Post WLTP build allocation

[TElwoody]

Hi all,

Just had an allocation for BW 36 confirmed for my Polo. Seems like they are starting to prepare for the factory reopening after the WLTP tests and retooling.

Its an SE trim with quite a few options if that makes any difference to wait times, for those curious.

Many thanks,
Tom.

Edit: I ordered my car in April

[silverhairs]

How lucky are you, I ordered my Polo SEL with over £1800 worth of extras 9 weeks ago, today the guy from the dealership emailed me to tell me my build date is week 45, so you add 8 weeks for shipping, that takes me into 2019 To be honest, I might tell them to poke it where the sun don't shine. Might give Suzuki a call and see what the delivery date for a Suzuki Vitara S is. It was a toss up between the Polo or the Suzuki Vitara S when I placed my order.
When I ordered my estimated delivery was 29th November 2018, NOT the first week in 2019 .

[loadswine]

VW certainly are ridiculous with their waiting times for the Polo. Ordered mine 17 weeks ago and not a sniffof a build date.

[TElwoody]

How lucky are you, I ordered my Polo SEL with over £1800 worth of extras 9 weeks ago, today the guy from the dealership emailed me to tell me my build date is week 45, so you add 8 weeks for shipping, that takes me into 2019 To be honest, I might tell them to poke it where the sun don't shine. Might give Suzuki a call and see what the delivery date for a Suzuki Vitara S is. It was a toss up between the Polo or the Suzuki Vitara S when I placed my order.
When I ordered my estimated delivery was 29th November 2018, NOT the first week in 2019 .

To be fair though, I did order my car in early April with expected to be September, it does kind of pan out though dates wise, mine to yours.

I also have about 2500 in options on an SE, so probably relatively high priority. Partly because of the number of options on a relativly basic trim (my assumption) but mainly because i seemed to have missed the pre WLTP frackass by literally a few days. Like if i ordered a week before, id have a car within a month, not three ish from today.

Much annoyance i know, but it may be worth looking at an in stock model, though with 1800 in options, im guessing there were quite a few, factory only things you wanted. Out if interest, what options did you go for?

[RUM4MO]

How lucky are you, I ordered my Polo SEL with over £1800 worth of extras 9 weeks ago, today the guy from the dealership emailed me to tell me my build date is week 45, so you add 8 weeks for shipping, that takes me into 2019 To be honest, I might tell them to poke it where the sun don't shine. Might give Suzuki a call and see what the delivery date for a Suzuki Vitara S is. It was a toss up between the Polo or the Suzuki Vitara S when I placed my order.
When I ordered my estimated delivery was 29th November 2018, NOT the first week in 2019 .

8 weeks for shipping, I'd hope not, back in 2015, my wife's Polo SEL 5 Door was built in early July and it was handed over 12th August and that was a bit late due to her salesman being on a weeks holiday.

[silverhairs]

What VW are charging extra for

Adaptive cruise control
Blind spot monitoring
Electric folding mirrors
Dashboard pads
Metallic orange paint
rear view camera
All these £1639 + VAT

Suzuki Vitara S
LED projector headlights Standard!
Electrically folding mirrors Standard!
Rear parking camera Standard!
Adaptive cruise control Standard!
Rear privacy glass Standard!
Sun roof Standard!

[DuncanM]

How lucky are you, I ordered my Polo SEL with over £1800 worth of extras 9 weeks ago, today the guy from the dealership emailed me to tell me my build date is week 45, so you add 8 weeks for shipping, that takes me into 2019 To be honest, I might tell them to poke it where the sun don't shine. Might give Suzuki a call and see what the delivery date for a Suzuki Vitara S is. It was a toss up between the Polo or the Suzuki Vitara S when I placed my order.
When I ordered my estimated delivery was 29th November 2018, NOT the first week in 2019 .

How much have you had to put down as a deposit to place the order ? I assume you lose it if you cancel ?

[SRGTD]

What VW are charging extra for

Adaptive cruise control
Blind spot monitoring
Electric folding mirrors
Dashboard pads
Metallic orange paint
rear view camera
All these £1639 + VAT

Suzuki Vitara S
LED projector headlights Standard!
Electrically folding mirrors Standard!
Rear parking camera Standard!
Adaptive cruise control Standard!
Rear privacy glass Standard!
Sun roof Standard!

VW Polo 1.0 115ps 6 speed Manual list price; £18,560, plus extras £1,967 (£1639 + VAT) = £20,527
Suzuki Vitara SZ 1.6 120bhp 5 speed Manual; the top range model that includes the items above as standard; List price £20,499

So based on list price of the Polo you’ve ordered, including the options you’ve specced, or the higher spec Vitara where you’re paying for those items within the list price, there’s very little in it, price-wise. There will no doubt be other spec differences too; e.g. the Polo has a 6 speed gearbox whereas the Vitara’s is 5 speed. The Polo is also likely to drive and handle better than an SUV-style Vitara.

If you want a paint colour other than the ‘free’ colour on the Suzuki, plus customised dash pad colour, this would increase the list price of the Suzuki by £749 if you opt for metallic paint (£550 paint and £249 dash pad) or £1,049 if you opt for two tone paint (£800 paint - you get a black painted roof and metallic paint body - and £249 dash pad).

Whether or not the Suzuki represents better value than the Polo depends on how much discount you’re able to negotiate off list price for each. There may also be a shorter waiting time for the Suzuki. However, as DuncanM has said, if you cancel your Polo you may risk losing any deposit you’ve paid.

Only you can decide what’s right for you, although having already waited 9 weeks, I’d be inclined to stick with the Polo.

[silverhairs]

What VW are charging extra for

Adaptive cruise control
Blind spot monitoring
Electric folding mirrors
Dashboard pads
Metallic orange paint
rear view camera
All these £1639 + VAT

Suzuki Vitara S
LED projector headlights Standard!
Electrically folding mirrors Standard!
Rear parking camera Standard!
Adaptive cruise control Standard!
Rear privacy glass Standard!
Sun roof Standard!

VW Polo 1.0 115ps 6 speed Manual list price; £18,560, plus extras £1,967 (£1639 + VAT) = £20,527
Suzuki Vitara SZ 1.6 120bhp 5 speed Manual; the top range model that includes the items above as standard; List price £20,499

So based on list price of the Polo you’ve ordered, including the options you’ve specced, or the higher spec Vitara where you’re paying for those items within the list price, there’s very little in it, price-wise. There will no doubt be other spec differences too; e.g. the Polo has a 6 speed gearbox whereas the Vitara’s is 5 speed. The Polo is also likely to drive and handle better than an SUV-style Vitara.

If you want a paint colour other than the ‘free’ colour on the Suzuki, plus customised dash pad colour, this would increase the list price of the Suzuki by £749 if you opt for metallic paint (£550 paint and £249 dash pad) or £1,049 if you opt for two tone paint (£800 paint - you get a black painted roof and metallic paint body - and £249 dash pad).

Whether or not the Suzuki represents better value than the Polo depends on how much discount you’re able to negotiate off list price for each. There may also be a shorter waiting time for the Suzuki. However, as DuncanM has said, if you cancel your Polo you may risk losing any deposit you’ve paid.

Only you can decide what’s right for you, although having already waited 9 weeks, I’d be inclined to stick with the Polo.

I have ordered the DSG box also !!

[silverhairs]

What VW are charging extra for

Adaptive cruise control
Blind spot monitoring
Electric folding mirrors
Dashboard pads
Metallic orange paint
rear view camera
All these £1639 + VAT

Suzuki Vitara S
LED projector headlights Standard!
Electrically folding mirrors Standard!
Rear parking camera Standard!
Adaptive cruise control Standard!
Rear privacy glass Standard!
Sun roof Standard!

VW Polo 1.0 115ps 6 speed Manual list price; £18,560, plus extras £1,967 (£1639 + VAT) = £20,527
Suzuki Vitara SZ 1.6 120bhp 5 speed Manual; the top range model that includes the items above as standard; List price £20,499

So based on list price of the Polo you’ve ordered, including the options you’ve specced, or the higher spec Vitara where you’re paying for those items within the list price, there’s very little in it, price-wise. There will no doubt be other spec differences too; e.g. the Polo has a 6 speed gearbox whereas the Vitara’s is 5 speed. The Polo is also likely to drive and handle better than an SUV-style Vitara.

If you want a paint colour other than the ‘free’ colour on the Suzuki, plus customised dash pad colour, this would increase the list price of the Suzuki by £749 if you opt for metallic paint (£550 paint and £249 dash pad) or £1,049 if you opt for two tone paint (£800 paint - you get a black painted roof and metallic paint body - and £249 dash pad).

Whether or not the Suzuki represents better value than the Polo depends on how much discount you’re able to negotiate off list price for each. There may also be a shorter waiting time for the Suzuki. However, as DuncanM has said, if you cancel your Polo you may risk losing any deposit you’ve paid.

Only you can decide what’s right for you, although having already waited 9 weeks, I’d be inclined to stick with the Polo.

I have ordered the DSG box also !! And it's the SEL

[SRGTD]

OK. Didn’t realise you’d ordered a DSG. Base list price above is for the manual SEL. The list price for the DSG version, plus £1,967 of extras would be £21,877.

I’d compared the SEL manual Polo to the Vitara SZ5 which is FWD and also has manual transmission (no auto option for the SZ5 model) - assuming this was the Vitara model you were considering as it’s a similar price to the Polo SEL. I didn’t realise there was a specific Vitara S model (apologies!) which is 4WD only and available with the option of an auto gearbox. According to the Suzuki website, the Vitara S with auto transmission option has a list price of £24,599, so quite a bit more expensive than the Polo SEL DSG, although IMO it is quite a different car; larger 4WD SUV with higher centre of gravity, so different ride and handling characteristics to the Polo as well.

At the end of the day only you can decide whether to wait or go with the Suzuki. I would certainly check the small print in the T’s & C’s of your order form for the Polo to clarify the position on any deposit paid. I seem to remember when I ordered my current car, if I had cancelled the order outside the 14 cooling off period, I would’ve lost the deposit I’d paid.

[silverhairs]

I paid £500 deposit, and to be honest the way the EU are treating us with this Brexit, I'd forgo the £500 not to have a German car. There not built like they used to be, we had a relation who over many years had BMW's then turned to Mercedes, his wife had a E class estate, and he had a top of the range S class. When he was looking for a new motor, Mercedes took a couple of S class cars and 4 buyers out to Spain for the test drive, for 5 days.
He had nothing but trouble with the new car, so he turned back to BMW, but he said the quality over the years had gone down on both manufacturers.
Now you look at people having problems with the Polo hand brake, it's not just the odd member who's having problems. It might be worth the wait to see if everything I've ordered is fitted to the car, just one thing missing, and they can poke it.

Why the hell did I order a German car beats me

[CP_Vaughny]

According to my dealer “It’s impossible for people to be getting build weeks when the factory is closed until August.” Just because manufacturing has stopped doesn’t mean they wouldn’t have been planning future builds, arranging parts etc. The irony being he sent me this reply whilst he wasn’t at work.

The very next sentence “I do check every couple of days but no change.” If he knows nothing will change until August, why’s he been wasting his time checking every couple of days for over a month.

Can’t bring myself to reply without letting rip. When the factory was shutting down, which I found about on here, he said they’d had it dropped on them last week. He had no answer when I asked why I hadn’t heard it from him.

All in all I’m not having a great experience with my dealer.

[monkeyhanger]

I paid £500 deposit, and to be honest the way the EU are treating us with this Brexit, I'd forgo the £500 not to have a German car. There not built like they used to be, we had a relation who over many years had BMW's then turned to Mercedes, his wife had a E class estate, and he had a top of the range S class. When he was looking for a new motor, Mercedes took a couple of S class cars and 4 buyers out to Spain for the test drive, for 5 days.
He had nothing but trouble with the new car, so he turned back to BMW, but he said the quality over the years had gone down on both manufacturers.
Now you look at people having problems with the Polo hand brake, it's not just the odd member who's having problems. It might be worth the wait to see if everything I've ordered is fitted to the car, just one thing missing, and they can poke it.

Why the hell did I order a German car beats me

If you go on any other forum you will find common faults for other marques/models which the manufacturers refuse to sort wholesale via recall. They quietly sort under warranty if the problem manifests itself within 3 years and deny all knowledge if it happens out of warranty.

Vauxhall have had their share of handbrake issues, Ford 1.0Ecotech 140ps engines are currently going pop, the last generation of BMW 2.0CR Diesel engines had butterfly valves which would drop off and goose the turbo (at around 4 years old, outside warranty), plenty of car marques have sticking EGR valves out of warranty.

Experience has shown me that VAG are one of the better groups when it comes to out of warranty goodwill gestures, and after having 7 VWs and an Audi from new, I have had plenty of faults, most piffling or cosmetic, none that have left me stranded at the roadside.


Everyone is building their cars cheaper and flimsier now, with more reliance on electronics - I don't think many recent cars will last 15 years daily use without a hell of a lot of replacement parts. Things like flywheels used to last the life of the car, now they go at 75-85k miles (dual mass) and will take your clutch out with it when they go. Drop off in BMW and Mercedes (Class C and below) interior quality over the last 10 years is shocking - Audi interiors still look the best, although they are of distinctly average reliability.

These manufacturers offering standard 5 or 7 years warranty aren't hugely more reliable than those offering 3 either, the extra warranty is an insurance policy where the cost of that warranty is built into the list price - If VW wanted to give a 7 year warranty, they could, and RRPs would go up £1000-1500. They'd rather you not keep their cars bought from new for 5-7 years, they want to keep you buying new ones - they make as much money from finance as they do from making the car. As soon as the car is old enough not to be of interest to the franchised dealers to sell (4-5 years old generally), the prices fall off a cliff, otherwise you'd have 6 year old Focus STs selling for half the price of Golf GTIs, and no-one would buy the Golf.

A colleague of mine has a Kia Sportage and it has proven to be the most unreliable car she has ever owned. It suffered interior water damage when the sunroof jammed open and the dealership wouldn't help her close it before the repair appointment. They fixed the roof, but not the musty carpets and seat cloth from when it rained on the day of the jam. They creased the roof skin when they forced the sunroof mechanism back full open to strip it out, but refused to do anything about the crease.


When you see the reliability stats, the difference between the most and least reliable marque isn't magnitudes apart like it used to be, and some of the budget marques look better because most of the range is bargain basement Dacias and lower end Kias with very little electrical equipment to go wrong (and it is more often electrical issues than not). Outside warranty, reliability stats are a minefield - have those cars been maintained regularly once the warranty maintaining obligations of having regular services are gone? Pressure washers are also the scourge of cars. Cars designed to be splash proof and frost proof have found themselves needing to resist water being fired upon them at 200Bar - water gets places that it shouldn't.

If you want to buy something that's more British than anything else out there - you'll be getting a Vauxhall.

[stevereeves]

The closing of the factory for 2 months (I think it was) makes absolutley no sense. I've spoken to folk who worked in various factories and they all said no way would the entire plant shut down unless there was a major, as in HUGE, health & safety issue. i.e asbestos, chemical leak, unexploded bomb, landslip , subsidance, etc. And certainly not for 2 months. If production had to change due to product alertations, like WLTP, other prouction lines would continue. Even if new machinary were installed the teams responsible would work 24 hours until complete with workers temporarily transferred to other areas. But for an entire factory to shut for such a long period of time is a bit strange, to say the least....