TDIsport,
I did not let dealer get hands on car at all 'cos once they did, I knew they would have repaired quicker than you can say VW and then I wouldn't have a leg to stand on.
Ah, the benefit of hindsight, if only I'd known that right at the start.... Still never thought I'd be speaking to Trading Standards and the Citizens Advice Bureau about "matters of consumer law". I've just resigned myself to the fact that I'm stuck with this car now, and am just treating the whole thing as one extended learning experience (which is being shared with friends, colleagues, the postman, the cat....)
1st car had one major problem through my eyes (literally and metaphorically - if you get my drift) and few niggly probs.
Sounds like something not for public exposure. I notice JoshGTI (i.e. the guy whose forum we're habiting) is asking for locations with a view to a meet - just make sure it's near a pub...
(i) ratting on LHD side dash - still there. guess plastic against plastic.
Had this, dealler actually fixed it by filling btwn the windscreen glass and front edge of dahs with polyurethane foam (i.e. expanding) - just put the whoel dash under stress, so it's the kind of fix that will wear off in a few years when the foam degrades
(ii) ratting centre consule - around vents. had this replaced due to an accident by dealer cracking it when trying to fix rattles. they put new one in and was worse. took it back. they put silicone under tray at top but now it doesn't sit that flush.
I now have this, courtesy of dealer.
(iii) ratting rear view mirror - especially when on dipped at night.
Woot! - something I don't have! (Sorry if you don't want to hear that)
(iv) brakes make grinding sound when reversing. Sounds like a righ old shed. Dealer response - they all do that - no asbestos in pads anymore. Is this true??
Mine does this also, at low speeds, like when reversing out a parking space. Friends Golf GTi does it too, but he said it was due to replacement disc pads being incorrectly fitted. Haven't even bothered the dealer with this problem.
(v) ratting seatbelt things that go up and down on b-post. this really p*issed me off as right next to ear.
Skipped this one.
(vi) instrument binacle or behind that (dash against screen rattles). Think its finally settled down. Seems worse when climate on hot or cold as plastic expands.
Oh yes, all sounds familair - odd that this was the dealer's first point of attack in trying to solve the rattles. My standard comment to passengers when starting a cold car is - "the rattles came free". I agree that they vary with temperature. Pushing down on the untexture dash part a couple of inches behind the centre of the windscreem base makes them go away for as long as pressure applied??
Methinks someone forgot about differences in thermal co-efficients of expansion when specing the plastics to use in the dash assembly.
(vii) brake pads low light came on and stayed on. evertime drove car would get really loud beeping (like low fuel). That was really annoying. Drove 100 miles to have it replaced. Dealer could not do it. Replacement was faulty. Drove 100 miles again same prob. Keys would not code. Left it there and demanded courtesy car. Finally fix prob!!
Yup, not this problem, but I have found a shift from the "lets work together to get these problems resolved" to a "fix the bl**dy thing - it shouldn't do this" attitude has been required to get action.
(viii) oh and while fixing seat another dealer managed to mangle 1/2 dash up including: door (by puddle light), centre consule, shelf under glovebox, sill, and b post. Not bad 4 one afternoon. Of course, nothing easy. Manged to make them order replacements. Took 4 weeks to come. Had to drive back to dealer - not only were door trims etc.. wrong color they were for wrong side. So got parts manager out and he orderd new ones and asured me they would be right. Waited months or two then drove 3 hours to dealer. Were still waiting for some parts but took what they had. Oh. Hang on. They were wrong colour. He blamed sticker on inside of boot saying trim code was wrong. Whatever! It had been July to Sepember/Oct now. Anyway, recently had that done and seems ok so far (touch wood).
Blimey! The worst I've had is its first dent came courtesy of the dealer - still arguing for that one to get fixed.
Anyway, in the space of a few months I had become intimately familiar with not 1 but 3 bloody dealerships!
I have called the tough new polos everthing under the sun. Sometimes I hate it! Overall tough, I am really pleased and compared to competition - new clio, fiesta or corsa it wins hands down. I even love the design of the dash (Despite rattles). 10 times better than golf which feels dated!
I have to agree that the polo is still the best thing out there. Having been dumped with a Corsa hire car for a couple fo weeks recently (see above...), I can vouch for this. Still the dealer's service manager and I had a good laugh about the effectiveness of his strategy of handing out Vauxhalls as hire cars.
Anyway, sorry to drag on, you must have fallen asleep by now.
Actually, although I hate to say it, I'm oddly reasured in a perverse way by the fact that someone else has had the same magnitude of problems. I notice that you don't mention the exterior of the car - was your bonnet on straight?, did your drivers door shut properly?
Shall we unite in our misery?!
Sod it, I do still aim to get the problems fixed. I do beleive there's a good car under there somewhere, God I hope so...
R.
PS - VW should change there advert to:
TOUGH, you bough a new Polo
instead of the Tough New Polo.
nice - workmates had a good laugh at that
(at my expense (again
)...)