[Grace]

Originally Posted by Falstaff

first the Audi, then the Mercedes, then the Honda and now the VW.
Maybe I should just ride my bike for a few weeks till this gets sorted and stay off the dual carriageways.

Falstaff, you actually break more cars than I break keyboards!

I haven't read the entire thread but I even I can assume that you are not buying cars from where you should. And I'm saying that because:

Originally Posted by Falstaff

edit: burned clutch, no oil, some kind of manifold gasket, seals and valve train problem, and something with the super charger or turbo too, its a goner I think.

I know nothing about cars but I do know enough about petrol and diesel engines. That doesn't sound quite right. Low oil levels would damage the crankshaft and the pistons first. Ok, it didn't and it damaged the valve train before the engine stuck. It also destroyed half of the exhaust/air compression system? Ok, let's just assume that by some miracle it did. Just how the clutch was shaved to death? Just think of it reasonably, even if you wanted to do something like that and kill the car instantly, you can't!

Oh yes. I've been trying to find some data on your engine to check its design and characteristics but I found nothing. So I asked a friend who knows a lot about cars and he gave me a real good explanation why I could find nothing about your engine. According to Volkswagen they never made a 1.5 TDI Lupo. Only a 1.2 TDI. There is no 1.5 version of the Lupo no matter the engine type or model. I don't know what's in there but it wasn't supposed to be in there.

Do yourself a favor and buy a car which at least has its own engine still inside of it.

[Tril]

Don't they have car warranties at car dealers in the UK, where you bought that car? Like at least a 30 day warranty or a 30k miles warranty, anything like that.

There should be some kind of warranty policy included in the deal. Give it a good read, I don't see why this should not be covered by them. They should offer you a full refund, a free repair, another car that's the same value, etc.

Is there a clause somewhere in the warranty that frees them from refunding you if a specific condition is fulfilled?

If you just bought it, they can't blame you for low oil level because they should have checked it before selling it to you. They can't blame you for bad maintenance when you only had the car for a few days.

You said this car had a turbocharger. Maybe someone made some unsafe tweaks to it like increasing the boost pressure too much.

[Falstaff]

I have talked to the mechanic that prepared the car and he inspected it. He told me it was adequately serviced and running fine when I drove it off the lot. I enjoyed about a day of fun when my friend and I noticed problems. My mechanic friend, who has confessed more than a passing interest in the car has expressed some remorse recently about what may have been an effort on his part to perform adjustments to the engine timing, an oil additive that I was not aware and mechanical work he performed that may not have been up to snuff. I tried to contact him this morning and spoke with his girlfriend who I found had a better command of english than he did, but my Slovakian was adequate enough to understand how deeply I plunged into the business of tuning cars.
I have arsed this matter and this morning I drove a lovely SEAT station wagon to the dealership where I came to terms with the manager, who wants to continue doing business with me.
I am currently borrowing an older CLK Mercedes till this matter is sorted but I have no desperate interest in little cars now. I went to a chap in Newmarket that works on VW cars and he not only knew the history of the particuler LUPO I drove but also rebuilds older Morris cars of which I have a fondness. I have to admit, my mid life crisis car will end up being a lovely little red LUPO that has a 1.4 litre engine from a SKODA or another LUPO of newer vintage.
I drive boring old cars on holiday but I purchased bicycle with disc brakes and a "dual shock" design for my portly frame so I can go to the health club daily and I am putting the whole matter up as a life lesson.
I think this time I have found someone that appreciates cars and is willing to let me watch him work on the car through its chrysalis state into something a bit more manageble. I am having an old LUPO driven to his garage this evening and getting the whole thing done properly. I might even invest in those lovely LEXUS style tuner parts I saw in a cataloge at the garage, but the exotic engine and the racing style livery will have to go, I am going to get a "sleeper" and I am very excited about the prospect of pulling up to unsuspecting motorists and racing down the M11 for a laugh. I have still have enough points on my license and good insurance so I will be patient and wary of any furture schemes.
Oh, and I rode a horse today as well, and I found that just about all the stables in Newmarket and surrounding areas are actually owned by Arabs, can you imagine?
Perhaps I will have to do the James May thing for a bit till I feel like my investment turns into something reasonably interesting. As for me, the whole matter has now cost me 4000 quid and I have to think about my daughters wedding in August of 2009 now.
I am still not giving up on the idea that people are generally good at heart and good natured, I am just guarding my wallet and still trying to be a bit more forgiving, just not as forgetful.
I think when I finally tire of this whole exercise in middle age nonsense I will go to a proper art college and finally learn something useful (joke).

(at no time during my mid life crisis were any animals injured or mistreated)

[Zardon]

Originally Posted by Falstaff

(at no time during my mid life crisis were any animals injured or mistreated)

Hey im just happy you finally starting using the return key

[Nick0323]

Sorry to hear about your Lupo.

My water pump failed after 3 days, then a month later the pedal box collapsed causing me to loose control of my clutch, brakes and gas !

All cars have their issues but the most reliable Lupo's are the TDI's and the GTI's.

[Falstaff]

Originally Posted by Zardon

Hey im just happy you finally starting using the return key

Sorry Z, its the medication really, it really slows me down.. I spent last night and this morning painting minature lanscapes with my glasses and loupe on and I just get into a groove. In all the excitement this weekend I really got sick and my chest and head really hurt, my BP was so high I had to lie down. I think it is time to go see doctor and take it easy, two three falls of a horse yesterday really reawakened pain in my collarbone and right shoulder again after last years disasterous photo episode trying to shoot pics of a womans softball game. I fell 6 feet off the bleachers and onto my brand new telephoto lense and my 30D prematurely ending its life and putting me in a sling and swath for 4 weeks. The pain meds were great and I think I might have to go back to the chemist and get some more. I have lost over 30 pounds but it still leaves me wieghing in at 15 stone with two bad knees ruptured discs in my lumbar and sacral vertebrae after my motorcycle accident last year.
I just need to slow down or drag my supplemental oxygen around with me if I continue on this path.
Without my Liz here to slow me down I have been terribly careless with my money and my constitution and I will have neither before I die if I dont start looking both ways crossing the street.
(picked up another LUPO for 500 quid from Mildenhall this afternoon)
Time for me to learn about intercoolers, turbos and valve timing now!!!
If anyone knows of a good fan site for VW LUPO's let me know, I only find rubbish on google..

Cheers..

and tell Stewart I never did buy a new laptop, I simply upgraded the ram in this one and it did the trick, as well as an HPw2207h monitor for 150 quid.

[Al_Vampyre]

Mate, you're really not having a good run are you? Take care of the health issues first (as much as possible) mainlining adrenaliine may make the pain go away short-term but it'll screw you in the long run. Pain is there for a reason you know...

I hope things pick up for you, and as with many things in life its not always the hardware that matters. When I was still riding my GT550 (I know - but the bloody thing refused to die!) I was riding back up the coast road south of Edinburgh and I were taken on by a twat on a brand new R1...he was so pissed that he would lose me on the straights but I'd be right up with him on the corners...thing was, he couldn't actually ride his R1 the way it was meant to be ridden.

I have an uncle who is now a car dealer but used to be a racing driver and he can make any car look very, very good. Maybe not on the motorway but give him twisties and a dog of a car and he'll still be inches off your bumper, if not in front of you altogether.

[Son_of_Thunder]

Wow, until now I've just read, but man, things can't be easy right now with everything going on. Take care of yourself man, some of us youngsters would be lost without occasional guidance from you :P

[Falstaff]

Originally Posted by Al_Vampyre

Mate, you're really not having a good run are you? Take care of the health issues first (as much as possible) mainlining adrenaliine may make the pain go away short-term but it'll screw you in the long run. Pain is there for a reason you know...

I hope things pick up for you, and as with many things in life its not always the hardware that matters. When I was still riding my GT550 (I know - but the bloody thing refused to die!) I was riding back up the coast road south of Edinburgh and I were taken on by a twat on a brand new R1...he was so pissed that he would lose me on the straights but I'd be right up with him on the corners...thing was, he couldn't actually ride his R1 the way it was meant to be ridden.

I have an uncle who is now a car dealer but used to be a racing driver and he can make any car look very, very good. Maybe not on the motorway but give him twisties and a dog of a car and he'll still be inches off your bumper, if not in front of you altogether.

Its just I am almost 50 years old, and I havent done all that I want to do, my father and my brother have both faced grave illness and are healthy now by the grace of God, and I am overdue for something I think. I spent needless years playing it safe, navigating the margins and avoiding real fun, now I want to have some. I have two grandchildren and my kids are happily married so its time for me. All my ex wives are leaving me alone, I have earned a magnificent pay raise with a ten percent COLA to boot. I want to paint the masterpiece, I want to solo in a single engine plane, I want to go faster than 150 mph on an internal combustine powered car and I want to get back to my fighting wieght of 180 pounds again. I think I can do it.
After my Liz became ill and had to leave I was pretty distraught, forcing myself to improve my skills in the classroom and working on my repore with my students and my boss at IBM. I learned a great deal, and became more like the Christian I was raised to be, and I dont want to stop learning.
Some men stay married, are great fathers, providers and warriors, but I am none of those I think, but I am more willing to push the envelope now, and more accepting of faliure. After this weekend I learned that there are consequences for every action, regardless of whether your kind or cruel, and you have to bear them as you would a scar from a brawl or a fight of which I have won as many as I have lost.
I am going to learn about cars and I might not be the mechanic my father was in his youth but I will understand a great deal more about combustion engines and performance.
If I die tomorrow or a year from now or even when I damn well feel like it, I want it on my own terms, and doing something I enjoy, not fretting about the badgers in the garden or postman that drops my mail behind the door, etc.
Just look what Mr. Allan Campbell did with Driverheaven and how far it has come. I want my legacy to be something I did on my own, lord knows I have spent my life allowing others to do it for me, and garnered the accolades for myself, without acknowleging their contributions.
The greatest battle I have yet to win is the one with myself, for if I cannot master the fundamental energy to work harder at improving myself then I am no better than any other bloke and I might as well turn my back on the future of my family and those I care about, including myself....now where was I.
Within two weeks I shall have a proper engine with new belts, plugs, valve gearing and seals, because I intend to take my little red Lupo out for a spin when we get more sunshine here in Suffolk...

Wow, until now I've just read, but man, things can't be easy right now with everything going on. Take care of yourself man, some of us youngsters would be lost without occasional guidance from you :P

I am afraid my children have learned what not to do from me rather than what they should do..LOL

cheers.

[[hobo]eclipse]

this is quite a fiasco surrounding the situation. Good luck on the next one, but be safe, DH wouldn't be the same without you.

[Son_of_Thunder]

Jeff, you seem like a wise man, as long as you use your head I'm not worried about you. I don't know if it means anything to you, but I'll pray for your health.

[Al_Vampyre]

Originally Posted by Falstaff

Its just I am almost 50 years old, and I havent done all that I want to do, my father and my brother have both faced grave illness and are healthy now by the grace of God, and I am overdue for something I think. I spent needless years playing it safe, navigating the margins and avoiding real fun, now I want to have some. I have two grandchildren and my kids are happily married so its time for me. All my ex wives are leaving me alone, I have earned a magnificent pay raise with a ten percent COLA to boot. I want to paint the masterpiece, I want to solo in a single engine plane, I want to go faster than 150 mph on an internal combustine powered car and I want to get back to my fighting wieght of 180 pounds again. I think I can do it.
After my Liz became ill and had to leave I was pretty distraught, forcing myself to improve my skills in the classroom and working on my repore with my students and my boss at IBM. I learned a great deal, and became more like the Christian I was raised to be, and I dont want to stop learning.
Some men stay married, are great fathers, providers and warriors, but I am none of those I think, but I am more willing to push the envelope now, and more accepting of faliure. After this weekend I learned that there are consequences for every action, regardless of whether your kind or cruel, and you have to bear them as you would a scar from a brawl or a fight of which I have won as many as I have lost.
I am going to learn about cars and I might not be the mechanic my father was in his youth but I will understand a great deal more about combustion engines and performance.
If I die tomorrow or a year from now or even when I damn well feel like it, I want it on my own terms, and doing something I enjoy, not fretting about the badgers in the garden or postman that drops my mail behind the door, etc.
Just look what Mr. Allan Campbell did with Driverheaven and how far it has come. I want my legacy to be something I did on my own, lord knows I have spent my life allowing others to do it for me, and garnered the accolades for myself, without acknowleging their contributions.
The greatest battle I have yet to win is the one with myself, for if I cannot master the fundamental energy to work harder at improving myself then I am no better than any other bloke and I might as well turn my back on the future of my family and those I care about, including myself....now where was I.
Within two weeks I shall have a proper engine with new belts, plugs, valve gearing and seals, because I intend to take my little red Lupo out for a spin when we get more sunshine here in Suffolk...



I am afraid my children have learned what not to do from me rather than what they should do..LOL

cheers.

I hear you man, and I'm not advocating taking the safe route (the road less travelled is much too interesting for me to do that!) all I'm saying is that you need to stop trying to do it all at once. you have a great new job, so you can tick that one off the list. Chase your dreams but maybe one at a time rather than all together!

You know I wish you all the best, I just don't want to see you too unhealthy to pursue the dreams!

[Falstaff]

thanx fellas, I call my Liz every evening and see how she is getting on so I will no doubt chat about this latest adventure and get a proper scolding. The whole kit sits in a garage in Newmarket among some Mini Coopers and an older Audi Quattro so when I choose to get up the courage to work on it I shall, until then I will depend on the kindness of my colleagues for a ride to and from on rainy days. As far as my health I am due for an oil change and plugs and timing soon so I shall see if I can get something for my blood pressure that wont affect my plumping if you know what I mean..LOL.
Maybe dragging out my old short easel and my canvas might be in order because the sun will no longer be on an egg timer come May and I shall get more Vitamen D.

cheers...

(p.s. already ordered the performance parts for car but I am told it will take a major rebuild of key components before we can attach anything on the order of a turbo charger and a more sophisticated fuel injection system. Almost every internal part will require inspection I shall find all the weaknesses and sort them out. )

[Kazeko]

Nice buy, Falstaff. Can't find lupo's here in the states, unfortunately (Yaaay import tariffs and obsurd crash testing regulations!)

And be careful with those aftermarket mods. I destroyed an old Mitsubishi 3000GT (GTO, outside the US) with a little too much air, and not enough fuel.

[Zardon]

Jeff, cheer yourself up. check out this thread for a bargain http://www.driverheaven.net/news/157...pril-08-a.html

[Falstaff]

thanx for the tip Z, I might get one for a thruppence or a tuppence...