Audi A2 - Audi A4 to Audi A2 Change

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Mon 11 Jul 2016 15:29
Audi A2 - Audi A4 to Audi A2 Change - Steveieb

Met the A2car club at Kimbolton Classic Car show yesterday and was really smitten with the car.

All aluminium body 60 mpg, ease of access and so well made Audi lost £4k on every car sold.

The experts claim the 75 bhp TDI is the model to get as it dosnt have the duel mass flywheel. my only reservationis the three cylinder engine which will not be as smooth and possibly reliable as my 1.9 TDI PD 130bhp.

Has anyone had esxperience of both cars and how they compare.?

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Mon 11 Jul 2016 16:19
Audi A2 - Audi A4 to Audi A2 Change - daveyjp
I had an A2 1.4tdi from 2003 until 2005 and did 50,000 miles with the only fault being a failed climate control sensor. The variable servicing system was great for owners like me who change cars. Up to 30,000 miles or every two years. I sold it just before its second service was due, but it burnt no oil and was still reliable, only boredom saw me trade it such a system could result in neglect.

Istill see quite a few around my local area and I occasionally look at the ads to see what they are going for as they are a future classic. Up to £4k for a late 'storm' model with low mileage would do me.

Edited by daveyjp on 11/07/2016 at 16:20

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Mon 11 Jul 2016 16:51
Audi A2 - Audi A4 to Audi A2 Change - slkfanboy

I think the bean counters said Audi lost 4K on each car, so a bargin when new too.

I had one and very good car. I did have an issue with the ECU that had to be replaced under warranty.

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Tue 12 Jul 2016 10:28
Audi A2 - Audi A4 to Audi A2 Change - Steveieb
Can you tell me what the Storm model is? Are there many around?
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Tue 12 Jul 2016 11:05
Audi A2 - Audi A4 to Audi A2 Change - gordonbennet

Where did this £4k loss on each story originate, i don't believe it for a second.

The average mass produced car is ridiculously cheap to make, obviously high volume runs help here to cover the design costs and model only mouldings, but even on a completely new model of relatively small numbers the vast majority of parts from the bin are not going to be exclusive to that one model...VW group being a leader in using the same parts across makes not just models.

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Tue 12 Jul 2016 12:18
Audi A2 - Audi A4 to Audi A2 Change - John Boy

From the rear it always strikes me as ugly - the proportions seem all wrong. When I first saw Walter White's car in "Breaking Bad", I assumed Audi had done a version of it for the American market.

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Tue 12 Jul 2016 13:12
Audi A2 - Audi A4 to Audi A2 Change - madf

I drove one for a day when I thought of buying one.

The Panoramic sunroof (if fitted) has inherent faults - and if not sorted - will cost £1+ at a dealer to sort out.

Not much boot space so impracical for me as a beekeepr. I bought a Mark1 Yaris instead..still going strong - galvanised steel.

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Tue 12 Jul 2016 13:15
Audi A2 - Audi A4 to Audi A2 Change - daveyjp

Storm models were a special edition produced towards the end of the run. They were in slightly more unusual colours - bright red, blue and yellow with matching interiors and a few extras.

The A2 was also available in some really nice reds, but they are rare as was the pine green I was offered for £1500 less than I paid for a black one - it was hideous!

I can believe the loss - they only sold about 175,000 and it was launched the same year as the truly terrible original A class which sold millions.

Considering this was an all aluminium vehicle, with new 1.2 and 1.4Tdi engines, the set up costs would have been far higher than new presses and jigs for a steel model. I think this also put buyers off as there were scare stories that in an accident it would almost certainly be written off due to the complexity of repairing aluminium.

As with modern cars one downside was no spare but there is an innovative collapsible Pirelli spare available. I bought a used one for £50 and sold it for more when I traded the car.

The tyre size was also unusual - at the time only two or three manufacturers made the size for the 16 inch SE wheels.

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Tue 12 Jul 2016 16:21
Audi A2 - Audi A4 to Audi A2 Change - slkfanboy

Where did this £4k loss on each story originate, i don't believe it for a second.

The average mass produced car is ridiculously cheap to make, obviously high volume runs help here to cover the design costs and model only mouldings, but even on a completely new model of relatively small numbers the vast majority of parts from the bin are not going to be exclusive to that one model...VW group being a leader in using the same parts across makes not just models.

It's on Wikipedia

I am sure if you had made the A2 the points you make would have been true. But Audi launched the A2 as the Worlds first Aluminium volume production car in 97, what ever that means.

So had specially produced production lines and many of the car parts purpose build.

So youre correct that the average product car is rediculously cheap to produce, saldy that was the A-Class. The cheap as chips A-Class which was basially a converted van total outsold the Audi Ali purpose build audi spaceframe.

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Tue 12 Jul 2016 14:06
Audi A2 - Audi A4 to Audi A2 Change - TheBroker

I sourced an A2 for my father-in-law as I have always thought these were great little cars, well ahead of their time and I reckon would be popular now (with an interior update) if they were to simply re-launch it.

I have driven the petrol and diesel models and they are ok. No they wont win any drag races but its not that type of car.

Fuel economy, even on the 1.6 petrol, is excellent.

There are 4 and 5 seat models available, its really only a 4 seater space wise, but that is 4 grown adults as head height is good.

Issues wise, they suffer a dodgy brake light switch which causes and EML, this is a £12 part and 5 minute job that just about anyone can do.

Make sure waterpump has been replaced/upgraded as it was made of plastic which was a bit rubbish and prone to failure.

Will the 3-pot, be as smooth as the 1.9TDI its hard to say as its a different engine pulling a very different car, I was certainly not disappointed with the diesel engine, it pulled the car well enough and had a nice grumble to it.

Ultimately, I rate the A2 so it could be worth a punt for you.

Good Luck

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Tue 12 Jul 2016 17:27
Audi A2 - Audi A4 to Audi A2 Change - Steveieb
Are all the roofs problematic or is that the fixed glass roof plays up and the openable one is Ok?
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Tue 12 Jul 2016 21:22
Audi A2 - Audi A4 to Audi A2 Change - TheBroker

The Sliding pano roof can suffer issues with the tilt, however this is not the end of the world as it chugs along (slightly unpleasant noise) to the slide movement it then tilts it where you can leave it at that or continue to slide it. For the hassle and cost of replacement most put up with the quirk

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Fri 22 Jul 2016 16:04
Audi A2 - Audi A4 to Audi A2 Change - Steveieb
Went to see a private sale belonging to a neighbour. It's a 2004 90 bhp with 143 k on the clock and not had a timing belt since 2010 at 66 k.

The asking price is £3500 which seems high for the mirage and cam belt change required immediately.

Grateful your views.
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Fri 22 Jul 2016 22:52
Audi A2 - Audi A4 to Audi A2 Change - Thame traveller
Have owned a 54 reg 90bhp version for ten years now. I've tried to look after it although I went for the two year service interval initially - now follow the HJ regime of annual oil changes. Doesn't burn oil between services. The service indicator should tell you when it needs a service and can do 30,000 in theory. I'd be wary of one that had done so many miles without a cambelt change (what else might have been missed) but the mileage itself shouldn't be an issue.
Yes there have been problems - sunroof doesn't open as far as it used to (but it makes the interior nice and light), new alternator last year, new brake light switch the year before. Front door check straps can 'click' - I've had one replaced. just replaced the original battery at 11 years old. Original clutch and exhaust.
But 82,000 miles I don't think that's too bad. And Audi A2 Owners Club is a mine of useful info. Tyre choice is narrower than many but still available.
Three cylinder engine is quirky - a bit of a ticking noise at all times, can feel a little uneven at tickover (I think most 3 cylinders do), 90bhp doesn't like to pull from low revs but smooths out and sounds nice at high revs. Can keep up with other traffic and handles long distances no problem mainly because of its light weight and you can squeeze in more than you'd think (the back seats lift out completely to make a deep if rather narrow van)!
I'd recommend finding a good VW/Audi independent garage.
If you accept it is an older car and there will be some issues you can also enjoy low tax, good fuel economy and something a little different although I happen to think the BMW i3 has stolen one or two styling cues from the A2!
Good luck with your search.
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Sat 23 Jul 2016 09:42
Audi A2 - Audi A4 to Audi A2 Change - Steveieb
Thanks Thame Traveller.

Is there any evidence that safety is compromised by having an aluminium structure as opposed to steel as it is inherently less strong a material?
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Sat 23 Jul 2016 16:29
Audi A2 - Audi A4 to Audi A2 Change - Thame traveller
I'm not qualified to comment on that but the car got a 4* NCAP rating in 2002. Report here: www.euroncap.com/en/results/audi/a2/15563
I always believed, possibly mistakenly, that the Audi Space Frame construction made it a pretty substantial structure.
Here's what Audi say on their website - www.audi.co.uk/glossary/a/audi-space-frame.html: The Audi Space Frame is a high-strength aluminium frame structure into which all panels are integrated so that they also perform a load-bearing function.

In connection with these high-strength aluminium panels, the aluminium body is noted for its exceptional rigidity, resulting in high crash protection, yet also for its substantially lower weight.

The benefits of aluminium in the Audi Space Frame are reflected not only in the low weight and the high rigidity of the body, but also in a level of design freedom for parts and complex profiles that's unattainable with steel panels.

Advantages include greater safety, increased performance, improved handling, lower fuel consumption, ease of repair and attractive insurance premiums.

Certainly sold it to me, anyway.

Perhaps have a chat with your neighbour and see if they'll show you the service records for the car. I think Audi say cambelts should be changed at 4 years or 40,000 miles. But if it's survived this long I wouldn't have thought it would have done any damage - just change it immediately you get the car!
I think I paid somewhere in the region of £400 for a new cambelt, tensioner, water pump (always best to change as it's a lot of labour to change it separately) and fresh antifreeze. Done at a trusted local Audi independent garage.

If you are really serious about a purchase maybe try and view a couple of others so you get used to how they look and sound, and possibly a test drive at a used car dealer. Hassle I know but sometimes it's best not to buy the first one you see - sorry, you may know all this already - just trying to be helpful!
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