instagram and the response was prompt. Had a discussion with the owner-Jayant who confirmed that all my requirements can be taken care off. Went down to the workshop and met his team and I felt the car would be in the right hands. Finalized the appointment and dropped the car off on the appointed date.

The final list of things that were done listed below. Sharing the link to the individual posts for easy and quick reference

• The Service Update
• Tires and Mats
• Headlamp Upgrade
• The HU(Blaupunkt Key Largo 980) Upgrade
• Speaker Upgrade with Helix
• The Wolfmoto ECU+TCU Stage 1+ Remap with Launch Control
• The Conclusion

A few words about Engineering Exponents. Run by Jayant who has a past history with motorsport racing, EE was initially started with focus on motorsport builds and performance upgrades and are the official partner for Wolf Moto in Bangalore. Seeing the gap in the market for reliable, high quality servicing with personalized attention and high quality parts, they now provide complete end to end services starting from regular servicing, audio jobs, painting work and of course the remaps and custom builds which continues to be a core focus. I personally have tried different service options over the last several years with mixed results. With EE I was happy that it was a one stop shop and I could closely interact with the people actually working on my car and who clearly had the expertise needed to work on these cars. I expect to be going to Engineering Exponents for all the work on my car going forward. On the down side, it is not a very large set up (although in the process of expanding and adding more capacity) and so be prepared to wait for an appointment and give enough time for the team to work on the car.

[Rajeevraj]

The Service Update

The first focus was on the regular service. As I had mentioned, although the car was running fine, a lot of the things did not feel right. There seemed to be something off with the suspension, the gearbox seemed more lethargic than normal in D, occasional shuddering were some of the common issues. Prajwal from the Engineering Exponents team did a detailed test drive and post the inspection the following items were listed to be done

• Engine Oil: Meguin 0w40 5000
• Brake skimming
• Brake pads
• Fuel filter
• Air filter
• Cabin filter
• Oil filter
• DSG fluid change and adaptation*
• Mechatronics fluid*
• Wiper blades
• New Tires

During the course of the service, couple of items related to the suspension were identified and replaced

• Top mount with bearing
• Link rods

*Okay, I guess the first question that comes up is: 'It is a DQ200 Dry Clutch Gear Box and is sealed for life'- What Oil change? This was exactly my reaction also. Turns out that the DQ200 does have both the gearbox oil as well as mechatronics oil. This is also detailed in this DSG Demystified post (DSG, demystified! All you need to know about VW's Direct-Shift Gearbox). It is also 'sealed for life', but it can be changed and when EE recommended to change it, I also decided to go ahead with it. It is not an easy thing to do and definitely requires good expertise and knowledge.

There is the process of DSG Adaptation that is done(again something I did not know) typically for new or replaced gear boxes. When the DSG Oil is replaced, this process is carried out. In simple terms, this is the process of running through pre-programmed steps and values for various parameters to match the gearbox to the real world conditions. There was an issue faced here where the gearbox was jerking in manual mode. This was finally traced to a code that was getting reset to a default value every time the tool was connected and had to be manually updated. (Full marks here to EE for not only keeping me updated about this issue and also explaining in fair detail what caused it and how they resolved it)

The rest of the service for the regular maintenance activities was also completed and the catch on the top mounts and link rods along with the new tires helped fix the suspension related discomfort I was facing.

[Rajeevraj]

The Basic Upgrades

The Tire Upgrade

Have been running Michelin tires for the last 4+ years now. Last changed around the 35000km mark. Although the distance wise it was not much, the tires had become hard as confirmed during the inspection, and I decided to change it.

The recommended option was Continental UC6-same size and profile as the Michelin(15,195,60). Saw a lot of Polo/Vento owners opting for it and seemed well suited to my kind of driving.

Couple of pictures with the new tires.

New Mats

Although I have been thinking about upgrading the mats for a long time, never found something that I liked and I kept continuing with the OEM mats. It was by chance that I saw these mats below at EE and at first sight itself loved it and immediately got it. Had Velcro fasteners also on it.

[Rajeevraj]

The Headlamp Upgrade

Had been living with the OEM lamps for 4-5 years. Then had done a bulb upgrade which was ok initially, but it was always something I was not fully happy with. So one of the upgrades planned as part of this was a headlamp refresh. Initial thought was to do some major retrofits. Based on the discussion with Vignesh from Engineering Exponents we initially decided to stick to a lamp upgrade to LEDs for the headlamps and upgrade the fogs to a Bi-Xenon projector set up.

Unfortunately with the shape of the fog lamps in my Vento, the projectors would not be a clean fit and there was a large gap on the sides-As seen below. Based on this dropped the idea and decided to go for a tri color LED.

Final installation was LED from DHC Pro for the headlamp and the tricolor LED from AOZOOM for the fogs.

Pictures of the fogs in action. 3 Light modes- White, Warm White and Yellow. cyclically change when you switch the fogs on and off.

Some more pictures of the lights in action (not great pics, but hopefully should give a sense).

[Rajeevraj]

The HU Upgrade

Now, this was an upgrade that was almost fully for that feel good factor. I had replaced the stock HU with the Blaupunkt Philadelphia 835 on the day I purchased the car. The only change I did to the stock car. The unit was functioning well. No issues, no lags in all these years. In addition it had the really cool park assist with distance measured in cm's displayed.

The only thing I really missed was the Android Auto functionality. I almost always stream music from the phone and have maps running a lot of the time even when I know the route. So having the phone kept up on a holder and fiddling with it was always irritating to me. Of course, I could have lived with it, but well...

Needed to decide what kind of HU to go for. One option was an HU with Android Auto support and the 2nd option was a full Android HU. Within the 2nd option, needed to decide whether to go for one of the not so popular brands or go with a reputed brand.

An android HU obviously came with a lot of bells and whistles while on the downside, apps may struggle to run and it could become slow over time. Android Auto HU's gave the on HU functionalities and was better for the music quality, but mostly looked and felt plain.

After some discussions with Vignesh, I finally decided to go with the fancy approach and also decided to go for a proper branded one. So the final unit decided was the Blaupunkt Key Largo 980 9". My experience with Blaupunkt had been good and in addition Blaupunkt also tends to fit well with VW cars both form and function.

Key Specs:

After reading a lot of posts on the Android HU thread on the actual hardware/system specs not matching what is claimed, did a check with the 'Device HW Info' App. Thankfully everything seemed to be in order

Comes with 3 USB ports which have been routed to the glovebox. Will let the images do the talking for the rest of the features.

Clean interface and a nice fit. Does not look like an aftermarket slap-on



The equalizer and other settings



FM, Bluetooth Audio and Apps screen







Split screen mode running Maps and Spotify

The HU is connected to the CANBUS and you have an option to select the vehicle model. That throws up some party tricks based on the CAN info the HU is reading. There seem to be a lot of options, I still need to explore. Depending on the features of the vehicle and info available, some of it can be brought on to the Car Info Screens.

Nice one. Door Open Indicator. Shows all doors including the boot.



A basic Car Info screen. Some status info including RPM, Fuel remaining, Washer Fluid Levels etc.



A bunch of screens showing the other options

The reverse camera + park assist. I generally like the park assist more than the camera itself. While I did lose the cm distance measurement on the display, the ability to see both park assist and camera in one view, made up for it. The camera itself is still the old one- did not change it. That is a future upgrade plan

The dual view of park assist + camera. There is the option to collapse the park assist view completely or switch only to that





The sensor based park assist only view

As it is well known now, full Android HU's can get laggy and slow. As an alternative, there is a 'PhoneLink' enabled with which you can mirror your phone screen to the HU. This works both in wired and wireless mode. So this kind of simulates an Android Auto mode. When connected in wired mode, there is almost no lag and the interaction is smooth and fast. Since the phone does all the heavy lifting, the apps also behave well and fast. On the down side, the phone screen is on all the time and you would need to have it plugged in. I still need to use both modes a few times to see which is better to use.

When launching the App once connected via cable

When you click on an app, it actually just switches to the mirrored screen view



Maps mirrored on the screen. Worked well

Found a nice use for the Car Info screen. The Fuel Info shown seemed very accurate. Of course, we can estimate based on the number of bars, but seeing the actual figure was good. Was showing 11 liters when I went to refill, It was dynamically increasing as the filling was happening and when the auto stop happened after filling ~45 liters, was showing the exact capacity of 55 liters. Felt it was a good way to exactly cross check the fuel going in. Of course, if you do a top up, it does not show that.

Before refueling(Taking before I reached the petrol bunk)

Once filling was done.

Video Clip of the Fuel Info getting updated

https://youtu.be/TnBdoPCMtAc

Overall Summary: Good experience so far. Couple of issues noticed.

• FM reception is poor. This does not seem to be anything with the unit itself, probably a connection/antenna issue as per Vignesh. Have not got time to take it for a check yet.
• While maps works fine most of the time. If it has to do multiple re-routing in quick time, I noticed it partially hangs.
• Steering controls-Track change works in Amazon Music but not in Spotify. Need to check this

[Rajeevraj]

The Speaker Upgrade

This was absolutely not in plan at all. While I enjoy my music and can appreciate a good system, I am not a audiophile by any stretch of imagination. Unfortunately I do get tempted into making such spontaneous decisions. . Started with the thought of adding tweeters but Vignesh suggested that is not the right approach and it would be better to add a component. While driving I typically prefer softer, melodious music and based on that we narrowed down on Helix Component Speakers. Again, first the intent was to only change the front, but then thought-anyway changing it, let me do the rear also.

So a components for the front and 2 rear coaxials-both from helix.

Representative Images and link from the web

The Front Components: Helix L62C.2

Rear Co-axials: Helix L 6X.2

Considering my usage and needs, the Helix seemed to be a good option. Did not go for an amp or sub for now. The speakers themselves sound very good and has enough bass to satisfy my need. A very significant difference in sound quality from the stock speakers. Will share more insights as I continue to use it over the next few weeks.

Some pics during install and the door mounted tweeters

[Rajeevraj]

The Grand Finale-The Remap

While all the described features and enhancements were important and greatly contributed to refresh the car, ultimately what has always set this car apart is that wonderful engine and gearbox combo. It has been a hoot to drive all these years and even today after almost 9 years I always look forward to the experience of the TSI DSG combo. Back in 2013, the TSI+DSG was more of a niche product and remained so for several years. The VW switched to the 1.0 TSI and the safer TC gearbox and I thought the days of the DQ200 in the mass market were over. Then VW has now bought it back across 4 different models and the DQ200 has more prominence then ever now. Of course the reliability questions still remain.

Have said all that, the 1.2 TSI + DSG does have its minor issues as most owners would be aware off. These are just my observations and may not reflect everyone's experience.

• The power delivery is not very linear and there is an initial lag when you start off in D1-D2 gears. Post that you get that surge and this lag is soon forgotten. But having driven it for long, the initial lag while small is noticeable. That quick push to close a gap in traffic or do a quick overtake at low speeds needs some work.
  
• Most folks would have experienced a shudder when going from D1 to D2/3 and also when downshifts happen.
  
• On highways, I typically always drive in S mode and it is definitely enjoyable. Having said that many a time, I have always felt that the D mode was a little too lethargic and the S mode was a little more aggressive than I preferred. This car does not have paddles(well, it almost got it with this upgrade-but did not work out) and I don't like to drive in tiptronic manual mode. So I have always wished the D mode was a little more aggressive in nature.

Mostly we talk about remaps as a means to increase the power and torque, but in my conversation with Jayant, he explained how the Wolfmoto remaps are also focused on improving drivability and recommended the Wolf Moto Stage 1+ remap covering both the ECU and TCU remap along with enabling launch control. While the gains would be in the range of 10-15%, the remap was also expected to improved drivability by ensuring a more linear power delivery. A lot of folks in the forum have done remaps from Wolfmoto and I was comfortable doing this with Engineering Exponents who were the official partners in Bangalore for Wolfmoto.

So the final observations: Obviously the DSG and Mechatronics oil change would also have contributed to below. Again, these are my observations listed down in the layman terms I know.

• The immediate observation is the much improved drivability in D mode- That initial lag seen in the D mode is no longer there, the power delivery is much more linear and this makes the city driving much more comfortable. A tap on the A pedal in D2 gives that surge needed to close a traffic gap or over take a slow moving vehicle. So the low end torque delivery has definitely improved.
  
• The gearbox holds on to the gears in D mode a wee bit longer. Especially in D4-D5. This immediately makes it more tractable when cruising. It does not rush to D7 as before. So when driving in the 60-70kmph zone the DSG still holds on to D5 for a bit longer. What this means is that when you need that surge for a highway overtake and are in this speed range, the gearbox is in the right gear and you do not need to force a kickdown from D7 to D4/5. Enables to be in D mode on highway drives more often than before. This is important for me as I do a lot of driving in the roads in Kerala where the typical speeds are 50-70 max and quick overtakes are a norm.
  
• Obviously there is more power and torque now. So when in D3 on half throttle and you punch it, the car really takes off and you get that wonderful 'pushed back in your seat feel' and a smile on your face.
  
• This improvement in the in gear acceleration obviously reflects better in S mode. While the linear power delivery change is there in S mode also, the improvement in in-gear acceleration which leaves a smile on your face in D mode, translates into a wide grin in S mode.
  

Have not got a chance to try out the launch control, probably sometime later when the conditions permit it. Also will add further observations as I drive more especially on longer highway trips(Above is after ~300km of driving)

[Rajeevraj]

The Conclusion(Or I would also say-The beginning)

Took me 9 long years to do even these basic enhancements which a lot of TSI owners had done within a few months to a couple of years of purchase. Now that I have finally started it, I think I will continue to do upgrades at regular intervals.

Overall extremely satisfied with the list of things done. The combination of the detailed service, new tires, led upgrade, suspension fixes and finally the remap have made the car much much better to drive and gives back the feel that I felt was missing in someway over the last year or so. The new HU with a good set of speakers along with the mats have given a nice bump to the feel good factor inside the cabin also. Few more of the minor cosmetic upgrades are in the pipeline to be done soon. Every time I get into the car, I always think on how well the interior has held up. No creaks or rattles, no fading of plastics or paint, even the currently infamous roof liner does not have a thread out of place. After reading a stream of issues around these topics in the current gen of VAG cars, it reinforced my decision to hold on to this as long as possible. The overall costs for the these set of upgrades was around 1.5L- A little expensive, but at least to me, money well spent.

A special shout out to the team at Engineering Exponents for the great work done. It was great to interact with the team with each person specializing in a particular area and explaining in detail with respect to the questions I had.

One major item pending now is a round of detailing. Had planned to do it immediately, but may wait for sometime before doing it. So the exterior is not in the best shape as it can be with a good round of detailing. Still, closing with some current pictures of the car.

Thank you for reading and do share your comments/questions if any.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[GTO]

Great job with freshening up the car . It's super important as the car ages, else we tend to get bored and get tempted toward an upgrade. Retaining your existing car is always unbelievably cheaper than buying a new one. Related threads:

How to rejuvenate your existing car

Keep, sell or upgrade your car?

You have a further challenge where the Vento TSI is so good that it easily meets or beats the current offerings in terms of build quality, engine performance & gearbox speed. For a true upgrade, you will have to jump up not one, but two price segments!

Here are some of our family cars that we refurbished, instead of selling. The usual combination of painting (for Jeep & City), remaps, better alloy wheels, grippier fatter tyres, upgraded audio systems, full mechanical service and more.

[TechnoBloop]

The Vento is truly a German tank! I too as an owner of a 7-year-old Vento (2015 facelift) can say that the new 2.0 cars are nowhere near Vento in terms of quality. I hope your Vento stays the way it is now in the future as well!

By the way, didn't you consider changing the steering wheel? Because, since you've upgraded the Vento's cabin with some new-age stuff, it's only the steering wheel that looks outdated in an otherwise premium cabin.

Also, did you do modify this particular area of the interior? My Vento, in fact I think no Vento has this silver lining below the buttons. I couldn't help but notice it.

[100Kmphormore]

Your Vento looks fantastic! Only one question though, whats that misty after reflection on the black paint? it looks like a drop of white paint was wiped around along with water.

2013/14/15 Ventos look badly kept here in Bengaluru, especially if it has moved on to 3rd/4th owner and treated more like a fill it and forget it Etios. I see a lot of examples since ive been scouting for a TDI DSG in the 30k run mark. Have you had a PPF done on the car?

[AntPaul]

Hi Rajeev,

When you go for the detailing session, get the alloy wheel properly cleaned as well. That is a lovely wheel design. Having a 9 year old black duster that is so filled with every type of swirl marks that I wished I did not have a black car, your car looks relatively swirl free.

Originally Posted by TechnoBloop

Also, did you do modify this particular area of the interior? My Vento, in fact I think no Vento has this silver lining below the buttons. I couldn't help but notice it.
Attachment 2347739

Vento has very classy and subtle matte aluminum type highlight everywhere in the cabin, including below those buttons. I think while plonking the touchscreen, that interior trim was replaced and now you have a not so subtle highlight there.

[Jangra]

Sweet update @Rajeevraj
All of 2021, I was itching so much to upgrade my stock condition 2016 Vento 1.2 TSI, but then decided to drop them as second car was going to be necessary. Post owning Kodiaq for about 5 months now, I can tell you that I still enjoy my Vento more in the city. Driving a Kodiaq in a never ending metro construction zone, aka Bombay (OR Bangalore) is a pain, which is further aggravated by the autorickshaws and careless bikers.
Enjoy your rejuvenated Vento

[Chitta Pradhan]

Hi
It is great reading about the upgrades you made to your loved car.

Couple of questions-

-LEDs are simple plug and play type or for the installation, other mods were required?

-Has the remap got any positive impact on removing the shudders in lower gear ( D1 from D2) particularly?

Enjoy your car.
Thanks