bernd Posted April 24, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2021 Spring clean... Look how shiny it is! 😎 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernd Posted April 24, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2021 However, I’m a bit annoyed that the towing eye cover has come off at some point recently. The poor thing looks like someone knocked his tooth out. So If anybody got one going spare or knows where to get one, please let me know... cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickster Posted April 25, 2021 Report Share Posted April 25, 2021 On 4/24/2021 at 6:26 PM, bernd said: However, I’m a bit annoyed that the towing eye cover has come off at some point recently. The poor thing looks like someone knocked his tooth out. So If anybody got one going spare or knows where to get one, please let me know... cheers! Seems to be quite common unfortunately, I've lost 2 or 3 over the years, although one was thanks to a kamakazi/suicidal pheasant! I bought spares from these guys on eBay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131529652996?hash=item1e9fc73b04:g:lUkAAOSwm8VUxlj- . I think that is the wrong side for you but might be worth messaging them to see if they can get the other side, I only bought a pair from them a couple months ago. Obviously not ideal as you need to paint them but it's very rare to see them up for sale used in my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernd Posted April 27, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 Cheers! I have seen the ones on ebay. I’m not sure how the right hand ones are three times more expensive than left ones. I don’t mind painting them. I haven’t actually done anything apart from a quick google, but I wonder if you can’t get them from vw directly?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkH Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 I got mine direct from VW about a year ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lupogtiboy Posted April 28, 2021 Report Share Posted April 28, 2021 (edited) O/S cover is obsolete from VW now, but can be ordered through VW Heritage parts 6E0 853 666 F GRU VW UK still have stock of the N/S but once they are gone they will be obsolete too 6E0 857 665 F GRU Retail they are £14.88 inc vat Edited April 28, 2021 by lupogtiboy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted April 28, 2021 Report Share Posted April 28, 2021 I need to remember which side I'm missing and get on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernd Posted April 29, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2021 On 4/28/2021 at 9:00 AM, lupogtiboy said: O/S cover is obsolete from VW now, but can be ordered through VW Heritage parts 6E0 853 666 F GRU VW UK still have stock of the N/S but once they are gone they will be obsolete too 6E0 857 665 F GRU Retail they are £14.88 inc vat That's brilliant! Thank you! I'll get on it now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernd Posted May 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2021 (edited) It has arrived... Now I just need to get a can of silver paint and we’re good to go.  Edited June 11, 2021 by bernd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernd Posted June 11, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2021 So, the Lupo has failed it’s MOT today because both rear coil springs are broken or fractured. Yay! As well as a minor exhaust leak as an advisory.  I have also figured out what is causing the break fluid leak. It’s the clutch slave cylinder. So I shall get one of these too and I’ve got something to do over the next couple of weekends… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2 Posted June 11, 2021 Report Share Posted June 11, 2021 I can lend you a pair of rear springs from one of mine just for MOT day.  I'm in the process of getting them sand blasted and powdercoated. Quick job popping them in or out. The best place for Lupo replacement bits is from https://www.qp24.de/de/ but they told me they've stopped selling to the UK, which is annoying. However, you know someone in Germany...  (I need a few bits)  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernd Posted June 16, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2021 Hurrah! Springs sorted (clunky suspension noises sorted)… MOT done. Phew! I’m a bit baffled by parts prices though. The Sachs slave cylinder (which is the OEM part) is €37.95 from @mk2’s supplier in Germany. The identical part is £51.92 after discount from Eurocarparts. The parts guy from Marshall VW Reading, after bring particularly unhelpful as usual quoted £109.95 for the part. I mean Come on?!  I have also ordered a door hinge off a Mk5 Golf from ebay in the hope of solving the dreaded door catch strap issue. Watch this space… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernd Posted August 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2021 Some progress: The replacement towing eye cover has been sprayed and installed. Thanks to @Rickie all 4 wheel centre caps are in place. (One is the wrong colour, but hey ho, nevermind) Last weekend, I finally replaced the clutch slave cylinder, which should stop the break fluid leak. Fingers crossed! And yesterday, it had a full valet done. It’s so clean inside that I contemplated taking my shoes off before getting in… 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Loop Posted August 11, 2021 Report Share Posted August 11, 2021 That's looking good! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernd Posted September 18, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2021 One year in, some ramblings... A year ago yesterday, I went to Swindon to pick up my Lupo. And I wasn't even here on the anniversary. It's even worse, as under normal circumstances I would have been driving back from visiting my parents in Germany yesterday. However, because I didn't fancy filling in another 2 passenger locator forms (Digitale Einreiseanmeldung) (whatever it's called in French) I just drove that stupid Lexus 4x4 barge that I got from Europcar instead of the Audi A1 I had booked to Frankfurt Airport and hopped across to Heathrow on a Lufthansa Airbus 320 neo, which is quite an impressive little Aeroplane, and I really don't like aeroplanes. At least the Professor picked me up at Reading Station in the Lupo so I spent a few minutes in the passenger seat (yelling and shouting because of the stupid RailAir bus and the people on it who all seemed to be coughing a lot etc etc) Anyway. The good news is that after a year, I still feel like a little kid with a new toy. I have also managed to completely mess it up again, e.g. I have kept all Tesco meal deal packaging, empty Red Bull cans and other rubbish contained in a shopping bag on the rear seat rather than just chucking it in the passenger footwell, and I resisted buying a pain au chocolate on the way to work, but only for about a week. So yes, there are flaky crumbs, but priorities... Unsurprisingly, it is also telling me that it wants a Serv/Inspec, so that's on the to-do-list for next week while I'm still off work, and some investigation what is causing coolant to disappear. Not a great lot, and there doesn't seem to be any mixing with oil, so phew! Another tangent: Spending the last week in Germany, I was surprised about how many Lupos I spotted in traffic, just casually doing their thing. But then again it is probably deeply embedded in the collective German psyche that a Volkswagen is indeed the car for the people and so the smallest VW would be the default choice for lots of people who need a car but are not really interested (in fact my biology teacher swapped her Mark2 Polo for a Lupo and my mate's grandmother traded her Audi 50 for a Lupo) and as we all know, they're tough little things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigcraft Posted September 18, 2021 Report Share Posted September 18, 2021 Must be the modern day 'Beetle' for the Deutche these days then?  Its good that theres a healthy collectionof them  then also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernd Posted June 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2022 The sad tale of the front ball joints: The Lupo has been sitting on the drive looking like this for a couple of weeks now while I try and get the right ball joints… It all started with a failed MOT for a deteriorated ball joint on one side and a failed wishbones bush on the other. No matter, I thought and got a set from Eurocarparts, only to find that the tracking was so far out after fitting them that the car was undriveable. I then looked on here and found a thread with a link to GTI ball joints on buycarparts.com. Great, I ordered a set of those, looked up parts numbers and all. And indeed when they arrived, it turns out they are the wrong size too. Volkswagen themselves also don’t sell the GTI specific ones anymore, so there is that. Of course the tie rods are so rusty, that it’s impossible to adjust the tracking for the new ball joints, so I’m gonna have to change the tie rods and track rod ends. Which is apparently a bit of a pain to do. And then probably some spacers for a wider track… If anyone has got an idea how I can get hold of the right sized ball joints, please do let me know! Thank you…   Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2 Posted June 20, 2022 Report Share Posted June 20, 2022 I'm sure someone mentioned that one of the big ebay sellers has them... I can't remember who though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skajme Posted June 20, 2022 Report Share Posted June 20, 2022 Did buycarparts not send you the RTS ball joints? Because from what I can see on the site they are still listed and are the still the correct ones based off the images shown, unless they show as in stock until you try to buy them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernd Posted June 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2022 They sent Stark ball joints, even though I’ve ordered the RTS ones. Twice! I’ve returned the first lot and after an email exchange with their customer service department, in which I explained the problem, they sent exactly the same ones again. buycarparts which is just Autodoc in disguise, say that they’re matching the right part numbers, but they’re clearly not… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James_VW Posted June 21, 2022 Report Share Posted June 21, 2022 I also ordered ball joints last week from buycarparts.co.uk who also sent stark instead of RTS. I sent those back. I then ordered directly from autodoc and insisted I got the RTS and not stark. They put a marker on my account that basically says no substitute parts are to be sent other than what is ordered. The RTS ball joints got delivered so they do have them in stock. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernd Posted June 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2022 Ah, so that’s the reason why they weren’t in stock when I tried to order them. Lol! But no worries. I’ve done some more research last night (checking part numbers and manufacturers websites etc.) and have ordered a set of RTS ball joints from eBay. They’re being shipped from Germany of course, so Friday at the earliest. Fingers crossed… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.