Guess what - my A2 failed its MoT on Saturday due to a broken front NS spring...
Called my local Audi shop & suggested that Audi should pay for it as the car is just under 5 years old and has only done 43k miles. Guess what, they said "no". Called Audi customer services. They said "no" too. Claimed that even under warranty they would only pay 70% anyway. Said I could try claiming but I would have to pay the local dealership for "diagnosis", and I may get £10 off them if I'm lucky. So the dealership would charge £206 for the job, plus diagnosis. Diagnosis that had been done by the MoT station and was obvious in seconds if you look under the wing.
So I bought a new spring, top bearing & nut (they recommend replacing the bearing when you do the spring) from Audi today for £54 (retail less a 5% discount). Having it fitted tomorrow by local independent mechanics as I don't like paying £85/hour for bog-standard spanner-work. Should take 1.25-1.5 hours.
Anyway, when I collected the parts, the parts man told me it was a common fault, and that the spring has been modified to make it stronger.
I've got a good mind to take Audi UK to the small claims court over this. It's clearly a common problem due to a design defect, judging by the number of reports of it and the parts man's comments.
I suspect that the bearing fails first due to salt/grit. There's always more on the left hand side in this country. When it starts to seize you get huge twisting forces on the top of the spring whenever you turn the wheel. Hit a bump at the same time and it just adds to those forces.
Interestingly, I think we've driven for a while with it broken. It may have been like this since we got it in April last year. A couple of times I've noticed the tell-tale graunching sound of a failed strut bearing, but it wasn't regular enough to convince me there was a problem. I've had one go on another car and it was consistent, every time you turned the wheel.
Strangely the spring didn't cause any noises, ride-height or handling/steering problems until the MoT. On the way back it made regular clonking noises - there was obviously a problem. I jacked the car up to take a closer look when I got home, and when I drove it to the repairer today it seemed fine again. Clearly what's happening is that the top of the spring is settling in a different position aftre jacking and hence may make obvious noises or may be silent, depending on where it ends up.
I've attached 3 photos:
1) the near-side broken spring
2) a close-up of the broken spring end
3) the off-side unbroken spring
Probably worth everyone checking to ensure theirs aren't broken...
Mark