Rant... Opinions?

[Kirstin816]

Right, last week I got a really good deal on a 1 litre Lupo SE. I part exd my corsa for it, got £500 for that and had to pay another £700 for it, making the value of the SE £1200. The body work is immacculate for a 52 plate, considering the age for a nearly 12 year old car. It's done 71,000 miles, as you can see from the pictures the interior is spotless, it has rubberized floor mats, which I've heard are pretty rare (the floor mats are a bit dirty but apart from that, spotless). It has a boot liner which I've heard is also pretty rare, the alloys are in nice condition and apparently the alloys are rare too...

There are a couple of things that need fixing... The passenger side air vent needs replacing, the rear heated window button sticks (minor issue), we need a new heating resistor coz the blowers only work on number 4, the door check straps are noisy, it only has one cambridge light, the engine check light is on because the egr needs cleaning or something, and the dashboard beeps, which we thought was the oil pressure sensor but we've cleaned it and tested the continuity of the wires and all is fine. The oil light, however, doesn't work at all...

Here is where the rant starts, apologies but...

I had an argument with my mum about it and she thinks that I shouldn't have rushed into buying it without taking it for a test drive (we didn't take it for a test drive...), but it drove for an hour home perfectly fine, the engine light only came on when I next took it out coz I stalled it a couple of times. It still drives perfectly fine, all the oil levels and the brake fluids and whatnot are fine and my boyfriend and his dad assure me that there is nothing seriously wrong with it and that it is fine to drive (they do know what they're on about) coz it drives perfectly, it's just the beeping that we don't know what it is.

Anyway, my mum was like "well the corsa was 13 years old and there was nothing wrong with that." there probably was mum, we just didn't know coz we never had it serviced. "well I think you should contact the seller and see if you can take it back coz it's beeping."... Take it back?! Err no. You should see her car history... Am I right in saying that I shouldn't take it back? I've been told many times that I've got a really good deal on it and it's very hard to find one in this good condition...

Apologies for ranting, just want to hear other peoples' thoughts on the matter. Thank you.

Edited January 13, 2014 by Kirstin816

[Rich]

A. it looks in good nick, if you want a fresco spoiler when it is all done, pm me.

B. Fancy posting up a few selfies to help things along?

C. Find another set of Lupo clocks and plug them in, look for an oil light.

D. Check the level and replace the sensor if it persists.

E. Vag com.

F. If the sensor is replaced and the light/beeping persists then take it to get the oil pressure tested.

[Kirstin816]

Thank you very much I thought to replace the clocks though it's like £700 or something ridiculous?

[Skezza]

Good rant. With all due respect, old Corsa's aren't up to much. Tin foil cars and most have been absolutely thrashed to ****. If you didn't thrash it, the owner before probably did. You must have noticed the difference in build quality, better interior, better dash etc? Hell, even stuff like the doors on the Lupo feel really well built, when compared to other hatchbacks e.g. Punto, Ka, Corsa etc. I think your mum is overreacting.

I've seen the car and there isn't much wrong with it. Once you've got this beeping thing sorted, it's a real keeper. The heater resistor is a common issue and a cheap fix. There's a couple of threads on ghetto fixing check straps on the cheap (trust me, all Lupo's suffer the creaky checkstraps, its just a matter of time). I scanned the codes and you know about the EGR. It'll take Matt an hour or two with a can of carb cleaner. Clean the throttle body while you're at it. You can pickup a Cambridge light off here, although tbh, they aren't that much better than stock lights so it's up to you. There's definitely nothing seriously wrong with it. Considering you drove it from Stafford which is a decent run from where your end, I imagine you'd have seized it if there was a genuine oil pressure issue.

The only thing you could have perhaps done is taken it for a test drive, then asked for some money off when you heard the beeping, but its fair to say with just 71k on the clock and the condition of the car, you've got an absolute bargain. If you want to do anything, call the seller, tell him it's beeping and the oil light doesn't come on and ask for £100-£150 as a goodwill gesture so you can take it to a garage (even though you don't have to). The worst he can say is no, but considering he's probably got your Corsa for sale at £1000, he has no reason to be unreasonable about this.

I really should have ran the proper VAGCOM test the other day when I scanned it, but what with Matt having a good idea what was wrong I didn't think it was necessary because it takes longer than just a simple scan, however I'll happily run you the full scan with the cable and lappy, tell Matt text me when he's free.

I think for a set of matched clocks, it's expensive to replace. As in clocks that have odometer matched and what not to the mileage of your car, but you can grab a set of second hand clocks with the incorrect mileage off eBay and try those? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-LUPO-1-0-2000-DASH-CLOCKS-6X0920900-/320848947466?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4ab416690a

These are a set of clocks for a 1 litre and they're only £36 free delivery. No indication of the mileage but I think VAG-TACHO can perform odometer correction, not tried it on a Lupo mind.

Your rubber mats are the same as mine and I've never been able to source a set since despite trying. Don't know why, but they just don't seem very common. Perhaps they were an optional extra?

[matt123roll]

You've done well, every car has it's problems really sooner or later. You've got common lupo issues, nothing major!

People who aren't into cars tend to think the only way to fix them is to take it a garage along with your bank card. Especially mums, my mum thinks Halfords are the best place to go for a service and MOT, and she's not mistaken as long as you don't mind poor work alongside a long list of "problems".

Anyway... it looks like good motor. Get the beeping sorted, as rich suggested plug another set of clocks in. They can be had on ebay for pennys.

A quick note - your steering wheel looks awfully perforated, is this standard for the SE anyone? Might just be the flash but it looks strange!

[Skezza]

You've done well, every car has it's problems really sooner or later. You've got common lupo issues, nothing major!

People who aren't into cars tend to think the only way to fix them is to take it a garage along with your bank card. Especially mums, my mum thinks Halfords are the best place to go for a service and MOT, and she's not mistaken as long as you don't mind poor work alongside a long list of "problems".

Anyway... it looks like good motor. Get the beeping sorted, as rich suggested plug another set of clocks in. They can be had on ebay for pennys.

A quick note - your steering wheel looks awfully perforated, is this standard for the SE anyone? Might just be the flash but it looks strange!

SE's come with a sexy leather steering wheel

[Kirstin816]

Standard perforated leather steering wheel, gear gaiter and handbrake

[Skezza]

Standard perforated leather steering wheel, gear gaiter and handbrake '

Yup. Once you've got all the little issues sorted, you can go ahead and fit central locking

[Kirstin816]

Hoorayyyy that's the one thing I miss about the corsa and the fact that I didn't know what problems it had :L I prefer not to know haha

[Skezza]

Just noticed the photos have gone missing in the How To, might have to contact deep lupo get a hold of them.

[mattarosa]

You mean I can fit central locking.

[Kirstin816]

You mean I can fit central locking.

Yep

[GeoffD]

I think you've got a nice little motor there. what I did with sophie's lupo was to put an oil pressure gauge on it. then you know what the oil pressure is. like I said they're idiot lights anyway, by the time that comes on your engine's fuc**d!.i think two things, follow rich's advice or ignore the oil light and fit a gauge. to be honest the worst thing about changing the clocks is getting them reset with vagcom. geoff

[Skezza]

Do you need it to pass an MOT?

Edited January 13, 2014 by Skezza

[GeoffD]

I was always under the opinion that you needed it for the car to function. I may be wrong of course! geoff

[Skezza]

I was always under the opinion that you needed it for the car to function. I may be wrong of course! geoff

the light I mean lol, Not bloody oil... top gear proved you don't need that haha, kidding.

[GeoffD]

sorry skezza, I meant the clocks and the coding issue, I wasn't taking the piss. geoff

[Kirstin816]

Well the guy at seat told us that as long as I write in a log book or something that it's had the clocks changed and why and why the miles aren't what it says on the clock then it'll be fine. I can't put my finger on why, but I really don't like the idea of changing the clocks so they say different miles to what's actually on the car. So what we are going to try to do is to find a set of clocks on eBay that are around 72000, wait till mine is on the same amount the clocks are on and then change the clocks unless vagcom can completely sort everything out? Either the beeping and engine light or if we get new clocks, put the correct miles on the clock? Or both? The garage said vagcom can't do the correct miles on the clock so

[Skezza]

sorry skezza, I meant the clocks and the coding issue, I wasn't taking the piss. geoff

are you serious? So the car won't run without clocks plugged in?

[Skezza]

Vag tacho can do odometer correction. Never tried it myself though.

[Kirstin816]

Are you sure? The guy at seat said you can't? Unless you guys on here know something that the man doesn't?

[matt123roll]

You can perform mileage correction, loads of people do it. It's perfectly legal however it's illegal to sell the car without stating it's been corrected although I appreciate you want to do it to show correct mileage which is fine, find a set of clocks first and see if the oil light works on those.

[Rich]

I've done it before, if you want a set of clocks to try I have a spare set which I will happilly part with.

[Kirstin816]

I've done it before, if you want a set of clocks to try I have a spare set which I will happilly part with.

Oh that's nice of you do you know what miles are on the clocks? Just in case I can't do the Vagcom thing? Actually, stupid question, I suppose it doesn't really matter if I can change the odometer with Vagcom. Skezza do you know how to do it? Or rather, can you do it?

[Karl_Mac_]

Get a proper service done and get fault codes read.

If it still bothers you after that then buy some black tape to cover the warning lights.

If the bodywork and interior is solid then you've got little to worry about. Most problems will be age related, if you'd have bought a higher mileage car these probably would've been fixed already.