Evening all, i have a vw polo saloon nowadays not a fabia anymore, however i have come across a problem with it. in particular when raining the power steering seems to seize up and make the steering quite difficult which is obviously a big problem when actually going round corners. also in idle it sounds like rubber screetching against something but i cant see anything for it to be against anyway, and when engine is turned off it dont make the noise when turning the wheel. any ideas my friends?

Loose/worn drive belt?, the screeching is the belt slipping, especially in the wet as water acts as lubricant on the belt, also there may be additional alternator loadings on the belt from using more electrical equipment.

Is it a hydraulic system where the pump is driven by the belt, or an electro-hydraulic system (like the Fabia), where the pump is electrically driven?

thanks for your reply mate, not really sure to be honest about the belt system....would that cause the steering to stiffen up as well?

I thought exactly the same as FordFan. What I think is happening is that the belt is skidding over the pulleys, and no longer driving the hydraulic pump that supplies the "power assisted" part in PAS with power (well high pressure hydraulic fluid).

Is that an expensive thing to replace/repair then?

Not if it's just the belt slipping. Maybe 15 mins to adjust. Dunno about fitting a new belt, since that may require removing the alternator belt.