Lupo-dreams

Just to update, my diesel purge does seem to have made the engine a touch quieter at low revs, so it was worth it for that, and nice knowing it must be cleaner now. My inlet manifold wasn't that sooted up (compared to one example I've seen where the holes were actually half blocked by crud), so cleaning that didn't do much either. But it's all clean and serviced now for winter so job done. What's the opinion on an egr delete plate on the SDI then? Pros and cons? Worth doing or not? Just curious.

Well, my egr gasket hasn't arrived in the post so gonna have to sack that off cleaning that out for another time anyway. At least I can get the manifold cleaned out and do a diesel purge, plus new engine oil & air/oil/fuel filters after. That should all hopefully make a noticeable difference. I mainly just want a smoother sounding engine from the purge so will report back! Ta for the advice.

Ta for the tips. I've got the manifold off with the egr valve still bolted onto it for now. Stupid question but how do you get the second bolt off the egr...the one that secured the dipstick at one end...? Do you know the one I mean? Then what's the best procedure to follow for cleaning the egr out...if I get that far? Ta for any help.

Sorry to hijack, what gaskets do I need if I'm gonna take off the inlet manifold and egr valve for cleaning? Is it just one inlet manifold gasket and one egr gasket? Hazy or anyone else who's done it? Want it all ready before I take anything off that's all. Cheers

Hazy - My remap was at UK Chip Tuning. It was listed as costing £200 but they did it for £150 without me even haggling, probably out of sympathy for the relatively low power gain compared to other engines, so it's worth haggling cos it's still only 10 mins work, they're not losing money! Dblock - thanks, I've got all my tubing, in-line filter and vacuum fittings for doing a diesel purge on a closed loop, just need the Liqui Moly liquid now. Shame I can only find it on Ebay, they don't seem to do it at Halfrauds, Motosave, other high street stores. Bugger. Anyway, this is the how-to guide I've used to prepare what I need if anyone else needs it. It's American but you can get all the same stuff here. http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=87948 and youtube vid I found http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq_ZGh1KEec Is that how you did it, Dblock?

It was me that got the remap on my SDI. Probably the only person in the country? Ha! Took it from 60hp & 115 Nm torque to 70hp & 140 NM torque (claimed but not confirmed). That's the most a remap alone can achieve on the 1.7 SDI. I could tell the difference as I drove away from the tuner though, it's nice and nippy and doesn't feel like a gutless wonder and I still seem to average 68mpg with the driving I do, even on an 'off' week where I've ragged it around I get 65mpg. Remap cost me £150 which I weighed up as worth it 'cos I still spent a lot less altogether than buying a TDI Lupo. All I wanted was a little bit more oomph for the long hills I have to get up everyday and easier overtaking where opportunities are few and far between. I don't have to hesitate now as it will zip past without a problem. Everything else is standard, although I removed my intake trumpets as they were gunked up - well worth doing. But like everyone says, regular servicing is key and I change all the engine filters more regularly than recommended just to be kind to an ageing engine and make it last longer and perform to its best. Def gonna do that diesel purge though! Worth it just to make it sound a bit smoother. What's the exact product you used Dblock? Cheers

I agree, if you're really serious about getting high mpg above all else, then the SDI is probably the winner. If you use the 'A road/constant speed all the way' route then it will reward you with very high mpg (I get at least 67mpg and I don't dawdle or even try many fuel-saving tricks. If there's not many hills or stops and slow-downs then 72mpg is easy). Like what's been said, you don't even have to take it over 2000 rpm for the whole journey on A roads if you're chilled out and keep economy in mind. Motorways at 70mph will not be much more rpm so you're not screaming along. I agree, driving a turbo diesel (I've had a few) is just too tempting to give it the beans all the time and ruin any chance of serious mpg. But having said that, the 1.4TDI will be a close second for your particular needs, so it all depends what you find for sale at the right price and what you fancy. Also, if there's snow you have to drive in, the SDI kicks arse, especially if you wack snow tyres on at least the front wheels. I was so impressed with mine getting up 14% hills with no run-up when it was white over...there was only me and a couple of 4x4s that could do it. Just to add, you can find a SEAT Arosa or Lupo with the 1.4TDI in the £30 tax bracket, but won't find an Arosa 1.7 SDI in the £30 tax bracket (they're too old to qualify), the Lupo SDI carried on alongside the TDIs though.

I got one of these which scans for fault codes and can delete them if necessary (to pass an MOT for example!) Will pay for itself after one or two uses if it makes you less reliant on garages. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/U281-VW-AUDI-SKODA-SEAT-VAG-CAN-BUS-FAULT-CODE-READER-SCANNER-DIAGNOSTIC-TOOL-UK-/180956067235?pt=UK_Diagnostic_Tools_Equipment&hash=item2a21d275a3

Mine runs at 90 once warmed up. Although it definitely takes a while to get to this. Any less than about 8 miles on open road driving and it's pretty much not gonna get properly warmed up! If you're only doing short journeys (that are also easy work for the engine), it may not be getting chance to get up to 90?

If no luck there... I gambled that mine where the same as Mk2 Golf/Polo 6n etc and they were, even though the compatibility search says otherwise on ebay listings. I presume yours are the same calipers as mine with 239mm vented disks?. Got them off Ebay. http://www.ebay.co.u...=item2c690a24b6

As a bonus, a 2001-2002 6n2 1.4 TDI PD will only be £30 a year tax (but it must be Y reg or later). Like this little beaut : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-vw-polo-s-1-4-tdi-/160885725034?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item257589576a The 9n 1.4 TDI is £100 a year which is annoying, but still cheap.

Soz for the delay. My first tank full only got 62mpg but I put that down to 'testing out' the remap and being heavy with my right foot a lot! I also used the car for a fast 'n' furious trip to/from Halifax with a heavy passenger which wasn't my usual laidback commute alone on A/B roads. My second tank got 68 which is about what I've been getting since I got the car last November. My next tank may be more like 70mpg or more if I have a better run on the roads - i.e without every kind of 'economical driving zapper' I've encountered this last couple of weeks (countless tractors, having to overtake them on short stretches, cars in front making me stop all the time in a 60 limit to turn right etc...it all zaps mpg...grrrr!). So I would say don't invest in a remap if you just want to improve the mpg on an SDI because it will probably stay the same! I'm still happy myself though because the car has a fair bit extra get up 'n' go without sacrificing any fuel economy. I would actually have forgiven the remap for making it drop 5mpg or so, so I'm actually well chuffed it's stayed the same. I could never say I was disappointed with 68mpg in 'real world' driving!

You've got to do right by your nipples Thanks for the help.

Is that M10 x 1 or something? Should've said, I'm buying replacements rather than just wanting to know the spanner size, sorry. Thanks guys.

Just on the off-chance, does anyone know the size of the front brake bleed screws? My calipers are original SDI spec (taking 239mm vented discs). Thanks

Clifton Moor car park, York, Thursday 30th. Fantasia Green SDI with alloy wheels. Nice

Maybe early next week I'll be filling up the tank and can tot up the mpg (not at work this week so not using the car much, sorry). What k&n filter did you get, Hazy? Is it just a straight replacement one that sits in the original airbox?

I took the intake restrictors out a while ago, yes (thanks to the how-to post). Well worth doing as you can guarantee they are full of gunge and living up to their name (mine were). It should feel more sprightly just after doing that you'll probably find! My air filter is standard (but recently renewed) and my exhaust is standard (maybe when it pegs it I'll get a stainless one). But yeah, no doubt if you K&N'd it and de-catted the exhaust etc, it would be better still. The Lupo with PD 130/150 in would be insane! It could be remapped to over 160hp/180hp if you wanted! Serious stuff in a small car, it would be so awesome .

Don't get me wrong I'm driving it the same as I was before on my commute, to get the best mpg. It's just nicer not losing speed on the big hills (or certainly not as much) and being able to change up the gears that bit sooner etc. And I can overtake the Sunday drivers without hesitating or having a 'gulp' moment now. I got it done at UK Chip-Tuning in York. The price all the places I've looked at list any remap like this is £200 (including the place I got it done) but I think the guy took pity on me getting a mere 10hp gain and only charged £150 ha ha. Considering it only takes them 20mins with the laptop it's still easy money for them no matter how much they discount I suppose! I don't get any extra smoke that I have noticed (I booted it up a hill to make sure and couldn't even see any). I refilled the tank/reset my trip meter just after I left the remap place so my new mpg results will be in next week. The guy did make a point of saying it should be a bit better on fuel so we'll see. I must admit I wouldn't have done it if I had a pre 2001 car like you guys who have to fork out an extra £190 a year on road tax (sorry, I know it's not a fair system). Or if I only drove it around a town/city/outskirts type driving where they're pretty nippy cars anyway. But my commute's on open country roads in top gear, mostly 60 limit, with some long hills that got the better of the car at times (no opportunity to get a run up on some). So I think 'cos I'm planning to keep the car a long time it's worth it to me to make it that bit better for the sort of mileage I do / the sort of roads I use / the hefty amount of time I spend in the car.

Just to update anyone that's interested : I got a remap on my SDI yesterday for £150. Took about 20mins, the OBD port is under the ashtray (I wouldn't have known it was tucked there). Now it's 70hp / 140nm torque (previously 60hp/115nm). That's about a 17% increase, not too bad for a n/a diesel. I noticed as soon as I drove out of the garage yard. I tested it out leaving the traffic lights and it was like a rocket, so the extra 10hp is most noticeable at 0-40 ish where it feels very nippy. Going faster on the dual carriageway it was a lot easier to overtake and build speed than before. Apparently it will get even more mpg now so that's a bonus. I think the main thing is it now gives me a lot more confidence driving knowing more oomph is there if I need it which cuts out any frustrating moments. I would recommend it, but I know some say it's not worth the money for a 17% increase, but if you like everything else about the car and couldn't afford a TDI like me, then buying an SDI + remap is worth thinking about (I've still spent a few hundred less altogether than if I'd bought one of the TDIs Lupos/Arosas I was looking at when I bought the SDI). The stats once remapped make it just 5 less hp than a standard 1.4 TDI Lupo and the same torque as the standard 1.2 TDI Lupo 3L so it really is quite acceptable power now for a small car that can easily manage 70mpg.

I agree it's not fair, Same engine, same emissions, just a tiny age difference. Definitely worth anyone looking for a TDI or SDI to only get one that's 2001 (Y reg) onwards where they are tax banded according to emisions, not engine size like older cars (top tip Jamie! )

The SDI has a lot going for it. I still can't believe a 1.7 diesel that's up to 11 years old can be £30 road tax (2001+ models). They're nippy round town, you can zip around out of people's way at roundabouts etc like a whippet - the power's all there straight away, even if it is 59hp! On the open road it's not gonna pin you to the seat but hey ho, it keeps up with normal traffic and I get about 68mpg every time I check on filling up. And yes it can frequent the fast lane like anyone else without embarrassment. And because it's a 1700 it doesn't scream it nuts off at high speed, like Hazy said. A remap on the SDI will only gain about 10hp and 25nm torque, they're obviously limited in what they can give. But I might invest in a remap because I love the car and economy but just want a tiny bit more torque for the hillclimbing parts of my commute I have to do. It's mainly other gits on the road that slow down at the bottom and ruin your momentum, otherwise it pulls up fine. I'll report back if I get it done, it's not a heavy car so I'm sure I'll notice even the slightest difference. TDI is the way to go if you're into speed though, Jamie! They just tend to fetch more money I found.

An update for post searchers with a similar problem...mine turned out to be worn bushes on the front anti-roll bar. Renewing those cured the annoying noise. Sooooooo much nicer driving now! It wasn't the wishbone bushes or ball joints like I suspected, although those bushes are getting worn out so are next on the list.

Ta for the reply. I don't have a photo. But the noise is basically coming through each of these wishbones : I think all the balljoints, wishbones themselves and bushes are the originals (they look old) and that's why they all happen to have worn at the same rate and now both sides are complaining at the same time, I might as well get new wishbones already fitted with new bushes and balljoints for £46 (like in the photo). What d'ya reckon? Will be easier to replace that way and then I know it's all new. I'll check with garage first that it will cure my problem. Cheers

I've started getting a lot of loud creaky knocky noises from the front suspension (loud enough to hear when I'm inside the car driving), even on only slightly undulating roads which is basically my entire drive to work. My Lupo is on standard high suspension by the way. I've checked and it's not the springs or shocks, which was my first thought. When I put my hand on each wishbone while the car is being bounced up and down I can feel that's exactly where the creaky knock noise is coming from on BOTH wishbones. What is it most likely to be, the balljoints or what? Anyone else had (and solved) this problem? Thanks for any info.