Help with buying 2018 Polo (service question)

[dommmeee]

I am interested in picking up a 2018 Beats Polo.
It currently has 39k on the clock and was last serviced in 04/22 at 32k.

Could anyone advise what sort of service (major or minor) to expect given the age/mileage?
Also, will anything need to be changed, ie. cam belt?

When viewing the car, anything I should look out for?

Thanks in advance

[SRGTD]

VW has two service regimes;

• time and distance. For cars over three years old which are on time and distance servicing, the service intervals are the sooner of 10,000 miles or 12 months and services alternate between a minor and major service.

• flexible / variable servicing; the car ‘tells’ you when it needs servicing and can travel up to 18,600 miles or two years (whichever is sooner) between services. I seem to remember that VW originally introduced flexible to help fleet managers manage servicing costs where they were running a number of vehicles.

There’s more information on the two service regimes at the link below;
https://www.volkswagen.co.uk/en/owners- ... gLPLfD_BwE

If the car you’re interested in is on time and distance servicing and services have been carried out annually, then 2019 should have been a minor service, 2020 major, 2021 minor and 2022 minor, in which case it would be due a minor service now. It’s also due a brake fluid change; first brake fluid change is at three years (2021) and then every two years thereafter (so the 2nd brake fluid change is now due). My car’s on annual time and distance servicing as I don’t like the idea of my car not having an oil change for up to two years.

As for the cam belt; VW have changed the replacement intervals at various times so I’m not sure what their current recommendation is. A quick search on the forum and I found these two discussion threads (there may well be others - try the forum search facility at the top right of screen; clicking the cog wheel symbol gives you the advanced search facility that enables you to narrow down your searches);

https://www.uk-polos.net/viewtopic.php?t=77835

https://www.uk-polos.net/viewtopic.php?t=76089

I’m not aware of any major issues that you should be aware of when viewing the car. As always when inspecting any used car that you might be interested in buying, check such things as;

• MOT history on www.gov.uk website for MOT fails and advisories as this might indicate how the car has been maintained.

• whether or not there are any outstanding safety recalls.

• the service history to see how many services have been carried out - if on time and distance servicing it should’ve had four and if on flexible servicing it should’ve had two).

• bodywork condition - e.g. stone chips, parking dents, accident damage repairs (no mismatched paint shade or paint finish on panels, no paint overspray on rubber seals and trim and all panel gaps are even)

• tyres - all are in good condition with plenty of tread. Check the tyre brand; cheap economy brand tyres might be an indication previous owners have skimped on maintenance

• alloys; check for damage - I think the Polo Beats had diamond cut alloys, which are susceptible to white worm corrosion as the clear lacquer on bare metal finish isn’t as durable as a painted / powder coated finish. If alloys have been kerbed or are suffering from white worm, then a good quality refurbishment will probably cost £90-£100 plus VAT per wheel.

• interior trim - check for damage/ any areas that might be susceptible to heavy wear (e.g. seat bolsters, carpet in driver’s footwell). Check the function of interior equipment to make sure it all works as it should.

• check for any ‘unusual’ mechanical noises on the test drive.

It would also be worth having an HPI check (some dealers do this before putting vehicles up for sale), to ensure the car hasn’t been written off, stolen, doesn’t have outstanding finance etc.

[grazuncle2]

a small addition..

my used Polo had 18,000 miles on it when I bought it used (18months old) I checked the oil myself when they gave me half hour test drive and it was as if it had just been changed (it hadn't)

When it was changed later in the year for its oil service it was still 'see though' light golden colour still. The paperwork is a good indication of care, or not.

[Simonz]

Check alloys for scrapes.
Front brake disc and pads can be worn at that mileage needing replacing, they can also warp and you feel a pulsing sensation when braking at low speeds.
Check the handbrake works properly, the cables can seize up at that age and there was a recall to replace the mechanism.