7-up

If the gauge is reading,  it may still show the wrong temp if dirt or damage is causing resistance in the electrical cabling. In general I've found that even before my 2.6 gets to 90 degrees the heater gives me loads of warm air.  The car does however take much longer to warm up in slow town driving on a winters day.   I think others have hinted that the valve allowing hot engine water to the heater matrix, when you want interior heat, can fail which I agree with. The old British classic cars could just need the valve cleaning out, but the Audi may be different. As always use the screwed in bleed terminal  in the steel water pipe, looking front to rear of the car, at the back right of the engine, to check there's no air lock denying water flow to the heater matrix, which I've seen happen once, because this bleed point is almost hidden. 

In general, if you have no temp reading on the dash, the gauges sensor is usually at fault and easy to change. The other known culprit on some wrong gauge displays can be curcuits behind the main instrument cluster.  Following others advice I took mine apart some years ago, changing bulbs, cleaning the plastic front and cleaning, checking all manner of lightly corroded contacts, fittings and cables. In doing so you may even find a mouse eaten or chaffed though  cable, the latter being the culprit in my daughters car's non functioning horn cabling in the dashboard ....which was surprising as her car is  low mileage and immaculate.  Some  work on cleaning / checking the audi's cables and connections has definitey enhanced many things. 

Thanks for the reply.. Ive passed your comments to an electronics expert I know. The car, you may know has the earlier version of the OBD port, and only 2 pins. I've noted some audi's have a port on the ecu that services diagnostics. There is no port on my ecu but I do wonder if the way it's set up originnally is to use one of the 4 grouped connections, which in effect doubles as a diagnostic port. The car runs with the current ecu.. No mechanical issues. Don't be misled by the 2.8, v6, that uses a very different Maf and ecu set up.  My main tack will be to clone the new ecu with the old one,  just looking for ways, or companies to do this. 

I always go to the German eBay sites  when stuck, using translators on my computer  etc. https://www.kleinanzeigen.de/.   

I usually find a breaker or specialist who has parts or has a lead, providing my comms are polite and earnest 

Andrew - ive not done this work but have stripped and re-roofed a car so I've been there,-  removing the headlining is not that easy but I fancy with roof half open you may get enough slack and access to remove and replace rams. You can wedge the roof in this position 'half' - usually without damaging things-  and you need wedge because it won't stay there. The key thing is that youll have to top up fluid in the pump and to get access  most of the boot's lining may have to come out.   None's too difficult but time consuming and so potentially expensive.  There's no one i'd recommend. There are good hood trimmers but few may want the mechanical work.   You'll need green hyd fluid for the pump and it must be filled to a set level, which you can just about see with your head on the boot floor.        

I've seen earlier advice here on line about reseting the engines ECU because its built into the circuits for the cars immobiliser and if you are unlucky -  you may have to reset it. 

Advice went on the lines of    

to reset the cars ECM/ECU.
Turn your key to the accessory position (ACC).
Disconnect the battery POSITIVE terminal.
Wait about 1 minute,
Tap the positive terminal 3 times and then reconnect to the terminal.
The ECU/ECM is now reset.

I'd be grateful to know if anyone has found this works , or used instead another idea, or successfully sent the car to an Audi Agent etc for a fix.

I'm trying a few options but would like a bit more certainty.

Best Regards

I'd be grateful to know of any meeting in Berks or Hampshire or Surrey as we head into Easter 2024. Its time to dust off the old Audi !

Hi,

Has any one a good source of replacement items  (above) for a 1995 cabriolet?    Klokkerholm make some good car parts but i've not see any part in their catalogue matching the parts on my car.