Stevey Y

Hi it is not the ABS sensor thats at fault its the reluctor ring in the hub that the sensor picks its info up from, possibly corrosion if its the tooth type on the C.V. Joint or alternatively if the ring is fitted to the face of the bearing its probably just knackered. Steve.

Hi no you are not being dim, and indeed you may well be looking at the wrong part, believe me I have tried on both sites GSF/Euros and is all they could offer was an email alert if they ever get anywhere near it, loads of second hand units in breakers in Europe, it seems that the lower HP models have available clutches mostly for the DSG gearbox but not the manual, I even managed to get a printout from my local spares shops Audi parts system which is more up to date I have picture of it but no part numbers for the kit.

Try youtube they often have fix it videos for that sort of thing even if the model shown is a couple of years older it normally puts you in the right ball park. Steve.

Hi Gareth, the clutches are definitely made by LUK I managed to get pictures of a second hand clutch on a German breakers site and it was the same model as mine except it was L/H drive and red, the clutch had LUK stamped on it, I know its the patent release issue as I had the same problem with Ford until a year after the car was six years old they released to aftermarket and the clutch fell down price wise to half price. With regard to type approval Europe ditched that back in the eighties as they suddenly realised how much the oe suppliers were making in the UK selling to the aftermarket outlets under their own name, will try Sachs its worth a go, thanks for the heads up. Steve.

Hi Gents, the A6 is just coming up to 100k so I thought I had better start enquiring about the price of a new clutch, its a six speed manual gearbox, nothing fancy, it would appear that none of the usual aftermarket suppliers of LUK clutches can get them so I thought I would try the local dealers, what a conversation that was they offered a deal on supply and fit £2,800 with the VAT, after my missus had given me a blast on the Defib unit I politely declined and tried TPS they were marginally better at £1,500 for the parts, I phoned LUK direct and they claim they don't make the clutches but the bit of info I gleaned from an American forum reckons they are made by LUK in Eastern Europe, what is the matter with these clowns, I think that Audi have not yet released LUK from the patent agreement yet but on a five year old vehicle, really, I am thinking I might just see how far the original clutch will go before taking a large bite of the guano sandwich, with that sort of attitude to after sales parts I definitely can't see anyone rushing out to bankrupt themselves on a new all electric model, god knows what mortgage sized prices the spare parts will command. Steve.

Hi from the excellent photo supplied it may be that the matrix is partially blocked as it looks as though only a small portion of it is being used hence the bypass effect. Looking at the writing on the side its made by the French which would explain a lot, never done one myself but it looks good for access if you are handy with a socket set. Steve.

Try your local reconditioners I personally have had loads of odd bits out of them for very little money if you ask nicely they normally have something laying about they generally keep everything in case they ever need it, I wish you the best of luck with it. Steve.

Hi, have a look on eBay. Steve.

Hi good skills, the only problem is that the home made actuation arm may cut down on the turbo flow rate as the Turbos when manufactured/reconditioned the actuator functions are set up in a flow tank using coloured smoke and measuring devices for airflow, I was privileged to watch one of my turbos being rebuilt at a local specialist, you don't appreciate how precise these things are until you watch the calibration process as the slightest adjustment of the actuator arm causes quite a dramatic difference in the flow rate across the rev range. I think Steves idea is a good one as a stock arm because its rose jointed would definitely put you nearer the middle of the ball park and at least the remainder of the old unit could be reconditioned for use another time or sold on if you don't use it, my old 2.2 Mondeo turbo I had reconned I never used it it cost me £360.00 to have done and I recently sold it on a Ford enthusiast site for just under £500. Steve.

Hi try brake depot online

Its all about the attention to detail with servicing and checks as well as timely consumable part replacement, with the correct engineering platform I am convinced these cars can go on forever if looked after. Steve.

Gareth try and disagree with the above, both are high profile manufacturers of braking consumables to both aftermarket and motor manufacturers, I really don't think they would publish either of these statements if there was even a hint of culpability if the information is wrong, I would draw your attention to the first paragraph of the EBC blog and then to the first paragraph on the ATE blog, they state that both OE and aftermarket are manufactured to a comparable standard to achieve certification. Steve.

The tyre manufacturers tender their tyres for approval for testing on new models to be launched, the vehicle producer specifies nothing involved in the business of making the tyre, its all off the peg if it fits and performs well they buy it and use it in production the only thing they specify is the profile and width therefore does that mean Fords 225x55x17 won't fit the same size rim on a vauxhall because Ford specified it solely for their cars. As for comparing a food retailers product to discs and pad manufacturers that could not be a more inane analogy, its patently clear in the world of cars some folks have a phobia about original parts, some don't, but the aspect I find unpalatable is miss information on the choice of products available based entirely on personal preference and no practical experience of using these alternative products, its not fair and unbiased advice. Steve.

I am all over the progress bit my little piece of technology has just blitzed a seven hundred mile round trip averaging 40-45 mpg at motorway speeds, never missed a beat, by far and away the best car I have ever owned. Steve.

I would seriously question the logic of the last couple of statements, why would a disc manufacturer run a separate production line for manufacturers it won't make any fiscal sense especially when they make more profit from selling aftermarket than from the prices they are bolted down to by the manufacturer are better just because something is cheaper if its made by the same disc manufacturer why would that make it substandard, same goes for the batteries, the original Silver Calcium battery fitted to my last Ford lasted about four years before I replaced it with a Yuasa equivalent which was still on the car when I sold it four years later, Believe me over 800,000 miles between three cabs I have just about tried every combination of discs and pads going and as long as you use Bosch,Brembo,TRW, all OE supplied units I never got less than sixty thousand miles out of each brand which from a cab drivers perspective is awesome considering we live [Or Die] on our brakes, most branded aftermarket discs are coated to prevent the rotting of the outer edge and the mounting boss coating stops the grooving on the disc caused by the corrosion on the boss, if you consider that with use most discs become magnetic the surface of the discs will attract the particles of rusty steel as it flies of of the boss, no rust no grooves, the easiest way to help upgrade your brakes nine times out of ten is to change the fluid every 30k most people forget that brake fluid is Hydroscopic and as the filler cap is vented it will absorb water. Now we come to the old cookie of your first set of tyres lasting longer, they do, but I was told by a Michelin rep that is common practise as it ensures people buy the same tyre in the future which won't wear nearly as well [guaranteed repeat custom] the original tyres are a better more expensive compound to impress the new owner witless. Steve. Steve.

Happy days, it sort of bears out my pet theory that if it has a drain plug and a filler plug it aint sealed for life, well done Don this post may well give others on this site another less expensive solution. Steve.

Hi this wasn't spotted on the good old inspection was it?, nine times out of ten its an effort to drum up more work at your expense, with that sort of milage brake pad wear would be minimal, most all Audis either have TRW, ATE,Lucas braking systems fitted, these are also sold aftermarket under their respective branding the discs are high carbon and pads are the same as supplied to VAG, I can't understand the obsession with genuine parts for brakes as they are made by other well known manufacturers who supply the car producers with a box with their name on it they sell it to the customer at four times the price, its basically legalised robbery, for example I recently bought new high carbon discs and pads for my A6 as a kit from eBay under the trade name of DON who like Mintex,Brembo and many others are all part of the TMG friction group, these guys don't make rubbish, when I unpacked it all the discs had VAG stamped on them and the pads are genuine DON, all that for £150.00. I use my Audi as a cab so if there was anything untoward with what I bought in the last 4k I have done in six weeks I think I would of known about it as it is the brakes are still mint and stop on a sixpence, back in the late eighties the government changed the peramiters for the sale of braking parts sold in this country and Europe every part has to meet the latest ISO requirements so its almost impossible to buy substandard brake parts unless they come from China or through the back door case in point when back in the early noughties a load of cloned VAG pads with their pretty boxes had got through from guess where and even when bedded in were taking up to sixty yards longer to stop from 50mph than the real pads, trading standards soon had them all back and the people selling them by the Danglies, big fines and custodial sentences in some cases. I just wish people would actually look at what they are buying as most if not all friction linings come from the TMG group, off the subject my cam belt kit came from TPS, VAG approved in VAG boxes, unpacked the belt itself had VAG printed on it along with Conti Tech who are the supplier the bearings and pump were all Ina, the extra you are paying is for the name on the box, and yes I would as Steve suggests get a second opinion as I would fully expect them to tell you to jog on for another 40k and worse case scenario they do need changing it will probably be about a third of the price quoted for equally as good. Steve.

Hi, I take it that the belt is the original, the old rule of thumb is to change the pump and timing belt kit at 80k or five years whichever occurs first using any car which is racking up milage it is pure common sense to change the belt and the pump at the same time especially as your belt kit is now getting on for six years old and the other thing is when fitted it all wears as a set, my car had a new belt kit fitted under warranty by the first owner at 36k they didn't change the pump so when the thermostatic shield started giving me problems I just got the whole lot changed at 82k, which I would of done anyway, in my personal opinion if the manufacturer says change due at over 100k! forget it most will never make it. My company has a contract with another company that supplies onward transport for the owners of cars that have broken down and been recovered by the RAC and AA I did quite a few during the second lockdown and a good few of those were alleged premature cam belt failures before the manufacturers recommended milage, most people forget about the age factor as they choose to ignore it because its cheaper to do so, from experience a cam belt and water pump change a little early is a lot cheaper than an engine rebuild. Steve.

HI easiest thing to do is get the part number off of it and then google it, that will tell you what it is and what it does. Steve.

Thank god for that, you did not strike me as the multi add on type of owner, there is enough spaghetti under the bonnet as standard. just shows that Facebook can lead to libellous accusations. Steve.

Hi Steve thats some pretty fancy back to the future type wiring going on there, lucky it is not a cab as the cab inspection engineer would have turned a bloodless white colour and refused to pass it on sight. Steve.

Hi I think from what I have been told that if the car has DAB there are two aerials mounted on the windscreen depending on the build month others have the control unit in the boot these are famous for the wiring breaking in the Flexi joints that feed the wires through to the boot, sorry to be a bit vague but I have never worked on that problem on an A3 but have dealt with the same on a similar year A4 cabriolet. Steve.

Hi I think you must be referring to the oxygen sensor this and the EVAP canister would cause the symptoms you describe, change them and it should cure your problems. Steve.