2022 R-Line Corrosion Issues?

[Larry9001]

A family member has just bought a 2022 R-Line from a well known online car dealer. Having looked at it closely in the daylight I think it has some serious corrorsion problems.

The engine is peppered with loads of salt water / road salt and many nuts, bots and hose clamps look well rusted. The brake discs, calipers and drums look nothing like a 3-4 year old car and who knows what's lurking underneath.

We can return this car but I want to be absolutely sure it's a lemon before doing so, because it is a lovely car and drives really well. There is no sign of water ingress in the cabin or the boot, the door seals all look ok. It's just the engine bay and the brakes that look suspect to me.

Here's the car spec:

Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI R-Line 5dr
2022
35,515 miles
Petrol
Manual

Previous Owners
1 (registered in Scotland - could explain salt issues)

Service History
01/05/2023 8,045 miles Volkswagen
05/01/2024 17,502 miles Volkswagen
22/10/2024 27,529 miles Volkswagen
29/10/2025 35,514 miles (online website dealer)

We have 12 days to send it back for a full refund. Maybe I could negotiate to keep the car and get a bit of refund or get them to make good all the rusted parts? What would you do?

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[MarcoPolo20]

Hello,
If I were you I’d be rejecting that car. I have a 2021 Rline and it has none of the corrosion that is apparent on yours. The car should never have been sold in that condition. The brake discs wouldn’t pass an MOT.

There are plenty of cars around, so I wouldn’t accept that one even if it is discounted.

Good luck!

[RUM4MO]

I live in Southern Scotland, currently a bit of snow on the ground, but, my wife's August 2015 VW Polo 1.2TSI 110PS SEL 5 DOOR 6MT, at 58,000miles and used a lot on salted winter roads, does not have any rusty panel screws etc.

These front discs I agree look nasty, I replaced the front discs last year at round about 52,000 miles just because the inner - ie hidden face of the front discs were corroded.

The salty corrosion on the aluminium alloy cylinder head - again my wife's August 2015 car's engine still is clean looking - but, our younger daughter bought a used 2019 SEAT Arona 1.0TSI 115PS 6MT and its engine looks a lot like your one does, and that car, bought 3 years ago, started life in Wales so maybe was run and or parked near the sea.

Edit:- corrected "like" to "live"!

[MarcoPolo20]

Hi, I think whether or not you decide to keep the car, questions need to be asked of how the dealer let a car onto the road with brakes in that condition! They definitely need to be replaced urgently.

The photo above the brakes, I’m not sure what that is. It looks to be some sort of pipe? I zoomed in and it appeared to have rusted through?

I’ve had a few VWs over the years and never seen rust like that on panel screws under the bonnet. I’m wondering if the car has been partially flooded at some point. May be worth seeing if it’s been written off by an insurer?

As I say if it were me I’d be back to the dealer asap with the intention of a full refund and also some assurance that the car will be fixed before it’s sold on again.

I wish you good luck.

[SRGTD]

@Larry9001; as @MarcoPolo20 has said, I’d also be going back to the dealer for a full refund while you still have time to do so.

On a four year old car I’d expect to see a degree of corrosion on some components where those components get limited corrosion protection when new (e.g suspension and brake components). However, even allowing for the fact that the car might have been exposed to the relatively harsh Scottish winter weather, the corroded parts look pretty bad. Like @MarcoPolo20, none of the VW’s I’ve ever owned (and I kept each car for between 4-5 years) have had corrosion on under-bonnet screws - even the screws that hold the wheel arch liners in place on my cars remained corrosion-free and they were in the direct line of fire from road debris, salt and road spray thrown up from the tyres.

If you’ve not already done so, it would be worth checking out the car’s MOT history on the Gov.uk website to see if excessively corroded brakes were ever mentioned as an advisory. I’d also check the tyres; at 35k miles I’d expect some or all of the tyres to have been replaced. if just the fronts have been changed, are they the same matching brand as those originally fitted when the car was built or are they some cheap budget obscure brand? Cheap tyres can be an indication of a car being maintained on the cheap which could be a sign of it not being very well cared for.

Even if the dealer is willing to give a partial refund and / or make good the corroded parts I’d personally still not feel comfortable owning it and I’d always wonder why it was in such a poor state when put up for sale. The Polo is a volume seller so there will always be plenty of other Polos up for sale. I’d also not be choosing an alternative replacement car from the same dealer - I’d go elsewhere.

Good luck ; please keep this discussion topic updated with how you decide to proceed, together with the outcome for the benefit of other forum members.

[RUM4MO]

Hi, I think whether or not you decide to keep the car, questions need to be asked of how the dealer let a car onto the road with brakes in that condition! They definitely need to be replaced urgently.

The photo above the brakes, I’m not sure what that is. It looks to be some sort of pipe? I zoomed in and it appeared to have rusted through?

I’ve had a few VWs over the years and never seen rust like that on panel screws under the bonnet. I’m wondering if the car has been partially flooded at some point. May be worth seeing if it’s been written off by an insurer?

As I say if it were me I’d be back to the dealer asap with the intention of a full refund and also some assurance that the car will be fixed before it’s sold on again.

I wish you good luck.

The picture above the brake disc one, is showing the brake calliper and its mounting bracket - so that rusting is just environmental influence on the front calliper's steel corrosion protection, and as these brake parts on a Polo1.0TSI of that age are manufactured by Mando, I'd think that that is why that part looks rusty so quickly.

Some of the similar panel screws in these pictures good " as good as new", it could be that VW ZA are sourcing some fixings from random Eastern sources! This I know can happen as I've stupidly sourced some spare screws online, and they lose their black protection during their first winter when used on the front under areas - lesson learned there!

The OP might want to check up on the "painted black" other sub units underneath the car - not much corrosion resistance going on under there - ie rear axle beam and front subframe!

[Larry9001]

Thanks for all the advice. We have decided to return the car as there were just too many issues with it, and potential major issues that may appear in the future.

Not put off VW Polo's though. Hopefully we can source a better one pretty soon.

[MarcoPolo20]

Hi, I’m sure you’ve made the right choice. Good luck with your next Polo.

[SRGTD]

@Larry9001; I agree with @MarcoPolo20, you’ve made the right decision by returning it.

If you are still considering a Polo, maybe consider an Approved Used one from a VW dealer. It’s likely to be more expensive than the car you’ve just returned but it will come with the benefits of VW’s Approved Used scheme;

https://www.volkswagen.co.uk/en/used-ca ... efits.html