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So the key information for this part is its M12 x 1.5 pitch x 120mm. Tough times call for tough measures. Could N90924103 be used instead? As far as I can see the only difference is it’s 130mm. It’s a subframe bolt, so will be torque to yield and have the strength characterises of the original bolt. Remove 10mm off end, clean thread, etc.

Whatever else you do or get concerned about, please make sure you insure this car on an agreed value basis, otherwise you certainly will lose money.

I didn't realise the charges involved, unfortunately it's a bit of a minefield if you go down the import route. You mention worrying about the car's depreciation if you opt for this car which is currently on 82k miles. Even if you stay within a modest 4k miles per year, then you're going to get to around 100k miles in 4½ years, but by then the car will be over 23 years old. At the end of the day - you're over-thinking this. You're buying a performance car, and it will require servicing and spare parts while you own it, plus insurance, road tax, etc. It is what it is. I don't think you can realistically guarantee a future value, short of sealing it in an air conditioned garage on axle stands. If you were thinking of a physical investment, you could potentially go down the B5 RS4 Avant route. That said - there's a mint example on Autotrader under 20k miles finished in Avus Silver. That's never going to be realistically driven and will probably spend the rest of it's life trailered to car shows, plus it's £70k. Best of luck of luck though whatever you do.

Hello again Luke, It is evident you have returned to the forum a couple of times ( last about 20 hrs ago), but seem intent on not updating the forum on your current situation. Could you please have a read of ‘New members please read’ which you would have had access to when you joined, and then come back with the latest update. Thanks, Gareth.

Welcome Steven, Interesting! If I’ve got this correct, you are considering paying c£42k for a 2007 RS4 with a reasonable mileage of 82K on it over its 19 years, and you are more concerned about the depreciation during your ownership, than you are about the inevitable attention and costs incurred when purchasing any 19 year old. If RS4s are thin on the ground in ROI, then there are plenty of people trying to sell examples here on the mainland, and it seems £30K would give you a fair choice. I think we’ve all come across potential buyers who are prepared to spend many tens of thousands of £ s buying the vehicle of their choice, but get concerned about how many miles it does to the gallon! We try to be helpful on here, but if buying one of these is your dream then I would advise - just do it - you have the mechanical experience to take a chance. The economics are a different consideration, and a financial adviser would be your best choice on that. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Regards, Gareth.

Hello Karl, Really sorry to hear of your plight, but am I too surprised? Regrettably, no. You said Audi claim it has full service history, and their claim cannot be refuted, but extending oil and filter changes to every 18k miles is asking for trouble. My stab at why, leads me to believe that cars are sold new, and Audi - like many other marques - want to keep the servicing cost down during warranty, to make the sale of service plans seem value of month to rental companies and private individuals alike. After the warranty has expired, and leased cars are returned, they are sold with FSH, and manufacturers couldn’t give a toss about how long they last under this service schedule - as you have found to your cost. They now want you to part with tens of thousands of pounds to start again! How many services have you had done during your ownership Karl. Re. another engine, paying out £20k would be bonkers on this 10 year old car, and respecting Cliff’s views on secondhand ones, this would still be my chosen route - if you are not prepared to scrap it. Car are frequently deemed to be beyond economical repair - body damage wise, and engines from these may well be worth investigating. Regards, Gareth. Just realise this post has overlapped Stevey Y’s - with similar comments.

Hi this is what happens when you stick to 18000 mile service intervals which don't take in to account driving style or ambient temperature, its a selling gimmick, in thirty odd years of of involvement with various makes and models I can categorically state NO ENGINE OIL lasts 18,000 miles, there is a mountain of information on line to support this, the oil thins and loses its lubricity which is why internal components fail, when you get a new engine 9000 miles between services is as far as you can reasonably stretch. Steve.

Alan. Did this behaviour coincide with the fitting of the dashcams described in your other topic? If so, try unplugging them. https://www.audiownersclub.com/forums/topic/31745-dashcam-fitted-now-losing-radio-stations/#comment-133331

I’ll keep you all posted once I’ve found someone who can do an electrical test. Appreciate all the responses, thank you 😀

Thanks for clarifying, Gareth. I understand now that your earlier suggestion was specifically about Richard's replacement bolt rather than just any M12 × 1.5 bolt. I've contacted Spareto regarding the original part number to see if they can confirm the exact dimensions and availability. They also stock the longer N90924103 bolt that Richard found, so I'm waiting to hear back from them before deciding which route to take. Thanks again to everyone for the help and suggestions.

In the end John beggars can't be choosers. If the Spareto part is all that is available I would take a chance on it or go with Gareth's suggestion of a longer bolt with a nut. As long as you get the right clamping force between the two components you will meet the designed strength requirements.

No, not used it personally. According to LLL parts, it is a subframe bolt (item 4) in this diagram). However I see its used on suspension bolt too across VAG range. https://www.lllparts.co.uk/product/n90924103/bolt-hex-hd-with-pin-combi-n90924103 Anyway back to your dilemma. Have you tried https://spareto.com/products/volkswagen-ag-bolt/n90956803 Based in Estonia I think. Doesn't say they are out of stock so ypu might be in luck. Be aware you'll probably pay tax at post office, thanks to Brexit. Dealt with the same ordering BMW parts via Hubauer Shop (Germany).

Great and helpful find Richard. Buy an M12 x 1.5 nut and screw that on and leave it on, before cutting the bolt to size. Dress the cut end and remove the nut - that will aid thread cleaning. Regards, Gareth.

Yuasa 9000 AGM

Thank you for your great responses. I am still learning the car but have some time in it tomorrow (we are going away for the weekend) so I will try to check how the car responds in the various scenarios you have recorded and let you know.

Finally a question I can answer quickly! Yes, I have this version of installed software also.

I would not trust any work done by the clowns at Halfords which is why I suggested a professional test, but if you choose to believe them the next step is to take the car to a garage, either Audi main dealer or specialist independent, and have it diagnosed on a code reader.

Hello Luke, As you say - not a good start - so you don’t know how long he has owned it - if he did have any claim to its ownership. Can we take it you have now received a ‘clean’ V5 in your name? I would treat the 3 month ago service as if it never existed, and as a minimum, I would run an on-line VCheck on the car (cost £9.99) to see what else you don’t know about it, before spending anything on it. Please come back to us when you have more details, and I’m sure we can advise on future servicing. Regards, Gareth. last service

Please keep us posted on how you get on

Hi just thought i would let everyone know and stop all the confusion on the virtual cockpit with headlights in Europe. just been to 9 countries on a road trip and never got flashed for my headlights. left them on auto and turned off high beam assist . started the car in France and the headlights automatically adjusted themselves gong by the gps. switched over from mph to kmh in mmi. enjoyed our first long journey in the A4 of approx. 1900kmh. it took me ages to get response from Audi about headlights and found out from my neighbour who works for VW. happy travels.

I'm sure I've seen this with other new Audi models. I think there's a software update for the issue.