[KnightRider77]

Originally Posted by pc73

The reverse camera is factory installed by Volkswagen (just above rear number plate). I am not sure if bluetooth is used or some other proprietary RF technology - yet to explore. Not sure if bluetooth works while reversing; I personally won't be able to handle a phone call while reversing though I will test this out

Lol! When you said:

The connectivity between Garmin & reverse camera is wireless.

I for some reason thought it was BT as well. Now I see that you were referring to the phone connectivity, so the confusion is all mine.

Thanks for clearing up the queries!

[Carzilla]

Congrats on your new car. The pics of interiors are looking fabulous. I have also booked Vento HL MY13 refresh model, though mine is an automatic. One thing I was not a fan of was the dangling wire from the Garmin system to the charging point. Your dealer seems to have taken care of that very well. Can you please post a couple of pics showing where the wire passes into the dashboard and where it comes out so that I can ask the Andheri West Tornado guys to do the same. Did they have to drill holes in the dash plastic for this ?

[pc73]

Originally Posted by Carzilla

Congrats on your new car. The pics of interiors are looking fabulous. I have also booked Vento HL MY13 refresh model, though mine is an automatic.

Thanks and congrats!

Originally Posted by Carzilla

One thing I was not a fan of was the dangling wire from the Garmin system to the charging point. Your dealer seems to have taken care of that very well. Can you please post a couple of pics showing where the wire passes into the dashboard and where it comes out so that I can ask the Andheri West Tornado guys to do the same. Did they have to drill holes in the dash plastic for this ?

The dealer told me that instructions for routing the cable via dashboard was provided by VW. So, your dealer should also be able to do it.

This does not involve any drilling. The snap-on side panel of dash board (against which the door shuts) needs to be opened and cable routed from side and underneath the dashboard. The cable then needs to be pulled out of the panel at the bottom of console. The cable plugs into the socket in front of gear lever (not sure if position of socket is same in automatic). It is a fairly simple, 5 minute job. You can observe the cable in the pictures that show central console.

Only problem with this is that the unit can only be mounted on the side since the stock cable is not long enough. However, one can always buy a cheap micro-usb extension cable and move the unit to center. However, I prefer to have the unit on the side though it is prone to attract wrong type of attention (if car is parked in unattended places with unit mounted) and also affects visibility a bit around A pillar.

[Chethan B G]

Originally Posted by pc73

Only problem with this is that the unit can only be mounted on the side since the stock cable is not long enough. However, one can always buy a cheap micro-usb extension cable and move the unit to center. However, I prefer to have the unit on the side though it is prone to attract wrong type of attention (if car is parked in unattended places with unit mounted) and also affects visibility a bit around A pillar.

Mounting on the side is better, even though it is an individual's preference. Can it be mounted permanently on the centre of the dash?

Using the 12V socket to power the set permanently, will deprive you of an option to charge Mobile / Laptop when required..

Does this set has a battery backup (Should be having since it can be detached and used on the go)? If not, the wire can be soldered permanently to the terminals of the 12V socket. That way, the socket will be free..

These are just my thoughts.. Need your inputs..

[surd_biker]

Originally Posted by pc73

Not sure if bluetooth works while reversing; I personally won't be able to handle a phone call while reversing though I will test this out

@pc73 Garmin recommends disabling bluetooth while reversing. I see this message every time I power on the unit. I have personally observed this as it causes interference with the signal. If you have connected your mobile via bluetooth and do some reversing, you can see lines scrolling on the display and picture is not clear. But disable bluetooth and the picture will be very stable.

Originally Posted by Carzilla

Can you please post a couple of pics showing where the wire passes into the dashboard and where it comes out so that I can ask the Andheri West Tornado guys to do the same. Did they have to drill holes in the dash plastic for this ?

I am also looking for ways to route the cable through the dash. Some more pics would be helpful.

Originally Posted by pc73

However, I prefer to have the unit on the side though it is prone to attract wrong type of attention (if car is parked in unattended places with unit mounted) and also affects visibility a bit around A pillar.

I have it mounted in the center. Putting in onto the side interferes with the A pillar visibility.

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Does this set has a battery backup (Should be having since it can be detached and used on the go)? If not, the wire can be soldered permanently to the terminals of the 12V socket. That way, the socket will be free..

These are just my thoughts.. Need your inputs..

Battery is always there. It would give around 2-3 hrs of usage. And I will not recommend keeping it constantly on power. Reason battery wear out will be faster this way. I generally let the power go down to about 30-40 % and then recharge. In between while reversing if I have to use the camera I simply plugin the charger and after reversing I remove it. A bit of hassle but that's the only way you can prolong your battery life.

[pc73]

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Mounting on the side is better, even though it is an individual's preference. Can it be mounted permanently on the centre of the dash?

You mean fixed to the dash board rather than windshield ? I am not sure if this can be done, unless one wants to drill holes on the dash board or uses some sort of "super glue". The holder can be modified to fix it to dash board, but as you would know, the suction cup mechanism won't work.

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Using the 12V socket to power the set permanently, will deprive you of an option to charge Mobile / Laptop when required..

Does this set has a battery backup (Should be having since it can be detached and used on the go)? If not, the wire can be soldered permanently to the terminals of the 12V socket. That way, the socket will be free..

To use the 12V socket, one just has to pull out the adapter and the unit does have battery backup. The only quirk is that reverse camera will not work if the unit is not plugged into power supply.

Soldering the cable to 12V socket permanently is a good idea, if one is willing to open up the central console and do the work. Another option may be to buy an adapter that plugs into 12V socket and gives out two/three 12V sockets. Recall seeing such adapters on ebay.

[pc73]

Update @ 2000 Kms:

+ Clutch feels much better (have started liking it!) and I can shift gears now with no jerking.
+ Engine accelerates more freely and throttle response has improved vastly.
+ Low speed ride has improved significantly after changing over to Michelin PLC.
+ Steering feel has also improved after changing over to Michelin PLC.
+ FE: 15 Kmpl (city), 21 Kmpl (highway).
+ Bought an RCD 310 MDI cable for ipod from ebay and put my 6 year old 30 GB iPod to good use; RCD 310 allows controlling ipod menus (genres > artists > albums, artists > albums, etc.) and playlists. Much more convenient than using USB drives loaded with music and scanning folders one-by-one looking for the right album/artist.

One irritant remains: The release buttons on front seat belt buckles rattle a lot on rough roads when the seat belts are latched to them. Also, sometimes the front passenger window seems to make a slight rattling noise (even when fully rolled up). My Ikon has been driven on all kinds of roads for close to 150K Kms on all kinds of roads for about a dozen years now and I don't hear a squeak or rattle from any part even now. Expected the same from VW!

[pc73]

Originally Posted by Carzilla

Can you please post a couple of pics showing where the wire passes into the dashboard and where it comes out so that I can ask the Andheri West Tornado guys to do the same.

Originally Posted by surd_biker

I am also looking for ways to route the cable through the dash. Some more pics would be helpful.

Here are couple of pictures that show the entry/exit points of the cable in the dash board (note that I have pushed the door beading inside a bit to take the picture; the door beading actually covers the area where cable goes into the dashboard near A pillar). Hope this is useful.





PS: BTW, the car completed 1 month with me today!

[Carzilla]

Originally Posted by pc73

Here are couple of pictures that show the entry/exit points of the cable in the dash board (note that I have pushed the door beading inside a bit to take the picture; the door beading actually covers the area where cable goes into the dashboard near A pillar).

PS: BTW, the car completed 1 month with me today!

Ah ! Thanks pc73 This helps. Hope the accessories guy at my dealer can make sense of it. As of now he claims he has never heard of this kind of a routing of the cable.
And congrats on ur ride's mini bday. How u celebrating ?

[nileshch]

Congratulations on your new Vento! Here's wishing you to a very happy and satisfied ownership (workshop attitude notwithstanding) !!

I simply love the new gorgeous wrap on the gear stick! I hope there is some way we older owners can have that installed on ours.

In a different note, I have not been happy with the way VW have added the navigation feature to the Vento -- a slapdash job indeed! I also didn't quite like the new alloys. The older ones feel more chunkier and solid.

[pc73]

Thanks nileshch! I have enjoyed reading through your ownership thread of shadow blue Vento. Almost got tempted into buying blue; dropped the idea after realizing that I may no longer have time to spend on the upkeep.

Originally Posted by nileshch

I simply love the new gorgeous wrap on the gear stick! I hope there is some way we older owners can have that installed on ours.

Yes, the new gear lever is slick and sheer pleasure to use!

Originally Posted by nileshch

In a different note, I have not been happy with the way VW have added the navigation feature to the Vento -- a slapdash job indeed! I also didn't quite like the new alloys. The older ones feel more chunkier and solid.

Agree, infact I had initially opted out of of the GPS device since it was not integrated into the dash. However, got it at the last moment seeing the advantages of reverse camera. The older alloys definitely look chunkier; the opinion on newer ones seems to be divided - I personally can live with it though I am not super impressed. BTW, the new alloys on Rapid look super cool! Wish VW had provided something similar.

[surd_biker]

Originally Posted by pc73

Here are couple of pictures that show the entry/exit points of the cable in the dash board (note that I have pushed the door beading inside a bit to take the picture; the door beading actually covers the area where cable goes into the dashboard near A pillar). Hope this is useful.
PS: BTW, the car completed 1 month with me today!

Thanks for those pics buddy. The other day I tried to mount the GPS at the right side as you have but somehow I couldnt get it stuck properly. So still have it in the center for me. Though I plan to see if somehow I can route it behind the center of the dash board so that instead of dangling in front of the head unit it would pass out from the rear. The place besides the cup holder which shows the cable going in- does it require any cuts there?

Originally Posted by nileshch

I also didn't quite like the new alloys. The older ones feel more chunkier and solid.

Originally Posted by pc73

The older alloys definitely look chunkier; the opinion on newer ones seems to be divided - I personally can live with it though I am not super impressed. BTW, the new alloys on Rapid look super cool! Wish VW had provided something similar.

Well I somehow like these newer alloys better that the older ones.

Originally Posted by pc73

Almost got tempted into buying blue; dropped the idea after realizing that I may no longer have time to spend on the upkeep.

I succumbed into that temptation - blue is real drool maal!!! Though that means now I have to spend time/money on maintaining it more than normal. Am hooked on to the detailing thread nowadays.

[pc73]

Originally Posted by surd_biker

Thanks for those pics buddy. The other day I tried to mount the GPS at the right side as you have but somehow I couldnt get it stuck properly. So still have it in the center for me. Though I plan to see if somehow I can route it behind the center of the dash board so that instead of dangling in front of the head unit it would pass out from the rear. The place besides the cup holder which shows the cable going in- does it require any cuts there?

Can you please elaborate on what issue you had while mounting near A pillar ? BTW, I have had no visibility issues with the unit mounted near A pillar. No cuts/holes required - the cable is routed through existing gaps. If you want to retain the unit at the center you can still route through the side (as in my case) and use an extension cable (stock cable is not long enough) and leave it on top of dashboard or tuck it near windshield.

Originally Posted by surd_biker

Well I somehow like these newer alloys better that the older ones.

This is totally subjective. I like alloys with less number of spokes (5 is ideal for me) with lot of gap between the spokes. The old alloys are chunky but almost look like wheel caps when car is moving. The new alloys are good but not stunning. That said, there is not really much to choose between old and new alloys.

[Carzilla]

I like the look of the new alloys too but have to agree that it doesn't look as chunky as the old ones, not that I mind though. Interestingly, my sales exec tells me that the new ones are costlier. So cost cutting does not seem to have been the motivation behind the change.

Regarding the Garmin system being an add-on, while I agree that a system integrated with the HU would have looked a wee bit more professional, I think the Garmin system with VW co-branding doesn't look bad either. The Tornado guys tell me VW had to go for this arrangement cos they weren't able to integrate the steering mounted controls with any HU based touchscreen systems. So if one opts out of getting the Garmin nav-kit and goes for another HU based nav system, the steering mounted controls would be rendered redundant.

[pc73]

Originally Posted by Carzilla

Regarding the Garmin system being an add-on, while I agree that a system integrated with the HU would have looked a wee bit more professional, I think the Garmin system with VW co-branding doesn't look bad either.

The other advantage I see with the Garmin unit is that I can use it in my other car too, if needed. This is second reason I picked it up (first being the reverse camera integration). Further, I prefer the unit near A pillar (in view) rather than at center - on windsheild or when integrated into HU (out of view while driving). Only grouse, if I may call it, is that bluetooth is not integrated into car audio system, but then I wouldn't probably be able to move it between cars, if it were. So, it is perfect for my needs!