New Member and New Car

This only backs up the story told by MOT history - It has been in the hands of an uncaring owner and hence the whole 2 owner / low mileage sales patter is null and void as a selling point.

Conclusion - we should all leave this car well alone and hope that whoever buys it is happy to spend some further money on it to ensure it’s survival.
 
I looked past the wheel trims and was swayed by the mileage to go and view that car about a month ago...it looks ok in the advert but was cosmetically a bit worn in the flesh, paintwork was scuffed in areas and the spoiler looked like it had been opened against a garage roof or wall several times, and as someone has already pointed out the interior isn’t in great condition. The guy wouldn’t open it for me to have a look inside as he said he was waiting for the MOT to be done and the battery changed...I walked away...
Sounds like a good decision. How annoying
 
whats every ones views on a not so great mot history, to then some one completely taking It on and putting a advisory free mot on, would that still be looked at as yh but it wasn't greatly looked after or not, just wanting to get some views not trying to hijack a tread
 
If you're asking the question I think you are (which is, what if everything on the advisory list was sorted and then the car was re-inspected to MOT standard and there were no advisory points - right?), then it wouldn't make a difference to me:

Provenance is everything when it comes to buying a car that isn't banger / project money - and a big part of that is knowing / having definitive proof the car has been owned by someone who has cared for / about it throughout it's life.

In this case, the car is being advertised as two owners and low mileage, but the fact that the most recent owner has been neglectful completely outweighs and nulls any advantage of either selling point in my mind - It would actually be better if they had only owned it for a short while and the car had then been passed on to a third (more conscientious) owner!
 
yh that's what I was getting at, like for example my own fsi the previous owner had it serviced it every year, but on the mot history for a couple years till I get my hands on it, there was mention of the brake disc pitted, it was still up to standard but never sorted, swings and round abouts I guess
 
whats every ones views on a not so great mot history, to then some one completely taking It on and putting a advisory free mot on, would that still be looked at as yh but it wasn't greatly looked after or not, just wanting to get some views not trying to hijack a tread
I think that somebody looking to buy a car for a higher than 'normal' price wouldn't necessarily be swayed by an advisory free MOT after several years of the car getting through with advisories following a fail a few hours or days earlier.

My thoughts would be that an owner who doesn't check, or have checked, their car before presenting it for test probably also doesn't service it as required and, by doing that, allows avoidable wear, which an advisory free MOT would do nothing to remedy.

And, despite the MOT test supposedly being carried out to the same standard regardless of the location, I don't think any of us believes that. There are still advisory free MOTs that aren't worth the paper they're written on.
 
I think that somebody looking to buy a car for a higher than 'normal' price wouldn't necessarily be swayed by an advisory free MOT after several years of the car getting through with advisories following a fail a few hours or days earlier.

My thoughts would be that an owner who doesn't check, or have checked, their car before presenting it for test probably also doesn't service it as required and, by doing that, allows avoidable wear, which an advisory free MOT would do nothing to remedy.

And, despite the MOT test supposedly being carried out to the same standard regardless of the location, I don't think any of us believes that. There are still advisory free MOTs that aren't worth the paper they're written on.
This is completely true, I’m sure most of us know a garage where you can take a car to knowing they will be more lenient with a car, for the want of better phrasing! In fact I know of a couple of places where if you actually say you are keeping the car yourself they will happily give you an advisory free mot! On the flip side there are garages out there that I would never take a car to due to them finding ‘faults’ that didn’t exist!
 
Further to what others have said here, I'd look for advisories and then ask for receipts of work done. To indicate the owner was a caring one. To me, if they didnt do the advisory (eg low on tyre wear but not at legal limit), then they kinda wanna spend enough to 'just' keep going. Also check the make of tyres as el cheapo tyres also suggest owner looking to spend min. Of course dealers might swap the tyres out....and if they did that then I wouldnt buy the car from them!

Im of the camp that you get ahead of common issues (as all cars have them) and if you do....touch wood, your car (usually) looks after you. Nearly every car I buy is 100,000+ miles (regardless of make). I always buy private and 'interview' the owner. So far, I havent had a breakdown.

In Denmark a lotta cars are circa 200,000m miles because they have super high car tax. So owners squeeze every last drop.

Though having said this my 1.6FSI I just got, the engine needs a bit of TLC as the injectors are out!

Defo get from a club member like what others have advised is safest bet. Fixes can get $$$ for any car.
 
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Just got the inspection back from the RAC and it sounds pretty good, so I am buying it. They suggested a cam belt replacement soon as it has not been done in a few years, and some ball joint wear as the main things. Does anyone know an independent service place near Bristol that knows A2s?
 
Hello and welcome!

A few pointers I have:

1) It's on Audi dealer plates: always nice to see as usually means it's not been accident damaged and generally cars with dealer plates are the nicer ones.
2) On the face of it, it looks very straight and unmolested on the outside.
3) The seats have a lot of staining: I'd want either the dealer to do a full wet-vacuum clean on them or give a discount as the car is top money (not unfair if it checks out, but at the top end price-wise). The good news is they will clean up like new.
4) The 'soft touch' coating around the light switch has started to wear away so expect the same around the climate control and the stereo. Not massive problem but if you like detail, it's tricky to resolve without replacing parts.
5) The 1.4MPi petrol engine is prone to 'piston slap' if not looked after. It should be sewing machine quiet: you want to hear it start from stone cold: there should be no tapping sounds. Looked after though and they are brilliant: can do big miles and the 1.4MPi is the sweetest handling of all A2's due to the very light engine and gearbox. So far, my favourite of the range.
6) The gear-change should be exceptionally sweet: these have a lovely gearbox so any stiffness in the change means the gear-shift mech at the gearbox end needs some maintenance.
7) As stated above, check the front lower wishbones. Regardless, if you take ownership, have them Waxoyled (or Dinitrol'ed) to prevent them rusting from the inside out in the future.
8) Make sure all the of climate control functions work: these can give mild problems although all four of my A2's over the last few months have worked fine.
9) You'll hear about E10 unleaded coming in next year: this is raising the ethanol content from 5% to 10%: don't worry, the 1.4 is O.K. on this, unlike the 1.6FSi's.
10) The car should be sitting on alloy wheels. Plus they're cheap aftermarket hup-caps. My betting is you might even find the wheels aren't A2 as not many in the U.K. had steels. They're as likely to be Polo / Ibiza and so on. Therefore check that the tyre sizes printed on the tyres match with one of those inside of the fuel filler. On the other hand, there is at least one Continental tyre there: people that fit matching sets of quality tyres rarely neglect their cars. Similarly, always be wary of cars running a disparate collection of individual budget tyres: people that do that are hardly likely to then specify the very best engine oils etc.
11) A2's wear their wiper arms out. As they wear they drop onto the screen and scratch it, starting at the bottom. @depronman here rebuilds the arms at not much money to a very high standard, but do check the screen as it's usually not possible to polish the marks out much.
12) Make sure everything is in the lower boot caddy: from memory you should have: jack, wheel-brace, locking wheel key, screwdriver, one spanner, hopefully a hub-cap puller (wire thing: a circle with a hook on the 'side' there to pull off the alloy wheel hupcaps. £5 to replace), a 12v compressor and a large white bottle of Audi tyre gunk.
13) You should have a false (double depth) floor in the back, a retractable load cover and ideally a set of carpet overmats.
14) It should have two remote keys (check these work), a plastic white key tag, and the main owner's wallet.

After that, you're doing all the regular used car checks, which is where your RAC man comes in. I could write several pages on that, but no-one needs to be wading through that on a Monday morning :)

Oh yes: check the glovebox works O.K.: it should have a light inside that comes on when you open it (but shouldn't be on all the time). Glovebox handles and light switch mechs sometimes give problems. And on the right hand side, bottom of dash area, make sure you have the fuse cover in place: they often break off. Again, @depronman does a fix for this if broken, but if it's not in place have a hunt around the car for the cover: they often are put in the glovebox or a door pocket.

Good luck! And don't worry if this one falls through or doesn't feel right. At that price you can afford to be very picky and cars are always cropping up on here at very fair prices.
Hi Barry, Thanks for all the tips. I got the RAC report back and it looks pretty good, so I am buying it tomorrow. They did mention that the cam belt has not been replaced in 11 years and recommend I do that. It also looks like the front tires are a little worn, so I will replace them all and get some alloys at the same time. They also mentioned that the front suspension bushings are worn, so will look into that as well. Cross my fingers I like it when I see it tomorrow! The dealer is changing the brake fluid and battery and giving it a good interior cleaning, so fingers crossed. Thanks again!
 
Hi Barry, Thanks for all the tips. I got the RAC report back and it looks pretty good, so I am buying it tomorrow. They did mention that the cam belt has not been replaced in 11 years and recommend I do that. It also looks like the front tires are a little worn, so I will replace them all and get some alloys at the same time. They also mentioned that the front suspension bushings are worn, so will look into that as well. Cross my fingers I like it when I see it tomorrow! The dealer is changing the brake fluid and battery and giving it a good interior cleaning, so fingers crossed. Thanks again!

Well I am glad that it meets your requirements (and hence your money was well spent on the inspection), despite what I've said about this car, I am glad a club member is rescuing it from certain oblivion and I sincerely hope you prove me wrong and that with a little extra expenditure it gives you many years of happy motoring - Congratulations on finding your A2! ?‍?
 
Hi Barry, Thanks for all the tips. I got the RAC report back and it looks pretty good, so I am buying it tomorrow. They did mention that the cam belt has not been replaced in 11 years and recommend I do that. It also looks like the front tires are a little worn, so I will replace them all and get some alloys at the same time. They also mentioned that the front suspension bushings are worn, so will look into that as well. Cross my fingers I like it when I see it tomorrow! The dealer is changing the brake fluid and battery and giving it a good interior cleaning, so fingers crossed. Thanks again!

Good luck with it! Just be aware that you've listed about £1000 of work there: full cambelt timing kit with water pump and anti-freeze and labour: must be £350+ Set alloys in nice condition, say £150. Pair quality tyres, what £80 each, so £160. Bushings at the front: you'd want to allow for some project creep here, so say £200. If the belt's not been done for eleven years, you'd want to budget for a decent service (never trust the selling dealer to service your new car unless you're buying something pretty expensive): say £200.

At nearer £3K all done (and that assumes nothing else crops up during the work), you can buy some of the very best 1.4MPi A2's available.

If you absolutely love it, then great: go for it! If you have any doubts at all, just remember there are plenty of other nice A2's out there, often cropping up on here. Therefore even if you've paid for the inspection and possible a deposit, still be prepared to walk away: another one will be just around the corner!
 
Just got the inspection back from the RAC and it sounds pretty good, so I am buying it. They suggested a cam belt replacement soon as it has not been done in a few years, and some ball joint wear as the main things. Does anyone know an independent service place near Bristol that knows A2s?
Hi
Welcome to the club. Finding good people to look after these cars can be a headache, but there is a very good outfit in Bath: VASS on the Brassmills Industrial Estate.

Warmly recommended and have used them for a number of years.
Good luck with your new car.

Kind regards
Simon
 
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