[pavi]

Originally Posted by lionell

Have done 30,000kms only and have faced a leaking left strut and now this. I am surprised with the part quality having gone so low. The car has been driven carefully and only in good city roads and national highways (long distance touring).

The set-up will be changed under warranty!

I had seen a video in which a long time skoda/VW car workshop guy mentioned the degrading quality of VW group cars, especially the Gabriel suspensions. I hope they look into this and select another better manufacturer for their suspensions.

[SLK]

Originally Posted by lionell

I just got back from the ASC, the rack and pinion set up has gone bust and the steering shudders with a knocking sound over continuous rough roads.

Have done 30,000kms only and have faced a leaking left strut and now this. I am surprised with the part quality having gone so low. The car has been driven carefully and only in good city roads and national highways (long distance touring).

The set-up will be changed under warranty!

I had it changed too, under warranty. Even after the change the setup is not completely silent, but then it never was. They have this documented from my first inspection visit.

I think its not a quality issue really, it is a design flaw.

[lionell]

Originally Posted by SLK

I had it changed too, under warranty. Even after the change the setup is not completely silent, but then it never was. They have this documented from my first inspection visit.

I think its not a quality issue really, it is a design flaw.

I strongly believe that it is due to the upsizing of wheels to 16 inches. My friends 6 year old polo has no suspension issues yet. He runs normal 15 inch steel wheels.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by lionell

I strongly believe that it is due to the upsizing of wheels to 16 inches. My friends 6 year old polo has no suspension issues yet. He runs normal 15 inch steel wheels.

I guess the 6 year old polo also had better OEM suspension vendor with better quality components leading to no issues mostly. The older polos had very good mechanical components if i recall. Off late the components quality has been going south while the price of the car has only been going up and up.

[SLK]

Originally Posted by lionell

I strongly believe that it is due to the upsizing of wheels to 16 inches. My friends 6 year old polo has no suspension issues yet. He runs normal 15 inch steel wheels.

Mine is March'15 model, 15 inch wheels only.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by lionell

I strongly believe that it is due to the upsizing of wheels to 16 inches. My friends 6 year old polo has no suspension issues yet. He runs normal 15 inch steel wheels.

My friend's 2011 grey Polo 1.6 has done 80k since delivery and has run flawlessly.

Post 2014, the Polo has been subjected to severe localization = substandard parts. Everything from the steering rack to the brakes, suspension components, even the interior trim!

For example, my friend's Polo 1.6 is still running on its stock factory suspension, but my 2015 TSI at 27,000 on the odo had to undergo an entire suspension overhaul because the lower arm was damaged, all struts were found leaking and the link rods were broken.

[BigBrad]

Originally Posted by SLK

I had it changed too, under warranty. Even after the change the setup is not completely silent, but then it never was.

Originally Posted by lionell

I just got back from the ASC, the rack and pinion set up has gone bust and the steering shudders with a knocking sound over continuous rough roads.

I too have a 2015 March Polo and had two issues with the steering wheel right from day 1:
-There used to be a tak-tak-tak noise whenever the steering was turned.
-A thud noise when driven over potholes.

I had upsized the tyres to 205 S drives from day 1 and I believed the noise was mostly due to the extra load on the steering owing to the wider contact patch. The tak-tak noise reduced when I swapped the tyres to 195 Michelin Primacys. The thud noise too reduced a bit, but I wasn't sure if that was due to the softer Michelins. Anyways, both the noise vanished for good after I changed the steering rack under warranty. Completed more than 1000kms now after the replacement and there's no noise yet. The only regret is not having done this earlier in my ownership.

Regarding suspension, I hear mild squeaking sounds when going over bumps, but it's mostly audible when the audio system is turned off. Also, I haven't observed any oil leaks on the struts. But I feel the car would do better with a new set of struts (Sachs or Bilsteins).

[kkdelhi]

Does anyone think the GT's horn is extra loud? I was recently stopped by a traffic personnel when I honked near him. He said I had an aftermarket horn installed that was not legal. I had to politely tell him the horn was installed at the time the car was manufactured by the company in the factory He made a face and let me go. 😐

[Thad E Ginathom]

I think VW Polo horn has always been loud, even after they reduced it to the single, higher-pitch horn.

The sound-proofing is quite good. One doesn't notice so much from inside, unless the window is open.

[swissknife]

Originally Posted by kkdelhi

Does anyone think the GT's horn is extra loud? I was recently stopped by a traffic personnel when I honked near him. He said I had an aftermarket horn installed that was not legal. I had to politely tell him the horn was installed at the time the car was manufactured by the company in the factory He made a face and let me go. ��

Frankly, I don't know, since I almost don't use the horn. However, the few times that I have used it, I managed to get my point across.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by kkdelhi

Does anyone think the GT's horn is extra loud? I was recently stopped by a traffic personnel when I honked near him. He said I had an aftermarket horn installed that was not legal. I had to politely tell him the horn was installed at the time the car was manufactured by the company in the factory He made a face and let me go. 😐

If it is the dual tone horn, then yes, it is quite loud. But the single tone horn is quite mild.

[Thad E Ginathom]

It doesn't get a biker's attention from his phone. Can't be that loud!

[BlueEyes]

Team, my GT is due for 4th year service(2015 make & 43k on odo). Apart from regular air filter, engine oil change,etc any thing in particular should be attended? SA did mention about spark plug change but he said it can be done on next service, so am bit confused.

More importantly, change of tyres are also due and I am thinking of upsizing the wheels from 15" to 16". To my knowledge VW changed GT wheels to 16 inchers sometime in 2017 without making any mechanical changes(??) like suspension upgrade. So I am hoping upsizing from 15 to 16 would not through up any issues. If anyone has made such upgrade, I would highly appreciate the feedback.

PS: I have 16" Momo Massimo in mind and please suggest a relevant tyre in Michelin. Thanks.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by BlueEyes

Team, my GT is due for 4th year service(2015 make & 43k on odo). Apart from regular air filter, engine oil change,etc any thing in particular should be attended? SA did mention about spark plug change but he said it can be done on next service, so am bit confused.
More importantly, change of tyres are also due and I am thinking of upsizing the wheels from 15" to 16". To my knowledge VW changed GT wheels to 16 inchers sometime in 2017 without making any mechanical changes(??) like suspension upgrade. So I am hoping upsizing from 15 to 16 would not through up any issues. If anyone has made such upgrade, I would highly appreciate the feedback.

PS: I have 16" Momo Massimo in mind and please suggest a relevant tyre in Michelin. Thanks.

Please check for unusual suspension wear. While speaking with your SA, insist on checking the health of the dampers, link rods, ball joints and even the lower arm. If not in good nick, push for replacement under warranty if possible.

Also, if the wiper blades haven't been changed, get that replaced pronto.

You can upgrade to 16" wheels but your SA may make a fuss. Persuade him and prevail upon his logical side.

I'm not sure if the steering rack is different for 16" wheels, but it's possible.

Any brand of alloys is fine as long as it's a reputed one and is a genuine product. As for tyres, if you are the spirited kind, I would very strongly recommend Michelin Pilot Sport 4 ST. Nothing else quite like it in the market. The premium you pay for it us worth it, I can vouch for it!

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by BlueEyes

Team, my GT is due for 4th year service(2015 make & 43k on odo). Apart from regular air filter, engine oil change,etc any thing in particular should be attended? SA did mention about spark plug change but he said it can be done on next service, so am bit confused.

When it comes to any machine, never change something thats not broken. So if next time the SA asks you to change the spark plug - ask for an explanation for it. I don't think it should be changed if there are no apparent issues in driving or mileage etc. We are not owning cars so that they can meet their billing targets.

Originally Posted by BlueEyes

More importantly, change of tyres are also due and I am thinking of upsizing the wheels from 15" to 16". To my knowledge VW changed GT wheels to 16 inchers sometime in 2017 without making any mechanical changes(??) like suspension upgrade. So I am hoping upsizing from 15 to 16 would not through up any issues. If anyone has made such upgrade, I would highly appreciate the feedback.

PS: I have 16" Momo Massimo in mind and please suggest a relevant tyre in Michelin. Thanks.

Why do you want to change to 16"? For a hatch this size, 15" is quite good & gives better ride quality with right profile tyres. With 16" you are confining yourself to fairly short side-walls and stiffer rides. Our roads aren't too kind generally. Looks aside I think 15" are more practical for routine use. And of course - the tyres are cheaper in R15 spec compared to R16.

Do check if your planned R16 wheel+tyre combo fits properly in the boot space for spare wheel. Otherwise you might have to opt for a differently sized spare wheel.