2 years and 26,000 km with my Volkswagen Taigun: Service updates

All LED Conversion (Except Fog Lamps) - I have been contemplating to do an All LED conversion, and have not decided to exclude the fog lamps.

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Helios 2-Year Service Update (26000 Kms)

July marked 2 years of owning Helios, our VW Taigun 1.0 AT, and hence a service was due.

Ownership Experience:

1. Trouble-Less Ownership: Despite an initial accident and the Diesel fiasco, my experience with Helios (our VW Taigun 1.0 AT) has been largely trouble-less, but not entirely trouble-free.
2. Monthly Mileage: The car consistently covers 1k+ kms per month, averaging 2K - 2.5K km over a few months.
3. Mileage Insights: I’ve learned that mileage depends on how I drive and floor the pedal, achieving 8-12 kmpl during peak hours and 10-14 kmpl off-peak. Highway runs are a lot better now, with the mileage ranging between 14 and 18 kmpl. I occasionally feed Helios some STP Octane Booster, though it only runs on RON 95 petrol always.

2nd year Service Details:

• Booking Process: I schedule service well in advance and personally drove the car to the service centre.
• Service Timelines: I left the car for a couple of days to address reported issues.

Items Checked:

1. Brake Rotor and Pad replacements - I had and unplanned 2K kms drive in june due to a family emergency, and found the brakes to lack any bite. i was previously adviced to change the pads at 22k kms. I got both the rotor and pads changes this time, cost to pocket - 11.1K + Labor.
2. 2nd Year Service: Engine Oil Flush and Change (covered under SVP) – Completed; Despite engine oil change and the service, there is something amiss in the car, when i start driving. previously, everytime the car has visited the SC, its grunt used to be back, and an initial surge used to be felt. This feeling is now missing, and the car is very sedate. Not very sure what is wrong.
3. Yellowing of DRL/Headlight: Replaced RHS headlight assembly; LHS pending approval.
4. Noise from Central Console or Left Front Side: Couldn’t reproduce at the SC; now noise from A pillar. This is very sporadic and uneven, so I am unable to trace the trend or source.
5. Passenger Hand Grip (Left Rear): Replaced under warranty.
6. Engine Mount Inspection: I felt vibrations at idling; no issues found by the technicians.
7. Suspension Mounts Inspection: Creaking noise when driving over humps; no issues found by the technicians ( I am considering a third-party / FNG vist to check this.).
8. ICE (In-Car Entertainment) Updates: Done; new on screen message replaces the cheeky “don’t forget your kids” prompt.
9. Window Winding Motors Noise and Driver-Side One-Touch Issue: Acknowledged but not resolved.
10. Cabin Air filter (Carbon) - i do not know if its a worthy add on or not, but i added it last year and replaced it this year. cost to pocket Rs 999

Service Experience:

Positive Aspects:

1. Formed a WhatsApp group with SA, CRM, Service Manager, and myself unlike the previous times.
2. Proper documentation of issues and technician review, based on my whatsapp comms and in person feedback.
3. Roof liner had become messy during the last service, and it was fixed this time.
4. There was some issue with the front passenger door paint, which got fixed with polishing.

Challenges:

1. WhatsApp group communication mostly one-directional with I doing a lot of over-communication.
2. Lack of updates during the service in the WA channel.
3. Ventilated seats seem affected by recent software update and have become really noisy such that it went back to the SC a week later. I did try to book their pick up and drop service but.
4. CRM inefficiencies, especially with pick-up and drop service. The SC has tied up with DriveU for pickup and drop facilities, but unfortunately this is a huge miss. My pickup was scheduled at 7.15 and until 10.15 am nobody turned up, i ended up driving in. Despite my good working relationship with the DGM and Service Manager and SA, the CRM/CS team seem much motivated to ruin this experience. After requesting a pick-up and drop-off service, the first call I received was to reschedule for the weekend. However, I had specifically communicated that I would need the car during that time

Add-Ons:

1. Puddle Lamps: Installed (cost to pocket -4K).
2. Heat Sink for Bonnet: Part currently unavailable.
3. Front Parking Sensors: Back-ordered with a 2-month delay.
4. Amp and Sub from Music Edition or 24 Models: Not officially backward compatible; exploring aftermarket options.

Pending Activities:

1. Software tweaks planned for over 18 months; yet to find the time. My luck has been such that I never had the time to schedule it as something would demand that I travel out of state.
2. All LED Conversion (Except Fog Lamps) - I have been contemplating to do an All LED conversion, and have not decided to exclude the fog lamps. My schedule is such a mess, that i cannot order the lights from durvient, or do it myself immediately or take it to a shop and get it done.

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