jonnycv

Hi John glad you're enjoying the car! That metallic sound started when I changed the discs and pads to EBC green stuff. I should of taken it back to Top Gear in West Bromwich who supplied and fitted then back in December 2007, but never got around to it and decided it was a manufacturing tolerance issue as it didn't effect the braking - just a bit annoying. Chris

I took a sport for a test drive but wish I hadn’t - the seats where way too high It looked like a Nissan Micra from the back (though the one I drove was red which didn’t help it has to be in either white or black). Some of the plastic looked cheap compared to the Lupo though you could see that fiat had made an effect with the quailty, no xenons even as an option, the 6 speed box was good but not as slick as the Gti’s, the Abarth model only gets a 5 speed box. It is smaller than a Lupo and felt cramped in the front none of that big car feeling you get in a Lupo. The dash is funky and makes the Lupo feel old. The handling was fine - quite chuckable but nothing special, the problem with the reviews is the test drivers are use to big heavy cars it’s a revelation for them to drive such a light and small car. Going to wait until the Abarth version before I decide if I am going to buy one.

On the way to the West Midlands Safari Park last October on the Hagley Road out of Birmingham, i saw a Audi R8, a silver Lupo Gti and Smart Forfour Brabus. Also saw an Audi R8 on Board Street in brum as well this month - common as muck!

yeah and me - replaced the rear discs and pads for green stuff ones, now they squeak when braking at slow speeds and carry on for a bit when i release them

The car is not lowered but I do have 195/45 tyres, does this make a difference?

Cheers guys I think that was me wishful thinking - that they all make a sound on full Lock. I will get the garage to have a look at it

My GTi is making a knocking sound when the steering is on full lock. Now I am sure that this is a common problem on GTi ‘s but I sure its getting worst, as it makes a repeated knocking sound when usually it only makes one knocking sound. What do other GTi ’s sound like when on full lock?

Thanks guys – Its going to be midland VW, the other place gets marked down for not knowing about the Lupo GTi - that’s ok for ATS to say but a specialist VW garage should know their models…

Can anyone recommend an independent VW garage in Birmingham? Or failing that the west midlands? cheers

See my post on it smart forfour brabus test drive test drove 3 of them, but still have not brought one things that put me off: 6k service intervals Deprecation Can’t find a black one with the right price/mileage ratio 2 year warranty (but 4 years from the 1st April 2006)

my god there’re big

The thing is the tank in a lupo is only 34 litres, so saying I can get 200 or 300 miles out of a tank is irrelevant. At the end of day the Lupo Gti is a Hot hatch and therefore the engine is tuned more to performance than economy so you would expect around the low 30’s mpg.

I had a sport before I bought a gti and the mpg difference was quite noticeable, in town the sport Is more economical while out on the open road the gti was much more economical. Real world driving in my Gti best: 36.8 worst: 19.9. Average over 2300 miles: 28.8

some road tests of the Lupo Sport and GTi: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Autocar Full Road Test Lupo GTi January 2001 http://www.dotzero.co.uk/pdf/autocar.LupoG...n2001.page1.pdf http://www.dotzero.co.uk/pdf/autocar.LupoG...n2001.page2.pdf ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Autocar First Preview of the Lupo Sport November 1999 http://www.dotzero.co.uk/pdf/autocar.LupoS...v1999.page1.pdf http://www.dotzero.co.uk/pdf/autocar.LupoS...v1999.page2.pdf http://www.dotzero.co.uk/pdf/autocar.LupoS...v1999.page3.pdf http://www.dotzero.co.uk/pdf/autocar.LupoS...v1999.page4.pdf http://www.dotzero.co.uk/pdf/autocar.LupoS...v1999.page5.pdf ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ EVO group test Lupo Sport v Rover Mini Cooper v Saxo VTR November 1999 http://www.dotzero.co.uk/pdf/EVO.lupovmini....1999.page1.pdf http://www.dotzero.co.uk/pdf/EVO.lupovmini...1999.page1a.pdf http://www.dotzero.co.uk/pdf/EVO.lupovmini....1999.page2.pdf http://www.dotzero.co.uk/pdf/EVO.lupovmini....1999.page3.pdf http://www.dotzero.co.uk/pdf/EVO.lupovmini....1999.page4.pdf http://www.dotzero.co.uk/pdf/EVO.lupovmini....1999.page5.pdf http://www.dotzero.co.uk/pdf/EVO.lupovmini....1999.page6.pdf http://www.dotzero.co.uk/pdf/EVO.lupovmini....1999.page7.pdf http://www.dotzero.co.uk/pdf/EVO.lupovmini....1999.page8.pdf http://www.dotzero.co.uk/pdf/EVO.lupovmini....1999.page9.pdf ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just to let you guys know there is a Polo GTI v Fiesta ST v Mini cooper S test in this weeks autoexpress (31 - 6 june). http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/68155/this_week.html The Polo was placed in 3rd place although its 0-60 time was 7.7 sec compared to VW's 8.3.

I have a question to ask you GTi owners: How long did your first set of front discs on your Lupo GTi last? I was told by the person doing my MOT that they are 99% worn (@27k). When I Asked the VW dealers they didn’t mention the discs just told me about The life left in the pads (3k).

I have been keeping a spreadsheet on my mpg as i am thinking about changing My GTi: date miles litres gallons mpg cost pence/litre 30/03/2006 157.1 26.15 5.759911894 27.27472275 24.81635 0.949 04/04/2006 167.4 25.76 5.674008811 29.50295031 24.70384 0.959 09/04/2006 200.7 26.28 5.788546256 34.67191781 25.72812 0.979 16/04/2006 105.1 23.95 5.275330396 19.92292276 23.44705 0.979 20/04/2006 227.1 28.02 6.171806167 36.79635974 27.99198 0.999 running average 29.633mpg

some more here test drive Lupo GTI V Mk1 Golf GTI Lupo GTI V Golf GTI mk 1 page 3 Lupo GTI V Golf GTI mk 1 page 4

I live in Birmingham but i went to college years ago in Worcester, and i still have a few friends there. As for going out its ok (the Kings Head on Sidbury Road is good) but full of young farmer types and its very provincial. Best places to live are Barbourne (quite boho) and the Arboretum. As for prices its very expensive as its easy to commute to Birmingham and easy access to the M5

Mind lasted 9,500 on the front and the rears are still fine (25,000). The replacements (Michelin Pilot Exalto) lasted 14,000.

Don’t Ford KA's use a engine that the design can be traced back to the Ford Anglia? I had one as a courtesy car for 3 months and the only thing I can recommend is its handling. The engine made such a noise at high revs I gave up driving hard, oh the first KA I was loaned I had to take back to the garage as it developed a fault with the valves (sounded even worst) and was Given a replacement.

If its any help the VW garage in Birmingham are going to offer me £6800 for my Gti 24,500 03 black with no extras as its a car they said they wanted. (Via a part ex change on a Smart Fourfor Brabus, the smart garage is next door to the VW one so the smart salesmen asked them instead of sending it to auction).

I have found a online road test on the lupo GTi which i have not seen ever mentioned here before: Car Enthusiast Road test

i found mine on car source good for nearly new cars from dealers all around the UK

Thanks for your replies – I will either part-ex the car and do nothing, as they never look that closely, or if I sell it privately I will get the garage who I will use to repair a car park dent to see if they can hammer it out - depends on the extra cost over the part-ex price.