VW Polo Problems and people are not sure what it is?

[panamaniac]

Hi, I am not sure if this is the right forum to post about this kind of stuff or not, but at least I am hoping to get some sort of help!.

 

I bought this VW Polo 1.2 brand new from a main dealer in 2005. Since, I've had lots of little problems with it, but now I've got a major problem. The car struggles to start (sometimes)... when it does decide to start, the engine management light is on and runs rough when idling... as soon as you put some gas in it though, it will run smooth... when it drives, there is noticeable loss of power... Now however, sometimes it starts just fine, runs smooth and there would be absolutely no problems with it apart from the engine management light being on.

 

Initially I took it to the VW garage, it was running fine when I took it... they plugged it in and couldn't find any fault with it apart from that that the ECU needed a software update. They did that and charged me £60 and told me to drive it for a few days and see if the problem persists.

 

Two days later the EML and the EPC light came on.. the engine started to rev by itself... after about 30 mins trying to turn it off and start it again, it started to run fine again. I tried to take it back to VW but they were too busy and wouldn't be able to look at it until after the new year (this was around a week before Christmas). So I decided to take it to another garage that a couple of my friends recommended independently, they diagnosed it and came up with a number of sensor faults... they replaced the crank sensor... But it didn't solve the problem. I took it back to the garage and they said it is definitely misfiring and carried out a compression test on the cylinders... one of the was low and the other two were fine. They have said it is a burnt out valve and it would cost around £800 + VAT to fix... I thought if it was a mechanical problem, it would stay on and not come and goes when it likes?. So I took it to a different garage for a second opinion and they've told me that it came up with an ECU malfunction... and that again it would cost around £800 to replace. But they advised me to take it back to the main VW dealer.

 

I called the VW dealer this morning, they can't have a look at the car until a week's time and also advised me that it is unlikely to be an ECU problem, if the compression is down on one of the cylinders then they will have a look at that first, but would charge me another £60 for plugging the computer and tried to diagnose the problem and could be more if they can't diagnose the problem within the timeframe given... which is probably 30 mins.

 

Now I don't know who to trust or what to do.. it seems like it would be an extremely expensive repair, but the biggest problem is that no one seems to be 100% certain what the problem is and I don't feel confident in spending £800+ to fix something that doesn't need fixing and the problem persists.

 

The car hasn't even done that many miles, only 41k and it is just over 7 years old... I've had quite a lot of problems with it, including replacing one of its cylinder heads when the car was still within warranty... I don't know if it is the same one that is throwing but it is unlikely that the repair that they did in 2008 will still be under warranty.

 

What do you think I should do? Do you think there is a chance that VW would contribute towards the repairing costs?.

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Will

[raydetinu]

suggest you post on a VW/polo site,to see if problem has occured with anybody else!

I doubt VW will respond after 7 years!

Could be simple wiring/connection fault?

I would take it back to the garage that changed the sensor that did not fix it, and ask them to have a another look, free, as what they did not cure it. They are the experts, why should you pay for something that did not work!

[Ell-enn]

I had a VW Polo that nearly drove me mad for the last year I owned it - almost exactly same problem as yours. I had various garages look at - had the ECU updated, new coils etc etc In the end one of the garages replaced a fuel injector and it seemed to cure the problem but a few weeks later I traded it in, I couldn't stand the uncertainty - and the cost !

[Guest]

its not an unfamiliar issue. some threads on it on cag.

if can do diy, could get the plugin module and check the fault codes yourself (from the web)

but, if the compression test is genuine, then that could well be the (familiar) problem. (not unknown to VW)

how much would a new engine block be compared to a cylinder/valve repair?

one 'simple' thing that sometimes goes is the temp sensor which can cause over revs and starting probs. also, things like timing and cambelt can affect performance/misfiring and lifetime of the valves etc if the timing is out. also, the spark plugs/coils/wiring. has the car been regularly serviced?

one thing with these computerised engine managements, is that one 'simple' thing could set off a chain of reported faults?

a good diagnostic mechanic should always look at/consider the simplest first and work up, rather than just relying on one specific fault code.

Edited January 30, 2013 by Ford

[raydetinu]

Yep agree any test/diog etc. is only as good as the person doing it!

even a comp test needs interpreting. was it a wet or dry test, best to do both to give an idea of whats goig on.

[scaniaman]

See all posts by heliosuk on this problem. He can probably guide you on what action to take and i rather think he may firstly advise a compression test.