[harish]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

One of the best hot hatches available in our country. A couple of guys I know picked up at the discounted prices and are very happy with the purchase. Good luck getting one in the pre-worshipped guise - it'll be hoot to drive.

Thank You mate!

The 1.8 TSI + DSG for sure is a hoot to drive, and I hope I'm able to get one soon.

The DQ200 DSG is the only concern I have about the car as well, I didn't go for an extended warranty knowing I was going to mod my car for sure.

The mod factor with much flexibility is one of the main reasons I chose and love this car.

I wish you lakhs of happy KMs on your Abarth Punto too!

Originally Posted by heydj

Very true. I own Skoda and am yet to come across bad service at Skoda service center in Delhi.

Coimbatore, is a normally sized city and the Volkswagen dealer here is great from what I have experienced so far and hope ASS continues to be that way. I rate my dealer 4.5/5.

Originally Posted by pavi

Congratulations on the purchase. I find a real enthusiast in you, where you mentioned about the body roll and the soft suspension.

Thank you for the kind words! I feel the suspension plays a major role in the handling factor and to enjoy the terrific engine + gearbox combo a good suspension setup is necessary, looking forward to an upgrade soon. I'm still working on the remap post, sorry to keep you waiting. It should be up by tonight.

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by vkr15

My own experience over the last 6 years plus( first with the Polo Highline(P) and then with the TSI ) is anything but. Do I feel it can be improved? For sure it can. I'm guessing it varies from place to place and service advisor to service advisor. I feel service stations in small towns have an edge over the overloaded ones in metros and the happening cities.

Not to go too far off topic but the problem has nothing to do with dealers - every company has good and bad ones. The point is that if you have an issue with your dealer, a good company like Maruti Suzuki has escalation channels where your dispute will be resolved. With VW, you're at the mercy of the dealer - if they screw you over, VW doesn't crack down on them and are quite unresponsive.

I say this as someone with a fairly average VW ownership experience in a small town so far. It certainly isn't as worry free as it is with Maruti, Hyundai, Toyota etc.

[harish]

Code 6'd

I've been toying with the idea of getting my car remapped since I had bought it, but decided to go proceed with it after the first service completing 7500 KMs. After 1st service was done with, I was in a dilemma of what tuner I wanted to go with, after endless research I got in touch with Giridhar at Code6 Coimbatore. He did a great job explaining everything related to tuning the GT TSI and it's capabilities. Also two friends had recently got their Vento TSI and Rapid TDI Stage1+'d from Code6 and were more than happy with the output and performance.

So I setup a meeting with Giridhar and Subash from NextGen Autoshop/Code6 CBE to finalise on my requirements and pricing. Initially I had plans for Stage 1+ which is just a Stage 1 ECU remap and a replacement air filter from BMC or K&N.

But I had decided to go with the whole lot, My Polo GT TSI was getting Stage 2'd. I dropped the car off on Wednesday (03/04/2019) and was said the car would be ready by Friday afternoon. On Thursday I received a call from Subash, he said the delivery would be delayed by a day as the exhaust system was going to be manufactured at Bay6 in Bangalore and shipped. Hence Giridhar and team didn't have to do it locally in Coimbatore. I did feel happy about it coming right from the roots, so delivery was postponed to Saturday evening.

Saturday afternoon I got a call and was said the car's ready. With a lot of excitement, me and my dad rushed to their garage. We were welcomed by Subash, he showed me the replaced OE parts of exhaust and air filter placed in the trunk. A large part of the exhaust had to be left behind to be collected later with a bigger vehicle. Few minutes later, he handed over the keys to me and let me do the honours of starting the vehicle, boy did it sound delightful!

We pulled out of the garage for a quick test drive, the sun had already set and the roads were quite empty. So I started off sedately, warming the engine. As it reached optimum temperature, I did a few pulls and those were enough for me to feel the great improvements the less restrictive air filter and exhaust were doing. Those pops and bangs are to die for.

I was very happy with the outcome, sealed the deal and left home. On the way home I filled the car with some Speed Petrol for the next morning's drive. Post stage 2, I felt the car had gotten a lot more rev-happy and just slays the road in front.

Subash introduced us to K.R. Auto's co-owner Mr. Kanagaraj who took us around the facility and explained their expertise. I plan on executing all my future mods and upgrades there. I would recommend this place in Coimbatore if you own a german vehicle, they do everything from oil changes to engine overhauls. PS: This is not a paid advertisement.

The next day, Sunday morning. I woke up at about 5:30 AM and took the car out for a small drive around the city. Picture from then:

Attachment 1869869

The car literally flies! 0-100 times have decreased by a great amount, 80-100 km/h is where the stock GT took a little time to get to. Now that's no more. It accelerates in a linear manner right from the beginning. Throttle response has improved drastically and is more fuel efficient too.

Now it should be putting out about 135-140BHP, I'm yet to dyno it.

The exhaust system is custom made out of grade 304 Stainless Steel. It's a de-cat and resonated. This less restrictive exhaust helps the engine exhale all the unnecessary gases and breathe well. With this setup the car is enjoyable but not annoying at the same time. One whom I happen to know has straight piped his GT and I feel the sound is too harsh, in your face and the DSG farts were un-civilised.

Here's a cold start video:

http://youtu.be/UlXKlgdwP_g

When the car is turned on, when cold it takes sometime for the engine to settle and sound to reduce, revs are under 2.5K RPM in the above video.

Here's a drive by video, shifting onto 2nd gear then 3rd:

http://youtu.be/nSK-oFTsDIo

Mods done at Code 6:

• Stage 2 ECU Remap + Pops and Bangs.

• Custom Stainless Steel grade 304 Exhaust System.

• K&N High Flow Air Filter.

• Euro Spec Air Channel Guide.

The exhaust system:


K&N Air Filter:


The Catalytic Converter removed:


How the exhaust looks from the back:


From behind one cannot say there is an exhaust system fitted on this car, when driven sedately it produces a very minimal sound fooling people on the road

I didn't want them to cut my rear bumper to accommodate an end-tip at the time but now I have plans on swapping out the rear bumper for the GTI one with the diffuser and putting on an OEM dual-tip end tip from the GTI for better aesthetics or I may leave it like this for the sleeper feel.

Mileage, as Giridhar promised. There is a 2-3 km/l gain when driven normally, I average around 10-13 mostly and when spirited driving takes place. Mileage drops to 6-8 km/l. But I feel the smiles per KM make up for it.



So overall, I'm very happy with the service Code6 provided and how the car came out to be.



Note:
Sorry for the lack of detailed photos as I was not present at the garage while my car was being worked on.

This is not the end of it, Stay tuned! More to come

[Asta_la_vista]

Originally Posted by harish

Code 6'd
I'm very happy with the service Code6 provided and how the car came out to be.

Hi Harish,

Congrats on your car. That's a sweet sounding exhaust. Wish you many happy and safe miles.

Prasanth

[avanishphatak]

Interesting. But is removing the CatCon a right thing to do?

[Samfromindia]

Originally Posted by harish

Code 6'd

But I had decided to go with the whole lot, My Polo GT TSI was getting Stage 2'd.

This is not the end of it, Stay tuned! More to come

This is amazing ! While getting a dyno result may take sometime, you can do 0-100 run to see how many secs are shaved off in real world condition. Do you mind sharing the costs, so that people who are interested in such mods can plan their savings

[WasherNut0402]

Thanks for such a nice write up! I won't complain on the GT's suspension character though! request you to elaborate a bit and about remapping I didn't see much as well.

[TheLizardKing]

Originally Posted by harish

The DQ200 DSG is the only concern I have about the car as well, I didn't go for an extended warranty knowing I was going to mod my car for sure.

Am I the only one who hears a discordant note here? You are concerned about the reliability of the DSG yet you haven't purchased protection. Not buying EW for a German, especially a GT TSI, is a very risky proposition. I had a bad case of mod fever too, but I was determined that I wouldn't execute any mods that would void the warranty. So I stuck to a Stage 1, which the dealer assured me can be overwritten by the stock map if needed. And here you've gone ahead with a Stage 2 in a car that is less than a year old. You obviously have a very high risk appetite. I wish you the best.

Originally Posted by avanishphatak

Interesting. But is removing the CatCon a right thing to do?

That, my friend, is not a very popular question to ask here. It is an extremely polarizing topic, and more often than not leads to arguments. When I was doing my research about mods, I was told that a race cat is a better option than de-cat. But I am no expert.

Originally Posted by WasherNut0402

I won't complain on the GT's suspension character though!

I had the exact same opinion until I went ahead and got the B6 kit. It changes the entire character of the car, and makes you realize what you were missing out on all this while on the stock setup.

[harish]

Originally Posted by Asta_la_vista

Hi Harish,



Congrats on your car. That's a sweet sounding exhaust. Wish you many happy and safe miles.



Prasanth

Thank you bro! Happy 1 year with Thanos and wish you many more happy miles 😁

Originally Posted by avanishphatak

Interesting. But is removing the CatCon a right thing to do?

Well, there's a significant gain in power and modern engines like this 1.2 tsi pass the emissions test when idling even without the Catalytic Converter but it depends on how you take it and what you prefer.

Originally Posted by Samfromindia

This is amazing ! While getting a dyno result may take sometime, you can do 0-100 run to see how many secs are shaved off in real world condition. Do you mind sharing the costs, so that people who are interested in such mods can plan their savings

Thank you! I will put up the 0-100 video soon. I'll also make a separate post about all the mods and the costs incurred after I return from vacation. Thank you for reading!

Originally Posted by WasherNut0402

Thanks for such a nice write up! I won't complain on the GT's suspension character though! request you to elaborate a bit and about remapping I didn't see
much as well.

You're welcome mate! I felt the suspension had a great magic carpet ride and was stable at high speeds when we first bought the car. After days passed I started to feel a difference which I still do. It's just not like before, hence I feel an urge for the suspension upgrade. But hey, to each their own! Opinions differ.

Sorry about the lack of information about remapping, I will elaborate in a new post when I get back from vacation. Thank you for reading!

Originally Posted by TheLizardKing

Am I the only one who hears a discordant note here? You are concerned about the reliability of the DSG yet you haven't purchased protection. Not buying EW for a German, especially a GT TSI, is a very risky proposition. I had a bad case of mod fever too, but I was determined that I wouldn't execute any mods that would void the warranty. So I stuck to a Stage 1, which the dealer assured me can be overwritten by the stock map if needed. And here you've gone ahead with a Stage 2 in a car that is less than a year old. You obviously have a very high risk appetite. I wish you the best.

When I was doing my research about mods, I was told that a race cat is a better option than de-cat. But I am no expert.

I indeed am concerned about the reliability of the DSG, but that didn't stop me from making the car my own. I'm more into the performance mods aspect, so there aren't really anything you could do without voiding warranty. But, the map on the car cannot be read by the Volkswagen service centre guys and my SA doesn't mind about the exhaust. Incase something unfortunate happens, I could swap for the stock exhaust system and go in for warranty claim. (Which is what I'm told). You live one life, why not make the best of it?

First when I did my research, The only reason I was leaning towards the race cat was because, in a few GT TSI's which had a de-cat exhaust system and no map, the O2/lambda sensors were failing making it an expensive proposition. Hence I was thinking about a Magnaflow 200-cell race-cat/sports cat for my exhaust. Only after I learnt from Giridhar at Code6, the O2 sensors can be cancelled on the remap and there are no chances for it to fail. So I had went ahead with a de-cat as the gains in power are slightly more than the race-cat. So race cat is a better option if you are only going for an exhaust system without remap or want a civilised exhaust note/lesser emissions.

[suhaas307]

Hi Harish!

Great thread you've got there!

Your TSI's catback stainless steel exhaust looks delicious.

The downpipe looks dodgy, though. I know it's crucial in unlocking some extra shove, but I wish a reputed company would make a nice sport-cat for the 1.2 TSI.

The larger TSI engines seem to have wider exhaust options, and a 200-cell sport-cat, like the one available for the Lauras and Octavias, would have been ideal for my application.

What material is Code6's downpipe made of?

For now, the new exhaust looks fantastic and I love the exhaust note, although I'd request for an even quieter note, one that's prominent only above 3.5k RPM. The DSG farts, and pops 'n' bangs, are nice editions though.

I would also highly recommend sportier dampers and a steering with paddles. These are essential upgrades and completely transform the driving experience.

If you have some extra dough left over, do consider a TCU remap as I'm told that it not only increases the torque limit, the shift times are faster and more aggressive, and the gearbox is no longer mapped for economy, thereby potentially extending the life of the clutch pack as the gearbox no longer constantly hunts for the highest gear at every instance.

Do keep updating the thread with new upgrades. Glad to see the enthusiasm to tune this car hasn't died down.

[harish]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Hi Harish!

Great thread you've got there!

Your TSI's catback stainless steel exhaust looks delicious.

The downpipe looks dodgy, though. I know it's crucial in unlocking some extra shove, but I wish a reputed company would make a nice sport-cat for the 1.2 TSI.

The larger TSI engines seem to have wider exhaust options, and a 200-cell sport-cat, like the one available for the Lauras and Octavias, would have been ideal for my application.

What material is Code6's downpipe made of?

For now, the new exhaust looks fantastic and I love the exhaust note, although I'd request for an even quieter note, one that's prominent only above 3.5k RPM. The DSG farts, and pops 'n' bangs, are nice editions though.

I would also highly recommend sportier dampers and a steering with paddles. These are essential upgrades and completely transform the driving experience.

If you have some extra dough left over, do consider a TCU remap as I'm told that it not only increases the torque limit, the shift times are faster and more aggressive, and the gearbox is no longer mapped for economy, thereby potentially extending the life of the clutch pack as the gearbox no longer constantly hunts for the highest gear at every instance.

Do keep updating the thread with new upgrades. Glad to see the enthusiasm to tune this car hasn't died down.

Thank you Suhaas!

That is exactly what I thought when I had a first look at the downpipe in photo, the heat wrap is what gives that feel. But the downpipe Code6 has provided is engineered well out of grade 304 Stainless Steel just like the other parts of the exhaust system.

What I've noticed from my exhaust is that, when accelerated slowly the exhaust note is hearable only above 3k RPM, but my car still has a growl to it when idling and under 3k RPM. It's hard to explain, You'll have to experience at first hand to understand. It's a bit different from what you're asking for though.

I'm loving the pops & bangs and DSG Farts! When I let go of the throttle, above 2.5k RPM. The backfire pops sound crazy! Totally addicted.

The steering with paddles (the one you have got) and Bilstein B6 are on the list for the next set of mods, hope to execute soon.

As much as I would love the KW Street Comfort, they're expensive than what I have budgeted for the suspension.

I'm thinking about the TCU Remap too. As I have noticed in my car, the gears up shift from 2-3 and 3-4 a bit late than before when stock. Now, those gears up shift around 2.5k. But after 3rd, 4-5, 5-6 and 6-7. The gearbox always hunts for a higher gear as you mentioned. I have my eyes on the TVS DSG software for the TCU.

Your thread re-assured me to get my car tuned, So I have to thank you for that and for taking the time to read this.

Cheers!

[harish]

UPDATE:

My car went to the service centre last week for it's 2nd service at around 14500KMs. They had changed the Engine Oil and AC filter, told them not to change the air filter as I had a K&N on. The service Ramani VW provided was great and the car was delivered on time as promised by SA Vivek.

I got a full rubber mat installed in my car while dropping in for service, which is a rubber like mat (forgot the exact name) covering the original floor which cannot be removed. It covers the entire interior floor and the trunk too. It makes cleaning a lot easier.
Cost: Rs.2500

Also got the low tone horn installed to go with the high tone already present. Now the horn sounds miles better.
Cost: Rs.2500

Brakes:

The stock brakes in the Polo GT are sub-par and don't really give me any confidence to push the car to it's limits. I had also started to hear screeching noises from the brakes when coming to a stop. I had thought my brake pads had worn out.

I went to Nextgen Autoshop which is basically Code6 Coimbatore to have my brake pads replaced yesterday. I got EBC YellowStuff brake pads installed, upon removal of the stock brake pads, the mechanic had told theres around 10,000KMs life left on the stock ones. Yet, I had decided to go with the YellowStuff as I've heard amazing reviews about them and the car was in desperate need of stopping power. I also plan to get new slotted rotors soon to with these pads.
Cost of the pads: Rs.8500

The EBC YellowStuff Pads box


Removing the stock brake pads


Ready to install the EBCs


Tada! They're installed


I forgot to take pictures of the brake pads themselves, so here's a visual representation.


The red uppermost layer is the break-in surface coating which helps making the rotors a bit rough, improving the bite when bed in.

The EBC YellowStuff are street/trackday pads, that means they are indeed capable of hard braking and handling high temperatures.

I've driven about 150KMs after the change, for our Indian constant braking condition, that should be it for the bed-in period. I'm yet to do the 5 100-15KMPH braking to completely finish the bed-in process. That's how EBC recommends to break-in your new pads.

Initial impressions: The bite is really good and early than OE pads, keep in mind I have done no VCDS tweaks to adjust hydraulic brake assist to 'Early'. These also produce significantly lesser brake dust. High friction right from cold, but the hotter, the better they get. I'm happy with this small upgrade, which has improved braking by a great margin.

When changing the pads, got the mud guards removed for a sleeker look. I know many are going to give me a hard time about it, stating my wheel will throw debris on motorcyclists and other vehicles behind me. I drive only on well paved roads so that shouldn't be an issue to those concerned


The day before, Code6 Coimbatore had conducted a remap camp. I was present there for a while as my friend's XUV500 was being remapped, got to speak with Mr. Thomas about cars and tuning for a bit. He said he's working on a map for the 1.2TSI engine to put out a tad bit extra power than present and will send it to be flashed once complete.

My car behind Mr. Thomas' beastly magic black Skoda Octy vRS which puts out about 440 BHP! Also spot 'Bélle' the Stage 2+ Laura and a red Mustang.

[rawdeal]

Originally Posted by harish

UPDATE:
I got a full rubber mat installed in my car while dropping in for service, which is a rubber like mat (forgot the exact name) covering the original floor which cannot be removed. It covers the entire interior floor and the trunk too. It makes cleaning a lot easier.
Cost: Rs.2500

Also got the low tone horn installed to go with the high tone already present. Now the horn sounds miles better.
Cost: Rs.2500

Could you shed some more light on this? Maybe a picture or two of the rubber mat. Does this cover the fabric "felt lining", and is it a VW part?

BTW - some drool worthy mods there Harish!!!

[hrk997]

Hi, I'm from coimbatore, and I'm looking to purchase a new vehicle. What you've done with your polo is more or less exactly what I'd like to do, and I'm unaware of how to directly message you on this website. If possible, could you let me know the cost of this whole process? What was the stock warranty offered for your car? Are you going to upgrade the tires as well? Whats the top speed post remap? With modifications and reliability in mind, is it better to go for a used gt tsi or a new one?

[harish]

Originally Posted by hrk997

Hi, I'm from coimbatore, and I'm looking to purchase a new vehicle. What you've done with your polo is more or less exactly what I'd like to do, and I'm unaware of how to directly message you on this website. If possible, could you let me know the cost of this whole process? What was the stock warranty offered for your car? Are you going to upgrade the tires as well? Whats the top speed post remap? With modifications and reliability in mind, is it better to go for a used gt tsi or a new one?

I haven't unlocked the direct message feature on this platform yet too as I'm new. Could you send me a DM on Instagram if you have one? My IG is harish.nandan or email, which is harishnandan.suresh @ Gmail.com