UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

Went along to my local VW dealer this morning for some 'bits and pieces', amongst which was a second copy of the so-called 'owner's manual' for my 2017 Polo 1.2 TSI. This request appeared to have them running around like headless chickens. The response I got was that this was never possible, and that there wasn't a part no. for it anyway. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

I need a second one so that I can keep one copy indoors to refer to, and the other copy in the glovebox for when I'm out on the road. It being a very lengthy document packed full of critical information, I find I'm continually reading and re-reading it. It doesn't seem unreasonable to ask the dealer, any VW dealer, to supply me with one, and indeed I went along to the dealer fully anticipating that I'd have to pay for that second copy. But instead they're making out that there's no regular channel for them getting one for me.

I find this absolutely preposterous. How many years have VW been selling their cars in the UK?! I took along my 'owner's pack', including the first copy of the manual (printed Nov 2016) and on the back cover is what certainly looks like a part no., but when they tried entering it into their ETKA spares system the answer was (I suppose, not surprisingly) a blank. They then went on to suggest that, even if it were available, I'd have to buy a complete pack, black wallet and all!

The dealer's now insisted that they'll have to contact Volkswagen UK, to ask if the acquisition of a second copy is possible and, if so, how. This seems daft in the extreme. I mean, suppose I'd actually lost my first copy and seriously needed a replacement? Are they honestly saying that no, I'd as a consequence have to do without one for the rest of the life of the vehicle? The matter's been left with them having sent an e-mail to Volkswagen UK about it, and I'm hoping that they'll get a positive response within 24 - 48 hours.

Anyone else had to go through this nonsense to get hold of a second copy of this manual? I can remember the days when VW dealers gave you two copies from the very start.

This rings a bell, ie "contact VW UK directly" - when I bought my 2000 VW Passat 4Motion and my wife's 2002 VW Polo 1.4 16V SE from dealers in NL, they said just to contact VW UK and they would provide a UK version of the paperwork pack, each time I did, and VW UK did supply them FOC!

At times I get the feeling that main dealers get boxes of paperwork packs for each model of cars they sell, they just work their way through them as they come in completely separate from the cars, that does, at times, lead to older paperwork packs being supplied, which I once found a bit annoying and had to force my local Ford main dealer to sort out for me!

Edit:- given time and luck, I'd think that some of the correct version will appear on ebay?

Yup, but that was year 2000 and year 2002, more than 15 years ago. VW policies about giving away drivers' manuals for free have changed, I'd wager. If only we could turn the clock back on such things.

Veteran, the VW website certainly suggests you can get a printed copy of the manual - right hand side of screen under ‘Receive a printed copy of your manual’ at the link below;

http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/owners/manuals

Alternatively, there’s always the option to view the online version by inputting either your car’s registration number or VIN in the space provided on the screen at the link provided above, so you could use the online version as your indoor copy and keep the paper version in the car.

wouldn't it just be easier to get a copy off ebay?

save all the hassle of trying to get one off vw now that they have stopped making the same shape polo.

Many thanks for your very useful piece of information, SRGTD. I used the link and found that when the website eventually gave me the option of either a proper printed version or simply a screen-displayed one and I chose the former, it simply advised me to contact my local VW dealer who'd give me the price and a delivery date. Well of course this is what I'd already done anyway. So, it appears to be the same old story of VW dealerships - or at least some of them - knowing less about their merchandise than many of their customers. I guess I'll have to wait for Volkswagen UK to respond to the local dealer's e-mail. Hopefully, they'll tell the dealer the precise mechanism by which the manual should be ordered and the price to charge; I'm not expecting it to be cheap.

Think yourself lucky you got a paper copy! My BMW F11 didn't come with any manuals as I was told everything was on the i-Drive!

I resorted to ebay as it was cheaper than buying one from the dealer who wanted about £60 for a full set

Plenty on ebay and each booklet has a part no so the VW parts man should be able to order an exact copy of the one you have.

SRGTD and others,

Despite the official VW website stating quite clearly that further copies of the Driver's Manual and any others in the original dealer-issued set are orderable through any VW dealer, my local dealer has steadfastly stuck to their claim that a further copy of it is simply not available. I confronted them with the evidence from those webpages but they continued to deny that they were available. As I walked out of the place, they suddenly changed their mind and said that they could probably get me the whole pack and wallet but not just the manual. They even mentioned a price for the full pack, 'somewhere around £75' were their words. But of course I don't need the whole pack, I just need the manual (p/no.6C0012720AD). Obviously, they were angling to either sell me nothing or to make the maximum killing on a sale. I left in disgust.

In the meantime, I've taken your advice and looked on ebay. There, you do have to be a bit careful that what you order is the correct edition. If you end up getting an earlier edition with certain of the vehicle's features not described, using it could become more of a hazard than a help. But I found a Nov 2016 Polo manual being sold for just £15 or thereabouts and so, via one of my neighbours who already has an ebay account, have ordered it. Hopefully, it'll turn out to be okay. It won't be a brand new one but sounds as though it'll be good enough to keep in the glovebox. The current one that I have will be kept purely for indoor usage.

Thanks, everyone, for your advice on this.

Update: Received the ordered manual via my neighbour this morning, the 27th. It's exactly the edition needed and is in excellent condition. Am absolutely chuffed. Thanks, SRGTD and others.

One thing I forgot to mention about my return visit to the VW dealer concerning this was that, when I collared the parts man and asked him what the e-mail response of VW Head Office had been he declared that he had had a reply and that he (the parts man) had phoned me and left a message on my answerphone to the effect that ordering a replacement manual was not possible. For some perfectly plausible reasons, the dealer always records or re-records customers' details when parts are ordered, including phone nos., and that dealer's had my phone no., and used it many a time, over a considerable number of years with regard to another VW I've owned. The only trouble with this assertion, however, is that firstly I never got that phone call (landline), having been by the phone in that period and, secondly, I do not possess an answerphone! I then told him that, but he still maintained that that's what he did, and he moved away and struck up a conversation instead with someone else. Clearly, it was totally impossible for him to have left me a message. I even called upon his Manager and asked for an explanation but he too stuck to the same story. I leave you to draw your own conclusions.

Sounds a bit like the excuse my dear, but now departed MIL used to come up with when she had not contacted us about some thing important:- she used to claim that she knew that she had reached our answering machine because she had heard my voice in the outgoing recorded message - er no, I have had answering machines for years but always just left it to the default bland pre-recorded, maybe electronic voice - though that might just mean that I have a bland pre-recorded electronic sounding voice, might be a living to be made from that, what have I been missing?

Good result there though veteran, if you can't get something on ebay, it has never existed! (I know this it be true)