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I have both! I can't part with my Lupo, it's part of the family now, so not going anywhere! But I needed a new daily, so I bought a 2012 High Up! from the dealer I work for. Came fully loaded, it had 7.5k on the clock when I got it. My son now owns it as his first car and now has 75k and has been amazingly reliable. Fun car to drive, especially on 17'' rims and factory sports suspension, you can chuck it into bends and have a right laugh! The time came and it was paid off, but the intention was always to give it to my son. I thought I'd done a 5 year HP thing, but it was on a 4 year, so as soon as I found that out, I knew what I wanted. I test drove our demo Up! GTI when it first arrived (on garage plates and not even registered!) and decided it was similar enough to the Lupo in terms of fun. So I asked my mate in sales if they had any, and sure enough, they'd ordered one for stock that was due in within a few weeks. Tornado red 3 door with a black roof, beats sound system, cruise control, parking sensors and rear view camera, pretty much everything I wanted bar auto lights and wipers, but I could live with that. I kept it standard for a while, but I found that as an everyday car, it was lacking a bit of performance, especially the higher up you get in the rev range. Over 5k revs, you can really feel the power drop on a standard map. So I took her to a friends garage that does APR remaps and had the stage one map put on her. Wow! Total transformation. It now revs to the red line without fuss, pulls like a train and still gives me 55mpg+ everyday. I've added a Forge intake, Forge dump valve and the VW Racingline turbo elbow, I reckon she's got to be making 145-150bhp now easily. I love the noise of the dump valve too, really catches people out when they walk past! Next mods are going to be an exhaust and coilovers, I'm thinking of trying the Lupo Whiteline rear ARB as well. It handles quite well for a standard car, but does roll a bit in corners. The seats could be a bit more supportive for enthusiastic driving, but they are comfortable on long journeys. I'd love to find a set of Polo GTI front seats to see if they'd fit one-day. It ticks all my boxes as a daily, I bought it new in April 2019 and I've covered nearly 48k of fun happy miles. It's not the Lupo, but it feels similar and has the smile factor like the Lupo. It doesn't feel as special as the Lupo, and lets be honest, I doubt any manufacturer will ever go to town on a small car like VW did with the Lupo GTI ever again. Side by side they're similar in a lot of ways, and I love my Up nearly as much as I do my Lupo, so it's another car I'm planning on keeping. The Up is a far easier car to make faster as it's turbo'd already, but I still prefer the Lupo. It just has something about it that I love.

Finally got round to taking a couple of photos. Had the car about 6 weeks and absolutely love it.

This is something I am very proud of, if everyone could give this PistonHeads video a watch it would be greatly appreciated, over the moon with how it turned out! Doing Lupo GTI owners proud👊🏼

How to…replace the front subframe on the Lupo - Most of this post was compiled from all the excellent advice in the many subframe threads in the forum and a lot of trial and error on my own Lupo SDI The subframes on the Lupo seem prone to rusting pretty catastrophically… it is often missed at MOT because the undertray and other parts can hide the worst of it I suppose. This guide is based on the SDI, the others are very similar but the positioning of certain components may be different (exhaust down pipe for example is at the back on the SDI…etc) In *theory* it's fairly straightforward, but seized bolts and broken captive nuts can add to your woes. Doing it on axle stands is also a bit more faffy than on a lift. (I did mine in the street on stands...) If I'd known all of this in advance I would guess I could probably have done it in a day or afternoon even. What replacement Subframe can I use? (Feel free to correct this...I think this summarises the compatibility) 1.0, 1.4, 1.7 SDI: From a Lupo or Arosa these are interchangeable with each other. You can also use a Polo 6N subframe. (even a Polo GTI subframe I believe?) TDI: Either a Lupo TDI, GTI or a Polo 6N2 TDI Subframe GTI: You need a Lupo GTI subframe (or a TDI perhaps?) Guide: Jack up car and remove both front wheels Remove under tray Give the 4 subframe bolts a good soaking in penetrating spray See if 4 subframe bolts can be cracked. Try more spray and leave overnight if necessary. Turn the nuts very carefully, support the subframe underneath and then see if you can feel the captive nuts staying in place (or not) when giving them a few turns. They are prone to not staying captive and if the bolt(s) just spins you will need to cut into the chassis and weld in new nuts or drop bolts. I refer you to these excellent threads for pictures and guides on how to do this if needed: - welding in drop bolts method - nice pics of the cut out parts in the chassis leg here You can also try applying downward pressure against the bolt with a pry bar inserted between the subframe and chassis, then attempting to turn the bolts again. Next couple of steps might not be necessary, I did them on my SDI to make access easier. (The next few steps might vary by engine type) Remove plastic inlet plenum box Remove 4 inlet plenum trumpets Remove inlet manifold Remove EGR valve (to give access to 1 bolt on the exhaust manifold!) Regardless of exactly how you get to it, you will need to drop the down pipe/front section of the exhaust from the exhaust manifold, as the subframe curves over the top of the exhaust below it. You do not necessarily need to remove it, lowering it a few inches will just about give you enough clearance to pass it over. Remove exhaust manifold (8 nuts and washers) (You could also remove the 4 bolts on the flexi pipe junction, but I couldn’t reach these, and often they are seized. (Use heat if necessary)) Remove the 2 rubber exhaust mounts. Greasing them may help them come off but I ended up having to cut mine... Drop the front pipe/flexi pipe down, support it on hangers or some chocks of wood. Obviously you want to avoid dropping the subframe on it and bending it/cracking a weak joint later… Disconnect the ball joints on either side Disconnect tie rod ends for more room if you like. (Optional) Loosen Anti-roll bar bushes and bolts. (Optional) Support the transmission if you are extra cautious like me (although it can be left to hang from the two engine mounts) Remove dogbone/transmission/rear engine mount. Two 16mm spanners required for the bolt going through the gearbox. There is not a lot of room here, I couldn’t get a socket on either side of the nut or bolt head. (I suppose you could remove the gear linkage bit though) Remove the upper transmission mount, just above/behind where the down pipe was (1* 16mm hex bolt). You can’t actually see it from the top if you are working from above, you’ll need a short extension bar and feel around to find it. This is connected via a small flat bar to the top of the gearbox. Support the weight of the steering rack on the passenger side with rope or ties. (Again, me being over cautious probably) The driver side is supported enough by the steering column union. Remove 4 steering rack bolts from beneath. (13mm hex). In theory the pair of mounting brackets should behave like “captive” nuts, but they often aren’t. (I had to cut/grind off the passenger side steering rack bolt heads as the nuts became free/spinning. At a glance it looks like you might be able to get a 13mm spanner in from the side to hold spinning nuts from above, but they are actually a weird octagonal shape so a socket/ring spanner won’t get any purchase.) Support the subframe with a jack. Remove 4 subframe big bolts. (18mm hex - 2* M12 x 1.5 x 80mm 2* M12 x 1.5 x 100mm) Lower subframe with 2 people or use jack and wood blocks. (Don’t drop it on the exhaust.) As you are doing this ensure the steering rack separates, but try not to let it sag too much. Manoeuver the subframe out by rotating and turning it towards front of car (It will come out in one piece with wishbones and anti-roll bar still attached with a bit of deft manoeuvring) Installation is reversal of removal. (Ha!) (unless you are welding drop bolts in or new captive nuts…) Squirting in some wax into the captive nut holes might be a good preventative measure to do here. When offering up the new/refurbished subframe to the chassis and steering rack, you essentially have 8 bolts that you need to marry up and align. I started with the biggest M12 bolts that go into the front of the chassis, then the two slightly shorter ones that go through the control arms. Then finally the steering rack ones. If there are ‘dirt marks’ to help you align the subframe back up, try and stick to these if possible. Be careful pushing the bolts back into the captive nuts if you are using these, ensure they ‘take’ and avoid knocking them out of their channel… Make sure everything removed is reinstalled and tightened. Use threadlock if reusing the bolts (yes, yes, you should use new ones ideally…) Have fun! Torque settings: (maybe forgo the extra quarter turns etc on the captive nut bolts if worried about further damage…) 4 main subframe bolts: 70 Nm (+ half a turn) 4 steering rack bolts: 30 Nm (M8 x 80mm if you need to replace) Refurbishing a salvage subframe: OEM part number is 6X0199315F Check for excessive corrosion, no point replacing an old one with similar problems Check for any missing captive nuts, or sheared off bolts present. Captive nuts should be present: 1) On the two control arm mount points, 2) On the dog bone/rear transmission mount - x3 - if any of them break, you can pre-attach a new engine mount using normal nuts, there's enough room to reach in with a long 13mm spanner. 4) Upper transmission mount (x2). Again not the end of the world if captive nuts missing or broken, can be replaced. 5) ARB mounts and the retaining metal clips. Check it isn't bent or warped! I didn't shot blast it, but just rubbed down with degreaser, wire brush, some coarse sand paper, then did couple of coats of red oxide primer, followed by Hammerite. Then spray Waxoyl in the insides thoroughly. With the amount of stuff that has to come off it’s a good opportunity to overhaul or clean up a lot of parts, inlet plenum for example, new control arms/ball joints if needed, replace the exhaust manifold gasket as well if you have removed the old one etc.

silver not my first choices but would happily have silver again.

Here it is, as promised, the second instalment of my build thread, which explains how I was able to "drive" the car that shorted out and barely ran, home 25 miles. Following a viewing on Tuesday night and settling on a price to buy with the previous owner, the previous owner said we needed the vehicle out of his driveway by Sunday.Simple enough, huh? Not really. Sure, I could have talked to some recovery companies and gotten it resolved that way, but it would have involved more costs, which I did my best to avoid as much as possible. I therefore started to think of a plan for driving the car back home. After several nights of trying to figure out what to do and numerous discussions with my father, we finally came up with a plan.The plan of action was as follows: We would basically be driving on whatever power the battery had left when we tried to drive it and get as far as we could with the alternator disconnected (to prevent it from shorting out). I would have a new battery in the boot of my other car, ready to swap it out on the side of the road if necessary. In an effort to rule out as many issues as possible, we also made sure we had some form of breakdown essentials, such as a general tool bag with items like spanners, screwdrivers, and other necessities inside, along with tow ropes and jump leads also being in the boot. When Sunday finally arrived, we packed the tools into my other car and drove to pick up the car. We finished the paperwork, got the keys and set out on our journey without realising what might be ahead for my father and I. The car started without any issues after we disconnected the fan and air conditioning unit and turned off every electrical device to save energy.Less than three miles later, the car fully died on the roundabout. We hastily pushed it across the roundabout, up the road, and into the first side road in order to try Plan B. Initially, we attempted jump leads, but to no luck; the car remained completely dead and did not even have any lights on the dash. We put the new battery on, and she started up again. Since time wasn't on our side, we unplugged the alternator as soon as we were positive the new battery was the answer. We did this just in case the alternator continued to drain power. The car drove flawlessly aside from the minor mishap; obviously, the suspension was incredibly bouncy and the front valance was grounding out on everything, but these were both known issues that were high on my list to fix. Fortunately, we only had one breakdown and made it home, which was somewhat of a relief. An extra bonus was that it didn't have to be transported home by a rescue vehicle! Here's another photo from the day I brought it home. I'll explain everything later. Now for the exciting part—actually working on the car! Instagram : Hector.Bishop.Penn

🎄🎄🎄Seasons greetings! 🎄🎄🎄

Just helped out someone over the WE with their rough running tdi, having come to me after spending over £500 with vdubs, who didn't diagnose it right! I said I'd be happy to stand up in court to tell them them what i thought of their 'professional' skill level. Huh! They changed the EGR valve. Wrong! I reckon @Rich, @Blue Loop, @Skajme or @RAB would be able to diagnose it in under 5 seconds. Took me about 30... Symptoms were obviously misfiring, running on only two cyls. until warmed up. Started ok, and had a loud tapping noise- really loud with the air inlet duct removed. VCDS showed a big injection quantity imbalance between cylinders at idle- trying to add fuel to cyl 1 and pull from 2 & 3. Obviously air starved on no.1 with the inlet valve not fully opening. It's amazing how vdub ECUs actually measure the rotation time between injection pulses and trim the injection timing to achieve a smooth idle. When a power stroke has more push than the other cyls, it obviously takes less time to rotate. So it adds fuel to the weaker cylinder and pulls from the others to try and even out the power strokes. Neat idea. This 2001 Lupo had 165k miles on it, with a decent history... Down to the breakers yard to grab a camshaft (and a tappet) from a 9N Polo, which was pretty much like new still. It always seems to be the lobe next to the pulley that goes, having seen a few worn cams at the breakers. The engine is at a slight angle, with the gearbox end being slightly lower. Straight forward job- just loosen the timing belt and tensioner. Pop off the valve cover and bearing caps. Pull the dodgy tappet. Pop off the pulley, swap over everything and back together again. You don't even need to remove the high pressure fuel pump or adjust the injection timing as everything is precision made.

Sounds like you may need a new thermostat outlet, they are made with a solid piece of plastic that runs across the middle of the outlet that a pin on the thermostat pushes onto when its opening. Even with a new thermostat fitted, if the plastic piece is missing, it has nothing to push the pin onto, so the thermostat can't open

Hi all. So i thought i'd put this here. My Lupo Gti has recently been featured on JayEmm on cars. Link is below. The review went very well.

Some progress: The replacement towing eye cover has been sprayed and installed. Thanks to @Rickie all 4 wheel centre caps are in place. (One is the wrong colour, but hey ho, nevermind) Last weekend, I finally replaced the clutch slave cylinder, which should stop the break fluid leak. Fingers crossed! And yesterday, it had a full valet done. It’s so clean inside that I contemplated taking my shoes off before getting in…

hi chaps i still have the car, drove it round for about a month and the engine was trash so I'm building a cammed 1.6 gti engine for it, i have also had the paint work sorted out along with a new bonnet. will keep you up dated when i get the new engine in. (Photos before the paint work)

Hi, Here we have my Soft Blue Lupo Sport, Purchased in May 2023 with three previous owners and a comprehensive service history folder, this Volkswagen Lupo Sport was a rare find. With a very sensible 63000 miles on the odometer, a great base to start building my version of the Lupo Sport, known as the Lupo Sport+! The car was bought with a few known issues. The first, most significant issue, was that fact it would short out and shut off after running for about thirty seconds. This prevented us from test driving the car and limited the amount of time we could listen to it run before it need to be switched off. Second, the battery was not charging. I was not entirely certain that this was due to a malfunctioning alternator, but the seller stated that he thought so. However, he did not explain how all these electrical problems had occurred, only revealing that one day, when he was started the car on the driveway, it cut out. Upon attempting to restart the car, it wouldn’t restart and the fuses above the battery were blown. Another problem, which we were unaware of at the time, was the "Control Module" that was tucked behind the front bumper in the near side front corner. This module controlled the air conditioning system (yes, it came with air conditioning) and the fuse box above the battery, which is why the air conditioning wasn't working and the fuses were blowing. Another consequence of the faulty "Control Module" was the fan running nonstop. The car mechanically needed a replacement water pump and cambelt since they were due a few months previous. The engine made a "Tappy" noise, indicating that the hydraulic lifters needed to be replaced soon as well. The clutch was also past its best, meaning it was difficult to shift into gear and had a very low bite. Other than that, I thought the car mechanically was okay (Oops, all will be explained later) In terms of appearance, the car was rough but honest; it had more lacquer peel than I knew what to do with it, not a single straight panel, numerous scrapes down the near side from the old lady hitting the garage wall when she was reversing it in, but on the plus side, it was completely rust free and had never had any bodywork done, so I could see exactly what I was dealing with rather than having hidden surprises. Furthermore, where there was still lacquer on the paint, it was extremely swirly, and the entire car had faded to the point where it was no longer the same colour. Despite all these flaws I've described above, I was generally pleasantly impressed with how clean the car was, the sills were very straight and as mentioned above, it was rust free, which for a 21 year old car was really impressive, the interior was entirely stock but rather dirty. A de-baffled original rear backbox and TA Technix coilovers, which were lowered to an absurdly low height, were two modifications made to the car, however fortunately, the original suspension and backbox had been kept by the previous owner and were part of the sale. Despite all of these issues, I could still tell that the car was very well-maintained, had a clean service history, had low miles, and had been in a garage for 20 years, which there was something to be said for that. More to come soon; I'll write about how we transported it home next, but for now, enjoy this photo I took of it on the day I brought it home. Thank you for reading my build thread; I would be happy to answer any questions. Instagram : Hector.Bishop.Penn

I fully intend on keeping it - owning a raven blue is a dream 20 odd years in the making and was part of the reason I sold my black one in 2022. The aim is to restore to standard (although I do like the steering wheel and gearknob Jamie has installed) which will be a long process, it also needs a full respray in addition to the rust sorting. It didn't skip a beat on the ~300 mile journey home so I'm reasonably confident it doesn't need anything major mechanically, in fact the gearbox is a hell of a lot smoother than the one on my 68 plate Up! GTI!

I thought so too and now it’s up to me to do so…

So Sophie made this nearly colour matched keychain to go with (this was just a sample piece, but will make another better version soon). Next it was time for a big clean....a very big clean! And then it was time to clay Might have gone overboard with tape...Or not enough? Lets see if we can bring some gloss back to this LD1B! Poor photo as I don't have a good light, but before on the right, after on the left (excuse the dust) All in all, I think I finished the clean around 9:30pm. I used Meguiars 105 & 205, then gave it a coat of Auto Finesse Graphene Liquid Wax by hand (was already nearly 9pm at this point, didn't want to annoy the neighbors anymore). So here are some photos the following morning. I think next it'll be rub strips off to get behind them fully and one needs to be restuck properly.

STL files for the jets/nozzles, gimbals and caps. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5569787?fbclid=IwAR1_52p8TcCV3SPz9SoNtre0J2ylqeu1Swjj_k9V62XPS86sxpkpKDMD5Is OEM parts 3D scanned and released by a chap on the Lupo GTI Facebook group. I have a 3D printer but opted to have a set of the jets/nozzles professionally printed in nylon by 3D People for £35. Perfect replacements.

Early start this morning. Three trains later and I picked the car up from the dealership around midday. Paperwork etc completed and just back home after 130 miles on a mixture of fast A roads and motorways. Really comfortable to drive and incredibly economical. Managed to achieve a combined 58mpg on the journey home and I wasn't hanging around although I was obeying the speed limits. Need to give it a good clean and will then get some pictures up. 😍

Good and bad news on my hunt for an Up GTI. So last Thursday I travelled 250 miles round trip to see the Up GTI which I had put a deposit on at a VW Dealership. The car unfortunately was not as described bodywork wise and I decided not to proceed. I did drive the car and really liked the driving position etc. There was a lot which reminded me of my Lupo GTI's. So the hunt continued and I have been to see a VW AUC 21 plate, 3 door in Tornado red today. Black roof, cruise and park, light and sight and height adjustable passenger seat, 1 owner. Deal done and picking it up in a couple of weeks. Can't wait and pictures to follow.

There are plenty of threads on this but here's a summary How To guide The gearbox selector shaft runs into the gearbox at the base of the gearbox next to the dogbone mount. The O-ring seal that prevents oil from leaking out here usually fails at some point on the Lupo/Arosa 085 gearbox and similar ones used on the Polo. You can still get the OEM part no. 085 311 113, but there are plenty of aftermarket replacement parts as well. In hindsight I'd consider leaving this job if the oil leak isn't significant and just keep on top of topping up the gearbox oil. (Edit: The more I think about this, the more I think it is actually worth doing as preventative maintenance. There's a few of us on here now convinced the gear box maintenance and thicker oil change is what makes the boxes last. So many threads of folk looking for replacement boxes, which are hard to find, and will only get harder to come by!) Some people are lucky and the seal pops out easily in a 20 minute job, with no need to drain the gearbox oil first even. Mine was an hour long ordeal as the seal was so welded in after 20 years. Draining the gearbox oil made it a lot easier for me, but YMMV. Otherwise once you pierce the old seal you might be fighting a steady flow of gearbox oil getting everywhere. You might as well change the gearbox oil if it hasn't been done for a long time. Tools: Picks & hook set, or two small woodscrews, or a small drill. 17 mm hex bit 17 mm spanner 10mm hex socket Funnel + hose Method: Gearbox oil drain Place the car up on axle stands or ramps (ramps are a lot easier for this) Remove the undertray if fitted Locate the gearbox drain and fill holes. These are two plugs that take the 17mm hex bit. The fill hole faces the bumper and is just next to the starter motor and reverse light sensor. The drain plug faces the passenger wheel and is right at the base of the gearbox. Make sure you can slacken off the fill hole first of all. If you can't get this off you'd have to fill via one the sensor holes. But you need some way of refilling the box - don't drain it without checking this first! Now take out the fill plug. Place a container to catch the oil and use the 17mm hex bit to take out the drain plug. Let the oil drain. Selector seal replacement Place the car into first gear Remove the gear linkage mechanism that is connected to the shaft by a 10 mm hex head bolt. It should slide off the shaft and then tuck it away as best you can for access/leverage later. Don't touch any other of the other bolts/screws as these are for adjusting the linkage itself. The VW workshop manual recommends wrapping the shaft in some insulation tape to protect it at this stage. Now the joy begins. You need to get the old seal off without damaging/scoring the shaft itself. There are several methods people use: Screw in two self-tapping screws either side of the seal, then pull out the seal with the screws and some pliers. Drill a very small pilot hole (carefully!) to get a hook or pick in. Pierce the seal with a screwdriver or bradawl, then lever it off with various hooks and picks. (This is what worked for me). Pull the seal off, clean up the opening and shaft (remove the tape), add a drop of oil to the new seal and slide it back on. Press it firmly into place as much as you can. It should sit flush with the gearbox although sometimes you find they have been pushed in a bit further and sit a bit recessed. A 17mm spanner can be used to lever it in and firm it down. Re-attach the gear linkage mechanism to the shaft with the 10mm bolt. Check that all the gears go into place with the gearstick. Personally, I could't see how to get screws in there, the seal is very narrow and I didn't have small enough woodscrews). There is really not a lot of room to drill in at the right angle either. It's made trickier by the fact the old seals usually have a metal ring in them, so you aren't just trying to pierce the rubber but a bit of metal too. The metal ring doesn't run right up to the edge of the seal though, eventually I managed to get a small pick between the metal ring and the inner side of the seal, right next to the shaft, and lever out from here with much difficulty. My cheapo pick set probably meant the picks themselves were softer than the shaft, which avoided scratching it. (You really want to avoid damaging the shaft!) That's a lot of description; again, some folk manage to pop the seal out in 20 minutes with no bother, others like me find it a nightmare to get out. There's no way of knowing until you start the job. Refill the gearbox With the new seal in place, and the drain plug fitted back on, place a hose + funnel into the fill hole, and top up the gearbox until it starts to dribble out (this is the only way to know that it is full). Oil choice. 75w-90 is the official recommended oil. Some of us on here like to replace it with thicker 80w-90 to potenitally increase the longevity of the box. Fill plug back on, and you are good to go.

Yeah, my green SDI passed on Saturday. But only just. The rear brake compensator had stuck, so on the brake tester, it indicated that the back brakes were faulty (like only half power- would not lock up). But on handbrake, they worked just fine and locked. The tester confidently said "yup, both your rear cylinders are shot. You need new ones. We can do it for you today...". So I "humbly" suggested that it may actually just be a stiff compensator lever or stuck plunger. And that it'll be obvious when up on the ramp for the underside inspection. So once up in the air I had a look, asked if he had a hammer that I could borrow for a moment- gave the housing a thump, mentioning that may have sorted it. Once back down, he tested it again and all good. "In 30 years, never seen that before. Know a bit about cars then?". I just smiled and thanked him, through gritted teeth. So he was going to change both rear cylinders (wrong) and bill me for £175. Yeah. And the compensator would have probably reset anyway when bleeding everything. SMH. Get a sump plug with built-in O ring. You'll never need a crush washer ever again...

Hello! Recently became the proud new owner of an Anthracite Grey Lupo GTi It's in a really good condition for it's age (03') & mileage (120k), testament to the previous 3 owners, looking to do a few bits to bring it as near to factory finish as I can, & maybe put in a few subtle mods along the way. I've had various VAG cars in the past, and both my partner & her dad also have Lupo GTi's. We've worked on Lupo's in our spare times for the best part of 5 years now, so not much we've come across that we've not been able to resolve. More than happy to help out with other members questions etc where I can!

Its about time i posted an update on this. Since the last post the following has happened: The old CV have been replaced with new SKF items, the quality seems pretty decent so hopefully will last a year or two between getting replace. I have had some plates made up to strengthen some Febi lower arms, whilst seam welding and strengthening as per the lupo cup cars, hopefully this will stop this type of failure in the future. I have also fitted a front anti roll bar from a stock lupo, 18mm i think, the 22mm bar from the gti felt too stiff and was quite understeery, i liked the feeling of no from arb but after seeing this picture realise i needed to sort out the roll. Some new wilwoods were fitted, this option let me change some spacers if i want to run 14's for dirt rallys, not convinced on the pedal feel yet but we shall see. I 3D printed some brake ducts aswell and painted these to try and keep brake temps down, a lick of paint and i think they look acceptable. I have done a sprint, autotest, a hill climb and a dirt rally since and the car has been brilliant and very competitive, i even managed to get a fastest stage time at the dirt rally against some faster cars.

There's a little button thing, just inside the filler. When you screw in the cap, the inner edge of the cap presses against it allowing air to circulate between the top of the tank and the filler. I've fitted a small length of rubber tube between the edge and the button thing, so it's permanently pressed. Means you can add about an extra 7 L of fuel... Also easier to accurately measure MPG, as brimming it with the button up gives false fill readings. Brim it, then press. The fuel disappears!

It's called Cedar Green, quite a rare colour, I know of only 2 local to me

I once considered selling my GTI for a Mk6 Golf GT, drove it and it was nothing like the Lupo, not as much fun, and even with more power, didn't feel anywhere near as nippy. I've owned my GTI since 2004 and I never want to part with her. They just make you smile, no matter how bad your day has been, just a fun car to drive and own. Plus the rarity of them makes people wonder what it is, have I spent stupid amounts of money to put a bodykit on a Lupo?! And then you leave them for dead from the lights, worth every penny!

Some pics of first South/Central get together, only 3 this time although we checked out other car parks in case 🙂 Personally, celebrated the first meet by hitting a milestone within yards of car park ............ Nice to meet you guys @mk2& @bernd and chat about Lupo's 😍

MOT now passed !

I'm pretty new to the forum, just wondering if a meet has been arranged before? It would be great to get a decent amount of Lupo's in one place.

Nothing much has been happening lately as a result of experiencing engine problems in the latter part of 23' Over the summer, I gradually worked through the car, cleaning and fixing things as I went along. Two things in particular needed attention: the inside, which was very dirty and the suspension, which was temporarily switched back to the original suspension since the coilovers made it was so low that it was impractical to drive. As soon as I get an opportunity, I'll upload some photos! Following the suspension replacement, the car was able to be driven again and go on its first test drive since I bought it. All in all, the experience went well; the car ran smoothly but was a little "Tappy"; the suspension was very worn out, but I knew this and the brakes needed to be replaced because they were past their prime.When I got home from the test drive in the dark, I just parked the car and went in. The next weekend, when I got a chance to take a closer look, I saw that the rear of the car had a lot of black deposits all over it that looked sooty and oily. The health of the engine was certainly up for debate, so I cleaned it off and did it again the next weekend, thinking that maybe it was just because it had been parked for three months and had never heated up. To my disappointment, this was not the case and the black deposits turned up again the next weekend. A quick trip over to see Sully @ Sully's Automotive Services verified that there were undoubtedly issues with the peddle box, clutch, and engine. Once Sully verified this, I got him to book me in for the engine rebuild, clutch replacement, and pedal box repair. These photos show the work that was done; it's safe to say that the engine's health wasn't great.. The valves that are completely covered in carbon buildup The Head + Rocker Cover after being removed from the car, ready to undergo cleaning and carbon removal at the vapour blasters. The Head + Rocker Cover after being vapour blasted We installed new pistons in it after noticing the old ones had heavy scoring. The car during reassembling the engine After the car was put back together, Sully completed the first 150 miles of engine bedding in before giving it back to me to finish the remaining 850 miles. To ensure the engine was operating at peak efficiency, an oil and filter change was necessary at 500 and 1000 miles, respectively. The picture above shows how amazing the car looked once complete and it's amazing how quiet it is compared to how it used to be. Undoubtedly, the car is flawless & quiet now, all the while delivering the amount of power it should! In order to stop carbon buildup in the future, Sully blanked the EGR valve, Additionally he fixed the Aircon. I couldn't be happier with the car and would highly recommend Sully for any necessary engine work, he's definitely the best in the business whilst being extremely knowledgable and helpful! Please feel free to message me on Instagram with any questions. Now over to me to sort the suspension, brakes & exhaust... Instagram : Hector.Bishop.Penn

Problem seems to be fixed. Passed Car to Electrical/Diagnostic Engineer in Dewsbury that came highly recomended. He rang me this morning to collect car as it was cured. There was corrosion in the wiring loom on the connectors which was causing signal issues from ecu and auto gearbox. have driven car around and it seems fine. no doubt will know over the next few days. hopefully its all sorted. thank you for your input and help. hmk, again thank you.

A friend of mine had a sport with a broken box. He could not find a replacement. In the end he fitted one from a 6n2 Polo gti. The ratios where a little different on 1st and 2nd the rest where ok

Sooooo I now have a Lupo again! Picked up this weekend. Such a cool little car. Been years since I last drove a GTi

Makes a great edition to a VW household 😊

I wanted an Up! Gti in 2018, but couldn't even get a demo at that time down here in the South East. This was after owning a Move and then a High. Luckily, I realised that the Lupo Gti is actually a better car in most respects, and found my current car. It happened that some years previously, I had bought my daughter her first car - a (red) diesel Lupo. She has retained a very fond memory of that car and has recently 'recreated' the experience by replacing her Touran with a . . . red Up! BTW, it's now 55 years since I bought my first car - '55 oval Beetle. Still not sure how I managed to scrape up the £75 I had to pay for that beauty!

hello everyone, this week I did the complete polishing with all the steps, I started with a good washing session then a good camouflage preparation first phase of polishing red pads second phase of polishing yellow pads third phase of polishing pads green and the last phase of polishing blue pads and once all the steps are done, I enjoy the result once the camouflage is removed the result is stunning, it shines

Just did the basics couple of days before the MOT. It needs plenty more like this!!

Well, I’ve had my gearbox reconditioned and apparently there was not a lot wrong with it other than layshaft bearings. It’s Not what I wanted to hear as I’ve a ‘wheel bearing’ type of sound that just won’t go (no it’s not the wheel bearings before some illiterate replies). In the meantime I’ve enjoyed giving my engine a real deep clean as I’ve done nowt to it at all since purchasing 18months prior. The mileage is now around 138,000 and I’ve cleaned it internally and out and I feel I’ve dodged a bullet with it. So currently re-assembling it… You. Could almost eat off it! 😉

Black smoke will be either blocked/jammed EGR valve, or a control hose or related. Or temp sensor or air filter. Basically, not enough air to provide a complete burn- running rich (like any black smokey diesel). Unlikely to be the turbo. Blue smoke- never good. Rings, leaky valves, turbo seal, too much oil. New engine time. 3L lumps are sealed for life- you "can't" rebuild them. See the self study guide. But usually good for 500k km. But the chain and tensioner should be changed every 150k miles. (Same as the 1.4 AMF lump).

Erm... you do realise this a post that started in 2011?

@RAB is the knowledge font on all 3L... But I have a sneaky feeling you might have bought this from him? Just trying to think who else is on Club Lupo and is down Kent way. My limited knowledge says the usual things like wheel bearings (different to regular) and rubber bushes. And of course the gearbox (lube and control hydraulics). Cam belt. Camshaft lobe wear. Check for rust on subframes. Not a lot else if it's been looked after. And it's not going to depreciate, so other than regular maintenance, it's almost free motoring. Even leccy cars have a long way to go when you take into account the overall running and depreciation costs. Enjoy the amazing fuel economy. You now have bragging rights in the over 80mpg class 👍🏻😋. Few modern cars today can even get close. Lots of pics please!

If its passenger rear footwell, it's probably the washer hose has come apart where it joins under the trim that runs up next to the rear seat, mine did this. Front speakers shouldn't get wet really, but it's from where water has run down the window channel or slot seals. I did get water ingress into my front footwells when I put aftermarket speakers in the front doors on adaptors, but once I'd sealed them with some mastic, that solved it.

Into the 3rd year of ownership,definitely Mede the right choice with this car.Tooked away now for most of the winter.

Hello all, though I’d post a few pics of my tuned old English white lupo gti! enjoy!

Hey everyone 👋 I picked up a dirt cheap Lupo a while a go and it's been good to knock about in and that. The only problem is, it's a 1.0 and the severe lack of speed is quite frustrating. I've not had anything particularly quick on 4 wheels but have had a motorcycle since I was 17. One night, after a few beers I bid on a Mk4 Golf GTI thinking nothing of it... until I woke up the next day and won it!! Oops. It was cheap, has some problems, but it was cheap. It's a 150bhp AUM with a 5spd box and full leather interior. It drives OK enough and for the most part works, although there is an issue at idle which needs addressing. It vibrates quite a bit at idle but smooths out as the revs rise - I'll be checking the spark plugs & doing a compression test to see whats up. And thats the start of my Lupo 1.8T build...

Posting a few pics here of my recent clean up of the inlet plenum, air restrictor 'trumpets' and intake manifold on my SDI. (I know there's a thread on this but the pictures seem to have gone missing from the image hosting site, so here's another thread with pics if of help to anyone.) As others have said, I couldn't believe how coked up the trumpets and the intake vents were. Doused the intake manifold, plenum, and trumpets in multiple rounds of carb cleaneer and oven cleaner, as well as jet washing the parts in the end. Refitted with a new manifold gasket. Before reassembly hoovered out the intake ports with a handheld vacuum cleaner to remove any big bits of carbon that might have become dislodged during the cleaning/scraping process. Applied the CCV hose mod to stop oil vapour being re-routed back into the inlet plenum, and did the EGR blank, inlet manifold flap disconnect, then took out for a spin to flush anything out. Once the engine warmed up I ran a can of Diesel Intake cleaner through the inlet plenum to try and shift some of the deposits around the intake ports and valves. (Debatable whether this has a huge effect, but thought it couldn't hurt to try.) Will report back once I've had a chance to run another tank through it whether it feels much different etc. Much cleaner at least anyway! Some tips I discovered that helped me: - Oven cleaner works really well! - Ring spanner makes a good scraper tool. - Face masks are handy for covering open ports to prevent stuff falling in - Removing the inlet manifold flap housing: It's a bayonet fitting that turns *right* to release it. - Blocked off the EGR vacuum using an M5 bolt, and a small nail for the manifold flap vacuum. (Leave the wiring connectors connected.) Plan is to install an oil catch can soon rather than letting the oil vapour vent under the car.

The car got a well deserved oil change today, I tend to do them every 4k but this time it was at 3 after the weekend it just had! Recently purchased the Sealey oil funnel, my god I wish I bought sooner. Made life so easy lol. The ECS magnetic sump plug had picked something up, not sure what it was but it’s doing the job.

Just a quick update as I hate threads that come to nothing. I eventually fixed this issue a week after the last post (early January 2020). What was it ? The Halls sensor in the distributor. I changed the diizzy and it fired up first time. Its going for an MOT in the next couple of weeks and then it will be up for sale. Its started on the first flick of the key ever since. Currently showing just over 36,600 miles. Anyone any ideas on what a reasonable asking price would be? Ill post some pics in the next few days. Thanks for all the help on this (a bit delayed, I admit) Chris.

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: 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: (note how the wire colours change across the connector) 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