Got the car of my dreams...

T

treeroy

Member
OK so not really in my dreams. But I've always found the A2 interesting, so as of yesterday, I am an A2 owner.

This is of course the 1.4 TDI.
74 not 90.

It has a fairly trouble-free MOT history, and in 2021 it's had a new cam belt, new clutch, and new tyres all round.

Only driven it 50 miles so far back from the seller, but first impressions are:

- There's so much space inside! Like WTF, did Audi's engineers work for the production design on Doctor Who?
- The ride is fine. I saw lots of complaints in reviews and owner opinion that the ride is way too stiff but this seems a non issue. This example is sporting 15" rims with THICC sidewalls - I'm guessing the optional 17"s feel worse.
- 74hp is enough for normal use, it doesn't feel underpowered. I've just changed from a similar 74hp Polo 1.2 TDI and that did feel very underpowered. Suppose it helps this is 300+kg lighter. That being said, doesn't mean I won't give it a bit more power in future.
- Feels like it's revving quite high on motorway. 70mph is almost 3,000 rpm I think? Seems a bit odd for a diesel. Don't know how good that is for fuel economy.
- Windscreen wiper is a bit pathetic.

I will be giving it a proper 400 mile road trip tomorrow so hopefully if it has any mechanical issues, they will show themselves up.

So far, I have spotted a couple issues:

- Pulling slightly to the right. I will check the geometry in due course.
- Drivers seatbelt is not consistently tensioning. This might be an easy fix but I've not taken apart a seatbelt before.

Pretty happy with this. The only actual thing that doesn't work on the car is the fuel cap, but I doubt it's too hard to fix.

For £1300 I am quite happy!

I'm looking forward to seeing how it performs as my daily (currently only) car.



i1sh8glewz781.jpg
 
Hello. If you pull the drivers seatbelt fully out and hold it there with a clothes peg or equivalent you can soak/wash it in detergent then wipe dry it should help.
 
Excellent, Treeroy!

Welcome to A2 ownership. :)

treeroy said:
Feels like it's revving quite high on motorway. 70mph is almost 3,000 rpm I think?
Click to expand...
A TDI75 turns 2580rpm at 70mph.
Gearbox modifications are extremely common amongst TDI owners, and there are lots of options for reducing rpm at motorway speeds and/or sipping less diesel.

treeroy said:
This example is sporting 15" rims
Click to expand...
If you keep it on 15” wheels, you won’t have an issue with the ride.

treeroy said:
There's so much space inside! Like WTF, did Audi's engineers work for the production design on Doctor Who?
Click to expand...
Have you unclipped and removed the back seats yet? It’ll put a Volvo estate to shame!

treeroy said:
The only actual thing that doesn't work on the car is the fuel cap, but I doubt it's too hard to fix.
Click to expand...
The fuel cap release only works when the driver’s door is open. If the car doesn’t know that the driver’s door is open, due to a faulty status switch circuit, the fuel cap release button doesn’t work.
Does the central display in the instrument cluster show the driver’s door being open? Make sure all other doors are closed when performing this test.

Cheers,

Tom
 
nice car check see if wiper arm itself is in good condition as if badly worn at the intersection where the two arms meet as if this has to much wear it causes the wiper blade to tilt am spoil its performance in bad cases this can also result in the assembly rubbing against the windscreen and leaving scratches Regards Mike
 
treeroy said:
OK so not really in my dreams. But I've always found the A2 interesting, so as of yesterday, I am an A2 owner.

This is of course the 1.4 TDI.
74 not 90.

It has a fairly trouble-free MOT history, and in 2021 it's had a new cam belt, new clutch, and new tyres all round.

Only driven it 50 miles so far back from the seller, but first impressions are:

- There's so much space inside! Like WTF, did Audi's engineers work for the production design on Doctor Who?
- The ride is fine. I saw lots of complaints in reviews and owner opinion that the ride is way too stiff but this seems a non issue. This example is sporting 15" rims with THICC sidewalls - I'm guessing the optional 17"s feel worse.
- 74hp is enough for normal use, it doesn't feel underpowered. I've just changed from a similar 74hp Polo 1.2 TDI and that did feel very underpowered. Suppose it helps this is 300+kg lighter. That being said, doesn't mean I won't give it a bit more power in future.
- Feels like it's revving quite high on motorway. 70mph is almost 3,000 rpm I think? Seems a bit odd for a diesel. Don't know how good that is for fuel economy.
- Windscreen wiper is a bit pathetic.

I will be giving it a proper 400 mile road trip tomorrow so hopefully if it has any mechanical issues, they will show themselves up.

So far, I have spotted a couple issues:

- Pulling slightly to the right. I will check the geometry in due course.
- Drivers seatbelt is not consistently tensioning. This might be an easy fix but I've not taken apart a seatbelt before.

Pretty happy with this. The only actual thing that doesn't work on the car is the fuel cap, but I doubt it's too hard to fix.

For £1300 I am quite happy!

I'm looking forward to seeing how it performs as my daily (currently only) car.



i1sh8glewz781.jpg
Click to expand...

Welcome to the club! If the windscreen is properly clean, the blade good and the arm not worn out then the wiper is actually really good. If there’s a lot of slack in the wiper arm joints then it won’t hold the blade at the proper angle. Paul Whittle (Depronman) re manufactures them.
Depending on how many motorway miles you do a six speed may be the way to go. I’ve got an MYP on my 90 and 75Tdi s. Theyre both mapped and a 75Tdi won’t pull 6th gear unless mapped.
The fuel flap might hopefully just be the switch, they are available
All the best!
 
Jock said:
Hello. If you pull the drivers seatbelt fully out and hold it there with a clothes peg or equivalent you can soak/wash it in detergent then wipe dry it should help.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I'll give that a go.


It's the fuel flap mechanism that doesn't work, not an electrical issue. The clip that holds the flap closed, is broken off. So the flap is permanently ajar.


I will have a look more closely at the wiper functionality. It seemed yesterday like it was a bit "loose" when it moves.

@George Hogg @timmus I don't do much motorway miles so a gearbox swap... no thanks :p and I assume any modifications to the gearbox are not easy to do.

And no I haven't taken the back seats out yet, but I know that function will come in handy soon.

m9EtoPu.jpg


IP0sPGT.jpg
 
treeroy said:
It's the fuel flap mechanism that doesn't work, not an electrical issue. The clip that holds the flap closed, is broken off. So the flap is permanently ajar.
Click to expand...
Oh dear. Somebody has forced that with a screwdriver, possibly because the car has the status switch issue that I described above. I recommend you perform the test that I mentioned, as this fault can also result in the car locking its keys inside itself.
Repairing the fuel flap release mechanism can be done through the rear bulbs access panel, but it’s a fiddle. I’ve done this a few times for club members over the years.

Cheers,

Tom
 
timmus said:
Oh dear. Somebody has forced that with a screwdriver, possibly because the car has the status switch issue that I described above. I recommend you perform the test that I mentioned, as this fault can also result in the car locking its keys inside itself.
Repairing the fuel flap release mechanism can be done through the rear bulbs access panel, but it’s a fiddle. I’ve done this a few times for club members over the years.

Cheers,

Tom
Click to expand...
Yeah the seller told me that some time ago, he was at a petrol station and the flap would not open, so he forced it open. Guess that might be why.

I can't do that test as the display is permanently showing a brake fault which I don't think is going to go away until I replace the pads (which dont even need replacing.... its just the pad wear sensor is broken).

Unless there is a way to get rid of that fault from the display. My OBD bluetooth scanner won't work with the car for some reason, but even if I could clear the fault (I can use a snap on scanner at work) it should come straight back on.
 
treeroy said:
Thanks, I'll give that a go.


It's the fuel flap mechanism that doesn't work, not an electrical issue. The clip that holds the flap closed, is broken off. So the flap is permanently ajar.


I will have a look more closely at the wiper functionality. It seemed yesterday like it was a bit "loose" when it moves.

@George Hogg @timmus I don't do much motorway miles so a gearbox swap... no thanks :p and I assume any modifications to the gearbox are not easy to do.

And no I haven't taken the back seats out yet, but I know that function will come in handy soon.

m9EtoPu.jpg


IP0sPGT.jpg
Click to expand...
No worries, it sounded like you were concerned about motorway revs.
Hope all your other little niggles are easy to sort. There’s a wealth of knowledge on here!
 
treeroy said:
Yeah the seller told me that some time ago, he was at a petrol station and the flap would not open, so he forced it open. Guess that might be why.
Click to expand...
That’s a shame. The seller clearly didn’t know about the manual fuel cap release method through the rear bulb access panel.

treeroy said:
I can't do that test as the display is permanently showing a brake fault
Click to expand...
In which case, use the interior lights as your gauge. The interior lights should come on when you open the driver’s door.

treeroy said:
I don't think is going to go away until I replace the pads (which dont even need replacing.... its just the pad wear sensor is broken).
Click to expand...
You can just cheat the system by shorting the two brake pad wear sensor wires together. You’ll find these at the base of the near-side-front suspension strut.

Cheers,

Tom
 
Welcome to the club! Looks like a special edition there - You will enjoy many miles of economical motoring with a TDI :)
 
74hp is enough for normal use, it doesn't feel underpowered. I've just changed from a similar 74hp Polo 1.2 TDI and that did feel very underpowered. Suppose it helps this is 300+kg lighter.
Click to expand...
Interesting. I didn't realise that a fairly standard diesel polo was over 300kg heavier than an A2. That's like having 3x Boris Johnsons bolted to your car.
 
sunsurfer said:
Interesting. I didn't realise that a fairly standard diesel polo was over 300kg heavier than an A2. That's like having 3x Boris Johnsons bolted to your car.
Click to expand...
Think he would serve more purpose being grinded up and used for car manufacturing than he would in his current role...

And to be fair the polo was like 15 years newer, its around 1200-1250kg just like any other supermini today (fiesta, corsa etc all weigh around that)
 
treeroy said:
Think he would serve more purpose being grinded up and used for car manufacturing than he would in his current role...

And to be fair the polo was like 15 years newer, its around 1200-1250kg just like any other supermini today (fiesta, corsa etc all weigh around that)
Click to expand...

Citron C4 Cactus weight is 1045-1180kg and I have no idea how. Not that I am a fan I just found it very interesting


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Edwrai said:
Citron C4 Cactus weight is 1045-1180kg and I have no idea how. Not that I am a fan I just found it very interesting


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

And Wikipedia quote 965kg - 1070kg for the cactus. Just how!


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Well I've now had it 4 weeks and done 1500 miles, definitely enough time to get to know the car and for its faults to reveal themselves.

- The aforementioned brake pad sensor fault - the pads do have a ton of life left (were fitted less than 12months ago) but Ive discovered that the discs are warped, so I'll need to replace the pads & discs before MOT in March. At least I dont have to muck around with dodgy broken sensor, I have to just replace them.

- Climate control doesn't work. It's just always hot.

- The temperature gauge doesn't seem to work... it sits at 60 when cold and then eventually increases to 65 and just stays there. Have done 4 hours of motorway driving and it still showed only 65 degrees. (Possibly linked to the climate control fault...?)

- I did have an engine light come on last week but it disappeared the next day.

Other than that, the car works fine so I'm pleased. The car always being baking hot is the most bothersome problem really. Replacing brakes is easy enough but suspect the heating issue will require a bit more time and effort....

A few other notes:

- The lack of interior storage space! WTF! It's like a Tardis in terms of its space and yet there is so little storage space! Door pockets barely big enough to hold a wallet let alone any sort of drink or something useful. And no proper cupholders is annoying. One of my cupholders doesn't work and the other is blocked by my phone holder. Just a bit annoying. The glove box is a decent size and the space above the glovebox is useful.

- The ride is a little hard, actually. I guess its just cheap old suspension. It doesn't bother me but I retract what I said originally about the ride being decent.

- It's actually quite fun to drive and corner! Wasn't expecting that.

- The 100 decibel GGRRRMRRRMRMRMRGMMRGMGRMM diesel engine noise is funny and a little bit endearing. :)

- Wind with windows open is flat out hysterical. Never driven a car that directs so much wind into your face. Suspect wind deflectors will not make a difference.

- Getting 55-60mpg, which is roughly the same as my Polo previously, maybe a few mpg less. Though I imagine this will improve with time.
 
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