How many problems have you had with yours?

[sheppardnias]

Today I believe (or at least hope) that I have cracked the last of the problems with my URS6.

Bought the car in February from an enthusiast who claimed the car was niggle free.

These are the niggles that apparantly didn't exist....

Battery went flat every 48 hours
Front passenger window took minutes to wind back up
Alternator badly worn and needed replacing
TCP started to drip and then the end 'fell' off when touched
Boot filled with water
Boot lamp not working
12v supply wired to boot lamp earth!!!!!
Switch in Boot locking mechanism broken
Mounting stud for boot locking mechanism missing (excuse to weld!!!)
Gearbox output shft seal for propshaft leaking (had beenfor years)
Alarm battery backup not working
Scorpion Alarm unusable with default settings
Audi alarm flashing whenever ignition was on
Original CD player useless (I'm fussy about stuff like that and who uses CD's these days?)
TCP relay broken and permanently trying to run the fan
Fan slow relay broken (fortunately or the TCP relay would have left the fan on...)
WGFV corroded solid
Diverter valve leaking
Drivers side front strut collapsed
Front track control bushes on passenger side destroyed and badly perished.

I think that just about completes the list.... hadn't realised it was so long in all honesty.

Despite the list, I still love the car and consider it to be a good buy... OK it's cost about £350 to sort all of the problems out (It cost more than that to get the local Skoda garage to do a service on my Superb...) but thats what old cars are about. The fixing is a bonding experience and you know what needs to be done if it happens again..

The car is now rattle free, everything and I really do mean everything (I hope), works as it should. Handling (for a tank) is good and thanks to Mr Nugent the car is a true rocket and scary 3 figure speeds appear at the slightest touch of the throttle in 3rd gear.

All said and done nothing was too costly to sort (alternator being the most frightening item) and nothing was too awkward (perhaps excluding the gearbox seal, in the rain on my drive, on my back with my beer storage area rammend against the floor).


I am now wondering what issues everyone else has had with their cars when they bought them.

I'm wondering if the niggles appear when the car swaps owners OR do we just get used to the problems and wipe them from our memories (or perhaps something slightly more sinister for the selling process)?

What was / is wrong with yours? Interested to hear the best and worst surprises you have found on yours....

[madwolf_Uk]

Rather than repeat here, probably easier to check out my project thread in my Signature

Mine was allways going to be an ongoing process, but i was hoping to drive more than just the journey home on collection before stripping this far apart

Be worth it in the end though :mischeif:

[S2central.net]

Well done Mr. Sheppard - many would have given up long before ye...

[sheppardnias]

Give up??? Why would someone do that? A car that works perfectly is boring... A car that never runs is useless. A car with 'issues' is great!!

Get to use it daily (well as much as I can get pass my boss who complains that the car allowance I get is not to run 'old sh*t' but something younger instead.

When stuck in traffic you can 'fiddle' with the latest on going saga and when you want to get out of the house you can always find something to go and fix... It's good to see people stare as you remove dials, trim, radios etc whilst sat in a jam on the way to work. You actually appreciate heavy traffic of a morning.

Problem is that now it all works. Trailing edges of the front wings need a lick of paint and the roof needs a good buff to remove some nasty scratches. After that I'll need it to break or I might get bored...

What I need is more money, bigger garage and driveway (only 3 cars fit on the drive and we have at least 4 cars at all times) and a tatty UR Quattro to tidy up and bring back to life... Then again, I guess most of us would want something similar...

More chance of me meeting a page 3 model and having drinks late into the night with her, having first heard the Foo Fighters play to 86,000 people at Wembley before doing an encore with chunks of Led Zeppelin.

But that was Saturday night / Sunday morning and it did happen! Even got an invite to go and stay for a couple of days (with her husband sadly there too) Next up it's off to find the garage and the money.

[rs2315]

I bought my RS2 on a whim. No homework on the car, I saw it and fell for it.
LHD even appealed. The whole package just felt right.
Bought the car off a mate, so there was a trust thing that came into play.
Bodywork, engine, running gear, all in good nick.
But once I started to learn about the car, I found there were items missing.
If I were to look at the receipts to remind me of the parts I've replaced through ware and tear, and items that were not even there to begin with. Well springs to mind.
Motto is do the homework.
My mate is still having the last because he's the one who works on my car, getting it back to as it should be.

Do you think he saw me coming
rs2315.

[sheppardnias]

people are always on the lookout for a quick buck but I'd hope not...

Must admit I didn't do enough homework on mine but I did do quite a bit. The car has a full Audi / specialist service history from new. Every bill and receipt is there down to bits of trim and tyres. Even have a / the dealer brochure for the car. The amount spent at dealers in the first 12 years makes you cry. Since then things went wrong with the specialists.

Think the worst thing was someone who did 'little bits' himself and who was only covering very low mileage (1000 miles a year average) and hence hadn't serviced it enough in the last 4 years. Then a big Yorkshireman jumps in it and drives it 300 miles a week in a manner suggesting he stole it. All the bits on their last legs failed at once...

Doesn't explain the alarm issues though.

Oh... Also forgot to say that the cruise control was dead when I got the car (but then it wasn't sold as having it?) and that too works a treat now....

[sjw185]

From may 2007 to date wee list of stuff needed on my minter

top rad to aux water hose
Aux Radiator mounting/nuts
Aux Radiator
driver door window motor
boot carpet
Oil Dipstick plastic top
Replaced Turbo
turbo gaskets
Replaced Boost Hoses (samcos)
washer jets
replaced boot bin
matrix gasket seal
spark plug cover
sump plug and washer
RS2 Airbox replaced dodgy cone install
aerial base
vent fan

also stuff thats not been fitted yet

Plasma Clocks/Gauges
Porsche 996 brake calipers
Brake Brackets and bolts
323mm Brake Discs,
st/st hoses

[Rusty]

About eleventy billion!

[220bhp]

With my s2 eleventy billion and one,with my ur s6 not alot,maf hose front wheel bearings wiring harnes in boot hinge,and its on 200,000mls

[devion]

This far, i've had turbo and ECU probs,drivers door couldn't be opened from the inside,AC had to be filled,some faultcodes...otherwise it's been mostly wear and tear probs,breaks and fluids etc...so pretty ok car from the day i bought it....

[Error404]

About eleventy billion!

me too! Spooky!

[andrewd]

Been meaning to post on this thread for a few days so here goes ...

I bought my 100 S4 back in May 2006. It had covered 63k from new, originally an Audi fleet/press demo and then it was bought by a Chelsea based rich dude who hardly used it but kept up a no-expense-spared Audi / Porsche specilist service history. It eventually found its way into the hands of a fellow Club GTI forum member for 6-months but it didn't live up his expectations and I bought it from him.

It went from covering about 5k a year to about 250 miles a week as I was using it for work, and almost straight away it needed a new WGFV and the front propshaft bearing changing.

After an argument with a brick at 40mph I had all four wheels refurbed, new tyres, and a rear upper suspension linkage replaced. I've also had front brake hoses, new rear discs and pads, a new rear caliper and a rear brake line replaced. I've just had the cambelt changed, and also replaced the fan viscous coupling, fan bearing and idler bearing which has changed the engine note from a diesel rattle to almost silent!

The '1st gear failing' ticking noise and vibrations I have been getting *seem* to have gone having removed a loose heat sheild that was drooping down onto the propshaft. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed on that one.

On the TO DO list is:

Sort our misfire (new coil, plugs or plug boots)
New front discs and pads - I may change to HP2 as the UFO discs are so bloomin' expensive
4-wheel alignment
Tidy up a few scratches and dents
Oh and keeping my fingers crossed over the gearbox ...

So, all in all not bad at all for a rare, characterful 13 year-old car that I bought for £3.5k and have covered over 34k in the last 2 years. I worked out it's cost about the same to run (including fuel, insurance & depreciation) as a second hand Fabia VRS which was the other car I was considering.

[Acidburn]

I bought mine from pistonheads with iirc 178k ish on the clock (the owner was on this forum unknown to me at the time)

Since owning it I have had to replace the following:

dizzy gear (my own fault )
starter went as changing dizzy gear
alternator (went as changing to hid's)

for mot:

front shocks
wishbone
rear ball joint
braided hoses (was changing brakes anyways)
headlight
numberplate

so not alot really wrong with mine up till recently as i've got clutch issues but still drivable.

[220bhp]

Pete don;t forget all the nuts from halfords that didnt fit

[Heat Seeking Missile]

Here goes, in 11 months I've had:

New WGFV.
New TB hose.
Samco's to replace the knackered boost hoses. (on their way)
Replaced half the lights in the dashboard and switches that didn't work.
Front fogs didn't work and one full of water.
Replaced/cleaned headlight reflectors.
Replaced rear wiper motor.
Noisy blower motor, trying to ignore that one as its a dashboard out job.
Numerous vacuum hoses replaced.
New CV boot.
New MAF sensor.
New lambda sensor.

Still to do:

Repair front wing.
Possibly new front bumper, or at least realign it.
Repair mounting brackets on headlights.
Try and mount the exhaust properly as it rattles like hell.
Re-do a bolt I cant get to without the bumper off that holds the alternator on.
New trims to go at the bottom of the front wings.
New ATD.

Think thats about it.

Mark