Just how reliable is the Polo? Likelihood of problems?

Chat about your 2018+ AW/BZ model Polos here!
Post Reply
polo789
New
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jan 21, 2022 10:13 am
Drives: match
Location: sheffiled

Just how reliable is the Polo? Likelihood of problems?

Post by polo789 »

I am thinking about upgrading my wife's Citigo for a Polo, probably a late Match or maybe a new Life model. My wife and daughter use the car and the reason for change is primarily the safety ratings, which are excellent for the new Polo. My concern is replacing a car which has been utterly reliable for one that may bring repeated problems/visits to the dealer. Who needs that hassle? I'm reading about water ingress/condensation problems, electrical problems, which seem to plague every new car. The Polo seems excellent in many ways, and I understand that forums are often occupied by posts from dissatisfied owners rather than satisfied ones. How concerned should I be? ( I am also considering a T Cross)
Last edited by polo789 on Fri Jan 21, 2022 10:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
OomStu_ZA
Gold Member
Posts: 622
Joined: Mon Apr 22, 2019 6:06 pm
Drives: 2019 VW Polo GTi
Location: Cape Town, South Africa

Re: Just ho reliable is the Polo? Likelihood of problems?

Post by OomStu_ZA »

It is true that dissatisfied owners will always grumble louder than satisfied owners when it comes to their cars.

To be honest I can say that my current vehicle has performed perfectly fine in the almost 3 years of ownership. Sure, there have been a few niggles that come to mind (noisy tyres, noisy wipers, noisy brakes while reversing, and one instance ECU light and limp mode) but overall I cannot fault it. It's relatively light on fuel but nippy, safe, and comfortable too. After sales/servicing has also been great and the guys I deal with are always helpful in assisting with issues.

At the end of the day for me it comes down to the dealer you purchase it from imho, not all of them are sharks :P

EDIT: Welcome to the fourm!!!! Apologise, I only noticed it was your first post once I clicked Submit.
Last edited by OomStu_ZA on Sun Jan 23, 2022 5:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
SRGTD
Bling Bling Diamond Member
Posts: 3508
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 9:40 pm
Drives: 2020 AW Polo GTI+, Pure White.
Location: UK

Re: Just how reliable is the Polo? Likelihood of problems?

Post by SRGTD »

Welcome to the forum @polo789.

I’m now on my fifth VW in just under 20 years of VW ownership and they’ve all been really good cars. From memory, only three trips to the dealer have been required in that time period for anything other than routine servicing or MOT’s - I owned a mk5 Golf that needed a new sensor. My mk6 Golf had a pair of alloy wheels replaced (succumbed to white worm corrosion) and a pair of defective shock absorbers replaced - both of which were sorted under warranty.

My current Polo GTI+ has been very good in the 16.5 months that I’ve owned it from new. I get the occasional noisy rear brakes while reversing (I think this only affects the 2.0 litre GTI / GTI+, and it’s well documented on the forum and there’s now an official fix for this issue) and a very occasional vibration from the centre console area on one specific stretch of road near where I live. Other than that, there’s been no issues. I can echo @OomStu_ZA’s comments on good fuel consumption, good on safety, performance and comfort.

If you were planning on buying a brand new car, be aware that the ongoing worldwide shortage of semiconductor supplies and Covid are impacting vehicle production - not just VW but pretty much all car manufacturers. Fewer cars are being built which means potentially long wait times. Also, there’ll be very few - if any - new cars in stock at dealers, and relatively low stocks of nearly new used Polos on most dealer’s forecourts.
arkay
New
Posts: 31
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 1:17 pm
Drives: Polo Life DSG (95 PS) in Stormy Grey
Location: Fife

Re: Just how reliable is the Polo? Likelihood of problems?

Post by arkay »

Yes welcome to the forum Polo789!

I test drove a Polo Life 95PS 5 speed manual and found it a really smooth drive. I then ordered one but with DSG (on 7th November). The Life model may be the new ‘base’ model but is remarkably well equipped - folding mirrors, digital cockpit, adaptive cruise, travel assist, LED head and tail lights - the DSG models even have column mounted paddle shift as standard. I only had to add a few creature comforts to suit my needs: front parking sensors, heated seats and a spare wheel/tyre.

A few weeks after the order the dealer said I have a confirmed build slot of week 8 this year i.e. late February. I expect delivery mid to late April given that it takes 6 weeks to transport from South Africa. As SRGTD says delivery times are a real issue but I am relatively happy with what I have been told.

I had a T-Cross for a year and it was good - (we had to change it for an auto box). I think the Polo Life is a better choice - cheaper, better equipped and looks nicer! I would advise a test drive in both cars and do your sums before you decide. You could also look at the new Taigo - a better SUV choice than the T-Cross.
jackois
New
Posts: 37
Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2018 8:58 am
Drives: Polo SE 1.0 TSI 95ps manual
Location: Southampton

Re: Just how reliable is the Polo? Likelihood of problems?

Post by jackois »

I have a 2018 1.0l TS manual model, bought with 1200 miles on it, and it's been flawless.

30,000 plus miles and it's needed nothing other than routine servicing. Comfortable on a 4 hour drive, handles well, keeps up with traffic and regularly returns over 50 mpg on a tank meaning fill ups every 400 or so miles.

Slight gripe as to how long the windscreen takes to demist on a damp day, but my previous Fiat 500 did the same so I'm used to it.

I've owned a lot of cars over the years and this one has delighted as it does exactly as advertised.
grazuncle2
Silver Member
Posts: 350
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2018 5:40 pm
Drives: Polo 1.0 TSI SE 2019
Location: Birmingham

Re: Just how reliable is the Polo? Likelihood of problems?

Post by grazuncle2 »

I had a Polo TDi 1.4 for 15 years and only spent the usual consumer items on it.. Tyres, cam belts, batteries etc.

The current car is a used (April 21) Polo 2019 TS1 1.0 .. that is another beast technically after that older Polo. However it is doing well. My only gripe is the local VW servicing.. again. I had that problem with the last Polo and stopped using them and went to a local garage instead for its last 12 years of servicing etc.

As this one has a warranty I'm forced to use my local VW again. I had a service done two months ago. I had a job proving that I had a Service Plan even with the documentation in my hand! They did the service and too busy to wash the car... and after driving home I noticed a dashboard message saying it needed a service now. Didn't reset the indication. Felt like nothing was done. No explanation of what service was done.. nothing.

a week ago I had a text message reminder saying my car was due in in two days time.. I hadn't booked it in so was concerned it might have been a recall or something.. I phoned and they said it was due week ago but I missed it.. I asked what it was in for and got no reply. I asked what is it booked in for in two days time.. 'I have nothing down here must be a mistake'. No apology or anything..

Car is great but servicing? Poor is not the word!
lancslad1985
Gold Member
Posts: 730
Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2014 6:59 am
Drives: 2020 polo gti plus
Location: Preston, UK

Re: Just how reliable is the Polo? Likelihood of problems?

Post by lancslad1985 »

Welcome to the forum. My wife’s on her fourth polo in a row that included a gti in the list (previous smaller model). She’s only ever had one issue and that was the current car where they’d not waterproofed the inside of a wheel arch when it was built, but to Inchcape’s credit they sorted it within a day of it going in and gave us a free courtesy car.

I’m in my sixth Vw in a row (two golfs, two polos, a troc and a Tiguan). Only my first polo was an issue (blue gt) and it was in the garage something ridiculous like 18 times in 12 months. However, that was down to Lookers not doing a good job when investigating and even damaging my car. Not had any issues bar that one car and Inchcape have been excellent for buying and servicing. My polo gti was bullet proof reliable and I even saw my first golf from 2013 still pottering down the motorway last week.

Would I have another Vw? Yes. However if you’d asked me that before I switched to Inchcape then the answer would’ve been no as the service at Lookers was atrocious and their servicing department abysmal. The other point as others have said is dissatisfied customers make the most noise. I don’t really say much about my VWs as I’m happy with them.
Steve_2019
Bronze Member
Posts: 156
Joined: Sun Mar 03, 2019 2:30 pm
Drives: VW Polo SEL DSG 2019
Location: U.K.

Re: Just how reliable is the Polo? Likelihood of problems?

Post by Steve_2019 »

I have had mine from new since October 2019 and it’s been faultless upto now. Only thing I have changed is the front wiper blades as the factory ones where a pain when they used to judder across the windscreen.

Only gripe I got with the Polo is the service interval is every 10K miles what I find is to soon been a modern car I would expect it be at least 12k.

But I am happy with mine it’s good on fuel cheap to insure and hoping get another 2-3 years from it before moving on.
Harrihealey02
Bronze Member
Posts: 247
Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2018 12:33 pm
Drives: 2018 SEL
Location: Essex

Re: Just how reliable is the Polo? Likelihood of problems?

Post by Harrihealey02 »

Welcome to the forum. As with every car manufacturer, you’ll have good and bad cars, and compared to the likes of brands like Range Rover Volkswagen is much more reliable. I’ve had my fair share of problems but I am not the type of person to hold a gripe against the manufacture as my friend has a Polo which has had no problems what so ever. It does heavily depend on what dealer you use if you need to take it in for rectifying. I used to take mine to Basildon and my experience with their service team was not good - they failed to put the under tray back and couldn’t find it resulting in me having to buy a new one, and they mis diagnosed a faulty DPF as needing a software update. Ever since I’ve been taking it to Romford Volkswagen they’ve been perfect! The new Polo is definitely on my next car shortlist. If you do have any issues that’s what the warranty is for 👍🏼
stevereeves
Silver Member
Posts: 349
Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2018 6:07 pm
Drives: Atlantic Blue '21 Mk8 Golf 1.5 6sp Style
Location: West Yorkshire, UK

Re: Just how reliable is the Polo? Likelihood of problems?

Post by stevereeves »

I'd say no less or more less reliable than any other car. When car change time came around due to PCP ending and considering the Polo I spoke to couple of VW mechanics and both basically said "the handbrake lever can rattle and the handbrake itself sometimes sticks, otherwise it's good". Went with Mk8 Golf as the price difference Golf v Polo was minimal (literally a few pounds over 4 years) but ultimately delivery times due to microchip shortages; Golf a few weeks, Polo likely a few months. Chances are a new Polo will be perfectly ok, good luck....
Post Reply