Clutch Advice Needed

[paulsf]

was looking at my first RS2 tonight with a view to buying it. First one I have driven. Was expecting a heavy clutch but this seemed borderline brutal. Is this just how they are or would this indicate a problem? Car is a late series RHD.

Everything else appears fine, boost in the right place, no major squeaks or rattles, good ride, excellent brakes etc. Only issue seemed to be poor functioning air-con. Suspect the system just needs recharged. Anyone with experience of this on the RS2?

All advice gladly accepted.

Paul

[rs2315]

Mines an L plate, left hooker with 95000 km.
No clutch problems, and I've never found the clutch to be excessively heavy.
If you search the forum you should find a list of things to look out for when buying an rs2.
Good luck.
rs2315.

[Lloyd]

Hi Paul,

My car has a fairly 'normal' clutch weight - as in fairly normal for most sports cars. I wouldn't decsribe it as heavy! I suspect if your prospect RS2 has a noticibly heavy clutch then it may have well been modded from OEM spec.

AFAIK an RS2 clutch can last as long as 150,000 even 180,000 miles with normal sensible use....

Good luck!

_________________
Lloyd
---------------------
Audi RS2. Original.
RS Pearl Blue, Carbon
& Blue Alcantara.

[cuz-gs]

hi paul

I went from Golf VR6 to Rs2 and found the clutch noticeably heavier, stalled my car about 3 times on my first drive.

Air con can be very expensive, if its a compressor at fault. If the system needs a recharge then ok, would get this checked out before committing.

And how was the handbrake!!!?

Simon

[AAH!]

Re the clutch: It isn't to bad on mine although it is noticeably heavier than a ford focus rental that I was forced to drive the other day.

Re A/C: As simon says if it is the compressor it is expensive and a little tricky. Although more commonly there is a particular pipe the has a tendancy to deteriorate that is fairly straight forward to replace and not too expensive and if it is that, it is worth changing the drier at the same time. You can check for a/c gas leaks with a UV torch, as the a/c gas has a flourecent dye added to it, (assuming it has been recharged in recent years with the gas with the dye in it).

The hand brake is always crap on RS2's but they are fairly easy to tighten, but it wont stay good for too long, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. How ever speaking of brakes you may want to check for corroded brake calipers leading to plate lift which is very common on our cars and can cause breaks to squeel/moan and can be expensive to rectify.

Remember it is an 11 year old car so there will always be something that needs doing.

See these links for more a/c details:
http://www.s2forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15700
http://www.s2forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44

See here for brakes:
http://www.rs246.com/index.php?name=PNp ... ic&t=50657
http://www.rs246.com/index.php?name=PNp ... ic&t=56215


HTH

Angus

[paulsf]

thanks for the advice folks.

I too currently drive a VR6 and the clutch is not just noticeably heavier it is maybe twice as heavy. It could be an uprated diaphram I suppose but it seems unlikely as the car is not modded in any other way. My Sunbeam Lotus with an uprated clutch feels a lot lighter.

Brakes have been overhauled but still squeak. My friend, a BMW and Porsche specialist, is happy these only need a pad change as they are not original Porssche pads in it. They certainly pulled the car up well in a straight line with no fuss.

Bodywork is all excellent. The car has just had a dealer body repair after a front end knock. New bonnet, bumper, intercooler etc.

I'm almost there with the purchase. The car felt great and went like stink at the right places in the rev range. My friend will be doing a full inspection up on his ramps on Monday so hopefully will find everything is okay and I can get this bought in time for a weeks driving round Scotland next week.

Paul

[tonyd]

I concur with the previous comments re a/c, having just had a repair job...NZ$ equivalent of UKP 800, fortunately covered by insurance. Labour was 15.65 hours...apparently the whole dash assembly has to be dismantled to get at the a/c components. This was after an initial test/repair for lack of pressure which, when repaired, exposed the evaporator/compressor problems.
Anyway, good luck with purchase.

[VaudiGR]

did my clutch on 145000kms it worked fine until then,only did it since i had the engine off
used original parts,costs around 450euro for the parts.

[scillyisles]

Clutch is'nt especially heavy compared to other cars (I also used to have a VR6) and the take up should not be too sharp. AFAIK the clutches on the RS2 have a reputation for lasting a long time.
My guess on the aircon problem would be the pipe which runs from behind the turbo just in front of brake fluid reservoir - it tends to corrode as it's in a very harsh environment. AIRC the cost of the pipe is £90 plus the cost to replace and recharge. The union where this pipe meets at the top can also be a source of leaks. I've had both problems on mine. Normally the compressors seem to last a long time provided you remember to run the aircon once every 2 weeks or so even in the winter to keep the seals lubricated.

The other area on the RS2 which can be expensive is the brakes - the discs tend to corrode quite badly particularly if the car is not used frequently.