BHPian Tgo recently shared this with other enthusiasts: This summer had been a busy one. Most miles put down were by my Turo guests. There were a few hiccups here and there. The car had gone through 3 oil changes in the Summer where I follow the 8k km interval. One major setback was the worn down and unsafe rear tires. This happened due to misalignment. I realized the last alignment done on it was more than 20k km ago. My mechanical friend managed to take care of it for me and got a set of two Continentals to match the front tires. Was really happy to sort this out at short notice. The car came back from its last trip around end of September and managed to make the Calgary-Vancouver-Calgary round trip fuss free, driven by the last Guest for this season. Over the years the hood and front fenders had picked up a lot of rock chips. None of them were deep enough to have exposed bare metal. There was one small one on the on the edge of the roof above the windshield which had the beginnings of surface rust. More concerning was the rear right wheel arch where I saw surface rust bubbling through the paint work . It was a small patch but was concerning nonetheless. My jugaad for the past few months had been to give it a good thick coat of wax polish after the car wash. I brought the rust and touch-up issue to my FNG they actually sold me the car back in 2022. So the wheel arch rust repair and the touchups on the hood and fenders, they took care of on their own. The rust spot was a repaint on that panel that wasn’t done right would have been there since before they acquired the unit for sale. Was pretty thrilled about not having to pay for that. Quick Recce trip to Lloydminster AB. Rex Elevator, one of Alberta’s landmark grain elevators.2025 Winter Prep For The Volkswagen TiguanEarly morning drop-off for maintenance. I listed other items that needed attention which were. -Engine Oil change (routine job) -Transmission Oil change (precautionary, more on this below) -Wheel alignment (precautionary) -Engine Block Heater install So over two visits to their shop these issues were sorted out. I asked for the transmission oil change since I was moving to a new town further north of Calgary for work. This move from the foothills to the prairies would expose the car to harsher winters where the occasional thaw form the Chinook winds wouldn’t happen. In the past there was one day in Calgary when -40 degrees Celsius outside made it difficult for the car to cycle through the gears. I thought a fresh fluid would be less prone to thickening up and would prevent such a scenario while I street park for a good 6 months through winter. Alignment report at 115,000 km. For the wheel alignment, I got it done as a precaution. A) I did not want to wear down my winter set prematurely. B) last winter was dicey, where a faulty alignment really made the rear end loose. With more highway runs in store during winter shuttling between Calgary and Lloydminster, I wanted a surefooted handling as the bare minimum. I am told the Camber being on the limit is an issue with the strut. I would think its more of the strut mount issue. But it doesn’t have much effect on Tire wear and I was thinking of tackling it when I need a suspension overhaul. Would upgrade everything to a Bilstein B6 with aftermarket mounts which offer better quality. I also explored the option of getting an engine block heater fitted to the car. Sustained temperatures below zero in Lloyd and street parking being the only option, I didn’t have the appetite for a no-go from the starter. Did some research and found out that there are no options available. The block doesn’t have a port for it. The oil pan for the magnetic heater’s wouldn’t wok since it is made of plastic. And the only viable option from DEFA, would require tapping into coolant hoses which I was not really keen on. Although in future if I ever find myself needing one, this was the best option available for Volkswagen engines since there is no OEM / aftermarket option that does it this detailed, add a cabin heater powered by and external source and makes the communication with the controller wireless through its Bluetooth module. Would solve my remote start problem for pre-heating the cabin too. Two birds in one stone. Actually three, since it also has a in-built battery tender. Clean wheels, short lived satisfaction. Another thing on my list was to clean the wheels and give them a nice protective coat of ceramic wax. I had not done this since I bought them. So took some time out before the tire swap. Used the ArmorAll Extreme, A Drill with a brush and some tap water. Very satisfying results. Dried it up and gave it a coat of TurtleWax Ceramic hoping that this would repel or at the least make it easy to get the brake dust off in the next wash. Power tools make for a middle aged man’s best friend. The rust repair was a proper body shop job with perfect paint match. The touch-ups are visible from 10 ft away, and I could live with that. With the engine and gearbox running flush fluids, I was ready for a nice drive to Lloyd to take on a new role. From the Rockies to the Prairies, time for some change in scenery. Check outBHPian commentsfor more insights and information.
