Were the 1999 -2000 early production A2`s made better?
- Thread starter Gritty
- Start date
Alan_uk
A2OC Donor
That's quite an A2 you found. I see the asking price was £6490. Does anyone know if that is recent?
I'm not aware earlier models were better made but I agree that the later soft touch controls look awful when worn. Also that example has the beige interior. Black interiors seem more common and in my experience are difficult to keep looking good. Rain water turns the door cards white and black shows dust. Maybe its phycological: black interiors remind me of filthy taxis!
I'm not aware earlier models were better made but I agree that the later soft touch controls look awful when worn. Also that example has the beige interior. Black interiors seem more common and in my experience are difficult to keep looking good. Rain water turns the door cards white and black shows dust. Maybe its phycological: black interiors remind me of filthy taxis!
Proghound
Admin Team
I don't think it stops at the interior. There's the lower control arms too ... changed to the inferior and cheaper pressed steel in about 2003. And the change from Webasto to electric element for the diesels in 2002 would surely have reduced cost as well as complexity, although there are arguments either way for whether it's a better solution or not..
On the other hand, weren't there problems with leaks through the inner metal doorcards on the very early ones requiring an extra seal with a screw and a hole for it having to be put in by hand thereafter? And weren't there problems with the front door hinges as well?
On the other hand, weren't there problems with leaks through the inner metal doorcards on the very early ones requiring an extra seal with a screw and a hole for it having to be put in by hand thereafter? And weren't there problems with the front door hinges as well?
Gritty
Member
I don`t really know enough about the earlier models to comment but they do seem to me to be of superior quality and as you say earlier models up to 2002 had Webasto, wishbones switch gear there maybe more?
erstens
Member
I bet there is no 1999 A2 out there.
They were all Prototypen and sold for recycling only.
Mine was 5/2000 in production but already model year 2001.
Softpaint (from 2002 model and newer,) was a problem.
And will you find a 1.2000- 4.2000 A2? (Jan-April). There are not many
They were all Prototypen and sold for recycling only.
Mine was 5/2000 in production but already model year 2001.
Softpaint (from 2002 model and newer,) was a problem.
And will you find a 1.2000- 4.2000 A2? (Jan-April). There are not many
bretti_kivi
Member
the two main points addressed:
- Webasto has lots of complexity. Fuel lines, power, coolant. A PTC element is way simpler and faster to heat. Why would you not replace and reduce the cost?
- Pressed steel wishbones are not by definition "inferior". They have one intended advantage; the ball joint can be replaced. I am 100% sure that someone thought this was a good enough reason to switch them out, never mind weight or production cost. That those ball joints rarely fail on these cars is a moot point; A4s and A6s of this vintage seem to have serious problems with them so I suspect someone wanted to avoid a roasting from the German press for failing to allow them to be replace, knowing the other model issues.
Soft touch was put in place to improve the feel of the interior, which it does. Its longevity was obviously tested before introduction, but it's not robust enough to really work... well, that's not quite true. Mine looks good, and it's a 2002. There's something which attacks the finish in either hand product or specific people's skin oil. It's not as clear cut as "hard touch good, soft touch bad".
The hinge issues affected a very small number of cars and was corrected by Audi under warranty. The leakage from the inner door skins I can believe, though I'm not aware of any revisions. Though again, I've not heard of this one before and the German club is about three times the size of the UK one.
2002 is the year to go for, if you ask me; Aero wiper, CAN, not K-Bus, and soft touch. Late 2002 gets you a BBY with the more unreliable coil packs.
2003 got BHC so Euro 4 for Diesel and bigger fuel tanks. The grill and color.storm are another set of changes, but the final major change to ESP MK60 didn't happen until really late. Actual sport suspension was also available as of 2003 or so IIRC.
I don't agree the early cars are better built.
- Webasto has lots of complexity. Fuel lines, power, coolant. A PTC element is way simpler and faster to heat. Why would you not replace and reduce the cost?
- Pressed steel wishbones are not by definition "inferior". They have one intended advantage; the ball joint can be replaced. I am 100% sure that someone thought this was a good enough reason to switch them out, never mind weight or production cost. That those ball joints rarely fail on these cars is a moot point; A4s and A6s of this vintage seem to have serious problems with them so I suspect someone wanted to avoid a roasting from the German press for failing to allow them to be replace, knowing the other model issues.
Soft touch was put in place to improve the feel of the interior, which it does. Its longevity was obviously tested before introduction, but it's not robust enough to really work... well, that's not quite true. Mine looks good, and it's a 2002. There's something which attacks the finish in either hand product or specific people's skin oil. It's not as clear cut as "hard touch good, soft touch bad".
The hinge issues affected a very small number of cars and was corrected by Audi under warranty. The leakage from the inner door skins I can believe, though I'm not aware of any revisions. Though again, I've not heard of this one before and the German club is about three times the size of the UK one.
2002 is the year to go for, if you ask me; Aero wiper, CAN, not K-Bus, and soft touch. Late 2002 gets you a BBY with the more unreliable coil packs.
2003 got BHC so Euro 4 for Diesel and bigger fuel tanks. The grill and color.storm are another set of changes, but the final major change to ESP MK60 didn't happen until really late. Actual sport suspension was also available as of 2003 or so IIRC.
I don't agree the early cars are better built.