[ais]

This thread details the upgrades done on my new Polo Highline Plus TSI Manual. The objective is to share information so that Polo owners can consider the choices I made from various options available, the outcomes and whom to contact for each requirement. ‘Satisfaction level’ is rated 1-5 with remarks for each item.

PASSION IGNITION

I’ve been a driving enthusiast since childhood. Ours is a family of car owners since pre independence days. Since my childhood, my father used to narrate stories about our ancestors owning legendary ‘imported’ cars then- Buick, Ford etc. My late Step Grandfather Mr. Rustom Ardeshir Boga, a well known person in Amritsar, was also a car connoisseur, owning a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost. While I was around, he owned a vintage Humber, and a Ford Cortina station wagon that we used to travel in to Jalandhar and Chandigarh, ladies playing cards in the boot! My father owned a Standard Herald in which we toured all of Kashmir when I was about 8 years old (1979 or so). Then came a Premier Padmini. And then a Maruti 800 and a Maruti Esteem. The Esteem, bought new in 1997, sold in 2017 after being driven over 200000 kms for Rs.50000/- and is still doing fine- a testimony on how well our cars are maintained. My father trained me in driving skills and caring for our cars, in what he called “the English way”, with total attention to detail. Driving lessons began as early as age 5, in the Standard Herald, by changing gears on empty state roads (Nepanagar to Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh), then progressing to holding the steering in addition to him holding it while sitting in his lap. Do note that this was entirely on empty roads- he was a stickler for safety. From there into my teens, I would be the navigator on long drives like Nepanagar/Kanpur to Amritsar/Chandigarh. Finally I got my driving licence at 18 in Kanpur. At some stage, we swapped roles- I as the driver, he, the navigator!

THE JOYRIDE

My first car was a BMW 320d F30 bought in 2015. Since I always wanted a petrol car and desired a 328i/330i, the 320d was bought because there was no availability of petrol 3 series then. My father was on the death bed and I wanted to ensure that I reciprocate the love for cars he had imparted to me. So off to a joyride I took him- to Timber Trail from Panchkula-





I sold the 320d as it was not being used much. I was (and still am) working in Mumbai, whereas the car was in Panchkula from where my family and I would go for vacations in it. A drive from Panchkula to Agra via the Taj Expressway was the highlight. Did some crazy speeds in it! I decided to sell it, and wait for a petrol 3 Series. Needless to say, it went for well above the market/depreciated value. Meanwhile for use in Chandigarh, I bought a Maruti Baleno Zeta in September 2017, which was driven by me to Mumbai in October 2020 post lockdown 1 so I would have my own car in Mumbai. My sister uses it now. I had made a few upgrades like reverse camera with Nippon Ndroid head unit, GPNE LED lights, projectors in fog lamp housing, BMC air filter, new shockabs and steering column, full size spare with matching alloy and tyres (I got the retaining bolt lengthened by 1 inch from my fabricator for the larger Stepney to fit in the Baleno), TPMS etc. I upgraded the music system to Morel Virtus components in front, Morel Maximo Coaxial rear and Nakamichi DSP Amplifier, details of which are in another thread. In February 2019, I picked up the outgoing BMW 330i F30 M Sport in Estoril Blue colour, and drove it from Infinity Motors Mumbai to home at Panchkula like I had done with the 320d! Used it sparingly for outstation drives till the pandemic struck, but unfortunately could not hold on to it due to tough times faced in Covid, and its high maintenance costs. Of course, it sold for a price well above its purchase price! I did install Bilstien B6 suspension and Bayern Ritz Alloys in it though, and will probably buy it back from my buyer if it is destined!



I needed a small, sporty, easy to maintain car for use in Mumbai, with occasional highway trips. I had tested the Polo TSI DSG in August 2021, but was not in a position to buy it, plus the Torque Convertor was on the cards, so thought it would be more reliable and more fun. Thought wrong! The TC just doesn’t hold a candle to the DSG’s mating to the engine and resultant performance. By the time I was ready to make the purchase, even the TC was nearing discontinuation. Hyundai i20 was another contender, but a test drive of the Sprotz and N Line version made me drop it due to its turbo lag and lack of possibility to remap them.

After detailed guidance from Karan Shah (KS Motorsport, Mumbai) I decided on the Polo Manual. He advised that the i20 tuning will increase power by no more than 5 BHP, that too at an unreasonable cost, and the Polo TC gearbox cannot be flashed, so go for the Polo manual transmission. While I would have preferred an AT in Mumbai, I listened to his advice and went for a MT in April 2022. After 2.5 years and required tweaks, it turned out to be the correct choice!

At the time I was ready to buy- March/April 2022, the Polo had already been discontinued. The only stock in Mumbai region was at Thane with Mody Autocorp. One in Reflex Silver, other in White. I wanted Red, but with no availability, I went for Silver. Sales executive Mr. Sagar was extremely helpful throughout, and I still consult him for upgrade guidance- he had suggested about the headlights upgrade. One crucial point however got missed- Polo TSI needs minimum 95 RON petrol! I was unaware of this until I discussed remaps with Wolf Moto- who pointed that it’s written inside the fuel filler lid! So I never got to use and check performance on 95 RON, while suffering the sluggishness and engine knocking on low RPM with 91 RON petrol. The car in now tuned on 91 RON- more on that later.

Detailed reviews and discussions about the car are already available, so I’ll move straight to what all I did, in the chronological order that the upgrades were made.

NEW SHOES

Tyre swap- Goodyear to Michelin. I had already pre arranged with Saifee Tyre to get the car from the showroom to them for swap of OEM Goodyear Assurance with Michelin Primacy 4. Again advice was taken from Karan Shah, who suggested that I go for the quietest, lightest tyres possible. Also they need to be comfort oriented if I’m looking for a Bilstien suspension later. Saifee was efficient. I wanted to swap the spare wheel to full size, but it would not fit in the cavity as the Balenos spare did. Cost of swap was about Rs.20000/= total. SATISFACTION LEVEL- 5/5!

TPMS- Sensairy over Treel. After realizing that Treel was still in the phase of marketing and distribution development and information was lacking, plus there was no dedicated App to run the TPMS with, I went for Sensairy in all 5 tyres. Mr. Ajay was helpful as ever. However, I later saw a Blaupunkt TPMS with a dedicated monitor screen for the same price, and would have gone for that if I had seen it first. Any feedback on these by anyone who has used them is welcome. Installed precisely by Saifee at the time of tyre upgrade. No charge for install. Cost was Rs.7500/-. SATISFACTION LEVEL- 5/5. Useful product that makes driving safer. At the moment, the rear right is dropping daily by .3PSI as compared to the rear left. Could be a slow puncture. Without the TPMS, I’d never have noticed.

Update- sure enough-





Sthira tyre pressure guage- This was needed while filling up air at filling stations, and corrections thereafter on cold tyres. Quite accurate to 1/10th decimal PSI. Rs.570/- SATISFACTION LEVEL- 1/5. Motocop, which I used in the Baleno is better in accuracy and has lasted over 15 years, but is no longer available. The Sthira gave up recently, so I would advise everyone not to buy this or anything that looks like it! Now I have Etenwolf, for Rs.1400/- and it seems fantastic so far.

Avoid this shape and size!


Nitrogen was filled in all 4 tyres. Pressure that worked best with stock suspension with just me in the car with no luggage, on Mumbai’s world class roads, is 31LBS front, 29 LBS rear. With Bilstein B12 installed later, it is 30LBS front, 29LBS rear. I tried reducing the pressure by 1 LBS once monsoon were over and roads are hotter, but again concluded that 30 front, 29 rear works perfectly. There has been no drop in pressure for periods upto 5 months, so those who haven’t used nitrogen, should. We have had debates about the benefits (or not) of Nitrogen on other threads, but there is no doubt that it is better than air in all respects.

AND NEW SHINE

Ceramic coating was done next, through Mr. Anish at the Indian Oil petrol station car wash outlet at KC Marg/SV Road signal. The coating was Proteq, with warranty for 1 years and 4 touch ups complimentary. Cost was Rs.20000/-. SATISFACTION LEVEL- 5/5

The windshield and other glass surfaces were not done, which I realized later should be done for optimal performance in rains. I had some Super Ceramic glass coating remaining with me from an earlier purchase, so later on I got it applied through Shine My Ride. On the window glass all around and OVRM I applied RainX and it is indispensable to keep water beading down instead of forming a film and hampering vision. It lasts only for a month or so, but is easy to apply repeatedly.

Recently I got the windshield ceramic coated from Anish and it is fantastic. At speeds around 80kmph, wipers are not needed as the air flow removes the water droplets from the windshield. The brand he used is Koch Chemie Nano Glass Coating. This is just phenomenal. Cost was about Rs.2500/-. Satisfaction- 5/5. Dealing with Anish Kanakia is pure pleasure. I get my car wash, ceramic work etc done only from him, and the other clients I meet at the waiting area say the same!

As a tip- I usually do not clean my car. I have it washed at Apex (Anish's) if there are any signs of tar, mud or bird dropping stains or the windscreen sides get dirty, which is about once a month. I prefer to leave a thin layer of dust on the car, so any bird droppings etc do not adhere to the paint. The car is parked in basement parkings or my residential lift tower parking. I do have a Jopasu duster should a quick wipe be needed.

As for the wipers, I have used Bosch Clear Advantage frameless, 3M, Schaeffler with frame, Blaupunkt frameless and presently Bosch Eco. Eco are the best in terms of noise and zero streaking.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

Headlights- We know the stock headlight are deficient. Sagar had suggested LED swap of DHC 4300k bulbs in original housing. He advised strictly not to use projectors, as that opens the seals of the headlamp assembly and the projector installer will probably use silicone sealant, which will degrade over time. So I went to Arihant Motors, Santa Cruz, near Milan Mall, and as per his advice, tested Osram Nightbeaker. But when we installed the DHC bulb, the difference was literally ‘night and day’ and that broke the deal for Nightbreaker! Cost was Rs.15000/- for all 4 bulbs- 55W, 4300k. Swap is simple, but don't let the installer cut the steel ring to fit the LED bulbs- an adaptor is needed and easily available. Recently, the left high beam bulb came loose within the socket and was rattling like crazy. I detected that as the source of the rattle only after 3 weeks when dipping the headlight on exiting my stack type mechanised car lift tower! The life of the low beam headlamps is about 2 years. It is a good idea to switch them off when the car is stationary to prolong life. After 2 bulbs went kaput, I went for the same bulbs in 75 watts in the high beams. The result is unbeatable. Advice- go for 4300k, not higher as white light blinds oncoming traffic. Yellow light highlights road surface and signboards better.

https://youtu.be/QlEC4_qj4Oo?si=tdB3UkxfE300aQLS

At the engine remap session later, I met someone who suggested a laser assisted projector and showed me the performance on his Creta. He vouched for it, suggested his friend Pratham for installation, and mentioned a cost of about Rs.50000/-. Then I switched on my headlights, and there was light, and TOTAL silence! Need I say more? SATISFACTION LEVEL- 6/5! Ya! Have not seen better bulbs yet.

Since I felt the fog lights could do better too, and be usable in bumper to bumper standstill traffic when the headlights reflect back from vehicle in front, I went to GPNE R5 3000/6000k switchable for Rs.6500/-. This was from Rishabh, Motorsounds Lokhandwala. SATISFACTION LEVEL- 5/5 for product, installation was imperfect. The 3000k really helps in rain and fog (I have 3000k in Baleno fog lights).

Rear parking camera- installed from Rishabh, Motorsound- Blaupunkt DH05 with adaptor- Rs.6900/- with adaptor. Hi-Res damping on all 4 doors metal panel was also done at Motorsounds. SATISFACTION LEVEL 5/5 for product and integration with Kenwood Headunit with its guidelines.

During servicing recently when the car was on the servicing lift, I noticed that the wires for the rear camera were going over the silencer pipe. The wires and connector of the fog lamps were also hanging loose. The service centre mechanics sorted this and secured the wires with zip ties. While the installers do not have the facility to hoist cars on lifts, the installers could have been more meticulous. During the damping sheet installation, the plastic ends of the door handle cables were damaged. Though Rishabh compensated for these, the damage can be avoided if work is done with care and correct method.



Both Arihant and Rishabh are thorough gentlemen, and a pleasure to deal with.

I replaced the parking light bulbs and cabin light bulb with Blaupunkt bulbs (really useful) and swapped to a number plate Osram LED (not so useful). Parking bulbs were later changed to DHC, which are way better. Blaupunkts had started flickering. Total coast about Rs.1000/- to 1500/- Cabin light is too bright now, but that’s good in a way. SATISFACTION LEVEL- 4/5. At Arihant, I also added a boot light with a switch. It is set to turn on only when the parking light is on.



ZARAA HAT KE, ZARAA BACH KE

Horn- while at Arihant, I went for Hamaan horn, to extend courtesy to the disciplined Mumbai Auto and Tempo drivers. Works rather well! These days, my hobby is to get behind Tempo drivers moving on the right rightmost lane on flyovers, and test the horn. They oblige soon enough. On a serious note, it is quite dangerous to overtake slow moving vehicles in the right lane from their left. It’s an elaborate process- check rear view mirrors for traffic behind, keep an eye on the slow vehicle ahead for him slowing down, check for vehicles ahead in the 2nd from right lane (difficult without a passenger on the left seat), overtake vehicle from the left hoping it won’t veer left, then get back in the right lane, avoiding Mumbai potholes all the time. I’d rather honk the slow vehicles out of my lane, all the time wishing a 20mm cannon could be fitted on my bonnet as an upgrade! Cost about Rs.900/- SATISFACTION LEVEL- 4/5. Recently changed to Fiaam (Italian) horns, which are not as loud. Hamaan were good while they lasted. Any suggestions on the loudest available horn welcome.

FIXING THE PAIN IN THE A--

Seats upgrade- Now this was an urgent matter, because the horrid hump at the base of the seat bottom was digging into my tail bone.

Further, thigh support was needed as the seat base was totally flat. I think VW lost its way here. I could have gone for a fabric seat cover and saw some nice ones, but then wanted a touch of luxury, so thought about a leather seat upgrade. A lot of research went into this part.

I visited the Stanley outlet in Parel and liked the Nappa leather quality (I’ve been in the leather industry for 10 years), but the quotations of about 1.10 to 1.35 lakhs were unreasonable, especially for a 10 lakh car. VW sales team experts pointed me to Shine My Ride owner Shreyas Mody. His colleague Rahul Shah from Hi Tech, Mahalaxmi, specializes in seat covers, with a factory of their own. However, they too could not give me an acceptable quote. However, they did highlight the fact that they, Stanley and Saddles India, all procure quality leather from Marvin Leathers, Bangalore, who in turn is an importer of Italian Leather.

I had spoken to Saddles India earlier, and finally obtained a quotation for all seats, armrest, gear knob, gear boot and steering in Italian Nappa and Softy from them. I’ll not disclose this one cost, because I doubt they will be able to repeat it, and several things went wrong in this manufacturing by Saddles. They did cover it up, but you’ll need to consider the pros and cons and obtain a quotation for your needs.

Anyway, I placed an order with Saddles India. Saddles is the OEM supplier for VW seats, so they had the pattern template and seat moulds to go by. The rear seat covers were made in Bangalore. But since I wanted alteration to the front seat base shape, I drove the car to their factory in Pune and left it there for 4 days while they made the seat covers. Came back by train in a Vistadome coach- fabulous during the monsoons! As scheduled, 4 days later the seats were ready, or so I was told, and off I went to Pune for collection. However, the thigh support was too long towards the hips to be useful. So I had the cover opened, and foam re sliced. The hump on the rear was also dealt with by cutting a square in the middle where the tail bone would sit- the entire hump cannot be removed as it weakens the seat base. The day was spent in the rectification, but yielded satisfactory results. Another oversight that was made was the stitching that runs on the base from side to side right under the bums was replicated by Saddles. It should have been done away with instead. The armrest was also done again as per my liking. Saddles staff at Pune claimed that the expert who opens the gear knob and boot trim is away, so they would rather not deal with it. Also, due to the alteration to the armrest, and a poor job with the steering (white leather not aligned in the center 12 OClock), we ran short of leather. Saddles Bangalore agreed to send the wastage of the colour – Azzuro Blue, to complete the project in Mumbai through another vendor. I spoke to R Design, Andheri East, and obtained a quote of Rs.3500/- to make the steering cover and gear knob and boot. However, after a delay of several days, Saddles were not able to find the leather in the same colour, and were unwilling to buy a complete hide. So we agreed that they will send Italian Nappa leather of the same grade in Black colour.

Meanwhile, Saddles Pune also misplaced some of my original seat covers, so their resale was held up. They did make replacement covers though. The driver side plastic cover was also damaged by them, and I had to get it replaced from the VW workshop to rectify the cushion sagging to the side. The pics-















Once the black leather arrived, I went to R Design. They did a fine job indeed! Out of the surplus black Nappa, I got the centre consoles sides covered with the leather pasted to it, so that when my thigh/knee is in contact with it, it is touching soft Nappa instead of hard plastic! The steering was slightly off center, so the job was just short of perfect.

Later, once the finish of the soft Nappa wore out, I got perforated leather from Saddles, and along with this, inverted the remaining Nappa leather to give me a Suede/Alcantara type feel on the sides of the steering. I added the 12 O’clock band in blue to match the seats. In the silver, the band would have looked fantastic, but I did not go for it because the Polo steering is at an angle to the driver seat. So if the alignment of the steering or wheels is even slightly out, it becomes a headache to constantly see the steering band off centre.

Here, I would recommend R Design for leather work. As for Saddles India, their workmanship is excellent, and if you are in Bangalore, only then get customized work done. Work based on standard templates should be fine for clients outside Bangalore. Avoid any work at Pune- they need a professional supervisor to streamline their working for customization work.

All of the above leather work was done in May-July. However, I still felt the seat base stitching below the hips was digging into the bums. So I went to R Design in November, and got the stitching removed and some more foam added. Now the comfort is amazing! In 1st week December 2022, I got a cushion for the right knee made, because it was kind of dangling around between the seat’s right side and door panel. This is probably the best idea I got (after seeing the thigh bolstering in Karan Shah’s Mitsubishi Evo’s Ricaro seats). The cushion was custom made by checking foam blocks for size and positioning, then encasing the foam with left over leather from Saddles, and securing to door handle with a stitched in strap with Velcro. After installation, both legs are rested, and this is truly a boon.





Eggshell type adhesive foam on center console opposite the door speakers for better acoustics






SATISFACTION LEVEL- 4/5 as leather needs care. Comfort is top notch now. Given a 2nd chance, and assuming Ricaro seats are available for Polo, I would consider them.

SMALL BUT ESSENTIAL

Door Edge Protection- St. Gobains, from Car Guys’ Amazon. Supply is sketchy, but one can contact the vendor Vibhu directly. Rs.650/- SATISFACTION LEVEL- 5/5

Car Drome Rubber Mats- decent product, but I wish it came with adhesive to keep in place. I used the strips meant for the rear door to go along the edge of the front door bottle holder cavity in order to prevent the bottles from rattling. To keep it in place, the only tape that seems to work is the 3M paper double sided tape. Rs.1100/- SATISFACTION LEVEL-1/5.
This product and idea is avoidable.

Glass bottles and Neoprene cover- The water bottle space in door panels is poorly designed and lets bottles rattle around. So I procured these neoprene covers for bottles, and am using glass bottles with a flip up metal ring that retains the cap. Nifty and convenient! SATISFACTION LEVEL-5/5 now.



Tape to prevent creaks from door edge- This was an issue with the BMW 330i as well. This faint, scraping, husky sound comes when the window is rolled up fully, from between the window glass and the door trim. The best way to resolve this is to paste a special tape meant for the purpose. Both BMW and VW have it. I got it done from the VW workshop.

Friends, this was part 1 of the article. In the next section, we will deal with the main stuff- the cariovascular system and the legs of this athlete!

[ais]

MUSCLES AND SINEWS

Bilstein suspension- Now this is where the driveability upgrades of the car begin! All upgrades prior to this were urgent, comfort or safety oriented. Those out of the way, it was time to turn the steering toward the soul of the Polo- the reason it was acquired! The test drive of the DSG sample had convinced me of the potential of this car to match the fun factor of the BMW 3 Series- which are heavy and have a dodgy steering. I’m not kidding. Due to the rules of Team-BHP, I won’t mention what I did in the test drive on that new flyover from BKC to Eastern Express Highway, but suffice to say that it left a grin on my and the VW sales guy’s faces! The MT Polo however was different, very different. Its handling was as good as a school bus- sorry guys if you own an unmodified Polo TSI last version, but you’re missing out on something!

I went through relevant threads on Team-BHP, and consulted member Graaja, who had used the KW Street Comfort and the Bilstein B6 on a Polo. The KW has had leakage issues, and is expensive in India for what it offers. Another member from Mumbai had also written about these two suspensions, but didn’t respond to my PMs. The Tien EDFC adjustable suspension needs modifications to the Polo chassis, so was ruled out. I needed to lower the car as its original stance is downright ridiculous in my opinion, and the handling needed a massive improvement. The error of not using RON 95 petrol was also adding to the handling issues at lower speeds and clutch release. I consulted Nikhil Changlani of Polo GT Club, Mumbai, and he advised against lowering and showed me a video of the B12 in a Polo resulting in a harsh ride. Prior to this, I was already in deep consultation with Karan Shah, and he had installed the B12 in another Polo from Ahmedabad with good results, and I had already placed the order with him. I did panic and we tried to cancel the order, but the parcel had been shipped already!

So after it arrived, I landed at KS Motorsport on the scheduled day for installation. The suspension swap went ahead with fingers crossed. Time for test drive with bated breath. To our elation, the B12 worked flawlessly! On my drive back home to Andheri from Ballard Estate, I went over several speed breakers without any underbody scraping. Since then, there have been no major scrapes. With more than 1 passenger in the car, we need to be careful though. As for handling, I got what I was looking for. Rough road comfort is surely compromised, more so at low speeds- this won’t remain a family car after a swap with B12. Cost- about Rs.1.35 Lakh (varies depending on dollar-rupee rate). Installation was done around August 2022.

Update- After using the car since then, optimizing the nitrogen pressure, adding a Whiteline Sway Bar and letting the bushes settle, the handling is fantastic. I’ve driven to Chandigarh and back, Pune etc. Always with a grin!

Note- a minor knocking sound (kat kat) had developed. It occurred on turning at dead slow speeds. The car went to KS Motors for rectification of this noise. After a full day with the expert technicians, it turned out that there were two sources of sound- one from the Stabilizer Link, and another grinding noise on turning steering from the bearing on the shockab heads. Both were replaced with Bilstein components. Another issue to be noted was that there is an aluminium spacer supplied with B12. This is supposed to be installed between the top spring plate and the plastic housing/receiver of bearing below the bush at the top of the shockabs. This spacer pre loads the spring for optimal height and performance. This was not fitted in the initial install, but after the rectification reinstall, the ride quality was even better, and the steering feedback (of road surface) went up immensely. This spacer is for POLO, and for other vehicles, you would need to research or ask Bilstein. SATISFACTION LEVEL (Final)- 5/5.

Link to suspension details-

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.tea...gen-polo%3famp

The stance-


A Whiteline rear swaybar was arranged by Karan Shah. This was installed at its hardest setting. The car excelled on fast curves like the entry of Bandra Worli Sea Link from Worli side. Worth the Rs.30000/-. 5/5 as it completes the handling performance upgrades.

The only mod that did not work well was the Strongflex red PU bushes. The ones on the control arms did not fit flush and upset the cars handling. The top mounts on the Shockabs were binding, so had to be removed.

Sports Pedal pads set- Yeah! This sought after OEM product that VW skips on! Got them from VW after a long wait on pre order. Watch out for the incorrect brake pedal rubber- the stud underneath should match the pedal hole. I’m using the clutch pedal on the brake as well with no stud, after tugging at it thoroughly and ensuring it won’t come loose. Rs.6000/-

Incorrect pad with large stud with no hole in pedal to go into.





The tape on the clutch pedal arm is explained later.

OEM brake pad


HEART OF THE MATTER

BMC Air Filter- Moving towards a remap, this was a prerequisite. Even otherwise, such an air filter enhances engine performance and smoothness. The intake whine on upshifting at high RPM is addictive! Procured from and fitted by Race Smith Auto, Bandra. Rs.7500/-. Did this for my Baleno also at Rs.6500/- approx. After cleaning, ensure that you do not oil it excessively, else the whine will stop. I guess a spray can type will work better than the nozzle type I use.

Update- during a later cleaning of the air filter, Jay of Race Smith did not lock the Air Filter- Turbo inlet connector properly despite my pointing it out (I wasn’t sure). The car ran a bit in this condition, and when the VW workshop sorted it, there was dust in the turbo inlet. While the VW mechanics and Karan Shah assured me there was nothing to worry about, on my next visit to Pune, I had Mechanix (Mr. Sushant) have a look at the turbo fins. They turned out to be fine.



Brake Pads and line- With greater power comes greater responsibility and therefore need for greater control! So the brake pads were changed to EBC Yellow Stuff, and the brakes lines were changed to KS Motorsport Braided Steel lines. There is a clear difference in initial bite and reduced sponginess. The sound of the brake pads on the rotors is a lovely whine that reminds me of the 3 Series! Cost with labour and brake oil about Rs.18500/-. However, on my Chandigarh trip, I continuously felt that the brakes are inadequate and used engine braking throughout. In due course, I learnt that the rear drums need to be adjusted so that the shoes are in firm contact with the drums. Before mounting the wheel, there should be stiff resistance to rotation of the drums with our hands. After mounting the wheel, the free spin should stop within a few revolutions. This enables the front disc brakes to work optimally. This link to related thread explains this better-

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...rake-cars.html (Adjusting brakes for optimal performance in rear drum brake cars)

Remap- Now this was a make or break department. After various consultations and research, I narrowed down to Wolf Moto. Joe explained each and every aspect like a patient teacher over several phone calls. After a couple of months of discussions, we agreed on a Stage 1+ map, and I won’t be going for anything beyond this that needs hardware modifications. So when the expert from Kochi visited, I scheduled a late night appointment. The map chosen was a 91 RON, torque oriented one that boosts torque at all RPMs, as compared to a BHP oriented one that boosts BHP at high RPMs. Please note there that as a thumb rule, go for a low RON map and use a high RON fuel, not the other way around. Even though the BHP output is lesser, 91 RON map ensures that one can drive anywhere in India without worrying about availability of high RON fuel. A high RON fuel combusts at higher compressions pressure compared to a lower RON. If the engine is tuned for a high RON and a lower RON fuel is used, it will combust prematurely, leading to engine knocking, which I felt in higher gears before the remap. After the remap no engine knocking occurred. The performance increase was hugely perceptible, and smoothness is superb. The gearshifts were smoother now. Acceleration was phenomenal. Needless to say, both Karan Shah and I were itching to dyno the car. The results show a 16 HP increase at the wheels (could be more, need to verify how the stock car was dyno’ed) and torque is about 200NM. Cost- Rs.28000/- for map, Rs.4000/- for Dyno. Testing with 97 RON after a few weeks revealed slightly less BHP and Torque figures- just 1 BHP less than 91 RON with AC off, as well as on. This indicates that the map is perfect and reliable for 91 RON. Another learning was that after the 2nd dyno test, the car was like a scalded cat! Joe explained that this was due to the OEM maps ‘learning’ the city driving style and adapting to a less aggressive tune. During dyno, when the systems are pushed to the limit, the updated high performance map kick in again. So the car needs to be revved hard frequently, just as an athlete trains at high intensity for peak performance.

Output-


Fuel efficiency and city drivability has increased for sure with the remap.

Last month, I got a Forge turbo inlet as advised by Suhaas. While installing it, I cut the stock air intake and taped the sides to convert it into a “Euro Spec” cold inlet! Man, this is the best thing that happened to the engine yet. There is no hint of stalling at dead slow speeds. There is negligible turbo lag in 1st and 2nd gear at low RPM. And at all RPMs, the car is begging on its knees to be pushed hard!!!

The clutch pedal of the POLO 1L TSI is weird to say the least. The free play at the top and bottom is way too much for this to be a performance car. A chat with the VW mechanics revealed that this is an automatically adjusting pedal, so there are no cables to help with play adjustments! Now what?

Simple jugaad! I added a MDF block below the pedal arm with a PVC tape. This reduced the depth to which the clutch pedal could be depressed against the floor. I ensured the block addition did not prevent complete clutch disengagement by revving the car in 1st and reverse gear with the pedal depressed and looking for car creep, and also going from neutral to gear and listening for any grinding or sound or feel of engagement. After install, there is still about a 1cm play from the floor before the clutch bites.

The result is astonishing! Gear changes are quick and slick!

https://youtu.be/UGWtCRrOC-k?feature=shared

I don't have anyone at the moment to record the gear changes from the passenger seat. I'll post such a video as soon as I can.

The flexible nature of the gearbox is also a highlight of this car. When driving sedately, the upshifts can be made as 2nd at 20kmph, 3rd at 30kmph, 4th at 40, 5th at 50 and 6th at 60+! Simple? On the other hand, when driving in “track” mode, 2nd will let you go to 70-80kmph, 3rd to 120 and uske aage nahi aata mujhe, if you know what I mean!!! This car is a hoot to drive. There cannot be a better Manual car in India for the Senna in us. I am sure 0-100 is well below 10S. I may not need the 330i back, definitely not in Mumbai!

Satisfaction on all of the above is beyond ratings!

Dashcam was installed next- DDPAI Z50. Works as advertised. Cost 17500. Satisfaction-4/5 as videos take quite a while to download onto phone.

I LOVE MUMBAI TRAFFIC JAMS

Audio system upgrade- This turned out to be complete project by itself over several months. Please bear with me as I narrate the steps as they happened!

Finally, it was time for the icing on the cake. The stock audio system in the Highline is better than most cars. However, there was absolutely no treble in the speakers. So I decided to upgrade the speakers to begin with and see how it goes. I had already gotten the door damping done from Motorsound (Lokhandwala) with Hi Res sheets, 1 layer on the inside metal sheet of door. Cost Rs.6000/-.
As Focal speakers are Plug and Play designed for VW entailing no wire cutting, I went for Focal Integration IS 165 VW component speakers in the front, with the tweeter in the sail panel. Rear speakers were coaxial Integration IC 165 VW. The installation was done without any stock wire cutting. The tweeter wire was extended by adding speaker wire, joined by heat shrink sleeves. Installed by Motorogue, Tardeo. Cost about Rs.27500/-

Tweeters on sail panel


The sound quality, especially in the midrange is amazing. However, the mid bass is hard, making the listening experience uncomfortable. The sound needed the warmth and evenness that a subwoofer introduces. Plus the source- the head unit, also needed a careful consideration because OEM head units are designed to curtail the signal to protect OEM speakers.

I had two routes to choose from. Either enhance the OEM head unit signal through a Digital Sound Processor (DSP), or change the head unit to an aftermarket one and obtain the purest sound possible. The DSP route is expensive, making an amplifier a compulsion, and involves extensive wiring, HI-Low adaptors and just the DSP tuning costing Rs.5000-Rs.10000/-. The Subwoofer also needs separate wiring and output. The vendors will try to push the DSP route for obvious reasons. I felt that instead of trying to upscale the compromised source signal, it is better to obtain a purer source signal. So I began my search for a suitable aftermarket head unit. After internet research and consultations with Motorsound, Motorogue and Bhandari Auto Corporation, Pune (Kenwood retailer), I dropped the Pioneer DMH-Z5290BT, a popular, hot selling model, due to higher distortion (says < 5% but that’s probably a misprint in specification sheet), and chose the Kenwood DMX8020S for its claimed sound quality and availability of HI Resolution Audio capability, as well as its advanced DSP. Cost difference was 2 times, but it’s a one-time investment, or so I thought! The Subwoofer was an Alpine PWE S8 under seat, installed at Motorogue. Cost of Headunit- Rs.40000/-

The sound quality- superb! Dealing with Manish Jain is a joy. He goes out of the way for satisfying customers.

However, after a couple of weeks, I met Rammie of Sound Factor, Andheri East, Mumbai for him to set the headunit’s DSP correctly. I learnt a lot from him, and he offered to have me listen to his DSP setup in his Ignis. When I did that, I decided to upgrade yet again and go for a DSP and Amplifier, and better speakers while retaining the already excellent headunit.

Manish Jain of Motorogue swapped the Focals for Morel Virtus 602 after deducting an appropriate amount for the Focals being installed and not brand new. I added a Nakamichi DSP, Morel Maximo Coaxials for rear, and with these, transferred the Alpine Sub into the Baleno, that had a Nippon Ndroid9 headunit. That setup turned out to be superb! The Morel Virtus are fantastic value for money.

Meanwhile, the Polo was now ready for the ultimate SQ system as follows.

Headunit- retained Kenwood DMX8020S
Front speakers- ATI Larinet 631 3 way component
Rear speakers- ATI Larinet 6.1 Coaxial

ATI is an Itialian brand that makes hand crafted speakers. I chose them after auditioning with Rammie in a Ford Mustang.





Attachment 2665208

Subwoofer- JL Audio 10TW3-D4 10” shallow mount
Amplifier for Sub and rear speakers- Hammertech ECA470 Class AB
DSP Amplifier- Helix M6 Class D to run all 6 front speakers active, and the Sub and rear speakers through its low level output via the Hammertech Amp
16/2 Platinum series cable
Platinum Black series RCA cables

Total cost about Rupees 3 Lakhs plus

The sound quality was amazing- I’d say near headphone quality. I procured a used iPhone 7 to download and play Lossless and Hi Res music, and the results was sublime. Even Spotify Premium music sounded excellent, sometimes even better on the same song as Apple Music, through an iPhone. Android downscales all music output to 48khz sampling rate. I was yet to try Tidal. On iPhones, I used a variety of DACs - Shanling, Tempotec etc and connected to the 3.5mm Aux, but USB cable connection yielded best sound quality. Bluetooth of course will not produce similar quality unless both the phone and the headunit have LDACs, and anyway wired USB is better than LDAC. I was on the learning curve as to how to get the best out of the system. Well this was October/November 2023. By December, I figured out how to get Tidal not just on Iphone, but also on Android. USB Audio Player Pro (UAPP) app lets the signal pass as Bitperfect, bypassing the Android stack that downsamples signals to 48Khz. Tidal has Master Quality Authenicated (MQA) tracks, and UAPP has an MQA decoder to process this format. After comparing the same tracks including Fleetwood Mac’s Little Lies (MQA 24bit/192Khz, 1716Kbps) and Love You Zindagi (MQA 24 bit/96KHZ, 1812KBPS- compare that with 320Kbps of CD/Lossless/Spotify Premium) on Tidal+Android, Tidal+Iphone and Tidal+Android+UAPP, I felt that the last combo is best, with rich, well rounded sound with ultimate detail.

After a few weeks, I still felt something missing. The details in track I heard though my earphones (Soundmagic EH11C) were missing. After deliberations with Rammie, who is the ultimate guru- a walking encyclopaedia of music system installs in cars and establishments like restaurants and home theatres, we made a lot of changes!

Finally, we went for-

Morel Elate Carbon 2 way and only front, no fillers at rear. The tweeters were installed in A pillar, On Axis for the driver (that’s me)! The Woofers were pointed towards the cabin as much as possible by adding spacers. The stock speakers point into the footwell! These directional installs made a massive difference.

Temporary tweeter install to locate best listening height and angle-
















Furotech speaker cables made a world of difference to the level of detail and smoothness of sound.

Tchernov RCA cables for the Subwoofer also added to the bang. All throughout, my friend and audiophile of the highest calibre Arpit (based in Mohali) guided me on the technical details (for my Home Theatre as well). He recommended 2 RCA cables for optimal performance and retaining control of Sub level through the headunit.





Headunit was upgraded to Kenwood Excelon Reference DMX958XR, imported from USA, for it's C type cable connectivity and the highest of sound quality. I wanted it for the Speed Sensitive Volume, but none of us could figure out where the S Sens wire of the Headunit is connected to the Polo! Nothing on the internet either, and nobody at Kenwood India knows!









Notice the magnetic phone holders mentioned later








Source was upgraded to Samsung S23, which I think outputs Apple Lossless and Hi Res music without downsampling it- I know because the sound is as good as, if not better, than through USB Audio Player App. Apple Music plays as good as Iphones.

USB cable is Spigen 60W 480MBPS. This makes a massive difference over stock Kenwood or regular cables in terms of sound quality and touchscreen response time.

Source app- I used Qobuz for a year. It's sound quality is unmatched, but the high subscription and lack of integration with Android Auto made me continue with Apple Music. Tidal seems a sham with MQA as I learnt over time.

Note- In the end, a music system will sound as good as the DSP tuning can make it. After running in the speakers and cables for about 6 months, Rammie and I went for the final Real Time Analyser (RTA) tuning. This made a huge difference to the already amazing sound quality. The Time Alignment is done through the Kenwood Headunit, so as to retain flexibility of adjustments anytime, and switching the TA for the passenger when required.

Next upgrade- I’m hoping medical science finds a cure for Tinnitus, and mine is increasing!

Total cost of the music system would be about 5 lakhs! Started with a budget of Rs.20000/-.

Phone holder is a work of art- just place the phone on it and the magnet will keep it in place. Swivelling is possible for pointing the screen in any direction desired. Pic given above.

Battery- recently, I made a silly mistake of listening to the music system and charging my phone with the engine off. The OEM battery went flat and at the service station, test showed Replace Battery. Since the manager clarified that warranty is gone anyway due to all the upgrades, I went for Amaron 50Mh after asking Rammie, Suhaas and Agam Bhandari. This did enhance the sound quality (as Rammie mentioned it would).

OTHER JUGAADS AND FRINGE ELEMENTS

Since the Subwoofer went in the spare tyre cavity, the tools were put in a pouch made by RDesign and stuck on the passenger floor mat with velcro.



I added a Plumbers Plyer to open and close the hose clamps for cleaning the BMC air filter. I used it to check whether the ‘Euro Spec’ inlet would let rain water enter the intake system. After driving fast on the Bandra Worli Sea Link in heavy rain, water was observed only on the lip of the intake. The air hose and connector between it and the filter housing was totally dry. Even if water enters this far, there is a drain pipe from the filter housing.

An irritating rattle that had bothered me since months and gone undiagnosed after a dozen visits to VW was finally located to be from the instrument cluster. This rattle would dissapear on rainy days, and even otherwise would occur say 1 day a week, making diagnosis difficult.

https://youtu.be/gS8j_LrfNYI?si=hLsbjGMYM4qbK10k

Chief Mechanic Nawaz at VW SC Goregaon W detected this noise's source after countless test drives. Hopefully he will fix it soon.

Wind noise problem- Then there was excessive wind noise from the B Pillar beading at speeds above 80kmph. This was rectified by a mechanic at Mody Auto VW Workshop, Thane. He simply hammered the door beading near top corner with his fist!

https://youtu.be/HeA2nAosGAQ?si=1e77lWtZU43jr96j

Other minor things done- Removed 80kmph chime through VCDS provided by Agam Bhandari. Added Speedo and RPM needle sweep on ignition on. Added Instantaneous fuel consumption reading, but not too useful.

The unique features I liked-

AC efficiency is another world. Even in non Auto mode, it will adapt to the environment and speed of car for optimal performance. Cooling is excellent.

High beam indicator blue light stays on momentarily after using the dipper. Cool, I think!

Will update anything else I may have missed in subsequent posts.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Sbk__Audiophile]

Congrats Buddy. I'm also running a similar setup in my car although front speakers not as High End.
I'm also curious why you didn't go for a 3 Way setup as you already have 10 channels of DSP and plenty for amplification. Personally running my Front 2 Way component and rear sub bridged from Helix M Six. Again fully active and RTA'd.

Also curious how much is the premium for M Six DSP over the M Six?

[ais]

Originally Posted by Sbk__Audiophile

why you didn't go for a 3 Way setup as you already have 10 channels of DSP and plenty for amplification.
Also curious how much is the premium for M Six DSP over the M Six?

Thanks!

As per Rammie, Morel Elate Midrange speakers aren't good at all.

Two way are good enough, hence we stuck to those.

Not clear about the question/difference. Perhaps online search will indicate.

[Sbk__Audiophile]

Originally Posted by ais

Thanks!

As per Rammie, Morel Elate Midrange speakers aren't good at all.

Two way are good enough, hence we stuck to those.

Agree on the First point. My reference are from Peter from Pssounds.

The midbass is having to work the midrange job and the dip should be visible in the rta. It was evident in mine and would be good since you're going the higher end route. You can add any midrange of taste since running active.

Not clear about the question/difference. Perhaps online search will indicate.

Price diff in international market and Indian market for M Six is almost same (Around 40K). However I came to know the DSP integrated prices are doubled due to customs. That why the clarification.

[Vikram9193]

Brilliant thread. With the rear sway bay on the hard setting, does the rear move around a little now? Asking because, from what little I’ve read online, the stock Figo is described as a more fun to drive car than the stock Polo, because the rear axle on the Figo will drift a little with the throttle trailing off, whereas on the stock Polo it is difficult to provoke oversteer. I’ve owned a Punto where I could not usually get it to oversteer, which got boring.

[ais]

Originally Posted by Vikram9193

Brilliant thread. With the rear sway bay on the hard setting, does the rear move around a little now?

Thanks!

Yes, on a smooth parking lot surface, the rear does want to slide, but because there are pillars around, and I'm not experienced at drifting, I can't let the rear go.

However, on turn middles and out on curves, the car just pivots around me.

[gt3t0uring]

Amazing mods!

Had been waiting for your updates since you posted about the B12s in 2022. Also, haven't seen a clean lowered Polo with stock alloys, would love to see more shots of this beauty!

Regards.

[CornerCarver]

Excellent Upgrades, Must say. Polo has always been a stylish hatch and its beauty was sublime and understated. Upgrades are necessary to make it more usable and family friendly. What with the competition offering touch screen and what not, people tend to sway away from true robust german engineering towards mileage offering so called VFM propositions.

Minor touch ups like these will help you to retain it for a longer time. Its solid build quality is second to none.

[SamGG]

I have a very similar steering wheel cover in my tiguan.I bought it from alibaba and installed it myself It costed me around 1500 rupees(with shipping and duty) and about 3 hours of my time.

The original leather is still underneath the cover and my main point of getting it was to protect the original leather.

How much did it cost to get yours done and is the original leather still underneath it?

[ais]

Originally Posted by SamGG

How much did it cost to get yours done and is the original leather still underneath it?

That looks quite nice! Is it genuine leather? I'm surprised it fit even though the original cover is underneath.

In my steering, the original was removed because the new (genuine) leather would not have fitted otherwise.

Cost as mentioned was Rs.3500/- for labour each time it was done by RDesign.

The leather did not cost me as it was part of the deal with the seats. But for next time, I expect it to cost about Rs.3000/- for the leather. I have the suede side up on the sides of the steering wheel so that sweat is absorbed when held there on long drives. The perforated grain side is on top as that part of the wheel is used more in shorter city drives and sweat is not an issue as the wheel is not held constantly in one spot. (As a thumb rule, holding the steering wheel higher results in quicker, aggressive steering, and the lower we hold, the slower and milder the response gets).

So the suede part will eventually wear out and I'll replace the leather again!

[ShyamSCrdi]

You posted that "Tape to prevent creaks from door edge- This was an issue with the BMW 330i as well." Can you please elaborate on this? What tape are you talking about?

[ais]

It's a clear tape meant to seperate the window sil/glass from the trim/beading.

It is quite expensive, but BMW and VW did not charge for it as they were aware of the sound problem.

[ShyamSCrdi]

Originally Posted by ais

It's a clear tape meant to seperate the window sil/glass from the trim/beading.

It is quite expensive, but BMW and VW did not charge for it as they were aware of the sound problem.

Thanks for the response! Do you know where this is available? I have been having a lot of interior sounds from.the door right from the day I bought the car