Derv

That's a good way of looking at it. It's surprising how it adds up, and it's probably going to be too much for my liking. Comparing my 1.4 16V Lupo to my 3L I can already feel the disadvantage of the extra 200kg, adding a load more weight to the front end is going to further spoil the fun. The car needs to handle well at the end of the day. Power isn't everything. It's only that my 1.4 Lupo needs a bit of work on the engine and the gearbox, and I have a spare 1.8T sat around, so it got me wondering, before I spend too much time on repairing the 1.4 setup. Butchering an old 1.4 wouldn't be a problem, it's not like it's a GTI or anything.

I am just being lazy, and I thought that I would ask here, as I figured there would be quite a few 1.8T Lupo owners lurking here that would know the answer. I don't have a suitable set of scales here, and it's not easy to get my 1.8T to the local weighbridge. Plus simply weighing the engine wouldn't account for all the other bits and bobs. I guess if it ended up being much more than 1100kg, then I wouldn't be so interested. I still want the car to be nimble enough. I'm just weighing up the options, or trying to.

I'm considering a 1.8T conversion, but I'm concerned about the extra weight spoiling the fun. Surely those that have done the conversion must be curious too.

Hi guys. I just wondered if anyone has had their 1.8T Lupos on the scales. I did a search and couldn't find anything. Can anyone help out with any info regarding this? Thanks.

I have sorted out an ETD now, thanks.

Regarding coasting, the best technique depends on how much gravity is assisting you, or how far you want to coast. If you want maximum mpg, then you need to shift into neutral, let the engine idle (unless you are hardcore, and switch the engine off), and coast to a stop. Or use the pulse and glide technique to maintain an average speed. If you find that coating in neutral means you end up going to fast and you need to scrub off speed, then you should let the engine brake for you. In theory you should never use the brakes unless the engine cannot slow you enough, as that means you unnecessarily used fuel to gain too much speed to get to your destination. You can also use tricks like stop/start at junctions and traffic lights. I have managed 121 mpg in my 3L on a long trip, and 86 mpg in a standard 1.9TDI Bora using the same techniques, although the Bora required a lower average speed of ~50 mph.

I've had this problem before. You can put the spare on the rear, then put the rear wheel on the front. It just takes longer.

Yes. Regular 6X headlights fit the 3L. New OEM headlights are usually much better than old ones.

How good are you at soldering? It might be better to repair the illumination on your existing instrument cluster.

As the title says, I am looking for a gearbox for my 1.4 16V, preferably another ETD. I'm looking to do my 3rd 085 rebuild, but I really could do with a spare one now. I am located in the South West of the UK and could collect from almost anywhere in the region. Otherwise a corrier could be organised. Let me know if you can help. Thanks.

Good news. The covers are a minor issue with the retrofit. Unless you want an aftermarket switch, you will also need a new headlight switch with the double pull for rear and front foglights. I should be able to take a look later and see what you need, along with part numbers.

Oh crap. Filling the hydraulic system with anything other than VAG's own G004000 is bad news. Good luck flushing that out. The hydraulic pump should be disconnected, and the accumulator slackened to release the fluid back to the filler tank before checking the level. The mechanic definitely over filled it, and the excess fluid will be forced out of the filler cap. The wrong hydraulic level and the bad accumulator will make the car lose drive, but it may restart after switching the ignition switch on and off. You can do this carefully while driving, but make sure you put the shift lever into N. Always check the fluid level, accumulator, fault codes and gearbox basic settings in that order when you have problems. Also check the intake pipes to make sure they don't leak boost. It helps to keep the engine clean, as a leak often shows up by blowing out oil vapour from the crankcase/cam cover breather. The gearbox itself is just like any other manual Lupo gearbox, only the gears and ratios are unique to the 3L. It is as simple to rebuild as any other Lupo gearbox, only the parts are more expensive. I spent £1400 rebuilding mine when it stripped 5th gear. Those 2 gears alone cost around £600.

I used the council's FOI address to help to find the car. I got back to the police with my crime number, but the local bobbie had neatly tidied up all the paperwork, including describing the car as "a total wreck", trying to back up the council's justifications for towing it away and "crushing" it. So as said, the police weren't interested, as it's a civil matter, and blackmail/extortion is not a crime. So far it's cost me £630 in ransom money, and a roller-coaster ride of emotions, but the car is home.

I know where it's being held, and I called the yard directly, and the guys there were initially helpful. But they obviously checked with the council about letting me have it back, and now won't tell me anything, not even what condition the car is now in. I've questioned all aspects of the towing and disposal with the council, and I still think the right thing for them to do is to just apologise for the mistake, and to let me collect my Lupo. But they know how keen I am too have the car back, and they can see a way of making money out of the situation. I'm just not sure how I would stand, going into a private yard, and reclaiming my own car, or what obstacles I would find. Thanks for all of your support.

Damn. I thought I had already updated this thread. Basically the local council towed the car, and it seems procedures were not followed correctly. I was told by the council that the car had been scrapped, but after making more enquiries, the good news is despite the council instructing the car to be scrapped, it wasn't, and instead it's sat in a yard somewhere. I am currently negotiations to try get the car back, but the council members involved are not exactly sympathetic.

The address on the V5 is correct, so I pretty sure I have not had any notices about it. I never had any problems with the neighbours in the past, only two of the neighbours that I was in contact with moved out, and up until then they were keeping an eye on the Lupo. I can't make enquiries at the moment, but I will do so when I get a chance, if the police haven't done so by then. I figured the Lupo was well immobilised, and someone couldn't simply break in and drive off, so I am sure somebody must know something. I figured a 3L or it's parts will be hard to shift without someone on Clublupo knowing about it.

I will see what the police come up with until I get back to the UK, then I may ask some neighbours to see what they know, to see if I can establish when exactly it was taken, and go from there. I'm not sure what cctv is in the area, but getting a more precise time and date will narrow the search. As to why it was left there, well it's a long story, but I was unable to move it home myself as I had lost the keys to it in a move. It's about typical that I found the keys then lost the car. My old yellow Lupo is now with my ex-partner, which is also a long story. But at least I know that it's still going strong at 15 years old with over 350k km on it.

Thanks guys. It must have been towed, trailered or trucked away, so somebody must have seen or heard something. I am out of the country for the next week, so I am unable to do any investigating myself. The car was well immobilised, as I still have the engine ecu and steering wheel, so I am extremely surprised that it's been taken, and I worry about the intentions of whoever has taken it. As pointed out, a 3L and it's parts won't be that easy to shift, and should show up on someone's radar. That's why I have a feeling that clublupo and the wider VW community could be very helpful. ?

Hey guys and girls. I went to check on my Lupo 3L that was parked in a car park in Clevedon, North Somerset only to find it was gone. I called the police, hoping it had been the result of some angry neighbour getting the council to tow it away, but no. It's not showing up on any databases, so it seems to have been stolen. I am hoping that a neighbour may have seen something, and I really hope that I can get it back in one piece. This is the second Lupo 3L that I have 'lost' in the last 2 years. It's the Planet Silver(/blue) in the photo. X100MPG Please could you keep you eyes out for it, or, I dread to say it, any 3L or 1.2TDI parts, as you know how rare these cars are in the UK. Thanks.

That´is good going. I have had a broken selector fork, then a stripped 5th gear, which seemed strange to me for a gearbox that always gets perfect shifts. I changed the clutch the first time which was at around 200k km, as I had already ordered it before taking the gearbox out, but the original was in very good shape. So for the second gearbox fix I did not worry, and again the clutch hardly showed any signs of wear. Another advantage of using a manual shift is the ability to use an alternative gearbox to the stock 3L, although I would be reluctant to lose the weight advantages of the orginal gearbox. It is not cheap to rebuild though, the last one cost me well in excess of £1k. The 5th gears alone were about £600.

How many gearbox rebuilds have you had RAB? I've had to do 2 in about 300k km with original/stock torque.

I am intersted in this too, as I have almost completed a manual conversion. I was also trying to figure out some way of using a hydraulic clutch, but I am going to continue with the cable for now.What turbo and injectors did you use? I have a GT1749V and ARLs for mine.

It's all on the way. Thanks.

It sounds like an interesting car. Do you have any details about it?

Thanks for the reply. I have managed to source a shift linkage, but I still need the 6N0 711 017 B shift relay, which the cables attach to on the gearbox. TIA.