I got sold a Lemon, can I make lemonade ?

Jason_e

Member
Well, where to begin?

My name is Jason, and I, an a car-a-Holic. I can’t help myself sometimes and this A2 was one of those times!

Bought in the dark, just up the road from me in Oxford, the chap seemed to buy and sell A2s as a little side hussle.

Despite the ad having blatant lies, he was at least honest about some things. The gear change, for example was pretty poor. You had to aim a bit right for all the gears and it needed “the adjustment”

Then there’s the bodywork. Everything is heavily swirled from automatic car washes, and the bonnet appears to have either sun or chemical damage. And there’s a scuff on the rear bumper.

The interior was FILTHY and stank. I’ve cleaned it a few times now, but I need to whip out the wet vac and ozone machine to really get it sorted.

The radio wouldn’t turn itself off, or illuminate. Initially I assumed the car was an earlier non-canbus. A bit of a long thread on diagnoses, but we believe my car should’ve had a full DIS cluster. I even have the stalk for it! But someone has nicked it…. And then not wired the downgrade properly. Ace.

A37D6EB8-408A-420F-99E1-E9783707FD04.jpeg


So the first job I did was change the thermostat and temp sensor, as at lease one of them was faulty!

Second thing was adjusting the shifter. And this is where things started to go really south. Other than the fact the tower had a considerable amount of play, one of the cable ends seized up! So it was even more out of whack and stuck there.

42E79025-247D-497C-9684-0A1EF1007CEE.jpeg


Not to be defeated, I ordered the newer shifter mech and a new cable end. All installed with fresh oil and the shifter was a LOT LOT better, but…. Third gear synchro was shot. And, to make matters worse, 5th liked to pop out.

So, of course, off I popped to Yeovil for a JDD gearbox.

C7B20E3F-750B-430A-B175-B938BF76591D.jpeg


Spent about 8-9hours today (had it off work) getting the old box out, in the process one wishbone and one drop-link were broken… sigh.

New box isn’t in yet, but all the stuff I need have been swapped over. (Including the new mech!)

7F42350E-E360-49B6-874B-3E22D422D128.jpeg



Anyway, I’ve documented most of this already on my YouTube channel. But I still enjoy reading project threads so thought… may as well start one!

Cheers

 
Last edited:
Don't you just love auto corrupt... See there it goes again.

10/10 for enthusiasm. 0/10 for seller.......

Moral of the story is do not buy from a dodgy guy in Oxford. I would certainly be looking for some form of refund for this... Perhaps bad enough for trading standards to have a poke around?
 
Drop link is my guess!
Bingo! Haha autocorrect got me there….

Don't you just love auto corrupt... See there it goes again.

10/10 for enthusiasm. 0/10 for seller.......

Moral of the story is do not buy from a dodgy guy in Oxford. I would certainly be looking for some form of refund for this... Perhaps bad enough for trading standards to have a poke around?

I mean you could argue I was meant to do my proper checks and not buy a car in the dark from a mad bloke. Private sales have little or no easy routes for “returns”.

However, dealer or not, he shouldn’t have missold the car. And there is history in small claims courts of people winning in such situations.

But I think overall, I can’t be bothered I’ve had a lot of luck buying cars in my life so, statistically, only being screwed on a few cars is probably quite fortunate!
 
I think as Jason has called the video introducing the car on his channel “I bought the cheapest Audi A2 TDi on Gumtree”, his chances of winning any such case against the seller are probably compromised!!!

Having said that, he now has a more-or-less known quantity and has made excellent progress in sorting out its issues - once he has fitted the replacement bonnet I will be dropping off at his place that @timmus has supplied him (and once he has polished up the rest of the paint and wet vac’d the interior), combined with all the maintenance jobs, mechanical fixes and the remap & JDD upgrades that it sounds like he will have finished by now, it will be transformed in all respects into an enjoyable and reliable little car - and definitely would not be the cheapest one anywhere if he were to sell it on.
 
Last edited:
I think as Jason has called the video introducing the car on his channel “I bought the cheapest Audi A2 TDi on Gumtree”, his chances of winning any such case against the seller are probably compromised!!!

Having said that, he now has a more-or-less known quantity and has made excellent progress in sorting out its issues - once he has fitted the replacement bonnet I will be dropping off at his place that @timmus has supplied him (and once he has polished up the rest of the paint and wet vac’d the interior), combined with all the maintenance jobs, mechanical fixes and the remap & JDD upgrades that it sounds like he will have finished by now, it will be transformed in all respects into an enjoyable and reliable little car - and definitely would not be the cheapest one anyway if he were to sell it on.
I think, given my tendencies to make risky car purchases, I was asking for trouble anyway.

I do really enjoy the process of saving cars like this from the brink. If you see my Range Rover series on YouTube, that was a (much less intensive) similar rescue mission! In fact, all my non-new cars have been like that to some certain extent.

One more A2 saved from the jaws of a scrapyard anyway!
 
And it’s fun for the those of us who would love to be doing something like this (but never have time due to personal commitments) to follow. Once upon a time when I was single and had no kids this was exactly how I would spend my free time, albeit in those days the cheap classics and cheap bangers verging on classic status I used to buy and sell were Mk1 Escorts, Mk3/4/5 Cortinas, Triumph Heralds, Hillman Avengers & Hunters, Vauxhall Vivas & Victor/Ventoras, Austin Princesses & Allegros, Riley Elves / Wolseley Hornets, etc. etc. etc.

The difference between the A2 and all the above was that they were never as well-built and interchangeable with contemporary-modern cars to the same extent that the A2 is now; however you could in most cases upgrade them to make them faster and more refined fairly easily with some effort - just like you now can today with the A2. I don’t think this is as possible or prolifically done with almost any other car of a similar age - and combined, all this is one of the great things about owning an A2 today.

So in summary your channel reminds me of a long-gone golden period of my life in terms of car-tinkering that I won’t ever have again!

EDIT - @CrispyEdd - I mean the Wedge / Leyland Princess, to use the technically-correct name; the Austin Princess was of course the 1950s limousine used by the royals ?
 
And it’s fun for the those of us who would live to be doing something like this (but never have time due to personal commitments) to follow. Once upon a time when I was single and had no kids this was exactly how I would spend my free time, albeit in those days the cheap classics and cheap bangers verging on classic status I used to buy and sell were Mk1 Escorts, Mk3/4/5 Cortinas, Triumph Heralds, Hillman Avengers & Hunters, Vauxhall Vivas & Victor/Ventoras, Austin Princesses & Allegros, Riley Elves / Wolseley Hornets, etc. etc. etc.

The difference between what you’re doing with this and all the above was that they we’re never as well-built and usable day-to-day compared with contemporary-modern cars to the same extent that the A2 is now; however you could in most cases upgrade them to make them faster and more refined - just like you now can with the A2. I don’t think this is as possible or prolifically done with almost any other car of a similar age - and combined, all this is one of the great things about owning an A2 today.
Austin princess, wow! Amazing.
 
661B0BD6-CD53-4208-83FF-825C8A156496.jpeg


Forgot to add that I plundered an Audi TT from a local scrappy for its steering wheel! Was very tempted by the blue leather seats as well but, priorities.

Also started swapping worn climate control buttons over, having found several CC units in the same scrappy from Audi A4s. I was doing it using a Stanley and popping them out but, surely the front face plate of the climate panel is removable ?
 
And it’s fun for the those of us who would love to be doing something like this (but never have time due to personal commitments) to follow. Once upon a time when I was single and had no kids this was exactly how I would spend my free time, albeit in those days the cheap classics and cheap bangers verging on classic status I used to buy and sell were Mk1 Escorts, Mk3/4/5 Cortinas, Triumph Heralds, Hillman Avengers & Hunters, Vauxhall Vivas & Victor/Ventoras, Austin Princesses & Allegros, Riley Elves / Wolseley Hornets, etc. etc. etc.

The difference between the A2 and all the above was that they were never as well-built and interchangeable with contemporary-modern cars to the same extent that the A2 is now; however you could in most cases upgrade them to make them faster and more refined fairly easily with some effort - just like you now can today with the A2. I don’t think this is as possible or prolifically done with almost any other car of a similar age - and combined, all this is one of the great things about owning an A2 today.

So in summary your channel reminds me of a long-gone golden period of my life in terms of car-tinkering that I won’t ever have again!

EDIT - @CrispyEdd - I mean the Wedge / Leyland Princess, to use the technically-correct name; the Austin Princess was of course the 1950s limousine used by the royals ?
Not just "the Royals" we had Austin Princesse as our wedding cars.
Mac.
 
View attachment 92777

Forgot to add that I plundered an Audi TT from a local scrappy for its steering wheel! Was very tempted by the blue leather seats as well but, priorities.

Also started swapping worn climate control buttons over, having found several CC units in the same scrappy from Audi A4s. I was doing it using a Stanley and popping them out but, surely the front face plate of the climate panel is removable ?
I beleive it does, there is a guide on here somewhere, also someone who used to do an exchange refurbish... Ill find a link for you.
 
Good Afternoon Jason,

Yes, the climate panels will strip down to get at the buttons, you will only need a torx T6 driver, I am sure you will find it no problem with your experience.

Very similar to swapping the buttons on a radio and a guide for your perusal I wrote some time ago, the main difference a ribbon cable rather than a push fit multi pin connects the button housing.


In the highly unlikely event you need help arrange to pop round.

Andy
 
Well, where to begin?

My name is Jason, and I, an a car-a-Holic. I can’t help myself sometimes and this A2 was one of those times!

Bought in the dark, just up the road from me in Oxford, the chap seemed to buy and sell A2s as a little side hussle.

Despite the ad having blatant lies, he was at least honest about some things. The gear change, for example was pretty poor. You had to aim a bit right for all the gears and it needed “the adjustment”

Then there’s the bodywork. Everything is heavily swirled from automatic car washes, and the bonnet appears to have either sun or chemical damage. And there’s a scuff on the rear bumper.

The interior was FILTHY and stank. I’ve cleaned it a few times now, but I need to whip out the wet vac and ozone machine to really get it sorted.

The radio wouldn’t turn itself off, or illuminate. Initially I assumed the car was an earlier non-canbus. A bit of a long thread on diagnoses, but we believe my car should’ve had a full DIS cluster. I even have the stalk for it! But someone has nicked it…. And then not wired the downgrade properly. Ace.

View attachment 92715

So the first job I did was change the thermostat and temp sensor, as at lease one of them was faulty!

Second thing was adjusting the shifter. And this is where things started to go really south. Other than the fact the tower had a considerable amount of play, one of the cable ends seized up! So it was even more out of whack and stuck there.

View attachment 92716

Not to be defeated, I ordered the newer shifter mech and a new cable end. All installed with fresh oil and the shifter was a LOT LOT better, but…. Third gear synchro was shot. And, to make matters worse, 5th liked to pop out.

So, of course, off I popped to Yeovil for a JDD gearbox.

View attachment 92717

Spent about 8-9hours today (had it off work) getting the old box out, in the process one wishbone and one drop-link were broken… sigh.

New box isn’t in yet, but all the stuff I need have been swapped over. (Including the new mech!)

View attachment 92718


Anyway, I’ve documented most of this already on my YouTube channel. But I still enjoy reading project threads so thought… may as well start one!

Cheers

Great to see the JDD can be fitted to 51 plate, must be one of the first with the Mk60 ABS

Is yours remapped?

Have you fitted JDD yet?
 
Great to see the JDD can be fitted to 51 plate, must be one of the first with the Mk60 ABS

Is yours remapped?

Have you fitted JDD yet?
JDD has the speedo drive*, so you can either plug that in or bung it up!

The ECU is off in the post for the remap.

Saturday I hope to finish the install with some extra help from a friend! Then I’ll just be waiting on the ECU returning, along with a modified EGR.

*edit: I’m not sure if all do, actually but mine does!
 
JDD has the speedo drive*, so you can either plug that in or bung it up!

The ECU is off in the post for the remap.

Saturday I hope to finish the install with some extra help from a friend! Then I’ll just be waiting on the ECU returning, along with a modified EGR.

*edit: I’m not sure if all do, actually but mine does!
If you're handy with things automotive and have a spare PC laptop kicking about, it is quite fun to get the software to look at the maps on the EDC15p yourself - I'm an utter numpty and was able to download the originals and upload a better one with a bit of care. Youtube videos about the MPPS / VAGSuite software uploaded by vperformance were the inspiration. Later on I was able to prepare my own low torque map for winter use which is what I switch onto over the months the car is running on winter tyres to eliminate the torque peak as the turbo comes in. I use my OBD2 reader to switch between the two programme sets held in the ECU (different code banks 0002 and 0005 originally intended for automatic and manual transmission uses) which is a lot quicker than fetching out the laptop. I suspect it would be possible to make things go very wrong indeed by being over-ambitious, but as a hobby interest working with these cars it is another means of satisfying curiosity.
 
Back
Top