Polo GTI Recall

[Piotr]

Had my car in today and asked to have my gearbox oil changed because of the recall and was told the recall didn't affect my car.

[pologti18t]

Just rang dealer.... you will get a letter if there is a recall for your car.

[brumue]

What does the sticker say?

[MissVuks]

I just rang my VW service dept, the manager said they haven't received the bulletin as yet to know which polos are affected and between what year, models/makes etc..

He said they should know within the next month or so i would have thought if some of your service dept people knew then why wouldn't this manager be aware??

[xylopoble]

What does the sticker say?

Recall Code
35A7
Date Completed
15/4/08
Dealer:
#

Just rang dealer.... you will get a letter if there is a recall for your car.

they just did mine when it was in for its 30k service, I didn't know until I picked it up.

Also I have no idea which year/makes need this as my gear box was put in around 20k km.

Finally from my reciept:

Recall 35A7
Check Vehicle for campaign 357A
Drain Gear Box Oil - Flush & replace with mineral oil as per campaign 35A7

[PogoAmy]

FWIW, I followed this up today and was advised it isn't required for my Pogo, although it is fairly young having been built in August last year.

Thanks for the heads up, regardless.

Cheers!
PogoAmy.

[anarchycamp]

FWIW, I followed this up today and was advised it isn't required for my Pogo, although it is fairly young having been built in August last year.

Thanks for the heads up, regardless.

Cheers!
PogoAmy.

Mines fairly young as well and i had mine done last friday, not sure what the pattern is....perhaps Carlos was on duty for some and Miguel for the others?

[Guy_H]

If anyone gets the letter, please remove your personal details & scan it for us all!

[PogoAmy]

Mines fairly young as well and i had mine done last friday, not sure what the pattern is....perhaps Carlos was on duty for some and Miguel for the others?

Hmm, curiouser and curiouser.

There's a box on the data screen for our cars VW service centres access which apparently goes all red and kind of 'DOOP! DOOP!' if a recall is active on the vehicle. I saw the screen and my box was empty.

I'll keep an eye on this one though.

Cheers!
PogoAmy.

[NickZ]

Well since I have had the recall I have to say the 1st to 2nd change has become a lot quieter, and a bit 'smoother'.

It has always been, and always will be a notchy gearbox (which I like). However, sometimes I did hear a 'click' as I changed from 1st to 2nd, and seemed to be just a bit more notchy than any of the other gears. The click has disappeared since the new oil has been put in and the gear change now feels like any of the other gears. It did not happen straight away as I guess the oil needed to properly coat the synchros and gears.

Saying that, I will get my box inspected a few months before warranty is up and if there is excessive wear and tear around synchros etc I will follow that up with VW.

[GT3]

...since the recall I have to say the 1st to 2nd change has become a lot quieter, 'smoother'. ....It did not happen straight away as I guess the oil needed to properly coat the synchros and gears.

Saying that, I will get my box inspected a few months before warranty is up and if there is excessive wear and tear around synchros etc I will follow that up with VW.

I had the oil changed recently too (35A7 recall) and so far so good, no more 1st to 2nd crunch.

However, getting a diagnostic to determine if there's existing damage to the synchros (resulting from VW's inadequate gearbox oil) is another (complicated) mattter. The only way your VW dealer/service dept can run a diagnostic, ie open gearbox and check, is with VWA's permission. If your car is modified, then VWA will refuse the diagnostic, as they did in my case. This is something Polo GTI owners need to be aware of.

[NickZ]

Fair point GT3. I guess my concern is that with the gearbox problems that are obvious with this car, do we have a leg to stand on if the gearbox goes a year or two out of warranty period? I guess for us to have any chance we need to prove that most of the damage occurred before the recall, which I guess is almost impossible to prove.

Am I allowed to get an independent check without voiding my warranty? As long as I can do it for my own piece of mind then I would still get it, even if I have to pay for it. I haven't chipped my car (yet) so I still have a warranty .

[GT3]

..my concern is that with the gearbox problems that are obvious with this car, do we have a leg to stand on if the gearbox goes a year or two out of warranty period? I guess for us to have any chance we need to prove that most of the damage occurred before the recall, which I guess is almost impossible to prove.

This is why it's a controversial issue.

First you would need to verify that your car falls within the recall range, and your car was used/driven using the pre-recall gearbox oil. If your car is out of warranty, then your chances are further reduced, but repairs/replacements are possible on a case-by-case basis.

For instance, my gearbox collapsed in my mk4 Golf, and it was 3 mths out of warranty, but still had low klms, was looked after and maintained to VW specs. Rather than accept the "bad luck" remark I received from the service rep, I took the matter up with the dealer principal. I argued that, even though my warranty had expired, a gearbox collapsing after only 40k was totally unacceptable. He agreed and pursued the matter with VWA. VWA eventually agreed to cover the cost of a new gearbox and the dealership covered all labour costs.

So it depends on the individual and their willingness to pursue the matter. If, for example, you know you've treated your Polo GTI well, never abused it, ..then you may not readily accept that your synchros are worn simply bc your car is chipped. If, on the other hand, you thrashed your GTI like you hated it, then you may decide it's not worth pursuing - your conscience will dictate the appropriate course of action.