car surprise...

[VJ]

Hi!

Just got a bit of a surprise with my car: one window did not close, so it had to go to the dealer. We already scheduled for a service and technical check, so it just went there a bit earlier... And it turns out some things need fixing:
- 120000 km service: on VW, this is a big one (changing of distribution belt and related parts and some other things)
- rear brakes (they are 11 years old, last year the front ones were changed)
- front suspension (something broke on it)
- oil sensor (triggering faultly, I thought I had an oil leak for a while)
- front right window mechanism
- front right reflector (it is leaking, causing condensation inside)
- right rear window mechanism (window did not close completely - the car had this problem before, and then they told me the mechanism may need replacing if it occurs again).

The majority of the cost are things that are either normal (120000 km service) or can be considered normal wear (brakes after 11 years).
But still, it is estimated to be a 1500-2000 euro repair bill.... for an 11 year old car...

I had it done, as I know the car is well maintained, and I cannot get something better for the value of the car.

But perhaps a heads up for people considering a second hand VW: the 120000 km service is a big one...

[UtwigMU]

My 2001 Polo 1.6 16V GTI has 170.000 km and has recently been in service

- renovated steering column as steering was leaking oil
- new power steering pump as pump broke because of 1
- new drive belts (this hasn't been done yet)
- new water pump
- broken lock on the driver's side (common problem - happened on previous car also) - but only some simple lever needs to be replaced and it's cheap to fix

Price 1200 EUR at authorized VW service. I researched car forums extensively to find a service with good reviews and I'm satisfied with them

Early this year I replaced spark plugs and cables as water came into engine and 2 cylinders stopped working - car was still drivable with top speed of 120km/h instead of 205km/h cost 300 EUR. In February they have broken into my car, smashed passenger window and stolen a radio which costs 70 EUR new. Also some sensor broke and engine was running manually without ECU. New window 250 EUR also right window mechanism has sometimes problems closing

Last year I replaced clutch and some parts around gear switch and some parts in chassis and they built in the balast for xenon lights that I ordered from ebay myself (60 EUR instead of ~200) - 1200 EUR.

So I paid 2500 EUR for the car and about 2500-3000 for servicing it over 2 years (it was in Italy before, wasn't well maintained and was crashed front and rear). Still this enables me to pay as I go and it's much better car than father's new Focus for which he paid ~15k. It's more powerful, more comfy, has better equipment and doesn't look worn.


Now that car is mostly in order I can go to minor things and pimping:
- first stage fan is not working so air conditioning is working poorly but heated seats in winter help and I washed the key with pants so remote unlock no longer works
- rear speakers are good (I got them as payment for IT service to a friend) but they're not connected - I need new radio and new cabling - present radio only plays CDs (no MP3 no flash)
- I want original 15" BBS wheels with summer tires - presently have cheap steel wheels with winter tires.
- I want to add K&M air filter to get about 5HP more


I did also extensive research on TCO by example of Polo 1.4 16V -> 1.2 TSI. The best TCO is between 3 and 8 years. Before 3 years you loose 5-3k in value a year. After 8 years you need major service, new clutch and some other things so costs go up untill the car is 13 years old. After that it stops loosing value if you maintain it and you only need regular service.



Otherwise GTI is awesome, exhaust sound is awesome, people want to race me at traffic lights and when I'm in bad mood I accelerate and it brings smile to my face.


From your post:
800 EUR 120000 km service: on VW, this is a big one (changing of distribution belt and related parts and some other things) - for belts they estimated me 700 EUR but I changed sparks and oil this year already
150 EUR ear brakes (they are 11 years old, last year the front ones were changed)
100-200 EUR front suspension (something broke on it)
oil sensor (triggering faultly, I thought I had an oil leak for a while)
150-200 EUR front right window mechanism
70 EUR Xenons cost 200 EUR each for burner and balast, normal light should be about 70 EUR
150 EUR right rear window mechanism

so about 1600 EUR cost.

The problem is you probably take good care of car, you're not messy and you have low mileage. For 2003 VW Polo you'd get 2500-3500 EUR.

For 2010 Polo You'd need 10k EUR (new financing costs about 7k down and 100 EUR a month) so once you go over the major service hump, you're good I think.

[UtwigMU]

For parts info go to ETKA

http://www.vagcat.com/epc/

It has recommended prices.

Then put the part number into German ebay - some parts can be had for much less on ebay, other original parts are cheap (original clutch is cheap as they get low price from VW if they return your used clutch). Ask your service to put cheaper parts. My service offers me to put in original or cheaper generic parts.

Some parts such as wiper rubber and some plastic parts I replaced myself - just went to VW Slovenia and bought parts there. Glove compartment handle was like 30 EUR, wiper rubber was 8 EUR each.

[VJ]

Interesting post!
Nice to see that the prices seem to add up. I paid 1800 eur. Most expensive parts were related to the distribution, brakes and the front reflector (for the headlight, it was about 120 EUR). I think they messed up 2 years ago when replacing the bulb for the headlight, but of course there is no way of proving that.

For me, it looks like the expenses were normal, in this sense: major service is normal, brakes wear out (11 years / 118000km is not bad). Some other things break, perhaps they shouldn't, but if it is well within limits, one should consider it as part of the cost of owning a car. Adding up all the repairs I had for things that broke on the car, I would say I have no reason to complain.

Despite the fact that is an 11 year old car, it feels newer. No damages to the interior, just a few minor things to the exterior (e.g. that black glass between front and rear window has some chips missing, but nothing serious). Now, with the replaced suspension and brakes, it really drives like new as well. For sure it feels like it can go quite some time still.

When I compare to my parents' Renault 25... When it was 11 years old, so many small things started breaking, that it was at the dealer almost ever 2 weeks, reaching the point that my parents got rid of it. Their current car, an 18 year old Volvo 850, is technically fine: everything works and it only once needed a big fixing. But the interior just looks so dated: it is clear this is from a different generation of interior design.

[UtwigMU]

My Polo looks almost like new with a few specks (i scratched rear bumber slightly, previous owner scracthed front bumper), interior looks fine even according to my very pedantic friend. It's 13y old and my brother's ex Ford Ka is 11 years old. The Ka is all rusty on the outside and interrior looks more worn despite both cars having similar mileage.

VWs have 12 year warranty against rust while Fords use steel from broken down ships. Also A new VW Polo costs as much as similarly equipped Focus or Megane, so they age much better. Bosnians are big fans of Golf Mk2 (they were made in Bosnia also) and there are many of those around despite being 20 years old. What made me go VW is I was walking past pre 1995 VW Polo parked next to ~2001 Renault Clio and nearly 20y old VW looked better preserved than 10y old Renault.

Also in my experience VWs do break down but don't break down to the extent of letting you down. Last break down was let down on highway (dangerous) but I was planning to go into service next day as car was giving me sings of needing one for about a month.

Here's my car as seen by Google

car.jpg