Audi A2 1.6 FSi Review

Overall Rating

I have had my Audi A2 1.6 FSi from new since January 2003. I love the drive, the look, and the feel.

Too many to list... many many engine management problems, and the car pulls to left.

I have had my Audi A2 1.6 FSi from new since January 2003. I love the drive, the look, and the feel. However, my Audi experience is tainted. I was was led to believe that when you buy into the Audi brand you buy into quality, I was wrong. I began driving my A2 with gusto, proud to be driving a car that is reputedly a well designed piece of engineering, with lots of original features, which it has.

Two weeks into my ownership and my Audi experience started to go down hill. My car developed a whistling noise at high speed from the passenger door. The Lancaster Audi dealer had to re-align the door. My engine management light began to intermittently flash, and the garage identified it as a coolant issue, this coolant issue was supposedly fixed, but after 8 trips back to the garage a new water pump was fitted, the problem continued for 2 more trips back to the garage, and a hose was changed. Finally problem solved.

My indicators failed, and Audi Road Side Assistance fitted a new sensor. The boot locking mechanism refused to lock the boot, back to the garage and a new solenoid was fitted, but the boot still would not lock. Back to the garage and a new locking mechanism was fitted. My car began to pull quite severely to the left, so back to Lancaster Audi who re-aligned the car, however the problem was the same. Back to Lancaster Audi 3 times over the same issue, and it has never been resolved! The garage informed me if I had an issue with the steering I needed to take it up with Audi Customer Care. Their solution was to offer me a free service. Why?

I have had 3 coil packs fitted, as my old friend the engine management light came back to haunt me. I have also had climate control system problems, another coil, and my personal nemesis - the pulling of the car to the left. The up side of this is I now have well developed upper arm strength from pulling my steering wheel slightly right just to stay in a straight line.

This is my first Audi. It will be getting sold soon, and I will never be setting foot in another Audi garage as long as I live. The Audi people are nice on a one to one basis, but when you try and ask for things to be rectified, or ask for a change of car to replace my troubled one, I was met with cold, profit led authority, who basically turned me away.

My experience of Audi is a bad one. I hope your experience is a pleasant one!

Members' Comments onarketek1's Review

• ole man mose on 1st Apr 2006

  Regretfully doubtless an accurate review.
  
  We have also had electrical problems, a new ECU and then the indignation of needing another one after less than 4 months, to be told by Audi 'Customer Service' that we have to pay as the last one was under warranty, therefore does not enjoy the 12 months AUDI warranty we would have had if we had paid for the last one ourselves! Any suggestions from anyone, please as we thought we were buying a reliable car, which had excellent support back up. Regretfully this does not seem to be the case.
  Martin
  martin@exportsales.net

• msdalek1712 on 3rd Jul 2006

  I totally agree with the comments above. We got our A2 1.6 FSi Colour Storm 30th November 2005. We were impressed with the style, image, quality and initially, the performance of the car but not for very long. After about a month or so, the dreaded engine management light started to come on. After a trip to our local Audi dealer, it was diagnosed that the car needed a new thermostat. After this was rectified, the car came back with a coolant leak. We took the car to an independent garage (as we were cheesed off by Audi by this point) and we were told that the seal on the coolant overflow tank cap had not been replaced when Audi had done the initial repair. There have also been another THREE times that the engine management light has come on and we were driving home a couple of nights ago - AND GUESS WHAT - the dreaded engine management light has come on AGAIN!! We had originally been considering upgrading to an Audi A3 but certainly not any more! Audi - well, all I have to say is, less of "Vorsprung durch Technik" and more of "Vorsprung durch Krapnik!!" We will NEVER again buy an Audi! Ours is going to be sold as soon as possible to the next gullable customer. The VW/AUDI Group are always boasting about their present day quality and reliability. Compare our A2, which we have had for just 7 months, with my husband's MK2 Golf GTI, which he has had since 1991 and has NEVER let him down. I have a Rover Metro (K Reg) and I have never been let down (apart from the battery which had given up at 9 years old!) Need we say more?

• steven28 on 11th May 2007

  Hi i have read the following review as i have also had problems with my a2.
  Funny as I have had the very same problems in every way. My Audi however was showing no problems on the engine management system. It also had a very distinctive flat spot up to 3000 rpm, but was identified as the air inlet meter that cost me £200. The car seems to be getting better however when I start the car it seems to be having problems finding its idle speed.