[bala80]

Its been a while since I updated this thread - To begin with, as per the request of everyone, I'm attaching a few photographs along with this post. Hope you like them.

I will update more driving impressions a little later during the day.

Comments and feedback welcome.

[prabhuferrari]

Bala,

Excellent photos. Your car looks cool and I liked the photo with dark clouds in the background. Car shines in such a scenario. Did you check with VW about activating the auto lock feature after 15kmph or its not possible at all?

[SR-71]

Every couple of days, I feel like cancelling my Vento booking and get an Optra Magnum (the end of shelf life fear) or the City (the petrol price fear) - because the waiting period is killing. Again today, I was discussing with my family about pushing the limit and going for the Cruze (which was my choice in the first place but wife said it makes little sense to spend the extra 5L). But then I kick myself for having delayed the booking in the first place an remind myself of the patience you have shown in the past. My family thinks I have gone insane - Infact I restore my own sanity only after reading the posts and convincing myself that I cant go wrong waiting for the Vento.

For today this beautiful set of pictures of your car have convinced me once again, that I should wait.. wait for my baby to arrive. Hopefully this will carry me over the weekend. I wish the heart doesn't take over the mind & I complete my wait to get the Vento

[Frontosa]

Hey Bala, awesome awesome pics.. After a long time looking at a stock vento, I.e. No new audio, no new seat covers and it just is so refreshing. I loved all your pics and especially the ones against the dark clouds. Keep driving her safe and I'm sure she puts a smile on your face every time you take her out

[Frontosa]

Originally Posted by SR-71

Every couple of days, I feel like cancelling my Vento booking and get an Optra Magnum (the end of shelf life fear) or the City (the petrol price fear) - because the waiting period is killing. Again today, I was discussing with my family about pushing the limit and going for the Cruze (which was my choice in the first place but wife said it makes little sense to spend the extra 5L). But then I kick myself for having delayed the booking in the first place an remind myself of the patience you have shown in the past. My family thinks I have gone insane - Infact I restore my own sanity only after reading the posts and convincing myself that I cant go wrong waiting for the Vento.

For today this beautiful set of pictures of your car have convinced me once again, that I should wait.. wait for my baby to arrive. Hopefully this will carry me over the weekend. I wish the heart doesn't take over the mind & I complete my wait to get the Vento

Buddy trust me, your wait will pay you off very very well. How many more weeks you have to wait? Looking forward to your ownership thread

[souravc]

Bala , awesome pictures . The 3rd picture is liked by me the most . Which tints have you used ? As I noted that you have not gone for any parking sensor (as yet) , hope you are not facing any problems while reversing .
Are you keeping your stock headlights ? I found them a bit inadequate especially in light of the dark , broken roads in Mumbai so had upgraded them

[bala80]

Thank you prabhuferrari. No, I havent checked it yet, but our fellow member souravc has already checked this - per them, this feature is present in highlines, but they need to be activated. It can only be done by the workshop and hence I'm planning on getting mine activated when I go for an inspection service.

Originally Posted by prabhuferrari

Bala,

Excellent photos. Your car looks cool and I liked the photo with dark clouds in the background. Car shines in such a scenario. Did you check with VW about activating the auto lock feature after 15kmph or its not possible at all?

Hello SR-71 - You are in the same boat as I was couple of months back. My alternate choice was cruze too, but I couldnt convince myself to stretch another 4 lakhs to get the LT variant at this juncture. I went to Abra motors CIT nagar showroom today to collect my RC book and I read the notice board saying 4 months is the waiting period for TDI highline. The same board was saying 6 months before couple of weeks and I'm pretty optimisitc things can only improve from now on. I'm not getting to see any recent posts in the delivery delays thread which is another positive sign. You should be getting yours very soon. Now that you have waited so long to make your decision (I took 6 months) and booked it too, just put up with this nonsense for another couple of months.

Originally Posted by SR-71

Every couple of days, I feel like cancelling my Vento booking and get an Optra Magnum (the end of shelf life fear) or the City (the petrol price fear) - because the waiting period is killing. Again today, I was discussing with my family about pushing the limit and going for the Cruze (which was my choice in the first place but wife said it makes little sense to spend the extra 5L). But then I kick myself for having delayed the booking in the first place an remind myself of the patience you have shown in the past. My family thinks I have gone insane - Infact I restore my own sanity only after reading the posts and convincing myself that I cant go wrong waiting for the Vento.

For today this beautiful set of pictures of your car have convinced me once again, that I should wait.. wait for my baby to arrive. Hopefully this will carry me over the weekend. I wish the heart doesn't take over the mind & I complete my wait to get the Vento

Thank you very much Frontosa, yeah, my car is pretty stock for now except for the tints. Infact, I havent even opted for the OEM mudflaps since I feel they spoil the exterior looks. Yes, this car has a feel good factor associated with it and I'm enjoying it till it lasts! I had to depend on one of my colleagues to do a photoshoot of my car and I'm glad that you all liked them. I have now received offers from couple of chennai members to help me with photoshoots and if that happens, I promise to come back to you all with better pictures.

Originally Posted by Frontosa

Hey Bala, awesome awesome pics.. After a long time looking at a stock vento, I.e. No new audio, no new seat covers and it just is so refreshing. I loved all your pics and especially the ones against the dark clouds. Keep driving her safe and I'm sure she puts a smile on your face every time you take her out

Thank you souravc. That's my personal favorite too, I have used 3M grey tints with 20% visibility. Ideally I would have liked around 35% visibility, but then didnt get it with the dealer when I took delivery. Reversing is definitely tricky but then I'm getting to used to it. I will post a picture sometime later to depict how close I need to park the car against the wall. I have no intentions to go in for parking sensors, and instead planning to construct a small kerb on my parking lot to help me stop at the right position. Since I need to reverse over a steep ramp into my slot and park it so very close to the wall is what makes it very tricky. So far so good!

Yeah, stock headlights for now, though I was used to much better one's in my earlier car. I think this will do fine within the city, but definitely not on the highways, hence planning to put in something better before an highway trip. Have you upgraded to 90/100or something else in 55/60?

Originally Posted by souravc

Bala , awesome pictures . The 3rd picture is liked by me the most . Which tints have you used ? As I noted that you have not gone for any parking sensor (as yet) , hope you are not facing any problems while reversing .
Are you keeping your stock headlights ? I found them a bit inadequate especially in light of the dark , broken roads in Mumbai so had upgraded them

[bala80]

After driving the car for a while and getting to know it better, following are some additional observations from my side.

+Ves

- Suspension - Works beautifully, though sometimes when you go through a big pothole you can hear a thud sound.
- Build quality - No rattles so far, everything feels well screwed together.
- Acceleration - I reported initially this car doesnt feel fast - the reason being the sensitivity of the accelerator pedal. I feel the pedal of vento has little less sensitivity and hence you need to provide substantially more input than what you are used to in other cars to extract the same output. Now, that I'm used to this for more than couple of weeks, I can safely state, the car is pretty fast, especially in the 3rd gear acceleration is awesome.
- The general feel good factor about the car, the solidity and the way the cabin cocoons you when you enter it.

-ves

- My body is still getting used to the car. The narrow front seat (for my frame), and the pedal placements are taking some time to get used to. I have a bad back but luckily I havent faced any issues with my spine so far, but I feel a little bit of pain and trouble with my right knee joints. Hopefully, these should go away as I get more accustomed to the car.
- Reflection of the dashboard on the windshield, especially in direct sunlight - damn annoying. There is nothing that can be done about it, just learn to live with it I guess. I'm surprised how this issue isnt more widely reported yet.
- Clutch is little hard and also the travel is pretty long. There is also a strong backforce on release which invariably makes you release it faster, resulting in a jerk during the gear shifts. This is again annoying, but then hope this should improve more with time.
- Beige carpet - I dont know which brilliant fellow designed this, but its simply not possible to keep it clean however hard you try. My younger daughter one has already scratched the door pad with the key resulting in a big white scratch mark, whereas the elder one has spilled her ice cream on this stupid carpet on the very first week of getting the new car! The OEM rubber pads dont provide the 5th piece to cover the transmission tunnel and hence it is badly exposed. Again, nothing much can be done about it.

I havent taken it yet on any long drives, planning to do so very soon. The only addition for the time being is to go in for good seat covers. I was initially contemplating between Ovion/Stanley pure leather, but now have some second thoughts about it due to price involved. Im thinking if it would make sense to go for good art leather covers (autofoam) and have the steering wrapped in leather as well. Still thinking about it, will make a decision by this weekend.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

[SR-71]

@Frontosa
I still have like 10 weeks to go.. its killing :-)

@bala & others..
Referring picture [http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...l-vento-8.jpg].. What is that round button like thing i see in the drivers side door on the window sill close to the dashboard part. Am not talking about the ORVM adjuster but the small button like protrusion right on the window sill. It only seems to be on the driver side door and absent on the passenger side door.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by bala80

After driving the car for a while and getting to know it better, following are some additional observations from my side.

Bala, thanks for the observations!

Originally Posted by bala80

- Beige carpet - I dont know which brilliant fellow designed this, but its simply not possible to keep it clean however hard you try.

Why don’t you get the in-vogue 3D Kagu mats?

Originally Posted by bala80

I was initially contemplating between Ovion/Stanley pure leather, but now have some second thoughts about it due to price involved. Im thinking if it would make sense to go for good art leather covers (autofoam) and have the steering wrapped in leather as well.

I am not sure how good will be the art-leather covers in the Chennai heat.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by bala80

After driving the car for a while and getting to know it better, following are some additional observations from my side.

Nice observations. The dashboard reflection issue is being reported by all, but not being considered that big an issue. I doubt it would matter a lot once we get used to it.

And she looks beautiful in the sun. Named her/him yet?

I havent taken it yet on any long drives, planning to do so very soon. The only addition for the time being is to go in for good seat covers. I was initially contemplating between Ovion/Stanley pure leather, but now have some second thoughts about it due to price involved. Im thinking if it would make sense to go for good art leather covers (autofoam) and have the steering wrapped in leather as well. Still thinking about it, will make a decision by this weekend.

IMO, art leather covers should do fine for now. You could opt for the leather covers a few years later. Although @vb-san has raised a valid point, I am not sure if leather seats would be better alternative to handle the sweat & heat of Chennai. Also Kagu 3D mats should be on your top priority.

What's the mileage coming to? And how are you keeping the car safe from Chennai autos

Btw VW once again played the spoilsport in my case. As planned earlier, my Chennai trip dates have come up, but not the car. I guess VW believes in making you wait dearly for your car. @SR-71, don't worry, I'm there to give you company (hopefully for not that long! )

Originally Posted by SR-71

@Frontosa
I still have like 10 weeks to go.. its killing :-)

[nileshch]

Hey, Bala, superb photos!! I loved the ones with the dark skies. The white shines out in them!

Originally Posted by SR-71

Every couple of days, I feel like cancelling my Vento booking and get an Optra Magnum (the end of shelf life fear) or the City (the petrol price fear) - because the waiting period is killing.

@SR-71, I would advice you to hold on for these last few weeks. I am sure you will not regret a single day of the wait, once you get the car!

Originally Posted by souravc

Are you keeping your stock headlights ? I found them a bit inadequate especially in light of the dark , broken roads in Mumbai so had upgraded them

Sourav, which bulbs did you go for? Can you let us know the details & costs? I am increasingly finding the headlights weak, especially on highways at night. Might go in for a replacement.

Originally Posted by bala80

Reversing is definitely tricky but then I'm getting to used to it. I will post a picture sometime later to depict how close I need to park the car against the wall. I have no intentions to go in for parking sensors

Same here. Getting used to the reversing. Not felt the need of reversing sensors till now.

- Acceleration - I reported initially this car doesnt feel fast - the reason being the sensitivity of the accelerator pedal. I feel the pedal of vento has little less sensitivity and hence you need to provide substantially more input than what you are used to in other cars to extract the same output. Now, that I'm used to this for more than couple of weeks, I can safely state, the car is pretty fast, especially in the 3rd gear acceleration is awesome.

- Clutch is little hard and also the travel is pretty long. There is also a strong backforce on release which invariably makes you release it faster, resulting in a jerk during the gear shifts. This is again annoying, but then hope this should improve more with time.

I find the less sensitivity of the accelerator as an advantage rather than anything else. Makes it easy to have fine control over the acceleration.

On the other hand, the hard clutch spoils the fun a little. There has been no change in the hardness of the clutch in my two months of ownership. Need to find a way to soften it out. Is this possible?

Originally Posted by SR-71

@bala & others..
Referring picture [http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...l-vento-8.jpg].. What is that round button like thing i see in the drivers side door on the window sill close to the dashboard part. Am not talking about the ORVM adjuster but the small button like protrusion right on the window sill. It only seems to be on the driver side door and absent on the passenger side door.

@SR-71, that's the LED indicator for the immobilizer system. It starts blinking when the immobilizer is activated and the car is locked.

Originally Posted by vb-san

Why don’t you get the in-vogue 3D Kagu mats?

Yes, these are a must-have for the dirt magnet beige carpets in the Vento!

[bala80]

Mentally be prepared to wait much longer

As Nilesch clarified it is for the interior survellience system. You can switch it off through a small switch which is present in the near the floor, behind the driver seat on the B pillar.

Originally Posted by SR-71

What is that round button like thing i see in the drivers side door on the window sill close to the dashboard part.

I initially thought spending close to 5000 Rs on mats is just a waste of money and went for the OEM rubber mats. Only later realized these dont have the 5th piece covering the transmission tunnel, otherwise I'm fine. I still feel the 3D mats arent VFM, but then I dont have much choice either!

I never ever drive the car without A/C and at home it is parked in shade - so no worries about art-leather covers. I was checking the autoform catalogue and I liked a couple of designs, planning to do some shopping tomorrow and will let you know the outcome.

Originally Posted by vb-san

Bala, thanks for the observations!


Why don’t you get the in-vogue 3D Kagu mats?


I am not sure how good will be the art-leather covers in the Chennai heat.

Oh trust me, once you are conscious of the reflection on the dashboard, it is annoying as hell. I initially thought it may be due to the selection of colour on the top half of the dashboard, but then I have read polo owners complaining about the same thing even with the black/beige combo. Hyundai changed the colour of the dash to some darkish shade in the facelifted i10 to address the dashboard reflection problem. Need to live with it, no other hope.

No naming business yet, infact this is the first time I have made an effort to write down an ownership report , never have done it for my previous cars, though I was a member in this forum for the last 4 years!

Mileage is around 13 odd purely within city drives, I drive during non peak hours to work and back and hence my car hardly ever sees the B2B traffic. I have learnt to be very defensive and patient on the road with the pesky auto rickshaw's/2 wheelers and I beleive you start developing this virtue with age (I certainly did!)

Tough luck on your delivery schedule and as I suggested to SR-71 above, mentally be prepared if the delivery doesnt happen on time. Afterall disappointment comes only to those who make appointments with the future!!!

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Nice observations. The dashboard reflection issue is being reported by all, but not being considered that big an issue. I doubt it would matter a lot once we get used to it.

And she looks beautiful in the sun. Named her/him yet?

What's the mileage coming to? And how are you keeping the car safe from Chennai autos

Btw VW once again played the spoilsport in my case. As planned earlier, my Chennai trip dates have come up, but not the car. I guess VW believes in making you wait dearly for your car. @SR-71, don't worry, I'm there to give you company (hopefully for not that long! )

Thank you Nileshch, they are still no where near the one's that you have of your blue though!

While accelerator pedal is easy to get used to, this clutch pedal isnt. It reminds me of my scorpio's clutch pedal which is equally hard and jerky. I dont mind the hardness, but its the jerk that I'm getting everytime when I shift up between 1-2-3 that spoils the fun.

Originally Posted by nileshch

Hey, Bala, superb photos!! I loved the ones with the dark skies. The white shines out in them!

I find the less sensitivity of the accelerator as an advantage rather than anything else. Makes it easy to have fine control over the acceleration.

On the other hand, the hard clutch spoils the fun a little. There has been no change in the hardness of the clutch in my two months of ownership. Need to find a way to soften it out. Is this possible?

[souravc]

Originally Posted by nileshch

Sourav, which bulbs did you go for? Can you let us know the details & costs? I am increasingly finding the headlights weak, especially on highways at night. Might go in for a replacement.

Nilesh I upgraded to the Philips 100/90 ( or is it 90/100 !) , did it a long time back so don't remember precisely . It cost me around Rs 1000/- for a pair , when you fit it ask the guy to use cut-outs . Overall the cost should not be more than Rs 1500 /- IMO . It does make a lot of difference.

Originally Posted by bala80

I initially thought spending close to 5000 Rs on mats is just a waste of money and went for the OEM rubber mats. Only later realized these dont have the 5th piece covering the transmission tunnel, otherwise I'm fine. I still feel the 3D mats arent VFM, but then I dont have much choice either!

Bala , even though I have not gone for the Kagu mats I think they are really good and worth the extra money . However you should look at putting an extra carpet ( its a synthetic material ) and comes in 3 pieces , 2 for the cabin and 1 for the boot . Its great for protecting the carpet (including the hump) and the boot carpet protects the floor from damage that maybe caused by dragging of luggage . Alongwith this carpet I have bought thick heavy rubber (synthetic) mats so that they are weighed down and does not move and I am happy

On your parking , apart from the roll dam/kerb have you given any thought of creating a channel ( or a groove) which fits your car wheels where you can slot the car and roll into the parking position . I think it would work great and prevent any scratches to your car given that you have such a tight parking slot . This idea came to me while I was parking my car in a mall where they use the ones where the car can be lifted

[bala80]

90/100 is the best upgrade and will be great for highway driving (90W for low beam and 100W for high), If you are someone who keeps travelling on the highway a lot - this should definitely be top of your list. It certainly makes a world of difference.

Good suggestion on parking - unfortunately cant try this since there is sump to hold metro water underground! Now, I'm doing fine with just a couple of bricks on the floor to give me an indication on the resting point for the rear wheels.

Also, noticed your update on the TD thread on activation of door locks, thanks Souravc. On a lighter vein , I dont recollect seeing your ownership thread on the forum, or did I miss it? If it is not there - very unfair of you - pushing everyone to open their ownership thread but not maintaining yours .

Originally Posted by souravc

Nilesh I upgraded to the Philips 100/90 ( or is it 90/100 !) , did it a long time back so don't remember precisely . It cost me around Rs 1000/- for a pair , when you fit it ask the guy to use cut-outs . Overall the cost should not be more than Rs 1500 /- IMO . It does make a lot of difference.


On your parking , apart from the roll dam/kerb have you given any thought of creating a channel ( or a groove) which fits your car wheels where you can slot the car and roll into the parking position