[himanshu_j]

Many happy miles with your brilliant hatch, Epic! The 1.6 is THE engine the Polo deserves. Even though I paid sticker on mine last year, it doesn't fail to put a grin on my face every time I am behind the steering

Seems to me you got the JK tyres and going by experience of fellow members, I would suggest you go in for a better brand ASAP to get the best buy back price.

Fit and finish of your seat covers is top notch Cant say the same for the steering cover. Take my advice and ditch it or head to the nearest Stanley outlet and get leather stitched. Should cost between 1300 to 3500 depending upon the grade of leather you choose. How much did the Gsport seat covers cost you? Are they Art or Genuine leather?

[mayankjha1806]

Congratulations, the black polo looks really lovely. VW has fantastic colors on polo, add to that straight lines and no fuzzy looks make it a killer combination.

1.6 Petrol especially in these days of petrol prices is a rarity, but the way we see it, its loads of fun driving this. Zelma is an apt name for the power it delivers.

[bottle]

Congrats Epic! Car looks great after it has been detailed as well

Waiting to see how your ICE pans out as well.

[guyfrmblr]

Congratulations Epic for your Zelma. Looks stunning. You know how to select the best when it comes to seat covers. Its brilliant. Perfectly matches with black. How much did they cost you? The only eyesore is the steering cover. As himanshu_j mentioned, please go for a leather cover.

[Epic]

Originally Posted by himanshu_j

Many happy miles with your brilliant hatch, Epic! The 1.6 is THE engine the Polo deserves. Even though I paid sticker on mine last year, it doesn't fail to put a grin on my face every time I am behind the steering

Seems to me you got the JK tyres and going by experience of fellow members, I would suggest you go in for a better brand ASAP to get the best buy back price.

Fit and finish of your seat covers is top notch Cant say the same for the steering cover. Take my advice and ditch it or head to the nearest Stanley outlet and get leather stitched. Should cost between 1300 to 3500 depending upon the grade of leather you choose. How much did the Gsport seat covers cost you? Are they Art or Genuine leather?

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

Congratulations Epic for your Zelma. Looks stunning. You know how to select the best when it comes to seat covers. Its brilliant. Perfectly matches with black. How much did they cost you? The only eyesore is the steering cover. As himanshu_j mentioned, please go for a leather cover.

Thank you Himanshu and Guyfrmblr. Yes I am very happy with the car and very happy with the G-Sport covers as well. I agree the steering cover is a disaster and did not expect this to be the outcome. Will have the same changed to the stitched Stanley ones asap. The G-Sport covers are art leather and costed me 5.8k

The tires will be going in for a swap soon too. Looking at the 205/55/R15 S-Drives. Also looking at Michelins.

Originally Posted by bottle

Congrats Epic! Car looks great after it has been detailed as well

Waiting to see how your ICE pans out as well

Thank you bottle. As a matter of fact I have decided to not go in for a high end ICE upgrade even though it was 100% finalized. I have decided to stick to an OEM upgrade. Apparently there are fully loaded OEM HU upgrades from Motevo, Wiston and Caska but I believe there have been concerns with their quality and after sales support? However, I cam across an ad in the Overdrive magazine of Mega Audio who are now into OEM upgrades of HUs and speakers which I feel would be a better bet. They also have a bass reactor available. So will be checking them out and also opening a thread for this.

Originally Posted by akshay1234

On the contrary the seat cover fit seems atrocious, Epic you must have it done properly. The contours of the seats have disappeared now and it seems totally flat. I though G-Sport did proper fitting, by stitching these covers to the OEM covers.

On the other hand, congrats on the car. The Polo 1.6 is a really fun car, and can give many sedans a run for their money. The power, ride and handling make for possibly the best hatch to drive in India right now.

Hey akshay1234! Actually the countours are very much there as per the original look. It is just the angle of the pic that is making it look flat. The covers are very much stitched to the OEM covers. I would never settle for anything less.

[Epic]

Hello all,

I have completed a good 6.5k kms on the car till date and have unfortunately encountered 02 problems so far.

1. A coconut palm fell on my car and dented the front left fender and a bit of the bonnet so the car is at the workshop for immediate repairs.

2. I had been getting a sort of a rattleing sound from the front of the car especially over rogugh roads and at the time of starting the car so I also have asked them to look in to the same not that the car is with VW guys. Apparently there is an issue with the engine mounting which needs to be replaced. On doing a bit more research on TBHP I found out that this is a common complaint with the Polo, Vento and Fabia and apparently a manufacturing defect. This is being done under warranty. I wonder why this is not done before delivery since they know it is a manufacturing defect?

On the whole I am very happy with the car so far and the VW Polo 1.6 is a huge upgrade to my previously owned Swift so I am happy with the decision in terms of engine and overall quality. I am getting an average of arounf 13.5 kmpl which is a mix of city and highway driving to work everyday. For those who are familiar with Mumbai, i drive everyday from Bandra West to Powai which is a 20km drive one way. So it is a very good average for a 1.6 engine.

A few additions are some chrome garnish on the steering wheel and 3D Kagu Mats which have been a blessing during the monsoons.

I have also changed the steering cover which I got re-done from Orchis. I am very happy with the outcome.

[Epic]

Hello all,

Yes its been long time since I am back to report on the experience so far and its just one word - FANTASTIC!!!

Engine mounts have been replaced and the car is now silent. ICE has been upgraded and sounding amazing.

I have done a couple of outstation trips and I have noticed that the car has amazing handling capabilities at high speeds. The steering is precise and points you in the direction you want to go without effort. The suspension is a bit stiff but not manageable. I am not at all happy with the tires as they do not give me full confidence while braking from high speeds. For some reason I have pathetic JKs while everyone else has the better Apollos. I am contemplating on upgrading the tires to Yokohama S-Drives of size 205/55/R15 before the monsoons. So far - touch wood - I have not had any issues with the car till date and it is performing the way it should. The 1.6 liter engine is a blessing on highways and tends to leave most cars including sedans way behind without much effort.

The car has done a little more than 14k kilometers as of today and I have already scheduled an appointment for next week for its first service. I will update on the work carried out and costs for the same.

[Epic]

So Zelma; my VW Polo 1.6 is now 06+ years and only getting younger! Sometime in 2016, I initially had the thought of replacing her and buying a brand new Vento or Jetta but dropped the idea when I luckily came across a sparingly used 2015 Jetta Highline 2.0 DSG which I picked up the in the same year. I was still in two minds whether to keep the Polo or replace it with the GT TSI and after a lot of thought decided to keep the car. There is something about the Polo 1.6 which always put a smile on my face every time I drove her. I was surprised that my wife too always preferred to travel in the Polo over the Jetta. She was a major influence in my decision of keeping the car. So now I had the Jetta for those business meetings and outstation drives and the Polo 1.6 for the local and short distant drives. So now that I decided to keep the Polo and that too for like at least another 02 years, I thought why not give it a bit more character and freshen her up.

So I thought, let me give her a good coat of fresh paint (not that it required one, but just for my satisfaction) and that would be it. But I did not realise that this was just the beginning.

Now, I was never into modifying my cars; be it mechanical or cosmetic, but sometimes I did get the urge to do a little cosmetic changes but always preferred to keep it absolutely minimum and simple. In the 06+ years of ownership, the only cosmetic changes to my Polo 1.6 were 3D Kagu mats, G-Sport upholstery, leather steering, chrome accents on the steering wheel, ICE and upsized tires (205/55/R15); things that don’t really stand out from a stock Polo. So I thought like always, let’s keep it to a minimum – a body kit with roof spoiler (which I eventually dropped), a GTI grill, OEM projector headlights and 16” rims. That’s it nothing more!! Oh but how wrong I was in thinking I would stop there. Contacted my good friend and TBHP member prince85 to know his thought on this and that was the beginning of a different outcome all together.

We tried to stick to the plan as much as we could but ended up making some changes which I believe were for the better.

PROJECTOR HEADLAMPS: The purpose of investing in projectors was purely for better visibility more than cosmetics. Even though I initially thought of sticking to the OEM projector headlights with DRLs, I ultimately decided against it due to the cost and the functions (DRL, AFS & Cornering Lights) I would miss for the price paid. Yes, there was possibly still a scope to have these functions in the car but that would mean a major BCM change which I felt was not worth it. We decided that the best way forward would be an aftermarket projector setup retrofitted in the current OEM halogen headlight. Here we chose Xenon Planet for the job due to the quality offered at an affordable price. I decided to ditch the single barrel chrome headlights that came stock with my car and buy a new set of the single barrel smoked headlights that came stock in the later models. List of equipment:
HEADLIGHTS
02 Single barrel smoked headlights – Rs. 7700
01 Projector Kit – Rs. 25000
- XP Mini Super V3 projectors
- XP H1 5000K HID Bulbs (55W)
- XP 55 fast start ballasts (55W)
- Iris shrouds
- Installation
TOTAL – Rs. 32700.

FOG LIGHTS
Morimoto 3Five H8 5000K HID bulbs (35W) – Rs. 2000
XP 35 fast start ballasts (35W) – Rs. 4000
Installation
TOTAL – Rs. 6000










Now that the lighting was sorted, I thought why not add a little ‘convenience factor’ to the set up and some other goodies?

AUTO HEADLIGHT SENSOR MODULE – $33.50 (Rs. 2200 approx) & SWITCH Rs. 1000: This was something I did not really need but decided to do it just because it had a simple installation procedure and did not cost too much. I got the module from AliExpress for $33.50 and the switch from prince85 for 1k which he happened to have.




GTI TAIL LIGHTS – Rs. 15000: Got these from VagTune. A cosmetic change but it totally changes the rear look of the car and how. I was not very keen on it initially but quickly changed my mind once I saw a video on YouTube of a Polo with these tail lights.






GTI GRILL – $97 (Rs. 6200 approx): This is again cosmetic and I had a tough time choosing between the old GTI grill (matte black with 02 red stripes), the new GTI grill (gloss black with 01 red stripe) and the R-Line grill (full gloss black) but ultimately decided to go for the old GTI grill simply because it stood out better on my black coloured car as compared to the rest. The con with this grill is keeping it clean which is easier with the gloss black finish. But as luck (good or bad, I don’t know) would have it, I was delivered a glossy black grill with 01 red stripe and decided to live with it.






INTERIOR ROOF LIGHT – Rs. 7500: The Jetta comes with this particular roof light as stock and the cluster of lights look really cool especially the two tiny red ambient lights which light up the gear shift area. Really lifts up the boring cabin of the Polo. It also has a slot to conceal the mike of the head unit that is used for telephone calls using bluetooth.



Ambient Light On Gearshift Area


ANTI GLARE EXTERIOR WING MIRRORS - $70 (Rs. 4400 approx): Did not think much of it when I ordered it but boy does it work! It cuts out the glare of those high beam lovers perfectly without any issues. I also found it to have a slightly wider field of view as compared to my OEM mirrors.




AUTO DIMMING INTERIOR REAR VIEW MIRROR – $50 (Rs. 3200 approx): Another purchase which is total value for money. Works just like the OEM auto dimming mirrors without any fuss. Again this too being wider than the stock mirror offers a wider field of view of the rear.




16” RIMS: This took the longest time to choose but was the first to be procured sometime in May. The motive behind this upgrade was better ride, better handling & better stance. However, the design of the stock 15” rims which have been on my car for over 06+ years has been my favourite design among all the stock rims that have ever come on the Polo till date. Since the size of the rims was clear, what was still to be decided was the rims design/brand and specification of the tyre.
While researching brands and designs, I shortlisted designs from OZ, Lenso, Momo and AVA. Having a black coloured car, I was looking for a hyper/race silver coloured rim so that it stands out. The problem is that my most preferred designs were either not sold in India, were not available in the required size or not available in the required colour/finish. Black was totally out of the question for me. Now since I was not getting my choice of design in silver and did not want black rims, I thought of looking at grey/anthracite/carbon shades. Even though they were darker shades, they had a bit of balance making them not too dark. I was not sure how this shade would look on a black car. So after some research again especially through Google Images and a lot of motivation from prince85, I finalized on the Momo Quantum in the Anthracite finish.
Now coming to the tyre specification; this was even harder than choosing the rim. The aim here was to have a balance between good handling, good ride and good looks. The best size would be 205/50/R16 but that would compromise ride quality to a certain extent. Another issue was that this size was only available in the Yokohama S-Drive series. Now I have used the S-Drives in my previous car, a Swift in the 205/55/R15 profile and they make the car look hot with that sporty tread but they are ridiculously noisy and lasted me only for around 28k kms. I am currently riding on Continental’s MC5 in the 205/55/R15 profile and I love them! Here again prince85 came to the rescue and suggested I look at the Continental MC5 in the 195/55/R16 profile as this profile now comes stock on the 2017 VW Polo GT TSI. Even though I was still tempted towards the S-Drives in 205/50/R16 for the looks, I looked at the larger picture and chose the 195/55/R16 Continental MC5s. I decided to install the rims and tires post the monsoons and I am so glad I did as during this time, the mighty Michelin Pilot Sport 4 was launched which came in the 205/50/R16 profile that I preferred. Here is the outcome!








Also got the car detailed with a ceramic coat so here she is.....

[Dippy]

Originally Posted by Epic

So Zelma; my VW Polo 1.6 is now 06+ years and only getting younger! Sometime in 2016, I initially had the thought of replacing her and buying a brand new Vento or Jetta but dropped the idea when I luckily came across a sparingly used 2015 Jetta Highline 2.0 DSG which I picked up the in the same year. I was still in two minds whether to keep the Polo or replace it with the GT TSI and after a lot of thought decided to keep the car. There is something about the Polo 1.6 which always put a smile on my face every time I drove her. I was surprised that my wife too always preferred to travel in the Polo over the Jetta. She was a major influence in my decision of keeping the car. So now I had the Jetta for those business meetings and outstation drives and the Polo 1.6 for the local and short distant drives. So now that I decided to keep the Polo and that too for like at least another 02 years, I thought why not give it a bit more character and freshen her up.

So I see you got your ceramic done at PMP. Saw the pictures on FB and your car looks smashing. Sandesh has done a fab job

[Thad E Ginathom]

Wow, Epic... all I can say is that you couldn't have a better user name!

I'm not going for ceramic, but it is certainly time for my black Polo to shine again. Mine looks nice from a distance, not so super close up. Yours looks magnificent from every angle and distance.

What was the brand and cost of your ceramic coat? Forgive me if I missed it.

[Epic]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Wow, Epic... all I can say is that you couldn't have a better user name!

I'm not going for ceramic, but it is certainly time for my black Polo to shine again. Mine looks nice from a distance, not so super close up. Yours looks magnificent from every angle and distance.

What was the brand and cost of your ceramic coat? Forgive me if I missed it.

Thank you for the compliments! It has truly changed the look of the car.

I have used the Polo as a trial post which I will get my Jetta done too. However, not anytime soon. I want to see how long this coating lasts post which I will take a call on the Jetta. Till then the Jetta will get it's regular detailing.

I got the process done from Pimp My Pride located at Kandivali East for 20k. I think the brand used is Diamond Coat, but I am not sure.

[shetty_rohan]

Originally Posted by Epic

PROJECTOR HEADLAMPS: We decided that the best way forward would be an aftermarket projector setup retrofitted in the current OEM halogen headlight. Here we chose Xenon Planet for the job due to the quality offered at an affordable price.

Hi Epic, your car looks really nice with these new mods.
I had been contemplating about Xenonplanet for long time. But after reading not so nice feedbacks from fellow team-bhp members, had to look for some other options(like morimoto). Unfortunately, I could not find a good installer(for morimoto) in Bangalore.

Have heard that Xenonplanet does not have right connectors. Do they have connectors now. Can you please share your experience with Xenonplanet? It would be great if you could share some photos of the engine bay.

Regards
Rohan

[Vishyvish]

Hi Epic
Where did you get the wheels done from?
Thanks.

[speedfreak01]

My 2015 polo Tsi's blaupunkt HU is receiving this error since yesterday and is refusing to start. Anyone else using the same HU can tell what is this and how to resolve it ?

[bharath79]

Originally Posted by speedfreak01

My 2015 polo Tsi's blaupunkt HU is receiving this error since yesterday and is refusing to start. Anyone else using the same HU can tell what is this and how to resolve it ?

Attachment 1692798

I do not know about the error but did you try resetting it. There should be small pin hole on the top RHS corner. Use a pin and reset the instrument.

I had a different problem and it got resolved doing this.

Regards
Bharath