2008 Polo 1.4 TDI Bluemotion - Questions...

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SamJRogers
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2008 Polo 1.4 TDI Bluemotion - Questions...

Post by SamJRogers »

Hi all,

just bought a lovely 2008 Polo 1.4 TDI Bluemotion for my son who's due to take his driving test in 3 weeks. Its a perfect first car for him and he's already driven over 100 miles in it (with me next to him of course!)

However I have a few questions I wondered if anyone out there could help me with please.

1. The remote central locking is very intermittent. Sometimes when you press the button all the doors lock, sometimes only 3 do, and then sometimes none of them lock! And the same intermittent things happen when you try and unlock them. Any idea what might be causing this? We do have 3 months warranty with it, but its quite a cheap version, so we only have a £250 limit to a claim. So would be good to know whats possibly wrong.

2. The wheels on it are tiny! They are genuine VW Polo alloys, but have 165/70 R14 tyres on them. They look ok, however I noticed when i'm searching for new tyres (the two front ones need replacing), the searches come up with 15 and 16 inch versions. Does anyone know if these are the default version and sizes of tyres that usually come with this model? Also is there anyway to know if I could get him 15 inch tyres and would they fit the alloys that he has?

thanks in advance
RUM4MO
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Re: 2008 Polo 1.4 TDI Bluemotion - Questions...

Post by RUM4MO »

I'd give the idea of fitting 15" tyres to a 14" wheel a miss!

Maybe get yourself a bit clued up on cars before tampering with your son's new/first car.
SamJRogers
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Re: 2008 Polo 1.4 TDI Bluemotion - Questions...

Post by SamJRogers »

Thanks for the reply RUM4MO,

exactly why i've posted the questions on this website!
Teutonic_Tamer
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Re: 2008 Polo 1.4 TDI Bluemotion - Questions...

Post by Teutonic_Tamer »

Sam, is the remote central locking glitchy with both remote key fobs (if you actually got two)? Have you changed the battery in the fob? Have you had a VCDS scan done?
SamJRogers
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Re: 2008 Polo 1.4 TDI Bluemotion - Questions...

Post by SamJRogers »

Hi Teutonic_Tamer, I do have both remotes and have tried changing the batteries, however it still has the same issue. Looked up VCDS and no I haven't had one of these done. I could look to get it booked into a VW dealership and see if this might uncover the issues.

Strange thing is that I get so many different things happening with the locking, I can't pinpoint one particular problem! For instance, I unlocked the doors last night and opened only a back door. After a few seconds the doors locked automatically (as if no door had been opened since I unlocked the doors) and the alarm went off!?
Teutonic_Tamer
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Re: 2008 Polo 1.4 TDI Bluemotion - Questions...

Post by Teutonic_Tamer »

Sam, thanks for the update.

I would strongly recommend avoiding VW main dealers. Being able to touch your toes, and an ample supply of vaseline will be required! :twisted:

If you can search for a fellow forum member nearby who has VCDS and the Ross-Tech lead, and they will often gladly scan your car for a few beer tokens. Otherwise, find a trusted local independent VW Group specialist - one who either has VCDS, or one of the official factory VAS machines (if they don't have either - they simply can't be classed as a VW Group specialist), and get them to scan your car.

From experience, VW door locks have problems with faulty microswitches, and these can be annoyingly intermittent! Part of the problem arises from lack of lubrication - the mechanical components of the lock mechanism wear adversely, or are sluggish in their operation, and the microswitch are very prone to a form of electronic corrosion. Regular dousing of an appropriate lubricant (NOT WD40, a lightweight white spray grease is ideal) at the mechanism and microswitch (not just the keyhole) can often rescue them from the brink.

Going back to VCDS, because they are so intermittent with their faults, they will invariably log multiple fault codes or DTCs - some of these DTCs will be transient, some will be persistent, and only VCDS or official VW Group diagnostic tools can reliably clear persistent DTCs. If someone were to attempt to clear any DTCs with generic code readers, or even professional readers such as Snap-On - transient codes will no doubt be successfully cleared, but persistent codes will remain. Any stored codes - even when all the locks might be behaving, can affect operation of central locking - be that by the remote key fob, or even when the key is inserted in the actual door lock.

HTH, keep us updated.
SamJRogers
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Re: 2008 Polo 1.4 TDI Bluemotion - Questions...

Post by SamJRogers »

Thanks again for the reply and advice.

As it is so intermittent, i'm probably thinking your suggestion about the microswitches could be the way to go. I wondered if these are things I can get access to myself, rather than go to a garage? Can you reach them easy enough? If so then my initial thought would be to maybe give the connections a rub with sandpaper and lubricate them, then the second option would be to replace them if I can get new ones.

It all depends if I can get to them.
RUM4MO
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Re: 2008 Polo 1.4 TDI Bluemotion - Questions...

Post by RUM4MO »

You will not do much with sand paper, remember these things are "micro" switches - so they are quite small.

Check inside the protective boot on the driver's door hinge end for crushed/chopped/breaking wires as sorting out these lock modules is not too easy, solder issues on these lock modules also cause similar issues - no easy fix.
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