UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

I have issue with both handbrake and usbs not connecting with the iPhone. The dealer is saying there is not an issue with it.
If more people are issues with these things, shows there are problems there.

Good luck with trying to rejection, I'm going through the rejection process now. I started it on 13th September and its still ongoing. I think if the VW team who supports the dealerships says they will give the dealer money in the rejection you have a easier time if they don't you will struggle like I am.

Good luck!

kmm249 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 23, 2018 5:37 pm I have issue with both handbrake and usbs not connecting with the iPhone. The dealer is saying there is not an issue with it.
If more people are issues with these things, shows there are problems there.

Good luck with trying to rejection, I'm going through the rejection process now. I started it on 13th September and its still ongoing. I think if the VW team who supports the dealerships says they will give the dealer money in the rejection you have a easier time if they don't you will struggle like I am.

Good luck!

My OH has problems with handbrake and USB ports - neither of them could be replicated when it went in.

Just wondering, people that had handbrake cables changed, have they stayed good or deteriorated back to the previous bad original state?

So for my first post, I thought I would contribute on the handbrake issue.

I'm fortunate enough to own a Superb 2.0TSi 280 L&K, which has the same DSG gearbox as my Polo GTI+, but crucially has an electronic handbrake which works like a charm when matched to the auto-stop engine function. Stop at traffic lights or roundabout using footbrake, engine goes off and handbrake comes on, then release footbrake and wait. When able, press the accelerator, handbrake comes off and car rolls away (with a very slight and acceptable delay).

So driving home the Polo from the dealership, and what a difference, and not in a good way. Come to a stop at the first set of lights, apply footbrake and engine stops, as designed. Yank on the handbrake (which feels rather graunchy), then take foot off foot brake and whoa...engine restarts, revs rise, and so does the bonnet, with car held on the handbrake. I thought the Polo was going to leap into the traffic.

Now then. The IAM teachings advise that the handbrake should be sufficient to hold an automatic car stopped while in gear. Honest, that's their advice, and my other cars (the Superb, and a 16 year-old Merc SLK32 AMG) both function perfectly in that way...in drive, handbrake on, revs at idle (or stopped if it's the Superb), no drama. But the Polo is rather unsettling, because the handbrake is not in any way connected to the auto stop-start function, which appears to be triggered only by application of the footbrake. As soon as you come off the footbrake, the system thinks you want to get going, and applies drive, and crucially, some revs as well.

I reckon that the handbrake is fitted (Jeremey Clarkson irony here) so we can demonstrate our proficiency at handbrake turns to impress our female passengers (my other half is 66 years young, so wouldn't be impressed at all).

I haven't had much chance since to come up with a solution, beyond treating it like a manual, and slipping into neutral and applying handbrake, which negates the auto engine stop-start function. The car is languishing in Heathrow's long term parking while I'm away working, so any experiementation (and reading the manual again, to make sure it's not operator error) will have to wait until I'm home from China.

Anyone else got any thoughts?

Drifting away from the bones of this thread for a moment, your Superb has an electric handbrake ( a couple of beefy motors drive out the pads so not electronic which is how most people and manufacturers describe them), and probably Hill Hold - which seals the brake fluid that you pressurised with the foot brake into the lines by closing off the ABS valves, it has been said that Hill Hold was conceived to give the electric handbrake a longer service life, I'm guessing that it is Hill Hold that is engaging when you stop, it should show on the dash as a green brake light and not the red brake light that the electric handbrake gives. If not I'm slightly confused. One other thing, if you feel it is safe to do so, when stationary in your Superb - unclip your seatbelt or open the drivers door slightly, either of these actions should change Hill Hold to Handbrake On - I discovered this on my manual S4 without Stop/Stop accidentally.

Back on topic!

You are right, it is Hill Hold. It's a green light.
The red light comes on if I manually activate the electric (electro-hydraulic) handbrake.
But the Superb's system is comparitively sophisticated, and much easier to manage, than the Polo's manual system, which does not integrate with the automatic start-stop.
I'll just have to get used to it (or read the manual again when I get home, just to check I've got everything set up right).

As far as I know there is no hydraulics involved with these electric handbrakes they are purely electric as I said, using electric motors to turn internal screw threads that move the pads out to the discs, really just a similar system to the old "Lucas" handbrake that has/had been used by VW Group and others over the years, but now "fly by wire" instead of "directly operated by Bowden cables".

Yes I know that these systems in other bigger/higher value VW group cars are a bit more complex, I run an Audi S4 as well as my wife's Polo.

Edit:- initially VW Group started using this system in the B6 Passat, it was only "electric handbrake" no Hillhold etc, no help in operating it, so getting a basically equipped B6 Passat moving was quite tricky. Before I had experienced driving an early B6 Passat, I was parked somewhere where there was a lot of sloping ground and I noticed this then new B6 Passat which had been parked nose down a slope and near a wooden fence, the couple got into it then I heard and saw it moving forward and hitting the fence heavily a few time, I thought that that was strange at the time, months later when I was given a B6 Passat as a loan car while my car was getting a new rear bumper cover (driven into by a previously stationary car while I was stationary in a queue!), I discovered just how basic the first installations of electric handbrake by VW Group was - a truly horrible car to use and drive, I had nothing but bad memories of that car which kept me away from replacing my B5 Passat 4Motion with a B6 Passat - and so I grabbed a slightly used Audi S4 when it was car changing time.

If your still unsure about the electric hand brake, look at this VW information site

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVAAtve ... u&index=24

Ah well what hope is there if that VW guy's translator calls it electronic.

I'm not sure if the original, Gen1 version of this as fitted to the first B6 Passat was too smart, I have never ever heard of what would happen with the early system if anyone tried to apply it at motorway speed, there was much speculation at the time of what would happen, but actual experiences from anyone that had tried that trick.

Hi,

New to the forum, have a 18 plate 95ps vw polo. The handbrake on the car is difficult to fully engage, my mum borrows the car occasionally is scared to use it as she can pull it high enough. It also feels very ruff. I've been back twice for a adjustment but made no difference to the engagement point. What should I do now?

Cheers

This is becoming a bit of a joke now is it not, so either most of the new Polo buyers are weak and can't apply the correctly working handbrake to the point that it always works - or typically the handbrake system fitted, I'm guessing, to only cars with rear drum brakes, is not fit for purpose!

Now, I'm guessing the latter is correct or nearly correct, and I'm also guessing that no European based manufacturer is involved with making any of the handbrake or rear brake parts - VW Group saves a lot of money up front and customers waste a lot of time and money trying to find a resolution.

If you were mechanically minded and wanted to sort this out in a way that would avoid wasting time and so money visiting your VW dealership for "free" warranty repairs, I'd think that replacing some/all of these parts with suitable aftermarket parts from a European based brake parts manufacturer would make your problems disappear as I really can't see that VW Group will have introduced any new designs for that area of these cars, they have just found a cheaper source for these parts that for their money, are probably working well enough - but that does not mean that they are fit for purpose in small cars that cost what VW Group is asking for them.

If anyone has a better definitive answer to this problem with VW Group current small cars, then please speak up.

Should be possible to fit disk brakes from 115hp polo and that is permanent fix

Bwd /Polo lass, could you specify what was the changed part(Part Number if poss) and at which dealership so I can inform my local dealer to where and what was replaced, so they can hopefully do the same thing.

Cheers

Also the name of the person who dealt with the issue.

Cheers

Now that is a good question, but it relies on the dealership handing that information over to the owners, I've found that if you are firm with your dealer's service dept, they can copy the worksheet for any warranty work and hand a copy over to you - why? well because you own that car and so you have a right to that information for your own records, if you are not firm with your service dept they will waffle about it is a warranty job and does not cost you any money so there is no repair task supporting paperwork.