Anyone else think their GTI is s**t? or any polo

[Dink]

having had the car nearly a year and only covered just over 6000 miles i think i've come to the conclusion my car is a turd.

having come from a 9n3 gti i thought this new one would be a better car but i just isn't.

Got 3 faults that are still there after 6 visits to the dealers, there's design choices that are just backwards and the general build quality would be called as average by the french car manufacturers.

I know it's not VW's big seller but that doesn't excuse anything.

I think i might just take it back to the dealers and see what they offer me for it as i couldn't sell it my self to anyone to be stuck with the POS.

[Penarth Blues]

having had the car nearly a year and only covered just over 6000 miles i think i've come to the conclusion my car is a turd.

having come from a 9n3 gti i thought this new one would be a better car but i just isn't.

Got 3 faults that are still there after 6 visits to the dealers, there's design choices that are just backwards and the general build quality would be called as average by the french car manufacturers.

I know it's not VW's big seller but that doesn't excuse anything.

I think i might just take it back to the dealers and see what they offer me for it as i couldn't sell it my self to anyone to be stuck with the POS.

Really sorry to hear this sad end to your relationship with the car. I know you've been disappointed with various dodgy sales tactics by VW - such as selling the Media System as being able to connect to Car Play, when in fact it won't. I'm also disappointed by this and it will make me think hard about whether or not to go with another VW. On the other hand the car is actually wonderful at most of the rest of the things it does for me. I think you may just have had a poor one or are expecting more than you're likely to get from a £20k car today.

If you think you've been let down by VW, wait until you buy a French car... I've also got a 2007 Honda Civic 2.2 I-CDTi which has done 75,000 miles and has just cost me a lot of money on a few ridiculous design faults (£311 for a windscreen wiper motor, £1300 for a clutch anyone?) but doesn't mean the whole car is a POS. The other things it does well are spectacular.

It sounds as if you're no longer prepared to put up with whatever's upsetting you about the car, so a parting of the ways while it's got some serious value left would be a good idea I think. Hope your next car is a better one!

[Dink]

i had a brand new renault clio a few years ago so i know what it is like to own a french car

i mean there's things like still being able to see painted metal on door seal on the front edge of the front door, a bloody dacia wouldn't even have that.

and the drivers seat is also startig to show signs of wear already

i had my previous polo 7 years and a couple of minor faults over that time but had them fixed quickly without fuss but this car

[Penarth Blues]

i had a brand new renault clio a few years ago so i know what it is like to own a french car

i mean there's things like still being able to see painted metal on door seal on the front edge of the front door, a bloody dacia wouldn't even have that.

and the drivers seat is also startig to show signs of wear already

i had my previous polo 7 years and a couple of minor faults over that time but had them fixed quickly without fuss but this car

I hear what you're saying and I guess it's a sign of the way VW are trying hard to maintain a quality gap between this car and their 'jewel in the crown' the Golf GTi. It's also a sign of your dealer being incompetent I think. Who is it by the way?

In my opinion for about £10k less the new Polo Gti is a stonking little car and I'm prepared to forgive it a few faults which are marketing decisions rather than the fault of the car's design. For instance, the sound from the stereo is absolutely garbage for a car in this class and this really pisses me off as I'd have been prepared to spend good money on an upgrade had it been available.

I've also got a 57 plate Polo 1.4 SE with 50k on it which is gutless but still basically held together really well, so I'm hoping that this one has enough of the basics right to be OK for a while too, as I'd like to keep it for about 5 years if all is well.

[Ricmondo]

Renault Clio...bloody dacia wouldn't even have that.....

Renault and Dacia have basically the same relationship as VW and Seat.

I had a Renault that rusted to death before the first set of tyres were worn out but none of the eight Fiats owned by myself and the family have had any problems other than those caused by useless dealers.

Funny old life isn't it!

[Dink]

my local dealer is sinclair newport, who i never bought my first polo off but always had it serviced there and have always been good

so i thought i'd buy this one from there but that was a mistake as i'd not recommend the sales dept to my worst enemy lol but it seems the service dept is going the same way

the one fault i have is with the stereo which i have had changed once but as i suspected it was a design flaw with the version of unit itself and that same fault is still occuring

[Pavel]

What's the stereo fault? Not had any issues with mine.

And what are the other issues you've had?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dink]

In the stereo I get the speakers popping when it switches on then they go off then fade back up 5 to 10 secs later.

Also the Bluetooth is hit and miss randomly muting itself or dropping connection and the mirror link basically not functioning due to vw knee capping it.

The other faults are interior light buzzes as I accelerate in sport mode and then when I do put it in sport mode it makes the rattle behind the horn button worse. Also if I open the driver side window after it has been raining I get water leak inside the cabin.

Then the driver's door seems to be starting to make noises/rattling.

Then you get poor design decisions or money saving ideas like, non LED rear lights, crap reversing light to go with the crap position of the rear camera. Moving the battery to boot and losing a hell a lot of boot space.

I know it's just a little hot hatch for around the 20k mark but I expect improvement over a previous model of the same car.

I mean if someone bought a ipone 7 and it was an upgrade to the 6 but the 7 had a worse camera lower battery life and scratches alot easier I think people would be pissed off.

So I don't think it's different for a car, yes money is the biggest issue but it seems like they got so far with the design run out of time and just botched the last bits together.

[blackertracker]

Sorry to hear about your frustrations with your Polo GTI.

I understand your comments about some of the design decisions with the Polo 6C, but I agree with Penarth Blues that they're probably deliberate cost saving measures to separate the Polo from the Golf. In the 5 door Polo there are big areas of painted metal on the rear doors and also around the rear hatch window which to me is blatant penny pinching by VW and not acceptable when even a Fiesta has trim pieces!

As for your comment about rear LED lights - VW don't even fit the new Passat as standard with LED DRLs which is ridiculous on a flagship car! Also many new BMWs still don't come with rear LED lights so I don't think that's out of the ordinary these days with German marques, just more penny pinching.

However the difference in actual price now between a Polo GTI and a Golf GTI is £6800 not £10k, as you can get bigger discounts on the Golf, which also comes with more standard kit now such as Sat Nav. So if you add any expensive options on to the Polo, such as Sat Nav, the Golf starts to become better value. Obviously £6k difference is nothing to sniff at, which I why I ultimately decided to go for the Polo GTI.

Having said that I've had none of the issues you've had - no rattles and no problems with the media system, which is odd as my car is the same model year as yours, not the later 2016/17 spec. The only thing I've had is a rear interior lightbulb blow! Replaced them both with LEDs.

In hindsight I'd have preferred the Golf GTI if only for the bigger boot, which is a bit annoying in the Polo. However by removing the spare wheel you can get back the extra depth so all is not lost if you're prepared to run without a spare.

However I think the Polo GTI is still good value for the performance, handing and refinement on offer at the price. I don't think there's anything else to touch it in that sense. Also I just did a run up to Scotland and got an actual 42mpg cruising at 80 on boggo 95RON petrol, which I think is pretty good for such a potent engine.

[Robby71]

I've had my Fiesta ST2 for 1.5 years and if you thought your polo was bad think yourself lucky you didn't get 1 of these - got mine until November when it's 2 years old but looking around now for either a Polo GT ACT or a Golf GT

[Scott Bounce]

I had a Fiesta ST2 and there's definitely a bit of me wishes I hadn't changed to the 6c.

[SRGTD]

I've just come from a mk6 Golf (GTD) to a 6c Polo GTI and yes, there are some differences in quality between the Golf and Polo like the painted metal visible on the rear doors inside the cabin and around the tailgate window as blackertracker has pointed out, and unlined glove box and door pockets, no rubber anti-slip mats in the centre console storage areas. However, I'd researched pretty thoroughly before I bought the Polo and was fully aware of these areas of penny pinching by VW and went into my purchase with my eyes open. Yes, the boot is small because of the battery being positioned in the spare wheel well but I was aware of that, and checked it out before signing on the dotted line to make sure it would suit my needs.

Fortunately, I've not got any of the speaker popping and fading issues or the interior rattles that the OP's car suffers from. Maybe I'm lucky, or perhaps they just haven't materialised yet. Time will tell.

Water coming into the car if you open the window after it's been raining is a 'feature' of many modern cars - not a design fault that's specific to the current model Polo. The Golf mk6 and mk7 also have this 'feature' as do the majority of other manufacturer's cars. It's a consequence of manufacturers not fitting the old style rain channels on the edge of the roof that were on cars like the mk3 Ford Escorts and 1980's Vauxhalls that I owned in the 80's; yes, I am old and probably not your typical Polo GTI owner!

I had LED rear lights on my GTD and they did look good, but I think the rears on the Polo GTI look fine. Yes, the reversing light is small and has the power of a candle, but the mk6 and mk7 Golf is no different. I've got the reversing camera that the OP has criticised and this is the first car I've had that's got one. I find it is really good, and because it's positioned just above the rear number plate, the LED number plate lights help illuminate the area immediately behind the car, so to me, the camera gives a decent image at night. Reversing my mk6 Golf at night was much more of a challenge.

So do I think my Polo GTI is s**t? No, I'm really happy with it; it has great performance and suits my needs. I accept that there are areas where VW have made cost savings on the Polo compared to other VW models higher up the range, and the small boot won't suit everyone, but I was fully aware of these issues before I bought it.

[g7egt]

Yes have a door creek and rattle, metallic black scratches really easy, fuel tank a bit small and bumps around a bit. I've come from an A45 and a Clio 200T before that, both were rather good obviously the A45 was a bit quicker.

On the plus side it is surprising easy to drive very quickly, headlights are miles better than my Clio 200T and A45. The sat nav is very good, stereo is better than that of both and the mid range punch is amazing for such a little car. For the price which is well under half of what the A45 cost I can't fault it. I'm a Renault Sport fan and didn't think I'd rate this car but it is rather good.

Sounds like you want to change.

[RUM4MO]

The lack of any trim on the rear hatch to cover up the spot weld areas is a stunning bit of penny pinching.

Actually the lack of even much in the way of an external cosmetic freshen up between the initial 6R and the 6R 6C is also a bit strange!

[Dink]

the issue with painted metal visible is next to the trim on the inside of the wing mirror and just above the door speaker so not in a position that is obvious that it can't be helped, it's just that the trim and door cards don't fit

it wouldn't be too bad on a black/dark car but white it stands right out against the black interior.

and the water ingress isn't in via the hole that is left by the windows it comes in through the "door seal"

the issue with LED rears is due to the fact that the headlights are full LED and standard yet the rears are incandescent, even an LED rear option would of been nice

thing is the car is decent enough but it just feels like a 10 year old car after just 10 months so can't imagine what it will be like after 5 years.