newbie some questions

[charlie]

hi my name is charlie and have just bourght our first a2 tdi and have a few questions.
the body is all alloy is the chassis alloy as well,
is this engine the pd engine
has any body had this fault when the wipers are on intermittent after about 20 mins they stop working even switching back to manual still nothing you have to switch off for about 3 mins then they work again i suspect its the wiper relay anybody had this happen.

thanks charlie.

 

[Alan_uk]

hi my name is charlie and have just bourght our first a2 tdi and have a few questions.
the body is all alloy is the chassis alloy as well,

Hi Charlie,

Welcome on board! You will find this forum helpful and friendly with some real experts and all who enjoy being A2 owners.

I can answer your first question. The chassis and suspension is not alloy, at least not on the standard UK models. My A2's lower wishbones are starting to rust on the leading edge but the stealer says they are serviceable items (i.e. not covered under warranty). I suspect in time the chassis (i.e. subframes) will also rust. I'm thinking of getting my 4 year old A2 steam cleaned this year and having a good look and de-rusting and re-painting the wishbones.

The exception is the A2 1.2L which was sold only on the continent. The model does almost 100 mpg and uses alloy on the suspension and I think on the subframes as well, together with the use of other weight saving materials. Some people in the UK have imported a 1.2L (3 I think) - see other threads.

 

[erstens]

The chassi is alloy! The whole frame and doors and roof and most other outer parts are aluminium. (It is all made from Aluminium-alloy). Some parts are plastic. . Only the suspention and most screws and the front-frame who holds the headlamps and cooler is steal.
The 1.2 is different and has also the suspention made from alloy.

 

[Skipton01]

Alan is pretty much spot on, however, don't forget that on the A2, the chassis is actually an integral part of the bodyshell and as such, is made from aluminium.

True, the front wishbones and the rear beam axel are made from steel, but the subframe at the front is also aluminium (at least it is on my 2005 TDi 90).

The suspension compnents (no linkages here) are good old steel thought: the springs and damper, the lower attachment points etc. However, the upper attachments are all ally.

The engine is the PD engine in the diesels and your wiper fault is an interesting one.

There used to be a good number of reports of exactly this type of problem, across the entire range and it was largely solved with new designs of motor.

The cause was overheating and that's why, after a break, the wipers will operate again.

If there;s any form of warranty on the car, take it in, as the wiper motor isn't a wear and tear item.

Othewise, it could be worth a quick physical check and then possible replacement if the problem persists.

Cheers,

Mike