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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

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.

I am afraid that I took 8 years to restore mine, I am rather attached to it and no room for another. I think you will know why, regards

Just a quick one guys and girls. Anyone wanting to know what 60mm springs vs standard springs drop looks like on a Lupo with 13 inch wheels here you go. I’ve got a build project over in members cars area if anyone wants more info or pics. Hope this helps.

Bought a BlueGT Fancied an UP GTi but they're so overpriced in my opinion

Happy it’s someone on this forum that’s got it.Plenty of life left in this car at that mileage,will be watching with a little bit of envy.

Nothing major to report on my Lupo Sport over the last few weekends Acquired one of the last genuine old stock Lupo Coolant bottles from VW Parts International since my one was starting to show signs of its age and had turned "yellowy" over time. After I got it swapped over, typically my coolant cap started to show its age against the new bottle, guess that will be replaced as well now... What a difference it made to the engine bay. Proof that the little things are what really matter 🙌🏻 Instagram : Hector.Bishop.Penn

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

That car is worth saving!

still miss it

Replace the green temp sensor.

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.

Did this a while back. So thought I'd upload some pics... Cheaper than buying new and they look almost as good. At a glance from a distance it makes the car look much newer! About 2h will be enough from start to finish. Also how to fix the bulb access door clip- every lupo I've seen has a broken plastic hinge point for the metal clip! You've got to be gentle with them....

Rather than doing all that important stuff, I decided the first thing to do was to smash the windows and fit pop outs. This was partly because when I drove home it took 6 hours in 30 degree heat, and I found out that the window switch didn't work... Then fitted SE tails and removed the rear tint. Didn't even wash the car, just wiped it down to get rid of cobwebs. Took it to a meet at Caffeine and Machine with the Facebook owners club as was the challenge to get a hold of one before the meet took place.

If I knew of a cheap way to bring pallets in from the likes of Spain or Portugal, I'd buy, say, ten of each front and rear subframes from various breakers. When on hol recently, I visited a breakers' where there were fifty year old motors, in near mint condition bodyworkwise. I specifically looked closely at the weakpoints and they really did look like they were only a few months old. Even the black paint was still clean and shiny. Just shows how salt eats away at our cars. Yeah, most people don't go breakers yards when on hols. 🤷🏻‍♀️👍🏻 Because they're not available new from anywhere, and there are quite a few of us who are trying to keep our Lupos going forever, I'd definitely think that there's an option to make a few quid (not a lot though). Plus keep people happy. They go for around £75 each. So add shipping, plus something for my time (to remove/strip them), how much would people pay?

Hi all, I've just become the proud owner of a 2003 1.0 Lupo in Fresco Green. After driving much more modern cars for a few years, it's taking a bit of getting used to 😅 I've previously had Mk2, 3 and 4 Golfs and currently drive my partner's Mk7 TDI for longer trips (or if I ever want to get above 60mph) Expecting a few issues to pop up with this Lupo as the clutch doesn't feel great, it's only done 66k but it feels like it's on it's way out. Also does anyone know if it's normal for the revs to go super low when in reverse? I'm stalling it constantly when I'm parking, which is a tad embarrassing! Expect lots more newbie questions from me over the coming months Will upload a pic when it lets me, keep getting error messages!

Hello! Greetings from Poland I have just aquired a black Lupo which was saved from being scrapped! Apart from small issues it runs great and now its time to bring it back for some road adventures. I plan to make it as practical as possible with some minor suspension lift, universak tyres and roof rack as starter pack. I hope to get some ideas/suggestions here as well as I hope to help others as much as I can cheers! Przemek

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

I just looked up a 2000 Sport on Autotrader, that is fitted with a ETB coded 085 box. ETKA lists a few other gearboxes with the same part number that would fit: DXJ, FFL, FHX, FHZ All of these have the VW part number 085 300 053 RX and has the final drive ratio of 62/16.

Well you've convinced me to stick with a bit longer anyway, gunna sort the worst of the mechanical stuff, put it through another MOT (March), run it another 12 months beyond that. By which time they might be getting collectable enough that it will be worth someone sorting the back arches and subframe, and I might have saved enough cash for a nice ed30.

Nothing overly exciting has happened to the car as of late, done an evening session at Snetterton recently which was a huge success, the best the car has ever felt for sure. I’ve just fitted the latest version of the Sprogley Motorsport airbox, this time it’s 3D printed with Carbon infused material so the finish is just incredible. I also bought another set of wheels, I used to have a set of 15” OZ Ultraleggera’s and I always regretted selling them. Seeing them on my partners car made me want another set so I finally bought my first ever set of brand new wheels! They look amazing, wrapped in Nankang AR1’s ready for a Nürburgring trip on 23rd August for a week :)

hi guys, just to feed the garage with a little picture of the chick's ass, i'm a fan

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

Hello everybody small program change, during the assembly of the stainless steel exhaust line of the Lupo gti, I realized that the assembly did not mount the proof in image, in my opinion the bumper of the 100cv is smaller than that of the gti which explains that the stainless steel line does not pass suddenly by checking in my stock of parts, I got my hands on a slightly worn original 100hp so I restarted it by plugging the holes with spot welds, then to reinforce it on the thin sheets, I put steel cold welding installing the muffler and polishing the outlet a little cleaning needed installation of the spare wheel and its accessories installing the bumper small photo shoot at the exit of the car wash,I like the result very much so very happy

Had some time the other evening so the clean up continues. The cloudy headlights, a quick mask, sand, polish and seal. Few bits of yellow here...

Makes a great edition to a VW household 😊

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.

More work today - condenser in over lunchtime but left sealed as it included the dryer. Once the compressor is in, I'll arrange to get the system gassed up and then close everything up and mount the bumper again before leaving for the workshop. Photo included also shows the somewhat reluctant headlamp washer mounting screw that had to be ground off - to be replaced with a stainless hex screw when going back together... The other side was perfect. The ESP sensor for the steering column is ready to go back on after refurbishing in Germany - still to arrange with a local agent to complete the set up of the software. With the wheel arch liners out, I can see the underside is completely like new - no corrosion at all. I replaced the side indicator bulbs as the orange coating had failed on one side. After this, I think a Bluetooth installation to get streaming and a USB connection in one of the blanks in front of the gearlever. Then it's finished - I hope...! Paul

Nice one. Keep us posted with your progress.

The penny's just dropped... @mickster bought it! Excellent. I'm a bit slow... (@Rich - no quips about me and SDIs). Looking forward to a full rebuild thread devoted just to that Raven Blue loop.

Jon Boy (can't remember his ID) in south africa did a cracking interior on his Loop. Tartan. Have a search... Maybe about two years ago or so.

I did my cyber security dissertation on this sort of thing.. Looking into security of short range RF devices using RTL-SDR and yardstick one. Yes VW are protected from replay attacks by rolling codes but are still vulnerable to rolljam attacks which consists of blocking and capturing the first unlock code and then the second then replaying the first code leaving an unused unlock code to the vehicle, which an attacker can then resend later on. VWs and a lot of other manufacturers are vulnerable to this. I believe the hackrf device can do this, although this is some effort and hit/miss as your blocking the the frequency the remote key fob transmits on but also trying to record at the same time... Obvs also vulnerable to brute force attacks but that can take time. Quicker if you can see patterns of codes to reduce your key set. Ie if the beginning of a code or end of a code is the same you know you only need to guess the middle.. iirc the ecu/CCM stores a number of keys allowed to unlock the vehicle incase the keys are pressed numerous times outisde range of the vehicle. You would then need 2 or so consecitive codes to resync them with the ecu/CCM. So this also increases your chances as you have more acceptable codes to unlock the vehicle. What is more scary is that VW of the same era codes have been cracked so you can capture one code and create more for later use. Check this paper out. Lock It and Still Lose It—On the (In)Security of Automotive Remote Keyless Entry Systems Fortunately he hasn't released the cryptographics of it but be aware they are bust and vulnerable. What I did find funny a few years back I had a lupo without remote control locking. It was actually more secure fitting a 3rd party system like rclick than retrofitting the genuine system. Also worth noting is that many old garage doors/shutters etc are vulnerable to replay attacks.. Thinking of more physical security yet?

VW Fox 6Q0837581A manual window winder fits my 2002 Lupo

I don't drive a vw, I drive an Audi now. I even have the next one lined up. The quality of the up/mii/go is crap. They've been rusty for years and have no long term quality and durability like a lupo.

It's slightly creaky, however I don't know if it's just the huge contrast between a 20 year old clutch in the Lupo and a 6 year old clutch in the Golf that I've been used to up until now. Having driven it for a few weeks now I am getting more used to it. It's so much fun to drive!!!

Yeah, I looked into doing this too... The gorgeous ali 3L steering wheel fits both Rosas and Lupo columns just fine, but you need the "clock spring" unit that goes with it. And obviously the airbag, which is completely different. The leather steering wheels also are a straight swap. The Arosa and Lupo steering wheels have different airbag release systems. The Arosa steering wheel has screws whereas the Lupo one is clipped. The airbags can't be swapped between wheels. 👍🏻

I've been meaning to get round to this for a while... don't know if many know I'm a writer for Car Mechanics magazine, but an opportunity came about to write about my Lupo. Enjoy the attachment! Hard copies of Car Mechanics are available here: https://shop.kelsey.co.uk/single-issue/car-mechanics-magazine/532 473517106_OCLupoGTITroubleMay-23.pdf

I'm wise enough to see through the pics. You need the plastic stops for when the seat snaps back ?

It's much easier to clean the headliner when it is out of the car... Take it down from the front, then work along one side, then the other side. The edge sits in a slot, so the headliner is slightly (about 5mm) bigger than the roof. I put it on a big table and use clothes washing detergent (cleans upholstery the best), then rinse with a hose outside. Be gentle, because it is easy to break it. There are two plastic tabs at the back that slot into the metal section that holds the tailgate hinges. You have to move it forward when you finally remove it 👍🏻

Well I have just baugh YB05GYU and it is still not fixed been sat under a tree in Leicester for about 2 years! It still has the leather seats and the AC still works, I have removed the front end and started buying replacement parts for it.

Thank you for the advice 😊 it doesn't appear as stiff anymore. It may have just need driving 😊 Hopefully will be able to get some pictures uploaded soon

Hi, I am the new owner of the above lupo X757 HKY It's my first car and I had no idea how rare it was. It will be very well looked after and cared for

OMG! This is freaking unbelievable. I wish you were nearby. ok, so it has to be related to ignition. Or a power rail fault, maybe via a relay? And intermittant at that. Not throttle body. Nope. You can always check the TPS output by watching the throttle % demand from the pedal as you move it on the laptop (I think it's a cable, not drive by wire in that model?). If powered throttle body, it usually goes into limp mode, which allows it ti start and only gives you a fast idle. More air than a regular idle... so will always start. This is nuts. You have practically rebuilt the damn thing. Respect. And you haven't completely lost it.... yet. I wonder... Can you measure 5v at the sensors? Oh, and check the earth (continuity) bus while you're at it. The behaviour is like a coil pack or plug lead/dizzy is failing. But from all the stuff you've changed, I'm pretty sure it can't be. But you 'can' get very similar symptoms when a relay is iffy. Like the engine loom power bus isn't quite right. I'm shaking my head. I had a similar issue with an SDI, where I changed everything to try and eliminate a loud ticking noise while idling. Read about it on here somewhere, 2 years ago. In the end I even swapped the whole engine as I was convinced it was a broken ring. The ticking came back. It was a dodgy injector. Even though I had 3 sets of injectors, all of which had been properly matched, calibrated and bench tested- and were known to be good. Yeah, it happens to all of us.

OK, Its fixed. Thanks for all the support and suggestions. Still cant get my head around it. Well I can, but there are still some things I don't understand. Bought a set of new Intermotor HT's, fitted them today and it fired-up instantly and settled to a smooth idle at around 900 rpm. Perfect. Totally confused by how the originals failed, all at once, all together, also how each plug was sparking strongly when tested with no tracking when checked in the dark. Also, checked with strobe HT clamp and it showed them to be sparking. Finally, tested them for continually and resistance and all tested fine. So why didn't they allow the feckin' car to run? Took the new ones off and replaced with the old again, just to check that I wasn't loosing my head, and no, wouldn't start, just 'chugging' on one cylinder? intermittently. Took each plug out and to check and they were fooking sparking, every fooking one!!! Put the new ones back on, fired up instantly, ticking over smooth. So, what happened was, the car was stood for over two years and started every now and then, It always started and ticked over fine. The week before I got into these problems it started fine and ticked over sweet. The very next weekend it was started again and developed a misfire on one cylinder. At this stage I beloved it to be a plug lead perhaps as I found that one could be unplugged without effecting the running. Next weekend it wouldn't start, so this made me think it perhaps has a dodgy lead, but now something else has developed. These are the readings for the defective plug leads. ie defective meaning they allow the plugs to spark and give the impression of functioning leads but not allow the engine to run? 4 = 5.48k Ohms3 = 5.94K Ohms2 = 5.74k Ohms1 = 5.83k Ohms For reference the new plug leads all tested at around 2 - 2.5 Ohms. Now I don't think the results above are bad enough not to allow the car to run, but it appears that they are? This has been a frustrating journey, that totally mislead me. Still will never know how the HT's can go from an intermittent misfire on one cylinder to a complete no-start in less than half an hour. One big circle. Just glad it was something an nothing.

The issue is the strength of the gearbox, as 150bhp will increase the torque it will put extra strain on the box especially in the key overtaking ratios 3rd and 4th gear which are prone develop synchro problems in standard form. I'm not saying don't do it the tdi is a fabulous little engine just put money aside every week for the rebuild. I'd move the battery to the boot, the tdi's frontal weight makes it understeer any help you can give it will mitigate against this, enjoy