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Afternoon all, I took the convertible off the battery tender last week and gave it an Italian tune-up along the A47 before delivering it for its MoT. I'm happy to say it passed with no advisories (as it !Removed! should, with the amount I've spent on it 😆). As I was hooking it back up to the battery tender, I was struck by the coolant expansion tank looking discoloured, so went on Amazon and, the next day, had a new one (by Febi Bilstein), along with a new cap, delivered, for a total of £26.93. The switch took half an hour or so - mostly because I was determined to do the job without losing any coolant (I don't have any spare). It's pretty simple... There is a single T20 self-tapper (ringed) holding it in place, once this is undone, the tank can be disengaged from the various locating tabs, the main one being by the filler cap, where it slots into a square hole. You then have access to the electrical connector (which alerts you if your coolant level is too low) - it's roughly where the G12 sign is, on the underside of the tank. As with all !Removed! Audi connectors, it probably worked when it was new, but 20 years have taken their toll, and it was a git to remove, but it finally came free. So you now have the tank loose, connected to the vehicle by two hoses, the smaller diameter one on top, and the larger underneath. They were both held in place by Beelzebub's spring clips, which were fun to get off, and which I immediately ditched in favour of new jubilee clamps. Before disconnecting the hoses, I used brake line clamps on both, to save losing any coolant, then angled the tank so that the coolant was clear of the hoses before pulling them free. I managed to place the old tank, still half full of coolant, on the floor, whilst I went about fitting the new replacement. This took about five minutes - piece of old ease. I then used the old tank as a bottle, and - with my finger blocking the smaller spigot - poured the coolant into the new tank, before !Removed! on the replacement cap, and calling the job done. Not a drop spilled 😃 I took the old tank out to the bin... Where it can be recycled into - who knows? The only snag is... ...that washer-bottle is looking a bit crap in comparison... 🤔 Cheers, Mike 😎

No, he only looks in once or twice per year, and I suspect that is just to see if we are still alive.

As I understand it MMI sort outs can be specialist and expensive. Beware of their procrastination which can result in 30 days elapsing and your option of rejecting the car going out of the window. Regards, Gareth.

Doesn’t seem so. The ‘language policing’ system is pretty crxp! You can enter offensive terminology in initial letter form, and it allows that! System package logic I guess.

Thanks Sean for helping Nathan out.

Hopefully ChatGPT is correct 😂

Thanks Steve, I was thinking along the same lines. I really don't understand these car companies, you buy there products and then they think that good customer service is to sting you on the spare parts. Let alone the hourly rate for there, and I say this I very loose terms "mechanics". Don you know, when I called to get a price for the timing belt kit, the parts guy didn't eveen know they sold it as a kit let alone that there is a shelf life on the belt. I mean surly if your going to try and con people out of there money, you should at least know what you're talking about, it's only good practice. I'll climb down off my soap box now. Simon

Hi Nathan, I pasted the image into ChatGPT. The AI reckons you need to change up gears to be more efficient! 😆 Here’s the explanation: That >E< symbol on the DIS (Driver Information System) of your Audi S4 B7 Avant is the efficiency / gear shift indicator. What it means It’s prompting you to shift up to a higher gear for better fuel economy. The “E” = Efficiency. The arrows > < indicate a recommendation rather than a fault. Typically appears when: You’re accelerating lightly The engine is at higher RPM than needed The ECU calculates a more economical gear is available When you’ll see it Most common on manual gearboxes. Can appear in Tiptronic / manual mode on automatics. More noticeable in steady cruising or gentle acceleration. Is it a problem? No — completely normal. It’s just Audi’s early eco-driving aid (pre-“Drive Select efficiency modes” era). If you ignore it, nothing happens — it doesn’t affect performance or reliability. If you want, I can show: How to disable it (cluster coding via VCDS/OBDeleven) Other common B7 DIS symbols and hidden warnings I hope that helps buddy. 👍🏻

Thanks Nav, Great, problem solved safely. Regards, Gareth.

Hello Jerome, I’m a bit confused! Original part no……………C. ’Ordered a few on line under ……….C.’ So what is the problem with the ones you have bought? Trust we can sort out your confusion with part number! It’s much easier if you could have initially told us where you had tried, to avoid us suggesting where you had already searched. EBay International? Breaker link systems such as Partsfinder - there are more. Speedy Cables Ltd. (Swansea) should be able to make one to your old pattern if all else fails. Regards, Gareth.

I don't have a link as these were left over from when I bought a spare flip key for a TT I had a couple of years ago. If you search Ebay for something like Audi flip key four ring logos you should find them I can measure one up for you if that helps. Ideally I would like to find a way to mill a recess into the plastic so the logo sits flush as I suspect the adhesive will struggle to hold if stuck on proud. I like a challenge.