What to do with my S2?

[Jack4688]

I've had the car in at my trusted mechanic for a service plus a few 'niggles' that needed sorting. Today though I had a bit of bad news, it started with the question: "Is this a daily driver or a restoration project?"

Turns out there is a s***load of stuff wrong with my Avant and I'm looking at a cost of around £2-3k to fully sort all these issues. Even then I'm not going to have a pristine concurs condition vehicle. So work has stopped until I decide how much further to get with it - I think just sorting a hot-start problem is as far as I should bother to go, having had the cold-start issue fixed.

I've accepted that the S2 is now in no way suitable as my daily driver and I am looking for other means of transport - but still something that excites and involves, hopefully still German and four wheel drive But I may have to down-grade to four cylinders

Anyway I'm not sure what the best course of action is for the S2. Selling it as is will get me very little return, even when including the various parts I have accumulated over the years. I think my two options are to either keep it on my drive and slowly replace parts as and when I can afford (and take it out to drive as and when I can afford to tax & insure a second car) or to break it.

Breaking it would be an awful thing to do to a car that has served me pretty well and put the biggest smile on my face, but keeping it going but for only minimal use will only end up costing me more (MOT due in Feb for example, and I doubt it's likely to pass this time)on top of the car that's got to get me to and from work. I also have no experience of dismantling a car and having a slowly decaying vehicle sitting on my drive way is hardly the best way to ingratiate myself to the new neighbours

Anybody got any advice on how to come to the best conclusion when dealing with this to break or not to break dilemma?

[newsh]

Have you got a list of what they say needs doing?

And an idea of what you'd sell it for?

[Rusty]

Post up a list...

[gripper]

And an idea of what you'd sell it for?

Already we see them circling and stalking possible prey

[Tonks4x4]

Yes vultures are moving in, me included


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[irishs2]

Save the Avant

[UrS6 - IamS6]

Post up a list...

List of issues and the mechanic's respective prices ? Then it would be possible to advise.

[anthonys2]

Jack I know it will seem tough at the moment but whatever you do DONT break it you have a good car there and will be worth keeping in the long run. I have spent just shy of 4k on mine this year whilst trying to save for a wedding lol not bloody easy I tell you!! My advice would be post up a list of what needs doing and you will be surprised by how many people will try and help and ignore the damn vultures out there. Its not the end of the world and for a daily do what I have done I bought a 3 year old A4 1.9 tdi Quattro 8 years ago and is still going strong and approaching 270k miles and still nearly doing 50mpg and its done nearly 900 miles this week grips like owt else on the road hope this helps if you want to chat drop me a pm ill give you a ring fella

[david1980]

i'd be surprised if the list of jobs needing doing cost that much, post up the list and see what people say

[Jack4688]

These are the items I have been advised are in need of replacement:

• Front subrame
• Rear subframe
• All subframe bushes
• Entire rear axle assembly (apparently leaking from every which point)
• Rear two parts of the exhaust
• At least one TCA or trackrod end, I can't remember which
• Power steering pump
• Steering rack
• Strut top mounts
• Cam position sensor
• Engine temperature sensor
• Head gasket

That's on top of everything else that's not been quite right for a long time and that I've been in denial about

At the moment they have sorted one reason why it was struggling to start periodically, but now they have started to look at why it is refusing to start when warm they've uncovered a lot more and it's adding up and up and UP!

I just don't see the point in spending so much money on it when it probably won't add that amount to the value of the car. To be honest I've been putting up with it being costly every few months simply because it's an S2, but right now I need to be sensible as I'm going to buy my first house.

It's also the major inconvenience of not having a car available for a few days while any works are carried out and I get so stressed when I have to rely on someone else to give me a lift to work and not have any transport for social use as well. Seriously, I love driving so much I ALWAYS choose driving over having a few drinks!

Jack I know it will seem tough at the moment but whatever you do DONT break it you have a good car there and will be worth keeping in the long run. I have spent just shy of 4k on mine this year whilst trying to save for a wedding lol not bloody easy I tell you!! My advice would be post up a list of what needs doing and you will be surprised by how many people will try and help and ignore the damn vultures out there. Its not the end of the world and for a daily do what I have done I bought a 3 year old A4 1.9 tdi Quattro 8 years ago and is still going strong and approaching 270k miles and still nearly doing 50mpg and its done nearly 900 miles this week grips like owt else on the road hope this helps if you want to chat drop me a pm ill give you a ring fella

I appreciate the comments Anthony (and everyone else!) but I don't have as good a car as you think It's been excreting noises from just about every orifice and felt a bit tired for a long time. Whenever I decide to get one job done to improve the general condition something else plus one crops up that gets added to the list.

I think it may be best to cut my losses on this one and wait until I can afford a Sunday car and get an S2 coupe

[UrS4boy]

Nothing to see here folks. See the next post.

[UrS4boy]

• Front subrame - why? is it cracked? dirty? rusty? needs paint? IF surface rust, wire brush off and paint with black rust paint
• Rear subframe - why? is it cracked? dirty? rusty? needs paint? IF surface rust, wire brush off and paint with black rust paint
• All subframe bushes - very fewm if any, of these are critical - nice but not 100% needed
• Entire rear axle assembly (apparently leaking from every which point) - get a good used one.
• Rear two parts of the exhaust - replace
• At least one TCA or trackrod end, I can't remember which - replace
• Power steering pump - why? X-plug leaking? Knocking?
• Steering rack - boot torn? Leaking? grinding?
• Strut top mounts - replace
• Cam position sensor - under US$20 at EFI Express - plus DIY
• Engine temperature sensor - G62 - easy peasy - replace
• Head gasket - okay why? leak? What?

[moggies]

Get a runaround daily driver, keep the car and slowly attend to the jobs bit by bit.
I would be very surprised if all that work was really needed this minute???

[bluequattro]

I have most of the parts you need.
Buy a cheap daily then fix the avant yourself over time.
Then you are sure what's done needed doing.
Have you taken it to another garage for a 2nd opinion?
May find mechanic drumming up business before Christmas?!
And I'm not offering to buy it-I've enough s2 s already

[s2driveruk]

£2k in labour and less than £1k in parts IMO. Get your hands dirty and take your time and I would say that is all pretty standard stuff on one of these.

If one of the subframes is crusty, then reckon on £100 to get it patched. In all honesty find a decent small outfit doing media blasting and get them to take it back to bare metal and inspect from there. If it's toast then YOU will definitely know, if it's able to be welded (as I had done) then just give to the place doing it....then zinc prime and paint up once done in POR15 or get it powder coated which is cheap (£40...)

Rear axle sounds like 3 oil seals have gone....quite easy to replace if you drop the diff off the car and bar one at about £30 the others are about £9 each from memory.

The biggest issue will be the rack if it really is knackered as access is a PITA, having said that if the car is off the road, may be best to drag the engine out and do it properly...stick in a new clutch, change the sensors and pipework at the back of the bay and you will then have a sorted car. For inspiration do a search for 'Can of worms' which was my own project thread dealing with a lot of this stuff, even I managed to get there in the end with the help of a few peeps off here and was probably the best thing I ever did on my car good luck