Hello from Scotland

c.cwood

c.cwood

Member
Hi everyone, I'm not currently an A2 owner but hope to be soon. I'm on the lookout for a 1.4tdi but I'm on quite a tight budget and these cars seem to be holding value very well.

I'm needing a reliable car for a longer commute I'll be starting soon, the A2 fits the bill perfectly being cheap to tax and run while being a bit different and interesting. Currently I own a 1992 Citroen AX and a 1973 Volvo 144, not exactly cars I can depend on.

I've seen some very nice cars during my search and have probably been in touch with some of you on here but sadly nothing within my budget yet, I've paid my entry fee for the market so will keep watch for the right car. This forum will prove to be an invaluable resource I'm sure. Wish me luck!
 
Welcome!

For those of us actually in Scotland (and there are a fair few of us well spread around) - whereabouts are you?

We are around 15 minutes west of Dundee.

Worth pointing out that unless you are looking for a low mileage unicorn, and avoid absolute nails, a cheaper 1.4tdi isn't to be frightened of if you don't mind replacing all the usual bits - shocks, suspension bushes / refresh and so on, probably belts if needing done ; interior components can either be replaced or refurbished. Gearboxes can be replaced or refilled with new oil and wear parts in the shifter mech. Cars from within A2oc will have often had a lot of these things done already so comparing A2oc-sourced vehicles with an equivalent found online in the usual places will probably be really different in terms of what needs to be done to them for the same initial expenditure. The only options that can't be swapped (*) if you don't already have them on the car are the Opensky sunroof system, 4 seats when you need 5 or vice versa, and air conditioning (* there are folk out there who have swapped OSS in, but that is a piece of work only done by proper nut-jobs!).

Do you have any ideas in mind what you are looking for ? (ps, I'm not selling!). Best of luck!!
 
Robin_Cox said:
Welcome!

For those of us actually in Scotland (and there are a fair few of us well spread around) - whereabouts are you?

We are around 15 minutes west of Dundee.

Worth pointing out that unless you are looking for a low mileage unicorn, and avoid absolute nails, a cheaper 1.4tdi isn't to be frightened of if you don't mind replacing all the usual bits - shocks, suspension bushes / refresh and so on, probably belts if needing done ; interior components can either be replaced or refurbished. Gearboxes can be replaced or refilled with new oil and wear parts in the shifter mech. Cars from within A2oc will have often had a lot of these things done already so comparing A2oc-sourced vehicles with an equivalent found online in the usual places will probably be really different in terms of what needs to be done to them for the same initial expenditure. The only options that can't be swapped (*) if you don't already have them on the car are the Opensky sunroof system, 4 seats when you need 5 or vice versa, and air conditioning (* there are folk out there who have swapped OSS in, but that is a piece of work only done by proper nut-jobs!).

Do you have any ideas in mind what you are looking for ? (ps, I'm not selling!). Best of luck!!
Click to expand...
Thanks! I'm just outside Falkirk. The only feature I really would like is the webasto heater which sounds great for the winter, AC would be good too. Of course I'd like a fully loaded car but I need to be realistic, you never know maybe I'll be lucky.

I'm not afraid of doing a bit of work but I'd rather have something I can work on over time rather than needing a complete restoration before driving.
 
c.cwood said:
Thanks! I'm just outside Falkirk. The only feature I really would like is the webasto heater which sounds great for the winter, AC would be good too. Of course I'd like a fully loaded car but I need to be realistic, you never know maybe I'll be lucky.

I'm not afraid of doing a bit of work but I'd rather have something I can work on over time rather than needing a complete restoration before driving.
Click to expand...
If you're in Falkirk I believe there are a few people within a relatively short drive of your area (Glasgow conurbation, central belt, Fife etc.). If one of the proposed mechanical meets happens that could be a great opportunity for a bunch of us to converge once things get a bit more normal. @ICowie (somewhere near Kirkcaldy if I'm not mistaken) often has really nice cars for sale because he can't resist buying them and doing them up.

For a Webasto you need the earlier AMF-engined car where it was fitted as standard. Ours that has one is an 02 reg, I believe that the transition was somewhere within 03/53? reg depending on exact registration dates although that is open to correction from someone with more knowledge. My 04 BHC has the electric additional cabin heater rather than Webasto, and I am going to get a Scandinavian-spec plug-in coolant pre-heater I bought last year fitted this autumn having experienced how good the Webasto is in the last couple of cold snaps, bit of a no-brainer along with the winter tyre swap which kept our A2s mobile when others locally were struggling on snow and ice at various points.
 
Welcome aboard :)

To get the Webasto, you need a TDI made before the tail end of the 2002 model year, so an '02 plate at the latest. More of an issue will be finding one that you can prove is working, since it only activates at 7°C or under. You've probably read how it warms the cabin and the engine once the car is running, but many will have given up the ghost by now. Later cars had an electric heater element for the cabin but left the engine to heat up for itself, which the diesels are too efficient to be very good at.

Also of importance on the diesel is making sure the temperature gauge gets up to 90° and stays there, otherwise try and haggle off the cost of a thermostat and a coolant temp sensor. If it also needs a cambelt (every 60k or 5 years), these are things that are good to do while already in there as there is common labour in both jobs.

An '02 plate car will have had cast lower suspension arms from new, which is good, but ensure the balljoints on the ends are sound as they don't separate from the arm. Later cars from roughly 2003 had pressed steel arms, which as you may have seen on here, are prone to rusting out from the inside - you'd imagine even more so after a life of heavily salted roads in prolonged Scottish winters.

Good luck with your search, and enjoy it - you know you're looking for one of the best cars ever made ?
 
Robin_Cox said:
If you're in Falkirk I believe there are a few people within a relatively short drive of your area (Glasgow conurbation, central belt, Fife etc.). If one of the proposed mechanical meets happens that could be a great opportunity for a bunch of us to converge once things get a bit more normal. @ICowie (somewhere near Kirkcaldy if I'm not mistaken) often has really nice cars for sale because he can't resist buying them and doing them up.

For a Webasto you need the earlier AMF-engined car where it was fitted as standard. Ours that has one is an 02 reg, I believe that the transition was somewhere within 03/53? reg depending on exact registration dates although that is open to correction from someone with more knowledge. My 04 BHC has the electric additional cabin heater rather than Webasto, and I am going to get a Scandinavian-spec plug-in coolant pre-heater I bought last year fitted this autumn having experienced how good the Webasto is in the last couple of cold snaps, bit of a no-brainer along with the winter tyre swap which kept our A2s mobile when others locally were struggling on snow and ice at various points.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately I haven't got any Tdi's for sale at the minute plus any ones I would sell already have first dibs taken on them but like Robin says I can't resist buying them so might have something in the near future but well spec'd ones are getting harder and harder to find ? Saying that I'm taking delivery of a Votex kitted Tdi sport sometime tomorrow afternoon ?
 
Erlingtheyounger said:
Based on the last post on that let’s hope not!
Click to expand...
No this one had to be the bargain of the century, a 52 plate Tdi with 116k mot ran out and a bit rough round the edges, had more hits than the Beatles but a complete undamaged Votex kit for only £350 ? I really thought it must be a scam but my recovery driver picked it up today and is dropping it off tomorrow afternoon ?
 
Welcome to the forum. There are still some bargain A2s out there though you'll have to be quick to beat @ICowie. ? Seriously, many of the cars available have fallen into the old, cheap car category so will need a fair bit of TLC though there are a surprising amount still with their original owners. You're surrounded by people who are able to help, we're here to assist A2s find caring owners. I'm in Hamilton should you want to view the fleet(not touting for a sale) or discuss A2s.
 
Thanks everyone for all the information, I feel like I know more about what to look for now. I didn't realise the later models had an electric heater, I'm just fed up not being able to see in the winter until the car heats up so that would do the job ?. Do they all have this? That's an amazing deal on the Votex @ICowie.
 
Welcome to A2 ownership (well hopefully soon!). I purchased a 1.4tdi in February and have covered 6.5k miles since then. I live 25 miles south of Glasgow. Wealth of knowledge on here and everyone is really helpful. Good luck with your search!
 
c.cwood said:
Thanks everyone for all the information, I feel like I know more about what to look for now. I didn't realise the later models had an electric heater, I'm just fed up not being able to see in the winter until the car heats up so that would do the job ?. Do they all have this? That's an amazing deal on the Votex @ICowie.
Click to expand...
Yes, all TDI were equipped with auxiliary heating. The winter issue is exacerbated by moisture in the cabin which is often difficult to stop (particularly in our wet climate) though there are some known water entry points to check. Most obviously, check the battery compartment for water (caused by failed vents behind the rear bumper). Some members have also suffered with failed windscreen sealant, OSS equipped cars also have roof drains which can allow water inside.
 
c.cwood said:
Thanks everyone for all the information, I feel like I know more about what to look for now. I didn't realise the later models had an electric heater, I'm just fed up not being able to see in the winter until the car heats up so that would do the job ?. Do they all have this? That's an amazing deal on the Votex @ICowie.
Click to expand...
Hi c.cwood,
I’ve found that the Webasto can be tricked into running if above 7c by carefully placing a frozen ice pop on the sensor visible through the lower grill on drivers side & making sure the econ button is not selected,
(covered somewhere else on a thread )
Hope that helps
Keith.
 
damadgeruk said:
Yes, all TDI were equipped with auxiliary heating. The winter issue is exacerbated by moisture in the cabin which is often difficult to stop (particularly in our wet climate) though there are some known water entry points to check. Most obviously, check the battery compartment for water (caused by failed vents behind the rear bumper). Some members have also suffered with failed windscreen sealant, OSS equipped cars also have roof drains which can allow water inside.
Click to expand...
My tdi doesn't have the webasto heater and is terrible trying to get it warm in the winter . Should it have some other auxiliary heater instead ?
 
Neilf said:
My tdi doesn't have the webasto heater and is terrible trying to get it warm in the winter . Should it have some other auxiliary heater instead ?
Click to expand...
Yes, all UK TDIs were supplied equipped with a webasto or, almost certainly in the case of your 2003, a PTC electric auxiliary cabin heater. More information here...

PTC heater....

Hi, I don’t think the PTC heater is working correctly on my 2004MY AMF engined 1.4TDi SE. I find loads on info on the Webasto auxiliary heating system but not so much on the PTC. Here are my questions... Does it require the ambient temp to be 7 Celsius or less like the Webasto? Are there any...
www.a2oc.net
 
damadgeruk said:
Yes, all UK TDIs were supplied equipped with a webasto or, almost certainly in the case of your 2003, a PTC electric auxiliary cabin heater. More information here...

PTC heater....

Hi, I don’t think the PTC heater is working correctly on my 2004MY AMF engined 1.4TDi SE. I find loads on info on the Webasto auxiliary heating system but not so much on the PTC. Here are my questions... Does it require the ambient temp to be 7 Celsius or less like the Webasto? Are there any...
www.a2oc.net
Click to expand...
Thanks for that . Didn't realise they had this . Will need to investigate if mine works this winter .
 
Neilf said:
Thanks for that . Didn't realise they had this . Will need to investigate if mine works this winter .
Click to expand...
I've experienced the almost immediate heat though like @audifan also issues with the PTC cutting out as there are specific requirements for it to operate. Worth reading all the comments.
 
The Webasto pumps out 5kw of heating power when it’s running at full beans. There is a lot of engine and coolant to warm but it will bring it up and shuck the ice off the screen. It was really obvious when my Webasto stopped working and was a priority to sort - winter just wasn’t as easy!

Condensation is a problem if you are sitting inside for the warm up but I’ve got a set of Heko window covers so can leave the windows slightly cracked and that keeps moisture down. A good air con charge helps too.

Heated side mirrors are also ace and you can get heated washer jets too (I don’t have this last one).

Heater seats are the best in winter though… I’m glad I added this feature.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top