[Dr.Naren]

Very nice output!! Even the distant vision is too good with well centred hot spot. Totally worth the effort buddy

[graaja]

A couple of issues to report:

Grinding noise:

Of late I have been getting some grinding noise at low speeds upto 40kph, especially in the 20kph - 40kph range. This noise is present either while driving at a constant speed in this speed band, or when the car is decelerating when I take the foot off the accelerator pedal. The noise is completely speed dependent.

Did a lot of reading on this and there are three possible causes. The first and the simplest is some dust or stone stuck between the brake pads and the rotor. The second is a worn out bearing. The third and most serious one is a problem with the clutch pack.

Very tight lock:

The ignition lock has become very tight. It is very difficult to turn the ignition. The key has to be pressed in a particular way to be able to turn on the ignition.

Workshop experience:

I took the car to the workshop with these two issues. The SA took a test drive with me and when I showed him the condition when the noise occurs, he said this should be from the brake assembly and he will have the brake rotors and pads cleaned. For the lock, he said he will have to initiate a warranty claim and get a replacement lock barrel. They kept the car in the workshop for two days for initiating this warranty claim and told me to take the car back and bring it when they get the lock.

The SA said they have cleaned the brake pads and the noise is not there anymore. However, after taking delivery, I still hear this noise. Now I am confused if I am being sensitive to some sound that is normal. At the same time, I can clearly remember that the cabin used to be dead silent while cruising at 40kph which is not the case now. I am planning to take this to a garage who specialize in German cars (KR motors where I got the coilovers installed) and have them do a test drive and see if they can hear any abnormal noise. Will then take it up with VW again.

Overall, not very satisfied with the workshop experience this time. The car has spent two days at the workshop and has returned back to me in the same condition that I took it to the workshop.

[no_boundaries]

Wheel Bearings might be the culprit here.
I had this very issue with my GT TDi 7 months into the ownership.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by no_boundaries

Wheel Bearings might be the culprit here.
I had this very issue with my GT TDi 7 months into the ownership.

Thanks a lot. That gives me a ray of hope. I will have the wheel bearings checked when I take it to the garage next week. Will update once I get it checked.

[graaja]

Update on the noise from front wheels:

When I took the car to the garage for the brake rotor change, I also had them check out the noise. The owner of the garage took the GT for a long test drive, and told me the noise was from the tires - not from the bearings or the gearbox. It turned out that there was a peculiar, slightly uneven wear of the treads (was not related to wheel alignment) that was causing this noise. He said this could be because of the stiffer suspensions. We did a tire rotation and moved the front wheels to the rear and the noise is gone now.

Upgraded Brake Rotors to Tarox G88

One of the weaknesses of the GT is the very poor brake. I had changed to Brembo red pads and set the "Brake Assist" setting in VCDS to "Strong", the braking improved a lot compared to the stock brakes. However, there was severe brake fade when the brakes got hot - especially after driving down the hills, and I had a very scary moment due to this brake fade. Also there used to be vibrations while braking at highway speeds.

So decided to do something about this.

Initially I was in the opinion that the poor braking was due to the drum brakes in the rear and wanted to explore converting to rear discs. However many experts suggested that in a FWD car, most of the braking is taken care of by the front brakes, and upgrading the front brake system should be more than enough. Also converting to rear discs has its own technical problems like proper component matching, brake balancing between front and rear etc. So dropped the idea of rear disc conversion (I may still re-visit this in the future) and decided to upgrade the front brake components.

Talked to many GT owners and some enthusiasts who had done lots of experiment on brakes. For a good brake system, both rotors and pads have to be good.

Rotors:

The general opinion was that the TVS rotors used in the GT are not of great quality and are not very good in performance when they become hot. I also found that there are drilled and slotted rotors which help in dissipating the heat by creating vents for hot gases to escape. Following were the options I had for rotor upgrade.

1. Brembo OE replacement solid rotors
2. Brembo slotted rotors
3. Brembo drilled rotors
4. Tarox G88 slotted rotors

Again, while talking to various Polo and GT owners who had used all these rotors, found that the Brembo slotted rotors and drilled rotors were prone to warping soon. That left me with Brembo OE replacement rotors or Tarox G88 rotors. Fellow GT owner and TBHP member Robi had upgraded to G88 rotors. I asked him about his experience with these rotors and he said he was very happy with the performance. So, I decided to go ahead with Tarox G88 rotors.

Pads:

It got a little complicated when I had to choose the pads. There are many high performance pads available, like EBC yellow stuff, Tarox Corsa etc. However, none of these pads were available for the Indian GT. In the latest GT's (not sure from which year), they changed over to TVS calipers which required a different type of pads (called Type-2), whereas the previous GTs had the Euro spec calipers and pads (Type-1). Very few pads were available for Type-2, like Brembo red pads, Brembo black pads and EBC Ultimax. As the Brembo red pads that I had on my GT had almost 50% of their life left, I decided to continue using them. When time comes to change these pads, I will consider EBC ultimax pads or maybe other performance pads may be available for Type-2.

Ordering the Rotors:

Once it was decided to change to Tarox G88 rotors, I contacted the dealer in India who quoted 44K. I found that these rotors were available in Tarox UK website for 245 Euros with a shipping cost of 93 Euros. This would cost approximately 25K. Considering a duty of 30%, the cost would still be 32K. So, I placed the order from Tarox UK website. Following is the link where I placed the order.

http://www.tarox.co.uk/product/front...9-1-2-tsi-g88/

The rotors arrived in a week, and as expected, I had to pay a customs duty of 8.4K.

Installation of Rotors:

Took the car the same weekend to KR Motors in Coimbatore and had the rotors installed. I also got the brake fluid changed to Dot4+ which cost 1.4K. A few pictures of the installation.

The package.


Inside the package, the rotors wrapped in polythene bags.


Close up view of the part number 0234


The OE rotor(s). For 11K run rotors, these had too many grooves. Compared to this, the rotors in my Jetta that has done 40K are still going great. This itself is proof of the very poor quality of the rotors used in the GT.


OE rotor removed and everything cleaned


Tarox rotor installed


With the wheels on


Initial Impression:

I have driven about 500kms after the rotor change. I was told it would take about 200km for the pads to bed in. I have changed the "Brake Assist" setting in VCDS back to "Normal". With this setting, I find the braking to have improved significantly. The braking now is much more powerful than the previous OE rotors + Brembo red pads with Brake Assist set to "Strong". I have tested the braking from 100kph, and the car just stops. Sometimes, it feels like the car has hit a wall.

Having said that, I still need to evaluate the performance under the following conditions:

1. Need to check if the brake fade is gone after driving down hill
2. Need to check if there is vibration while braking at highway speeds
3. Long term performance after say 10,000kms

I have a Mysore drive coming up this weekend which will have twisting roads that will have lots of braking and also Dimbham ghats to test brake fade after downhill drive. Will update my experience next week.

What Next:

Now that I have sorted out the suspensions and braking, it is time for a remap!

[vishaljawahar]

Originally Posted by graaja

With this setting, I find the braking to have improved significantly. The braking now is much more powerful than the previous OE rotors + Brembo red pads with Brake Assist set to "Strong". I have tested the braking from 100kph, and the car just stops. Sometimes, it feels like the car has hit a wall.

This has to be one of the best upgrades for a GT. And a detailed guide like this will help many of us!

especially after driving down the hills, and I had a very scary moment due to this brake fade.

I had a similar experience when I test drove the GT TSI recently. I was driving in Sports mode and had to slow down for a road hump. I pressed the brake pedal and felt like the vehicle just wouldn't stop. Thought I would hit the hump badly but I got the vehicle controlled just in time. Having driven Ertiga VDI extensively, I felt its brakes are really better than GT's.

[Immix]

Originally Posted by graaja

...while talking to various Polo and GT owners who had used all these rotors, found that the Brembo slotted rotors and drilled rotors were prone to warping soon

I got Brembo slotted rotors installed on my GT TDI a couple of years ago and although, the breaking performance improved considerably, after about a year I started hearing a humming sound while breaking hard at high speeds (60+). All I could find online was that slotted rotors do make some sort of sound compared to solids. I am now wondering if the humming sound was because of the warping as reported by others. Also, I purchased the set from Yolo Performance in Chennai for 14k, which is considerably cheaper than 32k for Tarox - makes me wonder if what I got was fake. Either way, good that you stayed away from Brembo and got the genuine Tarox

[graaja]

Fixed the new windshield, rain light sensor, auto dimming IRVM and enabled rain sensing wiper operation.





A video showing the automatic headlights and rain sensing wiper operations.

https://youtu.be/kU73gu7kRdE

More details on this update in the below post from the BiXenon upgrade thread.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-do...ml#post4212005

[BlueEyes]

Congratulation!! You finally achieved RLS installation after initial hiccup, certainly looks a perfect factory finish Among other updates on 2016 GT this is the only thing I miss in my car. Just curious, what did you do with old windshield? Not sure if that can be fitted to other cars once removed.

I follow all your threads religiously. BCM upgrade,OEM Bixenon,RLS, reverse cam and list goes on, your car has become one of a kind and reference to me and many other enthusiasts.The way you maintain her and pamper her at every step is impeccable. We both have a lot common in that aspect. I too have special love for my TSI, cars may come and go but for me this one is a keeper. Like you even I am invested in this both emotionally and financially (off-course)

After 15k on the ODO rotors at my car is also showing it's age!! There's absolutely no confidence in braking, especially on highways. You are right about low quality stock OE rotors. I am contemplating Tarox rotors along Brembo red pads. I also have GTI steering with paddles in mind sometime this year, not sure if you are planning this. Now that you decided for remap, it makes perfect sense.

I have a request, can you please list all the DIY/mods at the 1st page of your ownership thread along with the link? Like this . Probably with the help of a moderator you can achieve this, just a thought. Drive safe

[graaja]

Originally Posted by BlueEyes

Congratulation!! You finally achieved RLS installation after initial hiccup, certainly looks a perfect factory finish Among other updates on 2016 GT this is the only thing I miss in my car. Just curious, what did you do with old windshield? Not sure if that can be fitted to other cars once removed.

I follow all your threads religiously. BCM upgrade,OEM Bixenon,RLS, reverse cam and list goes on, your car has become one of a kind and reference to me and many other enthusiasts.The way you maintain her and pamper her at every step is impeccable. We both have a lot common in that aspect. I too have special love for my TSI, cars may come and go but for me this one is a keeper. Like you even I am invested in this both emotionally and financially (off-course)

Thank you very much for your kind words!

I can totally understand your emotional connection with the car. This car is something special indeed

Originally Posted by BlueEyes

After 15k on the ODO rotors at my car is also showing it's age!! There's absolutely no confidence in braking, especially on highways. You are right about low quality stock OE rotors. I am contemplating Tarox rotors along Brembo red pads.

It is definitely a good idea to upgrade the rotors and pads. For a 100+ bhp car that has lightning fast gear shifts, this car comes with really bad brakes.

Originally Posted by BlueEyes

I also have GTI steering with paddles in mind sometime this year, not sure if you are planning this. Now that you decided for remap, it makes perfect sense.

Actually, I have the GTi steering as the least priority, as I hardly use the paddle shifts in the Jetta, except for a few occasions of drive through the hills. In the GT I am quite happy with the tiptronic for such occasions. So keeping this for a later date.

Originally Posted by BlueEyes

I have a request, can you please list all the DIY/mods at the 1st page of your ownership thread along with the link? Like this . Probably with the help of a moderator you can achieve this, just a thought. Drive safe

Absolutely. I have been thinking about creating such an index post, but have been procrastinating for the past few weeks. Will do this soon.

[graaja]

Update on lock barrel replacement:

Got the lock barrel replaced under warranty and converted the single tone horn to dual tone.

A month back, I had reported an issue with tight ignition lock. Documented in the below post.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post4194497

The SA had promised that he will call me once the replacement lock is received. Even after three weeks, as I did not get a call, I called him and immediately got a response that the lock had just arrived and he was about to call me - a very strange coincidence indeed

Also, I had requested for the additional horn installation to make the horn dual tone. Fixed an appointment for 9th June, Friday to get the lock replaced and the horn installed.

During the last visit a month back, the SA had mentioned that the lock change is a couple of hours work and he will make sure the car is delivered the same day when the replacement lock arrives. This time too, I called him and asked him to give the car the same day as I needed the car on Saturday. He promised to do so.

Left the car on Friday morning at the workshop and requested again that I need the car in the evening. At 4:30, the SA calls me and tells that the lock has been replaced and it will take time to install the horn and asks me to collect the car the next day at 11:00. As I had many other plans for the next day, I called the service manager and explained the situation. He promised me that he will make sure that the car is delivered the same evening.

I went to the workshop at 6:00PM and finally the car was delivered at 8:15PM. I was quite unhappy the way things were handled this time. To be fair, the SA did try hard to get the car ready and delivered the same day. I feel that he was just not good at setting the expectations right.

The upside is that the ignition lock is very smooth now, and the horn which used to sound like a flute sounds much better now.

I would rate a 2 out of 5.

Cost for lock barrel replacement - Zero
Cost for horn installation - 2.6K INR

Note to Mods: I have intentionally kept this post separate from the previous post to use this link for the index post I plan to create for this thread

[vishaljawahar]

Originally Posted by graaja

converted the single tone horn to dual tone.

I am contemplating horn replacement for the past few days now. The current horn on GT (and few other cars from VW) is really lousy, I feel.

I was quite unhappy the way things were handled this time. To be fair, the SA did try hard to get the car ready and delivered the same day. I feel that he was just not good at setting the expectations right.

Tell me about it! I'm getting my GT on 16th of this month from VW Mysore Road, Bangalore and I'm already frustrated with the sales consultant and his team lead. There has been quite a drama in my case--I'm planning to write about this in my initial ownership report. But until then, related this topic, I requested my sales consultant to install the dual horn on the GT before the delivery of the vehicle. He replied, "We cannot do it as we only deliver the cars the way they come from VW, with washing and polishing, of course." He advised that I take the car to the service center if I need the horn. What can I say for such replies?

There's much more...there has been denial for almost everything. I'm just waiting to get the car out of the showroom and avoid any more frustration.

[antardaksh]

Originally Posted by vishaljawahar

I am contemplating horn replacement for the past few days now. The current horn on GT (and few other cars from VW) is really lousy, I feel.

Hi vishaljawahar,

You can do this as DIY at fraction of cost charged by VW. I have done this on my own and documented here

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post4020801

Regards.

[meetzap]

Originally Posted by graaja

Installed Street Guardian SG9665 dashcam

Instead of running the cable all through the roof lining, A pillar, below the glove box and to the cigarettle lighter socket, I decided to power the camera from the cabin light assembly. I cut out the cigarette lighter adaptor. This left with open wires at the input of the DC-DC converter box. I opened up the cabin light assembly. I had already soldered a 2 pin terminal block to the cabin light assembly to power the IRVM. This terminal block gets a 12V supply whenever the car is unlocked.
Attachment 1483679

Hi Graaja, one question here.
I have got the DDPAI mini 2 dashcam and the Micro USB dc to dc power converter with that. I plan to hardwire the power cable to the cabin light just like you did. I have a Vento TSI Highline with RLS sensor on the windshield. I tried to look the roof lining next to RLS housing to find any openings through which I can pass the DC to DC converter power cable, but I could not find any. Do I need to open the roof lining using some tools? I haven't opened the dome light yet. Will it be easy to open the dome light and look for openings using a screwdriver or any other pointed tool? I don't want to ruin the roof lining finishing. Please help.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by meetzap

Hi Graaja, one question here.
I have got the DDPAI mini 2 dashcam and the Micro USB dc to dc power converter with that. I plan to hardwire the power cable to the cabin light just like you did. I have a Vento TSI Highline with RLS sensor on the windshield. I tried to look the roof lining next to RLS housing to find any openings through which I can pass the DC to DC converter power cable, but I could not find any. Do I need to open the roof lining using some tools? I haven't opened the dome light yet. Will it be easy to open the dome light and look for openings using a screwdriver or any other pointed tool? I don't want to ruin the roof lining finishing. Please help.

Hi, sorry for the delay in response.

There isn't any opening on the roof liner to bring the power cable. But the roof liner is quite soft and can easily open up a little to bring out a wire. You do not have to remove the roof liner for this. You can open up the cabin light, pass the wire from the cabin light side, gently pull the roof liner down and pull out the power cable. This is how I did it and this will not damage the roof liner.