2002 Seat Arosa WU 1.0 petrol

Summary:

Cheap car, high quality

Faults:

Slight rattling from the rear tail pillars and that's about it.

General Comments:

The car drives very well and has immense control around corners.

It may have only a 1.0 engine, but through the gears its pretty quick and a slight burst of acceleration is always available.

Great car to drive, particularly as its my first and I would definetely recommend it to anyone!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th December, 2002

31st Jul 2003, 08:31

Great little car indeed, I had a 1998 one (this one was build in Germany) and it was great fun.

I changed the standard wheels to 15 inch ones and that made it even better.

Be careful if you buy the 1.0 that it had it's recall, because Seat (vw) knew there was a problem with these engines, but it took them 4 years to do something about it.

The problem has to do with the engine oil getting thick and muddy due to an engine design fault, check the oil filler cap for gray oil resedues.

I had this problem way back in 98 and although my dealer told me that they have seen several engines die, they did not how to deal with it.

In 2002 VW finally admitted that there was a problem with all there 1.0 engines (used in Seat, Skoda, VW).

Oh and I also had the famous VW coil problem.

But having said all this, I drove 35.000 miles in 3 years, all over Europe with this little car and I enjoyed every mile of it.

7th Feb 2004, 05:37

What recall has there been on this 1.0 litre engine? I have heard nothing and the dealer knows nothing about it? Has anyone had a problem with oil pressure or engine failure due to this fault?

8th Dec 2004, 08:59

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/volkswagen/polo-iii-2000?section=bad

"Below minus 8 degrees centigrade, condensation in sumps of 1.0 and 1.4 engines emulsifies"

28th Jun 2006, 15:47

Please could someone inform me of this 1.0 engine recall as I seem to have problems with my engine, getting like a jerk when the car is accelerating, is this due to the oil becoming thick and clogging the engine up??

4th May 2007, 18:39

Probably not to do with the engine/oil problem. More likely a lazy back plate on your clutch.

15th Sep 2008, 17:19

I have the same problem in my Arosa, and am going to flush the engine. Hope this cures it.

In reply to 31st Jul 2003, 08:31

9th Oct 2011, 02:51

Hi - do you have any more information regarding this engine problem or about VW reaction to it?

2001 Seat Arosa TDI-PD 1.4 turbo diesel

Summary:

Just amazing, fast and frugal

Faults:

The electric window would not raise on the 'one touch' operation, the dealer cleaned the channel and it's fine now. I have heard that this is common on modern VW Group cars.

The seat fabric is light gray and shows dirt very easily. It is also very difficult to clean.

General Comments:

This car's engine is fantastic! It's so powerful and economical.

The suspension is a real let down. Why does VW alway use such dreadful shock absorbers?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th June, 2002

18th Sep 2002, 09:14

I've now fitted a set of Koni top adjustable dampers the car is much improved.

21st Mar 2004, 13:58

Now that Skoda have seen fit to put this engine in to the Fabia I've bought one of those now. The Arosa has been sold with 68,000miles on the clock and it never let me down once. Excellent car.