UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

Hi all, hope you're all well.
I recently acquired a Polo R-Line at the start of this year, brand new.
Since then I've done approx 2000 miles and it will have been the third time the car has gone back in for repairs at Volkswagen, and I was wondering if anyone else experienced similar issues and can offer some advice.

Right, after the first month approx of ownership I was driving home (in rain) and suddenly I had a warning which says "Check rear brake light", the light was working however there was a warning on my dash which on some journeys came on, and others not at all.
Two days later I took it into Volkswagen for an emergency appointment and they stated that water had been entering through the high level tail brake light of which the seal had gone, causing it to leak down to the right brake light leading to corrosion and faulty sensors (i know, with less than 1500 miles on it).
After a few days of repairs I got the vehicle back and I had no issues for around 6 weeks, and then the warning light came back on, "check rear brake light" along with "check rear right indicator" accompanied with a fast-flashing right indicator on the dash.
I then obviously sent the vehicle straight back to Volkswagen and they had the vehicle for a week, conducting yet again another repair to prevent water ingress. They stated a water test was conducted with no ingress detected.

And then... a week later accompanied with the rain we saw over the past few days...
The light came back on **again**.
The vehicle needs to go back in to Volkswagen ASAP, however, 1. they cannot give me a hire car as I am under 25... 2. I need to be mobile due to work requirements.

If anyone could offer any advice on this situation it would be greatly appreciated, along with anyone else who has experienced similar issues with water ingress in the new polo model!

Many thanks,

I believe that over the years there have been a few forum members with the pre-facelift version of the Polo that have had water ingress problems, but from memory they were from water ingress at the front of the car - e.g. inadequate seam sealer applied in the engine compartment (bulkhead or inner wings), poorly fitted windscreen, missing grommets in the bulkhead etc.

Do you know what was involved in the fix that the dealer has (unsuccessfully) attempted? Did they fit a new high level brake light assembly and seals, or did they just apply some sealant around the existing faulty unit where they suspected the leak was? (If it was my car, I’d be wanting new parts fitted). Have you checked under the boot floor and in the spare wheel well to see if water’s collecting in there to give you an idea of how much water is entering your car?

As for the hire car issue; was it a hire car from a car rental company or a dealership courtesy vehicle that the dealer is saying they can’t supply because of your age? All car rental companies are likely to have a minimum driver age restriction, although in many cases this is likely to be lower than 25. With a garage-supplied courtesy car, there may also be a minimum driver age restriction but I’m surprised it’s as high as 25 - many dealers will have quite a few under 25 year old customers, and I’m pretty certain over the years that I’ve read of some younger forum members that have had the use of a VW dealer supplied courtesy car without issue. It could just be that your dealer wasn’t being particularly helpful in getting your issue resolved and keeping you mobile while they’re working on your car (it does happen - customer after-sales service isn’t always all it could be). You could ask the dealer to show you a copy of the insurance form that customers sign and get a copy of when they use a courtesy car that supposedly imposes a minimum driver age restriction of 25. It might also be worth exploring the option of you hiring an equivalent Polo-sized car independently from a car rental company and getting the dealer to agree to pay the rental charge.

During ‘normal’ times, an option that could be considered is rejecting the vehicle if a dealer can’t fix a fault after a number of unsuccessful attempts. However, with the current new car build and supply issues we’re not in ‘normal’ times, so rejection probably isn’t a viable option for many owners, due to low or non-existent new vehicle stock levels within the VW dealer network to source a replacement vehicle or potentially long lead times for a factory order replacement vehicle.

Please keep the forum updated on developments in getting your car fixed. Good luck!

Surely it can’t be the high level brake light because that would have no way of allowing water into the rear light cluster, they are separate panels. It *must* be the sponge like seal material that the rear light cluster used to seal to the quarter panel. I’ve had to remove my rear light clusters to change the bulbs to LED and the water runs down a channel along both sides of the boot lid and over and around the rear light seal as part of the drain channel so definitely check the seal of the light cluster. I was able to get a hire car at 24 so surely it must be the dealer you are using which isn’t good.

Harrihealey02 wrote: Mon Jun 06, 2022 7:26 pm Surely it can’t be the high level brake light because that would have no way of allowing water into the rear light cluster, they are separate panels. It *must* be the sponge like seal material that the rear light cluster used to seal to the quarter panel. I’ve had to remove my rear light clusters to change the bulbs to LED and the water runs down a channel along both sides of the boot lid and over and around the rear light seal as part of the drain channel so definitely check the seal of the light cluster. I was able to get a hire car at 24 so surely it must be the dealer you are using which isn’t good.

Yes, it does seem strange that a dealer-diagnosed water ingress issue into the high level brake light would also affect the driver’s side rear light cluster.

In view of the dealer’s apparent uncooperative nature in relation to providing a courtesy car, and possibly their inability to correctly diagnose and fix the issue, I think I’d consider trying a different dealer.

Thanks all for your replies, I’m only going off the sheet they’ve given me explaining what work they’ve done.

They have the vehicle now and are finally willing to cover hire car costs, will keep you guys updated!

Hello all, just a quick update!
So I took my car in and they inspected it rather quickly, stating that it needed a new rear back screen as the seals had gone, by requirement it meant that the spoiler had to come off which has to be replaced apparently when it is removed.
Conveniently the parts are on back order for minimum two weeks, so that's where we're at now!

When they say rear window seal I’m assuming they mean the rear quarter panel window seal which is a likely cause, as the rear boot lid window would not have any link to the water ingress of the rear light cluster. Glad they found what was wrong with the car in the end. Hope it is sorted after the fix!

Did Volkswagen resolve this for ya or you did continuing still having issues with it have same problems on my year old Volkswagen polo match 74 plate but it only on the rear back light not on the driver side