Questions About The 2.0TDI

[emzino]

Hello there. I know i've posted alot about the 2.0TDI but just a few more questions before I go ahead with the purchase hehe.

I'll number it to make it easier...:

1) Warranty. Some cars say they come with "Warranty until June 2006". Now if I was to buy the car, doesn't the Warranty become void? Do I just take it into my nearest Audi and prove it's on Warranty via some papaerwork?

2) Common problems/faults. When I goto check out the car, what should I generally listen out or look at. Is there a common problem or fault with the 2.0TDI 140 cars?

3) Xenons. I really want these on the car but if I was to come across something ideal for me without Xenons, is it difficult to get them fitted on afterwards? How much am I looking at and is it quite a standard procedure to get them fitted or is it worth just hanging around to find an A3 with Xenons already...?

4) SE or Sport. Is there such a differenence between the two that it is much better to get the Sport? or is there not much between them so it doesn't matter which you go for...

At the moment thats it lol. Do apologise for being a pain. We've never spent so much money on such a car so need to make sure I can get my queries answered

Thanks so much in advance.

 

[SamDude]

1) Warranty is valid until the car is 3 years old. Regardless of number of owners. If you buy the car from an Audi dealer, they will give an 'approved' warranty for 1 year from the date you purchase it (which will overlap the inital 3 year warranty if you buy a car less than 3 years old).

3) They will cost approx 400*/500*/600*/more* as a retrofit (*delete as applicable). Basically, a lot.

4) SE has cruise control as standard and a softer ride. Sport has the DIS (trip computer) and front fogs as standard and a firmer ride.

Others can fill in the rest...

 

[steve184]

so out of interest if you want xenons that much how much more would you be wiling to pay for them on a secondhand car, ie, if there was one car without for 16k for instance, how much would you be willing to pay for the one with?

 

[giblets46]

It is generally acknowledged that the sport has a firmer ride than the SE (due to sports springs and larger alloys), though I was wondering, has the difference become less so since they uprated the SE's to 17" alloys (previously 16")?

 

[Vertigo1]

Regards the ride, I'm sure the suspension on the Sport (and probably S-Line too) was revised to make it a bit softer around the time the Sportback appeared. I could be wrong though.

Regards SE or Sport, aside from the suspension it's just a case of which kit you prefer. The SE is more geared towards comfort, with cruise, interior light pack, armrest all standard whereas the sport has fogs, DIS and sports seats. I think the most important considerations are the ride and the seats as these will affect you most.

Both my cars have been a bit of a half way house between SE and Sport. My previous one was an SE but I added a lot of options that would have been standard on the Sport, such as fogs, DIS & sports seats. My current one is an S-Line but I've added options from the SE, such as armrest and interior light pack.

I find it interesting that the vast majority of A3s you see on the roads are Sports.

 

[steve184]

i did this on my old sport i added pretty much all the SE spec to it too

 

[wilko]

Verigo I think it cos people see the word Sport and think it''ll automatically be better than the SE. Must admit thats wat i thort.

But yes if you check out my spec, you see it's a sport with SE features (armrest, etc...) I think that's what most people do, sporty but try and make it comfortable for everyday driving.

 

[synthdood]

I went for the sport mainly beacuse it has a better stance. The 1.5 cm it sits lower make a huge difference visually. I added a few SE things such as the interior light kit, cruise, auto lights, rain sensor, arm rest, climate (a car in this class should have climate as standard!). I am still not sure if I like the sport seats. They look very nice and give a lot of support, but I find them too narrow.

If I could order the same car again, I would also get the parking distance control and the multifunction steering wheel. I don't know about the three door, but the sportback can be difficult to reverse park and PDC will be very usefull. The MF steering wheel is more of a gadget, but it adds a lot to the luxury feeling of the car.

If money was no issue I would have also gotten the 2.0T and DSG and leather. But this would bring the car in a whole different price range. (I paid more for my 2.0FSI than most of you guys pay for your 2.0T's ... damn the dutch taxman!)

 

[Vertigo1]

Err, you added climate to a Sport? Both SE and Sport have it as standard, it's only the base model which doesn't.

I know what you mean about climate being standard on a car like this but at least Audi aren't taking the **** as much as BMW. When my bro in law ordered his base-trim 120d a couple of years ago it came with no aircon and steel wheels as standard! On a £19k BMW!!! When I told him about the lack of aircon he didn't realise as he'd just assumed it would have it. He added the option fairly sharpish. How many people got caught out by this I wonder and just assumed it'd have aircon then got a very nasty shock when the first warm weather arrived?

 

[h5djr]

But yes if you check out my spec, you see it's a sport with SE features (armrest, etc...) I think that's what most people do, sporty but try and make it comfortable for everyday driving.

I do it the other way round. I prefer the ride and the seats of the SE so I order an SE and add some of the items that are standard on the Sport and not on the SE. Basically I add the DIS and front fog lights. All the other items I add are options on both models.

 

[giblets46]

I have opted for the SE, was warned by some that the psort was a bit hard as i do about 30,000miles a year, so comfort is a must. I think now that the SE has 17" alloys, there is less between them.

What would be your halfway house? I would certainly drop the lighting and storage pack as well as the light and rain sensors for the DIS and suspension.

 

[h5djr]

I agree with you on your choice of the SE, but personally I would not drop the Interior Lighting Pack or the Light and Rain Sensor Pack. The Storage Pack perhaps as the only reason I add that to my order is to get the 12v socket in the boot. The 2 lighting packs only add a total of £330 to what will be a £20k car. Seems like spoiling the ship for a ha'porth of tar.

Again personally I would not add the Sports Suspension otherwise you will be back to Sport without sports seats but with sport suspension.

 

[steve184]

i wouldn't say the sport was in any way uncomfortable - mine wasn't and im getting another one now (although with 18" wheels on this time so that might affect ti slightly) i think the main reason to choose between sport and SE is on the spec you get as opposed to comfort and handling as this is not much different between the two - not that most people would notice anyway, plus now both have 17" wheels (SE used to have only 16" don't forget - would have thougt this would have softened the ride a little)

 

[benw123]

1. Not sure what you mean by "warranty until June 2006". Audi supply a warranty to all new cars that runs for 3 years. If you buy it second-hand, and it's less than three years old, you're still covered, even if it's bought outside the Audi dealer network. If the car is more than 3 years old, and you're buying from any dealer, they may offer you a different warranty (e.g. one from Warranty Holdings or Car Care Plan etc).

2. The 2.0TDI is basically sound; there's few reports - even on our forum - of common faults. Just do the usual checks; watch the exhaust when the car is started from cold. You will get a small blast of smoke but this shouldn't be significant. When on the move, white smoke under acceleration may mean turbo trouble, but again this is rare. The 2.0TDI isn't particularly refined either, especially from cold, so don't worry if it's little noisier than you might expect.

3. I had xenons fitted as a factory option on mine (£750-worth) having had them on a previous car and they really are superb. As mentioned above, a retrofit is possible (recently, a set of A3 xenon lights fetched just £51 on eBay), but you will need some extra bits to make it work, and you may also want the auto-levelling mechanism and the headlamp washers for the true OE look. The latter are a legal requirement with Xenon lighting, but retrofitting them appears to be a grey area as to whether you could be prosecuted for not having them fitted. Obviously it would be easier and a little cheaper to hang on until you find an A3 with them fitted, but they are surprisingly rare.

4. I drive an SE. At the Sportback's launch, we test drove a Sport but thought that the ride was a bit harsh, and in any case, preferred the spec of the SE (cruise, centre armrest, auto lights/wipers, ambient lighting). Although climate control is standard on both the SE and Sport, strangely DIS was an option on the SE.

Since then I've added 17" Star alloys, and as one or two people have already pointed out, the SE now comes with 17s as standard if you're buying new or nearly-new. The ride hasn't deteriorated with the addition of 17s, but it has improved the steering, which now has more feel, and the car is generally more sure-footed than before.

 

[emzino]

Firstly, I want to thank everyone for there input. Been a very good insight into what I should be getting.

1) Just to clarify, I asked this because on some autotrader ads, it said "warranty until June 2007" for example so was wondering if I bought it, would I still be able to make use of it but I think thats a defo yes judging my the comment everyone made.

2) It's our first Diesel car so was just wondering but as i've read, don't think theres anything major to worry about.

3) Well I definitely want Xenons now. Seems like a right ****** to try and get them on afterwards. Might mean me having to wait around for the right car. Im so impatient lol.

4) This is where it got really interesting. See I REALLY want the DIS but I also want the softer more comfertable ride along with the centre armrest but we'll see hehe. Hopefully I can get the best of both worlds. Maybe i'm asking for too much?

I'll keep you all updated as soon as I find something. I'm gonna read over the whole topic again just so I can get everytning solid.

Thanks guys! <3

 

[synthdood]

Err, you added climate to a Sport? Both SE and Sport have it as standard, it's only the base model which doesn't.

This is one of the things that are different between UK models and Dutch models. Climate was not standard. If I remember correctly, you did get manual airco on the sport and SE models (called Ambition and Ambiente in Holland). The cheapest model, called Attraction, get's no airo. (actually apart from a tiny engine, a steering wheel and some ugly wheels you don't get much of anything at all with the Attraction model. I fail to see the attraction)

The climate control was part of the "pro-line" package (so was the center armrest for example). It constantly amazes me how the different models and packages are put together in different countries. Seem totally random to me.