Mk1 General Info

[Giorgio]

Found one for sale.

Is there any major problems I should look for?
How hard is it to source parts?
What are they like as an everyday car? Whats it like on petrol?

Polo to The People

[WildChild]

Hi there, and welcome to the forums!

I have a 1980 Mark1 895cc, 4 gears, i can put a full tank in of unleaded for £27 (filled to the brim) now on just less than a full tank i managed to do 154 miles..

As for parts it depends, visually parts are quite hard to find, bumpers, lights e.t.c are pretty easy to find, but things such as interiors, original steering wheels, hub caps e.t.c are hard to find and very sort after..

As for the original parts to the car, as in engine parts as far as i am aware they arnt as readily available as most cars on the road to say the least.. but they are available, there are places that supply them, if you are not after originals and just want an equivelant replacement, you're fine..

Mine is very reliable things i would check for are:
Rust under arches, especially rear arches, they were poorly designed in that there is a shelf at the bottom that collects mud and road grime, if its not cleaned out regularly the salt from the road collects and creates large serious rust and holes in the arches, this can require welding if bad or if you catch it you can stop it with rust treatment and filler..

Check for rust on the headgaskets, it should be expected really due to the age of the car but again you shoudnt expect anything serious.

I would also check the exhaust and manifold system.. if it's an original there's a chance due to the age that holes maybe accumilating, this is bad news, and can be replaced with a new one and fitted for about £80..

Also i would check on the cambelt, when it was last replaced or anything needed doing to it..

If you do get it, i would suggest you replace the spark plugs, empty the oil and fuel out of the car and give it a clean out, fresh oil, full tank.. also get some Emissions Cleaner, its about £4.99 and you just poor the whole bottle in along with a full tank of fuel and it will clean out your system very well of any s**t..

Also check how the engine runs with & without choke.. if it requires alot of choke and or you experience stalling this can be because the airfilter is not being very productive.. check the two pipelines at the back of the airfilter, theres one about 3 inches wide going from the main air filter to the lower engine.. this often cracks due to heat and oil in the surrounding area, the second pipeline u should check for is probably about 3 inches in length and about 5mm in width, if this is disconnected (happens v.easily) the car will not run without choke when at a standstill and you loose quite alot of compression in acceleration and generally will not sound v.healthy..

Hope this helps bit long winded, others will post more..

[ste mk1lx]

as wildchild said original body and trim parts are rare although they do appear from time to time on ebay although these are mostly located in germany and on the forums. If your not too bothered about originality then you can use engine and even trim(lthough this is mainly seats and steering wheels) off polos manufactured until 94'. mechanical parts should be in easy supply due to them also being used on the golf and on later generations of the polo.
places to check for tin worm are the front wings and valance, the rear section of the sills(mainly drivers side near fuel tank), the fuel tank and the rear corners, although obviously a full close inspection of the car is whats needed.

[Giorgio]

you people are so cool

thanks for the help.

[WildChild]

No worries, lets have some photos and some more info on the car

What do u intend to do with it?

[Giorgio]

Didnt buy it in the end. Way too much rust.
At least there is a decent amount of info in this thread for any other people

[SteB]

Didnt buy it in the end. Way too much rust.

Stick some details up here mate, someone else may be interested in a major project or a spares car