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-   -   Volkswagen Polo 1.2L GT TSI : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/135550-volkswagen-polo-1-2l-gt-tsi-official-review-332.html)

Hi Folks,

Need your suggestions. The extended warranty for my GT TSI expires in December'18. This is also the time the car will complete 4 years. I have gone through multiple articles from GTO which i have read a zillion times on how one should maintain their car for longer periods. However, with this German hatch, i really doubt whether i should and hence am confused. The thought of the DSG mechatronics failure looms large at the back of my mind:Frustrati or Should i keep a certain amount aside (For eg. INR 2 Lacs) and drive the car for another couple of years. Even though the warranty expiry is a year away, i intend to get a perspective from the existing GT TSI owners as it will help me plan better.

Have you thought of what would replace it? Would you be happy with the replacement?
I would hang on to it for the sheer joy and ease of use it brings every time I drive it. Until of course, something else equally good comes into the market.

If you look at the last couple of pages, there are a couple of posts on how VW replaced DSG Mechatronics under goodwill warranty (post 4 years). So I think you have no reason to be worried now itself. You still have one year of extended warranty and there is some data at least to suggest VW will support if something goes wrong in the 5th year.

In any case, as mentioned in the post above, you will not find another AT hatch that comes close to the TSI.

I'm on the lookout for a petrol automatic with a budget of 10 Lacs (can stretch to 11 Lacs), as i have parted with my 2013 model swift VXI.

VW dealers in Chennai - ABRA & Sundaram have bluntly told me "sorry sir no discount whatsoever. This is our best selling Polo model ". :) . OTR quote given by rep is 10.82 Lacs.

1. Should I expect any dec offers / year end offers for the GT TSI ? Were there any offered last year ?

2. Should i take the 2017 model or 2018 model ? But if i want 2018 model then delivery will be after feb 2018 only. :eek: Though I'm not too keen on the year of manufacturing, I don't want to miss out on any expected potential upgrades / faceilifts which may come in this new year (if there is any)

3. Also the sales rep is quoting a minimum lead time of 6 weeks for delivery? is this expected and normal ?

4. Also when i test drove the car, my iphone 7 was unable to pair with the cars' system via bluetooth, whereas my wife was able to get her Mi4 connected without any hassles? Should i consider this as an one off issue ?

1. Don't expect any major discount.For a change the VW reps are right. It is the only model where they sell all they make.

2.If you can wait , then no harm looking out for the 2018 model. But typically there can be a price hike even if no new features are added. So need to take a call on that.

3. Yup , 6 weeks to 2 months is what they have been typically saying from the launch days. But you should get it sooner.

When I was looking at Vento/Polo TSI about a year back in August 2016, the responses were similar. I dealt with Sundaram then. There was no discount on offer for Polo TSI, but there was a 60K discount on Vento TSI. It might be even more now, since it is closer to year end.

The OTR might be closer to 12 on the Vento Comfortline.

I was casually looking around then, so wasn't really haggling at that point.

I waited for about an year to see if any offer comes for GT TSI. Offer didn't come; and price increased! But then GST kicked in and the price got reduced. So, I believe that there won't be any offers/goodies for GT TSI.

My GT TSI (February 2017 make, one of the first with 16" rims) pairs up very easily with my iPhones. I had iPhone 5S when I took delivery, and now I have the iPhone 8. Both connect through bluetooth effortlessly.

Was your wife's phone connected first? And then you tried yours? I have seen with a few bluetooth devices that sometimes the second connection can take upto 15 minutes. That is the case with my Bose Soundlink mini bluetooth speakers. I have no idea, why, just took it on my stride as one of those things.

Other questions have already been answered quite precisely by fellow members. I just like to mention that in my case I took delivery of the car approximately three weeks after booking. It was a bit quick in my case, as promised by my Kolkata dealer.

Pitch the dealers against each other (and let them know, along with genuine readiness to buy) is the one that worked for me when buying a Honda and TSI last month. The difference between highest and lowest quote was 30k+. Also, I did insurance by myself (easy 15k here), bargained on the registration charges as the dealers add ~8k or more on top of actual RTO % and got some reduction on controversial logistics/handling charges.

Also, check out the cars in their inventory, other than white & red (dark grey one) might get additional discount. And as you mentioned the lead time could be of 6 weeks with this dealer, do check out with other dealers as well who might have some inventory. I picked one of the 2 cars in the dealer's inventory as waiting long takes away the joy IMO.

The latest refresh happened in late Sept'17 (with bigger touch screen) so the one in the inventory from late Sept on wards is the latest and greatest.

Suspension Overhaul at Cartisan:-
For long time, I have been contemplating on buying the Bilstein B6. Was in touch with Ross(www.tdcautomotive.com) from whom many team-bhpians have procured the Bilstein. Unfortunately, B6 was out of stock for last 6 months(even now it is out of stock). Also got to know from other friends that after GST it is very difficult to "under invoice" import items. So, one would need to pay around 40% of custom duty.

So, started looking for the VFM alternates available in India. Came across TRW struts from http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...-vw-vento.html, and decided to go for it.

Next, I started looking for the installers, and came across Cartisan. These guys had already done a Vento Suspension Overhaul(http://cartisan.in/2013-volkswagen-v...sion-overhaul/). Called them and booked an appointment. They came home for the inspection, and showed me the damaged lower arm and link rod. Since I had already covered 80,000 kms, I had decided to change all suspension components.

Asked for the estimate, and got the estimate(Rs 35,000). This does not include strut mounts(which I had already procured from ECSTuning) and alignment. Paid Rs 5000 advance, and booked an appointment(Garage:Car xpert, Hosur Road). It took almost 6 hours for the complete installation. Old front struts were completely damaged(oil leakage).

Cost breakup:
Front strut pair(TRW) Rs 6950
Rear strut pair(TRW) Rs 4950
Front rubber buffer and boot pair(Febi) Rs 1650
Lower arm pair(TRW) Rs 7400
Tie rod end pair(TRW) Rs 1740
Link Rod pair(TRW) Rs 3840
Steering ball joint pair(TRW) Rs 1940
Balance Rod Bush pair(Febi) Rs 1200
Rear rubber buffer pair(Febi) Rs 2230
Front strut mount pair(ECSTuning) $40
Rear strut mount pair(ECSTuning) $60
Labour Rs 3800
Balancing Rs 300
Discount Rs 900

Video of my car at the workshop:
https://youtu.be/LdSyIp3zZ5c

Next day, I got a call from Cartisan regarding the complimentary car detailing(Washing, waxing, vacuuming and interior cleaning), booked a slot,and they took almost 3 hours for the complete detailing.

After the suspension overhaul, car definitely feels planted(may be because of the replacement of damaged front struts).

About Cartisan:
Pros:
- Trained technical staff
- Friendly courteous supervisors
- They procure all parts
- They also have a nice App
Cons:
- They would need to improve their estimation process. One other team-bhpian also had asked for the quotation for his Polo TSi, cost of the parts were different.
- During the inspection though technician had mentioned that front struts were damaged, same was not included in the initial estimate. I had to remind, and get the modified quotation.

Overall, I am happy with Cartisan, will definitely approach them for all minor repairs.

Also came to know that they stock Brembo, and come home and fit those.

Do we have anyone here who has integrated a reverse camera with R340G system? Which camera did you use for the installation?

Of late I am facing a minor issue - sometimes when I try to slot the car from P to D (after it has been parked for over a few hours), I find it become slightly difficult to move the gearshift lever to D - there seems to be some sort of minor resistance, as if the pins are blocked by something, preventing their free movement (the change in engine note is also visible)

Is it because the car undergoes a slight movement post it is parked/probably because it is parked on a slight gradient? Any thoughts?

Yes it due parking on the incline, no issues with the transmission. Next time while parking engage the handbrake and make sure car is stationary. Slot the gear in P after this and the problem won't occur.

To eliminate this point, have you tried engaging hand brake before shifting to P mode?

So what I mostly do is, once the car is parked, I slot it into N, engage the handbrake, and then slot it into P. Is this sequence OK, or do you engage the handbrake once you bring the car to a standstill (while in D), and then directly shift to P?