Help: Seeking advice on used RS2

[krm]

Hi,

Newbie here wanting to get into the prestigious RS2 club, but need your kind help in explaining a few certain uncertainties about the PS RS2 I glanced over today.

The car had slightly under 30k km on the odometer, and apart from a few very small paint blemishes on the rear gate and rear side fender, the car looked pristine exterior-wise.

The seller did not allow for a test drive, but did give me a test ride. Here are a couple of things I noticed which made me felt about that particular RS2 sample.

- Upon a medium corner taken at about 90-110km/h on a smooth surface, I noticed quite a bit of shuttering on the steering wheel. It did strike me peculiar that the steering wheel was shuttering as much as it did. What could be the cause of such a problem?

- Upon a slow speed (i.e. rolling towards traffic/stoplight), I noticed a relatively high pitch whine coming from the rear of the car. I assume it was the differential making that noise, is it coming from there and is that noise normal?

Those are the two main things that had me feeling iffy about the vehicle (especially if it only has no more than 30,000km). Additionally, please kindly point out what other items need special attention for this vehicle of that mileage.

I very much appreciate any advice and feedback from the knowledgeable RS2 owners/enthusiasts of this board. Hope I will be able to join the club soon!

Cheers,
krm

[krm]

Bump...

hoping to get some feedback. Thanks in advance.

[DAVIDP20V]

i used to have a shudder on cornering, it turned out to be very worn top mount, but i must admit it was quite a noisy banging. so was very noticable.

i used to get a whine/humming from the rear end, i think the sound was like someone blowing across the top of a bottle...... hhmmmm.
because it only happened now and then it was ever cured.
it stopped about 8 months ago and has never returned, (touch wood)

To be honest a car with 30 km is like 15000 miles the thing should be faultless, i would have thought.

but my car had a gearbox replacement at the 12000 mile service because of noisy gears. as noticed in the history.

hope this helps a little

[alastairg]

Get an Audi specialist to look at it and get a test drive! Cornering vibration could be out of balance wheels, worn dampers,worn suspension bushes,etc etc Whine could be a worn caliper not allowing pad to fully clear disc. Low mileage does not help re age related deterioation of running gear but does mean exterior/interior should be perfect.
I fully admit I took a calculated risk on mine but had 7 years of S2 experience to guide me.
Still worth expecting to need to put cash into these cars after purchase to sort problems you should expect on a heavy, high performance 9 year old legend!!

[krm]

David and alastairg, thanks very much for your initial responses.

The shuttering on the steering wheel does lead to think of worn dampers, bushings, and mounts. When inquired with the seller (who was driving), he did not mention too much about the condition of the suspension other than the fact that it was stock. I assumed he was not quite the enthusiast because of such a short and un-informative response. Signs that the car did not receive TLC is also noticeable throughout the interior as well as the leather and silver alcatara on front and rear looked quite worn for a 30k km sample, but it could also have to do with the high humidity we have over here in SE Asia leading to quicker wear.

The whine coming from the rear does sound like someone blowing across the top of a bottle. The seller did seemed concerned about it when I pointed it out, but he did not know too much about it and could not provide me any feedback in that regard (again signs that he was not too enthusiastic about the car to care).

Purchasing such a piece of motoring history has been in my mind these past few days and its hard to forego the thought of owning a RS2, especially as there are probably only 2 or 3 RS2's still running around where I am. I shall inquire further with the seller in regards to getting a thorough inspection before making a more confirming decision.

Anything else of importance (i.e. deterioration of parts, mechanicals, etc.) please kindly let me know as I still have much to learn about this legend!

Thanks again and hope I can bring some good news in the near future.

/krm

[tonyd]

I would have thought that 15 thousand miles (24,000 km) was exceptionally low mileage for an RS2 and therefore would also expect the car to be close to faultless...after all this is hardly run in... even allowing for SE Asia conditions. In any case surely parts should not be exhibiting severe indications of wear at this mileage. Have you seen a full service history.....also what is the past ownership history of the car. If you do decide to buy it do you have access to reliable and knowledgeable service facilities or are you able to carry out the servicing yourself?

[krm]

Car has been owned by three previous owners, with the potential buyer being the 4th. According to the seller, he bought the vehicle with around 20,000 and have only driven it for another 9,500km in his 3 year ownership. The seller did not have any service history to exhibit, hence the reason I am very uncertain about how this vehicle was treated since day one. Moreover, the items I pointed out in my previous posts does make me feel very concern about its condition.

A request for a full inspection by the local authorized Audi dealer to verify its condition should definitely be in order if anyone decides to purchase. Additionaly, another point of concern is that odometer roll-back does not seem to be an uncommon practice here (have heard from various reputable sources that it does happen).

As mentioned, there are not that many running examples here and its hard to pass up on one that is for sale, but as it stands, I have reluctantly decided to let this one go as there is just too much risk.

Hope I am lucky enough to come across another one in better condition up for grabs. Thanks for all your help thus far.

/k

[GlynRS2]

Krm,

I think you are wise to let this one go. From what you have described it just doesn't add up and could otherwise be an expensive mistake.
Hopefully another RS2 will turn up before too long.

[chrisloh]

Hey Krm, Where you located? I'm in Kuala Lumpur and mine's for sale
it has full service history, 54000. So many new parts to list, 2 new turbochargers & wastegate. Maintained irregardless of price.
Polar Silver. New michelins.
Have a friend who's selling me his RS4