How are you keeping yours on the road?

[bilko0795]

As said it’s not all doom and gloom iv just bought a load of bits of members and fleabay In the last two weeks they are out there if you look.

[Pow3rL3ss]

Looks a nice car, shame to be put off by this

[Reimond]

And stick with original parts like Beru etc. Especially with electrics.

[Alex Rhys]

I take my hat off to all of you!

This is a borderline obsession, having read through what it takes to get a set of window, sunroof and boot seals in a historic post here. I was blown away to see so many people working together to find a solution to their leaky sunroof seals. Searching for parts is more of a treasure hunt and I get the feeling that a lot of you actually enjoy the ‘hunt’

My car needs very little of the things I search for, I’ve just been searching for thinks that will likely fail at some point.

This is going to hurts a few people on here, but I’m not one for telling porkies...

The time, money and effort required to keep a good one good - they’re better off locked away in a dry, clean and safe place. The ****** UK weather and roads will ruin these cars and it’s heartbreaking.

I cannot thank everyone enough for your time on this post, either way it will certainly help others. It has helped me to decide to let this one go whilst it’s still good. Once a few body blemishes have been properly and professionally corrected- I will get an advert up on here.

thankyou!

[sidrick]

To echo others, this forum has kept so many of these cars on the road, it's unreal. Audi, in comparison to BMW and Merc, should be ashamed of themselves.

Also, as said, these cars need to be driven. The jobs add up at an alarming rate if not used regularly.

[psiconauta911]

Mine it´s still a daily and with 360 TKm it´s still going strong, problems are very few and far between, never had any trouble finding what´s needed and has only let me stranded once and that was the plastic radiator neck that broke.

ok so no salt on the roads here so no corrosion either, had to change the windshield for the 1st time last month and no rust to be found after 25 years!

These are very dependable machines in my experience, all old/classic cars will need some repairs from time to time but till now nothing major or unexpected!

[Fat Audi 80]

Mine has been dry stored for the majority of its life and now only does 2-3k miles a year. This definitely helps to look after it and makes maintenance relatively straightforward. That said I have a persistent head gasket water leak which will have to be tackled this year. A job I am not looking forward to.

All the basics are available on line, it only took me an hour or two to order discs and pads for the front and rear.

Good luck with whatever you decide

[Greg_S]

Welcome back to the fold. As others have said the general maintenance isn't as bad as it could be. The challenge over the next few years on these old cars is going to be interiors. Most if not all the S2's are getting to the stage where headlinings sag, door card fabric starts to detach from the foam etc which is another skill you need to fix.

[Fat Audi 80]

Welcome back to the fold. As others have said the general maintenance isn't as bad as it could be. The challenge over the next few years on these old cars is going to be interiors. Most if not all the S2's are getting to the stage where headlinings sag, door card fabric starts to detach from the foam etc which is another skill you need to fix.

Yes. Both my door cards need doing now . 3mm foam and the correct glue should sort them out fairly easily though.

[bilko0795]

As do mine glue recommendations anyone ?

[Tractor Dave]

As do mine glue recommendations anyone ?

You must use a high temp spray otherwise they will fall off on a hot sunny day!
I got some from woolies who also do good fabric.

[jeffstoo]

Just done my door cards. Removed the fabric, put it in a bucket containing hot water and washing powder, the sticky s*** came off like magic and the material cleaned up really well. Getting the sticky off the door cards was a bit of a mare but again I found soap and water worked best. I used 2mm headlining fabric, stuck the original material to it and stuck the lot to the door card. Came out well.

[LHD_Kid]

Best adhesive, by a country mile....

Smart Tack, available from Tool Station.

Its blue, comes in a yellow spray can, and is REALLY good...

[bilko0795]

Thanks peeps

[mdz]

Easy way to clean the sticky foam leftovers from doorcard ir pressurewash them. Old glue can be cleaned with solvent, but not neccesary, you can just glue over it. Fabrics can be thrown into washing machine or washed by hand. Cant help with glue recomendations as your market differs from mine but I'm using contact glue similar to Bison Kit or high temp spray glue which comes in green spraycans with white e36 printed on them. And of course fresh 3-5mm foam.
First glue fabric to the foam and then to the doorcard. There's many different techniques on how to do this, including one using contact glue and heat gun.