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After the longest wait, I bought a Lupo Gti. Hurrah!


bernd
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Hi all,

I just wanted to introduce myself to you lovely people on this forum...

A long long time ago (20years or so) and in a different country (Germany), I used to own a black Lupo 1.0E with pop out rear windows (brilliant!) and I absolutely loved it. When I moved to this island, I sold the Lupo to my sister and replaced it with a 54reg Polo Sport 1.4 Tdi, which was also good fun if a bit rattly. I swapped the Polo for a 59reg Golf 1.6 Tdi bluemotion which was boring but alright because I was doing lots of boring job related miles. In March 2017 I sold the golf because the plan was that I'm gonna share the husband's Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo (He only needs a car about half of the working week, and I had a new job where I just had to go across town and no travelling for work and I was gonna cycle to work on the days he needs his car). I cycled to work once, in the dark, in the rain, up the hill and the next day I went off and bought a car.

That was the first time I seriously considered buying a Lupo Gti even though I sort of always wanted one. I looked at a black one that appeared to be standard and in good nick and was advertised for £2000. (Those were the days...) It was at the other end of the country of course, so in the end I bought an 03reg BMW 318i touring. It was an absolutely terrible snotter, but I loved it. I spend many weekends and about 3 times more on parts than I spend on the actual car. That BMW finally died of cataclysmic engine failure caused by a snapped timing chain on 30th January this year. At that point I think there was only 1 Lupo Gti advertised on Autotrader and again it was over budget and far far away, so I bought a 58reg BMW 320i M-sport touring and it was weird, I somehow didn't bond with it. So I wasn't terribly upset when on the August bank holiday Madame decided that she had enough of waiting behind the bus that was stationary in her lane and crashed her Mini into the side of my BMW. 

Last Friday the insurance came to the conclusion that they don't want to repair the BMW and offered to put some money into my account instead. Straight onto the Autotrader website of course and there it was: A silver Lupo Gti for only a couple of hundred pounds more than what I got from the insurance and under an hour drive away. Of course I went and had a look first thing on Saturday. YC04WXY appears to be factory spec, 2 owners, 117000miles with full service history, incl. recent cam belt and water pump change. He looked (to me anyhow) very tidy and well looked after and I put down a deposit, now waiting for the Bacs payment to clear so I can go and pick him up.

IMG_3224.thumb.jpeg.9db7a822736253a2dc199d52d9119aad.jpeg

Here he is, still on the dealer forecourt...

Okay, so the VW stickers have come off the wheels on the passenger side, there are a few unavoidable stone chip dings in the bonnet and there is a smidgen of bubblyness around the hatch handle. Of course the driver side door catch makes the typical clack clack noise and I'm hoping that the air con does just need a re-gas (I know, I know, my Polo's air con was destroyed by a stone too). However everything else seems to work and he drives beautifully, on the short(ish) test drive promising to be as much fun as expected. Since thenI have had a closer look at the MOT history and it appears that nobody bothered to do a MOT in 2017. It's 27 May 2016 then 26 April 2018. I wonder what's happened there...

So, if anybody knows something about this car / has come across it before, please give me a shout, I would be very interested. Otherwise, wow I can't believe someone is still reading all the way down here and thank you for paying attention to me going on and on and on and on...

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Cheers mate. Nice one. It's fairly obvious that I am very excited, isn't it? I can't quite believe that tomorrow I will get my hands on my own Lupo Gti. On my regular dog walking route back in the old days when I was driving the black poverty spec Lupo I always walked past a black Gti that belonged to a snooty posh fräulein and I was extremely jealous that her daddy had bought her a Lupo Gti that should obviously have been mine. I also remember spending hours on the VW website car configurator (This was before broadband internet was a thing)... 

 Your Lupos? as in more than one? The only one I can remember seeing around here is a silver Gti and when I used to work in Maidenhead another (!) silver Gti that was driven by a middle aged lady. But yeah I'd love to meet up and talk cars and I already know that I will be driving around a bit just for the fun of it.

In the first post I did say that I used to own a black Lupo 1.0E, well technically it was the husband's car but we'll gloss over that. As we were just playing a bit of "spot the dashboard-differences" he went upstairs and got the book that he got when he ordered the Lupo. It's a 170 pages A4 hardcover that somehow I had forgotten existed, but I'll definitely have a read tonight. 

Here are a few pictures:

IMG_3244.thumb.jpeg.06b628560121a8ed48a7aa2a421738f3.jpegIMG_3245.thumb.jpeg.dead59acc0a62b9477e50d0ce31b0c5f.jpegIMG_3246.thumb.jpeg.a7aaa156a6949615a41248cf43f20c6a.jpegIMG_3247.thumb.jpeg.63b8c9c75233eb42a6a52d62f1d81ebb.jpegIMG_3248.thumb.jpeg.95d0c4a3ee6b214667b16b336bd28b96.jpegIMG_3249.thumb.jpeg.2d2c79e6a64da5591901056228796fa8.jpegIMG_3250.thumb.jpeg.f52495b28d035cd1cb1f4dc875d099b1.jpeg

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Richtig toll. Alles auf Deutsch. Cool. Seriously. :)

And yes... Lupos. Plural. Mmm. Me and @danno have more than one. Can't remember who else, but there are a few of us on here that believe that more is better. Usually not Gtis though; That gets expensive.

 

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That is V nice. You are now part of a small elite group. There aren't many GTis left in the Uk. Please look after it :)

Is it the 5 or 6 speed gearbox version? Guessing 6... Red & black stitched interior.

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Cheers guys! I am chuffed to bits! @mk2 yeah red and black interior, 6 speed gearbox.

So, situation report:

  • Bloody hell that little thing is fast!
  • The intake roar is absolutely hilarious.
  • The xenon floodlights are seriously impressive. 
  • On the way home from the dealer I noticed that at speeds just slightly above the national speed limit on the motorway a lot of vibration was happening. That was better after I put the right amount of air in the tyres, but I reckon a new set of tyres is probably called for rather sooner than later.
  • There is a squeaky belt situation going on that will need investigating and sorting out before we're off to Scotland in 3 weeks time.
  • Occasionally a noise that sounds almost like a phone dialling tone is happening. Absolutely no idea what that could be?!
  • Few minor things, e.g. of course it needs new wiper blades, the central locking re-locks the car again after 2 minutes or so even if the driver's door has been opened but the engine hasn't been started and somehow the window switch has been wired the wrong way round so the driver side switch opens the passenger side window and vice versa. (that last one is quite funny actually)

I am gonna give it a good service anyway as I don't trust anything I've been told by used car dealing cowboys, especially when they include a Eurocarparts invoice for the wrong grade oil as documentation that they've done a service. I mean, what? why? And I'm sure someone can point me in the direction of the threads to read for fixing these things. I am quite looking forward to doing a bit of tinkering...

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Intake roar- i love variable valve timing... obviously is working fine then!

tyre vibe. Might be out of balance but look at the brands. I just bought a set of Nokian weatherproof tyres direct from Germany (tyreleader.co.uk) recently. Thought I'd try them as they have been rated very highly by gov't tests. They are surprisingly good, but that is only an impression without any scientific test. And treadwear of, wait for it... 420!!! Definitely quieter than Continentals, Michelin or Hankook.

Belt probably just needs using. Maybe it hasn't been used much for a while, battery needs charging?

Dial tone- engine related or speed related?

Window switches- someone replaced the plugs in the wrong position. The door card needs to come off again for that, but it's an easy job. Hopefully the weather seal is still in place, or once it rains heavily, the inside will get wet.

locking- might be door open microswitches. If working fine, the interior light goes on and off. You can also check the door lock switches by inserting and holding the key open (or lock) for 5 seconds, which should open the windows. Do you have both keys? 

Hey, the new wrong oil can be viewed positively as an engine flush to keep everything clean for the right oil :)

 

 

Edited by mk2
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Cheers mate! I do appreciate your help!

It sounds to me like a squeaky pulley rather than the actual belt. I will do some investigation into that tomorrow or probably after work tonight, as it’s very annoying...

The dial tone noise is engine related, happens at random speeds. It’s only really noticeable when listening for it. 

The interior light doesn’t come on when opening the door, so micro switch it is probably. I find that the window switches are the wrong way round quite amusing actually. 

What tyre size are you running? I gather that 204/45 R15 are difficult to get...

And, have you done the cam belt on yours? How much of a nightmare is the job? And any idea how I can get my hands on some locking tools?

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5 minutes ago, bernd said:

Cheers mate! I do appreciate your help!

It sounds to me like a squeaky pulley rather than the actual belt. I will do some investigation into that tomorrow or probably after work tonight, as it’s very annoying...

The dial tone noise is engine related, happens at random speeds. It’s only really noticeable when listening for it. 

The interior light doesn’t come on when opening the door, so micro switch it is probably. I find that the window switches are the wrong way round quite amusing actually. 

What tyre size are you running? I gather that 204/45 R15 are difficult to get...

And, have you done the cam belt on yours? How much of a nightmare is the job? And any idea how I can get my hands on some locking tools?

i found the only locking tools i needed to do the cambelt were some drill bits, 8mm or 8.5mm from memory

 

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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.

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6 hours ago, mk2 said:

204 is an interesting width :)

Well, what can I say.  Big thumbs, a small phone and a lunch break that ended about 7 minutes earlier can result in typing errors 🙃. Anyway, closer inspection in the light of day revealed that there's 4 different tyres on the car, so I'll get a new set asap. At least they're all 195/50 R15 so that's what I'll go for again.

In other news, more things are revealing themselves:

  • The wiper switch does only partially work.
  • Something metallic is rattling around under the dashboard. Somewhere near the vents/radio in the middle I reckon.
  • The passenger door catch strap doesn't make the clacking noise because the mount has snapped off
  • Standing around in traffic on Caversham bridge this morning the temperature gauge dropped all the way down. It seemed to work again after a quick pit stop at Tesco. Dodgy sensor or electrical connection maybe?

However that's all part of the deal when buying a 16 year old car with 117000 miles on the clock. I shall buy a Haynes manual and get to work. Any recommendations re. parts supplier? Maybe I'll document the process this time. The actually important bits of the car feel rock solid and watching matey boy in his 3 series convertible several  times trying but failing to get away from me between Pangbourne and Streatley was absolutely excellent fun earlier this evening. Mwahaha!

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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.

Edited by mk2
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Hello mate looks a lovely car! I’ve just started to look for another GTI after 10 years since I had one. How much did you pay for that if you don’t mind me asking. Here’s a photo of my last one (I’ve owned about 5 in the past)

F4D64EBB-489E-49A3-941E-BD21F718BC6B.jpeg

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Brilliant. @mk2 loving the advanced level geek information 😁.

@Dom's dub GTI Is that a black roof? I do like a black roof! I paid £4000 for it. I thought that was reasonable given that it only had 2 previous owners and is completely oem spec. (Apart from the shoddy repairs of course.)

I had a good poke around this afternoon and it looks like several people have just poured oil in the general direction of the oil filler neck, so obviously the aux belt was very oily indeed. A sprinkling of talcum powder later and no more noise. Hurrah. I like an easy fix. On the other hand side, this sort of sloppy carelessness does annoy me. Why not just use a bloody funnel? I also don't understand why all 4 wheel centre caps were put on without aligning them with the notch in the wheel. 🤬

My theory regarding the rattling dashboard is that Mr Lazy the mechanic had for whatever reason removed the middle section and presumably there's a bolt that's a bit awkward to reach and he couldn't be bothered to do it up again properly. I have ordered the german equivalent of the Haynes manual off Amazon and I will investigate. I've also ordered a wiper switch and a GTI lanyard for my keyring. And I've booked it in to have 4 new tyres fitted. I've decided on Hankook Ventus Evo 2's in 195/50 R15. I had them on the BMW and they're nicely grippy and not too noisy, and almost £30 cheaper than Toyo's.

That should be all urgent matters being addressed for the moment and then we'll see how we go...

Well, I'm thinking of paying someone to do the cam belt and water pump rather sooner than later.

And replacing suspension bushes at some point...

I might also take the cd changer out and replace it with a pocket. I'd like to hide a bluetooth receiver somewhere to work with the VW radio for listening to Spotify and potentially a wireless phone charger. I did have a similar setup in the BMW.

And hopefully when the dog has a bit more practice he'll stop being extremely awkward and just jump in and on the backseat. (Mmmhh yeah, probably not)

If this looks like I'm listing fault after fault, don't get me wrong. I'm very very happy with my little Lupo. It's as brilliant as I imagined it would be. It just needs a bit of TLC to make it better.

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I always replace bushes when I get a new car if there is no paperwork to show they've been done recently.

I've got poly ones on the shocks, front arb and rear axle and they've really tightened the car up.

Mine had new stock wishbone bushes just before I bought the car so I'll leave them alone for a while.

May as well change the alternator belt when the cambelt is done.

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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?

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I had those Hankooks on my Mk4 Golf - Awesome tyres, even worked pretty well in snow

Definitely timing belt as soon as - especially if oil has been poured all over the timing belt end of the engine - in fact I would whip off the upper cam belt cover and check the state of the belt felling teeth for softness, engine oil breaks down timing belts...don't ask how I know.

Edited by LR5V
"cam belt cover" instead of just "cover"
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Aarrgh. I've had a week from hell at work, so therefore the delay in writing on here. 

I've replaced the wiper switch, which was a piece of cake thanks to @Rich's succinct instructions I found on here. When I re connected the battery, this happened. Lol.

IMG_3267.thumb.jpg.c38b4104eb87f24e3f2f93ede856f706.jpg

4 new tyres have been fitted and wheel alignment done on Tuesday.

@mk2: It's the bracket on the A pillar. I'm gonna have to think of a solution for this that isn't yelling at the passenger to be careful every time someone opens that door. Any suggestions are more than welcome...

1243715076_51pHQDSUDbL._SX369_BO1204203200_.jpg.574e889fca52e62d32e998e3bcd9dd15.jpg

This is the manual I've bought. It seems to be alright. It has lots of drawings instead of photographs as in the Haynes manuals. But I probably prefer them as they are clearer.

The only rust I could find is a smidgen on the drivers side rear wheel arch and the boot handle.

Changing cam belt and aux belt is top of the list after pay day on Monday. Otherwise I'm not that fastidious and I'll do things as and when. 

Otherwise, the dog is getting better at hopping in and out.

5C911575-9F23-497A-90A9-EE4DB51C10EC_1_201_a.thumb.jpeg.52ca1f4134d34cc2f6a8eb684e73b1d0.jpeg

And I've found this picture of the old Lupo and the Polo side by side at my parents' house. AWWW!

DSCN1433.thumb.jpeg.2a51c2584749dc871223ce203faee79f.jpeg

 

 

IMG_3268.jpg

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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...

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