[shashank.nk]

My Polo has had two parts fail and be replaced under warranty in less than 6 months of ownership.

Rear drum brakes were replaced in the month of May as it jammed and now the steering cone set has gone bust and needs to be changed. The workshop people have failed to offer a valid explanation for the premature failure in both cases.

I've already written to VW customer care, but i want to escalate the matter further. Can someone provide id's of VW higher-ups?

[Anish88]

Just booked a Polo 1.2 TDI Highline!

Been shuffling between Pune and Delhi, now moving back to Delhi for good! It's been 2 years of driving a company Swift Petrol Zxi. Never liked the car but when the company gives you a leased car and you can't take a cash-out option, you have to live with it! Given that I'd be shuttling between Gurgaon-Delhi-Greater Noida a lot, Diesel is the choice of fuel. So anyway, read through this review and of many other cars in the price bracket, boiled down to first shortlist of Polo, Punto, Fabia and i20, and the final shortlist of Polo and Fabia. Chose the Polo because of the way it looks and the overall experience at the dealerships (although in Pune, Delhi work done on the phone and via family). I'm not sure if it was the condition of the Test Drive cars or the holy truth, but the Polo drove a whole lot better than the Fabia. Fabia felt a little slower off the line and slightly sluggish, the Polo was far better in terms of pick-up and the gearbox seemed better too. The Polo's interiors felt better too. The stereo is much better than the Fabia's. The steering on the Fabia and the brilliant Boot Parcel Tray settings are the best bits about the car for me.

The final deal I got is free insurance, floor mats and mud flaps. Not taking Volkswagen Finance at 9.4% (approx) gets you the free insurance. Made some calculations and my bank made more sense, especially because I have to get all the paperwork done sitting in Pune while I'm buying the car in Delhi, because I need the car to be ready and delivered the day I move back. The on-road prices comes to 8.06 lacs without the extended warranty. Yesterday was all about figuring out which dealership has the car in Red available in Highline. Turns out only one! So finally sent some money and got the car blocked. Now the loan approval process is on, and if it all goes well, should have the car by the middle of next week!

[shashank.nk]

Guys, please go through my ordeal with VW Palace cross service and suggest how i can escalate the matter and lodge a complaint against them. I've written to the id mentioned on VW's website, but no response from them yet!

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post2866686

[joslicx]

That's awful shashank. I was given to understand that palace cross was the best vw service center here in Bangalore and the vento owners in this forum a were mostly satisfied lot. Were there any changes in personnel there recently?

[envy]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Guys, please go through my ordeal with VW Palace cross service and suggest how i can escalate the matter and lodge a complaint against them. I've written to the id mentioned on VW's website, but no response from them yet!

Sorry to hear about your experience.
What happened with the car is probably a rare case, unfortunate.
But not paying heed to your complain...
This is perhaps one of the worst things about dealerships in India, no matter how good the brand is internationally the staff at these dealerships is local, that to the ones who haven't been selected properly, to provide service at par with their 'so called' standards.

It is not very often that you have to interact with your vehicle's company support staff, atleast those interactions should not be unpleasant.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by joslicx

That's awful shashank. I was given to understand that palace cross was the best vw service center here in Bangalore and the vento owners in this forum a were mostly satisfied lot. Were there any changes in personnel there recently?

I don't know if there have been any changes, but the present bunch are a set of jokers. The SA's and their manager included.

Originally Posted by envy

Sorry to hear about your experience.
What happened with the car is probably a rare case, unfortunate.
But not paying heed to your complain...
This is perhaps one of the worst things about dealerships in India, no matter how good the brand is internationally the staff at these dealerships is local, that to the ones who haven't been selected properly, to provide service at par with their 'so called' standards.

It is not very often that you have to interact with your vehicle's company support staff, atleast those interactions should not be unpleasant.

True, my car may be a one-off case but what differentiates a 'good' company from these VW morons is how they respond to your problems. Irresponsible and lackadaisical is what defines them!

The sad part is one has to interact with them till he owns the car, i'm sick of their attitude in 6 months, wonder how it'll be once warranty on shock absorbers etc. is over after 10k kms.

I'd rate my experience with Skoda a lot higher even though they've been bashed on the forum, they atleast listen to your complaints and try their best to sort it out!

[envy]

Originally Posted by Anish88

The final deal I got is free insurance, floor mats and mud flaps. Not taking Volkswagen Finance at 9.4% (approx) gets you the free insurance. Made some calculations and my bank made more sense, especially because I have to get all the paperwork done sitting in Pune while I'm buying the car in Delhi, because I need the car to be ready and delivered the day I move back. The on-road prices comes to 8.06 lacs without the extended warranty.

congrats!

the so called 5.99% finance deal is equivalent to 9.4??

and if I may ask what finance deal did you get from your bank, does it have pre payment charges?

Also, are you retaining the stock music system or did you upgrade to a one with usb/aux?

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by joslicx

I was given to understand that palace cross was the best vw service center here in Bangalore

Yes Palace Cross Service centre is the better of the two that is curently available (having dealt with both). You can now imagine the owners plight in VW- Downtown!

Cheers!

[Anish88]

Originally Posted by envy

congrats!

the so called 5.99% finance deal is equivalent to 9.4??

and if I may ask what finance deal did you get from your bank, does it have pre payment charges?

Also, are you retaining the stock music system or did you upgrade to a one with usb/aux?

The 5.99% scheme is valid for a 3-year loan on a Petrol powered Polo/Vento, 25% downpayment. You can include the service and insurance charges for 2 years over and above the first year and make it 'Mobility Max', which also gets you extended warranty. For Diesels, the rate of interest is 7.5% for a 3 year loan and 9.49% for a 5 year loan. But if you take the Volkswagen Finance, you don't get free insurance. Insurance comes to about Rs. 27,000.

I'm going with HDFC Bank for the sake of simplicity, since I'm not in Delhi at the moment. The rate I'm getting after discounts on processing charges etc. comes to about 11.5% because I'm an HDFC Customer. So I made some calculations and stuff, and it comes to almost the same deal as Volkswagen Finance for me (Insurance is free!).

Sticking with the stock unit for now since it has Aux and a decent set of speakers, will look at a speaker upgrade in a few months probably. The sales fellow who came for the test drive told me it's a Kenwood stereo.

[envy]

Originally Posted by Anish88

The 5.99% scheme is valid for a 3-year loan on a Petrol powered Polo/Vento, 25% downpayment. You can include the service and insurance charges for 2 years over and above the first year and make it 'Mobility Max', which also gets you extended warranty. For Diesels, the rate of interest is 7.5% for a 3 year loan and 9.49% for a 5 year loan. But if you take the Volkswagen Finance, you don't get free insurance. Insurance comes to about Rs. 27,000.

I'm going with HDFC Bank for the sake of simplicity, since I'm not in Delhi at the moment. The rate I'm getting after discounts on processing charges etc. comes to about 11.5% because I'm an HDFC Customer. So I made some calculations and stuff, and it comes to almost the same deal as Volkswagen Finance for me (Insurance is free!).

Sticking with the stock unit for now since it has Aux and a decent set of speakers, will look at a speaker upgrade in a few months probably. The sales fellow who came for the test drive told me it's a Kenwood stereo.

I was looking at the petrol highline finance, I guess the 5.99% would be better than the 27k off on the Petrol 1.6.
They are also offering a 2 Yrs AMC for 12k (that means all inclusive services for 2yrs + the parts costs involved in it), which is a good deal.

It's a good thing you got aux in your stereo, I can live with that too, but Petrol HL doesnt even get that! They give the stock HU, not the kenwood one... Speakers were fine though.

[volkman10]

Polo AT to be launched, could be the 1.6. Polo 1.4/1.5 TDI expected in 2014!

Changes to the Volkswagen Polo will include black inserts on the headlights, smoked tail lights and new alloy wheels. The interiors will receive upgrades as well with a new audio system having touch controls and Bluetooth connectivity. The Polo Highline will get steering mounted audio controls as well. Volkswagen will also bring an automatic gearbox in the Polo petrol, details of which are still not known.

Volkswagen To Launch Polo Facelift Soon | MotorBeam - Indian Car Bike News & Reviews

[bala80]

Try complaining to VW on facebook if you are a member there. I have seen some comments from members about its effectiveness.

Email ID's to CC hardly evokes any response, sad but true. VW is pathetic as far as customer care is concerned. Let's know how it goes, we may be able to help you with some inputs.

I have also read about efforts of some others - will help for you to search and read through them in the forum.

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

True, my car may be a one-off case but what differentiates a 'good' company from these VW morons is how they respond to your problems. Irresponsible and lackadaisical is what defines them!

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by bala80

Try complaining to VW on facebook if you are a member there. I have seen some comments from members about its effectiveness.

Email ID's to CC hardly evokes any response, sad but true. VW is pathetic as far as customer care is concerned. Let's know how it goes, we may be able to help you with some inputs.

I have also read about efforts of some others - will help for you to search and read through them in the forum.

Hi bala,

Thanks for the input! I complained on their Fb page and provided whatever details they asked for. When we went to collect the car, there was a noticeable change in how their attitude. The manager took personal interest and explained to us what went wrong, why and what work was carried out.

The noise was still there but i was told once the bearings settle, it will disappear, so i took the car and have driven 100+ kms since then. Noise is almost gone,will update once it disappears totally.

I've also updated that thread on my experience:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-feedback.html

[envy]

Originally Posted by prashant316

Do note that there can never be a perfect car. But there is always a car that will touch your heart. Go and visit each of these cars one more time. M sure your heart will automatically make a decision.

Heart wins over head, Just booked the Polo 1.6
The WAIT begins!!

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by envy

Heart wins over head, Just booked the Polo 1.6
The WAIT begins!!

Congrats on the booking. What is the booking period for this now? Are there any feature upgrade you know of on this?

Cheers!