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I've had chance to have a proper drive now. Substantially better. It now drives like an Audi!

I had a the same message and same issues after having put it through a service at my local garage. Their initial suggestion was that it must be a gear box problem but I bluntly told them it was not a problem when I brought the car into the garage. They decided to look further and I suggested they look at the oil as the car computer was stating it was too full. Anyway they checked the whole car redcued the oil level and suddenly all was good again. Although they couldn't confirm what the actul issue was, it is all back to normal and the oil level confirms it is now just under max. I'm guessing its some form of fail safe system to stop you driving too far when something is wrong, I am relieved as I have read some horry stories of new gear boxes etc. J

Hi all, Relative newbie here just trying to find my way so apologies if this is posted in the wrong place. I've been hunting across various forums for a solution to the 'what space saver actually fits in the wheel well of my Mk2 TT' question and just wanted to pass on my findings. I know it's been discussed on various threads before but I thought I'd clump all the relative information in one place for a newbie reference and also for your feedback to whether this is the best solution. Any draw backs to using this approach etc? So my understanding is use a : Space saver from mk5 Golf GTI VW Part Number : 1K0601027B 125/70r/18 Tyre - Stud Centred 67mm -------- I have included a handy video for installation below. https://youtu.be/JlVs0lanUrE -------- Any feed back or additional tips would be greatly appreciated. Stay safe and happy, Luke 😎👍

What makes you so sure the heating pads are defective, rather than the controls, the switches, the fuses, or the connecting plugs? Have you checked any of them? It would be a shame to throw good money after bad by renewing pads that may be perfectly good, but if you happy to pay for the job to be done there are plenty of people in your area willing to do it. Hint: they all have Audi in their company names.

Many thanks, really appreciate your help. Thanks both

Hello David, If renewing the clutch then I would only use LUK replacement clutch components (no exceptions - in caps) if not using the daftly expensive? Audi parts. Kind regards, Gareth.

I reckon the problem is more to do with acceleration after a period of over-run, than it is to do with the turning, so valve seals are going to be a prime candidate for the cause.

From another forum I use, this spray-on 'Bead Maker Paint Protectant' came highly recommended, so I bought some from Amazon and it is very impressive. Easy to apply on a clean car, can be applied to all surfaces and it dries to a quality finish. Be interested to see how long it lasts after another wash. I have no connection whatsoever with the product, just a satisfied end user and the attached photo does not show the finish very well.

@Magnet @Coogs UPDATE: So, we ended up doing a fuse pulling test the other day to try and find the offending circuit, and ended up figuring out what was draining the battery! Here's what we did: 1. We linked the multi-metre (set to 10amp mode) to the battery to try and detect the drain. We noticed the standard cooldown drain once the car has been locked, which settles after a few minutes to around 300mA - which is obviously still high! 2. After finding the 300mA drain, we began fuse pulling taking out the fuses one by one in the engine bay fuse compartment, and eventually found that fuse F20 (Navigation and Phone), once pulled, reduced the drain down to about 10mA, which is far better! We did some research and found that it was linking to the old telephone mount in the car, which a feature available to Europe at the time since phone usage while driving was still legal in some countries, namely Germany, but was removed when imported to Australia by law. So we guessed by disconnecting the cable (for which was found by removing the rear ash tray behind the centre console), that it would remove the drain - however, this didn't actually fix the issue for whatever reason. 3. After disconnecting the old phone mount cable, we actually just decided to remove the fuse as a whole, disconnecting that circuit and trying to figure out what might not work (we figured the RNS-E's navigation might be impaired once this fuse was removed after looking at the wiring diagram), but interestingly, everything still functioned perfectly fine! So we've just settled with keeping that fuse removed for now, and the drain has stopped without any noted issues stemming from it! Hopefully this solves some other people's problems too! Thanks for the help guys, Jasper

Frankly I don't see what red lining the engine in that test achieves that can't be achieved at idle speed, but that's by the by. If it was my car I would now get the clutch out as the only way to be certain of its condition, and if the clutch proves to be OK I would at least be half way to getting at the gearbox.

Thanks again, Gareth, I've started the hunt for someone near me who will at least give me a second opinion. I appreciate all the help. Julz

That's all good with me👍👍

You're welcome, sorry I can't help further.

EBAY BEST BET

Cheers Gareth, Went and had a look at the car, full service history by Audi Coventry and in excellent condition. The car was serviced by Audi not long after the mot mentioned and nothing was said about the steering rack, new tyres and pads were fitted along with the normal service and a brake fluid change. I had the car inspected by a mechanic who was happy with the car, bought it, drove it 250 miles home and love it. Set up all the settings, phone, music etc now just need to enjoy it.

Hello Daniel, The first port of call has to be to get the alternator output checked, and equally importantly, the battery’s efficiency. It would be understandable that a six year old battery (if still on original) will be nearing the end of its serviceable stop/start life. Kind regards, Gareth.

+1 ^ Remaps are cheap, but when it causes other components to fail and the extra cost of insurance you really have to question it. My previous car was a 2016 MK7 Golf R which I got mapped and a few other bits and pieces, dyno'd at 382bhp - very very quick, but the clutch lasted less than 2 days, yes, 2 days, and I consider myself a reasonably mechanically sympathetic driver - cue an £1,100 Sachs upgrade on top of the extra £400 insurance hike. (still lots of fun though 🙂 Just expensive fun...) !!

Quite right I'm old and old fashioned

Definitely got some boring days coming up, but thankfully should only take 2-3 days max, so I should just be able to monitor it over the weekend! I've noticed a while back that the steering wheel light has lit up a feint Amber colour, and among further research people are indicating it could be a failing instrument cluster/binnacle - so maybe that's an issue? Anyway, I'll do some further investigation and let you know how I go @Magnet -------------------------------- @Coogs definitely something I'll be looking into also. Will be checking almost all the fuses, as process of elimination is key. Thanks all! Will report back. Jasper

In hindsight I didn't phrase my reply very clearly, so as Gareth said test for looseness with the wheel bolted on and let us know the outcome. Do the test with the wheel off the ground, rocking it left & right and top & bottom. Listen and feel for any movement as well as looking, your ears and hands can give valuable information.

Hello, I have recorded a video of me repairing the rear LED light on a D3 Audi S8. Posting here as I thought you may find it useful. I will post up other videos that may be of interest as and when I make them. Let me know if you have any comments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C3pOqsx9u0 Ant.

Hi Gareth, Thanks for this. This is a very helpful update. I think, after further thought, that I'm going to stay away from this particular model and wait for something a bit better. Good point on the timing belt, in the past I've had the seller do this work pre-sale and ended up regretting doing so after the fact on one occasion. Once CV19 dies down, I'll start to look for UK models as there tends to be much more choice there than in Ireland. Have a good weekend.

Well sorted it. In case it helps anyone in the future... I was a bit worried by the mention in Haynes of driving the pump to bleed with VCDS... and of various places online mentioning the car refusing to start after a filter change and possible pump damage if full of air. My car handbook said to leave the ign on for at least 30sec if you'd run out of fuel and refilled so I decided it was good enough to pre-fill the filter cannister after replacing the element so that as you pushed the top on a little fuel was displaced to be caught by an old cloth driving out 99.9% of the air. Then I did the 30 sec ign on a couple of times and it started immediately after that.

I agree, get the battery checked. Had a battery replaced on my late-2016 A6 as the original one gave out after 3 1/2 years but was told the original battery was problematic from the start and was known for giving off incorrect fault codes and computer system faults. Under 3-yrs old the battery is under Warranty, after that, it is classed as a wear and tear item and I had to pay £250 for a replacement by Audi Roadside Assistance as having Audi Extended Warranty does not cover battery replacement.

Hi Gareth, Hope all is ok. I think I may have found the issue. I believe the Cam Bridge Mesh had disintegrated and part of it found its way in to the VVT Solenoid. I took the Solenoid Magnet off, turned the engine on the force oil to escape the Solenoid, and a small piece of metal appeared in the oil on the bottom rim. My car appears to start eat time now, but I now have another issue with an incredibly loud noise coming from either the timing area, one of the pumps, the serpent belt tensioner or the alternator. I have started a new thread accordingly. Thanks, Paul.

Hi Thomas I wasn't trying to infer that what you had bought was fake, just trying to point out that sometimes you have to keep an eye on what ECP are selling, I have had experience of this with them before, example being when we were all running MK4 Mondeos as cabs the 2.0L version had a habit of eating EGR valves which at the time were nearly four hundred quid from Ford or slightly less on eBay, anyway ECP were advertising the Hella version [good brand] for about one sixty one of my fellow cabbies wanted to go get one so I gave him a lift to the local store, when we got there the guy brings the part out in a plain box, ok so we took the part out and inspected it and is all it had was an area where the information was ground off the guy behind the counter said the logo had to be removed as part of the agreement for selling them, fair go I had seen this when someone had blagged some genuine ford oxygen sensors he had been obliged by the supplier to grind off the Ford logo but leave the Bosch logo and part no. on, the counter guy then explained that a plain box and no part no. was what made them so cheap. To cut a long story short the first valve refused any protocol value re learn so we took it off and went back the next day and got another this one re learns but kept showing up an EML telling me the duty cycle voltage was higher than expected [valve sticking], by now both he and I were both suicidal as the EGR is mounted on the back of the engine so we went back exchanged it again that one worked for two weeks then failed, at this point my mate gave up got a valve down the scrappers from a low mile write off this worked for another two years until he sold the car. The last valve I ended up giving to a Ford Dunton engineer that lives near me he was most interested in pulling the part to pieces it transpires it was fake and the electronics were substandard to the point where they were incapable of obeying commands from the PCM, meanwhile back at ECP they were so fed up with fielding abuse from lots of customers over this part they just gave them the money back and explained the only replacements they had were twice the price. I am not a fan on a personal level of ECP as I know of a few people who have had problems with their parts, like my local garage returns for duff parts were all over his office to the point where he stopped using them and now uses Motex and Bennets and ECP keep banging on his door for him to come back to them, I think he said the second word was OFF. Steve.

Nice looking a3 👍

1. Audi RS4 Wagon 2. Mercedes CLK-GTR 3. Porsche GT1 4. Mclaren F1 5. Suzuki Cappaucino

Perhaps I wasn't clear. In order for either the nearside or offside mirror to dip automatically when you select reverse, the appropriate mirror has to be selected on the rotary control. Select the nearside mirror, as if you were about to adjust it, then select reverse, and it should dip. If you want it to dip every time you select reverse, you must leave the rotary control pointing to it.

Hi all, just joined the Forum, back to being an Audi owner again 🙂 I have just set this up on my A6 and you dont need a SIM if your phone is relatively modern (and not Apple, which seems more complicated), the car can use a 'remote SIM profile' off your Android phone. I followed the instructions here: https://paulroberts69.wordpress.com/2017/11/17/configuring-the-audi-mmi-wifi-hot-spot/ and now happily have all data connection and Google Earth maps in the car, and no SIM in the dash. 🙂

By chance I have my door card off at the moment so just looked... it's 100% glued. You can see that if you take the silver metal trim off.

Hi as Gareth said the problem was a damaged cable if you separate all of the cables where the enter the tailgate then give each one a gentle tug you may find the problem. my damaged cable was just above the roof lining trim panel there is a plastic curve that the wiring loom goes through mine was broke there so a bit of stripping was req also there was two other cables damaged in the same place hope this helps

Hello Dan, Not sure how much of this is going to be of help to you, and most points would come under the heading of ‘thinking twice’ before committing, but here goes:- Have you actually seen the car, or are you just going by photos? If so, I would not be thinking too deeply about what are realistic and unrealistic offers until you are at a point of deciding to buy it. In-advance offers can seriously pee off sellers, and most will prefer to discuss figures when there is money on the table, and you actually want to buy it. Getting an idea of what you will need/would like to get done is great, but be aware that sellers may not see that they should be reducing the price in accordance to what you want to get done. To be fair, you could be asking them to totally finance your betterment. Investment, and selling on? I would simply forget that possibility and anticipate at least ‘normal’ depreciation, and just hope that it turns out that Covid does not have such an adverse effect on ongoing depreciation as might be expected. Might be worth looking on EBay, and I think you will (as usual) find comparable, lower and higher priced prices examples. If I understand it, the car has covered 7k miles since Dec. ( not insignificant in lockdown) and indeed he bought it since then, and has driven it 5k of those miles - presumably during lockdown. It could be me, but it hardly equates to ‘ not needing’, during his very short ownership. I would be interested in how long the owner prior this one had it. Important to know, since two short term owners can equal problems. ‘...my Pre Purchase Inspection...’. Can we take it that you will be inspection the car yourself, or you will be getting it independently inspected. Service and belts at 108k but no invoices, or bills for parts? I would tend to read this as simply some verbal attraction to sell it. Just some thoughts Dan, but thinking twice doesn’t usually cost anything. Good luck with whatever you decide. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Service history can be important, but can equate to the car having spent half a day at the dealers, have oil and some filters changed, and may, or may not represent how the car has been cared for by the owner.

You'll be surprised, and if they're reluctant fight them on it. A part like that shouldn't go either in or just out of warranty. Plus as you can see there's now a few documented cases which you and Audi are both aware of.

Thanks for the input folks, I think I just needed to hear someone else opinion. Think the wisest decision at this point is to leave this one, plenty more A3's kicking about. Much appreciated! Hopefully be back when I get my hands on a decent one!

Every engine generates some pressure in the crankcase which is normally taken care of by the EGR, (exhaust gas recirculation,). However if the piston rings are worn there will be a lot of crankcase pressure that needs to go somewhere. I speculated, and it was only speculation, that the plug was to stop that pressure blowing up the dipstick tube. When you mention the manifold I assume you mean the exhaust manifold not the inlet manifold. By bubbles do you mean soap bubbles for testing or something else? If your mate is as knowledgeable as you suggest he can explain the detail. Ask him if the EGR has been blanked off.

There's should still be some discount due to the fact the car is just out of warranty. You'll have to argue with them unfortunately. Cheers Steve

2 x SD cards and a load of instructions ... all worked perfectly

Thanks Omar, The longest lasting tyres we have had over 150K plus on an ordinary A3 has been Michelin, but as I said, these become noisier as they wear. Of course, all tyres are now noise rated on labels, but I’m not sure if that is when new or when worn, but the answer should be Googleable. We have tried Continental Contact 5, but they don’t seem to compare wear wise. No doubt you will have other considerations to make in respect of road holding etc., but I guess you will have time for other experiences from here and talking around. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Olumide, Of course, unfortunately, we don’t know when the MOT is due, so getting a tyre retailer to give it a good coat of looking at the earliest convenience would be the safest option here. I must say your comment ‘.....You have my full respect on your opinion given in this instance..’ brought a smile to the morning face. Great! Take care, Kind regards, Gareth.

Non of my business but how have you managed to go on holiday during this pandemic? Don't you have a master key which can be inserted in a hidden lock? Or putting the key in the door? What exact a3 model do you have? Cheers Steve

Looks fantastic 👍

Just thought i would update the thread, looks like problem is fixed for now. After looking at the thread link and some other forum threads i found that the link arms from the swirl flap motors can start to wear in the ball joints, so i thought i would try this fix first. Bought a repair kit on Ebay for £26 but it is an upgraded kit with the full ball joint covered rather than the standard ones that have the back of the ball joint open i thought these may wear a bit more evenly. Popped the arms off of the swirl flap motors on both sides with long nose pliers and popped the new ones on took under 5 minutes, i kept fingers crossed that just doing this would fix it as there was a bit of play on the existing ones, engine management light out plugged into the diagnostic software and cleared the permanent codes coming up run for a few days and all fixed fingers crossed cheap fix, but time will tell if there are any other problems that flag up again on the diagnostics but you never know i am not normally this lucky!

Hello Olumide, No apologies necessary, and yes I agree, forums survive via. a means of recording varying opinions. I can understand your opinion that you believe you are suitably equipped to make a decision that the tyre is safe and serviceable from viewing the photo, yet I’m a bit confused as to why you then say that it needs to be inspected by a trusted tyre expert - although of course, I agree with that latter comment. I stick with my recommendation (and your suggestion) that it gets inspected, simply on the basis that it is unfair to ask any forum member to be a judge of safety issues in a sight - unseen situation. Many thanks and kind regards, Gareth. p.s. My turn to apologise now:- I would prefer not to quote my bone fides, on the basis that it’s likely to infer that I should be sitting in arm chairs around a room with my contemporaries!

My opinion is that if the tyre is compromised in any way then it has the potential of failing at speed which is a grave concern. If the car was being used locally and guaranteed to be kerbed in daily use then I may extend the usage of it as long as it was never taken at speed. However, you would have to consider the legal aspect of the damaged tyre and if any accident occurred (through your own fault or not) the first thing the insurance assessor will check is the tyres and if unfit for road use then the insurance claim could be void.

The replacement of the tyre would highly depend on when the MOT is due as it could fail based on the MOT station view point.

Yea think you're right. Hoping to still get away this year though, fingers crossed.

That's great 👍 I'll add you to the list 🙂

That's good then, keep us posted on how you get on 👍 Cheers Steve

Audi v BMW