Team-BHP - Volkswagen Polo: 4 ABS sensor failures in 2 years

I have been owing a Polo for last 1 year and have had two sensors replaced. The Garage guy had recommended that I change all four and had predicted that I will have another failure or two after the first failure. I didnt change all. However had a second failure within two months.

I have found a low cost garage which replaces this for 1800 bucks including the diagnosis of which sensor is faulty (using OBD). Small idea, why dont you buy all 4 sensors for 5000 odd from BODOMO and stock it and have the peace of mind for the future.

However at the end of the day, this is a POLO. This is not a fill it - shut it - forget it car!

But I would prefer a car like Polo to Hyundais, which stop braking suddenly without any prior warning.

Atleast the Polo is predictably unreliable which makes it sort of reliable, if you know what I mean lol:

My 2011 Vento tdi completed 130k kms yesterday, so far I have changed 4 abs sensors and the abs light is currently turned on. I guess the sensor fails every monsoon. So far the car has not given any major issues *Touchwood* :D.

Quote:

Originally Posted by #ABTorquey (Post 4935504)

Now coming to the present scenario, I encountered the first ABS failure shortly after 2 years of owning the car. The car started to act weirdly and I had no idea what happened to the car. It started stalling and the speedometer started going up and down it was all chaos. I had no idea what to do. I pulled aside, turned off the ignition and turned back on. Then the ABS warning light came up.

When ABS sensor failed, how was the braking at that point of time? We hear stories of Kia/Hyundai, when ABS fails, brakes become hard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by IP_Man (Post 4937232)

When ABS sensor failed, how was the braking at that point of time? We hear stories of Kia/Hyundai, when ABS fails, brakes become hard.

No, at first there was a grinding noise and the brakes had a brick in the back feeling. After the warning light comes up it is back to normal. Although I feel braking has reduced.

Quote:

Originally Posted by IP_Man (Post 4937232)

When ABS sensor failed, how was the braking at that point of time? We hear stories of Kia/Hyundai, when ABS fails, brakes become hard.

Abs will be disabled. Brake will behave similar to non abs vehicles.

I've changed ABS sensors for my Rapid MPI once every year for the last 3 years. The first one I had to pay for but was at a 70% discount, the rest were all changed FOC as Skoda gives a 2 year warranty after a sensor change. Does that not happen with VW?

What I find intriguing is that VW has not found the exact cause as to why this sensor would fail prematurely. Its not like other cars are not subjected to the same harsh conditions which would result in their sensors failing too.

Anyway, I would not suggest the OP to sell his car, a qualified FNG can help find the root cause of this if not VW. Best of luck !

I've owned a Passat since Nov 2012.

Till date, I have replaced 8 ABS Sensors (2 under warranty). For information, all VW original parts carry a 2 year warranty - so if the part has failed within the 2 years, VW will replace it for free.

Right now, the front left sensor has conked out; last changed on 08/08/2018 ! Will try for replacement under warranty.

Ask you to consider Honda Jazz Automatic if your thinking to change cars, that would be a reliable pre-owned car if you could ensure the maintenance; and you wouldn't find it to be much of a downgrade from the Polo. As identified Petrol would make sense for your driving pattern.

Welcome to the club mate!! My Polo is 6 years old and on 56K Kms, and all the ABS Sensors have been replaced. Heck, even the replaced ones have been replaced:Frustrati. Its a common issue with Polo's and I had experienced the same situations stated by you - the shuddering, speedometer acting weird and all that. But have not faced any problems with braking and the car would run just fine.

Apart from this issue, my ownership has been great and I still enjoy driving the beauty. So my advice, as many other BHPians pointed out - Hold on to your car. My friend owns a Diesel and I often borrow it and it's a hoot to drive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atharva4545 (Post 4937217)

Yep, majority of my ABS sensor failures have been in the monsoon. But the last couple of times I got it replaced free of cost as VW provides 1 year warranty on the replaced sensors.

I ve had the ABS Sensor issue with my BMW 3GT (now sold) and had changed them almost 6-7 times in a span of 3 years. I ve had discussions with the service center guys and they were of the opinion that this is a known issue with the car and could be because of the rains. I ve had instances where the ABS sensor failures had lead to the steering becoming super tight.

Seems that the is a regular headache for Polo owners. I have had these actions thrice in my five years of ownership. Since my extended warranty was now over, the last replacement was done outside a VW garage. I found this place at Pimple Saudagar, Pune to be well equipped and customer friendly.

Got all four sensors replaced as there was fault alert in three and mechanical fault alert coming from one. Used local After Market Sensors - Don't think they will be worse off from VW sensors which are sold at 5.5 K for front one and 4.5 K from rear one.

Bad ABS sensors is a real problem in VW and Skoda cars. I've had 2 failures on my Skoda Superb under warranty. My Polo GT's ABS sensor failed just before my warranty expired and I couldnt visit the workshop due to travel. Unfortunately the workshop (VW Mody Auto Corp @ Mira-Bhayander) refused a goodwill fix for the sensor just after warranty. My VWs go to this workshop for regular service for 5 yrs now but if they cannot provide this service, I've no reason to show them my loyalty. I'll take my car to some other VW workshop. I'm wary of FNGs.

It's not about the cost of the sensor, it's a known problem that they refuse to fix proactively. Nor do they provide goodwill support.

After I sell my Polo GT, I'm done with VW/Skoda.

Quote:

Originally Posted by IP_Man (Post 4937232)

When ABS sensor failed, how was the braking at that point of time? We hear stories of Kia/Hyundai, when ABS fails, brakes become hard.

When the ABS Sensor fails :

1. Brakes becomes equivalent to non-ABS vehicles.
2. The steering too gate affected - the lack of feedback on speed makes the steering feel lighter - need to be a tad more alert on sharp bends.