How major are these issues a garage noted?

[Ian095]

Had work done on my car recently (2016, 6C, TSI 1.8 ), new spark plugs, intake & intercooler as well as a performance clutch. Garage done a grand job!

Yet, they have forewarned of issues the mechanic has noticed during my initial work, I'm due to go back after driving 750 miles so realistically of these would cause me an MOT fail I'd want to get them sorted ASAP, or as well if they are prone to becoming very dangerous or a sudden breakdown.

• The thermostat is leaking.

• Washer pumps leaking, bit of a shame as another common issue in my model and I only just had it replaced 2 months ago!

• Front arm rear bushes split on both sides.

• Drivers side shock corroded (feels soft), the top mounts of drivers side also creak.

• Drivers side outer CV boot burst.

So are any of these urgent, better to get fixed sooner than later before potentially becoming more costly? I imagine some of these repairs alone might be costly themselves. How about with MOT, I've already invested in trying to avoid an MOT fail but this seems to be more on top. Advice is greatly appreciated! The garage said they aren't urgent but worth keeping in mind.

[RUM4MO]

The CV boot being cut will be an MOT failure on its own.

The coolant leak needs sorting out before it ends up causing overheating>damage.

The front lower arm rear bushes might even cause an MOT black mark, either way they need sorting out ASAP as excessive/uneven front tyre wear could be occurring.

If you are heading towards replacing a front damper, better to replace both and all the mountings, bearings and bolts/nuts associated with that.

No really good news I'm afraid, running these cars costs good money, but should lead to enjoyment out on the road.

Edit:- I've even had to replace a rear calliper due to it seizing up and I wanted the car back on the road quickly to avoid my 2010 Audi S4 needing to get used in town! The joining sleeve on the exhaust of that 2015 VW Polo 1.2TSI will also be due to get replaced - it is that time, along with the rear bump stops, time and money for me, oh joy!

Another Edit:- I had already bought the new bushes for the front arms, have the tool to change them, and hopefully I'll sort this out soon as the weather is warmish, one bush was replaced under warranty, and the other side - RHS is cracking/tearing up "nicely".

[amer6R]

fix all the issue as soon as possible. Every one of them can leave you stranded ( except for the shock and washer pump) Bushing for safety reasons

[2226]

Definitely do the water leaks and CV boot.
If that boot has been split for very long or is completely gone then you might be in for a replacement CV depending on how much crud got in there. Otherwise, if CV is fine, you get universal flexible CV boots that you can use that negate removing the CV off the shaft.

Take some time for upgrades too.
Replace the control arm bushes with solid rubber bushes (MEYLE 100 407 0073/HD).
Strut mounts to higher density Skoda LCR mounts (1ML 412 331) .. if you can find and afford them. ECS have stiffer mounts too though.

[amer6R]

If you are tight with money and cant afford some repairs,
at least wrap the cv joint boot in plastic bag, and duck tape it. It will help, to save your cv joint from getting crap in it and destroying it.
The booth it self, some grease, clips and can of brake cleaner is not expensive.

go with what 2226 recommended for parts

[RUM4MO]

I think that the mounting bush from the MK1 Audi TT is also a non voided one if you feel the need to keep the parts genuine VW group - the Lemforder voided mounting bushes that I bought from ECP is in fact got the VW Group part number on it as they supply VW group.

I'm not too sure about changing to solid bushes until UK roads get a bit of attention, having them as standard does provide a "fuse" to break when one too many pot holes get driven into!

I did change to solid console bushes on my wife's 2002 VW Polo 1.4 16V when it needed new bushes, and that was a very good move, both in improved "turn in" and they lasted "for ever".

Edit:- I do seem to remember that part of my "master plan" when buying a bush removal/fitting tool, was to only ever fit a non voided pair of bushes(like I got done to my wife's previous 2002 VW Polo) - but the UK roads were in good condition(relatively speaking) when that plan was launched! Another bonus if fitting solid or non voided bushes is, getting the "rotational location" spot on, is not required.

[Bepis]

Definitely get the water pump sorted ASAP. FYI you're looking at nearly a grand in parts and labour for that alone if done through a main dealer. See the attached invoice, was from 2021 so prices will have more than likely increased since. I believe the current revision of the thermostat is P.

Waterpump.JPG (52.11 KiB) Viewed 392 times

Other places to check in the cooling system now these cars are getting on and VW's heavy use of plastics in the system is the end tanks of the radiator and the coolant vent/union (no idea what it's called) in the cylinder head that sits between the turbo heatshield and the exhaust cam solenoids. On my car the nearside end tank is weeping and so is the cylinder head coolant union/vent (06K121143). For the end tanks, you can see that the edge of the radiator is damp by looking through the fans and also drips of coolant collecting on the corners at the bottom. The cylinder head vent/union won't leave any residue but if it's leaking in my experience that area is consistently damp and you can smell coolant (when the thermostat isn't leaking). It's worth changing, the part was around £7 from memory.

Radiator leak:

Radiator.jpg (1.38 MiB) Viewed 392 times

Also, remove the silica packet from the expansion tank if you haven't done so already. If the tank is marked with "mit silikat" then there's a bag of silica in it. If you're worried about it splitting while removing it, removing the whole bottle isn't too difficult. You can pull it out with needle nose pliers from the opening on the tanks on the Polo. New tanks also don't have one if you want to just swap it out. From memory, I paid £40 for a new tank and cap.

Old

Old tank.JPG (196.76 KiB) Viewed 392 times

New

New tank.JPG (198.15 KiB) Viewed 392 times

Inside old tank

Old tank inside.jpg (2.54 MiB) Viewed 392 times

Video for the union/vent:
https://youtu.be/9TbCdOohjAM?si=gg2MWl67R7MHtsGl&t=159

As for CVs they are for whatever reason ludicrously expensive from VW and very hard to get aftermarket from reputable sources for the GTi so I'd get it re-greased and rebooted ASAP just to save on the cost and effort of sourcing a new one. Boot kits and grease from VW is around £50 typically + £7~ for the axle nut. If you need a new joint I believe the OEM for the outer is GKN and can be had via their LOBRO aftermarket brand for around £100 if you can find them in stock.

For the LCA bushes, you can refit the standard voided ones for less NVH and more comfort. The easiest upgrade is to fit a set of Ibiza Cupra LCA's of the same year (14-17) as they come with solid rubber rear bushes. Stiffer vs the factory fit voided bush but not as harsh as say poly bushes, they're a straight bolt-up swap so no faffing with pressing bushes in and out.

Ibiza Cupra LCA
Lemforder 42651 01 (Right)
Lemforder 42650 01 (Left)

Stock Bush:
1J0407181
Ibiza Cupra Bush:
6R0407181B

Thread discussing the options available:
https://www.uk-polos.net/viewtopic.php? ... ntrol+arms

Top mounts and shocks you'll probably want to do in pairs. As for the top mounts themselves, as said there are again some options (I didn't know there were, thanks for the heads-up 2226 ) 1J0 412 319 C is factory but 1J0 412 331 C fits, 1ML 412 331 is from the MK1 Leon Cupra R. I couldn't find any with the LCR part number available from the aftermarket so probably only available from a dealer, however 034 Motorsport make a stiffer mount of a similar durometer to that of the LCR strut mount. It doesn't list the polo but the OE part number they say it replaces is 1J0 412 331 C.

034 Strut mounts:
https://034motorsport.co.uk/strut-mount ... -tt-8n-8l/

Shocks are a bit tricky, no concrete answer as to what to use other than OE without using lowering springs or switching to coilovers.

Thread discussing this:
https://www.uk-polos.net/viewtopic.php? ... on#p603689

[spartacus68]

I’ve just finished servicing my daughter’s Polo 1.2 TSI. The suspension arms are a fail if torn. I’ve just swapped them out on a 2015 vehicle with 60k miles, that part was straight forward. You will need new suspension bolts from VW. 18mm and a breaker bar, better still an air ratchet. You need to break the tie-rod end, and usually the nut is seized. I fitted Meyle parts. I fitted new lower ball joints too seeing as everything was off. Have a look at the ARB drop links. If original, they will probably be sloppy.

The CV boot, depending how long it’s been torn, may be dry, and contaminated so replacement CV joint. I used to rate GKN boot kits, but quite honestly they aren’t what they used to be.

Front bearings, Polos eat them. I broke my bearing tool trying to remove them, so stripped them down the hub and put them to a local garage to press out and in. Fit FAG would be my advice. You get a new 36mm 12 sided hub nut in the kit, and plastic dust cover.

For the shocks and top mounts, you need to remove the windscreen plastic scuttle. You might be able to do in situ. The wiper arms need to come off and they will be seized on. It’s 21mm from memory for the strut nut and Allen key or Torx bit.

Can’t help with water pump. The washer pumps (if the headlights are LED) will probably be a bumper off job, again, straight forward.

[RUM4MO]

@spartacus68, when you say "You need to break the tie-rod end, and usually the nut is seized.", I'm guessing that you meant the steering track rod end - when taking the struts off? I'm not trying to be pedantic, just worried if I've missed something, that is all.

I still "feel the need" to use the lower arm rear bush removal tool that I bought many years ago, just because I have it and I've improved on it AND bought better quality bearings for it - so I'll still be pressing on with that plan very soon - along with the exhaust joining piece replacement, as its time must nearly be up, and then the rear bump stops - one side is badly cracked. I've still got Meyle drop links that never needing using on a 2009 SEAT Ibiza, if they are needed on this 2015 VW Polo 1.2TSI 110PS - and the list probably goes on to include servicing the rear LHS calliper and probably doing the same thing for the front callipers - rear RHS calliper seized and I just replaced it quickly as the car was needed - checked and cleaned/serviced the removed seized calliper, so now I'm ready to do the same on the still okay rear LHS - might even refit the cleaned/serviced rear RHS calliper as I had painted them Gunmetal grey - doing that would save me the bother of painting the newly fitted re-manufactured one!

Edit:- "washer pumps leaking" - I missed picking up on that, I've only ever had a single headlight washer pump fail, and that was on a 2000 VW Passat 4Motion - on that car it ended up being subject to incoming road spray and that was hitting an exposed poorly rustproofed part of the pump body in between the plastic pump body parts, and that, I think, forced the the plastic body parts to split open and then it was "game over" for that pump. It was just one part of that car that I did not know "was where it was" until it had failed, if I had spotted it earlier on in that car's life, I could have protected it with something and stopped that happening.

[spartacus68]

@spartacus68, when you say "You need to break the tie-rod end, and usually the nut is seized.", I'm guessing that you meant the steering track rod end - when taking the struts off? I'm not trying to be pedantic, just worried if I've missed something, that is all.

Yes, the steering rack ball joint end. You can put trolley jack under it and raise to get tension. Make sure the exposed thread is clean - use wire brush attachment on a drill, and use a little PlusGas to lube.

I still "feel the need" to use the lower arm rear bush removal tool that I bought many years ago, just because I have it and I've improved on it AND bought better quality bearings for it - so I'll still be pressing on with that plan very soon.

Definitely, for convenience, I just replaced entire unit. Meyle kit is very good. On refitting, it needs to be under tension as if wheels were on ground. Again trolley jack under arm, bolts torqued to 80Nm.

2015 VW Polo 1.2TSI 110PS - and the list probably goes on to include servicing the rear LHS calliper and probably doing the same thing for the front callipers - rear RHS calliper seized and I just replaced it quickly as the car was needed - checked and cleaned/serviced the removed seized calliper.

These calipers suffer from aluminium oxide corrosion which forces the rubber dust sleeve to expand and then you get seized/sticky pistons. I have rebuilt pistons with Budweg kits before very satisfying and they operate like new.

[RUM4MO]

On the brake calliper thing, I did follow the "Irish guy" and made up a "dust cover fitting tool" from a suitably sized vitamins container - that worked very well and ended up with a satisfying metallic "clunk" when the piston was pushed down and met the lead screw of the handbrake actuator! Then wound the piston all the way down, then backed it up using the handbrake lever to check that the top cover seal was fully located in the piston groove. To be completely honest, I carried out a "dry run" a few weeks before and attempted to load the piston back into the rear calliper without fitting the top dust cover - using a "brake pad expander" tool, a major fail as it forced the piston to tilt and jam - and on further examination, cut a line in the new score seal, luckily the kit that I had was for 2 callipers, so second attempt worked well.

Now, as I had never ever refurb'd brake callipers in the past - done brake cylinders many times as a "boy" - blinking LandRovers!, I was keen to get everything right before starting this job - even though I had bought a re-manufactured Pagid calliper to get the car back into use. Some time in the past, maybe to increase the total cost of a ECP order, I had added a TRW rear calliper service kit to that order, when I first started servicing this seized calliper, I looked out that kit and measured the score seal - and it was near enough 41mm, which initially confused me as I thought that this 2015 Polo had 38mm pistons - which it does, I checked on the TRW website and the kit part number was good for 38mm pistons! So, just to make sure, I ordered in another kit in from FrenTech - and the score seal was the same size, so I fitted parts from the first kit to that rear Lucas calliper and it seems okay.
Having done that, and preparing to service the rear LHS calliper, I bought a seals kit for the front Lucas FN3 - 54 callipers from Bigg Red, the score seals supplied in that kit measure 54mm - strange maybe as both sets of callipers are Girling>Lucas>TRW, such is life!

TRE nut - the ones on my wife's old 2002 Polo were nearly impossible to get off(spring broke), got cut off bit by bit,, back when that car was only maybe 6 years old. Okay since then I've bought a lot more garage tools, so now start any "under carriage" jobs by cleaning all exposed threads using suitable dies, as well as proper penetrating fluids, so the same nuts on my older daughter's 2009 Ibiza when it was maybe 8 years old(spring broke) was extremely easy, same for this 2015 Polo when the front bearing got noisy when it maybe 7 or 8 year old - the TRE nuts on this car get scrubbed clean at every service and covered in grease, so when it is top mounts or springs time, there should not be a problem there.

I've been measuring the ride height on all our cars at the start of their annual service, so I'll know exactly how high to jack the hubs up to, obviously I do that because I'm retired and fail to see the advantage of driving around with a slightly broken road spring as MOT man will always find them!