RE: Shed Of The Week: Audi A2
Discussion
Ive got a 1.4 petrol, had it 5 years now. i couldnt replace it with anything as good/unique for the same amount of money so ill keep it till it breaks. I service it regularly and its been perfectly reliable from a mechanical point of view, just a shame non of the electrics work. Fuel flap no longer works so has to be opened from the boot, I've replaced two abs sensors in the time I've had it and now the lateral sensor has failed for the TC which also takes out the abs. TC on a 75 bhp car, WHY!!!! Also, 4 out of 5 door contact sensors no longer work, VAG electronics leave a lot to be desired.
Chicane-UK said:
exceed said:
A THREEE LITRE version!?! Noo????
3L was a designation for their hyper efficient versions, meaning 3 litres per 100km - which is what fuel economy is measured in (l/km) in Germany.They also did a Lupo 3L which was quite a cool little car - with various aero, weight saving and engine enhancements. Basically a precursor to Blue Motion.
On the subject of the A2 I always thought these were ahead of their time. Great little cars and well deserving of the cult following they seem to have now!
I had a pearlescent Jaipur Red (orange) TDI with leather, Bose etc. I kept it for 5 years and did over 100,000 miles around Europe in it. I absolutely loved it.
Emanuele Pirro (the Audi Le Mans driver) is a parent at the school where I work and he loved it too - he always asks me about it (and he has driven some very nice motors!)
problems:
Door hinge rivets go (easy fix)
Headlamp bulbs a nightmare to change
Intercooler went at around 120,000 miles
tyres seemed to be very prone to damage (but the roads in Italy are very bad)
Emanuele Pirro (the Audi Le Mans driver) is a parent at the school where I work and he loved it too - he always asks me about it (and he has driven some very nice motors!)
problems:
Door hinge rivets go (easy fix)
Headlamp bulbs a nightmare to change
Intercooler went at around 120,000 miles
tyres seemed to be very prone to damage (but the roads in Italy are very bad)
The_Burg said:
How hard would it be to transplant the 1.9TDi lump into this?
170Hp with a map and weight of a bumble bee, would be mental.
It'll end up as a nose heavy, but brisk car with no sense of fun. 170Hp with a map and weight of a bumble bee, would be mental.
Let's not beat around the bush here, no diesel is mental or exciting to drive, particularly any from Audi/VW.
You're probably referring to the PD series engine. Reasonably competent but pretty dreary.
Edited by FrankUnderwood on Friday 18th July 23:23
Kitchski said:
Good car. Often feel sorry for Audi when I think about how these flopped, as it was really their last hurrah into the engineering powerhouse they used to be back in the late '70s/early '80s.
Shame.
Exactly how I feel about the brand. Nothing really interesting tech wise after this, only premium variants of VAG platform models. Vorsprung durch Technik? Harr harr... Shame.
On the subject of the A2: biased cause I've got one as a daily driver (late 1.4 TDI). Brilliant little piece of kit. Average over 20k km: 58 MPG. Worst I got over a tank so far was 43 MPG (but that was spent on two long Autobahn runs flat out @ ~ 110 mph where possible). The petrol version here should be good for 40 to 45 on average. Great seats for a super mini, loads of space due to clever packaging. No rust. Exhausts last for ever, as do the batteries and the brakes. The ride will be bad on UK roads (the bigger the wheels + S-Line, the worst) but that can be put right with a suspension refresh using eg. Koni FSDs.
For a grand, the SOTW A2 is a steal. Probably worth that in parts. BTW, this one has the small 15" forged alloys from Fuchs -- fairly rare and very light, also help the ride a lot. The pictures look pretty tidy, shut lines etc seem right. The silver is pretty difficult to match and most resprays would show. Nothing to report here. No pics of the interior (switchgear might be worn), and no mention of AC. Large glass house, so you'll want that for hot days.
If you want to be cheeky, look closely at the door hinge mounting points. There will be a crack, hopefully looking alarming. This is a purely cosmetical flaw -- could be used as a haggling point. Also check every comfort feature (most had remote central locking, leccy windows front, 8 speaker stereo, AC, front, rear and boot light). The stuff is typical for VAG, nice but not as reliable as one might expect. But easy and cheap to put right for older models such as this -- with OEM or used parts.
The 1.4 MPI engine in this one was available in pretty much every model from VAG at the time, so plenty of spares and parts around. Would not worry much about the MIL at the asking price. Most likely an easy fix. With a VCDS dongle (excellent value), you have the same level of diagnostics functionality as the main dealer -- very helpful. The early 1.4 MPI might drink a bit of oil though (they revised the piston rings from 04 on), but not a sign of anything terminal.
And as already mentioned, they used the polo parts bin for a lot of things mechanical on the A2. Front brakes are Golf 4, bits of the interior (steering wheels, nav systems etc) same as the higher up Audis of the day. Lots of compatible parts available on e.g. Ebay. I'd say buy it. If you really like it, opt out of the SOTW mindset and treat it to a brakes and suspension refresh.
Edited by Kolbenkopp on Saturday 19th July 02:27
gregelvis said:
I had a pearlescent Jaipur Red (orange) TDI with leather, Bose etc. I kept it for 5 years and did over 100,000 miles around Europe in it. I absolutely loved it.
Emanuele Pirro (the Audi Le Mans driver) is a parent at the school where I work and he loved it too - he always asks me about it (and he has driven some very nice motors!)
problems:
Door hinge rivets go (easy fix)
Headlamp bulbs a nightmare to change
Intercooler went at around 120,000 miles
tyres seemed to be very prone to damage (but the roads in Italy are very bad)
Passed one in that colour this morning, as it happens.Emanuele Pirro (the Audi Le Mans driver) is a parent at the school where I work and he loved it too - he always asks me about it (and he has driven some very nice motors!)
problems:
Door hinge rivets go (easy fix)
Headlamp bulbs a nightmare to change
Intercooler went at around 120,000 miles
tyres seemed to be very prone to damage (but the roads in Italy are very bad)
gregelvis said: Headlamp bulbs a nightmare to change
Not true. They are one of the easiest to change I have come across. Two screws release the whole headlight unit. You then have full access to the bulbs without twisting your hands in the engine bay.
The A2 is both massively better than you would expect, but also massively worse in some respects (mainly ride).
As LP670 said I couldn't imagine what I would replace mine with that would do the same job.
Not true. They are one of the easiest to change I have come across. Two screws release the whole headlight unit. You then have full access to the bulbs without twisting your hands in the engine bay.
The A2 is both massively better than you would expect, but also massively worse in some respects (mainly ride).
As LP670 said I couldn't imagine what I would replace mine with that would do the same job.
dvs_dave said:
Around 15 years or so ago I had a friend doing some student work experience with JLR. He said they had an A2 on display in the development department as an example of engineering excellence for the price. Specifically the Aluminum frame and shell.
Perhaps its should be up their with the Veyron as an example of engineering hubris; Audi lost EUR15,000 on every one built.SS7
I have a lotus elan for pain/pleasure and a petrol A2 as a daily hack. My car has done 95000 miles and I can say it is the best and cheapest car I have ever run. It is on the original 2002 battery, clutch etc and is brilliant. Mintex front discs and pads £46- are you getting the picture! I change the oil every year and that is it, on to the next 100000miles. For a grand that is a steal
Bonefish Blues said:
gregelvis said:
I had a pearlescent Jaipur Red (orange) TDI with leather, Bose etc. I kept it for 5 years and did over 100,000 miles around Europe in it. I absolutely loved it.
Emanuele Pirro (the Audi Le Mans driver) is a parent at the school where I work and he loved it too - he always asks me about it (and he has driven some very nice motors!)
problems:
Door hinge rivets go (easy fix)
Headlamp bulbs a nightmare to change
Intercooler went at around 120,000 miles
tyres seemed to be very prone to damage (but the roads in Italy are very bad)
Passed one in that colour this morning, as it happens.Emanuele Pirro (the Audi Le Mans driver) is a parent at the school where I work and he loved it too - he always asks me about it (and he has driven some very nice motors!)
problems:
Door hinge rivets go (easy fix)
Headlamp bulbs a nightmare to change
Intercooler went at around 120,000 miles
tyres seemed to be very prone to damage (but the roads in Italy are very bad)
Meanwhile this on GSView
shoestring7 said:
Perhaps its should be up their with the Veyron as an example of engineering hubris; Audi lost EUR15,000 on every one built.
Ah no, the engineering was brilliant, it is the consumers that have been stupid. Only catching up now, 15 years later.Seriously, I suppose they expected sales more or less on the level of the A-Class. For Merc this worked because it was a cheapish way to stay loyal to the brand and get a Golf rival for the wife and kids. They also made very clever use of the whole Elktest fisaco. Audi positioned the A2 as a super mini below the A3. Not so clever -- it was perceived as very expensive for that.
But mainly, folks were not ready for the styling. I've been asked recently by an older gent if I got myself one of these new fancy electric cars...
Had one in stock a few months back. No one else went near it at auction.
Business partner and a couple of others asked if I had lost the plot.
Sold within 72hours, could have sold 10x Over.
Regardless of personal view they are very desirable and sought after.
Did notice the window wipers moving the whole car and it didn't feel all that stable on motorway when windy.
Business partner and a couple of others asked if I had lost the plot.
Sold within 72hours, could have sold 10x Over.
Regardless of personal view they are very desirable and sought after.
Did notice the window wipers moving the whole car and it didn't feel all that stable on motorway when windy.
Kolbenkopp said:
shoestring7 said:
Perhaps its should be up their with the Veyron as an example of engineering hubris; Audi lost EUR15,000 on every one built.
Ah no, the engineering was brilliant, it is the consumers that have been stupid. Only catching up now, 15 years later.Seriously, I suppose they expected sales more or less on the level of the A-Class. For Merc this worked because it was a cheapish way to stay loyal to the brand and get a Golf rival for the wife and kids. They also made very clever use of the whole Elktest fisaco. Audi positioned the A2 as a super mini below the A3. Not so clever -- it was perceived as very expensive for that.
But mainly, folks were not ready for the styling. I've been asked recently by an older gent if I got myself one of these new fancy electric cars...
Yeh i think folks were not ready for the styling- but it was also horribly comprimised.
Rockatansky said:
I've been considering getting a Honda Jazz to use as the station bike, but this has now got me wondering about an A2.
Did the A2 come with an auto transmission at all?
The wikipedia page says that the "3L" version of the 1.2 TDi was auto, but I am not sure that version was available outside of Germany. Someone that I know in the owners club has previously mentioned that some people out there have exploited the mainstream VAG parts nature of the drivetrain and retrofitted DSGs into them though. No idea of the costs involved, but it is viable.Did the A2 come with an auto transmission at all?
DiscoColin said:
Rockatansky said:
I've been considering getting a Honda Jazz to use as the station bike, but this has now got me wondering about an A2.
Did the A2 come with an auto transmission at all?
The wikipedia page says that the "3L" version of the 1.2 TDi was auto, but I am not sure that version was available outside of Germany. Someone that I know in the owners club has previously mentioned that some people out there have exploited the mainstream VAG parts nature of the drivetrain and retrofitted DSGs into them though. No idea of the costs involved, but it is viable.Did the A2 come with an auto transmission at all?
There are conventional auto's about on the A2's I think but only the petrol's
everything the Merc A class isn't/couldn't 
Curse you Pistonheads!
My 2001 Audi A2 1.4 petrol is still looking box-fresh at 99,000 miles and 14 years old. I was feeling especially smug that the sunroof (a known weak spot) was still functioning perfectly.
And on the same day you declare the A2 as shed of the week, my bloody sunroof breaks! Thanks a lot.
My 2001 Audi A2 1.4 petrol is still looking box-fresh at 99,000 miles and 14 years old. I was feeling especially smug that the sunroof (a known weak spot) was still functioning perfectly.
And on the same day you declare the A2 as shed of the week, my bloody sunroof breaks! Thanks a lot.
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