New A2 Owner - York

[esayem]

Hi all, I’m Sam – I picked up my first A2 earlier this week! It’s not in great shape and has a few issues that need sorting but I was looking for a project and have always loved these cars. With 71000 miles on the clock the £850 I paid for it seemed like a decent deal (especially with 12 months MOT), but I’d be interested to hear what you all think? The car has a 1.4 petrol (BBY) engine and the spec is extremely basic.

I believe the car is finished in cobalt blue metallic paint but please correct me if I'm wrong - I've not been able to locate the information sticker to confirm this yet (I've checked the service book and battery storage compartment). The car will be getting a deep clean soon and then I'll start trying to address the major issues:

• Intermittent misfiring/engine cutting out - I suspect this is the ignition coils but may also be due to a lambda (or other) sensor failure.
• Driver door doesn't unlock with the key fob, but it does lock with the key fob and unlock with a key turn - possible microswitch problem?
• Fuel cap button doesn't work - likely related to the door locking issue.
• No cambelt change history so this will need to be done soon.

Once these are sorted I plan to start on the more minor issues (paintwork, headlights, alloys, trim pieces etc.), as well as retrofitting some factory options. I'll probably start a project thread to record my progress over the months - looking forward to getting this car back to a respectable state!

 

[birtyA2]

Hi Sam
Congratulations on your purchase. As a start I would get a scan done as this may provide some useful insight into the misfire and cutout problem and may well show up other issues that haven’t surface as yet.

if you haven’t got access to scanning software there maybe a member nearby who could help. The listing for this is


Thread 'Free Scan Register'
https://www.a2oc.net/community/index.php?threads/free-scan-register.44124/

Do you have any history with it. I’m thinking cam belt/water pump change should be high on your todo list

Justin

 

[birtyA2]

Oops sorry just read your message properly and can see you have picked up on the cam belt. The scan should give some clues as to what is happening with the various locking issues

J

 

[steve_c]

Welcome to the forum from another cobalt blue 1.4 owner. My AUA engined example needed a new battery, new plugs and leads, and particularly a new exhaust before it really ran properly. Quite a few A2s still have the original battery (as mine did), which can be easily identified as it has the Audi 8Z part number on it.

Your wheels and foglights suggest that this is an SE spec car, so not that basic. My options sticker was stuck to the underside of the false floor in the boot, so you may want to look there.

 

[Proghound]

Evening Sam and welcome I've a soft spot for Cobalt Blue having had one myself, and that does look well for what you paid.

While the steering wheel and gear lever suggest a base model car, which could have been up-specced with foglights and 16" wheels etc., to me the sill protector in the door shut says it's an SE (your logbook will confirm of course ). Maybe someone didn't like leather contact points and swapped in plastic ones? If you want to reinstate leather, you won't find them too hard to come by. We have three main ethical recyclers on the forum @A2Steve @Clackers @Ami, plus various spares pop up in the Market from time to time - it's worth upgrading your account to get Market access if you haven't already. The Welcome email you received has all the details

 

[simufly]

Welcome, cobalt blue and a twist interior is a super combination IMO. I had one and still regret selling it (LN51UCF where are you?)
Sadly once the A2 bug bites you will be after a nice leather interior, leather steering wheel etc ……..
Enjoy.

 

[esayem]

Hi Sam
Congratulations on your purchase. As a start I would get a scan done as this may provide some useful insight into the misfire and cutout problem and may well show up other issues that haven’t surface as yet.

if you haven’t got access to scanning software there maybe a member nearby who could help. The listing for this is


Thread 'Free Scan Register'
https://www.a2oc.net/community/index.php?threads/free-scan-register.44124/

Do you have any history with it. I’m thinking cam belt/water pump change should be high on your todo list

Justin

Thanks for the advice Justin! I'll have a look and see if I can get a scan sorted. Added the water pump to my list as well as there's no history of this being changed.

 

[esayem]

Welcome to the forum from another cobalt blue 1.4 owner. My AUA engined example needed a new battery, new plugs and leads, and particularly a new exhaust before it really ran properly. Quite a few A2s still have the original battery (as mine did), which can be easily identified as it has the Audi 8Z part number on it.

Your wheels and foglights suggest that this is an SE spec car, so not that basic. My options sticker was stuck to the underside of the false floor in the boot, so you may want to look there.

Thanks Steve! I believe the battery in my car has the 8Z Audi part number on it and so is probably due a change.

Was the car exhibiting any major symptoms that resulted in you having a new exhaust fitted?

Thanks again, I'll have a look on the underside of the false floor tomorrow.

 

[esayem]

Evening Sam and welcome I've a soft spot for Cobalt Blue having had one myself, and that does look well for what you paid.

While the steering wheel and gear lever suggest a base model car, which could have been up-specced with foglights and 16" wheels etc., to me the sill protector in the door shut says it's an SE (your logbook will confirm of course ). Maybe someone didn't like leather contact points and swapped in plastic ones? If you want to reinstate leather, you won't find them too hard to come by. We have three main ethical recyclers on the forum @A2Steve @Clackers @Ami, plus various spares pop up in the Market from time to time - it's worth upgrading your account to get Market access if you haven't already. The Welcome email you received has all the details

Thank you! I definitely think the plastic contact point will be being changed at some point in the future - I'll get onto upgrading my account!

 

[esayem]

Welcome, cobalt blue and a twist interior is a super combination IMO. I had one and still regret selling it (LN51UCF where are you?)
Sadly once the A2 bug bites you will be after a nice leather interior, leather steering wheel etc ……..
Enjoy.

Thank you! I'm a big fan of the combination as well - hoping it'll look great once the upholstery has been properly cleaned and the paintwork corrected.

 

[Crikeymikey]

Welcome aboard, Sam.

Many of the faults you list are common. The fuel flap release problem could be the switch, the relay or the mechanism. Press the button and listen for the relay click. If it clicks, then the switch is working and the problem is either the relay sticking or a mechanism (linkage) problem. If the relay doesn't click then the fault is either the switch or the relay. Replacing the relay is VERY fiddly, much more so than replacing the switch.

The manual release procedure for the filler flap is to remove the driver side boot panel and pull the linkage downwards to release the peg on the filler flap. In my case the relay had stuck in the open position and some clown had bodged the spring mechanism holding the flap in place so that you could open the flap with a finger nail or credit card!

Engine misfire could be one of a hundred things so, as previously mentioned above, invest in some diagnostic capability. Most here use VCDS, I use OBDeleven Pro. Horses for courses.

A word to the wise. I would urge you to take the 12 months MoT with a pinch of salt and physically examine for yourself cv boots, drop links, track rod ends, brakes and brake lines for piece of mind. It never ceases to amaze me how 20 year old cars magically manage to sail through a pre-sale MoT when they are misfiring, showing visible signs of neglect and generally clearly being worse for wear.
I have spent £4k in the last 12 months dealing with overdue maintenance issues and remedial repair of various oil leaks, as well as badly worn suspension and brake components. But the car sailed through it's pre-sale MoT! It really doesn't mean anything.

We all love our A2s here but don't for one moment think it is cheap motoring. Many of these poor little things have suffered the most horrendous abuse and neglect. Mine certainly did. Think of this club as some sort of donkey sanctuary and you won't be far from the truth!

Good luck and welcome to our eccentric little tribe.

 

[simon martyn]

Please please get the cam belt and water pump done before anything else. You will likely find that yours is the original!

Make sure that the people you use know their A2's. WOM in Stoke on Trent is a suggestion.

Welcome, and best of luck.

@timmus
@depronman
Both are over in Lancashire.

Paul @depronman might be able to advise on cambelt replacement and Tom @timmus is the resident electrical genius who will sort out your locks and much else besides.

 

[herx]

I believe the car is finished in cobalt blue metallic paint but please correct me if I'm wrong - I've not been able to locate the information sticker to confirm this yet (I've checked the service book and battery storage compartment).

Welcome Sam. Surely this was a bargain in my books indeed.

If you want to find out the factory spec of your car, you only need your VIN and to register an account on https://erwin.audi.com/erwin/showInfoTour.do and pay an hour of access and download the pdf workshop manuals too at the same time (as I did). Cheers

Vehicle-specific information​

When you select the menu item "Vehicle-specific information - Vehicle identification" you are prompted to enter a valid vehicle identification number (VIN).

As a result, all important vehicle data such as model, model year, engine code etc. are displayed.

You can then call up all the information relevant to repair of the respective vehicle.

Specifically these are technical product information, work items, repair manuals, circuit diagrams, bodywork repairs, proper maintenance, emissions test and maintenance tables.

Please note that you can only view the content of the documents with a valid flat rate.

 

[Charles]

Hi all, I’m Sam – I picked up my first A2 earlier this week! It’s not in great shape and has a few issues that need sorting but I was looking for a project and have always loved these cars. With 71000 miles on the clock the £850 I paid for it seemed like a decent deal (especially with 12 months MOT), but I’d be interested to hear what you all think? The car has a 1.4 petrol (BBY) engine and the spec is extremely basic.

View attachment 99548View attachment 99549View attachment 99550View attachment 99551

I believe the car is finished in cobalt blue metallic paint but please correct me if I'm wrong - I've not been able to locate the information sticker to confirm this yet (I've checked the service book and battery storage compartment). The car will be getting a deep clean soon and then I'll start trying to address the major issues:

• Intermittent misfiring/engine cutting out - I suspect this is the ignition coils but may also be due to a lambda (or other) sensor failure.
• Driver door doesn't unlock with the key fob, but it does lock with the key fob and unlock with a key turn - possible microswitch problem?
• Fuel cap button doesn't work - likely related to the door locking issue.
• No cambelt change history so this will need to be done soon.

Once these are sorted I plan to start on the more minor issues (paintwork, headlights, alloys, trim pieces etc.), as well as retrofitting some factory options. I'll probably start a project thread to record my progress over the months - looking forward to getting this car back to a respectable state!

Welcome,
I'm also in york and have a couple of a2s, 1.4 petrol with a bby silver and oss, tdi 75 pine green and a tdi 90 sport dolphin grey do will probably see you around. If you need a hand with the door lock etc I'm more than happy to help. Recently did my 75 door lock and cambelt!
Charles

 

[Howey]

Fit additional engine to chassis earth its an essential for any A2 owner as a matter of course regardless of any issues that may currently exist

 

[steve_c]

Was the car exhibiting any major symptoms that resulted in you having a new exhaust fitted?

It required a few revs to get it moving, and it was using more petrol than I would have expected when it did. Occasionally it would go into limp mode, and sometimes the engine would cut out altogether.

I've had none of those issues since, and the car will happily pull away on a reasonably level road without needing any throttle whatever.

I've had stainless exhausts on all my long-term cars over very many years, I knew exactly what I wanted, and I was happy to travel across the country to get the right exhaust. I documented the experience here:

My new stainless exhaust system

I bought my 1.4i A2 in October 2016 aware that it had all the original exhaust and I thought that (barring any obvious problems) I would run the car at least until its next service to get a better sense of whether it was worth investing for a custom stainless exhaust system. The car had an...

www.a2oc.net

 

[esayem]

Welcome aboard, Sam.

Many of the faults you list are common. The fuel flap release problem could be the switch, the relay or the mechanism. Press the button and listen for the relay click. If it clicks, then the switch is working and the problem is either the relay sticking or a mechanism (linkage) problem. If the relay doesn't click then the fault is either the switch or the relay. Replacing the relay is VERY fiddly, much more so than replacing the switch.

The manual release procedure for the filler flap is to remove the driver side boot panel and pull the linkage downwards to release the peg on the filler flap. In my case the relay had stuck in the open position and some clown had bodged the spring mechanism holding the flap in place so that you could open the flap with a finger nail or credit card!

Engine misfire could be one of a hundred things so, as previously mentioned above, invest in some diagnostic capability. Most here use VCDS, I use OBDeleven Pro. Horses for courses.

A word to the wise. I would urge you to take the 12 months MoT with a pinch of salt and physically examine for yourself cv boots, drop links, track rod ends, brakes and brake lines for piece of mind. It never ceases to amaze me how 20 year old cars magically manage to sail through a pre-sale MoT when they are misfiring, showing visible signs of neglect and generally clearly being worse for wear.
I have spent £4k in the last 12 months dealing with overdue maintenance issues and remedial repair of various oil leaks, as well as badly worn suspension and brake components. But the car sailed through it's pre-sale MoT! It really doesn't mean anything.

We all love our A2s here but don't for one moment think it is cheap motoring. Many of these poor little things have suffered the most horrendous abuse and neglect. Mine certainly did. Think of this club as some sort of donkey sanctuary and you won't be far from the truth!

Good luck and welcome to our eccentric little tribe.

Thanks for the advice! The mechanism for the fuel cap can be manually pressed to release so I'm really hoping that's not the issue but will have to wait and see. I'll definitely give the car a check over myself - the only advisories listed on the MOT were a CV boot and the windscreen wiper blade but I'm certain once I have a proper look I'll find plenty more that should have been spotted.

 

[esayem]

Please please get the cam belt and water pump done before anything else. You will likely find that yours is the original!

Make sure that the people you use know their A2's. WOM in Stoke on Trent is a suggestion.

Welcome, and best of luck.

@timmus
@depronman
Both are over in Lancashire.

Paul @depronman might be able to advise on cambelt replacement and Tom @timmus is the resident electrical genius who will sort out your locks and much else besides.

Thanks! These two items are currently top of my list following a clean and service.

 

[esayem]

Welcome Sam. Surely this was a bargain in my books indeed.

If you want to find out the factory spec of your car, you only need your VIN and to register an account on https://erwin.audi.com/erwin/showInfoTour.do and pay an hour of access and download the pdf workshop manuals too at the same time (as I did). Cheers

Thanks! I think I'll give this a try today - do you know if there are english pdf workshop manuals on the site or just the german ones?

 

[esayem]

Welcome,
I'm also in york and have a couple of a2s, 1.4 petrol with a bby silver and oss, tdi 75 pine green and a tdi 90 sport dolphin grey do will probably see you around. If you need a hand with the door lock etc I'm more than happy to help. Recently did my 75 door lock and cambelt!
Charles

Thanks Charles - I will do! Hopefully see you around.