Lottie Posted May 17, 2019 Report Share Posted May 17, 2019 Hi everyone! I turn 17 next Sunday and just bought myself a VW Lupo because I think they are beautiful This bad boy already has tinted windows too! I wondered if anyone had suggestions on little mods/tweaks I could do to it that wouldn't affect my insurance? So far, I have made this list: remove side bumpers wind deflectors arial black out trims I would also like some advice with removing the bumpers? I've watched a few videos and have gathered I need to heat them up and peel them back but am unsure of what's the best thing to use to remove any excess adhesive? And would the colour underneath be the same or faded? Thank you! - Lottie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted May 17, 2019 Report Share Posted May 17, 2019 Very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj1 Posted May 18, 2019 Report Share Posted May 18, 2019 Welcome! A hairdryer would be fine for removing the side strips. Mine peeled off very easily, but the remainder I removed by using a bit of heat and petrol (Although I'm sure tar & glue remover would work just fine!). Provided you clean it up properly, there won't be much of a colour difference A few mods I've seen (And done back when I had my first Lupo!) Colour coded door handles (I may have some silver ones sitting about actually) De-wiper rear Change of colour to interior dashboard panels Cup holder - You'll definitely soon want one if it doesn't already! Mudflaps (Some on facebook atm for around £20 IIRC) LED Number Plate Lights LED Interior Light Replace 12v cigarette lighter port with twin USB socket. GTI Instrument Cluster & Binnacle GTI Seatbelts (Good luck) GTI Steering Wheel Look forward to seeing the updates! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lottie Posted May 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2019 Thanks this is really helpful! Luckily the previous owners already replaced the stereo so it has an aux and USB port as I'll need to use the cigarette lighter for my black box. It also has a cup holder I will definitely be doing some of the things in this list so I'll try and remember to post updates, thank youuu! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2 Posted May 18, 2019 Report Share Posted May 18, 2019 Kite string is good to remove side bumpers, Lupo logos etc. Slide it up and down with a cutting action to cut the adhesive behind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAN@ADRIAN FLUX Posted May 18, 2019 Report Share Posted May 18, 2019 Hi. Make sure you disclose all changes you make either adding or removing items just to be on the safe side. you would need to disclose things like removing bumpers etc. Regards, Dan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weslangdon Posted May 18, 2019 Report Share Posted May 18, 2019 If this is your first car I'd hold fire as statistically you are likely to have a bump in it, a 1 litre Lupo was my youngest son's first car and it was written off after another car turned out of a junction into him, the payout he had was enough for a 1.4 Lupo with a sunroof. The more experience you gain the more you can anticipate what other drivers might do, it becomes like a 6th sense, take it easy and don't spend anything significant on your car for the first year. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver! Posted May 18, 2019 Report Share Posted May 18, 2019 I’d definitely think twice about removing the side strips and if you do be careful.. Lupos are getting old now, so you may find the you will damage the underlying clear coat or that there has been paint applied at some previous time in its life and you’ll end up with paint edges. If you can live with them, the strips will help protect her from car park dings. Just get some good cleaning and black trim protection. and carrying on from @weslangdon’s thread, the best bit of advice I got from my Royal Marine’s driving instructor back in 1981: “treat every other road user as an idiot, never assume the other road user is going to do what they are signalling to do and expect\be prepared for the unexpected. Oh and treat yourself as an idiot too!” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sausage Posted May 18, 2019 Report Share Posted May 18, 2019 I'm also in the leave the bump strips on camp. Plenty to go wrong removing them especially if they have been glued on, reattached, sprayed over etc. I watch a lot of UK dash cam footage on youtube. It is educational. Most of the cammers are useless drivers, too aggressive, no awareness, no idea on road position or able to read what others are likely doing or going to do, straight to the horn instead of avoidance, no toleration of others mistakes and most of the time creating their own incidents. They upload the footage of others apparent poor driving seemingly without realising that they are usually the problem. Learn defensive driving instead. (rant over). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y2ACP Posted May 18, 2019 Report Share Posted May 18, 2019 Williams wash and wax car shampoo,turtle wax colour magic,alloy wheel cleaner,tyre shine and glass cleaner for windows inside and out.Put the effort in and enjoy the results and your first car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lottie Posted May 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2019 Hey everyone thanks for all the help. It took me 4 hours to clean inside and out this morning as the last owners did not keep it tidy! After removing the side strips fairly quickly it then took me another 4 hours to get it down to this. I had to ask my sister and her boyfriend to help me out and even with three of us trying to remove the adhesive it is still very time consuming. We tried brake cleaner, tar remover and even nail polish remover but none of them seem to help much. In the end we used brake cleaner and old gift card vouchers to scrape it off without scratching the surface which seems to be the best method. Now I've dropped out of sixth form I've got all next week free to finish removing it which should be enough time 😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted May 18, 2019 Report Share Posted May 18, 2019 Caramel wheel from Screwfix will take care of that easily. Also dropping out is bad, sixth form was great for drugs and poon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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