Bald Eagle

Hi Tech, I've tried pumping the clutch on two early morning cold starts, and it makes no difference. I still crunch the gears changing up to 2nd & 3rd if I don't move the lever slowly when the gearbox is cold. Once warm, there is no problem. It's been into the Audi workshop and they could find nothing wrong. I guess I'll just have to take changes slowly for the first half mile. I may be imagining things, but the biting point seems a little higher since it came back from Audi, although they said they only tested it. Maybe I'm just getting used to it. What a mystery!

Thanks Tech, I'll try that in the morning!

The biting point of my car's clutch is much nearer the floor than most cars I have driven. is this normal for the 2 litre petrol? If not, does anyone have any idea what may be causing it? I would think it's either a cable clutch that needs adjusting, or a hydraulic clutch that needs bleeding, but does anyone know for sure? Also, when it's very cold, the gearchange crunches unless I change gear quite carefully. This could be because the clutch is not fully disengaging, due to the biting point being too low. Or it could be normal for a cold VAG gearbox. Any advice please! Many thanks in advance.

My twenty-something daughter looked out of the window of my car, saw its reflection in a shop window, and told me, "Hey Dad, I didn't realise how cool your new car looks. It looks really cool." Praise indeed!

Hi Mick, Welcome to the site! I hope you get a lot of fun from the A4. Why not post some photos of your pride and joy?

If the Q7 is too thirsty, have you considered an A4 Avant 3.0 TDI? It weighs 1.5 tonnes compared with the Q7 at 2.25 tonnes and its frontal area is nearly a square metre less.

The advert says "Paint alone was 2500", which suggests that the owner has had it repainted. Would your local Audi dealership be able to look up the registration and tell you the original colour? Or go and have a look at the car. Check the colour of the paintwork inside the engine bay, like the inner wings. Look for overspray of orange paint on parts that should not be orange, like the air filter box.

That was lucky! It looks very smart - I hope they didn't do too much damage. Which blue is that?

Hi 2tone and welcome to the forum from a fellow A3 owner! Why not post a few pics of your car? With the registration hidden. Hope you are enjoying the motor!

The key phrase here is "Diamond cut". The alloy surface is polished to a mirror finish then given several coats of clear lacquer. The effect is stunning, but not hard wearing. The mirror finish gives the lacquer nothing as a "key" to adhere to, so that it is easily chipped off by stone impacts and by tyre fitters replacing the tyres. Painted alloys are not polished as finely, so their surface has a "key" to enable the paint to cling more effectively. In addition, lacquer is more brittle than paint. This is why alloy wheel refurbishers will give you a 12-month warranty on painted alloys, but only 6 months on alloys with a diamond cut finish. I had diamond cut alloys on my last motor, a Mondeo Titanium X, and settled for a painted finish because so many Mondeo ST drivers had trouble with corroded diamond-cut alloys. So I guess that Audi might replace or refurbish them for you once, but they will cause an ongoing problem for you and for Audi. My advice is to get them painted or powder coated and remove the source of the problem.

It must improve the economy as well, so there is a chance that drivers could recoup the cost in fuel savings. Wouldn't that make it more saleable too?

Thanks for the welcome guys! Car doesn't look so good right now, with all the dirt & salt and no opportunity to wash it. I don't want the sponge to freeze to the paintwork! Or my fingers to freeze to the sponge... :D

I had a "Bluefin" remap on my last car, a Mondeo 2.2 turbo diesel. It increased the power from 155 to 178 bhp. I also added a decat to improve the throttle response and a bigger intercooler to stop the power loss in warm weather, caused by Ford's undersized standard item. After 2 years, I did start to get a slipping clutch when accelerating hard uphill. I take care not to ride the clutch, only giving it the beans when the clutch pedal is fully up. So my advice is to keep it standard. If you want more power, sell it and get a car with a bigger engine and the brakes & power train built to match it.

Try to avoid accelerating hard when on full lock, because this is guaranteed to cause premature failure of the CV joints.

Hi Neil, I've just joined, I've got an A3 Sportback as well, and I'll chat. How's things?

The S3 looks like a lot of fun, and that A7 is just stunning. How do you choose which to drive???

Hi Everyone, I've just bought my first Audi, an A3 S Line 2.0T FSI in Condor Grey. What do you think?

Sounds like a great idea. All engines cut off the fuel on overrun, when the car's momentum keeps the engine turning. This carries the same principle a step further, giving you a 700 cc motor when you don't need 1.4 litres. Last week I test drove a 1.4 with start-stop and although I didn't like the idea at first, I gave it a go and it worked just fine! So I'd like to try the cylinder-on-demand engine.