[Artyom]

Could you please share some pics for the wireless dongle and a link from where you purchased it.Model number for the product would be helpfull to procure.Thanks in advance.

[sarfraz1997]

Originally Posted by Achalchoukhany

Hello @sarfraz1997, superb post, loved your car. Seeing your car i'm really confused as to go with mods like what you have done, as in spend to make the car look really good(maxidot), comfortable(TPMS, Paddle Shifters & 8K Park pilot) and safe(with brake pad upgrade) or go for remaps and power upgrades like free flow exhaust, brakes and suspension cause only have such budget that i can follow one path.

Hey, thanks.

I’d say do both and get a stage 1 map. Best of both worlds. Also, which engine?

[sarfraz1997]

Originally Posted by Artyom

Could you please share some pics for the wireless dongle and a link from where you purchased it.Model number for the product would be helpfull to procure.Thanks in advance.

Since I've been getting DM's, and people have been asking on the thread, I want to make a detailed post about the Wireless CarPlay dongle.

There are two variants of devices, One is for Android HU's, and the other is for factory radios. In either case, it does not add CarPlay functionality to a non-supportive device, just enables wireless CarPlay on devices supporting wired CarPlay. There are two versions in each, v1 and v2, v2 is the latest. I've known a few people who used v1 devices and were pretty happy as well. Now, the beauty of this device is that it does not necessarily have to be a radio of the VAG group. It will support most company radios including Maruti, Honda, etc. This device uses BT to connect to the dongle and connects to the WiFi hotspot created by the device.



The packaging is pretty simple, it's a no-fuss packaging with just the device, a tiny USB C cable, and a user manual.



Setting up the device is a breeze, here are the steps :
1) Plug in the device and let it initialize.
2) Go to the Bluetooth menu on the iPhone and pair the device.

Note: If you don't follow the steps, unplug the dongle, turn off BT and repeat the steps.



The initial setup takes longer, about 2-3 minutes, but from the next time, it's very fast. There are absolutely zero performance or connection stability issues.

If your BT and WiFi were off initially when you got into the car, you can still turn them on and select your phone here on this menu.



Here is a product link from AliExpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001...archweb201603_

Unfortunately, we cannot order from AliExpress. So, I've found a Chinese source. He charges a bit higher, taking advantage of the situation. His price is 103$ after negotiating. Since we would be making the transaction over PayPal for security reasons, they charge 5% extra to the seller, which they push it on to us, making the price effectively around 108$. Since the transaction is in $, we will have to pay a little extra over the exchange value. There are again 2 options here, the first is PayPal conversion, and the second is by the bank. Most banks charge 3.5% of the transaction value plus a GST of 18% on the 3.5%, Bank conversion works out to be cheaper than PayPal. I was charged a duty of 200INR on the device, so the landing cost was about 8527.

If anyone wants to purchase, let's connect over DM.

[Achalchoukhany]

Originally Posted by sarfraz1997

Hey, thanks.

I’d say do both and get a stage 1 map. Best of both worlds. Also, which engine?

1.2 TSI Highline Plus, same shade as yours. Will surely ping you up for getting helped out in due course as and when i start carrying out upgrades. So did you get yours remapped too? Could you share the contact details of Nikhil from NSquareAutoTech.

[sarfraz1997]

Originally Posted by Achalchoukhany

1.2 TSI Highline Plus, same shade as yours. Will surely ping you up for getting helped out in due course as and when i start carrying out upgrades. So did you get yours remapped too? Could you share the contact details of Nikhil from NSquareAutoTech.

That’s great. Sure, I’ll be happy to help. No, I haven’t got mine remapped. I’m still in two minds because of the gearbox. Search for NSquareAutoTech on Instagram and mention my name or thread.

[adi_sun]

So one things leads to another, while I was educating my self on how to get a wireless car play from your posts I could not help notice that you have re-wired the USB port to the blank plates in the glove box.
Details on this too please, my 340 head unit has USB from the front panel that looks really ugly.

[sarfraz1997]

Originally Posted by adi_sun

So one things leads to another, while I was educating my self on how to get a wireless car play from your posts I could not help notice that you have re-wired the USB port to the blank plates in the glove box.
Details on this too please, my 340 head unit has USB from the front panel that looks really ugly.

I had to do it because MIB 2, doesn’t have a USB port on the HU. It needs a dedicated external port. For 340, you can open it up and soldier an additional cable and route it to glovebox. Or you’ll have to get a longer cable and mount it somewhere.

[sarfraz1997]

So, after a long consideration whether or not I should upsize my wheels, I’ve finally taken the plunge and upgraded to 16” Portago’s. For tyres, PS4 ST were available but were over an year old stock, so went ahead with Continental UC6 195/55 R16. Comfort wise, definitely it’s a slight step down, but the ugly rear wheel arch gap on 15” wheels is covered now and looks much better.

[Torquedo]

Originally Posted by sarfraz1997

I’ve finally taken the plunge and upgraded to 16” Portago’s.

Many a congratulations on owning the German beauty, Sarfraz and wishing you many a happy miles with her.

Sarfraz, would be thankful if you may let us know on how much did VW charge for the Portago's, thanks much.

[sarfraz1997]

Originally Posted by Torquedo

Many a congratulations on owning the German beauty, Sarfraz and wishing you many a happy miles with her.

Sarfraz, would be thankful if you may let us know on how much did VW charge for the Portago's, thanks much.

Thanks

I didn’t buy them from VW. I bought them off a 3 month old Polo TSI, the owner was going for aftermarket wheels. I paid about 25k for the wheels. VW charges very high, maybe around 10-12k per wheel. These Portago’s are Made in Turkey.

[sarfraz1997]

There is always room for more. It’s a well known fact that after VW started giving TVS brake hardware, the braking has been pathetic, just like the quality of the hardware. So I’ve upgraded and installed Big Brake Kit. The discs are now 288mm, so it demands a change of callipers and brake pads as well.



A picture of all the hardware.



Zinc coated 288mm ATE rotors.



Need to bend the dust shield slightly to prevent it from obstructing the significantly larger rotor.



Red callipers definitely look very good IMO.

The entire job was done in about 45 minutes. It is that simple. Everything was bolt on, and except bending the dust shield a bit, no alteration was required.


I have also changed the front footwell lights to VW OEM and I’ve also added footwell lights for the rear passengers.





These lights are just 0.1 watts.





Plug and play wiring to piggy back on the front footwells to power the rear footwells.





As these lights are just 0.1 watts, they aren’t too bright. But they definitely look premium and serve the purpose.

[CrimsonKnight]

I have been owning a vento TSI HL+ since early 2017 when the HL+ version with DRLs were released.

I was in the market for a segment C/D car and after TDing everything from City to Corolla I felt the Vento offered the best driving experience (back then i did not have a chauffeur). The car has clocked 16k in the same period (short commute to office + weekend trips restricted with the pandemic).


Pros:
- The TSI + DSG combo is a lot of fun to drive, especially in contrast with the CVT models
- The suspension and most of the interiors have remained intact - infact people have asked me if it is a new car as recently as earlier this year
- The service experience has been ok - i had opted for the 'service package' which includes pick up and drop, I also had to use the RSA once and even that was a very easy experience.
- The touchscreen while is fairly dated now still is very usable and placement / ergonomics are great.
- The rear seat comfort was better than I had anticipated when I got a chauffeur. I installed an after market rear screen and use the boss switch to move the co-passenger seat forward, and voila, it is a great place to be.
- Auto rain sensing wipers are a joy and work incredibly well in monsoons.

Cons:
- I have had a bit of a scary experience on the sealink as the car kept randomly shifting up and down. Fearing the worst (that the DSG has gone kaput) i sent it to the workshop only to discover it was an ABS sensor malfunction. There have been a couple of incidents of that in the past as well - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...warning-2.html (Vento Automatic: Speedometer error + ABS warning) - was fully replaced on warranty (i had taken the 4 year one).
- The battery expired early this year - this was partly due to the pandemic but i suspect the load of the HL+ lamps and interior lights had something to do with it.
- Quality of the HL+ headlights, especially when driving at night has been a bit of an issue for me. I would have preferred a stronger throw
- The AC vents are of terrible quality and the knob on all of them have broken - i am not replacing them unless VW introduces better quality ones

Overall - its been a great experience, i thoroughly enjoy driving the car. However, i also treat it with kid gloves knowing it can break easy. The rear seat comfort was unexpected and I had not purchased it with that factor in mind. In fact I would have upgraded but now resisting the temptation for a couple of years.

[sarfraz1997]

Originally Posted by CrimsonKnight

I have been owning a vento TSI HL+ since early 2017 when the HL+ version with DRLs were released.

The car has clocked 16k in the same period (short commute to office + weekend trips restricted with the pandemic).


Pros:
- The TSI + DSG combo is a lot of fun to drive, especially in contrast with the CVT models
- The suspension and most of the interiors have remained intact - infact people have asked me if it is a new car as recently as earlier this year
- The service experience has been ok - i had opted for the 'service package' which includes pick up and drop, I also had to use the RSA once and even that was a very easy experience.
- The touchscreen while is fairly dated now still is very usable and placement / ergonomics are great.
- The rear seat comfort was better than I had anticipated when I got a chauffeur. I installed an after market rear screen and use the boss switch to move the co-passenger seat forward, and voila, it is a great place to be.
- Auto rain sensing wipers are a joy and work incredibly well in monsoons.

Cons:
- I have had a bit of a scary experience on the sealink as the car kept randomly shifting up and down. Fearing the worst (that the DSG has gone kaput) i sent it to the workshop only to discover it was an ABS sensor malfunction. There have been a couple of incidents of that in the past as well - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...warning-2.html (Vento Automatic: Speedometer error + ABS warning) - was fully replaced on warranty (i had taken the 4 year one).
- The battery expired early this year - this was partly due to the pandemic but i suspect the load of the HL+ lamps and interior lights had something to do with it.
- Quality of the HL+ headlights, especially when driving at night has been a bit of an issue for me. I would have preferred a stronger throw
- The AC vents are of terrible quality and the knob on all of them have broken - i am not replacing them unless VW introduces better quality ones

Overall - its been a great experience, i thoroughly enjoy driving the car. However, i also treat it with kid gloves knowing it can break easy. The rear seat comfort was unexpected and I had not purchased it with that factor in mind. In fact I would have upgraded but now resisting the temptation for a couple of years.

It’s a great car indeed. 16k kms so far is barely any age to the Germans. HL+ lamps look very stylish but performance isn’t as good as their looks.

I agree with all the pro’s and yeah, the HU is dated with respect to the competition in terms of showing additional info about the car.


How has your mileage been? Mine is around 10-12 in city and around 17 on the highways.

Having done 43k, I now have a few rattles on my car. Thanks to the pathetically designed rumble strips on Hyderabad roads. These guys have no idea of how to do it and as a result have made them too steep without a proper curve for the approach and leaving, specially on one of the newer flyovers in the city. Otherwise, it’s a solid car except for the AC vents, and with so much room for retrofits. I have something exciting coming up soon.

[CrimsonKnight]

Originally Posted by sarfraz1997

How has your mileage been? Mine is around 10-12 in city and around 17 on the highways.

I (used to) drive my car mostly in bumper to bumper traffic in Mumbai, at which point i would get 8-9. When i take it out of city, this would improve on the MID to 16, but again haven't done full tank to full tank yet as all trips have been weekend drives so far.

[sarfraz1997]

Mid Life Upgrades

1) MK8 GTI wheel with touch controls

Having owned a 2011 Jetta, I’ve always felt the stock wheel on Vento isn’t thick enough. Thicker and meatier wheels feel very good and filling to hold, specially for people with big hands. I had the paddle shifter wheel but I wasn’t completely satisfied with how the wheel felt to hold. My first choice was the Indian Polo GTI style wheel, but they were either out of stock everywhere, or just didn’t justify the price tag considering it is only a design change to a common man. Just about when I was pondering over what to do, my good friend fluidicjoy managed to install the first ever MK8 R Line wheel on his Polo retaining the stock functionality of the buttons. After interacting with him about his experience with the wheel, I decided to pull the trigger and get one for myself, albeit, a GTI wheel.





This is probably the first if not only Vento in India with a MK8 GTI wheel. The buttons are white backlit, and so is the instrument cluster, however, the colour temperature is different, the buttons are cool white and the cluster is towards warm white. I was skeptical about how it might look in a red backlit cabin, but having used the wheel for a few weeks now, I never felt it’s out of place, maybe it’s got to do with the red ambient LED’s from the Passat style cabin light and the red inserts in the bottom trim. Whatever functionality was provided by the stock MFSW buttons, is provided by this wheel as well.






Here is a beautiful video by fluidicjoy on the MK8 wheel

https://youtu.be/1TLsX-46HG4

Pros :
1. The wheel is very meaty
2. Perforated leather on sides make the wheel feel premium
3. Haptic feedback on the touch controls is very good, almost as good as pressing an actual button
4. Looks much better than the stock wheel in my opinion


Cons :
1. Some buttons don’t work, like cruise control from steering, heated wheel button, etc
2. Paddle shifters are not illuminated


2) Passat Style Cabin Light upgrade

I had the 3 bulbs/buttons cabin light earlier, but it felt pretty normal. I thought, since I have done quite a few upgrades, so why not do this once again and get the best in business? Red backlit buttons on the cabin light and those two faint red LED’s feel very premium from the passenger’s seat and rear seat.





From the driver’s seat, the red ambient LED’s are barely noticeable since we almost never look at the centre console or the gearbox while driving in the night. I prepared a plug and play harness to install this, and have made 0 splices and taps. It is an entirely reversible retrofit which would leave absolutely zero traces.




3) Dynamic Guidelines Reverse camera

I have always been an OPS person. It just felt easier to use since I didn’t need to concentrate explicitly on the details shown in the video feed. However, I wanted to make it as easy as I possibly can for my parents to drive our Vento. So I decided to install the Dynamic Guidelines Reverse Camera by myself.



Having MIB2 Composition Media HU gives me the added advantage of getting to view both the OPS and reverse camera video feed. The OPS feed overlays on the video feed towards the left side of the screen. So basically whenever I slot the gearbox into reverse, the camera feed comes up first, followed by the OPS overlay only when the parking sensors pickup something. I really loved this implementation by VW. The dynamic guidelines work by taking data off the steering angle sensor via the CANBUS. Since this camera gets data via the CANBUS, there is no need of tapping into the reverse light as well. This retrofit, like all others on my car does not need any taps and splices. I have purchased this camera from NSquareAutoTech. Nikhil as always has been very helpful and approachable for the installation.



A picture while testing the camera