2000 Volkswagen Polo Reviews - Page 7 of 9

On completing 90000Km the gearbox failed to go from 5th to 4th. A 70% garantee coverage from the dealer over a new gearbox (I payed for everything else - man-work too) took car e of the substitution (not without some smart remarks over my driving) and a new 2 year garantee - which has been extendedly used, since the gear box failed again at 105000Km, 118000Km and 120000Km. The dealer refuses to admit that this is a serious problem, and the imported redirects me to the dealer. Volkswagen in Germany doesn't even reply.

Repeated failure and dealer's poor service make me regret buying this car. I don't think I'll ever by in the Volkswagen Group again.

Head gasket was leaking slightly at about 16900 miles, but was replaced straight away by the dealer.

Water pump was also replaced at about

17500 miles after a squeaking noise was heard from the engine.

Ignition switch was replaced at about 18700 miles when the car failed to fire up.

At the same time the clutch pedal was adjusted as there was a lot of "play" at the top of the clutch.

Although the car is the bottom of the range, it still feels much more expensive with the high quality of the interior finish and the exterior trim.

The engine is willing and can give give many "suped up" Novas a run for their money. I have had 100 MPH out of it even though VW say it should do 94MPH!

The dealer that I dealt with has been extremely helpful and always sorts out the problems fully.

The only problem I have encountered is that accessories that I have ordered have taken a while to reach me due to VW moving there parts depot to a different location.

Ride and handling is great and there is hardly any hint of body roll around corners.

Fuel economy is also very respectable with 50mpg being achieved quite often.

I am very pleased with my purchase and look forward to my next few years driving this car.

Ignition switch broke at 40000 miles resulting in a 3 day wait for dealer to fix (1/2 hour job)

Passenger trim come loose.

Car handles quite well and is pretty good looking (compared to previous Polos)

Overall am pleased with ride although seats are a little harsh for long journeys.

Petrol Consumption is low and interior design is appealing and modern.

Service from dealer (VW franchise) was absolutely terrible, initially no driver's handbook. When fault occurred staff had a don't care attitude and only fixed it when we complained to manager.

Engine would cut out momentarily whilst driving at about 100kmh. Ignition switch replaced and also cpu possibly. Fixed after several tries. Dealer said it was a known problem.

An exhaust vibration is very apparent when the engine is under load (e.g. pulling up a hill). Also a known problem apparently. Dealer has tried valiantly to fix it many times, even swapping parts from another new car, but problem still persists, especially after an hours running.

Other annoying minor problems such as trim coming loose.

My wife really wants to like this car as it is comfortable, strong, peppy and perfect for city driving.

However, the vibration problem has been very annoying and the cutting out problems are extremely worrying, as I doubt that they are permanently fixed.

Cam belt idler replaced at 4000 and 9000 miles.

Exhaust rattle from 3000 miles.

Headlamp alignment motor failed at 5000 miles.

Squeaks from the dashboard (fixed by the dealer), driver's window (not fixed).

Badly fitted brake pipes vibrated against the underbody from new.

Random engine pinking / running roughly, making a "rasping" noise. VW say they cannot find any problem after 3 attempts.

Starter key switch failed at 16000 miles.

Performance around town is OK with the 1 litre engine, but is a bit wearing on longer runs.

The seats are moderately comfortable, but a bit hard on the back on long journeys.

The dash layout is good, but the ventilation system is not very flexible and the vents are not very adjustable.

Very poor reliability - several niggling faults and poor build quality, and a less than competent dealer.