[GBX]

Originally Posted by giri1.8

I am guessing that they have made the compressor to cut-off in bumper to bumper traffic to reduce fuel consumption. Just an observation from various forum posts.

This is probably it, IMO.

And by tweaking the software now, the published arai ratings will still be the same but real world fuel consumption is likely to be worse. A calculated move, I suspect.

[Carpainter]

Sad to see VAG group companies are messing up basic things like AC at this modern day and age. I had a Polo for 4+ years and the AC was a chiller. In fact it was better than my 4th gen City, that too without rear AC vents. Not that my City's AC is bad but just that in peak summer like the current weather it takes some time to cool at the back seat.

Also, if their new models are all affected then what about their more expensive models like the Kodiaq or even new Audi cars. Is it that they use different compressor or different coding in their expensive cars. I can't imagine someone buying an Audi or even Urus and then complaining about AC cooling when a humble i10 going past keeping its occupants cool and calm.

[thanixravindran]

Template response - "In the meantime, kindly reach out to the nearest dealer to assist further"

If the engineering teams are working on the issue, I don't know what support a customer can expect with the dealer in the meantime. All they can do is, keep the car for one day and clean the cabin air filter and give it back to provide a feel good factor. I will be interested to see what improvements the engineering team will come up with. It is better to solve these real field problems than dishing out colored editions and pushing the price up.

Now coming to the design aspect, I believe all the issues related to India 2.0 project are due to the gap is in the localization requirements. You cannot get a product right if you cannot get the market research translated into requirements correctly.

I have written it earlier but to emphasize again, you cannot expect much from a company that designs for 95RON fuel requirement for a mass market volume car specifically designed as India 2.0 when the majority of the intended market runs in 91RON. In this case too, my belief is that compressor is undersized probably keeping in mind European milder summers. They even have guts to write it in manual to NOT keep the AC temperature beyond a difference of 5degC from outside temperature.

[manpreetsj]

All this fuss after the company officially claimed to have tested KUSHAQ (same as Taigun) in India across different terrain types over 1.7 million kilometres!! Driving tests and laboratory tests in addition to that.

Do these statements even mean anything other than marketing material? How can a company struggle to install a good quality AC inside 20Lakhs worth of barebone car which as per VAG India is feature rich (by year 2015 standards right!?)

[supertinu]

We love to beat our Indian brands like Mahindra and Tata over products that have niggles, but unfortunately german counter parts are also taking a step back than up in this regard as well. Corner issues being found in field are understandable, but something as fundamental as AC in a warm country like ours is unforgivable in my view.

[pram_ind]

Is the AC compressor imported from Europe? May be they are using a smaller compressor which could be excellent in Europe, but not effective in hot countries like India.

[Deep Blue]

Why aren't these issues picked up during the testing of the cars? The problem is being consistently reported across all the models on similar platform and mechanicals and not a one off case. Shouldn't such problems be obvious during testing?.

[Dry Ice]

That press release seems to imply VAG is supremely confident of “tests”.

Genuine question - Did they test the cars only in EU or through the winters in India?

Or do they have some software that can ensure the car passes usual AC tests in service centers but gives up in real world. You know, they are pioneers in this sort of a thing

[Indepth]

Originally Posted by theAutomaniac

P.S.- Before German fanboys come at me, I'd say the sales figures are by my side and prove my point! While the Creta is unaffected, even the old, ignored-by-its-own-manufacturer and feature lacking S-Cross sells better, letting know which the customers find more trustworthy! VW-Skoda really need to up their game!

I used to be a die-hard VW fan. So much so that I literally forced one of my colleagues to buy a POLO MPI, who himself was hell-bent on buying a Grand i10. But today, the scenario is entirely the opposite. I cannot recommend a Taigun over a Creta. The initial niggles are a bit too many.Apart from that, the main USP (build quality, fit and finish) of VW is not above competition anymore. In fact, interior fit/finish and plastics are poorer.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

You know, they are pioneers in this sort of a thing

Good One.
The "millions of kms of testing" across the country seems to have been limited to highways only and the vehicle carrying jerrycans of "premium fuel" and probably a sticker on the instrument cluster warning lights

Originally Posted by thanixravindran

you cannot expect much from a company that designs for 95RON fuel requirement for a mass market volume car specifically designed as India 2.0 when the majority of the intended market runs in 91RON.

The 95 RON fuel is hogwash IMO.
Canada typically uses 87 Octane fuel which goes into most cars including the big three Germans. VW isn't even considered.
Does VW have the galls to specify a 95 only fuel there ?
Or maybe they have been using the "robust" fuel pumps

To me its an outcome of the cost cutting in areas where they shouldn't have for the India 2.0 project, quality suffered way more than they'd imagined and we have the results.

Its aptly clear that the testing, if it happened as claimed, was poorly thought and executed.

Time for Skoda/VW to pull up their socks.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by shancz

Canada typically uses 87 Octane fuel which goes into most cars including the big three Germans.

OT - Nope.

In Canada, octane ratings are calculated using an average, sometimes known in shorthand as the Anti-Knock Index, or AKI.

The AKI is calculated by simply combining the Research Octane Number (RON) and the Motor Octane Number (MON)

https://www.autotrader.ca/editorial/...ers-explained/

Regarding 95 RON, we have to see what does manual say rather than just looking at the sticker. Am sure, VW would have detuned for our regular fuel. Everyone does, all the BMWs, produced locally or CBU gets a different tune.

[Indepth]

The amount of time the VW group took in bringing 2.0 products to market is proof enough to justify VW's insincerity and lack of understanding towards India as a market. They want to quickly recover the money invested, but clearly have lost the plot. I think they should learn a lesson or two from Kia, who turned profitable within two years in India. The mantra of success in India is a large number of sales with little margins. But it seems they wanted to do the opposite. In doing so, they seem to have made considerably inferior products, which don't appear to be bang for the buck.

[GTO]

Surprised to see the in-house contradiction! Zac appears to acknowledge the problem, while VW is officially telling its owners "all is well".

Guys, these are fundamentals. A Maruti S-Presso has an excellent AC. It has great reliability. Why the heck was this, and the EPC not caught earlier? It is really damaging the brand / product perception.

Is this the first time a brand has made an official comment on an AC? I think so.

Originally Posted by pram_ind

Is the AC compressor imported from Europe?

Good point! In my earlier C-Class, the horn would go bad once a year. Mercedes told me "Indians use the horn too much". My answer "When in Rome..."

If you are selling a car in India, you better make sure it works out here!

[shancz]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

OT - Nope.
In Canada, octane ratings are calculated using an average, sometimes known in shorthand as the Anti-Knock Index, or AKI.

Thanks for correcting and apologies for my ignorance.
Somehow assumed that the numbers follow RON everywhere, my bad.

Originally Posted by Turbanator

VW would have detuned for our regular fuel.

Would assume so too.
But pitching it as the reasoning for the fuel pump failures causing the EPC issue didn't make sense, IIRC later they said something about fuel adulteration.
Still waiting for a root cause but not very hopeful of getting an explanation.

[thanixravindran]

Originally Posted by shancz

Does VW have the galls to specify a 95 only fuel there ?

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Regarding 95 RON, we have to see what does manual say rather than just looking at the sticker. Am sure, VW would have detuned for our regular fuel. Everyone does, all the BMWs, produced locally or CBU gets a different tune.

This is OT to this thread as this is about the AC but my post is about designing for local market requirements in general. If Canada uses xx Octane, they need to design for the same for a mass market car (One shall exclude the Super cars which are performance oriented).

Here is what they have to say in the Kushaq manual. They can simply wash away their hands for any failures as the legal wordings are clear. Honestly I did not know about this when I purchased the car and in fact I never worried about fuel all these years for my i10 but I am very careful with fuel filling for my Kushaq due to which my wife pulls my leg stating that I may end up in a refinery one day for fuel filling.

They can wash their hands off for AC failure too as end user is not maintaining 5degC temperature differential. Simply clever, isn't it?