VW Polo - Engine Management Warning Light

luckwudaveit

Just an update on this. Phoned Arnold Clark and told them it was bringing it in. They demanded payment over the phone, but I said I wanted to see the invoice first and could they post it to me, at which point I would send them a cheque. Initially they agreed, but called back later explaining they don't accept persoanl cheques and wanted me to pay over the phone.

I stuck to my guns about seeing the invoice and got them to email the invoice - which wouldn't open on my phone and I can't access web email at work.

As the day went on I received 3 voice mails from them demanding payment. Eventually I buckled and asked how much I owed them - now £66 - so I just paid it over the phone on the proviso they sent me the invoice and receipt that day.

AlexisV

Watch out. A diagnostic test should be £X and you should expect a print out.

If they want more money for doing more tests and won't supply a printout, they're ripping you off.

You've paid for a diagnostic test and are within your rights to take the printout and hand it to another garage for then to try and fix your car.

Any local auto electrician will have a laptop and the Volkswagen diagnostic software (known as VAG.com), so watch out for a dealer trying to make a bigger job out of the 'diagnostics' than it really is.

luckwudaveit

AlexisV wrote: »

Watch out. A diagnostic test should be £X and you should expect a print out.

If they want more money for doing more tests and won't supply a printout, they're ripping you off.

You've paid for a diagnostic test and are within your rights to take the printout and hand it to another garage for then to try and fix your car.

Any local auto electrician will have a laptop and the Volkswagen diagnostic software (known as VAG.com), so watch out for a dealer trying to make a bigger job out of the 'diagnostics' than it really is.

Thanks. Not surprisingly, nothing in the post today from the garage. Once I get something from them, I will see what is included and draft a letter by return.

gord115

I had a similar problem with my Skoda(Basically same mechanics as vw golf)
I took it to a local vw independent who will plug it in and tell you the problems for free.
It is then up to you where you get it fixed.
Mine turned out to be a loose wire and was fixed for £30.
£45 cheaper than Skoda would charge for just plugging in.

luckwudaveit

gord115 wrote: »

I had a similar problem with my Skoda(Basically same mechanics as vw golf)
I took it to a local vw independent who will plug it in and tell you the problems for free.
It is then up to you where you get it fixed.
Mine turned out to be a loose wire and was fixed for £30.
£45 cheaper than Skoda would charge for just plugging in.

If the dreaded light comes back on again, I shall deffo try an independent. I wish I'd never took out the extended warranty as that influences me where I take the car. Guess that's all part of the plan:mad:

ReginaldTreacy

The 1.2 Polo is well known in the used car trade as a "do not touch" model. Every week you see them in the auctions and the traders take one look at the dash, see the engine management light on and walk away. Unfortanately, private buyers are lured by the promise of a bargain bit of German luxury (although built in Spain) and end up with a horror story of broken sensors and dead cylinders.
The main problems are:
1. Ignition Coils
2. Lambda sensors (sometimes called O2 sensors)
3. Cylinder Misfire (caused by burnt exhaust valves which lower cylinder compression)
Problems 1 and 2 are the ones you want - fixable for £60 - £120.
Problem 3 is the bad boy and the reason most owners get out quick, never to return to Volkswagen. It means the cylinder head has to come off and all the valves have to be fixed or replaced. A private owner is looking at about £1000 minumum.
Although Polos do hold their value quite well, they soon drop under the £2,500 trade value which make the big repair uneconomical. Hence, the unusally large number of nice looking 57, 08 and 58 plate Polos in the auction halls. Many a soul has wished they'd just bought a Fiesta.....

Oli.s

You could just buy your own code reader for around £30 then in future if it comes on again you can check the code, and also clear the light yourself.

colino

You paid AC for undescribed, uninvoiced work over the phone! JHC. They'll be shutting all their workshops now if customers are falling for that!

arnbab

Hi all,

I've just been reading through this thread because I've developed an engine problem with my 54 plate 2005 VW polo 1.2 E car (which has 51000miles on it) I'm slightly concerned that I'll have problem 3 (the cyclinder head / exhaust gases one) as basically I was driving to work this morning, got 3 miles into my journey and the engine started behaving erratically, power was intermittently dropping and any revs over 2000rpm basically were causing the power to drop right down to nothing. The engine management light came on as soon as this started, and sure enough the problem hasn't disappeared by turning the engine off, filling up or leaving the car for a bit. I managed to limp home at 20mph and drop it into VW after work. They're looking at it tomorrow.

Any advice on what I should be asking them to avoid getting mugged off besides the tips above on getting a copy of diagnostics prior to payment and hopefully not having a £1000 repair job which will leave me with a potentially worthless vehicle? And if I do have cyclinder misfire, would you suggest getting a quote from an independent on fixing it, if I got it fixed is this the start of the car falling apart in which case I should fix it and sell asap and buy a more reliable one such as the fiesta suggested?

Any help will be appreciated

Thanks

InsertWittyName

I have the 'S' version of your car.

I had problem 1 about 18 months ago and the symptoms are very similar to what you describe. Basically one of the coils goes and 1 of the 3 cylinders no longer fires. Engine misfires and power is pretty much non-existant.

A local independent garage collected the car, fixed it and returned it the same day for a cost of £67. It's a simple diagnostic and replacement.

Hope that helps.

[EDIT] Just wanted to say that in the 5 years and 80,000 miles I've done in the car, this is the most serious problem it's ever had. It's been a very reliable little motor and I won't get a different car until it literally dies.