Sick
My rear exhaust blew.
Then the front exhaust.
Then the pedal box.
I have recently had it serviced, however the service light has come back on saying service sp. Can anyone help?
The car is quick and handles pretty good.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 27th May, 2008
Totally unreliable even with low mileage
Temperature sensor failed.
Crankshaft sensor failed.
ABS sensor failed.
Electric window motor sometimes works.
Gearbox ruined (bearing chewed up gears then blew hole through casing) after 55000 miles. Usually Polo gearboxes only last 30000 miles.
Clutch wears out after short distance.
Headlights / taillights often blow out.
Front springs snapped after 40000 miles.
Tappets were worn before I bought the car i.e. less than 34000 miles.
Interior lights don't work (including boot light)
Rear window washer blocked up before I bought the car.
Lights behind heater controls don't work.
The car is cheap to run fuel wise; can get on average 350 miles out quite a small fuel tank. Can increase fuel economy to about 450 miles on the motorway. Quite good acceleration and handling. Interior is quite smart and of good quality.
Reliability is absolutely rubbish, especially for a relatively expensive small car and especially for a German car. Just look above for all the things that have went wrong, and these problems are not specific to my car, they're common to all polos. The gearbox going after 55000 miles is ridiculous, and I think it had been previously replaced before I bought the car. The garage where I got the gearbox replaced had 4 other Polos in that week for gearboxes, and all the other garages I contacted all had several Polos in for new gearboxes.
I thought buying VW was money well spent. It so isn't. I couldn't be more wrong. If you're thinking of buying a Polo, buy a Fiesta instead; honestly you will save a fortune.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 14th March, 2008
This car is a joke - avoid!
Engine cuts out at lights.
Electric window failed.
Electric window switch short circuited.
Service light always flashing.
ABS intermitently flashes.
Temperature light flashes even when engine is cold.
Dash lights goes off.
Erratic idle.
Only wanted a car that would be reliable and cheap to run, so bought a VW. The reliability is a joke.
Car was an absolute nightmare, everything was going wrong.
Would never buy a VW again!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 30th March, 2007
I believe you must have been very unfortunate with the VW Polo you purchased. I have owned a 1.4 5dr SE 2000 plate for 3 years now and have found it to be a very reliable, economical and cheap car to run. This car is one of the best in it's class in my opinion.
W reg 1.4. 75bhp, wife's car purchased from new. This car is not without a few faults. Gearbox was never very smooth, engine is prone to cut out when air conditioning is on (any ideas?), clutch problems, also electrical niggles. At present I'm changing the cam belts, this is certainly not for the faint hearted. Owned a L reg 1.0 polo prior to this, a basic model purchased from new easy to work on, underpowered engine but 99.9% reliable.
MORAL: the basic models are the best with fewer gadgets to go wrong.
Hi there, I own a VW Polo 1.4 SE 2000 reg 16 valve, and although it has a few niggles, I wouldn't be without her.
The main problem we have is with the front tyres wearing very very quickly. We have to buy tyres approx twice a year! Apart from this, she is the most reliable car I've ever had, despite this little matter of the front tyres.
I would recommend everyone to get a Polo, as they're reliable and very cheap to run, and you get great miles. Hope this helps.
12th Aug 2022, 17:15
Service indicator just needs reset, there are guides on how to do this for most cars online.