[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Heart_Revs

with a kaput ABS sensor , ESP and hill-hold will not work.

I don't have, so am less concerned. One dead ABS sensor will not make the car undrivable, although I did experience some weird symptoms with my last sensor-death: mechanic told me that abs RPM feedback is actually used by the ECU in calculating engine control!

To me, it is a lot of money to spend just-in-case. Each must make their decision on that.

[anb]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

They fail randomly. My 11-yr-old has had two or three replaced, so it still has at least one original going strong. They are absurdly expensive at over 4k each (when I last looked). I would advise replacing them only as necessary.

I have 2 polos and ran 2.10 lakhs km combined. Abs sensors fail randomly and total 13 abs sensors were replaced.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by anb

13 abs sensors were replaced.

Wow. That's a lot of sensors. It's also a lot of km too: may I ask how the ages of the cars?

You are obviously a Polo devotee!

[anb]

Originally Posted by PrisonMike

Thanks for the input.

How do the B6 fair by comparison? Are you using them with the stock springs?

It's stiffer than the stock, not as much as a coil over. Ride is stiff at low speeds. At higher speeds, the car rides flat. Body roll is reduced about 50% compared to stock. With KW SC coilovers, there is no body roll.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Wow. That's a lot of sensors. It's also a lot of km too: may I ask how the ages of the cars?

You are obviously a Polo devotee!

The red one is the 2015 GT TSI, which ran 81k km. It still runs on stock DSG even after 10 years and is completely stock. Grey one is the 2016 GT TDI, which ran 1.3 lakh km. It runs on Euro spec air intake, BMC air filter, remap, decat downpipe, powerflex strut mounts, Bilstein B6 shocks, Whitleline rear ARB, 288mm Big brake kit etc.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by anb

The red one is the 2015 GT TSI ... ... ...Grey one is the 2016 GT TDI ...

Oh wow! If there could be one thing better than owning a GT TSI or a GT TDI, it would be owning both!

[Chaman K]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I don't have, so am less concerned. One dead ABS sensor will not make the car undrivable, although I did experience some weird symptoms with my last sensor-death: mechanic told me that abs RPM feedback is actually used by the ECU in calculating engine control!

Same here with a Polo TSI manual. My front sensors were giving out and that's what controls the speedometer I believe cause my speedometer was fluctuating in the beginning before it failed that same day. After ABS light came on the speedometer worked.

I have gotten 4 sensors replaced till now already under warranty. The funny part is that the replacement parts also fail. Like how my rear left sensor failed twice. That too randomly, mostly during rains.

My car has run just 21k kms by the way. Coastal regions and VAG ABS sensors don't mix.

According to the dealership the new VAG 2.0 cars don't have this issue anymore which brings them up to par with other manufacturers

[subrasri]

Dear All - I have a 2017 GT TSI that has run around 1.1lakh km. I have one weird issue which the VW service centre hasn't been able to identify the root cause so far and fix.

Sometimes the car doesn't start/crank properly and after few attempts it would start. The only pattern I found with this issue so far is the issue happens when the engine is in warm condition.. i.e. typically when the car is driven for sometime and parked for a break of say about 30 min to an hour or so and then when the car is started again it wouldn't start in the first attempt. Even if it starts it would turn off unless I immediately press the accelerator to keep it running.. At least it would take 3 - 4 attempts before it would start. Whereas if the engine has completely cooled down, it has never failed to start even once.

I have ruled out battery issue as had changed it recently and service centre guys confirmed the alternator is fine as well. I asked them if it would be a faulty starter motor and they mentioned they don't suspect that to be the case and that they had never seen a condition of starter motor failing in a GT TSI engine though they had seen in TDI.

There is no error coming up in the ECU scanning etc.. so they are clueless of the issue.
Due to this, I am hesitant to take it for long drives.. But for this weird issue, the car runs perfectly and is in good shape (touch wood).

Does anyone have any clue about the cause of this issue or has had similar experience?

Thanks

[dhruvritzed]

Originally Posted by subrasri

Dear All - I have a 2017 GT TSI that has run around 1.1lakh km. I have one weird issue which the VW service centre hasn't been able to identify the root cause so far and fix. Sometimes the car doesn't start/crank properly and after few attempts it would start. The only pattern I found with this issue so far is the issue happens when the engine is in warm condition..

…Does anyone have any clue about the cause of this issue or has had similar experience?

Thanks

Hello, I had a 2014 GT TSI till 2022, sold at 96000+km driven almost entirely by me, this problem started occuring in my car around 85000km on a hill station trip, continued for some months and was later singled out to a faulty battery terminal set, they weren't supplying continuity and weren't adequately tight on another occasion, i changed them and never had this problem again.

Cheers

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by subrasri

Dear All - I have a 2017 GT TSI that has run around 1.1lakh km. I have one weird issue which the VW service centre hasn't been able to identify the root cause so far and fix. Sometimes the car doesn't start/crank properly and after few attempts it would start. The only pattern I found with this issue so far is the issue happens when the engine is in warm condition..l
Thanks

Have they checked the crank position sensor? I had a roughly similar issue recently. Although it happened only a couple of times before I took it to my FNG. My case was the starter motor, but initial suspicion from the FNG expert was that it could be an issue with this crank sensor.

[AMG Power]

Originally Posted by subrasri

Does anyone have any clue about the cause of this issue or has had similar experience?

It looks to be a fuel pump issue. Once the engine heats up it would stop working. The need to accelerate to prevent a stall is another indicator.

This is an issue with some VW cars. It will not show up on a scan.

Avoid driving the car with fuel level below 1/3rd - that puts a strain on the pump. Replace with a spare pump and see if it recurs to confirm the fault.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by subrasri

Sometimes the car doesn't start/crank properly and after few attempts it would start. The only pattern I found with this issue so far is the issue happens when the engine is in warm condition.. i.e. typically when the car is driven for sometime and parked for a break of say about 30 min to an hour or so and then when the car is started again it wouldn't start in the first attempt. Even if it starts it would turn off unless I immediately press the accelerator to keep it running.. At least it would take 3 - 4 attempts before it would start. Whereas if the engine has completely cooled down, it has never failed to start even once.

Does anyone have any clue about the cause of this issue or has had similar experience? Thanks

Though I don't have experience with VW cars, I had exactly the same issue with my 2004 Indica V2 model. Although we can't compare apples to oranges, I thought of sharing it here just to give you some hint what could be wrong.

When the engine becomes very hot (temperature indicator needle at halfway mark), the resistance of the starter motor winding increases, which results in the starter motor drawing a current from the battery that is beyond its capacity. Hence the battery is not able to provide enough current to the starter motor to take up the load, resulting the car does not start when very hot.

This was a known problem with the older generation Indicas pre V2 & even V2. The starter motor winding of these old gen Indicas was rated at 0.8 kW. This problem was resolved by Tata Motors from the 2005 batches & beyond by replacing the starter motor winding with that of a higher rating 1.1 kW. Even for me this problem used to aggravate especially during summers. Then in 2011 I overhauled my starter motor from Lucas TVS & replaced the winding with a higher rating, since then the problem has not resurfaced & car starts easily even when the engine is very hot.

You can try visiting TVS Lucas service center at your location and show them the problem. May be they can at least run some diagnostics.

[RS/GT]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

I keep a pack of Shell 5w40 in my boot. Haven't required it in 5500 km so far but you never know. It is best to check the engine oil level once a week and make sure that it is above minimum. If it goes down, top it up. TSI engines are known to burn oil in the first 10-20000 km of their life after which oil consumption stabilizes.

Hi,

I also own Polo GT 1.2 TSI 2019 model.

What engine oil would be best?

I have heard that Motul engine oils are best. Is it true? But Liqui Moly are more expensive. Is it better?

I can purchase the engine oil and give to VW people when they service it. I dont know what brand they use and the quality is it the best for our 1.2 TSI.

Moreover whatever the engine oil is being used, and if we want to top up, then any other better brand can be used or should be use the parent engine oil.

My Polo has covered 55k in 5 years but I didnt know that TSI burns the engine oil and thus I never checked it. Though no particlar issue came so far.

Should I still check it regularly? And at what level of the stick how much oil should be added?

[mandavamanojjr]

I always felt that German cars are expensive to maintain, though I listened to reviews that offer great driving pleasure, I did not show much interest in them.

While I was auditing our client's accounts, I happened to see that a total of Rs. One Lakh plus was paid towards the repair of the DSG gearbox for a Polo GT TSI.

It was a complete shock for me, as I had never seen that much repair amount for a car back then.

This was strongly registered in my mind.

In 2015, when we were looking to purchase a sedan, though I was originally fascinated by the Volkswagen Vento, I did not even attempt to test drive it, being under the illusion that the maintenance would be higher.

Further, in 2016, I travelled with one of my uncles in his Polo TDI, sitting in the front passenger seat. My first impression was that the car was too compact with no space at all, summarizing that it was not a proper family car.

But, I still remember that drive along with my uncle, where he was constantly cruising at 100-120 kmph, and the car was rock solidly stable with no sort of vibrations.

It had a low stance and seating position, which felt like it was completely glued to the road, and it gave me a feeling of sitting in a go-kart vehicle.

The car was picking up speed at a good pace, and it was very planted with no sort of vibrations, air & tyre sounds. It was like riding in a more superior car.


YEARS PASSED,


One of my friends had purchased a Polo GT TSI recently, a used car, and I felt like why he was buying, thinking of the maintenance it requires.

I drove it a couple of times for a very short spin within the town, and my original impressions continued of being cramped with no space, no creature comforts etc.,.

After a few days, I got an opportunity to travel for about 350 km solo in his Polo. Though I initially felt it was not an opportunity but a necessity.

It was a rainy day, and I started my journey, which completely changed my opinion on the car.

The following are the three driving chapters that I have experienced that made me completely fall in love with the car,


FIRST CHAPTER,

I was driving on the single-lane village roads beside farms before getting on to the highway. It was rainy and at some spots on the road, the water was clogged.

Usually, while driving, I prefer not to drive in the water as I have the impression that the car loses its control and stability.

That particular day, since I was solo and bored, an instant thought came into my mind to just splash the water aside by going through it as there were no people beside, and I was also driving slowly.

In my first attempt, I made the left side of the car (the left front and rear tyres) go into the water to splash and kept the right side of the car on the tarmac. Apart from visualizing the splashing of the water, I immediately realized how stable the car was despite being thrown into a considerable water pit. The car did not shake even a little bit, and it was very much in control.

I was fascinated by the way it drove and handled the water pit.

I was still in a dilemma, doubting the capability of the car, presuming that the first pit might be very small, and thus, like any other car, the Polo also performed well. To test my perception of the car, I once again made the car go into the water pit, which is slightly bigger this time.

This time, no words, no thoughts inside my mind, but just,

A NATURAL SMILE CAME ON MY FACE.

I completely agreed with the capabilities of the car and never doubted it again.

Now, a younger version of me has been awoken, who wants to experience the same joy of splashing the water again and again, as the car can handle it with utmost confidence.

I repeated it for the next few water pits, and it was a thorough joy, which totally satisfied the inner soul in my heart, who has a true passion towards cars.

I wish that day I had more water pits to have more fun.

The fun, though initially expected from the splashing of the water, has come, but the real and true fun part is driving the polo through the water.

The fun and joy came to an end as the road ended, and I had to take the highway.


SECOND CHAPTER

After a few kilometers of highway driving, I was supposed to drive through a city in between, and was slowly moving with the city traffic.

I approached a small junction which is neither big enough to have a traffic signal nor small enough to be left without a policeman. It is just in between.

It is a four-lane road with a divider in between, and I was driving in the left lane on my side of the road. The vehicles that need to take a turn are driving on the right lane on my side.

All of a sudden, the vehicle in front of me stopped due to some forward traffic in our lane, and immediately, I looked to my right, checking for any vehicles beside me. Next, I checked the right side rear view mirror for any vehicle behind me in the right lane.

After having a proper clearance check, I immediately turned towards the right, changed my lane, and overtook the vehicle in front of me in the left lane.

Though this might appear to take a lot of time in action, in reality, it was so quick as it is a 2-5 second decision & execution process, and what was even quicker & faster is the way the car turned its direction towards the steering input.

I was just astonished as the directional change was so smooth and easy, and by the time I was overtaking the vehicle in the left lane, I started to realize and appreciate its agility.

Every car turns quickly, no wonder in it.

But it is the precision with which it turns that matters.

I have driven many cars and handled many traffic situations as described above, but I had never gotten this feeling, and I had never remembered these many days, the way Polo changed its lane that day, which is still unforgettable.


THIRD CHAPTER

Finally, I reached the outskirts of the destination and was travelling on the Outer Ring Road (ORR).

There were some expansion joints and rumble strips in between on the ORR to slow down the fast-moving vehicles.

It was almost 6 hours of driving to ORR. I was a bit tired, and my focus then was only reaching the destination quickly.

As part of the usual driving, I slowed down a bit when the expansion joint came and drove across it.

A few kilometers later, another expansion joint came suddenly, which I initially missed to slow down the vehicle, and I approached it with the same speed I was cruising.

I was expecting that there would be a considerable movement and unsettledness after gliding through it.

To my surprise, there was no movement at all, either upwards or sideways, and it was the same planted drive making me feel that as if the car had not gone through any expansion joint.

Now, I waited for another expansion joint, and I consciously did not decrease the speed and went through it. The same planted feeling repeated with no sort of loss of confidence.

From then I was waiting for the expansion joints where all other cars were pressing their brake pedals, for which stop lights were visible at the rear, whereas I cruised through the expansion joints at the same pace with so ease and enthusiasm.

I felt like the VIP on the road with escort vehicles following, as all others were slowing down at these expansion joints, which was not a slowing point for me.

The polo made me feel like the boss of the road.

The same is the case with the rumble strips, where the car felt utmost composed and nothing was felt inside.




CONCLUSION: THE LOVE REALISED AFTER THE DRIVE

All three chapters mentioned above, though, were experienced while driving; the real love started only after returning the car to my friend.

I went home, had dinner, and was in bed to sleep.

Then, these feelings mentioned in the chapters above started to run through my heart, coupled with the experiences picturing in my mind. The real love started then, and the real potential of the polo was understood then.

This nostalgia continues to date.

I felt that the real fun is not in driving the car at higher speeds, but it is in understanding the true potential of the car and experiencing its abilities.

At present, whenever I see a Polo on the roads, I feel jealous of the driver for the reason that he has a good-handling car.

Even today, I feel it’s a high-maintenance car, as my friend also spent a considerable amount on repairs, but if he were the first owner who had taken care of the car very well, then the maintenance cost would be nominal.




Being a lover of the Polo, did I purchase it later? Or just lived through the dreams of purchasing it. A story that will be shared in the future.

[steadfast]

Great read as an ex-Polo owner.

You are fortunate enough to not have witnessed another trait of Polo that each time it crashes the passengers always come out miraculously and it makes you feel to the extent “ Be whatever my Polo is there with me”

[Rasmo3689]

7 years ago, I used to think the same, high maintenance, low resale and what not for the VW/Skoda products which wasn't just limited to them though, this applied to all European cars for me. And today, I own three cars, an Italian, a French and a German. The "High maintenance" part proved to be a myth for me. All thanks to the Punto that got me started with this, my reactions were similar to yours when I first took it for a spin. That became the sole reason I got a Vento later, fully aware of German Finesse.