Stevey Y

Hi Gareth your right about taking the future for granted, old cab colleagues have been dropping like flies, I am now working on the theory that past fifty we all have one foot in the grave and the other foot on a big bar of soap. Steve.

Hi Clifford you are not downloading anything what the guy has posted is a video that you just watch its the same as youtube, as far as I am aware this is a public platform and unless your computer is an Alan Turing MK2 Christopher you are in no danger, being as this forum checks for malevolence I am sure the appropriate malware protection is in place otherwise we would all have been screwed a long time ago. Steve.

Hi get the car scanned for codes, it sort of helps with the guesswork situation if no codes then you have an uphill task. Steve.

Hi thats better, does the parking brake still work?, with regard to item 1 I think thats in the boot and they are prone to corrosion through water ingress in to the boot, 2 is either a corroded connector, strip check connector and if there is no obvious signs of corrosion chase the wiring back and check for breakage. Steve.

Hi either way it sounds like a load of scallops, anyone noticed the price of electric and the fact all milk float owners are paying twice as much for a charge, here it comes lads no monthly pay anymore just tokens for your food and electric, TOTAL CONTROL, the motor manufacturers like Lemmings are heading for the edge of the cliff based on the sound knowledge that they are going to build loads of nuclear power stations to support what they are producing, the fact that it takes ten years to build a nuclear power plant and the fact no one has started to build a new one yet seems to have escaped them, good idea lads create more electric freight train traffic on an already overloaded system, blackouts?, probably.

Hi the heater is not in the tank fortunately and any competent garage can change it as its some pipework and a wiring plug and you need a four post ramp to get it airborne to Chas in the new pipework/wiring. Steve.

Hi there is a calibration process for the brake switch you can find it on youtube, I can't open the link you gave as it won't let me in as refused to give consent for their data poaching activities so if you could actually publish the codes that would help. Steve.

Hi there should be a switch on the centre console it should have P stamped on it, if you can publish the codes that would help a lot. Steve.

Hi clear the codes first before diving in to the wiring, could just be corroded connectors on the rear calipers. Steve.

Hi try eBay they have some exotic disc/pad combos for not too much money, any brand Blueprint ,Febi TRW,Bosch, Delphi, all good as they are E11/E9 marked. Steve.

Hi its probably the clutch master cylinder as you say the car is difficult to get in to gear which would suggest the cylinder is not holding pressure and fluid is leaking back past the seals. Steve.

Hi its probably the lift mechanism/regulator box, strip it out and replace, but before going to that trouble check the wiring in the rubber boot between the door and the body as you could have a broken wire or corrosion in the connector block

Hi its probably because their code reader is generic and has to deal with most types of vehicle, although Snap on etc are expensive they are not manufacturer specific and will not give an interpretation of the code, it then gets more difficult as the manufacturers are now making codes generic which basically means it could be one of a few different sensors, but my best guess is the oxygen sensor as the symptoms you describe are virtually the same as mine were at around 80,000 miles and if your sensor has never been changed the likelihood of it being that is very high. Steve.

Hi the oil in the throttle body would suggest a perforated boost hose normally the one that runs up to the throttle body. Steve.

Hi I don't know what you used to get the code but VCDS tells you the generic coding but also tells you the sensor thats playing up but its my guess thats the culprit as the symptoms are too close to mine. Steve.

Hi it could well be the oxygen sensor my one was on its way out this is hanging in the exhaust just after the cat and has a horrible life, constant heated gas, and it gave the same generic code and did the exact same thing as yours its where the heater element in the unit begins to fail. Steve.

HI have the car scanned for codes this may well tell you whats going wrong. When you say the pedal switch was changed I think you will find the switch is part of the master cylinder which normally throws up the statement clutch position sensor implausible signal on the diagnostics. Steve.

I would like to point out that its two different models with two different size wheels and definitely different brands of tyres that are experiencing the same sort of problem, because my tyre pressures are checked every ten days by my local tyre supplier who's inflation devices are calibrated every month I have total faith in their accuracy, this is rubber stamped by the amount of miles I get out of my mid range tyres, so far 26k rears and 8k fronts half worn which on a cab is legendary, on Vinces advice I have always run the pressures at two pounds over pressure cold 38 pounds rather than 36 as this equates to an expansion rate of 42 pounds for motorway/loaded work but has the added benefit of not allowing the edges to wear prematurely because of wall roll due to frequent cornering, this advice comes from a tyre shop where the owner has over forty years of experience, [Hands On] and has a vast experience of many tyre brands and will tell you whats good and whats not even to the point of recommending a cheaper tyre over a top end tyre because I would get better milage for my type of work, thats why he has had my business for twenty years, I am in no doubt that many other Audi owners will have had the same problem and never noticed, most people who use these vehicles don't know a lot about steering etc, its just a lovely form of transport and the only time they ever get really alarmed is when something goes badly wrong, you said it yourself the car tries to tell you something, most ordinary owners only notice when whatever it is fails, I wish I had the time to have a schematic drawing of the boot and weigh each suitcase to place them in the precise location for optimum load level but I just use the old formulae heaviest/biggest over the rear axle and cabin luggage at the tailgate end, loading and tyre pressures have already been worked out before the car is sold to the public as have the wheel cambers and steering/suspension bush deformation rates under Max/Minimum loadings, which only leads to one conclusion its the road surface, same loading on tarmac does not produce the same results as ancient crumbling concrete. Steve.

Hi when was the last time you drove on the M25/M1 at speeds off 70mph, and at no point did I say that it was all cars I explained that different steering set ups behave in a different way on that type of surface also explaining that the Audi set up being finely tuned was susceptible to this type of problem on sub standard surfaces, this opinion is based on thousands of miles of travel on a lot of different roads the aforementioned roads being the worst, as for claiming all VAG vehicles are the same, never said that either, that ranks along side with the old saying for pubs, are you calling my pint a tart, I am glad Keith grasped the point of what I was saying before he rushed off to buy new suspension, tyres, tracking, its a problem with the surface, NOT THE CAR. Steve.

Hi get the boost hoses checked for splits especially the one that runs down from the turbo to the intercooler. Steve.

Hi what is anti squeak, unless its Ceratec or copper grease you have lost me, brake cleaner gets rid of the dust. Steve.

Thats the one, BUT its caused by the appalling state of our roads especially the M25 concrete sections which five years after its commission by Lady Thatcher started to break up AKA concrete cancer where the individual sections start to move away from each other which is why they are so keen to resurface the whole thing, if you take in to consideration that most heavy luxury cars run wishbone suspension with a 30 degree coilover shock absorber mounted to maintain dead centre pressure on the middle of oversize width tyre to stop this behaviour its no wonder that cars such as Audis fitted with any width tyre 235 + will drag due to the tyre foot print being so wide 225 is about as good as it gets with our roads, I think the generalisation that this applies to all VAG vehicles is a bit silly as most of the lower ranges use different width tyres which rarely exceed a 215 width and won't ever encounter this problem as I explained before when I had a conversation with my neighbour an ex powertrain engineer at Wolfsburg he explained that people think bigger is better so thats what they sell them regardless of the fact that large wheels say 19 inch and low profile tyres are 40% heavier as the rims are reinforced due to the lower tyre profile therefore they are more prone to aquaplane and tramline on deviant surfaces so its not the set up thats wrong its the road surfaces, they are a large contributing factor, if you watch the old rally footage of when the quattros first started you will notice they ran skinny tyres say 195x60 x15 for example as this cut out 75% of steering drag over very rough terrain, if I drive with four passengers and a full boot up to Gatwick on the tarmac sections I only need to make minor adjustments to the steering if I go round to Heathrow from there its like playing chase the ace on the concrete plus you have the infernal clicking from the road except where they have ground about half a mile as an experiment the clicking ceases as does the wandering, I came down from 19inch wheels with 40 profile tyres to 17inch wheels with 55 profile tyres which gave a better ride and no compromise with the handling as well as about 6 miles more to the gallon I always used 101 XL tyres and never had a problem in 240,000 miles and with 200 HP and 420nm of torque it was no shrinking violet, final analysis is if you want this type of thing to calm down go down to 17 inch wheels and a slightly narrower tyre, if not you will have to live with it for the looks, my car does it on 225x55x17 so god knows how much extra noise/dragging you would get with a wider aspect tyre and 19 inch rims. Steve.

Hi a little education for those who want to learn, Bavarius tyres are made in the Czech Republic and were originally back in the thirties a subsidiary of Michelin, in 1992 they signed a joint venture agreement with Continental AG [anyone ever hear of them], for the record one of the largest multinational corporations in Europe who produce just about every rubber O.E. part for German/European vehicles and as for Budget they could not be further from that or the Thames as the brand Barum only produce premium mid range to premium upper range tyres, tyres having watched this thread develop I can as a frequent user of the M25 concur with your problem as my car does the same depending on if you are driving on the concrete side of it or the tarmac side, this anomaly is due to the Audis steering set up as this is not to dissimilar to a version of centre hub steering this allows for very sharp and precise handling, the downside is if you drive on the undulating concrete crap thats known as the M25/M1 any largish discrepancy in the road surface drags at the steering, never had this problem with my Mondeos as they all ran Macpherson struts which the shock absorber runs on a ball race top mount so the strut moves with the steering rather than the steering moving around a static shock absorber, as for steering component wear, its highly unlikely as my A6 has now covered over 130,000 hard miles on a multitude of road surfaces and has no wear, when I could get them at a reasonable price I used Barum tyres for a good few years on my cabs and always got good miles and grip and I can vouch 100% for their winter tyres but alas they are now out of my price bracket so use Nexen another budget tyre company thats only been around for about ninety years which would lead you to believe they must be doing something right, just because you have never come across a brand before it won't mean its no good, just look beyond the name to see who owns the production licence. Steve

Hi they are also used to help with DPF regeneration, Cifford is thinking of the old post office engines which if the glow plugs failed needed copious amounts of Easystart [Ethanol Aromatic], things have come a long way since the advent of engine management systems and high pressure fuel systems. Your boy knows his stuff. Steve

Hi Roy the updates are for newer vehicles there are no more updates for your model therefore if you didn't update it you can still use it, just like manufacturer updates for the cars cease after six years also if you go to windows seven on an old laptop solely for your diagnostics that stops all the crashing, if you have other things on your existing laptop like your emails google etc that affects the diagnostic program. Steve.