Not quite true... my 11 years old Honda have 10k service interval (according to service manual) 

So... it's been a while that I've had my car back now. The left side seems quiet(er), but now the right is squeaking and rattling around. Also the noise from the aircon system (when switching where the air goes to) is back. At best it lasted 2 weeks or so? That's ridiculous. Gonna go to complain.

I also received the bill for servicing and car rental...

RM 530 for checking the car. Workmanship removing and installing spark plugs: RM 285. Pollen/air filter workmanship: RM 80. Filter itself RM 130. 4 Spark plugs RM 422. Adjusting headlights RM 133. Car rental (2 1/2 days): RM 573. Oh, and on top of that there's of course a 19% tax on the prices given here, thus around 2500. No oil change, as the last one happened around 15000 km ago, so still got 15000 km to go.

On the positive side I average around 5 liter per 100 km. I imagine I'd get less than that on summer tyres, as the winter ones are softer, stickier.

Btw., today my VW dealer had a launch event for the VW Amarok and Audi Q2. They had the new Tiguan for display, demonstrating the trailer reversing assistant (so you can easily reverse the car with a trailer attached...)



Pretty thing, but I didn't spend much time with it.

I did get to sit inside a VW Caddy, well specced with 4Motion all wheel drive, DSG, in a rather attractive (and striking) green. The interior is not bad. Mostly hard plastic, but that's to be expected. Lots of parts taken out of the VW parts bin, like the air con controls which is straight out of the Golf, and the GPS unit of course. Oddly enough they have moved the aircon controls to the top, with the GPS sitting low down on the center console. Why on earth did they do that? It's a terrible idea to have the screen as low down as possible (meaning you need to look way down to see the screen... the higher, the closer to the road the better! Reaching the aircon controls is harder too this way. The car is well put together, and as usual for this kind of car the storage area above the driver is useful. I do prefer the position in my Kangoo. The sliding doors work well, seating in the back is comfy enough. The boot is, obviously, gigantic, and fortunately VW is providing a strap by which you can pull down the boot lid. Otherwise shorter people have no chance of reaching it, short of jumping in the air and hoping for the best. Nice family car, IMHO, especially in the longer 7 seater version.

They also had the new Audi A5... could sit in it too, but since everything is powered, and I didn't have the keys... Nice place to be in though. Some parts feel a bit too cheap for the price tag and the rather decent spec levels it had, but it's beautiful inside out. The LED lit bits when entering the car... sweet. Useless, and you only see them with the doors wide opened, but it's just such a posh, cool detail.

Audi R8 V10 was there, but sadly it was locked just before I could sit inside. What a car though.

Main reason for the event was obviously the Q2, and it's nice inside. VW parts bin, as usual. The seats were IMHO identical to the sports seats in the Golf Mk 7, just that the materials are different. I'd guess a rather affordable trim level, the fabric wasn't too impressive. It felt very much like a Golf in terms of quality. The design is cooler, and the HU is taken from the Audi parts bin (so the screen sits high up on the dashboard, where it should, and is controlled via a dial in the center of the car). Space is decent all around, though I wouldn't say it is a big improvement over the Golf. More headroom, a bit more legroom, a bit bigger boot, but nothing significant.

I only glanced into the Amarok... well, it's a pickup. Nuff said.

And finally a demonstration of what the Tourag is capable off, where I got to sit inside. The car went up a really steep ramp, when it was steepest the driver let go off the gas pedal. The car rolled back a few cm and then stopped. When he reached high enough revs again the car moved forward. (I'd say a normal auto box would have issues with this angle, and roll backwards). On the way down, just as steep, me being kept from crashing into the windscreen by the seatbelt), he didn't touch the brakes. The car maintained a reasonable speed going downhill. The next demo was going over something with a massive hole for one of the tyres, making the car go on 3 wheels. AWD made sure that it could move forward. Didn't feel much of it, to be honest, it was all rather unspectacular (which I guess is the point). It's a comfortable car to be in, the suspension seems to be pretty soft, reminding me of a 2003-ish X-Trail. Nice to see that this soft-roader can actually do well going offroad... then again isn't it a Porsche underneath?

Thanks for sharing..
occasionally I had this same symptom - engine stutter when accelerating. When the service centre scanned, they found no fault codes. Perhaps it's still a mild problem, hopefully.
As for the battery...

Btw typically how long does the battery last? Mine is already 2 years.

Just wanted to be prepared in the eventuality. How much a new battery cost and where / how to get it replaced

Battery typically lasts 2-3 years. Price varies for different models (1.2/1.4 and 2.0) and if your car has start/stop tech, then its a different battery again. I honestly don't remember the price of my battery and I cannot find my receipt. I think about RM4xx when I bought from Varta in Jan this year, for my 2.0 Golf.

You do not have to change your battery from SC; the ones from Varta are almost half the price, and they go to your doorstep. And just in case, keep the receipt in your glovebox, and don't make the same mistake I did.

I have no idea, really. I know at least 2 other owners with pretty much similar prob, too. I have a theory on why, but no real way to prove it 

hey guys..

any workshop to recommend to change bulbs for my VW?? my existing headlamps with DRL but would liek the bulb to be whiter than the current one?

appreciate your help!

p.s. if you guys know the estimated price range would be good too!

thx!

Guys, i'm looking at a 2nd hand beetle 2.0 tsi. Just would like to know, the engine and gearbox, is it similar to golf 2.0 tsi?

Cos when i test drove the beetle, it feels slightly different compared to the golf. Somehow it feels like the car is upshifting earlier and is having a longer gear ratio.

Or is it just my gut feeling ?

Not really.. afaik first service for the 1.6 MPI Polo etc should only be in the range of RM500++.  2nd is pretty much that, since it involves spark plugs. Which is a bit ridiculous, yea.

Yea if you take the TSI cars, it's almost the same, minor difference here and there. The 1.6 MPI cars though is kinda confusing. For example the service costs for the first 60,000km is roughly a whole lot cheaper on the Passat than the cheapest VW here - Polo 1.6 H/Back! VPCM oughta do something about this, seriously.

Aerotwin plus for RM90?!!  A piece or pair?

Well for the 1.6 cars (Polo HB, Sedan, Vento) they're specified in the service schedule. The spark plugs are just RM55 actually, 55x4 = RM220 but add up the also mandatory air filter (RM138) and pollen/cabin filter (RM107) PLUS labour, it adds up. Especially at 4th service when the ATF change is needed. A little bit of diggin reveals that the plugs - by Bosch, does specify requiring replacement every 30k. Can't they use a long-life iridium instead..?

Imagine when a customer that migrated from a Jap to the so called 'entry-level, affordable VW' reached his/her 2nd service? Sigh.

Eh..? Yea they're RM55 each, so a set of 4 would be RM220 of course..? Iirc every other TSIs cost around RM100++ each, not counting those GTI/R stuffs off course.

How much Honda charges for those plugs for a City btw?

I agree; for some reason, Japanese cars are more hardy and there's no argument there. In the last 12 months, I have also been through 2 battery changes. Thankfully, the only issues my car is free of *touch wood* are engine, clutch, gearbox and mecha issues. Oh, my fog lamp bulb also went kaput and had to have that replaced - since I was at SC, I let them do it, to the tune of RM57. Definitely significantly cheaper if done elsewhere.

Hi Folks,

I'm wondering if any of you have bought spare parts from Workshops in KL area for your VW cars. If you have, can I know a good spare parts shop to go to? My car's fog lights had water vapour inside and I need to change it. Vw authoritised service center is charging a bomb for just a fog light.

Appreciate any replies. Thanks!

Mine's a Mk6 gti. How did u take it apart? Removed the entire light from the bumper? Let me know? Hehe I might want to try blow dry!

Thanks mate! This is going to save me 500 bucks! Haha 😅

TSI is Turbocharged Straight Injection (Turbocharger only or twin charger together with direct fuel injection), DSG is Direct Shift Gear (Dual Clutch Multi-Shaft Manual Gearbox controlled by controller and act like auto gearbox)

Went to Volkswagen Glenmarie with my Dad today. And they totally helped me decide whether to get a VW.
Hell NO.
Made an appointment for 1pm and when we arrived, the sales lady was with another customer. That's fine, we'll wait. The showroom was nice.
But after half an hour, nobody bothered to check up on us. The staff were just walking around, not even bothering to assist us. No can I help you, let me show you around, which car you interested in.
Nothing. Just stare at us.
So if this the service before you buy a car, I can only imagine what it would be like after.
Maybe I don't look rich enough for them, I don't know.  But if that's the case, fine. I'll just take my business elsewhere.
In case you're wondering, I was  wearing a t-shirt and jeans, and my dad was wearing a normal shirt and slacks. WTF?