VW Polo GTI 1.8T - Ultimate Ownership Guide

VW 9N3 Polo GTI is a very flawed hot hatch, the Joker to its elder brother Mk5 Golf GTI. A total of 50 units equipped with 1.8 litre turbocharged and 5-speed manual gearbox were brought into Malaysia back in March 2008. RM139k was logically expected to be at the right market segment below its elder brother. But reality was not kind to this car, the response was so bad that forces VW Cars to put it on a fire sale at RM99k 2 months later. 

My journey with this car was well documented here in this blog. I have tried and experimented many things with helping hands from virtual friends across continents. And what was originally perceived as flawed suddenly turned into one of the very best pocket rockets. The kind of car that I think represents what the Mk4 Golf GTI should be like. 220whp and 330nm in sub 1.2 tonne trolley. Raw, rapid and restless, became formidable weapon for sunday drives among my Godzilla friends. 

It was not until recently I’ve driven friend’s bone stock Polo GTI. Almost 200k kms mileage clocked but lost none of its original character and still runs like clockwork. You can scroll through Mudah.my and can spot few on sale from as little under RM20k. I think it’s an excellent value for a transition car for you to be ready into the world of performance cars. 

I have had 7 colourful years with this car, and I think it would be the right time to write about an ultimate ownership guide for those interested in buying one. At RM20k, you just can’t do much wrong and this guide will help you navigating it through the rough seas. So here it goes. 

Engine

Wholly developed by Audi, this 1.8 litre 20v turbocharged engine is generally a very strong engine with heaps of potential. Simple remap and mods will get you above 200whp easy. And to this day, I would rate it higher in terms of longevity and robustness over newer VW EA113 and EA888 2.0 engines. Don’t worry about maintenance, they’re quite straightforward and won’t break your pocket. 

Maintenance & Repairs:

• Engine Oil & Filter: It requires 4.5 litre of fresh 5w40 fully synthetic engine oil every 10k kms to avoid oil sludge build up. I’d think Castrol Edge or Petronas Syntium 3000 5w40 would offer ideal balance between performance, protection, and price tag. Oil filter should be circa RM35.
• Air Filter: Go for maintenance free drop-in air filter from K&N or Pipercross which should be around RM250. It will last you a lifetime.
• Spark Plugs: Go for NGK BKR7E copper plugs (a step cooler) which is about USD8 per pack from ECS Tuning and will last for 30k kms. Alternatively, BKR7E-11 Iridium can be purchased locally.

• Coil Pack: Like any high mileage cars, coil pack failure is a common issue. You can expect rough idle where one or more cylinders misfiring. When that happens, I would recommend for you to replace them as a set which should be around RM500-RM600.
• Coolant: Stick to either VW G12 or G13 spec coolant which should be RM75 per bottle. Additive like Redline Water Wetter can help for greater cooling efficiency.
• Radiator Fan: Radiator fan assembly will get cracked as the car hits over 100k kms mileage. OEM replacement should be around RM600.

• Thermostat: I would recommend for you to replace this when the car past 150k kms mileage. Treat it as precautionary replacement to ensure consistent water temperature reading. 82c thermostat can be purchased online at USD50 but otherwise OEM 87c rated ones would be just fine.
• Oil Cooler: The most common failures of the oil cooler are leaks, which lead to a mix of coolant and engine oil. I would consider this as remote case but if it happens at least you know.
• Timing Belt: I would recommend timing belt change (including water pump) every 80k kms mileage. You wouldn’t want to be cheap and risk the possibility of bending 20 valves and a cracked piston.
• Diverter Valve: Stock diverter valve wouldn’t last long especially when the ECU is already been mapped. And when it happens, you’ll get boost leak. Go for aftermarket stainless steel diverter for peace of mind. Aftermarket DV should be around RM500.

• Crankcase Breather Valve: Make a habit to inspect for signs of oil leaks from here. Should be below RM100. 

• N75 Valve: This valve is responsible for controlling the movement of the pneumatic actuator which drives the wastegate. When you sense the engine is not boosting right, this is one of the culprits. I would avoid “race” version of N75 as you will get into limp mode frequently.
• Turbo: Stock K03S turbo tends to slowly get cracked after 150k kms. You could hunt for new OEM ones in eBay below USD200. And K04-001 turbo which is slightly bigger is also plug and play and not much expensive. Generally this doesn’t require any remap.

Modification Tips:

• APR, Revo, GIAC and Unitronic do offer tried and tested remap. Depending on the health of the engine, stage 1 or 1+ will get you between 170-180whp and 250-260wnm torque.
• Catless 2.5” downpipe would do just fine to free another 10-15whp. To avoid engine check light, you would need an inch up spacer to sit between it and secondary o2 sensor. At this point you can also consider extending the mods to aftermarket muffler but the gain would be marginal and realized at high revs.
• To avoid heat soak, you can consider front mounted intercooler. You can go for either off-the-shelf kit or custom route using good intercooler core. I’m a fan of local fabricators and mine proved to be more effective and cheaper. While you’re at it, you can consider doing open pod filter and diverter valve relocation.

• There’re many routes for more power. Easiest one is getting K04-001 turbo which is direct fit. Or for more adventurous ones and still intend to retain stock internals, you can consider bigger K04-015 from eBay or FrankenTurbo F21 kit. The kit should come with 3” MAF housing, exhaust manifold and inlet turbo pipe. You may need to purchase either 380cc or 415cc injectors plus 4 bar fuel pressure regulator. The result would be minimum 260whp. In a sub 1.2 tonne Polo 9N3, it would be madness.

Gearbox and Misc. Drivetrains

It is perhaps the only VW you can buy officially here with manual gearbox until today. There was a known issue with 02R 5-speed box synchro in early batch of cars but all that kinks already resolved out before coming here. 

Maintenance & Repairs:

• Gear Oil: You can use almost any type of gear oil but for some reason it loves Redline MTL. Get it refreshed every 30k kms and you will be just fine.
• Clutch: The stock clutch tends to struggle after 40k kms mileage. I would recommend for you to go for ECS stage 1 clutch kit. This is basically an OEM VR6 style clutch with 228mm single mass flywheel that can harness more power while retaining daily drivability. Should you opt for 7 or 14 lbs flywheel, expect diesel-like chatter on idle like in the old school Porsche 911s.
• Clutch Slave Cylinder: You can expect the clutch biting point to be off marked right after 150k kms. Replacing clutch cylinder would do the trick and it’s not expensive at USD40 for OEM ones.

Modification Tips:

• Gear Linkage: While the gear ratios are fine but engaging from cog to cog feels too disconnected albeit short throws. If you can find someone who can shave or remove out the rubber bushes all together to get bolt-action rifle gear change, by old means please do so. 
• LSD: Problem with remapped Polo 9N3 is about putting the power to the ground and making use of it through the corners. One of the workarounds is to get mechanical LSD fitted. The only problem, besides the money of course, is you need to bring down the gearbox down to see if it needs 113mm or 114mm ring gear before start ordering. 

Suspension

Inherited from Mk4 Golf as base, the overall suspension structure and setup is basic. Independent MacPherson strut up front and twist beam rear. They work alright but nothing magical. 

Maintenance & Repairs:

• Anti-Roll Bar Drop Links: When the car started to clunks under rough roads, be sure to inspect or replace ARB drop links. The bushes likely shot and need replacing. 
• Front Bushings: The front’s rear lower arm control bush is known to fail after 50k kms. Go for solid rubber bushes from Seat Ibiza R for below RM200 including shipping. Replacing it will cost some money as you need to take out the subframe.

• Rear Axle Beam Bushings: This will tend to crack at 100k kms. I would recommend replacing it with OEM ones rather than PUs as you need the chassis along with suspension to still breathe on our Malaysian roads.
• Shock Absorbers: The stock shock absorbers will last about 4-5 years of usage provided you use stock spring. OEM shocks should be sub RM1k for a set.
• Alignment: One of the very areas you don’t have to worry because you can only tweak the front toe. The rest is fixed. If anybody mentioned your camber or worst subframe needs adjustment, walk away.

 

Modification Tips:

• Spring & Shocks Combo: Rather than just changing the coil springs, I would encourage for you to consider lowered spring with matching short stroke shocks. H&R Cup Kit and Bilstein B12 Pro Kit are among known brands that have been tested for the car. 
• Coilovers: H&R, KW and Bilstein produce coilovers for this car. Alternatively, you can engage Fawster for custom inverted monotube coilovers with body shift capability at competitive price. And while you’re at it, get them to set it up properly and it will be well worth it.

• Rear Toe Shim: Whiteline produces shims to zerofy the rear wheels toe in. It would make the car’s handling more neutral under braking. Advisable for track junkies though.
• Wheels and Tyres: Depending on your preference, you can remain with 205/45/16 or upsize an inch bigger to 215/40/17. Not much difference in terms of steering feel and grip, but surely looks the part.

Braking

The braking system is made up of Lucas single-pot with 288mm brake rotors front and single-pot with 232mm brake rotors rear, driven by single brake master cylinder. They’re good enough for occasion fast road driving for a car of this size and weight. Generally they’re problem free. 

Maintenance & Repairs:

• Brake Fluid: Supports all forms of Dot 4 and Dot 5.1 fluids. I would recommend Bendix Dot 5.1 or ATE Type 200 Dot 4 for not much money. 
• Brake Pads & Rotors: Standard wear rate. Genuine and OEM pads can be purchased locally without issues. Circa RM400 for pads and RM600 for rotors, for a set. For better bite, you have the options of going for EBC Green/Red/Yellow pads while MTEC do make variety style rotors (cross-drilled, slotted, c-hook) at reasonable prices.

Modification Tips:

• Brake Lines: Going for stainless steel braided lines is ideal upgrade for better pedal feel. The ones meant for Mk4 Golf are direct fit. 
• VAG OEM BBK (Front): You have 2 options. Audi TT 1.8’s ATE single-pot 54mm calipers with 312mm brake rotors which will snugly fit inside original 16” wheels. They’re also same setup used in Polo GTI Cup. Or, Mk4 Golf R32 Lucas twin-pot with 334mm rotors, requires 17” wheels. Both options are direct fit.

• VAG OEM BBK (Rear): To provide the balance with front brake upgrade, you can consider reusing Mk4 Golf R32 single-pot with 256mm rotors. You need different hub carriers to fit. 
• After Market BBK: If you wanted more, you can consider Wilwood Forged Superlite 6-pot kit with 327mm rotors meant for Mk4 Golf. They’re lighter at 22kg total. 

Interior

Like any German made cars, majority of them are very well built with good materials but doesn’t necessarily cope with our weather. Expect to spend some money to tidy up.

Maintenance & Repairs:

• Cup Holder: Almost all cup holders are broken. Just ignore it. Roof Lining: They will sag after years of use. Budget around RM500 to replace.
• Door Trims: Like the roof lining, they will sag and peeled off. Budget similar amount for replacement. 
• Aircond: Majority of continental cars are using closed loop system and this car is no exception. Pay close attention getting the filter cleaned or replace and ensure the compressor has enough fluids to run. Compressor failure will clogged the pipes, receiver dryer and condenser. If you’re not lucky, you need total system replacement and that will comes with RM4k bill upwards.