what happens in a breakdown?

Dear All,

I have loved the look of the A2 since it first came out,
and am in the market to buy one. However I understand that
only the garage can access the engine, so what happens in the
(hopefully unlikely) event of a roadside breakdown? Does it mean having to be towed to the nearest audi garage. I would be grateful to hear of your experiences, and other comments on running an A2
(another cause of concern is the oft stated poor visibility-front
and rear).

Plenty of other guy's on this web site with more experience to answer your question, but you may not be aware that the bonnet can be released via catches located behind the front service flap. Unlike other car's though, instead of hinges, the bonnet lifts off completely. Therefore, you can tinker with the engine to your hearts content. When it comes to visibility, I have never really had a problem, and to be honest think it is no worse than the Peugeot 307 that I sold to purchase this car. In every other way, it is one hell of a cracking little car package!

You are right to ask about breakdowns. On this forum in the past someone said an AA patrol told them they usually take A2's to an Audi garage as they are too complex to fix quickly at the roadside. I believe that problem is that space under the bonnet of an A2 is limited, the electrics are complex, and the AA patrols can save themselves time and blame Audi if they say it is too complex. Complex electrics are the price of high-tech and this applies to many other cars too. For instance the diesel A2 has two fuel pumps and a heater for the diesel (to stop the diesel from separating in cold weather) and a cooler for the diesel (to stop the fuel returning from the engine from overheating the fuel tank.) The engines are also fitted to lots of VW Polo's and some of the engines are fitted to VW Golf's and Seats and Skodas.

Visibility - the pillars are occasionally in the way, but I hear this is also so on Mercedes A-Class cars and Citroen Picasso's etc. Why not try one and see what YOU think?

Other comments:
Look for a diesel. They are more powerful, more fun, cost less to run, and hold their value a little better than petrol cars. IMHO the only disadvantage is they are not quite so quiet.
Look for silver or black. Look for an SE or Sport model. Honest dealers will tell you they are more sought after when you want to trade it in one day. The Sport is more fun but owners say less comfortable as the suspension is harder.
Look for climate control. As above and also much more pleasant in summer.

Drive one before buying.


Chivers ''
'02 A2 1.4TDi SE

My A2 suffered a dramatic loss of power on my way to work,I rang Audi Assist and the Technician came out,he proceeded to get his laptop computer out (which he didn,t use) whilst asking me the symptoms.When I told him he said "I think I know what it is".He then removed the bonnet only to find that a rubber hose had blown off,first of all you have to pull the bonnet release catch as with any car,this will release the small black service flap with the Audi badge on,then at either side inside the flap are two large grey knobs, it says on them which way to turn them (about a quarter of a turn either way)when you have done that, the bonnet is released,just put one hand down the back of the bonnet (by the windscreen)and one at the front inside the small black flap that you have released,lift it at the same time pulling it forward (dead easy),the problem then is what to do with the bonnet,you could put it on the back seat if the car is empty but what if there are four passengers.I bought a proper Audi bag for mine and keep it in the boot,and before anybody asks, I bet you all know where I got it from,yes it was Ebay.As to poor visibility at the front I would say only when I go round a roudabout is it a slight problem in as much as I have to shift my line of sight a little bit either side of the door pillar but not a bad problem. As to rear visibility ,no problem at all,the back windscreen just makes other cars look like ours (tall and slim)although some sort of rear windscreen wiper would have been nice but it stays clean for a long time anyway .If you are getting a new A2 make sure you get some sort of spare wheel as well otherwise you will just get a compressor and a bottle of sealant,also heated side mirrors (Winter Pack)which I haven,t got.To sum up I could have fixed my car myself on that occasion but why bother when it was still under warranty.What will I do when it runs out? probably call the RAC and have it taken to a dealer, I have worked on numerous cars ,all petrol however this one is the 1.4 turbo diesel which I don,t know anything about ,but that goes for most modern cars.
Cheap road tax, economical to run fuel wise,no rust problems,and only needs servicing every two years,Audis forgotten little car is now starting to make a lot of sense,I work with three collegues ,two bought Mazda RX8's and one bought a Vauxhall 220 sports car at the same time as I bought My A2 one said my A2"looked like a bin wagon" they all regret it now because it is costing them a fortune in petrol,two of them have resorted to using smaller cars (while their sports cars are at home in the garage),the only problem I have is brushing the cobwebs away from the filler flap whoes laughing now then.

Oldi has said it all. You will get disparaging remarks, they usually change when someone has a ride in it, it's a great little car, IMHO lots of toys are a good thing on re-sale. The open sky is really nice when the weather suits, and I think it improves the look of the car anyway. Have a good test drive and if you are grinning at the end , then buy. It is a car with grinnability.

[8D]
Can't agree enough. It has all been said - cracking car - people will ask you if the wife's pregnant though![37]

NEVER attempt a battle of wits with an unarmed man.
A2 1.4 SE TDI replaced with A3 2.0TDI DSG, the transmission of the future - today.

Following on from my last comments. I'm not sure what all Audi dealerships are like, but my local one in Preston will allow you to take an A2 out for a couple of hours to give you more of an idea as to whether it will suit you. We actually went to ASDA for the weekly shop to try and guage the boot capacity while we had it. All we had to do was fill in a form and produce our driving licences. A hell of a lot better than just nipping out for five minutes with the salesman sat in the back rabbiting on about nothing. Our problem was that we drove the TDi version which must have had something wrong with it, cos it was unbelievably noisy. Due to this, we went for the petrol version. Have since had the car back for a couple of minor warranty repairs and was given a brand new TDi sport as a courtesy car. I can honestly say I fell in love. What a stunning car. A lot quicker than my own with a great interior too. Sports style seats with electric lumbar supports on both driver and passenger. Very difficult to pass the car back to the dealership once we had got used to it. We should have bought the TDi.

I must say that I always insist on a real test drive, you don't spent your hard earned on the basis of a smooth tongued salesman, you're a fool if you do. When I bought the Volvo I asked for and got a motorway drive, as well as country roads, a good hour, with an employee in the back to ensure I didn't nick it. The A2 test drive was anything I asked, big hills, country roads, anything. The best ever was the MG, "take it out for a day", so I did, and bought it. My Talbot was around the block, as was my try at an A class Merc. My try on the Beemer K series bike was "take it out for the day, just bring it back before we close", I didn't buy it for various reasons including 'er indoors feeling she was sitting too high and got all the wind (no not that sort).
To stall any ribald remarks, we do have big hills in Essex, if you don't believe me bring your push bike and I'll show you.

We have just had an accompanied test drive in an A3 and the salesman didn't know the area! We ended up getting lost and my limited knowledge of the town managed to get us back to the dealership, he was useless. I then took a test drive in a DSG A3 from another dealership and the salesman just gave us the keys saying bring it back when you are ready. We also borrowed two A2s for extended test drives without any problem.

[24]
Ain't no hills in Essex. Me and my bike know hills here.

What bike(s) you using Holly?

Road...
Mountain....

We could start a whole new thread!

NEVER attempt a battle of wits with an unarmed man.
A2 1.4 SE TDI replaced with A3 2.0TDI DSG, the transmission of the future - today.