My new A2 1.4tdi daily/project

Mikij10

Member
Hi all,

thought I’d share my new purchase - a 2001 A2 1.4tdi 75hp. Purchased it to serve as my daily/workhorse car, and having owned it now for 2 weeks or so I’m beginning to see why owners tend to love them so much?

My intention is to build the car up to ‘oem plus’ standard - ie tastefully modified. I’ll let you all tell me if I’ve already missed the mark on that front lol!

since purchasing it, I’ve sourced and installed some 18” Audi A1 black edition alloys, fit mtec vented/grooved front discs, wind deflectors, a very light rear light tint - as well as a full service. I’ve got some genuine rear mudflaps, a CarPlay stereo upgrade with new speakers, window tint on order.

I’m planning to get a stage 1 map (in a couple months so I appreciate the power gain more), possibly a stainless cat back exhaust, new steering wheel and hopefully new seats at some stage to get it to where I want it. I’m very much new to Audis (and cars of this era to be honest), I’m open to any other suggestions for worthwhile modifications!

cheers, Miki

F148D71E-0EE6-476F-9CFA-86DCE0DC30CA.jpeg
 
Welcome along. Where in South Wales are you? I’m in Aberdare and recognise the numberplate.
 
Hi all,

thought I’d share my new purchase - a 2001 A2 1.4tdi 75hp. Purchased it to serve as my daily/workhorse car, and having owned it now for 2 weeks or so I’m beginning to see why owners tend to love them so much?

My intention is to build the car up to ‘oem plus’ standard - ie tastefully modified. I’ll let you all tell me if I’ve already missed the mark on that front lol!

since purchasing it, I’ve sourced and installed some 18” Audi A1 black edition alloys, fit mtec vented/grooved front discs, wind deflectors, a very light rear light tint - as well as a full service. I’ve got some genuine rear mudflaps, a CarPlay stereo upgrade with new speakers, window tint on order.

I’m planning to get a stage 1 map (in a couple months so I appreciate the power gain more), possibly a stainless cat back exhaust, new steering wheel and hopefully new seats at some stage to get it to where I want it. I’m very much new to Audis (and cars of this era to be honest), I’m open to any other suggestions for worthwhile modifications!

cheers, Miki

View attachment 74999
What size speakers do they take ?
 
I mapped my 1.4 TDi this weekend gone. I have the mapped file and I have MPPS to write the map to the car. It is a stage 1 map and the car now drives I would compare it to a 1.9 tdi golf pd100

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
 
Hi and welcome.
I am also in south wales (Blackwood) if you need any help or advice drop me a mail.
Steve
 
The door check strap goes directly behind the speaker basket. So the standard plastic ring to offset the basket by 35mm from the door won't work. And it needs to be sealed, so this is a royal pain in the neck. I've spent weeks on mine and still can't get the drivers to fit that I wanted to: too low vs. the plastic across the front of the door and the magnet is too big both in diameter and depth. The Axton ATC165s fit, the Ground Zeros won't. The ATCs have a probable nicer tweeter anyway, so it's not a real loss. I'll only be feeding them 120W per side, though, so it should work well. ATCs also come with an XO on the tweeter and a cup so I should be able to dump them right out in the corners of the dash - first to get the system running and run it in and then I will play with this stuff.

You can try and get away with butchering existing speakers; I'm not a fan as there's minimal room for the new driver to breathe at that point. It's probably easier to deal with 130mm than 165mm drivers - I was trying to put some 180s in but I'm not the one driving it for the moment so it's not high on my priority list.
 
The door check strap goes directly behind the speaker basket. So the standard plastic ring to offset the basket by 35mm from the door won't work. And it needs to be sealed, so this is a royal pain in the neck. I've spent weeks on mine and still can't get the drivers to fit that I wanted to: too low vs. the plastic across the front of the door and the magnet is too big both in diameter and depth. The Axton ATC165s fit, the Ground Zeros won't. The ATCs have a probable nicer tweeter anyway, so it's not a real loss. I'll only be feeding them 120W per side, though, so it should work well. ATCs also come with an XO on the tweeter and a cup so I should be able to dump them right out in the corners of the dash - first to get the system running and run it in and then I will play with this stuff.

You can try and get away with butchering existing speakers; I'm not a fan as there's minimal room for the new driver to breathe at that point. It's probably easier to deal with 130mm than 165mm drivers - I was trying to put some 180s in but I'm not the one driving it for the moment so it's not high on my priority list.
You got any pictures mate ?
 
Hi,

thanks for your messages! I think at some point I’d like to start a thread of sorts documenting the changes I’m making to the car (not sure if I’m supposed to carry on this thread for that - if someone could advise me that’d be great!)

Welcome along. Where in South Wales are you? I’m in Aberdare and recognise the numberplate.

Hi and welcome.
I am also in south wales (Blackwood) if you need any help or advice drop me a mail.
Steve

Thanks both, I’m located near Tonypandy so not a million miles away from either of you!

I mapped my 1.4 TDi this weekend gone. I have the mapped file and I have MPPS to write the map to the car. It is a stage 1 map and the car now drives I would compare it to a 1.9 tdi golf pd100

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

Interesting! I’d be keen to find out if there is a particular tuner that everyone would recommend for the A2 in terms of reliability? From what I gather power gain differences seem to be marginal between tuners?

What size speakers do they take ?

I did a bit of pre-reading into this and have spoken in depth with the guys at CarAudioCentre. I think it could be a fairly difficult install, but I’ve ordered parts which we both think could work with a bit of tweaking. I’ve noticed a fair bit of cabin noise vs my old daily (2015 JCW Mini for context) so I will also be addressing this at the same time with sound proofing. I’ll be posting updates of this on the forum, fingers crossed it goes to plan lol!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I think at some point I’d like to start a thread of sorts documenting the changes I’m making to the car (not sure if I’m supposed to carry on this thread for that - if someone could advise me that’d be great!)
It's completely up to you if you want to start a new thread or not. If you don't, and you'd like this one moved from the Introductions section to Projects, just drop me a PM, it'll be no problem :)
 
That looks similar to our latest project, below is a shot of the first day it was delivered in September unseen, it looks different now.

Have you thought of a Bose speaker/amp upgrade? We have just fitted a double Din android unit, the car already had Bose, which was a complete pain in the backside to get working with an aftermarket unit, but I now know how.

Ian

IMG_3667.jpg
 
Hi all,

it's been a long minute since I've posted anything here - in all honesty life has gotten in the way of having the time to update this!

I've been somewhat of a silent forum user over the course of the year, and I must say I am very grateful of this site. It has helped me diagnose a number of small gremlins I've had with my A2, and made some of the modifications I've carried out much easier. So for everyone who has taken the time to document their ownership experiences - I tip my hat to you all.

With that being said, I thought I'd update this thread with some of the work I have managed to do, and photograph, over the course of the year - starting with the aforementioned speaker/audio upgrade.

As many previous members have pointed out, this is not a particularly easy task. And I wholeheartedly admit I underestimated how much of a pain this would be! After speaking with the guys at CarAudioCentre (can highly recommend their services), I chose the following to go into my car:
  • Pioneer TS-Z65F 6.5" Coaxial speakers for the front and rear (opted to not go for component speakers at the front as this would've been one too many arduous modifications for me to fit)
  • Pioneer GM-D1004 400w amplifier (chosen as it came highly recommended, and also is compact. Unlike most amps, this fits comfortably behind the dash!)
  • InPhase USW-12 600w subwoofer (chosen due to its form factor, and as I wanted a high quality, 'audiophile' sound, rather than ASBO volume levels;))
  • Sony XAV-AX1000 Double Din headhunt (having owned the predecessor to this model in an old car, I was happy with the UI and functionality this provides. Amp capabilities are irrelevant as I'd be using a dedicated amp. Crucially, the Sony unit offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality)
In fairness, a lot of the installation went fairly smoothly. The A2's cabin is surprisingly easy to take apart, so cable management was no problem. There were 2 main issues I had, which I'd never come across before, made the install take a lot longer than anticipated.

IMG_0568.jpg


Firstly was mounting the speakers. As a poster on this thread had previously mentioned, the speakers in the Audi aren't 'standard' fitment, which I only discovered for myself after realising there was no way the 'Audi A2 compatible' adapters I'd bought were ever going to fit. This is where I had to be a little creative with my solution. I decided to buy a set of genuine standard Audi A2 speakers from a breakers yard. Then, using a dremel and a steady hand, I detached the speaker element from the housing. Then, I took the new speakers and attached them to the OEM housing using the smallest screws I could find round the house. This was very much a case of trial and error, but eventually I managed to make it work. I've attached photos of the OEM speaker once the paper cone has been cut out, as well as how an aftermarket speaker sits inside the housing once all cut.

IMG_0570.jpg
IMG_0571.jpg
IMG_0572.jpg


Once I'd figured that out, the second issue came about when test fitting everything. After some trial and error, I eventually managed to get everything to power on correctly. The issue I stumbled upon arose when we cut the ignition to the car. For whatever reason, the head unit was still being powered, and therefore would end up draining the battery if left as is. This left me scratching my head for a solution. Not being an electrician, I couldn't quite figure this one out. So, with help from my dad and my housemate (an Engineer and Masters' Physics student respectively) we found a 'that'll do' solution. We installed a physical on-off switch beside the dash which cuts power to the head unit and sub. This works perfectly as we still have passive power to the battery to ensure the head unit retains memory (for Bluetooth devices, time etc), but we no longer have a unit draining the battery when the car is off!

Between the 2 issues, we must have spent a good week or two scratching our heads. To add to the annoyance, I had decided to take the opportunity to fully sound deaden the cabin whilst we did the install. This meant that for the entire time, bits A2 interior were scattered across my living room, and not in the car!

On the topic of sound deadening though, this was a fairly easy, if slightly laborious, task. I purchased a fairly heavy duty reel from Amazon and covered every metal panel I could in the interior of the car, baring the roof. Since the install, it has made a remarkable difference. I've attached a picture of the passenger door post-application for reference. From what was initially quite a noisy cabin, to my ear I'd now say the road noise is on par with a modern German saloon (hardly scientific I know). It has made the noise of the 1.4TDI more noticeable though, so I'm thinking of ways to combat that in the future now.

IMG_0569.jpg


Overall I'd say I'm very satisfied with the end product. Now I've broken in the speakers and the sub, the sound quality is excellent. I've not heard an Audi A2 Bose system so I cannot comment on whether that would've been a better buy. I have however owned Bose systems installed in an Alfa MiTo Cloverleaf and also an Alfa 156 GTA - and I believe my current setup sounds much nicer in comparison to those two. For reference, I'd say with the improved sound deadening, the sound system is of similar quality to that of an E9X generation 3-series' Harmon Kardon system.

IMG_8324 2.jpg


There is one thing however I am yet to figure out. And that is a facia plate for the Sony head unit. I did not realise there was never a double din facia produced for the A2, so it looks like I'll need to figure out a solution for this. From reading up on here, it looks as if the A6 adapters are the best bet, so I currently have one on order. However if anyone has a more elegant solution I'm open to suggestions!

Apologies if the photos aren't the best. At the time I was not documenting everything with a view to posting on the forum! I've done a few other mods to the car which I'll document here in the coming days/weeks. I've got some things planned for the A2 soon, so I'm going to try my best to document them on this thread too!

Thanks for reading :)

- Miki
 
Well done for documenting all of this. It looks like you’ve had fun but are close to achieving what you wanted so congratulations.

@depronman has produced bespoke facia surrounds for non OEM steeps in the past. He’d be worth a shout.
 
Hi all,

it's been a long minute since I've posted anything here - in all honesty life has gotten in the way of having the time to update this!

I've been somewhat of a silent forum user over the course of the year, and I must say I am very grateful of this site. It has helped me diagnose a number of small gremlins I've had with my A2, and made some of the modifications I've carried out much easier. So for everyone who has taken the time to document their ownership experiences - I tip my hat to you all.

With that being said, I thought I'd update this thread with some of the work I have managed to do, and photograph, over the course of the year - starting with the aforementioned speaker/audio upgrade.

As many previous members have pointed out, this is not a particularly easy task. And I wholeheartedly admit I underestimated how much of a pain this would be! After speaking with the guys at CarAudioCentre (can highly recommend their services), I chose the following to go into my car:
  • Pioneer TS-Z65F 6.5" Coaxial speakers for the front and rear (opted to not go for component speakers at the front as this would've been one too many arduous modifications for me to fit)
  • Pioneer GM-D1004 400w amplifier (chosen as it came highly recommended, and also is compact. Unlike most amps, this fits comfortably behind the dash!)
  • InPhase USW-12 600w subwoofer (chosen due to its form factor, and as I wanted a high quality, 'audiophile' sound, rather than ASBO volume levels;))
  • Sony XAV-AX1000 Double Din headhunt (having owned the predecessor to this model in an old car, I was happy with the UI and functionality this provides. Amp capabilities are irrelevant as I'd be using a dedicated amp. Crucially, the Sony unit offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality)
In fairness, a lot of the installation went fairly smoothly. The A2's cabin is surprisingly easy to take apart, so cable management was no problem. There were 2 main issues I had, which I'd never come across before, made the install take a lot longer than anticipated.

View attachment 87587

Firstly was mounting the speakers. As a poster on this thread had previously mentioned, the speakers in the Audi aren't 'standard' fitment, which I only discovered for myself after realising there was no way the 'Audi A2 compatible' adapters I'd bought were ever going to fit. This is where I had to be a little creative with my solution. I decided to buy a set of genuine standard Audi A2 speakers from a breakers yard. Then, using a dremel and a steady hand, I detached the speaker element from the housing. Then, I took the new speakers and attached them to the OEM housing using the smallest screws I could find round the house. This was very much a case of trial and error, but eventually I managed to make it work. I've attached photos of the OEM speaker once the paper cone has been cut out, as well as how an aftermarket speaker sits inside the housing once all cut.

View attachment 87582View attachment 87583View attachment 87584

Once I'd figured that out, the second issue came about when test fitting everything. After some trial and error, I eventually managed to get everything to power on correctly. The issue I stumbled upon arose when we cut the ignition to the car. For whatever reason, the head unit was still being powered, and therefore would end up draining the battery if left as is. This left me scratching my head for a solution. Not being an electrician, I couldn't quite figure this one out. So, with help from my dad and my housemate (an Engineer and Masters' Physics student respectively) we found a 'that'll do' solution. We installed a physical on-off switch beside the dash which cuts power to the head unit and sub. This works perfectly as we still have passive power to the battery to ensure the head unit retains memory (for Bluetooth devices, time etc), but we no longer have a unit draining the battery when the car is off!

Between the 2 issues, we must have spent a good week or two scratching our heads. To add to the annoyance, I had decided to take the opportunity to fully sound deaden the cabin whilst we did the install. This meant that for the entire time, bits A2 interior were scattered across my living room, and not in the car!

On the topic of sound deadening though, this was a fairly easy, if slightly laborious, task. I purchased a fairly heavy duty reel from Amazon and covered every metal panel I could in the interior of the car, baring the roof. Since the install, it has made a remarkable difference. I've attached a picture of the passenger door post-application for reference. From what was initially quite a noisy cabin, to my ear I'd now say the road noise is on par with a modern German saloon (hardly scientific I know). It has made the noise of the 1.4TDI more noticeable though, so I'm thinking of ways to combat that in the future now.

View attachment 87585

Overall I'd say I'm very satisfied with the end product. Now I've broken in the speakers and the sub, the sound quality is excellent. I've not heard an Audi A2 Bose system so I cannot comment on whether that would've been a better buy. I have however owned Bose systems installed in an Alfa MiTo Cloverleaf and also an Alfa 156 GTA - and I believe my current setup sounds much nicer in comparison to those two. For reference, I'd say with the improved sound deadening, the sound system is of similar quality to that of an E9X generation 3-series' Harmon Kardon system.

View attachment 87586

There is one thing however I am yet to figure out. And that is a facia plate for the Sony head unit. I did not realise there was never a double din facia produced for the A2, so it looks like I'll need to figure out a solution for this. From reading up on here, it looks as if the A6 adapters are the best bet, so I currently have one on order. However if anyone has a more elegant solution I'm open to suggestions!

Apologies if the photos aren't the best. At the time I was not documenting everything with a view to posting on the forum! I've done a few other mods to the car which I'll document here in the coming days/weeks. I've got some things planned for the A2 soon, so I'm going to try my best to document them on this thread too!

Thanks for reading :)

- Miki

I can laser cut black Perspex to make a fascia. Done this on my own pioneer head unit in the A2
Looks very oem

Paul


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Well done for documenting all of this. It looks like you’ve had fun but are close to achieving what you wanted so congratulations.

@depronman has produced bespoke facia surrounds for non OEM steeps in the past. He’d be worth a shout.

Thank you! I'm hopefully going to document everything moving forward!

I can laser cut black Perspex to make a fascia. Done this on my own pioneer head unit in the A2
Looks very oem

Paul


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Paul, could you possibly DM me?
 
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