UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

I'm looking to buy a 6C GTi, manual, 5 door once I have the funds to do so and if the insurance is reasonable being in the 17-24 age range. I am currently just doing my research and I can't find many issues regarding the car itself other than the issues with the EA888 engine regarding thermostat housings cracking, coke buildup on the intake valves/ intake, timing chain tensioners failing (but I believe this was only on the early EA888's and poor maintenance was also a factor?). Is there anything I've missed and how much would I be looking at to get those issues resolved roughly?

I would like to have either a 16 or 66 plate as they will have the lower tax rate as they were manufactured before spring 17' and no PPF. Is there anything specific with those manufacture years (I'm guessing they would be MY 16 and 17)?

Any other info about the car would be good as well as it will be replacing my current 9N and be my daily driver.

I’ve had my 6c GTI (manual gearbox) since new, and it’s now 4 years / month old. It’s only ever been back to the dealer for routine servicing and MOT’s.

As for potential issues in general;

PPF - The 6c doesn’t have a petrol particulate filter - this has been fitted to the current model from around the end of 2018 to be WLTP compliant.

Water pump housing / water pump housing leaking; seems to be more of an issue on the 2.0 litre EA888 engine in the Golf, although I think there may have been one or two owners on this forum who’ve had this issue with their Polo’s. Water pumps do seem to be a bit of a weak point on some versions of VW’s EA888 engine.

Carbon build up; shouldn’t be an issue as the 6c Polo GTI’s engine has dual injection.

Timing chain tensioner failure; this was an issue on earlier mk6 Golf GTI’s, but I’m not aware of it being a problem on the 6c Polo GTI, and it hasn’t been an issue on the mk7 / mk7.5 Golf GTI either. The timing chain tensioner did go through a number of revisions during the life of the mk6 Golf, so the tensioner fitted to the 6c GTI should be the later, more reliable version.

There were a small number of turbo failures on early 6c GTI’s. I think one or two forum members cars had this issue. If you use the search function you should be able to find the posts and the part no. of the old and revised versions of the turbo.

Some owners have experience clutch slip on cars with manual transmission. The clutches that VW use in some of their performance cars do seem to be made of chocolate, so it might be worth budgeting for an upgraded replacement if you’re considering a manual car if it show signs of clutch slip.

The finish on the diamond cut alloys isn’t particularly durable, so on a 16/66 plate car, they will probably be showing signs of whiteworm corrosion. Cost for a good refurbishment - around £80 plus VAT per wheel.

Good luck in your search. I hope you find what you’re looking for.

Thanks for the insight didn't know they put dual injection on the 6C so that's relieved a fairly big concern.
I had read a fairly recent post on someone having clutch issues, I imagine there are upgraded clutches but how much would that affect the peddle feel if at all?
With PPFs only being fitted on the new model that may sway me to purchase a newer 6C as I pay my road tax monthly anyway at a similar price to that of the 6C made after April 17'.

So things to look out for specifically would be clutch slip, corrosion on the alloys and coolant leaks as well as the usual that would apply to other cars.
Would there be any symptoms of impending turbo failure or do they just fail?

Also, it seems you own the colour I would like to get, do you find it to be a swirl mark magnet as it is a darker metallic blue?

Bepis wrote: Wed May 06, 2020 6:49 pm Thanks for the insight didn't know they put dual injection on the 6C so that's relieved a fairly big concern.
I had read a fairly recent post on someone having clutch issues, I imagine there are upgraded clutches but how much would that affect the peddle feel if at all?
With PPFs only being fitted on the new model that may sway me to purchase a newer 6C as I pay my road tax monthly anyway at a similar price to that of the 6C made after April 17'.

So things to look out for specifically would be clutch slip, corrosion on the alloys and coolant leaks as well as the usual that would apply to other cars.
Would there be any symptoms of impending turbo failure or do they just fail?

Also, it seems you own the colour I would like to get, do you find it to be a swirl mark magnet as it is a darker metallic blue?

Full service history Is important IMO - either by VW dealer or a good independent.

I think there are one or two owners on here who’ve had a new clutch fitted, so they may be able to comment on differences in clutch pedal feel. A whining noise and smoke from the exhaust might indicate an impending turbo failure. I’m not sure if there are other symptoms so I’ll leave other forum members who’re more mechanically minded than me, or if any have actually experienced turbo failure to comment on any other tell tail signs of imminent turbo failure.

I think the Blue Silk colour suits the GTI well as it provides a good contrast with the GTI-specific accents. I personally don’t find it to be too much of a swirl magnet as I’m quite heavily into car detailing, so always use a ‘safe’ wash technique:- snow foam pre-wash, followed by two bucket method wash with lambs wool mitt, dry with a warm air dryer and mop up any remaining water drops with plush drying towels. I also have my own dual action polishing machine, so I give my car a machine polish - usually every 18 - 24 months to remove any light swirling that might exist. Getting rid of the sponge and chamois leather, adopting a safe washing technique, and minimising contact with dirty paintwork (hence the pre-wash stage) Is the key to keeping swirls at bay. However careful you are, swirls will eventually happen, although careful washing will minimise the degree of swirling, so they’re easier to correct. Also important to never let the dealer wash your car unless you want swirls, and also avoid the many £5 hand wash car washing outfits.

Seems I should be fine with the paint as I already use those techniques on my 9N even though it has a lot of evidence of 18 years worth of single builders bucket sponge washes and neglect. Other than the fact I do not own or know how to use a DA and depending on how the previous owner treated it getting a single stage polish done by a reputable detailer maybe in order.

Only thing is there doesn't seem to be many in blue silk in comparison to the plain black and white. Is it that rare of a colour as I myself have only seen 2-3 6C polo GTis on the road, all in white?

Are there any specific options or option packs I should look for as the equipment level seems to vary greatly from not much to ACC, heated seats, power-folding mirrors etc?

I’d probably place condition and service history of any prospective purchase ahead of specific options. I think the options on the GTI that have been discussed most on the forum are App Connect and Cruise Control.

App Connect was an option on the 6c Polo, so if that’s important to you, make sure any car you look at either has it, or the infotainment unit in the car is compatible (not all are compatible) with having App Connect retro-activated. Sat Nav was an expensive option, but IMO not really necessary if you’ve got App Connect as you can use Google Maps or Waze as a sat nav.

Depending on the type of journeys you make, cruise control might be important to you; this was optional on the GTI so not all cars will have it (I have cruise control, but hardly ever use it!).

The Sports Performance Pack was a relatively cheap option (think it cost £245 to spec on the GTI when new) - it gives two suspension setting (Normal and Sport), stiffens up the steering, pumps a fake ‘sporty’ engine note into the cabin, and (I think) sharpens the throttle response. I have this in my car but don’t use it very often as the suspension in Sport setting is a bit too firm for me in everyday use.

The reversing camera and parking sensors aren’t really necessary as the Polo is pretty easy to manoeuvre and I don’t think too many GTI’s have these. However, I have long standing back problems which sometimes make it difficult to turn and see out of the rear window when reversing, so I do have parking sensors. At the time I bought my car, VW did a bundled option of cruise control and parking sensors (the Parking Pack), and for an extra £25, you could also add the reversing camera, so I did .

I have the folding mirrors, which I thing were bundled with the auto dimming rear view mirror. I garage my car, so being able to fold the mirrors when I drive into my (small) garage means I don’t risk scraping the mirrors on the garage door frame uprights getting my car in and out of my garage.

I have recently just purchased a 6C GTI 3dr in Black and i love it after owning the 6R 1.2 TSI

Mine is a 66 plate, there are a few things i have learnt.
One of them being the alloys, i was lucky enough to purchase one that had the original wheels but sprayed black so didn't have to worry about the corrosion etc - this is definitely something to look out for.
I was toying with the idea of an S1 but after realising that more than half of the owners have clutch issues running stock power (about 230bhp i think) i decided to go with the GTI...which i now know has the same chocolate clutch as the Audi.
As you are probably aware the EA888 engine is very tune-able so if you are looking at this, you will more than likely need a new clutch. I have been told that the RTS clutch is the one to go for with OEM like pedal under the foot. (check out AET motorsport or AwesomeGTI for pricing but is going to be approx £1000)
Being at the lower end of your age range my insurance is £1400 which is pretty good i think considering MK7 GTI/R were £4k+
Lastly is the navigation unit, basically if you want Carplay/app connect look for one that has a Voice button instead of the Mute button on the left of the nav unit. Voice button means the car already has App connect enabled or can be enabled at the stealers for around £200. Mute button means a new head unit.
Agree with everyone else though, not a great amount of known issues. Keep an eye out for coolant leaks as well, the water pumps/therm housing can go on these but more common on the Mk7Rs i think.

Thanks for the info on the head unit as after going back through, a lot of the listings seem to have cars that don't have app connect or many options at all. How much would a new head unit be and how hard would it be to replace as I imagine there would be component protection which will need either a dealer or a good independent to sort out as VCDS doesn't have that capability?
The tuneability is quite appealing which also made me toy with the idea of a DSG as you shouldn't have to replace the clutches and just get a TCU tune (up to a point) but there seems to be mixed feelings around the DSG and I think personally a manual will make the car more enjoyable. However, I have never driven an automatic let alone a DSG.
In regards to insurance I to am at the lower end of that age range having paid £2400 for a years of insurance on a 9N E so I'll have to see how much age and NCB will affect my premium.

Might be a daft question but does the GTi come with or at least have the option of AEB as I can't see an obvious radar in the grille but the car has the option of ACC so I'm guessing it's in the badge? After reading the brochure it seems you either have nothing or ACC and AEB but I'm confused as the fabias of the same year have either AEB with a speed limiter or AEB with ACC.

finding out if the unit is right cannot be 100% verified by the buttons (i have the voice button but could not get app connect)

the dsg is the polo is a dry clutch and had it's torque limited from the factory.

the option on the gti was just plain old cruise control no radar fitted as it would of got in the way of the intercooler.

Didn't know the DSG was a dry clutch on the polo so is it probably best to stay away from?
Read the brochure again and noticed the small print for ACC not mentioning the GTi thanks for pointing that out . What I'm guessing is that also means is no AEB at all?

Bepis wrote: Thu May 07, 2020 5:26 pm What I'm guessing is that also means is no AEB at all?

Correct; the 6c GTI doesn’t have AEB.

no AEB.

the dsg on the 6c does seem to suffer more with the 1.8 being a very good engine for it's size.

ive had mine for 5 years now and had no real problems with it apart from the clutch started to slip (manual) but i'm going for 400bhp so it was going to get changed anyway.

No AEB shouldn't be too much of an issue would just help bring the insurance premium down and have a safety net of sorts.

I knew the 2.0L's could be pushed quite far but didn't know the 1.8s could be pushed north of 350bhp.

the sticking point is the fuel pump.

the 1.8 uses the IHI is12 turbo that can be easily changed to the is20/38 from the 2.0