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well actually it does make a difference. I am referring here to features that are purely meant to increase your comfort level. And electrically foldable ORVMs are right at the top of my list. Once you have got used to them, you will hate driving a car with manual ORVMs. It really makes life very convenient. So for my friend who is going to drive the car mostly in the city, I feel such features make a difference. Also a lot has been said about Verna's handling and suspension set up. But then there is hardly any perceptible difference at speeds of 100-120 kmph which is what most people drive at. Hyundai's phenomenal sales figures can be explained only by this that people do value all those gadgets in there cars.

Finally it all boils down to what you want more. The marginal difference in handling vs a lot of extra features. :thumbs up

Believe me, the difference is not at all marginal. Marginal is what i would term as Linea v/s Vento (i own both, Linea being better) but i had a fairly good TD of Verna and the difference is not at all marginal.

Unless some one is a team bhp member, they wont know about the soft suspension, people have a small 2-3 km test drive at slow speeds which hardly brings the truth (infact Verna feels better here due to soft suspension), do ask your friend to have a fairly long TD and do give a thought on the steering and suspension.

My belief is that features are an add on, the basic fundamentals of a car should be right, rest to each his own. If your friend never crosses 100-110, then Verna should just suit him right if he wants features.

To be honest I have always been in love with the Vento. And that is what I recommended to him in the first place. But he went on a TD spree yesterday and felt that the ride quality was not much different. And he would not be driving at speeds in excess of 120 anyways. At the same time the feature list on the Verna really impressed him. To top it up the VW SA told him he had no clue of this so called price cut and added features and told him that VW is planning to discontinue the steering controls soon on the car ( probably a trick to make him book at car asap).
Anyways would convey the same to him and let him decide.

I really doubt that us Indian customers look at how well the car handles. I mean how many of us take corners at more thank 50km/h or how many of us actually drive at 100km/h plus. Or how many of us drift around the corners in our daily routine?

The percentage of enthusiasts in our country and people who actually care how the car handles at extremely high speeds are very very less. So the common man will go for the Verna only and the sales numbers show that!

I have been to the volkswagen showroom yesterday again. Saw the alloy wheels. They are riverside (7 spoke alloy wheels) and imported from Germany. The Assistant Sales manager told those cost 28K (another salesman from another showroom said 25K). So in the similar range. So if VW did some cost cutting there, the savings are close to 40K (assuming 14.5K for the new alloys which are manufactured in India).

As per the ASM at VW Palace Cross, the new reverse camera and bluetooth are being sent as kits. which means the reverse camera and the connection to the music system and the connection between bluetooth unit and the steering mounted controls will be fixed by the showroom. According to the ASM these two features cost approximately 26.5K. So according to him there is no way that the new Highline will be so cheap compared to the outgoing Highline. Even if we consider 40K savings from alloys and 26.5K additional cost from these additional features price should go up by at least 10K. If they are reducing by 30K, then in total 40K hit VW is taking. So my guess is there will be no offers like free insurance which should make the price same as the earlier Highline.

As far as I'm concerned, I'm thinking to wait till the new price list comes and try to negotiate for a better deal on the bridge model. This does not look like a feasibility but what will I lose in trying

Regards
Sreekanth

Hello bhpians

Finally some good news on the extended warranty, they have finally come out with a price and have started accepting money. Just gave 16850 rupees for a 2 yr extension, the circular has just come in on thursday.
Apparently there is a pricing structure difference depending on the purchase date of your car.
So anyone who wants the warranty, after the first year, get it ASAP

That's high. Earlier it costed around 11k. I wonder why the increase in the price tag?

I did ask this question, apparently if u take the warranty in the first year it is 11 k, but a lot of manufacturers I believe do the same, and give it at a higher rate, if you take it later.
On a different perspective, the peace of mind with the warranty is worth it.
I have had issues with the climatronic, front left suspension etc... I don't want to be in a position where I have to pay for these.

This price is for cars older than 18 months.

Note from Team-bhp support: Please use the EDIT or MULTI-QUOTE buttons instead of typing one post after another on the same thread!

Thanks for that update. It's a pity this situation exists, considering there is no actual reason from their viewpoint for them to quote a higher price, although logically from a 3rd person's view it does make sense.

Also from @Hayek's thread I remember reading that his request for the extended warranty during the last few months of the 2nd year was declined by Skoda (A$$).

Although I agree on this, I can tell you not all of our fellow Vento owners might agree with us.

The following print ad appeared in the Kolkata version of TOI today. Seems the (only) dealer in our city is aware of the new changes now or is it. Not sure if this ad is about the re-refreshed Vento/Polo or some sales promotion with the ICE from the IPL kit :confused: but it seems to talk about Bluetooth availability. I also didn't understand what they mean by "Save Tax"

Guys,
When do you generally do wheel balancing; rather how frequently do you do it? My practice was getting it done during the service schedules.

To be frank the posts on this thread is the reason for this post/query. Do correct me if my understanding/methodology is wrong.

I have always done alignment, balancing and rotation every 5000 km on my earlier Swift and now on the Vento.

The Vento has not been rotated during 15000 km first service, so I will be getting it done ASAP.

I prefer doing it every 5,000 kms. Have had bad experience with my Linea wherein it was neglected with bad alignment and balancing, the car ate up tyres like crazy within 8000 kms, so much that the rear tyres used for 36 k kms and front used for 20 k kms shows same tyre wear :Frustrati

Its best to do it every 5,000 kms, if not balancing, atleast alignment should be done. Balancing clearly shows if its out and now i make it a point to check the inside of the tyres by turning the steering to one side and then other for any uneven wear once in a couple of months.
For rotation, its best to follow manufacturer's schedule - duration and how to do it.

^
Had a very similar experience with my NHC. My front tyres were completely worn out in just 25 k kilometres. Since then I've been getting the alignment and balancing done every 5000 kilometres and never faced any problem after that. It's better to be safe than sorry!

Am having difficulty in driving at night with the stock set up, could be due to poor fog lamp design or just that the Vento has a weak light setup so this is my first car wherein i want to go in for an headlight upgrade within 2 months, do a lot of night driving so need to upgrade.
I read a few threads and my 2 options were :

1. Change to Osram NB+ or Philips Xtreme vision 55/60 bulbs which wont require any relay or harness, just a bolt on and wont affect warranty too - the safest option but the output is still a big question mark. I read that for Vento this route isnt very sucessful as the output is low and not very confidence inspiring.

2. Change to 90/100 setup with relays - there would be a big difference in the lighting but i have a few doubts regarding it :
a. Could it lead to blackening of headlamp lens like we see in a few cars due to excessive heat produced inside or any other damage?

b. Do i need to remove it before every service or just let it be until i need a warranty claim?

What should i do, would prefer a little whiter light than stock and would also replace fog lamps (read the size is H8, if anyone could confirm that)