mk2 Posted November 12, 2022 Report Share Posted November 12, 2022 Thank you for all the wonderful stories the other side of the Atlantic, in the snow and extreme weather conditions! It's been great 👍🏻 And this thread is such a good record of everything for the new owner... What's that saying? It's better to have loved and lost than never having loved at all. Yup You have had a Lupo. They're good huh?! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted November 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2022 (edited) Yes they are good cars, great economy, very dependable, more front seat room than domestic cars twice their size too. A pity that VW never offered them for sale in North America. Sales may not have been brisk with the "bigger is better" mind set in this country but I have no doubt that they would have had a loyal following. The new owner is very excited to have Franklin so that makes parting a bit easier. I could totally see us in a Lupo GTI sometime in the future... but for now Sandra's job has out grown this one. Edited November 12, 2022 by oprn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindylou Posted November 16, 2022 Report Share Posted November 16, 2022 (edited) Ahh so sad to hear Franklin has gone. I haven’t always been helpful and able to comment with all your problems but I have followed your journey and enjoyed all your ups and downs x best wishes Edited November 16, 2022 by lindylou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted November 29, 2022 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2022 (edited) Well he is not totally gone from our community. I expect to see him around from time to time. The young fellow that owns him is going home to England for the winter holiday season and plans to load his baggage with parts for the trip back. I could put an update here now and again when I see the two of them if you like. I will certainly be interested in Franklin's future. We are in the process of finding a RHD Golf or Passat Variant to replace him. The added luggage space is needed for parcel delivery. The Forester is doing the job just now but it does have 300K km on it and at 26 mpg is not the best option. Edited November 29, 2022 by oprn 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2 Posted November 29, 2022 Report Share Posted November 29, 2022 Something with the 1.2/1.4 TDI engine... I guarantee you'd be impressed. Maybe an Audi A2? Quite a bit of space inside compared to a Lupo. I'd love a 1.2, but in RHD (they only came in LHD). Just be sure to get a new chain and chain tensioner if you do buy one. All the other bits are pretty much stock vdub. Don't get DSG... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted December 5, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2022 We are looking at Golf, Passat and Audi A3 Variants. It seems there are no TDIs in Japan unfortunately. The engine selections in 4 cylinder are 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 most of which are TSI or FSIs. No manual transmissions in these cars either which is just pitiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2 Posted December 5, 2022 Report Share Posted December 5, 2022 No diesels at all? That's a shame- Perfect for long runs and with frequent stop start driving (delivery work). The newer vdub petrol engines are "ok", but not as good as the older types. The trouble is they now use gasoline direct injection (GDI) technology with no upstream fuel injectors, which are good to 50k miles or so. Then what happens is that the sump / oil blow by fumes, fed back into the inlet air flow condense out and form sticky globules on the back of the inlet valves, eventually turning into hard carbon deposits. Impossible to remove without head strip down. Eventually, the inlet valves jam up or severely restrict the inlet air flow. In days gone by, this was never a problem as the raw fuel used to wash the backs of the inlet valves, keeping them shiny and clean. Is gasoline direct injection progress? I don't think so. I first noticed this back in 2007 while working on the newish 3.6L FSI engine that we were supercharging. At the time I thought it was a one-off. Now a frequent problem across the VAG range. 🤷🏻♀️ Bring back carburettors, but digitised and modernised! Better atomisation, chilled inlet charging, more efficient mixing, cleaner engines, more power... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ObjectiveAway Posted December 6, 2022 Report Share Posted December 6, 2022 @oprnThank you for your posts, I really enjoyed Your stories a lot! I hope you will get a good car for your wife and packages will not grow in size (and weight). Take a note that JIS cars have turn signal switch in opposite side as well as have RHD steering wheel. Why don't you like automatic gearboxes, dual mass flywheels have expensive problems as well? On 12/5/2022 at 9:30 PM, mk2 said: Then what happens is that the sump / oil blow by fumes, fed back into the inlet air flow condense out and form sticky globules on the back of the inlet valves, eventually turning into hard carbon deposits. Impossible to remove without head strip down. Is intake valve carbon cleaning with walnut blasting ineffective? On 12/5/2022 at 9:30 PM, mk2 said: Is gasoline direct injection progress? I don't think so. Direct injection gasoline engine with stratified charge mode is very comfy and fun to drive, especially the large capacity ones, for example BMW N53 engine. But they are never reliable, just enough for 4year lease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted December 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2022 (edited) I was raised on standard shift vehicles so when I drive a vehicle I want to work the controls. It gives me something to do while I sit there. It also gives me better control of the vehicle when coming up to hills, curves, stops and turns (and with engine braking I can get thousands more miles before a brake job is needed), things that an automatic cannot anticipate and only give you the appropriate gear after the fact not going into the situation. For us in colder climates, a standard shift give you far better control on ice and snow. And... economy cars with little engines are just pathetic with an automatic! When I am behind the wheel in an automatic (I have owned and driven my fair share) I feel more like a passenger than a driver. Just me... I just saw a Toyota wagon with standard shift for sale over there... better check that one out! Edited December 9, 2022 by oprn double word Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted December 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 (edited) Well, after that rant about loving standard transmissions... no we didn't find one in Japan. We looked for one when we bought Franklin to no avail and we tried for 2 months again and failed so... we ended up with this. Old Blue is Franklin's replacement. We won't see him for about 8 weeks as he makes his way on the slow boat. Already thinking about a tranny swap, have access to a couple 5 speeds still in cars so all the parts will be there to do it. The exception being a clutch cable. I am thinking the one for a RHD will need to be longer? Too bad VW didn't make a Lupo wagon. I suppose it would not have been a Lupo then... Edited December 9, 2022 by oprn Add text Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ObjectiveAway Posted December 11, 2022 Report Share Posted December 11, 2022 Dont get me wrong, I totally feel You, I enjoy driving my Lupo manual very much, however these small transmissions dont handle slowing down with engine very well, especially if final speed bearings are starting to get worn out. DSG gearboxes lately are pretty good, they save fuel and brakes as well as you do with manual gearbox. Also they have two actual clutches, therefore you can feel the car very simillary like with manual gearbox, you can also exactly chose which gear you need or even switch it in sport mode to simply increase RPMs. But this is not the case, Mk4s dont have these type of automatic gearboxes, they are just like you described them and I totally understand your willing to switch to manual. Car which could be most likely described as Lupo extended version is Polo extended version - Polo Variant. Somehow the only one I have ever driven had very soft and comfy suspension unlike my Lupo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno_LP_OU Posted January 17, 2023 Report Share Posted January 17, 2023 welcome 😃 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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