The 1.6 FSI

spud

Member
Afternoon everyone, at the moment I'm looking for my second A2. My first one was written off, any way my question is what are members thoughts on the 1.6 FSI. A lot of people and what I have read, Say's don't buy one because of Lot's of problems.
Well at the moment there are some crackers on the market, some really nice looked after cars. It's bloody hard this car buying especially when you know jack didley about then.
I just hope I find a nice A2, and not a cash cow like my first A2, as much help as possible would be much appreciated
Regards Spud

Sent from my VFD 600 using Tapatalk
 
Yes Special edition, I've seen the said car. And it's a lovely well maintained car I have forgot off hand how much he wants for it.
I will take a look again regards Spud

Sent from my VFD 600 using Tapatalk
 
The FSI has a lovely balance between power and refinement. Its power is comparible to a remapped TDI but the power delivery is smoother, the handling is lighter and is generally just more refined. Saying all that if I had to chose between the two it would be the TDI all day long. The TDI pretty much never goes wrong if given regular servicing, the FSI on the other hand will quickly empty your wallet if something goes wrong.
 
The FSI has a lovely balance between power and refinement. Its power is comparible to a remapped TDI but the power delivery is smoother, the handling is lighter and is generally just more refined. Saying all that if I had to chose between the two it would be the TDI all day long. The TDI pretty much never goes wrong if given regular servicing, the FSI on the other hand will quickly empty your wallet if something goes wrong.
Cheers for the advice A2 Steve, it's bamboozled my head looking for the right car. I'm torn between a TDI or the FSI, like you and everyone say the FSI can be a cash cow if owt goes wrong.
The FSI Steve's got for sale is a very nice A2, and I would say he's an honest chap and very keen A2 enthusiasts so you just know the car is reliable regards Spud

Sent from my VFD 600 using Tapatalk
 
Cheers for the advice A2 Steve, it's bamboozled my head looking for the right car. I'm torn between a TDI or the FSI, like you and everyone say the FSI can be a cash cow if owt goes wrong.
The FSI Steve's got for sale is a very nice A2, and I would say he's an honest chap and very keen A2 enthusiasts so you just know the car is reliable regards Spud

Sent from my VFD 600 using Tapatalk

Yes Steve is very honest, even to the point of his own detriment and is a all-round nice guy but any used car can fail at any time so you can't take anything as a guarantee as to future reliability.
 
Cheers for the advice A2 Steve, it's bamboozled my head looking for the right car. I'm torn between a TDI or the FSI, like you and everyone say the FSI can be a cash cow if owt goes wrong.

I think many people in the market are tempted towards the FSI because so many of them were made with excellent spec'. So many people have joined the club and declared their search for a TDI but ended up looking at FSIs almost out of frustration.

"If owt goes wrong" perhaps ought to be replaced with "when owt goes wrong". I've made my sentiments about the FSI clear in various other threads, so I'll copy some text I wrote previously...

The FSI is a great engine when it's working properly. If I was looking to buy a car simply for the joy of driving it, the FSI would be a contender. However, I know you need an A2 not just for pleasure purposes but also as a functional, dependable machine.
The FSI is by far the least reliable of all the engines available in the A2. Whilst some have been lucky, I think even its biggest fans have to concede this to be true. It was VAG's first attempt at a direct injection petrol engine and therefore features the inevitable teething troubles of a new system. They are relatively rare, don't feature widely in other cars and are very poorly understood by a vast majority of garages. People have spent huge amounts of money just trying to get the engine management light in the instrument cluster to switch off. When you then take into account the troubles with fuel injectors, coolant loss, swirl flap actuators, coil packs, etc, you can understand why some owners keep an emergency fund. I'd suggest that a large majority of threads started on this forum about engine difficulties relate to the FSI.

The FSI Steve's got for sale is a very nice A2, and I would say he's an honest chap and very keen A2 enthusiasts so you just know the car is reliable regards Spud

Steve is a lovely bloke with impeccable ethics and I have absolutely no doubt that he'd declare any known issues with a car he was selling. However, that's no guarantee that the FSI he's selling won't rape your wallet; there are just too many fragile, expensive bits to go wrong.

I'm all in favour of people buying FSIs and keeping them on the road. Like all A2s, they're great! But if you're buying an A2 with low-cost motoring in mind, then it ought to be at the bottom of your list.

Cheers,

Tom
 
The A2 Steve B is selling was also owned by one of our respected members and has been lavished with servicing and uprated components. It has also possibly had a high-proportion, if not all, of the most troublesome parts replaced too, so it could reward a new owner with years of trouble free motoring.

Every vehicle purchase (yes, even new) is a gamble, in the used or previously owned market as it likes to be known, condition and service history offer a fair indication of the life it has led. Knowing that it is owned by a genuine member and being sold by a genuine member perhaps offers a greater chance again, but there can be no guarantees despite best efforts.

The FSI is a lovely engine. It isn't as immediately rewarding as the torque of the TDI, but the light weight and linear power delivery, coupled with the silky smooth gear changes make it a joy overall. I average, according to DIS, over 50mpg on a run with a family onboard too.

Good luck in whatever choice you make spud.
 
To add, I can't argue with the counsel from Tom, so your budget as well as the car in question and your willingness to take a punt or otherwise, should ultimately influence your decision.

Best of luck as I say.
 
I think many people in the market are tempted towards the FSI because so many of them were made with excellent spec'. So many people have joined the club and declared their search for a TDI but ended up looking at FSIs almost out of frustration.

"If owt goes wrong" perhaps ought to be replaced with "when owt goes wrong". I've made my sentiments about the FSI clear in various other threads, so I'll copy some text I wrote previously...

The FSI is a great engine when it's working properly. If I was looking to buy a car simply for the joy of driving it, the FSI would be a contender. However, I know you need an A2 not just for pleasure purposes but also as a functional, dependable machine.
The FSI is by far the least reliable of all the engines available in the A2. Whilst some have been lucky, I think even its biggest fans have to concede this to be true. It was VAG's first attempt at a direct injection petrol engine and therefore features the inevitable teething troubles of a new system. They are relatively rare, don't feature widely in other cars and are very poorly understood by a vast majority of garages. People have spent huge amounts of money just trying to get the engine management light in the instrument cluster to switch off. When you then take into account the troubles with fuel injectors, coolant loss, swirl flap actuators, coil packs, etc, you can understand why some owners keep an emergency fund. I'd suggest that a large majority of threads started on this forum about engine difficulties relate to the FSI.



Steve is a lovely bloke with impeccable ethics and I have absolutely no doubt that he'd declare any known issues with a car he was selling. However, that's no guarantee that the FSI he's selling won't rape your wallet; there are just too many fragile, expensive bits to go wrong.

I'm all in favour of people buying FSIs and keeping them on the road. Like all A2s, they're great! But if you're buying an A2 with low-cost motoring in mind, then it ought to be at the bottom of your list.

Cheers,

Tom
Yes and great bit of info Tom, it's right in what's in the thread about frustration. I've got that right now,as I will be left with no car when the insurance company calls it back. So the race is on but I don't want to be rash regards Spud

Sent from my VFD 600 using Tapatalk
 
The A2 Steve B is selling was also owned by one of our respected members and has been lavished with servicing and uprated components. It has also possibly had a high-proportion, if not all, of the most troublesome parts replaced too, so it could reward a new owner with years of trouble free motoring.

Every vehicle purchase (yes, even new) is a gamble, in the used or previously owned market as it likes to be known, condition and service history offer a fair indication of the life it has led. Knowing that it is owned by a genuine member and being sold by a genuine member perhaps offers a greater chance again, but there can be no guarantees despite best efforts.

The FSI is a lovely engine. It isn't as immediately rewarding as the torque of the TDI, but the light weight and linear power delivery, coupled with the silky smooth gear changes make it a joy overall. I average, according to DIS, over 50mpg on a run with a family onboard too.

Good luck in whatever choice you make spud.
Thanks Darren C, the A2 is a drug once you have owned one, there's no going back. It's a minefield out there looking for the right car, I was on the net till two this morning looking for the right one, like you say it's been well looked after now and the former keeper's. It's a bit of a no brainier really. When my first A2 got wrote off Nov 16 my partners mum was selling her corsa, I wanted an A2 then, but the price and mileage was to good so I took the plunge. Was not a happy bunny when some tit reversed into me in a pick up, at a set of traffic lights in Preston. I paid 1500, and the insurance paid me back 2378 I think off top of me head.
So every cloud has a silver lining, and that's fate straight away I was on the look out, maybe I found it regards Spud


Sent from my VFD 600 using Tapatalk
 
To add, I can't argue with the counsel from Tom, so your budget as well as the car in question and your willingness to take a punt or otherwise, should ultimately influence your decision.

Best of luck as I say.
Cheer's Darren for the good luck, I will need it. Life's all about chances some pay off some don't, but Steve B car has grown on me and I've got a good feeling about this one. Let's hope I'm right
Regards Spud

Sent from my VFD 600 using Tapatalk
 
I'll just come in as Mr Anecdotal to say that I've had my FSI for over 2 years now, it has done 112k miles (10k by me), and I've had no problems with the engine at all. Gets good economy if I drive it sensibly, pulls to the redline no trouble, and has no flat spots in the power delivery.
I didn't search long and hard for the perfect example when I was buying; it was actually the very first FSI I looked at.
The problem I would have with Steve B's car is the lack of air-con. That would be a deal-breaker for me.
 
The FSI is a lovely engine. It isn't as immediately rewarding as the torque of the TDI, but the light weight and linear power delivery, coupled with the silky smooth gear changes make it a joy overall. I average, according to DIS, over 50mpg on a run with a family onboard too.
The FSI is not that light. Its weight is closer from the TDI than from the 1.4 petrol.
The power delivery is of course not comparable to a turbo engine, moreover a diesel (low end torque), but it's not "boring linear", it has some "oomph" when the revs needle rises.
Indeed, the fuel economy can be very good under favorable circumstances (so is it with with every car, one shall say). Never achieved 50 mpg, though... Not even 45. On a non-biased trip, I mean...
But the main thing is the fuel economy is comparable to the 1.4 petrol, if not better, although with 35 bhp more, more weight... and more speed :)

And, finally, a "philosophical" point : the FSI is the engine that suits best the "ahead of its time" character of the A2 :)
 
And, finally, a "philosophical" point : the FSI is the engine that suits best the "ahead of its time" character of the A2 :)

This is a good point and very true. Whilst I look upon my A2 as a machine characterised by fuel efficiency and therefore think it's best married to a diesel engine, there's nothing inherently ground-breaking about the engine itself. The FSI, on the other hand, was as cutting-edge as the rest of the A2.

Cheers,

Tom
 
Hi
I would just like to say that after owning a rough 1.4 petrol for 3 years now I thought i would treat myself and buy the Azure blue Votex FSi that Steve B was selling. After a thorough clean I have to say its streets ahead of the 1.4 as far as refinement is concerned. it pulls like a train and handles like a go cart even with the eml light on (it's been on for a very long time apparently). The 1.4 is clattery in comparison. As you say its a gamble with cars of this age so fingers crossed it serves me well.

Thanks Steve for an honest description of a great car at a great price........

chris
 
Hi
I would just like to say that after owning a rough 1.4 petrol for 3 years now I thought i would treat myself and buy the Azure blue Votex FSi that Steve B was selling. After a thorough clean I have to say its streets ahead of the 1.4 as far as refinement is concerned. it pulls like a train and handles like a go cart even with the eml light on (it's been on for a very long time apparently). The 1.4 is clattery in comparison. As you say its a gamble with cars of this age so fingers crossed it serves me well.

Your 1.4 must have had some "problems", I think.
I also owned one for 2 years, it it was not rough at all. In fact, the engine was more silent than the FSI.
It was a very pleasant city car, light and responsive (apart from the fuel pedal response from standstill), the gearbox ratios were perfectly spread, its front end is lighter (better balanced) than the TDI and FSI, but it lacked some power on motorways, uphill, ...
 
Hi
I would just like to say that after owning a rough 1.4 petrol for 3 years now I thought i would treat myself and buy the Azure blue Votex FSi that Steve B was selling. After a thorough clean I have to say its streets ahead of the 1.4 as far as refinement is concerned. it pulls like a train and handles like a go cart even with the eml light on (it's been on for a very long time apparently). The 1.4 is clattery in comparison. As you say its a gamble with cars of this age so fingers crossed it serves me well.

Thanks Steve for an honest description of a great car at a great price........

chris

Thanks Chris and by the way, your votex jacking point covers (and rear cover) are in the post to you now (sorry for the delay)

Steve B
 
Back
Top