Just to point out, a ':D' represents a peach and ':evil:' a lemon.
Allot of the reviews are bad, but to be fair you don't really go onto a sight like that to praise. Anyway...
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Polo 1.4 Hatchback 2003
Wind noise coming from both doors at speeds over 40mph. Local dealer says VW UK have no record of this as a problem and so are dealing with Germany directly in order to develop a solution. Oddly enough the Polo demo car I drove before I bought the car had the same problem but I assumed it was a just a quirk on that particular car. I now wonder.
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Polo 1.9 SDI Hatchback 2003
Problem with ill fitting doors and front windows which have constant wind noise around them. No effort made by dealer to deal with it - instead insists it's normal in the small Volkswagen cars!
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Polo 1.9 TDi Sport Hatchback 2003
This is my 3rd new VW and it's another one that I’m very pleased with so far.
Diesel engine produces plenty of power and has no problems overtaking; in fact, it's surprisingly quick! Mpg is fantastic; I’ve been averaging 50 to the gallon on my 40-mile round-trip to work which is on both fast A roads and through a city centre.
This new Polo is such a massive improvement on the old one. I had a 1.6 16v Polo GTi before this and the extra interior space, both legroom wise and storage wise is much, much better. I particularly like the underseat drawers.
Only complaint would be that the dash rattles a wee bit, apparently something that is quite common, although it often disappears after a few thousand miles. [email protected]
(not rated)
Polo 1.2 SE Hatchback 2002
Looks like another dud one here. Picked the car up and discovered some poor paintwork so obviously been repaired. When it was done they didn't cover the rest of the car properly and there was lacquer overspray on the front of the car. VW dealer got it sorted and to a reasonable standard.
More serious problem was when my wife, a new driver, was out on her first night time run. Travelling around 55mph on an unlit road, put the lights on to full beam from dip, no lights!!!
Put the lights back to dip, still no lights! Luckily, she was on a straight bit of road and managed to stop safely. Scared her so much she won't drive again.
Polo 1.2 Hatchback 2002
We have had our new Polo for less than a year and the crankshaft oilseal went after a couple of weeks.
Then the dashboard instrument cluster went defective, and then the alarm the dealer fitted went haywire. Now 10 months later, it’s all happened again.
We want a new car, where do we stand, any suggestions? [email protected]
Polo 1.2 Hatchback 2002
I’ve had the car since new in March 2002, it was running very nicely indeed for the first few months, it was too good to be true however.
The brakes suddenly became very noisy, a fine spray / pool of oil appeared on the plate at the front of the engine and the windscreen washer bottle was leaking.
The car was in the garage 6 times in total to have these things fixed, although in fairness the brakes were fixed on the first visit and the water bottle eventually replaced on visit number 3.
I was fobbed off by staff and told that there were no faults or leaks when it was quite clear there was and advised that the problems had been fixed when nothing had been done.
You could actually see water dripping out of the water bottle, however on the first visit I was advised that the bottle had been filled for me. Clearly unknown to them the only reason it has been empty was that the water had all leaked out.
The garage also managed to disconnect things and forget to reconnect them on occasion so there were a few unexpected things to contend with.
The crankshaft seal was replaced twice and still the oil leak continued. Eventually VW admitted that this was a known problem and that modified parts (crankshaft guide) were available. Subsequently the modified crankshaft guide was fitted and so far I’ve not had any oil appearing from this.
Yesterday I experienced another problem noted on this site. At first I thought I’d put the car into 3rd instead of 1st, however I discovered this wasn’t the case. Then I noticed the emissions light appear on the dashboard. It was either on or else flashing all the time.
My car is now back into VW who have advised that I need a new Coil Pack. I was advised that they would have my car for up to two weeks as they have no parts in stock and have had to order them.
I asked if this was perhaps a known problem as these parts seem in demand, the gentleman I spoke to hinted to the fact that this may well be the case. To their credit they have supplied me with a hire car in the meantime.
Looking at other messages on this site, it looks like VW will fix the problems if you have it however they will certainly not be contacting you.
If you’re close to the end of your warranty I’d recommend just having a look under the bonnet to see if there’s any oil at the bottom of the engine plate. It’s pretty obvious if there is and get them to fix it and keep an eye out on the dashboard too.
All this said I am still fond of the Polo, it’s a great small car to drive and would I get another though? We’ll see. I’ll probably wait until any new models have been around for at least a year before considering it.
Polo 1.2 (65hp) Hatchback 2003
Bought a new Polo for my daughter in Feb this year because my wife and I wanted her to be in a safe and reliable car. Before her 17th birthday, I decided to run her in for a few weeks (the car, I hope, PoL).
Over the four months that I have owned the car it has been in the shop seven times with the same persistent problem. After a long run the engine begins to run rough, stalls won't run in traffic without a third foot to keep the gas pedal down enough to prevent further stalls.
The problem seems to be down to an exhaust re-circulation valve defect. The first dealer in London (I happened to be down there for the day), replaced the ECU but that didn't fix the problem and on the way back from London, (yes I had to drive back down there to pick it up which is a 400 mile round trip), it packed up again.
The local dealer in Lancashire told me there was a pipe off and it would be all right now. Then attention started to focus on the Exhaust Recirculation Valve.
They replaced that, and it still broke!
Next was the communication between the ERV and the ECU, nope... that didn't fix it, then a new ERV, oh I missed the ECU being reset on one visit.
Then this weekend Volkswagen assist came out to it (one of the warning lights started to come on) and he said the ERV was U.S. (I think this stands for unserviceable) so its gone back in today for a new ERV. I asked the sales manager for my money back but he told me that this was not VW's policy. When I asked for a replacement car, he told me the chances were slim and that it was not his decision's but VW head office.
Having said all this, I think I might be better off sticking with a car that occasionally won't run (and does about 23 miles to the gallon) than some of the mega lemons that I have read on this web site.
Any advice on how to replace my piece of German junk with something with a little more Eastern promise? [email protected]
Polo 1.2 Hatchback 2002
Ignition plug blew after 8 month, fixed promptly by dealer but it cost me a half-day annual leave. Rear wiper blew, the water tube came off, it hadn't been pushed home fully on to the connector, and the water sprayed on to the motor and blew it.
There was a similar problem with the front wiper water supply, but no damage was caused. Again the tube was not pushed home fully on to the fitting. This is a very clear example of poor workmanship.
The third problem I have had is with oil leaking from the crank casing. I rang the Dealer and they admitted that Volkswagen knew about the problem was covered by the warranty.
The issue I here is that they were not going to tell anyone unless they experienced the problem, obviously hoping that the problem would not be found until the car was out of warranty, so check your crank casing before the warranty expires.
So far this car has lost me one day's annual leave. I switched to Volkswagen for it's legendary quality, unfortunately!
That’s all it is, a legend. I'll now have to find a car manufacturer who can deliver the kind of quality I had expected from Volkswagen.
Polo 1.2 Hatchback 2002
Only had the new Polo a few months and now one of the warning lights on the dashboard lights up (catalyst). According to manual you should take it to Volkswagen service centre straight away to be checked. I did this but they say there is nothing wrong and that not to worry if it lights up! Sounds a bit weird to me as how am I supposed to know if there is a problem if the other warning lights come up? I wonder if anyone else has had a similar problem as it could represent a fault with the catalyst or the warning light procedure that needs to be rectified?
Polo S 1.2 Hatchback 2002
I bought the car two months ago from new in Dec 2002. First of all it was not de-waxed properly and the radio did not fit. Dealer’s said we will de-wax it for you and they did de-wax and valeted it. Next thing was the a pillar trim that covers the wires on the driver's door out of it's socket and needed replacing before they had chance to replace it. The central locking button on the inside of driver's door stopped operating completely. It turned out to be the wire loom needed replacing when they replaced both parts after my car staying in the dealers for two weeks. This time they put small scratches all over the car and in few places paint is chipped. Also now the electric mirror switch is faulty and needs replacing. Dealers have no answer how the car got all this damages while it was in their possession and say they will fix everything but it seems everytime they fix something they are damaging something else.
