Faults:

I have just put my car in for it's annual service and MOT. I also wanted an investigation carried out as the coolant light came on upon ignition.

I have been advised that the water pump is leaking. The cost of replacing it is £337. Having come on line the cost of the parts appears to be in the region of £40 (although this was not volunteered to me by the Dealer). I am led to believe that this is a big job, but how am I to know?

I am also told that 2 tyres need replacing £105 each and that the front brake pads are 80% worn at a cost of £126.

I feel very uneasy having learnt the cost of the water pump.

General Comments:

Reliable, economic, safe, comfortable small car.

Slow of the mark, but a smooth runner at higher speeds.

Faults:

Water Pump: £36 total in parts, but £450 in Audi labour!

Temperature Sender: Common problem across the entire range of Audi's. The water temperature gauge on the dashboard will not regulate at 90 degrees. Replacement electrical temperature sender unit is less than £30 (plus labour - approx half hour).

Brake Disks: Now on third set of front brake disks in 3 months. Covered under service warranty (not costing me) but Audi unable to trace the reason why the disks keep warping.

General Comments:

Previously owned an Audi A4 1.8T Quattro Sport, but it was costing a fair bit to run (petrol consumption/insurance).

With the A2 TDi I have halfed my running costs. Fuel bill is exactly half, insurance is less than halved, road fund duty is exactly half and it's on the Audi variable service programme which means it can go up to approx 19,000 miles between servicing!!

The only expensive part of owning/running the A2 TDi SE is the cost of tyres. The particular size of tyres on my model are made exclusively for this car. Consequently there is little choice in the way of tyres and they are darned expensive!

Faults:

White fluff from ventilation system appeared on dashboard.

Dipstick broke (a common problem it seems)

Oil leak resulting in £800 repair bill.

Burning oil.

Seat belt pre-tensioner failed on drivers side.

Two tyres have been damaged beyond repair (and one wheel also) hitting potholes.

ABS warning light intermittently comes on, and then goes off when ignition is turned off.

Engine management light intermittently came on, then went off again after a few days. This was fixed by Audi. It was due to a faulty exhaust sensor.

General Comments:

Fuel consumption recently has been averaging 36mpg (daily drive of 35 miles, 4 of which are urban, the rest are B roads at a steady speed of 50 - 60mph). I don't think this matches up to the stated figures.

Performance and handling are both good and the car is fun to drive, though the ride is harsh, especially round town on rough urban roads.

Spacious in front and rear, though it's annoying that it only has 4 seats (though a rear bench seat is optional).

It only came with a radio cassette which I think is ridiculous for a car of this price. An optional CD player was at huge cost, so instead I bought a new Sony CD player for £60 and put that in. Sounds great too!

Reliability is appalling and I would not buy another Audi. Customer service is bad too.