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Exactly so fingers crossed synthetic fuel is the way forward. Or as keith.has pointed out hydrogen could be an option. What ever vehicle drive option they chose it has to be something that has least impact on driver's behaviour. Which involves us filling up in 2 minutes and driving off and being able to drive for 600-1000 miles on a single tank. Unfortunately electric cars are at least 10 years away from this. Whereas synthetic fuel or hydrogen fuel would give you that range instantaneously. Plus for synthetic fuel or hydrogen there's less change required to infrastructure. You just need extra pumps and tanks at fuel stations. This would be cheaper which is better for the economy as well as having less impact on the environment.

Needless to say I won't be getting rid of my fossil fuel cars but they way they'll get mine off the road is to tax me an extortionate amount. But this will be cancelled out if synthetic fuel takes off. F1 are going to be using it by 2024 so that shows you where motorsport is heading. Plus some are saying they want us minions off the roads which I can believe to an extent. However with most of us off the roads to government would lose one of its main revenue sources. Let's not forget that only a third of road tax is actually used to fix/upgrade the road network

I watched it. Seeing the reduced range of the 9 year old leaf shows that electric cars aren't the future. As no one will want to keep a car which has an unpredictable range. As such I can see a cars life span being reduced from the current average of 13 years down to something like 7-8 years. Which will mean the production cost of the use of carbon will increase. I do not believe electric cars are the future. Synthetic fuel is the future. Plus free tax and cheap running costs will disappear once the majority have them. Road tax will be put on them, plus I can see the electric chargers will be monitored. Ie. Instead of paying one electric bill currently you will have two. Once for conventional electric use for home and a separate one for the car charger. The car charger will be a smart charger so they can know. At which point the government will engineer it so you Pay at least £60 for a full charge.

As Gareth said, only somebody who has inspected the car can give a realistic valuation, so I shall offer no opinion on what you have seen, except to say the car is worth whatever somebody will pay for it. Only you can say if it is worth £4000 of your money. I get the impression it is not.

Hi did anyone watch the channel 4 documentary, the truth about electric cars, what an eye opener they took a group of random cars to a company that specialises in emissions analysis, heres the meaty bit they found that Hybrid petrol vehicles emit 30 percent more Co2 than conventional petrol vehicles and the Nox ratio is up as well, the diesel vehicles produced a lot less Co2 than the petrol and the Nox was less on those fitted with Adblue. Boris and Mr Khan are all over these vehicles being driven in London, is this a message to us to go and pollute much more?, I rather think its more to do with the back handers that are coming from Uber to keep their fleet of ageing Priuses on the road, they also had an interview with the head of the motor manufactures association who kept on repeating like an African Grey Back Parrot that the Hybrids meet the governments strict guidelines, who is he kidding, one bunch of special needs tells the other bunch to go and do something and off they trot and make a car that pollutes more and costs more as well as not going as far as the brochure says on the electric bit, I feel sorry for those who have rushed out and bought a Hybrid as they have done the opposite of what they wanted to achieve, just shows how easy the public are to fool, its like the story of The Kings New Clothes. We then went on to charging points for all electric, half were out of order and the other half wouldn't take the guys card and the one that did was expensive, well now theres a thing, he did an interview with some dozy bint who ran an app for finding charging points, when the guy explained his problems is all she said was I can't believe it, not much use when you are stuck at half past stupid with no charge, other Audi sites are starting on line petitions for synthetic fuels and Hydrogen fuel cells, I don't see why this forum can't do that or are we just a shade to reserved, must not grumble I might upset someone in the government, maybe that lying duplicitous scumbag Grant Shapps. STEVE.

Hello Eric, Apologies if this appears to come over as opinionated, but the strong vibe I’m getting here is that you think the seller is charging £500 too much for the car, and you are looking for advice on whether the car is worth the asking price. Unfortunately, I cannot see you are going to get sound advice on this since no one on here has seen the car to appreciate its true condition, and the ‘valve for money’ can only be judged by a thorough inspection. As Steve says, it’s now a seller’s market, so if it is what you want, and you can afford the asking price ( with some in reserve for yet undiscovered issues) then you either choose to buy it, or look for another one for sale at £3,500. Sorry Eric, but it really is as simple as that - unless the seller will offer you something off. To me, guide prices are just that, and for me, a cheap car is just that, and one in superior body and mechanical condition becomes far more attractive and worth a premium. Only you (and/or a paid-for independent inspection) can truly evaluate what the car is worth - to you (in caps). It is worth noting that condition is remembered long after the price has been forgotten! Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. My view with cambelts:- change every 5 years irrespective of mileage.

Hi unfortunately used cars are commanding strong money at the moment as the majority of buyers would rather buy second hand conventional cars rather than the monumentally over priced second hand Hybrid of which no one knows their useful service life.

You read my mind but I seem to have miss placed the ball been on to trading standards but not much help cos it depends on what he put on the ad wich has now disappeared from Facebook so a possible visit at the weekend

Steve Q - I second that motion. There will be a lot of revenue lost through the introduction of EVs - so they must tread carefully. 😉

JCB seem to think hydrogen powered ICE engines are the way to go. This definitely worth watching, would need to be scaled down for road cars but easily doable.

does this car have a harmonic balancer type crankshaft pulley and levering it back and forth moves it on the rubber insert which if perished would cause vibration?

All coding was saved and double checked between both modules I used turns out there’s a fault in the DH module as the old module was put back in everything worked brought another DH module and everything works with that one so It could only be a faulty module just need to get component protection removed again.

Steve - unfortunately we always bow down to what the Government introduce and instill by dangling certain carrots by testing the waters. I agree the climate guru Greta has not helped matters. Don't get me wrong - I accept that have the save the environment, however there are other methods that could be employed. I also wonder how the National Grid is going to cope with the surge of electric vehicles being charged up and down the country when they struggle with a surge in power during ad breaks when the kettles get switched on!?! 🤣 The cost of electricity will be go through the roof in years to come as everything inside the home and outside will be electric. 😲 As time goes on - the more the EV become economical to purchase the more sales will increase - that will be doom day for petrol and diesel vehciles as we know it. 😢

You are right Steve. This is why I can't give up my diesel, I need the extra torque to move me and the car.

Perhaps its the opportunaity for the Government to scrap the road tax in the futre and lump the cost of the EV electric charging points instead. 😉🤣🤣

SteveQ - I totally agree with all your comments on the EVs and the future. I was discussing this with a colleague today who said exactly the same thing. The EV motorist in the futre is going to be stung badly. Perhaps when it happens - there will be uproar!!

Hi spot on ken I have been using it predecessor for years and Maximus when it first appeared a couple of years ago, I know people think you are talking out of the wrong end when I mention this stuff but I have covered over 600k using this stuff and it does exactly what it says it will, as one of the Hydra techs explained, it won't cure a terminal problem knackered EGR/DPF but its regular use on a healthy car may well prevent those problems occurring prematurely. Steve.

forgot to mention i use a fuel additive and have never regretted it. my car has done 150k when i bought it, and it smoked, since the additive its like another engine , well impressed. the additive i use is called MAXIMUS for diesal. good deals on line as well. Ken

https://www.dpfrepair.co.uk/audi-a3-dpf-repair-in-castleford/ interesting as i did not know what a dpf was. i do now ,found this link which you should find of some use.. if the link dont work i have reiterated what it says. AUDI A3 DPF REPAIR in Castleford. regeneration guide bring engine up to temperature ensure quarter tank of fuel ( (assume this to stop sucking up any sludge in tank) my remark) drive at 50mph for 30 minutes when regen is complete light goes out. no suggestion of buying a new DPF unit for £1200 just needs the crap burning off through a good run. Ken

My advice would be to get an auto electrician to take a look. However hate to be a barer of bad news but the UK government has changed the rules regarding vehicle lighting. I believe you a now not allowed to upgrade a car lighting system from what it was when it left the factory. It is/going to be an mot fail.

If it were me I'd just change the sensor. Cheapness could cost someone dearly. A d not just financially!

Ai, looks like it is. I grabbed one from AliExpress for a couple pound. Looks like it’ll do the trick. 👌🏾

Hi Steve, I forgot to watch it at the time of showing. However I watched it last night on catch up. 😀 Very interesting to say the least. Once again the Government and manufacturers have kept us in the dark about certain aspects of EVs that are being produced. Firstly in my opinion, I believe that EVs will of course be the future of motoring and will improve signifantly over the next 3 years or so. In other words they will improve on all elements of emission controls. Secondly, the charging points already in place should increase and be more accessible and actually most will work. The Government must take note of ensuring the electric charging point infurstructure is up to speed right across the country. They are aware that motorists not only drive around London and City centre but further afield. Therefore in order to accommodate the masses, the charging points must be working, otherwise this would have a signifant effect on whether the general public switch to an EV or not. Thirdly, if Hybrids are producing high levels of CO2 into the air, then in my opinion they should be scrapped otherwise it becomes a pointless exercise in emission controls. Point 4, the driving range needs to improve. If manufacturers make claims that a particular model has a range of say 358 miles, then the EV should do roughly that, give and take a few miles. If the EV does not meet those target miles, then questions should be asked by the owner and seek compensation for false advertising of mileage range. 😉 Point 5, in my opinion the battery life is considered to be reasonable if up to and slightly beyond 7 years or so. Our current conventional cars (petrol/Deisel) batteries have a recommended life span of 5 years before a potential replacement. What I find concerning is when the EV becomes a second hand purchase - how does the next owner determine how long that battery would last them before replacement kicks in. Perhaps manufacturers should introduc some form of battery report in-built within the EVs data for the owners to view. 🤔 As known, the EV's battery costs more than the actual vehicle, therefore it is important to ensure that battery life is recorded somewhere. I believe that battery costs will signifantly drop over the next 3 years ans this will allow the average motorists to afford a reasonably priced EV. 😀 Point 6. The dreaed current purchase cost of EVs. Having test drove the Audi E-Tron GT, of which is an outstanding car and I love to buy one, but that would mean my pension would be swallowed up. 🤣🤣 However at a starting price of in excess of £89,000 😲 I believe it is over expensive. Of course the running costs are much cheaper than a petrol or diesel, but that is beside the point as I may as well by a Super car instead. 😉 Finally, it is my intention to purchase an EV, preferrably an Audi E-Tron model but only in convertible/soft top format of which I have spomen to Audi UK about recently. I have advised them that a convertible model would sell like hot cakes, they agree and it would seem that one is in going into production in the near future - so watch this space!!! 😀 Regards Olu

Hi if you throw in the milage and any possible previous owners, service history, price?, you could well get some more serious interested parties. Steve.

Hi Gareth Yes that was the first port of call really once we have it home. Thankfully it has had a cambelt done already and has a K&N airfilter, however I have no idea what state the Oil was in and the gearchange seemed a bit stubborn so that will be a given. Thanks for the advice in regards to the trim, I have never used classic press advertising but might start scouring. In addition I will set up saved searches, only problem is I am not sure what I should call them: Side Trim? Door Trim? Door Mouldings? Rubbing strips? Might as well save them all I suppose🤨 Thank you for your prompt reply 🙂 Ben

Hi, yes you can activate other features but only if they were fitted as a dormant option when built/specced, you will also need VCDS not the cloned version as this will only let you do certain things, look on youtube as there are plenty of how to activate on most VAG vehicles. Steve.

I will certainly keep you posted. I'm going to try my local garage who have been pretty straight with me though the years various cars if I get no joy with GCS.We have a backup car (2001 rover 25, simple and reliable as ****) so can have the audi off the road for as long as it takes to resolve. Thanks to all for your comments and advice, I will post as and when things happen. Cheers.

Hello Michael, Thanks for being in touch. If you have any sections which look worse for wear - as you say, then you should first check the whole element for continuity. Unfortunately if electrics are not your thing, (and taking it you might not have a meter which you are familiar with ) then you are going to struggle to fault find this system - irrespective of what additional tips you may gain from here. If this were mine, I would be investing in an hour’s time with a trusted auto electrician. He will easily diagnose the cause, and inform you of the anticipated work. One place I can point you to looking at, would be the flexible harness which links from the body to that tailgate. It would be worth carefully pulling back the rubber covering and checking for any broken cables in this section. Very prone to breaking due to flexing as the boot is opened and closed. Kind regards, Gareth.

I guess you may have gone as far as you can with your current equipment, as Gareth mentions it is more common now to use a vacuum system or more cheaply pumping fluid from each wheel cylinder back to the master cylinder pushing any air on its way. The kits for DIY are reasonably priced but a bit ‘low rent’.

No need to apologise at all Gareth as you are correct, just using the word as a catch all for any potential or actual battery drain, including of course all the monitoring systems. Ian, as Gareth suggests need to know alternator output, both when battery is fully charged and when under load, i.e, headlights on, heated screen on, heating on etc. With what you have described you could have a dodgy cell taking the battery down which can potentially take your alternator down as it is under maximum duress, or it could be your alternator only putting out a low or intermittent current which will take your battery out if it drops much below 12.1v.

Hi get it plugged in and diagnosed for faults, could be anything from a dodgy o2 sensor to a blocked fuel filter. Steve.

Hi I think someone is living in a parallel universe, went in to my local garage to book my car in for the engine mounts and ran smack bang into an argument between my mate and a customer who had bought in an Audi Q5 TFSI 2018 for a service at 42k she was told the bill was £350.00 and was acusing them of robbing her as the dealer had quoted £250, my mate rang the dealers who told him that was for the oil service only and a full service with filters was £750, she cleared off and phoned the dealers and then came back full of apologies and a wad of cash, I had a chuckle looking at the old air filter with the date 2018 on it the spark plugs were all burnt up with blow by around the porcelain, moral of the story ask what you actually get for £250.00, do the maths, about £40.00 for the parts and the rest is labour and VAT. Steve.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Front-Center-Console-Armrest-Lid-Latch-Clip-Replacement-for-Audi-A3-O2V9-/203109393291?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Thank you, guys! We have decided to return the car and the dealer accepted, so we already got full refund. My reasoning was to try to tackle the proble, myself or take it to mechanic, the dealer could refuse to honour the warranty, if it turned out be a more serious problem or there was bigger damage. This is not a risk I am willing to take. If the dealers mechanic cannot find the problem, and in my opinion obviously there is a problem, then we will be looking for another car. Too bad really, because we both loved it. Pavel

Very odd, this end float business, my 1975 Triumph Stag is maximum 0.28mm, ideally around 0.02mm I.e. nothing. Can’t understand a modern engine would have any play at all, it would create havoc with all the reciprocating parts. I think someone has got there wires crossed here.

Hi I’ve got a 1997 Cabrio thinking of selling and wondered if anyone would be interested in this great looking car,