Polo's Overall Reliability

[akxj]

Hi everyone,

I have been shopping around for a new car (first time buyer) and am conducting due diligence in researching into various aspects.

Previously I have ruled out the Japanese (reliable but very dated), and focused on the Koreans instead (seems to be trying very hard to get noticed - good point for a consumer). The decision was between the Rio SLi and the Hyundai Accent Premium, and subsequent findings have led me to VW polo.

With a slightly higher price tag for the Polo Comfortline (one that I can afford) my main concern resides in the reliability and the overall running cost of the Polo. It appears that many disgruntled members are sharing painful experiences of their polo (DSG, oil consumption and the list goes on).

I would appreciate your honest advise in relation to these reliability issues as I hope to make an informed decision on one of the largest valued purchase I would make so far

[VWplo]

Dont let these posts scare you. this forum makes it seem worse than it is. i mean people will only post if there is an issue, if everything is running fine, they are probably not gonna post about it. ive had my 1.2 for just over a year now and have had no problems besides a annoying rattle that is due to be fixed. i cant really comment on the DSG as i have got a good old fashioned manual but it seems by what i read on here, that most of the issues have been fixed by the latest software update. the high oil usage seems to be an ongoing issue with the GTI. there are some horror stories on here about GTIs drinking oil. but since you arnt getting a GTI it shouldnt be an issue.

Overall i love my car. great fuel economy, ussually get 650-750km out of the 40L tank. plus it looks awesome. much better than anything the koreans can offer

[gavs]

Seriously, if you are that concerned about reliability, don't buy a Volkswagen because it's just a load of marketing spin from several years ago that everyone other than those of us that have owned multiples believe in

Buy a Kia or Hyundai. 5 year warranty and some of the most progressive designs on the market, and far more reliable. Would I trade my Vw for a more reliable Korean car though? Hell no! It's called personality!

Buy a manual comfortline if you are worried about the dsg, oil issues are the gti's problem and all of them have rattles etc

[cstb_87]

I've owned a 6R GTi for 9 months now with no real issues.

I had a few warranty issues like peeling paint and a water jet issue which were both fixed straight away with no fuss. They were also issues that could happen to any car company. I've had the oil problem but nothing as bad as others. One refill and that has been it.

The DSG is great, lots of fun. I mostly drive with it in manual as I'm a manual driver at heart. Never had a problem once

Comparing Korean and German car is like comparing chalk and cheese. I agree the Koreans are making good cheap cars but every time I sit in one the quality is cheap and the drive is not exciting. I also had a friend who brought an Accent and has only had issues with it and the dealer.

Japanese cars are still the kings of reliability and if that is your main concern then go with them. If you want Euro go VW or Skoda. They are great cars to sit in, drive and own.

[Transporter]

Overall i love my car. great fuel economy, ussually get 650-750km out of the 40L tank. plus it looks awesome. much better than anything the koreans can offer

...you forgot to mention the ride quality. I've spent 1/2 day (250km) driving in a new Kia Cerato in Melbourne. The VW can sleep well, they're still light years ahead of the Korean cars. The Cerato felt unstable even on the dry roads at the speeds up to 100km/h, I could feel the wheels didn't have a good reliable contact with the road, probably due to the cheaply made suspension. Even overal fit and finish, was not even close to the VW.

Under the new skin, if you buy Korean, you get low-tech 1990 technology. Also, when you look just a few years back, despite using an old and proven drivetrain, the Kia doesn't have that good relability record, does it? .

We have 4 VW with the DSG, none of them ever had a problem, treat your car well and it will reward you.

[akxj]

Thanks for all your prompt replies. Much appreciated. I agree that one cant really compare the koreans and the VWs (and other europeans). My friend has a goft TDI DSG as well and it has been indeed very impressive.

How about the new I30 though? (lets forget the price tag for abit) but if I'm not wrong the I30 has double clutch as well, not so sure how it compares with the DSG but my point is that they seem to be catching up rather quickly?

I guess instead of comparing which one is better, what I'm really doing is to make the most of my money. I have alot of criterias one being realibility and another being personality (or style as I would put it).

I was ready to invest into a Polo (provided I enjoyed the coming test drive) and always thought the germans had a good reputation for reliability. To my horror I found many adverse stories here which really raised signals in my head!

[nomadx38]

To be honest you would have to test drive them both on the same day first. When I was looking to buy my first car I was pretty much sold on the ford fiesta zetec, it was slightly cheaper than the polo 77tsi, had more kw's 90 vs 77 (with slightly less torque 150nm vs 175) and had a 6 speed dsg apposed to a 7 sp dsg

I took a test drive of both on the same day, testing the fiesta first, then I tested the polo, and placed an order while I was still doing the demo!!! The polo is just amazing! For a 1.2l engine it is a rocket and has one of the most fun and dynamic drives of any car I have driven. Just goes to show that torque talks, and kilowatts walk, and the 7sp dsg is by far one of the most refined and smoothest dsg's out there. I will not lie I'm due to get my dsg cluctes replaced in a week because of a fault but I got my car last year. Since then the clutched have apparently been made stronger for the Aussie climate and the new software update has improved the general smoothness, and briskness of it. The fords dsg was pretty much a old slush box, the changes were not fast, throttle response didn't even effect gear changes, so the gearbox did what it wanted to do most of the time and takeoffs were booooring!!!

Also other things come into it like comfort. I was recently in Europe on the autobahn and tried two different cars, an Opel Astra and a vw polo. Doing about 160kmh in both cars while it was snowing, the polo felt like I was cruising around a carpark. Very well planted and no effort, pulled up to a stop very quick as well. The Astra a very different story, I thought I was going to DIE, all over the road very unstable especially with any wind and the front brakes would tend to lockup under light breaking, in all a very poor balanced car. Also the polo has a lot harder suspention (but in no way is it uncomfortable) so you can take corners better without the shockers bottoming out, the Astra sucked because of this, meaning you would have to slow down around corners otherwise you would loose traction!

[Diesel_vert]

... always thought the germans had a good reputation for reliability.

One of the great myths of the late 20th & early 21st centuries.

Certainly, there are many fine attributes that modern European cars possess, but trouble-free motoring isn't one of them.

[apples]

I've had my Polo for just over a year now. Haven't had a single problem with it (yet).

The only 'problem' I had was that the order of the radio stations on the steering wheel control suddenly went out of whack and I had no idea why. It stayed out of order for about a week and then suddenly went back to its original order. It was something that baffled me but I'm not concerned about it.

[akxj]

One of the great myths of the late 20th & early 21st centuries.

Certainly, there are many fine attributes that modern European cars possess, but trouble-free motoring isn't one of them.

Certainly not what I wanted to hear Looks like the I've been taking in alot of bs when I watch Top Gear.

I guess its down to the drive tests. Will be trying out the Polo this Saturday - and hopefully the Rio as well. I want to see if I how far ahead the polo is as compared to the Rio, and see if I am willing to pay the price for the drivability over the reliability.

Someone posted on the pricing thread that he/she got the comfort line (with comfort and sports package) for only 23.4k. What should be the ideal number I should be targeting for? Not quite sure if the comfort package is worthwhile at all! The sports package on the other hand is something of desire! Care to advise?

[pologti18t]

Have you looked at the new Fiesta Metal edition - imported from Germany, 3 door, Zetec spec + more (leather), 1.6L engine with a bit more power -98kw. Similar in idea to the Swift Sport.

[akxj]

Unfortunately my partner doesn't allow to get a car with anything less than 4 doors..

[anthony]

I love the look of the new Rio,very European looking...

[RoknRob]

Maybe you think the Japanese cars are dated, but the drive of the Mazda2s and 3s is outstanding. I had more fun in my Mazda2 than I do in my Polo GTI on my daily drive - Mazda has done an amazing job with the dynamics, and as James May has explained, it's fun because you drive it to its limit more often.
Don't get me wrong, I love my Polo GTI, but I have to be pushing it to have fun. And I do worry about reliability.

[pologti18t]

Maybe you think the Japanese cars are dated, but the drive of the Mazda2s and 3s is outstanding.

What about the other aspects of a car? The Mazda 2 and 3 have some of the worst NVH characteristics in their class. They are noisey. Not to mention the fuel economy of Mazdas, in the past, has been nothing to write home about.