Re: An Extensive Report of My VW Polo 1.6 It has been almost 3 months since I have owned my car, and so a brief update would be appropriate.
With the cost of petrol struggling to hit 3 figures, a 10 day trip abroad, and a really busy schedule, I have driven this car far less than I would like to. It has clocked a little under 1,500 kms so far, which averages my monthly usage to a figure of about 500 kms. The significant chunk of the run-in period is now coming to an end, and I must say I am happy with the way I have looked after the car during the run-in period. I have mastered the art of avoiding potholes, been very sparing with higher RPMs and have pampered it with a calm, fuel-efficient driving style. It continues to impress me, and I still crave to hit the road as much as possible. At the same time there are some issues with the car that have left me disappointed. Here they are :
1) The suspension is fussy. It squeaks and thuds at every opportunity. I am almost certain that this is not normal and there is something wrong that needs to be rectified. Even the smallest bump will be noticed. It does not absorb uneven surfaces like MOST other cars I sit in do, which makes me believe that something is certainly abnormal and needs to be looked at.
2) Night time visibility is a nightmare. The headlamps are useless, and the wiper fluid marks and swirls left on the windcreen (strangely only on the drivers side) magnifies the glare of an oncoming car's lamps. This leaves me unable to see what's ahead of me for a second or two, and that is truly very dangerous. I am thinking about replacing the lamps with white/LED lights, even at the cost of losing my warranty. I will even have the windscreen clayed and wiper fluid changed to see if the marks stop appearing.
3) Recently the car has started pulling to the left quite significantly. This is a known phenomena of the Polo, and it is said that the Apollo Aceleres are responsible for this. If I take my hands off the steering wheel, within a few metres I will find myself changing lanes even from the extreme right to the extreme left. I will see what the Service team says about this; a tyre change at the moment seems unlikely.
4) There is a funny sound coming from somewhere at the rear left of the car. It is a weird noise, which is something between the quick rattle of a loose object to the splashing about of a liquid. I have absolute no idea what this is or where it is coming from. It is noticeable especially when the car is empty and the rear wheels go over a tall or sharp bump. I suspect this to either be a suspension issue, or the moving about of some object in the boot.
5) Sometimes the gear lever just does not slot into first or reverse gears. The lever pushes towards the correct position but then does not slot into the gate just right. Only after bringing it back to neutral and then trying to slot it in again atleast 3 or 4 times does it finally slot in correctly. It is very frustrating when this happens as a traffic light turns green and the impatient taxi driver behind you uses his horn enough to wake up the dead.
The car has mainly been driven around in the city. About 2 weeks ago I did my first long drive with it - Mumbai - Pune. It was a joy to drive throughout all 4 hours of the journey. For two of us it was very comfortable, the expressway run was a pleasure (I didn't take it past 120, but it somehow felt that even then the action was yet to begin as it was longing to be pushed) and overtaking almost anything was very easy. The mileage returned was not all that hot for peaceful highway driving (overall 14 kmpl).
I have bought a tremendous variety of cleaning and maintenance products from the U.K to pamper the car with. I will write more on that when I actually get down to detailing the car myself (maybe after a few weeks when the car loses its factory shine).
To conclude this update, the more I drive the Polo, the more I am entranced by it. It really is fantastic and I am very happy with the decision. I would recommend this car to almost any buyer in this segment. Looking forward to driving a little more liberally now, and of course the first engine oil change which will take place shortly. |