I've Got an A2 Again

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

splarger

Guest
Hello all,

I used to have an A2 about 3 years ago but got rid of it as I had so many problems. I recognise a few of the regulars here from back then but I am under a new name as I couldn't remember my old login.

Well I had to get another. I kept seeing them and wishing I had a good one so I seen a used one in my price range and took the plunge.

Mixed feelings so far. The car still looks great, is fun to drive and I enjoy getting into it each time I drive. However.......

It has spent over 2 weeks in the garage since getting it less than 2 months ago. It was bought from a Honda garage and they really went to town on getting it right for me when I took it back. Thumbs up to my local Honda garage for that as the local Audi Garage (Braehead in Glasgow) is an utter joke. Honda passed it to them with a problem they couldn't fix and the lack of effort by Audi was disgusting. They basically just said there was nothing wrong with it and handed it back so the Honda garage tried their best to get it right. They really really tried (as I said, kept it for 2 weeks, invited me in to go out in it with a mechanic a few times till I was happy) but they were not totally succesfull.

I'll leave my intro here as I don't want to be too long winded so I'll list my current issues with the car later.

I have accepted that if I want to own this unique and distinctive wee car I'll need to get my fingers dirty and learn how to look after it myself so I am looking for some good reference material on doing pretty much anything I can to it from changing oil to stripping the interior.

I'll admit I'm a bit of a car maintenance novice but I learn real fast and just need the right guidance.

I may be a little frustrated but it's good to have an A2 again.

My A2 is:

1.4 (petrol) SE
51 plate (2001)
Azure Blue ( I think, nice cool sky blue colour - not the light blue)

So hello to all again and I hope to enjoy getting my wee A2 right with your help so I can properly enjoy owning what has been a favourite car of mine from the moment I 1st seen one.

Cheers,

Jamie.
 
Good to have you back.
Hope the problems get sorted soon.
cheers

andy

1.4TDI SE, DIS ,Leather ,CD ,ipod ,Climate ,Road Angel ,Tom Tom Go.
 
like to know what the problem was which kept the car in the garage for so long. I too bought an A2 51 plate had it over a year now not too many problems my Audi garage can't do enough for me they are really good. I did buy the car from a main dealer with the usual warranty. used it a few times problems always been sorted first time even when I think "they won't find this" they do. thumbs up to my Audi dealership (so far so good)[24]

1.4 PETROL A2 BLACK WITH OPEN SKY AND REAR BENCH SEAT
 
Well I finally remembered my original login name. Spangler is no more :)

My A2 is going in again unfortunately. Unless I learn to maintain this car myself I really don't think I can put up with it. Really annoying as I love the A2 but I just can't seem to get a good un.

Problems so far:

-Engine coolant leak - Fixed
-Strange chirping noise as I accelerate in 1st and 2nd gear - Fixed but has returned
-Passenger front window makes a droning sound as it goes down - Fixed but has returned
- AM radio reception useless - constant noise makes it unlistenable (I think I remember this being an inherent fault of the A2)
- Power steering works when it feels like it - almost caused an accident recently - going in to get looked at this week.
- Seems to have developed a humming noise that starts to get noticeable at about 30mph. It's pitch changes with increased speed but pushing the clutch in and allowing the revs to drop makes no difference - not complained about it as I am wondering if it is just a quirk of the car. It's not terrible but I think it's getting louder. Either that or I am going mad.
- pulled to the left - got this fixed, needed a new tyre.
- The electrics seem to have a mind of their own. Half the time my automatic electric windows go down and up in 1 go and half the time you have to hold the button down. Also it has started only unlocking the drivers door when I unlock the car when it feels like it.

I am losing all confidence fast with this car again. I have several months of warranty left but after that I either learn to fix it myself or get rid of it as it will cost me a fortune to keep fixing it.

So many good things but too many bad things aswell.

Am I destined never to get a good one?
 
Which model did you have before ?

hull.gif
 
Does anyone who has a 1.4 find it abit under powered ?

hull.gif

tactile2.gif
 
Hi Jamie,

Sorry to hear about your problems. I think the differences in manufacturing / quality checks probably have something to do with it. I am on my 3rd A2:

#1 - 1.4 Sport - had a creaking coming from below the gearbox.
#2 - 1.6 FSI Sport - had a creaking coming from behind the dash.
#3 - 1.6 FSI SE - almost perfect (the drivers door window doesn't always auto-close - sometimes needs some hand encouragement - but daren't take it in to be fixed in case Audi introduce any new rattles/creaks!).

I was lucky that I found a dealer that was so accomodating - and allowed me to order up replacement vehicles each time. After driving 7 different A2s in total (as I had various A2s as courtesy cars whilst Audi attempted to fix issues with the first 2), it also allowed me to get exactly the spec I wanted. (And yes tactile, I also thought the 1.4 was a little underpowered - the 1.6, whilst not very quick off the mark - is fine for my motorway cruising).

Ben

[img=left]http://www.drn.org/saab-audi-80.png"[/img=left]Drn

A2 1.6 FSI SE | Ebony | Sports seats | Open sky | Various extras

Saab 9-3 Aero | Black | All the trimmings
 
quote:Does anyone who has a 1.4 find it abit under powered ?
Click to expand...
Have had them as courtesy cars and find the 1.4 petrol a bit marginal for power. Certainly not an overtaking car. 1.4 TDi better, fine once you get it moving.

Elsewhere in the garage:
RS4 nearly fast enough.
Motorcyle possibly a little too fast...

Cheers, Richard.

5a5bpg

2001 RS4, Standard 380bhp. A2 Tdi ordered.
 
i had owned an a2 since new a 1.4 se with every bell and whistle imaginable.
i opted out of a company car scheme 3 yrs ago and looked at all the options,good mpg ,good build quality,high spec car with a good pedigree etc etc,
HOW WRONG CAN ONE MAN BE!!!!!!!
3 years of absolute torture,77000 in three years and an absolute bloody nightmare of an experience that i would never even contemplate doing again infact i can safely say that it was the worst experience so far in my life .
water pump after 5k ,4x window motors,8 drop link arms ,new wiper motor ,sump off twice due to breaking dipsticks,4x concert audio units due to poor am reception,2 x new tailgates due to same reason,
the inability to get tyres for it (dont do p6000s the noise is horrendous)
Drive shaft modifications due to clonk on take up of drive,the innaffective wiper blade ,the screach you get from back brake drums after its rained or you wash it(dont ever jet wash it around the rear wheels)The overpriced non interested audi dealers when they realise its an a2 in for service ,talk to the technicians idid for three years ,and their opinion is the same ,they hate working on them as well.
And after 3 yrs of nurturing this car ,caring where i parked it ,polishing it ,keeping the leather inside soft and conditioned ,the car was in mint condition ,after 5 weeks of advertising in all the top flight media mags etc .....not one call
so i p/xd it.how to loose £9500 in 3 yrs buy an a2 and suffer week in week out with some sort of issue or another..............................SO MY QUESTION IS WHY THE **** DID YOU GET ANOTHER ONE.I mean if its stress your after get divorced/married /move house .I personally would rather walk across a minefield in snow skis than endure that again.
For the record I lived in this car daily 2K miles a week ,not the odd trip to tescos and the gym and my only solace was to get home and get out of it,if it was a horse they would have shot it,but instead somebody invented 100 pound an hour techs to try and shaft you into beleiving its aone off and "weve never had one do that before"
Sorry to all of you who might take offence to this post but its a few years of pent up anger and frustration that i needed to vent.
PS. amazing that when the wife takes the 2004 a4 in to the dealer its yes sir no sir cant do enough for you sir ,but if youve got an a2 ...........well nuff said
 
quote:3 years of absolute torture ... the worst experience so far in my life
Click to expand...

Thanks for the honest feedback. Having just ordered an A2 you've got me worried, but fingers crossed.

By the way I'm amused to recall your advert when selling the above vehicle...
http://www.a2forum.net/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3821
I realise you couldn't really put "absolute torture" in the ad...[13]

Good luck with your next car - what have you gone for?

Cheers, Richard.

5a5bpg

2001 RS4, Standard 380bhp. A2 Tdi ordered.
 
Proof if ever you needed it that there will always be 'Friday afternoon cars', irrespective of the make or model. Issues of diabolical build quality caused me to hate my Saxo VTR with a passion when thousands of other owners would strongly dissagree with me.

Consider for instance how an owner of an Aston Martin Vanquish could ever find cause to complain. Majority consensus is that the Vanquish is one of the most beautiful and distinquished GT's in the world. And yet (apparently) all owners complain incessantly about the appauling gearbox!!

Adrian, its certain to say that your A2 was a complete dog! And yet you'll find very many happy A2 owners out there. I think I've at least partly resigned myself to the fact that happy ownership of any car requires a certain degree of tolerance! (Although no-one could have put up with the cr*p you went through!)

Phil. TDi Sport, silver, with Climate and OpenSky.
 
I have had my 3.5 year Audi for a year now and it goes well. Bit under powered I think but good mpg. faults so far: dodgy drivers window(stopped going down when turning steering wheel) thats fixed. fault oil sensor now fixed. faulty steeering sensor now fixed. Thats about it but i am sure something else will go wrong but thats the joy of having a car. So far its better than most cars I have had.

1.4 PETROL A2 BLACK WITH OPEN SKY AND REAR BENCH SEAT
 
Sorry to hear about your trouble Adrian. My car is fine compared to that.

Why did I get another? Well I've just always liked the A2 for a number of reasons and I know there are good ones out there (I've driven a few courtesy ones in my time which were fine - strangely all diesel ones).

I ended up with the petrol one again as the diesel ones were just out my price range and I seen a petrol one at a good price.

I'll ask again if anyone has any good source of reference to maintain an A2. If I can't learn to do it myself then I'll need to get rid of it before the dealer warranty runs out.

Ironically I sold my Honda Civic for the A2. Now that's a reliable car. Boring (unless it's a type R) and is simply "a car" but it done it's job with aploomb.

As for underpowered well I knew it was only a 1.4 so wasn't expecting much but the engine is eager and sounds quite good when getting pushed i think.

Anyone here got a chipped diesel A2 - that would be pretty nippy.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top