[TN13Sleeper]

Very nice ownership report. I have two queries and would appreciate if you could reply them.
1. I have an 1.5 TDi 5 MT. The clutch is very heavy and I experience physical pain occasionally (once every 2-3 months). I disregarded it to be a general pain that goes away on it's own. Can you please elaborate on this medical condition. I guess low seating of Sedan and heavy clutch pedal is not a healthy combo in the long term.
2. "Bad experience 1 - Engine overheating to 95°" You have mentioned that the service centre took 6 days to diagnose and rectify the fault. But no mention as to what they finally did. Any idea on what was the actual problem that they worked upon and rectified?
Thanks

[andafunda]

Originally Posted by TN13Sleeper

1. I have an 1.5 TDi 5 MT. The clutch is very heavy and I experience physical pain occasionally (once every 2-3 months). I disregarded it to be a general pain that goes away on it's own. Can you please elaborate on this medical condition. I guess low seating of Sedan and heavy clutch pedal is not a healthy combo in the long term.
Thanks

I had a Skoda Rapid manual 1.5 with the same heavy clutch issue. I got an ankle ligament injury while playing football and I couldn't bear to drive the Rapid anymore. Did it for 2 years but eventually gave up. After a 3-4 hour drive with that stiff clutch, my ankle would become sore!

[KANNURAN]

Thanks Achin.Jain for the precise and informative ownership experience. Though I own the Vento's sibling, the Skoda Rapid, my experience echoes your own.
Regarding the awesome mileage of your vehicle (1100Km with 50L), I have suspected , on occasions, there is something wrong with my Rapid, possibly one of the cylinders not firing, coz that is the kind of mileage I get at times.
I wonder aloud, why the VAG-India folks don't highlight the strong-points of their vehicles, instead of coming up with one laughable "VARIANT" after another.
Despite their age, the Vento-Rapid combi is the safest, best handling and best wearing car in its class. Once you buy one of these, the Jap-Korean-Chinese offerings would hardly ever gravitate to your shopping-cart.

[Schneller]

Originally Posted by achin.jain

In March 2015, I bought the VW Vento 1.5 TDI with the 7-speed DSG. I believe this engine and gearbox combination was launched in the second half of 2014, so it was still relatively new when I bought it. I had a test drive and instantly fell in love with the driving dynamics of the car and the gearbox technology. I buy cars for long-term use. Previously, I had bought the trusted WagonR in 2009 which had done over 125,000 kms till 2015.

It was indeed a great choice, i too decided to buy one in Q1 of 2015, but waited till the facelift was around to jump. We have many things in common, even i owned the WagonR when the Vento was bought and, going through your service history (read:repairs) i could match with almost everything i experienced.

It was a really great car that gave really good FE. i used to get more than 21 KMPL on highway drives with a heavy foot. It's the only thing i miss about the car now.

Sold it off on 4th October 2020 with 1,28,500 Kms on the ODO and bought in a 1.5 TSI with the same 7 speed gearbox

Still, i miss the FE, currently getting 11-13 KMPL and filling up every 400-550 KMS (as opposed to 800-950 earlier)

Here's a parting shot of mine.

[achin.jain]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

Congratulations on completing the 6 digit milestone on thr Vento.

I can't help but notice how many non-scheduled replacements have been done and amount of each item. Volkswagen definitely are expensive to own.

True. And the number of repairs increase year on year. One of the reasons for doing this post was to highlight the repairs and how lucky I was to never let me warranty lapse. An expensive car to own but with warranty the cost of ownership comes down.

Originally Posted by Schneller

Still, i miss the FE, currently getting 11-13 KMPL and filling up every 400-550 KMS (as opposed to 800-950 earlier)

Thank you for sharing your experience. This is going to be my first and last diesel car, so I am determined to squeeze as many kms from it as possible.

Originally Posted by KANNURAN

I wonder aloud, why the VAG-India folks don't highlight the strong-points of their vehicles, instead of coming up with one laughable "VARIANT" after another.
Despite their age, the Vento-Rapid combi is the safest, best handling and best wearing car in its class. Once you buy one of these, the Jap-Korean-Chinese offerings would hardly ever gravitate to your shopping-cart.

You have hit the nail on the head. As a customer, I take the liberty to say that VW's marketing is an embarrassment. When I was buying the car in 2015, the TV commercial which aired was pathetic - the only message I remember they aired was that "Vento automatic is easy to drive." Nothing about mileage, safety, technology, driving experience, etc. The 7-speed DSG should be a bragging point but it became a liability. I have friends who have bought the competition cars (City, Verna, etc.) and they are always impressed with my Vento. But when they were shopping for their cars, they didn't even visit the VW showroom.

Originally Posted by TN13Sleeper

Very nice ownership report. I have two queries and would appreciate if you could reply them.
1. I have an 1.5 TDi 5 MT. The clutch is very heavy and I experience physical pain occasionally (once every 2-3 months). I disregarded it to be a general pain that goes away on it's own. Can you please elaborate on this medical condition. I guess low seating of Sedan and heavy clutch pedal is not a healthy combo in the long term.
2. "Bad experience 1 - Engine overheating to 95°" You have mentioned that the service centre took 6 days to diagnose and rectify the fault. But no mention as to what they finally did. Any idea on what was the actual problem that they worked upon and rectified?
Thanks

First. I am not an expert in this medical condition. I had gone to the doctor as soon as I developed the pain in my knee and replaced my car within days. However, the pain is an outcome of knee joints rubbing excessively; and that is a result of frequent pressing of the clutch pedal in city traffic. Things that help are: Firstly, sit up straight (not leaning back). And secondly, your seat should not be too far back, so when you press the pedal, your left leg should not extent all the way.

Second. "Bad experience 1 - Engine overheating to 95°." The problem in this case was a small part - the engine thermostat. It took the service centre 6 days to fix the problem because they were in denial that there's anything wrong at all. Once they figured out the repair, they waited another 2-3 days to get the warranty amount credited to their account before handing over the car.

[sunsetorange]

Originally Posted by TN13Sleeper

1. I have an 1.5 TDi 5 MT. The clutch is very heavy and I experience physical pain occasionally (once every 2-3 months). I disregarded it to be a general pain that goes away on it's own. Can you please elaborate on this medical condition. I guess low seating of Sedan and heavy clutch pedal is not a healthy combo in the long term.

More than the low seating, it is the hard clutch and the long travel of the pedal combined with the clutch riding one has to do while negotiating city traffic. This is more so if you studiously press the clutch pedal to its full extent like I do.This preserves the clutch at the expense of your left knee and ankle. Add to this the damage already done if you are overweight ( osteoarthritis) and you have a recipe for disaster.

[vasanthjn]

Originally Posted by achin.jain

You can also buy a Service Value Pack from the dealer and prepay for two services at ₹2,000 to ₹4,000 discount. The service pack will also give you added coupons for interior dry cleaning, 50% off on labour charges, 50% off on wheel balancing and alignment, 25% discount on body workshop, etc. I used the 50% discount coupon at the time of timing belt overhaul. Below a few pictures of car’s interior after using the cleaning coupon at 106,559 kms:

:

Hi Achin,
That was a wonderful write-up on your experience with your lovely Vento.

I recently bought a Pre-owned 2015 HL Jetta and would like to know more about the Service Value Pack. Is this available across all their (VW) cars or specific to Vento? Please throw some light on this.
TIA.

[Amsdoc]

Originally Posted by TN13Sleeper

I have an 1.5 TDi 5 MT. The clutch is very heavy and I experience physical pain occasionally (once every 2-3 months). I disregarded it to be a general pain that goes away on it's own. Can you please elaborate on this medical condition. I guess low seating of Sedan and heavy clutch pedal is not a healthy combo in the long term.
Thanks

I had the same car. It is a well known problem of the 1.5 TDI Mt that the clutch becomes heavy after some time. Im not sure of the exact reason for this but the SA also told me this. This was one of the only problems I had with this car which otherwise is a gem to drive and very hard to replace. I reluctantly let go of it for various reasons but one of them was that my clutch foot used to hurt so much after driving in stop-start traffic that I decided to get an auto!

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by achin.jain

Overall, I am incredibly happy with my 2015 Vento. It is been rock solid and dependable for last 6 years. I hope I can get another year or two out of the car before replacing it with something new. There are not many diesel options available now a days and I am not keen on the mileage of a petrol car. Hopefully, the electric cars market would ripen in the next two years and offer many affordable models. For now, the cost of running my 2015 Vento is significantly low and it is still covered under add-on warranty until Sep. I hope this experience is of use to people who wants to know more about ownership cost of a VW. Please let me know how I did on my first post.

Lastly, my knee is alright for last 6 years.

Your post has inspired me to update the ownership thread of my 2011 Vento, Now 9 years old and 1 Lakh KMs up. I love her so much that I feel it has become an eternal love with her. I have had some expenditures to make for her up keep, but saying that it still drives like it was new will be understatement. It drives better!!

Thank you for the update!!

Rachit

[JoshMachine]

Originally Posted by achin.jain

Finally, created an account and writing my first post

And what a great first post it is

Now almost 6 years have passed, and there are two things about my Vento that have fascinated me all these years. Firstly, the 7-speed DSG. Secondly, the mileage of the car.

You couldn't have been more honest in these observations.
Although, may I add one more - the excellent, firm yet pliant ride quality!
Am saying this on the back of 5.25 yrs/80,000 km experience with my own TDi DSG Vento.

I wonder whether any other engine and automatic gearbox combination can deliver such high mileage figures

Very difficult, I would think.
I occassionally get close to 27+ km/l even after a solid 80,000 km on the odo.

So, in theory, one can avail manufacturer’s warranty till their VW is 8 years old or up to 145,000 kms on odometer, whichever comes first

You sure about this? I was given to understand that the coverage expires once the car completes 125k km. I need to check again from the SA.

I hope this experience is of use to people who wants to know more about ownership cost of a VW.

Has been a great help to know your experiences from a long-term ownership of the TDi DSG Vento. Thanks!

[DheerajNK]

I noticed yesterday that the coolant level is too low in my vento TDI 2013. Just to confirm if there is a leakage, I filled water to the max level last night and found that water is leaking when I checked this morning. It could be the water pump failure as the car has run 91k kms & the SA also suspected the same when I called him. I am at my hometown now, so I need to get the car towed for 70kms to the nearest service center.

When I spoke to the SA, he mentioned that we will have to replace the timing kit also along with the water pump. I understand that water pump and timing belt are supposed to be replaced at 90k. Is it really necessary to get the entire timing kit replaced? Also, has anyone done this work in a FNG? I have a known FNG who is good but since these are critical parts, I don't want to take any risk. This car is completely maintained at the VW service center till date, considering the FNG option because of the distance of towing.

Thanks,
Dheeraj

[vishy76]

Originally Posted by DheerajNK

I noticed yesterday that the coolant level is too low in my vento TDI 2013. Just to confirm if there is a leakage, I filled water to the max level last night and found that water is leaking when I checked this morning. It could be the water pump failure as the car has run 91k kms & the SA also suspected the same when I called him. I am at my hometown now, so I need to get the car towed for 70kms to the nearest service center.

When I spoke to the SA, he mentioned that we will have to replace the timing kit also along with the water pump. I understand that water pump and timing belt are supposed to be replaced at 90k. Is it really necessary to get the entire timing kit replaced? Also, has anyone done this work in a FNG? I have a known FNG who is good but since these are critical parts, I don't want to take any risk. This car is completely maintained at the VW service center till date, considering the FNG option because of the distance of towing.

Thanks,
Dheeraj

Yes it is advisable to change the entire kit with the water pump as:

- Your car has already done 90K km. The average age at which a timing kit change is required is 1.05-1.2L km. You will anyway need to change it in the months to come

- The more major issue is that the corrosive hot coolant leaks onto the belt and damages it along with the rollers and bearings. Thus, it's best to change the belt when large amounts of coolant has leaked out

I would suggest getting this done at VW. Locking the timing on these TDIs is better done with the special tools from VAG for the cam and crank pulleys along with the high pressure pump. Not all FNGs might have this. And the belt is a very critical component so don't take chances with it.

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by DheerajNK

I understand that water pump and timing belt are supposed to be replaced at 90k.

Water Pump is to be replaced only if it starts leaking or malfunctions.

Timing Kit is to be changed at 1,20,000 Kms or 8 years; whichever is earlier.

[DheerajNK]

Thanks for the responses.

I will get the work done at the service centre this week. Also, I will get the timing kit replaced as the car will complete 8 years in the next 7-8 months. Thanks for your inputs once again.

Dheeraj

[Annibaddh]

Originally Posted by Annibaddh

This is an SOS call. I have a Vento TDi, HL, 2012. The car has been a dream to own, in spite of several struggles with various ASS and multiple instances of car coming back with nicks and scars from the workshop. The 1.6 engine fills me with joy even now, every time I am behind the wheel. However I'm not sure this can go on any longer!

The trouble started about 4 months back. The car was running fine and I had had a long drive back in Mumbai's bumper to bumper traffic. The air-conditioning suddenly switched off. I had read that this happens if the engine is overheating. However no warning light came on and home wasn't too far so I simply rolled down the windows and came home, with a plan to go to the ASS in the morning. However, the air-conditioning was working fine in the morning. In fact, through the drive that day and several subsequent drives the car gave no trouble. So I thought this must have been a one off and thought of mentioning it in the next scheduled service which was anyway less than 1000 kms away.

However, one late evening, the air-conditioning again turned off and the temperature warning light came on. I immediately parked the car and turned the engine off. I also kept the key in ignition, to ensure the radiator fan was working (it wasn't). Opened the engine bay and waited for the car to cool down.

I also had noticed that when the car was warm and had run a bit, if I turn the ignition off (for instance on a traffic light), the car does not start. I had to wait for a few moments, post which, the car would start behaving normally again. Another thing that was to be reported during the scheduled service.

Next day morning I took the car to VW Kurla ASS. After keeping the car for three days they finally came back to me with the following issues:

1. The radiator fan had developed multiple issues and was completely jammed, needed a full replacement.
2. The pump needed replacement
3. Coolant needed to be flushed and replaced along with the coolant tank.
4. Water dripping on to the timing belt had caused damage and therefore timing kit (otherwise scheduled for replacement at 120k service, this being 90K) also needed replacement.

I gave the ASS an approval and the changes were made over the next 3 days. I received the car a whole week after. However, on the first long drive I realized the issue had not been resolved. The air-conditioning wasn't working right. It worked fine as long as the car was running on open roads (irrespective of the distance) but the moment I was stuck in traffic, the car would start becoming warmer and finally the aircon went off again. I took the car back to the ASS which again took another 3 days to revert with the issue. This was their explanation, "we opened the aircon compressor to investigate and found there was a lot of dust that had accumulated,( whatever that means), which has been cleaned and also tested the car over a 40 km drive (the milo confirmed that). There is no problem". They have also done multiple scans to no avail.

While the cooling of the car improved significantly post this, the problem however persists. On a recent drive, we had a major scare. I was driving to Nashik, with the missus and our infant son. The car was running fine, in fact even brilliantly. On the way I decided to make a tea stop, but since the missus was sleeping, kept the car running and aircon on. Went off to have a cuppa. When I returned however (10 mins hence), the car had become significantly warmer and the aircon was throwing warm air in spite of being turned Low. We switched the car off but it refused to start. After waiting for only 15 mins however, the car turned on and the moment we started moving, the aircon became impressively cool again! The ASS seem to have no clue!

I really like the car and have recently upgraded the suspension and spent another 50K on service and spares, because I just can't find another car which gives me as much joy. But can't live with this unreliability obviously. Was hoping the experts here would have some insight.

So finally this saga has come to an end. And the trivial stupid carelessness at the hands of VW ASS is just plain incredible. I'm shocked at the sheer incompetence or even malintent that VW Kurla demonstrated in managing this. After changing the whole paraphernalia and making me run around in circles and driving my car gingerly (during the course of which I changed the coolant temp sensor and got the car checked at multiple other workshops - with VW demanding INR 1800++ every time I approached them for a problem they failed to diagnose in the first place) it turns out the cause was sheer stupidity and callousness. It turns out VW never bothered to clean the radiator pipes in the first place - in spite of claiming many times that they had done it. It was only last week when when I approached World of Service (Noida, thanks to this amazing forum for the tip), that their team - comprising of VW veterans - were able to identify this in a flash!

I quote, "Sir VW ne bola ha radiator clean kiya to matlab nahin kiya hoga - woh log sirf paani maar ke bolte hain kar diya - mujhe pata hai...maine kaam kiya hai itne saal wahan". So they promptly opened up the radiator and lo and behold the thing was choked out of life! And readily enough the car is breathing (quite literally) again.

I seriously wonder why would any organization put their customers through this! It just belies all logic and sense. Plain ridiculous!