German engines used to be bullet proof but then the accounts got to work and plastic components found their way into the engines as well as the outside. BMW and Audi engines also need extreme caution when buying for the same reason.

Top Tips and shows why your business is doing so well because your open, honest, and why your continuing to be recommended! Keep up the fantastic work James.

As a Golf 6 victim, VW are not getting another penny out of me. I'd rather drive a Golf, but I'd rather own a Corolla.

Interesting you’re standing next to an R56 Mini which is renowned for timing chain issues. I had one and the cold start rattle began, had to change the chain at 70k miles even with a good history. Lack of oil changes and oil starvation in many cars ruins chains. Great advice and love that you point out chains aren’t always for life

You had me at Don't buy a Polo!!!!

I've got a Fabia with the same engine, it's on 158K and I still don't have that noise (been listening out for it since I bought it new). I've always allowed the idle to settle on startup, even when warm, and the last mechanic who inspected the engine put it down to that and that I always use the correct oil for standard service intervals, it's much better for the tensioner than the longlife stuff that gets too thin as it ages. Have heard other engines making the rattle though, always scary when some people still think you have to give it some throttle on startup and it revs away!

Good advice James, I had the same problem with daughters car was 1.2 polo of same age. Killed the car was advised replacement engine required, sold for spares or repair in the end, was a shocking car also the bodywork was woeful as on a really hot summers day the roof would appear dented as on the initial new shoe polos they didn’t put enough roof struts in! Got her an 18 plate A1 now and seems a lot better car!

Love your transparency!!! Greetings from Sweden.

Nice video it just shows you a chain is not always better than a belt,great info.

My car is 20years old and it's passed its mot with no adviorys honestly amazing Honda civic ❤️

South Africa - I have been a VW owner for many year and also owned several models. As a hobby I would buy and restore Mk1 Golf's. The Polo in the Video is currently available in SA as a cheaper option and is labeled as the Polo Vivo. Their engine sizes vary from 1.4 and 1.6 4 cylinder with normal aspirated engines, also included is the top of the Vivo range with a 3 cylinder 999cc turbo charged engine. The 1.4 and 1.6 are reliable engines en economical, spare parts and service parts are cheap. There are lots of Polo's on SA roads, the Polo Vivo is also the best selling car in SA for many years. I recently purchased a second hand 2013 VW Polo 1.4 with 153000km's on the clock. The engine is in good shape, the body as well, there is some noise from the front suspension and the air conditioner pump is also making it's presence know with a humming sound when switched it. Will have those problems fixed in a week or two and then take it for COR. Out of the many VW's I owned, the one that stood out from the crowd was my Mk1 Gti, 1800cc 4 cylinder pocket rocket. Keep up the good work.

the 1.4 TSI petrols in Golf etc. were/are absolutely notorious for eating timing chains, some failed as early as below 10k miles (I seem to remember reading an account of one needing to be replaced at 3 or 4k km(!)). My parents have one that started rattling around 90k km and the garage said they caught it in the nick of time. The car seems to burn money even though it's neither that old nor has that many km - I think it's around 140k now and has been through a timing chain job, new brakes all round (EXPENSIVE), new front and (not sure about that) rear wheel bearings and a spontaneous massive coolant leak, a radiator hose just popped off on the motorway. The battery's also been entirely flat a few times but that might have been the battery itself - it was seven years old if I remember correctly and the car hasn't acted up since we replaced the battery in spring. If they ever replace it, the next one will be a Japanese car though! They've had Mitsubishis from 1986 and always loved them! One lasted from 1988 to 2012 and was then sold for 1500 Euros.

Great video, would love to hear you cover common issues you discover within your stock. Good work James 👍

Thanks for the info. I was thinking of the polo 1.2 have had the 1.4 diesel before and that was great forearmed is forewarned. It seems so many of these 3 cyclinder engines are problematic and best avoided unless well maintained. Thanks again, Brian.

James check the wiring on the fusion, the wires in the door hinge have a habit of breaking, I'd be surprised if both locks had failed at the same time!

With a fleet of small older cars for kids I make the following observations Polo 1.4 2008-2014 seems pretty solid engine, (timing belt though)got one with 130k on it, runs sweet enough and burns no oil. Corsa think oil changes are crucial got a 58 plate that’s never gone more than 7k on oil changes and chain is tight at 69k and sounds sweet (daughters friends same miles and age sounds dreadful) Yaris mk1 indestructible! 07 Fiesta 1.4 gave me a fright with oil consumption but think it was breather hose collapsing/PCV…. When the weather got very hot and a good run it just used to vanish but seems sorted (although used a drop)

I'm in the trade and a smaller car dealer and can agree with 1.2 VW Polo's which is why I don't touch them however the 1.4 Petrol's are superb and use a cambelt instead of chain so highly recommend the 1.4's!

With regards to the Ford Fusion door locks. I recently had a 2008 ford fiesta with the same issue "passenger door open". I disconnected the battery, and left it for 24 hours, and connected back up. This seemed to sort the issue out.

Usually excessive wear on cam chains is through lack of oil changes. Even with a "fully stamped service book" it does not mean it's actually been serviced that many times. Heard too many horror stories of fully serviced cars, engines eating themselves only to find out that the service stamp from a couple months back was clearly a fake judging by the oil and oil filter condition. Lots of short journeys won't help either as the oil will get contaminated with moisture so would need changes more frequently unless driven longer distance now and again.

Good video mate, that crap 1.2 engine has been used since about 2002 in many cars, seats, vws etc, my mate bought one at auction, jumping in, as it drove off the block you could hear how noisy it was, he did the chain but didn't see the cam had worn out, it was amazingly noisy. I bought it off him cheap, put thick oil in it and flipped it cheap, told the customer the engine was noisy, they said it was quieter than theirs, joke was their car had a blowing exhaust, but a decent engine (!)

I have a 2016 polo 1.8 gti tsi bmotion, daja 192hp, i can say that its had its issues with a waterpump leak, heater support pump failer & the valve cover seal . The first part to go was the heater blower fan resistor. Generally vw motors have always had vacum leaks but mine has been sweet in this area of the car . It cost me a reasonable amout of money to do the waterpump , heat sup pump & the vcover seal but i decided that i could do it myself & cut out the dealer labour costs which helped me out so i didnt mind paying out for oem parts from the dealers which were updated revised genuine parts . While the valve cover was coming off i decided that i would replace the hpfp gasket & O-ring + the cam bridge seals & cam cover seals which to me made sense to replace them for longer life , Luckily i havnt heard any cam chain slap but the car is at 89,000 now so im thinking about just doing a cam chain kit replacement in the near future for peace of mind + if i decide to sell her new owner has no troubles with that side of things. All in all apart from general wear & tear , services ,repairs & maintenance she is a good car , i do all the work myself i have the tools to do it aswell , With regular oil/ filter services the engine stays sound . Im gona look forward to doing the chain replacement when i get round to it .

I had from new till march this year an (03 plate) honda accord EX saloon that started to do exactly that,didnt get a chance to sort it some toe rag stole the cat,, thankyou James have a good weekend,,👍👍

Confucius once said " If you want to know which car is most reliable, just look at what local taxi drivers drive " 😉😂

When I was delivery driver we used to alpt of pre 10 deliveries to V W .These normally small engines on Warrenity claims. The service said the engine alone was £5000 . The would have to matched to VIN meaning you could not recycled engines fron a Scrap Yard .I would deliver at least 1 a month.

Have had one of these from new, 12 years ago was assured by the VW dealer that the timing chains were good for 100k! Not a chance, had to have mine replaced at 55k, because as you say it stretched, warning lights came up on the dash and it wouldn't run properly!

Most common in the 1.2 3cyl's is stretched chain/worn tensioner or misfires due to burned exhaust valves. They can also make tappet noise when standing for a while as they are hydraulic

Interestingly, here in NZ, the reputation of the VAG cars is "horrendously unreliable mechanically", thus dramatic depreciation. While everyone who wants reliable, buys Japanese or Korean. The VW range is considered by nobody to be bulletproof. Good heads up about the cam chain 🙂

James, in your video on the Polo chain at 4.00 mins and 7.30 mins in lots of views of your red MGB. It looks spectacular to me because a reflection of the unit appears to give it a central small hump that runs the length of the bonnet right down to the grill. In my opinion it makes the car look awesome. I think of I owned a "B" I'd have a bonnet crafted with that in it. Have a look, just a thought. Love the channel.

South Africa here again. Currently driving a 2011 Polo sedan. 258000 kms on the clock. Engine has not been touched yet. 2 water pumps and an engine mount replacement is about the most major repairs done. Daily runner and very fuel efficient. Also own a vivo 1.6 tiptronic. A little heavier on the fuel . Keep them regularly serviced and they do carry on forever.

chops, there was only issues with the earlier 1.2 engines of earlier polos. they have now replaced these engines and now fit belts to them. as the chains were poor quality and cracked. these were the 3 cylinder engines.. but the 1.2 tsi engines are now 4 cylinder, and much stronger with a turbo. anyone wanting a polo, go for the tsi. with over 50mpg. you have speed with economy. i love mine and intend to keep it for years to come. just service them and look after them. they are good cars. 😊

I have a 2010 Polo 1.2 which I bought on 55k miles for £80 with engine management light on. The owner had the codes pulled and was told it was pretty much scrap value because of timing chain failure. He let me have it for less than scrap because I said I was putting it back on the road. It had a new chain and tensioner for about £600 and it's now on 90k miles 2 years later and I've had no more problems with it. It's been a cracking car to own and drive. But do I sell it now, whilst it's faultless!? 😀 ETA: I do oil and filter every 6 months/6k miles. I had read that the ridiculous longlife service intervals were a big part of the problem. Long service intervals are a good sell when new, and the cars are largely out of warranty when it becomes an issue.

Been a long time since VW's were bullet proof unfortunately. My sister had a bread van Polo as her first car and that was pretty bullet proof but that's a long time ago!

Spot on. We’ve imported some of these with 30k and rattle when running, not just on start up. If it’s been sitting for a week or so and you got a rattle I’d say nothing to be concerned about. Shouldn’t do it every day though

I bought a brand new Passat 2001 and got told from the first day to keep an eye on the oil as it uses quite a bit and you know what it did none the less it was a great car I had two more after that all the same and all brilliant car's.

The 3 cylinder 1.2 engines as far back as the 9N and 9N3 Polo from about 2002 -2009 are a bag of shite always cracking cylinder heads. An engine rebuilder beside me had literally dozens of them in. One poor girl had hers leaking oil onto the manifold and it went on fire, luckily she got out and the fire extinguished but she got rid quickly.

Until now, I'd always believed that chain drive was superior to a cam belt, so good that you have set the record straight.

Great information cheers. 👍👍👍👍👍👍

James the fusion check the passenger door harness that goes into the big rubber grommet on the side of the passenger door . Had the same happen on my Mondeo both doors not locking. Unplugged it from the grommit and put it back in and problem solved

Really enjoy your channel and your honesty. Wouldn't touch a VW or any of the nasty French makes either. Japanese or South Korean is all I would consider, currently running a Honda Jazz.

Had a similar problem with a Corsa three cylinder , chain slap on start up . They were subject to a recall but mine was never done .

nylon idlers its common in a few other similar engines. seems to happen if cars aren't used daily.

Once again James top information one top guy.

Always used to chuckle at VW’s tagline on their adverts “if only everything was as reliable as a Volkswagen”. If only that were true….

VW chains are notorious. Honest John was always going on about these as VW change manufacturer who used a cheaper chain stamping production method.

I think VW are relying on the earlier car’s reputation. I had a 1984 A reg Polo Breadvan and it really was bulletproof.

Yep had this issue with a Merc CLC coupe full service

James, do not forget that there are 2 versions of this engine - 6 valve 60BHP and 12 valve 70BHP. As the grey car is an S model I assume it will be the 6 valve.

2 observations: Chevy Sparks are almost universally panned as penalty boxes in the U.S. tho I would guess one with a manual transmission would be tolerable. I own a 2013 Fusion/Mondeo and Ford parts nowadays are extremely expensive.

Great bit of advice there James buyer beware! The VAG reliability thing goes way back probably to the 70/80's when they were better engineered than rivals but that has long since changed and think many other car makers offer better products at better value for money. Still a lot of people still willing to pay a premium for VW!

All cars have issues these days. Emissions and extended service intervals seem to have ruined reliability. As a rule of thumb regular oil changes are your best chance of reducing issues, especially on turbo’ed cars. Timing chains equal thousands in repairs, belts much less, preventative maintenance these days is all you can hope will minimise risk. New or old…

Got a 2011 polo with this engine as a 1st car and it’s been making this noise for the year I’ve had it (only when cold). Just realised recently it must be the timing chain, but was unsure whether it needed doing.

I have a Corsa d, I know about the timing chain, most of the time is not oil change change ect, I change my oil every 7k miles, I know it's over the top but was told by a ex Vauxhall mechanic to do it, has the polo got the same chain as the Skoda fabia

My wife has an Audi A1 1.2 TFSI that had that same problem, only it could happen at any time on start up, warm or cold. We had the timing chain changed at great expense at 80K (£675 at independent VW specialist as main dealer wanted around £1200). The car is now on 95K and again it rattles sometimes on start up. We are replacing the oil at 9K intervals as suggested by the VW specialist but it hasn't prevented the problem reoccurring. They had a 1.2 TSI polo in at the same time as ours where the chain had actually slipped, destroying the engine and that had only done 40K. When you scour the internet you here of a lot of timing chain engines with this issue - a case of buyer beware - I wont be buying a car with a timing chain again.

Very good advice 👍

Older cars had shorter duplex chains, so no trouble, but valve train lightness equates to better performance and economy, but unfortunately they don't last 5 mins.

I brought a 1998 1.4 L 6N 3 door polo, electric windows,mirrors. 70K on the clock for £300 (private seller well serviced) 5 years ago no rust body work mint for age. Starts on the button ,reliable solid drive, I did have the cam belt changed last year as a matter of service just to be sure, only usual wear and tear things like brake pads and tyres needed in that time. Passes MOT with no advisaries every year so far. dosent burn oil I have kept it because a couple of mechanics tell me engine is solid for that series easy to service as not full of electronics. Best value second hand car i have brought in my 40 years of car ownership along with a peugeot 406 2L deisel a few years back. ( have had new cars and newer cars). will look after it as i am not a high anual milage driver these days makes for a decent rounabout and occasional lomger trips for week ends etc. Guess i chose well when i was seeking a cheap car .

Hi James great channel, love what you do. Question on the polo, is the wing and bonnet out of alignment across the top of the headlight or am I being OCD 🤪 just looks from the angle you filmed to not quite align.

So it's open the bonnet place hand on cylinder head to ensure you are starting a cold engine if looking at buying a Polo

People go back to 90s polo's that were reliable, which is a bit strange as buyers are usually a lot younger, had one at 48k,chain stretched, tentioners popped out, bent valves, ect, bought it cheap, fixed it.

I had a Mk 5 Golf with the exact same problem... I couldn't wait to get rid, problem after problem & would never buy one again.

1.4tsi is the same. Brought a Seat Leon last year, couple of months later I noticed the dreaded rattle noise. Cost me well over a grand to fix.

I bought an Astra J 1.6 CDTI at 69,000 miles and within a 12 mths the chain was rattling like a good un all the time. I was disappointed because I thought a timing chain ought to last longer than a belt..but not in this case. Had to get it done at a local garage - for £1250. Won't be buying another Vauxhall..

problem with car makers is they push the limits with service intervals, these days some cars can do fifty thousand miles and only have one oil change, this IMO is what wrecks the timing chains, do a oil service every 8 to 10 thousand miles or every year and these timing chains will go on to a very high mileage, sadly these service intervals suits the fleet buyers

Great video. It's not as bad as most people think. Just price the repair in and get it done. All the garages know this and how to fix it. It's not that expensive.

I have one for my daily runner, had it for 7 years now. It's been perfect, the best little car I have had. 109k miles

They are really good cars, just don't get the 1,2 NA three cyilinder. Especially the diesels are exceptionally good. Also replace the belts and the chain on the 1,2 tsis (well, on all chain driven tsis). And some of the 7 speed dryclutch DSGs also can give you headaches, but even their problems can be solved at reasonable price nowadays... They are not for those who cannot even refuel their cars themselves, they need to be taken care of. (To be honest most modern cars needs this more than previous generations for several reasons I won't get into now - all of them became more sensitive to the lack of proper service schedule).

We have a Polo with that engine. Does rattle for a second or two when cold on start-up. At least it is giving me warning it will need changing, as opposed to a cam belt which just snaps without warning!

Very interesting, it just goes to show that starting and revving immediately is never good. Every car I have I start and let the engine stabilize for a few seconds before doing anything.

With that engine, never turn it backwards on the crank pulley and spin the engine over with the coilpacks disconnected until the oil pressure comes up after an oil change.

The VW group out sourced the manufacture of the timing chains on many engines, but the chains supplied were poor quality. I changed mine on a 2014 Fabia (at 100km) and the old chain had stretched over 1 cm! Beware.

Not quite sure what im listening for. Recently brought a 2015 polo 1.2 TSI. Full service history and dealership claimed timing belt was very recently replaced. Service history seens to reflect that but now im hearing its not a belt in a polo but a chain. When i start my engine seems to rumble slightly more then settles down into a quiet drone... but this happens nearly every time. Regardless i will not be hitting the gas upon start up.

I suppose worth mentioning that Fabia 1.2, VW Fox and Ibiza 1.2 share that engine.

The 1980s/90s Honda VFR 750 motorcycle engine (V4) had gear driven camshafts. Good for 200k miles. Amazing engineering. The engines whined quietly as a function of the gear driven camshafts. In this regard one of the greatest engines, available to the common man, ever made. Ducati Vtwins used belts.

Hi we have a VW 1.2 Fox Urban 2011 plate with 116,500 on the clock. I was hoping this has a timing chain but I think it makes this sound. Is it a slapping sound or a rattle? It always sounds like a Citroen Dyane when it starts a bit like a lawnmower.

The 1.2 TSI Polo's can jump the chain by simply doing an oil change..... Apparently the tensioner empties itself of oil when draining the oil so when you restart theres no tension until the tensioner fills itself again but by then its too late. Doing the oil change with the engine stone cold is recommended as the oil supposedly stays in the tensioner....even the main dealers are having problems with them.

Might be useful to list what other VW/Seat/Skoda models have this engine. What is it with VAG and timing chains - Honest John always used to slate them when their chain supplier had problems with worn tooling (which they would not fund the repair of) causing faulty chains to be supplied which stretched/broke. High Peak - entertaining but his maths on car profits seems a lot "simpler" than yours!

Don't know if you've tried wbac as a valuation tool bud, but I've noticed recently their prices are megga low, now, 1600 for our 16 plate xe jag, 2400 for 62 plate polo, obviously they'll chip you when you turn up, getting ready for a downturn?

Hi James,so is the the same for the red polo you have aswell or being a diesel is it different?gotta say having watched high peaks and you there is no comparison and I never watched them again after 1 video yet I've been watching you since you were at the alpha place,I told you you'd sell the spark in a day after listing,have a great Saturday 🤙👌👍

i've got a polo tsi. 1.2 and only 18,000 on the clock. now and again if i have left it on the drive for over a week. there is a 'dry rattle'. i always put it down to just the oil hasn't reached the engine on first start up. a few seconds after that it is as quiet as a mouse. never had any problems with mine. i have owned it for 3 years now. it's only 5 years old.

I wouldn't touch a Polo with a barge pole anyway. Overpriced and over rated. I'll stick with my far Eastern cars thank you very much. (Honda, Toyota, Kia, Hyundai, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Nissan). Love this channel, it's just so watchable and I've learnt a fair bit about the motor trade from it.

timing chain rattle a semi permanent thing on the old BMC A Series engine

How about Golf 1.4 TSI? Any better than polo?

Good show

Do some of the hyundai i20's/i30's also suffer from timing chain issues or are they cambelt as I am not sure,anyway due to this I decided to buy a different car instead, was I right or badly advised. Btw I brought a 1.5 dci Renault vehicle and no problems last 4 years +. Thanks James

Strange that 2 central lockings have failed, probably best to check it out first.

And then you get cars with chains like our 1.2 Suzuki Splash that has 100k on the clock, no start up noise, not even a chain running noise like Vauxhalls (signature even faint chain rattle they all seem to have). When idling the K12B engine almost can't be heard and I still find myself checking the rev counter to see if it is. Little or no oil consumption between services...now if only the gearbox wasn't made of brandy snaps...!

The diesel polo needs chain replaced also after 100k due to loosing oil pump drive

Similar story with both Skoda Fabia's with the 1.2 TSI engines in our family, both with full history and less than 50k miles. Absolutely rubbish. We had no issues with the previous older Favorit/Felicia's that came before them! It was also very difficult to get the Skoda main dealers to actually acknowledge the issue - not helped by the fact the noise only occurs on the initial cold start briefly. Disappointing when there are technical bulletins released internally and upgraded timing chain kits.

Rode past High Peak Romiley today.

All because previous owner change oil every 30000km. That is True. I am changing every 5000km an oil filter every 2500km. My tensioner after 110000km is fine even at the morning. No bad sound at all. My engine is CGPB. Last and most improved version. Best motor come from 2010-2014. This is very reliable engine if you know how to treat it. New tsi with 350bar injectors are ticking bomb. Mpi is the best.

That's just the oil depressurising from the tensioner. Replace the tensioner, easy job on these!

another issue I've had with the 1.2 polo's is a miss fire which turns out to be worn vavle guides

Great info, I have however always been suspicious of these baby three cylinder engines. It seems like a cost saving in the manufacturing proses to me!

I've got one to do on Monday, nice thing to look forward to 🙄 It's jumped a tooth or two, it barely idles, code stored for cam/crank correlation. Full service history and only 50k miles or so. 63 plate I think. Shocking

Shout out to Matt @Highpeak Autos

5:25: Timing chain noise Vs 5:10: No noise.

What engine is there in this polo?

I have a 2016 1.2 Petrol and I blieve its a belt rather than a chain...

i do all my own cambelts basically because i dont trust garages to do a correct job,not reaaly a hard job once you know what you are doing,i can do a mk5 transit in around 2 hours but i garage would charge me a day rate

I’ve heard the damage to the chain is parking on a hill with the car in gear, nothing to do with mileage, don’t know if this is just a myth though