2002 VW Polo Exhaust Emissions Warning Light

[Lilly]

About 12 months ago my exhaust emissions warning light came on, i consulted the manual which of course says to take the car into the local VW dealership without delay. I recently had some problems with my local VW dealers, not to mention the costs, so i hesitated. After a fortnight or so the light went off.

About 2 weeks ago, it came back on for a few days, went off for a day and came back on again!

When i put this into a search engine on the net, i came up with loads of forum threads, referring to this "well know problem" one that has VW owners and mechanics across the country baffled.

I know i shall have to face a garage soon, but being a woman in my twenties and knowing nothing of cars, im concerned i may get conned! So if anyone has any ideas what the problem could be, if you've encountered this problem, how much it may cost??? In fact any info is greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

[Adam]

Hi Lilly,

I had a similar problem with my VW Passat, with the exhaust emmission light coming on for few days then going off.

I was told by my friendly local garage that ECU had gone, and need replacing at an approx cost of £900.

Don't panic, that wasn't the problem. . .

VW diagnosed the problem as a faulty sensor on the coolant system,
total cost was £45. . .

I would take it to VW, they have the specialist equipment to diagnose it and then fix it. . .

Hope this helps. . .

Happy and safe motoring,

Adam:Blush:



About 12 months ago my exhaust emissions warning light came on, i consulted the manual which of course says to take the car into the local VW dealership without delay. I recently had some problems with my local VW dealers, not to mention the costs, so i hesitated. After a fortnight or so the light went off.

About 2 weeks ago, it came back on for a few days, went off for a day and came back on again!

When i put this into a search engine on the net, i came up with loads of forum threads, referring to this "well know problem" one that has VW owners and mechanics across the country baffled.

I know i shall have to face a garage soon, but being a woman in my twenties and knowing nothing of cars, im concerned i may get conned! So if anyone has any ideas what the problem could be, if you've encountered this problem, how much it may cost??? In fact any info is greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

[roypch]

Hello Group

Our VW Polo 1.4 16V (2001, AUA engine code) had exhaust emission warning light on since Saturday. Got an appointment with local VW dealer for tuesday to check it out. (I only used the car for less than 10 miles after warning lamp)

When I started the car today to take it to dealer, light went away. Dealer's service department says that they may not be able to do a proper investigation if there is no 'light'. So i brought it back.

Is this the right thing to do ? Or should i have asked them to investigate regardless (and pay 90 pounds) ?

I had Morrisons Petrol in the tank when this happened. I had put in some 'Forte gas treatment' in the tank when light came on, thinking that it could be due to poor quality fuel, . Could this have cured the problem ??

Thanks in advance

Roy

[aileen]

Roy,

I had the same problem with my VW Polo 2004, the light would come on and then go out. At times it would be on for days and then suddenly go out again.
I contacted the VW garage and they told me to bring in it. They told me it needed anew seal to the throttle pump, which they fitted and because the car was still in warranty i had nothing to pay. Took the car home and yes the next day light came on again. Obviously i contacted the VW garage again and was told to bring it in the following week. Had to leave it with them for two days, they then diagnosed that it needed a new MAP sensor, which again they fitted free of charge. Have the car back over a week now and so far no light. I'm still not sure the problem is sorted completely as the car now seems to be chugging a bit in third and fourth gears. Hope this helps in some way.

Aileen

[Lucy88]

Hi Group

I had the same problem with my 2003 Polo. The exhaust emissions warning light came on and my car lost power, juddering and basically was undriveable. I phoned my VW garage who advised me that they knew what the problem was. The software had to be upgraded - this was done free of charge and I was advised this was a known fault. My car at the time was approx 1 year old.

This week I had the same problem, the exahust emissions warning light came on again. Exactly the same symptons. Luckily I was only at the top of my road and was able to get the car home. I phoned my VW garage and advised them I had the same problem that I had experienced before. They did advise me that the light covers a variety of problems. My car was then taken to the garage where the fault was investigated. It turned out that this time the coil was faulty and had to be replaced. My Polo was out of its warranty in November 2006, as a goodwill gesture VW replaced the part free of charge and I was back on the road the same day.:Blush:

I thought that this might be useful for anyone having the same problems with their exhaust emissions light, especially as this seems to be a known problem.

Lucy.

[PoloGTI2103]

hi,
Around 2 yrs ago, I had a 2002 1.4SE Polo petrol with the same issue. The emissions light came on and the car lost power and started to misfire. It turned out an ignition coil pack had gone which i had replaced. Unfortunately 2 wks later another 2 went down which was somewhat embarrasing as it happened in the middle of a busy road junction. If this fault occurs on your vehicle then I would have all 4 replaced at once as it works out cheaper in the long run regarding labour time. Don't make the mistake and penny pinch like I did! Regards,

Brendan:1zhelp:

[Happydays]

Hi, my 1.2 polo is doing this too. It did it about 18 months ago, had it booked into the dealer but then the lamp went off. Not been on again since until last night, then it came on again. I put more petrol in tonight and it's gone off again! Hmmm. The car is under warranty til November so is it worth asking the dealer again (or will they charge me?) or send it to my nice independent VW garage (who obviously will charge me, but less)?

[Lucy88]

Hi

Happydays - As your car is under warranty I would take it back to the VW dealer - perhaps you should just clarify with them that it will be fixed under warranty.

My 2003 Polo's exhaust emissions light is on and off like a yo-yo! My car seems to be running fine. It is due for a service very soon so I will get it checked out then. Meantime I have upgraded my AA membership with homestart!

regards, Lucy.

[roypch]

Hello !

Apologies for this late update on my car !. The emission light did not come on after the initial 2 day 'warning'.

Car went through MOT without any problem recently. I am suspecting that it was linked to tesco/morrisons petrol problems we had here at that time. (I even bought VW/Audi obd scanner to see whether i can read the fault code !!)

Many thanks

Roy

[aileen]

Hi all,

Was driving to work this morning and guess what the light came on again. I'm really stumped with this, its getting really annoying. I really dont know if taking it back to VW will sort it out, as they have fitted two new parts and it is now on again.I am beginning to wonder if it is to do with petrol. Any suggestions:confused:

[FOOTSY]

I DRIVE A 1.9TDI AND MY LIGHTS BEEN ON SINCE SEPTEMBER.SOMETHING
LIKE (EGR VALVE) WHEN I HAD IT ON THE FAULT CODE READER. CAN
ANYBODY HELP PLEASE AS THE LIGHT IS ON OFF,ON OFF,ON OFF AND ITS DOING MY HEAD IN!?:zx11:

[aileen]

To be honest i don't think this problem is the same for any two cars. There seems to be so many reasons for this light coming on, i have had two parts changed and still the light has come on again. Since monday it has gone off again, i can't give a definite answer to this problem and i don't think the garages or dealers can either. With the light going on and off it might be a faulty sensor. Sorry i can't be of more help.:confused:

Aileen

[Happydays]

Hi all,

Was driving to work this morning and guess what the light came on again. I'm really stumped with this, its getting really annoying. I really dont know if taking it back to VW will sort it out, as they have fitted two new parts and it is now on again.I am beginning to wonder if it is to do with petrol. Any suggestions:confused:

I wondered if it was petrol for mine too... filled up at morissons : light came on, stayed on til I filled up at Shell. A mechanic friend said that in his opinion Tesco and Morissons petrol is not as good as Shell/Sainsbury's/BP etc... not as 'clean'.

[shmonkey]

I have had a 1.2 Polo E for just under 3 months now, and the emissions warning light has come on for the first time. Luckily it is under warranty from the place I purchased it from, however after reading a number of the issues other people have faced, when I purchased the car, it had failed its MOT due to an emissions fault, which resulted in the garage replacing the Fuel Sensors and the Catalytic Converter (the car would bounce and misfire all over the shop - luckily it was the car shop's job to fix this).

I would doubt that the issue is caused as a result of bad fuel, as have been using fuel from ESSO, Texaco and Shell (I dont trust supermarket fuel).

I'll post the results once I have got it checked out, as there seems to be so many different issues regarding the same warning light!

Thanks

[FOOTSY]

after about a year now and no fix i decided to take the egr valve out and clean all the carbon,gunk and slime out to no result.
so booked it into my local vw dealer to get it on the diagnostic as i was sick as f**k and could no longer look at the emmisions warning lamp.
out of curiousity i
had a look again at the hoses that go from the egr valve to the black box to the left of it.noticed that one of the hoses (the ribbed one)had been rubbing against a pipe resulting in 3 small holes.
taped up and the jobs a good un.
1.emmisions warning lamp has gone off.
2.car goes like **** off a stick especially in second.
3.saved myself 60 notes from not going to vw.
4.the turbo seems to whistle louder.
5.one big smile on my face. http://www.tigerstyle.co.uk/poloforum/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif

[shmonkey]

In response to my last post, since I went back to my car last night, the engine warning light had disappeared. As all of the sensors were brand new, Im probably guessing that there must have been some dirt lodged somewhere and has since been shifted. Will keep an eye on it though, in case it comes back again.

[shmonkey]

after about a year now and no fix i decided to take the egr valve out and clean all the carbon,gunk and slime out to no result.
so booked it into my local vw dealer to get it on the diagnostic as i was sick as f**k and could no longer look at the emmisions warning lamp.
out of curiousity i
had a look again at the hoses that go from the egr valve to the black box to the left of it.noticed that one of the hoses (the ribbed one)had been rubbing against a pipe resulting in 3 small holes.
taped up and the jobs a good un.
1.emmisions warning lamp has gone off.
2.car goes like **** off a stick especially in second.
3.saved myself 60 notes from not going to vw.
4.the turbo seems to whistle louder.
5.one big smile on my face. http://www.tigerstyle.co.uk/poloforum/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif


It's amazing what a bit of Gaffer tape does :D

[JamesC]

About a month and a half ago my emissions light came on. I read the fault with the appropriate software and it says it's the cat. Is it likely to be the cat? I've recently (in the last 2 weeks) had power loss when the car is revving higher (for going down an A road or up a hill).

I've changed the lambda sensor, but I can't see what else it could be. Obviously I don't mind replacing the cat. But I'd love to know what could cause the cat to go at 42k miles and if the cat alone would be enough to cause the symptoms I am getting.

It's a 2002 Polo E with 42k miles on the clock.

Thanks

[shmonkey]

About a month and a half ago my emissions light came on. I read the fault with the appropriate software and it says it's the cat. Is it likely to be the cat? I've recently (in the last 2 weeks) had power loss when the car is revving higher (for going down an A road or up a hill).

I've changed the lambda sensor, but I can't see what else it could be. Obviously I don't mind replacing the cat. But I'd love to know what could cause the cat to go at 42k miles and if the cat alone would be enough to cause the symptoms I am getting.

It's a 2002 Polo E with 42k miles on the clock.

Thanks


I have a Polo E 1.2, and Thats how many miles my car had done when the cat was replaced, the main symptom was that the car wasnt idling properly (it would bounce all over the shop) - the cat was replaced and havent had the problem again. I wouldnt have thought that the cat would cause power loss like that, but then i wouldnt know.

mine always struggles going up a hill, but thats probably mainly down to the size of the engine

[JamesC]

I have a Polo E 1.2, and Thats how many miles my car had done when the cat was replaced, the main symptom was that the car wasnt idling properly (it would bounce all over the shop) - the cat was replaced and havent had the problem again. I wouldnt have thought that the cat would cause power loss like that, but then i wouldnt know.

mine always struggles going up a hill, but thats probably mainly down to the size of the engine

Hi,

Well - we'll see, I'm just trying to locate where mine is currently. Mail order place said it's at number 47 but there's no 47 on the road I live :confused:. How many hours of labour was it where you got yours done? or did you do it yourself?

[shmonkey]

Hi,

Well - we'll see, I'm just trying to locate where mine is currently. Mail order place said it's at number 47 but there's no 47 on the road I live :confused:. How many hours of labour was it where you got yours done? or did you do it yourself?

I had purchased the car in the condition during the test drive, however luckily the MOT was due, which was being taken care of by the garage, they had ordered the part, but because of the fact its extremely rare for a cat to go on a car 5 years old, they werent available in stock, so took a week to arrive, and a further 3 days to fix, and no expense to me at all. since then, had no problems *touch wood*.

[olly8719]

HAHAHA engine management light!
My car's gotta be the worst!
My first coil pack went on me back in feb, second in june, and just waiting for the third to go! (1.2 = 3 cylinder engine = 3 coil packs..1 per cylinder).
My advice... do not take your car anywhere to get these coil packs replaced!
VW wanted to charge me £130 EACH (inc vat + labour) to replace these. That made me sick, as I can get hold of one coil pack for £17+vat.
How to replace them:
Remove engine cover.
Unclip electrical connection from coil pack, and pull coil pack out from the spark plug.
Push new unit in onto the spark plug.
Clip wire back on.
Put engine cover back on.
DONE!!!
And VW wanted to charge me £130 for a .... what... 3 minute job?
LOL!

Oh and then coil pack went again in June, and buggered the cat!
first time round they said 'it aint on so bring it back when it does come on again'. That made me sooo angry!
It happened again! Took it back, o2 sensor replaced.
came on again, cat was replaced.
since then it's been hesitating like maaaaad!
horrible when cold, throttle not responding to my foot action on pedal, slight juddering, poor performance, just running like poo!
Warranty runs out in 2 weeks :(:1zhelp::zx11:

sick of this car!
Oh.. and thats just the engine problems.... u wanna know the rest!!!!!

[antcurious]

Am I correct in assuming that not everyone with a lit emmissions light has associated engine trouble? Drove mine away from carsupermarket, filled up an almost empty tank with standard unleaded and straight away the light came on.Car still running perfectly after 50 miles.
I would lean towards the fuel being the problem, but whoever topped up oil before me put in too much, and the manual states that overfilling the oil could damage the catalytic converter, which in turn would make the emmission warning come on..

So which is it? really confused...

My polo is the 1.4 se fsi 2004 with only 10600 miles on it..

Anton

[quirkage]

Hi, I've got the emmissions light on in my 2001 lupo 1.4. I was wondering whether anyone could provide clarification from my circumstances. Both times its come on its when I've been driving in 5th at 50/60 mph, then have slowed down to do some manouvering in 1st. The light has appeared at the point of this first gear manouvering.

I've taken the car into my local mechanic, who plugged it in and said it was to the with the O2 sensor!!! Which doesnt mean much to me.

any help appreciated.

[JamesC]

If it's the O2 sensor it's not too expensive to replace (although there may be two). It is at the front of the engine and looks kind of like a spark plug but with a cable coming out of it. Can pick them up for about £20 off eBay if you don't mind doing a bit of wire cutting/joining. Or you could ask your mechanic, I'd say probably 15 mins labour (but probably rounded up to the hour) and £20-30 for the part.

[quirkage]

If it's the O2 sensor it's not too expensive to replace (although there may be two). It is at the front of the engine and looks kind of like a spark plug but with a cable coming out of it. Can pick them up for about £20 off eBay if you don't mind doing a bit of wire cutting/joining. Or you could ask your mechanic, I'd say probably 15 mins labour (but probably rounded up to the hour) and £20-30 for the part.

thanks for the reply :D I'll pass this info onto the mechanic.

[quirkage]

more info, manged to get the car plugged in at VW and their machine is reporting a faulty EGR valve. Will my non VW mechanic be able to sort this out cheaply? (VW are quoting £246)

[vwnubie]

hi all, i recently had problems with my exhaust on my VW POLO saloon 2001 which i had replaced, although i had to take it back twice as the bracket was knocking on the axle?? anyway the emissions warning has come on the day after having the exhasut adjusted. the garage told me its nothing to do with what they did but something wrong with the engine and its just a coincidence. is that right?

[MissK]

I've got VW Polo 2002 - private sale so no warranty

The light has been coming on and off for 6 months now, but all of a sudden yesterday the car lost power and the light is flashing at me. Took it in the garage, told them not to do anything until they told me what was wrong, but they went ahead and fixed it. Told me it was coil No2, cost me £76 total to fix!!!

drove out of the garage today and guess what, no change, so either the other two coils need fixing, or it wasn't a coil. They checked the cat and its deff not that. Either way its gonna cost me alot of money to fix.

Just wanna cry as i'm going to have to use all the money i saved to pay for my holiday on my car.... :-(

Unless i get to buy two coils cheap from anywhere, does anyone know? Bare in mind i'm female.... foooooking cars! I'm tempted to keep it parked up until the new year after i go on holiday and fix it then, but it means not having a car for two months!!!! raaarrrrrrrr:1zhelp::zx11::(:(:mad::1zhelp::zx11:: aargh4:

[JamesC]

Hi,

See if there's a GSF near you - gsfcarparts.com they want about £23 per coil and if you don't mind getting dirty it takes seconds to change them (May even be able to get GSF to do it for you it's that simple). I just fixed my 2002 - first symptom was the emissions light, and turns out it was the lambda and not the coils, but I put new coils in as well. GSF want £75 + VAT for a lambda but I managed to get it for £45 + VAT, again a really easy fit (but do it when the car is cold) it's just a 22mm spanner (or maybe 20) and undoing something at the front of the car, GSF will be able to tell you what to do I'd of thought, took me about 10 mins to do the lambda as the plug (it's a really simple plug) was slightly misformed so had to use a screw driver to persuade a bit of purple plastic in the plug in to the right place.

Of course all the stuff to change them will probably be in the appropriate Haynes/similar manual.

The coils are simple, in your engine bay (assuming it's the same as mine) there's a black box which has three pipes, one which is like a hose which connects to a box near the battery on the front grill which you distach at the bumper, then a little way up there's 2 smaller pipes which just pull off then give the black box a tug up, and that'll get the box off (just reverse to fit back on)

The coils are 3 black things (again assuming same engine) at the front of the engine. They look cylindrical and have a single plug going in (you push the little bit of plastic which looks like it'll move and pull to unplug it) then give the pencils a tug and they'll come off then you slide the new ones on. If you get the coils from GSF you will be able to see what you're looking for.

As for the Lambda/02 sensor (which detects how much unburnt fuel there is) It's at the very front of the engine and looks like a part sticking up with wires wrapped in a black jacket coming off.

If you're on good terms with a local garage they'd probably do this for pennies (the fitting) if you provide the parts. It may be worth also changing the spark plugs for the £2.50ish each they cost.

I'm not saying it is the lambda or the coils, but it looked like a coil problem on my car and it was the lambda.

From what I can tell, my car wasn't getting enough fuel due to the bad o2 sensor which in turn caused the cylinders to not have enough fuel/whatever which caused a mis fire.

If you don't mind the drive, go to midlandvw (www.midlandvw.com), took mine there yesterday and they found the problem in a few minutes and tried to get the part that day but couldn't so I picked it up from GSF on the way home.

2 coils and 1 lambda if you negotiate and make them feel sorry for you ;-) will come in at under £100 I would think and if you aren't able to do it either take it to a garage which lets you provide parts and it'll be maybe 30 mins labour or someone who has a spanner set and knows how to use them. Just remember to do the Lambda on a cold engine or you risk running in to huge problems.

[Clem]

I have had this warning light problem on my 2006 1.4sport with 14000 miles on the clock.
The light would flash and the engine would misfire. This would only happen when the engine was on tickover. If I let the engine rest for about five minutes it would then run perfectly but the light would stay on.

The local dealer diagnosed a faulty coil pack and it was replaced.
One week later it all happened again, this time they replaced the remaining three coil packs.

Two days later it happened once more. They said one of the new coilpacks must have been faulty and replaced it.

The next day on came the light once more. This time they said they would keep the car until they had finally sorted the problem.

They diagnosed a intermittent misfire on cylinder No 1 and that it was caused by a sticking valve.



I now have a brand new cylinder head so fingers crossed this has cured the problem.

[MissK]

Hi,

See if there's a GSF near you - gsfcarparts.com they want about £23 per coil and if you don't mind getting dirty it takes seconds to change them (May even be able to get GSF to do it for you it's that simple). I just fixed my 2002 - first symptom was the emissions light, and turns out it was the lambda and not the coils, but I put new coils in as well. GSF want £75 + VAT for a lambda but I managed to get it for £45 + VAT, again a really easy fit (but do it when the car is cold) it's just a 22mm spanner (or maybe 20) and undoing something at the front of the car, GSF will be able to tell you what to do I'd of thought, took me about 10 mins to do the lambda as the plug (it's a really simple plug) was slightly misformed so had to use a screw driver to persuade a bit of purple plastic in the plug in to the right place.

Of course all the stuff to change them will probably be in the appropriate Haynes/similar manual.

The coils are simple, in your engine bay (assuming it's the same as mine) there's a black box which has three pipes, one which is like a hose which connects to a box near the battery on the front grill which you distach at the bumper, then a little way up there's 2 smaller pipes which just pull off then give the black box a tug up, and that'll get the box off (just reverse to fit back on)

The coils are 3 black things (again assuming same engine) at the front of the engine. They look cylindrical and have a single plug going in (you push the little bit of plastic which looks like it'll move and pull to unplug it) then give the pencils a tug and they'll come off then you slide the new ones on. If you get the coils from GSF you will be able to see what you're looking for.

As for the Lambda/02 sensor (which detects how much unburnt fuel there is) It's at the very front of the engine and looks like a part sticking up with wires wrapped in a black jacket coming off.

If you're on good terms with a local garage they'd probably do this for pennies (the fitting) if you provide the parts. It may be worth also changing the spark plugs for the £2.50ish each they cost.

I'm not saying it is the lambda or the coils, but it looked like a coil problem on my car and it was the lambda.

From what I can tell, my car wasn't getting enough fuel due to the bad o2 sensor which in turn caused the cylinders to not have enough fuel/whatever which caused a mis fire.

If you don't mind the drive, go to midlandvw (www.midlandvw.com (http://www.midlandvw.com)), took mine there yesterday and they found the problem in a few minutes and tried to get the part that day but couldn't so I picked it up from GSF on the way home.

2 coils and 1 lambda if you negotiate and make them feel sorry for you ;-) will come in at under £100 I would think and if you aren't able to do it either take it to a garage which lets you provide parts and it'll be maybe 30 mins labour or someone who has a spanner set and knows how to use them. Just remember to do the Lambda on a cold engine or you risk running in to huge problems.


James - your a star thank you for all of that!!

I managed to locate a GSF in my town, so got the parts for a third of the price my garage charged me which peed me off but never mind, I told them what was the most probable problem but they didn't believe me becasue i was female probably :-) but in the end they agreed that it was best to replace the coil packs and the coolant temp sensor (what ever one of those is) and the garage fixed them for free.

All was well for two days, the light has came back on now and started flashing at me however the car is running ok for the minute, so i'm going to wait and see what happens....

[Gidders]

Hi wonder if anyone can help with this one....

Randomly my engine management light comes on, ususally accompanied by the EPC light the first time around, then this goes off the next time I start my car. Engine light will go off after a few days/overnight or whenever it feels like it! Eventually got fed up with this so took to a VW independant garage. He read the system and said faults were with cam belt sensor, he then cleared them from the system and told me to come back if it came on again which of course it did. Took car back and same fault was recorded so I got the sensor changed. Was driving it today and the light came back on. Have yet to return to garage to see if its the same fault but have a hunch it might be. Anyone have any suggestions of what the fault could be really?

Its a 1.4S 2002 polo.

Thanks!

[Gidders]

when i said 'engine management' I meant Exhaust emissions warning light - oops!!



Hi wonder if anyone can help with this one....

Randomly my engine management light comes on, ususally accompanied by the EPC light the first time around, then this goes off the next time I start my car. Engine light will go off after a few days/overnight or whenever it feels like it! Eventually got fed up with this so took to a VW independant garage. He read the system and said faults were with cam belt sensor, he then cleared them from the system and told me to come back if it came on again which of course it did. Took car back and same fault was recorded so I got the sensor changed. Was driving it today and the light came back on. Have yet to return to garage to see if its the same fault but have a hunch it might be. Anyone have any suggestions of what the fault could be really?

Its a 1.4S 2002 polo.

Thanks!

[aliman]

My 2002 1.4 polo has got exactly the same problem...

I guess it is a problem associated with the quality of fuel. A specialist told me that if I often use 97petro the light will go off....

Any more idea on this????

[koyli55]

Hi all fellow V.W owners.

I own a Polo 1.4 (04) and guess what? yep my emissions warning light came on going to work this morning. Broke into a cold sweat when I read the manual which directs me to "Return it to the garage immediately"

I know our local dealer charges at least £90 to lift the bonnet!! Anyway after reading the posts I feel a little comforted, because I was scared I was going to have to save up till Easter before I dare phone the Leeds dealer.

I think I will fill up with some quality fuel and monitor the situation. Thanks for sharing your experiences guys its put me back in the festive mood

Koyli55
Michelle:biglaugh:

[mike6265]

Hello everyone,
My wife's 2003 Polo exhaust light has been giving problems. The lambda probe was replaced about 6 months ago solving the problem.
However recently the light came on and remained on for a day. The next day after a rev up, switch off and restart the light was out. It did it again yesterday.
Car runs OK and I appreciate there may be some other underlying defect but my question is: If the light is ON but the car is running OK with exhaust emissions satisfactory - will the car pass the MOT?

[aileen]

Just wanted to keep you up to date with my emissions warning lamp. The light was continuing to come on and off, however just two weeks ago the car was running really badly, chugging and almost stalling at lights etc..,. Phoned a friend of my sisters who is mechanic. He told me not to drive the car any further as i may well have done untold damage especially to the CAT. Was worried sick, til he looked at it. The upshot is, all three ignition coils were replaced(even though one was just gone, but decided to take no chances), also he recommended that the all the sparks (3) be changed due to age of car(4yrs) and the fact that they had never been replaced. So far the car is running better than it has been in a long time, no jitters at last. Hope this helps some of you. On a different matter. I left the side lights on one day and of course the battery went flat, since then the light for the airbag has been on, is there a way to remove this without going to the dealer?

[natsgolf]

Hey, i had an issue with my 2003 golf today.was driving up a hill and all of a sudden the emissions workshop light beeped at me, the car slowed down drastically and started to chug! the emissions warning light was continually flashing. i pulled over turned of the engine left it for a bit and then started it up again. but the same problem again.
i read through my manual and it states to drive slowly to the nearest garge. however this was a saturday night and no garges were open, i attempted to move my car to at least get it home, however it was impossible to drive, chugging and felt as though it was about to stall.
i managed to get a tow truck to ake me home until i can get to a garage on monday, they said that it was the engine management system and so they could not do anything at the roadside, stated that it wasn't my air filters as they were changed in my service at a vw dealer less than a month ago. this is the first time i have ever noticed an issue with this and it came on so suddenly that i really was not sure what was happening.
i've been advised to go to a vw dealer to check the problem as it could be the lambda probe. is this a persistent problem with vws or can it be rectified easily? any tips as to what i can do to ensure it is fixed first time?:(

[eko]

I've had the same problem with my polo. About a year ago, the light came on. I had the dealer run a diagnostic check on it (costs about £45) but they found nothing. This happened again just a month ago. Again, I had to pay £45 to have the diagnostics done again. This time they found a fault (temperature sensor in the engine had failed). However, a local garage (non franchised dealer) told me that they could do the diagnostic check and wouldn't charge me for the diagnostics themselves if there was further work to be done. That seems a lot fairer to me. In addition, VW dealers charge at least twice as much for labour, which increases your bill by a huge amount. I was charged £79 to fit a £25 sensor. I'd recommend finding a local garage who can do the diagnostics for you and then decide whether you want to trust them to do the work or take it to VW. Taking a male friend always helps!

Amanda


About 12 months ago my exhaust emissions warning light came on, i consulted the manual which of course says to take the car into the local VW dealership without delay. I recently had some problems with my local VW dealers, not to mention the costs, so i hesitated. After a fortnight or so the light went off.

About 2 weeks ago, it came back on for a few days, went off for a day and came back on again!

When i put this into a search engine on the net, i came up with loads of forum threads, referring to this "well know problem" one that has VW owners and mechanics across the country baffled.

I know i shall have to face a garage soon, but being a woman in my twenties and knowing nothing of cars, im concerned i may get conned! So if anyone has any ideas what the problem could be, if you've encountered this problem, how much it may cost??? In fact any info is greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

[natsgolf]

thank you for you helpful advice shall take my boyfriend with me as he knows a lot about car mechanics - shame he isn't one! will have a look around to see if i can find a local garage who do a lot of work with vws. cheers guys you are so helpful x :biglaugh:

[carol hinds]

I had this problem October 2006 and had a faulty lamdba probe replaced for £90.78 and fault memory erased at the VW dealers. Has anyone heard of this. I also have a dog who is a doppelganger of the dog in the current Polo ad on tele. He barks all the time in the car, though is improving now, 3 replaced seat belts later.

[miln0039]

I was driving my 2001 Polo 16v in town earlier, and my Exhaust Emissions light lit up (for the first time!). I checked the manual, which naturally told me to give all my money to VW, so ignored that and drove the 7 or 8 miles back out of town. The car seemed to suffer no change in performance, and I couldn't notice any difference in the sound - and have had a brief look underneath and see no noticeable damage to the exhaust etc. I'm quite confused as to what the potential issues could be, but I would assume them to be minimal seeing as the car came through its MOT less than one week ago! The car has covered 68k miles and the cambelt has been changed, so other than that I'm pretty stumped as to which of the potential problems listed above it would be advisable to check first?! I'm on a student sized budget, so willing for any money saving techniques there might be too! I would be most appreciative of any advice possible!

Many thanks!

[Gidders]

Carol, did getting the lamba probe changed stop the light coming on? mine keeps doing it and is drivnig me mad. one garage told me it was the cam sensor, had it changed and light is still coming on with the same fault being recorded. Rubbish!

[eko]

Hi All

I've had the same problem with my partners polo. About a year ago, the light came on. I had the dealer run a diagnostic check on it (costs about £45) but they found nothing. This happened again just a month ago. Again, I had to pay £45 to have the diagnostics done again. This time they found a fault (temperature sensor in the engine had failed). I was charged £79 to fit a £25 sensor. I hope this helps.

Ed

[petrolhead]

Hey all,

My polo has the same prob, only difference is, I JUST get the light, no juddering or anything. Had the same prob a while back, took it in and "No Fault Found" Been fine since my gearbox seal and clutch went. Driving down the M62 to Leeds and off it went again. Started my car this morning, got to the Butty van at work and it disappeared again...Some what annoying....

[Happydays]

A belated catch up-

Have had quite a few more problems with this: I sent it in to the main dealer be looked at while it was still in warranty, got it back from them (with no paperwork - they were 'in a hurry'), got it one junction down the motorway, turned round and took it back to them: it was chugging and wouldn't go over 40mph! I inisited on speaking to the manager, threatened to phone Volkswagen and lo and behold, courtesy car and profuse apologies! It was unsafe to drive, apparently, but whatever they had done at it it had made it worse. I never really got an explanation as to what was wrong but it was OK for about six months or so.

The week after it was out of warranty (typical!), it happened again: the light came on, it was chugging and had no acceleration and didn't like starting. I took it to my independent garage who diagnosed the cam shaft position sensor was faulty, replaced it (50 quid all in) and, touch wood, all has been well since.

[Snave]

I bought a 2002 Polo 1.2 just after Christmas and noticed it would chug like hell when idle a few weeks later. Took it into the dealer (not a VW one) who changed the spark plugs and one of the coils after diagnosing a cylinder misfiring fault - but this did absolutely nothing. I was told that it probably wasn't doing any damage to the car so just to come back if it got any worse.

Today I was driving home and the engine emission light came on for the first time. I pulled over and checked the book and it told me to take it in to the garage - I did so but all of the mechanics had gone home and I was told to bring it back tommorrow morning.

Bit wary to take it in now it's out of warranty as I don't want them throwing parts at it if it's not going to fix it!

I noticed no lack of performance or any chugginess when the light came on but I would prefer it if it would disappear!

Has anyone had any luck getting rid of any idling problems similar to mine? I'd be hugely greatful if I could avoid a trip to the garage!

Cheers

Josh

[STEOGORMAN]

Mine comes on and off regular, but what i have noticed is the temp gauge goes up and down even when engine is hot,so car thinks its cold when really it isn't and it can affect tickover. Not sure what to do. I asked a mechanic but he thought the temp switch on engine looked ok as normally he said they go all green and furry and the two wired variety were more reliable than the previous four wires. Anyone got any ideas what course of action to take?

[darkwall]

Hi,

My 2003 Polo FSI has been running fine since I bought it (just over 4 months and 2000 miles ago) then yesterday it felt as though I was in the wrong gear when approaching a roundabout (the car was juddering) and the Exhaust warning lamp came on... I stopped and got towed home.
I was going to take it to VW today but after reading all the comments on here I'm not sure that is the best thing to do!

I'm happy to do any work on my car but I don't want to risk doing any more damage to it than there already is - the car seems to idle at very low revs (approx 550 to 600 rpm) and sounds very rough - as though its running on 2 or 3 cylinders instead of 4.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated - I live in the Preston (Lancashire) area and don't know a local garage who can do the diagnostics for me.

Cheers...

:beerchug:

[darkwall]

Just to give an update on what I have done with my 2003 Polo (1.4 FSI)
As it sounded as though it was running on 3 cylinders;
I disconnected the coil packs one at a time and started the engine for a couple of seconds, if it sounded worse then I was sure that the one I had disconnected was OK, I then replaced it and moved onto the next one... Sure enough this showed that when I disconnected one of them it made no difference. I then knew that the fault was definitely with either the coil pack or the spark plug...
From reading some of the other posts about 1 pack failing then subsequent packs going I changed all 4 plugs and all 4 coil packs. Cost £139.50 for all of the parts and took about 20 minutes to change them all over.
Car is now back together and is running smoother than ever before. I may well have changed parts that weren’t faulty but at least I know that for under £150 I've got new plugs and coil packs so I should be OK for a few more miles now...
Hope that this helps someone else with a similar problem in the future
:biglaugh:

[freakyshadows]

My 02 polo used to do it a lot, I've heard that it maybe caused by short journeys n something building up on the sensor? I got the engine warm and took it down some long quiet roads to give it a tailing. I've done that a couple times and havent had any problems since.

[STEOGORMAN]

get your timing chains checked as mine jumped/broke still don't know which to the tune of £800. The car just wouldn't start, had to tow it from my drive 1/4 of a mile away as AA wouldn't come cos i didn't have homestart but could upgrade for 70 quid. But i knew it must be something to do with the orange light that had plagued my life on and off. AA came fair play, spent 2 hours trying to get it going but his original hunch was right that the timing chain had jumped. Towed it to the dealers as my local garage were too busy took 3 days they also changed the oil pump, got it back low and behold next day the bloody light came on again. Back to dealers again, said they had put it on the diagnostic machine, canceled the light and wouldn't charge me as i was such a good customer:confused:

[wipy]

my golf 2001 showed the emission warning light a few days ago. the car drives ok i think, just a bit jerky at low gears.

i took it to local dealer who charged me 35 quid for a diagnostic check.

that revealed a '16486 P0102 mass air sporadic: flow circuit-g7 low input" which they said would require a new air flow meter. is this a common problem? how much do they cost?

2 other faults showed up which are apparently due to the air flow problem (namely pressure dropped in connection turbocharger to throttle valve, and mixture adaptation system too rich). what do these mean and are they related to the air flow problem?

he reset the computer so the light is not showing. can i still drive my car until the light shows up again? or should i replace the air flow meter?

would be grateful for any advice.

[Jimjim1]

Hi. I am having a simular but different problem which I think is due to the Lambda sensor but any help would be great. My 2001 1 Litre Polo is running fine except on long journeys or when it's pushed. If the car is pushed say on a motorway then it's guarenteed that the Engine Management light will come on. A few days later and it will probably go off again. During this time there is no drop in performance etc. Any suggestions!!! Cheers...:beerchug:

[freakyshadows]

mine happens in the same conditions, either a long trip or hard drive, with my 2002 1.2 polo. I thought maybe it was the carbon or other deposits lifting off due to the engine gettting properly hot.

Mine also goes off after a few days. Thought these deposits might lift off and interfere with the sensor some how?

I also dont have any change in performance or fuel consumption so I assume its nothing to worry about! :approve:

[pendle wizard]

Hi m8 i was getting similar problems with my wife's 2003 Polo twist the light kept coming on, So i went to argos and purchased one of those obdII readers, plugged it in, got my error message, googled it and was informed that that the EGR valve carbonises, and a reccomendation was to try lucas upper cylinder cleaner and lubricant, so i went out out got a bottle and have been using it for four months now and so far the light hasn't come back on.

[Jimjim1]

Now we are talking!!!! Thanks for the reply....Can you explain what the EGR valve is, Where it is and what is involved in using this bottle of magical stuff... Is it just an additive.???
Cheers...

[pendle wizard]

hi m8 sorry for taking so long to reply my laptop decided to commit suicide.
right where to start, as i mentioned previously i got a diagnostic tester from argos (this also resets the error code)which gave me an error of P0402 and according to obdII.com is a sticking or faulty EGR valve, its a little cannister thing right at the front of the engine at the top( can easily be found using google) the instructions said take off clean in petrol.
It was then suggested that i use a cleaner, after searching round there appeared to be good reports about this one (http://www.lucasoil.com/products/display_products.sd?iid=26&catid=2&loc=show), I went to get some from my local autostore, got a big bottle about £14 you just put it in the petrol and so far touch wood the light hasnt come back on.
cant say whether yours is the same problem but the tester from argos gives you an error code that will point you in the right direction, plus being from argos if you not happy with it you get 30 days to take it back.
good luck m8 hope you sort the problem.

[Jimjim1]

Brilliant....Looks like it may hopefully be a productive weekend ahead. Thanks for your input. I'll let you know how things go.

[Jimjim1]

Removed the EGR valve and cleaned it up. Removed a nice bit of Carbon from the casing of the valve. Unfortunately the light is still on...I'll try the additive next and get the Diagnotstic tester. I will fix this!!!

[pendle wizard]

hi m8 the light wont go out on its own you need the tool to reset it

[pendle wizard]

Hi m8 I never thought if you are near burnley, Lancashire you are more than welcome to use my reset tool

[Jimjim1]

Thanks for the offer but Ireland is a bit of a journey.!!! I'll have the technology shortly. I'll update then.

[pendle wizard]

K, NP, good luck with it.

[Jimjim1]

Thanks....Well the story so far is that the faults cleared no problem. No more Christmas tree lights on the dash...for now!!! The fault codes are of concern though which lead me to think I'm not out of trouble yet. Just in case you have some insight they are.....P0300 Random/Multiple cylinder misfire detected. P0302 Cylinder 2 misfire detected. P3004 Cylinder 4 misfire detected...
Should I sell it now!!!

[pendle wizard]

sorry m8 cant help with those only ever had the egr valve problem.

[Jimjim1]

No worries...I'll ley tou know what sorts it in the end.....Could take a while though!!!

[pendle wizard]

Hi m8 I was thinking is it possible that if the EGR valve was stuck could that cause the symptoms that gave those misfires ( i seem to remember reading that depending on which way the egr valve sticks it causes different running problems with thw car, misfires and running lumpy).

[Jimjim1]

Thanks for that...Well the story so far is that the light still has not come back on. However, it has not had a long or hard drive yet...Might chance it tomorrow. Cross fingers and everything else...!!!

[nz_steve]

Hmm just to add a little bit of interest,

my girlfriend has a 2003 1.2 polo twist with simular problems as mentioned before - with one addition, a noisy fuel pump, the pump was replaced buy a local garage which did absolutely zilch, the car has now been into the garage about 4 time and each time they have been able to do nothing.

Symptoms:
- Intermittent rouch idle, one day fine, the next rough - but mostly at the start of journeys.
- Intermittent noisy fuel pump no pattern that I have seen, start or end of journey.
- Emissions light recurrently coming on.

Work done:
- replaced fuel pump
- fixed "servo hose" on inlet manifold ( ?MAP sensor )
- before this problem a full service with filter plugs etc.


If anyone has any bright ideas or even pointers it would be much appreciated.

Steve

[freakyshadows]

another thing ive heard of dealers doing is replacing the lambda sensor - "electronic device that measures the proportion of oxygen in exhaust emissions"

also, does she do a long of short journeys? this is when i normally get this problem.


I dont get any of the other problems you mention, only an intermittent emissions warning light.

[nz_steve]

Yea there seem to be a varity of problems that people seem to be having,

so far i have:

faulty lambda sensor
faulty coolant temp sensor
faulty map sensor
sticky EGR Valve
faulty coil pack
faulty cam shaft position sensor

There was a recent filter change done on the car so Im wondering if there was a faulty fuel filter put in, also the bloke who did it reported that there was too much oil in the car so that could cause cat damage...

So really im looking for other ideas or pointers on what people may think are most likely.

Im going to have a look at the car over the next couple of days so hope to have some ideas what to focus on.

Steve