[BlueEyes]

Many congratulations on the new purchase

My GT is just few days older then your's.I am the first one to get the updated GT from my dealer, mine is a candy white though. I have made some cosmetic changes to the car and wanting to write a ownership thread for some time now but office work keeping me busy, may be in coming days. I would suggest you install a arm rest and auto dim IRVM, it just adds so much comfort to this hot hatch.

Originally Posted by graaja

The infamous D3 -> D2 jerk

With 1800KM on the ODO, I have not experienced this in my city or highway drive and hopefully I never will. I know atleast 2 TSi owners from my WhatsApp group that jerk issues are completely resolved after the software upgrade. So, that's a little comforting news.

Originally Posted by freedom

The human voice command button on steering is to call someone from your phonebook or dial a number that you speak. try and let me know if it works. It will be interesting to know if it can understand Indian names and accents.

Originally Posted by graaja

Hi freedom, thank you for the kind words. I will check the manual and try if the voice command works. But I usually do not make phone calls while driving - even with bluetooth, and hence this will not be that useful to me.

I have tried this and surprisingly it works and works well. It even reads text messages, just don't expect Siri like performance. When you press phone button on the steering wheel and call out a name from your phonebook, it searches the name and dials out!! You just need to be little gentle.

Originally Posted by freedom

How to fold the mirrors manually while driving the car?

Originally Posted by graaja

Just turn the mirror control knob to closed position.

You cannot fold the mirror while car is on the run, it doesn't fold even if the knob is set to closed position.But it works if car is running in slower speed, say around < 20kmph. There is no mention of this in the car manual though.

[freedom]

Originally Posted by BlueEyes

Many congratulations on the new purchase
I have tried this and surprisingly it works and works well. It even reads text messages, just don't expect Siri like performance. When you press phone button on the steering wheel and call out a name from your phonebook, it searches the name and dials out!! You just need to be little gentle.

Thanks BlueEyes.

Which phone do you use? I am able to only redial using the HU on iphone 5.

Can you tell me the exact steps to make a call out.
Press the "Phone" button, is there any feedback you get like a chime or something. Nothing happens in my case.

[srivatsahg]

Congratulations Raaja

Must say you have beautifully explained with equally Professional quality pictures. Jealous of your car for sure. Here by wishing you on behalf of all BHP-ians a very Happy TSI (Troublefree. Safe and Indulging) ownership of your POLO

[Karthik Chandra]

Congratulations graaja on your GT.
Wishing you peaceful and trouble free ownership experience.
The carbon steel grey looks stunning , a rare colour for a GT, white and flash red are the common colours for the TSI, this colour seems like gun metal to my eyes or is it the photo effect?
BTW, Is your Jetta, an AT too?

[graaja]

Originally Posted by BlueEyes

Many congratulations on the new purchase

My GT is just few days older then your's.I am the first one to get the updated GT from my dealer, mine is a candy white though. I have made some cosmetic changes to the car and wanting to write a ownership thread for some time now but office work keeping me busy, may be in coming days. I would suggest you install a arm rest and auto dim IRVM, it just adds so much comfort to this hot hatch.

With 1800KM on the ODO, I have not experienced this in my city or highway drive and hopefully I never will. I know atleast 2 TSi owners from my WhatsApp group that jerk issues are completely resolved after the software upgrade. So, that's a little comforting news.

You cannot fold the mirror while car is on the run, it doesn't fold even if the knob is set to closed position.But it works if car is running in slower speed, say around < 20kmph. There is no mention of this in the car manual though.

Thanks BlueEyes for the wishes. Wishing you as well tens of thousands of safe miles and smiles.

The center armrest is on the way (should get it in a day or two), and I am going to place order for the automatic headlight switch tomorrow. Regarding the D3 to D2 jerks, I have not observed this even once in the past week. Maybe the DSG completed it's learning

I tested the autofolding mirrors today while going at a speed of 45kph. Surprisingly, I was able to close and open the mirrors while the car was running. Not sure what setting is different in my car than yours!

Originally Posted by srivatsahg

Congratulations Raaja

Must say you have beautifully explained with equally Professional quality pictures. Jealous of your car for sure. Here by wishing you on behalf of all BHP-ians a very Happy TSI (Troublefree. Safe and Indulging) ownership of your POLO

Hi Srivatsa, Thank you very much for the wishes, and the new definition for the TSi

Originally Posted by Karthik Chandra

Congratulations graaja on your GT.
Wishing you peaceful and trouble free ownership experience.
The carbon steel grey looks stunning , a rare colour for a GT, white and flash red are the common colours for the TSI, this colour seems like gun metal to my eyes or is it the photo effect?
BTW, Is your Jetta, an AT too?

Hi Karthik, thank you so much for the wishes. The Grey color gives different effects based on the anlge of lighting. And yes, my Jetta is the DSG as well.

[miharbe]

Congratulations Graaja on owing my favourite sub 10 lac (well almost) vehicle!

Like I keep saying these GT TSI threads are going to cost me serious money someday especially with the Vento nearing the 5 year mark and me not being able to think of a better replacement in that price range!

I'll be honest this colour isn't something that I would have though would look good till I saw your pictures and it looks very classy and understated. I still love the Red though and will go for it if at all. Begs the question though had it not been for instant delivery would this have been your first choice of colour or would you have gone for the White / Black / Red?

The tyre upgrade doesn't seem like an overkill on the stock rims, in fact it takes the sporty quotient a notch up.

What mods do you have in mind? Armrest? Android HU? Remap?

You have an enviable garage with the Jetta as the best car in its segment and the GT TSI the best in its segment (till the Abarth launch today)

Enjoy and drive safe! Wishing you many happy miles with this one!

[prateekswarup]

Congrats Graaja on your awesome purchase. Wonderful write up and even more amazing photo shoot. You have truly captured the beauty if the colour and car.

Welcome to the GT TSI club! Any mods planned as of now?

I have experienced the D3 to D2 jerk, although only once in my 2500km driving as of now. It really makes the car shudder!

[graaja]

Originally Posted by miharbe

Congratulations Graaja on owning my favourite sub 10 lac (well almost) vehicle!
...

I'll be honest this colour isn't something that I would have though would look good till I saw your pictures and it looks very classy and understated. I still love the Red though and will go for it if at all. Begs the question though had it not been for instant delivery would this have been your first choice of colour or would you have gone for the White / Black / Red?
...

You have an enviable garage with the Jetta as the best car in its segment and the GT TSI the best in its segment (till the Abarth launch today)

Enjoy and drive safe! Wishing you many happy miles with this one!

Thank you so much for the wishes, miharbe!

Between the three colors, my order of preference was Grey, White and Red. My wife's preference was White, Grey and Red. So, the immediate availability definitely worked to my advantage.

My car of choice would be put the Abarth's engine inside Polo and mate it to the DSG, and give 4 disc brakes with a stiffer suspension and heavier steering

Originally Posted by prateekswarup

Congrats Graaja on your awesome purchase. Wonderful write up and even more amazing photo shoot. You have truly captured the beauty if the colour and car.

I have experienced the D3 to D2 jerk, although only once in my 2500km driving as of now. It really makes the car shudder!

Thank you so much for the kind wishes Prateek! I think if you face a serious problem of D3 to D2 jerk, you can get it checked at the dealership and get the DSG software upgraded.

Originally Posted by miharbe

What mods do you have in mind? Armrest? Android HU? Remap?

Originally Posted by prateekswarup

Welcome to the GT TSI club! Any mods planned as of now?

Regarding mods, I am not very adventurous like other fellow TSi owners like Robi, The Saint, Gannu or Frank. Following are the immediate list.

1. Full black art leather upholstery - Done
2. Center armrest - Ordered and on the way
3. Auto headlight switch with light sensor - About to order today
4. Upgrade headlight bulbs to Philips H7 Xtreme Vision. I was initially thinking about upgrading to Xenon headlights, but this is turning out to be very expensive. Another thought was to go for custom fit projectors like Gannu's, but I am not yet ready to get into this level of DIY. So, this will have to wait.
5. Upgrade HU to either Android like FranmMehta's, or RCD510 like Gannu's

[bigvishnu]

Originally Posted by graaja

2. Center armrest - Ordered and on the way

Hi. Source of the armrest? Cost? Cheers!

[graaja]

Originally Posted by bigvishnu

Hi. Source of the armrest? Cost? Cheers!

Below is the link to the product.

Polo Center Armrest

There are two options - leather and fabric. I chose leather. Paid $95 including shipping. And there was a INR1050 customs duty which Fedex collected at the time of delivery. About INR7500 total damage.

Received the armrest yesterday. Quality looks good, and the construction is sturdy. Will post photos after installation which I plan to do today.

[prateekswarup]

Originally Posted by graaja

Thank you so much for the wishes, miharbe!

Regarding mods, I am not very adventurous like other fellow TSi owners like Robi, The Saint, Gannu or Frank. Following are the immediate list.

3. Auto headlight switch with light sensor - About to order today
4. Upgrade headlight bulbs to Philips H7 Xtreme Vision. I was initially thinking about upgrading to Xenon headlights, but this is turning out to be very expensive. Another thought was to go for custom fit projectors like Gannu's, but I am not yet ready to get into this level of DIY. So, this will have to wait.
5. Upgrade HU to either Android like FranmMehta's, or RCD510 like Gannu's

Do let me know where you are sourcing the auto headlight switch. Will it be a plug and play?
Is the Philips H7 Xtreme installed without adding a relay?
I've been reading up on the HUs and Blaupunkt's Philadelphia 835 is the most suited as it does everything with plug & play. RCD 510 needs a separate bluetooth module and wiring as mentioned by Gannu & Robi's threads. I'm saving up for this addition.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by prateekswarup

Do let me know where you are sourcing the auto headlight switch. Will it be a plug and play?
Is the Philips H7 Xtreme installed without adding a relay?
I've been reading up on the HUs and Blaupunkt's Philadelphia 835 is the most suited as it does everything with plug & play. RCD 510 needs a separate bluetooth module and wiring as mentioned by Gannu & Robi's threads. I'm saving up for this addition.

Yes. Philips H7 Xtreme Vision bulbs are a direct replacement to the stock bulbs. The stock bulbs are 12V/55W rated. Philips H7 XV are also 12V/55W rated, just with a longer beam throw. So, no relays required, and no warranty concerns as well.

Regarding sourcing, this is available in many of the online stores like amazon and snapdeal, for 700 or 750. However, I am planning to get it locally so that the fixing may be done by experienced personnel.

I am planning to do some more research and reading and then do the HU upgrade. This is a 6 month plan for now.

[graaja]

Center Armrest - DIY Install

After a long time (the last DIY I used to do was on my Avanti autogear moped in 1995), did a DIY job on the Polo and installed the center armrest. And back breaking it turned out to be!!

After following many Polo TSi ownership threads, decided to go for the GTI armrest with the cup holder and ordered from the below link.

Polo Center Armrest

Paid $95 with FedEx shipping. The product reached me in 2 weeks. Had to pay Rs.1050 duty. Total damage to the wallet was about Rs.7500.

I had also been reading various DIY threads on the installation procedure.

Gannu's DIY thread - This is for the armrest without the rear cup holder.
bowser's DIY thread - This is for the armrest with cup holder
FrankMehta's FB reference - This is a FB page with installation procedure

Bowser had cautioned about the need to remove the complete center console, whereas the FB page indicated this is not required. Frank also had mentioned that he did not have to remove the complete center console, and I was expecting a 30 minutes job. Man, was I wrong!!

I had two problems.

1. Because of the thickness of the extra layer of PVC carpet, the base metal piece would not go into the small gap created by lifting the center console.
2. Because of the second layer of carpet, the mounting holes for the metal base were totally covered and I needed that extra space to reach inside to move the carpet and position the mounting bolts.

So, I had to follow bowser's method and remove the complete center console. The cramped interiors added another level of difficulty. After two hours of profuse sweating and liberal swearing, the job was done. But the result was well worth the sweat!!

The interior is definitely transformed with this addition. With the metal structure, the armrest it is quite strong. Fit and finish is also quite good and it integrates very well into the interiors, and looks an OEM fitment. There is a felt lined compartment below the armrest where you could keep your cell phone or those coins and tickets. Because of the felt lining, lose items would not rattle. I don't know how strong or useful the cup holder would be to hold a bottle. The only issue is with the addition of the armrest, access to the hand brake and the gear stick has become congested, but I guess that is something I could get used to.

Overall, money, time and sweat well spent!

Now, a few pictures. I did not take pictures of the installation process for two reasons. First, this has been documented in detail in the links I have provided in the beginning of this post. Second, I was totally drenched in sweat and was swearing non-stop and was no way in a position to take photos

Totally transformed interior.










Rear view with cup holder closed.


The cup holder.


Felt lined storage compartment.


The finish. Not sure if this is leather or artificial leather.

[BlueEyes]

Originally Posted by freedom

Which phone do you use? I am able to only redial using the HU on iphone 5.
Can you tell me the exact steps to make a call out.
Press the "Phone" button, is there any feedback you get like a chime or something. Nothing happens in my case.

I have tried with both Windows Lumia phone and Android,never paired an iPhone though. All I did is just pair my phone with HU via Bluetooth, nothing else. Suggest you try out a different phone to eliminate phone related issues, if any.

Originally Posted by graaja

I tested the autofolding mirrors today while going at a speed of 45kph. Surprisingly, I was able to close and open the mirrors while the car was running. Not sure what setting is different in my car than yours!

I tried this at different speeds yesterday. I can fold the mirror till I reach 40kph once I go beyond that mirrors doesn't fold.

[nishchal316]

Great car congrats. MC5's would have been my first preference if i were to upgrade the tyres on the GT. Do throw more light on the performance and comfort of the MC5.