'New' A2

Shoestring7

Member
Funny how these little cars get under your skin isn't it? Having seen Mike's lovely low mileage car here before Christmas I thought I'd arrange to go and see it. Well, it was quite local, so just an excuse for a nice drive really.


Of course it drove beautifully, nice tight gear change, smooth clutch and brakes and other than a typical tap from the bonnet edge, no rattles. The ride on the 15" wheels that the original owner bought from his Audi dealership (at vast expense ?? ) wasn't unbearable like it is on a Sport running 17's, it trundled along like a good tdi should and the interior was in excellent condition. And with it came a thick wad of invoices and stamps that demonstrated it had been properly looked after (by Mike's late father) during its whole life, while the condition of rubber, plastics and headlights spoke of a life stored in a garage.

While it might seem expensive for a 20 year old VAG hatchback, good examples of A2s still drive just as well as modern stuff at 10x the price, and have an appeal that goes well beyond that of cheap transport.

I waited a bit before making an offer (just for form's sake really), but we were able to agree a price that took into account one or two niggles, and Mike dropped the car off to me this week.
A2 2002.jpg

No plans for it really, I'll attend to the niggles over time and get the cambelt done for peace of mind, but really my intention is to keep it in the garage for best while I smoke around in the tdi 90.

Charlie
PS The Mighty Fusion garage mate is a bit similar; in this case my mother's old car with only 60k miles and a load of invoices, but wayyyyyyy less £££
 
Been there, done that :cool: Have recovered slightly, down to just two now, but only one gets regular use.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mtl
I've detailed my recent trials and tribulations here - this has slightly derailed my improvements plan for the summer

Last month my local VAG specialist completed a full service, including the cam belt and thermostat
IMG_8164.jpeg
.

Next on the list is the headlining. It's a non-sunroof car; the headlining is coming away above the driver's head and there's a messy repair at the back. What are my options for organising a repair? Presumably the headlining is a separate piece, not the oldskool fabric, glue and tensioners style. How much of a job is removing it to take to a specialist (if that's the best approach)?
 
Very impressed with your deer tale, well done indeed. Love to know how you get on with your headlining, got the same problem. I was thinking of asking @Kleynie.

PS Love your Yaris!
 
I have the same problem. There are a number of threads on this. The issue is that the in the factory the fabric comes attached to a foam backing and it is the foam that is glued to the headlining panel (call the biscuit). After 20 years or so and hot weather the fabric comes away from the foam. Any attempt to re-glue the fabric invariably means the glue seeps through.

This post on how to remove the headlining


Post 28 in this thread show the messy process of removing the foam:


and for the sun visor see


As high temp impact spray glue has to be used then there is a one chance to glue the fabric/foam.

Another issue is that surround fabric is a separate piece from the centre. When originally made I believe the surround and centre were covered separately and then the 2 parts of the biscuit "welded" together and cannot easily be separated. To try to spray the surround with glue whilst protecting the already covered centre panel might be tricky. I'm thinking of filling the groove and then using a single sheet of fabric/foam.

Actually, I'm probably going to remove the headlining myself, then remove all the old foam and fabric, the put the biscuit back in the car supported by the rubber door seals and then go to a professional to apply the foam backed fabric.

The original Audi fabric is no longer available but similar is available here for example:


All due credit to @2work for his advice to me and the best threads above.

Other threads



Good luck. Do feedback your approach and outcome.
 
That's a really useful resource Alan, thanks for pulling it together.

I know a trimmer, so would look at removing the headlining and getting him to re-cover it.
 
The A2 has spent several months sitting in a garage while I used the Yaris on the muddy, flooded, icy, potholed, gravelled & cratered excuses that pass for roads around my way.

However, its time to get the little car up and running. First step, before I decide on its future, is to obtain a fresh MOT, which I was surprised to learn had expired in August. It's booked for this morning, so yesterday I drove the 60 miles or so to the A2's lair, swopped it for the Yaris, and brought it back to Sussex. Fearing a battery catastrophe, I'd left a battery conditioner installed, so the little A2 burst into life at the first turn of the key.

Trundling back down the A3, I was struck how modern our cars are. Steering, which initially felt so light that I wondered if the wheels were connected, provides decent feel for a electric system, and the ride on Sports suspension with 15" wheels is reasonably supple over all except the worst potholes and is also combined with excellent body control - zero fore and aft pitching like some A2s I've tried. The driving position for my long-legged 6ft is perfect, and in my example the gear change is as light as you like. Brakes combine power with a firm pedal - and are not over-servoed like every other Audi I've ever driven. At motorway speeds it is much quieter than the Yaris, road noise is better suppressed and there's just the rustle of wind noise around the A pillar, and a quiet thrum from the little engine. The A2's Bose system is also vastly superior to the lightweight unit in the Yaris, although connectivity is obviously non-existent. And after the journey down, a mix of dual carriageway and country B roads, the dash was showing 58mpg.

Its tempting to imagine what path the A2 would have taken had the market been more accepting. A future A2 with a modern torquey turbo petrol engine, a EV version, and updated infotainment would have been intriguing. Instead the future turned out to be 2500kg wannabe trucks. Who knew?

I dropped the car at the garage first thing: fingers crossed for the MOT.

PS While drafting this the garage called; passed!
 
Nice update and it prompted me to check the repair thread - nice job! - and order 3x subframe nuts for the undertray using the part number provided therein while they're still easily available, as my car is missing at least one and is due an oil change soon.

Interesting your perception of your lovely low-mileage car is it's quieter than the Yaris, my own take is that road noise is one area that could do with improvement, although it's not critical of course. Also (and I realise some might cry sacrilege on such a low mileage example) but if you think it's quiet with 5 gears on the motorway, you should pop a six speed in and be truly amazed :)
 
Back
Top