STUFF/FAQ

Performance Tuning

-An induction kit won't invalidate the warranty on the whole car but if a fault occurs and the induction kit can be linked to the fault the chances are they won't cover it. Again this all depends on the dealer as well, some are mod friendly others don't wanna know. If you ever do get a prob you can always take the induction kit off and put the standard airbox back on, then they aren't gonna know. That is a bit of hassle though for some people. I don't bother and all is fine.

-An alternative to getting an induction kit for noise alone: remove the airbox and take out the filter, then drill holes about three cm's wide all over the bottom of the airbox.
SOUNDS IMMENSE!!!

-Many people desire a twin centre exit exhaust like on the Lupo GTI but find that none of the major exhaust manufacturers do anything and end up having a custom jobby at Powerflow. I have heard good and bad things about the quality of Powerflow systems though. However apparently Sebring do a dtm twin made for the VW Lupo so that should fit if your into the dtm look.

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Styling (in 'n out)

-Want to smooth the back of your car and remove the bump stripes down the side of the car? Well basically all you need to do is go and get your self some dental floss. Then a little polish will finish the job. I have heard others just use a kettle of boiling water to do the same job. Smoother and sleeker is better in my opinion :) With the Arosa especially many people won't have a clue what car you have then!

-Tints: You can have 30% all round including a tinted sunstrip. I havent been stopped and I have had tinted windows since January now. It cost me £130 for the lot but I happened to know the guy. Would reckon it'll be around £150 to £200 unless of course you know some1 or try it yourself.

-Wheels: Dont go any bigger than 16s! Im running on 17's and am still having arch problems after 1.5 years of adjusting...

-17s and standard ride height will probably make it look like a mini 4X4. So some nice wide 15s for best handling or 16s if you want but as already mentioned will not be able to lower as much.

-Official SEAT mats with Arosa embroidered on them are £30.

-Badgeless Grills: www.fk-automotive.de/en/index.php

-Mk2 Rear Clusters on a Mk1 Arosa: As I said before, it is a while since i did this mod. But, if i remember rightly it is fairly straight forward. Firstly, remove the old cluster and then the bulb holder. Pull out the connector, which I think was seven connections on each side. This opens up across the centre, careful not to snap it. Seven connections will be used on one side and six on the other, the spare connection must be insulated.
Then, follow the circuit board on the new bulb holder from where each bulb is fitted. So, swap all the connections round so the bulbs line up in their new location. For example the indicator on the old cluster is the second bulb down whereas on the new cluster it is the bottom right corner (on right cluster) and bottom left corner (on left cluster).
This may sound difficult or technical, but once you get stuck in it's not that bad.
I made a list of the different wires and what they were, indicator, reverse, fog, for example and their corresponding colour. This will help you when you come to swap them over.

-Rear bulbs for brake light on the mk2 Arosa: use the bulb that has the two wattage settings (5W/21W)

-Want some funky neons? Check out www.litewave.co.uk

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ICE

-I got 6x9's in the back of my Arosa. Made a new parcel shelf out of 12mm MDF. I drew around the original parcel shelf and then cut it out with a jigsaw.

-The standard front speakers are 17cm and are quite good as long as you've got a decent head unit, you could leave them for the mo and get an amp and sub or 6x9's then do the front afterwards- tricky esp. with them tweakers though!

-Annoyed with rattling around the door area? Get a decent HU and the standard speakers are suprisingly good....apart from the rattling! Apparently if you take the pocket panels off and stick some of that sound proofing stuff from Halfords on the back then it shuts up. I've also found that with a sub (and cutting bass frequencies from the front) get's rid of most of the rattling, although the boot vibrates But that's all part of the fun of a sub :D

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Problems

-Noisy standard rear wiper!? I am afraid the standard one is from the start, you'll get use to it!

-Clicking strange noise when turn engine off? - Most likely your exhaust and/or heat shields cooling down.

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Other Stuff...

-Is the Arosa going to be discontinued soon? Matty_B's comments:

"Neither the Lupo or the Arosa have been much of a success - Lupo sales have been poor, Arosa's have been much worse.
Both cars appeal mainly to the "older" market - mums, grandparents. The "kids" prefer the 106/Saxos's as they're cheaper and sharper - and the boy-racers prefer the GTi/VTx because they're "the" car to have, and are cheap to buy (shame they don't look at the EuroNCAP and see how a Saxo/106 compares to a Lupo/Arosa after an accident - new legs for the Saxo owners please!!)
Then you've got the "trendy" types who are buying the Mini - the car which I feel single-handedly destroyed the small car market for all other cars, especially the Lupo/Arosa.
Because of this it was decided a few years back to stop making both models at the end of their "Life cycle" - minimum of 7 years. VAG want to stop creating too many "overlapping" models like the Lupo/Arosa, so are creating a singular small car under one brand - in this case, VW.
Originally they were going to create the "Lupo2" with the stupid doors, but they want to drop the Lupo name and bring back "Fox" - which can be seen on various places on the web. Note the cheap price to compete with the cheapness of the French.
So to sum up - both are being killed this year and being replaced by a single model, the VW Fox....or at least, thats the current "plan" by VAG. Whether its what will happen remains to be seen, I think." The Fox certainly is not my cup of tea though!!

-Useful personal web diary on Arosa at www.petergknight.com/seatarosa.html

-Interested in Quarter mile records, go to www.syclone.freeserve.co.uk/rivals_cars.htm

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