Team-BHP - Volkswagen Polo 1.2L GT TSI : Official Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by graaja (Post 4179035)

Welcome to the GT Tsi club. Wishing you tens of thousands of safe miles and smiles.

1. Though technically, warranty would go, if you have a good rapport with the dealership, they should support you in any warranty claims, as the steering wheel is plug and play and OEM.

2. Recently my friend got a GT TSi and got the armrest fitted by the dealership itself. Cost him about 7K. Check with your dealer. Alternately you could get it from AliExpress as well.

3. I am not an expert on speakers. Even I want to upgrade the speakers. I heard that the simplest upgrade would be to go for Focal speakers with the stock HU. Others experts on audio would be able to provide better information.

Thanks for your inputs graaja. I spoke to the dealership after looking at your post, and got the armrest fitted from them for 8K. It was an easy install, done in 15 mins. Super comfy, and got a bit of extra storage space.

I have been recommended ETON for such a setup, any idea how good they are?

I'll be travelling to Singapore next week and to US in November, might as well pick up the MK7 steering wheel personally when I am there.
-Has anybody here tried bringing in a steering wheel themselves?
-Any customs issue that could creep up on return?
-Will buying in US (RHD orientation) pose a problem in installation

Also, if anyone could point me to a good seller in either of these countries, that would be great.

Thanks in advance.

Need inputs from fellow GT owners on brakes.

I am not very happy with the brakes in the GT. With the Brembo red pads and OE rotors and the brake assist set to early in VCDS, braking is very good at low speeds. However, once I reach highway speeds and after a few repeated braking events, I see severe brake fade. I have a few questions.

1. Has anyone faced such a problem? What things did you do to fix this? Did something simple as brake bleeding or changing to a better brake fluid solve the issue?
2. Is the brake fluid used in the GT dot3 or dot4? If it is dot3, would changing to dot4 improve braking?
3. Has anyone tried Brembo drilled or slotted rotors? How is the performance and life?

Thanks in advance for any inputs and pointers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by graaja (Post 4186647)

Since you also drive a Jetta, other cars such as the GT TSI will feel a bit under. Are your tyres new? May be changing to PS3 will make a heck of a lot of difference. I won't suggest changing rotors, try the EBC yellowstuff pads. How much has your GT run? Trust me the tyres will make a big difference.

Quote:

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead (Post 4186766)

Hi, thanks for the suggestions.

The tires are 205/55/R15 Conti MC5s. They have run just 11000 kilometers. The tires offer very good grip. Braking while the brake system is cold is very good. Only when the brakes get hot from a few repeated braking, the fade happens.

That is why I am doubting the rotors or the pads for poor high temperature performance. I have heard from a few people that Brembo red pads of the previous generation were fantastic, but they too changed the compound in the latest version, and the performance is not that satisfactory after this change.

I also heard that the discs used in the current generation Polo in India are manufactured by TVS and the quality has dropped several notches compared to the previous generation (type 1) that used to be manufactured in EU and fitted in older Polos and Ventos. This is the main reason why I am thinking about changing the discs, and also drilled or slotted for effective heat removal.

The EBC yellow stuff pads are my choice as well. Unfortunately, VW has changed the brake pad size and shape (it is called type 2 in Brembo dealer site) and EBC yellow stuff is not yet available for type 2. I heard that they may be available in August.

Quote:

Originally Posted by graaja (Post 4186783)

I have heard from a few people that Brembo red pads of the previous generation were fantastic, but they too changed the compound in the latest version, and the performance is not that satisfactory after this change.

I was using Brembo rotors with the black Brembo pads and was more than satisfied with the braking performance. It felt much superior to the stock setup and the car inspired confidence in emergency situations.

However, the rotor life was not long and it suffered from warping issues. The official Brembo dealer in Goa suggested to switch to the red pads assuring similar performance.

Changed to new set of Brembo rotors paired with the red pads and after the bedding in period also, the braking performance has not even reached the level of the stock setup! It's pathetic in my opinion. However, having spent 10k, I am not in a mood to change to something else so quickly. But it's all about the Brembo red pads vs. Brembo black pads. The plain Brembo rotors are per se excellent.

Quote:

Originally Posted by torque18 (Post 4186817)

Thanks a lot for the feedback. I have a few questions.

1. When you were using Brembo rotors + Black pads, what were the rotors - plain, slotted or drilled?
2. How much life did the rotors give you before they warped? Did the pads also wear out completely by the time the rotors warped?
3. Are you having the solid rotors + red pads in the current setup?

If my understanding is correct, black pads provide better braking, but result in quicker brake wear, right?

I called up my dealership yesterday to enquire about the front armrest. They quoted Rs. 6000 for it. They also said, they have a black one and a grey one. Which one suits the GT TSI? The dealership person was suggesting black. I have set up an appointment at 3 PM today. Is there anything I should watch out for during installation?

Quote:

Originally Posted by graaja (Post 4186647)

3. Has anyone tried Brembo drilled or slotted rotors?

One of my friend is using Brembo drilled and red pads on his Polo TSI, he is also a member here. I haven't driven or experienced it till now but the braking is superior than stock setup with drilled rotors.

I will be getting myself Tarox G88, will try it with stock pads or tarox pads itself. If you have someone travelling from Europe, Tarox will be a good try. Tbhp member Robi is running on Tarox + stock pads which as per his update is far superior.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GT145 (Post 4186936)

Hi, thanks for the feedback.

I had talked to Robi and he gave very good feedback on the Tarox G88 + stock pads. I would just go for the Tarox discs, but for the cost. In India, it costs close to 48K. It costs 216 GBP in awesomegti website. But the shipping is another 175 GBP. With customs it would cost close to 42K. As I do not have anyone to hand carry it from EU, I will have to bear the brunt of the high shipping costs and customs. That is why I am looking for more economical alternatives which can be sourced locally in India.

Which Tarox pads are you going to get? Strada or Corsa?