Hey All. It's been a while since joining and posting an intro thread. Here I want to document the process of hopefully bringing my recently acquired A2 up to scratch.
My aim was to find a car that I could press into service straight away as a back-up car to my Mk1 Scenic all-round daily, which urgently needs some TLC and would potentially leave me car-less for periods of time while I do the work (timing belt, paintwork repairs etc...). I was looking for a frugal, interesting, low tax, rust-resistant, non DPF/DMF 2nd car below £1000, and I found the perfect answer (maybe...?!)
After viewing, asking questions, and test-driving, it was evident this '05 223.000 mile A2 Special Edition was going to need work, some of which fairly urgently!
Though this was a departure from my need for a car that wasn't going to turn into another project as I have plenty of those already! I decided to ignore my common sense and go for it anyway as I felt it was unlikely I'd find another car in budget any time soon that'd tick the necessary boxes as well as the A2 does.
What I considered to be a fair price was agreed, and the previous owner kindly threw in a set of new Brembo brake discs & pads, a new handbrake cable (to replace a knackered LH rear one on the car), a set of 16" wheels & matching caps (albeit with broken-off clips which seems to be a given, but repairable, and I have a 3d printer).
He also got in touch with a friend (apparently a club member) and arranged for delivery that evening of a spare gearbox for £100 to go with the car. Thanks very much to said club member!
I drove the car 65 miles back home from Somerset, and drove it about for a couple of days which gave me time to assess the car and the problems I needed to sort.
Here's what I found to begin with. I'll edit the to-do list as I work through the items, and completed items will be in green:
So, just a short list of things to work through then
I've already been busy cracking on with the jobs in the order that makes the most sense for me given circumstances/budget/free time etc. I'll add new posts below of what I've been up to very soon.
Cheers everyone, and yes, I might be slightly mad (or just a glutton for punishment...!) I welcome & look forward to your thoughts & suggestions, but please bear with me if I don't always reply immediately.
My aim was to find a car that I could press into service straight away as a back-up car to my Mk1 Scenic all-round daily, which urgently needs some TLC and would potentially leave me car-less for periods of time while I do the work (timing belt, paintwork repairs etc...). I was looking for a frugal, interesting, low tax, rust-resistant, non DPF/DMF 2nd car below £1000, and I found the perfect answer (maybe...?!)
After viewing, asking questions, and test-driving, it was evident this '05 223.000 mile A2 Special Edition was going to need work, some of which fairly urgently!
Though this was a departure from my need for a car that wasn't going to turn into another project as I have plenty of those already! I decided to ignore my common sense and go for it anyway as I felt it was unlikely I'd find another car in budget any time soon that'd tick the necessary boxes as well as the A2 does.
What I considered to be a fair price was agreed, and the previous owner kindly threw in a set of new Brembo brake discs & pads, a new handbrake cable (to replace a knackered LH rear one on the car), a set of 16" wheels & matching caps (albeit with broken-off clips which seems to be a given, but repairable, and I have a 3d printer).
He also got in touch with a friend (apparently a club member) and arranged for delivery that evening of a spare gearbox for £100 to go with the car. Thanks very much to said club member!
I drove the car 65 miles back home from Somerset, and drove it about for a couple of days which gave me time to assess the car and the problems I needed to sort.
Here's what I found to begin with. I'll edit the to-do list as I work through the items, and completed items will be in green:
The good bits: | Not so good bits that need fixing: |
Gear change slightly stiff but precise & synchro strong (But --->) | Gearbox extremely clattery in neutral (foot off clutch) |
Upholstery surprisingly good given the mileage! | Engine surging/hesitating slightly around 1 pulse/second at any revs when maintaining a speed. Worse when fully warmed-up. Falters badly accelerating at around 3500rpm. |
Handles very well | Smoky/fusty smell inside (car had been mostly unused for a while which didn't help here) |
Central locking works | Interior needs a deep clean throughout - (In progress) |
Air-con works | Very harsh ride (horrific over potholes!) on the 17" wheels |
Concert 2 works well, sounds great but CD temperamental | Creaky suspension bushes evident on first drive of the day over speed humps or cornering. |
The soft-touch buttons aren't too far gone, but some areas sticky/worn | Handbrake at limit of travel (L/H cable collapsed) |
Rebuilt wiper arm already installed | Glove box lid & hinge pins missing |
Good service history, and on it's 4th timing belt --->> | Now due another timing belt replacement ASAP |
Headliner not saggy, but dirty and scuffed, so will probably need re-upholstering anyway, as I'm sure any attempt to clean it will ruin it! | No record of oil pump chain replacement - Urgent |
Broken dipstick | |
Melted front sidelight lenses | |
Fuel flap & alarm switches finnicky | |
Rear bumper damage and poor DIY paint repair to left corner | |
Roof paint issues covered over with rattle-can flag design | |
Intermittently no heat from CC unless cold enough for aux PTC heater (probably sticking air distro flaps I expect - can hear actuator hunting for position) | |
Scuttle plastic panel missing a chunk directly above gearbox and wiper spindle grommet missing (replacement on the way) | |
Black bonnet fitted by previous owner following damage to original. | |
Minor corrosion blistering in a couple small corners of bodywork | |
Steering wheel leather surface worn away and faded (fair enough for the mileage!) | |
Driver-side headlight levelling servo dead. |
So, just a short list of things to work through then
I've already been busy cracking on with the jobs in the order that makes the most sense for me given circumstances/budget/free time etc. I'll add new posts below of what I've been up to very soon.
Cheers everyone, and yes, I might be slightly mad (or just a glutton for punishment...!) I welcome & look forward to your thoughts & suggestions, but please bear with me if I don't always reply immediately.
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