Looking into buying.

Cam belt replacement interval is 90k or 4 years, whichever comes first, according to my local TPS.
Changing the water pump at the same time is a good idea, not because the pump is weak, because it's not, but after 53k on my car, the seal was starting to degrade.
If you're mechanically inclined and methodical, its not a difficult job.
 
A couple of comments here on replacing the oil pump chain. I asked about this at my local independent Audi dealer (Harpers in Carlisle) - they were quite definite that this isn't necessary provided that the engine has been looked after properly - this means regular and frequent oil & filter changes. They emphasised frequent which I took to mean not 15,000 miles as the variable service interval can allow - I do mine every 5,000 miles.
 
If you check the MOT history of this car- I got it here: www.gov.uk/check-mot-history - you'll see that the mileage stated in the ad appears to be backed up by that recorded at its tests since December 2005. You'll probably also deduce that the car hasn't been as well maintained in recent years as it was when it was newer, in that there were fails followed by passes after rectification of faults in the last few years. Also that there were a few times when the car wasn't presented for testing whilst the previous MOT certificate was current (including a five months gap at the beginning of 2014) and one year (2014 to 2015) when the mileage only increased by around 750 miles.

I'm not mechanically proficient so perhaps others will say whether the recorded reasons for failure are causes for concern. However, seeing as no-one else has answered that part of your query, I can tell you how to access the engine: unlock the service flap by pulling the handle down by the driver's knee, flip down the flap and you'll see two yellow knobs which turn about 90 degrees to release the bonnet. Once that's released, pull it forward to remove it from the locating slots at each side just in front of the windscreen and find somewhere soft to put the whole thing down!

You'll not see much under there because there's a cover bolted to the top of the engine but it will at least give the seller the impression that you're familiar with the A2!

Good luck,

Jeff



WF52OSC AUDI A2

Colour Silver
Fuel type Diesel
Date registered 11 November 2002
MOT valid until 18 October 2019




MOT history
Check mileage recorded at test, MOT expiry date, defects and advisories

Date tested 26 September 2018
PASS
Mileage 120,401 miles
MOT test number 5569 3499 7760
Test location

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Expiry date 18 October 2019


Date tested 25 September 2018
FAIL
Mileage 120,401 miles
MOT test number 9903 1078 8339
Test location

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Do not drive until repaired (dangerous defects):
  • Offside Rear Tyre tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm (5.2.3 (e))
Repair immediately (major defects):
  • Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (4.1.2 (c))
  • Offside Rear Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))
What are defects?
The MOT test changed on 20 May 2018
Defects are now categorised according to their severity – dangerous, major, and minor. Find out more


Date tested 16 October 2017

PASS
Mileage 116,179 miles
MOT test number 1857 8913 9243
Test location

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Expiry date 18 October 2018
Date tested 11 October 2017


FAIL
Mileage 116,179 miles
MOT test number 3178 5449 0872
Test location

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Reason(s) for failure
  • Nearside Front Headlamp not working on dipped beam (1.7.5a)
  • Registration plate lamp not working (1.1.C.1d)
  • Nearside Rear Brake pipe excessively corroded (3.6.B.2c)
  • Anti-roll bar has excessive play in a ball joint both sides link bars (2.4.G.2)
What are failures?


Date tested 19 October 2016
PASS
Mileage 109,267 miles
MOT test number 9479 0584 9755
Test location

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Expiry date 18 October 2017


Date tested 19 October 2016

FAIL
Mileage 109,267 miles
MOT test number 4971 3299 6408
Test location

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Reason(s) for failure
  • Offside Registration plate lamp not working (1.1.C.1d)
What are failures?


Date tested 2 June 2015
PASS
Mileage 103,051 miles
MOT test number 4082 2345 5188
Test location

View test location
Expiry date 1 June 2016
Advisory notice item(s)
  • Offside Front Brake hose slightly deteriorated (3.6.B.4d)
  • Windscreen has damage to an area less than a 10mm circle within zone 'A' (8.3.1a)
  • Offside Rear coil spring corroded (2.4.C.1b)
  • both rear shock absorber dust covers detatched
  • nearside front strut top slightly stiff
What are advisories?

Date tested 29 May 2015
FAIL
Mileage 103,050 miles
MOT test number 5159 2934 5106
Test location

View test location
Reason(s) for failure
  • Nearside Headlamp not working on dipped beam (1.7.5a)
  • Nearside Front Brake hose excessively deteriorated (3.6.B.4d)
  • Offside Outer Front constant velocity joint gaiter deteriorated to the extent that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc (2.5.C.1a)
Advisory notice item(s)
  • Offside Front Brake hose slightly deteriorated (3.6.B.4d)
  • Windscreen has damage to an area less than a 10mm circle within zone 'A' (8.3.1a)
  • Offside Rear coil spring corroded (2.4.C.1b)
  • both rear shock absorber dust covers detatched
  • nearside front strut top slightly stiff
What are failures and advisories?


Date tested 19 May 2014
PASS
Mileage 102,283 miles
MOT test number 9790 5933 4124
Test location

View test location
Expiry date 18 May 2015
Advisory notice item(s)
  • Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
  • Offside Front constant velocity joint gaiter deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.5.C.1a)
  • Brakes imbalanced requirements only just met. It would appear that the braking system requires adjustment or repair. (3.7.B.5b)
What are advisories?


Date tested 19 December 2012
PASS
Mileage 93,978 miles
MOT test number 4888 2495 2352
Test location

View test location
Expiry date 10 January 2014

Date tested 18 December 2012
FAIL
Mileage 93,978 miles
MOT test number 4979 3365 2307
Test location

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Reason(s) for failure
  • Parking brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.B.7)
What are failures?


Date tested 3 January 2012
PASS
Mileage 81,421 miles
MOT test number 5275 5360 2047
Test location

View test location
Expiry date 10 January 2013


Date tested 11 January 2011
PASS
Mileage 78,374 miles
MOT test number 1078 8111 1491
Test location

View test location
Expiry date 10 January 2012
Advisory notice item(s)
  • slight oil leak possibly from sump bung
What are advisories?


Date tested 6 January 2011
FAIL
Mileage 78,272 miles
MOT test number 7494 0610 1060
Test location

View test location
Reason(s) for failure
  • Offside rear brake binding (3.7.B.1)
Advisory notice item(s)
  • slight oil leak possibly from sump bung
What are failures and advisories?


Date tested 5 January 2010
PASS
Mileage 69,653 miles
MOT test number 1717 2500 0494
Test location

View test location
Expiry date 5 January 2011
Advisory notice item(s)
  • Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
  • both front tyres worn inner edges
What are advisories?


Date tested 6 January 2009
PASS
Mileage 59,173 miles
MOT test number 1028 3620 9430
Test location

View test location
Expiry date 5 January 2010
Advisory notice item(s)
  • advise front disc pads low.
What are advisories?


Date tested 4 January 2008
PASS
Mileage 52,336 miles
MOT test number 3220 6440 8007
Test location

View test location
Expiry date 3 January 2009


Date tested 22 December 2006
PASS
Mileage 49,537 miles
MOT test number 2312 6615 6327
Test location

View test location
Expiry date 21 December 2007


Date tested 3 December 2005
PASS
Mileage 46,603 miles
MOT test number 3619 2793 5320
Test location

View test location
Expiry date 2 December 2006
 
Thanks everyone. I'm writing down a big list. If I arrange a viewing I'd better stipulate an early one to give me time to cover everything! (Joking!!)

How much would the "suspension re-fresh" mentioned earlier cost?

I had already rang the garage to check if the history shows a can belt/water pump change and was told yes at 80k or 90k, (can't quite remember which he said.)

I don't know what more knowledgeable people think but there is nothing on the MOT history that alarms me too much. It becomes common as cars get older to put them in for an MOT, have them fail and then have them fixed. Who knows what happened in 2014. There seems to have been an issue with the N/S headlamp, which doesn't look so good right now. I'd forgotten about the ability to check a cars MOT record!

I'm keen to see what the history shows.

Checking all of the warning lights might be tricky as I'm not familiar with them all. If any don't illuminate that should then that's a worry?

Hopefully it has 2 new rear coil springs, (surely they get replaced in pairs?)

Anyway, we'll see. I have to admit that my record on car buying is not good!

Cheers, LG.
 
OK, thought I'd report back after my very brief viewing. It took way longer to get down there than expected and the person who's car I was borrowing wasn't in the best of moods so it did turn into a very brief visist. Didn't even have time to fully go through the history paperwork or take it for a drive.

Anyway, first thing that I noticed was that both headlamps appeared strangely (cloudy), as if they were dirty. What's that about? All appeared OK under the bonnet, (bit of a fiddle getting it back on), but it looked as if there may have been a tray missing from under the engine. Is there meant to be one there?

All of the coil springs looked new but the gaiter or whatever covering the rear shocks was old and split. Isn't that an MOT failure?

There were a couple of marks on the body, not too unexpected but there didn't appear to be any careless jacking damage.

The warning lights all seemed present and correct and went out when I started it, which it did virtually immediately. Sounded fine to me, not too noisy.

The most annoying thing was that 3 of the tyres were well deflated. I doubt if it had been standing for months without moving so is air loss a problem with those alloy wheels? I know that if I didn't use my CX regularly then it's tyres on alloy wheels would go down. It would be a bit of a pain in the neck having to be constantly blowing the tyres up.

The young lad showing me the car wasn't the bloke I really needed to have been seeing if I was to make an offer so that was that. I left it and came away. I'm thinking of whether to make an offer or not.

LG.
 
Anyway, first thing that I noticed was that both headlamps appeared strangely (cloudy), as if they were dirty. What's that about?

It's likely had the rear clip on cover not properly attached at some point (or possibly no longer fitting properly due to age fatigue). You can try unclipping the rear hatch, adding Vaseline round the rim, and then refitting correctly, in which case the moisture will hopefully dry out as you use the lights. Otherwise look for used replacements in good condition; they often appear in the market section here.
 
The headlamps possibly have dirt inside if they have been run with the backs off. One of the originals from my TDI has this. Other than that, clouding of the lenses due to deterioration from the UV is common, but they can be restored or the entire headlights replaced easily enough.

If it was a diesel you were looking at, it definitely should have had an undertray, with moulded sound insulation on the upper (engine) side.

Mine recently got an MOT with the foam at the top of the rear shockers being completely split and no longer supporting the plastic covers for the piston rods.

I don't lose any air out of my standard SE alloys but I have some Mk1 TT alloys also, and one of those goes down regularly despite a new tyre and valve, so I suspect corrosion on the rim.

Hope all this helps.
 
I wouldn't reject a car on the basis of flat tyres, just factor in a bit of extra expense. If there's no obvious punctures as @Proghound says it could be a corroded rim, but the SE wheels are pretty universal and there are tons around (I've got about three sets myself).
 
Hi all. Been hanging around on here for a week now. Thanks to all that have offered advice on here. I think that I know a lot more about A2s than a did a week ago! Still haven't been "up close" to one yet but that should change this weekend. I think that I have replied to everyone that has kindly offered to show me their car.

Things that slightly put me off are the electronics, reports of motorway "noise" and a "hard" ride. I've never had a car that would give any warnings other than oil pressure and water temp. I imagine that these cars give an annoying warning when a service is due and which can't be reset unless you have a clever piece of kit or know someone that has.

I have always service my cars well within the recommended periods. Not sure how that would work with an A2.

Having said all of that I'm still quite keen, (on a TD 75.) It seems possible to find a few around the £1500 mark, with say 95-140K, usually with some history and a cam belt/water pump change. I'm thinking about something around there and then have the oil pump drive done to bring the price up to around £2000. And maybe, if it seems worth it, go for a re-map.

Trouble is though, there are so few for sale and, at least at the moment, none anywhere near me. Still, I don't need one until around Feb/March.

LG.

Hi

I bought my first A2 (TDi 75) in May and have done the trip between London and San Remo, Italy [just over the border from Nice] twice and San Remo-London once. Cruising at 3000 rpm, I have not found noise a problem [on 17" wheels] but potholes are another matter as are the sleeping policeman in France - for that journey I was getting 54+ mpg. Mine has Opensky which I gather from reading on here results in different noise charecteristics in the cabin. I was very pleasantly surprised at how comfortable and relaxing the A2 is on the Autoroutes.

Negative points for me
1) Appalling forward three quarter vision
2) Crashing over sleeping policeman [Menton seafront particularly bad]
3) Poor rearward visibility when reversing [rear sensors actually useful on A2]
4) A bit of a gap between 2nd and 3rd which is irritating on mountain twisties
5) Not the greatest feel through the steering [but it's not meant to be a sports car].

I've done just over 9K so far and only problem has been a failed brake pedal switch - sorted for 20 Euros incl fitting - identified quickly thanks to this forum. Has gone into limp mode twice for no obvious reason. Runs a little cold - will be replacing sensor/thermostat at next oil change.

Richard
 
Thanks again everyone. I was surprised to read about the cover on the shocks. It obviously went through it's latest MOT OK. Still no decision made.

LG.
 
HI again, still looking. To re-cap, from next March, I will be doing up to 10K miles between Portsmouth and Durham. Whatever I decide on will spend 2-3 weeks sitting in a naval base CP, probably unused, before a steady drive back to Durham for a weekend, (by steady meaning 65-70).

I've read about how tough the little diesel engines are but what about ancilliaries, ie alternator and starter motor? Unless I'm very lucky I can expect some issues so are these easy to source/replace?

Here is the description of a car I've been watching and am tempted by. The seller has sent me a whole raft of pics of the undedrside, ( I asked about the wishbones and rear axle. Being an early one the wishbones will be the stronger cast ones?)

2001 Audi A2 1.4tdi 75hp silver aluminium body extant condition and runner for age
11 month mot £30 year tax
154000mls
Full colour coded
No faults present on scan

New parts
Full bolster interior
New front and rear springs
New front disks and pads
Rear break lines ,drums shoes,spring kit and cylinders
Alloys 16” like new tyres
Parcel shelf

Engine
Belts done at 89k and 125k
Full service,
Oil , oil filter , air and pollen filter
Fuel filter
All small pipes replaced
Break fluid flush and changed
New maf sencer
New dog bone mount
Wheel alignment needs done but might be done before sale
Price negotiable


Water pumps changed along with the belts. There are plenty of invoices to back up the service stuff and a lot of the items listed were fails at it's last MOT.

There is no record of the clutch ever been done, nor the oil pump drive. He is asking £1000, "negotiable".

For what I am planning to use it for, should I be worried about the 154K miles? I would budget to have the oil pump drive done before I started using it "in earnest".

Cheers, LG.
 
I'd say for a grand it looks as though it's had most of the "important" work done on it. Spare parts are relatively easy to come by as and when. The service and cambelt being done "recently" is a bonus.

The clutch, well I'm on what I believe to be the original one at 215k miles, so no worries there (I am just about to have it changed as I'm fitting a newer gearbox, but that's a whole different story.

I would say, provided it drives well then the description is good.

Doing the sort of mileage you describe, you could well get 65-75mpg on your journey if driving at a steady pace.

The only thing I would probably do from your description is invest in a brand new (quality) battery and a battery backed jump starter (just in case) as they can be a bit of a b****r if the battery drains.
 
Cheers for that and that reminds me, this whole battery thing. How come A2 batteries seem to be so expensive? I bought a battery for a Citroen CX 2.5 last year and OK, it was just a standard 3 year battery but it only cost £75. I've seen some on here talking 3 figures for a battery.

So if I went for this car and the guy hasn't changed the battery in a few years then it would be a good move to fit a new one? I can see the sense, considering that up until March it wouldn't be getting used much and, as I just mentioned, would be sitting around pretty much unused between trips.
 
I only replaced my original clutch at 215000.

I’ve had mine for 5 years, am on 220000 and have NEEDED a new alternator and a new windscreen wash pump in that time.

I have replaced the 16 year old battery because it was struggling a little bit and that was only because I was a tube and left something draining it for 3 days - it was perfectly good before that.

I’ve replaced a few other bits and bobs but didn’t NEED to.

TDi75 to the moon and back.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
one of mine add a clutch at 272200 miles, original clutch from new, and even then the release bearing failed, the clutch spinner itself still had around another 100,000 miles in it (0.6mm left to rivets, new LUK clutch had 1.6mm to rivets
The failure was actually caused by the X arm and associated pivot bolt wearing through the X arm, at which point the push onto the release bearing was at an angle ultimately resulting in bearing failure
In summary do not worry about miles on the 75 TDI's, oil and filter changes are its best friend

The battery is over size for the car and as a nice warm home, hence they last for years, both my A2 TDI's have the original batteries and still start well in the winter

I would consider fitting cruise control for your intended usage, its my most have upgrade on the A2
A longer 5th gear upgrade would also pay for itself relatively quickly and gives a much quieter cabin at motorway speeds

cheers,
 
Thanks for all the input. I had to hire a van last week to go check on my Renault. Now, things like wipers and lights are easy to figure out but not so easy are all the stupid display options you get these days.

Anyway, while trying to figure out how to get a display to show what I wanted I accidentally stumbled across the cruise control. I have to say I quite enjoyed it. Took me back to my old SEC days........
 
For motorway/dual carriageway cruising the Cruise Control is a "once you've had it, you miss it" extra. Out of my cars, Baby Boomer is the only one with a functioning CC (Project Shed's just doesn't work!)

It's quite a cheap retro fit with @timmus services, so definitely don't rule out a car that hasn't got it. In fact, if it's the earlier type then make sure it works before paying any kind of premium for it (as I found to my cost with Project Shed!)
 
It's quite a cheap retro fit with @timmus services, so definitely don't rule out a car that hasn't got it. In fact, if it's the earlier type then make sure it works before paying any kind of premium for it (as I found to my cost with Project Shed!)

Completely agree. Not many A2s left the factory with cruise control, and those that did were fitted with the earlier control stalk (see my thread here: https://www.a2oc.net/community/index.php?threads/service-offered-retrofitting-cruise-control.23513/). The earlier stalk is both less reliable and less intuitive, meaning that - in some respects, at least - it's better to have cruise control retrofitted than to buy a car that had it fitted at factory.

Happy to help as/when you've found the right car; we're not a million miles apart.

Cheers,

Tom
 
Hiya. Cruise would be a nice option but there would be more important concerns to start with. Oil pump drive for one.

It looks like I might be closing in on one. How much does wheel alignment cost?

Cheers, LG.
 
don't worry about miles on the TDI engine (tdi75) they do stella miles if serviced regularly, I own one with 288K miles on it and it runs like a sewing machine

Except for oil and timingbelt; what other servicework have you done to your 288k A2?

Example: Chain-tensioner for oil pump, intercooler, clutch, sm-flywheel, ABS- or servopump etc?
 
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