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| re: VW Polo GT TDI ownership log EDIT: 9 years and 178,000 km later... Update at 4 years and 1,10,000 km: She's completed 4 years of ownership on October 7th and crossed the 1.1L mark while I returned from home during the Dussehra weekend. Time surely flies! It doesn't feel like she's been with me for over 4 years now. ![]() 2016 - 17: 28,512 km She keeps munching miles like nobody's business. We drive to Palakkad and back, twice a month plus the frequency of visits to our shipyard at Kattupalli has been steadily increasing which keeps the odo ticking (and the fuel bills as well!). The good thing is, the car hasn't broken down so far and has been reliable as ever save for those wear-and-tear parts. The timing belt will be replaced at the 1.2L km service and the clutch + flywheel as well - it has become hard. I am told that it is best to replace the flywheel along with the clutch and pressure plate. The other parts have been holding up well. Since I was at home for Vijayadashami, we did the customary puja after giving her a wash and wipe: ![]() I'll share a few updates: First things first, the ownership thread is inching closer to 1 million views: ![]() The last 1 lakh views has come up in less than 5 months! And I'm not sure what keeps this ownership thread ticking! ![]() Replacement AC vents for the driver and co-driver side: The co-driver side AC vent's directional controls broke sometime back when a friend hit it hard. The driver side's controls became brittle and gave up a few months back. So when a good friend Sheethal told me that these vents are available for less than 1000 bucks a piece, I got a pair without giving it much thought. Well, these are now being Made in India by a Pune based OEM and thus ends up being cheaper. It used to be imported from Europe before; in fact, if the VIN of my car is entered in the system, it shows up as 5000 Rs per unit + 50 days lead time for sourcing them! Uh, no thank you! ![]() Difference between the opening/closing mechanism of the stock vents (left) and the new vents (right): ![]() Part number: 6R0 819 703 AG VAL, 6R0 819 704 AG VAL Price: Rs 1834 (Rs 917 each) Source: VW service center, Hubli Boot liner replacement: Quote:
![]() I had a piece of large cardboard from the packaging of a shoe rack. Removed the staples at the edges and opened it up, used it as a template by cutting it in the shape of the stock boot liner: ![]() Bought a 6 mm thick marine ply of 4’ x 3’ size (man, I hate these imperial units!) from the local market, a boot liner material from a local shop that deals with cloth and matting material, called our friendly neighbourhood upholsterer who does these household upholstery jobs and handed him the materials. Took him a few hours and he returned with the finished boot liner with some slick workmanship: ![]() The 3 hinges were screwed to the sheets using csk screws and the ends were neatly trimmed: ![]() Paid him 500 bucks for the labour. Totally worth it, I say. The boot liner neatly folds at the hinges. Price: Rs 1400 (Rs. 350 – mat, Rs. 350 – 6 mm ply, Rs. 200 – Fevicol SR998 + SS304 hinges + CSK screws, Rs. 500 – labour) Source: Local market A new front grill: ![]() Got bored of the honeycomb GTI front grill plus it was a pain to clean the grill - dust and insects used to creep into every nook and cranny of the honeycomb structure and I would use a discarded toothbrush to clean it once in a while. The entire car would take an hour to clean and this grill would take another hour! Decided to change it to the Cross Polo's grill for a change. ![]() Had it sourced from my old dealership at Navsari and the stores in-charge was more than happy to have it sourced from VW, Chakan and send it through. Hat tip to BHPian chintu_91 to have it packed securely and ship it to Chennai. Swapping it was a 5 minutes job. Now I've got 2 spare front grills lying around! Cleaned them up thoroughly and stored them in the cupboard: ![]() Part number: ZSB 6R0 853 651 Price: Rs 6500 Source: VW dealership, Navsari 12V to USB converter: Got this tiny 12V to USB converter to power/charge the dashcam for the upcoming road trip: ![]() It fits in a finger tip - it is that small! The 2 leads had to be connected to a 12V source which was tapped from the cabin light. I decided to do a bench test at home before connecting it to the car. And that shows my DIY bench PSU in action - it can output +3.3V, +5V and +12V (sufficient to test HIDs and 100W halogen bulbs as the PSU can output 34A through the 12V rail). More on it in a different thread. It has a tiny SMD LED which glows red when it is powered. I decided to cover the exposed circuit using 2 rounds of heat-shrink sleeve and used cable ties to secure the 2 cables together: ![]() Price: Rs 50 Source: Aliexpress (Link) Bosch wipers: The stock wipers which were close to an year old had started streaking and the wipes weren't clean. I had gotten them from a local supermarket in Korea when I had visited last year (dirt cheap - some 400 Rs. for a pair!) but I loved the design - it wasn't the usual frameless type but resembles the ones that the Corolla Altis and Elantra comes with. It has a plastic frame over the wiper that looks slick! Anyways, they had given up and I decided to get something quickly and placed an order for the normal blades on Amazon. Got it delivered the next day. ![]() Installed them the same day and tested them while driving to our shipyard. Works well! No streaking and no noise. I can live with those frames for some time. Part number: Bosch 3397010057 Price: Rs 410 Source: Amazon (Link) DIY pressure brake bleeding kit: Sourced all the parts required to do the pressure brake bleeding just like the Gunson Eezibleed bleeding kit: ![]() Got the plastic bottle from the local plastic shop (it was originally an oil dispenser but the bottle cap was perfect for fixing 2 brass barb fittings), the transparent tubing from a local hardware shop, all the brass fittings and o-rings set from Aliexpress. Now I just need to find some time to assemble everything and do the bleeding! I read through the VW workshop manual which states that the ABS equipped cars can be bled through the normal bleeding procedure. VCDS is used to activate the ABS module before each side is bled. Plus, since the clutch also uses the same master cylinder, the clutch must also be bled during this process. LED bulbs: Ex-mod MPower pinged me sometime back and asked me if I wanted some stuff from the States as his parents were visiting and he could send it through them! I couldn't be happier! Thanks a lot Deep - I owe you a big one! Instantly hit up eBay and Amazon and checked for offers on the Philips LED bulbs for the tail lights, reverse light and indicators that I was longing for a while now. ![]() ![]() Let the results of the swap first speak: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The brake lights are way too intense! In the evening while I return from work, I take the foot off the brake pedal and pull the parking brake when the car is stopped in the middle of a traffic or I am waiting at the signal. The indicator bulbs are what took me by surprise however - these Sylvania LEDs were cheaper than the Philips equivalent but the brightness is really good and the front indicators create an arc on the headlight when it flashes - looks swell! I saw the white reverse light on some Audi recently and it looked kickass - something different from the usual halogen bulbs and that is honestly what triggered this entire purchase. Upon swapping the LED bulbs for the indicators, hyper-flashing does not happen on the outside but it does on the instrument cluster which is a little annoying as I am used to the normal pace of the flashing sound but I'll get it fixed with inline resistors later. Brake lights: Part number: Philips X-treme Vision 12898RX2 LED 1156 P21 Price: Rs. 1715 (26.39 USD) Source: eBay Indicator lights: Part number: SYLVANIA ZEVO 1156 Amber LED Price: Rs. 3022 (46.5 USD; 23.25 USD/pair) Source: Amazon Reverse light: Part number: Philips Vision 12898B2 LED 1156W P21W Price: Rs. 2124 (32.68 USD) Source: eBay Permatex brake grease: Also got a bottle of this chyawanprash for the brakes. Considered to be the best in business, the cap comes with a brush built-in for the application. ![]() Part number: Permatex 24125 Price: Rs. 941 (14.49 USD) Source: eBay ONR Wash and Wax: I exhausted the bottle of the ONR Wash and Wipe so got this bigger bottle of ONR Wash and Wax. The Wash and Wipe was out of stock at most places. I pinged Eco Car Care, Bangalore on their WhatsApp and they were quick in their response. ![]() With 2 litres of water, a capful of the liquid, 7-8 microfiber towels and 1 hour, this is the result: ![]() I am a big fan of waterless wash now. Except when the rain gods decide to play crazy! Price: Rs. 2358 Source: Eco Car Care, Bangalore Super fine steel wool: Got some super fine steel wool of 0000 grade to clean the windshield: ![]() The windshield must be dry before the steel wool is rubbed. Works wonders as per some of the videos I've seen on Youtube - will see if this works when I use it on the rear quarter glass first. BTW, this kind of photography is done using steel wool: ![]() (Source: Google Images) Price: Rs. 133 Source: Aliexpress (Link) That's all for now. This year's big road trip starts tomorrow morn 4 AM! ![]() Last edited by Gannu_1 : 13th October 2017 at 07:00. | |
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![]() | #1037 | |
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| re: VW Polo GT TDI ownership log EDIT: 9 years and 178,000 km later... Quote:
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| re: VW Polo GT TDI ownership log EDIT: 9 years and 178,000 km later... You are an inspiration to other VW owners. Having time to spare is one thing but doing these level of modifications is something else. More importantly explaining this in simple terms is even better. Hats off to your contribution to this forum. Your modifications are functional , serve a purpose for every day use and most importantly don't burn a hole in the pocket. I own a 2012 Passat Highline and wish I could muster courage to do some of this if not all. Hats off to you |
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Distinguished - BHPian ![]() ![]() Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai
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| re: VW Polo GT TDI ownership log EDIT: 9 years and 178,000 km later... |
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| re: VW Polo GT TDI ownership log EDIT: 9 years and 178,000 km later... Kudos! On the 4 years ownership. Truly one of the most detailed and ambitious DIY filled threads in Team BHP! From a fellow Volkswagen Owner! |
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| re: VW Polo GT TDI ownership log EDIT: 9 years and 178,000 km later... Super thread Gannu_1. Got directed through FB feed & went through the whole thread. This is indeed a bible for useful DIYs on a Volkswagen. The most useful thread for any VW owner on forum. I liked the whole narration & attention to detail. She sure doesn't look 1 lac+ old. Was great to meet you & see it in person on the trip. Happy mile munching !! Regards, Pawan |
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![]() | #1042 |
Team-BHP Support ![]() ![]() Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Madras
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And it got over sooner than I had thought! We got back from our trip to Kolkata and Bishnupur via Vizag and Puri last Monday and we loved it! ![]() I'll pen a travelogue when I find some spare time but until then let me share some bits here. This trip was this year's major road trip. Wife and I undertook this trip through the 4-laned and 6-laned NH 16 that forms one quarter of the GQ from Chennai to Kolkata. We covered 4075 km in 10 days touching Vizag and Puri en route. We also drove to Bishnupur from Kolkata, famous for its terracotta temples after having read about them on the forums (link). We did some shopping on the last day, drove back with some everlasting memories of the places and swore to return as we intend to cover some more places towards that side. A lot of things worked in our favour during the course of the trip - Fastag (helped immensely saving a lot of time), the weather (it started pouring on the day we departed from Kolkata during the return drive), the car (didn't break down anywhere despite the mileage she's clocked), accommodation (Rs. 20 for the SBI holiday homes/guest houses with parking provision) and our health (despite having food from the dhabas and roadside eateries). I didn't have the slightest clue how this drive was going to be especially with the wife in tow since she isn't used to waking up early (3:30 - 4 AM so we can hit the road by 4:30 - 5 AM) or help me navigate or do the honours of filling up our log book (I keep one for long road trips since it helps with the stats at the end of the trip like the expenses, fuel economy etc). But man, I was totally surprised - she did amazingly well! Hat tip to her! And as far as I was concerned, I just wanted a getaway from this hectic work schedule and drive to some new place. And since we didn't touch the east coast so far, we decided to travel towards Kolkata. Which meant Vizag and Puri falls on the way so we decided to cover those as well. So this was the schedule: Day 1 - Oct 14 - Chennai to Vizag - 820 km Day 2 - Oct 15 - Local sightseeing at Vizag Day 3 - Oct 16 - Vizag to Puri - 430 km Day 4 - Oct 17 - Puri to Kolkata via Konark Sun Temple - 540 km Day 5 - Oct 18 - Local sightseeing at Kolkata Day 6 - Oct 19 - Kolkata to Bishnupur to Kolkata - 360 km Day 7 - Oct 20 - Local sightseeting + shopping Day 8 - Oct 21 - Kolkata to Puri - 500 km Day 9 - Oct 22 - Puri to Rajahmundry - 700 km Day 10 - Oct 23 - Rajahmundry to Chennai - 620 km And this was the route: ![]() Here're some random snaps: At Bavikonda, Vizag: ![]() The INS Kursura submarine museum, Vizag: ![]() The AP-OD border: ![]() At the Puri-Konark marine drive: ![]() Somewhere on the Puri-Konark marine drive: ![]() The Sun Temple, Konark: ![]() The Victoria Memorial, Kolkata: ![]() The iconic Amby taxi of Kolkata: ![]() The St. Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata: ![]() The Great Banyan in the botanical gardens: ![]() The Madan Mohan terracotta temple at Bishnupur: ![]() The Ras Mancha temple: ![]() The Kalachand temple: ![]() The Pancha Ratna temple: ![]() The Jor Bangla temple: ![]() The terracotta collectables: ![]() The canyons at Gongoni: ![]() The Howrah bridge: ![]() The entrance to Puri: ![]() At the Chilka lake: ![]() At the N5 food plaza above the Ongole toll booth: ![]() The Vizag coast from Kailasagiri: ![]() At the Hogg market, Kolkata: ![]() Drinking tea the Kolkata way: ![]() L to R - BHPian PapaBravo, yours truly and D-BHPian BlackPearl : ![]() Here's our log book (made with used A4 sheets BTW) entries: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() And as the trip concluded, the car was a wee bit short of 1,15,000 km on the odo: ![]() The current set of Michelin P3STs have clocked over 76000 km! Going by the tread depth, they can last another 4-5k km. Seriously Michelin, what is the secret ingredient used for the manufacturing of these babies?! ![]() And before I close this note, I owe my gratitude to Parag bhai for the route and stay suggestions, timely weather updates and keeping track of us at all times, BHPians PapaBravo and BlackPearl for the unplanned mini meet and suggestions, my wife for being a great co-driver during the trip, our parents for the prayers (specifically dad for the guest house bookings), the Almighty for the luck that rode alongside us and our ride for having brought us back home safely! Last edited by Gannu_1 : 29th October 2017 at 12:53. |
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![]() | #1043 | |
Team-BHP Support ![]() ![]() | re: VW Polo GT TDI ownership log EDIT: 9 years and 178,000 km later... Quote:
Last edited by BlackPearl : 2nd November 2017 at 11:19. | |
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![]() | #1044 | |
Senior - BHPian | re: VW Polo GT TDI ownership log EDIT: 9 years and 178,000 km later... Quote:
For the life they give, Michelins are totally worth the extra you pay. I had a feel of this when I used a set of XM2+ on my Swift. 30K kms and they hardly broke into a sweat where as my Yokohoma ES100s started their end of life. Though the ES100s were quite a bit better in terms of grip and braking performance. At 76K I would be on my second set of ES100s/S Drives for the Polo. Looking forward to the timing belt change experience. You have not replaced any suspension components other than the top mount bushes for the front strut so far have you? Lower arms, links rods the like? Drive on, Shibu. Last edited by shibujp : 4th November 2017 at 20:35. | |
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The following BHPian Thanks shibujp for this useful post: | Gannu_1 |
![]() | #1045 | |
Team-BHP Support ![]() ![]() Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Madras
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| re: VW Polo GT TDI ownership log EDIT: 9 years and 178,000 km later...
I am planning to get the belts and the clutch assembly changed at the same time. There's a directory entry on an FNG here who specialises in VAG cars. I'd want to give him a try. The issue with the VW service center is: distance (25 km one way through maddening traffic) and possible remap of the ECU for the dieselgate fix which I'd want to avoid. Quote:
I'd want to get the feedback of this FNG for the rest of the components like the rear suspension bushes, drive shafts, lower arms, link rods, wheel bearings etc. No unusual noise or unwanted bumps so far so I'm assuming they are in a decent nick. On priority, I need to get the brake fluid changed. I'd be doing that during December. | |
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The following BHPian Thanks Gannu_1 for this useful post: | shibujp |
![]() | #1046 | |
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| re: VW Polo GT TDI ownership log EDIT: 9 years and 178,000 km later... Quote:
Any particular reason for avoiding "Diesel-gate" fix. Kindly let us know. Thanks. Last edited by Gannu_1 : 15th November 2017 at 23:38. Reason: Copied the other contents to the Vento Official Review thread. Thanks! | |
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![]() | #1047 | ||
Team-BHP Support ![]() ![]() Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Madras
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So that's all for now. Merry Christmas! Last edited by Gannu_1 : 25th December 2017 at 01:43. | ||
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![]() | #1048 | |
Distinguished - BHPian ![]() ![]() | re: VW Polo GT TDI ownership log EDIT: 9 years and 178,000 km later...
Yes I have been purchasing stuff from him since October, and since I purchase in bulk(3-4 friends together), he always gave us a very nice deal. ![]() Quote:
Regards, Shashi | |
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Distinguished - BHPian ![]() ![]() Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai
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| re: VW Polo GT TDI ownership log EDIT: 9 years and 178,000 km later... Yet more amazing work, Gannu! That's a great technique with the magnets for cleaning the inside of the glasses! |
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The following BHPian Thanks Thad E Ginathom for this useful post: | Gannu_1 |
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| re: VW Polo GT TDI ownership log EDIT: 9 years and 178,000 km later...
HI Just wondering why did you decide to replace the water pump. The service schedule doesn't recommend it i suppose. Any particular reason? Also, what about the fuel pump? On the Vento thread, a bhpian has replaced both the water pump and the fuel pump. |
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