This making me wonder whether the FSi might be a viable purchase for me after all. My question is, though this is drifting a bit from the original subject and might be subject of a thread elsewhere, what should I be looking out for on a prospective FSi purchase, if I want to avoid expensive problems, even if I got the remap done soon after? Is it just the warning light, or more to it than that? In the specific case of the FSi, would I be less liable to have problems if I sought a relatively low mileage one?
What I've written here is a partial copy-and-paste job from a related thread...
I've been frequenting this site for over 10 years and would suggest that a large majority of threads started here about engine difficulties relate to the FSI. If you're set on having one, the first thing to accept is that the 1.6 FSI can be - and often is - a total money pit. The 1.6 FSI is without doubt the least reliable of all the engines available in the A2. Whilst there are caring and fastidious FSI owners who have trust in their FSI, I think even its biggest fans have to concede this to be true.
Along with the 1.4-litre FSI introduced in the Lupo, the 1.6 FSI was VAG's first attempt at a direct injection petrol engine and therefore features the inevitable teething troubles of a new system. They are relatively rare, don't feature widely in other cars and, due to their unusual and complex methods of operation, are very poorly understood by a vast majority of garages. People have spent huge amounts of money just trying to get the engine management light in the instrument cluster to switch off (now essential for the MOT). When you then take into account the troubles with fuel injectors, fuel pumps, sudden or gradual coolant loss, swirl flap actuators, coil packs, etc, you can understand why many FSI owners keep an emergency fund.
It's a great shame, because they're cracking engines when they're without faults, and there's no direct alternative; it's the only 'fast' petrol A2 available. I know of a handful of really well-kept FSIs, but a majority of FSIs out there on the open market will need a considerable investment to get them 'right'. Even running them on standard petrol rather than the high-octane stuff can (and frequently will) create lasting issues. I work with A2 electronics all the time and, of the last 15 FSI instrument clusters that've passed through my hands, 12 have had their engine management light taped over or removed altogether (almost certainly in an attempt to cheat the MOT inspector). Instrument clusters from other models of A2s that pass through my hands never have any signs of tampering. That is, I think, a real indication of the scale of the FSI's reliability problems.
If you're new to A2s and want to have an all-round positive experience of them, where they just work and don't threaten to raid your piggy bank all the time, you'd be wise to avoid the FSI. Even full service history means nothing. Admittedly, you stand a marginally better chance of getting an FSI that won't raid your piggybank if it has full service history simply because that demonstrates that it has been owned by someone who cared. However, all the engine's fundamental flaws, for which Audi rather than previous owners are responsible, remain. Proof that the cam belt, oil and filters have been changed at the required interval won't stop the brittle coolant lines from cracking or stop the swirl flap actuator from snapping. Full service history also doesn't mean it hasn't been fed 95RON fuel since it left the factory. There are plenty of caring FSI owners who still face a constant battle to keep the engine management light off.
The A2 is a pioneering piece of automotive engineering, but neither the 1.4 petrol nor the 1.4 TDI engines are at all ground-breaking or original. They featured in various VAG cars before and after the A2. The 1.6 FSI, on the other hand, was released in the A2. It is every bit as pioneering as the rest of the A2. Indeed, in today's modern Audis, all petrol models employ FSI technology, and in that respect the A2's legacy is alive. In many years to come, when the A2 is nothing but a classic car owned by enthusiasts, FSI models will occupy a special niche and have a unique purity. They are to be cherished, and anyone who is willing to do so should not feel as though they've made a daft decision or that their A2 is in some way inferior. If you've done all your homework and really want one, please go ahead; anyone willing to cherish an FSI into its senior years is encouraged to do so.
Within the last few months, the ProBoost FSI remap has become available. It has the potential to remove a few of the FSI's frailties, and it'll almost certainly help to keep FSIs passing MOT tests and stay on the road, but it's still early days. Only a handful of owners within this club have got it, and the results aren't yet anywhere near conclusive. I'd suggest that it'll be a few years before we get a balanced overview of the remap's impact on reliability, rather than just anecdotal accounts.
With your first posts in this forum, you made it fairly clear that you were somewhat nervous about getting a 15-year-old car. Having mostly owned newer, low-mileage cars, you seemed keen to buy an A2 that was as close to new as possible, that would hopefully be as reliable as possible. FSI ownership is at the complete opposite end of the spectrum.
What is the top gear on the FSi?
I can't remember the precise ratio, but the FSI turns at about 3000rpm once on the motorway. It's certainly not as long-legged as the TDIs.
I’m really struggling to get my head round the pricing of A2s, it seems to be nothing like the slightly more predictable laws of newer second hand cars that I’m used to
A2 pricing has been all over the place for a few years. The A2 finds itself at a fork in the road, where some consider it to be a collectable modern classic and others think of it as a utilitarian box. As such, those that have been immaculately kept are worth many thousands, whereas those that have been kicked and abused are worth just a few hundred pounds. Unfortunately, those selling a car in average condition get confused by the pricing extremes, and thus there doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason to A2 pricing. Some total sheds are way too expensive, and occasionally a really nice A2 is significantly under-valued.
Unfortunately, at present, many FSIs on the open market can be picked up cheaply because previous owners (and their mechanics) haven't understood them and consequently got sick of them going wrong all the time and just want rid. If you are going to get an FSI, based on what you've shared about your priorities so far, I'd consider doing what
@Jeetesh has done; buy the most expensive, lowest-mileage model you can find. You then need to invest your time in really understanding it, or find a mechanic who's genuinely interested in it.
...don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been quite partial to diesels (wouldn’t be looking at A2s with such enthusiasm otherwise) but it would be true to say that they‘ve become a fair bit more refined over the past 15 years, wouldn’t it?
Without doubt, diesel engines have come along a fair bit within the last 15 years, but the TDI found in the A2 only sounds agricultural when it's running at idle. The moment that you put the engine under load, they're fairly smooth and quiet. Admittedly I have a 6-speed 'box in mine, but I can hear the tyre noise at motorway speeds more than I can hear the engine. The noise that the TDI makes when maneuvering in a car park is a small price to pay for all the benefits; they're the most reliable, the most efficient, the most financially economical and the fastest. A remapped TDI90 will leave the FSI for dust. However, diesel isn't for everyone in the current political climate. An increasing number of low-emissions zones are going to make diesel vehicles impractical for many urban dwellers.
I’m willing to pay a premium for good condition and history and ideally relatively low mileage.
There's lots of chat above about higher-mileage A2s, and whether or not that's a primary consideration.
My A2 TDI has done 241,000 miles. I know many other diesel A2s with over 200,000 miles on the clock. Indeed,
@A2Steve is slowly making a database of those with lunar mileage. What it goes to show is that, with proper servicing, the engines can go on and on. I actively enjoy adding the miles to my A2, because I want it to demonstrate to me and the wider world what an incredible machine it is. However, whilst a religious servicing schedule has obvious benefits for the engine, it doesn't stop other things wearing out. Rear axle bushes, ball joints, brake pipes, intercoolers, fuel pumps, gearbox internals, CV joints, etc, etc. How many of us with high-mileage A2s haven't spent many pretty pennies keeping other parts of the car fresh? My A2 is on its third completely new suspension, and I've had to renew or refurbish all manner of components throughout the car. If you drove it, you'd never imagine that my A2 is nearly 20 years old, but I'm definitely aware of its age because its maintenance is my responsibility.
My sister's A2 TDI75 Colour Storm is one of the youngest A2s and has only done 80,000 miles. The first 70,000 of those miles were done in and around London, meaning lots of stop-start traffic, lots of gear changing, lots of clutch use, lots of pot holes, many journeys with a cold engine, etc, etc. Its mechanicals feel much more worn than you'd imagine given its odometer reading. My A2, on the other hand, was purchased with 120,000 miles on the clock. Its previous owner had used it almost exclusively as a motorway commuting vehicle, meaning that it ran in 5th gear with a hot engine for almost its entire existence. When I bought it, it felt fresh as a daisy. I'm sure you see my point; the number in the instrument cluster display doesn't tell the whole story.
Cheers,
Tom
