New Member looking to buy my first A2!

Felt compelled to write here mainly out of sympathy. I have suffered a lifetime of lower back niggling pain (infrequently severe) following damage in my early 20s now 63. Mine is a TDI90 Sport. I very quickly changed the wheels for comfort but for me the firmness of the suspension isn't much of a factor in terms of back pain. I think that the high bolsters of the sport seats are helpful. This may seem counterintuitive but I think it is because ones lower torso can be relaxed because it is contained i.e. one isn't making constant instinctive muscle adjustments (tension) to keep position at the controls. The big surprise for me about the A2 was that it is the opposite of what it appears. It has more 'big car' characteristics (comfortable as a long range cruiser) than those of an urban runabout (uncomfortable on our appallingly potholed urban tarmac). atb
 
Thanks all, noted about the 4 to 5 seat swap. To be honest as long as the drivers seat is the right spec I don’t care about the others, which may lead to temporarily mismatched interior seats!

But if you have back problems then it's best to avoid the 3 seater rear bench. Those who have them say they are very heavy (too heavy) for one person to take out. Unless of course you will never ever want to take the rear seat out.
 
Felt compelled to write here mainly out of sympathy. I have suffered a lifetime of lower back niggling pain (infrequently severe) following damage in my early 20s now 63. Mine is a TDI90 Sport. I very quickly changed the wheels for comfort but for me the firmness of the suspension isn't much of a factor in terms of back pain. I think that the high bolsters of the sport seats are helpful. This may seem counterintuitive but I think it is because ones lower torso can be relaxed because it is contained i.e. one isn't making constant instinctive muscle adjustments (tension) to keep position at the controls. The big surprise for me about the A2 was that it is the opposite of what it appears. It has more 'big car' characteristics (comfortable as a long range cruiser) than those of an urban runabout (uncomfortable on our appallingly potholed urban tarmac). atb
Thanks for the input, I completely agree RE seats support and firmness. My mr2 is ridiculously firm ride and on the floor almost, but a well designed seat and driving position means it’s absolutely perfect (until I need to do anything practical! I actually enjoy a slightly firmer ride!
 
Hopefully some news to announce in the next couple of days! All it took was slowly cooking myself in my mums mx5 for approx 4 hours each way on a sunny day round the m25 ?
 
My I introduce my first a2! 1.4 sport with lumbar ? has been a heck of a week, drove to London to once over it after verifying its history from a garage in Newcastle. It’s due a cambelt, so it’s been delivered to a VAG specialists and I’m picking it up on Monday! Can’t tell you how excited I am!

Things I’ve noticed so far
  • 1 of the rear seat bases isn’t budging
  • it has a CD changer, which I’m not taken with as the cables are messy, so that may be coming out
  • one of the headlights gets moisture in it, seen a thread on here on how to resolve that
  • the rivets on the single wiper as a little rusty

A more in depth trawl of info and update on Monday!

Cheers
John
 

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My I introduce my first a2! 1.4 sport with lumbar ? has been a heck of a week, drove to London to once over it after verifying its history from a garage in Newcastle. It’s due a cambelt, so it’s been delivered to a VAG specialists and I’m picking it up on Monday! Can’t tell you how excited I am!

Things I’ve noticed so far
  • 1 of the rear seat bases isn’t budging
  • it has a CD changer, which I’m not taken with as the cables are messy, so that may be coming out
  • one of the headlights gets moisture in it, seen a thread on here on how to resolve that
  • the rivets on the single wiper as a little rusty
A more in depth trawl of info and update on Monday!

Cheers
John
on the wiper rivets / pivot pins check for slop as well, if there is fair amount of slop then the pins and bushes are well worn, this results in the arm end touching the glass and at that points its a new windscreen needed.
The solution is either to replace the wiper arm assy with new or refurbish it.
If its the Aero style (latter arm) then well worth refurbishing it (I offer this service if you need it done, just PM me) if its the earlier wiper arm then likely better look out for an Aero arm, even a worn out one that needs a refurb (the new ones are just over £100)
The Aero wiper is so much better than the earlier design
I also offer a cover for the Aero wiper arm, this (a) looks better and (b) prevents water ingress into the pivots and therefore prolongs its life

best of luck with the A2, they really are a well designed piece of kit and kind of get under your skin

Cheers,
Paul
 
My I introduce my first a2! 1.4 sport with lumbar ? has been a heck of a week, drove to London to once over it after verifying its history from a garage in Newcastle. It’s due a cambelt, so it’s been delivered to a VAG specialists and I’m picking it up on Monday! Can’t tell you how excited I am!

Things I’ve noticed so far
  • 1 of the rear seat bases isn’t budging
  • it has a CD changer, which I’m not taken with as the cables are messy, so that may be coming out
  • one of the headlights gets moisture in it, seen a thread on here on how to resolve that
  • the rivets on the single wiper as a little rusty
A more in depth trawl of info and update on Monday!

Cheers
John
What a lovely A2. Hope your happy with it :)
 
On the stuck seat base, that one wasn't properly locked into place so now it won't release. You should be able to see that one corner is out of position, normally it's the outboard corner i.e. closer to the side of the car..

First take out the one seat that will budge. Then if the back of the stuck one won't lower, you can try pushing it sideways towards the outside of the car while someone else pulls up the catch at the top and starts it lowering. Do this by sitting in the space where the other seat was, with your back against the seat edge that's in middle of the car, and push with your legs.

Once the back is down, try raising the handle on the base while you kneel on top of it with your weight at the back i.e. with your knees close to the back edge where the handle is. Eventually you should feel the locking mechanism spring/slide into place.

The seat should now release with the handle like the other one. If it needs a little encouragement, repeat the kneeling trick but this time with just one knee, at the front edge by the headrest. This is a trick worth remembering for future use :) Similarly when you put the seats back in, it's worth always checking and if necessary doing the knees-at the back trick to ensure they lock into place.

I can demonstrate all of this to you when I see you on the social on Sunday. Looking forward to meeting you :)

Oh ... and to echo the sentiments expressed by other posters, that does look a lovely A2, I hope it does you proud and I hope to see it at another social at some point :)
 
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A 1.4 Sport in Silver? NICE!
Welcome to the club!
I've had a tdi90 for 4 years but just acquired a 1.4 petrol Sport in Silver a couple of weeks ago. The tdi is great for long runs but around town the petrol is great. Doesn't hate the cold like the tdi does either!
 

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On the stuck seat base, that one wasn't properly locked into place so now it won't release. You should be able to see that one corner is out of position, normally it's the outboard corner i.e. closer to the side of the car..

First take out the one seat that will budge. Then if the back of the stuck one won't lower, you can try pushing it sideways towards the outside of the car while someone else pulls up the catch at the top and starts it lowering. Do this by sitting in the space where the other seat was, with your back against the seat edge that's in middle of the car, and push with your legs.

Once the back is down, try raising the handle on the base while you kneel on top of it with your weight at the back i.e. with your knees close to the back edge where the handle is. Eventually you should feel the locking mechanism spring/slide into place.

The seat should now release with the handle like the other one. If it needs a little encouragement, repeat the kneeling trick but this time with just one knee, at the front edge by the headrest. This is a trick worth remembering for future use :) Similarly when you put the seats back in, it's worth always checking and if necessary doing the knees-at the back trick to ensure they lock into place.

I can demonstrate all of this to you when I see you on the social on Sunday. Looking forward to meeting you :)

Oh ... and to echo the sentiments expressed by other posters, that does look a lovely A2, I hope it does you proud and I hope to see it at another social at some point :)

Sadly As the car is due a cambelt desperately (3 years overdue), and the garage can’t do it till Monday. I may have to give the meet a miss :( shame really as everything was all falling into place perfectly! I guess I’ll definitely be at the next one though!
 
Thanks for the input, I completely agree RE seats support and firmness. My mr2 is ridiculously firm ride and on the floor almost, but a well designed seat and driving position means it’s absolutely perfect (until I need to do anything practical! I actually enjoy a slightly firmer ride!
I had 3 MK1 MR2s at various points. Great handling and surprisingly comfortable. It was fun going through 90 degree corners at speed in 5th gear. :)
 
I had 3 MK1 MR2s at various points. Great handling and surprisingly comfortable. It was fun going through 90 degree corners at speed in 5th gear. :)
The mk2 supposedly isn’t as nimble as the mk1, but it is an absolute gem of a car to drive. So undervalued for what they are! A lot like a2’s in that respect!
 
Update, I’ve done just under 100miles in the a2! Picked it up yesterday PM and drove it back home, really enjoyed it. Really relaxing and comfortable drive. The driving and seating position is great and Achieved an average of 45mpg on my first drive! The DIS ‘low washer fluid’ BONG sound was terrifying though ? no warning at all! I have however noticed a couple of niggles or things that will need to sort out
  • Idle seems low at 600 rpm, should be approx 800’ish when warm?
  • the front passenger headlight condensates up so I’ll need to sort that
  • the rear seats do not sit level, again thanks to the help from people on here, they both need adjusting/fixing.
  • the centre console is a little creaky, but seems to have calmed down as I drove around
  • there’s a weird ‘flapping’ noise, I’ve not driven it long enough to nail it down, but its not linked to engine rpm, so I imagine it’s wheel based as it’s repetitive.

Other than that I’m hard pressed to find anything!
 

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Update, I’ve done just under 100miles in the a2! Picked it up yesterday PM and drove it back home, really enjoyed it. Really relaxing and comfortable drive. The driving and seating position is great and Achieved an average of 45mpg on my first drive! The DIS ‘low washer fluid’ BONG sound was terrifying though ? no warning at all! I have however noticed a couple of niggles or things that will need to sort out
  • Idle seems low at 600 rpm, should be approx 800’ish when warm?
  • the front passenger headlight condensates up so I’ll need to sort that
  • the rear seats do not sit level, again thanks to the help from people on here, they both need adjusting/fixing.
  • the centre console is a little creaky, but seems to have calmed down as I drove around
  • there’s a weird ‘flapping’ noise, I’ve not driven it long enough to nail it down, but its not linked to engine rpm, so I imagine it’s wheel based as it’s repetitive.
Other than that I’m hard pressed to find anything!
Congratulations and welcome, careful though, A2 ownership can be addictive. Yes the bong is a bit LOUD, I'm prone to refuelling late so hear it often, maybe I'll add bong noise reduction to the long list. We don't have a 1.4 petrol in the fleet so can't assist with tickover rpm though I'm sure someone will assist shortly.
 
Update, I’ve done just under 100miles in the a2! Picked it up yesterday PM and drove it back home, really enjoyed it. Really relaxing and comfortable drive. The driving and seating position is great and Achieved an average of 45mpg on my first drive! The DIS ‘low washer fluid’ BONG sound was terrifying though ? no warning at all! I have however noticed a couple of niggles or things that will need to sort out
  • Idle seems low at 600 rpm, should be approx 800’ish when warm?
  • the front passenger headlight condensates up so I’ll need to sort that
  • the rear seats do not sit level, again thanks to the help from people on here, they both need adjusting/fixing.
  • the centre console is a little creaky, but seems to have calmed down as I drove around
  • there’s a weird ‘flapping’ noise, I’ve not driven it long enough to nail it down, but its not linked to engine rpm, so I imagine it’s wheel based as it’s repetitive.
Other than that I’m hard pressed to find anything!
Hi your rpm is normal my 2003 Audi A2 1.4 was at the same rpm when warm (at idle) and my 1.6 fsi is the same :)
 
Sounds like you've had a good buy there. The headlamp with condensation can be sorted by drilling 3 or 4 10mm holes on the underside of the unit. Keeps the air circulating and headlight clear.
 
Sounds like you've had a good buy there. The headlamp with condensation can be sorted by drilling 3 or 4 10mm holes on the underside of the unit. Keeps the air circulating and headlight clear.

I’ll get the lamp out this weekend and polish the lenses and get the holes drilled.
 
Sounds like you've had a good buy there. The headlamp with condensation can be sorted by drilling 3 or 4 10mm holes on the underside of the unit. Keeps the air circulating and headlight clear.

Any suggestions as to where in the underside you would need to drill those holes?
 
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