[Gannu_1]

Fixed the OEM armrest today morn with the help of my room-mate. Took us 2 hours and some elbow grease to insert one tiny bolt through the internal threading but was well worth the efforts.

Here's the full thread : LINK

[Gannu_1]

The Night Breaker Unlimited is here!







Can’t wait for the early morn Udaipur trip due next month! Shall install them this weekend hopefully and update this thread with the before and after results.

They were sourced locally from a Bangalore based e-commerce portal. I have detailed the purchase experience here.

Many thanks to Robi (as always) who'd recommended these bulbs on the Lighting thread before.

[kalpeshc]

Gannu - where did you procure this in Surat?

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

Gannu - where did you procure this in Surat?

No, from an e-commerce website - e-PitStop. I have explicitly mentioned that in my previous post in case you missed!

[e-katz]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

The Night Breaker Unlimited is here!

Gannu, Had a question if you have installed these. How did you remove the headlamp connectors for changing the bulb? I tried following the instructions in the manual but to no avail!

[Gannu_1]

The H4 bulbs were swapped last weekend and the result is better than what I had expected. The brightness is better, the throw has improved greatly lighting up objects located at farther distances and the output is white in appearance compared to the yellow light emitted by the stock bulbs.



Notice the mild scratches on the bulb's silver cap in the image below? That's the Bosch garage technician's handiwork.


Fortunately, that did not affect the output from the headlamp.





We really couldn't find a better place to click the snaps to demonstrate the differences. This' the street that leads to our apartment.

Stock, low beam:


NBU, low beam:


Stock, high beam:


NBU, high beam:

The white light is more apparent in the high beam.

The stock bulbs were of Osram Bilux make:

Originally Posted by e-katz

Gannu, Had a question if you have installed these. How did you remove the headlamp connectors for changing the bulb? I tried following the instructions in the manual but to no avail!

I did not attempt to swap the bulbs myself since I wasn’t quite sure how to go about doing that. I did refer to the online VW workshop manual (although it says H7 headlights, don't bother with that; the arrangement is exactly similar to ours) but I couldn’t find the instructions for the headlamps of the Indian spec’d Polo.

There are 3 variants of the headlamps mentioned in the manual - the twin-barrel type headlamp with H4 and H7 halogen bulbs, the Indian-type headlamp with the H4 bulb (and the auxiliary bulbs) and the projector with the LED DRLs. Please do a search from that link I’ve provided and see if you can figure it out.

Check out this image from partsbase.org:


The installation should be as per this image although the construction of the Indian spec'd headlamps are different.

And so, I chose to visit the Bosch Car Service garage located in my neighbourhood. Observed the process closely and it seems to be an easy one except for the driver-side headlamp since the bulb sockets are obstructed by the fuel-filter, as shown in the image below:



The fuel filter housing needs to be unscrewed and dismantled aside for the bulb to be replaced and we didn't have the right tool for the job. The guys at Bosch used a ratchet and an extender to unscrew it.

To change the bulbs, here's the procedure: a rubber dust cover/gasket needs to be peeled off from the back of the headlamp enclosure. Then, detach the terminals from the rear of the bulb, release a metal clip and gradually withdraw it from the headlamp housing. Insert the new bulb into the holder and replace it into the headlamp casing. The bulb will only go into the enclosure in only one direction - the flat metal portion of the bulb has to face downward. Like in this snap:

However, for the driver-side headlamp like I mentioned before, the fuel-filter housing needs to be dismantled first and then the process has to be repeated as above. Just ensure that you don't touch the glass surface of the bulb while replacing the bulbs. You are good to go!

The car also crossed another landmark yesterday:


We could not do any long trips during the last two months. We have a trip scheduled next month during Holi to Udaipur - hope that goes well.

Some TP clicks:

[e-katz]

Great photos Gannu and thanks for the info!

Let me try what they have said in the manual, if not I will approach the Bosch workshop near my office to get it changed.

[atlantis0965]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

No, from an e-commerce website - e-PitStop. I have explicitly mentioned that in my previous post in case you missed!

hey !
Thanks man !

Procured the same through the same website you had mentioned.

Ordered them and started off on an impromptu drive to Bangalore. Mr.ragavendra called when I was in Bangalore; told him my situation and asked him if he could deliver it in Bangalore itself. He did just that.

Then started off on another trip to Mysore and as luck would have it the hotel we stayed in was right next door to VW Mysore.

Got the bulbs installed from the staff at VW Mysore itself since i already had a minor issue with the left side headlamp levelling motor.

Yes ; the difference is pretty much obvious and it gave me enough confidence to take up the drive back from Mysore after sunset.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by atlantis0965

Mr.ragavendra called when I was in Bangalore; told him my situation and asked him if he could deliver it in Bangalore itself. He did just that.

He is a very courteous guy and extremely prompt at responses over mails and calls. I intend to place orders for some Philips festoon LEDs and W5W bulbs for the cabin light from him shortly.

Originally Posted by atlantis0965

Got the bulbs installed from the staff at VW Mysore itself

Great! Usually, the guys at the VW service center cribs about anything aftermarket and insists on installing accessories sold through only through their shops which is just plain stupid! Glad you got it installed from them.

[kalpeshc]

Thanks Gannu. I too ended up purchasing the Osram NBs from ePitstop. I opted for netbanking though and there was an issue with the transaction on the website after my account was debited. Called up the number on the website and someone called Chetan sorted it within 5 minutes flat. Good service.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

I opted for netbanking though and there was an issue with the transaction on the website after my account was debited.

Indeed. I had made a payment for an item last week and the transaction went through but couldn't get a confirmation from the portal. Sent him a screenshot from the bank account statement indicating the deduction and informed him of it. He did confirm that there was an issue with the payment gateway. The order was confirmed immediately and was dispatched.

I think this deserves a new thread under the Modifications & Accessories section. Shall PM a moderator to move/copy some of the posts from here.

[Gannu_1]

Swapped the stock cabin light with the better version which has 2 additional map reading/spot lights:


The externally wired mic to the HU was previously clipped above the IRVM:


...which has been relocated to the dedicated slot in the light:


The lighting inside the cabin has seen an obvious improvement:


I believe the Skoda Fabia and the earlier Laura/Octavia used to come with these cabin lights. I shall put up a short guide on how to source and swap this, with the relevant part numbers along with a few other simpler DIYs. Some other parts are yet to arrive.

In other news, the VW dealership called me up sometime last week to remind me of the 7500 km/6-month free checkup so I decided to do it yesterday since we had a trip to Udaipur coming up next weekend. We dropped the car at the service center at 2:30 PM yesterday and the SA said it would take an hour tops (I knew it was going to take much more than that!) and we were asked to wait at the waiting lounge. We were waiting and waiting, the car did not move an inch from where I had parked her for over an hour. Finally, when a slot opened up in the garage, a technician dressed in dirty greasy overalls (had a momentary heartbreak!) drove the car into the slot and started the work. The SA comes up later, informs me that the oil levels are fine and doesn't require a top-up now.

Next, comes the feedback time. A form was given and I was asked to rate the experience. Did you like this, did you like that, how was the waiting lounge, how comfortable were the sofas in the lounge, more blah. Finally, there was a score to be given - 6, 8 and 12; 6 being the lowest and 12 the highest. I scribbled a 10. The SA asks me only one of the 3 values may be given, so I gave him an 8. He was a bit upset but that's fine IMO.

Finally, when he walked me to the car and handed over the keys, he noticed the LCLC T-Bhp sticker stuck at the rear bumper. "Sir, are you a member of Team BHP?" he asks curiously. I said "Yes!" with a big grin and left the service center.

[radek]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

7500 km/6-month free checkup so I decided to do it yesterday

We were waiting and waiting, the car did not move an inch from where I had parked her for over an hour. Finally, when a slot opened up in the garage, a technician dressed in dirty greasy overalls (had a momentary heartbreak!) drove the car into the slot and started the work. The SA comes up later, informs me that the oil levels are fine and doesn't require a top-up now.

I had much better experience at BU Bhandari,Pune. Waiting time was not much. I did bit of work on my laptop in the lounge. Had tea that they served there. Some more work and my car was ready. No oil topup was required. No pushing for extra services. Cleaning was top notch. Overall good experience.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by radek

I had much better experience at BU Bhandari,Pune... Overall good experience.

I’ve heard good things about BU Bhandari’s dealership from a few friends in Pune. I should have taken something along for passing time but never mind since this is probably the last time I would be waiting at the lounge while the car is being serviced. And based on my experience at different locations, service centers are usually attached to the dealership unlike the one here wherein the service center is located almost 8 km away from the dealership!

I also asked the SA if they could help me in replacing the instrument cluster but he denied. He said the warranty would be void! I would have swapped it myself had it not been for the VCDS part - restoring the odo. reading and the immobiliser programming. This is where a good third-party service center like Pete's scores. The SA did not raise a concern with the sharkfin aerial or the Blaupunkt HU though.

The car was in their garage for barely 15 minutes AFAIR. The bonnet was opened, the technician checked the levels of the engine oil, coolant and the wiper fluid. The wiper fluid was topped up, he tinkered around the filter area and closed the bonnet. The car wasn’t raised on the ramp either. I wish they did so we could have a look at the under-body. Or perhaps it isn’t a part of this free checkup? No cleaning was done either - interiors or exteriors. The car was given back in the same condition. A quick wash wouldn’t take more than 10 minutes and customers would be happy to receive their cars in a slightly better state than the one in which they were driven to the garage. The 3M guy was roaming around in the service center and whiling away time.

The Udaipur trip is scheduled for this Saturday and we’d be departing early morn around 4 AM. I hope all goes well and there are no hiccups en route. Baroda-Ahmedabad expressway!

[radek]

Great! So one more mod coming up for instrument cluster. Waiting for the details.

Not cleaning the car at service center is not acceptable at all. I remember, years back, I took my Alto to service center for some minor problem. It turned out to be loose connection. It was done in 5 minutes. They did not charge anything. But car was cleaned properly before giving it back to me. Cleaning car before leaving service center was part of their ISO 9000 process. And they did follow that!

All the best for your Udaipur trip.