DJ's adventures in A2 land

[Rusty911]

A quick update - After bleating on about Adrian Flux above, I ended up cancelling my policy with them within the cooling off period(!).

There were a number of errors they kept making, such as they kept getting my name and also my email address wrong, meaning confirmations and follow-up emails were not received; then when I chased, I had to sit on the phone for long periods of time (at international rates) to get things resolved (they couldn't call me back on an overseas number) - and most annoyingly of all, their member "hub" portal, through which all policy documents must be downloaded as they couldn't just email them to me(!), blocks non-British internet addresses.

All of this was giving me a bad vibe, so I gave up and cancelled. I chose to go with the RAC for our Touran, who did a very competitive quote with all the above included for just £600-ish.

I will reassess AF for Merlin's insurance when I'm back in the UK and closer to the time I actually need it I suppose - right now I'm focused on getting a passport for my new-born daughter from the incompetents at the passport office; now there's a REALLY frustrating organisation to deal with!

Meanwhile I've been collecting a few further parts: From @CreweAudi, all at very reasonable prices I might add:

• A new brake light switch and engine dipstick (both to keep as a pre-caution as failure of these parts is common)
• "Aero mods" - FSi winglets and subframe spoiler
• Audi child seat underlay, car seat protector (link here) - to protect Merlin's seats on the occaision that any of my three young children are in the car

From other sources:

• As per @Birchall 's very informative and well-composed thread on this, an automatic headlight conversion with coming home/ leaving home lights - Currently a secondhand headlight switch purchased from @Clackers is with @2work - Tom kindly agreed to help me out by converting the candidate switch fascia to accept the lovely aluminium trim ring that completes this conversion; this has turned into a bigger job that expected with the fascia needing a repaint. I will be forever indebted to Tom every time I look at it once installed.
• Genuine Audi luggage compartment inlay - Bought from https://shop.audi-zentrum-goettingen.de/, now I see it is no longer listed on their site so I must have bought the last one.
• Thule Roof bar kit (WingBar 118 Roof Bars / Rapid System foot pack 754 / Rapid System vehicle fitting kit 1195) - These were secondhand purchases from Ebay for about £90 all-in - I always think having a set of roof bars for my cars is good insurance just in case you need to carry extra luggage / bulky items that won't fit inside! Note that in the pic of the Thule website vehicle finder you can see that the correct bars and foot pack for the A2 are also correct for a Hyundai i20 - the lady I bought mine from had listed these for that vehicle - hopefully that helps anyone else who wants a set of these.

View attachment 69160
View attachment 69161

Finally, as per @gills got me intrigued in the idea of using an engine pre-heater (sometimes called a block heater) in his thread on his car Eco Alan HERE - As I too fancy the idea of a warmed-up car ready to go from the off; especially as the 1.4 TDi takes a while to warm up by itself and I doubt the electric heat element built into the car's climate control system will be much cop in terms of quickly warming up the cabin from a cold start.

I have focused on a Calix setup, as they list the TDi90's ATL engine on their website, whereas Defa were of no help even when directly approached with the request for a parts list. I will reveal how this progresses when when (if?) it is done, but suffice to say the UK Calix dealer is pretty useless and @Joga, who is based in Calix's native Sweden, has been of enormous help in identifying the exact parts needed and the best way of obtaining them (the dealers in Sweden are much cheaper, however postage may be an issue! Time will tell) - so I would like to publicly thank him here; hopefully this turns into a viable installation, current costs are around £200 which is a little more than I'd wanted to pay.

@gills thread is brilliant and like you, and pointed me towards the whole block heater thing as my commute is fairly short. This is bad, but what's worse is that within 1/4 mile I hit one of the steepest hills in Sussex (up, not down). Always makes me cringe, the thought of a stone cold engine having to pull a car up that hill, however sympathetically I try to treat it. We're lucky to have @Joga 's expertise on hand in this regard

Loving this thread and as I've said before, your forensic approach to the whole thing. I did wonder whether, as a second car, an A2 could now attract a classic policy which tend to be of the agreed value type as a matter of course? Forgive me if you've already floated this and I've missed it!

 

[2work]

Morning David,

Your headlight switch conversion is coming along great. I’m now away for 3 weeks in Scotland and will complete it upon return.

Here are a few pictures of the cutting process I took that will form part of my right up about so others can have a go.

This is the headlight switch before I started:

Here’s your Aluminium ring to be fitted:

Here’s the ring place on top to mark up the initial cutting:

The next picture shows the scribe line from the using the aluminium ring as the template:

Next picture shows the attachment I use for this process:

Here is the results after 10 minutes of Dremel action:

Next shot shows what still needs removing to accept the aluminium ring:

Below shows the internal plastic ring removed and the aluminium ring offered before a quick tidy up and smoothing if the newly cut trim:

After a little tidy up, your fascia looked like this, you’ll see that I lost control of the Dremel by the mark at the 12 O’Clock position. It’ll disappear once painted:

Here it is masked up ready to improve the look:

After this it had a couple of coats of (@A2Steve favourite) Lidl Matt Black Paint. It was a windy evening so there was some imperfections in the finish. It will be sanded back and repainted once I return. The finished item will most certainly be waiting for you upon your return to the UK.

All of the above only took 30-40 minutes so it really is a DIY task. This is exactly the same process that I went through to improve the headlight switch in Project OEM.

Kind regards,

Tom

 

[dj_efk]

@gills thread is brilliant and like you, and pointed me towards the whole block heater thing as my commute is fairly short. This is bad, but what's worse is that within 1/4 mile I hit one of the steepest hills in Sussex (up, not down). Always makes me cringe, the thought of a stone cold engine having to pull a car up that hill, however sympathetically I try to treat it. We're lucky to have @Joga 's expertise on hand in this regard

Loving this thread and as I've said before, your forensic approach to the whole thing. I did wonder whether, as a second car, an A2 could now attract a classic policy which tend to be of the agreed value type as a matter of course? Forgive me if you've already floated this and I've missed it!

Yes climbing a steep hill on a cold engine (where I assume lots of throttle and revs are needed) that would make me cringe too, although I guess it would at least speed up your engine's warm-up time!

Re: your point on classic insurance - The issue I found is few providers want to cover the modifications AND business use cover - as I'll be using Merlin to visit clients I need this, but that said, I think I need to do further research on providers of such policies. If anyone can help here with experiences then I'd be grateful. As always, my requirements are pretty specific!

 

[dj_efk]

Morning David,

Your headlight switch conversion is coming along great. I’m now away for 3 weeks in Scotland and will complete it upon return.

Here are a few pictures of the cutting process I took that will form part of my right up about so others can have a go.

This is the headlight switch before I started:
View attachment 69162

Here’s your Aluminium ring to be fitted:
View attachment 69163

Here’s the ring place on top to mark up the initial cutting:
View attachment 69164

The next picture shows the scribe line from the using the aluminium ring as the template:
View attachment 69165

Next picture shows the attachment I use for this process:
View attachment 69166

Here is the results after 10 minutes of Dremel action:
View attachment 69167

Next shot shows what still needs removing to accept the aluminium ring:
View attachment 69168

Below shows the internal plastic ring removed and the aluminium ring offered before a quick tidy up and smoothing if the newly cut trim:
View attachment 69169

After a little tidy up, your fascia looked like this, you’ll see that I lost control of the Dremel by the mark at the 12 O’Clock position. It’ll disappear once painted:
View attachment 69170

Here it is masked up ready to improve the look:
View attachment 69171

After this it had a couple of coats of (@A2Steve favourite) Lidl Matt Black Paint. It was a windy evening so there was some imperfections in the finish. It will be sanded back and repainted once I return. The finished item will most certainly be waiting for you upon your return to the UK.

All of the above only took 30-40 minutes so it really is a DIY task. This is exactly the same process that I went through to improve the headlight switch in Project OEM.

Kind regards,

Tom

Is it weird that I'm excited about replacing a car headlamp switch?! Thank you again Tom.

 

[Rusty911]

Yes climbing a steep hill on a cold engine (where I assume lots of throttle and revs are needed) that would make me cringe too, although I guess it would at least speed up your engine's warm-up time!

Re: your point on classic insurance - The issue I found is few providers want to cover the modifications AND business use cover - as I'll be using Merlin to visit clients I need this, but that said, I think I need to do further research on providers of such policies. If anyone can help here with experiences then I'd be grateful. As always, my requirements are pretty specific!

Ah, of course, that's a good point. I suppose you are chipping away at the pool of insurers with your combination of needs! Bit like mortgages: looks like a huge range of options, but if you're not 'mainstream' the choices seem to diminish very quickly.

 

[oneflewover]

I take it you have seen this, not sure if able to retro fit a webasto to an electric one.

I'm sorely tempted

Webasto Kit

 

[dj_efk]

I take it you have seen this, not sure if able to retro fit a webasto to an electric one.

I'm sorely tempted

Webasto Kit

I think I'd go this route if I had a webasto fitted already - as the great advantage of this setup would be it's flexibility: You could operate it when the car is parked away from the garage / a source of power.

As mine is a later A2 with the electric element that heats the car's interior only, not the engine block, then I don't have a webasto - and I read somewhere in a post from those far more knowledgeable than me that retrofitting one has never been done and would be difficult...

 

[audifan]

As a guide if you are fitting the auto switch complete with its fascia and a chrome ring then you need to remove all the existing "countersunk" material from the dash fascia ( the area that has the icons ) all the way around. If you remove the material from the rear, but keep making sure that you are not removing too much, there is less chance of slipping and causing damage to the front face. you want to end up with the ring being a nice push fit into the fascia.

 

[dj_efk]

OK, on the engine pre-heater kit, I've just about got to the point where I'm ready to take the plunge:

The UK Calix dealer (who by chance happens to be just down the road from where I'll be living, in Exeter), has been super-helpful and corroborated the list / suggestion of parts that @Joga and I came up with for my TDi90 installation: The total cost will be around £150-175+VAT for the basic setup - by which I mean just the engine coolant heater itself plus cabling / mounting hardware; you can also buy further accessories which come on when the power supply is activated, such as:

1. A battery charger: I won't need this as my A2 has the later 140 amp alternator and I'm planning to use it for long-distance work in the main, plus I have a Ctek 5amp smart charger I can call upon if needed;
2. An interior heater: If installed, this would warm up / thoroughly demist the car's interior before starting, so that I would not have to wait for the heated coolant to be circulated into the heater when the car is started and then for the resultant hot air to do the job - I don't think this will be necessary, especially as Merlin will be kept in a garage and in any case has heated seats! The cost ( a further £150+VAT) seems a gross extravagance, never mind the extra hassle of installation;
3. A bluetooth-operated timer to switch the heater on using my smart phone via an app, allowing the time of departure to be entered and the timer to select the most efficient time to switch on to achieve a completely warmed engine to suit: I am not sure how useful this would be in practice - as I know my phone's bluetooth connectivity would not reach the garage from inside my nice warm house! So until I know more, I'd say I'm better off using some sort of power socket timer, perhaps even a smart one that could be supplied an internet signal using a booster from the house - and hence could be remotely switched on / off that way. A third option is a remote-controlled power socket plugged into the garage; the sort that is advertised as the remote having 30m range. I'm not sure to what extent this range would reduce through windows and walls etc. however - and Merlin's garage will be a good 15-20m away across the road outside the front of the house! Having said that, the front windows of the house do have a good, uninterrupted view of the garage, so this could still be an option worth trying.

For those who are interested, check out the Calix website: Link to the Audi A2 Calix range.

The only outstanding question I need answered is how long should the on-board cable be that will run from the foglamp panel as per @gills' setup to the heater itself.

 

[gills]

OK, on the engine pre-heater kit, I've just about got to the point where I'm ready to take the plunge:

The UK Calix dealer (who by chance happens to be just down the road from where I'll be living, in Exeter), has been super-helpful and come up with a list / suggestion of parts for what I need - The total cost will be around £150+VAT for the basic setup - by which I mean just the engine coolant heater itself plus cabling / mounting hardware; you can also buy further accessories which come on when the power supply is activated, such as:

1. A battery charger: I won't need this as my A2 has the later 140 amp alternator and I'm planning to use it for long-distance work in the main, plus I have a Ctek 5amp smart charger I can call upon if needed;
2. An interior heater: If installed, this would warm up / thoroughly demist the car's interior before starting, so that I would not have to wait for the heated coolant to be circulated into the heater when the car is started and then for the resultant hot air to do the job - I don't think this will be necessary, especially as Merlin has heated seats! The cost ( a further £150+VAT) seems a gross extravagence, never mind the extra hassle of installation;
3. A bluetooth-operated timer to switch the heater on using my smart phone via an app, allowing the time of departure to be entered and the timer to select the most efficient time to switch on to achieve a completely warmed engine to suit: I am not sure how useful this would be in practice - as I know my phone's bluetooth connectivity would not reach the garage from inside my nice warm house! So until I know more, I'd say I'm better off using some sort of power socket timer, perhaps even a smart one that could be supplied an internet signal using a booster from the house.

For those who are interested, check out the Calix website: Link to the Audi A2 Calix range.

The only outstanding question I need answered is how long should the on-board cable be that will run from the foglamp panel as per @gills' setup to the heater itself.

My opinions, for what they're worth:

1. Probably not worth having a battery charger in the UK, unless the car is left un-used for longer periods or used for short journeys in winter

2. Nice to have to clear windows on a frosty morning, but not cheap and not easy to wire in neatly. After the block heater has been on, the car blows warm air pretty quickly (within a minute) or starting

3. I go to work at the same time every day, so use a mechanical timer to run the heater. I keep on thinking about fitting a wireless timer plug (e.g. https://www.amazon.co.uk/TECKIN-Outlet-Wireless-Control-Required/dp/B088FVRYL5/), which for £10 can either be set on a schedule or operated remotely on demand - it's a lot cheaper than a bluetooth controller on the car, although doesn't give you the option to switch different options on at different times.

My Defa kit came with a 1.5m in-car cable, but this was far more than I needed, so the excess is looped up behind the foglight panel.

 

[dj_efk]

Your opinions are worth their weight in gold Ian, between you and @Joga youve both been the inspiration and means to get me to the point where I now know what to expect in terms of results, parts needed and the most cost-effective path of obtaining them - I will see what the dealer comes back to me on in terms of final prices, I’m trying to negotiate a club discount of sorts, in case anyone else coming along likes the sound of this installation too.

Why do we in the UK not take winter motoring seriously? Ok it’s not as cold as some parts of northern Europe, but still, we should still use the technology that’s available to make winters safer and more comfortable - for a long-term keeper such as Merlin, the costs of this kit and proper winter tyres are not that expensive, given the benefits.

 

[dj_efk]

Latest just in from DS Motorsport

They looked totally fine until you really looked too apparently!! Now the cast Lemforder items are safely installed in their place - A job well worth doing!!

Other pics to come, however the list of jobs is almost done (just the new Goodyear Ultragrip 9+ tyres to install on the winter 5.5j standard 15” rims, which will then be swapped for the summer pepper pots on the car. Also the engine and gearbox need to be refilled with Millers Nanodrive EE 5w/30 and Redline MT-LV 70w/75w respectively - both of which should give a few % increase in fuel efficiency with no detriment to wear protection.

Notes so far:

• The gearbox conversion was straightforward and all went together as I knew it would, using the starter motor from the donor car (CAYC engine type).
• The Calix heater has been neatly mounted next to the oil filler behind the service flap, which pleases me. Apparently this conversion was also straightforward and so should prove well-worth doing in due course. I intend to use this all year round and not just winter.
• The oil pump chain + sprockets that drive the balance shaft needed replacement but were not overly worn, which is interesting considering that breakages have been known at this mileage (135k) or just over. This points to a well-serviced and carefully driven car.
• The turbo, a known weak point on the ATL engine, has just a smidge of play that DSM has judged would be more or less completely taken up by oil pressure when in service, again this backs up the impression of careful use and maintenance.

 

[dj_efk]

Photos of the chain, sprockets and tensioner for the balance shaft and oil pump drive:

Chain: Looks fine although difficult to tell

Sprockets: the centre one shows fairly advanced wear (sharp teeth), the others show less but varying degrees of wear.

The timing chain tensioner is worn but not excessively so:

Overall, I think Merlin would have reached over 200k miles or even more without issue (again, the car has been pampered), however there was enough wear present on these components that I’m happy that the work has now been done.

 

[bretti_kivi]

a complete Webasto has been done many times, it's just way more complex as you need to plumb into fuel and coolant lines and then set everything up on the electrical side. €1000 is often quoted for one over on the German forum.
I have a Webasto on this Octy and had one on the last one. I wouldn't want to miss it, as it means I can heat way faster while moving and / or set things up easily for a specific departure time or just turn it on when I get out of bed... but it does drink fuel.

- Bret

 

[dj_efk]

a complete Webasto has been done many times, it's just way more complex as you need to plumb into fuel and coolant lines and then set everything up on the electrical side. €1000 is often quoted for one over on the German forum.
I have a Webasto on this Octy and had one on the last one. I wouldn't want to miss it, as it means I can heat way faster while moving and / or set things up easily for a specific departure time or just turn it on when I get out of bed... but it does drink fuel.

- Bret

Hi Brett,

Thanks for chipping in, seems like there's about a 1,000 reasons not to retrofit a Webasto then!

I have decided that the Calix coolant pre-heater will be enough and as far as I will go in terms of shortening warm-up time from the first start of the day for now - The stick-on external sump heater pad could be a future project if there is a suitable place for mounting below the oil level line inside that wouldn't risk overheating / setting fire to other components of the engine bay - but it'd be something I'd want to do myself, rather than having to pay for DS Motorsport to do it and then wire it into the Calix circuit (the latter being something that I would probably want a qualified electrician to do maybe rather than mechanics?).

Anyway, for UK winters and especially considering the car will live in a garage, I think the gains will not be worthwhile.

 

[dj_efk]

As mentioned in the today thread, a total bill of £2215.63 has just been settled - that left my bank account with a serious hole in it today!

Here again is the final job list sent to DSM by email that made resulted in that bill, with £160 transport costs from @YorkshireHill ’s residence included:

1. Full Service including cambelt kit / water pump replacement - change all belts, fluids and filters;

2. Thermostat + seal and coolant temp sensor replacement;

3. Oil pump / balance shaft chain and sprockets + crank seal replacement;

4. Gearbox swap (sent them the six speed MYP thread from here and they read / followed that);

5. Replace the pressed steel front arms with the Lemforder cast items;

6. Install the Calix engine heater kit provided;

7. Arrange for the fitting of the new winter tyres to the set of rims in the boot;

8. Install second / high-tone horn under the bonnet / splice the wiring into the horn circuit (again, sent them the thread from here)


It was a hell of a lot of money, but it represents a total of 30 hours + some of the parts (I sourced some like the cast arms and Calix heater kit etc.) - and it now means there is NOTHING left to chance with this little blighter - I am thus now positioned for many, many happy miles & years of motoring with hopefully just routine maintenance and only minor repairs being needed. I can’t wait to start the experience.

 

[Rusty911]

Or the alternative would have been a three or four year Focustra that would have depreciated to nothing in a few years, be one of the herd and have zero classic status going forward.

Sounds like an excellent investment to me! Hope you really enjoy it when you come to start using Merlin ?

 

[dj_efk]

Thanks Rusty - Merlin gets delivered to my parents' place, where I and my family are staying for this half-term week, tomorrow - so I will get to meet him finally!

I do hope I get on with him!

 

[Erlingtheelder]

Thanks Rusty - Merlin gets delivered to my parents' place, where I and my family are staying for this half-term week, tomorrow - so I will get to meet him finally!

I do hope I get on with him!

You must be like a kid at Christmas?!? I hope you’ll be as enamoured with A2 life as I’ve become. ?

 

[2work]

Evening David,

If you now have Merlin in your possession I will get the light switch off to you in the morning sir.

Looking forward to pictures of this very well pampered A2.

Kind regards,

Tom