There is no manual for the GTI... there is a manual for the 6N2 1.4 16V though... very similar, but subtely different....
If you still have it, the service guide and log in the polo handbook that came with the car is very useful to give you an indication of whats needed when
I do a service every 10,000 miles this would include....
- Oil: Castrol Magnated 10W40
Oil filter
4 new plugs
Engine air filter
Cabin pollen filter
Gearbox oil change
However, I do sometimes just clean and inspect the plugs and vacum out the filters... but dont use them for more than 20,000 miles.
Every other service, IE every 20,000 miles, I replace the fuel filter and renew the brake fluid.... not really necesserry.. but I do them anyway...
Servicing the car is a really good excuse to get underneath the car, pull the wheels of and inspect everything.... I will spend around half an hour with a torch underneath looking for leaks, worn bushes, worn pads etc etc... if you do that regularly enough you soon get a feel for what is likely to fail next....
But... as for a basic engine service...
You need to jack up the car so its level.... I find using a pair of ramps on a sloping driveway is perfect...
Drop the engine under tray from under the car... (there are 4 star clips ... 2 either side, a long flat bladed screwdriver can be used to turn them off the studs... there may also be a couple of bolts at the back of the tray...I cant remember exactly.... But once its free, drop it down and towards the rear of the car to free it from the car...
Once thats done, undo the engine cover (4 screws on top) and unclip it... put it to one side...
Get a bowl (at least 5 litres)... Put it under the sump nut on the bottom of the engine, open the nut (17mm spanner I believe) and allow the oil to drain... dont loose the nut or washer!! Undo the oil filler cap to let air into the engine whilst it drains....
While the oil is draining out, replace the plugs one at a time... be VERY careful when pulling out the HT leads... they are easy to damage and can cause misfires if you do... I would know... tiny split in one of them caused all sorts of problems!
DO NOT over tighten the plugs... they should be just slightly more than hand tight....
Doing the oil filter on the GTI is a bit of a fiddle.... once you figure out the right angle to do things at its gets easier... It might help if you unclip the wire for the aircon compressor just above the filter... If there is a "nut" on the end of the filter you can get a socket on it and give it a twist to loosten it... or.. hammer a screwdriver through the filter and loosten if like that... you need to unscrew it and then carefully lift it out the top of the engine bay past the radiators... its tricky, but doable... refit the new one in the same way... take your time and think about how it will fit into the space....
By this time the oil should have stopped draining out of the sump... do up the nut... again dont do it to tight! Fill the engine with oil... (its about 4 litres!)
Air filter is done by unscrewing I think about 8 cross head screws on the top of the airbox... the lid just lifts off to reveal the filter...
Pollen filter.... looking into the engine bay from the front.... pull off the rubber strip that runs across the very back edge of the engine bay at the top... you can then carefully lift off the plastic windccreen moulding at the bottom... under there is the ECU and pollen filter... replace the filter and clean out the leaves and **** thats in there.. Getting the plastic thing back inplace is a fiddle... I find if you close the bonnet a bit you can squeeze it back in under the windscreen seal...
Once thats done.. re-check the oil level... check you have no tools in the engine bay and start the engine.... let it run for 30 seconds.... shut it off and check the oil again...
Doing a basic service is not difficult once you know where to look for things... just take your time and think before you do anything....
Its all down to how confident you feel to spot things which dont look right etc... I know for a fact that VW simply dont spend half the time I take to carefully check everything, clean everything when it goes in etc..... BUt then I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my cars.... I recently replaced the entire front suspension system on the GTI... wishbones, antirollbar, balljoints, bushes, top mounts .....
