[XLR8]

According to the service advisor, it was because of bad fuel. That's also strange because I am very particular about the fuel stations I go to. So now, I am confused. I think there is only so much in your control. I almost immediately purchased the extended warranty for the next 2 years. In the meanwhile, the fact that road side assistance is AMAZING is a relief. I had a long chat with the TOW truck operators. In case you guys have any questions, let me know.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by XLR8

It was a low pressure pump failure. Was replaced under warranty. The actual cost was INR 12,000. Phew!!

XLR8, could you upload the snap/scan of the invoice for this replacement? I wanted to know the relevant part number(s) for the component(s) they have replaced.

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by DineshKanna

Will there be any issues if i get the battery replaced by any other vendors apart from Volkswagen?

Its always better to get the battery replaced directly from a brand(as per your choice) authorized Battery Vendor. You'll always get a much better deal (eg: batterybhai.com) right from the comfort of your home.

No car manufacturer can force customers to get it done at their dealership except if they are replacing the battery for free under warranty (generally battery replacement warranty is for the first year of purchase)

[anToNIcHeN]

Originally Posted by DineshKanna

During my 45000Kms service i got a report saying that the Battery is weak and needs replacement. The replacement cost comes around Rs. 7500/-. Can someone tell if i can get the battery replaced outside Volkswagen? Will there be any issues if i get the battery replaced by any other vendors apart from Volkswagen?

Also let me know which brand i could go for and its battery cost.

Normally, TDi batteries have life time of around 3 years (I am assuming 45K ~= 3 year service). Mine lasted for less than 3 years.
I got mine replaced for 7500. Its a Varta battery.

Originally Posted by printh

My 2 cents !!
Get the battery checked outside to make sure the battery really is dead because VW and its infamous service experience. When I changed battery for my optra magnum,it was about 4200 inr with 2 year warranty.

If you want battery to be maintanence free and with 4 years warranty , it was quoted for about 8 -9k.

If you choose to pick imported bosch or varta battery ,it comes to around 15000 inr range!!!

In my case, VW service manager said that if i replace the battery from non VW recommended brand, and if some thing happens to my electrical system, VW wont acknowledge the guarantee. Since I had custom audio installed in my car and the difference between a VW battery and Amaron battery is hardly around ~Rs.1500, i went with VW brand (varta), for the piece of mind.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by DineshKanna

During my 45000Kms service i got a report saying that the Battery is weak and needs replacement. The replacement cost comes around Rs. 7500/-. Can someone tell if i can get the battery replaced outside Volkswagen? Will there be any issues if i get the battery replaced by any other vendors apart from Volkswagen?

Also let me know which brand i could go for and its battery cost.

I believe @noopster had gone for battery replacement from outside (non-VW); might be wrong, but you can check with him.

Originally Posted by anToNIcHeN

Normally, TDi batteries have life time of around 3 years (I am assuming 45K ~= 3 year service). Mine lasted for less than 3 years.
I got mine replaced for 7500. Its a Varta battery.

"Generally" that's true But mine's still going strong (so far) at the fag end of the fourth year. Will get to know in the 4th servicing. Got it checked last year July and also start of this year - both times VW said the battery condition was good!

[noopster]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

I believe @noopster had gone for battery replacement from outside (non-VW); might be wrong, but you can check!

That's right. I got my battery replaced by the official Exide dealer in Bhusari Colony off Paud Rd. it came to 5400 after exchange of my OE battery. VW was quoting 7K+ and even the SA there didn't say too much when I said I will get it done outside.

[tomchacks]

Originally Posted by tomchacks

Injector failure
My 2010 Vento TDi has done 56500 kms. On 16th may, on a family trip from Kochi (my base)to Rameshwaram, the car started jerking after the coil flash while on the ECR near Tuticorin. My warranty had expired.
It was confirmed as failure of Injector 3. The replacement was done on 19th. As I was aware of the repeated failure of Injectors prior to 15 June 2012 though this forum, I had requested dealer to take up issue and do it free of cost. They agreed to do their best. When i returned to pick up car, they told VW had declined goodwill replacement in this case as it was out of warranty. (though they had cleared in earlier cases it seems) As I was with family and had to move out, I had no option but to pay and take delivery.

The car is running smoothly now. But I am planning to take up this issue with VW. Though dealer checked and said other injectors are ok and also updated VAS, it is a Damocles sword still.

2nd Injector failure

As feared the injector failure is continuing to haunt me. On 27 Jul, while driving to Kodai from Kochi, the failure symptoms reappeared around 10 kms from Kodai. Managed to drive upto my hotel. I had taken RSA as advised by Forum seniors and vehicle was towed to Madurai. Yesterday Madurai service centre called upto say injector no 2 is faulty and wanted my confirmation to replace with cost. I told them that I had taken up this issue with VW customer care and the issue is still not resolved. In fact I had sent several messages to VW CC to replace all the injectors free of cost and last week finally I got a phone call from CC Pune and a phone message with a complaint number registered. today also Madurai called for my confirmation and I have struck to my stand to take up complaint and this failure with Pune. I have also forwarded the complaint reference. My wife is with me along with another friend couple.

I would welcome suggestions from forum members.

[batterylow]

Got the price list of the Automatic variants from VW Coimbatore.

Must say the price lists are nicely designed and presented unlike the black and white A4 pages that are given out from most other showrooms.

There are no discounts for the Automatic variants.

[JoshMachine]

Folks - noob question, can someone help me with a copy/link of the vento user manual?
I know there exists a separate thread on the manuals, but couldn't locate therein easily.

I have recently TD the new Vento (Diesel AT) and also subscribed to this thread, but would like to do some offline viewing through the manual.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

Folks - noob question, can someone help me with a copy/link of the vento user manual?
I know there exists a separate thread on the manuals, but couldn't locate therein easily.

I have recently TD the new Vento (Diesel AT) and also subscribed to this thread, but would like to do some offline viewing through the manual.

No manuals available online for VW cars. You could download the Rapid's manual - both the cars are identical in a lot aspects.

[csnanjappa]

By asking for manual if you mean Brochure's , they are available in Volkswagen India website .

[Turbohead]

My first post on the forum.
Caution:Long one. Do bear with me

PART 1
Glow plug indicator and Check Engine light
On our way back from Kerala 2 weeks ago, the glow plug indicator started flashing on our Vento ( around 20k on the ODO, over 1 year old). We had done about 200 km when this happened. We pulled over and checked the manual and it stated that there was a fault in the Engine Management System and that the car should be taken to the nearest service centre. We were driving very sedately with speeds not more than 120kmph. There were no jerks, vibrations or loss of power at all. We idled the engine for about 30 seconds and shut it down. On restarting, there wasn't any warning. So we continued the journey without any drama for another 400 km. Since the warning didn't pop up again, we assumed it was an error code and didn't go to the service centre.
But yesterday, on our trip to Ooty, the glow plug indicator started flashing again. Since we were nearing Vellore, we decided to go to the Service centre knowing very well that something was wrong. It was on the highway itself which made things very easy. We decided to go their directly with the lights flashing since it was just 10 km away from our spot. The problem was that the service centre was closed on account of the public holiday declared by the Govt. On restarting the car, the warning disappeared.
So we continued the journey only to find the glow plug flashing again. This time we stopped the car and called up the VW helpline.
VW Helpline
I must say that the people at the helpline centre were very helpful. We explained our situation and they gave a few contact details of the workshops on our route. When asked if it was safe to drive they said we can drive untill the sign becomes red ( it was yellow first). On further requests they connected us to the technician at ABRA Motors Chennai. He said that we can continue our journey if there weren't any jerks or loss of power( we never had that). So we set off again after restarting the car
No hope
After 50 km, the glow plug indicator started flashing again. This time the Check Engine Light came on too. We weren't confident of continuing the journey and aborted the plan. We were returning home. On calling the technician again, he said it was normal for both the lights to come on together.
Surprise!
On the way back, only the Check Engine light was on. We had a very bad puncture in the front left wheel. Due to the jolt, the light went off, never to return
PART 2
The Puncture.
In one word- Shocking. Here's how it happened.
This was at night( around 10:45 PM).
We were doing about 100-110 kmph when a Zen Estilo overtook us.At around the same speeds we continued on to a corner right after which my dad saw a plank of wood on the road. We ran over it since we couldn't change lanes due to the car in the next lane. There was a big jolt and a loud noise. We knew one of the tires were punctured. Dad immediately braked and pulled over. The car handled really well without any drama. Period.
It was the front left tire. On removing it we saw the gravity of the situation.
























It was because of a log of wood about 3 feet long and having the breadth and height of a brick. It seemed like the ones used to keep trucks from rolling.
Here's the ironic bit.The tire did not tear at all. Only the side walls were damaged due to the puncture. It was perfectly fine otherwise.

At ABRA Motors today
Since we didn't have an appointment, we had to wait(read just less than an hour) until an SA could be allotted to us.
We explained about the warnings we had received and he said it's because of some dust particles on some sensor. He turned on the engine and checked the engine compartment physically. He then advised us not to worry since it was a normal issue. We insisted that it should be checked. He said that he wanted to save us some trouble. So we replied that we aborted a vacation just to check the car.
We then showed him the allow wheel. He said that he will try for warranty replacement. He said it will take 2 to 3 days and that we should leave the car for inspection. We said that they can keep the wheel and do the inspection right away.
They took the car up a ramp and checked the under side closely. The rear alloy wheel had also suffered a bend. Thank God it didn't get punctured. There were no other damages.

The last straw

The SA then took up the job sheet and wrote that they had the alloy wheel. We then requested him to write about the check engine light too which he refused. Thankfully the VW Helpline had given us the 'case no' which they requested us to show it to the SA. When we told the SA about it, he said that he has never heard of such terms.
Suddenly he said that we should leave the car for diagnostics, which would take several hours. We had no problem.

I need some answers
1. Should we really worry about check engine glow plug indicators if the car is running fine?
2. Are OBD II scanners good enough to scan the vehicle or is VAG-COM required? Is there a realible one for cheap? Not willing to spend 21k on a cable which will be rarely used.
3. Do alloy wheels break so easily? Will we get warranty for that? I mean do people change the tires and the wheels every time they have a puncture on the autobahn?
4. Are Apollo tires so good???
5. Is it in any way advisable to fix a bend alloy wheel?

The car is at the workshop. It's promised to be delivered tomorrow.

The alloy wheel has literally broken in to 2 pieces radially. I am not kidding. The pics dont really show it. It's just held together by the the tires.

[khoj]

Manuals are for service & all things technical

Brochures are basically sales literature

[Pferdestarke]

Originally Posted by Turbohead

1. Should we really worry about check engine glow plug indicators if the car is running fine?

Though glow plug and check engine indicators might flash out of some innocuous issues like errors, bad fuel quality, contaminated fuel, etc., it is always advisable to have a quick check with an OBD scan or VCDS to find out the real cause.

Originally Posted by Turbohead

2. Are OBD II scanners good enough to scan the vehicle or is VAG-COM required? Is there a realible one for cheap? Not willing to spend 21k on a cable which will be rarely used.

For a quick scan to look for error logs and fault codes any generic OBD II scanner can do fine. However VCDS allows you to get full access to the diagnostic system alongside the capability to make adjustments to the ECU owing to it's Volkswagen Group-specific manufacturer protocol commands.

Originally Posted by Turbohead

3. Do alloy wheels break so easily? Will we get warranty for that? I mean do people change the tires and the wheels every time they have a puncture on the autobahn?

Alloys are tad bit stronger and durable than steel rims. Albeit they withstand impacts with potholes and obstacles better than steel rims they do have their limitations, beyond which they give up. In your case, the obstacle was a good chunky wooden log, which in my view did what it could do to your wheel. I don't think you would get any warranty in an event like this. They'd simply call this an abuse and shake their hands off. Anyways you can still give it a try.

Originally Posted by Turbohead

4. Are Apollo tires so good???

They may not be the best rubber for your ride but trust me they are not bad at all. I've been using the stock acelere tyres on my Rapid for the past one and half years and I'm happy with them. They provide adequate grip and are durable IMO however they are noisy and not as comfortable as Michelins on rough roads.

Originally Posted by Turbohead

5. Is it in any way advisable to fix a bend alloy wheel?

IMHO it's a big no from me. Once bent/damaged, it's prudent to replace it with a new one. Using such wheels may prove catastrophic on the long run but to each their own.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Turbohead

I need some answers
1. Should we really worry about check engine glow plug indicators if the car is running fine?

The lights that glow up are there for a meaning and as a prevention before there is engine damage or seizure. It alerts the user and instills - "Stop driving whatever be the condition!"

One should stop and get it checked only then continue to use the car.

Originally Posted by Turbohead

2. Are OBD II scanners good enough to scan the vehicle or is VAG-COM required? Is there a realible one for cheap?

Generally OBD-II readers are generic and cannot give it manufacturers specific dates and read error codes. If you use the ELM 327 readers they may not give out full data and DTC for the said problems thereby you not getting to the root of the "real problem".

I suggest / recommend VAG-COM.

Edit: Look up on Aliexpress. They have lot of codes at chair rates.

Originally Posted by Turbohead

3. Do alloy wheels break so easily? Will we get warranty for that?

At 100+ kmph that too over a wooden log, No alloy wheel manufactured would have sustained.

Be happy that the car ran that much extra after the puncture incident, especially the rear left wheel. Great job IMO.

Depends on the mood of VW officials. Not sure why warranty should be honored in the first place.

Originally Posted by Turbohead

4. Are Apollo tires so good???

Same goes to the tyres. Had the tyres not been good, you would have had a tyre burst instantly - not once but twice in the two tyres. Thank your stars nothing such happened.

Autobahn's do NOT have wooden logs etc strewn around on the road for users to go over it @ 100+mph damaging their car, body, suspension, etc. All this is only in India.

Originally Posted by Turbohead

5. Is it in any way advisable to fix a bend alloy wheel?

No ways. Do NOT even get such thoughts. Spend money and get another pair.

Be safe and peaceful with the alloy charge rather than tinkering it.