Preparing to use the spare wheel

[RUM4MO]

Now I have read the owner's manual and it says that to gain access to the spare wheel, you lift the boot floor up and secure it using the hook and loop - can't see either of these parts. My wife's old 9N Polo did indeed have a loop and hook arrangement which held the boot floor up while you removed the spare wheel, my B8 S4 has a similar arrangement, so why is it missing on wife's new car when VW clearly states how to approach this task? The car is an SEL so that means that it has the variable boot arrangement, and it is a 5 door, thanks in anticipation. This is just me checking out things and not the first puncture!

[lxm]

I dont want to be rude or negative but you are thinking too much into this. Open the boot and expose the spare wheel compartment, look with your eyes and inspect the wheel and how it sits in the bay, look for any obvious ways the wheel will come out. We are a smart species. If the loop or catch doesn't seem apparent then im sure there are plenty of anchorage points on the top of the wheel where you could lift it straight out

Directly to your question, purely speculation but maybe there is some discrepancies between manuals and various models.

[RUM4MO]

Hum, no offence taken, though maybe I'd suggest you try removing that spare wheel under normal conditions, ie not when you have a puncture, it might be easy if you only have the fixed height floor in the car. What VW seem to have copied from at least the 9N Polo is the fact that the smallest dimension is the front<>rear and that is caused by the intrusion of the plastic trim at the rear of the boot. As for using the strap that retains the toolkit to lift the wheel, not too handy and I am strong enough and tall enough for this sort of job.

I think that you missed the point about no loop and hoop, maybe you have not been lucky enough to have a car that has that - I had a 9N Polo with that, a B5 Passat with that and now a B8 S4, seems a pity to step back instead of steady improvements.

I was checking this out for one reason only, and that was to get all the details from the steel 15" spare wheel so that I can make sure that the winter wheels/tyres I buy are exactly the same as that spare, getting very grumpy with the slippery new spare and getting clobbered twice on the nose by the boot mat did not improve matters.

[Dink]

i just had a quick look in my 6c and the boot floor is held up by two tabs on the sides just under where the parcel shelf sits so i guess the 6r is the same?

[wolfie]

i just had a quick look in my 6c and the boot floor is held up by two tabs on the sides just under where the parcel shelf sits so i guess the 6r is the same?

Yup, 6R has the same little catches.

[iichel]

if I have to change to the spare wheel, the missing hook is probably the least of my worries :p

tip: keep a set of tie-wraps and a roll of duct-tape with your spare equipment. they always come in handy

[RUM4MO]

if I have to change to the spare wheel, the missing hook is probably the least of my worries :p

tip: keep a set of tie-wraps and a roll of duct-tape with your spare equipment. they always come in handy

You are correct, but life could have been made a bit easier, I suspect that the spare wheel well has not been increased in proportion to the increase in diameter of the full sized spare wheel, I've not ever had that issue with the B5 Passat or the 9N Polo.

I was complaining really about two issues, (1) the loss/lack of anything to hold the floor covering up and (2) the difficulty in removing the spare wheel from its well.

[RUM4MO]

i just had a quick look in my 6c and the boot floor is held up by two tabs on the sides just under where the parcel shelf sits so i guess the 6r is the same?

Yup, 6R has the same little catches.

I don't think that there is a 6C that platform seems to get called 6R C0, anyway, yes of course all these cars have the sort of spring clips on the edge of the top cover support shelves, but they are to hold up the stiffened upper floor covering, they do nothing for the floppy lower floor covering - unless I've missed something completely - handbook still says, lift and secure using the loops etc provided (my words not VW as I've forgotten what was written).

[wolfie]

if I have to change to the spare wheel, the missing hook is probably the least of my worries :p

LOL. Those were exactly my thoughts. Generally "sods-law" dictates when you have a flat it will be chucking it down & dark compounded by the boot will be full of tat or shopping that has to be unloaded first.

[RUM4MO]

I think that I should keep my thoughts to myself, it seems like I am up against too many "new starts" to uk-polo.net especially in this section who want their way or the highway - a bit like the 9N section was when I started looking for like minded car people, hence the quick action of joining www.briskoda.net and www.seatcupra.net as on these forums thoughts and technical discussions lead to helping each other - like a two way thing and not "look how loud I can shout!".

Seems some things don't change - but they could.

I'll still continue posting and hope for better discussions/responses in general!

[iichel]

no offense, but the amount of posts on an internet forum do not always indicate how well someone is technically and creatively skilled...

[RUM4MO]

no offense, but the amount of posts on an internet forum do not always indicate how well someone is technically and creatively skilled...

That statement I do agree with!

Edit:- the reason that my postings, in this section are "getting on a bit" is really down to my approach to most things in life, when it is new, you are open to questioning things, after a while you back off and accept things as they are "its always been like that blah blah --" - I've always liked to see improvement over what went before, that is not always the same as change or change for changes sake.

One aspect of change for changes sake seems to be to move away from dedicated switches to "lets stuff it in the infotiation panel because we can" - well in the real world, how does not improve the TCS etc - when you need that OFF you don't need to go looking for the it in the menu, probably same for the dimming rear view mirror, I'm assuming here that it can be switched off - which is a handy function for in town driving, I've had cars without a switch and cars with a switch and I know thing option is best in the real world where lots of us live.

[ciclo]

I absolutely agree with RUM4MO (with all the comments that you made in the uk-polos.net forum), they are really interesting and with great correction.

For the bottom boot floor, that it is something simple and makes life easier, I also had the hook and loop at other cars and I miss it in my 6R. .

Proposal:
- Make a DIY tutorial (OEM way) with images so that everyone can do it the same way.

2nd proposal (also OEM way ):



Magnetic torch: 3T0947417B 9B9
Holder for light: 3T0947509 9B9

[wolfie]

I've always liked to see improvement over what went before, that is not always the same as change or change for changes sake.

One aspect of change for changes sake seems to be to move away from dedicated switches to "lets stuff it in the infotiation panel because we can" - well in the real world, how does not improve the TCS etc - when you need that OFF you don't need to go looking for the it in the menu, probably same for the dimming rear view mirror, I'm assuming here that it can be switched off - which is a handy function for in town driving, I've had cars without a switch and cars with a switch and I know thing option is best in the real world where lots of us live.

I sort of agree that you'd like to think that in the evolution of a vehicle the latest incarnation would include all the useful and neat things that we like from the previous model. At the same time removing the niggles and weaknesses that dogged previous models. Unfortunately that's not how the world works. (I wish it was) Possibly because the Polo is in a very competitive sector of the car market, not only does it need to be good but it also need to be cheap. Generally unless you are very clever how you implement things, "cheap" means losing functionality and possibly quality.

IMO the latest generation of Polo 6R- has been built to a price as much as a specification. While not a show stoppers for most people, losing covers on battery terminals and the odd little tab or hook go hand-in hand with that. My main gripe would be the loss of the water temp gauge. Sticking some of the functionality into the MFD is another way of saving a few quid and it certainly is not always for the better, having to flick through menu after menu when a switch would have done the job. Then switches cost money as does the wiring to plumb them in. The Polo is a good car but IMO it has been "cheapened" even in the areas you can see. I just wonder if it's been cheapened in areas that are not so obvious.

Also it's unreasonable for everyone on a forum to be likeminded, that's what makes the world go round. It's also what makes many forums interesting, sometimes funny, and challenge your thinking.

[RUM4MO]

ciclo, thanks for your comments and I think that it is brilliant that there are people like you around making your car what you want! I have always tried to improve cars that I have owned although many people would say "why" - I'd say "why not".
Edit:- I'll try to think of how to solve that problem, like you, keeping OEM! (I tried for years to fit foglights on my B5 Passat keeping OEM - using Audi parts, I have about £500 worth of parts but sold the car two years ago, just could not get everything I needed - I did try!)

wolfie, also the same, here is a bad story and in no way directed at VW - could have been any manufacturer, but, I bought a B5 Passat 2.8V6 4Motion and it was a very good version of Passat, previous model(s) never caught my attention, this one was good in my mind, but only good because it was essentially just an old Audi A4, when the later Passat model came out, I had no intention of buying one, the quality/design was shocking, just a cheap version of a car that had established their position in that sector of the market, then the CC came along and change the game a bit, and also my mind about what car I bought next, ultimately it was the engine range and layout that forced me to a secondhand B8 S4 instead of a new CC. I once keyed in Passat into Google, and it is held up of a good example of a car that is built to do a job - no more and no less, that article went on to hold up CC of an example of a car that is built to do a job and make its owner/driver feel good about using it - really just comparing drab with exciting. I bought my first Polo, 9N 2003MY without understanding that version of Polo, ie I never ever considered that it was just a Skoda Fabia built in Spain with a few changes - ie the running gear etc was pure Skoda and lots of parts were made in CZ - when I started repairing bits everything was badly aged early etc, ie CZ build quality, I raged about that in VAG forums, so now I hope that there has been a bit more separation between German build quality and CZ - although I believe the 1.2TSI engines are all built in CZ, hopefully VW has moved on, I'm trusting my money in them once again. (it is the devil you know concept + VCDS!)