My wife has a 2002 A2 1.6 FSi Sport (39k miles, main agent serviced since new and running on high octane fuel) that has an intermittent fault which is presently baffling Portsmouth Audi (Harwoods).
The symptoms are as follows:
1. The car will drive happily for some miles (5 to 50 miles) until parked.
2. After being parked for 5-10 minutes the car starts and appears to drive normally for around 100 metres.
3. At the first need to stop (road junction, roundabout etc) the engine cuts out as the vehicle comes to a stop with the clutch depressed.
4. Trying to restart the engine immediately results in the engine misfiring - it sounds as though the ignition is firing too early and checking the starter motor.
5. Subsequent attempts to restart with the accelerator fully depressed eventually (1-5 minutes later) results in the engine starting but it does not sound normally smooth until the RPM is about 2-3000. However if the clutch is released the engine generates no power (not enough to even rock the car forward) and immediately cuts out again.
6. After an indeterminate time between 15-30 minutes with the ignition switched off the car will start normally as if no problem exists.
7. The car is subject to an approved Audi warranty and so Audi assistance turn up in the guise of the AA with a trained mechanic toting an electronic diagnosis kit. Reading the vehicles computer shows a pressure anomaly between the fuel filter and the injectors but no real explanation of the cause. (The AA mechanic - Audi qualified - suggested there may be a pressure sensor fault or a flow valve fault).
8. I'm not a vehicle engineer but from previous vehicle experience (cars/motorcycles + petro;/diesel) the first symptom sounds and feels like a timing problem which then morphs into something that feels more like fuel starvation.
9. Audi Portsmouth has not yet been able to replicate the problem (it's intermittent) and they say no error codes show up.
10. As far as I can tell the engine is not producing a low power output but as my own vehicle is a BMW K1200RS motorcycle it’s a bit difficult for me to tell!
11. Having now worked my way around this forum it seems that a number of people have similar sounding problems - A2 cutting out, running unevenly or failing to start but I haven't found anyone with what seems to be exactly the same problems in combination.
12. I’m presently assuming that this is a vehicle specific problem. From the number of similar reports from other A2 drivers I’m beginning to wonder if there is a fundamental design / engineering fault with the A2 and if so could it be that there was a relevant factory recall which this vehicle missed. (A number of other manufacturers have had similar problem – e.g. Toyota and GM)
Any suggestions or pointers would be really helpful; certainly for me and possibly also for the garage!
The symptoms are as follows:
1. The car will drive happily for some miles (5 to 50 miles) until parked.
2. After being parked for 5-10 minutes the car starts and appears to drive normally for around 100 metres.
3. At the first need to stop (road junction, roundabout etc) the engine cuts out as the vehicle comes to a stop with the clutch depressed.
4. Trying to restart the engine immediately results in the engine misfiring - it sounds as though the ignition is firing too early and checking the starter motor.
5. Subsequent attempts to restart with the accelerator fully depressed eventually (1-5 minutes later) results in the engine starting but it does not sound normally smooth until the RPM is about 2-3000. However if the clutch is released the engine generates no power (not enough to even rock the car forward) and immediately cuts out again.
6. After an indeterminate time between 15-30 minutes with the ignition switched off the car will start normally as if no problem exists.
7. The car is subject to an approved Audi warranty and so Audi assistance turn up in the guise of the AA with a trained mechanic toting an electronic diagnosis kit. Reading the vehicles computer shows a pressure anomaly between the fuel filter and the injectors but no real explanation of the cause. (The AA mechanic - Audi qualified - suggested there may be a pressure sensor fault or a flow valve fault).
8. I'm not a vehicle engineer but from previous vehicle experience (cars/motorcycles + petro;/diesel) the first symptom sounds and feels like a timing problem which then morphs into something that feels more like fuel starvation.
9. Audi Portsmouth has not yet been able to replicate the problem (it's intermittent) and they say no error codes show up.
10. As far as I can tell the engine is not producing a low power output but as my own vehicle is a BMW K1200RS motorcycle it’s a bit difficult for me to tell!
11. Having now worked my way around this forum it seems that a number of people have similar sounding problems - A2 cutting out, running unevenly or failing to start but I haven't found anyone with what seems to be exactly the same problems in combination.
12. I’m presently assuming that this is a vehicle specific problem. From the number of similar reports from other A2 drivers I’m beginning to wonder if there is a fundamental design / engineering fault with the A2 and if so could it be that there was a relevant factory recall which this vehicle missed. (A number of other manufacturers have had similar problem – e.g. Toyota and GM)
Any suggestions or pointers would be really helpful; certainly for me and possibly also for the garage!