Polo 1.4Tdi 2005 onwards

[Adam230K]

I guess the question is, what should I look out for?

Shortly my mileage is going to increase dramatically up until the end of the year (30-40k p/a) and I know I could get myself a big diesel merc or something but I actually want to get a polo because other people need to drive it and I think it looks 'nice'.

I haven't been to see any yet, the only thing i've heard of is that the transmission can fail (manual is the only choice for this engine), but other than that i've heard nothing but praise from the little VAG diesel unit. I have been in 1 that was chipped before and I was very impressed with the performance on offer.

What service items are must do's? This will be my first ever diesel dont forget. The general vibe that I get from diesel owners is that glow plugs are a major pain in the rear and EGR valves? I'm a mega diesel newbie so please enlighten me.

Any advice is much appreciated!

 

[Adam230K]

And whats the panel's views about buying a Cat d repaired ? I know these cars dont hold much value so maybe a cat d isn't as bad as it may seem?...

 

[Dieselman]

I would avoid a Cat D car as it will be more difficult to sell on, thought with high mileage that might not be an issue anyway, also I'd go for the regular 1.9 TDi as in real world driving the 1.4 isn't much more economical and has to be worked harder.

If the gearboxes already suffer poor reliability adding more torque will kill it in short order, which might be why they die anyway.

 

[BTB 500]

I had one as a main dealer courtesy car and the noise & vibration appalled me. It was like a tractor, compared to our 1.9 TDi Audi (which is a 1996 car ...).

 

[wemorgan]

I haven't been to see any yet, the only thing i've heard of is that the transmission can fail (manual is the only choice for this engine), but other than that i've heard nothing but praise from the little VAG diesel unit. I have been in 1 that was chipped before and I was very impressed with the performance on offer.

What service items are must do's? This will be my first ever diesel dont forget. The general vibe that I get from diesel owners is that glow plugs are a major pain in the rear and EGR valves? I'm a mega diesel newbie so please enlighten me.

Any advice is much appreciated!

I'm guessing that this is a similar engine as found in the Audi A2 (ended production in 2005), of which I know a few things about. The 75PS has a traditional single piece flyhweel, whereas the 90PS has the dual mass flywheel. The dual mass version is less reliable than the single piece, but on the whole not a major issue.

I can presume that the engines are otherwise very reliable as threads relating to engine issues are almost unheard of on the A2 forum, even those with 200k. Some cars burn more oil than others, but this is seen as a feature of the engine and VAG mention this in the maual.

Cambelts are roughly every 5yrs/60k miles (check handbook). But even with including a water pump should only cost £350 from a specialist.

Not much else really to share, sorry.

 

[verytalldave]

My father can only drive an automatic now and he has a Polo.
He was advised against buying an auto Polo by the mechanic that services his cars as the auto box they fit to Polos is unreliable and fragile.
Nevertheless he went and bought one about 2 years ago - and the mechanic was right.
He has had a few heavy bills for repairs to the gearbox.
Everything else seems fine and it looks a nice car.

So my advice is - if you want a Polo - buy a manual.

 

[Sp!ke]

Considered a Skoda equivalent? Much better screwed together if the reports are to be believed.

Dual mass flywheels suffer on these cars in all guises by 70k so feel for a pulsing clutch if a manual.

 

[npuk]

Or Seat equivalent. We bought a new Polo in 2005, got rid of it last summer, would never have one again, ours was a 1.4 petrol. If you do decide to get one cambelt changes are every 4yrs on the Polo so check that has been done. Good VW Polo forum: http://www.uk-polos.net/

 

[Adam230K]

Thanks for the answers.

I was hoping these 1.4 tdi units would be chain driven... but I can't expect that from a VAG engine anyway

I will have a look at the 1.9tdis.

The skoda/seat equivalents are exactly the same price second hand (A2 commands more premium, badge maybe? silly either way), which makes me wonder what is the point of deviating from VW, unless the seats/skodas are better built...?

 

[wemorgan]

(A2 commands more premium, badge maybe?

With rising fuel prices the A2 seems to be getting almost a cult status, due to being very fuel efficient (65mpg combined, ~80mpg motorway) and so the s/h values are quite firm. Also whilst it looks to be equivalent to a Polo in exterior size in fact the interior dimensions are closer to that of a Golf. Their £30/yr tax and variable service intervals of up to 30k also help to keep running costs down. But whether all that makes it worth the money that they fetch is hard to say, it's always going to be an odd-ball choice of a car.

 

[trapperjohn]

Throw a Golf into the melting pot too. Go for the 130BHP engine.

 

[alanuk400]

Thanks for the answers.

I was hoping these 1.4 tdi units would be chain driven... but I can't expect that from a VAG engine anyway

Be very careful, I was caught out with a Seat Ibiza 1.2 which was chain driven, it had jumped a tooth due to weak tensioner and guide, the chain is no thicker than a bike chain and had worn as well.Had to get special tools to lock the cams, what a nightmare, cost the price of the car to fixed it.

Alan

 

[Iain]

Thanks for the answers.

I was hoping these 1.4 tdi units would be chain driven... but I can't expect that from a VAG engine anyway

I will have a look at the 1.9tdis.

The skoda/seat equivalents are exactly the same price second hand (A2 commands more premium, badge maybe? silly either way), which makes me wonder what is the point of deviating from VW, unless the seats/skodas are better built...?

Am I correct in saying that these 1.4 TDI units are 3 cylinders?

 

[wemorgan]

AFAIK yes they are.

 

[Iain]

AFAIK yes they are.

Sounds like they might be a little harsh.

 

[Deleted member 11979]

They make an interesting noise and are pretty pokey, but I think the 4 cylinder is worth comparison.

Ref Audi A2, they are great, we've had 2 in the family and they were 10 years ahaed of their time, I was told Audi lost £7k on each one they sold, if tempted avoid open sky sunroof as they fail very expensively and Audi at the time did not want to know.

 

[wemorgan]

I've had a couple too and can echo the above. The 1.4Tdi engine works well both in city and motorway driving IMHO.

 

[Cabe]

Surprised no one has mentioned the A-Class yet.

 

[Adam230K]

Checking the Audi A2's again I've started to swing in their direction... there are 53-55 plates with 80k miles on the clock around the £4-5k mark which is reasonable in my opinion.

I will put about 30k on it then p/x it next year, thats the plan.

P.S. I hate Golfs/A3's with a passion, I dont know why but to me it feels as if it has a personality disorder and extremely uninspiring to drive.

 

[Usuf_x]

in my family (not direct) there have had a polo golf tdis, Renaults and Citroen and all have given issues, in the end sold the cars and brought Toyota corollas diesels, and they are running like a dream, just my 2p