Hello from Singapore!!

dj_efk

dj_efk

A2OC Donor
United-Kingdom
Hi all, I’m David. I’m about to repatriate back to the U.K., COVID19 permitting.

Ive already secured the family transport for my wife to use for kiddy related activities during the week / as the weekend family car (VW Touran) - but have for a long time been trying to think of a smallish car with good people / luggage capacity that has isofix in the back, is smallish and economical whilst being good to drive long-distance weekly, between Devon (Honiton) and West London, without tiring me out by journey’s end.

I had resigned myself to spending £8k on a 4 year old Skoda Fabia, but have just recently discovered the A2 - which ticks all the boxes and has the double bonus of being criminally cheap at the moment and being a reliable classic (I’m going to have sell my 1969 BMW 2800cs so would love something to keep as a tidy ongoing project).

I will therefore be seeking a nice low mileage 1.6 or 1.4 TDI 90 and will be seeking a specialist to convert it to 6 speed (I’ve read the very detailed guides on here, I assume the 75bhp cars would be gutless in 6th?). The idea will be to keep it as long as possible.

Luckily it seems I won’t need to spend more than £4.5K or so total including the conversion? Who is the best specialist to go to for this work who are not a million miles from either of my locations?

Looking forward contributing to this great community!
 
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dj_efk said:
Who is the best specialist to go to for this work who are not a million miles from either of my locations?
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Welcome.

Stealth Racing http://stealthracing.co.uk/ are one of two acknowledged A2 specialists in the country and you should talk to them ahead of making any purchase. Since you're happy with diesel, I'd suggest you think seriously about getting the standard TDI 75, and getting Stealth to remap it for you, rather than taking on the TDI 90. They'll also be able to advise on rebuilding the gearbox as a 6-speed, or replacing to your preference.

If you prefer the 1.6 FSI, there's no benefit to be had from changing the gearbox.
 
Hi dj_efk,

Welcome to A2OC.

Of all the 6-speed A2s that now exist, a majority of them are TDI75s that have been remapped. My own TDI75 was converted to 6-speed nearly 8 years ago.You can read about the process here:

Gearbox Recondition and 6-Speed Conversion

My A2 spent the Christmas period with Vince at Stealth for some fairly serious repairs and upgrades. Some time ago, I posted a query about a metallic knocking noise upon accelerating and engine braking. There seemed to be slack in the powertrain or drivetrain. The knocking was being caused by...
www.a2oc.net
In Post No.5, you'll see various graphs showing the gearing for a TDI75 vs a TDI90.
All this assumes that you use a conversion kit that upgrades the existing 5-speed 'box to 6-speed. It is now also possible to use, for instance, an MYP gearbox from a 2012 Passat, but that comes with further compatibility considerations depending on the precise age of the A2 that you buy.
Either way, it's not gutless on the motorway; you definitely don't need to have a TDI90 in order to make a 6th gear viable. However, it's a gear for momentum-maintenance, not mega acceleration. I can stick my A2 in 6th gear and cruise along happily on any section of the UK motorway network with the exception of a few long, steep hills on the M62, where I have to change down to 5th.

The A2 was available, in the UK, with 2 petrol engines and 2 diesel engines. For each fuel type, the more powerful is the less reliable. The TDI90 has a more fragile turbo and flywheel than its 75bhp counterpart, though is still widely considered to be a reliable engine. The 1.6FSI is significantly more problemaic than the ubiquitous 1.4-litre petrol. If you'd like to cherish a 1.6FSI, you're encouraged to do, but make sure you've done all your homework.
The TDI90 was only made for 18 months and is therefore a relatively rare beast. In fine condition and with low mileage, they're hard to find and command a premium price.

Lots and lots of information is available in the archives or on-tap from many members who love nothing more than chatting about A2s, so search/ask away. :)

Cheers,

Tom
 
Thanks both for your input.

Tom, you just caused me to lose the best part of an hour reading your gearbox and engine build threads!

Good to know the 75 BHP diesel is the pick of the bunch and will be usable with the 6 speed upgrade with a simple remap, as I see there are a number of those for sale. Is the Petrol 75 BHP not worth upgrading in a similar way?

Is my proposed £4.5K budget realistic for a good car with lowish mileage, plus the inevitable "sorting" any new car will need - plus these upgrades?
 
dj_efk said:
Tom, you just caused me to lose the best part of an hour reading your gearbox and engine build threads!
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Ah, pleased to see that you've also found the TDI120 thread. You did well to get through it in an hour; it certainly took me a lot longer to write it! You'll be pleased to know that the previous engine (totally standard TDI75, albeit remapped) drove the 6th gear just as well.

dj_efk said:
Good to know the 75 BHP diesel is the pick of the bunch and will be usable with the 6 speed upgrade with a simple remap, as I see there are a number of those for sale.
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Of course, all the engine variants on offer have their advantages, but the consensus is that the TDI75 is the pick of the bunch; the cheapest to run, the most fuel efficient, the most reliable, plenty quick enough, etc.

dj_efk said:
Is the Petrol 75 BHP not worth upgrading in a similar way?
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In a word, no, for wide and varied reasons relating to physical and electrical incompatibilities. The 1.4 petrol is perhaps the least modifiable engine/gearbox combination. The 1.4 petrol engine is much lighter than the 1.6FSI and the TDI engines, meaning it handles better, but its gearing is aimed more at urban use. Given that you've said you'll be using the car primarily as a long-distance mileage-muncher, it's probably not the right model for you.

I presume your destination in West London will remain outside any proposed expansion of London's ultra low emissions zone?

dj_efk said:
Is my proposed £4.5K budget realistic for a good car with lowish mileage, plus the inevitable "sorting" any new car will need - plus these upgrades?
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The gearbox upgrade will cost up to £1700, depending on the car you buy and the conversion method that you choose. That leaves you at least £2800 for the right car, plus any immediate repairs. Whether that's enough depends on the level of perfection you're looking for, and what you'd consider to be 'low mileage'.

Cheers,

Tom
 
Thanks again - Yes I'll be based in Ealing when in London, about 500 yards from the North Circular which marks the beginning of the ULEZ!

OK so it's either a 1.6 FSI or a TDI for me then - plus it sounds like I need to budget £5k all-in to be safe.

Is there any info on this site as to what specs / options these cars came with when new in the UK? This would allow me to know what to hold out for in spec, although in truth I'd only really want the 5 seat and cruise control options I think -Some others such as leather would be nice but definitely not essential!
 
dj_efk said:
Is there any info on this site as to what specs / options these cars came with when new in the UK? This would allow me to know what to hold out for in spec, although in truth I'd only really want the 5 seat and cruise control options I think -Some others such as leather would be nice but definitely not essential!
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All UK A2s come with remote central locking, but that's about the only thing that's standard across the range.
SE models include climate control, front fog lights, the false floor boot, leather controls, illuminated vanity mirrors and protected door sills.
Sport models include leather controls, a 3-spoke steering wheel, Sport seats and the DIS instrument cluster.
Basically, a vast majority of the optional extras had to be purchased on a one-by-one basis.

I offer a huge range of upgrades for the A2. Hundreds and hundreds of A2s across the UK and Central Europe have had upgrades added by me. My perfectionism is well documented, and I aim to do every retrofit to factory standard. With the exception of OpenSky, climate control and the rear bench seat, I can retrofit any of the original factory options. If you've seen it in an A2, I can add it...
DIS, Colour DIS, cruise control, multifunction steering wheel (of various designs), heated mirrors, auto-dimming rear view mirror, heated washer jets, lumbar support, heated seats, Bose premium sound system, rear electric windows, Audi rear parking sensors, headlight washers, front and rear fog lights, double-DIN dash conversion, RNS-E integrated SatNav, Bluetooth phone integration, Bluetooth audio streaming, SDS voice control, false floor boot, komfortblinker indicators, twin interior boot lights, etc, etc.
I also offer things like additional 12V sockets, USB charging sockets, dashcams, upgrades for TDI engines (such as ECU mods, all-alloy intercoolers, silicone boost hoses, etc) as well as electrical diagnostics and repairs (central locking issues, immobiliser programming, additional keys, etc).

So, the advice is to find a car that has the engine you want and is in the kind of condition that you'd like. If you want 5 seats, climate control and/or OpenSky, your purchase must take those wishes into account. Beyond that, everything is a bonus. Cruise control wasn't fitted as standard to any spec' packages, so it a rarity from factory. However, I've fitted it to about 350 A2s, and it's not particularly expensive.

You may have already read my thread about the two rear seating arrangements...

A Guide to the A2's Boot and Rear Seats

Amongst its many virtues, the A2's rear cabin space is hugely flexible. The A2 was available with two rear seating arrangements: The 4-seater version of the A2 only has two rear seats, but they can be removed individually, meaning the car's either a 2-seater, a 3-seater or a 4-seater. In...
www.a2oc.net

dj_efk said:
Thanks again - Yes I'll be based in Ealing when in London, about 500 yards from the North Circular which marks the beginning of the ULEZ!
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The A2 TDI does incur a fee for entering the ULEZ. At the moment, it sounds like you'll be OK, but the concern is that the ULEZ will be expanded to cover a larger and larger area. The TDI is likely to do 20mpg more than the FSI on the motorway and is cheaper to tax and maintain, but that saving may be offset by future ULEZ payments. You'd have to do the maths based on your projected use of the car.

Cheers,

Tom
 
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Final question! ISOFIX points on the bench rear seat version: I read in a post that contrary to all other cars with rear ISOFIX, the ones in these cars are not both located in the rear outer seats, as one is in the middle, meaning you can't use both at the same time?!

Have I misunderstood or is that right? Surely that defeats a lot of the positive purpose of having the ISOFIX fittings for a family of more than one child.
 
Sure I've read the opposite, the ISOFIX are both on the outer seats, this would make sense as with two car seats in place there isn't really room for anyone in the middle.

EDIT: If I did indeed read that, then it must have been wrong. I've now read reliable posts on here confirming that both the earlier centre-lap belt and later 3x3 inertia belt versions of the bench seat only have three ISOFIX points, in the nearside and centre positions.
 
Proghound said:
Sure I've read the opposite, the ISOFIX are both on the outer seats, this would make sense as with two car seats in place there isn't really room for anyone in the middle.
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Hope you're right, as otherwise that wouldn't make sense and would make an A2 critically flawed as a purchase in my wife's eyes!!
 
It's been a long, long time since I looked into this. I wrote the thread about the rear seats over 6 years ago, and was fairly sure I'd done all my research.

The bench seat came in two generations. Generation 1 had a cheese-wire lap-belt for the middle seat, whereas Generation 2 had a full 3-point inertia-reel belt. It's possible that the ISOfix point design was also changed, but I've no means of checking at the moment; my own A2 is a 4-seater (both rear seats have ISOfix points).
As is implied in the Rear Seats and Boot thread, the 4-seater version is the better, more flexible design. The only reason to have a bench seat is if you occasionally need to (uncomfortably) seat 3 people in the back.

Cheers,

Tom
 
I can confirm that my Gen2 rear bench with the full 3-point seatbelt has the same ISOFIX arrangement as Tom mentioned in his thread.
3 ISOFIX points meaning 1 seat fitment, centre or LHS only.
See pic from my 2004 TDI:

rear_bench1.jpg


John
 
dj_efk said:
Thanks @mcauleyj / John.

Hang on, so the 4 seater also came with rear ISOFIX, but on both separate seats?
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Hi David,
Yes I believe so - so handier to remove AND 2 independent ISOFIX points.
I can only imagine they did the bench with only 1 fitment due to some sort of loading restriction, it is a shame.
I have 3 children and although they are all in high back boosters dual ISOFIX in the back would be handy.
John
 
1585792216864.png


Just found this pic of a rear seat from a 4 seat car which confirms two ISOFIX either side - Wow, so there really is very little going for the rear bench as a feature then!
 
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in9999 said:
Is that not a bench seat?
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Christ on a bike - I was so focused on the location of the ISOFIX points I totally missed that - This blows the whole saga wide open then!

I note that this car is a late one with the 3 point middle belt - I wonder if the ISOFIX mountings changed for the later cars so equipped from the shared middle & side to the seperate rear side locations?

Can anyone definitely clarify what is going on here? Sorry to keep on, however this version of the bench seat would be my ideal setup as I indicated previously.
 
Surely it's not that difficult to fit Isofix retrospectively? Certainly there's a lot of talk on other Audi forums about either getting an Audi dealer to fit them or buying the parts to install them yourself.

Here's an advert (long since sold) for an A2 with "full Isofix":

Used Cars, Vans & Motorbikes for Sale | Gumtree

Find amazing local prices on used Cars, Vans & Motorbikes for sale ✅ Shop hassle-free with Gumtree, your local buying & selling community.
www.gumtree.com www.gumtree.com

It's difficult enough to find any A2 with a rear bench, before you start worrying about whether it has the full Isofix option; fitting the fastenings retrospectively seems to solve the problem.
 
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