[Tgo]

Originally Posted by TheGearBox

Awesome review. All the best for your life in Canada.
Can we expect you to acquire another Tiguan sometime in the future and make this thread "A Tale of two Tiguans" like your Duster thread?

Thank you.
We’ll I would say, there are more options here and if there is another car to come, would like to have something else.
With the Dusters one was used by my dad and the other one was with me. Similar kind of use with long inter state trips. As soon as they were together in the same city, didn’t make sense keeping both.

[Sangwan]

Originally Posted by Tgo

Thank you for the good wishes. I wold love to see your SantaFe too. if I were to go for an older Car I had my eyes on it. The model you have, which is the first one launched in India.

I can still digest the Atlas but not its cross avatar. It is VW's exercise in bloating up cars to appeal to the American car buyer, the engines are mostly the same with the Tiguan R-Line tune and DSG, and a V6 I guess in the Atlas R-line.
If ever I get a second car, I would love to have a Subaru wagon.

Yes, the Santa Fe was available in India, my cousin had a white one but in Diesel Avatar.

Atlas Cross is a horrendous looking car, I still don't get to what segment of people is this car made for?

Subaru are awesome! For my next car, I really don't know when that will be, but I plan to buy a Manual. Driving an automatic is really boring and it feels weird driving a manual for first few mins but you get used to it pretty easily. I tried one when I was looking for my first car over here.

[Vikram Arya]

Great summary of your VW Tiguan; I had a fleeting glimpse of your car when we met for coffee back in November. I somehow missed your post when it was published. Just came across the post today.

Incidentally, Tiguan was high on my list last year in September when I was shopping for a car. I had to cross it off the list on account of the 5-month wait time quoted by the local VW dealer back then.

Some of the finer points that you've highlighted about the powertrain (Budack-cycle/non DGS transmission) are really interesting.

VW Canada sells on an average 20,000 Tiguans a year and that speaks a lot about its brand cache as a stand-alone VW compact cross-over in addition to the forgettable Atlas and the brilliant Touareg that has since gone away. We have also lost the Golf (the mainstream edition anyway) this year and it will not be coming back.

For 2024 VW needs to up the game for the new iteration of Tiguan if it wants to compete with the largest-selling cross-over in its class Toyota RAV4 (60,000 units a year; mediocre drive in my opinion) and the newly refreshed (great product at least on paper) 2023 Honda CR-V (50,000 units per annum).

Looking forward to your travelogue/s.

Drive safe buddy!

[Tgo]

2023 Winter Prep - Set of Wheels

In June this year I completed one year of owning the Tiguan. In that time I clocked 20,000 kms and the Odo currently is at 49,333 km as we speak. The ownership has been without any issues. Summer tires, the all season set, came on in May. Oil was changed in July. I was laying a little low and keeping all expenses very tight. Was going through some changes professionally and the focus was elsewhere. Recently this has changed and gave me the opportunity to spend a little on "Car Things".

Even thought here is no need for this but I always wanted to work on my cars myself. The easiest thing to begin with would be the wheel swap. its a one time activity, and to make my life easier and also since I was storing the tires at home, it wouldn't need any more space, I decided to get a set of wheels for the winter.

Hunted down a set on Facebook marketplace for CAD 600. Went and checked them out, and immediately connected with the seller. A lady selling the set from her Mom's car which was an Audi Q5 sold by them long ago. This set was an OE Audi set, which came with the tires installed and balanced in Audi tire bags for storage. I was worried about the offset these being ET34 compared to ET40 that are on my car from factory. I quickly test fitted the tire in her garage and found out I'll need hub centering rings as this was a heavy tire and I was drenched in sweat trying to muscle it onto the hub. Long story short, Paid full asking price and brought the set home.

Went on to order the following list of parts nd tools to get the job done right

-17mm Nylon cased 1/2" drive deep socket
-Torque wrench 1/2" drive with extensions
-Hub centring rings (Aluminium and Polycarbonate to test)

With everything delivered the next day, I got to work like an impatient kid trying out his new toys.

The new wheel out of the bag.


Cleaning needed on the hub centre bore so the ring could slide in without getting snagged. Used a scotch pad to lightly scuff and clean them.


The plastic rings were 66.6mm and the aluminium ones were 66.5 which was the exact centre bore dimension. They both would have fit snugly.


Chose the plastic ones as I would be safe if they ever seized. Easier to break and tap out. Also there would be no issue of dissimilar metals either with the hub or wheel.


Work in progress. Front has the factory wheel with my All Season (Summer) set. Rear is the Winter Set, wheel, the tires I ended up selling off on Facebook again for CAD 300. The 235/65/17 Pirelli Ice Zero tires on the Audi wheels had two winters worth of life left in them. Also they were not studded and I had a set of 215/65/17 Continental Ice Contact which were studded, a safer choice. I also believe a narrower tire is more grippy on snow/ice, because physics.

Overall quite happy with the OEM+ upgrade. Looking to get VW centre caps that are compatible with the wheel that would complete the sleeper look. I ended up washing the bags and wheels after getting my set of winter tires. I need to just put some wax/protector on them when I get them out for use in October. The torque wrench and socket fit snugly under the boot floor, always within reach if needed.

Really happy with the setup and with VW for having passive TPMS on this car. No need to by a second set of pressure sensors or synching them with the infotainment system. Sensible stuff.

End result: The new winter look.

Some thoughts to dwell upon for now:

- I might also get a set of mud flaps and a rock/bug deflector for the hood to keep the car protected from the salt and rock spray. Considering all available options and deals at the moment.

- Still feel getting the OE remote starter from VW would be overkill. Maybe we can brave one more winter without it.

- And there's other big ticket expense which I am very finicky about getting done before it is due - the Haldex system service.

[Tgo]

Update - Fall 2023

Fall Foliage | Ghost Lake, AB

With our little one needing to stretch his legs and learning to walk it was about time that we took him out and also explore the sights and scenes around Calgary. At first this was just going out for a drive or to the parks within the city. We also wanted him to get used to the idea of sitting in a car seat alone at the back rather than having mom in tow.

Back country view | Madden, AB

To the north and south we have the prairies. Not surprisingly Calgary is called Cow Town. They have the Stampede every year in the summer celebrating everything there is to cowboy culture rodeo et al. This update is from after all that happened, and we actually didn’t attend it this year but we didn’t feel short changed either. There was the Persedis meteor shower which we did manage to witness, and a few failed attempts to see Lady Aurora and her dance.

Witnessing the Persedis meteor shower | Bearspaw, AB

Geographically Calgary is beautiful if you are looking to the West towards the Rockies but there was an unusual surprise to the east as well which we later explored. There are a bunch of provincial and national parks geared towards an outdoor lifestyle. Trails and hikes would have to wait but we did manage to go to places where we could park close to a viewpoint and enjoy the views and let the little one crawl and get muddy.

K-Country | Kananaskis, AB

In October we had our cousin visit us from Toronto and it only made sense to take him out to some of the places he had missed in his last visit this side. He had Lake Peyto on his mind, and we decided to make it a longish drive on the Icefields Parkway stopping wherever we could to soak in the views. this is a stretch of road from Lake Louise to Jasper National Park and is one of the world's most scenic drives and is usually closed every winter. We thought of capturing the fall foliage which was spoiler alert wasn't as magnificent this year as it can be.

Clocking a milestone with a great view | Bow Glacier, AB


Glacial Lakes of Alberta | Peyto Lake, AB


Catching the sun go down | Lake Louise, AB


A day's work, great figures. Have ditched Eco Mode altogether.

Our son was getting used to the routine and cooperating more. We also got in tune with his pattern of wanting to get out of the seat and planned or breaks accordingly. It was the thanksgiving long weekend and we had Drumheller as our next destination It was a shorter drive and something more unique than the mountains which I had come to familiarize myself with. This place is known for its canyon like landscape which is called Badlands and the dinosaur fossils found here. It was also a mine town and there is still an old world feel to this place.

The Canadian Badlands | Drumheller, AB


The ride waiting for its ride.

Decided to skip the National park and the museum this time but did manage to drive through Wayne an abandoned mine town stop for lots of pictures. I considered the ferry ride across the Red Deer river as the highlight of this trip along with the amazing landscape and how it takes you on a journey of terra forming that happened over millions of years before we stepped onto it.

Bleroit cable ferry gets across...

https://youtu.be/dGFFwGPvfBA?feature=shared

...Red Deer River

With this, we were nearing the end of October with no sign of snow and temperatures in positive double digits. Winter seemed to be broken this year. So had delayed switching to the winter set of tires till now, but not for long.

[Sangwan]

Great pics Tgo, thank you for sharing. Do you use all weather tires which are having those snow flakes on the tire wall or something else for the winters? How often do you wash the car’s underbody or you wait out the whole winter and then give it a thorough wash to prevent rusting?

[Tgo]

Originally Posted by Sangwan

Great pics Tgo, thank you for sharing. Do you use all weather tires which are having those snow flakes on the tire wall or something else for the winters? How often do you wash the car’s underbody or you wait out the whole winter and then give it a thorough wash to prevent rusting?

For the summer, I use All Season which have a M+S stamp. For Winter I use winter studded tires didn’t check the stamp, but I think that’s the max on winter readiness you could go before moving to chains.

Washing depends, if its snowing and slush gets caked up on the underbody, I plan to get it washed every two weeks. I didn’t bother last year at all. And in drier weather it depends on the amount of bug splatter on the hood, which could be a month or two between washes.

I do see some surface rust on tiny spots on the sub frame, but you have to look really hard for it. Perks of changing tires yourself, you can worry about more things. Would have to see DIY rust control options available at some point.

[Tgo]

Time for winter prep.


Fresh wiper blades and a washer fluid top-up.

This time I had the winter set installed on the previously bought Audi Q5 rims. It only meant that I had to do the tire swap myself for this winter. And my rough timing for this job was about an hour. Which is not bad for a first try using the car’s emergency jack. This includes cleaning the hubs, applying anti-seize and taking time torquing the lug bolts properly.

Was lucky since the tire swap was followed by the first heavy dump of snow for this season just three days later.

I also took the time to thoroughly wash the car and give it the once-a-year wax treatment. This was an intense job taking almost two hours because I had to clay the front multiple times to remove embedded dirt on the hood and the front bumper. The finish visually doesn't say much, but it is quite different to the touch, and much more resistant to picking up fresh dirt and grime. Unfortunately I didn't take any before and after pictures.

Northern Lights


Emphasized by the electronics of a digital camera.

And soon after the day finally came when we saw our first Aurora show in Calgary. It was mesmerizing to say the least. Can only emphasize the need to get a nicer camera set up for the next time. What we saw with naked eyes was a faint teal tinted light doing the dance which comes out very colorful when captured on a digital camera. Lucky after many failed and missed opportunities.

And here's a bonus of the sunrise in Calgary.

When you see light literally hitting the ceiling before it hits the ground.

Earlier this month I got the Oil change and underbody inspected at my usual place, followed by the 4-Motion Service at VW which came with a hefty $560 hit to the wallet. But was worth it since they changed fluids for the transfer case, Haldex Unit and the rear differential. Also got the engine and transmission software update as part of a recall which was mainly just loading a newer parameter set into the brains of the car so it doesn't throw up false codes. Warranty expires on 30th Jan and still weighing the odds that I'll need it.

Got to have a closer look at the 2024 Atlas which is really growing on me. 269 bhp from this 2.0 TSI engine, feels adequate in a 7 (adult) seater and has a towing capacity of ~2,500 kg. VAG is really wringing out the performance from this engine. Good thing, this too doesn't have the DSG. Okay too much talk for now.

Upcoming trip to Kelowna, BC for the new year gathering with friends here. Hopefully will update soon.

[ron_9191]

Great post! I am new to Canada and went through the same procedure to experience my first winter, a drive through a somewhat scary winter storm in the night and a lot of fun sliding the car around at empty intersections

Thankfully Volkswagen threw its 4-Motion technology using a Haldex unit in my car. The car I bought here is a 2008 Volkswagen Golf R32 #1307 of 5000 that came to North America. AWD on demand, 3.2 litre VR6 with stage 2 tune on the engine and the DSG, a resonator delete, twin exhaust pipes and a whole lot of lovely VR6 noises. It is perfect.

[ron_9191]

@tgo I noticed you've got your foot on the door for a Volkswagen Atlas. By no means the 2.0 EA888 is a bad choice but Volkswagen has been criminally stingy with certain parts in that engine. Certain critical parts are all made with plastic for weight reduction.

My suggestion would be to go for a used Atlas with V6 engine. Because technically what's V6 in Volkswagen is actually a 3.6 litre VR6. Don't worry about the longevity of the engine. My VR6 as I write this is exactly at 287657 kilometres on the odometer and with all the tune it has is an absolute rocketship. By the way a 2017 VW Touareg with the 3.6 litre VR6 is also a great option if you can find a good one around where you are.

[Tgo]

Originally Posted by ron_9191

Great post! I am new to Canada and went through the same procedure to experience my first winter, a drive through a somewhat scary winter storm in the night and a lot of fun sliding the car around at empty intersections

Thankfully Volkswagen threw its 4-Motion technology using a Haldex unit in my car. The car I bought here is a 2008 Volkswagen Golf R32 #1307 of 5000 that came to North America. AWD on demand, 3.2 litre VR6 with stage 2 tune on the engine and the DSG, a resonator delete, twin exhaust pipes and a whole lot of lovely VR6 noises. It is perfect.

Woah! That car sounds like a lot of fun. Where are you in Canada?

Originally Posted by ron_9191

@tgo I noticed you've got your foot on the door for a Volkswagen Atlas. By no means the 2.0 EA888 is a bad choice but Volkswagen has been criminally stingy with certain parts in that engine. Certain critical parts are all made with plastic for weight reduction.

My suggestion would be to go for a used Atlas with V6 engine. Because technically what's V6 in Volkswagen is actually a 3.6 litre VR6. Don't worry about the longevity of the engine. My VR6 as I write this is exactly at 287657 kilometres on the odometer and with all the tune it has is an absolute rocketship. By the way a 2017 VW Touareg with the 3.6 litre VR6 is also a great option if you can find a good one around where you are.

That mileage gives me some confidence about the longevity of the VR6. The thing with the atlas is that I am keen on going for a used example which were all mostly the VR6. I have only heard good reviews about the Atlas. There were a few suspension replacements in the first batches but overall the car ages well and people are quite happy with them.

The new 4-cylinder EA888 is all that it comes with now and it’s not just the Atlas, this engine finds its way into the new Q7 too. You are right about the plastic parts ageing and failing but from VW’s point of view they think it’s the second or third owners problem to deal with.

I have put the plan on the back burner since I don’t really need a seven seater unless there’s family visiting me for a long time and also just paid off the loan on the Tiguan.

[Tgo]

The first trip to British Columbia

Dec 10
Us and a bunch of our friends found ourselves here in Calgary with no plans of visiting India during the Christmas and New Year holidays. On top of that, like last year we had talks of bringing in the new year doing a good old house party. The group had grown since then and that got us talking about an Airbnb over the new year weekend. If you thought there was over tourism in India, it's a whole new level in Canada. We narrowed our search down to the next closest available Airbnb that could accommodate 14 guests across the border in British Columbia in Kelowna. Kelowna is touristy spot during the summer with lakes, trails and orchards. But we were going to enjoy none of that in the off season and it was 600 km away.

The work cut out for us.

Dec 30
4 cars, different departure times and locations in Calgary. Target, to reach Kelowna by 4 PM. We had been warned about bad roads in BC but other than the snow and slush enroute while crossing the Canadian Rockies, the drive was scenic and full of amazement. With good daylight, the weak to non-existent cell reception didn’t bear heavy on our thoughts but this section could be daunting if you had to stop for whatever reason. Rogers Pass was one section that stood out. Coming in from Alberta, this is where you start to see the opening in the mountains leading you into the low lands in BC. Another lovely piece was driving along Mara Lake between Sicamous and Grindrod. All along the way you see forestry operations rounding up lumber to saw mills at the banks of rivers and lakes. One can clearly make out the seasonal nature of these industries as well as how little cash flows into the economy through them from the appearance of the buildings they operate in. After Enderby which gave a farming town centre feel, it was back onto the 6 laned highways taking us to Lake Country (outskirts of Kelowna). Fun thing about these highways was they have a frequent change of grade and have sweeping twists and turns, quite different from the arrow straight road network in Alberta. Everyone had planned different stops along the way. We caught up with the second group in Canmore, the last to leave caught up with us as we were leaving Revelstoke and finally everyone was at the destination within 20 minutes of each other.

Home to the Three Sisters | Canmore, AB

What needs a mention is coming back to a warmed up engine after a short break on road trips. The body sensing that familiar hum and thrum of the mechanicals which were in sync for the last couple of hours. That fits like a glove feeling. That sense of appreciation, awe, respect, gratefulness and optimism towards doing something more challenging and having faith in accomplishing it.

Downtown Canmore

Dec 31
This day was a lazy one. We stayed at a beautiful location with trails starting out in our back yard over a mountain top. The temperatures outside were around 6-10 degrees but there was fog with some drizzle throughout the day. Had thought of joining the other group for wine tasting at a local vineyard, but decided to stay back and give our son some rest. Lake country would be a beautiful place to visit. Vicinity to orchards and farms really make this economy thrive in the summer marketing fresh produce, water sport and outdoorsy stuff to do. Ordered take out for the evening, card games, smoke and spirits, some reels offered to the lords of the Gram, long distance calls to families back in India and a surprise birthday celebration happened over the evening late into the night.

Quick break to swap places | Vernon, BC

Jan 1
Woke up relatively early and had volunteered to feed everyone brunch. Got going with prep for egg rolls, wraps and veggie burgers. Quick shower, packing and loading of the cars and we were on the road by noon. There was 8 hours of travel factoring in stops ahead of us. This time, we added Salmon Arm to the route which was a small detour between Enderby and Sicamous had thought of stopping at a few places for some pictures. By the time we left Sicamous grabbing some coffees to supplement our brunch we were 45 minutes behind the other two cars which decided to keep going non-stop till Golden. Caught up with them at Golden and got some supper. The thought of heading back and the work week beginning the next day wasn’t helping and the setting sun and the difficult part of the way back through the Rockies was becoming daunting and persistent.

Got the car running to warm it up, got everyone loaded and strapped in. Checked the tires, temps, lights and topped up the windshield washer. It was just two cars the other two left 20 minutes before us. It was dark now. Merged onto the highway, got to a steady pace following a semi-truck. Gave some time to adjust to the surroundings and getting the unspoken ‘yes, we’re ready’ from the car and the occupants and my friend’s car that was leading in the day, but didn’t seem to be taking the lead when I let them pass a couple of times. About 10 minutes into the drive we realised the highways are not lit up. It’s just the headlights, no visible road markings due to slushy roads. I eased into my night driving senses. Switched to high beams, signalled to get into the fast lane, passed the semi and picked up pace. The twists and turns we drove into were marked by flashes of the edges of the road or mountain faces caught in our beams, total darkness all around, heightened sense of alertness, no talking, no music. There was 45 minutes of this before we were in Alberta on the home stretch.

Regained cell reception, and the messages suggested everyone was moving and had made it across but we were separated by quite a distance. The friend behind had stopped to get fuel for his 3.5L V6 to be happy. I glanced on the dash and saw we had a little less than half a tank, range 270, destination 175.

These roads were familiar and dry but were a fresh challenge in the dark. Stuck to a safe pace till Banff and got a message on the group that the two cars in front were not far away. Families returning to homes making the most of their holiday added to the complexity. Spotted no patrol cars or traffic stops along the way. As minutes passes we saw ourselves catching up to our friend ahead of us. Ping! on the group, one of the cars crossed Canmore. I looked at the range and we were chipping away larger chunks off the range than usual. We must be going fast, but it didn’t seem so. Range 165, destination 95, fairly doable, but not quite.

Minutes passed by, Range 127, distance 85.
Hmm… the cops too need their break.
Soon enough, messages on the group…

Car1: Should be home in 40 minutes, anyone for tea?
Car2: Crossed Kananaskis
.
.
3 minutes later
.
.
Car3 (that’s us): Crossed Car2!!
Range 115, destination 72.

Car2, the other V6 had stopped for fuel soon after we crossed it.
Entered Calgary around 7:45 PM, range 45, destination 27 it felt like travelling at snail’s pace within the city limits.
Finally pulled up behind Car1 on their drive as they were unloading the boot.
Range --, destination 0.
Time: 8:15 PM

Let's just say I learnt the meaning of the phrase ‘Going with the flow of traffic’ that evening.

[Tgo]

Through with the second winter

The month of January got the coldest spell of this winter. We saw temperatures of -40 °C with wind chill for a period of 3-4 days. This was the first time I actually noticed the outright reluctance to shift between gears after being parked out on the drive for 2 days straight. The foam in the seats gets rock solid. But a testament to good health was the fact that I was still able to crank it without assistance. The cranking took longer than usual but it worked.

However, other things bit the bullet. I started noticing a wet patch below the front passenger door. Noticing the slight blue tint in the snow made me trace it to the washer fluid. The washer fluid has anti-freezing properties because of the weather so there is definitely some chemicals in it. Looked up on forums and didn't find anything specific to this Tiguan but the Jetta and Golf have had similar reported problems. The root cause is the rubber seal/grommet between the washer fluid pump and reservoir. It is known to get brittle and is a cheap and easy fix if you know how to get to the reservoir. For any other car this easily accessible in the engine bay, but for the Tiguan and probably other VWs too, it is behind the front fender. The short cut is to access it from the fender liner, but the right way to do it is to get the fender panel off the car. There was no way I wanted to attempt that in the cold out on the drive. Got it checked and temporarily fixed with some silicone sealant while I ordered the correct part. Was finally fixed after 2 months due to my schedule.

Ended up needing just the one in the middle. Other parts were from cars with headlamp washers.

Kudos to the return policy on almost everything in this country. i ordered a bunch of parts, basically all sorts of grommets related to the washer bottle but ended up needing only one. The VW parts store was kind enough to return it, and asked to come with the VIN the next time I need to order anything. They take the time to find the part that fits before invoicing it to you.

And sooner rather than later, I also learnt how to deal with and insurance claim. Not 1 but two claims in less than a day involving two separate incidents. I got rear ended at an intersection early morning while on my way to work. Being the first car in a 3 car incident, there was definitely no fault of mine. Parked safely in the nearby lot and exchanged information with the other two drivers. Being the Desi side of town, one of them was getting aggressive and had to be reminded that this can be dealt with calmly too. The last car was the one which rammed into the second which then rammed into mine. In terms of damage, I just had a tear in the bumper, not clips broken or damage to sheet metal. Was kind of surprised to have gotten away with such little damage considering the loud noise the collision had made.

Double whammy.

Coming back to fetch documents from the car, I noticed that the driver side door was also smooshed in. That's weird, I thought. Didn't remember anything hit from the side, I could not have been that ignorant. That's when I realised, that i had street parked at my friend's neighbourhood as I was there for a sleep over. Someone would have rammed into it on the street. What a bummer. All the thoughts of getting only one claim covered (as in India) ran through my mind.

Spoke to my friend who suggested to report both incidents to the police. The process went like this. I narrated everything to the officer at the station. He came out and assessed the damages to see how much it would cost to get it repaired. The threshold is CAD 5000 in Calgary. Opposite to what I believed, he asked me to report the damage on the door termed as the "hit and run" and mention a line at the end of the report stating that the car was involved in another incident (the rear end collision) on the same day. He filed the report and gave me a number which I relayed to the insurance adjuster. Both the claims were filed promptly taking about 15-20 minutes gathering details of the incidents over the phone. Being a not at fault claims these would not affect my insurance negatively. The rear end collision was repaired with charging a deductible as the other car's insurance would cover it. But for the hit and run, since there was no party identified at fault, I had to pay the deductible. Difficult to digest when you have a strong suspicion backed with corroborating proof of the culprit of the hit and run. But walking up to their doorstep with your sleeves rolled up is something you cannot do in a civilised country. I double checked with the police, and they need video evidence or a witness to do anything about it. Moving on..

The insurance company booked me for an inspection at the auto-body shop closest to my home address. This was 2 weeks away and the car was perfectly drivable so I did not face any hassles there. They assessed the car, took some pictures and put them on file and the next day I got the approval to get it repaired. The body shop assigned me a date that was 45 days away. On the day of the repairs were to begin, I had to drop off the car, walk to the rental company in the same plaza, pick-up the rental car which I could use till my car was being worked on. Rental cars are provided on the Insurance company's tab upto the limit specified on your policy. Was happy to use a little Mitsubishi RVR for 4 days as coming back to the Tiguan would be something to look forward to. RVR is a cheap car, probably the cheapest AWD for sale in Canada, and not really great in terms of anything except for affordability. The body shop did an amazing job and had the car ready on time. On the day of the pick-up, I had to return the rental car, walk to the body shop and pick-up the car after paying the deductible. A repair well done but was charged at a premium to the insurance company. Roughly CAD 3500 for the replaced door and CAD 1400 for the replaced bumper. Comes with lifetime warranty on the repairs carried out, as long as i am the owner of the vehicle. That said, I have to get the door checked as it seems less damped and sounds hollow when I shut it, but have planned to dampen it myself if the shop cannot help.

Added some more to the experiences to the kitty, which add up, making you feel at ease with the ups and downs of life as an immigrant in the long run. Business as usual for now. Looking forward to a busy summer.

The 4th winter, this winter. The last heavy snowfall of the season.

[Sangwan]

Originally Posted by Tgo

And sooner rather than later, I also learnt how to deal with and insurance claim

The first time is always special, no matter what it is! I too had the same sort of incident which you can read on my Santa Fe ownership blog. Every step feels so overwhelming when you do it for the first time. Glad that you were not hurt and awesome pic of your car in the snow!

Looking forward to more updates from you.

Cheers,
Sangwan

[Knighted06]

OMG!!! Hello tgo, I really cannot believe I missed this thread. I just went through the complete thread and I have so much to talk.

I have recently moved to Canada and have bought this bad girl. While naming cars cars is a bit cringe, I call her Gaurdian Angel. Talk about my double standards.

This car is one of the true hidden gems. I now understand why people get so addicted to the Germans even though they are sooo unreliable. This car is built like a tank. I really love your car's colour tgo, especially in the snow backdrop.

Its been one month and half since I got it and have already run 15000km. The car is excellent especially in the snow (drove it only once in snow) It handles bad roads well and is a decent highway cruiser. I drinks a bit of oil though. My mechanic says its common for TSI engines, but it drank almost 1.5 - 2 liters of oil in 10k km. No smoke or anything and the car is giving me decent mileage. Any suggestions? Apologies if my post makes no sense I was just too excited after stumbling on your thread.