BHPian Viraat13 recently shared this with other enthusiasts: Hi BHPians, It’s been a long time since my last update on this thread. Last post was around 110k km, the odo now is at 167k – so highly overdue for an update. I’ve been super happy in the car, with more than enough room for me even during extended long drives. After the major maintenance of the new mechatronic and multiclutch which I had done last time around, I haven’t had to spend major $$$ on upkeep this time:Maintenance over the last 55k kms:120k: Don’t recall if I mentioned earlier but the fuel pump relay had acted up and left me stranded on a hot summer afternoon. Had to wait 20-25 mins for it to cool down and then I drove it to the workshop at low rpm before replacing the relay and the pump (precautionary). I also took off the radiator and sent it for cleaning etc as I was seeing increased temps around this time. Later it turned out the that the sensor in the coolant bottle was faulty and it only needed a new bottle to fix. That is a 5 min fix in comparison, but anyway.Since we’re on the coolant circuit, I’d just like to note that that the car is still running the water pump that was fitted at 28k. Usually 100k is the upper limit in terms of water pump life in a VAG but I’m happy to be proven wrong. Fuel pump relay:~130k: Timing kit was due for replacement at 120k, but I didn’t have time and honestly, I did push this replacement to the max. The timing chain and adjuster both had slack, and there was a very prominent rattle on start-up which I had been ignoring for weeks prior to the replacement. I also replaced the idler and tensioner of the fan belt at this time for peace of mind.Timing kit & Engine mount:135k: New Sachs shockers front and rear + bush kit, linkage, stabliser bar bushes. Previous Sachs shockers had taken a beating as I use the car, as in really am rough with the suspension and all. It’s gone over bad roads, good roads, stupid loads, engines in the boot, etc etc all really well. Last time I did the suspension overhaul was at 60ish, so 60-65kms with abuse is really pushing things. No complaints from me on longevity.Mercedes W166 Suspension and Rotors being carted around for lathe work/bush pressing: 140k: Oil cooler + oil filter body gasket. This is a typical problem on high mileage 1.2 TSIs, which showed up much later than it usually does. The OEM gaskets are very reasonably priced, so dropped these in along with the oil change. Gasket failure on high heat areas is common and can represent itself in many ways on different vehicles.~145k: New Continental UC6 installed on 30th March 2025. The previous UC6 set lasted really well despite me not caring too much about timely alignment or tyre rotation. So, considering life of 60,000 KM over 2 years and 2 months, no need to reinvent the wheel ( hehe) and look at other brands/options.145k: New (and upgraded) brake disc rotors and pads. This time I used ATE PowerDisc which is their slotted rotor + ATE pads. A vendor of mine had 3 sets of pads and 1 set of rotors lying with him as new old stock. Guess who has 2 spare sets of ATE brake pads for the 288mm kit now? A worthy spend, as good pads are hard to find for this BBK. I’m set for a long, long time, despite the ridiculous kms I’ve been putting on the car.150k: Timing side crank pulley seal. A small 1000-rupee part which was initially leaking a tiny bit ended up weeping 500ml in 10-12 days and warranted immediate attention. Took only 1 hour to replace, but inertia in maintaining my own car is very high, especially when the workshop is usually full up with customer cars demanding attention.Here you can see the crank without the seal: This is the amount of oil I’d lost: The fix:Multiple rear wheel bearing failures, I’ve been getting them replaced under warranty at VW for a while now. One is due again. Two things worth noting, the bearings used to be made in Germany and cost around 4400, now they’re made in China and cost 2k each. The bearing is super sensitive to over torquing, so if you ever replace it in the after market make sure to follow the spec – 70nm + 30 degrees.Steering rack remains a perennial problem; it is due for replacement under warranty once more. Will get it done when I have time. Another slightly related issue is the steering column. The bearing has really tightened up lately and the assist effect is diminished quite a bit. I am going to have to find time to open the steering column and grease the bearing. I’m hoping that works because the replacement is about 28k in parts at VW.Drivers seat cushion. The factory cushion had gotten seriously worn out and padding etc wasn’t doing the trick. I explored some seat swap options but, on a whim checked the price for new cushions from factory and the price was really surprising. I think total 3500 for the base and back cushions, so I ordered and waited a few weeks. Removed seat cover, replaced foam, put back seat cover and my seat is brand new again. Lot of money and effort saved.Other than all this, it’s just been oil, oil filter, air filter, AC filter every 10k kms, along with spark plugs, wipers, and fuel filters every now and then.Future Maintenance:I think the control arm bushing has started to wear and so have the shocker mountings and bearings. Total cost of parts will be around 5000, just have to find time to do the replacement. Maybe I’ll do it at the 170k km service.Multiclutch will no doubt act up sometime soon. From my experience I’ve generally seen them go between 60 and 90k kms. Considering my increased % of highway usage, I think it will be towards the upper end. Maybe if I have time one of these days I’ll remove the gearbox and re-shim the clutches to increase the life.AC compressor has really impressed me in a funny way. It’s been making excessive noise for 2+ years in the summer and every year at the start of summer I think I’ll have to replace it this year, it’s sure to fail but it is still going strong. It makes a bit of chirping sound at the first start of the day but settles down unless the ambient temp is 45+. Anyway, cooling performance remains unaffected and I’m prepared to replace the compressor and condenser at the first sign of reduced cooling.I really have been using the car a heck of a lot and made a table to see how many days it’s been taking to complete 10k kms: I think Polo should cross 200k in the next 6 months if this usage continues. Usual Oops Moment: One very important note for all readers. Typical maintenance isn’t like my car since I tend to push usage to the max due to time constraints, and my car is going to a workshop every day of the week so I do not need to club repairs to restrict visits to once a year. Some of the issues above are typical at high mileage or at 8-12 years. My car is seeing both together which is why it may seem like a lot of work, but it isn’t really. Happy to clear any doubts VAG owners may have. I’ll probably be looking to add one car to the garage at the start of 2026, but the Polo will stay. Simply because I’m not going to get anything more than a couple of lakhs for it in resale, especially with the kind of kms I’ve put on it. I’d much rather retain it as a city beater or whatever, especially since it is gonna be valid in NCR for another ~5 years. Until next time!Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
