Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car

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Sat 5 Jan 2019 19:16
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - Christine J

I am due to sell my 2014 1.4 TDi Polo, and am not sure how to deal with the following.

It used to have a problem with the back wheels sticking after sitting overnight in the rain. When I spoke to the dealer about this, they talked about sandblasting as a solution, which I never went ahead with. The problem was very bad when I'd left the car sitting in constant rain for a few days - it took a lot of accelerating/reversing to force the wheels loose.

A couple of months ago, I went over a particularly vicious bump in the road, and since then I don't have the problem (well at least not when it's left overnight, I haven't been able to leave it longer). So now I need to sell the car, I'm not sure how I'd tackle this if I was to sell it privately. How do, or should I, explain that this used to be a problem?

Of course I do have the option of selling to the dealer, or WeBuyAnyCar, but I think I could get at least £1k more selling privately.

Any advice gratefully received!

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Sat 5 Jan 2019 19:42
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - bathtub tom

It's a common problem. Light surface rust causes the linings to 'stick' to the drums in damp conditions.

Have you tried leaving the car in gear instead of applying the handbrake?

If it were my car I was selling, I'd move the car a few feet to 'unstick' the brakes before anyone came to view it, but don't warm the engine up - I walk away from a used car with a warm engine.

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Sat 5 Jan 2019 19:50
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - Christine J

Thanks Tom, so you wouldn't declare it as a past or potential future issue?

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Sat 5 Jan 2019 19:52
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - gordonbennet

Lots of cars suffer with similar brake problems if left for a couple of days after washing, if you have your own drive and its on the level you could leave the car in gear (a brick or two as chocks for safety) with the parking brake off, even my 4x4 can suffer with this problem sometimes.

I'd say nothing at all about it because it's quite a regular thing that happens, keep schtum is my advice.

Don't know about sandblasting, what on earth would they do that for, you will still have the same materials, so if it's slight rusting of the friction surface causing the problem (it usually is) soon as the wet gets in you'll be back in the same boat...if i was keeping the car and it became a real problem i'd probably slip another make of brake pads/shoes on, it might fix the issue it might not.

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Sat 5 Jan 2019 20:07
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - Christine J

Thanks gordon. It's the first time I've ever had this with a car and it was shocking when I first experienced it! I'm guessing that the bump knocked the rust off. Unfortunately I don't have my own drive :-(

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Sat 5 Jan 2019 21:17
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - craig-pd130

Lots of cars suffer with similar brake problems if left for a couple of days after washing, if you have your own drive and its on the level you could leave the car in gear (a brick or two as chocks for safety) with the parking brake off, even my 4x4 can suffer with this problem sometimes.

I'd say nothing at all about it because it's quite a regular thing that happens, keep schtum is my advice.

I second Gordon's advice.

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Sat 5 Jan 2019 21:36
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - Christine J

Thank you Craig :-)

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Sat 5 Jan 2019 23:02
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - Andrew-T

As you say the problem seems to have gone away, I don't see why you should mention it. Unless you are asked a direct question, of course .....

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Sat 5 Jan 2019 23:13
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - Christine J

Thanks Andrew, good advice!

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Sat 5 Jan 2019 19:59
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - Leif
The day I took my VW Up to WBAC to see how much they would offer, I couldn’t move it as the rear wheels were stuck solid. It took five minutes of rocking back and forth before it would move. It hadn’t been used for a week. Normally it was used daily, even then the back wheels often stuck for a few seconds when started in the morning.

Pity I don’t need a new used car, you sound like the sort of honest person to buy from. ;)
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Sat 5 Jan 2019 20:10
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - Christine J

Thanks Leif, it's always good to know how bad others suffer with the same issue! To be honest, I'm happy to sell it to WBAC or the dealer without mentioning it. (The same dealer who I bought it from).

Your last sentence was lovely, thank you!

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Sat 5 Jan 2019 22:31
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - veloceman
I think it quite a common problem on Polo based cars.
My exwife has an Ibiza and has the same problem after being left for a few days.
Best solution is to leave in gear with handbrake off.
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Sat 5 Jan 2019 23:18
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - Christine J

Thanks veloceman. Much appreciated!

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Sun 6 Jan 2019 00:52
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - SLO76
Common problem on VAG cars with rear drums I’m afraid. My own 2012 Polo TDi suffers the same but it’s easy fixed by any local independent garage by asking them to clean the rear brakes. You should also ask anyone servicing the car to do so also as unbelievably it’s not part of a service.

I find they start to bind like this after around 6mths of use and my local workshop will clean them for £50-£70 depending on mood on the day. Alternatively it could be the rear cylinders which are another common failure that I’ve also had on mine.

Unfortunately VW’s aren’t as well made as their reputation would suggest and I am also considering replacing mine before the usual costly and all too common EGR, DPF and injector problems arise. Something petrol and Japanese would be a safer bet.

Edited by SLO76 on 06/01/2019 at 00:52

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Sun 6 Jan 2019 02:25
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - sajid

honda civic? toyota auris 1.2, o either the korean cars

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Sun 6 Jan 2019 15:24
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - edlithgow

One of my rear drums was stuck after being left parked in monsoonal Taiwan over the summer (along with more serious electrical broblems, rats in the boot and frogs in the water-filled sills)

After evicting the livestock I ground the rust off the drum inside with my now standard rust remover, a flattened beer can disk in a drill chuck. This generates a lot of aluminium fragments and filings, as you might expect, and I considered leaving them in the drum in the hope they'd have an ongoing anti rust effect.

Tipped them out eventually, but I might try it next time.

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Sun 6 Jan 2019 20:27
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - Christine J

Sounds like something I've seen in a film edlithgow. Mine didn't take monsoons, livestock or even days when it was at its worst - just a normal 8 hour working day in the company car park in the rain!

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Sun 6 Jan 2019 21:15
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - S40 Man

After evicting the livestock I groud the rust off the drum inside with my now standard rust remover, a flattened beer can disk in a drill chuck. This generates a lot of aluminium fragments and filings, as you might expect, and I considered leaving them in the drum in the hope they'd have an ongoing anti rust effect.

Tipped them out eventually, but I might try it next time.

That sounds like a recipe for a thernite reaction!? Aluminium reacts fast with rust. You wouldn't want that in you brakes?

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermite

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Sun 6 Jan 2019 20:24
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - Christine J

Thanks SLO76 I'll bear this in mind for any future cars - avoid rear drums! When I bought the car from the dealer I commented how rusty they looked through the wheels but they said it wasn't an issue .

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Sun 6 Jan 2019 23:34
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - Andrew-T

Thanks SLO76 I'll bear this in mind for any future cars - avoid rear drums!

Rear discs are OK, but may have their own problems because light use allows surface rust to accumulate. Personally I prefer rear drums, the ones on my Peugeots never stick on - but luckily I am able to park the car overnight without applying the handbrake. You could do that too, by leaving the car in bottom gear or reverse.

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Mon 7 Jan 2019 12:08
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - Manatee

Absolutely normal, some cars are more prone than others.

My MX-5 gets out about twice a month at this time of year. It's currently parked on the drive with handbrake off and in gear, If I put the handbrake on I know it will unstick with a clang when I set off, so I leave it off.

I work it a bit now and then when rolling to rub off any rust on the braking surface and keep the mechanism free. Handbrakes are pain in the neck really, I have no need of it.

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Mon 7 Jan 2019 12:52
Volkswagen Polo - How to/whether to explain problem when selling car - Andrew-T

Handbrakes are pain in the neck really, I have no need of it.

Can be useful sometimes for hill starts :-)

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