[Annibaddh]

Originally Posted by HotChillyPepper

Team,
Need some help here.

My brother had booked a Vento TDI Highline after confirming with the dealer that the 2012 models will be coming with leatherette upholstery. Today the vehicle has reached the dealership, but found that the upholstery is normal fabric only. As per the dealer, cars with leatherette upholstery will be released by March only. Is this true?


The only change added to 2012 model was leatherette upholstery, and 2011 model was given close to 40 K offer. For 2012 model the price is in fact increased by approx 25 K. Now missing that feature and paying close to 25K more sounds really absurd.

Thanks
HCP

I also faced the same issue. Had actually processed my loans with the old quote and got into a real argument with the VW rep when he informed me that the new car was going to cost me a good 70k more. After a bit of haggling though, he told me that new car "without" the leatherette was available and he could do a special discount. He finally sent me a quote of Old Vento+25K. The only change being month/year of manufacture on chassis.

I meanwhile also looked around with other dealers and one of them had three units of Dec 2011 remaining. I guess you could do the same...

[SR-71]

Finally I took my car and have driven 600 Kms since. The baby drives like before and looks as good. But I did have a harrowing time at the workshop (Goodbye Abra forever) - More on this later.

Regarding the bent alloys, it was a rip off attempt from them. The alloy was really not bent, just the inner lip on both rims had slightly flattened out in one location (as if it was hit by a hard hammer - the earlier bump incident explains). But nevertheless I was in a mood to get new alloys and tires. So after this I headed straight to B.M.Lal (Tirestore Chennai said they did not have alloys for Vento in stock and I had to wait for 15 days at least) and looked at their alloys. No one seems to stock lenso's in chennai. I had to settle for HRS. So I upgraded to 5 pairs of mutlispoke HRS + 195/60/15 Bridgestone Turnza ER60. Total cost came to 48,750. The buy back for the existing 4 VW alloys + 4 Appolo Accelers + spare wheel was 31,000 in all. I had to shell 17,750 for the entire transaction which sounded decent considering my tires had done 5K already. All in all, I was happy customer end of the day.

Pictures and details to follow.

[bala80]

Some people will never learn, I have always maintained Abra motors is being run by a bunch of crooks and your experience with their service substantiates the same. Do post when you get some time and escalate it to VW if possible.

I'm surprised that you still went ahead with the alloy change and that too all the 5 of them? BS ER 60's are excellent tyres, good choice there. Yes, Lenso's are not available freely as plati and HRS in chennai, Tyrestore was the only option, but looks they too dont have it in stock.

You are happy and thats what matters at the end of the day, please post some pictures of the alloys when you can.

Originally Posted by SR-71

Finally I took my car and have driven 600 Kms since. The baby drives like before and looks as good. But I did have a harrowing time at the workshop (Goodbye Abra forever) - More on this later.

Regarding the bent alloys, it was a rip off attempt from them. The alloy was really not bent, just the inner lip on both rims had slightly flattened out in one location (as if it was hit by a hard hammer - the earlier bump incident explains). But nevertheless I was in a mood to get new alloys and tires. So after this I headed straight to B.M.Lal (Tirestore Chennai said they did not have alloys for Vento in stock and I had to wait for 15 days at least) and looked at their alloys. No one seems to stock lenso's in chennai. I had to settle for HRS. So I upgraded to 5 pairs of mutlispoke HRS + 195/60/15 Bridgestone Turnza ER60. Total cost came to 48,750. The buy back for the existing 4 VW alloys + 4 Appolo Accelers + spare wheel was 31,000 in all. I had to shell 17,750 for the entire transaction which sounded decent considering my tires had done 5K already. All in all, I was happy customer end of the day.

Pictures and details to follow.

[thenomad]

Originally Posted by SR-71

I had to settle for HRS. So I upgraded to 5 pairs of mutlispoke HRS + 195/60/15 Bridgestone Turnza ER60.

SR-71, I'd be interested to hear from you how the ride comfort, handling and steering are, in comparison with stock sizes after the change. There are very little options for change/upgrade with the tyre size that come in the HL variant.

[HotChillyPepper]

Thanks for all the advises team. Finally we came to a conclusion on this. Dealer is ready to reduce the 25K price hike, but not ready to provide the special offer 2011 vehicles had. He also provided an option of taking a 2011 vehicle with approx 40K special discount if we are willing to. But looking at the dealer records, the 2011 vehicle is close to 6 months old. So we decided against it and going with 2012 vehicle with price discount of 25K (2011 price but without the year end discounts given to 2011 cars).

Another catch I found in the deal was insurance. VW dealer quote for Bumper to Bumper insurance was 48K

I got the same company (Braati AXA ) bumper to bumper insurance quote for 24,500 with 2 lakhs personal insurance cover for all passengers. The original price is less than half and this is daytime robbery. We opted Barati AXA since they are the only company giving B2B for 5 years, though not sure how much feasible it is after 3 years.

Anyone who wish to take this route for insurance, should google the insurance company toll free number first. Call up the Customer care and tell them at which region you are registering your car and ask for that regional office number. Call the local insurance office and tell your vehicle details. Let them know the insurance options that you are looking for (bumper to bumper, co-passenger personal insurance etc). Within few hours you will get a quote without any middlemen involved and at least 1000 RS (Dealer margin) less than the best price a dealer can offer you. Make sure you mention about Approved security device in your car to avail approx 500RS deduction in premium. Also please mention if you are a member of any recoginzed automobile association to avail special discounts with some insurance companies. Another option is to buy online, but the options to choose bumper to bumper etc missing on most of the insurance company websites.

Also there is an option with many insurance companies to insure the road tax and insurance amount itself in case of a total loss. This will add approx 1000 RS to the premimum for a Vento.

Originally Posted by Annibaddh

I also faced the same issue. Had actually processed my loans with the old quote and got into a real argument with the VW rep when he informed me that the new car was going to cost me a good 70k more. After a bit of haggling though, he told me that new car "without" the leatherette was available and he could do a special discount. He finally sent me a quote of Old Vento+25K. The only change being month/year of manufacture on chassis.

I meanwhile also looked around with other dealers and one of them had three units of Dec 2011 remaining. I guess you could do the same...

2011, Vento with the discount is a very good offer, provided the vehicle is manufactured somewhere around Nov-Dec. More than that, would be seen with suspicious and required good scrutiny before committing to buy, because Vento is always over booked (waiting period is 2 months at least) so the piece sitting in stockyard needs special attention before purchase.

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

Paying Rs. 25000 just for the leatherette seats doesn't sound good, you could get Stanley pure leather seats done for Rs. 40000+ where the feel would be even better.

Thanks for this suggestion lobo. We are taking this route. No discounts, but not going to pay the extra money of 25K they want to charge.

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

I am not sure why such a big Brand like VW can goof up so so much with their advertising with their bread and butter cars.

Completely agree. What surprise me is the way VW responds to queries. I sent at least 3 mails to them, but no reply yet. Dealer is a pain to deal with, looks worse than Skoda dealers we heard on forum. Their attitude is buy if you want or get lost.

Ford is much better in this area, even now the sale executive following up with the sales query we did during initial short listing. Same with M&M. they are the best among the lot nowadays. Just because of this reason I have confidence in M&M to buy an XUV, even if there are issues in the product, I have somebody to listen to my problems and put a genuine effort to resolve it. I hope TATA would take the same path soon so that all such foreign players will learn a lesson from local manufacturers soon.

[samarjitdhar]

Originally Posted by HotChillyPepper

No discounts, but not going to pay the extra money of 25K they want to charge.

Completely agree. What surprise me is the way VW responds to queries. I sent at least 3 mails to them, but no reply yet. Dealer is a pain to deal with, looks worse than Skoda dealers we heard on forum. Their attitude is buy if you want or get lost.

Congrats and welcome to the Ventophiles club. 25K additional for what? Just because 2011 changed to 2012

I think more than VW its the dealers who have run amok in India. Barring a handful most of them have had that false sense of premiumness driven into their heads. Somebody needs to tell them that the real premium German cars are the Beems, Mercs and Audis. VW translates to an average joe's car in German. They deserve a much higher snob factor.

My suggestion is to report the problems you faced on VW's FB page. By default the page shows only the VW posts and you can change the setting to show all posts on their FB page. None of the posts are deleted as long as you are not abusive or offensive. Once it is on FB, VW will respond to you to get the details and help you out. In your case the dealer trying to fleece you by 25K is a case that must be reported.

[el lobo 6061]

Ventophiles I wanted to know which type of bulb is present in the fog lamp casing in TDi Highline. Likewise in headlamps we have H4 type bulb, so for fog lamps which type is it?
I'm planning to change over to Philips Essential Vision 100/90W for headlamps and so as to give a complete effect need to change the fog lamps too.
Is it possible to replace the bulbs by yourself rather than taking it to garage or workshop? Does it require to remove the head lamp casing?
Thanks.

[rock22]

Hi everyone ! My Vento petrol HL is due for delivery in next 15-20 days, and I need some advice. For 3D Kagu mats, I've been quoted 4500 (+400 for courier charges) by the North India distributor at Ludhiyana. Is this price ok? And which color would go better with the interiors, or would be easy to maintain - black or beige?

Regarding the OE mud flaps, some people have not had a good experience. So can anyone suggest some particular brand of mud flaps to go for? Dehradun is not a big city and not everything is available here off the shelf, so I just wanna arrange the things in advance...

[SR-71]

I have a question about the braking force. Somehow I feel the travel on the brake pedal is a bit long. I was driving back from Chennai to Bangalore this weekend and i realized it the hard way when someone crossed the road. I noticed it and started with a normal touch on the brakes and to my horror the car kept leaping forward. Then I had to slam hard to bring to appropriate stop.

The manual does state that after prolonged rest period the brake discs might need some hard stops before it can be brought back to normal stopping patterns. While there has been definte improvement, i still feel the travel in the brake pedal is too long and i miss the crucial initial braking period. Makes me uncomfortable. Do you think I should check with the service center or is this normal ?

[TopSpeeder]

Originally Posted by rock22

Hi everyone ! My Vento petrol HL is due for delivery in next 15-20 days, and I need some advice. For 3D Kagu mats, I've been quoted 4500 (+400 for courier charges) by the North India distributor at Ludhiyana. Is this price ok? And which color would go better with the interiors, or would be easy to maintain - black or beige?

Regarding the OE mud flaps, some people have not had a good experience. So can anyone suggest some particular brand of mud flaps to go for? Dehradun is not a big city and not everything is available here off the shelf, so I just wanna arrange the things in advance...

Kagu mats price seems to normal. I'm still using OE mud flaps for the reason car won't look different.

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

Ventophiles I wanted to know which type of bulb is present in the fog lamp casing in TDi Highline. Likewise in headlamps we have H4 type bulb, so for fog lamps which type is it?
I'm planning to change over to Philips Essential Vision 100/90W for headlamps and so as to give a complete effect need to change the fog lamps too.
Is it possible to replace the bulbs by yourself rather than taking it to garage or workshop? Does it require to remove the head lamp casing?
Thanks.

Hi, Apart from changing the bulb to higher watts, You may also have to change the wires and add relay. There are some aftermarker kits available for this. I have changed in my Santro, But not in Vento.

Here is the link

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by TopSpeeder

Hi, Apart from changing the bulb to higher watts, You may also have to change the wires and add relay. There are some aftermarker kits available for this. I have changed in my Santro, But not in Vento.

Forgot to mention my Vento current setup is with PMP Relays and Philips 100/90W (yellow light) bulbs. Want to change over to white light.
My main query is still can I replace the bulbs myself. Do I need to remove the headlamp assembly to do it or not?

Originally Posted by rock22

Hi everyone ! My Vento petrol HL is due for delivery in next 15-20 days, and I need some advice. For 3D Kagu mats, I've been quoted 4500 (+400 for courier charges) by the North India distributor at Ludhiyana. Is this price ok? And which color would go better with the interiors, or would be easy to maintain - black or beige?

The price asked for is correct. I too have Kagu 3D mats Black color in my Vento. The only difference between beige and black is that black has plastic feel which is easy to clean whereas beige has cloth feel which cannot be easy to clean.

Originally Posted by rock22

Regarding the OE mud flaps, some people have not had a good experience. So can anyone suggest some particular brand of mud flaps to go for? Dehradun is not a big city and not everything is available here off the shelf, so I just wanna arrange the things in advance...

I for one do like the OE mud flaps, they are very rigid and prevent almost 90% of dirt. They sometimes do hit the road but doesn't cause any damage to it. German Quality.

Originally Posted by SR-71

I have a question about the braking force. Somehow I feel the travel on the brake pedal is a bit long. I was driving back from Chennai to Bangalore this weekend and i realized it the hard way when someone crossed the road. I noticed it and started with a normal touch on the brakes and to my horror the car kept leaping forward. Then I had to slam hard to bring to appropriate stop.

Vento brakes do have a long travel. Press it a bit more and car will stop all of a sudden, such is the braking capability of Vento. Have experienced it and love it. Vento TDi decelerates faster than it accelerates.

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

Ventophiles I wanted to know which type of bulb is present in the fog lamp casing in TDi Highline. Likewise in headlamps we have H4 type bulb, so for fog lamps which type is it?
I'm planning to change over to Philips Essential Vision 100/90W for headlamps and so as to give a complete effect need to change the fog lamps too.
Is it possible to replace the bulbs by yourself rather than taking it to garage or workshop? Does it require to remove the head lamp casing?
Thanks.

Hi,

I got mine changed to Osram Nightbreakers. By looking at the difficulties the guy had to face to change these bulbs I guess you might not be able to do on your own. The right one was easy but left one( Directions if you are looking towards the car from front) was a problem. The guy had to loosen the bumper and fight with things to be able to enter his hand to change the bulb. You can check the User Manual. I hope they might have some steps written there which probably can make you change the bulb yourself.

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

Hi,

I got mine changed to Osram Nightbreakers. By looking at the difficulties the guy had to face to change these bulbs I guess you might not be able to do on your own. The right one was easy but left one( Directions if you are looking towards the car from front) was a problem. The guy had to loosen the bumper and fight with things to be able to enter his hand to change the bulb. You can check the User Manual. I hope they might have some steps written there which probably can make you change the bulb yourself.

Went through the manual and on pg no 237 they have illustrated how to change most of the bulbs present in Vento. They even mention to change the bulbs in the headlight casing you need to first remove the headlight and no need to loosen any bumper parts. Your mechanic really did it the hard way.

Now that I know how to change the bulbs the final part remaining is the type of bulb in the fog lamps. I know that headlamps use H4 type bulbs but which types for the fog lamps? Any suggestion would be very helpful.

[bala80]

Happened with me once too, but it became alright when I pumped it a couple of times. Thereafter the bite was back to normal.

I havent seen it happening afterwards. I'd advise you to observe it for sometime and then decide. I have never had issues with the braking capability of the car per se and pedal travel according to me is just about fine.

Originally Posted by SR-71

I have a question about the braking force. Somehow I feel the travel on the brake pedal is a bit long. I was driving back from Chennai to Bangalore this weekend and i realized it the hard way when someone crossed the road. I noticed it and started with a normal touch on the brakes and to my horror the car kept leaping forward. Then I had to slam hard to bring to appropriate stop.

The manual does state that after prolonged rest period the brake discs might need some hard stops before it can be brought back to normal stopping patterns. While there has been definte improvement, i still feel the travel in the brake pedal is too long and i miss the crucial initial braking period. Makes me uncomfortable. Do you think I should check with the service center or is this normal ?

[rock22]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

The price asked for is correct. I too have Kagu 3D mats Black color in my Vento. The only difference between beige and black is that black has plastic feel which is easy to clean whereas beige has cloth feel which cannot be easy to clean.


I for one do like the OE mud flaps, they are very rigid and prevent almost 90% of dirt. They sometimes do hit the road but doesn't cause any damage to it. German Quality.

Hey thanks Rohaan ! That solves two of the things... I now go for the black 3D mats and stick to the OE mudflaps.

Next, I am also mulling over the idea of changing the HU. I get lots of phone calls all the times, and lack of bluetooth in the OE system doesn't help. I have checked out with Dehradun dealers, and the options I have are Caska or Mega Audio for OE replacement systems, or the standard touchscreen systems from Kenwood, sony etc. I seached some threads on tbhp for Vento custom audio, and found a few with some Witson system. Anyone out here who has installed Caska or Mega-audio in his Vento, and who might like to share his experience