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-   -   VW Polo GT TDI ownership log EDIT: 9 years and 178,000 km later... (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/142745-vw-polo-gt-tdi-ownership-log-edit-9-years-178-000-km-later-45.html)

Uh really Gannu? Like any other D.I.Y that you have attempted has failed!! lol:

You really have transformed Indian Polo and don't be surprised if VW India R&D team approach you with an estimate of the total cost for all these mods. May be, Indian Polo may just get all these in the near future and you my friend, could well be the reason.

I neither have the patience nor the expertise to even attempt the cruise control, but I would love to get that MK7 steering.

Can you please share the link/source from where you ordered that?

Amazing work Ganesh. That's one super mod.. clap:

P.S. - Are you using the stock horn? It sounds a little weak.

Doc thanks a lot for the help and the prompt responses for the queries. Really appreciate it.

Guys, please wait for the respective threads. They will have all the details you would need for sourcing the things and doing it either by yourself or from a competent garage. Can assure you that much.

Yep, the stock horn. Its a bit meek but works well.

clap: Super Duper!

This one has to be the best by far from your list of DIYs on the Polo. Adds to much convenience these days when you have got roads where you get tired and bored to holding onto that A Pedal and drive at desired speed(s).

You should stop here and not attempt a DIY to complement this where you give Voice commands and your stead takes turns and increases/Decreases speeds :).

I have been too particular with the set of footwear I wear whenever I head for a marathon drive only because of Toe and Ankle pain and ways (Or rather type of shoes) to ensure there's no pain while I gain miles. With Cruise Control, things always become so much easy.

Congratulations Gannu!!

Hey gannu, loved reading everybit of your ownership thread, i noticed something after reading your thread, my cars 12V receptacle does not light up nor does the red light in the cubby hole, though I can feel the lamp on the insides of the compartment. My polo gt tdi is a week old - October 2015 model. Hope you can help :/please:

Forgot to mention - we had taken out the instrument cluster during the cruise control retrofit although we figured out later that it wasn’t needed because the wires from the cluster to the stalks unit were already in place from the factory.

The cluster’s acrylic display was completely ridden with scratches! Despite using microfiber clothes for cleaning this part, it had a lot of swirls visible under direct light. Check this out (absolutely no editing to the pics; just resized them):









I had bought a tube of Displex (link) from eBay (for 10 USD IIRC) and used it to clean the display using a MF towel. The results speak for themselves:















All the swirls gone. And this exercise took barely 15-20 minutes. From the contents inside the tube, it looks like even our good ol’ Colgate toothpaste would work (just like cleaning up those old foggy headlights’ clear lenses) but I haven’t used that trick before so didn’t want to take a chance especially with the cluster.

This is the tube:



As for cruise control, I have been using it on my daily drives very frequently. We went to Anand couple of days back and the speed was set to 90 kmph - effortless driving at its best. We clocked an average of 70+ kmph during both the onward and return journeys. Cruise control is best suited for automatics is completely a myth! Sorry to say that, but it is. :) The only drawback with manuals is that the car must be driving in the top gear when enabling CC at a desired speed. For automatics, this is taken care of if you set the speed at an early gear. The steering is a breeze to hold and operate! Especially since the right spoke has the media, MFD and phone controls. I am loving the last two upgrades so much!

Was the light glowing previously? Check if fuse 42 (the one on the bottom-left) isn't blown. From the fuse layout, that seems to be the one for the cigarette lighter receptacle.

EDIT: BHPian graaja confirms that he doesn't have the lighting for the receptacle either. Its a cost cutting for the later models along with the rest. :)

What you are essentially missing is this luminous ring:


Image source: ECS Tuning

Thanks for the tip on Displex. Scratches on the cluster seems to be a common issue with Skoda/VW vehicles. My Yeti too, inspite of care being taken looks similar to your cluster. Just ordered a tube of Displex.

Totally agree on that.

On a recent visit to the US, I had a chance to travel with a colleague who was driving a manual car (the first, and only the one manual car I have come across in US). We traveled close to 300 miles, and he was using cruise control almost 80% of the ride. He was skillfully using the +/- keys to adjust the speed of the car to keep with the flow of the traffic, and resume operation when he had to brake. Until this experience, I was thinking cruise control is only suitable for automatics. This one drive totally changed this view!

I think CC can be set at any gear in an MT: CC gets deactivated, if clutch or brake is engaged. But you can easily activate it again soon after changing gear as graaja mentioned.

CC is best used as graaja has explained. I too had a negative impression on CC - MT. But now, I use it frequently on highway. :thumbs up

Another feature that I considered a waste on an MT is "Hill hold". I have started liking this too. :)

Hey Gannu, maybe the receptacle was a cost cutting change, but there's still the light behind the receptacle that doesn't light up (red light in the cubby hole), I'll check the fuse and keep you posted :) thanks Gannu!

I dont think the car needs to be in top gear to engage CC. For ex. In my kizashi MT, 50kmph is the minimum speed required to set the CC. For this i can be in 4th or 5th gear (above 50) and the CC will work.

Guys, I know CC can be set at an early gear - during our test drive, we had enabled it at the third gear. :)

What I meant was, suppose you enable it in the 3rd or the 4th gear, how long will you keep crawling on that gear at that speed on an empty road? Obviously you would want to upshift to the top gear quickly? And when you depress the clutch, the CC is disabled. And you would enable it again. This part is taken care of by the automatics is what I meant.

Gannu, any idea which fuse is responsible for the ring light and the cubby hole light, from what I understood in the other posts, the 12v receptacle is independent of the lights.

Please refer this link - https://www.drive2.ru/l/5749119/

It is the luminous ring of the cigarette lighter receptacle that transmits the light to the cubby hole. Since the facelift models do not have this ring or light, you won't get any light in the cubby hole. Period.

Thanks gannu, that's sorted out! hope to get it shipped soon :)