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Showing content with the highest reputation on 04/15/2021 in all areas

  1. Well, as Frank aka @mk2 has asked how things are with the Lupo now I've had it a few months, here goes: I am absolutely and totally in love with the teeny tiny Volkswagen! To be a bit more specific: I'm driving around everywhere with a big grin on my face, possibly going a tiny bit faster than what would be sensible for someone my age. It's brilliant fun to just not slow down at all for roundabouts (However, the dog would probably disagree with this) The little car is bloody fast. At the same time it's also comfortable. The noise it makes when you put your foot down is absolutely hilarious. The build quality is outstanding (The 03 reg E46 BMW I used to have with 30000 miles less was in a considerably worse state) I like the stealth-factor of the Lupo Gti, as in most people just see a little shopping car but you get an appreciative nod from some people (mostly blokes in their 40ies who recognise what it is and are still a bit sad that the girlfriend insisted on buying a Mini Cooper back in 2003). Regarding this particular Lupo Gti, I appreciate that it is completely original spec. floor mats and everything, with only 2 previous owners who appear to have looked after it reasonably well, although there are signs that it suffered at times from a ham-fisted mechanic. It is by no means in perfect condition, e.g. the interior generally and the door cards particularly are somewhat scruffy, but then it's 16 years old, so fair enough really. I was relieved to see that when we had it "flying" in the garage, everything underneath looks in good shape apart from a little bit of surface rust here and there. Messing about with jacks and ramps and axle stands is always a bit tense though I have to say. Things I've done so far: 4 new tyres: Immense improvement. I can definitely recommend the Hankook Ventus Evo 2 tyres. 2 new window winder switches driver's side New oil and filter, air filter, pollen filter, spark plugs. Cleaned throttle body and cleared adaptations. Windscreen wipers part 1: The part of the column switch that holds the stalk in position had broken off, so had to be replaced. In the process of doing that, taking the airbag off, I ripped the plug off the clock spring cable. So I had to replace the clock spring too. D'oh! Windscreen wipers part 2: At some point, the linkage from the wiper motor to the driver side wiper had come apart and whoever repaired it put it all back together upside down. Obviously this caused insufficient shuddering wipers and a really annoying rattle. It also bashed into the plenum chamber cover with every wipe and completely destroyed that. New wiper blades of course. 3rd brake light / rear spoiler: Matey next door pointed out to me that the 3rd brake light does not work. So I took the spoiler off and discovered that there was quite a bit of moisture inside, but the main reason was that it was not connected to anything. The plug was missing, just 2 blanked off cables with a bit of masking tape wrapped around them going nowhere. This does cause some doubt about the latest MOT test. However I tested the led unit and it worked. I put everything back together, thinking I'll chance it with the rubber seal around the led unit and fingers crossed. So of course when there was torrential rain for several days at the beginning of October a substantial amount of water collected inside the spoiler and caused havoc with the electrics. The alarm went off 3 times during one night. To not cause more grief for my neighbours I left it unlocked for the rest of the night, hoping the rain would put any casual car thief off. Luckily I was then able to leave it in the neighbours garage next night to dry everything out again. A little bit of clear silicone sealant together with the rubber seal seems to have sorted it. At least so far. Aux belt, Cam belts and water pump: While it's not very difficult, it is a big job and it seemed to go on and on for ever. By the time I was already well fed up with tinkering with engines, it looked like half my car was still in bits on the garage floor. I'm not gonna write it all up, there's a very good guide on the forum already, but here are a few pictures: Things that need sorting: The dreaded door strap issue. Check out @mk2's post on the topic here: https://forums.clublupo.co.uk/index.php?/topic/106783-everyone-with-a-lupo-or-arosa-important-door-strap-info/ Actually replace the wonky coolant temperature sensor with the new one that's been lying around on the window sill in the living room for a while. Find out what exactly it is that causes the car to lock itself again and set the alarm off if the ignition is not switched on quick enough after unlocking. Find out why the air con doesn't work Wheel centre VW badge: Anybody got an idea where I can get my hands on one? Things that I'm sort of thinking about maybe doing at some point in the future: I mentioned that it is nice that the car is completely original, I'd definitely prefer grey door cards to the red ones. I also quite like the idea of swapping the front seats for a pair of Recaros from a Mk4 Golf Gti. Pop out rear windows: The only option on the Lupo 1.0 E I had many years ago were the pop out windows, and I absolutely loved them, because pop out rear windows are cool. So all in all there's plenty to keep me occupied and I'm a very happy boy! Finally, I'm thinking about the dilemma of using the Lupo Gti as "a car", meaning in this particular case: living outside, having an owner who is notorious for having a messed up car, transporting a muddy dog, etc. vs preserving it as a "modern classic" e.g. keeping it in a garage, keeping it clean, only using it when the weather is nice and so on. At the moment it functions very nicely as "a car", so I dunno about that one. Thank you for reading, folks! Frank, I hope this satisfies your curiosity 😀 Thoughts on any of this will be much appreciated...
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  2. So after many many years ago of Lupo Tdi ownership I thought it’s time for another to put the FUN back into boring motoring. Looking to buy another lupo Tdi became painful, every day I searched eBay, gumtree and autotrader, four, five times a day in fact. That took a period of 26 weeks obsession or what? They were truly few and far between and the good ones always sold on the first day of advertising 🙄It was the lupo I really wanted but the Arosa was also a happy ’second’ choice. So three weeks ago I found, raced, rushed and flew as fast as I could to see an Arosa Tdi, good colour, fairly good previous history and it was actually ON MY DOORSTEP! I bought it! It was clean but far from mint. It just needed to be ‘average’ as a day to day restoration......
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  3. All this is good reading! Keep it up!
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  4. I love the fact that you stopped to take a pic of it
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  5. Yeah, only suggestions are noise cancelling headphones, a small lower back cushion and a full neck support. It's the side to side motion that'll get you on a long trip. Even the gti isn't a real GT car truth be told. You need a low revving engine and a long wheelbase for max comfort. You could remove the ARB for more comfort...
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  6. With the end of petrol/diesel cars on the horizon I'd use it and enjoy it while I can, no point in storing it as the future will be here very quickly
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