Fafnir

My ECU failed a couple of years ago. Never really got to the bottom of why it did it, but I started having problems after the radio was changed (at a VW dealership). After this I had problems with the car running - it would stall, and it was 'hunting' at about 2K revs. The worst problem was the exhaust was throwing out black soot, but no one would believe there was a problem until it failed the MOT with catastrophic emissions. Then an independent dealer suspected the ECU, found a second hand one, changed it, and voila, all is well again. Lots of things were changed in between times to try and fix it - cost a fortune!

Yep, that's my Lupo! I've had it since new - 8 1/2 years and nearly 104,000 miles. I still love it

Please let us know the outcome of this - mine is doing EXACTLY as you describe at the moment. When I took it to the VW specialist garage they adjusted the clutch, and said that it that didn't fix it they would need to change the gearbox oil - its not fixed it. The car isn't so bad when the engine is cold, but after 1/2 hour, 20 miles or so or whatever then 5th to 4th is bad, and 1st is hit or miss. Thanks

Most likely the brake light switch has either failed or got caught - happened on mine a couple of times - easy fix fortunately.

mine's female, and called Lupin style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

I had this problem on my Sport. It passed the MOT last year, but had been putting soot out of the exhaust all year, and using more fuel than it should. All diagnostic checks showed no fault. Failed the MOT this year on all emissions, the garage changed numerous sensors and the throttle bodies and injector rail - no change. Finally they changed the ECU. It passed the MOT happily and now is running wonderfully. Mine is a year 2000 Sport, with 77K miles.

We had a problem just like this for nearly a year. The car was put on Vagcom and showed no faults... but failed the MOT with terrible emissions. The garage changed sensor after sensor with no luck, compression tested the car etc etc. They changed the Lambda, MAF, Fuel pressure regulator, oil separator, we had the plugs, coil pack and HT leads changed. There were a few improvements, but not sufficient to pass the MOT. In the end they changed the ECU for a second hand one, and hey-presto - all emissions OK and passed the MOT. The car was still running reasonably in the meantime. Good luck - its been a long journey for us, but there in the end. Ours is a Lupo Sport, 6 years old, 77K miles.

Latest update: the fuel pressure regulator and oil separator were fitted yesterday and the readings were exactly the same as before. Today they have fitted a new lambda sensor - apparently there is some debate about whether the VW dealer fitted the correct part number last time, however, the CO is 6 (which is reduced from where it was) and it needs to be 3... Next steps are to try and swap an ECU from another car to see if that does anything, and they have finally agreed to try a new coil and HT leads (though they say this will not have any effect as the coil and HT leads are fine). I'm hoping one of these things fixes it... we are running out of avenues, and building up a rather large bill!

Mine was 6 yesterday and 77,000 miles. Failed the MOT badly though style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad.gif" />

Yep, 16v Sport.

All cylinders are firing, and the performance is fine, it feels like its running right. There is this very slight hesitation at 2K rpm, but its minimal. The only problems seem to be the smuts from the exhaust/using slightly more petrol than it should - even that is not massive though - it does around 220 miles from full to the petrol light coming on. It used to do 230ish... but the car is no longer new.

Hello style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />. I'm based in Bedfordshire - live in Leighton Buzzard, and work in Hemel, so anywhere around that area that you can recommend would be great style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />. The car is a 1.4 16v Lupo Sport. Its always been maintained according to the service schedule mostly by Wayside Towcester - an authorised dealer - and I don't drive the car hard, so its not had a particularly hard life. The problem started around this time last year when I took the car for the MOT - it was fine before then, but the problems started after. The only thing that Wayside did at the MOT (so they tell me) is fit a new radio/cd player to the car - I had a cassette/radio before. The new unit is a Blaupunkt. A month later the car started emitting a little 'vapour' - greyish wisps from the exhaust when I switched the car off, and fuel consumption went down, and the car started cutting out at junctions/roundabouts etc. I took it back to Wayside and they diagnosed the Lambda sensor as being faulty, and replaced it. I took the car home, but the next day it cut out again at the first junction I came to. I took it back to Wayside who said it was possibly a faulty sensor, but checked it and it was OK, so they cleaned the throttle bodies instead. This did stop it cutting out but it hesitated at 2K rpm and 3K rpm before picking up. I took it to the local independent VAG specialists who put it on Vagcom but could not bring up any faults. They cleaned the throttle bodies again (saying they were still dirty) and tightened the throttle cable, which was loose apparently. Wayside were expensive, and had not sorted the problem so I decided to use the independent. Unfortunately though, over the past year they also have not solved the problem. The car was serviced in September last year by them, and new plugs were fitted then. I asked them to change the HT leads and check the coil - they said the HT leads did not need changing and the coil was fine, also they checked the Cat and that was fine. No fault codes, but the car was still putting out black smuts. They said that maybe it just needed clearing out, that the problem was solved, and that the smuts would clear after a few good runs. They didn't. Two weeks ago it went back in and they changed the temp sensor and cleaned the throttle bodies, and de-gunked the tube from them. Then its failed its MOT with way-over emissions. At least now they have to admit there is a problem - but they don't know how to fix it. I gave the garage the read-out from the failed MOT so I'm not sure what the readings were for all the tests. I think the CO was 270 (should be 200?) and I know that the Lambda reading was 0.917 when it should be between 0.97 and 1.03. The HC was also reading very high (cannot remember the readings though, sorry). Any help or suggestions anyone has would be gratefully received! Sorry, should also have said, no starting problems, and the car runs fine. Still a very slight hesitation at 2K rpm, this is usually better when they have cleaned the throttle bodies, and gets worse as time goes on - never a huge hesitation though, its just that its not 'right'.

The car is 6 years old (today - it has its birthday today!). Its done 77,000 miles. The lamda sensor has been changed - its something more fundamental than that. The air temp sensor(?) was changed last week, and the throttle bodies cleaned - and the pipe was cleaned out of the gung that was in it. It still failed the MOT on Friday. They compression tested it/oil pressure tested it etc etc yesterday and it checked out fine, apparently. They are at a loss as to what it can be. Latest theory is that it could be the fuel pressure regulator or the oil separator - but they only think this because they've been trying to glean information about similar problems on the web. I'll get them to change these and see what happens. There is only a limited amount of cash I can throw at this car though before I have to say 'enough' and move onto something else.

Not sure yet - have to look and see what its worth. I *hope* they can fix my car easily.... but if not style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad.gif" />

Sympathies - my Lupo is poorly too - it failed its MOT catastrophically with emissions way over on all readings. Its been putting black smuts out of the exhaust for nearly a year now, and I have been trying to get it fixed. The answer keeps coming back 'computer says no' - no error readings on Vag-com so I keep getting told that its perfectly ok. It isn't and the MOT failure has made the garage realise that perhaps there is something wrong after all... but they have NO idea what. They've got the car today for compression test etc etc... were talking last night about transplanting a second hand engine, but there is no guarantee that will be any better, because they don't actually know what's wrong with it. I'm fed up of spending all my days off with the car in the garage trying to get it fixed... I don't mind so much in the summer - I'll use my bike - but I tried really hard all last year to get them to fix the car so that it would be reliable during the winter. Its coming to the end of its life if they cannot get it sorted in the next week or so.... shame cos I love the car, but there is no point in throwing lots of money at it with no guarantee that it will work afterwards. So, the numberplate L16UPO could be up for sale very soon if anyone is interested!

Reckon that was me and my husband - soft blue Sport, reg is one number out - we are 16, but we would have been on the south bound A5 Towcester to MK around that time - on our way back from the Historic Racing Show (bikes and cars) at Stoneleigh. style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Note also that Direct Line have a clause which means you are not insured for the Nurburgring (that might not be important to you, but if you were thinking of a trip there you would not be insured and would be in BIG trouble if there were an incident on the 'Ring). Direct Line are the only company I know (at the moment) that have this clause. Their insurance excludes 'non speed limited toll roads' or somesuch, and basically that is what the Ring is.

When this happened to my Loop it was the lambda sensor that had gone.

I've also got a Lupo Sport (2000), just had the pedal box replaced at 70,000 miles. Didn't go to a VW dealer after I've had lots of trouble from them in the last year (not doing things they should have done, etc). Went to an independant VW specialist (Vagtech, Soulbury, Beds). Cost was £223 to do the job. Since so many have had problems I do feel VW should have done this as a no-cost recall though.