[d_himan]

Originally Posted by antardaksh

Hi d_himan,

I noticed that the back-light color on your steering is white, another forum member has posted picture with red back-light.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post3800644

Is back-light color on steering wheel configurable?

Regards.

Nope, different model. Lights aren't configurable.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by Sankar

My GT TDi doesn't have a rear spoiler. Looks like they forgot to put it on while on the assembly line

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

You've got to be kidding Sankar!

Could you post a snap of the rear?

Originally Posted by Vik0728

However, if your GT really came without a Spoiler, you must be really prepping up a legal suit against VW.

Originally Posted by Sankar

Here it is. Posting the side profile as its been raining heavily this evening and could manage a side shot only but anyway you can see it.

Attachment 1363181

Originally Posted by Schoudhury

Now that is something really serious . How old is your car?
Even it might be late but you should really take it up with VW .

Honestly I wasn't missing the spoiler... but another GT is soon coming to our office and that will have the spoiler (if they don't forget to stick it on lol) and I would get constantly reminded about the missing spoiler in my car. Thats not good.

So two weeks ago I took this up with VW dealer in my city, I raised this issue with their CRM and he took it up with VW and got me one in two weeks time! I really appreciate the efficiency with which he got this done! The rear spoiler is glued to the rear hatch and because of probable fitment issues they changed the rear hatch itself FOC. Looks like VW service is surely improving!

[antardaksh]

Hi,

I found two different options while searching for GTI Steering wheel with paddles.

1. Without cruise control button



2. With cruise control button




Would these cruise control buttons work with new Vento/Polo that by default come with cruise control?

Regards.

[drpudhi]

Originally Posted by aditya9567

Did a VW workshop change the wheel? Did he say anything about voiding the warranty and how much did he charge?

Thanks

Originally Posted by antardaksh

Hi d_himan,

I noticed that the back-light color on your steering is white, another forum member has posted picture with red back-light.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post3800644

Is back-light color on steering wheel configurable?

Regards.

Yes aditya. My VW dealer changed it. Had some bodyshop work done and they didn't charge me anything separately for the steering wheel (the CRM being a common friend of my close friend might have worked). They were non committal about warranty and i didn't probe further.

antardaksh...I don't think the backlighting is configurable. I did ask my seller specifically for red as he said he had wheels with white as well as red backlight. And the cruise control in steering won't work as the new Polo/vento come with CC in the stalks. Better to go with the model without cruise control buttons.

[ngauravmalhotra]

Hi Guys,
This is my first post. I just finished booking my Carbon steel grey GT TSI . Very excited to get my hands on a very fine piece of engineering. I wass informed there was no Carbon steel grey production this month and will have to wait till mid october for delivery.

Haven't really thought about what changes I want on the car so far. Have been impressed with the various accessories people have bolted on to the polo.
Will keep the forum updated with the status of delivery.

Cheers
Gaurav

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by ngauravmalhotra

Hi Guys,
This is my first post. I just finished booking my Carbon steel grey GT TSI . Very excited to get my hands on a very fine piece of engineering. ... .... ...

Welcome to the site, and welcome to the VW Polo Owners' section

I'd be exited to get my hands on that car too, but my current thinking is that I'll keep my 4-yr-old 1.6 until it is no longer viable --- whatever improved models may come along.

My belief (at least before I came to India) is that a car should last ten years and still be decent. Despite the much harsher conditions here, I'm trying for that with my Polo.

But I can't say that some of the new stuff isn't very tempting!

[graaja]

Yesterday, I booked a Carbon Steel Grey GT TSi. Expected delivery is 8 weeks. However, dealer said he may get an allocation of a grey TSi this month, which he can allocate for me (the general demand is for white and red colors).

I have a question for other TSi users who have changed to steering wheels with paddle shifts. As these steering wheels are sourced from third parties, what is the guarantee that the airbag mechanism is good and will deploy when required? I am going for Polo TSi solely for the standard safety features it comes with and for the structural strength. I would love to get the steering wheel with paddle shifts, but do not want to compromise on the safety.

Thanks in advance for all the feedback.

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by graaja

I have a question for other TSi users who have changed to steering wheels with paddle shifts. As these steering wheels are sourced from third parties, what is the guarantee that the airbag mechanism is good and will deploy when required? I am going for Polo TSi solely for the standard safety features it comes with and for the structural strength. I would love to get the steering wheel with paddle shifts, but do not want to compromise on the safety.

Thanks in advance for all the feedback.

It's better to get a wheel which uses your standard airbag, in your case, the new Jetta steering. As for the GTI steering there are a lot of replicas around so would advise you stay away from that. Only issue with Jetta steering is that it comes with cruise control buttons on the steering. If your Polo is newer version then it will have cruise control on the stalks. It's better to go for something that can be proven OEM. After fitment, the steering should not throw airbag error on the mid.

[d_himan]

Originally Posted by graaja

Yesterday, I booked a Carbon Steel Grey GT TSi. Expected delivery is 8 weeks. However, dealer said he may get an allocation of a grey TSi this month, which he can allocate for me (the general demand is for white and red colors).

I have a question for other TSi users who have changed to steering wheels with paddle shifts. As these steering wheels are sourced from third parties, what is the guarantee that the airbag mechanism is good and will deploy when required? I am going for Polo TSi solely for the standard safety features it comes with and for the structural strength. I would love to get the steering wheel with paddle shifts, but do not want to compromise on the safety.

Thanks in advance for all the feedback.

The GTI steerings sourced are made in VW Mexico, not China/aliexpress stuff, which is psychologically reassuring. Also, the die stampings and fit/finish of the leather/brushed aluminium seem authentic. There are at least 10 of us who couldn't be happier with this decision and are blissfully using it over the last 4/5 months. However, yes, nobody can guarantee that the airbag mechanism can deploy. So, your call end of the day!

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

My belief (at least before I came to India) is that a car should last ten years and still be decent. Despite the much harsher conditions here, I'm trying for that with my Polo.

But I can't say that some of the new stuff isn't very tempting!

Thad, my humble 2 cents - life's too short to spend 10 years on a single, not so exciting car and not experience what newer technology has to offer!

[drpudhi]

Originally Posted by graaja

Yesterday, I booked a Carbon Steel Grey GT TSi. Expected delivery is 8 weeks. However, dealer said he may get an allocation of a grey TSi this month, which he can allocate for me (the general demand is for white and red colors).

I have a question for other TSi users who have changed to steering wheels with paddle shifts. As these steering wheels are sourced from third parties, what is the guarantee that the airbag mechanism is good and will deploy when required? I am going for Polo TSi solely for the standard safety features it comes with and for the structural strength. I would love to get the steering wheel with paddle shifts, but do not want to compromise on the safety.

Thanks in advance for all the feedback.

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

It's better to get a wheel which uses your standard airbag, in your case, the new Jetta steering. As for the GTI steering there are a lot of replicas around so would advise you stay away from that. Only issue with Jetta steering is that it comes with cruise control buttons on the steering. If your Polo is newer version then it will have cruise control on the stalks. It's better to go for something that can be proven OEM. After fitment, the steering should not throw airbag error on the mid.

If it helps i did the swap with GTI wheel with paddles. It was done by my VW dealer. During the process they confirmed the model had its own airbag and they also did a complete scan for errors with their diagnostic tool and returned clean after the install. Also, i have not encountered any airbag errors in the MID so far. Though i can not guarantee if its OEM or will definitely deploy in case of accident. But isn't it the case with so many reports on our forum where air bags did't deploy and honda now recalling its vehicles for faulty airbags. At the end of the day its just a gamble which you feel is worth taking or not. And i did explore the option of the OEM jetta wheel with my VW dealer which they flatly refused saying they are not compatible. Hope it helps you to take an informed decision.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by graaja

I have a question for other TSi users who have changed to steering wheels with paddle shifts. As these steering wheels are sourced from third parties, what is the guarantee that the airbag mechanism is good and will deploy when required? I am going for Polo TSi solely for the standard safety features it comes with and for the structural strength. I would love to get the steering wheel with paddle shifts, but do not want to compromise on the safety.

Congratulations on your booking! And great colour choice

Just a suggestion - why don't you use the car in stock form for a while and see if you really need a GTI steering with paddle shifts?

Originally Posted by d_himan

Thad, my humble 2 cents - life's too short to spend 10 years on a single, not so exciting car and not experience what newer technology has to offer!

Technology will have its regular updates but the parameters for basic driving pleasure does not change much. Infact European cars normally take around 7-10 years for a generation change; infact I feel Thad's Polo 1.6 is an ideal candidate to play on for 10 years

[adi_petrolhead]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Just a suggestion - why don't you use the car in stock form for a while and see if you really need a GTI steering with paddle shifts?

Second that. Or at least wait till the official launch of the Polo GTI in India, which can be anytime after seeing those test mules on the forum. You can then source it from the dealership officially. Although it might be expensive. What sort of asking price does sites selling these steerings demand?

[graaja]

Originally Posted by d_himan

The GTI steerings sourced are made in VW Mexico, not China/aliexpress stuff, which is psychologically reassuring. Also, the die stampings and fit/finish of the leather/brushed aluminium seem authentic. There are at least 10 of us who couldn't be happier with this decision and are blissfully using it over the last 4/5 months. However, yes, nobody can guarantee that the airbag mechanism can deploy. So, your call end of the day!

Originally Posted by drpudhi

If it helps i did the swap with GTI wheel with paddles. It was done by my VW dealer. During the process they confirmed the model had its own airbag and they also did a complete scan for errors with their diagnostic tool and returned clean after the install. Also, i have not encountered any airbag errors in the MID so far. Though i can not guarantee if its OEM or will definitely deploy in case of accident. But isn't it the case with so many reports on our forum where air bags did't deploy and honda now recalling its vehicles for faulty airbags. At the end of the day its just a gamble which you feel is worth taking or not. And i did explore the option of the OEM jetta wheel with my VW dealer which they flatly refused saying they are not compatible. Hope it helps you to take an informed decision.

Thank you d_himan and drpudhi for the inputs. So, as you mention it is a gamble changing the steering, and it has to be a calculated risk. I think I will enjoy the car in it's stock form for some time before some other option (like GTI steering wheel available officially from VW) comes up.

Originally Posted by vb-san

Congratulations on your booking! And great colour choice

Just a suggestion - why don't you use the car in stock form for a while and see if you really need a GTI steering with paddle shifts?

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

Second that...

Thanks vb-san and Adi for the wishes and suggestion. I am going to take that advice and going to use the car in stock form with the tiptronic mode for some time.

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

What sort of asking price does sites selling these steerings demand?

There was one ebay listing for the steering wheel which was listed for $450.

[d_himan]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Technology will have its regular updates but the parameters for basic driving pleasure does not change much. Infact European cars normally take around 7-10 years for a generation change; infact I feel Thad's Polo 1.6 is an ideal candidate to play on for 10 years

Correct vb-san. The 1.6 is a generation older than the 1.2 TSI! A couple of people, who have 'upgraded' to the 1.2 TSI-DSG combination from the 1.6 Polo feel it's a different car altogether with respect to the drivetrain - low-mid power, refinement, sportiness and modification potential are at a different level. All agree though that the 1.6 had better build quality and one chap really misses the manual despite the DSG!

I'd say, unless Thad really has to prove a point that the 1.6 can last 10 years, he should ideally upgrade, heck, to the 1.8 GTI ideally!

That's just me though, no offense meant to anyone!

[drpudhi]

Originally Posted by graaja

Thank you d_himan and drpudhi for the inputs. So, as you mention it is a gamble changing the steering, and it has to be a calculated risk. I think I will enjoy the car in it's stock form for some time before some other option (like GTI steering wheel available officially from VW) comes up.

Sure you should. Infact it took me nearly two years to convince myself for the GTI wheel (My GT TSI turns two in a month). It was more of a necessity for me as i do frequent highway drives and felt the kickdown in D mode was little lazy for sudden overtaking maneuvers. The S mode was just too loud for my liking. The paddles give that versatility i always wanted in these two years. Enjoy your ride for some time so that you get to know your ride before modding.