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Eternal T-Boy

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    Watford, Hertfordshire

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  • Currently Driving
    Raven Blue Lupo GTI 6 Speed

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  1. Ok - got the part - and all fitted and working (took about 10-15mins to replace it). Many thanks to all those who offered advice and help and to writer of the VWVortex piece - brilliant! I can confirm that the new brake switch version is Green & White and is part no. 1C0-945-511ARDW Total cost was £8.11 for the Brake Switch from GSF Watford and a new screwdriver to remove the trim - so just under £10 I'd say. EPC light is out and brake lights are working. Just goes to show you how greedy dealers are - £200 dealer Vs £10 DIY - Ironically if the VW dealer had said £50 I'd have said yes and they would be £50 better off. Anyway thanks once again to all!!
  2. Ok so it looks like the brake light switch has finally given up - not bad going with the temporary fix considering my original post was back on Oct 5th 2007!! So now it looks like I'll have to replace it and having read the article on VWvortex (thanks for that daraz uk) I was wondering if anyone knew if the part number was still 1J0 945 511 D or if there has been a newer version?
  3. Make sure it's had it's cambelt changed as if it hasn't then they should knock off a bit more. This should be done at 40000 miles or 4 years and costs approx £300 at VW. Other than that if it looks good and is mechanically sound then why not? Though remember that the Cat D might put off buyers if you ever choose to sell it/trade it in (blasphamy I know!).
  4. Thanks for that little red devil!! I had a look this morning and was trying to get the plastic guard off but was having no joy with the screws. WD40'd them and was having a feel for the switch whilst waiting for the WD40 to do its thing, found the switch and depressed it a couple of times. Still had no luck with the bloody screws and was starting to break the screw heads so decided to call it a day and go get a few more quotes for the repair. Started the engine up to move the car back and there was no EPC light. Wedged the brake with a brick and went round the back and sure enough the brake lights were on!! Went for a litlle test drive and no EPC light came on - looks like the problem is fixed!! My only thinking is that I had WD40 on my hands and the switch was simply sticking. Extremely happy as have service and new front tyres this month so it was going to be a very expensive month especially if the switch needed a fix- now it is merely expensive!! Thanks once again - hopefully the problem won't return!!
  5. Hi there Asides from the obvious (crash damage, oil levels, coolant, cold starting, tyre tread etc etc) I would make sure that it has had it's cambelt done. Should have ideally been done at 40-45000 miles or 4 years. The handbook says 60000 miles but that is wrong. Search the forums for more info on that. If it hasn't had that then you'll need to get it done. A cambelt service cost will vary depending on where you live but I paid £334 for mine in St.Albans VW. Other things Check the rear spoiler brake light as this will no doubt be or has been broken (it is a design fault - I gave up on mine). If the tyres are worn then be prepared as they cost between £65 - £75 on average for Dunlops or Toyo's per tyre Check the electrics but don't be to put off if the electric windows seem a bit erratic - again a common fault. The other thing that occurs on many lupo GTI's is that you may find it kind of kangaroo jumps when pulling away from cold but that should then settle down as the engine gets warmer. Mine does this but have had VW run diagnostics and there is no fault - just a quirky characteristic. So there are a few starting points - search the forums on these issues as they are an invaulable source of info - in fact I think there are a couple of topics specifically dedicated to common GTI faults. Hope the car is "The One".
  6. Hi there. My EPC light has come on and I have no brake lights but the bulbs are fine. After consulting the club lupo forums it looks more than likely my Brake Switch has gone. I have rung Citygate VW in Watford and they have told me it's going to cost me £94 for a diagnostic check (that's with a discount!!) and if it is the brake switch around £100 to get that fixed!! Now £200 seems pretty expensive to me, so I have the following questions. 1) Has anyone else had the same problem and if so how much did it cost to fix it? 2) If you have done the fix yourself how difficult was it and do you have any tips/diagrams? Any other help you might think applicable would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!
  7. Philplop is right - Cost for this will vary - I paid £334 for mine but that might be slighly higher due to London prices. The seller/dealer may say that it doesn't need doing until 60000 miles but that is incorrect. It is 40-45000 miles or 4 years whatever comes sooner - the handbook is wrong - there are numerous threads on the cambelt issue. So if it hasn't had this done the price should be dropped to compensate for you having to do this. Good luck!!
  8. GTI!! I'm biased of course but it is a gem!! Not only is it a great little car but it's pretty damn rare (only around 1000 in the UK - please someone correct me if I'm wrong on that) so it is unusal to see one out on the road. Even with the common faults that I'm sure you will find on the forums (high level break light espcially!!) I do not regret getting one. If you can find one - get one
  9. I'm with you on the London prices - that's the penalty for being a southerner - everything costs more!! I paid £334.82 for my GTI Cambelt change at VW in St. Albans (Hertfordshire) back in Feb. This was the cheapest VW dealership cambelt change I found in my area - I think I got quotes from VW Watford, VW Ruislip, VW High Wycombe and a few other independents and this was the best. That was with a 25% goodwill discount that I simply asked for and they agreed too without a fuss so if you decide to go to a VW dealer it might be worth asking for a discount. I did try a SEAT dealership but as the Arosa never had the GTI 1.6 engine they said they could not do it - in fact they were surprised that there was a 1.6 engine - didn't fill me with confidence!! Anyway - hope that helps.
  10. Hi there - not sure if you've done this but it helped me out when I was starting down the no-claims route. Admiral, Elephant and a few other companies do a scheme where you get one years no claims in 10 months. Plus points to this are that in 50 months (4 years 2 months) you will have 5 years no claims saving yourself almost a year (10 months). The downside is that you have to buy insurance every 10 months rather than the 12 but as you will have one years no claims after the 10 months your premium should drop as well. Other things to consider are to not do loads of miles, what job you do (NEVER NEVER say you work in the media - trust me on this). Something else I found was if you put a partner on as a named driver it will generally lower your premium as it classifies you as a stable and sensible person. I've got my girlfiend on my Lupo GTI and that saved me quite a bit of cash. A mate of mine even put his mum as a named driver to help reduce his. The other big scam I've found is that when you get your renewal as well as the obvious shopping around go back to the company you are with and input your details all over again (you may have to say you have a second car you want to insure - on some web sites), and see what comes up. I've done this recently on my girlfriends car after the renewal price was £400 for 10 months from Admiral - I put it all in and got a quote for £252 for 12 months. the same thing happened with my car, I was able to save a further £95. Remember the S%^T's want you to get lazy!! Anyway hope that helps.
  11. Hi there, Had a quick look at What Car website and you seem to be close to the Target Price they quote. VW are doing a deal that involves 3 years or 30,000 miles free servicing on all Fox models purchased before 31st March 2007, which might sweeten the deal a bit. Other than that there are 128 used Fox's (nationaly on Autotrader at the moment (not sure where you're based) so you may be able to get a chaeper Fox with a few miles on it. I'd have to agree with everyone else though it's no patch on a Lupo In true Alan Partridge fashion, to quote Top Gear magazine the Fox is "A small car that's had the sense of fun sucked out of it. Cheap for a Volkswagen, but so bland to look at and drive" Hope that helps - good luck in your hunt
  12. Hi everyone - after finding out the cambelt should be replaced at 4 yrs 40k miles (thanks ClubLupo) instead of the 60k that my handbook states, I was wondering if anyone can recommend a good place near the Watford / Hertfordshire area to get the work done on my 2003 Lupo GTI? The VW dealer search came up with the following near me, Citygate Watford Citygate Chalfont Wayside St Albans Citygate Ruislip Citygate Colindale Any opinions/experiences with these? Also does anyone have any recommended independents that could do the job. Obviously I'll ring them up to get quotes but there's nothing like a personal recommendation to help set the mind at ease. Any help would be great Cheers, Eternal T-Boy
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