Buying Guide

Volkswagen Polo MkII

ROTTEN REARS

Hatchback rear wheelarches are rust-prone; coupés and later saloons less so as most have black plastic spats fitted. If any repairs have been made here, corrosion could be lurking and, in the case of the rear wheelarches, can spread to the rear valance. Rust can also start on the lower edge of the rear quarter on the door shut area, often because of untreated stonechips. Check for rust under the rear window seal, in the bottom corners, and under the front windscreen seal, too.

WAXING LYRICAL

VW did a good job of rustproofing the Polo with thick wax, which should be all over the car’s underside and engine bay. The snag is that dirt clings to it, so if the engine bay has been steam cleaned, its rust resistance has probably been reduced, so don’t assume that ‘spotless’ equals ‘good’. Left alone, though, this rustproofing tends to keep corrosion at bay pretty well, but it can break out in the seams between the panels, especially those of the front valance and wings.

ASSAULT ON THE BATTERY

The battery tray corrodes out of sight, leading to soggy footwell carpets. The fuel filler neck also corrodes, so the fuel tank fills up with any muck that gets drawn into the fuel system and then the engine; look for flakes in the fuel filter. The only fix is a new fuel tank. A lot of these cars have black plastic wheelarch liners, which stave off corrosion, but can also hide it. Significant corrosion suggests poorly repaired accident damage, so check for rust in the front wings, which is easy to spot; rot is also likely to be lurking the front valance and underneath the headlights (when viewed from inside the engine bay).

DIZZY DRAWBACKS

Distributors tend to be a constant source of problems – they must be set up carefully and checked regularly because they go out of adjustment all too readily. Also expect oil leaks, caused by a buildup of crank case pressure. The culprit is the breather system on the back of the block. It’s awkward to get to so it tends to just get left when it gets blocked. All 1093cc and pre-1986 model year 1043cc engines use a manual choke, and were fitted with a single-choke carburettor. All 1272cc models, and later 1043cc models, use a water-heated and electric automatic thermochoke, which can also cause problems.

FORMEL OFFERING

Volkswagen carried over the firstgeneration Polo’s 1093cc engine but also offered a new 40bhp 1043cc unit – basically an expanded version of the earlier 895cc unit. The bigger engine came in standard or highcompression Formel E guises. By the summer of 1983 there was a 60bhp 1272cc engine, soon supplemented by a 55bhp economy special with a ‘3+E’ gearbox with an extra-tall top gear. These earlier ‘rocker finger’ engines were used until 1985, when they were replaced by a hydraulic tappet unit.

BRAIN DRAIN

The earlier engine’s cam cover is held on with eight bolts; the later units have three central bolts. Watch for serious leaks that can spray oil everywhere and failed valve guide oil seals and oil pumps. Oil often leaks from the front left-hand corner of the head gasket, where it drips, largely unseen, onto the alternator an ruins it. The oil pressure gallery is sited here, outside the ring of head bolts. Removing the cylinder head and getting it skimmed can rectify the problem, though it’s not a cheap job by any means.

KEEPING ITS COOL

The problem most likely to strike a Polo engine is a corroded cylinder head. It’s essential that anti-freeze levels are maintained, so check the strength of the coolant and let the engine tick over for a few minutes once it’s up to temperature to see if it shows signs of overheating. Also check when the cambelt was last replaced; it should really be replaced more frequently than the official schedule of every four years/40,000 miles. Radiators can leak and rot out at the bottom, and the main water pipe is another known rot spot.