New owner

Hi all,

Just bought my first A2, but after the water pump going, i'm not sure these cars are for me.
Anyone know if this is a common problem?
 
Hi all,

Just bought my first A2, but after the water pump going, i'm not sure these cars are for me.
Anyone know if this is a common problem?
Sorry to hear abour your woes. Most variants of the A2 are exceptionally solid, reliable cars. Water pump failure is not a common issue, so I suspect you've just been unfortunate.

Don't tar them all with the same brush. If your current A2 isn't for you, perhaps another one could be. I'd suggest writing a brief description of your circumstances, requirements and likely use of the car such that the good people of this forum can advise on which model is best for you.

Cheers,

Tom
 
Just bought my first A2, but after the water pump going, i'm not sure these cars are for me.
Anyone know if this is a common problem?
Not A2 specific, but water pumps can last 10 years sometimes 20 years. If your water pump hadn't been replaced before, then it's had a long life. One water pump replacement in the life of a car isn't bad going.
 
Just bought my first A2, but after the water pump going, i'm not sure these cars are for me.
Anyone know if this is a common problem?

It is usually recommended to change the water pump when changing the cambelt. Extra cost is relatively small. Maybe thr previous owner did not do this or maybe the last cambelt change was ages ago.

Do you know when the cambelt was last changed? See this thread for recommendations based on engine type and age of belt, particularly post 2 by Spike: https://www.a2oc.net/community/inde...ing-belt-change-on-petrol-a2.5723/#post-44504 It's very old but I'm sure the recommendations hold true.

As spike says, recommend you have the water pump, tensioner and idler roller replaced at the same time. When I last changed all these in May 2018 it cost me just over £400.
 
I’d be interested in recommendations for places to get the Cam Belt/Water Pump change done.
Currently getting prices from Audi service centres or German car specialists in the region of £600-£700.
 
Hi all,

Just bought my first A2, but after the water pump going, i'm not sure these cars are for me.
Anyone know if this is a common problem?
I think maybe running an older car requires a little more tolerance of the foibles and quirks of a car...and the expectation that there is going to be at least some financial outlay on maintenance, preferably preventative but sometimes remedial.
 
May even be better if any potential owner does a fair bit of research into the particular models needs and known weaknesses e.g the 98+ RON fuel for the FSI and the intercooler splitting on the 1.4 TDI. At least that way they are more clued up to potential bills. Remember these cars have in general had many owners and not all of them will have serviced items when required or may have done bodges to keep them running on the cheap. Unless the car has come from someone who knows what an Audi is and what it requires a general rule of thumb is expect it to take 2-3 years to bring it back and that does not include any upgrades. Again we are talking about cars aged between 15-20 years old.
 
Good to know, the cambelt was actually done very recently. But no receipt for the water pump when I got it, at the moment it just a bit of a guess and not so mechanically minded. I do love the A2 though, such a brilliant car for the price and still seems to be able to hold it's own in this day and age. The car has a full-service history and seems to be looked after really well. Just not sure I have the time at the moment to be going down the rabbit hole, luckily I have another car as a daily driver
 
Not trying to be disparaging to you - you have said you are not mechanically minded. Are you sure it is the water pump that has failed? There are several plastic components and rubber pipes that could be the source. Can you take some pictures of the "damage" and post them here?
 
Perhaps a cautionary comment from myself, who finally admitted that our 9 or 10 thousand miles a year didn't warrant having two cars, and that, as most of those miles were towing a 1600 kg caravan, the A2 was the one to go.

I have loved every moment of my A2 ownership, especially being part of this great family/forum, but, not being mechanically competent, can confirm that owning an A2 was never a way to cheap motoring.

My Tdi 75, bought six years ago for £1,750 as a retirement present to myself at the age of 67, and having almost £7,000 spent on servicing, repairs (and a little upgrading) since then, was part exchanged with a value of £400 this week, for a slightly newer - 2005 - diesel engined vehicle capable of towing our caravan, in order that I can dispose of my, even more expensive to run, 22 years old 4 litre petrol/LPG V8 Land Rover Discovery and have a bit more disposable income left out of my old age pension to enjoy what life is still left.

A2s are wonderful cars, they are classics in the making, they are great to drive and this forums members enhance the ownership experience immeasurably, but they are not a cheap runaround.

I will continue to check in here despite not owning an A2 and, if one of my 3 premium bonds ever comes up with a big payout, I'll be back in an A2 within days.
 
May even be better if any potential owner does a fair bit of research into the particular models needs and known weaknesses e.g the 98+ RON fuel for the FSI and the intercooler splitting on the 1.4 TDI. At least that way they are more clued up to potential bills. Remember these cars have in general had many owners and not all of them will have serviced items when required or may have done bodges to keep them running on the cheap. Unless the car has come from someone who knows what an Audi is and what it requires a general rule of thumb is expect it to take 2-3 years to bring it back and that does not include any upgrades. Again we are talking about cars aged between 15-20 years old.


Yes this is what I did, as a result I knew exactly what preventative maintenance jobs to get done on Merlin, a TDi 90, while its having a cambelt service, which as good practice includes a water pump and belt tensioner along with accessory belt. To ensure reliability, the additional work I’m doing includes the thermostat, coolant temp sensor, oil pump chain and sprockets, crank seal, gearbox oil and front suspension lower wishbones - it’s a big list for what are purely preventative maintenance items, but then as all other model-specific weak points are known-good, I’m hopeful this will take Merlin from 135k to 200,000 miles without any incidents.

These cars will never be cheaper than they are now, which means if you buy one and intend to keep it long-term then now is the time to spend the money you’ve saved on the purchase to ensure it doesn’t sour the experience!
 
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