Newbie!! Polo GTI - questions questions

[Yok]

Hello all from a newbie Well, I been casually keeping my eyes open for a trade up from my old hatch. Looking at the everyday hatches like Corollas, Mazdas etc...when I say looking I haven't test driven any yet as Im still in the very early stages. I've always liked hatches but never really had a performance orientated one. Just trying to narrow a few down based on first impressions at the moment. I stumbled across this little terrier by accident actually, and subsequently this forum (nice friendly forum too I must say which is rare these days). So I have done a fair bit of reading and lurking on the forum for a while...so thought it was about time I jump in and intro myself!

I went & had a look at the GTI today...no test drive as I don't need the hard word yet....just wanted to see what I thought. It seemed very nice and I could picture myself in this!! Couple of questions though....what is that little button in the back seat behind the driver door? I pressed it & nothing happened....ejecter seat or soemthing?? Also, how about servicing....do these things cost a lot to service in comparison to say, a Corolla or Mazda 3? I'm not technically very good with engines so I'm not sure if the turbos cost a lot to service & maintain.

Oh 1 more....does anyone know if the 07' stock are any different to 06' stock? I know in some cars they make a couple of minor cosmetic changes to 'freshen' them up each year of the model life cycle....not that this car probably needs it.

Ok, I could probably ask 50 more questions...but that will do for now Thanks for reading & apologies for the lengthy post.

Cheers,
Jade

[Wand Weaver]

.what is that little button in the back seat behind the driver door? I pressed it & nothing happened....ejecter seat or soemthing??

The little red button switches off the interior motion detection for the alarm, in case you wind down the windows and lock a dog/child in the car while you run inside a shop (I don't recommend locking people inside cars as a matter of course, though). Otherwise, the alarm will go off due to the motion inside.

Can't help you with the exact servicing costs - although most people have had their first dealership VW service (1 year) at around the $200-250 mark, depending on which dealer. Mazdas and Hondas aren't particularly cheap to service, especially as they get out of warranty, so I don't think the VW will be much different, although parts may be more expensive since they probably have to come from Germany rather than Japan.

[Jin]

Welcome to the forum Yok.

The little button in the back seat is for disabling the motion sensor ability of the alarm system.

I cant comment on the servicing cost as ive only done 5000kms in my car but Im sure someone else will be able to tell you the cost comparisons.

Again Im not sure on the differences if any between the 06 and the 07 models.

I noticed that your from Melb as well, if you ever wanted to see what a slightly modified GTI will do i would be happy to show you my car.

Cheers
Jin

[Yok]

Hey Guys - Good to hear from you.

$200-$250 sounds reasonable I think for a 1st year service. I think it is 15,000 intervals as well right? Better than 10,000.

Stupid question regarding the sensor...why wouldn't the switch for the sensor be located in the cockpit rather than the back seat? Is it because the sensor is located exactly where the switch is? If so, what about the front seats....is there a sensor for those? I know its not a big thing...im just trying to understand how it works. I like the idea anyway.

Cheers,
Jade

[poloplayer]

That's right, 15,000k intervals. Maybe they were cheap and decided to cut out the wiring for the button. Or maybe for little kids to press if they got locked inside the car

[h100vw]

The sensors are in the interior light IIRC. Same as on the New Beetle that I had.

Gavin

[Glide_GTI]

I payed $180 for first 15k service from a local vw expert, no point going to a dealer if unless you had warrenty work.

30k service comming in the next month or so

[Timbo]

Welcome, Yok

I paid $230 for the 15,000k service. Very reasonable. Of course, whether they did anything is another question

I suspect the button is located there so thieves don't have ready, visible access

[Yok]

Whats interior light IIRC? Is that the one on the roof?

Those servicing prices seem ok The major service may be a different story hehe

I guess we have that problem with all dealers Timbo....knowing if they actually did anything at all :p

[Wand Weaver]

Regarding servicing costs - dealers of all manufacturers hit you hard for the big services.

The one thing about the Polo GTI (and other 1.8T engined cars) is that I believe that the timing belt needs to be changed at 60,000km, which is quite low by industry standards.

The Subaru Impreza needs its belt done at 80,000km, as does Honda. So when you've hit 240,000km in your car, you'll have done one more timing belt service than someone in an Impreza.

Both Honda and Subaru (dealerships) charged about $500-600 for the timing belt change, above the regular cost of the service it was tacked onto. I'd hazard a timing belt service would be somewhere close to $800-$1000. Not cheap at all, but unless you buy a chain-driven car (R32!) you're going to have to change the cam timing belt at some stage.

I tend to think dealerships are OK for doing service work - they charge more than the independent mechs, but I think they generally get a bad reputation which isn't necessarily deserved. Sure, there's a few bad apples around, but at the end of the day, the dealership has their own reputation to uphold. If they screw up badly - they'll lose customers.

I may be wrong here - but I think Seb was once a dealership mechanic before he went independent?

I've dealt with Chatswood Classic before (Mk III Golf VR6 service) and they were nothing if not professional in what they did - they were happy to answer any questions I asked them. They run a good (albeit expensive) workshop. When December rolls around (I won't make 15,000km by December at the current rate), I'll be giving them a ring. If their price is reasonable compared to other dealerships in the area (namely McCarolls, Hornsby and Barloworld Five Dock (formerly Five Dock VW)) I'd be happy to go back there.

[ryan_GTI]

everrrrrrybody knows why the button is located in the backseat

[mitch_gti]

everrrrrrybody knows why the button is located in the backseat

When the GTI is rockin ..... you know the rest

[Yok]

haha I like it.....they think of everything at VW don't they!

[Wand Weaver]

When the GTI is rockin ..... you know the rest

Maybe that's how Cirque du Soleil get the next generation of contortionists

[Glide_GTI]

haha I like it.....they think of everything at VW don't they!

did you see the draws under the seats? I only found them about 6 months after I bought the car