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Anyone drove a VW polo 1.2?

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I'm picking up a 02 reg soon, i thought it had a timing chain?
I checked out the engine management light, it comes on and off, but theres no issues with the car :s-smilie:

just comes on every so often.

Engine management light means there is an issue. even if it is a loose wire. There are an unlimited number of faults. It doesn't just randomly come on. Go to VAG forums and find a local with VAG.com they will diagnose it for you and you may even get a nice cuppa.

Dunno about first question, only had experience with mate having a 99 plate.

Reply 21

Iqbal007

Original post by DotDotCurve

I know that...........as far as Im aware, needs a new battery, and havent noticed any issues.
I'll try to get it checked out properly, I understand that the sensors on the polo can be very sensitive as well.

Reply 22

earthman53

Good advice re the polo 1,2 petrol I have 2 daughters at uni and bought 2 of these devilish cars , mileage on both around 60,000 on one and 78,000 on the other both with full service history , both cars have suffered running problems , coil packs , and now rough running , I have done cylinder compression tests on the 2 cars to find cylinder's 2 and 3 were both showing very low , so I have had to replace exhaust and inlet valves on both and re-fitted and now the cars run perfectly , luckily I have a landrover business and we did the work in house so it was not too painful in costs , I should have looked into the forums about these cars not ever owning one , I suggest the following makes , Vauxhall Corsa I know not cool and Ford Fiesta or Ka also not cool or Fiat 500 cool at least they have 4 cylinders and do not eat themselves , I have suggested to the girls that we should sell both cars whilst the going is good and get what I have suggested ,doubt they will listen !!! one last thought my wife has owned a Smart car 2 cylinder 600 cc odd they go well and are good with fuel and she has clocked up 80,000 with no problems at all so far!! ..not sure about insurance though ..... hope the above has been helpful to all you students ..

Jarvis

Reply 23

JC.

Yep. Just the usual crappy hatchback garbage.
Not worth the money at any price.

Reply 24

Sgt.Incontro

Original post by JC.

Yep. Just the usual crappy hatchback garbage.
Not worth the money at any price.

Hey, not ALL hatchbacks are garbage!

Reply 25

JC.

Original post by Sgt.Incontro

Hey, not ALL hatchbacks are garbage!

There's always the exception to the rule. There's a lot to like about the original 1 series.

Reply 26

Sgt.Incontro

Original post by JC.

There's always the exception to the rule. There's a lot to like about the original 1 series.

I have never driven the 1 series. Despite the bad rep it gets from some, I would hazard a guess that its a decent car. RWD, 2L petrol in a small car, bound to be enjoyable. I only knock points off it for the cabin being too damn small though! (Especially for taller/bigger men.)

Also, Ford Focus is amazing. I may a little bit biased, but believe me. :tongue:

Reply 27

JC.

Original post by Sgt.Incontro

Have driven a couple of 1 series and they are really nice little cars for what they are. Spec is important, though. BMW cloth seats are awful. If it's not got leather forget it.

You are on your own with a Focus, though... I learnt to drive in one and bought one about 5 years ago as I needed a runaround for a week and I haven't got much to say about them that's positive. Cheap and cheerful, granted but so is that reconstituted wafer thin ham and no one wants that on a sandwich!

Reply 28

Sgt.Incontro

Original post by JC.

You are on your own with a Focus, though...

Nope, not alone I'm afraid. The fact that its one of the best selling cars for years speaks volumes. :wink:

Original post by JC.

I learnt to drive in one and bought one about 5 years ago as I needed a runaround for a week and I haven't got much to say about them that's positive.

Perhaps because it was a junker? The Mk2 is great though. Incredible handling & superb reliability.

Reply 29

JC.

Original post by Sgt.Incontro

Nope, not alone I'm afraid. The fact that its one of the best selling cars for years speaks volumes. :wink:

All that tells me is it's bought by sheep. Nothing more.

Original post by Sgt.Incontro

Perhaps because it was a junker? The Mk2 is great though. Incredible handling & superb reliability.

1.8 ghia on an X plate with 32k on the clock. It wasn't a bad example, it was just a crap car!

Reply 30

Sgt.Incontro

Original post by JC.

All that tells me is it's bought by sheep. Nothing more.

Lol maybe some people, far from all. When buying mine, I test drove a dozen different cars, and settled for this in the end.

Original post by JC.

1.8 ghia on an X plate with 32k on the clock. It wasn't a bad example, it was just a crap car!

Perhaps you had a lemon. The Mk2/Mk3 Focus is also bounds ahead of the Mk1. Nor have you explained exactly why it was 'crap'. Whatever, each to their own.

Reply 31

earthman53

Original post by JC.

Yep. Just the usual crappy hatchback garbage.
Not worth the money at any price.

yes tend to agree bring back the classic Peugeot 205 or classic golf bullet proof and no electronics , I had a VW golf GTi when they first came out great car and still is .. just sorry you guys are penalised with such high insurance premiums ... hey ho ....

Reply 32

JC.

Original post by Sgt.Incontro

Perhaps you had a lemon. The Mk2/Mk3 Focus is also bounds ahead of the Mk1. Nor have you explained exactly why it was 'crap'. Whatever, each to their own.

It's a ford for starters.
Everything feels cheap and nasty.
Not real leather
Plastics are Christmas cracker quality
All ford engines sound tappety

Each to their own indeed. I'll stick with my Daimler Six. :wink:

Reply 33

Sgt.Incontro

Original post by JC.

Everyone has different priorities I suppose. You seem to have unrealistic expectations from a quite average car. It's not a luxury vehicle at the end of the day, nor is it marketed as such. Don't expect Mercedes level refinement.

I agree that the engine sounds tappety when cold, but it sounds much better when warmed up. And some of the petrol engines are reasonably bulletproof, so who cares.

Yep, the plastics are cheap, but very solid and well put together nonetheless. (I think we can thank the German plant workers for this, unlike the South African built equivalents.) By the way, you are not going to get genuine wood-trim for the price you're paying.

Reply 34

Trupac

I bought a (Cat C) 1.2 55 plate Polo about 2 months ago. So far so good.

Reply 35

JC.

Original post by Sgt.Incontro

Incorrect. Daimler, not Jaguar. :wink:

My car was a little over 50 grand in 1994 or about the same as the average price of a UK house back then.

Reply 36

Sgt.Incontro

Original post by JC.

Incorrect. Daimler, not Jaguar. :wink:

My car was a little over 50 grand in 1994 or about the same as the average price of a UK house back then.

You misunderstood. I meant you're not going to get genuine wood-trim for the price of a Focus (when buying new).

Reply 37

JC.

Original post by Sgt.Incontro

You misunderstood. I meant you're not going to get genuine wood-trim for the price of a Focus (when buying new).

Buying new is a mugs game. I don't believe in footing the bill for depreciation. I'd prefer to leave that to other people. :wink:

Reply 38

randomgeeza

A few of my mates have one, I've sat in it for as good as that is...i own the 1.4 diesel equivalent. The 1.2 petrols have the typical polo problems as stated before the majority are pretty cheap to fix though apart from the timing one which is a fair bit.