christophertrbailey

I can't disagree with you, Gareth. Just interested to know if anyone has done it? Oh, and I bought new brake discs last week, including rear discs. Then I looked at the car and thought..... hold on a minute, those are drums on the rear!! It's what I call "new toy syndrome". The urge to spend money when it probably isn't strictly necessary. Got some Koni struts and dampers arriving imminently. Just can't help myself. Don't tell my wife though..........

Just got a 2001 A2 (petrol). It has drum brakes at the rear. Did the A2 get discs on the rear at some stage? If so, is it something that can be changed on mine without too much effort or are there a lot of different parts. Whether on nt it can be done, is it worth the effort? I'm not planning an outing to the Nurburgring.........

I've just acquired an A2 to go with my D2 S8. The A2 should be a tad more economical on the commute than the S8. I miss the fact that there's no centre armrest. Is that an option on the A2? If so, where can I get one? Also, the Audi Symphony radio/CD/cassette player doesn't switch on. It just displays a "SAFE" message on the screen. Presumably it needs a code to unlock it. Ideas....? All help and suggestions appreciated!

It's not drastic. The body is pretty much ok aside from the small ding in the bootlid. The front bumper got pulled off when a sturdy hedge hooked inside the wheelarch and I kept reversing, so some of the clips are broken. The chrome trim has lost its lustre in places so needs cleaning back and re-lacquering (or replacing). The rubber moulding on the driver's door keeps coming away (clips again). Inside, the leather could do with some treatment. The steering wheel leather is tired. The rear screen got broken and the headlining has a small tear as a consequence. Mechanically, there's a small oil leak from around the top of the engine, some of the multi-link suspension components have seized and could do with replacing. It needs a new exhaust soon. I spend all my spare time restoring old racing cars, so don't have the time or enthusiasm to work on the S8. I don't really like working on road cars. However, I can afford to pay someone else to do the job. I'd probably want to strip back the mechanicals and replace things like subframe bushes. The standard suspension works well but the dampers are 20 years old, so again, I'd replace them. All the suspension kits (H&H etc) seem to involve lowering the car which I don't want to do. I've already had the brakes re-done with dimpled/grooved discs and red stuff pads. So my ambition is to get the car back to how it was without losing the originality. I only paid £3K for it (with an S8 number plate). The car, even in its slightly care-worn state, is a truly lovely thing. I don't thrash it (I have the race cars for that) and together with the A2 it makes for a great combination day to day, as well as a tribute to Ferdinand Piech's "I can do what ever I like and nobody can stop me" design ethos.

I have an S8 D2 and would like to have it lightly restored (not concours). The bodywork is straight aside from a small ding in the boot lid, but the mechanicals could do with some attention. Are there any companies out there who can do this? I appreciate it won't be cheap, but I didn't pay much for the car in the first place, so I think it'll be worth the effort. I've just acquired a pristine A2 for commuting and think they'll make a good pair to keep for a few years.