first damn A2 PUNCTURE!!

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prycop

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OK - 3 years down the line I hit a pothole and have my first puncture in my 1.4TDi SE A2!

Day 1 - 9.30am
Felt the bump but kept driving for about a mile before I realized I had a flat. Pulled in to a car park in a small village in N W Wales.

Had a look at the tyre - no obvious hole so I set about fixing it with that nice white bottle of glue!

First problem - it tells you to remove the valve with a small tool - check yours! How on earth do you get enough grip on that thing to open the valve thread? So walked to a nearby shop, borrowed pliers and managed to remove the valve.

2nd problem - 'shake the bottle well' - I did that and could feel a big plasticy lump inside - about 80% of the contents was solid, 20% liquid - totally useless. I tried pouring the 20% liquid into the tyre.

3rd problem - Try pouring that stuff into a flat tyre! - Impossible, all you get are sticky hands and clothes!

4th problem - my own fault this one - I let my AA membership lapse.

5th problem - no mobile reception - luckily an old gentleman had spotted my bother from his window and offered me yellow pages and a lend of his phone.

6th problem - get hold of a garage that does recovery in that part of the world! Finally got through and fair play he got to me in about 30 mins - took me back to the garage.

7th problem - no 185/15 tyre! (or 195)- nearest one Shrewsbury - won’t get here till tomorrow! Look exasperated as I was 50 miles from home. Garage owner took pity and lent me an old Metro to get home and return the next day.

8th problem - 6pm receive a call from the garage - tyre won’t be here until 3pm tomorrow - garage is last stop on the delivery van!!

Day 2
Hung around all day - drove Metro back 50 mls to garage - got there 2.30pm - van arrived 4.40pm!

9th problem - Sticky stuff from the white bottle (some got in) all over the wheel - extra £5 labour to remove it!

10th problem - total bill inc. recovery and a cheap £45 tyre = £122 - total days wasted from work = 2.

11th problem - now no white bottle with puncture repair - can’t get to Audi dealer 'till next week! (do I need it anyway?)

12 Good News - at last - managed to get breakdown, recovery and home start cover through BONCASTER LTD for £29 per annum - bit late though!


Sorry for the long saga - but heed the warning.

TIPS:

1. If buying a new A2 - get a spare wheel with it!
2. Make sure you have breakdown cover plus recovery home or to a garage with a 185 tyre.
3. Check that bloody white bottle to see if the stuff has solidified!
4. Consider a Metro - it was N reg and went well - spare wheel included!!!!!
 
Like your tips - especially No4.

We've been lucky so far. We've had 2 punctures but have the collapsible spare.
It might be worth finding out if the bottle of 'stuff' has a best before date & if so, should it be replaced every service.

Do you mean 185/16, not 185/15. Previously, we've had to travel great distance or scour the whole county in pursuit of a matching tyre (Michelin Primacy 185/50/16).

Don't drink drive! Not only is it socially unaceptable, it also harms A2's.
Was a Merlot Red 1.4SE petrol originally.
Now an Ebony Black 1.4SE petrol with Red Leather, CC, Symphony + all the previous options we had.
 
Yes sorry for the typo - 185/16.

Incidentally the cheapest tyres I found (last year some time) was on www.mytyres.co.uk - i bought 2 Toyo PROXES T1-S 185/50 R16 81V for £103 with free delivery and paid a local garage £10 to put them on.I've done about 15k miles on them and they look as new. (well one of them does now!)

Looking at the invoice from the garage yesterday though the Kumho tyre they fitted was only £44.75 inc. fitting. (mytyres has that tyre for £59.30 though!).
 
Must also add that my A2 has a full Audi service history and next service is due in July 2005. Just had a look at the 'empty' bottle - no sell by date.

The bottle was sealed before i opened it yesterday.

Do i have to pay audi for a new bottle/ If so does anyone know how much?
 
Sorry to hear your story. I'm another person who deson't have a spare tyre. My thoughts when buying my car were:

1 - other cars are sold without a spare and with a can of gunk, so the can must work surely
2 - the boot is only a decent size if you don't have a spare tyre
3 - in 13 years of motoring I've never had a flat anyway

Now I'm very dubious of my first point. But I would resent having to carry a spare and compromise my boot space. Are 'run flat' tyres in 185/50R16 available I wonder?

2004 1.4 TDi (90) SE, Cobalt Blue, Climate control, Cruise control, DIS, Sport seats, Winter pack, Symphony II.
 
Don't agree with 2 - with the false floor in place the area under it can only be used for slim items - the depth is the same as the width of the spare. In addition to the spare I had a coat, socket set, bottle of oil, wheel brace, WD40, deicer, umbrella. This still left more than enough room in the boot for everyday use and for luggage when going on our hols.
 
"1 - other cars are sold without a spare and with a can of gunk, so the can must work surely"

Exactly what I thought - I had been brainwashed to thinking along these lines:
Audi = Technology = New way to repair punctures and save space = all others will follow soon.....
I've even boasted to friends how the A2 doesn't need a spare wheel.

Keeping my head down this weekend!
 
I still don't understand why people take a £5 bottle of goo when Audi will exchange it for a £200 space saver for free!

My Honda has goo as standard as well (free option for space saver which I have) and the service checklist includes "check expiry date on tyre sealant"!!!!

You do not need to buy the goo from Audi - Peugeot do a nice one in an aerosol for the 206 which would make the pump redundant and Halfords will probably sell it as well.

1.4 Petrol Special Edition, Ebony Black, grey leather, heated seats, climate, opensky, five spoke alloys for SWMBO (Replaced a 2002 1.4 Petrol SE) Honda Accord Tourer 2.2 iCDTi for me.
 
if the A2's spare wheel system works the same as my TT, there's something else you should know...

I got a nail in one of the rear tyres a month after I bought it. Used the compressor and tyre sealant stuff. It all worked perfectly until I took the tyre in to be repaired...

"We can't repair that since you've used sealant on it".

And a new tyre for a TT is a lot more than an A2, I'll bet.
 
I am told that they can but don't like getting messed up doing it, they prefer selling you a new tyre!

1.4 Petrol Special Edition, Ebony Black, grey leather, heated seats, climate, opensky, five spoke alloys for SWMBO (Replaced a 2002 1.4 Petrol SE) Honda Accord Tourer 2.2 iCDTi for me.
 
Maybe I'm just a risk taker. I rather have the extra boot space that I use on a regular basis than a spare tyre I would hopefully never use. Having said all of that I'm bound to now have a flat and will eat humble pie ;)

BTW has anyone fitted run-flat tyres? Is this allowed without a pressure sensor?

2004 1.4 TDi (90) SE, Cobalt Blue, Climate control, Cruise control, DIS, Sport seats, Winter pack, Symphony II.
 
Nice done prycop... When I hit a pothole I flated 3 tyres (I didn't saw the hole... was winter). I hit two alloy wheels and three gums. The assurance payed for all. I also used for two of the tyres some sealant... Mine was so liquid!!! Not worked very well, maybe was too new (?!?) :)) (One of the tyre I changed with the spare). Anyway... That sealant reallly work???

A2 RSline 1.4 Sky|Nav|Winter|ABT
 
We have solved this problem to buy a small wheel from a scrapyard.
It is from an old Seat Toledo *(which us the same as an VW golf.
The wheel is not for speeding or fast driving youre only allowed to do max speed 80 km an hour but it helps in circumstances like yours described above.
And the fun part I had to pay only 10€ on that scrap yard to buy it.
But our new car who comes in june *(A mercedes Aclass) i took the option of getting a proper spare wheel


Jeff Huisman
car is gonna be changed during this year *(2005) so almost ex a2 owner
GroetenvanJeff.jpg
 
quote:Originally posted by Will


3 - in 13 years of motoring I've never had a flat anyway
Click to expand...

Seems like I spoke too soon. I had a flat tyre last night! Pumped it up and saw that I had lost 5psi overnight. So I pumped it up again this morning and drove gingerly to work. National Tyres must have mistaken me for a mug as they initially quoted me £112 a tyre for Pirelli P6000. But after some pressure they dropped it to £175/pair. But luckily as it turned out, the flat was caused by a screw and it could be repaired for £15. But the blokes at the garage did their best to sell me a new tyre instead. I hate it when people try to rip you off like that. All that’s happened now is that I will never go back to them when I genuinely need a new tyre.

But I am feeling more inclined to get myself a space saver now……….despite after all my previous comments.


2004 1.4 TDi (90) SE, Cobalt Blue, Climate control, Cruise control, DIS, Sport seats, Winter pack, Symphony II.
 
Just reading this thread, and from my own experience with the sealant stuff on my TT - I'm quite keen to get a space saver as well, for the A2. Thing is, ours has the sports pack wheels (17") - will this make any difference to what I need to get, or is the rolling radius the same as the 15" and 16" wheels ??
 
Rolling radius is the same.
Vredestein space saver is very good. It actually folds up to fit in the boot well.
 
Just a short update....

Took my sob story to an Audi dealer - i was given a new sealant free!!! - yepee!

Decided not to fork out for a spare wheel - i need the bootspace for my work. As some sort of insurance I've also taken out roadside recovery.

Hit another pothole yesterday - stopped the car - had a good look - phew! no damage.
 
Just had my first pucture that I can remember in 35 years of driving ~ nail in a rear tyre.
Tried the TMS canister ~ it was mainly solidified so not much "goo" would go into the tyre even though it was still a year before the use by date. To make matters worse the pump wouldn't pump air (never been used as I have a Halfords one in the garage), the motor whirred but I don't think the motor was connected to the pump!
Audi Assistance were great, but it still cost £122(fitted) for a 17" Michelin Pilot and £28 for a TMS canister from Audi Parts. They did replace the pump under warranty ~ good job, as the list price from Audi is well over £100. Now how much is a space saver?


2002 FSi SE, Ebony Black with Red Nappa Leather, 17" Sport Wheels, 2004 grill, Tinted Security Glass (+Road Angel)
 
£200 - and when I spoke to a Vredenstein re-seller he would not supply one - it is through Audi only!

Ian

1.4 Petrol Special Edition, Ebony Black, grey leather, heated seats, climate, opensky, five spoke alloys for SWMBO (Replaced a 2002 1.4 Petrol SE) Honda Accord Tourer 2.2 iCDTi for me.
 
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