Well, this story started in August 2005. My wife (then girlfriend) needed a new car and we bought a lightly used (28,798 miles) 1.4Tdi (AMF) 75bhp Sport. It was first registered in April 2003.
It had a minor (no fault!!) front end bump in November 2005 which was all repaired by Audi. Roll on one year to 2006 we got married in the July and then emigrated to Dubai in the November for an intended couple of years. We gave my brother and his then girlfriend (now wife) the A2 to use and ‘look after’ while we were away. One added bonus was that my brother took the A2 to visit Vince at Stealth Racing in January 2009 (with the A2 then showing 66,768 miles) for a remap. The dyno from that day showed a healthy 108bhp and 179 lb ft after the remap.
Our adventure in the Middle East ended up being not 2 years but actually 13 years. We returned to the UK with our 3 children (all born in Dubai) in December 2019. A couple of days after our return, the A2 was (as always planned) back in our name and on our driveway.
Over the 13 years the A2 was always well maintained by my brother, but after 156,000 miles it was showing it’s age cosmetically and a little mechanically. The lacquer on the bonnet and wings was peeling (I suspect a legacy from the repair in 2005.), the 3rd gear Syncro being a little tired, a control arm looking worse for wear, a little lumpy when starting on cold days, Kerbed alloys, a cracked lower front grille, weak boot gas struts and a worn windscreen, wiper arm and wiper. The refurb started at this point and is definitely a labour of love mixed with sentimentality and a pride in keeping cars in a top notch condition, it is definitely not an decision driven by economics ?
Before we arrived back in the UK I had arranged for all 17” alloys to be refurbed at MS Alloy Wheels in Milton Keynes. Not only were they kerbed but it was found that they were also buckled. The wheels were straightened and nicely refinished. The refurbed wheels are still their boxes, awaiting installation when the rest of the car is befitting of removal of the steel wheels and showing off with its alloys. In January the A2 was swiftly off to Mark Tempest in Welwyn Garden City who replaced the control arm, changed the gearbox oil (to see if the shifts improved) and added an earth strap to cure a lazy wiper motor. I also replaced the weak boot gas struts.
With lockdown slowing the plans for the A2, there has been a bit of a pause. However the next stage begins tomorrow. The A2 is back off to Vince at Stealth Racing. It will be there for around 2-3 weeks while it has some open heart surgery to...
It had a minor (no fault!!) front end bump in November 2005 which was all repaired by Audi. Roll on one year to 2006 we got married in the July and then emigrated to Dubai in the November for an intended couple of years. We gave my brother and his then girlfriend (now wife) the A2 to use and ‘look after’ while we were away. One added bonus was that my brother took the A2 to visit Vince at Stealth Racing in January 2009 (with the A2 then showing 66,768 miles) for a remap. The dyno from that day showed a healthy 108bhp and 179 lb ft after the remap.
Our adventure in the Middle East ended up being not 2 years but actually 13 years. We returned to the UK with our 3 children (all born in Dubai) in December 2019. A couple of days after our return, the A2 was (as always planned) back in our name and on our driveway.
Over the 13 years the A2 was always well maintained by my brother, but after 156,000 miles it was showing it’s age cosmetically and a little mechanically. The lacquer on the bonnet and wings was peeling (I suspect a legacy from the repair in 2005.), the 3rd gear Syncro being a little tired, a control arm looking worse for wear, a little lumpy when starting on cold days, Kerbed alloys, a cracked lower front grille, weak boot gas struts and a worn windscreen, wiper arm and wiper. The refurb started at this point and is definitely a labour of love mixed with sentimentality and a pride in keeping cars in a top notch condition, it is definitely not an decision driven by economics ?
Before we arrived back in the UK I had arranged for all 17” alloys to be refurbed at MS Alloy Wheels in Milton Keynes. Not only were they kerbed but it was found that they were also buckled. The wheels were straightened and nicely refinished. The refurbed wheels are still their boxes, awaiting installation when the rest of the car is befitting of removal of the steel wheels and showing off with its alloys. In January the A2 was swiftly off to Mark Tempest in Welwyn Garden City who replaced the control arm, changed the gearbox oil (to see if the shifts improved) and added an earth strap to cure a lazy wiper motor. I also replaced the weak boot gas struts.
With lockdown slowing the plans for the A2, there has been a bit of a pause. However the next stage begins tomorrow. The A2 is back off to Vince at Stealth Racing. It will be there for around 2-3 weeks while it has some open heart surgery to...
- Replace oil pump chain, tensioner and all 4 sprockets
- 3x new glow plugs
- Replace water pump (metal impeller), timing belt and tensioner
- Replace alternator belt and tensioner
- Full service including fuel filter, oil filter and air filter
- New clutch
- Gearbox refurbishment
- Full Health-check and dyno plot
- Bonnet and wings resprayed (By Greg Howell at Southam Bodies)
- Car fully mechanically polished (paint correction) to remove swirl marks (By Greg Howell at Southam Bodies)
- Headlight polishing (By Greg Howell at Southam Bodies)
A2OC number plate holders- INSTALLEDNew number plates- INSTALLEDNew headlight switch due to failing soft touch plastics- INSTALLED FROM https://www.lllparts.co.uk/en/New drivers door electric window switch and surround- INSTALLED FROM https://www.lllparts.co.uk/en/New lower front grille- INSTALLED FROM https://www.lllparts.co.uk/en/Key refurbishment- PENDINGNew drivers side air vent(broken adjuster) -INSTALLED 2ND HAND REPLACEMENT FROM A2STEVENew wiper arm(rusted pivots) - INSTALLED REFURBISHED PART FROM DEPRONMANExterior detail- COMPLETED BY https://ocdprodetail.co.uk/Interior detail - COMPLETED BY https://ocdprodetail.co.uk/- New 17" summer tyres - INSTALLED Hankook S1 EVO K107
- Steel wheels refurbed and powder coated black & new winter tyres - PENDING
- New windscreen - COMPLETED (Insurance replacement due to large crack in top O/S corner)
- New wiper blade - INSTALLED
- Heated mirrors - PENDING
- Cruise control retrofit (Timmus) - PENDING
- Replace existing full DIS with colour DIS. (Timmus) - PENDING
- Replace fuel filter drain screw (due to weeping and difficulty starting) - Pending from DEPRONMAN
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