Advice on buying a LOW mileage Polo 74kw

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CarLoss
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Advice on buying a LOW mileage Polo 74kw

Post by CarLoss »

Howsit

So i'm looking at an 06 polo highline 1.9 tdi 74kw with 130000 kms on the clock

I have had a look at the car and it is in good condition for its age. Guy selling it is a buyer and seller so he doesnt have much info about it other than it was owned by an old man and been parked off for a while.

So i had a look and test drove the car and here are my observations (will attach pics)

1)The right side of the block has some sort of oil or diesel on it. cant tell how old it is or if its from tandem pump or leaky head gasket. https://ibb.co/MD5VXpP

2)How do I tell if the head has been taken off? https://ibb.co/2vmgTdS

After we drove it it seemed to have picked up an oil leak that was not there before the drive. later on the guy phoned me and said his mech said its the rear main seal (normal for a car that has been standing?). If i buy the car i'd probably have to do clutch since im gonna be paying labour for dropping the box so price goes up. https://ibb.co/1XyKGhf

3)The temp gauge doesn't read up to 90 degrees and sits at about 75 which i believe is the thermostat?

4) At low speeds the steering does a left- right wobble thing whats the worse this can be?

5)I'd like to change the cambelt for good measure but do I also have to change the oil/water pump and tensioners?

6) interior and steering is neat which makes me believe the mileage is correct. plus underneath is clean and rust free. All body panels match up.

7) aircon clutch engages but no cold air (regas because its been sitting long?)

8) no turbo whine or any thick smoke just the normal puff on start. also does not feel like there has been software on it and the egr is still activated.

So my question is what else should i be looking out for and are these small things common at this mileage that can easily be sorted or should i stay away from bigger impending problems. At what mileage should i expect bigger things to be changed like shocks and CVs? I plan to keep the car for a while for its economy and later do mods on it once its fixed up.

https://ibb.co/mD1p6ry

https://ibb.co/89mXHMv

https://ibb.co/89mXHMv
TDi
VGTI
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Re: Advice on buying a LOW mileage Polo 74kw

Post by VGTI »

1)The right side of the block has some sort of oil or diesel on it. cant tell how old it is or if its from tandem pump or leaky head gasket. https://ibb.co/MD5VXpP

Tandem pump had a recall on some models but seems like the engine hasnt been cleaned for a while. Clean it proper and then diagnose leak. New tandempumpis between R3500 and R4500 from Goldwagen... Wear a nappy when you ask a VW dealership for the price

2)How do I tell if the head has been taken off? https://ibb.co/2vmgTdS

Not sure

3)The temp gauge doesn't read up to 90 degrees and sits at about 75 which i believe is the thermostat?

Most likely thermostat

4) At low speeds the steering does a left- right wobble thing whats the worse this can be?

Maybe LCA bushes

5)I'd like to change the cambelt for good measure but do I also have to change the oil/water pump and tensioners?

Waterpump yes as it is driven by the cambelt so while you're in there

6) interior and steering is neat which makes me believe the mileage is correct. plus underneath is clean and rust free. All body panels match up.

Only way to tell is vagcom which will give you the correct value

7) aircon clutch engages but no cold air (regas because its been sitting long?)

Regas probably yes

8) no turbo whine or any thick smoke just the normal puff on start. also does not feel like there has been software on it and the egr is still activated.

So my question is what else should i be looking out for and are these small things common at this mileage that can easily be sorted or should i stay away from bigger impending problems. At what mileage should i expect bigger things to be changed like shocks and CVs? I plan to keep the car for a while for its economy and later do mods on it once its fixed up.

Mine is a 96KW but should give some indication

Front shocks replaced at 385000 km :driving:
Rear shocks at 195000km and again at 385000km
I was just to lazy at 195k to do the fronts but it never felt all that bad :twisted:
CVs still original @ 405000km
Clutch still original @405000km
Turbo still original @405000km

The list goes on, very reliable and cheap to run cars.

Concerns I see from the pictures...

Blue green antifreeze... why not proper ping VW G12, it is easy enough to get and cheap!

If small stuff ike that is ignored then was the correct oil spec used. Requires VW505.01 for high shear specs on the PD motor camshafts. May lead to premature cam wear.
'04 Polo TDI 1661.9 km on 58.05l
'13 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 Elite
CarLoss
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Re: Advice on buying a LOW mileage Polo 74kw

Post by CarLoss »

VGTI wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2020 12:36 pm 1)The right side of the block has some sort of oil or diesel on it. cant tell how old it is or if its from tandem pump or leaky head gasket. https://ibb.co/MD5VXpP

Tandem pump had a recall on some models but seems like the engine hasnt been cleaned for a while. Clean it proper and then diagnose leak. New tandempumpis between R3500 and R4500 from Goldwagen... Wear a nappy when you ask a VW dealership for the price

2)How do I tell if the head has been taken off? https://ibb.co/2vmgTdS

Not sure

3)The temp gauge doesn't read up to 90 degrees and sits at about 75 which i believe is the thermostat?

Most likely thermostat

4) At low speeds the steering does a left- right wobble thing whats the worse this can be?

Maybe LCA bushes

5)I'd like to change the cambelt for good measure but do I also have to change the oil/water pump and tensioners?

Waterpump yes as it is driven by the cambelt so while you're in there

6) interior and steering is neat which makes me believe the mileage is correct. plus underneath is clean and rust free. All body panels match up.

Only way to tell is vagcom which will give you the correct value

7) aircon clutch engages but no cold air (regas because its been sitting long?)

Regas probably yes

8) no turbo whine or any thick smoke just the normal puff on start. also does not feel like there has been software on it and the egr is still activated.

So my question is what else should i be looking out for and are these small things common at this mileage that can easily be sorted or should i stay away from bigger impending problems. At what mileage should i expect bigger things to be changed like shocks and CVs? I plan to keep the car for a while for its economy and later do mods on it once its fixed up.

Mine is a 96KW but should give some indication

Front shocks replaced at 385000 km :driving:
Rear shocks at 195000km and again at 385000km
I was just to lazy at 195k to do the fronts but it never felt all that bad :twisted:
CVs still original @ 405000km
Clutch still original @405000km
Turbo still original @405000km

The list goes on, very reliable and cheap to run cars.

Concerns I see from the pictures...

Blue green antifreeze... why not proper ping VW G12, it is easy enough to get and cheap!

If small stuff ike that is ignored then was the correct oil spec used. Requires VW505.01 for high shear specs on the PD motor camshafts. May lead to premature cam wear.
Hi thanks for the detailed reply. i have decided it wasn't worth the price for the car but however i'm going to look at another one tomorrow that has 186000kms. anything else i should look at or ask about in particular
TDi
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