Wondering if it's time to get rid of my polo

[LotusFlower94]

Hi All,
I'm new to this forum and my post may be a bit of a long one so thanks for reading it if you have. I have a 2015 1.2L Turbo Polo I have had it since new and its only done 9000mls. Its my second ever car and I have loved it despite only going on very very short journeys that haven't be on main/fast roads. However I have started a new job which now involves 40mins driving on a dual carriageway and whilst I still love it I am starting to notice some issues with it.

It handles fine up to 60mph but any faster than that and the handling is awful. If I do 65mph+ I can actually feel the car swaying it feels like i'm driving in very strong winds and doesn't feel particularly stable or even safe. It's a lovely little car but just doesn't seem to perform well on dual carriageways/ motorways. The tracking is fine and so are the tyres, I have had it all checked over and there are no mechanical faults. A friend of mine has a 1.4L Polo and he said he feels the same in his car. I have read a few posts on various websites (but not many) that have mentioned the car not being particularly suitable for regular dual carriageway/ motorway driving at those speeds. Also it went for a service a few weeks ago and the dealer has told me I need to change the cambelt next year and I have heard a lot of people mention that once a polo gets to 6 years they become expensive to maintain and can become unreliable. I always said I wouldn't have another Polo and I don't particularly like the new ones out.

My lovely little polo has served me well but I am wondering if between everything it may be almost time to switch to something else as it doesn't seem to suit my daily journey. What are other people's thoughts and experiences?

[joe6]

I have the GTI and do not notice the symptoms yours displays. The weight difference is not that significant so I still wonder if the tracking/steering is at fault. The only reliable tracking system is 4 wheel such as the Hunter system that repair shops use to straighten body shells. It will set you back a few quid but takes account of all the steering/tracking angles and geometry when turning the steering.

The link shows a alignment system and how it works. https://www.hunter.com/alignment-systems/hawkeye-elite

Click on see how it works.

[Ricmondo]

I’ve found the Polo to be very stable at speed but it’s all relative, over the years, correction many years, I’ve had some very unstable cars that needed to be ‘driven’ all the way once you reached out of town speeds.

Although it’s all down to perception could it be that unconsciously your heart is saying time to upgrade whilst your head is saying it will be far more costly to move on than stay with what you have? It happens to all of us at sometime.

[RUM4MO]

I must agree with the others wrt stability at speed, my wife has an August 2015 1.2TSI 110PS SEL and I have no second thoughts about driving on motorways at the national speed limit - that car has 16" wheels so probably stiffer and wider tyres than your car if it has 15" wheels.

Cambelt, yes I feel/think that I'll get the cambelt replaced at its 5th birthday, but looking through the Erwin documentation for a similar aged SEAT Leon with that same engine, it makes comments like "for life of the engine" though visually check the condition of its entire length at 6 years and maybe every 2 years after that, so as usual for VW Group, much confusion!

The initial VW Group statement was for a belt change at or before 4 years, but for cars build after 2008(maybe) the change period went up to 5 years, so I'm guessing that enterprising main dealer's service department are giving out ambiguous information? There is also a comment about the fact that these modern engines have belts made from different materials so that lengthens the service life.

Now I know what happens is the belt fails, and I'd want to avoid that at all costs, so maybe I'll stick with 5 years - but I'd like to see a bit more honest and solid advice being handed out by VW Group!

[LotusFlower94]

Thanks for replies. I’ve read a lot of mixed things online in regards to polo handling some stating the same feeling as mine. My first car was a Mini Cooper which was the most troublesome car ever but I don’t remember ever feeling unstable in it when driving over 60mph. My cousin is a mechanic and can’t find anything wrong with my car. It drives totally fine on the roads near my house but as soon as I go over 60mpg the ‘swaying’ feeling starts.

I have always wanted a Mercedes A Class and have been saving up for one for a long time. I’m 25 now and about to do a response drivers course and believe it or not the A Class (the newest version) has cheaper insurance, better fuel consumption and the tax is less than on the new polos. Maybe I’ve just outgrown my polo. Either way I’m 100% sure the handling is just awful.

[RUM4MO]

I'd think that once you have considered changing nothing much will change your mind. On the topic of stability, one of my wife's friends had her Golf stolen while they were away on holiday, along with her husband's A6, to get them on the move until insurance companies had coughed up, they bought an unused prereg'd Citroen C2 - she hated it especially its stability at normal motorway speeds, so that got traded in quickly after the insurance settled for both cars, and bought a slightly used Golf 1.5TSI, now she feels safe again!

Good luck with your M-B A class.

[veteran]

Lotusflower,

I concur with you concerning the road-handling of this particular model, but only up to a point. Speaking generally, what anyone feels about the ride quality and road-holding ability of a new or nearly small hatchback will depend quite a lot on prior experiences with different cars they've owned. Certainly, judging by the summary description of your Polo, yours is more-or-less the same model as mine (I've in fact the Match edition) and my view of its suspension is that it's 'somewhat bouncy and jelly-like', for the mostpart. But I come from having driven a Mk3 Golf with uprated, adjustable dampers, which had given a superbly-controlled result; a very good compromise between road-handling and comfort. The Golf also had very good seats that were firm but also supportive. Within a week or so of getting the Polo I realised just how different the suspensions were, in terms of control, the Polo giving a softer ride but one where cornering felt rather unassured.

Although well into my retirement and using my Polo rather infrequently, I do occasionally do motorway driving. But as analytical and critical as I am about pieces of engineering, I've not found my Polo a poor performer on motorways. Do bear in mind that on busy motorways drivers of comparatively small and lightweight cars will experience the dynamic suction effects of much larger vehicles when the latter overtake, but that's nothing unusual and any alert driver in charge of a well-maintained hatchback should be able to retain control of his/her vehicle. Other feelings of handling uncertainty in motorway driving must surely be down to driving technique.

Perhaps when you first bought your Polo you should have gone for the model with the optional sports suspension, or bought the GT? You could, of course, even at this stage have your stock dampers changed for uprated adjustables, and maybe even have some different coilsprings fitted; there are VW and Audi specialist firms around who could do that for you, and it'd be a cheaper recourse than simply getting rid of the car altogether.

Something else you might want to investigate is the current condition of your Polo's inboard wishbone rubber bushes, as there have been occasional reports of the stock bushes lasting for only about 3 years and then needing replacement. Bad bushes there could affect the feel of the suspension and, in particular, the steering. A number of forum members have changed those bushes to those used on the old Mk4 R32 Golfs and Mk1 TT, and have subsequently reported a sharpening up of the steering. Another thing requiring close examination is the state of the droplinks on the front suspension. All that said, though, if you've had your Polo checked out by somebody who'd know about these things and nothing untoward was found, then it has to be concluded that the issue comes down to just personal likes/dislikes.

While engaged in urban driving I do myself think from time to time 'Yeh, this Polo of mine is a bit wobbly', and I seem to be constantly shuffled around on my seat. But then I reassure myself that, firstly, the Polo's seats are not very good at holding the driver and fs passenger in place (neither are they particularly comfortable) and, secondly, ride quality is fairly good (all things considered), the suspension soaking up uneven road surfaces quite well. When the 6Rs and 6Cs were designed, Volkswagen clearly had to achieve that classic compromise between road-handling and ride comfort, and I suppose there'll always be some people who'll say that, retrospectively, Volkswagen haven't quite got the mix right.

[LotusFlower94]

I’m not a car expert by any means but when I bought this car it was down to the fact I needed a reliable car ASAP. Up until now it’s never been driven on a dual carriageway/ motorway. I’ve always wanted an A Class but 1 it was too expensive and I didn’t want a car like that at the age of 19/20. I do still like the polo and would never say it’s a bad car I’m just a bit concerned about how it drives over 60mph. A friend of mine also has a polo and has had similar experiences and he mentioned if he was doing the journey I am doing everyday he would probably consider changing aswell. I would miss my polo but I am seriously considering something more ‘stable’ / ‘less wobbly.’

[spartacus68]

I don't recognise the symptoms your experiencing (this is on my 2015 1.4 TDI SEL). In most cases where there is instability at speed, then a thorough examination of the suspension is required. So droplinks, dampers, springs, wishbones, bushes, including tie rod ends, cv joints, inner and outer. After any work, then get the tracking done. Last but not least, tyres and wheels. Wheels can throw a lead weight, and tyres aren't immune from damage, flat spot, etc. Tyres: Michelin, Khumo, Dunlop, all great brands, hard wearing and good all round performance.

If your confidence in it is gone, just get shot of it. My wife had a A-class Mercedes years ago, original design. Suffered a sheered suspension cup forcing the spring onto the tyre due to electrolysis corrosion which could have been catastrophic if she'd been on a motorway. Mercedes were next to useless and I vowed never to buy another car from them.

I'm sure their cars have moved on a bit.