Re: DIY: Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) retrofit on our VW Tiguan Thanks for sharing fluidicjoy your elaborate experience of mods added to your Tiguan.
I had a very bitter experience in getting my Tiguan 2022 (Jan 2022 CKD) mods updated with (Front Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind Spot Assist, and Rear Traffic Alert) from GermanDNA. I would request all Bhpians to think 10 times before getting any mods done from GermanDNA. It took 10 months to get all my mods done on my Car.
I paid advance Money to them 90% as asked by them and i also paid all expenses paid trip to Gujarat Baroda that includes Return Air-fare, Food, and 3-star Hotel Stay for 2 nights so that they can come to my place and get all mods done. I also arranged to get all the mods done in Volkswagen Workshop and VW Services folks were understandably nice and they accepted my request and allowed them to work in one of their service bay at no extra cost. I also asked for Wireless Charging, Apple Car Play and Navigation. But the pieces of equipment that GermanDNA brought could not fit into my car. They did not show me all the pieces of equipment before installing. I considered that putting trust on them. I gave full hospitality to ensure that they do not become uncomfortable at any point during their stay.
So, talking about mods I got it installed from GermanDNA:
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC): For this, I will be honest here and confirm that this is one thing that they have installed very nicely so far I have not faced any issues and it is working absolutely fine. However, I do not know if the product origin is China or EU country. But I trusted them. Now in doing this, they found that my stock Paddle shifters were stopped working due to the different pin/adapter. So they sent me the Paddle shifters after a month and I had to get them replaced from Local VW Workshop. They assured me they will not charge me for the same.
Front Assist (FA): Since it's installed and operative, It has been triggered 2 times. So, I believe this should be working fine. For some of you who are not aware, the RADAR Sensor installed in the back of the front logo of your vehicle takes care of Adaptive Cruise Control and Front Assist. So for ACC and FA, the same sensor is used. And since ACC is working accurately, I believe FA will also be working fine.
Blind Spot Assist/Detection (BSD): This was a disaster. Now, it was my mistake as well that I wasn't aware that there are 2 types of Blind Spot Detection. One is In mirror Blind Spot Lights and another one is a light on the mirror housing facing the window glass. Now, I was just aware that there is just In-mirror mechanism. But they brought mirror housing lights. That triggered my disappointment. But since I paid hefty on mods plus their stay, I compromised and told them that it's fine now I did not have a choice. So, I confirmed them to move forward with what they have brought (see, they did not show me until they were about to fit that). Then while they were installing, they found that the mirror housing that they have brought is not a match for my car. So, they gave 2 options to me. One is they can make cuts to my stock mirror housing and fit the lights. OR second was that they can send me the mirror housing with perfect fit and I can get it re-colored and have it installed locally at the workshop. I agreed to the first one. But the cut they made was in such a place that I could not see the left side light and it was being blocked by the A-pillar small glass section. So, I sent them photos and they realized they made a mistake and then told me they will send me the new mirror housing. So, they sent me the same. I got it recolored matching my car color (Nightshade Blue) and when the Local VW Workshop fitted the lights, we discovered that the light shape and the shape of the hole on the mirror housing were a mismatch. So, then I had to again request GermanDNA and they said they will send me matching shape pair of lights. They sent me the same but then found that the light connectors that were installed in my car and the connectors on the newly sent lights were mismatched. So, initially, they were not ready to believe or understand. So, I and the Service engineer at VW did a video call, sent him photos, and then they realized its a mistake. So, I asked what next to do, and then after several days of waiting, and catching up with them, they asked me to send back the lights to them and they will fix it. so, they did cut the original connectors and then sent me the lights back with the different connectors that were expected to be a match (Male-female connector). But to my surprise, when I went back to the VW workshop to get the new lights installed, we discovered that the connectors on the light and the connector that was on my car mirror, both were Male connectors. So, again I had to reach out to them and they were again telling me that they sent me 2 connectors which was not right. So, I had to send him back the lights to Trissur and then they send me back with the correct connector. Now yet another time, I approached the VW workshop and when they started installing the lights, it was found that the Left Side light had a polarity issue. So, then he asked me to get it fixed by VW itself. VW Workshop people were really kind enough and were really patient to get that fixed finally after several iterations of this back and forth. finally, after 10 months, the blind spot started working. It was the worst experience. This displayed their lack of experience in dealing with SUVs and advanced mods.
Rear Traffic Alert (RTA): This worked really well, just like ACC. Thanks to them.
Things to note:
1. GermanDNA did not provide me with any invoice for the work performed. When asked, I was told they do not provide any invoices.
2. They did not show me any equipment and the origin of the equipment they were planning to install.
3. Seeking time from them virtually (since I am from Gujarat and they are from Kerala), was a huge challenge. Every time I was given time, it was changed right at the time of the call.
4. For them I bought VCDS Hex-V2 Dongle from Ross-Tech so that it becomes easier for them to help me troubleshoot any issues via AnyDesk. Now, this was a need and for them to help me, there was no other alternative for me but to purchase one dongle.
5. Their handling of the vehicle was Okay. Not good not bad. Not good because my engine opening hood handle was loosened, however, VW Workshop fixed it for me at no extra cost. Not bad because there was no other damage done.
Now, recently what happened was that My car was called up at VW Workshop for a MIB3 System Upgrade. So, after my car Infotainment System (MIB3) was successfully completed, the menus for the above 4 mods disappeared because the system got reset.
So, I requested if GermanDNA can help me fix that. I offered them to visit Gujarat one more time but for which I did not get any response, and after several back and forth of couple of months, finally yesterday, early morning, I got their time and then they with the help of somebody (i dont know who because the person with whom I was in contact with tried and since it did not work for him, he had to get help from someone else) and that other person rapidly fixed and brought all my menus back on MIB3 radio. After all the work was completed, he then told me that there are some pending dues from my end for which I asked which ones, and then he started reminding me about paddles and I replied that Paddle Shifters, Blind Spot lights, and Mirror housing all were on you as assured by you. So, then he said okay, but you need to pay me Rs. 4000 for the coding charges to get the menus back into the system. With disappointment, I did pay him Rs. 4000 for two major reasons, I do not get any help from free from anyone and one must get the worth for what service anyone is providing and secondly, I know how difficult coding is. However, he should have informed me upfront that the service is chargeable and these are the charges. And 4000 was a bit high that he charged me.
So, to sum up, GermanDNA needs to hire professionals who know how to treat their customers and need to behave nicely to their customers and with honesty and respect.
And to everyone reading this, if at all you fancy getting mods added, go to VAGTUNE instead of GermanDNA. VAGTUNE is a very professional organization, they install all genuine original VW EU-made components and they provide all the invoices and show the equipment prior to installations their support is very nice.
Good Luck and Happy Motoring !! |