[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Will wait till the dollar reaches sane levels and order. Did you have to pay any customs ?

I was in the states myself so just carried the kit with me, no customs , the installer has made a slight error while installing which i could make out yesterday, on high beam the light flickers a bit, need to get it rectified.

Ah yes, it was the Ecosport finally! Drove a lot of other hatchbacks but somehow my old Polo always felt better except the engine and unreliability issues. So its goodbye to VW and hello Ford
Congrats on your booking too!

Thanks Shashank

[coolboy007]

Issue # 1 has cropped up

So the German unreliability bug bit my Vento as well. After a trouble free 14500 kms and 1 year 3 months of the car driving like a dream, am having issues with the car's braking system.

As you all know, the Rapid had braking issues wherein the steering will judder upon braking and Skoda promptly issued advisories and changed the parts under warranty. My friend's Rapid had the same issue (the same Rapid on the first page of this ownership), we sent a strong worded mail to Skoda and after a week both disc and pads were changed under warranty wherein earlier the service centre had said they will only cover the disk under warranty.

Am pretty sure this steering shudder/judder is due to the warping of brake rotors but am at a loss of words on how within 14,000 kms, something went bad. Will shoot a mail to VW, attach the Skoda advisory, link to this ownership thread and ask them the reason for this warping.

Both Skoda and VW use same parts but if this issue was with Rapid then why not with Vento, the estimated cost for the change of rotors and pads is around 4000 for no mistake of mine

Will update on how VW responds to my mail. They should atleast cover the labour and cost of brake discs. The same scenario happened with Linea wherein the strut pads got rusted as it had a design defect (water entered and caused rust), i complained and FIAT was gracious enough to cover 50% of the repair cost out of both warranty and extended warranty.

[coolboy007]

Had sent a mail to VW customer care yesterday -

Hello,
I was a proud owner of a Volkswagen Vento TDi which i bought last year in July, 2012 and it has been a pleasurable 14000 kms so far. There have been no issues so far but the car has recently started having issues with the braking system.

The steering wheel vibrates/shudders when the brakes are applied which is a clear case of rotors warping up. The same issue was present with your sister company's Rapid as well (attaching the Skoda advisory on brakes for Rapid). When both the cars share the same parts, then how come VW kept quiet about it. We have a Skoda Rapid as well and recently got both the discs as well as brake pads changed under warranty for the same issue at Delhi dealership after mailing Skoda. Rapid' REGN NO is : DL 4C NA 66XX

Am at a loss of words on how a company like Volkswagen can use such substandard parts that the rotors get warped within 14000 kms of driving and then VW didnt even issue a recall or advisory to change the faulty parts. The car completely loses grip upon braking and is an impending recipe for disaster.

I need a clear answer from Volkswagen India and an assurance that these parts would be covered under warranty else this would be the last VW car for me. Am also a member of team bhp and there have been many instances of this brake shuddering in Volkswagen cars.

Thanks

Got the below reply today morning and also a call from the service centre, going tomorrow to get the car checked, dont know whether they will cover atleast the rotors under warranty or not, impossible to drive the car now, shuddering is getting severe. Wish i had the emails of some top brass in VW India.

We acknowledge the receipt of your concern to us and have noted the contents of the same.



We are advising our dealership M/s Volkswagen Delhi West(Delhi) to attend to the concerns. Please be assured you that your concerns will be resolved under our supervision and as per Volkswagen standards.



Please feel free to contact XXX on 958221XXX and XXX on 965454XXX .


If you need any further assistance, kindly feel free to call "Volkswagen India Assistance 24x7. Anytime. Anywhere" on toll free 1800 102 0909 / 1800 209 0909 OR write to us at customer.care@volkswagen.co.in.

[Auto Verruckt]

Hello coolboy007

Sad to hear about the brakes. I was following your ownership thread closely until recently when I became the proud owner of a Terra Biege Vento TDI Highline. As you say, its really hard to believe that a company like VAG would use substandard parts causing the rotors to get warped so early in a car's lifecycle. Will be looking forward to your update post service center visit.

[coolboy007]

Went to the service centre today morning with a prior appointment, waited there for an hour and the job card was still not opened, call the CRM, then the job card was opened. Car went for a test drive and the shuddering was shown to the SA.

He outright refused to honour warranty citing wear n tear of clause for brake parts. Said they will first clean the brakes, then skim the rotors or change the rotors and then change the brake pads, to top it i would have to leave the car for 2 days at the service centre.

Was really pissed off by now, asked him to make the gate pass, cant leave the car for two days so have come to my trusted local mechanic and getting the rotors skimmed and if needed then pads changed.

Really pissed off at this attitude of the service centre, will get my problem sorted and then send a written letter to the MD of VW India on the plight of their service centres. 2 days for a brake job is outrageous.

[coolboy007]

Got the discs skimmed and the pads changed at my local mechanic, skimming the discs costed 1400 as they were in a terrible condition, had the new brake pads as my friend who owns the Rapid had ordered a set for his car from abroad when the brakes had that shuddering issue, luckily his warranty claim was approved and the pads were lying with him which i used. The mechanic charged a humble 1400 labour for skimming, removing, refitting and all the labour associated with the car.

Posting the photos of the brake pads, was shocked to see the condition they were in, they had cracks all over and big chunks of the pads were missing. Extremely disappointed with VW's and their service centers attitude, they were not even willing to try the replacement under warranty, just gave me an estimate of 5000-6000 and to leave the car for 2 days with them. Its such small things which make a customer stick with the brand or not. A fellow bhpian Karthik's Punto had the same issue and his disc+pads were changed under warranty - no questions asked.

Will send a written letter to their corporate office addressing the MD and show him the condition of their brake pads within 14000 kms and the high handed nature of their service centers.

Condition of the rotors


Damaged brake pads


The pads were in a terrible condition, have seen nothing like this before, even mechanics were shocked after seeing this.


Skimmed rotors


IF anyone from VW India is seeing this, try to maintain your quality, the same issue happened with Rapid and now Vento, atleast Skoda India and their service center were much better and handled the case professionally.

[sameerg001]

I think the money paid is quite on higher side, I got my accent's discs skimmed for 400/- bucks including labour few months back from my trusted mechanic in sector-7 Dwarka.

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by sameerg001

I think the money paid is quite on higher side, I got my accent's discs skimmed for 400/- bucks including labour few months back from my trusted mechanic in sector-7 Dwarka.

Thanks Sameer, yes the money paid is on the higher side but then we trust this guy blindly with all our cars. He does treat a few high end cars so maybe thats why his labour rates have gone up, still the labour is half of what VW demands and he assured that if the shuddering occurs again, he will get it skimmed at his own cost, wanted good hands to work on the car since its just an year old.

My father knows this guy and i did object on the labour but dad stopped me from doing so, he doesnt like negotiating

I also stay in sector 9 Dwarka , sector 7 has a lot of workshops but never knew they could be trusted, now that you have told me, will PM you next time the need arises.

[sameerg001]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

I also stay in sector 9 Dwarka , sector 7 has a lot of workshops but never knew they could be trusted, now that you have told me, will PM you next time the need arises.

Oh we live quite nearby, I am in sector-1. BTW how about testing your car's new rotors and pads, this sunday at our meet

[coolboy007]

Glow plug symbol flashing
So the first major failure has occured in my Vento and the german unreliability bug has bit me as well, as luck would have it, am in Himachal around hills, 300 kms from nearest service center with a yellow glow plug continously flashing on my face.

I dont know what happened but after covering 500kms with 40 more to reach my destination, the glow plug started flashing on my face, terrified with visions of a flatbed awaiting and me going back in a taxi, i pulled over, checked coolant, oil, any leak any loose connector but nothing. Switched off, started again and the warning vanished only to come back within 2 kms.

Am on a vacation with a friend for 5 days and need fellow VW owners advice, the car is behaving absolutely fine, turbo kicking in as it did, no clatter, nothing abnormal anywhere, even returned a fe of 18 km/l with AC on throughout. Should i park my car at a hotel here and hire a taxi for further travel, finish the trip and then take the car back home at 80-90 or can i take the car further?

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Am on a vacation with a friend for 5 days and need fellow VW owners advice, the car is behaving absolutely fine, turbo kicking in as it did, no clatter, nothing abnormal anywhere, even returned a fe of 18 km/l with AC on throughout. Should i park my car at a hotel here and hire a taxi for further travel, finish the trip and then take the car back home at 80-90 or can i take the car further?

Been through a similar incident recently (coolant leakage - radiator damage). Didn't have options like you - was in the middle of a jungle with no mobile coverage and very less traffic; drove it till I reached civilization using water.

In your case, if you have the option of alternate travel options, take it up. Might cost a bit more, but you will have peace of mind. It might be nothing, but in the meantime you can ask the nearest VW service center to send a service guy to check your car (VW Goa did it in my case).

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

In your case, if you have the option of alternate travel options, take it up. Might cost a bit more, but you will have peace of mind. It might be nothing, but in the meantime you can ask the nearest VW service center to send a service guy to check your car (VW Goa did it in my case).

Thanks Ninja, well i was carefully examining the car and found MAF sensor a bit loose on connector, disconnected battery, removed maf and reconnected it back, started the car and went for a 2 kms round and the warning didnt flash.

Will drive the car a bit tomorrow nd if it flashes again, time to hire a cab.

[Padcot Prakash]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Thanks Ninja, well i was carefully examining the car and found MAF sensor a bit loose on connector, disconnected battery, removed maf and reconnected it back, started the car and went for a 2 kms round and the warning didnt flash.

Will drive the car a bit tomorrow nd if it flashes again, time to hire a cab.

Can you tell what happened to the car ? Is it all good now ? I have read you thread right from the start.

I need owners' comments so that I be prepared as to what can be expected out of my vento very soon.

Oh by the way, the head lights and fogs are very good.

Good going with your vento and best of luck.

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by Padcot Prakash

Can you tell what happened to the car ? Is it all good now ? I have read you thread right from the start.
I need owners' comments so that I be prepared as to what can be expected out of my vento very soon.

Thanks for your concerns and comments, was planning to update this thread with all information once the 2nd service is completed next week as the car has touched 24k kms and about to complete 2 years soon.

I had ordered for a OBD2 connector, as soon as i reached Delhi, scanned the car and it gave error code P0101 which is related to MAF sensor, loose air intake or dirty air filter. Cleaned the filter, blew air in MAF, checked for any loose air intake pipe. Then cleared the error code and it has not returned ever since, have even done a 1000 kms long drive since then.

It has not returned since then, the car is doing fine, no fuel efficiency issues or black smoke but i do feel the acceleration is a little less these days. Could be a clogged diesel filter or air filter, will get to know after second service, will ask service advisor to check for any loose turbo hose or any leak.

Need to get the engine mounts checked as well, there are lots of vibrations on sterering wheel at 1600-1700 rpm when turbo spools, either mounts or some thing related to steering.

[coolboy007]

Got the rear struts changed to TRW ones
Off late, i had been noticing a lot of pitching/bobbing from the car. It used to feel like am driving a Verna and not a Vento. I ignored the issue for a few months but the pitching got so violent that i thought, i should visit my neighborhood garage and show if my struts are shot. I was wary since the car has only done 34,000 kms. I do drive very enthusiastically around corners but go slow over potholes, i had not expected the struts to give up so early.

So 2 days back, i went and showed the car and the mechanic was sure that the rear struts are totally bust and even the front ones are weak, that is the reason the car is bouncing around.

I knew before hand that the OE VW struts are too soft for my liking and read online that TRW makes stiffer struts, i wanted a stiffer set up so called Metro Spares, Malviya Nagar (thanks team bhp for its info) and he promised to get a set of rear struts the very next day, cost quoted was INR 4K for a set of rear struts and they carry a 6 month warranty with them. Picked the struts from him and went to Ayub, Greater Kailash 2 to get the work done.

I was shocked when the rear struts came out, they were totally shot. I could push the piston with one finger and once depressed, the piston did not come up and just got stuck there. Got the work done, paid a very very nominal labour and went back home happily.

Took the car out for a night spin and boy oh boy, the car has totally transformed now. The rear struts are even stiffer than a brand new Rapid (checked in our appartments). The body roll is reduced to such a great extent, there is no more pitching, whatever pitching tendency present is present from the soft front OE struts. The drive has become so much more confidence inspiring and that irritating, sickening "thud" from rear suspension is finally solved. Took it over some humps and the rear was so planted with no thud sound, even the braking has improved.
The ride quality at low speeds has a definite stiff edge but up the speed and car goes almost F-L-A-T. Much better than the stock set up Vento came with.

I pity on how the rear struts gave up so early, maybe that is the reason VW only gives segment lowest 6 month/10,000 kms warranty on suspension and brakes. Our Scorpio was running on stock struts at 1 lakh kms when we sold it and the Linea has done 60,000 kms on stock struts with a cng cylinder behind.

Wonder why VW is so much into ride quality, this car has got such a good engine but the suspension set up used to spoil the mood. Planning to get even the front struts changed to TRW make, i drive hard and drive fast so soft suspension is an irritant for me. Will get the front ones changed in a week but i pray that atleast they are not shot so badly like the front ones.

The car is doing fine otherwise, nothing much to report. Had got second service done at 24,000 kms in July, 2014 which costed 8900 INR. Car will need a new set of tyres soon as the tread left is 3mm at front and 4mm at rear, Bridgestone Potenzas being hard tyres, the ride has turned very hard but they still grip like crazy without a squeal

Uploading a video of the old worn strut vs new TRW strut, the guy who happily shouts "gaye meaning worn" is my friend who owns a Rapid and even his rear struts are gone, though in a better condition that mine, his car has done 36,000 kms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBE3DMskleM