Due to a kind of automated in-built aversion to admitting I might have got something wrong, I’ve kind of kept my tales of Audi woe away from this blog. After about 6 months of continual ‘little quirks’, though, the saga is finally over. I swapped my 2002 A4 2.0 FSI SE for a 2002 A4 2.0 Sport 2 weeks ago and, touch wood, things seem to be going OK. The fabled warning light flashes on during the ignition self-test (so no, they haven’t disconnected it…) but hasn’t made any further appearances. I’ve driven about 600 miles since I got it, and haven’t been stranded at the side of road once, so that’s an improvement too.
For those of you that like pretty pictures, I’ve gone from something that looked very much like this:
…to something that looks very much like this:
(different wheels, lower suspension)
Now for the review-type bit. The different engine (non-FSI) is supposed to be less powerful, but I don’t really notice – obviously both engines are capable of way more than the national speed limit, so it’s hard to tell (officer). I do notice that you don’t get the lump of power at about 3,500rpm in the non-FSI, but I always thought that was the FSI holding back on the lower revs rather than giving more power later. The ’sports’ suspension is a big plus – steering feels much more direct, although I think I am getting to know all of Kent’s shoddy roads… All in all, I’m happy with the new car, and I’m glad I went through all the hassle of getting it changed. Let’s hope it lasts 
