New A2 convert

Didgesteve

Didgesteve

Member
Persuaded by a good friend that A2’s are the way to go. So I’ve just bought a 2003 tdi 75 S2.
Joined the A2 club.
Seems to be a good runner, drove 300 miles home after collecting it and have started commuting to work without any issues. A very comfy ride compared to the Smart I had previously.
So I am looking for someone to work on my A2 in South Wales.
Can anyone recomend a friendly mechanic in that area?
Also looking to get the stereo upgraded to Bose, again, any recomendation gratefully recieved.
 
Hi Steve

I supply parts to the forum and luckily I'm based in South Wales.

I've also got a very good mechanic in Aberdare that I use. He's not a vw audi specialist but certainly knows his way around a tool box and is very reasonable.
 
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Hi Digesteve :)

Welcome to the club! Nice to see another local enthusiast.

What have you got planned for your 75? Have you got anymore pics of her?

Sam
 
Well, one of the reasons I bought the A2 is the fact that I'm looking at over 1000 miles of motorway per month, so I was attracted to the great mileage and comfy ride. I really want to try a 6 speed gearbox, as I've noticed that the revs are pretty high, even when cruising at 70. Also essential for the long drives is a good stereo. I was delighted to hear that there's a Bose setup as standard, can't wait.

Problems so far:
The car has some horrible after market rims, that I'm not that impressed with, I've bought some stock 16"'s off ebay, so we'll see if some 185/50 tryres improve the ride.
There's also some water coming out of the expansion tank, which after some googling points to either a new water pump or head gasket, eek. The aircon doesn't work, but might just need repressurising.

I'm after some tips to get better milage, someone suggested taking the back seats out to save weight, which makes sense. Anything else?
Here's a pick of the inside and out, is that a stock steering wheel?
View media item 32593
View media item 32592
View media item 32591
 
yes the steering wheel looks to be stock.
A remap will likely improve your MPG by about 4 mpg if you drive the car the same before and after (have a look at my remap thread) pretty much everyone who as bought one of my remaps will confirm that it is the best £30 they have spent on their A2
Tire pressure make a difference to MPG, as does keep the speed down, cruise control helps a lot with this as well as stopping your right foot hurting after a long drive.
I offer an alternative to the 6 speed box which is in the region of £500 plus fitting, add a clutch kit to that (as it would be unwise to do this work without fitting a new clutch kit) and you are looking easily at £1000.
I offer a 'long 5th gear' which provides the same ratio as the 6th gear, there is a bigger gap between 4th and 5th, but this is very manageable.
A remapped TDI75 will pull well in long 5th from 45 mph, 40mph if you are in no rush. 70mph is reduced to 2230 revs (from 2800), the noise reduction is noticeable and economy if up by 5mpg
The long 5th gear cost £270 including a refill of gearbox oil with new Audi oil and cable adjustment
Please don't think that I am on a sales pitch here, just trying to answer some of your questions

Cheers,
Paul
 
Looks a good one to me :) The red leather steering wheel, hand brake cover and gear gaitor are standard with the red leather seats.

BOSE is a bonus as you say.

I'm currently about to go with the longer 5th gear, as @depronman mentions above, should be well worth it. I'm mainly doing it as my 3rd gear is starting to fail (210k miles currently), and I managed to get a complete gearbox for pretty much nothing.

@depronman is there a way to adjust the speedo along with the extra gear?

Cruise control I now find essential.
 
Before worrying about head gaskets etc (but not saying that this isn't the issue) - if the expansion tank lid has never been replaced and the car is 15+ years old, think about the lid - there is an o-ring built into this that (on both of my A2s) was no longer "touching the sides". When the system heats up, especially if you're working the car, liquid was pushing past the o-ring instead of the o-ring sealing to the tank aperture and allowing the system to become pressurised above atmospheric to prevent boiling. Febi part number 14700 costs between 7 and 10 quid online and this will hopefully solve your problem - I've bought 2. I can and will also vouch for Paul's remaps and engineering prowess - I don't think that many owner / enthusiast clubs have a resource like we have here with options for performance / specification / modernisation options through various members of whom Paul is one of the stand-outs. Good luck - and welcome!
 
When you say the air-con doesn't work, is there anything coming out (ie fan working) or is it just not cold? The air-con units can be a bit troublesome and have a few perculiarities, which if you put down your symptoms there is probably someone on here who will be able to assist/advise.
 
Robin_Cox said:
Before worrying about head gaskets etc (but not saying that this isn't the issue) - if the expansion tank lid has never been replaced and the car is 15+ years old, think about the lid - there is an o-ring built into this that (on both of my A2s) was no longer "touching the sides". When the system heats up, especially if you're working the car, liquid was pushing past the o-ring instead of the o-ring sealing to the tank aperture and allowing the system to become pressurised above atmospheric to prevent boiling. Febi part number 14700 costs between 7 and 10 quid online and this will hopefully solve your problem - I've bought 2. I can and will also vouch for Paul's remaps and engineering prowess - I don't think that many owner / enthusiast clubs have a resource like we have here with options for performance / specification / modernisation options through various members of whom Paul is one of the stand-outs. Good luck - and welcome!
Click to expand...
Thanks Robin, always nice to be appreciated
Cheers,
Paul
 
I'd recommend 185/55 x 16 tyres rather than 50-profile. I've got Pirelli P1s which are lovely and comfortable but shockingly expensive. Speedo then reads dead-on.
 
sciroccorrado said:
When you say the air-con doesn't work, is there anything coming out (ie fan working) or is it just not cold? The air-con units can be a bit troublesome and have a few perculiarities, which if you put down your symptoms there is probably someone on here who will be able to assist/advise.
Click to expand...

No cold air comes out, regardless of temperature set. I ventured to Halfords for a 'top up', but the staff noticed that there was no pressure at all, regardless of the aircon being on or off. He suggested that maybe getting it repressurised my fix it.
 
Our 2nd A2 didn't blow cold - gave me an impression of cool-ish when I picked it up. I checked both with our local Halfords service centre, and the local Kwikfit. For the Halfords, it was basically £30 pressure check and £30 filling. For the KF - they checked if it would take pressure at the start of the process. If it would, £60 payable for filling it up, If it wouldn't - no charge. On this basis I went with KF (our local one is pretty decent - I've used them on and off for various things (but not tyres or shocks!) for nearly 20 years and am happy with what they've done for me in that time, bearing in mind that their reputation varies considerably from place to place and in some places name is mud, possibly for good reasons). Ice cold air thereafter, although there are some other flap motor issues in the nether regions of the dash that will need sorting at some point.
 
Robin_Cox said:
BTW - are you actually another Steve? This place is turning into a variation of the Monty Python "Australians" sketch, just with everyone being called Steve or Ian instead of Bruce.
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Haha - yes, I'm called Steve, pleased to be in good company.
 
I've used Woodlands Service Station in the past, not sure if it's Ystradgynlais or Ystalyfera but I remember that the pub nearly is the All Blacks Inn. Most helpful, nothing too much of a problem.
 
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