Bluey
- Thread starter Taipan
- Start date
I think the 2 threaded inserts (bolt housings) may be for the spacesaver spare wheel mounting bracket which goes over the battery - http://www.a2oc.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=22622&d=1456099710
Cheers Spike
Cheers Spike
Ah, I see. Thanks
Was a space saver spare an optional extra? My assumption is that it would be tyre gunk OR space saver but all cars came from the factory with the mounting points already there should the buyer opt for a spare. Wide of the mark?
Birchall
Dick Chown Award 2016
The space saver was an option and the mounting holes are there whether you opted for it or not.Ah, I see. Thanks
Was a space saver spare an optional extra? My assumption is that it would be tyre gunk OR space saver but all cars came from the factory with the mounting points already there should the buyer opt for a spare. Wide of the mark?
Steve B
timmus
A2OC Donor
This was certainly the case until circa 2003, though I have seen some 2004/2005 A2s without the threaded inserts. Without research, I don't know whether they're a purchasable part or not.
Cheers,
Tom
Concur with tom. My 54 plate doesn't have the threaded inserts, though I understand these can be purchased from Audi.
I used self tappers when retrofitting the kit which hold extremely well.
Fitting guide and part numbers here if interested Taipan: http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?3426-Fitting-Audi-space-saver-wheel-holding-bracket
I used self tappers when retrofitting the kit which hold extremely well.
Fitting guide and part numbers here if interested Taipan: http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?3426-Fitting-Audi-space-saver-wheel-holding-bracket
ajsellors
A2OC Donor
My experience is that cars which were fitted with the false boot floor in the factory have the additional 2 inserts present where as those which don't have the false floor have them omitted. This kind of makes sense as you may want to fit a spare wheel under the floor but not if the false floor wasn't there.
The parts diagram of the car doesn't show the inserts as a separate item. That doesn't mean that Audi don't sell them, the problem will be ordering. I had issues getting the rivnuts for the CD changer bracket as although they are used in other parts of the car, as they aren't shown separately on the diagram with the CD bracket, the parts department in my local dealer couldn't and wouldn't order them. In the end I obtained ones of the same size from a hardware fixings supplier.
The M8 inserts for the plastic tub are similar in design to these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M3-M4-M5-...de214e4&pid=100005&rk=2&rkt=6&sd=280708445144
Note I just picked these as an illustration. The diameter and depth of the hole in the plastic will need to be measured to obtain the correct part.
regards
Andrew
The depth and breadth of knowledge demonstrated by forum members never fails to bowl me over. Thanks all!
The car did have the false floor specced, so that would certainly corroborate the logic of having a spare wheel stored under the false floor to leave the boot useable. I shall consider myself lucky that I have the fixing holes there should I want to fit a spare wheel at some future time.
The car did have the false floor specced, so that would certainly corroborate the logic of having a spare wheel stored under the false floor to leave the boot useable. I shall consider myself lucky that I have the fixing holes there should I want to fit a spare wheel at some future time.
Another quick job sorted last night.
I had noticed the results of the windscreen wiper was poor to middling when I purchased the car and things have got progressively worse. Having acquainted myself with the notion that the earlier wiper design wasn't especially good, I had assumed the poor performance was due to this and resigned myself to upgrading to the later wiper arm. I was nicely surprised - and a little embarrassed - to lift the wiper arm off the car whilst rain-x'ing the screen and have the rubber fall away from the blade. This of course was at the heart of the issue and not any design fault!
Prior to making a decision whether to upgrade or not I thought I had at least give the competition a try, so a fresh Bosch AR70N was fitted last night. Fitting was straight forward as you would expect, though an unusual level of force was required to get the hook positioned correctly. I genuinely thought I was going to snap the wiper arm completely, but it finally seated correctly. Twisting of the lower arm removed the plastic housing from resting on the screen and also brought the rubber up to the correct contact position with the glass.
Initial impressions are excellent. It only measures 280mm rather than the OE 300mm, but this doesn't cause any visibility issues from the drivers seat. The wiper action and result is excellent and the streaks and judders are no more. Pleased.
I had noticed the results of the windscreen wiper was poor to middling when I purchased the car and things have got progressively worse. Having acquainted myself with the notion that the earlier wiper design wasn't especially good, I had assumed the poor performance was due to this and resigned myself to upgrading to the later wiper arm. I was nicely surprised - and a little embarrassed - to lift the wiper arm off the car whilst rain-x'ing the screen and have the rubber fall away from the blade. This of course was at the heart of the issue and not any design fault!
Prior to making a decision whether to upgrade or not I thought I had at least give the competition a try, so a fresh Bosch AR70N was fitted last night. Fitting was straight forward as you would expect, though an unusual level of force was required to get the hook positioned correctly. I genuinely thought I was going to snap the wiper arm completely, but it finally seated correctly. Twisting of the lower arm removed the plastic housing from resting on the screen and also brought the rubber up to the correct contact position with the glass.
Initial impressions are excellent. It only measures 280mm rather than the OE 300mm, but this doesn't cause any visibility issues from the drivers seat. The wiper action and result is excellent and the streaks and judders are no more. Pleased.
Whilst fussing with the wiper blade I got a chance to inspect the wiper arms. They are in a pretty sorry state to be honest; patch of rust here, scratches there.
On closer inspection though, they have been repainted using what I think is a brush? If not a brush, then by somebody that really doesn't appreciate the need to lightly layer coats of paint on.
Luckily I have the all the materials already that are required to refurb them so I will be removing them from the car, stripping them back before primer and paint. End result should befit the brand new windscreen and wiper blade
On closer inspection though, they have been repainted using what I think is a brush?
If not a brush, then by somebody that really doesn't appreciate the need to lightly layer coats of paint on.Luckily I have the all the materials already that are required to refurb them so I will be removing them from the car, stripping them back before primer and paint. End result should befit the brand new windscreen and wiper blade
Hi Taipan,
Are you aware that there's a later style of wiper arm that accepts the OEM aero blades? They look much nicer, are quieter, wipe better and provide fractionally less aerodynamic drag.
Cheers,
Tom
Yes, I am Tom. Well I think I am. My understanding is that there are 2 wiper designs an "early" one and an improved "later" one. Are you saying that there are more than two designs?
I wanted to at least give the earlier design with aero wiper a go. Firstly because it's original to the car and secondly because it's cheaper!
timmus
A2OC Donor
Yes, your understanding is correct. There are two designs: an earlier type and a later type. The later type will accept the OEM aero blades whereas the early type accepts OEM non-aero blades and some aftermarket aero designs (as you appear to have fitted). The later arm design is easily spotted because it doesn't have the bulbous plastic housing on the end.
Cheers,
Tom
Another job completed last night. Apologies for the wall of text, but I did most of this in the pitch black!
Having had the chance to drive the car a bit more recently I was getting increasingly frustrated with the gear change. Having previously owned an Audi of this era I do remember the gearbox not being a thing of joy to use, but I don’t remember it being so vague and disconnected. There was/is nothing wrong with the gear selection itself but the action felt so imprecise and such was the free play that changing gear – particularly into second gear – felt as though the stick may come away in your hand. I decided to do a bit of research to discover whether this was an issue or a character trait. During the research I stumbled across the below YouTube tutorial relating to the gearbox gear linkage adjustment and decided it would be worth a shot.
[video=youtube;sheTKD03hmo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sheTKD03hmo[/video]
Now I started this “simple job” at 9:15ish last night. In hindsight this wasn’t the most sensible of choices but hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Having removed the bonnet, I came across the first problem of access, quickly followed by the second problem of comparing the gearbox as per the tutorial to the gearbox presented before me. With those issues dealt with I proceeded to lock off the ‘box with the locking key. Well, that was the plan anyhow but the locking handle turned freely in the housing and had no effect on the shifter arm at all.
Putting this to one side and returning to the interior, I prized free the gaitor ring from the centre console, rolled the gaitor up and was presented with a very shabby looking inner rubber boot that had been showering rubber particles into the gear shift mechanism. With the particles hovered up, the area cleaned and relubricated I was able to locate the locking holes and test fitted the 5mm drill bit.
**Top tip** If using a 5mm drill bit, roll half the width of a generous piece of masking tape around the top of the drill bit. The free half of the masking tape can then be bent over to fashion a make-shift allen key. Doing this gets round the problem of having the drill bit drop down through the locking holes and into the abyss.
Returning to the engine bay, I pulled back both gear linkage spring mechanisms and, at the end of their travel, rotated them counter clockwise so that they couldn’t spring back. Once complete I returned to the interior and locked the gear stick shaft to the housing with the 5mm drill bit. Then, returning to the (now pitch black!) engine bay, and not having been able to lock the shifter arm, I depressed it slightly and rotated it so that the left gear linkage and cable popped towards me, selecting the 1st/2nd gear gate.
With the gear stick locked off and first/second gear gate selected via the engine bay, I pressed down on the shifter arm until it could no longer move vertically and took up the resulting slack from the right hand side gear cable. Once the (surprising amount of) slack had been removed – and whilst still holding the gear cable - I rolled the spring mechanism clockwise until it naturally clicked back home grasping the cable. I did the same for the left hand side gear cable but this time pulled the shifter arm towards me to remove the minimal horizontal movement. I then rolled the left hand side gear mechanism clockwise whilst holding the left hand side cable (and the shifter arm back!) until it too clicked back automatically.
Once this was done I returned to the cabin, removed the 5mm drill bit and made sure every gear - including reverse - could be selected.
On the resulting test drive I found that the shift action had improved dramatically. Whilst it’s still not the most pleasant box to use the vagueness and imprecision has been eradicated completely. A huge improvement and well worth the effort.
Having had the chance to drive the car a bit more recently I was getting increasingly frustrated with the gear change. Having previously owned an Audi of this era I do remember the gearbox not being a thing of joy to use, but I don’t remember it being so vague and disconnected. There was/is nothing wrong with the gear selection itself but the action felt so imprecise and such was the free play that changing gear – particularly into second gear – felt as though the stick may come away in your hand. I decided to do a bit of research to discover whether this was an issue or a character trait. During the research I stumbled across the below YouTube tutorial relating to the gearbox gear linkage adjustment and decided it would be worth a shot.
[video=youtube;sheTKD03hmo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sheTKD03hmo[/video]
Now I started this “simple job” at 9:15ish last night. In hindsight this wasn’t the most sensible of choices but hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Having removed the bonnet, I came across the first problem of access, quickly followed by the second problem of comparing the gearbox as per the tutorial to the gearbox presented before me. With those issues dealt with I proceeded to lock off the ‘box with the locking key. Well, that was the plan anyhow but the locking handle turned freely in the housing and had no effect on the shifter arm at all.
Putting this to one side and returning to the interior, I prized free the gaitor ring from the centre console, rolled the gaitor up and was presented with a very shabby looking inner rubber boot that had been showering rubber particles into the gear shift mechanism. With the particles hovered up, the area cleaned and relubricated I was able to locate the locking holes and test fitted the 5mm drill bit.
**Top tip** If using a 5mm drill bit, roll half the width of a generous piece of masking tape around the top of the drill bit. The free half of the masking tape can then be bent over to fashion a make-shift allen key. Doing this gets round the problem of having the drill bit drop down through the locking holes and into the abyss.
Returning to the engine bay, I pulled back both gear linkage spring mechanisms and, at the end of their travel, rotated them counter clockwise so that they couldn’t spring back. Once complete I returned to the interior and locked the gear stick shaft to the housing with the 5mm drill bit. Then, returning to the (now pitch black!) engine bay, and not having been able to lock the shifter arm, I depressed it slightly and rotated it so that the left gear linkage and cable popped towards me, selecting the 1st/2nd gear gate.
With the gear stick locked off and first/second gear gate selected via the engine bay, I pressed down on the shifter arm until it could no longer move vertically and took up the resulting slack from the right hand side gear cable. Once the (surprising amount of) slack had been removed – and whilst still holding the gear cable - I rolled the spring mechanism clockwise until it naturally clicked back home grasping the cable. I did the same for the left hand side gear cable but this time pulled the shifter arm towards me to remove the minimal horizontal movement. I then rolled the left hand side gear mechanism clockwise whilst holding the left hand side cable (and the shifter arm back!) until it too clicked back automatically.
Once this was done I returned to the cabin, removed the 5mm drill bit and made sure every gear - including reverse - could be selected.
On the resulting test drive I found that the shift action had improved dramatically. Whilst it’s still not the most pleasant box to use the vagueness and imprecision has been eradicated completely. A huge improvement and well worth the effort.
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Now the large caveat I should add to the above is that it reads like it all went swimmingly with no hitches. This is not a true reflection and one of the reasons why night took hold – other than the late start time of course!
When I first did the adjustments I lost the ability to select reverse. Next time round I lost 1st and 2nd. Then I lost 5th. And so on and so forth until Goldilocks porridge of a shift finally emerged. Basically you are treading a tightrope; minor differences in the adjustment at the engine bay end can make a big difference at the shifter mechanism end.
A couple of further pointers:
- Use as big a drill bit (or similar) as you can. You want absolutely no possibility of the gear stick moving when you lock it off. Initially, I used a 4.5mm as the 5mm didn’t appear to fit and this was one of the main reasons why the adjustments went wrong.
- Don’t pull the gear cables too hard. You want to remove just enough slack to tighten up the shift, but not so much that the mechanism cannot find the pathway between gears. It’s trial and error.
- Treat the plastic housing of the spring mechanisms with care. Having been through numerous heat cycles in the engine bay they are prone to breaking.
- Take some time to check on the condition of the top of the gearbox. The drainage cup that receives the water from the passenger-side drainage rubber can move, allowing water to flow directly onto the top of the gear box and cause all sorts of havoc - http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthrea...ctor-tower-bearing-replacement-amp-oil-change
When I first did the adjustments I lost the ability to select reverse. Next time round I lost 1st and 2nd. Then I lost 5th. And so on and so forth until Goldilocks porridge of a shift finally emerged. Basically you are treading a tightrope; minor differences in the adjustment at the engine bay end can make a big difference at the shifter mechanism end.
A couple of further pointers:
- Use as big a drill bit (or similar) as you can. You want absolutely no possibility of the gear stick moving when you lock it off. Initially, I used a 4.5mm as the 5mm didn’t appear to fit and this was one of the main reasons why the adjustments went wrong.
- Don’t pull the gear cables too hard. You want to remove just enough slack to tighten up the shift, but not so much that the mechanism cannot find the pathway between gears. It’s trial and error.
- Treat the plastic housing of the spring mechanisms with care. Having been through numerous heat cycles in the engine bay they are prone to breaking.
- Take some time to check on the condition of the top of the gearbox. The drainage cup that receives the water from the passenger-side drainage rubber can move, allowing water to flow directly onto the top of the gear box and cause all sorts of havoc - http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthrea...ctor-tower-bearing-replacement-amp-oil-change
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Thanks for the detailed write-up which is much more 'in depth' than our existing 'how to' guide - http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?13062-Gearchange-cable-adjust-reset
For anyone using a drill bit or straight rod for the locking pin, its worth wrapping the end in masking tape to ensure it can't drop into the void under the gearchange mechanism.
Cheers Spike
For anyone using a drill bit or straight rod for the locking pin, its worth wrapping the end in masking tape to ensure it can't drop into the void under the gearchange mechanism.
Cheers Spike
Ah, life would have been much easier had I found that thread!!!
I must admit, I was quite detailed in the write-up so that if I ever have to do the job again I can follow my own instructions
The tutorial video was great but only gives the general jist of what to do.With an upcoming minibreak planned I wanted to get the audio side of things sorted.
The car came with a very loud, not terribly effective, very ugly aftermarket radio. It suffered from terrible radio reception (which I found was down to an incorrectly fitted radio antenna adaptor) and I never confirmed whether the CD player worked or not, seeing as I very rarely listen to CDs. It had to go.
I knew I wanted to keep things OE and all I really needed was the ability to listen to the radio. With these requirements – and having a pre-canbus car – my ‘plug and play’ options were a Chorus 1 or a Concert 1. I decided to go with a Concert 1 as it has the potential to add a CD changer in the future, should I suddenly develop the desire.
Scouring eBay I found many more available than I expected, all in varying states of disrepair – either the buttons were worn or the code wasn’t available or they were in the US. Then I stumbled across the one I eventually bought – I don’t know what it is with things I am finding on EBay at the moment but, like the toolkit, the radio appears to be brand new. Even when it arrived and I was able to closely inspect it, it was absolutely perfect. In case anyone is reading this and wondering; 4B0035186J has a fascia plate that slides straight into the A2 dash.
As it is very little additional work to remove, I decided to twin the fitting of the radio with the cleaning of the cup holders. Once the fascia adapter plates, the old radio and the centre vents had been removed I was left with this sizable hole. You can just see poking out a red connector block. I will cover this in my next post.
Spending a bit of time on the bench carefully separating the cup holders from the vent housing, I found that both they and the centre vents were absolutely filthy with deposits speckled over the vent fins and cupholders and a thin layer of sludge over the bottom of each vent unit – not a pleasant thought considering that is what the air into the cabin has to pass over.
As is the way, one job led to multiple other mini jobs as I decided to remove the side vents and give them a thorough clean too.
A combination of APC, cotton buds, wet wipes and elbow grease had the vents and cupholders looking like they were fresh out of the box, but more importnatnly; hygienic. The cotton buds shows the extent of the dirt.
On refitting the side vents I removed the passenger side vent toggle and re-fitted it to the drivers side which was broken - a freshly sourced replacement part is now awaiting fitment.
Cupholders and centre vents cleaned, relubricated and Concert 1 fitted. All-in-all a much more pleasant centre stack to look at and listen to, happy in the knowledge that I’m not having filthy air blown into my face.
In terms of performance, the Concert 1 has exceeded my expectations. It is excellent with all the functionality I need and I would venture that it is as loud as the previous radio but the clarity of sound is far superior. It is also nice having perfect radio reception again.
The car came with a very loud, not terribly effective, very ugly aftermarket radio. It suffered from terrible radio reception (which I found was down to an incorrectly fitted radio antenna adaptor) and I never confirmed whether the CD player worked or not, seeing as I very rarely listen to CDs. It had to go.
I knew I wanted to keep things OE and all I really needed was the ability to listen to the radio. With these requirements – and having a pre-canbus car – my ‘plug and play’ options were a Chorus 1 or a Concert 1. I decided to go with a Concert 1 as it has the potential to add a CD changer in the future, should I suddenly develop the desire.
Scouring eBay I found many more available than I expected, all in varying states of disrepair – either the buttons were worn or the code wasn’t available or they were in the US. Then I stumbled across the one I eventually bought – I don’t know what it is with things I am finding on EBay at the moment but, like the toolkit, the radio appears to be brand new. Even when it arrived and I was able to closely inspect it, it was absolutely perfect. In case anyone is reading this and wondering; 4B0035186J has a fascia plate that slides straight into the A2 dash.
As it is very little additional work to remove, I decided to twin the fitting of the radio with the cleaning of the cup holders. Once the fascia adapter plates, the old radio and the centre vents had been removed I was left with this sizable hole. You can just see poking out a red connector block. I will cover this in my next post.
Spending a bit of time on the bench carefully separating the cup holders from the vent housing, I found that both they and the centre vents were absolutely filthy with deposits speckled over the vent fins and cupholders and a thin layer of sludge over the bottom of each vent unit – not a pleasant thought considering that is what the air into the cabin has to pass over.
As is the way, one job led to multiple other mini jobs as I decided to remove the side vents and give them a thorough clean too.
A combination of APC, cotton buds, wet wipes and elbow grease had the vents and cupholders looking like they were fresh out of the box, but more importnatnly; hygienic. The cotton buds shows the extent of the dirt.
On refitting the side vents I removed the passenger side vent toggle and re-fitted it to the drivers side which was broken - a freshly sourced replacement part is now awaiting fitment.
Cupholders and centre vents cleaned, relubricated and Concert 1 fitted. All-in-all a much more pleasant centre stack to look at and listen to, happy in the knowledge that I’m not having filthy air blown into my face.
In terms of performance, the Concert 1 has exceeded my expectations. It is excellent with all the functionality I need and I would venture that it is as loud as the previous radio but the clarity of sound is far superior. It is also nice having perfect radio reception again.
Had the chance to get a few more little jobs done over the weekend.
Most (but not all, thankfully) of the cabin switchgear is showing the usual signs of wear. The CC unit has had its hard touch buttons nabbed by the previous owner and the shabby ones that he swapped in have been covered with stickers. The headlight switch is looking tired, as is the motion sensor switch and the global lock/unlock switch. My plan over time is to address all of these and I decided to start with the global lock/unlock switch.
It was a happy coincidence that a long standing forum member was breaking a car. After exchanging notes, a long and growing shopping list was agreed upon. One of the items bought was an engine undertray and it’s a real credit to the seller that such an awkward part was sent over not only in one piece but very carefully wrapped to survive the courier experience intact. Added to this he seems to be an all-round nice chap. Anyhow I digress.
You can see the state of my global lock/unlock switch in the below. Not terrible but certainly letting the side down a bit. Excuse the interior dirt, it's just, well; dirty and in desperate need of a deep clean!
The eagle eyed of you will notice that the drivers-side tweeter and securing torx bolt are missing. As to why, it’s a bit of a mystery. My only theory is that someone down the line salvaged the parts to replace theirs and never bothered replacing them. Replacements are in transit as we speak.
Once the doorcard was carefully removed and set aside it was plain sailing from there. Whilst the replacement part has been repainted (as is usually the case, the photo makes it look much more obvious than in real life) it is in much better condition than the part it replaces with none of the gouges and dents it had. It’s a small thing but every little helps!
Once replaced, I then fitted the passenger side vent toggle that was missing as it had been swapped to the (previously missing) drivers side. Again, a very small thing but it’s nice to have everything functional.
Most (but not all, thankfully) of the cabin switchgear is showing the usual signs of wear. The CC unit has had its hard touch buttons nabbed by the previous owner and the shabby ones that he swapped in have been covered with stickers. The headlight switch is looking tired, as is the motion sensor switch and the global lock/unlock switch. My plan over time is to address all of these and I decided to start with the global lock/unlock switch.
It was a happy coincidence that a long standing forum member was breaking a car. After exchanging notes, a long and growing shopping list was agreed upon. One of the items bought was an engine undertray and it’s a real credit to the seller that such an awkward part was sent over not only in one piece but very carefully wrapped to survive the courier experience intact. Added to this he seems to be an all-round nice chap. Anyhow I digress.
You can see the state of my global lock/unlock switch in the below. Not terrible but certainly letting the side down a bit. Excuse the interior dirt, it's just, well; dirty and in desperate need of a deep clean!
The eagle eyed of you will notice that the drivers-side tweeter and securing torx bolt are missing. As to why, it’s a bit of a mystery. My only theory is that someone down the line salvaged the parts to replace theirs and never bothered replacing them. Replacements are in transit as we speak.
Once the doorcard was carefully removed and set aside it was plain sailing from there. Whilst the replacement part has been repainted (as is usually the case, the photo makes it look much more obvious than in real life) it is in much better condition than the part it replaces with none of the gouges and dents it had. It’s a small thing but every little helps!
Once replaced, I then fitted the passenger side vent toggle that was missing as it had been swapped to the (previously missing) drivers side. Again, a very small thing but it’s nice to have everything functional.