[torque18]

Hi

Can you please post a step by step guide of taking out the spare wheel from the boot? I recently tried taking out the spare wheel from my Rapid but I couldn't unscrew it.

It would be a great help.

thanks

[thoma]

Originally Posted by torque18

Hi

Can you please post a step by step guide of taking out the spare wheel from the boot? I recently tried taking out the spare wheel from my Rapid but I couldn't unscrew it.

It would be a great help.

thanks

You mean you couldn't turn the bolt securing the wheel? This one?



First take out all the tool kit and then turn this thing anti-clockwise. After I loosened it out, the bottom part of the tire was sticking a bit to the boot, so needed some force to lift the wheel up.

Or is it that you could not loosen the tie belt holding the tool kit?



If then, press the left portion of the belt buckle (marked yellow) so that you can loosen the belt from the right portion of the buckle OR pull the buckle upwards keeping the left portion pressed.

[torque18]

Originally Posted by thoma

You mean you couldn't turn the bolt securing the wheel? This one?

Attachment 1078975

First take out all the tool kit and then turn this thing anti-clockwise. After I loosened it out, the bottom part of the tire was sticking a bit to the boot, so needed some force to lift the wheel up.

Yes the same bolt. It just kept on rotating and didn't come off!

[thoma]

Originally Posted by torque18

Yes the same bolt. It just kept on rotating and didn't come off!

Oh! So much for the 'German Made' spare wheel holder. I guess the bolt inside has come loose with the black plastic material. IMO, it is good to get it replaced from the ASC.

For a jugaad, one need to pull off the black plastic material from the metal bolt underneath it with brute force - exposing the bolt head (I am assuming that the bolt has a hexagonal head). Then you can take the wheel out. And later unscrew the bolt with a spanner and replace the wheel holder with another new one.

[torque18]

Originally Posted by thoma

Oh! So much for the 'German Made' spare wheel holder. I guess the bolt inside has come loose with the black plastic material. IMO, it is good to get it replaced from the ASC.

For a jugaad, one need to pull off the black plastic material from the metal bolt underneath it with brute force - exposing the bolt head (I am assuming that the bolt has a hexagonal head). Then you can take the wheel out. And later unscrew the bolt with a spanner and replace the wheel holder with another new one.

What I feel is that had that been the case the black plactic part would have been totally free and would have come off with the slightest effort. Since the bolt head would be hexagonal therefore the black thing would also be grooved from inside to hold the bolt. Could there be a nut at the bottom which could possible be rotating with the bolt and not letting it come off?

[thoma]

Originally Posted by torque18

Could there be a nut at the bottom which could possible be rotating with the bolt and not letting it come off?

No nut on the boot floor. It is integrated.



Just watch carefully on the top of the wheel holder whether the inside bolt is turning freely from the plastic body.

[torque18]

Originally Posted by thoma

No nut on the boot floor. It is integrated.

Attachment 1078996

Just watch carefully on the top of the wheel holder whether the inside bolt is turning freely from the plastic body.

Thanks! I will check that very soon and revert back.

[thoma]

MID figures over 300 kms; 200 kms of perfect tarmac and the rest average, on the hills; mostly sedate, but no hyper-miling. Sorry, no full tank figures lately. She just crossed 3k kms last day whereas the Micra crossed 6.5k figures in <6 months. A total of 10k kms in <6 months!



I'm getting lower back pain over long drives in the Vento. Moreover, the protruding thigh support on the seat, towards the right, is paining my outer right thigh muscles. Maybe it is also because I keep the seat maximum backwards, though my legs are not that long. I needed a stop mostly after an hour and a half on the Vento where as the Micra took me 14 hrs with minimum breaks.

But the overall stability, solidness, passenger comfort, NVH and the torque in turbo-zone are absolutely better for the Vento.

Originally Posted by thoma

- Squeaking door rubber. This is real bad on a brand new car. The door rubber squeaks rubbing with the metal panel

- Leak!!! I won't make a huge hue and cry over this, as just a single drop of water fell on my hand seeping in through the door rubber (I guess) under heavy rainfall.

I've learnt to live with the velvet squeaking against the paint and the leak doesn't seems to occur another time.

[thoma]

A try with HDR editing.

[seeths]

Contgratulations Thoma ! Hope you have wonderful miles/kms ahead. How are the headlamps faring with night driving ?

I just picked up my new Vento Highline TDI (at TVS Sundaram motors @ Chennai) last week, but haven't yet been exposed to lashing rains to check for potential leaks - probably take her our for a spin when the rain gods approach chennai this fall (shocked that can happen with brand like Volkswagen !)..

[thoma]

Originally Posted by seeths

How are the headlamps faring with night driving ?

Congrats on your HighLine TDi. As I have mentioned in the start of my review, the stock headlights are pretty average; moreover, they focus to a point than spread a bit to the left side.

The leak did not occur a second time, though in heavy rains I can hear water flowing just behind my ears (maybe inside the door channel of the B pillar, but definitely not creeping inside the rubber beading).

[thoma]

I like DIYs. But end up doing only the ones that are not risky, of course for my pocket.

1 year service interval for the Vento means big when it comes to dust accumulated in the pollen filter, especially if your driving is high and your car munches on dusty roads most. So if you have felt a loss in cooling when not in recirculation mode, you may want to try this simple DIY before taking the car to a far away service center. You may have to bend your torso underneath the dashboard and take care not to put your soiled hands on the beige colored upholstery. Of course, also be gentle with the filter element.

At the outset, I have to admit that I have been looking for this DIY for a long time and then I hit upon posts from the vwfansclub.com forum which inspired me heavily to do this. Here, I try to elaborate on that. There is also an engine air filter cleaning DIY there that I want to try out next.




This is how the filter looks like. It is held in place vertically by an L shaped holder, black in color. You can find it positioned underneath the dashboard, in the passenger side, towards the center console, next to the glove compartment. VW part no: 6R0 820 367, BEHR make.




You have to lie down on the passenger side floor facing up and look near to the center console to find the filter.






Slide the locking clips towards the center. It comes easily. If you have lot of dirt accumulated in the filter, once the filter comes down, some dirt could fall on your face. So exercise caution. Above pictures courtesy








This is my filter after 4.5k kms.




The pollen filter may be a combination of paper PET and PP, I'm not sure. In any way, please handle the filter carefully. I do not recommend a water wash as I do not know how these filters respond to water. I found vacuuming to be effective. You can try hitting the filter on the ground to dislodge dirt, but in my case, nothing much came out. The crevice attachement of the vacuum cleaner was used to suck up dirt. Be careful with the vacuum cleaner though. To insert the attachment, do not spread the filter fold too much or it might tear off at the edges.






Once you are done cleaning, please do not push in the filter with force. If the filter is not going in, please practice patience, take it out once more and put it again. If you put everything in the proper place, there won't be any obstructions. Nowhere did I need brute force. The smallest force I needed was to push the locking clip on one side.




Make sure that the filter seats correctly with the L shaped black holder. The air flow direction is from the passenger side to driver side.




Dirty fingers do not go well with beige.

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by thoma

I like DIYs. But end up doing only the ones that are not risky, of course for my pocket

Excellent D.I.Y, mighty impressed. I always used to wonder where is the damn pollen filter installed by the service center only to figure it out that's its right beside the glove box. Looking forward to your next D.I.Y. of cleaning air filter.

I'm thinking, if in a regular service VW only changes following things:
1. Engine Oil
2. Air filter
3. Oil filter
4. Fuel filter
5. Oil sump screw
6. Pollen filter

What if we could do all of them D.I.Y. Would save a lot on labor and we doing it our self would be much better compared to VW. Just a wild thought.

[B747]

Originally Posted by thoma

I like DIYs. But end up doing only the ones that are not risky, of course for my pocket.

Excellent DIY, attitude of some VW dealers are bit rough, hope they don't say warranty is void.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

Looking forward to your next D.I.Y. of cleaning air filter.

I'm stuck even before beginning. Don't want to risk a sensor or loose the VAS features.

What if we could do all of them D.I.Y.

I'd love to avoid the ASC but the issue is then they might not honor warranty later? :(

Originally Posted by B747

Excellent DIY, attitude of some VW dealers are bit rough, hope they don't say warranty is void.

You mean this pollen filter DIY. Never, if you do not screw up the filter or the holder. It is more of a plug and play.