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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.

Need to use the adjuster to slack it off a bit looks like a fish shape on a spring

Clever. And by leaving the two slots to the side (next to the one you made), if you ever find the real 3 legged caps they'll pop back in no problem. Great solution!

Yeah and no. Depends what the seats came out of. Many early vdubs have the standard vdub three point mounting, with a frame adapter. But some don't (like Polos). And some seats are simply just way too wide, but do fit. Just.

Good info 👍🏻 @ObjectiveAwayDo you have the details for other Lupo gearboxes- and the cross references - which other cars use the same types?

He's normally living on a mountain top in central Durham...

NOX is generated as a result of a high temperature burn using air, the nitrogen gas component actually getting hot enough to react with the oxygen in the air. =Nitrogen Oxides. The compression ratio of an engine affects the burn temperature, which is why in the US they dropped compression ratios down to something like 6:1 for petrol. CARB rules or something. Reduces smog. European petrols' is around 9:1. So naturally, diesel with it's high compression ratio (20:1) generates the most. The higher the compression ratio, the more efficient the burn. It's also why military explosives are so effective, they detonate generating huge pressures, and lots of expanding gas to propel metal stuff. But. Jet engines have a compression ratio of about 30:1. Go figure. And LHR is within ULEZ. I still think diesel is the best form of propulsion.

I’d try Lupo gti owners club facebook.

Polo classic.

When I did two of my SDIs I used clutch plates from a Derby and a Vento. Same reason. Not paying silly money. On one of the clutch plates, I had to remove about 4mm off the central splined shaft arbor with my angle grinder, so it didn't hit the flywheel. Still good 50k later. I can't remember the details, but count the number of splined teeth and measure the overall diameter. You'll be good to go. There are loads and loads of cross references if you take the time to research. The exact same clutch is/was used in loads of vw/audi/seat/skoda models over the years. The pressure plate is probably fine- The max allowable wear on the spring tips is around 1mm to be able to get one more clutch life out of it. Just get a nice new release bearing- decent branded part. Smear a thin layer of CV grease on the surface of the release bearing where it makes contact. Oh, and make sure that the guide tube that the releaser slides up and down on is spotless and dry. Worth changing the inlet shaft seal. When they leak, the tube gets covered in sticky gloopy gunge that binds on the releaser making pressing the clutch pedal really stiff- breaking the pedal box again...

Ah yes i did do it, no one else came but i was going to do it anyway. So from Junction 23 to clacket lane services went well. Did that in around 50mins, i did stop at clackets. It was after clackets it got bad. So there was congestion, then road works at Junction 10 and finally congestion around heathrow. In the end doing the full loop took 2hrs 50 mins. The delays probably added quite a bit of that time. Around 5:00 of the orignal top gear sums it up really.

First car, picked her up for £512

thank you it was a great car! i have upgraded to a 2006 VW touran for the family lol and the maintenance continues

I continue with the the front. A trouble is the coupling of the mask on the side with the fender. Vw proposes the clips, that break one day and the next… so i try to found another way to solve this problem that ruins the whole line. I had been thinking for some time how to couple everything in a solid but not constrained way with the risk of breaking the clip or the mask itself. Neodymium magnets of 7kg each. After checking the various dimensions and thicknesses, I positioned the magnets and the result was very satisfactory in terms of tightness, coupling and the possibility of adjustments

hello and welcome here it's too much a yellow Lupo and too great, I'm going to your garage to follow the progress of the work see you

Thanks for the offer but having had three GTI's the next one has to be Laser so it could be a long wait. Its not so much the performance of the GTI that attracts me, it's the old school VW treatment to produce it. I believe the only body panel a GTI shares with any other Lupo is the tailgate. Add in the other things such as the changes to the body shell and the aluminium bonnet and doors and I think you have one special car.

Yup. M12.

They have got a gem. Great to see so much work being put into Lupos to keep them on the road. The thread was great

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