2019 Polo GTI - buying advice

[vwj82]

I’m thinking of buying a 2019 Polo GTI from an online dealer as it’s a very good deal. It’s done 28k miles with FSH.

I’d buy the optional extended warranty covering engine, gearbox etc though obviously it excludes normal wear and tear parts.

Are the any known issues with this version I should be aware of? I know at 28k miles it should be fine but I don’t want to end up with a money pit.

Thanks.

[PoloGTInoob]

I bought a 2020 GTI+ a few months ago, two things to consider:

- They have a very firm ride, esp with the larger 18" alloys that come on the GTI+. Its fine on motoroways and handles great, but around town you feel every bump. Prepare to shake and vibrate on poor surfaces.
- they have a habit of making a strange sound when you reverse. like a whale crying. try reversing a few times including mimicking reversing out of spaces, to see if yours does, they might be able to fix it first

[SRGTD]

@vwj82; welcome to the forum.

Like @PoloGTInoob, I also have a 2020 Polo GTI+ and I find the firm(ish) ride is fine, but then the majority of previous cars I’ve owned have been warm or hot hatches so the suspension set up has been biased towards good handling rather than a soft ride. In my GTI+ I use ‘Individual’ mode in the available driver profile selections and have the suspension set to ‘normal’. I don’t use the ‘sport’ setting as I do find that to be far too firm for everyday use.

I think ride comfort is quite subjective; what one person find to be too firm will be perfectly OK for someone else, and ride quality can be influenced by factors such as the suspension set-up of previous cars owned, size of wheels, brand of tyres (some offer better ride comfort than others - I’ve always found VW’s tyre of choice - Bridgestones - for the pre-facelift GTI to give a very firm ride), and the condition of the roads which is pretty poor in some regions of the UK.

There is a separate discussion thread (link below) on the ‘mooing’ noise from the rear brakes when reversing. My car does it when the rear discs are wet, otherwise I don’t have the noise. Importantly, it doesn’t affect braking efficiency.

https://www.uk-polos.net/viewtopic.php?t=72392

Other things to be aware of;

• not really an issue, but a 2019 car will have a GPF (gasoline particulate filter) which periodically will regenerate to burn off particulate matter that’s accumulated in the filter. The symptoms of a forced regeneration taking place may give the impression there’s something wrong with the car but it’s the normal signs of a regen happening (louder exhaust note, slight hesitancy and lumpiness under acceleration and in stop/go traffic, a hot smell, significant worsening in fuel consumption). In my car, a forced regeneration takes around 20-30 minutes, after which everything’s back to normal. Frequency of regenerations will depend on the types of journey driven; a high proportion of short journeys on a cold engine = more frequent regenerations. Link to discussion thread on GPF regenerations below;
  
  https://www.uk-polos.net/viewtopic.php?t=73177

• the spec of a GTI as opposed to a GTI+ will mean that the car will be missing some items of equipment that the higher spec GTI+ gets as standard. From memory, the GTI+ plus gets the following additional items of spec over and above the GTI’s spec., so if any of those items of spec are important to you, then that might influence your purchase decision;
  - LED headlights
  - adaptive cruise control
  - active info display (a.k.a. Digital instrument display)
  - electrically folding door mirrors,
  - front centre armrest with storage compartment
  - darker tinted windows from the B pillar backwards
  - auto dimming rear view mirror
  - coming home / leaving home lighting function
  - rain sensing wipers
  - keyless entry/keyless start.

• the alloy wheels that VW fit to the Polo GTI / GTI+ are diamond cut, so are prone to white worm corrosion on the diamond cut faces. This quite common on diamond cut alloys once they get to around 3 years old (sometimes happens sooner), especially if those alloys are on a car all year round and subjected to the UK’s winter road conditions. To remove unsightly white worm corrosion requires the alloys to be refurbished and a good quality refurb will probably cost in the region of £120 plus VAT per wheel these days. Some alloy wheel refurbishers may also charge extra to remove/refit the tyres and rebalance the wheels. Check the alloys on the car you’re considering aren’t suffering from white worm and if they are, use that as a negotiation point on the price of the car.

• tyres for the 18” alloys are expensive - expect to pay around £150 or more per tyre for a good (premium brand) tyre. With the car you’re considering, it’d be worth checking what brand of tyres are fitted - a good set of matching premium brand tyres (e.g. Michelin, Goodyear, Continental) can be an indication that the previous owner(s) haven’t skimped on the car’s maintenance. Also worth checking the government MOT checker for previous MOT fails or advisories as that can also help verify the car’s mileage and give an indication of how well the car has been maintained.

[vwj82]

Thanks for the helpful replies.

Regards the firm ride. I’m not too concerned about this as my current car is a Volvo V40 R-design, which has suspension that’s on the firmer side.

I had a read at the rear brakes “mooing” thread, thanks.

It’s standard GTI. I’ve never been too fussed about things like digital cockpits, LED headlights etc. I like an element of old school. My other car is a ‘72 Beetle, so anything seems modern and acceptable by comparison!

It does have a white blemish on one alloy, and a couple of little scuffs on the roof paint, but it’s not so bad it would cause me to have it refurbed or send it to a body shop.

The service history is four VW main dealer services, with a further one having just been completed by the non-VW supplying dealer.

Will check which tyres are on it. It’s showing as passing every MOT so far with no advisories.

Forced regen issue is noted…thanks. Wasn’t aware of that in petrol cars. I do about 30 miles a day, roughly a 50:50 mix of motorway and city driving.

Fingers crossed it’s as reliable as my Volvo has been.

[PoloGTInoob]

One final point to add, VW actually recommends using higher octane fuel in the GTI models.

Direct quote from their website:

For petrol engines we recommend using a fuel with a low sulphur content or sulphur-free fuel, which will help reduce consumption. For most petrol vehicles, standard unleaded (95RON) is fine, however for the GTI and R models we recommend super-unleaded (98RON). For diesel models, we recommend the use of diesel fuel containing up to 7% Biodiesel. Filling station forecourts supply diesel (to the standard EN590), which can contain up to 7% Biodiesel with 93% Fossil fuel.

Source: https://www.volkswagen.co.uk/en/need-he ... %20(98RON).

[vwj82]

Thank you, that’s good to know. I’ll stick to Shell V-Power

This might be a daft question, but they’re key start rather than push button?

[PO10ASH]

Thank you, that’s good to know. I’ll stick to Shell V-Power

This might be a daft question, but they’re key start rather than push button?

GTI is key-start as standard whereas GTI+ is keyless as standard.

[Armstrong21490]

Hi VWJ82. I've dropped you a pm.

[Nora]

A 2019 Gti will be due for the cambelt change in the very near future. So insist that it and the waterpump are changed before you buy it. Check if the tyres size has been up’d to 225’s from the OEM 215’s as this will throw the rolling circumference off and with it the speedo. Also the extended warranty you mentioned is probably not worth the paper it’s written on.

[SRGTD]

A 2019 Gti will be due for the cambelt change in the very near future. So insist that it and the waterpump are changed before you buy it. Check if the tyres size has been up’d to 225’s from the OEM 215’s as this will throw the rolling circumference off and with it the speedo. Also the extended warranty you mentioned is probably not worth the paper it’s written on.

There’s no cam belt - the AW Polo GTI and GTI+ has a timing chain which in theory is a non-serviceable item, although it would be prudent to check it - or get it checked - periodically for stretch from around 80k miles.

The water pump / thermostat housing is a potential weak point on VW’s EA888 engine, although I can’t recall reading of many (or any?) failures on this forum. Water pump failures have been reported on some of the Golf forums though.

[Mike222]

The
water pump on mine failed at 12000 miles ! two days after warranty expired !!!!!!! cost me £600