To answer with a few questions first - how long since the last oil change or service? Do you have much in the way of suitable toolage about? (will need at least a 13mm - or 17 i can never remember - spanner, preferably a socket & bar instead, and a disposable or dedicated catch tray or bucket that will take at least 4 litres without spilling when you lift it)
Does the oil on the stick look "gungy" at all or black (its ok if it's a gold colour, or appears brown in normal daylight)? And, that is a petrol 1.6 right?
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EDIT: Yes, Yes, OK, I know, it's farking long, but i'm doing the comprehensive beginners' guide here. If you don't like it, know-all guys, it's not meant for you to read anyway.
Beautyfiend, i suggest instead of hurting your eyes drinking this all in at the PC, you copy it into word and print over 2 or 3 pages of A4 to read at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee or something.
A simpler version is available in the Haynes manual but it may not have all the necessary caveats
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OK now... this is just going to be in general terms because i don't know the car, but i was able to transfer the info direct from a 1.0 1990 vw to a 1.6 1998 vauxhall with no worries and not looking in the manual, so a 1995 polo should be fine.
Oil change is one of the simpler and easier things to do on a car that gets massively overcharged by a garage, so it's worth learning it.
First you'll need to do is the judgement call above. Unless the oil's pretty nasty (it likely will be, if a car of a mere 10 years has gone below the minimum, unless it has a small leak), you can get away with just buying a single 1-litre carton of 10w40 semi synthetic anybrand oil and dumping it in the filler cap atop the engine block, and pretty much forgetting about it for another few thousdand miles til it's time for a proper change. Making things a lot easier, at least for now.
It's best to change the filter if at all possible, and good practice to have a spare washer for the drain bolt to hand BEFORE you begin (best to get down to somewhere like GSF and buy them all together, though in a pinch the VW dealership will sell you a washer for an affordable, but vastly inflated
79 pence).
Things you will need, then:
* Catching device for the dirty oil, at least 4 litre capacity (preferably sealable so you can take it away to pour into the eco disposal tank at the local tip afterwards). The flimsy catch trays they sell at halfords are ONLY to put underneath other things in case of spillage. A proper canister type with the side bungs is best, and is endlessly removable.
* Suitable work clothes, stuff that it doesnt matter getting a little dirt or oil on. An old towel to lay on the ground won't hurt matters neither.
* Clean-up supplies on standby, just in case - wet wipes, paper kitchen towel, fairy liquid and smartprice powdered biological washing powder. Plus you'll likely get a little on your hands anyhow (best practice is to wear nearly-dead marigolds or a pair of single use surgical gloves if you have any). Shouldn't need to buy any of this stuff, its all household odds and ends.
* Suitable size spanner or socket & bar/ratchet to undo and retighten the drain plug.
* Some kind of grip enhancer to aid getting the old filter off, a fabric strap of some kind can work well. Failing that, a long, sturdy screwdriver, or hammer and chisel (you dont chisel it off, just smack the thing into the filter to use as a handle - they screw on/off and the old ones aren't reusable)
* A jack, if the car's fairly low, on rough ground, or you're not quite as trim as cocaine kate. Preferably a pair of axle stands. Don't need to raise it high or get the wheels off the ground (usually), it's only for ease of access to the drain plug.
* Enough time and fuel to idle the engine for a couple minutes beforehand and a couple after.
* Finally:
--- A new washer of suitable size (not essential, but you may as well)
--- A new oil filter of suitable size and type
--- A 5L or 1 gallon (4.5L) carton of fresh, delicious 10w40 multigrade semi synthetic oil (or, if you top up first and it's going to be for the summer, and changed again before winter hits, you can get away with slightly cheaper, thicker 15w40). Pretty much any brand will do but the usual reccomendation is to skip Castrol (it's made from dregs of other premium brands, apparently) and to go for VW's own "Quantum Synta Silver" formulation. Also get a 1 litre carton, if you dont already have one, for the purpose of making more precise measurements. Not neccessarily the same stuff so long as it's compatible.
For the last three you're best set really to get to GSF or some other specialist car bits retailer and buy them as a job lot. If you can't find anywhere else, then Halfords will do in a pinch but be aware they're a bit more expensive, only sell washer type items by the two-quid-fifty randomised packet, and may well sell you the wrong size of filter (as whoever writes their consumer guide sheets is a cretin). The dealers are a third but rock solid last gasp choice, they'll charge top dollar but give you exactly the right stuff.
OK the routine proper.
Having checked oil and deemed it to be unfit for volkswagen consumption, gather all your materials and make sure they're all in order. You dont want to be stranded on your driveway having forgotten something elementary but having a car emptied of oil.
See if you can get underneath and access the drain plug easily without needing to jack it. You don't need to be a long way under or for long - just so that you can reach the plug and keep a hold on the bolt when you pull it out, whilst having the catching device already in place.
If not, put the jack at the usual tyre changing point on the side that's the most difficult and raise it just enough for comfortable clearance. If you have them, pop an axle stand under the lowest bit of the frame's (not the wheel's) suspension strut, and raise the other side to match. In either case, be super careful not to disturb the supports or rock the car about - triply so if you only have a jack. (If you were raising it any higher, such that it may rebound on the suspension after dropping, going underneath would be an absolute no-no)
Start the engine and idle it for a couple minutes. You just want the oil warmed slightly so it runs more fluidly, and mixed up by the pump so that some of the sump sludge also comes out. Turn it back off and remove the key to a safe place so no-one can start it with no oil in.
Get underneath (open bonnet if you need more light), put catch tray in place. Be aware that when you first open the drain it will shoot forwards some, and then the stream will alter course as the level drops, and the last couple hundred millilitres may well run backwards along the sump before dripping off, so you may need to position the catcher so it's well forwards with the end only just under the drain, and adjust it over time. Open the bung holes on the catcher, if it's a type that has them.
Put spanner / socket on bolt and heft it off anticlockwise. Depending on who last serviced it, it may need an almighty effort to go through the first quarter turn, or be very easy. Once it's turning easily, put the spanner down and do the rest with your fingers. Keep an inwards pressure on the bolt at all times so that it doesnt drop and oil doesn't go everywhere when you're undoing the last couple turns. Once you feel it come completely free of the threads, get a good grip on it (and the washer, IF it's come with), and whip it away. Keep an eye on it, make sure it's not spilling everywhere, as cleanup can be a pain.
Once it's down to just dripping, get up and have a cuppa.
On return, see where the washer is - either still wrapped around the bolt thread, or stuck to the sump, or totally missing. In the first case, check you have a matching new one, and swap them around, binning the old one. In the second, again check, then see if the old one can be persuaded to come off. Leave it there if not, swap it if so. In the third case, just put the new one on the bolt.
Reinsert the bolt, make sure it isnt cross threaded, and then do it up thumb-tight. Use the spanner to give it an extra quarter to half turn, making a nice seal by crushing into the washer and locking the bolt in place. Lower the car carefully off the jacks / axle stands.
Next you change the filter. It should be on the front side of the engine, and a fairly obvious big black or white painted metal stubby thing, like an oversized tin of beans. Move the catch tray so that one end is just below the furthest forward point, and the rest goes under the engine. There WILL be leakage. Start with just your hands, and progress to whatever measures necessary to unscrew it anticlockwise. Once it's free of the engine, place it open-end down into/onto the oil catcher so that the rest drains out. Wipe down the exposed face of the attachment point on the engine block, and smear some clean oil both on there and on the attachment face of the new filter. Screw it in firmly but not insanely tight, similar as for the drain bolt.
Lastly, we refill the engine. Remove and wipe off the dipstick, then reinsert. Put a measured 3 litres in through the filler cap on the top (or just guesstimate it and pour directly from the big carton), give it a few moments to settle, then check the dipstick level. Keep adding a half litre at a time until it ends up somewhere between MIN and MAX (there's a litre's worth between them), and do a final topup governed by your own judgement to hit the MAX line. If you go a little bit over, don't worry, there's a slight leeway built in - but still err on the side of caution, if it gets close.
Replace the filler cap and clean up. Start the engine and let it run for a couple more minutes to circulate the fresh oil. There may be a little bit of tappet clatter for a few seconds, but if it continues to be noisy for more than a minute, recheck the level, check for leaks, then come back and ask for more help. Stop the engine, let things settle for thirty seconds or so, then do a final dipstick check. Everything should be fine, and you can get down to putting everything away and disposing of the dirty oil at a suitable facility.
Then have a well earned cup of tea / beer, basking in the warm glow of having just saved yourself about £45 (assuming you had all the necessary tools and didnt make a mess - £15 on oil, filter and washer, vs about £60 for a garage to do it, with hourly labour rates currently soaring towards triple figures).
So Much detail and info, Are you a fast typer?