mk2

There's no extra offset or anything clever. It's basically standard running gear with a few extras. Everything has just been lifted. That's all. Here's a pic showing the wheel in the 'normal' position, just the body has been raised. Here's the chassis simply bolted on. It's really a bit amateurish if you look closely. Mind you, they were all hand built, with something like only 500 produced in total.

Yeah, that's the way I did it. Like £3 or something. But a brass not a steel "ate brand" key. There are a few people who can do that, as each tumbler has 4 distinct positions if I remember correctly. So it's easy enough to simply reproduce a key from a pic. If you've ever dismantled a vdub lock barrel (to change that stupid horse shoe shaped lock ring, which snaps), you'll see it's like a digital code, where each bit has 4 values, each referenced to the lower edge. Also handy if you need to change all the barrels, and recode them. Don't show people pics of your keys! So you can get into the car and unlock the steering column. But not drive it. It's the unpairing of the ID chip that causes the lock out, where the key symbol pops up on the cluster display. And then the ECU allows you to start the car and then it cuts out 2 seconds later. Hey, I just thought- I wonder if the ECU allows a rolling bump start, without using the starter motor??? You're running a different part of the software, possibly skipping the start sub routine. Something I need to try just out of curiosity.

I don't have any genuine vdub gear, apart from one or two tools for a mk2 golf... I find that VCDS freeware (used to be called VAGCOM) is good enough for most things, which is what I use. You can read all the sensors and reset any faults. What system do you use?

Hey, at least you have a squishy mat to lean on

LOL! Yeah it happens... I must also admit to failure. I once rebuilt a V8 engine. A thing of beauty, with lots of very expensive race components for a client. After putting it back in the car, with everything connected, basically job finished, I started up. It ran sweetly and just the way I wanted. While mapping it on the rolling road, the oil light came on. Low oil pressure. Long story' short, I'd put in the oil pump impellor the wrong way round and it slowly decided to destroy itself sending bits of metal all around the engine- even pushing through the oil filter bypass valve. Everything was ruined. Bearings, performance pistons, journals, seals, nitrided cam, nitrided crank, titanium rods... Engine was written off. Mmm. Happens to the best of us. That was my worst mess up ever. About £8000. And so many hours lost.

Proper pics. Proper workshop. That's dedication to the cause 👍🏻

Welcome to Club Lupo There's a how-to do it yourself on here.

If closer, i'd steal it from you Bargain! How to fix it... It's just one 10mm bolt that is out of adjustment. If you able to get under the car, on the mech that goes into the gearbox, next to the exhaust, there's a bolt that adjusts the rotate angle of the shaft that goes into the gearbox. My guess is that it simply needs to slide up its slot by about 2mm. (If the box is still ok and reverse still works?). If the box was 'just' working ok after the refurb and gradually went wrong, then it might be the selector bolt I mentioned above. If it just stopped while driving, then it might be more serious, especially if there were any noises (internal selector fork dropped out).

I can't make out if the top loop is only half there? Looks like the lower one is ok though. If the top is only half there, I'd just weld a bit of sheet steel back on, clean up the weld mess then touch up with some paint. Only trouble is that everything will need to be protected from welding and grinding sparks which destroy plastic, glass and fabric... almost a case of a full strip out just to fix it. Ah, just had an idea- you could fanricate an L shaped bracket that matches the lower one. Then with two steel rivets, place it directly above the broken top loop. Not OEM, but would work?

@Rich fixed it for him for 10p and a pack of crisps. And in under 7 1/2 minutes.

That's one nice looking Gti. That A pillar loop- never fixed one, but i imagine you need to go in from behind, probably through the door loom hole. Or maybe from inside, once all the trim has been removed. It's probably welded on (or was?), so the alternative without seeing one out of the car, is to probably get a new strap mount from a breakers (A1 in Winnersh has a couple in right now). Cut it out. Then drill 4 3mm holes and stainless steel pop rivet in place. Perhaps dab it afterwards with some paint to hide the repair? Tricky one, but ever so important...

@Skezza has spent many hours on this subject, with lots of moral support from all. From memory, I think it has something to do with early and late Lupos having different security systems. I lose the will to live when I start going down the ID44 or ID48 rabbit hole, as there's so much conflicting info on the web. Also early and late clusters seem to have some effect on results. I'll probably start on the subject again if I lose a key- one of my Lupos still only has just one key registered. I have a new metal copy and an ID chip. That's as far as I managed. I can program and remap ECUs, design emulators and mess with all the electronics. But Lupo security has me beat. @RAB, that is just silly money. For a KEY!

Yeah, it's the yellow bit in this pic (From EGR how-to), below the word "tied". I'd check the output using VCDS before changing it. Might be ok.

Why do you think that happens? On some identical cars you can access the SKC, other's won't have any of it... It's been puzzling me too. I remember we had this discussion about 4 years ago. Never came to a conclusion. My SDIs all behave differently to each other. Almost as if they each have their own personality, which I know is nonsense. I just dunno. It's very odd.

Where are you? There was a complete yellow Lupo sport in A1 breakers in Wokingham last week. Might still be there.

Immo emulators don't work on Lupos... I've tried. Passats, Polos, Golfs, Boras etc. Yeah, no problem. The Lupo is special...

Fun fact (i pretty sure I'm right here...). The little glass ID chip thing is the exact same as used for Pet IDs... they inject that down a big needle! I think a vet can read vw keys. Not helpful at all, but very slightly interesting. 🙄

@RAB have you tried it? @Skezza and me and one or two others have had numerous attempts and have never succeeded. Don't know why, but I think Gtis (& 3L) are different to regular Lupos. I know the clusters are different. Even the automotive lock people I ask tell me they have to pull the dash to bits just to get the SKC. Usually costs about £75 to cut and program (pair) the key in, if aftermarket. If genuine VW, I believe the present cost is £120 + VAT per key. I've managed no probs on Polos, Golfs, Boras and Passats, but never on my SDIs.

@Rich likes fixing pedal boxes how long did it take? I think the record is 7 1/2 minutes 😂

Immobiliser active. Key needs re-pairing with the car. The car doesn't recognise that spare key... you need to find the original key, or it'll be a case of get a new one from vdub. No easy way out.

Good call on the other bits. That door strap mounting must be really annoying. Is it the little bracket on the A pillar or the door side? It'd make me scream. But I am just a tad fastidious. I'd be very interested to see what you think of that manual. I've never found (a good) one for the Lupo. Also, don't forget brake fluid, gearbox oil and power steering fluid (only you are really pedantic!). What condition is the subframe, rear beam, front sills, rear arches, roof channels, power steering pipe joins, brake pipes and springs? They can rust. Time for some waxoyl?

The white one is still being used. The silver one had it's Tax cashed in. Now sorn, so probably wrecked. You could try and track down your white one...?

That looks really lovely. Park it somewhere dry, sell for double that in five, or 4x in 10 years. Nice history too. Too good for a first, new driver car.

Yeah, like @Rich says, almost certainly the temp sensor. Buy genuine VW for this. I honestly cannot believe that VW never did a recall for temp sensors. Every, and I mean EVERY single vdub model from about 1998 to 2007 has had it's temp sensor changed. There's even a you tube video somewhere of a garage in the US that collected every faulty one it had changed in a big bin. It was full. Thousands. Mk4's, Boras, Lupos, Polos, Phaetons etc and the Audis, Skodas and Seats too. The cause I think, is that the Luxembourg company that made (and still makes them), used the wrong potting compound. The stuff they used set rock hard to encapsulate the two thermistors (One for the ECU the other for the dash). Only trouble is that the physical expansion of the thermistor material is different to the compound, resulting is heat expansion fatigue stress, then failure. Silicone or polyurethane compound (softer) would have been fine, but perhaps not as tough.

204 is an interesting width Yeah I'm running regular 13" tyres for SDI. No Gti tyres for me. The driver's door microswitch can affect other things besides interior light. Fuel pump prime, and lights on reminder (and of course alarm). Oh, and CCM deep sleep mode (reduces battery drain). Hmmm. Dial tone might be a buzzing? Like a vibration? Could be a loose plastic cover or cam belt cover? See if you can reproduce the sound while stationary. Might just be a missing screw. if the belt is whooshing or creaking and not squealing, then it may just need a bit of chalk on the grooves. Oil on the belt can make it creak/whoosh. Yeah like @imaparana says, you can do it without locking tools. The ECU measures and adjusts the cam timing anyway to get it right on your engine. You just need the belt in the right teeth slots. Use some paint.... Otherwise Ebay has some going cheap for £8.