luiscamino

I'm looking for an Arosa Sport 16v and this very promising one has all the right signs except one: When the seller finally sent me pictures of the interior, he told me that the passenger side (right side in this case) airbag misteriously deployed for no reason some days ago. Now, we could debate if this is possible or not, or if the guy is full of it and it's had a side shunt and that's why he's selling it. But let's accept what it is and therefore my actual question: what's the normal procedure here? Can one "replace" a seat airbag and mend the seat cover somehow, or is the whole seat toast and need to find another one? (probably a whole seats set). In either case, what kind of cost are we looking at? If it turns out to be too much trouble I might pass on this one, as much as it'd hurt (I think it's the only red Arosa 16v I've seen with sunroof in years).

Hi all, I recently installed the "free floating screen"-style aftermarket "Halo 9" radio from Alpine (ilx-F903d) and I thought I should share some pics from the installation. I'm very happy with it! I wanted a Carplay and Android Auto enabled radio for the GTI but always felt that the 2-din screens were never bigger than my phone enough to justify the cost. The standard radio location is also way too low for the eyes. This radio has a great 9" touchscreen that actually sits way higher than the standard radios and so it makes it a joy to use, and much safer because of the size of text and buttons. As you can see the installation uses only a 1-din slot, which leaves the space underneath free for a storage cubby. Yes you lose quite a lot of the central vents air, but I think of it as having a Up! interior :D The hazard light switch is also fully covered by the screen but still reachable with your thumb. The height is of course adjustable for those who would still prefer more air and easier access to that switch. As drawbacks I'd point out to the not so stellar resolution of the display, although while driving it's not very noticeable. Also the screen can be quite reflective depending on the angle (it's also adjustable). But all in all I love it and I just installed another one on my second car (MX-5 NC).

yeah, first thing i tried. doesn't do anything on passenger window ?‍♂️

may I ask while on topic... if it *doesn't* click at all, is it 100% motor, or should I still try to connect the motor to power to test it. my passenger window switch always worked. the swith on the driver's door (to wind down the passenger window) didn't, UNLESS you pressed at the exact time as the driver's window switch. pretty mysterious case, that the VW dealership didn't manage to fix (even changing the switch). today the passenger window stopped working altogether, and it's stuck almost all the way down. i hope it doesn't rain on the way home...

that bonnet illustration looks nothing like a Lupo bonnet anyway, I'm happy to report I bought that eBay damping and it's fitted perfectly. I'm just missing one clip now edit: now to really sort out my bonnet… see that missing rubber sealing at the top left of the photo, left of the VW emblem cutout? that would be nice to fix, but I can't find the part anywhere. VW dealer says it's not available anymore. any ideas? I even considered buying a damaged lupo bonnet just for that piece of rubber but seems like overkill...

at VW dealerships in Germany they claim they still have it in stock. however all the matts I see on eBay have the same shape and clip pattern (pics below), and my bonnet seems to also have that shape and clip pattern (last pic). maybe I have a "fake" bonnet? hmm, I have to check in my car, but many of the undercarriage parts I found online are made of one pieces, including the "vertical" sides. might be a difference between GTIs and others?

I've tried to search every then and now about a few parts that I need replacing, and still can't figure out if they're GTI specific or if I can buy anything "for Lupo" off eBay. 1. The undercarriage protection, what I believe you'd call "sump guard" (basically the plastic tray that protects the bottom of the engine compartment). This VW dealer wants 160€ for a new one ? 2. The sound dampening matt under the bonnet. For the life of me I've looked at dozens of pictures and can't see the difference between normal Lupos and GTIs. The dealer asks 85€ for this. 3. The sound dampening material behind the engine glued to the firewall. God knows what previous owners did but it is all torn and falling down. Don't even know if there's an actual replacement part for this or if VW just cuts material to shape. Probably charges 100s of € to replace it. So what you say? Would the normal Lupo parts fit a GTI?

^ THIS is what I didn't know I wanted to hear you're completely right... my only worry is that I don't really know how old the old ones are. Any sings I can look for to know on what shape they are? on a side note, anybody interested in some Eibach springs?

I don't think I'd get reverse rake in any case. Or do you believe the "before" pics already have reverse rake? as long as the rocker is parallel to the ground it's perfectly fine.

allright here's a before/after pic. I actually just emailed this to Bilsten to see what they have to say about it. It just can't be right can it? I like the "before" look so much more. Really thinking of putting back the old springs in the rear, and if the ride is compromised, then put the old front ones too... thanks for that idea Rich... not sure i have the skills for that though. I'd rather achieve it with just the right parts

allright I fitted the B12 kit on saturday. I have to say I can feel some improvement given that top mounts and other bushes were also changed, but it's quite a bit harder than I was expecting and bodyroll stays the same (Whiteline rear ARB is on the way though). I have the same kit on my Arosa since like 2005 but I attributed its harshness to just being old. I hope I'll get used to it! the biggest disappointment though is that the rear now sits way higher than the front. my previous setup (stock dampers and lowering springs) had a much better balance, even though the rear was still a bit higher. I was expectig to keep the exact same look... I'll try to post before and after pics. I heard this was a thing for the B12 and my Arosa was also sitting on a wedge, but on the Lupo now it's more obvious. I'm even considering swapping the new rear springs with the old ones (which for the life of me I can't figure out what brand they are), and hope it looks better and doesn't destroy the handling balance. any other ideas how to lower just the rear? are there "lowering cups" for the rear? hmm make sure you have a cozy place to stay, Frühlingsfest weather won't be so kind on street sleepers as in Oktoberfest And don't miss the BMW Welt and BMW Museum!

Allright, Bilstein replied. The most recent B12 kit part number 46-190833, which replaces 46-190826, includes the B8 dampers part no. 35-238744, which have the little mounting wings to pass the ABS cable through (photos from Bilstein below). No need for cable ties! 46-190833 is also the kit sold by n2o in the links above, so I will be placing my order as soon as I post this

thanks for the tips! @LR5V great find. i contacted n2o tuning but still no reply. i even contacted Bilstein directly and nothing still... i forgot to ask specifically about the purpose of that weird "15mm" kit. do they really make two kits with different heights? and most importantly, from which basis is the drop measured? a normal lupo or a GTI which is already 15 (?) mm lower than other Lupos? i'll keep you posted. but i'm not pulling the trigger until i get an answer from the suppliers...

I've had the B12 kit on my Arosa for many many years. I've had my Lupo GTI for a year now, and the time has come to replace the suspension (I bought it with stock shocks but lowering no-name springs, so it's a mess). I want to put the B12 kit on it but it's turning out to be more complicated than I thought... Apparently Bilstein is now (or always has been?) selling two different kits for the Lupo GTI, with the exact same name (B12 ProKit). One lowers the car 15mm, which is new to me (Part No. 46-256720). The other one lowers 30mm, but is suddenly indicated for cars without ABS only. (Part No. 46-190826, now replaced by 46-190833) I can confirm this from three sources: the online Bilstein catalog (screenshot below), my local parts supplier's catalog (in Munich), and a phonecall they made directly to Bilstein which also confirmed it. They literally said "yes, Parts No. 46-190826 and its replacement 46-190833 lower the car 30mm but are only for cars without ABS." First of all my Arosa was definitely lowered 30mm, but allright it didn't have ABS. Secondly, I don't know why this company is selling such a kit in Germany where ALL Lupo GTIs were sold with ABS/ESP. But finally and most importantly, what does the ABS have to do with the suspension!?!? Are they just covering their asses for the slim chance that a lowered car makes the ABS or ESP system be less effective? The supplier was floating all sorts of FUD saying they won't guarantee it fits, they won't accept returns, etc... but I can't think of any reason why this 30mm B12 wouldn't work in my car. What do you think? Am I missing something?

yeah more or less... and planning new supension (B12 kit) plus a bunch of other small things: Missing rubber seal front of hood, left side Hood inner lining Refit roof cantrails Fix front brakes (non symmetrical) Fix windscreen/dashboard noises Handbrake doesn't brake right rear wheel (!?) Parasol driver mirror broken Electrical AC (no current) Driver seat heating Window switch driver side for passenger window Window switches Auto function Door lock (interior light and headlight warning sound)

Just a quick update months later to inform that the vibrations under acceleration were indeed an inner CV link. I actually went ahead and replaced both shafts since the price was not so different from replacing the CV links (parts more expensive but labour cheaper). I was almost moved to tears as I drove away feeling how smooth it runs now... Now I can move on to the next issues.

so I keep trying to diagnose the vibration while i search for a good vw specialist around here... the engine seems to be pretty solid in place when i try to push it. it also doesn't move too much when i accelerate in 1st and reverse with the handbrake on. however the whole car does vibrate as well at idle when cold, for the first couple of minutes (and not from low rpm, it's stable at 950-1000). the top two engine mounts look ok visually but i might try taking them out since it's easy. i haven't checked the lower one yet. as for the CV joint, the shafts themselves don't seem to have any play in them when i push them around in all directions. the left joint rubbers seem to be in good condition with no grease leaks at all. as for the right one, i managed to take a photo of the inner rubber and it does seem to be pretty grimey... what do you think? sign of a leak, meaning defective joint?

any chance there's anything left of it? would be interested in the spoiler

Yup and they messed up the name on the cover XD

yeah the repair manual is for all Lupos and Arosas, not just GTI. it's actually short on GTI specific info unfortunately. i'll try rocking the engine later, thanks for that tip! meanwhile I've found this interesting video where a worn inner CV joint is shown, as cause of exactly this problem. he's literally describing my symptoms:

Thank you all for the tips! No idea if GTIs have a dual mass flywheel, but if that was the case, wouldn't the vibration also happen with lift off, since the flywheel is still rotating? when i press the clutch at any revs, the vibration stops almost immediately. Check this out by the way, VW dealership tells me EACH inner CV joint costs 206€ Is there any disadvantage in buying some non-originals off ebay? As far as I know these are the "balls" type, not the "tripod" ones with the 3 ring-like bearings. According to a repair manual I have, different Lupos have different types. As for the exhaust... I hope I can find the problem elsewhere before I have to get to that... but thanks!

Hello all! I think I haven't posted a lot in like a decade here (I have a 1.0 Arosa since 1997, which I love) but a couple of months ago I finally made the dream of "upgrading" to a GTI. It's a German 2004, tornado red, 6 gears, 145k km (90k miles), all stock. Visually in excellent condition, zero rust around or underneath, hasn't been repainted anywhere, great interior... and after what was obviously not a thorough enough inspection, I brought it home having noticed only that there was something wrong with the engine temperature sensor, brakes needed changing, and a slight vibration while driving that didn't concern me much at the time. 1st set of problems: Electric On the ride home and the next few days I started noticing small things: Driver's seat heating worked intermitently, driver's door passenger window opener also didn't work all the time, rear wiper button on the stalk not working (though wiper itself worked), blinker stalk a bit faulty, driver's door open not activating interior light and and the Gamma CD changer unit LEDs not lighting up with headlights on (though unit works). Small things, I thought, till I brought it (innocently and lazily) to the VW dealership right in front of where I live. Long story short, they said all the cables in the driver’s side door sill were in really bad condition, as if there had been a continuous water leak into the area god knows from where. They recommended against replacing the whole loom because of insane costs in the thousands and no guarantee that another problem would appear somewehere else. So they just repaired some individual cables… not exactly sure for what, because the door lock, seat heating and window problem are still present. Has anybody heard about internal cables getting rusty? Would you trust a non-VW workshop to replace the whole thing (if I ever found an extra loom to begin with)? 2nd problem: Vibration during acceleration So the vibration was not so "slight", it's actually really annoying and worrying, and doesn't let me enjoy the car at all and push it as it wants... I have obsessively searched and read through dozens of topics describing similar symptoms, the most similar to mine being this one. But I still couldn’t say for sure I know where the problem originates. At VW they said the engine mounts are OK, they replaced spark plugs and leads and the problem persists (i.e. they didn’t take the time to even try the car before or after). There was never any power loss problem anyway, but whatever. The vibration appears only during acceleration, the stronger the acceleration (demand for torque) the slightly stronger the vibration gets. I don’t feel it at all through the steering wheel, but rather through the whole car, most notably the front of the car. The vibration is also not noisy, it’s more of a strong “pulse”. It gets especially bad above 5000rpm in 6th gear (100mph, Autobahn), but as soon as I lift off or press the clutch, it disappears almost instantly. What do you think? Honestly if my brain didn’t know it’s impossible, I’d say a cylinder is trying to jump out of the engine! But after the research I’m thinking more a faulty inner CV joint (can’t be outer joint because I’d feel it on the steering wheel, right?) or according to some other accounts, the ball joints, though my limited knowledge prevents me from understanding how a ball joint affects the driving. I'm sorry for the long post... I wanted to gather as much info as possible before asking for help and opinion, rather than the usual back and forth Thank you in advance for any hints! PS: Fun fact: I also have a 2006 2.0 MX-5 NC with 6 gears and I thought of the Lupo as the fun little city car to replace the Arosa (for reasons) and keep the MX-5 for proper trips through the Alps. Then a couple of weeks ago I discovered that the Lupo 0-60mph acceleration numbers are exactly the same as the Mazda!! Amazing for a 35hp disadvantage for the Lupo, even if it weighs about 100kg less. The gear ratios of the GTI are freaking awesome. I'm going to have to bring it to the fun trips as well, once it gets sorted

I'm sorry to bump this old thread but I've read it through and it's not entirely clear to me that there's a consensus about the GTIs with a B in their VIN not being genuine. Can someone offer additional proof? I also know a "B" Lupo and by all means looks genuine down to the tiniest details, but maybe I'm being fooled?

NO WAYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XDDDDDDDDDD

holy crap!!! it's taking him more than two years!! any other link on improving a 1.0 rather than an engine swap? style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blush:" border="0" alt="blush.gif" />