Polo GTI Questions for a first time buyer.

Chat about your 2018+ AW/BZ/AE model Polos here!
Post Reply
RichieCUK1986
New
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2021 5:05 pm
Drives: GT Blue
Location: Derby

Polo GTI Questions for a first time buyer.

Post by RichieCUK1986 »

Hi everyone,

So I am in the middle of buying a Polo GTI 2018. Im coming from a Polo Blue GT 2016.

Now I have never driven a car with DSG gearbox before.

What are some.of the dos and don't I need to know?

Also can I ask. When I test drove it I found that when we drive or reverse and on a flat road it would automatically move forward and by a fair bit as well so much so that it surprised me when I tired to revo the car and I put my foot and the accelerator and it flew!

Am I correct in thinking this is normal and if I was to say reverse my car onto my drive I would just control it with the brake and let it slowly move backwards? The last thing I want to do in my new car is to reverse at full speed into my wall or garage.
SRGTD
Bling Bling Diamond Member
Posts: 3821
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 9:40 pm
Drives: 2020 AW Polo GTI+, Pure White.
Location: UK

Re: Polo GTI Questions for a first time buyer.

Post by SRGTD »

My GTI+ is the first non-manual car I’ve owned. Not sure there are really any do’s and don’t’s. I say just drive it so you can get used to the DSG’s characteristics, and you can experiment with the different modes and the steering wheel paddles.

I think that what you’ve experienced with low speed manoeuvres is normal. I’ve found with my car that when the transmission’s in drive or reverse and you’re performing manoeuvres such as parking or reversing, when you take your foot off the brake pedal it’ll move forward / backward sufficiently without needing to apply the accelerator - if anything, you might need to keep your foot lightly on the brake pedal to control the speed so the car doesn’t move too fast. My driveway has a slight upward slope, and when I reverse up it, the car has sufficient momentum to get up the slope that I don’t need to apply the accelerator - nor do I need to apply the accelerator when I drive into my garage; I keep my foot lightly on the brake pedal so I don’t inadvertently drive into the garage wall! 😯.
silverhairs
Gold Member
Posts: 686
Joined: Sun May 13, 2018 1:15 pm
Drives: 2018 Polo SEL
Location: Lincolnshire

Re: Polo GTI Questions for a first time buyer.

Post by silverhairs »

I may be a bit late for this post, but one thing I found out is when you put the DSG into "P" it engages three pegs in the box which locks it up. Now if you park your car overnight on a slight incline, it can weaken those pegs, so don't rely on the "P" to stop it moving forward or backward, make sure your handbrake is on.
My mate parks his car on a level surface, and only uses his "P" so in the morning he doesn't have the problem with his back pads sticking to the discs.
SRGTD
Bling Bling Diamond Member
Posts: 3821
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 9:40 pm
Drives: 2020 AW Polo GTI+, Pure White.
Location: UK

Re: Polo GTI Questions for a first time buyer.

Post by SRGTD »

silverhairs wrote: Sun Nov 14, 2021 1:21 pm I may be a bit late for this post, but one thing I found out is when you put the DSG into "P" it engages three pegs in the box which locks it up. Now if you park your car overnight on a slight incline, it can weaken those pegs, so don't rely on the "P" to stop it moving forward or backward, make sure your handbrake is on.
My mate parks his car on a level surface, and only uses his "P" so in the morning he doesn't have the problem with his back pads sticking to the discs.
I don’t apply the handbrake when my car’s parked in my garage. Once I’ve got it in the garage, I put it in neutral and take my foot off the foot brake to let the car ‘settle’ and once it’s settled, I move the DSG selector lever into park. That way, there’s no pressure on the pegs you refer to when parked up without the handbrake engaged, and no issues with the rear brake pads sticking to the brake discs.
S_94
Gold Member
Posts: 724
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2018 4:41 pm
Drives: Polo GTI+
Location: UK

Re: Polo GTI Questions for a first time buyer.

Post by S_94 »

99% of the time I'm parked on a level surface. Usually go 'N' > Handbrake > 'P'. Sure I read on here that was a good thing to do as it takes pressure off those 'pegs' when parking. Pretty sure I could get away with leaving it in 'P' constantly when parking as I'm never parked on an incline. Force of habit at this point using the handbrake.

Never had any issues with rear brake pads sticking to the brake discs.
Post Reply