New purchase! - Help/advice needed... Tinkering

stuaudia2

New Member
Hello, I've just joined the forum and am new to all this, so bare with me! I've just got hold of a really clean 2004 1.4 tdi SE - just a few minor points needed to get it tip top :) - the history on the car is immense, the chap I got it from spent thousands on her, it's just had an MOT with no advisories :) I paid £2,250 + a full tank of diesel. What do you think? 4 owners, 129k. All major items replaced by the mechanic I know, he has looked after it for 6 years. Turbo has been replaced etc...

I have a short list of points I'd like to start with - Really appreciate it if anyone has any parts I could purchase or any advice on where I should look. I've already done a little digging. Pics attached of the car as it is. Walts and all.

Sorry, these points are probably really boring and always asked on here by newbies like me!

1. Wheel centre caps, chrome rings - I have a man that can refurb and spray in any colour I choose, can't replicate the chrome though. What do you reckon, source new ones, or as a temp fix, spray them the same colour as the alloys or centre panel? Anyone done this? I will eventually have all wheels fully refurbed. Let me know if anyone has any parts that could help, I would like new chrome rings, but my guess is that they are like hens teeth...

2. Windscreen wiper arm - I'm getting this refurbed, it's showing it's age with a touch of rust.

3. Battery - Sticking a new one in ahead of winter so I know it's done, any recommends?

4. The dreaded soft-touch air con control unit buttons - As all A2's, I have a couple of worn buttons, this really bugs me, without this, the interior is looking great! Anyone got a spare control unit, or an old A4 one, I've read a lot about this issue, don't want to dare using the sticker trick, don't think it will look great. Any advise or spare parts would be welcome...

Once i've done the above I will no doubt look to tweak a few other things, but in general, I have a feeling this car is going to be a little gem. I've read a lot of articles about these being a future classic, they do seem to be really rare on the roads now and I'm sure good ones are few and far between! Would you agree that I should keep this as 'out of the factory' as possible? Any suggested upgrades I should consider?

Many thanks for reading and appreciate any feedback, suggestions or recommends/links that will help me.

All the best

Stuart


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It looks as though you have got yourself a good example of the mark! You will get plenty of advice and help on this forum, plus an excellent resource for acquiring any parts you need. Many people will be along to comment on your requests.
Many people have replaced deteriorating ’soft touch’ buttons with earlier hard touch from breakers, plus there is a service on the forum for reconditioning the soft touch
The centre caps are pretty scarce but are available but at around £40 each so again refurbing is a lower cost option, this can be done by yourself plus others offer it as a service.
Good luck with whatever you plan on doing. It is well worth keeping these little cars in good condition.
 
Welcome aboard Stuart :)

Not seeing many warts on that one ... looking very nice, I do love the 5-spoke option alloys, I have a set of those on one of mine. To answer your questions:

1) You could remove the chrome altogether, job done and you can forget about them. Work round the rim from the back. The plastic underneath is the same colour as the centre. Or you could join the Market here (see the Welcome email you'll have received for details) and put up a Wanted advert for a better set ... but most will be showing some 'white worms' by now.

2) The go-to guy for wiper refurbs is @depronman on here - not just the cosmetic, but he refurbs the bushes so that it doesn't sag and scratch your screen.

3) I believe Varta is the current recommendation for batteries but any respected make will be fine. Ensure you match the size and terminal layout though.

4) You could similarly look for a hard-touch climate unit in the Market here or get the whole climate refurbished into hard-touch by @jp.oog, again job done and won't need doing again. Ditto the headlight switch if it's on its way.
 
It looks as though you have got yourself a good example of the mark! You will get plenty of advice and help on this forum, plus an excellent resource for acquiring any parts you need. Many people will be along to comment on your requests.
Many people have replaced deteriorating ’soft touch’ buttons with earlier hard touch from breakers, plus there is a service on the forum for reconditioning the soft touch
The centre caps are pretty scarce but are available but at around £40 each so again refurbing is a lower cost option, this can be done by yourself plus others offer it as a service.
Good luck with whatever you plan on doing. It is well worth keeping these little cars in good condition.
Thanks so much for your reply and tips, appreciate it. I do agree, worth keeping these on the road, well ahead of their time when launched, Audi's vision was impressive and I believe they started something special in the motor trade with the A2.
 
Welcome aboard Stuart :)

Not seeing many warts on that one ... looking very nice, I do love the 5-spoke option alloys, I have a set of those on one of mine. To answer your questions:

1) You could remove the chrome altogether, job done and you can forget about them. Work round the rim from the back. The plastic underneath is the same colour as the centre. Or you could join the Market here (see the Welcome email you'll have received for details) and put up a Wanted advert for a better set ... but most will be showing some 'white worms' by now.

2) The go-to guy for wiper refurbs is @depronman on here - not just the cosmetic, but he refurbs the bushes so that it doesn't sag and scratch your screen.

3) I believe Varta is the current recommendation for batteries but any respected make will be fine. Ensure you match the size and terminal layout though.

4) You could similarly look for a hard-touch climate unit in the Market here or get the whole climate refurbished into hard-touch by @jp.oog, again job done and won't need doing again. Ditto the headlight switch if it's on its way.
Hi ya, thanks for your kind comments. Thank you so much for your tips and contacts, I'm looking forward to making progress with this one :)
 
Here is a link for the correct battery......
I thought the correct (original) battery height is 190 mm, the F18 is 175 mm, do you mean the Varta F19?

Andy
 
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I double checked back on my eBay purchases Andy and this is shown as the one I bought which fitted perfectly. ?
 
I too purchased and fitted an F18.
Both F18 and F19 are identical ratings, so choose which you like!

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk
 
I thought the correct (original) battery height is 190 mm, the F18 is 175 mm, do you mean the Varta F19?

Andy
The Varta F19 is indeed the correct one for the TDI both spec and size wise but the F18 would do the job but is not as tall as the original and I think the same physical size as the battery for the 1.4 petrol although more powerful.

I was once advised by an expert to always fit the tallest battery that will fit in as the capacity is greater and to never use a battery smaller than the original.

I personally fit a new Varta F19 and can confirm the fit is identical to the original Varta fitted from new, including the breather pipe location?
 
Cheers guys, most helpful when I collect the car this Friday I’m going to check out what’s in the car. Like the sound of the f19 ??
 
Looks very nice, would you have any evidence that the balance shaft chain has been changed?
Hi mate, very good question! To be honest I didn’t ask this question as I wasn’t aware of this maintenance, I will however be going through all paperwork when I collect on Friday and lookout for it. My suspicion is that this won’t have been done yet.

Thanks for the tip off, what mileage would you expect this to have been checked or replaced, looks like it’s something that should be done alongside other major maintenance like water pump replacement, timing belt etc?

This would be beyond me and my toolkit, what sort of cost would I be looking at for this replacement? I read that it’s quite a job! Lots of ‘how to’ guides on here.

Cheers

Stu
 
Hopefully we may see you at some point as I regularly travel to Maidstone and Paddock Wood to see family.
There is a very nice yellow colour storm in West Malling.
Hope you enjoy your new car, but be warned they are addictive, it won't be long before you want another
 
Hopefully we may see you at some point as I regularly travel to Maidstone and Paddock Wood to see family.
There is a very nice yellow colour storm in West Malling.
Hope you enjoy your new car, but be warned they are addictive, it won't be long before you want another.
 
Hopefully we may see you at some point as I regularly travel to Maidstone and Paddock Wood to see family.
There is a very nice yellow colour storm in West Malling.
Hope you enjoy your new car, but be warned they are addictive, it won't be long before you want another
Cool, yes! Are there any meets in this area?? Wouldn’t mind have a catch up with some owners as I’m new to a2’s, I can already see how addictive little cars they are, I could tell that from the guy I bought it off ?
 
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Hi mate, very good question! To be honest I didn’t ask this question as I wasn’t aware of this maintenance, I will however be going through all paperwork when I collect on Friday and lookout for it. My suspicion is that this won’t have been done yet.

Thanks for the tip off, what mileage would you expect this to have been checked or replaced, looks like it’s something that should be done alongside other major maintenance like water pump replacement, timing belt etc?

This would be beyond me and my toolkit, what sort of cost would I be looking at for this replacement? I read that it’s quite a job! Lots of ‘how to’ guides on here.

Cheers

Stu
I think 100 to 150k miles, but read around on here to check. It is one of those things that you can listen for but you have to have been running the car for a while to recognise the rattling as not normal. That is exactly what I did, I was aware of the risk for years before I heard an unusual rattle, the chain guides and tensioner pads were breaking up when I got inside the engine to investigate.
I did combine the job with a timing belt and water pump change. I was still running the original water pump.
No idea about cost, contact an A2 specialist if you think you need it. The parts arn't expensive, labour is where the expense is.
 
I think 100 to 150k miles, but read around on here to check. It is one of those things that you can listen for but you have to have been running the car for a while to recognise the rattling as not normal. That is exactly what I did, I was aware of the risk for years before I heard an unusual rattle, the chain guides and tensioner pads were breaking up when I got inside the engine to investigate.
I did combine the job with a timing belt and water pump change. I was still running the original water pump.
No idea about cost, contact an A2 specialist if you think you need it. The parts arn't expensive, labour is where the expense is.
Ok, I have now established I will be doing the timing belt in august so for safety, think I’ll do everything in one hit, better start saving... thanks guys for making me aware about the tensioner maintenance, I will be listening closely from now until I sort it, it’s good to be aware ??
 
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