mk2

OMG! It's mint! That is the condition I'm trying to get my Lupos back to again. Wow. If it's something you're thinking of hanging onto, there are a few areas/parts that you could keep immaculate by spraying with rust protector now. You'd get another 20 years from it... possibly one of the best unmolested Lupos in the UK this minute. 👍🏻

Nice wheels 👍🏻 Hate to say it, but it might be a melted needle roller bearing inside the 5th synchro cog. Usually caused by very low oil levels in the box. All your symptoms fit. Means box needs to come out Have a read through "the definitive gearbox thread". I don't like being the bringer of bad news, but at least it's worth checking the oil level to confirm it. But on the positive side, it might be a completely out of whack gear selector, that simply needs adjusting (a lot). And a very quick hello and welcome to club lupo (and probably goodbye again).

@Pete r u selling your air suspension setup....? Still really expensive though.

The original Philips or Blaupunkt speakers are actually pretty good... Better than those Ebay ones listed. Way better sensitivity at around 97dB/W and bass response down to 45Hz. 👍🏻 Speakers from Polos, Boras and Golfs of that era fit straight in. I've had to replace mine too- with mk4 golf speakers. About a fiver a pair from breakers. To remove them, you need to drill out the rivets. I always rivet back in again once replaced (5mm ali blind rivets- "Pop" type- nerd fact--> "Pop" is a brand like "Hoover").

That's normal... if you have more than about 120kg in the back, the suspension bottoms out on bumpy roads. The rear spring rates are about the same in all models, only the ride height is different. I've also looked at higher rate springs to reduce that, but the problem is it would change the handling characteristics of the car a lot when unloaded. If the rear suspension is much harder, there is a tendancy for the back to slide more when cornering. Changing the shocks to suit the new coils doesn't help either, as when the car is empty there's not enough inertia to keep the car from bouncing. Expensive air suspension is a solution which @Pete has proven works well 👍🏻 Welcome to club lupo

@ObjectiveAway I understand what you mean now. Yeah, it's not needed when rebuilding the gearbox, so long as the replacement bearings are identical to the original- which they will be if you get quality bearings. All the bearing dimensions are very precise. Ok, so maybe 0.01mm difference, but nothing to worry about as all the components are being reused. Only the two things I mentioned need checking. If building a new gearbox with all new components, that would be so time consuming. OMG! Like setting up the contact pattern on a hyperboloid differential, using engineer's blue... Very tricky!

There is no adjustment in the 085 gearbox. Only the slack setting in the 5th gear selector fork and the clearance washer on the end of the layshaft. The "cone" or roller bearings cannot be adjusted. They must be fully seated then the running clearance is perfect. Exactly like wheel bearings 👍🏻 @YellowBox, I'm lucky as one of the best and experienced race tuning gearbox places in the UK is on my doorstep, in Woodcote... If the needle roller race has melted, bearingboys can supply them. In fact you can buy all the bearings from them except the seals. Cheaper too. But the places on Ebay save you time and bundle everything together. Pull out the box, split it then have a look what's going on (straight forward). But you'll need special tools to take it further.

Your car doesn't like you... It obviously reads this forum and has the hump with you. Could be crank sensor? If it's pinking/knocking, ignition must be early. Worth looking at live sensor data when it's running. It's never ever injectors or plugs. Usually coil or leads. Or temp sensor...?

In manual gearboxes, the gears are always meshed and turning - even if not selected. Don't drive or move it. Yeah probably just needs a rebuild kit for about £100. Takes under 2h with someone who knows what they're doing. My local place charges me £50, but I supply them with everything and a drained gearbox. All they do is split it, pull all the bearings and seals, then chuck it in the auto power washer tank for ten mins. Then press in the seals and bearings, reseal, assemble, check clearances and bolt up. Perfect. Good for another 100k. I took pics last time. Just two specialist tools needed (for 5th). And you need to know how to do the selector mech (i just don't get it). where are u? oh and welcome to club lupo

What I've seen a few times on vdubs, not just Lupos- is the bulbs can get wet and there's an electrolytic reaction between the socket contacts and the bulb pins/wires. Have yiu tried scraping the contacts clean and lubing with loads of silicone grease?

I was thinking more along the lines of high intensity LEDs. Yeah I know you can turn on the headlights, but I prefer the idea of mini high intensity thingies. On most Lupos, there are a few small recesses on the lowest part of the front bumper, about 25mm high with space going along by about 115mm. I could get some metalised ali PCBs made (same as they use for COB led lights), attach some LEDS (either 3 or 6, to get to the right voltage), then encapsulate in UV stable resin. Think it'd look schmick. The power (current) could simply run through the headlights, so when you turned them on, the LEDS would switch off. Real simple. No fancy loom or relay needed. For the rears, no mods needed, just an extra wire from the wiper run-on power supply. And perhaps change the regular bulb for a nice LED one to extend lamp life. I'll investigate cost...

My hunch is the infamous temp sensor. Especially since the guage keeps dieing. That company in Luxembourg that manufactured them really should have gone under years ago. The amount of global problems they have caused across the entire VAG group range is really unbelievable.

Anyone made a mini LED strip thing or something? My car seems to invisible when my headlights are off at the moment in the winter daylight. Rears are easy, using the feed for the wiper run on switch. For the front, Just wire it across the +12V feed to the headlights. When the headlights are on, there's no volt difference, so they go off (like they're meant to). But has anyone done it? I might get some LED 'beads' - like 3, and wire them in series with a small resistor. Then pot up in resin and position in the grille. Thoughts?

Find the blown fuse first... either inside fuse box or on top of battery. You'll need a multimeter to buzz out the connections, so you known what wire is what. Once you know the speakers, switched power and main power, you're good to go

What model? Which engine? Ok, so it's got plugs, so a petrol lump, but we need more info. Not much to go on TBH.