Unloved but unmolested VW Polo 1.2 2004

[Wheatsheaf]

Not exactly a supercar or any form of exotica, but for the sum of £100 I am now the proud of owner of this:



The interior is not up to my usual standards!



It was bought from my friend who had owned it since it was a few months old, but after it recently failed its MOT on what looks like a few hundred quids' worth of parts and labour, he decided enough was enough. Hating the thought of it being scrapped or broken for parts, I took it on as a going concern with the intention of restoring it to its former glory, getting it through its MOT then probably selling it. I have no need for a car like this so this is purely a vanity project

These are the MOT Failures:

Rear Registration plate inscription illegible
Front Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively
Engine MIL inoperative or indicates a malfunction
Exhaust hydrocarbon content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits
Exhaust carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits
Exhaust Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits
Offside Front Drive shaft joint constant velocity boot severely deteriorated
Nearside Front Headlamp lens slightly defective
Offside Front Headlamp lens slightly defective

Bold ones are the unknowns. It does however have a minor leak of exhaust gases which I hope once fixed will help with the lambda and hydrocarbon issue (overfuelling I suspect due to lambda reporting high oxygen). Carbon monoxide reading may improve once the above is fixed and the catalytic converter is warmed up.

First job is a jolly good clean inside and out, and a polish of the headlights. I'll keep this updated with progress

[andburg]

Good luck

I'd sort the emmissions and get 12 months MOT before wasting 8 hours cleaning a shed

[Terzo123]

Good luck.

I tried similar with a £400 quid Polo a few years back. It was a POS with the pedal box collapsing, the thermostat having been bodged, various EML faults.

It was also the easiest car I've ever had to sell. Had the phone ringing off the hook the second after i placed the ad on Scumtree.

[Wheatsheaf]

Thanks for the encouragement so far . Yesterday I made a start:



I replaced the offside CV joint and boot which wasn't too bad a job. In over 25 years of car repair, I usually buy a Haynes manual straightaway... however this time I decided to resort to Youtube. I find it takes a while to find the best video for the job. This bloke won with a no-nonsense and informative video guide; he even did the job outside in the pouring rain so fair play to him.

So the lower ball joint came off without too much aggravation allowing the hub to be displaced and access to the driveshaft to be gained



The new one went on no problem:



and reassembled with no drama.

I also investigated the exhaust leak (mentioned on the MOT as an advisory) and rattle/thumping noise from the front suspension at low speed. Well after raising the car and removing the undershield, I found the exhaust leak was from the flexible connector, so I took off this section of the exhaust although unfortunately snapped a mounting bolt to the catalytic converter in the process . I also found the nearside droplink had come apart completely which I'm pretty sure explains the rattle/thump.



I've already picked up the new exhaust and droplinks for both sides so will try to fit tonight

[Wheatsheaf]

In case you're wondering why I dismantled the entire front of the car to replace a CV joint, well I also sorted out the headlights and didn't want to risk the scuffing/scratching the paintwork. Also I like cleaning . So this is the before shot:



and this the after. I used two grades of wet and dry, then rubbing compound and finally Super Resin polish:



Bit more cleaning. The previous owner lived under a huge pine tree and the scuttle was clogged:



Admittedly this job took rather a long while but I feel so much better now

[Wheatsheaf]

Bit of an update on the car.

I did the following jobs:

- Replaced front drop links
- Replaced exhaust & clamp
- Fitted new number plates
- Fitted new CV joints both sides
- Replaced spark plugs
- New air filter & pollen filter
- Replaced gearstick gaiter
- Replaced wipers front and back
- Massive clean inside and out including DA polish (had to be done)

Took it for an MOT today and it flew through with just advisories on the two front tyres. Very pleased indeed!

Here's how it's looking now







So with a heavy heart I guess I'll have to sell it. I don't know anyone who wants a car like this, so it will go onto the open market. I thought of keeping it for my son but he's not 17 for another 6 1/2 years, so that would be rather daft. My total outlay, including all the above and the cost of the MOT, is £313. I guess I'll make some money on it but for me the fun was "rescuing it from the dead" and turning it into something really rather nice that I'm proud to pass onto the next owner.

[Pieman68]

Gutted my daughter has not started her lessons yet, I'd have taken your arm off for a nice little snotter like that if she was anywhere near driving

[Trophy Husband]

They were a pretty little thing at the front blending into generic VW at the back. Well done you. That's worth a grand all day long. Good luck.

[DevonLad]

Wheatsheaf I see you are based in the |Southwest, where about's? My son has just started driving and is looking for a cheap car. Depending on where you are and the price I could be interested.

Feel free to pm me.

Thanks Garry

[alec.e]

Looks very similar to mine, which was my first car.

Last MOT was 214,000 miles!

[Mercury00]

There's definitely something therapeutic about sorting the little things on a shed. Even stuff like swapping rusty screws on a number plate, it makes the car that little bit smarter.

[BugLebowski]

Is that the little 1.2 3 cylinder engine with a massive 55bhp? Genuinely the slowest car I've ever driven. They do seem to last forever though.

[Wheatsheaf]

Hi again, I thought I'd provide a final update on the car.

I wasn't happy that despite passing the MOT there was a still a clonking noise emanating from the front suspension. I'd already replaced the droplinks so decided to replace the wishbones bushes (both bushes on each side) and the ARB bushes.

As you may know the ARB bushes are an easy job but the wishbone bushes really were a challenge, not just the time taken (which spread over 3 evenings must have taken me over 6 hours) but the sheer amount of force needed to extract the old, and in particular, install the new.

You can get a special kit of tools for this job for about £35 but I made do with a bench vise, sockets, and some threaded rod and nuts/washers, which worked fine. Such was the force needed to install the new bushes however makes me wonder if the £35 tool would be up to the job (or maybe I was doing it wrong!!).

Anyway they went in eventually: here I am using a 46mm socket on one side and a 15mm on the other to drive home the new forward bush:



So afterwards I took the car for a quick ride around the block, and at last no more clonking! That evening it went on Facebook Marketplace for £750, I was contacted within about 2 mins by a prospective buyer, he arrived on time as agreed next morning, paid £700 and off he went. I read a lot of car selling horror stories on PH so this was a bit of a relief!

I maybe could have got more (I did think £1,000 was a bit optimistic) but I guess I was looking for £700 and that's what I got, so I'm fairly happy with that.

Oh and to answer the question posed by @BugLebowski it was not the 55bhp version but the 64bhp version! Actually quite good fun to drive . For me the slowest car accolade goes to the Citroen Dyane 6 I had at university - 35bhp

Edited by Wheatsheaf on Friday 4th September 14:56