New owner and got probs. Advice wanted please... [Archive]

Red_A2

16-10-2007, 01:51 PM

Hello all A2 owners! I've stumbled across this forum and found it really useful so thought I'd register and ask for some help at the same time.
I've recently bought a 51 reg A2 1.4 with 30k miles, fully Audi maintained, every MOT etc. Really love the car:), but it has got a couple of problems already....:confused:

At the weekend, the Engine managment light came on and now stays on - is this something only Audi can diagnose? Are there are known faults I can check for? Also, the fanbelt squeals for about the first 20 secs of use in the morning. Any ideas how much to fix this and could it be done DIY? Could the two be related? Also, I need a new ARB as it is knocking lots - I think the previous owner must have hit a pot hole or something...Any ideas on what I should pay to get this fixed?
I've just phoned up Audi to get it checked out, but they have quoted me £120 just to diagnose the faults?!!? Every other garage I've been to, this has been free and you only pay if you want the work doing!?!

So, is the only route to get stung by the main dealer or are there any decent specialists located in the Birmingham area? any help would be massively appreciated.
Cheers,
Gaz

bye_bye_alfa

16-10-2007, 02:06 PM

Hi Gaz

Welcome to the forum.

Any kind sole here who has vag.com should be able to diagnose the problem for you, I'm sure it will only cost you some beer vouchers??

Skipton will be along shortly he may know what to look for.

With regard the the roll bar bushes, yours will be the same as mine (02 reg) and I think will require a new bar (the one you have is a poor design) and bushes, the good news is from then you can just have the bushes replaced... there are under a tenner.

I bought the bar and bushes from the dealer, I think it was less than £70 all in for the bits, try the VW dealer, as it may well be cheaper. Anyone who works on golfs or polo's should be able to do the work, I think it only takes an hour or so. My friend did mine (in sheffield), he said it was no problem. For god's sake don't get audi to do it, as it will be dear!

I've no idea about the fan belt, is it definitely the fan belt???

bba

spike

16-10-2007, 02:14 PM

Hi Gaz, welcome to the A2oc.
The engine management light problem might be caused by a faulty lambda sensor but you really need to have a diagnostic scan done to confirm the fault before changing parts.
Changing the fanbelt may solve the squealing
The ARB droplinks (rods that connect the end of the ARB to the suspension) are also a cause of knocking noises so have them checked first. Some members have fitted Polo ARB bushes and not changed the ARB. This involves removing the old bushes and plastic sleeves from the bar, cleaning all the rust and paint from the bar where the bushes fit and replacing the bushes with the smaller internal dia Polo parts. Evidently this can all be done from under the wheelarches, without even removing the undertray.
Stealth Racing are located in the Birmingham area? They have tuned many club members A2TDi's and come highly recommended. The guys there also run A2's themselves (always a good sign) and i'm sure they also do routine servicing.

http://www.stealthracing.co.uk/

Cheers Spike

ben

16-10-2007, 03:00 PM

Hi Gaz,

Where are you based?

Skipton01

16-10-2007, 03:09 PM

Hello Red and welcome,

Sorry to hear of your early troubles, but they can be easily sorted and quite reasonably priced too, if you stay outside the dealer network.

The ARB (if needed) costs £63.52 and the bushes are £2.33 each (all prices inc. VAT).

If needed, the drop links are £22.04 each. Take the car to Stealth - they are in Southam, not a million miles from you and they care about what they do - there's 5 A2s in their family now!

Once the ARB work is sorted, they'll do a full alignment check to Audi standards and you're then set up and ready to enjoy the new car to its fullest.

If the squeaking is annoying, either adjust the pulley or fit a new belt, which will be between £13 and £16 depending on type fitted.

As has been said, a diagnostic scan usually costs a few beer tokens at most but Audi has to pay for its air conditioned show rooms some how!

Cheers - let us know how you get on,

Mike

Red_A2

16-10-2007, 09:19 PM

Hi guys,

wow - thanks for all the quick responses! I'm well impressed, there seem to be lots of people who care and are keen to help!:)

Just to try and give some more info. A couple of weeks ago I had one garage look at the clunking noise and he showed me the ARB was bent and was hitting another bit of metal. He says it was probably due to someone hitting a pothole or curb quite hard :( Anyway, he bent it back with a crowbar and said if the noise returns I'll need a new ARB. Sadly it has returned. I guess any garage can do this work tho?
My main concern is the engine managment light - can someone tell me what is vag.com?
I'm positive it is the fanbelt squealing, (from other cars) but guess I can wait to get this fixed later on. I've had bad experiences with Peugeots and don't think I could take owning another duff car :-(

Anyway, I'm based near Longbridge (nr J4 of M5) if anyone could help me please? What are people's opinions on Stealth Racing and what are their prices like?
Thanks again,
Gaz

spike

16-10-2007, 09:52 PM

Hi Gaz
On early A2's, the ARB is located by plastic collars which often fail. This allows the bar to move sideways in the bushes and can cause the metal to metal contact you experienced. It's very unlikely the ARB is actually bent. The ultimate solution is to replace the ARB and bushes. This involves lowering the subframe and when this is done it's advisable to have the suspension alignment checked. The cheap fix would be to replace the bushes only (as mentioned in my previous mail) This is a perfectly good way of fixing the ARB but long term there is a risk of the bar moving sideways again as the bushes wear - then its just a case of popping in another set of bushes. If you go with the new ARB, this has metal collars for location so this would be a permanent fix.
Sorry I don't know Stealth's labour rates but as already mentioned, they come highly recommended from A2 club members. Best thing would be to give them a ring then go along to get an estimate for the work.

Cheers Spike

wooly A2

16-10-2007, 09:52 PM

I Had a full service at Stealthracing and an Oilchange
as well as the customary Stealthracing Remap.

I can only say that they spent a good deal of the day
working on the car and i was over the moon with the service
with a smile and the end price ... I Would not hessitate to take it
back there again next time i need something sorting out ...

And as everyone has said they have a Whole team of A2's
so that obviously tell's you something ...

Red_A2

19-10-2007, 01:14 PM

Hi guys,

just a quick update. I have now cancelled my booking with Audi after their extortionate quote and have booked in with a company called VWRescue who are much closer to me. Does anyone have experience of these guys?

Anyway, I'm booked in for next Saturday, so will let you know how I get on. I'll take along the info about the ARB and see if it is the known issue everyone seems to have experienced.
Cheers,
Gaz

Red_A2

28-10-2007, 08:14 PM

Hi all, just another update. Got the car looked at yesterday by vwrescue and they confirmed what you guys suspected - the dreaded ARB problem. Also, the engine management light coming on was caused by a faulty EGR valve. All in they have quoted me £369 to rectify this, which wasn't quite as bad as I feared and certainly a lot cheaper than a main stealer price!! I just hope that is the end of my car's troubles.....:eek:
Have left the car with them and won't get it back until mid-week when they get a chance to fit the work in.
Has anyone changed a fanbelt and if so how difficult is it? Looks like a bit of a pain to get at compared to other cars.
Gaz

Red_A2

01-11-2007, 07:52 PM

Yet another update from me. I have now got the car back and my wallet is £400 lighter and I am very angry and upset :mad:

The clunking noise has gone, but the steering is not straight and feels all wrong!!!! :mad: I'm furious and couldn't complain because the garage was shutting as I picked up the keys! To go in a straight line, I have to turn the wheel to the left and cornering feels very unstable when going left and the wheel seems to turn less when turning right. I'm so furious and ready to complain first thing in the morning, but could this be the 4 wheel alignment needs doing or have they just done a crap job on my car? If so, how much does 4 wheel alignment cost? Please someone reassure me before I really lose my rag with these guys tomorrow....
Gaz

Skipton01

01-11-2007, 08:28 PM

Sounds like the tracking is out completely - get them to rectify it - and make sure tht the steering wheel is straight when you're going straight too.

If they can't do a proper job, get about £70 knocked off the bill as that's what it'll cost from a specialist.

Cheers,

Mike

Red_A2

02-11-2007, 02:42 PM

..phoned them up and they agreed with you Mike, that the tracking is out, but said I should get it done myself at a tyre fitters. Well safe to say I'll never do business with them again!!!!!
Have just got back from local tyre fitters who have adjusted the tracking using lasers for £20, but although the steering feels much better, it still doesn't quite feel right and seems to be slightly weighted in the opposite direction now...:(

I don't know what to do now or who to trust??:confused:

Lookign back I wish I'd just taken the day off work and gone to Stealth racing instead...

Skipton01

02-11-2007, 02:49 PM

In my experience, tyre fitters haven't got the skill or experience to do a proper 4-wheel track and alignment on the A2 - you really need a specialist, either Stealth or Awesome, if you're 'up north'.

For example, Awesome did mine about 6 months ago and it took them 90 minutes and 2 quick road tests to get it spot on - and that wasn't just dialling in the factory specs, it was a bespoke job, which is and remains, brilliant.

I'd still ask for a contribution from them - they made the steering worse by what they did after all.

Cheers,

Mike

spike

02-11-2007, 10:35 PM

Hi Red A2
When changing the roll bar the engine subframe has to be dropped. The bottom suspension arms are fastened to this so if it does not go back in exactly the same place then the camber will be out.
The kit most tyre fitters use is only good for checking the wheel toe-in so they were probably unable to check / adjust the camber.
You really need to do as Mike says and have a propper 4 wheel alignment done. Also be aware that if your tyres have worn unevenly, after everything has been set up correctly, the car may feel strange for a while until the tyres bed in.

Cheers Spike

Red_A2

03-11-2007, 05:26 PM

Cheers again for the advice. They put some clamp on the steering wheel and then just used lasers to adjust something under each of the front wheels. They do have 4 wheel alignment I think (http://www.longbridgetyres.co.uk/index.htm) but they didn't mention it to me as a service?!? I'm thinking I should just cut my losses and make a visit to Stealth, which is about 40-50 miles from me. I'm fed up with people messing me around and just want someone who knows what they're doing to fix it once and for all....

On another note, I got the VAG diagnostics report from the original garage and it mentions a fault code 01330 - central control module for central convenience (J393) 37-00 Faulty :confused:. Do you guys know what this is please and if it needs attention?
Cheers again,
Gaz

spike

03-11-2007, 11:23 PM

Hi Gaz

This is all I could find on the 01330 fault code. Electrics are not my strong point but its possible the dash panel just needs recoding. Do you know anyone with VagCom?

01330
Convenience sys. central ctrl. unit -J393
- No communication
- Dash panel insert adaption not performed correctly
- "1" not displayed in measured value block=>Page 01-62 for convenience system central control unit -J393
- Open circuit in wiring or short circuit
- Use current flow diagram to perform fault-finding
Eliminate open circuit in wiring
Select adaption channel 61 and enter correct adaption value => Page 01-125

Cheers Spike

Red_A2

04-11-2007, 10:50 AM

Hi Spike,
cheers for the info. I wonder if this is related to yet another minor fault I have, whereby the driver's side speaker intermittently works. If I try moving the rubber gaitor by the door hinges, it works fine again, so guess it could be a dodgy connection somewhere? This was recorded under a different fault code, but could perhaps be related?

I've just been looking through the old receipts the previous owner gave me and to my horror found that the EGR valve (I have just forked out £108 + vat for) was replaced exactly a year ago, as it was again causing the engine management light to come on! Do you have much info on this part as surely I don't have to fork out for this every year :eek:

Cheers,
Gaz

Skipton01

04-11-2007, 01:59 PM

You'd be far better off disconnecting the EGR valve, either by the nail trick or by putting a hose clamp on the operating tube.

Do a search elsewhere for details, failing that, anyone competant will do the job for next to nothing. If you're in Brum, why not get in touch with Driveforward (when he's back from hols) who has done this to his EGR.

As for the convenience ECU, I'll have a look at it at a future social if you like. Chances are it needs coding - the stereo fault is not linked as the convenience ECU doesn't work on the stereo.

Cheers,

Mike

Red_A2

07-11-2007, 01:26 PM

Skipton01

07-11-2007, 01:31 PM

Hi Mike, thanks for the offer - that would be much appreciated if there is a meet anywhere close to the Midlands. I have now booked into Stealth racing and they're charging £80+VAT for 4 wheel alignment, so hopefully that will cure my steering woes once and for all.

What are the disadvantages of disconnecting the EGR valve? i.e. can it fail an MOT because of this?

Thanks,
Gaz
MOT failure isn't a possibility, as oxides of nitrogen are not tested - it is these that the EGR reduces.

There really are no disadvantages of shutting off the EGR valve.

Cheers,

Mike

Darren C

07-11-2007, 01:41 PM

Hi Mike, thanks for the offer - that would be much appreciated if there is a meet anywhere close to the Midlands.

Thanks,
Gaz

Hi Gaz,

There will hopefully be a curry meet in the Midlands within the next few weeks; just need Ian and Chris to advise of the date... ;) (No pressure guys... LOL!!).

Darren

Red_A2

18-11-2007, 12:53 PM

Right then, I visited Stealth yesterday and they spent about 2 hours on the car doing the 4 wheel alignment and when I first drove the car it seemed so much better and I was totally happy :) However, half way home and I noticed that the steering wheel still isn't straight :mad:
As I had lots to do, I didn't have time to take it straight back. Does this mean the actual wheel has to be taken off and put on again straight? If so how do you do that without problems with airbags etc?
I'm really confused now and don't know what to do or who to trust:confused:
I thought this might also stop the creaking when I turn the wheel at slow speeds, but it didn't :(

I'm absolutely fed up wth this car and am on the verge of just trading it in after a mere 2 months ownership (and £575 spent!). It only has a genuine 29k miles and I'm furstrated that no-one can solve this problem and I have now run out of money....

Skipton01

18-11-2007, 01:25 PM

Hi Red,

Please do your best to attend the curry social and I'll do my level best to sort the car out for you and to keep you an A2 owner!

I suspect the steering wheel has been off at some point and put back incorrectly for 2 reasons:

Firstly, the creaking you talk of is indicative of the steering wheel rubbing on part of the column shroud, or even the steering electronics behind. If this is the case, I can rectify the problem in about 10 minutes.

If the car is now travelling straight and true, not pulling (apart from the road camber) then the track and alignment has been done correctly and the wheel should be in the central position. If the wheel has been removed at some point (to correct for a badly done tracking job in the past), then this will account for the non-level position.

I know how you must be feeling - my first A2 (a demonstrator from a main dealer) spent every weekend in the workshop for the first 6 weeks of ownership and I was on the verge of rejecting it. In the end, it all came good and I had him for 2 years, before ordering a new one, which I still have 3 years on.

Cheers,

Mike

Red_A2

18-11-2007, 11:04 PM

Hi Mike,

I'll check for the curry post in a sec and will hopefully attend - I'd massively appreciate it if you could help out with some of the probs. I think Stealth have done a great job in getting the right feeling back in the steering etc, it's just the damn wheel that isn't straight even though the car is?!? How difficult is it to get the wheel itself re-aligned? The creaking is also driving me insane and seems to be coming from above the driver's footwell, under the dash and only happens when I turn at low speeds...

Other than that I love the car and want to keep it, but I only have so much money and patience......
Cheers,
Gaz

Skipton01

18-11-2007, 11:22 PM

Gaz, the social is in Southam and Cov, so not far from you and my fix (hopefully) will be FOC.

The wheel levelling is not difficult if you have the right tools and the creaking is possibly due to something catching or rubbing - I'll take a look for you.

Cheers,

Mike

ULP

19-11-2007, 11:53 AM

The creaking is also driving me insane and seems to be coming from above the driver's footwell, under the dash and only happens when I turn at low speeds...

Hi Gaz

This sounds similar to my recent problem which was diagnosed as a faulty wheel-hub, bearing and calliper carrier. Other than that some owners have also had the suspension top-mounts replaced; unfortunately, if this is done you'll need the wheels aligning again...

I wouldn't worry about the wheel not being straight, Mike's suggestion is the one I'd go for; I had a s/h Punto with abysmal tracking - somebody had just adjusted the wheel before selling it on rather than having it tracked - I got it tracked and the wheel became lop-sided! Easily fixed in a jiffy.

Red_A2

19-11-2007, 01:26 PM

Oh no - don't tell me that please!!! Fingers crossed it isn't any of those probs, otherwise I'll definitely have to cut my losses and sell up!! Strange thing was that the wheel was straight and tracking seemed fine before I had the ARB replaced - then things started going wrong :confused: Maybe it was the first garage that did a bodged job, I dunno? Should've just gone to Stealth in the first place....
Hopefully you guys can help me out at the meet tho, so I can start enjoying the car rather than whinging all the time :)