A plea to members from an FSI owner, a long-standing A2OC'er and Admin Member

[No longer a member]

Given the specific issues with the FSI (and the fact that much of the garage trade does not like dealing with them / does not understand them) it might be time for an enterprising FSI owner on here with the mechanical skills to set up as a specialist so that owners have a trusted repair resource?
It’s been done for OSS and various other re-manufactured parts ......

Sadly I don't think there would be enough work in the aspect of people happy to spend relatively large sums of money in relationship to the value of the car as a whole and so a bit of a non starter.........
But if an individual with the knowledge was happy to help other owners for the love of the cars this could work........but that would have to be something someone would have to think quite carefully about.............I could foresee all sorts of pitfalls.
As we know early FSI cars not just A2's but Golfs etc etc have come in for lots of stick over reliability and while some is to do with poor thinking at the design stage it's more to do with bad ownership, the majority of car owners see a car as transport and have no understanding of why a car needs maintainence, only carrying out repairs when they stop or need an MOT, there must be a fair share of FSI's which have been subject to this sort of ownership.
As has been said now is the time to find a good FSI and treasure it........yes it will cost money......yes it will go wrong......yes you'll ask yourself why??....but as many of the FSI owners here with good cars can justify they are great cars.....a bit like Great White sharks given bad press over known (and repairable) faults, but the public only see the bad side of things when their badly maintained car lets them down.......whose to blame, not the car but the owner........ just like sharks if you swim in their environment things can go wrong..........

 

[Sootywg]

Evening troop,

I’d like to start by saying that I am not without a sense of humour nor am I biased toward a particular engine type in the A2, having had three variations in the family over the course of time. I’m penning this not in defence of my own A2, but broader, in the interests of those who own or aspire (yes) to own an FSI.

When I joined this wonderful club in 2005 with my TDI special edition, the family friendly atmosphere that predominantly remains today was the entirety of the club. There was no snobbery about what specification of A2 you owned, no penalty for owning a derivative other than a TDI, the ownership experience and club solidarity was centred on the car. I’ve since seen a distinct and very unsavoury swing against this club ethos.

The FSI was Audi’s first attempt at innovative fuel saving technology in a petrol engine. Yes, it is far from perfect, or reliable, the facts are the facts. I’d not advocate anything but the reality. If someone was looking for a reliable, cheap to run daily, I’d not champion the FSI personally. That said, a good running FSI is a pleasure, smooth and efficient and with good economy and reasonable power on tap too. In many respects the pioneering FSI suits the pioneering A2.

So, back to the point in hand. Presenting the facts about the FSIs many problems in a measured balanced way, as is duly exercised with the TDI 90, dual mass flywheel and variable vane turbo against the power, performance and economy, is fair and on point. To berate consistently in a manner that may make owners of such cars feel less-valued amongst the club following, falls well below the kindness that the club is renowned for. Sadly this is more of a constant on this forum now.

I fear such actions might also put off new members who have joined for advice and counsel and who are met with derogatory remarks from such a loyal following.

This thread is a plea in effect. We all share the passion that is the A2, we are all here because we love the A2 and in equal measure we all love our own cars. This applies whether a base car or a fully loaded model and/or regardless of which of the five engine choices are hidden beneath the removable bonnet.

All derivatives deserve to be cherished and all deserve to wear the A2 badge. In equal measure, all deserve our respect.

I’m asking that the club pull together here and help to make the A2 ownership and classic car status fun for all and a reality for all.

Darren

Darren Well stated and a balanced view point.
I entered the A2 owner community before discovering the A2OC having bought my A2 TDI75 at auction, not quite on a whim but without a good knowledge of all variants. I could easily have ended up with an FSI. I wonder how I would have felt when I learnt about all the issues on this forum?
I have often thought that the FSI should have been the best engine for the A2 and in the spirit of the innovation that both represented. Any thoughts of my buying an FSI have quickly been suppressed because of the knowledge gained from this forum. A shame really as I still have a strange hankering after owning one.
Heart and head are difficult to reconcile, good impartial advice informs the head, comment and opinion may influence the heart. This forum is influential on both and hence should be as impartial as possible.
If the A2 ever makes true classic status then A good FSI will be the rarest and possibly most desirable.

 

[PlasticMac]

I agree wholeheartedly with your opening statement Darren. I've perhaps been guilty of being over critical of the FSi in the past ?

Perhaps the community could write a guide for the FSi which we could then direct newer members to so instead of getting a barrage of negative opinion (containing some fact) it could be an informative piece allowing people to go into a potential purchase 'eyes open' and better understand the maintenance it requires, like 99 ron fuel for instance. Perhaps we could perform the same for the other models also.

I'm far from an expert on either model, just an idea though

I support the idea of a factual list of points to look out for for A2s in general, body, suspension, trim etc.
A engine/transmission based list, on similar lines, would be good, in theory, but creating, and curating such a list would require Solomon like objectivity!
Best bet, for me, is only post from direct personal experience, not, as I suspect is quite common, just recycle what others have recycled before you.
As a 1.6 FSI Sport owner, I'm under no illusions on the potential failures that can, and probably will, occur. I'm also think I have the best version of the A2, not that I'm biased of course ...
Mac.

 

[murdo]

Continuing from the earlier post about sharing experience and expertise. Im reminded about a video from the German forum where members attended a social hosted in a premises with ramps and tools etc and the enthusiasts helped each other fix problems with the cars. It looked very fraternal and enjoyable. Whilst there's lots of variables and I've no idea if any of the works were done for gain - i wonder if we could replicate this concept within the UK club. As the cars get older this could be the difference between cherished cars staying on the road or going to the scrapper due to expensive repairs.

 

[timmus]

Continuing from the earlier post about sharing experience and expertise. Im reminded about a video from the German forum where members attended a social hosted in a premises with ramps and tools etc and the enthusiasts helped each other fix problems with the cars. It looked very fraternal and enjoyable. Whilst there's lots of variables and I've no idea if any of the works were done for gain - i wonder if we could replicate this concept within the UK club. As the cars get older this could be the difference between cherished cars staying on the road or going to the scrapper due to expensive repairs.

I'm currently in the Netherlands, working for members of the Dutch A2 Club. There's a meet-up at a rented garage on Sunday, next weekend, that follows this format; everyone brings their tools and knowledge and A2s are collectively maintained.

Cheers,

Tom

 

[damadgeruk]

Continuing from the earlier post about sharing experience and expertise. Im reminded about a video from the German forum where members attended a social hosted in a premises with ramps and tools etc and the enthusiasts helped each other fix problems with the cars. It looked very fraternal and enjoyable. Whilst there's lots of variables and I've no idea if any of the works were done for gain - i wonder if we could replicate this concept within the UK club. As the cars get older this could be the difference between cherished cars staying on the road or going to the scrapper due to expensive repairs.

I believe A2-freun call this helicopter meets or maybe it's Google translate. Regardless, I'm happy to help and attend such, stopping A2s going to an early grave is in all our interests.

 

[timmus]

helicopter meets or maybe it's Google translate

I'm curious to know the German term. What do they call such a meeting?

In Dutch, the term 'sleutelen' is equivalent to the English term 'tinkering'. As such, meetings like those discussed are referred to as 'sleutelmeetings', in a classic Dutch-English hybrid. Unlike the French, who wish to preserve the purity of their language, the Dutch don't care about the creeping influence of English upon their language.

A2-freun

A bit of fun... Freunde means 'friends' in German. The German A2 club website, A2-freun.de, uses the .de domain extension to complete the word 'freunde'. As such, the German club is effectively called 'A2 Friends'. 'Freun' on its own doesn't mean anything.

Cheers,

Tom

 

[Vorsprung durch Technik]

How about getting the idea of collective help of the ground by someone explaining what exactly causes the so called "Death Rattle" many suffer with on start up. I'm not convinced it's the Lifters but more the system that sits on the end of a cam. Is this correct? If so what causes this rattle, why does it wear so quickly and what can be done to remedy it?

 

[damadgeruk]

@timmus, unsure why Google translates Schraubertreffen to helicopter as screwdriver is much more accurate though I've seen helicopter meeting so often on A2freun.de that I didn't give it a second thought.

 

[timmus]

Schraubertreffen

Fab, thanks! Yeah, that translates as 'screwdrivermeeting'. It is, of course, written as one word, because German just loves compound nouns. A classic is 'Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän', meaning Danube steamship company captain.

 

[David McCaskill Elliott]

Continuing from the earlier post about sharing experience and expertise. Im reminded about a video from the German forum where members attended a social hosted in a premises with ramps and tools etc and the enthusiasts helped each other fix problems with the cars. It looked very fraternal and enjoyable. Whilst there's lots of variables and I've no idea if any of the works were done for gain - i wonder if we could replicate this concept within the UK club. As the cars get older this could be the difference between cherished cars staying on the road or going to the scrapper due to expensive repairs.

An A2 CO-OP and Fix-it Fest.. I like it, mind you,- It would probably grow at a frightening rate, become monetized and launch an aggressive takeover bid of VAG.... Hold on,- there's an Idea..??

 

[sunsurfer]

I haven't noticed mean comments on the forum about the FSI. I heavily considered one before I purchased the TDI 75.
FSI is a modern engine fitting the advanced engineering of the A2. But... Few mechanics understand it and as this is our only car we couldn't go with anything complex that needed expensive garage diagnosis and treatment. For those who successfully run FSIs, well done.

 

[mjsbrabus]

I wouldn't launch a takeover bid for Volkswagen - couldn't afford the law suits!!!!

 

[PlasticMac]

As a new member, (I joined in May), and 1.6 FSI owner, I have got very tired of the sarcastic (I don't find them humorous, the butt of a" joke" seldom does) comments being made against myself and my fellow FSI'ers by non FSI'ers.
Having met fellow members at Stamford Hall, and AITP, I can vouch for The Club's reputation as The Friendly Club. I'm sure those less than flattering comments about FSI engined A2s were intended to amuse the rest of us, but not all of us saw the funny side.
Maybe, before clicking on "Submit" click on "Preview" and read through what you're about to say to your fellow A2 owners ...

Mac.

 

[Andrew]

I haven't noticed mean comments on the forum about the FSI. I heavily considered one before I purchased the TDI 75.
FSI is a modern engine fitting the advanced engineering of the A2. But... Few mechanics understand it and as this is our only car we couldn't go with anything complex that needed expensive garage diagnosis and treatment. For those who successfully run FSIs, well done.

Same here

Over recent years there has been a small constant stream of 'derisory' posts, a bit more of late which I think prompted this thread; I could easily link half a dozen posts in the last fortnight alone but won't as that would stir the coals. In the main they are intended to be humorous, but I can see they will offend some, will lead to worse over time and do make FSI owners not wanted here and deter new FSI members.

On a wider note for balance, the FSI may have its weaknesses, but for the record my FSI has started first time 99.999% of the time over my 10 years of ownership, only once broken down and that was half expected (on my way to A2 cars!). Dealing with the FSI nuances (not normal servicing) has cost close to £1000, not too bad in my opinion.

Andy

 

[Darren C]

Thanks to all who have liked and commented, including those whose views differ and/or disagree. There are some very good suggestions on this thread and, with help from the broader team, I will look to see if we can implement some of them in due course.

Thanks again, safe motoring all.

Darren

 

[sunsurfer]

Over recent years there has been a small constant stream of 'derisory' posts, a bit more of late which I think prompted this thread; I could easily link half a dozen posts in the last fortnight alone but won't as that would stir the coals. In the main they are intended to be humorous, but I can see they will offend some, will lead to worse over time and do make FSI owners not wanted here and deter new FSI members.

On a wider note for balance, the FSI may have its weaknesses, but for the record my FSI has started first time 99.999% of the time over my 10 years of ownership, only once broken down and that was half expected (on my way to A2 cars!). Dealing with the FSI nuances (not normal servicing) has cost close to £1000, not too bad in my opinion.

Andy

Good to hear that Andy. Maybe on my next car I try an A2 FSI

 

[mjsbrabus]

Would there be any benefit in creating three separate sub-sections within the forums for the three different engine types? Most owners are only really interested in reading about engine issues specific to their car and whilst there are some notable exceptions on here most members only own one A2.

 

[Proghound]

MIke, that's a very valid question in my opinion. I'll raise it for discussion among the Admin team.

 

[Teresa]

Over recent years there has been a small constant stream of 'derisory' posts, a bit more of late which I think prompted this thread; I could easily link half a dozen posts in the last fortnight alone but won't as that would stir the coals. In the main they are intended to be humorous, but I can see they will offend some, will lead to worse over time and do make FSI owners not wanted here and deter new FSI members.

On a wider note for balance, the FSI may have its weaknesses, but for the record my FSI has started first time 99.999% of the time over my 10 years of ownership, only once broken down and that was half expected (on my way to A2 cars!). Dealing with the FSI nuances (not normal servicing) has cost close to £1000, not too bad in my opinion.

Andy

I agree completely with your point about them starting and not breaking down. Mabel always gets me home. Even when she lost two cylinders and her head gasket on the way to a social (Kimbolton I think), she got me there and back.

I had absolutely no hesitation driving her up to Scotland in May. She did half her annual mileage that week and only put her light on to protest at the lack of BP ultra on Skye ?