New to Audi and definitely new to A2’s

[Andrew]

Good Evening Nick,

Welcome from a long time FSI owner.

The FSI is in the minority on here and to be fair a reflection of factory production numbers but comes with a reputation, ......... let's just say not appreciated and yes can need a lot of TLC which can mean expensive but you will develop a thick skin.

In my experience the dash temperature is rock solid 90℃, if it goes above something is wrong, at 95℃ the coolant temperature will be 110+℃ and needs attention. Probably your suspected coolant tank leaking and not allowing correct working pressure. Beyond that next a faulty thermostat, possibly coolant temperature sensor.....

Andy

 

[NickM5]

Good Evening Nick,

Welcome from a long time FSI owner.

The FSI is in the minority on here and to be fair a reflection of factory production numbers but comes with a reputation, ......... let's just say not appreciated and yes can need a lot of TLC which can mean expensive but you will develop a thick skin.

In my experience the dash temperature is rock solid 90℃, if it goes above something is wrong, at 95℃ the coolant temperature will be 110+℃ and needs attention. Probably your suspected coolant tank leaking and not allowing correct working pressure. Beyond that next a faulty thermostat, possibly coolant temperature sensor.....

Andy

Thanks Andy. It was worse at the start of last week before I took it to the garage that did the work for me. They noted the cap was faulty and gave me a new one for free which was nice. The new cap has significantly stabilised the temperature which is a plus point, but it’s still not quite right. I’m not really surprised - as I mentioned earlier there were actual pieces of the expansion tank floating around inside it so it’s very clearly past it’s best. It’s probably the original tank so at 20 years old it is long overdue a replacement

 

[Charles]

Thanks Andy. It was worse at the start of last week before I took it to the garage that did the work for me. They noted the cap was faulty and gave me a new one for free which was nice. The new cap has significantly stabilised the temperature which is a plus point, but it’s still not quite right. I’m not really surprised - as I mentioned earlier there were actual pieces of the expansion tank floating around inside it so it’s very clearly past it’s best. It’s probably the original tank so at 20 years old it is long overdue a replacement

I've had the gauge on my old tdi 75 go to 95, but I stopped and restarted and it showed bang on 90? Might just be a little electrical error somewhere!

 

[mtl]

That is a lovely garage.
Of course M5 is a beast in acceleration, but can you share your comparison of handling in the closed turns between these two cars? I am really interested in this… Thx.

 

[NickM5]

I've had the gauge on my old tdi 75 go to 95, but I stopped and restarted and it showed bang on 90? Might just be a little electrical error somewhere!

That’s good to know for future reference. I did try the whole turn it off then on again thing but it didn’t make much difference to what my FSI was doing. The new coolant cap has resolved about 80% of the problem so I’m hoping a new tank will put this particular issue to bed….until something else appears

 

[NickM5]

That is a lovely garage.
Of course M5 is a beast in acceleration, but can you share your comparison of handling in the closed turns between these two cars? I am really interested in this… Thx.

Of course and thank you for asking!

In terms of fast cornering ability the M5 is far beyond what the little FSI could achieve, but then that’s to be expected - it’s newer, has 4 wheel drive, a host of driving aids, better tyres etc etc but the Audi has the advantage in size, weight and lower speed agility. It is much easier to place on the road, it feels considerably lighter (because it is!) and more ‘on its toes’ and I personally feel more confident in fitting through gaps and making progress in traffic. There’s no getting away from the fact that the BMW is a big, wide heavy car that often has my eyes widening as I’m going through a tight spot.

In terms of ride quality they are not actually that far apart. In Comfort on the BMW I’d say they both ride in a pretty similiar manner - firm but compliant. The Audi also doesn’t lean as much in the corners as I was expecting it too given that it’s a tall’ish car for its small size. I am considering some Coilovers for the Audi as it just sits a bit too high for my liking, but after driving it for a few weeks now I’m not sure I would want a suspension that’s too firm - it’s almost at the limit of what I’d be prepared to tolerate. I’d love to hear about anyone’s experiences with a lowered A2 (particularly on Coilovers) and if it’s a worthwhile upgrade. I’m kind of on the fence with it a bit. It’s been a very long time since I was into the whole modified car thing so any upgrades I eventually do will be moderate at best

Nick

 

[PlasticMac]

Of course and thank you for asking!

In terms of fast cornering ability the M5 is far beyond what the little FSI could achieve, but then that’s to be expected - it’s newer, has 4 wheel drive, a host of driving aids, better tyres etc etc but the Audi has the advantage in size, weight and lower speed agility. It is much easier to place on the road, it feels considerably lighter (because it is!) and more ‘on its toes’ and I personally feel more confident in fitting through gaps and making progress in traffic. There’s no getting away from the fact that the BMW is a big, wide heavy car that often has my eyes widening as I’m going through a tight spot.

In terms of ride quality they are not actually that far apart. In Comfort on the BMW I’d say they both ride in a pretty similiar manner - firm but compliant. The Audi also doesn’t lean as much in the corners as I was expecting it too given that it’s a tall’ish car for its small size. I am considering some Coilovers for the Audi as it just sits a bit too high for my liking, but after driving it for a few weeks now I’m not sure I would want a suspension that’s too firm - it’s almost at the limit of what I’d be prepared to tolerate. I’d love to hear about anyone’s experiences with a lowered A2 (particularly on Coilovers) and if it’s a worthwhile upgrade. I’m kind of on the fence with it a bit. It’s been a very long time since I was into the whole modified car thing so any upgrades I eventually do will be moderate at best

Nick

The Sport versions are a bit lower, just enough to look low, but not lowered.
Mac.

 

[nicollow]

This is my new quote for when anyone asks how my A2 is to drive;

"Well, according to an owner of an M5 Competition..."

In Comfort on the BMW I’d say they both ride in a pretty similiar manner - firm but compliant. The Audi also doesn’t lean as much in the corners...

With editing like that, I should work in the media!

 

[mtl]

Of course and thank you for asking!

In terms of fast cornering ability the M5 is far beyond what the little FSI could achieve, but then that’s to be expected - it’s newer, has 4 wheel drive, a host of driving aids, better tyres etc etc but the Audi has the advantage in size, weight and lower speed agility. It is much easier to place on the road, it feels considerably lighter (because it is!) and more ‘on its toes’ and I personally feel more confident in fitting through gaps and making progress in traffic. There’s no getting away from the fact that the BMW is a big, wide heavy car that often has my eyes widening as I’m going through a tight spot.

In terms of ride quality they are not actually that far apart. In Comfort on the BMW I’d say they both ride in a pretty similiar manner - firm but compliant. The Audi also doesn’t lean as much in the corners as I was expecting it too given that it’s a tall’ish car for its small size. I am considering some Coilovers for the Audi as it just sits a bit too high for my liking, but after driving it for a few weeks now I’m not sure I would want a suspension that’s too firm - it’s almost at the limit of what I’d be prepared to tolerate. I’d love to hear about anyone’s experiences with a lowered A2 (particularly on Coilovers) and if it’s a worthwhile upgrade. I’m kind of on the fence with it a bit. It’s been a very long time since I was into the whole modified car thing so any upgrades I eventually do will be moderate at best

Nick

Thank you for your input. I was also very pleasantly surprised how little A2 is leaning in the corners.
Anyway I was curious exactly because of the weight difference (M5 is around two tonns, righ?) which really for me makes all the difference in the corners. I for example have also Twingo RS CUP which is much more powerfull, faster and capable car regarding performance, but smiles per mile are higher in my A2, because Twingo is so capable that you would need a racetrack to safely extract all what it offers. While with A2 is just so easy and the lightnes of it it makes it so fun in the corners. At least for me. And it offers all this with relativelly speaking in comparison with today cars being pretty slow, so you can push it easily to the limiter . Added benefit is that there is no instant turbo torque, so you really need to rev it. At least mine that is 1.4 petrol with ridiculously little power of 75HP ridiculously high smiles per mile ratio.

 

[NickM5]

Thank you for your input. I was also very pleasantly surprised how little A2 is leaning in the corners.
Anyway I was curious exactly because of the weight difference (M5 is around two tonns, righ?) which really for me makes all the difference in the corners. I for example have also Twingo RS CUP which is much more powerfull, faster and capable car regarding performance, but smiles per mile are higher in my A2, because Twingo is so capable that you would need a racetrack to safely extract all what it offers. While with A2 is just so easy and the lightnes of it it makes it so fun in the corners. At least for me. And it offers all this with relativelly speaking in comparison with today cars being pretty slow, so you can push it easily to the limiter . Added benefit is that there is no instant turbo torque, so you really need to rev it. At least mine that is 1.4 petrol with ridiculously little power of 75HP ridiculously high smiles per mile ratio.

Agreed. The limits on the A2 are lower which means you don’t have to push it so hard to find them so it kind of makes it more enjoyable in a weird way! Between me being a very average driver at best and the M5 being so capable I will never even get close to finding it’s limits. To be fair I doubt I’ll even find the limits on the A2 but at least I’ll get closer to them!

Interesting that you mentioned your RS Twingo - I’ve always liked those and they’re another car that’s now very rare. I’ve gone through a few Renaults over the years - they made some awesome hot hatches. I used to have a Mk2 172 and then a regular 182 (with the cup packs). I believe the chassis is the same as the Twingo? The handling on those cars was incredible and with the Twingo being even lighter still I bet it’s awesome in the corners

 

[mtl]

The chassis are different between Twingo and Clio, but yes, Renault Sport are masters when it comes to chassis: Twingo RS Cup is my first car that lets you easily brake into the corner without rear steeping out (up to some point of course). Pure magic from Renault Sport .
Interestingly it is heavier than my A2: 1100kg for Twingo and 1020kg for A2.
Before buying this car I also looked at Clio RS, but it was just to big/fast for my use .