My A2 'blog'...

[<tuffty/>]

Would you actual fecking believe it!!!... was at our local Sainsbury today on my way to Bill's in the S3... and another a**hole reversed into the bumper!!! FFS!!!

...and the worst bit...

I didn't see it happen but luckily there was a witness who had taken all the details down and waited for me to return... actually reinstated my faith in people... apart from the a**hole who drove into the car of course..

I have called the police and gave the details and the insurance company know too... guess I will have to wait and see what happens...

I am massively annoyed that people think this ok to do and tbh I am glad that it was only the bumper and hoping that they can do a smart repair on it rather than take the car to a body shop... if that happens then I am not sure I will pursue it as I really don't want to leave my car with anyone I don't know...

The scuff should mostly polish out but the cracking from the deformation will mean it needs paint..

What is it with people!!!??!!

<tuffty/>

 

[vespa166]

Feel for you mate, few years back on a visit to the local Tesco's I parked in the furthest quietest parking bay I could find, on return to the car I found a shopping trolley had made its way from the other end of the car park and left its imprint in the side of my car

 

[<tuffty/>]

Does my head in mate... thats both cars now and both times it was a blue car that did it!!!... apparently the witness said she looked straight at the guy after he had done it and he knew he had done it but drove off anyway!!

I can go on for ages about how people park!!!... lol

<tuffty/>

 

[<tuffty/>]

Not so much an update as such but a list of plans for 2015...

The A2 has been doing her main role as the daily and not missed a beat... gave her a wash for the first time in months as tbh with the weather the way it is and the motorway mileage I do its fairly pointless doing it too often..

Plans for 2015 are:

Headlight refurb... the drivers side light is looking a little iffy so will give them a refurb to freshen them up and get them clear looking again..

Some sort of suspension upgrade... not sure of what as yet as I am not looking to spend a fortune or lower the car too much but currently researching the options... I don't want coil overs particularly but I am looking to poly bush the beam and front arms....

I have recently finished the suspension mods to my S3 and she rides beautifully on billy B8's and fully poly bushed... I also have camber plates on the front that have transformed the handling... not planning on anything quite that drastic with the A2 but at least I know what the extreme feels like now

Refurb the wheels... not going to buy anything fancy... I like the lightness of the std 16's so will get them sorted and as I have two sets will keep a set as winters too...

Full detail including a machine polish and protection detail using my favourite product for silver Jeff's Werkstat Acrylic...

An engine build... the old girl is not far off 170k miles now... and while I have no doubt there is plenty left in the current engine I do plan to source a lowish mileage 1.4tdi lump from a newer car and do some work on it...

Potential plans are to fit 2ltr pistons or similar to take the capacity up a bit, hybrid the turbo using a billet compressor wheel for a size up from the existing one... this 'should' give more flow for similar spool... I will also have a look into the possibility of using a VNT turbo (from the 90) as this spools more quickly... not sure what other changes I need as yet as derv tuning is a new one for me...

Ultimately I am looking to build a solid engine that will give the A2 a new lease of life... I have no plans to get rid of her as she does exactly what I need and have the S3 for fun...

Will look into the various gearbox options too... most of my mileage is motorway stuff so would be nice to get a little more economy from her... options being the six speed conversion or the Polo Bluemotion gearbox swap from what I understand...

There maybe other stuff I may do as and when it crops up but the main aim is to get the car solid and reliable as the daily so I don't have to worry about her mileage causing me issues getting to work..

Bill got hold of a corner weight kit recently to help set up his race car for Castle Combe... would have been rude not to weigh the A2 or the S3 of course

The A2...

Was quite happy with that as Bill's 1.8t Lupo clocked in at 1047kg's and thats a much smaller car than the A2 is

Obviously had to see what the S3 weighed in at....

Quite a bit heavier lol... but then she does have 4WD and 480hp so not too worried

The shocking one was Bill's 07 plate Leon Cupra... that weighed in at 1433kg's!!... was quite surprised how lardy a FWD Mk5 chassis car is...

Looking forward to doing a little work on the A2 now that the list of mods left to do on the S3 has diminished somewhat... I still have cams to fit and have got hold of an RNS-E to retro fit to the S3 but beyond that it will be more replacing stuff that wearing out pre-emptively or other wise

Happy 2015 everyone

<tuffty/>

 

[<tuffty/>]

So an update thats actually about the A2 today

I had had a knocking noise from the front for a little while now... have not had much chance to look into it recently although I did get her up on a ramp over christmas but couldn't actually spot anything at the time... the noise has been getting worse recently (no thanks to the state of our wonderful roads!) and was similar to the 'rattle' I used to get on my Mk2 Golf which was a front top mount/bearing... ordered some up from GSF and thought I would give them a try as nothing obvious was leaping out...

Had to go 'old skool' and work without a ramp as Bill is a bit busy at the moment...

Started to remove the strut...

...then after I had undone the ARB drop link from the strut I noticed the ARB was moving a little more than is normal...

[video=youtube_share;6X4JMI_gbv4]http://youtu.be/6X4JMI_gbv4[/video]

AhHa!!... this explains quite a bit... had a look at the other side and the bush was 'ok' (both will of course get changed) but the bottom joint of the ARB drop link had a lot of play...

Closer inspection of the worn side revealed that a previous 'owner' had used tape to pack out the bush...

Seems a false economy as they would have had to remove the bush to do this and they are only a few quid to replace!!... obviously I didn't have any bushes so I have used some rubber to pack it out until I can get some on order...

No point in carrying on with the top mounts, I'll do the lot once the bushes and drop links arrive... hopefully should have a ramp too...

To make me (and the car) feel better I thought she deserved a good wash... poor old girl has done a couple of thousand miles in this crappy weather and is covered in salt and other grime...

Wash under the arches and as much of the underside as I could get too

Snow foam, rinse, wash, rinse...

...and she is all clean again

Not a wasted day thankfully... have found the source of my knocking finally and have a nice clean and salt free car... result!

<tuffty/>

 

[<tuffty/>]

The bodge I used for the ARB bush worked well... the drop link was still knocking every now and then but at least it didn't sound like the artillery barrage its been for the past few weeks

No ramp again today so just did the rattly bits...

The worn bush was 2mm larger internally...

Replaced both bushes... bolts came out ok thankfully considering the old girl looks like she was parked in a lake at some point in her life lol

The drop link was pretty well gone...
[video=youtube_share;IOYHhHfeHjo]http://youtu.be/IOYHhHfeHjo[/video]

...I can see why I missed it the last time I had her up on the ramp... loaded up under tension the drop link did not move at all...

New drop link fitted...

The drive back home from the unit was a revelation!... I can't believe I left it this long lol... parked her up in front of the S3 for a sneaky pic of the fleet

Just need to get the top mounts done but tbh that can wait... I think I will replace all the front bushes, ball joints and clean up the suspension arms all in one go... should last another 100k at least lol

<tuffty/>

 

[manhattan$]

What brand of drop links and bushes did you use?

I just fitted Meyle HD drop links and also want to replace the arb bushes next.

Were the bushes quite easy to fit? Which side do you remove the bolts on the arb?

 

[<tuffty/>]

What brand of drop links and bushes did you use?

I just fitted Meyle HD drop links and also want to replace the arb bushes next.

Were the bushes quite easy to fit? Which side do you remove the bolts on the arb?

I used cheap vtech ones from GSF tbh... if they go in less than a year then they will get replaced... if they go more than a year then I will eventually replace both with Meyle or OE...

Bushes are pretty easy tbh... they bolt through from the front... makes life easier if you undo the drop links first though as this relieves a bit of tension on the bush bracket and makes it easier to get a sockt in... on the drivers side where the driveshaft is a bit thicker I had to jack the suspension up a little to allow me to get the socket onto the lower bolt

<tuffty/>

 

[manhattan$]

Thanks for the info.

Whats next on your A2 list?

 

[<tuffty/>]

Thanks for the info.

Whats next on your A2 list?

Not sure yet... I have done a fair bit of preventative maintenance in the hope that she will carry on doing what I bought her for (daily commute) while I wind down modding the S3... cams are going into the S3 next so should be the last of the major expenditure for a while so I can start saving for the engine rebuild I want to do on the A2..

Need to refurb the headlights so might do that one weekend soon

<tuffty/>

 

[<tuffty/>]

A few things planned for next month...

Still have a 'clunk' on the offside front for some reason... really not sure what it is as yet but seeing as the old girl turned 170k recently I am going to replace all front bushes, the ball joints and the lower suspension arms (mine are very very rusty)...

Will post up the pics when I have done the work... also planning to fit the new top mount and bearings as I already have them...

In other news... finally got the cams fitted to the S3 and got her on the dyno today... no mapping tweaks yet just a few runs to make sure all is ok... was quite surprised at the results...

The graphs represent same(ish) boost and standard 1.8t cams vs my Badger 5 spec ones...

Apologies of course... I know its not an A2 but... one of the reasons I have the A2 is that is allows me to lavish a little on my weekend car

This is quite a milestone in honesty... pretty much draws a line under the main modding of the S3... this now means I can start focusing on the A2 and as mentioned before I have plans to rebuild the engine and do some subtle tweaks here and there to make her a little different

My cars really are like chalk and cheese and I love them both for it

<tufty/>

 

[gcr5868]

Hi Tuffty,

I've got hold of a good (non-slipping clutch) second hand compressor via the eBay route to replace my duff one and was looking for some advice.

1. I've read a lot about oil (PAG 46 I think) for the compressor. Did you have to use any for the replacement unit and if so where did you fill it?
2. Seals - can you give me a pointer as to where you sourced them please?
3. Access - was it simply a case of removing the bottom access panel or was this a front bumper off job?

Hopefully my local garage will be able to do the work, but I'd be grateful for any tips I can give them prior to them doing the job.

Graeme.

 

[<tuffty/>]

Hi Tuffty,

I've got hold of a good (non-slipping clutch) second hand compressor via the eBay route to replace my duff one and was looking for some advice.

1. I've read a lot about oil (PAG 46 I think) for the compressor. Did you have to use any for the replacement unit and if so where did you fill it?
2. Seals - can you give me a pointer as to where you sourced them please?
3. Access - was it simply a case of removing the bottom access panel or was this a front bumper off job?

Hopefully my local garage will be able to do the work, but I'd be grateful for any tips I can give them prior to them doing the job.

Graeme.

Hi mate

Compressor change was done wit the bumper on... no need to remove it but space is a little tight when undoing stuff...

The oil is normally added as part of the gas refill... speak with whoever you are going to use to refill your gas... assuming you still have gas in the system I woudl suggest you get them to drain it out before doing the work..

Seals I got from Audi/TPS...

Part numbers should be here...
http://www.partsbase.org/audi/audi-a2-a2-eu-2004-26041-a-c-condenser-refrigerant-circuit/

...but double check them with Audi before committing

<tuffty/>

 

[gcr5868]

Hi Tuffty,

Many thanks for the quick reply. The link for the seals is useful and it makes sense to fit new rather than try to re-use the old ones that could be damaged when replacing the unit. Good news on the compressor oil. I had an A/C specialist come to check the system and recovered the contents once the broken compressor was diagnosed so it was safe to work on at a later date. As you say, I'll check with whoever refills the system to make sure the oil is included.

Graeme.

 

[<tuffty/>]

Managed to grab a ramp today to fit some parts I have been accumulating over the past few months...

Dropped the subframe as this makes things easier... I did mark the position first but will need an alignment anyway...

Just as well I got around to this as the passenger side arm is shot...

As is the way with old cars they always fight you... bolt picked up on the way out of the alloy subframe support...

So cleaned it with a tap...

Rear bushes need to be in correct alignment for them to work properly so marked up on the old bush before removing..

...and marked up the new bushes

Continued in next post (10 image limit)

<tuffty/>

 

[<tuffty/>]

Continued....

Drilled out the rubber and pressed out the centre of the bush...

and slit the alloy outer shell of the bush to allow it to be easily knocked out...

Pressed in new bushes and reassembled the subframe...

Seeing as the bolts were a little reluctant to come out I went round the steering rack and subframe captive nuts with a tap to clean them out...

Bolted up the subframe loosely then moved on to the next job... the strut tops..

Knocked the strut out of the upright..

Drivers side strut access is a little limited due to this little lot..

Its awkward to get to the bolts to move it all out the way but...

3 bolts and remove the strut...

Span off the top nut and removed the old and rather worn strut top...

Continued in next post...

<tuffty/>

 

[<tuffty/>]

Continued....

New strut top fitted...

Passenger side was a bit easier lol...

Last thing to do was to check the tracking... I am going to get it laser aligned fairly soon but needed to get it half about as I need to use the car without destroying the tyres in the meantime

As I suspected it was worthwhile checking...

...a bit of old skool adjustment later...

Awesome... happy with that but the steering wheel is a little off centre... I could have spent another half an hour tweaking but it was already a long day and this is good enough until I get it laser aligned

One last thing I spotted while working in the engine bay...

The car has been feeling a little lethargic recently and this looks like a boost leak so cleaned it up and tightened the clip a bit more...

A good (long) days work and the car feels tighter now with its new suspension bits and no more 'twanging' from the springs when I go full lock...

The car also seems to pick up better and feel stronger so must have had that boost leak for a little while...

Result

<tuffty/>

 

[a2sumo]

A great write up and must say the painted wishbones look lovely-DAMN IT another job

 

[<tuffty/>]

A great write up and must say the painted wishbones look lovely-DAMN IT another job

They came like that (they are new) but I 'may' have given the steel part of the subframe a clean and a quick once over with paint lol

Got the parts from All German Parts... the arms don't come with the front bushes and they are a right pain to press in lol

<tuffty/>

 

[AUDI2012]

Great work Tuffty! As always you provide excellent shots so, one can get a understanding of things better.

Absolutley marvellous!