My Garuda: VW Polo 1.2 TDi Ownership Review (90K Crossed)


Thread Starter #1
Joined
May 23, 2014
Messages
604
Likes
593
Location
coimbatore
My Garuda: VW Polo 1.2 TDi Ownership 1 lack kms Crossed)

Hi Fellow members and Friends , my previous car Maruthi suzuki WagonR Stingray was a beloved car of mine , bought it in Red wine color and maintained it in pristine condition like a soul mate, always wash in 3m or half day of Sundays for a perfect wash , maintained it well, Eg , insted of changing oil for every 10k kms, i used to take to my garage and change it myself on intermediate 5k kms , mods like HIDs, Led center Grill, Premium Carpeting , Many more

you can easily find my thread in google as it hits top of the result ,
just type "wagonr stingray ownership review"

well its now to the topic , i parked my stingy near my neighbors house , and few boys where playing cricket with Tennis ball, the green one. and when i was reaching to my car , a guy hit straight to my front driver door, and i knew the ball was already bounced once and i thought it wont make any dent or anything and might be a minor scratch, when i neared i found out the door was having a huge dent , like some one just kicked the door with a foot,

Well my reaction After that: took the dent out using suction type mobile holder and there was no marks of it, after next few minutes i took the car out and took 360* pics and just slammed the pics on olx [evil] and sold for 4l on next few days.
i hope i dont want to explain more why i sold the car.

My hunt started for next car , on my experience with a petrol car previously , which already had a Fuel efficient engine , my running costs where high , so i was preferring a diesel in a diploma.

In between i got my spare car from my friend who has a palio mjd with new swift engine,
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/technical-zone/20564-project-fiat-palio-mjd-1-3-giving-another-life.html
what a car it was, it was so much fun to drive and pickup was crazy fast and i could feel the raw torque and easy to drive on diesels mainly on city roads , also for 1000Rs of diesel i was socked to see the distance i covered was about 400 kms at ease , while my stingy will return 200 to 230 kms max .


from my previous experience i was sure that i am going to buy a car which is going to be cricket ball proof on all sides, how i test is i will go and lean on my back on the doors and feel does the door flexes inside or not , i felt it positive on all MS < 5l cars and datsun cars. and little bit on other cars in market , when it came to fiat and VW it was not the door it flexed it was my back flattened[lol].

so my search ended with punto mjd or polo tdi, i test drove all the cars and felt VW polo to be more suited for me , felt like home , and punto was bit sluggish on steeps and low rpms.

when i discussed it with my parents , we planed to go for a Pre owned insted of a new car , even i was in same thought like lets see how it works out and after few thousand kms of drive i can sell it and get a new one as per my taste, (like Tdi or GT tdi [evil])

The Hunt
I was in front if my phone starring at olx for more than two weeks lots of cars and lots of Test drives , all cars seems to have some problems like scratch , dent , less power , suspension noise , door noise etc , which where the signs of poor maintenance.

Finally on a fine day i saw this car , having no scratches and dents on it and as i already had many previous experience, i knew what to look at , it seems to pass all my tests and even though i was not convinced and when i took a test drive , i was sold, car was accelerating like a new car and there where no suspension noise or rough engine noise , also the turbo pickup was clean and neat , i silently came back to seller house and said i will consider this car and i will let him know whether i am interested or not on next day , i immediately got into palio and drove to my friends house and talked about the car and its condition and next day when we where to the seller house there was already another person ready to buy the car , luckily i informed seller that i will come at morning and make a final test drive with my friend and he was smiling while he was driving , i could feel what is running in his Petrol Head , i was silently sitting and when we reached back , the other buyer was waiting and i told the seller that , please let them go , we are wasting their time '' , then we finalized the car for 3.75l and took the car .

Took delivery did a pooja
IMG_20160403_092253_HDR.jpg


Condition and Variant of the car :

  • Engine : 1.2 Tdi , turbo direct injection , with Variable Geometry turbo and Intercooler
  • power : 75 ps
  • Variant : Trendline
  • year : 2012 November
  • Kms Run : 89,000 Kms
  • Tyre condition : two new Apollo tyres at front 165/70 R14 , Rear MRF 175 /60 R14 .

First Impression :

IMG_1347.jpg
IMG_0187.jpg
IMG_0m188.jpg

  • car was Rock solid
  • Silent cabin even at 100 kmph
  • No steering Vibration on Roufgh roads
  • comfortable seating position
  • No Body roll at all
  • perfect car for me

Dislikes :
  • low ground Clearence
  • Single barrel headlamps are not that great
  • flimsy Ac vents

Performance :

Very first look at the engine bay i all i could say is attention to detail and quality of materials like connectors , wires , the way each component was designed ,every thing was meant to last for many years , i opened the turbo inlet hose from air box to check the fins status , fins where looking like new and there was no shake what so ever , vgt shaft was having adequate play and stiffness , on road performance was clean and neat , easily controllable and turbo pulls the heads back from 2k rpm to 3k rpm , especially on 3rd gear , zip's like a king on highways even on high opposite winds, engine sound while accelerating is more like a petrol car rather than a diesel car , which i used ti hear from mjds . car can easily reach 100 in ease within 4th gear in normal acceleration and on 3rd 120kmph on max revv. and clean sweep till 170+ easily and rises slowly up to 200kmph at max rpm. i some how forgot that its a diesel engine and it just revs up like a petrol car , even though the car has 3 cylinders , the balancing pulley besides the crankshaft does the job sweet .

Ride and Handling :
There is no road noise at all , i could feel the strength of the chassis at turns and sudden pot holes , that too from a maruthi to a car like this , still couldn't digest why resale value of VW are low than half the price petrol Maruthi, he cabin was well insulated and tyre and road noise is controlled well, you can hear your own breath yourself clearly , even the doors where well damped and this makes speakers sound well with a clear frequency response and sound quality with punchy bass .

The ride is stable and flat on high speeds and takes out all the bumps and pot holes on low speeds , as car is low you move slightly even at harsh roads , the steering had tilt and rack option at trend line itself, seat height adjust was not there though , the car always handles well at corners with great control and confidence inspiring .

why i liked polo even more
As a Auto Enthusiast and Diy Guru, i would always like quality and touch of perfection , few things below mesmerized me
  • All the electronics like door lock , horn , indicator , parking lamps , Ac contol , window control all where connected to BCM ( body control module ) where advantages where , you can swap the instrument cluster of latest varient if u want as it just communicates with bcm and gets all the information it supports to display , Even a auto headlamp and Climate control module can be swapped in ease no wiring or alterations needed, every thing has a communucation port so all is in control with BCM , the advantages are horn honk while locking and unlocking doors , off time for dome light after doors are shut , fog lamp turns on the side we turn the car , doors lock after certain speed , car automatically puts itself to external air mode when mode is kept to windscreen position , wiper swipes no. of times when the knob is pulled like dim dip style for no of times you do that fastly , etc
  • the doors where damped in a professtionl way , with plastic padding and well insulated from outer panel.
  • all the plastics are more than 4.5 years of age still looks new
  • Ac is Extra ordinary and bone chilling
  • windscreen washer spary is more like spray than a two lines of jet of water
  • easy to remove and fit any panels and the shape of panels wont change denoting the panels where removed earlier
  • seperate knob for lights
the list goes on ...

Mileage :
For an car of 4.5 years of life and 90k odo, i did not expect much on this department , still it returned 17.5 kmpl on city use and 20.3 on highway use, i strongly recommend all to do a tank full for better mileage.

Things to do:
  1. At 90k odo i need to change the timing belt kit and water pump , which would cost me 30k on oem service centers and 25k on a reputed private service canter
  2. seats where not having any covers and needed a wash and planning for a towel based cover for easy maintenence
  3. hid projector headlamps with 4300k 55w , uglare system
  4. light for boot
  5. fog lamps

over all i feel its a car just made for my taste. please rate and comment if u like the review, share your thoughts.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Dec 1, 2014
Messages
151
Likes
125
Location
Delhi
Congratulations on your new car!! The polo is a great hatchback by VW. If maintained well, it is built to last. I bought a polo gt tsi a little over a month back and I totally resonate with you regarding the precision with which the car has been built. The other day I opened the lid of the windscreen washer tank to refill it, and noticed a mesh at the mouth of the opening to catch the physical dirt. I didnt have this in my previous car, the grand i10. I was impressed with the thought that VW has put into such minor details as well.

Enjoy your ride!
 
Thread Starter #3
Joined
May 23, 2014
Messages
604
Likes
593
Location
coimbatore
Congratulations on your new car!! The polo is a great hatchback by VW. If maintained well, it is built to last. I bought a polo gt tsi a little over a month back and I totally resonate with you regarding the precision with which the car has been built. The other day I opened the lid of the windscreen washer tank to refill it, and noticed a mesh at the mouth of the opening to catch the physical dirt. I didnt have this in my previous car, the grand i10. I was impressed with the thought that VW has put into such minor details as well.

Enjoy your ride!
Hi Jonathan welcome to vw family, even my polo has that mesh, which was manufactured at 2011 which was a model from 2009 , surprised to see the technology they have used for the electronics and engines well for the price bracket of competition, it's definitely a car for a well maintaining owners, such a solid build.. lasts longer than we think.. even after 15 years for a well maintained car we don't have to do much for FC. Lol
 
Joined
Mar 30, 2011
Messages
905
Likes
1,232
Location
Bengaluru
Congrats on your new tank. From the Pics it looks very well maintained. The Diesel is a solid performer. On top of everything, the feel it gives once you are inside is simply great.

I once waited for Polo launch eagerly. Their campaign in ToI was special. Had Polo come with a powerful P Engine ... ... huummm
 
Thread Starter #5
Joined
May 23, 2014
Messages
604
Likes
593
Location
coimbatore
Congrats on your new tank. From the Pics it looks very well maintained. The Diesel is a solid performer. On top of everything, the feel it gives once you are inside is simply great.

I once waited for Polo launch eagerly. Their campaign in ToI was special. Had Polo come with a powerful P Engine ... ... huummm
Thanks vijay,, ye the car was well maintained..
 
Thread Starter #6
Joined
May 23, 2014
Messages
604
Likes
593
Location
coimbatore
Adding new set of speakers from jbl to the doors

Hi guys, happy to notify you for my first day experience with polo.

Bought my all time favorite jbj speakers for my gruda, the old stock pioneer speaker's where flat and not that punchy, and low sensitivity and more of mid range .

This set of speakers I have currently replaced is jbl CX series 6.5 inch,. High sensitivity speakers, perfectly tuned for nice punch , these where the same speaker's which I used on my stingray before .

Experience:
As I know, I need to open the door pad first to replace the speaker, I was searching for screws ,
I found one below the door, and two others inside the doors arm handle cover, you need to pop open it with a clip or thin pliers .
The screw head is as usual 6 point hex type.

Removing the pad is a tough job, though, u need to really be care full while pulling the pad off the clips inside, if u have a nice leanghty pliers, use it to pop it one at a time , even if u pull it harder, either clip may stuck to the door or it may come , even though they where designed to be fail safe, u can take them from the door and re insert to the pads again, surprised . ( I call it as VW touch)

I was surprised to see how hard the door pad plastic material was and the inner door was insulated with real plastic pads instead of poly cover used in other cars, this not only stops oder from rain or dirt to the cabin, also reduces the doors resonance to speaker vibration and makes a tight pack, where speakers can be happy to give u more punching bass ,
I remember how badly I was trying to do a door damping for my stingray , I really used many ways to bring this effect. Spent lots of cash, still doors where resonating and couldn't get a neat bass.

Seeing this, I really know my jobs will definitely gonna be happy in these doors.

The 6.5 inch speakers easily swipe to the door oem screw holes,, with no drilling needed.

Also foam cover which is placed before any speakers installed, when inner portion is cut out, that foam part gives a nice tight fit effect to the speaker metal to door metal.

Caution: keep an eye on the outside rear view mirrors adjustment plastic, I has a clip which u need to slide it to the door pad first before you going to fix the pad back, once it's done, just place the door pad and press all the places where clips come, forgot to mention, to remove the door lock unlock mechanism, use a screw driver and take the clip off the door unlock mechanism , and for installing back place the clip back to position and press it to clip it back.

Don't forget to connect back the security led wire, Windows conrol and a special wire comes for the lock and unlock switch.

Things I was surprised:

Aka VW touch

* Door pad quality
* Door pad inner area insulation
* Wiring junction for inner door to outer door , where it doesn't come just from a hole, the hole is blocked by a rubber socket having a female connector, giving access to inner wiring .
* There was no door open close sensors on door B pillar or door sides, it was inside the door lock mechanism for more added safely. No one can trick it and steal the vehicle.

Sound effects of the speaker:

One word . Mind blown

The sound effect was twice as previous with more clarity, the sound was not that headache creating, things where clean and neat.
There was no door noise or wat so ever.
I can feel the bass inside my body.

With pioneer 50*4 watts Single din Hu I am surprised.

This was the sound I was praying for on the stingray. Even my friends where surprised about the sound quality, few asked is there a sub on the boot and is it really the front two speakers making this much effect.

Note: there are no speakers on rear door, and felt not necessary any more.

Final thoughts:
Enjoying .
 

Attachments

Thread Starter #7
Joined
May 23, 2014
Messages
604
Likes
593
Location
coimbatore
After driving car for 15k kms

Hi , dear TAIgers and all others, i am letting you know my impressions of 2012 my VW polo 1.2 tdi (made in Germany) which was bought as pre owned at 90k kms.

Impressions
  • solid buid quality compared to any car in the segment
  • silent cabin even at higher speeds
  • excllent AC even at hot day
  • quality parts and materials which can last for life time if maintained well
  • good fuel economy , 18 to 20 at city and 20 to 25 at highways
  • pin point handling and dynamics
  • Lots of customisaion options
  • parts not an issue in this market anymore
Downsides:
  • not for tall and bulky people
  • less leg room but comfortable seat at rear
  • Vw service charges more labour for small works
  • low ground clearence for indian roads (1.2 tdi) low slung engine sump with engine guard(145mm) at that point
  • low headlight brightness at stock setup, especially if u have another car with good brightness



Experience:

After driving for 15 k kms , i learned many things regarding VW and how engine is designed and chassis, suspension, body, electrical parts, sensors , etc etc.

Thanks a lot for previous owner for keeping car in mint condition , otherwise i would not be in this peace of mind now.

All my friends drove the car and all were impressed , for 1l and 5 years old car the performance levels and refinement of engine was a shock, even it goes stable and fast than many cars on road like punto 90 hp , micra , swift etc.

car zipps at higher speeds at higher rpms, even at 4k to 5k power is there and free revving engine , like a petrol one.

car tops 170 to 180 quickly and running acceleration is good for this engine from 2k to 3.5 k rpm.

Maintenance :
oil(4.5L , oil filter , fuel filter (every 30k), air filter(every 30K) , Gear oil (every 40K), Brake Fluid Every (30k)

The above mentioned is the only maintenance you need to do for VW TDI engines.


except Timing belt kit at every 90k or belt condition checked and kit replaced at 105k kms
tires and alignment and balancing every 5k .
 
Thread Starter #8
Joined
May 23, 2014
Messages
604
Likes
593
Location
coimbatore
My Modifications and Maintenence

Things done do far
  • Noodle mat
  • towel type pure cotton seat covers from Koyas CBE
  • Suspention Upgrage
  • general Service
  • Stebel Horn

Noodle floor mats and seats
From Koyas , 3.5 k for seats , 1.5k for mat
IMG-20161023-WA0006.jpg
IMG-20161023-WA0005.jpg

Suspension Upgrade :

Upgraded to old 165mm GC hight Stock to 175mm Kit.
which is the current suspension for 1.5 tdi
i purchased TRW Brand.
You can find all the parts in Boodmo parts site. i bought for 6k in Aadithya autos cbe.
IMG-20160816-WA0018.jpg
IMG-20160816-WA0017.jpg
IMG-20160817-WA0010.jpg
IMG-20160817-WA0011.jpg

also i have researched and got prices for parts for polo .find the attached images
IMG-20160813-WA0012.jpg

General Maintenance:
IMG-20160912-WA0013.jpg
IMG-20160912-WA0010.jpg
IMG-20160912-WA0028.jpg

Service has been done in Castrol Pit stop Near 3m car care stanes CBE.
well knowledge persons and equipment, with less labor costs.

find the clear pricing catalog which i collected.
Untitled.png
 
Last edited:

bhvm

Honoured Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2011
Messages
5,289
Likes
4,818
Location
Some Village
Hello back sting!
Nice to see you back in action. Never knew you had a polo now.

Stuff some 3000k HIDs in those fogs man. VW really cheated with poor Single barrel headlamps on such otherwise premium car.
 
Thread Starter #10
Joined
May 23, 2014
Messages
604
Likes
593
Location
coimbatore
Hello back sting!
Nice to see you back in action. Never knew you had a polo now.

Stuff some 3000k HIDs in those fogs man. VW really cheated with poor Single barrel headlamps on such otherwise premium car.
Hi Bhvm, long seen. I am planning for i exactly and you are saying it. what a sync, UGlare will be thrown in, planning for a gti based bumber, so after the upgrade I'll put those HID .
Mean while those stebel trumpets are awesome.
Even lorry give me way at highways. [:D],
And another thing, my friend with palio bought xuv 500 w10 Awd , seeing your thread, thrown some UGlare 55w hid on it as a first diy.
 

bhvm

Honoured Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2011
Messages
5,289
Likes
4,818
Location
Some Village
Yeah. I thought you went inactive after you sold the sting. I am active at my respective threads. Same cars. Recent update here-
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-includes-kaas-flowers-falls-lakes-forts.html

That GTI bumper will be quite exciting. Can't you swap to dual chamber Projector Headlights like from Higher end VWs?

Anyways, Stuff some Shilan Cree H4 led bulbs in your existing headlights. You'll love it.
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...ed-headlight-conversion-bulbs-cars-bikes.html

and here-
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...i-i10-magna-detailed-review-9.html#post497334

Long term here-
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...conversion-bulbs-cars-bikes-4.html#post500767
 
Thread Starter #13
Joined
May 23, 2014
Messages
604
Likes
593
Location
coimbatore
Hi,

recently some noises where coming from driver side shocks , did a quick spray lube over the springs and noise went , took to castrol pit stop and checked , seems the technetian did not place the springs correctly over the struct seating , where there are hinges to hold the spring , find the image below ,
if you want to buy any part , even OE , dont worry , BOODMO.COM is there

for part no's

672411000.png


also found the stabilizer link ball joints where weak , bought a Chinese part from local dealer , will update you the item quality in another 10 k , when i change control arm bushings.
OE PART NO 6R0411315

Availability in boodmo

IMG_20161028_141409.jpg

IMG_20161028_141325.jpg

IMG_20161028_141314.jpg

IMG_20161028_141330.jpg

IMG_20161028_141400.jpg
 
Joined
Jun 2, 2016
Messages
63
Likes
49
Location
Pune
Cleaned engine bay, thought of attaching few pics, with that stable horn, also cleaned radiator fins, took the hits out, AC is bone chilling cold now.
How did you cleaned actual engine beliw the tdi written plastic cover?
My 1.6 tdi engine have lot of oil dirt on it. I always wash engine bay but with cover. Never did it without cover.
 

Top Bottom