My Polo GT TSI at 3.5 years & 37k kms: Mods, service & other updates

It's been there ever since I remember, but there's a strong vibration when the engine RPMs are in between 3000-3500. The vibration dies down after that.

BHPian veyron999 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Ownership updates 3.5 years, 37k kms:

The car is overall driving great, and is super fun to drive because of the punchy mid-range. With the Polo range discontinued, the exclusivity of owning a Polo GT is just going to increase!

Modifications done so far:

• OEM+ Stage-1 ECU Remap.
• OEM+ Stage-1 TCU Remap.
• Sachs dampers which is essentially the euro spec stock replacement.
• New Tyres at 33k kms Michelin P4ST.
• OEM Tweeters on the A pillars.
• Euro-spec intake.
• Fabia RS intake guide, and hose.

Issues faced:

When the engine is shut off, the key comes out in any gear. (It should come out only in 'P'). Link to similar issue - link.

It's been there ever since I remember, but there's a strong vibration when the engine RPMs are in between 3000-3500. The vibration dies down after that. There are more posts on similar vibrations, but haven't found anything conclusive yet. Engine mount was a suspicion, and I got it replaced during the service. The older one had worn out, but didn't warrant a replacement as per the technician. This didn't reduce the vibrations.

Service update:

I got the car serviced (60k kms service). I insisted on changing the mechatronics oil, but they were in denial that this is every carried out as a routine maintenance. They went as far as saying that they've never performed this on any car to date!!

The engine oil, spark plugs, V Belt were changed, everything topped up. I had asked them to check the battery, because the car would take longer than usual to start. The report came out okay.

Gear indicator flashing on MID:

Fast forward a few days, after the car starts up, the gear selector indicator on the MID would start blinking, and would stay that way till the brake lever is depressed. I read a few posts, asked fellow owners across different forums, and some of them did mention replacing the battery resolved this issue.

I went to the SVC. The SA insisted on first trying to assist the battery with a jumper pack to see if that alleviates the flashing gear indicator. Surprisingly, even with the additional battery pack in parallel, the gear indicator was flashing.

Did a bit of troubleshooting the good old way. Plugged in a multimeter, and checked the voltage during the crank. When off, the voltage was ~12.4V. While cranking, the voltage went down to 8-9V. Went ahead, replaced the battery, and voila! No more flashing gear indicators anymore!

The replacement battery is an OEM Made in Spain Exide:

I'm super relieved that it wasn't anything major, specially now that I have a remapped TCU, and ECU.

That brings me to the next point:

• Is there any way to retain drivetrain warranty after a remap?
• If not, does it still make sense to purchase extended warranty?

Also, has anyone else faced the vibrations between 3k-3.5k rpm? Any resolution?

I noticed that this is there on a lot of cars, but in varying degrees. Mine being on the higher side.

Some parting shots:

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