Solution to the ABS sensor issues in my VW Vento & Polo

I've had to send the Vento to the workshop 6 times already and each time it has been in the workshop for nearly 6-7 days.

Thanks to the Team-BHP fan (he prefers to remain anonymous) who sent this in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP share page!

Hi Folks,

I own 2 Volkswagen Cars - Vento (Purchased in 2016) and Polo (Purchased in 2017). Both of these cars have excellent driveability and handling and I love the way these cars perform both for daily use and highway drives. But unfortunately, they have been creating lots of niggles lately. I am frustrated regarding the ABS Sensor issue which Volkswagen has to date not even addressed.

I have had 4 ABS Sensors replaced for my Vento Already, the latest replacement being in the month of October 2021. I had been assured by the workshop manager that, after 4 ABS Sensors are replaced no more sensors are likely to fail since these are connected in series and if one sensor fails then the rest 3 are bound to fail. Suddenly, the day before yesterday, while I was driving in the city, the speedometer needle started flickering on its own and the brake pedal went hard and was making sounds. I was driving at around speeds of 30-40 and there was a car ahead of me. Fortunately, after 1-2 secs the brakes came into force and saved me from getting involved in an accident. Soon I pulled to the side of the road and the ABS Light started glowing in the instrument cluster.

This is not the only time that this has happened to me. In the past as well I've had close calls just because of the ABS issue cropping up in the middle of driving. I had just sent my car 1 month back to the workshop for the 4th ABS Sensor replacement in my car and I was assured that no more sensors would go kaput but within a span of just 1 month or even less, the ABS issue has cropped up again. It is very disappointing to note that this year I've had to send the Vento to the workshop 6 times already and each time it has been in the workshop for nearly 6-7 days. I had also opted for the add on warranty (5th year) which is ending soon and now that the ABS problems have cropped up again, I'm scared that it will crop up again in the span of the next 1 year.

Also, Polo never had any issues related to the ABS in the past 4 years. I had never thought that along with the Vento, the Polo would also develop ABS issues and create hassles for me. In the last week of October, Polo started showing similar symptoms (Speedometer Needle Flickering, Brakes going Hard). Soon the ABS light started glowing as usual and I was shocked as this also happened just before the extended warranty (2+2 years)of the Polo ended.

I would request BHPians to guide me in this regard and assist me on what to do? I am tired of sending my car to the workshop almost every month.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

VW owners, are there any other sensor brands in the after-market that fare better than the stuff VW is using? Clearly, what the workshop uses isn't durable.

Here's what BHPian Freerevvingguy had to say on the matter:

There is no way around this. The only way to reduce the pain is to give the car somewhere else to get the sensor replaced once the warranty is over. Look for a reputed garage like Bosch or in Kerala we have code6 and they will do the job for half of what Volkswagen dealers quote. This abs sensor issue is the only downside, the vento and polo are otherwise the best in terms of driver engagement.

Here's what BHPian VivekCherian had to say on the matter:

VW has released a new version of ABS sensors for the Polo / Vento / Ameo / Rapid recently. These ones, apparently, will fare better in our climatic conditions. However, only time will tell if that is indeed the case.

The new part numbers are:

• WHT003860B Front RH
• WHT003861B Front LH
• WHT003862C Rear RH
• WHT003863C Rear LH

The sensors seem to be made in Belgium.

Here's what BHPian anoop.u had to say on the matter:

Go for these Hitachi branded sensors if you can find them. Costs approximately Rs. 1500 per sensor. They are made in India (Pune).

After going through 11 or 12 sensors in 4 years I got these from a local shop here in Cochin. Have been running trouble-free for the past 2 years (touchwood). And I have driven through waterlogged roads, slush, dirt and a couple of pothole crashes as well.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.