Well I purchased an Audi a2 tdi se at the end of May that has been and still
is a nightmare!

When collected (which was over one week after the date that I was due to
receive it) there was a stone chip on the windscreen and the screen rubbers
were a distinct different colour which was as the car rubbers had not been
polished. When pulling away there was a 'thunk thunk' noise from the engine
bay as if the engine was hitting the chassis. When pressing or releasing the
accelerator when in gear a loud clunking issued from the rear of the car.
The car has a pronounced howl at a steady 63mph like someone blowing very
loudly across the top of a bottle, which seems to oscillate the whole
vehicle. The boot wont shut properly without slamming it. The console creaks
ominously whenever going around a corner like some cheap foreign import,
Which when you consider the car was bought with grey leather seats and an
upgrade to the radio/cassette/cd taking the total to £17500.00 makes one
wonder about the quality of Audi.



When having a loan Audi a2 one of the doors wouldn't open at all.



But yes the fuel consumption is quite good. For the short time I have driven
it, it has averaged around 55-60 mpg, but parking it is a chore as you
cannot see the front or the rear of the car properly and travelling around
roundabouts is a pain because of the extra thick front pillars hiding the
view from anything coming from the right or left making it at times a
fingers crossed exercise. Also the space below the rear spoiler causes a
major problem when raining, as you cannot see through it at all. And I agree
with you about the rear boot closing. You have to slam it, even after Audi
have 'looked' at the problem.



The car has been back at the Colebrook and burgers @ the silver link in
Newcastle twice now and I still haven't got it back. They have had the car
longer than me, and have done more miles in it too! I did ask for a
different car but got no-where. I even rang the Audi customer care number.
What a waste of time.



And no I don't recommend anyone to buy one of these cars.

Derek

well, i have my a2 since nov. 2000 and i did not
experience any of your problems. there were some
console creaks, but i called my dealer and they
checked the technical updates from audi and said:
"aha, known problem." it was fixed in half a day.

and yes, the front pillars are thick, but it
doesn't bother me much.

i'v driven my a2 about 10'000km now and i'd buy
it again.

Thomas

Wow you're unlucky... BUT...
Beat this.... I picked up my brand-spanking new A2 TDi SE on Friday afternoon last week... and within 3 miles the car was leaking a large pool of coolant or lubricant all over the road! Remember it was about 20 mins after I had driven it off the forecourt of the dealer! They say it's a seal on the TDi's turbo that's gone. I was in fits of laughter, in order to stop me from crying.

Is this a sign? Should I have bought the more traditional A3 and not the snazzy lookin A2? Probably. As someone over the weekend said to me (he was quite drunk at the time) "If something LOOKS great, it's probably S**T. Go and and get yourself a clunky Volvo, it'll work!"

Hi,

sorry about your bad luck in a new car. It´s a nightmare. I have a A2 myself and I reqognized one of your problems, the one with a 'thunk thunk' from the engine bay. I think I had the same problem. After several visits to the service center they identified the problemas the attatchment of the gear wire in the gear box was not ok and the gear wire was leaning against the engine and a noise was generated. The switched the gear wire and the problem was fixed. They blamed a material fault. I don not really belive them. The actual repair took some time since the service center ordered wrong gear wire. I think Audi have had two different gear wires on the A2 and a wrong wire was mounted om my car.

What expaination did you get? Has anyone else experience the same problem?

Does anyone else have any feedback on A2 quality?

I'm thinking of buying one

Thanks

elfenbein

This thunk from the engine bay on A2 TDI 75PS models has been driving me crazy for a while. I have traced it to the EGR valve operation and by disconnecting the plug from the solenoid, stopped the noise (this generates a fault code though so don't do this unless you have fault code clearing equipment such as VAG COM). Clamping the hose (with a brake hose clamp) to the EGR valve itself stopped the noise completely. One I had in recently was making the noise so badly I thought something was really amiss but the fuel temperature sensor wiring had broken (a design fault) which caused the valve to operate more often. I have come to the conclusion that the noise itself is quite normal and it's just poor sound insulation and the bulkhead mounted solenoid that transmits the noise. Maybe relocating the solenoid and insulating the valve is an option?<ul><li><a href="http://www.candrenterprises.co.uk">http://www.candrenterprises.co.uk</a</li></ul>

Crasher

thanks for that mate - that clunking noise has been driving me mad for years! It seems to come and go (or maybe I just filter it out sometimes). At the moment it is VERY bad - I can sit at idle and make the noise just by tapping the accelerator. Maybe I have a broken wire as you mentioned? Where would I find that and how would I check it?