Anyone any ideas on this one..

My little polo GTI is causing me some concern...

Im sure its getting worse slowly..


For example, when I had my Leon Cupra you could pull away in 1st gear, lift off the gas and the engine would seamlessly slow the car down. In the polo you get a gentle thump as you come off the power..

The same happens in other gears as well now...

I also get a bit of clutch judder in 1st when pulling away, im sure its not a damaged clutch as its not that old..

Im wondering if the issue is a faulty engine/gearbox mount.. but looking at them and wobbling the engine with a prybar does not help figure out which is at fault..

Anyone have any ideas of what it could be and how to figure out which component is at fault?

The car has done 100,000 miles now, but I cant believe the engine mounts would be shot already?!

Certainly sounds like engine or gearbox mounts. Can you get a trolley jack under the engine (piece of wood to spead the load!) to give it a lift to see if the mounts are shagged?

Lollypop mount from the back of the gearbox to the bulkhead

Definitely engine mounts. Had a friend with the exact same problem - different car, mind. I don't know the polo but it'll have either a front or rear mount that's shot. It's not the two on either side as they don't offer any longitudinal resistance in a transverse-engined car anyway.

As already said the lollpop engine mount (also called the dogbone mount) that acts as the reaction tie bar.

I thought it might be the lollipop mount a year ago, so i pulled it appart and replaced the rubber inside it with some polybushes chopped up so it made a much stiffer mount.... problem did not go away...


I guess its possible that, with a stiffer lower lollipop mount that its now twisting on the two main mounts... Would be so useful to put a camera under the bonnet and see what is actually goingon when you load the engine up...

if you get someone to bite the clutch in 1st whilst you look, you will see it moving if its a mount. Obviously with handbrake on, wheels chocked in case you get someone hamfisted to help you

my mate had a mount gone on a golf vr6, and when he floored it he could see the bonnet bulging up!

[Edited on 7/5/11 by JoelP]

Might also be worth checking the amount of movement of the wheel in the wheel arch when pulling of in first gear, the rear bushes on the lower suspension arms gets weak and causes similar symptoms . If it is the same set up as the later Polo's Fabia's etc then I believe the bushes from the go faster Fabia (VTR whatever)are stiffer and are a direct replacement