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You can remove the engine under tray and wing liners to check everything. You can see from below the car. You don't need to remove the wings and bonnet. I would check inside the sills for corrosion. You need to remove the rubber bungs to have a look. If necessary, you can spray more wax inside when it is dry. 👍🏻

Can't help with your questions but a warm welcome and that's a good looking Lupo.

There is a member on here who has a Gti with less than 3000 miles from new. There was another Japan import Gti that when it came to the country it had 3000 miles (checked the MOT history and that is now on 32000 miles WO04 ZHA) I did try and buy a sport about 10 years ago that had similar mileage to your car but unfortunately it had been agreed to sell to a family member.

Just closing this thread in case it helps someone in the future. My issue was Relay 109—I bought a new one from VW for 39 euros in Belgium (including taxes). To note, the injection pump at the front of the engine is practically "bulletproof," so if your car used to run great, the problem is most likely electrical. Check the replies above for guidance on diagnosing your issue. Special thanks to everyone who has helped me from the start of my journey with my SDI!

Fitting the stalk The stalk that fits is from a VW Transporter T4 (part number: 7D0 998 527, retains at £65 inc. VAT) The stalk is almost a straight swap, however I found that after fitting mine it fouled the cowelling slightly. When pulling the stalk to flash someone it wasn't returning to its original position, and the headlights were staying on. The bit that catches can be seen here: You can see the slight difference between the CC stalk and the original stalk here: I used a modelling file to re-shape the cowelling and stalk so it doesn't touch any more: Remove the airbag and steering wheel and fit the stalk: http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y139/troolad/30062008022.jpg Connect up the loom that came with the stalk and run it under the steering column. There is space under the steering column to mount the connector: http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y139/troolad/30062008023.jpg (note how the wire colours change across the connector) http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y139/troolad/30062008024.jpg The stalk in place: Connecting the stalk to the custom loom A +12v feed is required for the cruise control to work, ideally this should be ignition switched. I chose to use the ignition switched 12v to the headunit since I have an aftermarket headunit and it was easy to get to. Alternatively, the heated rear screen button could be used. It may be a good idea to add an inline fuse as an extra precaution too. Now you have four wires from the stalk, four wires from the ECU and one 12v feed. The four wires from the stalk correspond with the four wires from the ECU (whatever colours you chose): White --> ECU 46 (for cruise on/off switch) Blue --> ECU 45 (for resume) Red --> ECU 44 (for Set) The +12v feed must be spliced into the fourth connection: Black --> ECU 14 (the +12v feed 'enables' cruise in the ECU and gives 12v to the stalk) Activating with VAG-COM Instructions for this can be found on the VAG-COM website. Also, the stalk comes with a booklet giving the activation code. The trial version of VAG-COM can be used to activate cruise. Basically: You can use VAG-COM to check the operation of the stalk be reading some measuring blocks. Reading measuring block 022 in the engine controller (ECU) whilst operating the stalk functions: 00000X Enable cruise 0000X0 Cruise on/off 000X00 Set 00X000 Resume Measuring block 006 in the engine controller will show 1.0 when the switch is moved to 'ON', indicating cruise is active. If VAG-COM shows correct operation of the stalk then thats it - installation is complete! Enjoy

Thats the most expensive reason to disassemble your car. You can apply to work at breakeryard for a day.

Recently i changed my radio. Although it works, the metal frame from the previous radio stayed because i didn't know how to remove it. Now it looks like this without the possibility to go all the way in. Is it possible to remove and how, the old metal frame and put the new shorter one so the new radio can fit properly?

Excellent. I'll message them. Thanks 👍🏻

I tryed that and it did not helped me at all, but luckily the handle is big enough to grab and twist it with all kind of tools.

I used a giant screwdriver I had where the handle would fit in the plastic groove.

And on today's episode of quite little fixes.. I replaced the gaiter all by myself! May be a simple job but I am quite thick when it comes to cars.. let alone common sense! XD Comparison down below So happy with the result!

You'll have to look around... Translate tools might help too. You could start in the UK, as at least the language won't be a barrier. Search something like "Volkswagen breakers yard" or "breaking Lupo GTi ". That sort of thing. Spain has lots of crashed Lupos in yards, mostly rust free, but typically the paintwork is in poor condition (UV damage). Chances are you'll need to respray whatever you find anyways. 4 in the US now; Excellent! Looking forward to seeing pics of the first US based Club Lupo meet! And then one day perhaps a Lupo cruise?

Hi fellow Lupo owners! I have imported a 1999 VW Lupo into the United States. Without any dealer support or information on the vehicles easily accessible to someone living in a different country that was never intended to have a Lupo driving the streets, I’m looking for some help/advice. I currently work with VWoA so I’m familiar with vehicles and not a total newbie. My question is I’d like to add a spoiler to the rear hatch of my car. Is this the only OEM spoiler available and will it fit my car? I’ve attached photos of my Lupo. https://www.volkswagen-classic-parts.com/catalog/en_global/part/6E0827939B GRU I’m open to suggestions as well. I’m also in the market for OEM Lupo wheels if anyone has any info on that? Thank you! -Tim

I meant replace the old frame with this new one

Thank you guys for the welcome! Mk2 it definitely gets attention wherever I take it. I know of 4 Lupo’s including mine in the USA. I was wondering how the break light situation would work with a spoiler. The link I attached is for the Lupo FSi spoiler. Any good recommendations on breaking yards in Europe? I have scoured eBay for anything I could find already. I’ll definitely look into the rustproofing. Thank You!

Hey hey, the third Lupo in the US as far as we know! Excellent! I bet that'll attract a LOT of attention in the car parks. The only option I can think of is the GTi or Sport edition spoiler- which are difficult to find. A European wreckers yard is probably your best bet- if they do mail order. Beware of the new Trump tariffs on European car part imports. You'll also need the brake light lamp unit, which is different to the standard one. Get the underside (sills, front and rear subframes, jacking points) washed and rustproofed once the weather warms up. Worth looking after being such a rare beast over there! Keep us all updated with developments... Welcome to club Lupo

Update: I got a exhaust on the way from the guys at Hornet exhausts!! Otis shall be sounding bumbly.. excuse the pun It is a catback system so no alterations to the manifolds, just plug and play! I'm gonna get it installed the same day as the springs, seeing the car's gonna be up on the ramps anyways. Looking forward to a fully transformed Otis!

Good news, the new head light switch did the job

Hi mates Just got a mint 2005 vw lupo 3l with 40k km new paint and all for my girl and we wanted to upgrade some stuff. The radio is already an aftermarket cheap unit, maybe the worse i've used and the display screen is destroyed. My question is, how should I proceed with opening the plastics? I tried to start by taking the radio's "under pocket" off but doesn't seem to come out, should I take the big plastic frame that surrounds de radio and vents first? Also the interior ceiling light isn't working so we need to change bulb, how can I take it off? Seems really tight up there as well. Not forcing anything because the car is in such good condition, I wouldn't like to mess it up, that's why I'm asking such basic stuff. Left some pictures in the atachments, would really appreciate some help, thank you in advance :) .

I am not a mechanical engineer but something can be pulled off i think by using screws. Any ideas how to tighten up the door panel to stand in place when you put your arm on the arm-rest bit? Can i do it with screws, drill holes in the panel so screws can go trough instead of glue? Or there are purchasable parts that can replace the plastic bits that hold it?

Magnets? Neodymium glued onto the door card and stuck to the door... They can be really strong.

I understand your point about the reconditioning, but I wouldn't want to recondition the arms every time. Has anyone ever converted the suspension on a Lupo or Lupo 3l from oem to a Golf 4 or Golf 3 or VR? Thank you.

Most garages/workshops have spring compressors. Hey, even I do. Can't really see why you have to wait so long. Takes about 45 mins for the fronts, about 5 mins for the rears (don't need a compressor for the rear). If you take the rear shocks out (you don't need to), it's worth swapping the rear bump stops. I fit old 90's Passat stops, which you can pick up for £5 for a pair (eBay).

Ina lifters. Soak for as long as possible. Male sure all is sealed nicely and that oil drains back to the sump without any goo in the drain holes. Clean oil channels as much as possible. You know it all leads to doing the belt and water pump as well since it's kinda off.

Yeah, it happens to every Lupo... Even worse is when the moulded clips break, then the only solution is to glue the retaining clips. And their position is important when you glue them back on. I use polyurethane rubber adhesive. They break when you lean on that ledge that the electric window switches are mounted on. I've had an idea how to prevent it happening, by mounting a strip of something on the top of the door so that the door card panel hooks over it, like on Golfs. I haven't tried it yet. I broke one of my door cards (again...) a couple of weeks back.

And such simple things as dropping your windows by the feel of the switches, adjusting radio etc is done safely on old cars. My Arosa makes me feel alive, good and a sense of achievement. My brain has a workout, that’s best thing for my body.

Ahahaha funny you. No I have lipgloss on and the picture is from a completely different angle 😂 perfect lips thank you, both sets.

Unpopular opinion (maybe, idk): This new technology being put into cars has a lot of potential to be something truly groundbreaking, but it's not quite ready yet. Still veeery early days. It almost seems as though companies discovered something and gone 'ahh yeah we'll include that' to make themselves look flashy, despite said piece of tech still in its infancy and at its most prone to malfunction. And another thing, once this tech does get so advanced that its much safer, its gonna make us worse drivers, or so I think. We're already starting to see this with huge screens, safety assists and whatnot. It's distracting and dangerous, especially when modern cars are in a bit of an awkward age, you drive it, except when it wants to drive you! That's enough to put me off, i'm more than happy driving something without its own mind..

Yep. I recently hired a brand new car (and yes, I hated it). I had two bloody scary incidents... Was passing a cyclist, just as normal, all safe and lovely, when all of a sudden the damn car swerved towards him. And it really meant it. Like, "I'm going to get him!". Had to really force the steering HARD to avoid hitting him. Who would have been to blame had I hit the guy? The other, on the return trip was when a partly deflated (metalised) helium balloon blew across the road just a few feet in front of the car. Yep, the car applied full emergency braking causing the car behind me to just miss me and do a perfect 180 in the road. Fortunately nothing happened. Not impressed with this experimental technology. It's certainly not foolproof. Safety systems need to be 100% effective, not 99.99%. Imagine one in ten thousand fire extinguishers is actually filled with petrol. That's the gamble. No wonder people are turning the systems off. Thanks for posting this! 👍🏻

We NEED more Lupo presence. 👍🏻

Went to the Cars & Coffee meet this morning with my buddy at zee Stag! There were some incredible cars and also some familiar faces too, however it was a shame that amongst these 100 odd cars, I was the only Lupo! Safe to say I stood out! (Yes, there was a Max Power Corsa B next to me XD)

Try to unlock it doing all the travel. Retract the piston manually with some lever between the disc and the pad and then brake, until you feel they move freely, and then put the new pads. If you enjoy the process and know how to fix it, it's fine, whatever you have.

Thanks so much. Have ordered the drop links today and exhaust parts. Also ordered brake discs and pads for front - hopefully rear drums+shoes clean up. Am mildly concerned the pads look slightly more worn on one side so caliper may be sticking a little and may need replacing especially now it's been sat for so long. Alot of people saying the car is not worth saving - giving me more motivation.. lol!

@tigcraft @mk2 Thankyou both so much. I did have an axel stand under too before going under, I see the triple sill now, thanks alot, appears to be no marks where I jacked. I have found the anti roll bar drop links, hopefully they are simple and a couple of bolts. Once new tyres are on tomorrow I can drive onto my little plastic ramps which I much prefer (with a couple axel stands, wheels chocked etc). I will have a look at Waxoyl - was going to buy the hammerite black paint to touch up alot of areas. Thanks so much guys - really feeling better about this car for my sister - knew it wasn't scrap as some people advised her - done £160 on 4 brand new 13" tyres, £90 fuel pump, £25 on wipers, £16 coolant, £25 fuel filter+spark plugs and now exhaust and drop links all seems well worth it considering when I owned the car I had the pedal box removed and refurbished and various other labour intense jobs.

OMG! Don't jack it up there, it'll go straight through the floor! Not a jacking point... The right place is on the sill triple edge, just below the little arrow marking. Hope the floor pan is ok after this. There's very little rust under the car. I'd get the whole underside pressure treated with waxoyl or similar to keep it looking that good! Yeah that's just a down pipe, with some heat wrap around the flex joint I'm guessing. Go for Ernst, Walker or Otto brand exhaust bits. Autodoc? And like @tigcraftmentioned, anti roll bar drop links. There are two sizes. Make sure you get the 18mm hole...(not Gti).

It’s the anti roll bar link bush. Please please please use a bit of thick 6”x 6” plywood to support the car and not like you’ve done as old cars are thin in those corners!!

Having changed one of mine last week, they're set back, not forward like you'd expect. Have a look at new ones for sale and you'll see pics...👍🏻 Your pic with red tape is right.

The spark plug light also indicates that the ECU is getting power. If it does not come on for a short time when you turn on the ignition, it means that the ECU is not getting power and will not start. When this light flashes, it indicates an electrical problem, as @mk2 said, and then a tester must be connected to the car and the error codes read (be careful that if the spark plug light does not come on, the tester cannot connect to the ECU either) It is possible that there is an imperfect contact somewhere. Check the relay 109 connection to the body (in plenum clamber) and the lamellar fuses on the battery (they must not be oxidized and make good contact).

If when it doesn't start the spark plug light doesn't come on for a short time when you turn on the ignition then the problem is electrical (no power to the ECU) and most of the time the fault is relay 109, but it could also be an imperfect contact elsewhere. It has nothing to do with the crankshaft sensor or the fuel supply or the shut off valve on the pump or other mechanical problems. It is strictly a problem with the ECU power supply. To check: - relay 109 - connection to the body (in plenum chamber) - the condition of fuses 37 under the steering wheel and fuse 2 on the battery (the second lamellar fuse from the left)

I've been reading a few posts, and I’ve noticed that sometimes the engine light and glow plug light don’t come on. When that happens, the engine cranks but won’t start. Based on what I’ve read (a lot of posts), this points to a bad 109 relay. I’ve ordered a new one, which should arrive Wednesday at my VW dealer. Interestingly, whenever both lights do come on, the car starts perfectly every time without fail. For now, if replacing the relay doesn’t fix the issue once and for all, the crank sensor could also be the culprit. I haven’t scanned it yet—despite having VCDS—just haven’t been in the mood. I’ll do it soon and keep you guys posted. Do you think the ignition switch could be a third possible cause? Also, I should add that applying positive power from the battery to the pump makes it click, so I’ve ruled that out, along with a full diesel tank and mostly no bubbles in the fuel line. The fuel filter was replaced 3,000 km ago, and when she runs, she runs great, just gotta get her to start reliably! 😂 (Got new window switches and a set of pristine RS772s, and now she decides to act weird lol.)

The glow plugs draw a lot of power, so it could be a loose 12v connection somewhere? Your guess?

Keep the standard windows... pop outs always leak! But if you change them, you also need the inside trim panels because they are also different to standard.

That's the glow plug warm up light. And also used for "fault detected" if it stays on or flashes. Usually only behaves like that when the weather is really cold. Read all about glow plugs...

Update as promised! Initially, we bought a cheapie Brake Switch for £7.99, only to find that once plugged in, the brake lights were permanently on? We adjusted the plunger to try to tackle this problem, but nothing worked. We got refunded and opted for a more quality one from GSF for £27. Otis is back! No lights on the dash, brake lights work as they should, happy days! And whilst I'm here, I took him up to Headcorn/Smarden area to test the new switch (to see if the car still thought it had a problem) but no! All good! Hope everyone's having a lovely, sunny weekend just as I am

18k. Just not fair (178k).

Hey everyone! Quick update for you all. The good news, Otis has hit 18,000 miles (atleast that's good news in my eyes, he's out on the road!!) and he has had a heck of a wash, squeaky clean I say! Otis has had a new battery after realising he's been running slightly flat all this time.. reader was getting 11.8v on Ignition and about 13.6v on Startup! New battery is showing correct figures (On that note, perhaps I should consider a cover for the Fuse Box?) We initially thought this'd be the cause of these infamous warning lights (as shown below) but they shone like the sun even after the new battery had been installed. It's when we plugged in the scanner to find it is code P0571 (Brake Switch), so 'tis a cheap fix. I've read that they're a tad fiddly on VW's of this era but will cross that bridge when we get to it! Update on brake switch install to follow soon! Cheers

I have "elephant snorkle" mods on every engine I own. Even my lawn mower. Sump gases are so bad for an engine it's crazy. Simple length of 20mm cable flex conduit from the breather outlet down towards the chassis rails under the car cures all evils. A bicycle handlebar bung works a treat to block the airbox inlet hole. To make the car run leaner is tricky, because the ECU is monitoring the O2 sensor, checking the mix all the time while driving. Unless you make yourself a O2 emulator circuit, so you can forcibly trick the ECU to make the mix richer or leaner. Could try a small gap somehwere on the vacuum side. Perhaps even one of the vacuum lines? I guess you might be able to let some air in bit by bit (when it's warmed up), until it throws a code.

Nowt like being 12 years late! Name : Becca Age : 26 From : Durham Job : Being a top wench Drives : Lupo sport Other Information : Love Cherries and the smell of cherries and I sometimes cry when I stub my toe. Picture :

Name: Marianne Age: Lets just say my retirement age has been moved! Job: Was a nurse Originally from: East London Drives: Jazz Blue Automatic Lupo 1.4 Other:Australia beckons but no Lupos or Up's....