[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by negativeH

But, is this really serious? My servicing would be due in Feb, so should I wait till then, or just go for it now?

No, its not a serious issue, else I would have got it done. I too have postponed it till next service due in Apr'13, so you too could have it done in Feb'13, nothing to worry though.

Originally Posted by newtonMeter

blue wind @ coorg!

Envy you. Coorg is such a fab place with excellent roads to push Vento TDi. Need to revisit, last time I went was 2007. Do put up more pics and travelogue if possible.

[polopm]

Originally Posted by newtonMeter

blue wind @ coorg!


Attachment 1033115

Superb ( no ref to Skoda ).
Vento loves taking the curves of the hills. I drove from Mudumalai to Ooty via Masinagudi and boy , it was amazing - the cornering and rev happy nature of the 1.6 CR engine.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

People nearing 30k / crossed 30k, do share when you had to change your brake pads. I'm almost at 30k, and the brakes seem fine. A bit surprising, but I'm absolutely sure about this. Wondering if this change would be pushed on me during the 2nd servicing.

I did it at 27K and the tyres at 29K. The braking was getting steadily worse and I got the pads changed since it was almost thin when I made the change. I switched to MRF ZLOs after that and the marriage is good so far !!
I think you are being too kind to your lady love aka vento..
You can check the pad thickness yourself, the new ones are more than an inch approx and the work out ones should be about a CM or thereabouts.

[Voyager-1]

I need some help in deciding on the Vento. My daily commute is 35 kms within city (currently, in a Santro) and my wife also drives the car for half the time. The monthly running will be around 1500 kms. The Santro is 5.5 yrs old and has done 53K. We need a car that can handle both City and Highways, so looking for an upgrade.

My wife test drove the Vento and she had some difficulties with the clutch as she could not find a proper resting position for the left leg/ankle. I am planning for a second test drive shortly to find a better seating/resting position. But my question here is, do you think Vento TDI's clutch/gearshift can become uncomfortable/painful for her in the long run? It may be a matter of getting used to, but any additional perspectives would help.

Any tips on dealing with the excessive torque in 1st/2nd gears (without any accelerator input) in crawling bumper to bumper traffic? I observed it requires some additional effort (using half clutch and brake) in controlling the car from pouncing forward and causes some discomfort to the left ankle.

I am also considering Honda City V MT. We will be test driving it today.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by polopm

I did it at 27K and the tyres at 29K. The braking was getting steadily worse

That's the question that's nagging me - how do you exactly understand the braking is getting worse? It's quite an intangible "feeling" - it's not that we do tests with marked distance & all and understand the difference.

I think you are being too kind to your lady love aka vento..

lol - actually I always take the negative view with anything in my car. If somebody would ask me now, I'd say the lady has gone slow, she's creaking in all her joints, and she's drinking fuel like water!

You can check the pad thickness yourself, the new ones are more than an inch approx and the work out ones should be about a CM or thereabouts.

Do you mean from just looking at it? Or do we get the tires off and then have a look at it?

[saaicon]

The SIlver Bullet : My new Vento Highline TDI Refresh :

Hi All, This is a story of my new Vento TDI Highline Reflex Silver. I got the car delivered yesterday in Hyderabad from Volkswagen Deccan . I have been using Team BHP extensively to research on the new car and plan to cover my experiences with test drives of other cars, the choice of Vento , the actual buying experience, and the first 24 hours with the new car here. I tried to start a new thread on this ownership review, but cant- hope the Mods can take care of this.

The Choices and reasons of rejection :

1. Maruti Suzuki Ertiga ZDI : Many of You may be surprised at my choice of Ertiga . We are a family of two, and hardly have guests and hence have limited opportunity to fill up all the 7 seats of this car. But Still I liked it as a "big Hatchback".I never looked at it as a propoer 7 seater like the Innova or a SUV. Quite impressive space management.The deal breaker was the uncertain waiting period and slight high handed ness of the Suzuki dealers ( Same reason why I had not booked the Swift and gone for the i20 three years ago). Also, the last seat ,even though had more legroom than others, it was more of a "bench" than a seat with all the potholes and rough roads creeping in.



2. SKODA RAPID 1.6 TDI Elegance : Took a TD from Mahavir Auto, Jubilee Hills. Enjoyed the TD, the car was much more responsive than Maruti Suzuki Ertiga or even the Vento ( was it because of a more forward engine tuning ) The dealer was ready to give a big discount to bring down the ex showroom price to a very lucrative 9.21 L . Finally two reasons put me off : The unsinspiring interiors ( man those green panel lighting reminded me of my first car - The Alto) and of course the highly dubious *** of Skoda.

3. Hyundai Verna 1.6 CRDI SX : This was the costliest car. Since we were buying from a corporate purchase scheme which had around 7 cars, they agreed to give us a discount 15 K after a lot of negotiation which involved even the national sales manager , corporate sales, Hyundai. It was a tough choice for me to ignore those killer looks and the host of electronic gizmos, but in the end , I had to reject it because of the bad dynamics of the car . The forums here contributed a lot to opening ones eyes and make one look beyond the clever veiling of the Verna

4. Volkswagen Vento TDI Highline Refresh : I Tded it twice, to be honest was not impressed at all the first time as the TD model was not a refresh model.Also, the ubiquitous Vento Engine rattle was a bit too much for me to handle ( coming from a pure petrol background) Luckily , there was a new VW dealership opened in Hyd at that time. Somehow, they came to know about our requirement and approached me. Even though , they were on the outskirts of the city, they came to us for a TD in a new Refresh 2012 model car, and also gave us a very good offer.

In the end, I chose the Vento for what it truly is : A solid Car with clean European No Nonsense looks, More confident ride and Handling and perhaps a better economy. A real cause of concern was the not so cheap maintenance costs, but I was not too worried as per our corporate policy, part of the maintenance was taken care by the company.

Now ,for the Delivery Experience:

Ventos days are not that good now. An April - Nov 2012 sales chart shows an average of 1953 nos per month.(33% lower than same period last year). This , coupled with the VW move of expanding the dealer network is working pretty good for the customers , I would say !. We got the quote from a nearby dealer originally and then from the new dealer who offered even more discounts and some free accessories to sweeten up the dealer. I went for the new dealer and he delivered the car within a week from the payment . I went for nil dip insurance and discounts offered included a encashment of 0% interest( car was bought at outright down payment by our company) ,a exchange bonus and a corporate discount. The handling charges was also waived off ( courtesy the Skoda dealer who had originally waived it off on the Rapid and the VW dealer had to follow that as both the cars are manufactured in the same location)

So, Finally , on Dec 31st 2012, I took the delivery of my Silver Vento. I must appreciate the professionalism of VW Deccan people who kept the car ready with PDI done and cleaned. I had informed them that I was in a hurry and would not be able to spend more than 2 hours in their dealership and to my surprise and satisfaction,the entire even took about a hour and a half including the small Puja that they had arranged.

[TopSpeeder]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

That's the question that's nagging me - how do you exactly understand the braking is getting worse? It's quite an intangible "feeling" - it's not that we do tests with marked distance & all and understand the difference.

I have changed my brake pads during my 2nd service around 29,858 km. They have charged me Rs 1,801 + Rs 196(Labor) say around 2k in total.

This says the brake pad changed after 30k km.

But now I'm running at 43,100 km. I feel it's very light, meaning it's weak and it needs hard pressing of pedal to get it stopped. I was trying to see if I could manage till 45k and thought of getting checked during 3rd service. But it looks like I have to check sooner.

If it needs another one, then earlier brake pad fixing was not proper. Since I used to hear some sound while braking, I assumed its due to rain. But it continued after the rain also.

[saaicon]

The SIlver Bullet : My new Vento Highline TDI Refresh : (Part 2)

The First 12 Hours
Before we get in to the actual drivability (which has anyways being discussed here with detail), I would like to point out the 5 major changes in the Refresh Model

1. Steering Mounted Controls: 5 keys: Sound Vol +/- , Track +/-, Mute and a Phone button . The phone button is obviously dummy, as there is no Bluetooth feature.
2. New 6 spoke Alloy Wheels
3.New RCD 310 music system with USD integration ( No AUX port )
4.Leatherette Seats
5. Black outlining around the headlamp cluster
6. Rear Parking sensor (audio only) with display on the MID ( Display is car outline only, not any camera view)

Few cautions given by the SA in VW Deccan :
1. Use normal diesel only.
2. Fuel tank capacity is 53L .reserve light comes on at 47L , So u can go easily around 50 Km + from reserve signal light.
3. The spare tyre is 14 inch steel wheel . The SA cautioned that u should not use the spare tyre for more than 30-40 km as car becomes disbalanced as all the other 3 will be 15 inch alloys


The above features are a welcome change in the 2012 model and was introduced from September 2012. They may be still cosmetic, but they do make the car a little bit more exciting to be in. The RCD 310 MID is the only serious bit of improvement in this.





Anyways, I started from the showroom with my new car.The Odo reading was 38 Km at the time of delivery. Since I am new to diesel , I felt the expected and much talked about hardness of clutch immediately. I took a longish route to come back home which involved the ORR in Hyd. With a lot of effort from my right foot, I could keep the Speedo within 100/110 Km in 5th gear. I drive a petrol i 20 which itself is a good highway vehicle with extremely good NVH levels. Vento was almost the same in terms of NVH if not better. The ugly engine sound did not filter much into the cabin. The horn sound was a pleasure to listen to ( the "pnaap" "pnaap" one) While the driver left side elbow rest provided additional comfort, the absence of a dead padel was sorely missed for a vehicle with a hard clutch

One Thing I noticed during this leg of the drive is that the turbo was kicking in much later than I had seen in the TD vehicles. Also, the Turbo kick was not also very perceptible. I do not know if it was due to tuning of the TD cars or was it due to the newer engine which had not run in.As far as FE is concerned, the MID was showing a figure of 20.7Km/L

In the Evening, I returned home from office in bumper to bumper traffic where due to my old habbit in the petrol i20, I was down shifting to first gear whenever car was stationary. Later I realised that this was not required at all, as Vento can very well start from second gear from staionery state. FE was 9.7Km/l in this stretch as per MID.

Le me drive the silver bullet a little more to give you more updates . So long...

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by TopSpeeder

I have changed my brake pads during my 2nd service around 29,858 km. They have charged me Rs 1,801 + Rs 196(Labor) say around 2k in total.

This says the brake pad changed after 30k km.

Well that is what I'm expecting - they'll probably add it to the job list during the 2nd servicing, which is in a week. I would want the pads to be changed, if they are required to be changed. Anyway, will get to know in a few days from now.

Originally Posted by saaicon

So, Finally , on Dec 31st 2012, I took the delivery of my Silver Vento. I must appreciate the professionalism of VW Deccan people who kept the car ready with PDI done and cleaned.

Congratulations. Nice to hear about a good VW experience, either people aren't putting it on words when they have a good experience or really the situation isn't that good.

Do share the total breakup if isn't a problem (considering the car is company owned(?)). Also please lose the Deccan sticker on the boot; doesn't really look good on the silver color.

[saaicon]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Congratulations. Nice to hear about a good VW experience, either people aren't putting it on words when they have a good experience or really the situation isn't that good.

Do share the total breakup if isn't a problem (considering the car is company owned(?)). Also please lose the Deccan sticker on the boot; doesn't really look good on the silver color.

Thank You Ninja, As I said competition is heating up among VW dealers. Earlier VW was also going the Skoda way, one dealer per state, but now, there are at least 3 :-)

Your observation on the sticker on the boot is well taken. Just wondering how to remove it. It does not look like a plain sticker.

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Do you mean from just looking at it? Or do we get the tires off and then have a look at it?

You can do it both ways - try looking from an angle where you can judge the pad thickness. I will try clicking a pic tomorrow but dont think it would clearly come out. If you can remove the wheel, the pad thickness would be clearly visible - attaching a pic of my bike's front disc pad (dont have any for cars), you can see the metal part on the left and then the brake pad starts.



Infact am so happy that the brake pads with cars last for so long, i have already changed my bike's rear pads within 5000 kms and at 10, the front ones would be gone as well .

If the pad replacement takes place for your Vento, make sure the disc is free of any scars or irregular surface, if it has, get it skimmed on a lathe if possible or replaced, if not then it would cause noises during braking or uneven brake pad wear. Learnt it the hard way with my Linea.

Originally Posted by saaicon

The above features are a welcome change in the 2012 model and was introduced from September 2012. They may be still cosmetic, but they do make the car a little bit more exciting to be in. The RCD 310 MID is the only serious bit of improvement in this.

Congratulations saaicon, your Vento looks very classy and elegant in that silver shade. As for the new features, out of all the above you mentioned, only the blackened headlamps came in the sept 2012 refresh along with the new alloys, rest of the things were all present in Ventos manufactured after late 2011.

In the Evening, I returned home from office in bumper to bumper traffic where due to my old habbit in the petrol i20, I was down shifting to first gear whenever car was stationary. Later I realised that this was not required at all, as Vento can very well start from second gear from staionery state. FE was 9.7Km/l in this stretch as per MID.

Please please dont make this a habit especially during running in. You should put the least load on your engine at present, no lugging and do use the first gear as and when required.

If the car is inching forward at slow speeds its fine but if you have gone stationery its not at all advisable to use second gear and start off, there is abundance of torque and you would be able to but its bad for your clutch and even your engine - take care of her for the first 800-1000 kms.

[srishiva]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

People nearing 30k / crossed 30k, do share when you had to change your brake pads. I'm almost at 30k, and the brakes seem fine. A bit surprising, but I'm absolutely sure about this. Wondering if this change would be pushed on me during the 2nd servicing.

I am almost 30k and was supposed to get it changed during my last visit (600kms ago for engine oil top up). Will get it changed tomorrow during the 2nd service.

[nikesh]

Hi Friends,

My apologies for being lost for last few month from the forum.. too much work burden!

My vento TDI HL is nearing 45k now and have done two changes -

1- I changed the brake pads finally at 39k at BU bhandari(pune). I was being told that it was so worse at that point that another 1000 kms would have caused the disc brakes to damage. Brakes improved but the stock tyres were the same so not much change I could feel while braking

2- Changed stock apollo's(185-60-R15) at 43k last week with Bridgestone MY02 tyres(195-60-R15) finally. I paid 21500 for 4 tyres including all taxes etc. Now the braking as well as driving confidence has drastically improved.

I did some reasearch for tyre selection so would like to share with all to save your time and hard earned money. Two things to finalise - Vendor and Tyre selection?

I first finalized on vendor to be bridgestone as per the user experience posted on this forum for Michelin and Bridgestone.

Tyre options considered for upgrade(descriptions here indicate the pros) -
http://www.bridgestone.co.in/SelectT...atio=60&dia=15

Ecopia (most fuel efficient, average driving experience)
ER60 (very fuel efficient, nice and calm driving experience)
Potenza G3 (out of stock with all Pune dealers possibly not manufactured anymore)
Potenza MY02 (best sporty tyre available)

I chose MY 02 as I tend to drive relatively fast(~160) whenever an opportunity and wanted absolute control with road grip while cornering and good tyre strength. Its a much better driving experience(last 1k) now with MY 02 when I did experience much better control at high speeds with the brakes as well as at average speeds(~70) on bad road conditions.

Sad part is that fuel average though has dropped for now with 2 kmpl for both city and highway. I have no clue whether this is because of my tyres being new or, will be the case with these kind of sporty tyres. I am still happy with the performance as thats what I bought vento diesel for and MY02 does compliment its aggression

Happy driving...

[polopm]

Originally Posted by TopSpeeder

I have changed my brake pads during my 2nd service around 29,858 km. They have charged me Rs 1,801 + Rs 196(Labor) say around 2k in total.

This says the brake pad changed after 30k km.

But now I'm running at 43,100 km. I feel it's very light, meaning it's weak and it needs hard pressing of pedal to get it stopped. I was trying to see if I could manage till 45k and thought of getting checked during 3rd service. But it looks like I have to check sooner.

If it needs another one, then earlier brake pad fixing was not proper. Since I used to hear some sound while braking, I assumed its due to rain. But it continued after the rain also.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

That's the question that's nagging me - how do you exactly understand the braking is getting worse? It's quite an intangible "feeling" - it's not that we do tests with marked distance & all and understand the difference.

lol - actually I always take the negative view with anything in my car. If somebody would ask me now, I'd say the lady has gone slow, she's creaking in all her joints, and she's drinking fuel like water!


Do you mean from just looking at it? Or do we get the tires off and then have a look at it?

The photo given is a good indicator. My brakes were half the thickness when I wanted to change.
One way to "feel" the brake is that the braking gets weaker and then the car stops as you are on the brakes for a long time. In fact the stop will be quite rapid (when it finally does so) and the speed will drop the cliff. You would also a feel the car dip on its suspensions.
Another crude way: Ask your colleague to drive your car ( provided he has sampled before) and pat comes the feedback - how the hell do you drive a car with such weak brakes ( i got that !!)

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by nikesh

Sad part is that fuel average though has dropped for now with 2 kmpl for both city and highway. I have no clue whether this is because of my tyres being new or, will be the case with these kind of sporty tyres.

That's because of the tires as they are messing up the odometer and MiD reading royally. These 195 60 R15 result in 2.4% error over stock tires which ultimately results in 100 Kms registered as 97 Kms only.

That's why I always suggest either to go with 195 55 R15 or 205 55 R15.

Thanks for the information on tire upgrade.

[nikesh]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Well that is what I'm expecting - they'll probably add it to the job list during the 2nd servicing, which is in a week. I would want the pads to be changed, if they are required to be changed. Anyway, will get to know in a few days from now.


Congratulations. Nice to hear about a good VW experience, either people aren't putting it on words when they have a good experience or really the situation isn't that good.

Do share the total breakup if isn't a problem (considering the car is company owned(?)). Also please lose the Deccan sticker on the boot; doesn't really look good on the silver color.

Hi Ninja,

I changed my brake pads at 39k and it was at the very end of its life when checked at BU bhandari(Pune). I was being told that riding with thin brake pads for long can then damage your disc brkaes which is a bigger expense so will suggest you dont drag the change very long. Best is to take second opinion from BH bhandari as you are based out of pune.

Regards,
Nikesh