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Old 21st August 2012, 08:00   #76
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Re: Tales Of Bagheera - My Black Panther aka VW Vento TDI Highline - First Service Up

Came back yesterday from a super road trip along the coast of Odisha. Since I could only cobble together 5 days taking into account public holidays in office and leaves it became a little hectic as I covered 2200 km in these 5 days. Respect for the car just increases more and more as I drive it on the highways. Even though the car can attain crazy speeds and put other muscle cars to shame I prefer driving it at sedate speeds rarely going over 120. I find it much more comfortable and relaxing at lower speeds (80 - 120) giving absolute control over the car even when emergency braking is needed. Cruising on 5th gear is done with ease even though one has to occasionally slow down or speed up. Gear changes are only needed when there is an emergency braking situation or there is heavy traffic on the highways near the cities. This allows for total stress free driving since the dynamics and handling of the car is so good. All this goes on to give an amazing FE where I saw the mid consistently showing a range of above 1000 kms throughout the trip. I didn't maintain a log as I was not too concerned about the FE. The only peeve I have is the power of the headlights and their spread during night driving. Although I changed over to Philips XTreme Vision I am still not very happy with the illumination. Should I be going for the 100/90W with relays? How much better are they over the XTreme Vision?

The car can manage broken roads well though it is advisable to be careful lest damage to the alloys or tires happen due to sharper potholes. The GC is pretty good enough and I rarely scraped the bottom when negotiating some bad stretches. The key is to drive with all the tires running over the highest points in broken stretches so that the underbody remains as high as possible. On fellow TBHPian in his Polo 1.6 had a bad experience while he tried to go through a largish puddle and underestimated its depth. The front bumper took a bad hit damaging the radiator connection draining the coolant. He somehow managed to a roadside shop but of course they could not help much. It was a coincidence that I was passing down the same route taking the same detour he had taken and I was intrigued to see a red Polo at a roadside garage in such a rural area. I was more surprised to find TBHP stickers on it . More on that story later when I can put together the TLog. What I learnt from this trip is any car is as good as its driver. One should know one's car's limitations and strengths and drive accordingly and the Vento is no different. I have got some interesting videos to share recorded from my HD car camera which will be part of the TLog .
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Old 22nd August 2012, 18:23   #77
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Re: Tales Of Bagheera - My Black Panther aka VW Vento TDI Highline - First Service Up

After one email + 2 follow-up/ reminder emails spanning 4 days VW customer care is yet to reply on my query regarding the fuel filter
The last time I had gotten in touch with them ( on the phone) regarding the capacity of the fuel tank , they had replied " 1.6 ltrs Sir ! " so I can't feel too optimistic as of now .
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Old 22nd August 2012, 19:37   #78
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Re: Tales Of Bagheera - My Black Panther aka VW Vento TDI Highline - First Service Up

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Originally Posted by souravc View Post
After one email + 2 follow-up/ reminder emails spanning 4 days VW customer care is yet to reply on my query regarding the fuel filter
The last time I had gotten in touch with them ( on the phone) regarding the capacity of the fuel tank , they had replied " 1.6 ltrs Sir ! " so I can't feel too optimistic as of now .
I will call my SA and confirm this tomorrow as well as find out what's the deal with the engine mount. Did you have to specially request for the change in the engine mounts or say that there was specific problem in the car which can be solved with the engine mount replacements? I am asking this because that is the standard operating procedure at all VW workshops.
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Old 22nd August 2012, 21:44   #79
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Re: Tales Of Bagheera - My Black Panther aka VW Vento TDI Highline - First Service Up

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Originally Posted by samarjitdhar View Post
I will call my SA and confirm this tomorrow as well as find out what's the deal with the engine mount. Did you have to specially request for the change in the engine mounts or say that there was specific problem in the car which can be solved with the engine mount replacements? I am asking this because that is the standard operating procedure at all VW workshops.
Sorry I had seen your question regarding the engine mount but missed out answering it. It seems that the first generation engine mounts had some play due to which when the car went over humps it used to cause a loud thud .
I specifically asked for it ( like most things in VW where we have to ask) and got it changed , I think they will change it for certain VINs. Please give your workshop a lead time of at least a week , sometime the engine mounts are not in stock.
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Old 24th August 2012, 21:57   #80
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Re: Tales Of Bagheera - My Black Panther aka VW Vento TDI Highline - First Service Up

Finally got the response to my query on the fuel filter change interval, its confirmed that the fuel filter change interval is 15,000 km or even 7500 km! I am quoting them verbatim "Its mentioned in page No. 6,7,8 & 9 ( of service manual) if sulphur content is high then the frequency should be every 7500 Kms or 5000 miles.
Though the quality of fuel has improved over the years by the oil manufacturing companies in India, the malice of fuel adulteration by unscrupulous elements is still very rampant.
Hence if the above 2 scenario are present in your area vehicle's operation it is recommended to replace fuel filter every 7500 Kms for the first condition or every 15K Kms as mentioned on Page no. 9 of the service manual."

Strangely the response was not directly given by VW but by a workshop (VW Nerul ) and incidentally these are the same buggers who didn't replace my fuel filter when I got my first servicing done at 15,000 km . Whatever , that's a separate discussion
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Old 24th August 2012, 23:20   #81
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Re: Tales Of Bagheera - My Black Panther aka VW Vento TDI Highline - First Service Up

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Originally Posted by souravc View Post
I specifically asked for it ( like most things in VW where we have to ask) and got it changed , I think they will change it for certain VINs. Please give your workshop a lead time of at least a week , sometime the engine mounts are not in stock.
I have booked an appointment next week to get this worked out. There will be probably some push back from their side which is usual so lets see how it goes.

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Strangely the response was not directly given by VW but by a workshop (VW Nerul ) and incidentally these are the same buggers who didn't replace my fuel filter when I got my first servicing done at 15,000 km . Whatever , that's a separate discussion
I think you should check with your workshop why it was not changed at the 15K mark. Mine was changed at the 7K mark only because I had complained of sluggishness during cold starts. At that point they had given the same reasons about fuel quality and I was told that they were replacing the stock one with an improved one. I think there was even a service advisory for this change. They operate in weird ways. If there is a service advisory for replacing certain parts which is VIN based it means that all those vehicles that qualify should get that replacement automatically because all of them would have that faulty or underperforming part attached regardless whether the customer complains or not. Why is it like moving a mountain to get those parts changed is what I fail to understand.
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Old 27th August 2012, 21:00   #82
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Re: Tales Of Bagheera - My Black Panther aka VW Vento TDI Highline - First Service Up

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these are the same buggers who didn't replace my fuel filter when I got my first servicing done at 15,000 km
It's called "collective amnesia". Remember?


Quote:
Originally Posted by samarjitdhar View Post
I was told that they were replacing the stock one with an improved one. I think there was even a service advisory for this change. They operate in weird ways. If there is a service advisory for replacing certain parts which is VIN based it means that all those vehicles that qualify should get that replacement automatically because all of them would have that faulty or underperforming part attached regardless whether the customer complains or not. Why is it like moving a mountain to get those parts changed is what I fail to understand.
There are two types of filters - the initial one is not in production anymore. You are right , ideally VW should have advised all car's with the problematic filter to come in for a change. This is one of the many indicators that all is not well within VW India.
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Old 28th August 2012, 08:03   #83
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Re: Tales Of Bagheera - My Black Panther aka VW Vento TDI Highline - First Service Up

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I think you should check with your workshop why it was not changed at the 15K mark.
I have and as expected there is a silence from their end!

Last edited by noopster : 28th August 2012 at 14:07. Reason: Please await PM
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Old 28th August 2012, 09:15   #84
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Re: Tales Of Bagheera - My Black Panther aka VW Vento TDI Highline - First Service Up

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Originally Posted by samarjitdhar View Post
One should know one's car's limitations and strengths and drive accordingly and the Vento is no different.
3 rules that I tell people to enhance safety while driving:

1. Know the limitations of your car -it's braking distances, it's handling limits, understand it's tyre's slip angles etc
2. Know your limitations - one's ability to react to various situations and the time it would take, one's span of vision, state of mind etc.,
3. Assume that everyone else on the road knows neither (1) or (2) and drive accordingly for a safe drive.

Last edited by noopster : 28th August 2012 at 14:07. Reason: Please await PM
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Old 28th August 2012, 11:53   #85
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Re: Tales Of Bagheera - My Black Panther aka VW Vento TDI Highline - First Service Up

@VeyronSuperPrt: I trust you can see the logic of @sourav's (and mine) earlier statements on the fuel filter period; it was based on past experiences and clear, standing points from different VW workshops that corroborated what we mentioned here. It is clearly not a fluke, and probably VW had advised or guided the workshops on this matter, even though it goes against what has been mentioned in the manuals (which I find a bit ambiguous considering they have recommended both 7500 & 15000 kms as intervals for different cases).

And hence probably the service records of several users on the forum, with their fuel filters not being replaced during the first service. However your point seems validated in this matter, and lets stop at that (or agree to disagree if required).

Last edited by noopster : 28th August 2012 at 14:15. Reason: Await PM
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Old 28th August 2012, 12:22   #86
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Re: Tales Of Bagheera - My Black Panther aka VW Vento TDI Highline - First Service Up

There is a need for clarification. My points (about fuel filter replacement at 15,000 km not 30,000) were posted after confirmation from contacts within VW factory. I did so as I have a Rapid too which has the same engine and i used my connections to get the information as it is manufactured there too. Information of this nature (where VW has made error's in estimating service life) is not given in an email and expecting to receive such clarifications in an email would be naive. Automotive corporates have several procedures including legal clearances before emails from customers are responded unless such information is already in the public domain. Replies for service escalation issues are also subject to legal clearance before release.

Mod Note: This point is clear now. Let's move on.

Last edited by noopster : 28th August 2012 at 14:13. Reason: Refer mod note in post
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Old 28th August 2012, 19:30   #87
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Re: Tales Of Bagheera - My Black Panther aka VW Vento TDI Highline - First Service Up

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Originally Posted by souravc View Post
I have and as expected there is a silence from their end!
I will be at the workshop tomorrow to sort out the engine mount issue. I know for sure they will be trying to finagle their way out of the replacement. I guess the argument I would hear is go super slow on rough patches however I do get that irritating thud sound when I am at moderate speeds and the car goes over a small hump or a pothole. I cannot drive the car all the time as if I am carrying Cinderella in my arms . I just don't get why VW doesn't make these replacements proactively when they know these are known issues. I will also get my clutch plate checked once as I was super stupid enough to try to go over an incline in reverse with my hand brakes on while boarding the ferry during my road trip. Fortunately I noticed my idiocy before any damage though I did get a burning smell for a little while. I allowed the car to cool down for the next 30 minutes and since then I have not faced any issues during driving.
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Old 29th August 2012, 18:57   #88
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Re: Tales Of Bagheera - My Black Panther aka VW Vento TDI Highline - First Service Up

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I have and as expected there is a silence from their end!
Sourav, you got any updates from the service center about why your fuel filter was not changed or is it still crickets chirping?

I had an interesting experience today at the service center regarding the engine mount issue. Since I had been driving over the highways a bit I encountered the loud thud a few times while going over any sudden sharp pothole or a ridge or a small sharp hump at high speeds anywhere between 60-80. In fact while going to the service center today I encountered it at a speed of 40 but I encounter this rarely during city driving. However I had made up my mind to get the engine mounts replaced if it fixes the issue. The SA listened to the issue politely but was as expected hesitant. We went on a longish test drive on a road with some rough patches but alas due to city traffic couldn't go beyond 30/40 in those patches to replicate the issue. Hence he was even more reluctant to talk about the engine mount. I then flipped open my laptop and showed him the service bulletin which shocked him so much . He was wondering how I got hold of the bulletins. I generally don't like throwing my weight around like this (thanks to TBHP) for any issue. But this time my hand was forced. The SA then spoke to the head of the workshop and they decided to have a look at the engine mounts.

I believe this is a known issue but the workshops are reluctant to change this under warranty because apparently each replacement costs around Rs 5.1K. Interestingly I have a drive video captured in my car cam which records the sound. Could somebody please confirm this is what we are talking about? From the general discussion on this thread that is what I have understood. The sound happens at around the 50 second mark of the following video. It happens when the tarmac ends and the concrete road starts and there is a small but sharp ridge in the road. I couldn't see it because one it was dark and two it was my first visit to that part of the world.



A pity I only remembered about this video when I went to collect the car however I showed it to the SA and he confirmed the problem. After all this drama, it seems only one of the mounts have been changed for me as they feel the other is fine. I didn't push harder any more since I want to test this out once again when I am on the highways. Interestingly there was another customer in the morning who was also complaining about this problem but I didn't think it would be right to educate him at that point in front of the whole dealership. He should get a membership in TBHP first
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