green&black

see my problem too at: http://forums.clublupo.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=36042 Same probelm, same low mileage. Mine's a 2002 1.4 sport. This lupo burning oil business seems to be a real issue. A friend suggested to me that there may be a design fault with Lupo engines that VW won't admit to. Can anyone substantiate this claim?

Just an idea. I'm not an expert, but that sound like a wheel bearing to me. Especially if it's only when turning one way and not the other. Never had it on my lupos but had the same with an Escort once.

I am new to club lupo - hello everyone. I have owned a 2000 vintage 16v 1.4S for a while now and it still doing us proud at 84,000 miles. We recently needed a new car so decided to get another Lupo and got ourselves a 1.4 sport edition from about 2002 with less than 30,000 on the clock. However, since taking it home the engine check light came on. We had a diagnostic done and its emissions were too high, pointing to a problem with the catalytic converter. We put it on the ramp and the converter was basically in bits. We looked at the car and noticed that blue oil smoke was coming out of the exhaust. A very bad sign. We later discovered that the second, manifold catalytic converter was also dead. The assumption is that the burnt oil is killing the cats and therefore I don't intend to change the cats until I can fix the oil burning. I feel done over as I bought the car privately and have little come back on the seller. Replacing the cats I can afford but a new cylinder head or engine will be too much. I have currently taken no action except an engine flush and we are driving it around as it is. I have found that the oil smoke is not continuous, sometimes just a little at start up, and that it seems to be smoking less the more I drive it. I contacted VW, they didn't seem to be surprised (despite the relative youth and low mileage of the car) – which is worrying! They sounded fairly certain it would be valve guide and that we would need a whole new cylinder head. My local mechanic suggested that there was a flaw with the engine designs of Lupos of this type and era. Hence you cannot get an exchange engine, only a new one which would cost only a little less than I spent on the whole car (and I'll still have to get the cats). Can anyone substantiate the claim that there is a design fault with these engines? Has anyone else had similar problems/is this common? Is there anything I can do or a cheap way to remedy the problem? Otherwise it's basically a goner, which is a shame because it's a beauty to drive!!! I would be very grateful for any help or suggestions.