Hello Everyone. 

New member here. Twenty years ago my girlfriend had a brand new A2 1.4TDi.....I've always had fond memories of that car. A few days ago, whilst casually browsing the classifieds, I came across a rather lovely sounding A2 1.4, and on the spur of the moment I bought it!

I've done a spot of Googling, but rather than take a risk and make a mistake, I thought it may be better to ask those in the know - that's you guys :) 

I'd much appreciate your input. 

Congratulations on your purchase ☺️ what spec is the a2?

And here you go: 

"There are 2 type of engines in the A2 1.4 TDI (55 kw!). From 1999 till (sept?) 2003 it is the AMF type engine which needs a cambelt change every 90.000 KM (60.000 miles) and the BHC type engine fitted after (sept?) 2003 with an interval of 120.000 KM (75.000 miles)."

To be fair it should be in the service book as to when it needs doing. 

 

Hello Mark,

Thanks for being in touch with the forum, and thanks to Steve for promptly coming up with some answers. 

In addition to the mileage limit for change, there will also be a time limit, which is usually 5 years, and the all important bit is ‘whatever comes first’. In a nut shell, it should be changed every 5 years or the specified mileage - which ever comes first. 
One thing worth bearing in mind is the age of the ‘new’ belt you are buying, since it could have already been on the shelf for a number of years. 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

Morning, thank you both for replying. 

I've actually purchased a 2001 1.4 petrol engined car - apologies, I should have been more clear in my original post. However, I assume the basics are similar, a 5 year period between changes?

The car has a quite fastidious service record with Audi, but I can only locate one invoice which relates to a timing belt change, that was 10 years ago in 2011. This may be partially explained by the car having a very low mileage, but of course, it's now well beyond the time period for a change. 

Thank you. 

 

Thanks Mark,

To some, low mileage and the need to change cambelts when the mileage covered in 5 years is seen as an overkill. However, low mileage vehicles can have a hard life in many cases, and can accrue their low mileage by short and infrequent journeys, where coolant, and particularly oil, seldom reach optimum temperature.

If you compare the same mileage covered at a steady 70mph on the motorway, it’s easy to understand the increased wear rate and stresses placed on a vehicle which runs a short distance back and fore to Tesco once a week, with continued gear changes and varying engine revs. along that journey. It is this stop, start, gear changing, varying revs. which contribute to belt stresses - hence the importance to renew on a time limit. 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

Thank you Gareth. 

👍

The good news. Audi confirmed that my car had a timing belt in December 2017 so we're good for another 18 months 🙂

50 minutes ago, m33ufo said:

The good news. Audi confirmed that my car had a timing belt in December 2017 so we're good for another 18 months 🙂

That's great to hear ☺️

A few niggles I need to address. First the pixelated dash, that's annoying. Same with the radio. And one of the pop out cup holders needs a replacement. 

2 minutes ago, m33ufo said:

A few niggles I need to address. First the pixelated dash, that's annoying. Same with the radio. And one of the pop out cup holders needs a replacement. 

Dash issue is quite common on audis of this era, but the screens can be replaced. 

3 minutes ago, Steve Q said:

Dash issue is quite common on audis of this era, but the screens can be replaced. 

I've noticed a couple of company's do the LCD in dash replacement, I just need to get the cluster out. Maybe have a go on the weekend. 

I did read somewhere that there radio issue could be down to the ribbon cable - more investigation needed. I'll try Audi for the cup holder. 

4 minutes ago, m33ufo said:

I've noticed a couple of company's do the LCD in dash replacement, I just need to get the cluster out. Maybe have a go on the weekend. 

I did read somewhere that there radio issue could be down to the ribbon cable - more investigation needed. I'll try Audi for the cup holder. 

Yea, just be Cary of the quality of the screen you buy. Or try ebay for the cup holder or breakers yards.