[Ferrariwell]

Hi as some of you'll might have known from my other thread I recently bought my first car a Polo.

My search for a car started some time in August of 2016. I initially was very keen and drawn towards the zen carbon and had even seen and driven an example that was for sale at that time I have always loved the old the old jelly bean shape zen ever since I was a kid. I then started thinking with my head instead of my heart ( also some persuasion from friends and family) and quickly realised that such a car wouldn't be practical for my daily use nor would it be very reliable or safe in the long run(newest examples are close to 13 years old now). I got distracted for a while as my family then started letting me use our vento whenever I needed it. Come September end my itch for a new car came up again and I wanted it to be something special since you only have one first car. At this time I took a test drive of the Polo GT TSI at VW downtown since a few of my friends have this car and I've heard nothing but good things about this car. I was absolutely blown away with the car the engine was punchy and also the turbo made a nice sound manual mode was pretty fun too especially downshifting this was also the first time I'd driven an automatic transmission car. I also started imagining all the mods I could do to the GT TSI in the future. To be honest I was never going to buy a brand new GT TSI I just wanted to test drive the car and try and get one used my budget for a car was about close to half of what a brand new GT TSI costs my parents wouldn't trust me with such an expensive car so soon I knew this from day one Thankfully for me Sunil from VW downtown was very kind (we bought our vento from them) inspite of knowing that I will not buy the car from them they let me take a TD anyway even asked if I would like the car to be brought to my residence. After a few days of thought I decided that I wouldn't want my first car to be an automatic not because I'm an expert at driving or anything I'm not but for the exact opposite reason I wanted to learn how to drive a manual car properly kind of enjoy them while they last also my first car being an automatic just didn't sound right. Also DSG+ used just spells trouble in my head. Nor did I particularly need the convenience of an auto box as such since I would mostly use the car for leisure drives. It was almost mid October by now and this when my search began seriously It was now decided that I would go for a Polo 1.6MPI why? well because the polo1.6 has exactly the same power on paper at-least as the GT TSI albeit lesser torque with a slick 5 speed gearbox instead of the DSG. For those who don't know the polo 1.6 MPI is a 2011 polo highline with a petrol vento motor under the bonnet it was sold by VW here in India for only about one year. I had still kept the option of a used GT TSI and 1.6 GT TDI open if I could find a good used one for a decent price.

THE SEARCH
If I remember correctly when I started looking for my car there were only about 4 polo 1.6MPIs for sale in Mumbai. I wanted a black/white car with low mileage, it had to be a one owner car and have a full service history especially if I was buying the car from a dealer the latter being the most important priority. Basically if it was a well cared for honest car colour and mileage did not really really matter to me.
I first came across a black one that had done only about 20k kms and also had some sort of hi-end stereo included in the price but alas by the time I was free to go to andheri where the car was located she had already been sold. I then saw a blue one that had around 85K kms on the odo owned by a gentlemen (later came to know he was a dealer pretending to be an owner) in a famous dadar locality this car looked quite sad from the outside bumper was hanging many scratches etc but the interiors were the total opposite they were absolutely mint and the car had a full service history from VW also it was going for Half the price of the other cars. Also it was blue my least preferred colour of choice after red. I also saw a silver car in andheri that was mint but with a dealer who in my opinion was asking too much. Then a few days later of frantic searching on literally all websites for a polo 1.6 (by this time I was desperate for a car) I stumbled on an ad for a polo 1.6 without any pictures just for the heck of it I expected it to be a scam ad at first thought but then after reading what was written in the description I immediately picked up the phone and gave the owner a call. In a few days a meeting was arranged and my dad & I went and saw the car. The car was literally 20minutes away from my house and when I saw the car for the first time I immediately recognised her I had seen her a few times in and around sobo and she was exactly what I wanted/ imagined my car to be. So in a nutshell this car was exactly upto my taste had a full service history and apart from a few scratches it was absolutely mint plus the icing on the cake was that it was owned and cared for like a child (hence now fondly called deekrow by friends and family) for all its life. It was love at first sight and I had already decided then and there itself that she would be my first car.



THE WAIT
The owner of the car was leaving the country in close to 6 months and said that I could have the car no sooner than the last week of Feb/ start of March. This put me in a real dilemma I had already waited for a long time get a car and had to wait another 6 months. I was confused whether I should wait or buy the silver car from the dealer. A few days of thinking I came up with the conclusion that I would go with the black car and wait as much as required since it's not everyday that you find a car in the used market that's already done up to exactly your taste especially not when it's your first time buying a car right from the font of the no plate to the wheels everything was exactly how I wanted it to be. Also if I bought the other car I would anyway either regret not getting this car or just spend a lot of effort trying to make it like this. So I confirmed with the seller that I would be buying the car and decided to wait it out. I still remember the date I went to see the car it was October the 13th. The wait was torturously long for me and what made it worse for me was that I knew I would get the car one week before my board exams and would only have a few hours to spend with the car after which she would be garaged till my exams ended.

[Ferrariwell]

D DAY(delivery day)
I got delivery of the car on 23rd Feb the owner was kind enough to bring the car close to my house. He gave me a friendly explanation on how to maintain the car do's & donts etc this was pretty helpful and then handed the car over to me. I assured him that I will take best car of the car at all times and that I respect all the time and hard work that has gone into this car.

The day I got delivery of the car


About The Car

Used cars for some reason always have a lot more character in my opinion especially ones owned by enthusiasts, this one is no different. The day I got the car I did about 40kms in it drove all around south Bombay as I was getting out of my house after a while thanks to my exams. Now on paper I know this car seems like a bad option to buy used its 6 years old has countless modifications and has probably been driven well 'enthusiastically' to say the least. But if you go through the list of mods mentioned below most are 'healthy' mods. Also driving a car hard is okay we are meant to enjoy them I dont expect anyone to especially buy a 1.6 polo or any other enthusiast car to drive it slowly but it should be maintained properly at the same time and the service history of this car does back that fact. The car had one owner before me who put 51,9xx kms on it much lesser than the adverised 55k kms. I have since in the last 6 months put another 8k kms on it

What's she Like To Drive

Well the first time I drove her I immediately stalled since I'm used to driving diesels with a heavy clutch. I didn't even realise she had stalled until I saw the battery sign on the speedo. That's how refined & silent she is compared to our vento atleast. She picks up absolutely instantly and is a hoot drive the first time I drove her I didn't really expect it to pick up so quickly I thought she would less peppier compared to our vento with the legendary 1.6TDI heart but how wrong I was. In any gear at any speed she just goes also this car is equipped with a Pipercross cold air intake with custom plumbing that really makes a difference to the driving experience as a whole after 2k rpm put your foot flat on the floor and she makes a nice bellow from the engine. I feel the steering is more direct as compared to our vento although the steering wheel is very flimsy as compared to the nice leather wrapped one on the vento. I have been comparing this car a lot to our vento but then again this and the vento are the only cars that Ive properly driven. I haven't really pushed the car much ever since I've got it she pulls cleanly and nicely till 4k rpm thats the max I've taken her to.

The Interior

Well the interior was never a strong point of the polo. It was under-equipped then and its definitely massively under-equipped now. But I don't really care I prefer the interior of a car to be as simple as possible but well built at the same time. The car came with the factory head unit which only supports CDs which is a royal pain this is probably the only interior component that I will change of the car. Other than that the car has rotary climate control knobs I do not know if this is a specific problem with my car or its there on all polos but whenever I turn on the blower the AC goes on automatically and has to manually swiched off again this is quite annoying since I take her out mostly early in the morning when its decently cold outside. The car has power windows on all 4 sides but only the front two can be operated from the driver side again pretty annoying especially if someone sitting at the back forgets to wind up their windows. The car came with power adjustable mirrors as well.
The Lovely Black Seats (dealer accessory)





ICE

Well there isn't much it comes with an old CD player with no aux or usb connectivity (even for 2011 standards this is bad).The previous owner had a hi-end audio system in the car which was not part of deal from day1 nor was I very keen on having. It included a big speaker in the boot and two tiny ones on the a pillars. There are two tiny holes on the a pillar after the removal of these. The car now has the standard head unit which is branded only as 'mp3" and has horrible blue lighting I have never changed the head unit on any of our cars before but this time I may. Other than that It has 4 aftermarket speakers which were given in goodwill by the previous owner the audio quality is decent. The car has sound dampening in all 4 doors and the boot lid.



Equipment

The car has power windows on all 4 sides, fog lamps and electrically adjustable mirrors. The car does not come with automatic climate control or buttons on the steering wheel(prefer this) I am not particularly one for hi-fi features and am happy with the equipment levels although I admit they are quite poor. The interior is made up of hard plastic and every time I connect my phone to the 12v socket it blows the fuse quite weird. The car came with black seat covers love these they are an absolute perfect fit and are made of some sort of leather people don't believe me when I tell them they are as old as the car. The car was optioned with a factory 'sports' kit which include a front splitter rear diffuser and side skirts basically the same as the polo SR This really adds to the cars stance makes it look lower to the ground have not seen this on too many regular polos. The car also came with 3d kagu mats and a cover I literally spent nil on accessories after buying the car, a first!

Materials & Build Quality

The materials feel really poor on this car almost everything you touch is hard plastic do not get me wrong the build quality is superb there is not one un even panel gap but the materials feel cheap especially the steering wheel that is clad in rubber and has plastic fascia on the third spoke instead of chrome like on our vento. The build quality how ever feels a lot better than our 2014 vento might be sign of vw's cost cutting measures the doors are much heavier on the older polo than the newer vento so are the mirrors. The paint has started fade slightly mostly because of the shade and the car being parked close to the sea for most of its life there are zero sigs of corrosion anywhere on the car including the underside. This car does suffer from the broken ac vent disease and the passenger side ac vent is broken. The 1.6 mpi also had a recall issued in India regarding an engine mount issue this car was affected and the records show a free replacement.
The no frills steering wheel, just the way I like it! Only wish It was Leather/felt wrapped.



Fuel Consumption

It came to me as a shock after shifting from the vento to this car for the first time in my life I was seeing single digits and as low as 5 on the MID. With continuous highway driving it will return a maximum of 17 if you keep her under 2k rpm at all times. In Bombay city traffic it used to return a meagre 6-7 where as here on my daily commute on NH66 it returns 13-14 regularly. All in all 1000rs worth of extra premium petrol lasts me 5 days as long as I drive sensibly which is really not bad in my opinion.

Modifications Done

1-Enkei Edr 9 spoke wheels
2-Automech stainless steel intake plumbing.
3-Pipercross conical filter
4-Iridium spark plugs
5-Brembo slotted rotors and black pads
6-Tyres Originally the car came to me with yokohama s drives (205/50/16) the tyres had hardened and developed cracks on the side wall after 40k kms use hence switched over to continental mc5s (195/55/16) this is the third set of tyres for this car in 6 years.
7-Bilstein B4 shock absorbers ( could not find oe shock absorbers hence settled for these)
The C.A.I (thanks for the pic @rutwij)


Maintenance Items

The car has since 2012 been maintained outside the dealer and I continue to take it to the same place for service. So far I have done one service in which the oil was changed the car has since the first change been using only Mobil1 engine oil. I also got the air filter cleaned and did a brake service. While returning from the service the rear shock absorbers completely seized, they had never been changed before unlike the fronts and hence it was normal wear and tear in my opinion. Got them changed in a week and the car was given a clean bill of health. Next I had to change the tyres which I got done very recently the older tyres had more than enough tread left on them but the sidewall had developed many cracks hence got them replaced opted for continental MC5s on @prince85's recommendation and the ride is much much smoother now as well as the steering has becoming much lighter.

What I like (some points are unique to this particular car only)

Timeless design clean smooth under-stated lines even with the sports kit not really a flashy car perfect for college only those who know, know for others its a regular 6 year old polo.
The SOUND! the stainless steel plumbing + filter combined give it a really nice sound. Whats better is its loud only if you want it to be since its an intake and not an exhaust. At start-up,idle or with gentle throttle inputs it sounds no different from a normal polo.
Smooth linear power from the naturally aspirated engine.
Black seats/covers on top of that the floor is completely laminated+covered with mats to protect those beige carpets.
Free revving nature of the engine.
Really good A/C system
No pointless arm rest like the vento. I absolutely hate that thing it rattles like crazy and serves no purpose for me.
Very good build quality
Super slick gearbox revv matching is a delight.

What I Dislike (some points are unique to this particular car only)

Chrome headlights look dated
No aux no usb either no idea what vw was thinking when they made this decision our 2008 fabia had aux input and it was the base model
Vw after sales refused to provide me with the exact same shock absorbers as the ones that came fitted on the car originally. They kept making false promises c'mon vw this is a car thats still in production. I can only imagine what the scenario will be like a few years after production seizes.
Cramped back seat not that it really matters to me 3rd & 4th passenger can walk ( I rarely travel with more than 1 passenger)
I love the shade of the car and what ever car I get next will also be black but it does get really hot inside very fast. My glasses literally fog up when I enter the car on a hot day.
The mileage is bad I agree but I mostly commute on traffic free highways and on the highway its decent. But if you are looking to get mileage do not get this car get the TDI.
Interior feels cheap and dated.

Road Trips (so far)
Bombay - Aamby Valley (and back)(~200km)
I did a road trip to aamby valley with a few friends in the first week of july. We took 3 cars a vento tsi(stock) @salilpawar1's modded swift and the polo. The car performed absolutely faultlessly and was pure bliss to drive on the twisty roads that lead to aamby valey the car I feel is best enjoyed on such roads than on highways. I was skeptical about my worn out tyres and hence did not push the car too much but it was still quite good fun + this was in my last 10 days I had in Bombay which I would be soon leaving.
Bombay-Mangalore/Manipal(~920km)
I have since shifted to Udupi/mangalore for college and have taken the car with me. I did drive the car down myself with all my luggage in the boot and it performed absolutely faultlessly throughout the 15hr drive. The car in Bombay was a second car that I would only take out on the weekends or for an occasional early morning drive but here she does 30-40kms a day minimum and is seeing proper daily use.




The most common question we are asked is why do we have 2 examples of what is basically the same car ,They may look similar but thats only on the surface. One delivers its power like a timed bomb and the other like an atom bomb both very fun to drive. (vento is a 1.6tdi HL)



Always babied

What I ended up getting vs my orignal choice (zen 3 door)



Clean rear end fully de-badged one would never know its not a 3cyl polo especially with the chrome headlights

Love the no plate font.




This is not edited at all.

When was the last time you saw either of these on the road?




The Verdict

All in all this car is not only a first for me but also for our family as in we've never owned a pre-owned car before this and definitely have never had a car with such high mileage on the odo nor one that's this old. It is said that ones first car is special this one certainly is to me at-least, It definitely is not perfect but in my head it is. In a way I am happy that I had to wait close to 6 months for this car because that only makes me value it even more.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[AYP]

Congrats on the new acquisition. The car looks great with the GTi grill and I have always liked understated interiors. Do visit places like Agumbe and Kudremukh near Manipal. They both offer excellent scenic beauty and are the places to be for a proper photo shoot.

[Ferrariwell]

Originally Posted by AYP

Congrats on the new acquisition. The car looks great with the GTi grill and I have always liked understated interiors. Do visit places like Agumbe and Kudremukh near Manipal. They both offer excellent scenic beauty and are the places to be for a proper photo shoot.

Thanks . Have visited Agumbe lovely place will visit kudremukh next!

[Ferrariwell]

Recently I completed 10,000 kms with the car, the KMs just flew by I didn’t even realise I had done so many kilometres until I went to check when it was due for a service again.
I also did a road trip to marvanthe/Trasi a nice 120km round trip On the smooth recently paved roads of NH66 the car was an absolute delight I absolutely love the engine + gearbox combination of this car it loves to rev and the gear box is a delight to use sometimes I down shift just to hear the induction noise & to go through the gears. That said its not really all that fast in fact this car is much more involving how I wish it came with slightly stiffer suspension and hydraulic power steering this car is not all about going fast mind you it is fast but just enough the car is Best enjoyed on twisty roads needless to say the car has taught me a lot. That said the interior equipment really really feels dated also the cheap- looking plastic doesn’t really cheap I remember our 08 fabia had soft touch plastic & aux inspite of being the base TDI back then no idea why vw couldn’t accommodate such stuff on the much more premium (price wise only) Polo I’ve realised only now that this stuff really makes a difference. I also love the fact that most people dismiss it for a normal Polo it gets absolutely no attention ever! Only those who know, know it completely blends in in my college parking lot in a sea of Polo TSIs and TDIs. The car has been completely dependable (touchwood) till now. I have driven the car hard and yet it still performs as good as new. The car has always been maintained at a garage opposite Phoenix mills in Mumbai from the first oil change in 2012 to the last one in March 2017 they’re very honest & frank & my friends cars get serviced here too now. I must add that the highways of Karnataka are absolutely fantastic especially NH66 it’s one of the most scenic roads I've ever driven on and there are very few potholes and absolutely no traffic 90% of the time. The truckers also do most of the time follow lane discipline etc but the bus drivers are quite annoying since their speeds aren’t limited here (I guess) all In all it’s an absolute treat driving down this road to get to college.
This is trasi beach on one side there’s the sea and on the other side a river


On the river side


I've said this before and I’ll say it again this car is not perfect at all but there's just something about the way it drives that makes you forget there's no aux and the interior materials are rubbish. I’ve never ever been contempt of Driving it even after driving it for 800+ kms from Mumbai to manipal within an hour I was back on the road again by choice. Future plans for the car are to probably get it down to Mumbai again in may and give it a proper once over again then. I’d really like to get a nicer steering wheel (GTI basic wheel without paddles or buttons) and some nice suspension maybe when the budget permits I can never ever think of selling this car as of now atleast no matter what new launches come an addition could be possible in the distant future but not a replacement

[octane1002]

Congratulations on the 1.6 Polo.Given your profile of a college going enthusiast, this looks like a perfect canvas to mod bit-by-bit suiting your individual needs, especially if you plan to keep it for sometime.

Mod options are of course limited on the 1.6(compared to the GT TSI) so lesser probability of going overboard with everything and spending a bomb on a concoction of mods.I'd start off with a sweet sounding full exhaust and take it from there.Borlas are a popular option for the GT TSIs.We also have Automech in Mumbai, who can custom design a system based on your needs(low end torque vs. better delivery in the higher bands of the rev range).It would make all the more sense given the CAI setup you currently have on the car.

If you dont mind my asking, how much do this example set you back by?

[Ferrariwell]

Originally Posted by octane1002

Congratulations on the 1.6 Polo.Given your profile of a college going enthusiast, this looks like a perfect canvas to mod bit-by-bit suiting your individual needs, especially if you plan to keep it for sometime.

Mod options are of course limited on the 1.6(compared to the GT TSI) so lesser probability of going overboard with everything and spending a bomb on a concoction of mods.I'd start off with a sweet sounding full exhaust and take it from there.Borlas are a popular option for the GT TSIs.We also have Automech in Mumbai, who can custom design a system based on your needs(low end torque vs. better delivery in the higher bands of the rev range).It would make all the more sense given the CAI setup you currently have on the car.

If you dont mind my asking, how much do this example set you back by?

Thank you . Yes it's true There's not much one can Do to a 1.6 in terms of tuning id really like the upgrade the suspension some time in the future and maybe get lowering springs as well. I'm not really keen on upgrading the exhaust as it already sounds really sweet with the intake itself more over I'm satisfied with the power for now atleast it's adequate. I forgot to mention in my previous post that the brakes do not feel all that good and I may get better pads put on some time in the future they are brembo black pads currently they start fading really quickly it's scary sometimes this could be because of constant highway use.

[Ferrariwell]

Just completed a year since I took delivery of this car. While it hasn't been trouble free I certainly enjoyed each and every of the 17K kms I put on it. I brought her down to Mumbai for a service during the end of 2017 all fluids were changed at the time so were the rear brake shoes which had gone bad as well as a leaky brake cylinder. I also upgraded to better brake pads braking has since improved significantly. Luckily all 1.6MPIs polo came fitted with brakes exactly the same size as those found on the mk1 Octavia hence all the aftermarket pads that fit the Octavia fit this car. The headlight switch broke a day after I came back to Karnataka and VW charged me 8500rs + 4hours in labour to change this simple item inspite of quoting me 6500rs and half hour in labour. A complaint as always only resulted in me wasting my breath and time (I wasn't even given a call back complaint no ccr109605) . One thing I have learnt over the ownership period of our 2 VW cars is that while their cars might be built sturdy their materials especially on the interiors are flimsy and are not built to last at all. Our ventos armrest rattles like crazy from day 1 ,the bonnet latch doesn't work, the water pump has failed once leaving us stranded and the fuel pump has failed twice, even the CD reader on the head unit does not work and the drivers side seat has started to collapse my polo has similar problems its suffers from the known AC vent failure, the driver side seat heigh adjustment lever is loose, some flap guide has failed which make an absolutely un bearable noise whenever the re-circulator is switched off (VW shamelessly told me that this is only a 1000rs part but they will charge 4000 in labour to change It) ,the paint has started chipping in numerous areas. I will post details pictures of both the cars and their quality issues on a later date when I have al, the pictures for proof.

The odometer currently (today) stands at 69,000kms I bought the car with 52k on the clock as mentioned earlier this is easily one of if not the highest mileage car we've ever owned. While the car upon closer inspection may certainly look like its 7 years old but it certainly does not feel like that to drive the suspension is still tight apart from the Windows which rattle like crazy (again quality issues) there are no squeaks or rattles from anything mechanical the car also still rides on its original clutch which shows zero signs of wear. This could be due to the way I've maintained it thus far I don't do any paint work of any sort on this car if there are any scratches I just leave them be as long as they aren't too visible I bought the car to drive it and drive it hard when the conditions are right I hate to be extra carefully with the body work and paint etc I don't really care how the car looks as long as it mechanically absolutely sound. Given the conditions in our country no car is impervious to scratches fixing them just ends up in them coming back after a while hence I just leave them be this is one of the perks of buying a used car in my opinion it already comes with its fair share of scratches hence saves the heartbreak of when some scooter Johnny comes and adds character lines to your car. In short I spare no expense on the mechanical work no matter how minor and if there's anything left I put it into the body work etc.

Another thing I may have mentioned earlier this that the 1.6 MPI is by no means a fast car in today's day and age or rather it doesn't feel like it. At the time of launch it was the fastest hatch one could buy In india according to some websites but today it's rather been forgotten and left behind. VW for some reason did not market it as a sports version as such hence it resulted in meagre sales but I hate it when people refer to it as just a badge special and say that it feels exactly the same as the 1.2 MPI because it by no means does (some 'knowledgeable' people even claim the 1.2mpi is faster). This actually makes it even better for me as I love sleepers and a sleeper is sort of what this car is. It also kept all the annoying buyers at bay like some of the people who bought the GT because it's a 'sports car' with a 'race tuned engine map' .At the risk of sounding cliched I'd like to say that's it's more about an experience as a whole the gearbox being the best part of this car it's absolutely butter smooth and slotting it into gears is super slick. The sound of the engine is a delight too especially with the he induction kit that I have on my car the previous owner also claims that this increase his low end torque by quite a bit. The steering feedback however is absolutely atrocious it just weighs up unnecessarily at times and the power steering too used to cut out sometimes due to voltage fluctuation that was traced to a rusty earth wire. In a complete surprise move this car turned out to be faster than certain re-mapped and exhaust equipped vento TSI I have absolutely no idea how that's possible the tsi and dsg combined should leave this car in the dust but I found myself pulling away at higher speeds/revs. I don't know if it's the linear power delivery that makes it feel slow or the super stable ride but it does reach triple digit speeds extremely fast without one really realising it still our vento and Even the baleno RS felt faster would be interesting to line up a 1.6tdi 1.6mpi and 1.2tsi for a drag race and see how big a margin the 1.6tdi would have over the other two
The only time this car comes out I'm Mumbai is at dawn. Interestingly of the 17,000kms done in one year the car did only 3000kms in Bombay in spite of being there for close to 5 months (petrol being 8rs cheaper here than in Bombay playing huge roll )


Ready for its service. Interestingly this was the first time the car was put on a lift because it wouldn't fit earlier due to the oem body kit.

A quick spin on the aamby valley road with good company is a must for every visit to Mumbai.

A fresh coat of wax and good detailing job



Yesterday vs Tomorrow

The best and the worst feature of this car in one photo

The road that leads to agumbe this is probably where I've enjoyed this car the most a major thank you to the bhp-Ian that suggested it!





I'm sure this car will certainly throw some more surprises given its begun to come of age and I'm also certain that VW will give me absolutely no support what so ever in terms of spare parts availability or even some thing as basic as transparency. Upon realising I bought this car used they started behaving like they were doing me a favour by looking at my car. Keep In mind we have been loyal customers of VW & skoda since 2008 all cars before this were bought brand new and the service situation has been much the same. I once complained about my take out pizza being un-cooked and got more response from dominos regarding how they could improve their service as compared to VW who just decided it was easier to not to do anything literally.

[Ferrariwell]

A few changes have been made to the car since I last updated the thread.
For starters I got ebc yellow stuff pads and a fresh set of rotors put on the car
(The 1.6 and early Polo’s share the calipers from the 1st gen Octavia that was launched in the Indian market)
Next up sometime in 2018 the stock seats were out and incame a fresh set of Race seats. Since I mostly drive this car on twisty roads or highways and rarely ever in traffic this is a super addition.
ICE
Added a helix D4 Amplifier and a focal perform Bompa Bp20 with an inbuilt amplifier
Morel Coaxials and tweeters
And upgraded the head unit to the one from the newer polos
The audio quality now is absolutely superb I still haven’t figured how to get Bluetooth to work on the rcd 330 and wish I had just opted for a pioneer system at the time. This is something I might do in the future.
Exteriors
Although I really really liked the cup car Bodykit that came with this car the front splitter had started showing signs of unfixable wear the bonnet had accumulated a fair few stone chips and scratches. So I opted to have a fresh coat of paint done on the bonnet and opted to get a WRC polo style front bumper since I thought this to be unique and liked the way it looks.





























It’s been over 3 years since I picked up this car with 52K Kms on the odo and at that time as an 18 year old boy I would have never imagined how far and wide this car would take me. She touched the 1,00,000kms mark in January this year and I have done multiple road trips in this car. We’ve done Bombay to Udupi more that 8 times in these last few years and other than that there’s been countless trips to Agumbe Gokarna and even Kannur Kerala. This car has been the perfect companion on all these trips and today even though I have been fortunate enough to have 3 other cars in my fleet there’s no other car I would have liked to do all these trips in! She has been the perfect companion every single time. Apart from a few ABS sensors and the water pump nothing has ever gone wrong or needed replacing. This car did exactly what it was supposed to do which is make me a better driver.










Thank You Deekrow for your faithful service to me

[sachin_cs]

Wonderful writeup mate, throughout the reading I felt as if I was a part of the process right from the selection to road trips to repaint and everything in between. There's absolutely nothing as beautiful as a clean black car. New RCD ICE suits the centre facia very well and the front bumper has taken the appearance a notch above. I was wondering if the sports seat have liberated more space for the rear passengers?

[Ferrariwell]

Originally Posted by sachin_cs

Wonderful writeup mate, throughout the reading I felt as if I was a part of the process right from the selection to road trips to repaint and everything in between. There's absolutely nothing as beautiful as a clean black car. New RCD ICE suits the centre facia very well and the front bumper has taken the appearance a notch above. I was wondering if the sports seat have liberated more space for the rear passengers?

Thank You!

Yes the sports seats have ever so slightly freed up some space for the rear seat passengers.

[TheHelix0202]

Hey there, do you find the lights satisfactory? Why not go for an upgrade, like the ones on the newest Vento?

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by Ferrariwell

J
Another thing I may have mentioned earlier this that the 1.6 MPI is by no means a fast car in today's day and age or rather it doesn't feel like it. At the time of launch it was the fastest hatch one could buy In india according to some websites but today it's rather been forgotten and left behind. VW for some reason did not market it as a sports version as such hence it resulted in meagre sales but I hate it when people refer to it as just a badge special and say that it feels exactly the same as the 1.2 MPI because it by no means does (some 'knowledgeable' people even claim the 1.2mpi is faster).
.

Its not so much the speed but the reserves of power that this car offers. Due to a family emergency, my Polo 1.6 was despatched to 1200km round trip in one day, and it did it without a murmur and in good time that too!

[Ferrariwell]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Its not so much the speed but the reserves of power that this car offers. Due to a family emergency, my Polo 1.6 was despatched to 1200km round trip in one day, and it did it without a murmur and in good time that too!

Absolutely. As I’ve mentioned in my post we have done Bombay to Udupi multiple times in this car which is a distance of around 900kms that we cover in one day. And this car has always done it without skipping a beat and at decent speeds. The 1.6 makes for a brilliant long distance cruiser.