A2 Issues

N

nzl32

Member
Hi all,

Just picked up an A2 from a main dealer (UK). It's an 05 Sport Tdi 90 with 17k on the clock. It's got the TT style alloys on it with 40 section tyres.

The car seems to be very stiffly sprung, it hops and bucks and has quite apparent torque steer. Is this pretty typical of an A2, especially a sport model? It's pretty terrible over uneven/less than perfect roads.

Can someone tell me if anything besides the wheels was uprated on the sport? ie Shocks/roll bars etc?

I have noticed I have substantial tyre wear on the offside front tyre, inner side towards engine. The tyres all have good tread apart from this part of this particular tyre. What is this an indicator of? A friend of mine had an A2, sold it, then apparently some part of the suspension collapsed. Is there some inherent flaw I should be aware of?

The discs are also quite scored and grooved front and rear for a car of this mileage. The brakes work fine but they look like they need changing.

Finally, today the miles/tripmeter display started flashing/blinking occasionally and mainly at lower/idle revs. What is going on here? Almost looks like an alternator issue but the other parts of the display are stable - ?!

Can't say I'm particularly happy with my first few days of A2 ownership, apart from the fact it looks great. I'm about to book my car into a local Audi dealer for a check up but I'd appreciate any sage advice. I bought the car up north and I live down on the south coast.

Many thanks,
Neil
 
Well, to start with the ride is very firm. It's a combination of the 40 profile Tyres GMBH uprated suspension and harder seats. i live in the country and the roads are pretty poor, however when i take it around corners i forget about the stiff ride.

i am on my 3rd set of tyres, (38,000) ALL wore out on the inside edge at the front, Audi say the tracking and suspension is fine. So i think the camber is set to improve handlling and "turn in" and sacrifice the tread longevity. See http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3911

The discs are very soft and have a high Carbon content improving noise and stopping distance. The pads on the other hand are rock hard, it seems a strange set up but it works. The lip will appear very early in the life of the discs but if there is heavy scoring visit your dealer, but remember friction material probably isn't covered under warranty,but have a go! My pads had about 3/4 material but the disc's were gone so went for Brembo Grooved discs and pads.

As as for the trip, don't know just get it booked in ASAP

hope this gives you a little info, others will help further
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi nzl32, Welcome to the A2oc
The 17" sports wheels are prone to buckling so this may be a factor in the uneasy ride. If it's fine on smooth roads this is probably not the case but have the wheels checked ASAP, while you have some recourse from the selling dealer.
I've never heard of the suspension collapsing. The only common problem on earlier cars was the anti-rollbar bushes wearing. This usually this meant replacing the bar and bushes.

Cheers Spike
 
At least it's under warranty, so no expense to you. Still inconvenient though.
They're pretty good cars everything considered.
 
Tyre wear

As has been mentioned, wear is common on the inside edges of the tyres on the 17" wheels - both of my front tyres wore out on the inner edge. "They all do that, Sir!).

If one of yours is ok, maybe the dealer or the PO changed one of them. The stealers are notorious for only changing what is _absolutely_ necessary before they knock out a used car. Got to protect their margin, etc etc.

The stiff suspension on the Sport has really grown on me. I live out in the sticks so I feel it, but I think that the handling really benefits.

Get it booked in and bug them about the odometer and the tyre. If it's low they should have changed it before letting it go. Having said that, it looked like my PDI was done by the guy responsible for cleaning the car before it was handed over. They just ticked all the boxes and gave it to me - I then went off to find:
Cracked rear light cluster
Missing luggage compartment cover
Broken intercooler tube support bracket

Lucky that I found all this out when I got back to Bristol - picked the car up in Cambridge.

My rear discs are flaking corrosion off the wearing surface - and my car is less than 2 years old. I think the quality of them is poor, and may well go the Brembo route when i come to change.

But ...
... I really love the car. It has really got under my skin after 12 months of ownership.

Key is to get them to fix _everything_ while they are still marginally interested in you!
 
The camber on an A2 tdi sport is each side
rear axle -0deg20min (-1deg25min) =0deg20min, i.e. almost 1.5 degree negative camber per side, clearly seen if you run over a dusty surface then look at the dust on your tyres
front axle is -0degree 40 minutes hence the early wear of the inside edge of tyres,
These figures are taken from VAG suspension setup print out following my mysterious moving axle episode.
 
ULP said:
Welcome to A2 ownership

Having been in two Sport models for short journies now (cousins and Skiptons) both felt the same and I think the ride is on the harsh side of acceptable. My SE on 16" wheels has a firm ride which is borderline OK. I suspect the 15" shod models are actually the best compromise for UK roads. I know the overly firm ride in my cousins also means the damping isn't up to much and can make the Sport feel skittish on our local poorer-country roads. I reckon a well driven 15" wheeled-version would give a similar engined Sport (and SE for that matter) a pasting over a typical piece of UK road.

I'm not having a go at the Sport btw (or Skiptons mega-beastie), I just think the suspension is a compromise too far for UK roads.
Click to expand...

I have heard that the best compromise is an SE with the sports 17" wheels and sports seats fitted, I have tried a non sport A2 and kept falling off the flat based seat, the sports ones are sooooo commmmffffyyyyyy zzzzzzzzzzz
Oh sorry dropped off there!
 
Where abouts on the south coast do you live, do we have another Hampshire A2 owner.

I too own a TDi Sport with 17"s, have got used to it after 2.5 yrs ownership. Just avoid the potholes/inperfections in the road plus try and not kerb the alloys.

Welcome to A2 Sport ownership.
 
widdy said:
Where abouts on the south coast do you live, do we have another Hampshire A2 owner.

I too own a TDi Sport with 17"s, have got used to it after 2.5 yrs ownership. Just avoid the potholes/inperfections in the road plus try and not kerb the alloys.

Welcome to A2 Sport ownership.
Click to expand...
If you lived up north you would wouldn't go anywhere very quickly avoiding the potholes and imperfections, having just spent last weekend scooting round country roads on the south coast they are in far better condition.
I also noticed you have large black and white arrows on most bends, up here when you see those generally you have to slow down quite a bit, I did that down there then had to accelerate to the corner, cautious or what, I was taking the bends at the speed limit with no problem, perhaps it's for when the 'Essex boys' come round to play! (no offence meant to any Essex residing A drivers of course)
 
Well, my Sport isn't all that bad. I've got used to it over the last couple of weeks and found out that the stealership had the front tyres almost 10psi over inflated! It's much better now, but still "sharp". I'm beginning to enjoy it now, ride is acceptable and it corners quite nicely. Still no sports car but wasn't expecting that. Have one of those for fun anyway.

Installed the Denison IPOD link to the Concert CD player, worth every penny. Excellent sound quality for the money.
 
I gave up with buckled wheels on my TDi sport, I changed to 16" wheels with 205/45 tyres a set of after market with tyres came in less than 2 wheels from Audi.

Ride is as described in general.

The component I have found to fail on the front suspension is the anti roll bar link arm, these bend if potholled and cost about £27 from Audi. There is also a problem with the anti roll bar bushes on earlier cars which allow the roll bar to move from side to side causing suspension problems.

I have found Audi shocks to be a bit weak as well although good for 30k plus.

I have some minor mis alignment on my car at present. even though it is tracked up ok the wheel is off centre, I think it may well be a problem with the lower arm on the near side.

If anything like this is out you cannot track the wheels up correctly becasue they are not in line that is to say one of the front wheels is slightly nearer the rear of the car than the other. I have not noticed this on my A2 but have had it on another car some time a go. when all was Ok on the track guages the tyre wear was terrible.

I find the iside edge of my rears wear becasue of the angle of the wheel to the road, could it be that the dealer swapped a tryre from the rear to the front?

Best of luck, the A2 suspension is fairly simple to work on unlike the A4 so not too many worries.
 
Must be something to do with wheel sizes as I'm on 16" and so far gave done 60k on the original Pirellis. Had to change the front tyres at 50k after one began to wear on the edge - diagnosed as the anti roll bush.
 
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