Stevey Y

Well done, the mobile Chappy is bound to be more knowledgable being as they specialise in your make of vehicle, voltage spikes are the Bain of any electrical system especially on cars they can trigger the most random problems, my money is on a lack of recoding so the Body Control Module has thrown a fit because its found something it doesn't like, but please keep us informed even if you only get as far as the codes as some where on this forum is the answer so at least you can go to a garage armed with the right information and they won't try and kid you its something else. I wish you luck, Steve.

Hi did he activate the boot from the switch in the driver side door or was it on the key fob?, I knew about the one in the door but you have to get out and close it which is a pain but if you have the little button centre of your key fob with the little car with the boot open chances are you can activate that function as I did with VCDS, its awesome as I use my car as a cab in bad weather you can open the boot remotely as soon as I arrive at a job sling the shopping in the boot and close it again on the remote whilst making a bolt for the drivers seat. BTW I used Gates kit on my two MK4 Mondeo cabs and in 600,000 miles never suffered a failure, the only failure I ever had was on a kit I bought from GSF as the belt and tensioner were gates but they did not have the Gtes water pump so they supplied me with a brand Airtex which started leaking within twenty thousand miles, when I took it back they claimed the warranty was out as it was two years or fifteen thousand miles where at least the Gates Full Monty kit is designed to last the life of the belt. Steve.

Hi when they fitted the new battery did you see them sit in the car afterwards with a laptop or similar and fiddle about with it that would have been the recoding, I was definitely not suggesting that you opened a major financial artery at an Audi dealers those guys are legalised highway men preying on the average car owner who often as not have no clue as to whats going on, hence these forums. As for the complexity of the Audis any newer car will be complex if you don't have the equipment to plug in and read them properly, I was thinking more along the lines of an independent specialist or better still a mobile diagnostics company as these guys normally have excellent software for every vehicle and charge an initial fixed payment for a diagnosis with a printout so at least even if you cant understand it a garage will if they are any good, I used one of my local mobile diagnostic companies for a few years they were good, even try asking on social media if any one has VCDS and would not mind scanning your car for a small fee, its worth a try and if you were not so far away most of the guys on this forum including myself who have VCDS if they lived near would have no problem helping you, as I said thats what forums like this are about. As for local garages assume nothing as its a dangerous hobby and their get out is, you didn't ask us to do that. Regards Steve.

Hi sorry to hear of your problems, you are heading in the right direction with the battery replacement keys/main, so the only question I would ask the garage who fitted the main battery is if its A, the correct battery for your model B, was it recoded to the vehicle so it registered the new unit, I have found through experience with the later German vehicle that the electronics are not happy with voltage spikes or any radical changes in voltage draw. The other thing I have discovered is that the generic diagnostic software will read a lot of problems on most cars mostly obvious problems like the main battery but completely miss underlying problems especially with the electronics on Audis, this is not the garages fault as they have to spend a fortune on a generic code reader that covers all models they work on, therefore might I suggest you source an Audi specialist as they will have the manufacturer specific software that will search in depth into the various control modules and will throw up any underlying faults which don't otherwise make themselves obvious. The reason I asked about battery coding is that if you just put the new battery straight in, yes it all works wonderfully but the problem is the smart charge system will still be trying to charge the new battery at the same rate as the old knackered unit because it has not been advised of the new unit, this can cause as many weird electrical problems as a failing battery. Regards Steve.

Hi get a good quality scanner or VCDS then you can put the light out as well as read your own codes when required. Regards Steve.

No worries but if you are convinced you should be doing this I would scout a few of the other companies to find out who is offering the cheapest fee rate, sorry I don't try to order an individual to change their views as whatever they decide its their prerogative and their right to choose. 🙂 Steve.

Hi Bob, there is nothing much wrong with most of these claims companies but they always forget to tell the client that they will be relieving them of at least thirty percent of whatever they recover, they all come under the sub heading of Band Wagon Parasites you don't think they really care about the environment, to the contrary their only real concern is money. The question you have to ask yourself is are you happy with your car, has it been reliable?, my neighbour went through this process with his Passat and when done he got a voucher for retrofit software from VAG so he had it done, after which the thing was gutless and bad to drive he got rid of it and used the two grand he got back to buy a Nissan Juke which has given him holy hell ever since, I am always amazed how people suddenly develop a strong social conscience when the word money is added to the equation, the thing to consider as well is once reprogrammed do you honestly think VOSA will reduce the VED on the car. Steve.

Hi thats a good price and well within the ballpark, the reason for that is the aftermarket kits are a lot cheaper and they don't get any better than Gates, the other reason is that from 2014 on they redesigned it all so that worse case scenario is that you have to remove the fan pack to gain extra access, no more removing the front bumper and headlights etc. I have no doubt this came about because of complaints from the dealer technicians so if you make it more simple and still charge the same eye watering hourly labour rates. Steve.

Hi, sorry am I missing the point here, how the hell would the turbine vanes soot up if the car has been idle for months its not like a chain smoker that was sitting in an armchair all through the lockdown. I think it has more to do with either the MAP/Boost sensor on the intake manifold side or the Oxygen sensor on the exhaust, in view of the age of the car the MAP sensor would be the first port of call as these for a car of your age are relatively cheap, sensors should be changed about every four years regardless of milage as age is the main factor with failure, most sensors are high heat resistant plastic and especially the MAP which has a plastic pressure membrane inside it but even this will degrade over time when it is dealing with hot air and gas and sends an implausible signal to the engine management system which will throw up a light and put it into limp mode. have never been a fan of aggressive fuel system cleaners as invariably they will loosen dirt in the system which then heads for the injectors, not good, if you use a spray down the air intake cleaner to clean your turbine this heats the fuel up and as it comes into the engine via induction and goes no where near the internals of the injectors and cleans the intended part and nothing else. Steve.

Hi, I would say that what Clifford has said is bang on but the particular end of the pool you are considering diving into is complex as some of these cars are without doubt cheap but look beyond the bling polished finish, if the car has starship milage on it I don't care if the bodywork is pristine unless it has a comprehensive service history [oil and filter changes are not the be all and end all] you have to consider that most of the suspension bushes/shocks unless changed recently are probably shot and unless you are prepared to roll up your sleeves could be an expensive hobby, you are buying an old car which will without doubt have problems looming in the distance, most of the guys on here have had their Audis from within usable age/milage and have been rigorous in the maintenance of these vehicles which is a pretty thin commodity these days. The other thing to consider is the VED rate as in about four years of ownership that could add up to a fair chunk of the original vehicle purchase price and this is without repair costs, if I were in your position I would be aiming at a later car with lower milages it will save you money in the long run, as for the problems with any car A3 or otherwise if you factor out known manufacturer problems most of the problems are caused by the lack of interest by the owner in any warning lights that appear and will carry on driving for months with that EML because it won't be a worry until the Mot by which time the problem may well have caused failure of a major component further down the line, EML warnings are designed to come on when there is a compromised component in the emissions functions or braking efficiency, every warning has a purpose therefore the owners are normally the architects of all the bad things you keep hearing about, neglect and age related wear are not the manufacturers fault. I wish you luck.

Hi Gents, finally got round to changing the headlight bulbs on my A6 as I wanted a mild upgrade the original bulbs are five years old and getting a bit dim so I bought some aftermarket 5500k bulbs to replace the 4300 O.E. units, the Phillips units from Audi are super expensive as are they anywhere else so I opted for bulbs from a company called Limastar they work really well and give a much better light output and for £139.00 a pair with a two year warranty are also good value. I wasn't looking forward to the change as the videos I watched looked fiddly regarding removing the headlight access covers as there is a strong possibility of dropping the screws down the wheel arch liner but the good news is they must have gotten fed up with it as well so they have redesigned it, the liner access fixing is a bit naff as they are brittle with age and snap, you can fix this as I did by using a plunge inner plastic trim clip through the aligning holes on the panel and arch liner. Once in the rear headlamp cover is a simple twist off affair which exposes the bulb, the bulb is removed by twisting the entire unit to the ten to twelve position and gently pulling the bulb out, there is plenty of slack wire for you to unclip the connector, the other good news is the reflector assembly is made of alloy which removes the factor of the chrome burning off, a problem they had with the old glass type reflectors, the good thing is that there is no plastic locking collar to be attached to the bulb before mounting they are just direct fit, all good no ballast units to worry about as the ballast is built into the bulb this must have saved a fortune in production costs for this set up does not require headlight washers or levelling units at the front of the car. Steve.

Hi the engine on your car is pretty much the same as my car with slightly different emissions gear but in principle they are the same, if you can find out what the DTCs are we may be able to give an indication as to wether your timing has slipped as in the case of Big Townz the cam position sensor was not communicating with the crankshaft position sensor because the timing had slipped due to oil from a failed camshaft seal getting onto the belt itself, its worth a read of that thread as the guy gave a fully documented history of what had happened and the work to resolve the issue which is a great road map for the rest of us. Regards Steve.

Hi, Try reading a thread on the A6 C7 forum by Big Townz that will give you a good insight into whats happening if indeed your cars timing has slipped, do you know the cam belt change history and the other thing I would be asking is what the codes are that led them to deduce timing belt failure, read the thread intensively and see if any of your data matches, £1200 seems pretty steep for a cam belt change I recently had mine done at a good independent garage for half that and they used an O.E. kit from TPS with a two year guarantee [unlimited milage] which is manna from heaven if like my car its being used as a cab. Steve.

Hi Gents. I went off on my first job of the day this morning and the one thing I really rate on my Audi is the automatic wing mirror glass self clearing, you don't have to muck about turning them on and off if the lenses mist up again, anyway I noticed a shuddering on the nearside mirror which I assumed may be where the wing mirror might have been knocked in our car park at home, got to the customer and went to have a quick look before we left, the mirror casing did not move but the glass was loose so I gently pushed the mirror against the mounting and it seemed to cure it. Buzzing along a bit of dual carriageway when the customer pipes up that they think I have a problem with my nearside mirror, I definitely did the glass was flapping in the breeze below where it should have been on what looked like a sheet of plastic, I pulled over and removed the glass from the heating pad, apparently the glass is held on the pad by what is basically double sided tape what a rubbish idea. Got home and had to think hard about how to reattach the glass ordinary double sided would only fail again I needed something that would grip like my missus to my credit card and still transfer heat, the solution was Loctite make your own gasket which when dry grips to anything and is heatproof and just about any chemical proof, warmed it with the heat gun to get it started and the warm day did the rest, most other mirror glasses I have changed have had the heating elements attached to the glass as well as , the mounting ring to the adjustment motor, BTW just the glass without the heating mount £30 from Audi. Steve.

Unfortunately they have discovered that people have forked out for VCDS and are doing things for themselves so in view of the recent drought in car sales they have decided to flog the software department at HQ to produce an even more intricate version of Vagcom which they think no one will ever crack. Dealers have always been the same a few years ago I nearly fell over when my elderly neighbour told me he had just taken in his Fiesta for its first MOT and it had failed on front and rear wiper blades so he had asked them to change them so it passed, that added another £85 to the bill £40 for the wipers and another £45 for the half hours labour to fit them, Really. Steve.

Hi I bet no one mentioned the coding price when you bought the camera thats because they now think they have you by the short and curlys, thats what I love about this country there has always been a bright spark who has worked out how to get round what is basically a scam you don't mind giving them the donation because it denies the stealerships. Steve.

Hi either the SRS has an existing fault in which case as Magnet suggested would have meant that the airbag light was on permanently before the accident or the car has had an accident in the past and some clever clogs has put resistance diodes on the wiring as its cheaper than buying airbags, the diodes make the system think that when it is running through its check cycle that all is well as its getting the correct resistance signal from the diode regardless of the bag being inoperative. BMW tried to get round this a few years ago as cars that were crashed were appearing with no airbag deployment due to being diode equipped so they introduced a rather clever random voltage spike into the SRS check cycle with would blow the cheap diode and produce a light, under normal circumstances when all was in order the spike in voltage would not affect the bag units as they were designed to allow for this spike and carry on working as intended. Steve.

Hi, its lucky it still feels cool you are supposed to regas every four years otherwise the moisture in the system builds up and rots the cods out of the condenser and evaporation units, I would get it done while you are ahead most regassing machines these days dredge out all the old gas and compressor oil and then pressure test the system if it passes it fills the system with new oil and gas, the old gas is run through a recycle and cleaned up, thats where the garages will make a profit from using the cleaned gas on the next vehicle, believe me you will notice the difference. Steve.

Hi anything such as steering knuckles are always reusable as there is virtually nothing to wear them, anything with a rubber bush or ball joint is suspect second hand, with regard to the other bearing I would personally change it as if you start with two new bearings they wear as a pair, its false economy to change just one as if its sister bearing is noisy its safe to assume it won't be long before that one is knackered as well. Just torque the bolts to specified nm and leaves at that. Regards Steve

Hi sorry to be the bringer of bad news but I became aware of this situation a few years ago, when a car is ordered new it is specced for what the customer wants [options] I.E. fog lights, halogen or hid or now led headlights, electrically heated or cooled seats, the list is endless, all these options are within the body control module so when the car comes to the end of the line and the modules are all programmed in the options are activated and the car goes to the customer, problem is all the manufacturers were pixxed off with the companies who were making aftermarket add on parts as they could see a very lucrative market evaporating before their eyes. Solution to this was to make the BCM operate via the Can gateway all options are there but dormant until initiated via a specialised software which only they have so any aftermarket or genuine retrofit parts are rejected by the BCM because it won't recognise them unless they are given a code that the BCM knows, I had this with a late three series BMW my accountant has, I spent all afternoon during the main lockdown putting in the wiring all nice and neat only to find despite having the right voltage present on the power side and twin earths the !Removed! thing would not power up because the BCM was not having any of it and being as no one was open to buy a suitable Canbus interface I got round it in the end by taking the live feed from the back of the spare auxiliary socket in the passenger footwell, because the world plugs in computers, phones, mini vacuums and this portion of the electrical service has a massive tolerance to the different voltage draws the BCM did not consider it a problem, when I had my meter fitted to my A6 I had to buy a Canbus for that otherwise the BCM would not let it run or have power. all the aftermarket add on parts now normally include a Canbus with the kit. Steve.

Hi Thomas I would pay good money to see a video of you doing a Walter Rohle impression, nothing wrong with growing a tail and a pair of horns for half an hour, I hope it is the pads, as you say its the cheaper option I have had pads wear unevenly if I do loads of town work and it seemed to get worse with the abolition of asbestos this anomaly was explained to me by a Lucas brake technician at the NEC in Birmingham a few years ago, as he explained the new lining materials had a propensity to glaze and deform when used gently and worse than that because they use a higher thermal efficiency rating if you sit with your foot on the brake while at traffic lights the heat they have accumulated goes back in the disc and eventually warps it by causing localised hot spots. Steve.

Hi I agree with Magnet there is no point in comparing second hand parts as you don't know the history of the scrap part, rule of thumb is that you should always use new parts when it comes to road parts bearings, suspension arms, shocks, as if any component suffers a catastrophic failure after fitting at least you have a come back against the company that supplied the item. Wheel bearings these days are all pretty much sealed units and are pre loaded at the factory have no movement as the bearing inner is virtually an interference fit and any expansion through heat is already calculated, on old vehicles that used conical bearings you used to have a torque setting to bed the bearing into its running seat then you had to back the locking nut off a quarter of a turn to allow for the bearings heat expansion which gave it a small amount of end float when cold, they generally clapped out in record time but you could gain an extra few miles when worn by tightening them, then they would scream and howl when completely knackered, nowadays they just rumble. Steve.

Hi, it may well cause other problems depending on how they are wired for example on some Toyota Avensis models the boot handle failure causes the rear doors to stay shut but the other two fronts will lock and unlock from the key fob, easiest way to test is if you get the boot open hold the boot partially open and keep pressing the handle if its ok you should hear a clicking down near the latching point this will be the latch being activated, if you cant hear it it may well be your problem, I take it you don't have VCDS as all the locking mechanism is monitored and it will show which one is not playing ball, see if you can find someone in your area that can read it as the £40 is money well spent to find out where the exact fault is. Steve.

Hi possibly the dual mass flywheel is worn so at low revs the drive surface will wobble about when the friction plate hits the flywheel if you increase the revs on take off this masks the wear as the torque and extra revs make the flywheel travel faster in the drive direction and take up the slack caused by wear. Steve.

Hi I think your problem may be the rear boot handle, I have seen this before with other cars where the inside of the boot handle corrodes its only a box with a rubber covering with two sets of contact pads when working as normal and pressing the handle the contacts connect and run the handle to earth which makes the boot latch retract, there should be a boot release in the cabin somewhere which opens the boot so you can access the boot handle to make a repair via whatever trim needs removing. Steve.