[Explorer...]

Hi all

Despite all the mix reviews I have read on this portal, I am still considering Virtus 1.0 AT as my next car. I understand there may be some niggles which Virtus owners will either get resolved, continue to get resolved, or learn to live with. I hope BS 6.2 cars have less niggles than the earlier versions.

My specific question is about the AC effectiveness, especially in Delhi.
I took a test drive of the car last Saturday and my wife did not find the cooling sufficient in the back seat. While I will be TDing the car again this Saturday, I would like to know the feedback of the users if they find AC effective or just manageable.
A borderline performance by its AC today will not be sufficient 4-5 years down the line, given the way our mother Earth is getting warmer with each passing year.

Your feedback here will be very valuable for me.

[mayank4823]

Originally Posted by Explorer...

Hi all

Despite all the mix reviews I have read on this portal, I am still considering Virtus 1.0 AT as my next car. I understand there may be some niggles which Virtus owners will either get resolved, continue to get resolved, or learn to live with. I hope BS 6.2 cars have less niggles than the earlier versions.

My specific question is about the AC effectiveness, especially in Delhi.
I took a test drive of the car last Saturday and my wife did not find the cooling sufficient in the back seat. While I will be TDing the car again this Saturday, I would like to know the feedback of the users if they find AC effective or just manageable.
A borderline performance by its AC today will not be sufficient 4-5 years down the line, given the way our mother Earth is getting warmer with each passing year.

Your feedback here will be very valuable for me.

The AC in general is definitely weaker than other cars. Unless the vents are throwing the air directly towards you, you will be left unsatisfied. The AC isn’t trash but yeah Delhi heat will make sure that it takes 10-15 mins to cooldown the cabin.

IMO, Borrow and drive the 1.0 AT for good 30 mins in peak sunlight to judge better.

Yesterday I sat at the back seat of a Ciaz (2020 model) and almost froze at the back seat.

[vividhavasthi]

Originally Posted by GhostGT

Nevertheless, after the delivery in a week's time, there was an electrical sensor error for which I had to take the car to PPS service center.

But guess what I found out to my dismay the steering wheel is off center and pulls towards the left.

The auto start-stop never works.

Hello there, id like to know what exact electrical sensor this was; secondly, the alignment is not proper from the factory and I too had this issue, got it fixed by going to a proper shop and several test drives until I was satisfied, dont bother getting this fixed by the service centre, just takes too long.

Finally, auto start-stop, just don't use it. I have a habit of switching it off the moment I sit down in the car; given how the car doesn't have an AGM battery but a regular one, I'm just saving it to last longer. However, for your information, there are several reasons why auto start-stop doesn't work, some of which are driver seat belt not fastened and climate control being on LO, or a very low temperature. You can experiment by driving alone with your seatbelt on, with all doors locked and ac on 23. Press hard on the brake once you are at a stop and the car will switch off. You could also check battery voltage; should it be below 12V when the car is switched off then you may have a bad battery.

Keep us posted, happy to help.

[vividhavasthi]

Originally Posted by Explorer...

Hi all

My specific question is about the AC effectiveness, especially in Delhi.
I took a test drive of the car last Saturday and my wife did not find the cooling sufficient in the back seat. While I will be TDing the car again this Saturday, I would like to know the feedback of the users if they find AC effective or just manageable.


Your feedback here will be very valuable for me.

The AC as mentioned by both myself and other members is actually not that great. However, there are ways around it. I personally had my car coded to change evap temp and certain other parameters (mine is a 22 model 1.5 GT). There is an AC fix that VW has done; so I wonder if your test drive vehicle was a 2023 make or a 2022 make (and if it was fixed)

You will have to keep the AC on 21-23 range to feel what we feel on Maruti or Hyundai 24 degrees. This is something easy to live with. I live in Delhi and keep the temp at 22 around the year, cool enough in summer and warm enough in winter. Also note that you should switch off auto start-stop. It makes a big difference in AC performance.

Trust this helps.

[msri3here]

Originally Posted by vividhavasthi

Also note that you should switch off auto start-stop. It makes a big difference in AC performance.

Trust this helps.

Is there a way to switch Auto start stop off permanently or a way to toggle on a longer term rather than switching it off every time I start the car?

[vinodbollini]

Originally Posted by GhostGT

PPS service team is technically incompetent nor are they interested in resolving nor responding to my complaints.Is there any other service center in Bangalore who is competent enough to diagnose and resolve these issues?

I have recommended VW Palace Cross to 2 friends, on the basis on online reviews and they were very happy with their experience. One of them had major repairs, the other had minor ones.
I know this is not ideal, but I usually ask for the most technically competent service advisor bluntly, and say that I want to understand all the root cause analysis for the problem. If it works, it helps!

Also, for wheel alignment, please get it done from a professional tyre service place. I have personally had a really good experience with Madhu's, but there are other threads here for you to find a good one.

IMHO these things are always poor in a service centre:
1. Detailing,
2. Cleaning & washing
3. Adjusting brakes
4. Aligning wheels
5. Adjusting lights/levelling
I just get this done (or redone) from professional vendors.

[GhostGT]

Originally Posted by vividhavasthi

Hello there, id like to know what exact electrical sensor this was; secondly, the alignment is not proper from the factory and I too had this issue, got it fixed by going to a proper shop and several test drives until I was satisfied, dont bother getting this fixed by the service centre, just takes too long.

Finally, auto start-stop, just don't use it. I have a habit of switching it off the moment I sit down in the car; given how the car doesn't have an AGM battery but a regular one, I'm just saving it to last longer. However, for your information, there are several reasons why auto start-stop doesn't work, some of which are driver seat belt not fastened and climate control being on LO, or a very low temperature. You can experiment by driving alone with your seatbelt on, with all doors locked and ac on 23. Press hard on the brake once you are at a stop and the car will switch off. You could also check battery voltage; should it be below 12V when the car is switched off then you may have a bad battery.

Keep us posted, happy to help.

Thanks a lot for your response.Iam giving my car to pps service one last time for resolving these issues.I have absolutely no confidence and I do not trust them to resolve this time as well.I have found one external vendor through a friend of mine.Next week maybe I will take my car there.

What bothers me is the attitude in general by vw India towards its customers.Its unacceptable.I have taken this up on social media where vw promptly replies saying there is a dedicated competent team working on it but the truth is nobody is doing anything.Iam the one who is running from pillar to post to get some expert from vw to look into my car and get the issues fixed. But sadly they just don't care.

I sold my 6 month old creta sxo to buy virtus.Looking back i realise I made a blunder by selling it and going for virtus.Creta diesel is a very good car. Plus Hyundai service is a benchmark which companies like vw India can never match.What perplexes me is inspite of knowing this why vw is doing nothing to improve its service.I had a Skoda Rapid 1.5tdi before creta and what a car it was! I miss my Rapid dearly and my experience with Rapid led me to buy Virtus.

Just pouring out all my emotions as I like driving cars but virtus and vw India have taken the joy out of driving for me with poor quality cars and pathetic service experience.

[GhostGT]

Originally Posted by vinodbollini

I have recommended VW Palace Cross to 2 friends, on the basis on online reviews and they were very happy with their experience. One of them had major repairs, the other had minor ones.
I know this is not ideal, but I usually ask for the most technically competent service advisor bluntly, and say that I want to understand all the root cause analysis for the problem. If it works, it helps!

Also, for wheel alignment, please get it done from a professional tyre service place. I have personally had a really good experience with Madhu's, but there are other threads here for you to find a good one.

IMHO these things are always poor in a service centre:
1. Detailing,
2. Cleaning & washing
3. Adjusting brakes
4. Aligning wheels
5. Adjusting lights/levelling
I just get this done (or redone) from professional vendors.

I will try one last time with pps and then take my car to an external competent mechanic.Also is it normal for the car to move with clattering noise with jerky motion at lower speeds ?

[sizz28]

Hi Fellow bhpians,
My Virtus GT Edge Plus completed 1.5 months recently. I have already covered 1400kms and got done with the 1 month/1k kms swagat service as well. For the first 1000kms I followed the engine run-in guidance and kept the speed in check.

Up until now things have been smooth sailing. I have mostly driven in city, a couple of day trips and a trip to Madikeri and have enjoyed the drive on highways.

Wanted to share quick notes on my experience so far. Most of the observations that others on the forum have noted are true for me as well.
The Good

• Drive is very smooth and to me the suspension also felt pretty good (coming from Swift)
• Breaking is pretty good. However, the occasional break noise is present from day 1.
• The engine, the breaks and the overall ride compliance makes driving on Highways a pleasure and feels very confident. (I haven't crossed speed limits mostly. Went above 120 once or twice.)
• The cabin noise insulation is pretty good. Music system performance is also decent. It feels a 2-3 level higher than the Maruti system I had got used to of. We have used music via Android Auto and Apple car play only till date.
• Ventilated seats feel really good on hot days and long drives.

The Bad

• AC is okay at best. We keep it at 21 with Auto mode and even then during sunny days the AC makes quite a noise.
• Wireless charging is quite bad. Its slow, heats the phone and half the time errors out with "charging suspended" displayed on the car's screen.
• The noise from seat ventilation system is quite high and we have to turn it off after 20-30 mins or so.
• My car came with some new software upgrade which has the rear seat belt warnings turned on. So if I keep my laptop bag on the rear seat, the annoying chime warning with flashing icons in console starts and remains for like 10ish mins.

The Ugly

• Already feeling some squeaking noises inside cabin here & there.
• I also hear an occasional hissing (or more like Darth Vader's breathing) noise from below the steering when AC is turned on. I have observed it during the morning times mostly. I asked the service center folks to check it out during the Swagat service but when they tried and we did a test drive - it didn't happen.
• Lastly, from today the wireless Andorid auto and apple car play both connections started getting disconnected frequently. I had to go to Airport and during the way we had 3-4 disconnects. Never had this for the first 1200-1300 kms.

Is there any known fix for the android auto/apple car play disconnection issue?
Has anyone noticed the AC hissing/breathing noise in their cars too?

[kaushiksudra]

Hi All,

its been close to 10 months that I got the virtus and one of the most important accessory I was missing were the mudflaps. Tried a lot in different locations to get the OEM one's but everyone had the same answer, "VW is not selling this as an individual item and it has to be brought as a bundle of all the accessories". I was never a fan of it hence passed on buying when I got the car itself. However, a few instances of getting muck and road debris on the car, I badly wanted to get these Mudflaps. Checked Amazon, but wasn't too sure about the fit. Went ahead and checked on my trusted app for Car accessories & Parts (Boodmo) and found these by MGT. Was a bit unsure as the holes shown in the same were sure to not match with the OEM one's, but took the plunge and ordered it. Got it for a price of ₹592 with free delivery. Arrived bang on time for a late Saturday DIY.

As it is with all of us auto enthusiasts, we get to work instantly and just want to see how it would look. Hence, no before and after pictures.

Mudflaps are of good quality plastic and the feel similar to that of OEM in design and size, have precut holes for the screws and the indentations slot in perfectly with the cars design and body parts. The front is smaller than the rear ones, also each mudflap is labelled just in case you find it difficult to align.





The front one's were the first to go and 1 hole matched with the OEM and helps in aligning the part perfectly. The other hole was made on the plastic wheel arch cladding (I'm usually not a fan of making un-neccessary holes, but let this pass for a good cause). Have attached it with just 2 screws, 1 is the OEM and other silver one that you see is that was given with the accessory, though wish the screws were black in color which would blend in well, but helps that it's hidden away inside and would go unnoticed mostly.






The front ones took me barely 10 mins to install and with very basic tools. The rear mudflaps are difficult to get to as rear wheels cant steer like the front ones(wish I had a Merc with rear wheel steering which would have made this easy )

Anyways, so the car had to be jacked up which gave me a good opportunity to get acquainted with the tools of the car. Removing the nut cap was something that I had recently made aware of during my visit VW and loosened the nuts and jacked her up and it was fairly easy to get the wheel off the car.





The same procedure as front but somehow there was a slight misalignment and the inside of the mudflap was jutting out without the screw, due to a indent in the wheel arch liner.



Wanted to turn back at this time and return the product, but was too lazy to remove the front ones and tried screwing the flap in place to see if it fits well, though it doesn't fit as great as the front one's, but will do the job really well.



All in all a Saturdays evening spent well doing the first DIY on the Virtus. shall update once I use them for a few days. The part number is here for anyone looking to buy them.

https://boodmo.com/catalog/part-mud_...of_4-58268302/

A few parting pics with mudflaps.

[fhdowntheline]

As per the Autocar India long term review of the Virtus, they found some rainwater seepage in the cabin floor during extreme heavy rain. Just wanted to put it out there to see if any of the Virtus owners have experienced this at all. But it sounds a bit weird frankly. Never experienced this any any of my earlier sedan/hatch cars (including the Polo).
https://www.autocarindia.com/car-lon...-report-429309

[sid18]

Hi, I have had a weird issue with the infotainment system a couple of days back. Everything was working fine until one of my friends in the car got a call on the phone and I muted the music by lowering the volume to Zero. After that., the volume kept turning up and down automatically. I restarted the car twice, but couldn't fix the issue, the "Media" icon with Volume seek bar was ON. I had to turn off the music from my phone. The SVC setting was turned off as well.

The issue got fixed automatically after sometime. It's the first time I encountered any issue with the infotainment. I was connected through CarPlay all this while.

[lckshmi]

Originally Posted by yesyeswe

People are getting 1.5 around on Slavia, expect discount in that range, visit different dealers, let the process go on for a while, the sales people would start offering you even more discounts. Quote discount on Slavia to the Volkswagen dealers, the initial discount given is just the starting.

is there a price hike for VW? My sales executive says there's a one from Sep 27/Oct 1

Originally Posted by SidR

Let me know what deal you get on 1.5 dsg. I would be looking forward to an update from you. And, do confirm if that 60k is on ex-showroom price or on-road price. I have only managed 40k on ex-showroom. Insurance was quoted at 90k and then discounted to 54k (36k off). However, I am getting insurance for 37k from outside. They also had 7-8k markup on rto charges, they waived that off as well.

I've been negotiating with a couple of dealerships. 60k on ex-showroom is how much I've been able to push. Since I would be taking it on company lease, insurance is taken care by the vendor and hence dealership couldn't offer more discounts. Also, the sales executives say there's a price hike around Oct 1 - not sure if that's true.

[maverick81]

Originally Posted by lckshmi

is there a price hike for VW? My sales executive says there's a one from Sep 27/Oct 1

I've been negotiating with a couple of dealerships. 60k on ex-showroom is how much I've been able to push. Since I would be taking it on company lease, insurance is taken care by the vendor and hence dealership couldn't offer more discounts. Also, the sales executives say there's a price hike around Oct 1 - not sure if that's true.

I bought the 1.0 AT topline a month ago from PPS Motors in Richmond Road. I had checked multiple dealers and found their final price to be the best. Usually the biggest discount is in the insurance and some of the dealers will include the essential accessories within the on road price. I’d definitely suggest that you check with multiple dealers before taking a call. What I also found was the discounts were limited for company lease vehicles but they were willing to offer better discounts for individual buyers. All the best!

[maverick81]

A month with Maverick (Virtus 1.0 AT)

My search for a car started a few months ago. My family was keen on a 7-seater SUV but deep down I wanted a sedan. After TDing the Slavia 1.0 and 1.5, Honda City, and the XUV700, we booked the XUV. I wasn’t fully convinced but gave in as the family found the ride quite comfortable and the car was spacious. After reading through the TeamBHP blog on the XUV 700 and the experiences shared by owners, I decided to cancel the booking (in any case wasn’t keen on waiting for 6-7 months to get the vehicle).

Looked for sedans in the market within the 20L range and the only one that I had not tried out was the Virtus. I called up KUN motors in JP Nagar and booked a TD. Over the weekend, I test drove both the 1.0 and 1.5 versions. To my surprise the cabin felt a lot better than the Slavia that I had previously been in.

While I liked the GT, the reviews about DSG issues and the fact that 80% of my drive was going to be in Bangalore’s infamous bumper to bumper traffic, I decided to go with the 1.0 AT Topline. Picked the lava blue colour (the other two colours I liked were white and the cherry red)

Contacted multiple VW dealers and got the best price from PPS Motors Richmond Road. The booking process was seamless and the car was ready within a week. The delivery experience although wasn’t great. I later found out that PPS Motors had opened a new showroom in LalBagh that was probably getting all the attention.

Anyway, took delivery of the vehicle on 25th Aug. Made a couple of trips to Mysore and Krishnagiri. The first 1k inspection (Swagath) is complete as well. Got that done from KUN Motors.

Here are a few impressions from the first month of ownership:

Impressions

• The driving experience: when you look for reasons to take it out for a spin, it speaks volumes about the drive quality. The suspension is good and the ride quality is great. It took a bit of time to get used to the Auto start stop function and the braking. But once you get a hang of it, it’s pretty smooth. The AC does feel a bit underpowered and needs to be set a few notches lower than we would in some of the other cars.
  

• Simple yet elegant design: the exterior is neatly crafted with the right design elements and the interior cabin feels premium and comfortable. Love the neat dashboard and integrated infotainment. Not a big fan of the ones that are protruding like the one in the Slavia. The infotainment in the Virtus works well. Had a few issues with Apple car play as it kept disconnecting. Noticed that happened mainly when I would halt during a drive and step out of the car with my phone without switching off the ignition. On returning to the car apple car play would just not work and I would then have to disconnect the device and pair it over again. This stopped once I took care of the conditions listed above.
  

• During the first Swagat inspection, I asked the service center to look for any issues with the front left wheel as it would often give a pressure warning on the dash. Sure enough they found a big nail right in the middle of the tire. So while the pressure warning system is good, TPMS should have been included.

Overall, I am quite happy with the performance and experience so far. Have a long trip to Kerala planned in Oct. Looking forward to happier miles and memories!

Sharing a few pics of Maverick

Originally Posted by GhostGT

I have a Virtus GT since a year. I bought the car from PPS motors, Richmond road, Bangalore. And let me tell you, I had the worst delivery experience. I have put that behind me now as it is past. Nevertheless, after the delivery in a week's time, there was an electrical sensor error for which I had to take the car to PPS service center. You wouldn't believe what they said. They said the error occurred because I took my car out in the rain and that I should avoid any water coming in contact with the car! Can you believe it??

I can relate to the delivery experience issue with PPS Motors Richmond Road. I had a frustrating experience with the same dealership while taking delivery of my car a month ago. I was so unhappy with their showroom experience that I decided not to get the car serviced by them. I instead gave it to KUN motors in south Bangalore. They have recently opened a service center and I found the service advisor quite helpful.