Hello! Just joined the A2 crew... any help with a few niggles?

[Mr Gear]

Hi all,

This forum has already been a good help to me when initially researching my purchase of an A2, so thanks for that!

Now I have got myself the car:
2000 X-reg 1.4 petrol, with 90,000 miles.

The car looks absolutely good as new. The neighbor genuinely thought I had bought a band-new car when I parked it on the drive. He couldn't believe it was older than my OLD car! Anyway, it wasn't about impressing him, I wanted a versatile small car that could also act like a van, and the A2 is perfect for that.

But after a few months of ownership, I have discovered a couple of annoying niggles, perhaps someone can help me with:

- The car drives beautifully on the whole, but it's a pig to maneuver at low speed (especially when slipping the clutch is required), such as reversing into a parking space. It either wants to rev wildly or stall, making me look like a total amateur driver! Does anyone else have this problem? Every other car I have ever driver can be crept forward or backward on the clutch alone without any need to touch the accelerator, but this just stalls without putting up a fight.

Does the A2 have a stall-control or any kind of electric clutch control that might have broken? I put this down to come kind of fuel injection glitch, but it could be any number of things I am not aware of.

- The headlight adjuster switch doesn't adjust the headlight. I can hear the motor run under the bonnet when the switch is used, but the mechanical link must be broken. Are there are guides on here to replacing the adjust motor that I can look at? I had a search, but couldn't find anything suitable.

- There is something that rattles inside the dashboard... drives me freaking mad! But I don't expect anyone can help with that!

- Finally, any tips on good Audi specialists in SW London would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[dan_b]

Welcome!
I can't really help you with your petrol engine-related queries but I'm sure someone will be along in a minute.
Whereabouts in SW London are you? I've used, variously, Fontain Motors in Iver and Surrey Lodge Motors in Wraysbury, both of whom are independent VAG specialists within a reasonable schlep from SW London...

Rattles can be a nightmare to track down but there are a few common places to investigate. Can you describe the rattle? Sometimes the bonnet retaining brackets are a cause of rattle - packing them with grease can help. My glovebox rattles sometimes too!

 

[Mr Gear]

Welcome!
I can't really help you with your petrol engine-related queries but I'm sure someone will be along in a minute.
Whereabouts in SW London are you? I've used, variously, Fontain Motors in Iver and Surrey Lodge Motors in Wraysbury, both of whom are independent VAG specialists within a reasonable schlep from SW London...

Rattles can be a nightmare to track down but there are a few common places to investigate. Can you describe the rattle? Sometimes the bonnet retaining brackets are a cause of rattle - packing them with grease can help. My glovebox rattles sometimes too!

Thanks for the quick response! I live near Kingston/Hampton Court so either of the places you mentioned are do-able. Having dropped the Google Streetview man outside Fountain, it's reassuring to see an A2 parked outside the garage!

The most annoying rattle comes from the bottom right of the windscreen, somewhere down near the bonnet, so I will definitely have a look at the retaining brackets. It sounds like a slightly muted teaspoon in a teacup being given a shake every time I go over a slight bump. Sort of metallic or like broken glass maybe. I can't accurately locate it because it only rattles when the vehicle is in motion, and I can't drive and stick my ear into that part of the car at the same time!

There is also a creaky kinda noise that I can stop by squeezing the centre console, so I should be able to fix that one in time.

 

[a2sumo]

Hi and welcome. The 1.4 petrol is usually ver smooth, so the common issue with any stalling and poor low speed running is the throttle body needs cleaning. If you look at the "how to" section there is a step by step guide on how to perform this task. I agree the windscreen area noise is most likely to be the bonnet retainer- some sticky backed foam is another solution.
Hope this helps cheers mike. Oh yes why not join us on a social at some time.

 

[dan_b]

Fontain have 2 A2s as their courtesy cars, one petrol and one diesel I think.

Definitely sounds like the bonnet catch is the prime candidate for rattling then - give it a go!

Thanks for the quick response! I live near Kingston/Hampton Court so either of the places you mentioned are do-able. Having dropped the Google Streetview man outside Fountain, it's reassuring to see an A2 parked outside the garage!

The most annoying rattle comes from the bottom right of the windscreen, somewhere down near the bonnet, so I will definitely have a look at the retaining brackets. It sounds like a slightly muted teaspoon in a teacup being given a shake every time I go over a slight bump. Sort of metallic or like broken glass maybe. I can't accurately locate it because it only rattles when the vehicle is in motion, and I can't drive and stick my ear into that part of the car at the same time!

There is also a creaky kinda noise that I can stop by squeezing the centre console, so I should be able to fix that one in time.

 

[Aivarukas]

- There is something that rattles inside the dashboard... drives me freaking mad! But I don't expect anyone can help with that!

Welcome to A2 club. Most annoying bug in A2 - rattles. They are literally everywhere! Bonnet, glovebox, door trims are the main rattle sources.

 

[Mr Gear]

Thanks guys very helpful. I'll report back when I've had a chance to get the spanners out. It's too wet today for me to be grovelling around out there!