Things you hate about your A2 [Archive] - International Audi A2 Owners' Club

Gexx

08-02-2006, 06:08 PM

This is not meant as a general A2 bash but more of an airing of moans

Things I hate about the A2

The different height pedals - so annoying - you really have to raise your foot to get it on the brake. On a long trip you get backache!

The A pillars - I have got used to these but every now and again I miss the odd 4x4 or 3.5 tonner that is coming round the roundabout in the blind spot created by them.

The fact that my wife has no idea how to drive a diesel and insists on trying to drive it like her mx5!

I'm sure more will come out!

JimbobA2TDiSport

08-02-2006, 06:31 PM

The A Pillars. Not noticed pedals as a problem myself

Emm

08-02-2006, 07:38 PM

I think it has to be the faults i have had with it, but they can happen to any car so i must say the rattles from the plastic. I can live with any issues it has because its a joy to drive!

gjp33

09-02-2006, 10:38 AM

A pillars..check... and the horrible way the little diesel tries to escape from it's mounts when starting from cold.

don't like the cruise control implementation - I wish it was on a separate stalk like the A4 - no dash light for when it's on, either.

Primea2

09-02-2006, 12:00 PM

Seing as this is an owners club a few of the A2's faults can be passed off as "quirky" however my biggest hate is how such an "advanced" car for its class doesnt have a screen wash low warning light......whats the point in that. My 106 had a warning light an that was a base model I have the A2 SE spec and it doesnt have a screen wash warning light...what a joke. Theres only so much "yeh but its made of Aluminium" you can justify before you start wondering how pittiful the concept of no screenwash warning light or physical guage there actually is?

just thinking about it lets do a test. Who here owns a second car that doesnt have a screenwash low warning light?

old git

09-02-2006, 12:26 PM

me,C3. But it was cheap.

GrayB

09-02-2006, 12:48 PM

me,C3. But it was cheap.
Our Berlingo van (R-reg, 103k miles) has a low screenwash light! How cheap do you have to get???? This is my biggest gripe with the A2 as well...

Oh, and I do wonder about fitting some more sound deadening material.

ben

09-02-2006, 01:10 PM

The screenwash warning light (and beep) is there if you have the DIS. Sometimes wish I didn't have it, as if it's on the cusp, the warning will go off when going up hill, then beep again going down hill.

Cars beep too much these days.

ULP

09-02-2006, 02:24 PM

I have a low-washer fluid warning system, it's called refilling it once a fortnight while checking the oil. It never fails.

As for faults, I would add myself to the A-pillar list; I have lost a HGV in there before...

Add to that the low fuel level warning light making the outside temperature gauge redundant (you chaps and ladies with DIS must go mad). I fail to see why you can't press the button and get the outside temperature gauge for a few seconds.

The clutch footrest gets on my nerves. With size 11 feet I can't put my foot on it flat. I either rest my toes on it (lower down) and get an ache in my left foot or rest the base of my heel on it, keeping the toes clear of the clutch arm and getting an ache in my shin. If I drive barefoot I'm fine, but this time of year it's not practical!

Lack of a spare, even the bicycle wheel, is a pain. Tyre-gunk is useless...

Headlamps. Dipped beam is totally useless; I need to get one of those Xenon conversion kits. Does anyone know if they are easy to fit?

gjp33

09-02-2006, 04:13 PM

the DIS warning annoyance is not an A2 thing - our A4 also insists on keeping whatever is has detected on the display, and you cannot override it.

the little animated screen wash thing does irritate.

these little warnings ought to go away if you press one of the DIS switches - like the 2 hour driving one.. 'ok, I've seen it, now go... away'

herusix

09-02-2006, 07:48 PM

The amount of effort it takes to pull the rear backrest release handle upwards to fold the seats,or is it just mine its difficult on?

Emm

09-02-2006, 08:18 PM

ULP, good point about the clutch foot rest. They just needed to carve a bit out of the centre console near the foot rest to cure that problem. I can't see how you get anywhere near it with size 11's!
Alot of you have mentioned the A pillars, but i can't say they are any worse than the New Beetle, or Citroen Picasso. It seems that for safety they push the pillars so far out, i can't see any other reason for making the visability sooo bad.

wooly A2

09-02-2006, 08:39 PM

I Have got to say i have got used to the A pillars but the only thing that rattles my chain is the clutch foot rest whoever designed this pedal must have had like size 4 feet. For me it makes long jouneys a chore but if you put all the good with this one small critisism then im extremely happy with my A2 .........

alexm

09-02-2006, 10:47 PM

I'm definately with you all on the foot rest thing, there's so much space in the car you think they'd manage to make room for foot rest that could accomodate anything above a size 5!!

I've not had a problem with the A pillar myself although the lack of a low screen wash warning light is a bit of a mare, especially when you run out in the fast lane of the motorway and the wipers just smeared half a ton of crap all over your windscreen!!!!

I have to say that the seats you get with the SE aren't too comfy on long journeys. I find I sit 'on them' not 'in them', they don't have much give, and the head rest is too far back for my head to rest up even with a head rest cushion.

I think the Concert audio system is great but why doesn't it have a pause/mute, you can skip through individual tracks but you can't pause it. Our old clio had a pause button, which was very handy for quickly answering the phone.

When I first got the car and the low fuel light 'ponged' on it scared the life out of me!! Wasn't expecting that one!! And thats one mutha of fuel light theres no mistaking that you're running out of fuel with that one!!

Still its one of the best looking cars on the road and you really do get a lot of space and versatility for the money! And the opensky is ace :) Can't believe they've stopped making it. :( It means getting one with everything you want on it is gonna get even harder, why do they have to have so much as an optional extra??!!!

Johann

09-02-2006, 10:55 PM

It is so funny seeing the new guys on here going through the same motions in terms of posts!

I started a thread just like this in 2003!!! hehehe Here is the concensus from that:

http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?t=630

And yes the A-pillar was the first thing mentioned as well...

wooly A2

09-02-2006, 10:56 PM

When I first got the car and the low fuel light 'ponged' on it scared the life out of me!! Wasn't expecting that one!! And thats one mutha of fuel light theres no mistaking that you're running out of fuel with that one!!
Now thats funny can you all remember the first time it went ping!!!! i thought to myself that sounds expensive LOL !!!!

alexm

09-02-2006, 11:07 PM

Now thats funny can you all remember the first time it went ping!!!! i thought to myself that sounds expensive LOL !!!!

Ha ha, yeah when it went off I thought "uh oh better get the credit card ready!!!" :D

ULP

10-02-2006, 09:53 AM

ULP, good point about the clutch foot rest. They just needed to carve a bit out of the centre console near the foot rest to cure that problem. I can't see how you get anywhere near it with size 11's!

I've had a look, and the problem looks easy to solve; my foot is fouled by the arm on the the clutch pedal which is almost 6" wide at the top; if this was only a couple of inches it would be fine. I'm not sure how it will cope with having a hacksaw taken to it!!!

Still, once we get into March it will be flip-flops all the way so I can drive bare-foot!

I also agree about the Concert C.d. not having a pause button, but I just turn the stereo off if I need to take a call ;)

Yes, that first low fuel warning 'bong' scared the living daylights out of me, the first thing I thought was "It's OK, the car is still under warranty"

Skipton01

10-02-2006, 10:11 AM

The foot-rest problem is caused by the fact that the A2 was designed primarily as a left-hand-drive car.

If you take a look at the passenger footwell, you'll see the hump in the side panel trim on the left-hand side - this is where the foot rest goes on European models.

There is a corresponding bump in the right footwell trim, but if this had been removed and the pedals shifted over to make for a proper foot-rest, they would have been off-centre (just like a Beemer!), leading to a twisted driving position.

So, either drive bare-foot, or get cruise fitted (wink, wink) when you can just put both feet wherever you want. Just be thankful that Audi decided to give us all a proper driving position, and a half-baked foot-rest too!

Will

10-02-2006, 12:18 PM

A pillars
No rear screen wash
Loud volume of DIS warning tone
Wheels too big for the car (or profile too low)

ULP

10-02-2006, 10:19 PM

Many RHD cars have a dodgy butchering of a LHD conversion and the Audi's is pretty good; I have driven worse (last shape E36/46/90 3 series, E39/60/61 5 series, Clio, Pug 206, Pug 307, Fiat Stilo, every car built with 'clap hands' windscreen wipers; the list goes on).

I'm thinking of fashioning a block from hardwood that replicates the shape around the clutch arm but keeps the 'tilt' the same; sure the foot will be 40mm further back but it will be super-comfy. I just need to make sure it won't foul the clutch action. Velcro tabs will hold it in-place...

Skipton, how much is cruise and is it easy to fit myself or do I need to come to your part of the world?

wooly A2

10-02-2006, 10:35 PM

I'm thinking of fashioning a block from hardwood that replicates the shape around the clutch arm but keeps the 'tilt' the same; sure the foot will be 40mm further back but it will be super-comfy. I just need to make sure it won't foul the clutch action. Velcro tabs will hold it in place
Here's one i made earlier LOL !!!!
I Was actually thinking the same thing i was going to try and make one out of a piece of chequer plate OR sheet aluminium try and keep the aluminium feel to the car let us no how you get on im of to the shed like right now not fowling the clutch is the main problem ..........

peek a boo

11-02-2006, 02:44 PM

Small fuel tank 7.5 gallon`s

Rock hard suspension, you feel every pebble, pothole & sleeping policeman.

It impossible to service youself, you cant get at filter`s etc.

Rear number plate light lens keep breaking Audi have replaced 3 under warranty but another has broke, I think the dork`s keep tightening them to much when fitting them.

most spares unavailable elsewhere, so you have to go to Audi and pay silly money, windscreen wiper`s etc.

other than that it`s 4 1/2 years old 50,000 mile never had a problem, not one and the build quality is good, but not has good as some other Audi models.

spike

11-02-2006, 06:37 PM

Hi peek a boo
One thing you can knock off your 'hate' list :-
The rear number plate light fixing screws tend to rust badly and burst the plastic lens. Replacing the standard screws with stainless steel self tappers usually solves the problem.

Cheers Spike

Jashper

11-02-2006, 07:10 PM

The torque effect to the left when I floor it hard ...

Those bloody wheels will be the death of me (and my wallet at the refurb shop unless i can find the right paint code - anyone?) ...

The CD skipping when i hit a REALLY F...king hard bump ....

Those wheels (I have too mention them again!!!!!!) ....

The temp gauge taking forever to get off cold ....

AUDI servicing costs :eek: ..

Only 4500 rpm .....

the wheels ........ did i mention those wheels..

crb1011

11-02-2006, 07:25 PM

the thing I hate most about the A2 is they are not making any more grrrrrrrr

TallPaul

11-02-2006, 07:39 PM

I wish Audi had made an "S" version, with about 150-180bhp, 4 wheel drive, 6 speed 'box, maybe a similar engine or the same as the A3 1.8T Sport Quattro, with about 7 secs 0-60, top speed about 135-140mph.

Even though I have the 1.6fsi version, i still find times when I'm left wanting for some more power.

SantfeKuss

12-02-2006, 04:41 PM

The things I hate..... the fact I have'nt got it yet :mad:

Hopefully tomorrow :p

Alan_uk

13-02-2006, 12:55 AM

Hard suspension / small wheels, especially over potholes & speed humps.
My elderly mother dislikes sitting in the back - says hard seat / no side support. But she does find it easier to get into/out of.
No centre lap belt in rear seats so can't legally have 5 people in car.
"A" pillar (though got used to it now).
Centre pillar blocks over shoulder view (now use wing mirrors from different angle and mirrors angled right back)
Can be sluggish at low revs (75TDi) (noticable when huge truck heading ones way!)
They were still fitting cassette players in 2004 - LOL.
Black interiors seem to be standard in 2004 with most models - shows up all the dirt. Oh, those grey leather seats/interiors look wonderful.
Almost too small a space between clutch pedal and console for left foot (size 11)
Can't see top of dashboard dials, indicator lights (or hear them with radio on) and 60+ speeds - I'm 6'+ / 187 cm tall.

Small things really. Nothing makes me think I made a wrong choice given the plusses. Is there a perfect car [note no ? mark]

Silent1

13-02-2006, 01:13 AM

Ref the foot rest, i have size 11 feet and have just learnt to tilt my foot onto it, i naturally do this when sitting anyway, one thing i did find a problem was the bump to the right of the accelerator... do i removed it, it's bizarre it merely covers another bit of plastic it has absolutely no function at all

Garfield

15-02-2006, 01:23 AM

Pet hate is trying to drive over small sleeping policeman on my works car park- try to go over them straight on otherwise you knock yourself out banging your skull against the head rest.

Also hate the oil dipstick thing - think I'm going to break what seems to be a thin fagile piece of plastic inserting it about a metre into the car trying to ascertain whether it needs a top up.

Also trying to gauge how much screenwash/water to pour in- plus no warning for low screenwash - got caught out recently - luckily had a bottle of water in car which I threw on the screen from the side window!

Oh and spent about a week trying to figure out where to insert a CD till it dawned on me that I've only got a radio/cassette player - how C--p is that!

Having to tell the kids to slam the doors after years of telling them not to!

Thinking I've slammed the boot shut and oh no I haven't!

Otherwise the coolest car I've ever had and will definately keep for many a year.
Fingers crossed.

Mog

30-10-2006, 06:57 PM

Much as i love the design of the A2, i have a 2001 base model, wish i'd waited n got an SE, gripes i have are: yes, the A pillar, headlamps flicker on main beam (very distracting), u cant have the front windows open without opening the rears otherwise u get horrendous air pressure noises like a helicopter! My power steering seems to fail intermittently making steering super heavy, oh yeah, and the windows mist up at the slightest glimpse of rain, apart from that, i'm loving it

tigas

02-11-2006, 02:02 AM

Throttle lag. I know I'm an inexperienced driver, but it's very difficult to predict just when and how far to release the clutch, if the throttle response is unpredictable and seems to change as the engine warms up. Great fun at red lights on a climbing hill.
Dipped beams seem to get fainter when accelerating from stop (am I seeing things?)
Tin roof sound when it's raining.
Radio with cassete tape. TAPE? I've stopped using my Walkman 8 years ago! I don't have tapes anymore, given them all away!

As for the rest, I luv my spartan A2 and I keep getting looks of astonishment: "what do you mean that car is 6 years old?!"

Kkallioj

25-12-2006, 09:07 PM

I'm not an A2 owner (yet), but one thing that bugs me with all Audis and VWs these days is the changing scale and different sized numbers on the speedometres (km/h models). From looking at pictures, mph models don't seem to have this problem. It's especially annoying because there's no real reason for it and no benefit comes with it, it's just more difficult to read. First A4:s still came with normal, easy-to-read speedometres, but I guess at some point someone desided that easy-to-read is no longer the way to go...

I'm still getting one though...

spike

25-12-2006, 10:38 PM

Hi Kkallioj, Merry Christmas and welcome to the A2oc.
This just shows how different we all are - Ths speedo markings would not bother me at all. The thing that bugged me with my 2001 TDi was the fan spray washer jets - I changed to the jet spray type as soon as ther became available but I have never heard anyone else complain about them

Let us know how you get on with your search for an A2

Cheers Spike

Adrenaline

26-12-2006, 04:55 AM

spike

26-12-2006, 07:35 PM

Hi Adrenaline
The only cure for the old fan spray washers is to change them for the later jet spray type. It's not expensive and there is a fitting guide on the forum - see link
http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3422

Cheers Spike

lyndonbuck

26-12-2006, 08:52 PM

Skipton01

27-12-2006, 12:10 AM

Things I hate about the A2 (after 5000 miles, 3 months) are:
terrible seats, little back support and don't go low enough
awful suspension and ride
stupid hole in the dash with the concert radio
rattles from the back seat
difficult to open service flap
slightly smug image
some rubbish service from dealers (but also some good)
apart from that its OK, glad I didn't get a golf
Well, Audi have won awards for their seat design, from chiropractors and osteopaths, so I can only assume that you have a non-generic back. I must say that my sport seats are great - I can do 600-700 miles in a day and get out of the car feeling fine.

Oh, and how low do you want them to go? I'm 6'2" and they give me plenty of headroom.

The suspension on the sport is very firm, but the SE is supple enough, as long as you're not coming out of a French car - the only way I can get seasick!

The hole in the dash can come in useful for storing cds etc, but I'll admit that Audi should have fitted the Symphony tray as standard. You can get one from Vagparts for about £20 though.

The back seat does have a tendancy to rattle, so just wedge it between the parcel shelf roller with something.

Audi dealers are not necessarily the most helpful bunch, especially as the car is out of production, but if you build up a relationship, it'll pay dividends in the long run.

What's wrong with a little smugness now and again? You're driving around in a fully aluminium car, which is pretty green, costs little to run and has an air of quality to it that other manufacturers can only dream of.

The A2 isn't perfect, if it was, Audi wouldn't have canned it, but now that there are some great second hand buys around, we're starting to see that it's a pretty good stab at the perfect all-rounder - fairly sporty, very practical for a family of up to 4, cheap to run and great to live with, in town or out of town.

Cheers,

Mike

pc759

27-12-2006, 12:51 AM

Yep i agree with Skipton's last comment about good all rounder lots of room and vroom and econ if you want it . Only small car to get my daghters pram in without getting rear seats down.
By the way the rear seat rattles annoyed me over the summer after id taken them out. I took it to my dealer, well it was the summer holidays... they sprayed some grease into the latch opening but this didnt sort it so i decided to spend the afternoon looking into it. I finally found that for me the rattle was caused by the upright section of the rear bench not clasping very tightly to the locking pins. At first i didnt know what to to do about it but as it was only the rattle that annoyed me and not the tiny movement causng it i decided to increase the diameter of the upright bench locking pins. I did this by wrapping a small section of double sided b&q carpet tape around the pins. This tape is thicker than insulation tape and so far has done the trick no rattle s some 4 months after the event . Lyndon and others could give this a go - its so lo tech it cant do any harm you cant see it and you can still get your seats down - regards Paulc

humps

27-12-2006, 01:14 AM

The rear seat ratte? That was little poor design. I have some p-profile draught excluder tape between the seat upright and the catch panel. So when the seat back is in place, there is no room for the seat back to move - no rattle.

As for the poor ride, sometime after the new year, I will get a set of Koni FSD dampers installed and will report back here. Obviously it was a custom fit, but it is good enough for a Gallardo, so I have high hopes for it.

lyndonbuck

27-12-2006, 02:16 AM

Thanks for the advice, I'll give the seat a go, its driving me mad. As for the seats, my old BMW has Recaros and they are fantastic, I never get a bad back from them, and they go low enough so I feel as though I'm sitting right down in the car not perched on top of it, if you know what I mean.

CPN

30-12-2006, 01:48 PM

Things I hate:

Non opening bonnet for dummies.
Dipstick that doesn't work.
A pillars / dangerous visibility.
Rear bench seat that is almost impossible to fold down without two people (retaining clips so stiff).
Harsh suspension.
Creaks and groans.
Poor sound quality from stereo (only 2 speakers)
The arrogance of Audi dealers (believe me they aren't any better with my A6)
The high cost of servicing and repairs.
The unreliability of what is supposed to be a high quality car.
Tiny 25L fuel tank.
Poor torque at low revs / throttle lag.
Harsh sounding engine, especially on starting.

Things I like:

Styling.
Interior space.
Good front seats
The fact that my wife likes it.

mjs4x4

02-01-2007, 02:31 PM

Yes - rear Bench Seat is a joke - weighs a ton - definitely would not bother with that if I bought another one.

Mike

markd

02-01-2007, 06:10 PM

hi all

thing that relly wind me up :mad

lack of low down go

the the list below just winds me up everday ......

lack of junk space in front of car ,where do you put your loose coins ...
hard to see fog light/driving light switch, can't see what postion it is in
dip stick ,it bloody useless.............:mad:
clunks from unused passager seat belt when driving. its hits the b post when going round corners...
hard to refix into place rear seat when it has been rolled forward..... this may be user errror please tell me the right way to do it.
postion of fag lighter ,to use sat nav ,cable has to stain into postion
lack of door storge space in front
no map poctets on rear of front seats
only works well on 98 ron
the dip stick ......
the A post is huge i have lost the whole of staffordshire when driving
rear veiw when parking ,

on the goods side

it wind up my transport manager
it go like the the wind
the esp really works ......:eek:
it cheap to run
i should get most of my cash back when its trade in time
my wife can drive it when i've had a drink
it stays clean ever when the roads are covered in salt
it only needs servicing appox 21k miles :cool:
when the rear seats are out it like a small van
it percived as a expensive car
the greens love it
you can park in a shoe box
the goes round corners like a sports car
it will cruse all day on the motorway
it a good talking point with other a2 owners

chb

02-01-2007, 08:03 PM

As a fellow FSI driver...erm yeah, what he said ^^^^^^^^.
Agree with it 100%

mjs4x4

03-01-2007, 05:04 PM

Yes - 'foglamp on warning indicator' - handily incorporated in the headlamp switch for those of us with an eye in our right knee!!!!

ULP

03-01-2007, 05:24 PM

Does anybody else have a rattly front headrest?

The passengers side one is starting to drive me mad. The rattling stops as soon as I touch the headrest or the seat-back (I think it's the pin-base for the headrest inside the plastic female socket) but starts again as soon as I release it. I did manage to wrap a tube ticket on the pin and put it back together which stopped it for a while but it has slowly returned.

My instrument cowel rattles once the interior gets warm (but only if it has been cold) but a quick tweak to the right of the wheel sorts it.

As for the A-pillars, I thought they were bad until Marie had a smart forfour as a courtesy car - they are about 50% worse! Personally I have adopted the 'roundabout duck and weave' which seems to work ;)

I might be alone, but apart from the odd niggle (I can't remember any other car we have owned or had use of being design-fault free) there is nothing to fault about the A2. I know what Lyndon means about the front seats as it took me a while to get used to the lack of lumbar adjustment (my Punto had it) but it doesn't bother me now. I can drive for four hours without it causing me any issues - not sure about the seat not going low enough; I'm 6'4" and it's perfectly easy to adjust low (I don't have it on the lowest setting).

Anybody that's ever spent any time in the driving seat of a Mercedes A-klasse should know how much worse the competition is than Audi's baby...

john f

03-01-2007, 05:59 PM

No rattles, no faults and no real design problems. Only negative issues are the A pillar and my local dealer. At least I can resolve the latter, although I do have to drive a 60+ mile round trip from Edinburgh to use another in Perth.

doctor

03-01-2007, 07:08 PM

Anybody that's ever spent any time in the driving seat of a Mercedes A-klasse should know how much worse the competition is than Audi's baby...

I do and you are so right!

doctor

GrahamR

25-03-2008, 08:59 PM

My wife has an A Class, and agree that the seats are rubbish compared to the A2. We drove to Edinburgh yesterday, a round trip of about 300 miles (our first long trip in the car) and really enjoyed the run - very comfortable (apart from when you hit a pot hole - the suspension is hard!).

The weather was bad - rain, sleet and snow, and a new gripe is the small capacity of the screen wash tank - used the whole lot in the trip and had to stop at a service station to fill it up.

alanm

25-03-2008, 09:09 PM

There is only one thing I really hate about my A2 - I can't buy a new one to replace it!

andyboy

26-03-2008, 10:06 PM

hate list (like list would be longer)

lack of grunt (1.4 petrol)
poor headlights
no bonnet hinges

Adrenaline

26-03-2008, 10:14 PM

the two seats in the back

why couldn't they make it a 3 seat bench in the back

andyboy

27-03-2008, 11:28 AM

much prefer the 2 seat set up, i can remove just one if needed unlike bench(?), funny thing is i originally wanted the bench:rolleyes:

deejaydee1978

27-03-2008, 02:15 PM

Not being able to drive it!!!

As soon as it's out the garage it's up for sale.

audia21991

01-06-2008, 07:40 PM

too much hating lol
i love my a2

stefthecelt

19-08-2008, 09:17 PM

chubbybrown

19-08-2008, 09:28 PM

Hey all.
I dont like how you can't drive with the window open,
Im just not used to doing it.
My cd jumps every so often.
err thats it,will come back If I remember anymore:D

richard-

19-08-2008, 09:40 PM

It is not so bad if you open the rear windows a little tiny bit when you have the front ones open :)

sgoode

20-08-2008, 10:55 AM

Am I the only one that catches their trouser leg on the seat height adjuster everytime I get out of the car?! I have the sport seats and the adjuster sticks out quite a lot. I am going to fall out of the car into a heap on the ground one day soon.

A minor annoyance is how the stereo etc buttons don't illuminate without the lights on. It means I can't see the buttons in the underground car park where I live unless I turn the lights on. The radio has always permanently illuminated in every other car I've previously owned.

badger bill

20-08-2008, 11:29 AM

Honestly, there is not much I don't like about our A2, and nothing that I hate. The only thing that irks a little is the lack of spare wheel, but I can get over that :)

BB

humps

20-08-2008, 02:01 PM

...
A minor annoyance is how the stereo etc buttons don't illuminate without the lights on. It means I can't see the buttons in the underground car park where I live unless I turn the lights on. The radio has always permanently illuminated in every other car I've previously owned.

I wondered about that too. But I found a conclusion, if the condition is so dim that I can't see the buttons or speedo reading, it means I should at least switch on the daytime running lights. This is to make sure others are aware of my car in the darker environments.

Adrian888

20-08-2008, 02:34 PM

Lack of 6 speed 'box, ride, A pillars, a bit noisy. But after driving a 944S2 this morning I still love getting back in the A2 and would really struggle to replace it if I had to.

esson

20-08-2008, 02:59 PM

What in the world is an A pillar, and why do you people hate it so much? :O

murdo

20-08-2008, 03:29 PM

The structural parts of the car between the floor panel and the roof structure are known as the A, B, C,(etc) pillar or post consecutively from the front of the car moving back towards the rear. This terminology is used by the motor industry for vehicle construction and the emergency services for vehicle destruction following a road traffic collision!
Some owners find the A pillar between the windscreen and the front side window glass very bulky and a hinderance to safe vision at junctions roundabouts, etc. Hope that explains Esson?! :)

A2-BC

20-08-2008, 03:29 PM

It's just car design speak for the vertical windscreen pillars. The windscreen vertical frame is the A-Pillar then working back along the car the other's are called the B-Pillar, C-Pillar etc. The A2 actually has a D-Pillar.

The A2's A-Pillar is quite wide and a long way forward by comparison with conventional vehicle architecture so it creates a big blind-spot as you will have noticed. Even when you are used to it it is easy to miss other cars at junctions unless you move your head. This is why people have a problem with it.

Cheers,

Brian

murdo

20-08-2008, 03:33 PM

Two great explainations posted at the same instant A2-BC!! :D

murdo

20-08-2008, 04:03 PM

Everything about the A2 is crap in my experience I wouldn't drive another of these cars if there was no other cars left in the world FACT!!!

Meow! :p A minority opinion Stef, but yours and your entitlement! Good luck with the Ford pal!

dan_b

20-08-2008, 05:16 PM

For me, the only dislike I have is the forward blindspot, which everybody has already talked about; just have to be a bit more careful approaching junctions, you can easily lose an entire vehicle in there if you're at the wrong angle! Apart from that, I have no real "hates". It makes me laugh that people criticise the ride quality so much, I much prefer a firm ride and compared to 3 of the last 4 cars I've had (which were all lowered to some extent or other), the ride is positively smooth! At least my wife doesn't get travelsick in cars with firm suspension, she always used to in softly sprung vehicles.

Adrian888

20-08-2008, 05:46 PM

I think the ride issue is lack of compliance ( the way it crashes across the potholes) rather than simply being firm. It is quite possible to have a a good ride AND avoid wallowing through the twisty bits, MGR managed it superbly with the 'Zed' cars ( even now muttering rotters grudgingly acknowledge this aspect of those cars). Beemers engineers also acknowledged MGR's expertise at getting good ride/handling set ups and used the UK to develop the MINIs' ride/handling. I suspect the A2 ride issue probably doesn't exist in countries which spend money on decent road maintanance.

esson

20-08-2008, 06:57 PM

audia21991

03-09-2008, 06:32 PM

the glovebox could be a little bigger
but i wouldn't say i hate it as it is :P

Thomell

04-09-2008, 10:17 AM

The A Pillars & engine noise at high speed

A2-BC

04-09-2008, 02:11 PM

Really minor gripes.

My screenwashers seems to have a split second delay and only just get water on glass before the wiper sweeps. When the screen has got mucky I like to get some water on first to flush the dirt well ahead of the wiper. Is this an A2 quirk or just my car.

Also the channel at the screen base doesn't 'fall' towards the drain slots so water pools in it if it's raining hard. I've never had that before.

I've also realised I can't do without heated door mirrors this winter.

Brian

Alan_uk

04-09-2008, 10:27 PM

I've also realised I can't do without heated door mirrors this winter.
Brian

Brian, if you didn't know already, you A2's wing mirror housing probably already has the wiring so you just need the mirror section. The wires may be tucked up behind the motors. It's a 5 min job to do.

See this post
http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3136&highlight=heater+mirrors

I wouldn't recommend using fingers as they exert a too concentrated force and if the glass breaks you may get a nasty cut or slice off your fingers. I suggest you use a wide flat spatula like object as used to scrap ice in a freezer or windscreen and to counter balance the levering with a flat gloved hand.

the grim reeper

04-09-2008, 11:58 PM

Just remove the bottom of the mirror two screws and your in its easier that way

Cheers Phil

iainmd

05-09-2008, 11:58 AM

The foot-rest problem is caused by the fact that the A2 was designed primarily as a left-hand-drive car.

A2 owners did at least get a foot rest of sorts. My Volvo S40 has no clutch foot rest but the LHD version does. Easily its most irritating feature and frankly just budget!

fordy

16-10-2008, 06:13 PM

I've been meaning to add this for ages.....The low fuel warning beep! It's soooo loud. I know its coming, but it scares the s#*t out of me every time!

oh and the a pillars, poor electrics...... you might have guessed I have a love hate relationship with my A2

agent006

15-12-2008, 12:53 PM

Didn't have anything to add to this until today. I tried to fold my rear bench seat flat.

Oh my holy bejesus, what an unnecessarily complicated process.

Right, get into the back and hold both the handles out
Fold the seat down
headrests foul the front seats
take headrests out
fold flat
middle headrest doesn't fit between the seats
take middle headrest our too
take out stupid false floor from the boot
try to pull the base release handle from behind, fail
try to pull the base release from the left hand rear door, nearly
try to pull the base release from the right hand rear door, success
bloody hell this is heavy, drop seat
pull the base release handle again
find there's only one set of headrest sockets on the back of the base
spend far too long working out if the middle headrest is the same as the other two (it is)
put middle headrest into back of seat base
put the base back down
put the back up
refit the to outside headrests
put the back down
fouls the front seats
put both front seats forward
put the back down
put both front seats forward a bit more
put the back down
pull hte base release handle
bloody hell this is heavy, don't drop it this time
try and get the leg out of the base
use front door key to lever leg out of base
just about fit leg into red retaining hole
marvel at all the frunge that was hiding under the seat
put both front seats back
realise that i now can't fit in the drivers seat as it won't go back far enough.
Contemplate going and buying another RangeRover instead.

At least the handles for the back will clip out when you need to put it back again.

Oh, and i keep sitting on the petrol flap button when i get out of the car too.