It has been three days since I last saw my little Audi A2.
Admittedly, today, the third day, the car was ready this morning, so it's really just two and a half.
Kolo has a strange relationship with SL. Whenever she borrows the A2 for any amount of time, whether a day or an hour, she brings the car back with some issue or other. We (Kolo and I) joked that SL can't use the Audi any more and I shouldn't drive the SportKa either.
As reported a few posts ago, the A2, after a brilliant tour of duty during the Big Freeze, or whatever that cold snap was labelled, the misfire became a major thorn in the side. So much so, the car couldn't even get above 25mph, it was also sounding like a dumper-truck. I was convinced it was down two cylinders to just the one pot, hence the dumper-truck like idle, which was visibly rocking the car on it's wheels when at traffic lights.
After dropping the ailing car off at Clydebank's AudiVW Repair Centre on Wednesday morning, I recieved a call an hour later. The mechanic had plugged in his diagnostic laptop and reported the numerous warnings. 1, cylinder #1 has a major fault, 2, the turbo is reporting a loss of pressure, 3, ABS brake issue. The mechanic went on to say that issue 2 might be to do with issue 1 and thus fixing the injector was the first port of call, even before the Audi B service.
A day later, another call, injector coil replaced with two and a half hours labour, issue 2 resolved too. But the ABS warning was due to a need to replace both front discs and pads. Hmm, with the major service and injector repair coming in at about £400, the brakes can wait.
It's starting to look like it might be a cheap year for Kolo after this visit, I mean. What else can go wrong, well after the brakes? In the year and four months that I've had the privilege of this little aluminium machine, it's had a number of major jobs done under the bonnet; cam-belt change, fuel pump in tank and high pressure fuel pump on engine, intercooler replaced and finally, front door hinges replaced too. Like I said, what else is there? Touch wood, or aluminium in this case, nothing else.
The mechanic said the brake replacement wasn't urgent but should be done this year. Well, it is still January. I'll do it when the dashboard light comes on, but with SL driving it tomorrow, it'll when she comes back then.
Showing posts with label Powerloss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Powerloss. Show all posts
Friday, 29 January 2010
Sunday, 17 January 2010
Karma Comedian
It would seem that Kolo and I maybe cursed. Well, Kolo and my wallet.
Yes, during the dark, cold Frozen Britain of weeks gone, Kolo has been exceptional in proving safe, dependable transport to my aspiring nurse wife; SL Bartlett. But during the subsequent thraw, it's all gone wrong for the little aluminium horse. Very wrong.
You see, about November time, Kolo developed a bit of a misfire. Nothing that would last more than a second or so, just every now and then.
It turns out, according to the A2oc's Mike Skipton, to be a cheap switch or relay that controls the injectors. This thingy sits in the engine bay somewhere near all the hot bits and after five or so years, it becomes a part to replace.
Well, its now time to replace it.
During the last week, during this Big Thraw, the A2's misfire became a real feature. From a thing that barely raised it's head to a hazard at junctions in just three months. Reducing the engine to just 2 cylinders, which is almost a scooter.
It's now time to service the wounded soldier anyway, so it's forced my hand and it'll go away on Wednesday, instead of Easter or some other time in the future. Anyway this time, it to AudiVW Repair, which strangely, is in Clydebank, although a different part, to the 'fix on thing, break another' A for Audi.
Lets hope they're better. At £195 for a major service on a 3cylinder TDI A2, they better be. Still, it's not the £300+ at a dealership.
(Kolo, fore, and SouferKa, background, in BBCs Frozen Britain)
Yes, during the dark, cold Frozen Britain of weeks gone, Kolo has been exceptional in proving safe, dependable transport to my aspiring nurse wife; SL Bartlett. But during the subsequent thraw, it's all gone wrong for the little aluminium horse. Very wrong.
You see, about November time, Kolo developed a bit of a misfire. Nothing that would last more than a second or so, just every now and then.
It turns out, according to the A2oc's Mike Skipton, to be a cheap switch or relay that controls the injectors. This thingy sits in the engine bay somewhere near all the hot bits and after five or so years, it becomes a part to replace.
Well, its now time to replace it.
During the last week, during this Big Thraw, the A2's misfire became a real feature. From a thing that barely raised it's head to a hazard at junctions in just three months. Reducing the engine to just 2 cylinders, which is almost a scooter.
It's now time to service the wounded soldier anyway, so it's forced my hand and it'll go away on Wednesday, instead of Easter or some other time in the future. Anyway this time, it to AudiVW Repair, which strangely, is in Clydebank, although a different part, to the 'fix on thing, break another' A for Audi.
Lets hope they're better. At £195 for a major service on a 3cylinder TDI A2, they better be. Still, it's not the £300+ at a dealership.
(Kolo, fore, and SouferKa, background, in BBCs Frozen Britain)
Sunday, 1 November 2009
A2OC: The value of having an Owners Club
It's not geeky to be a member of a Car Owners' Club. Well maybe if you were under 50 and a member of the MG-OC. There are a few more clubs that fall into the board borderline category but overall, no matter how other people view it, there is a value in being a part of one. I'm sure some of you reading still aren't convinced the benefits out weigh the awkward socials with people who really have nothing in common with you.
But who said they had to be awkward. Remember that a car (especially a new one) is the second most expensive purchase you will make. It's the same likelihood you will get on with your neighbours; they chose to live where you chose to live because their life choices are similar to yours. Why shouldn't that apply to vehicle choices too? Why should the people choosing the same car as you be radically different to you? You would all place the same values on the car's 'character and persona' as each other, why else did you make the same choice? Well, there are people how just don't care, granted, but they would not need the back up of an OC. As soon as the car's warranty is up or as soon as the car runs out of it's usable life, exchange or scrap is what they do next.
The people who do care however: honestly, an OC is worth it.
To take the A2OC as an example, you firstly have to look at the decision on why buy an Audi A2. As a new car, the first rung on the Audi ownership ladder turned out to be not as cheap as Audi imagined. In some cases, the A2 was more than decent but not greatly spec'd A3s. Kolo for example was just over £19,000 in 2001. That's a lot of money for a so called supermini, especially pre-BMW Mini. However many reasons why the A2 was so expensive to make and sell are great reasons why you'd look out for one used. The TDI engines are direct injection and pretty bulletproof, even the more powerful one still gets the £35 Road Fund Licence. The aluminium body is rust proof unlike anything else in your budget. What is there not to like with prices as low as £2500 for a basic spec'd petrol.
However, no matter how good a car is, it is still a car, made of thousands of parts and out of many different materials. Things do go wrong. Even new cars go wrong. But when they're older, there is no manufacturers warranty to help you out. What is needed is a cheap way of finding out what will go bad before it does and when it does, the knowledge to get passed the mechanics waffle. What is also needed is an opinion unbiased by a hidden motive. What is needed is a OC.
The A2 is a weird choice for an ordinary runabout because of it's looks. The A2 has a result is sort out: you own an A2 because you want an A2. The owners are of a type that appreciate the Luc Donkervoke lines and the strange looks they can still evoke. Owners are out and out extraverts in some cases, most are technology savvy too. Thus the A2OC. A web based forum of owners that post up issues and experiences they have with their A2s. There is a wealth of information and sources to help you avoid the pitfalls and help on improving on Audi's product.
So far, the A2OC in general and a member called Skipton01 specifically, has helped me:
*find the cause of the power loss
*fix the ashtray
*diagnose the onboard computer for faults
*choose the right sized alloys with the right amount of offset
*fit cruise control
*fix brake and ABS fault (turned out to be a brake pedal operated brake light switch)
*helped me know what a mechanic was saying was completely wrong (saving me £500)
There is more but surely the last one is reason alone.
The A2OC is not only web based, it's a social thing too. Members regularly meet up, some members are good friends with each other. Not not just the cars either.
As I stated before, if you appreciate one thing of the same reason as someone else, you will both also have very similar opinions on other things too. And isn't that why people get along? The fact that it can help you save money, improve your ownership experience and are given a clue to what mechanics say just a bonus. Join an OC, even if there is a fee, the information you gain is probably worth double the amount. Do it today. Honestly, you don't have to stick the sticker in the window if you still feel weird about it, we understand.
But who said they had to be awkward. Remember that a car (especially a new one) is the second most expensive purchase you will make. It's the same likelihood you will get on with your neighbours; they chose to live where you chose to live because their life choices are similar to yours. Why shouldn't that apply to vehicle choices too? Why should the people choosing the same car as you be radically different to you? You would all place the same values on the car's 'character and persona' as each other, why else did you make the same choice? Well, there are people how just don't care, granted, but they would not need the back up of an OC. As soon as the car's warranty is up or as soon as the car runs out of it's usable life, exchange or scrap is what they do next.
The people who do care however: honestly, an OC is worth it.
To take the A2OC as an example, you firstly have to look at the decision on why buy an Audi A2. As a new car, the first rung on the Audi ownership ladder turned out to be not as cheap as Audi imagined. In some cases, the A2 was more than decent but not greatly spec'd A3s. Kolo for example was just over £19,000 in 2001. That's a lot of money for a so called supermini, especially pre-BMW Mini. However many reasons why the A2 was so expensive to make and sell are great reasons why you'd look out for one used. The TDI engines are direct injection and pretty bulletproof, even the more powerful one still gets the £35 Road Fund Licence. The aluminium body is rust proof unlike anything else in your budget. What is there not to like with prices as low as £2500 for a basic spec'd petrol.
However, no matter how good a car is, it is still a car, made of thousands of parts and out of many different materials. Things do go wrong. Even new cars go wrong. But when they're older, there is no manufacturers warranty to help you out. What is needed is a cheap way of finding out what will go bad before it does and when it does, the knowledge to get passed the mechanics waffle. What is also needed is an opinion unbiased by a hidden motive. What is needed is a OC.
The A2 is a weird choice for an ordinary runabout because of it's looks. The A2 has a result is sort out: you own an A2 because you want an A2. The owners are of a type that appreciate the Luc Donkervoke lines and the strange looks they can still evoke. Owners are out and out extraverts in some cases, most are technology savvy too. Thus the A2OC. A web based forum of owners that post up issues and experiences they have with their A2s. There is a wealth of information and sources to help you avoid the pitfalls and help on improving on Audi's product.
So far, the A2OC in general and a member called Skipton01 specifically, has helped me:
*find the cause of the power loss
*fix the ashtray
*diagnose the onboard computer for faults
*choose the right sized alloys with the right amount of offset
*fit cruise control
*fix brake and ABS fault (turned out to be a brake pedal operated brake light switch)
*helped me know what a mechanic was saying was completely wrong (saving me £500)
There is more but surely the last one is reason alone.
The A2OC is not only web based, it's a social thing too. Members regularly meet up, some members are good friends with each other. Not not just the cars either.
As I stated before, if you appreciate one thing of the same reason as someone else, you will both also have very similar opinions on other things too. And isn't that why people get along? The fact that it can help you save money, improve your ownership experience and are given a clue to what mechanics say just a bonus. Join an OC, even if there is a fee, the information you gain is probably worth double the amount. Do it today. Honestly, you don't have to stick the sticker in the window if you still feel weird about it, we understand.
Sunday, 9 August 2009
Starts just like that.
Thank you to A for Audi of Clydebank
http://www.a4audi.co.uk/
Between myself and the 2 previous owners of Kolo, there has been 10+ opinions on why it spends a large amount of time on the startermotor. There has also been money spent by its second owner on a new battery (£97) and a new startermotor (£240 plus fitting) but the issue persisted. When it came to SL and I buying this A2, we had a long look at the history and balanced up the issue with what otherwise is a extremely well specified TDI 75. In the end, we decided that we'd get the car then fix it later on. It only really seemed to be noisy problem rather than a serious one, there was a new starter after all, which seemed to be only thing suffering.
6 months from that decision, enough was enough. As mentioned in previous posts, the problem was getting worse, so we took the plunge and went looking for a Audi or a diesel specialist. A for Audi came up in our searches a number of times and there didn't seem to be a TDI specific diesel garage locally. So off to Clydebank we went. We we're greeted by a mechanic called Andy who had a look at Kolo, within seconds, with just one attempt to start, he had the answer.
"It's one or both of the two fuel pumps, the low pressure one in the tank and/or the high pressure one just before the injectors in the engine bay. We can get that done tomorrow if you like."
Brilliant, or so I thought. Well it was good on one hand, at least we know what it finally was, bad because it'll be costly.
Fixed, it starts with no delay. Really, the fuel must travel like a, hmm, liquid bullet? The glow-plugs not need to engage until the ambient temperate is -15'c due to the high compression direct injection apparently.
The cost, ah yes, the cost.
The complication, well
The final bill...
But finally, a complete success. The 1.4 75 is on song. Starts consistently well. The power loss is a thing of the past now, it's a whole car now.
However, I'm glad it was re-mapped to 104bhp & 182lb-ft because it's quick but not lighting quick. That's 115bhp per ton after being worked on by Stealth Racing. The ability to push on above 2500rpm (max torque) is a handy trait, 63mph in 5th, but it's all gone so quickly, yes you finish well above the speed limit but it could be geared better, hmm maybe new ratios are the next thing, I'm sure I mentioned that before? It is off note, when on the garage car lift, the gearbox casing has a VW logo moulded onto it. I thought it was a custom unit for the A2 but if it's a shared VW group piece then maybe...
http://www.a4audi.co.uk/
Between myself and the 2 previous owners of Kolo, there has been 10+ opinions on why it spends a large amount of time on the startermotor. There has also been money spent by its second owner on a new battery (£97) and a new startermotor (£240 plus fitting) but the issue persisted. When it came to SL and I buying this A2, we had a long look at the history and balanced up the issue with what otherwise is a extremely well specified TDI 75. In the end, we decided that we'd get the car then fix it later on. It only really seemed to be noisy problem rather than a serious one, there was a new starter after all, which seemed to be only thing suffering.
6 months from that decision, enough was enough. As mentioned in previous posts, the problem was getting worse, so we took the plunge and went looking for a Audi or a diesel specialist. A for Audi came up in our searches a number of times and there didn't seem to be a TDI specific diesel garage locally. So off to Clydebank we went. We we're greeted by a mechanic called Andy who had a look at Kolo, within seconds, with just one attempt to start, he had the answer.
"It's one or both of the two fuel pumps, the low pressure one in the tank and/or the high pressure one just before the injectors in the engine bay. We can get that done tomorrow if you like."
Brilliant, or so I thought. Well it was good on one hand, at least we know what it finally was, bad because it'll be costly.
Fixed, it starts with no delay. Really, the fuel must travel like a, hmm, liquid bullet? The glow-plugs not need to engage until the ambient temperate is -15'c due to the high compression direct injection apparently.
The cost, ah yes, the cost.
The complication, well
The final bill...
But finally, a complete success. The 1.4 75 is on song. Starts consistently well. The power loss is a thing of the past now, it's a whole car now.
However, I'm glad it was re-mapped to 104bhp & 182lb-ft because it's quick but not lighting quick. That's 115bhp per ton after being worked on by Stealth Racing. The ability to push on above 2500rpm (max torque) is a handy trait, 63mph in 5th, but it's all gone so quickly, yes you finish well above the speed limit but it could be geared better, hmm maybe new ratios are the next thing, I'm sure I mentioned that before? It is off note, when on the garage car lift, the gearbox casing has a VW logo moulded onto it. I thought it was a custom unit for the A2 but if it's a shared VW group piece then maybe...
Saturday, 25 July 2009
Problem starting, starting to get really frustrating and now....
...there is an answer.
When I had the cambelt changed in Eastbourne 3 or so months ago, 2 days later an air pipe cracked due, most likely, to the excessive amount of engine movement involved in changing the belt. I'm sure I wittered on about this in a previous post but anyway, my point is that it's happened again in a bigger and stranger way.
When the air pipe cracked the first time, Father was in the car and S L Bartlett and driving up hill on the northbound A23 on the way to Gatwick. Maybe it was the weight?
This time, however it was down hill on the M80 with my friend in the car.
Kolo's fine when it's just S L and myself, when other people travel in the A2, it shows us up. The other day, on Scott Street, Glasgow, the handbrake went onto 7+ clicks when picking up a friend.
Back to the air pipe. well, according to 'A for Audi' of Clydebank, there has been a toxic level of carbon-monoxide blowing through the vents. Slowly over past 70+ miles, the monoxide has been building in my blood; Kolo has been poisoning me. Plus when I'm in a vulnerable position on the road, the 1.4 TDI loses it's power from the turbo. Kolo has been a bit of a monkey in the last fortnight.
Oh well, it's getting fixed and...
...finally someone with sense, at 'A for Audi' instantly diagnosed instantly what was wrong with Kolo's starting. It's one or both of the fuel pumps (low pressure one in the fuel tank or the high pressure one just before the injectors above the engine block), costly maybe, but at last!
When I had the cambelt changed in Eastbourne 3 or so months ago, 2 days later an air pipe cracked due, most likely, to the excessive amount of engine movement involved in changing the belt. I'm sure I wittered on about this in a previous post but anyway, my point is that it's happened again in a bigger and stranger way.
When the air pipe cracked the first time, Father was in the car and S L Bartlett and driving up hill on the northbound A23 on the way to Gatwick. Maybe it was the weight?
This time, however it was down hill on the M80 with my friend in the car.
Kolo's fine when it's just S L and myself, when other people travel in the A2, it shows us up. The other day, on Scott Street, Glasgow, the handbrake went onto 7+ clicks when picking up a friend.
Back to the air pipe. well, according to 'A for Audi' of Clydebank, there has been a toxic level of carbon-monoxide blowing through the vents. Slowly over past 70+ miles, the monoxide has been building in my blood; Kolo has been poisoning me. Plus when I'm in a vulnerable position on the road, the 1.4 TDI loses it's power from the turbo. Kolo has been a bit of a monkey in the last fortnight.
Oh well, it's getting fixed and...
...finally someone with sense, at 'A for Audi' instantly diagnosed instantly what was wrong with Kolo's starting. It's one or both of the fuel pumps (low pressure one in the fuel tank or the high pressure one just before the injectors above the engine block), costly maybe, but at last!
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