arron1995

I have an s3 8p with an issue where when i come to a stop and have either the window down or heating/air con on i get a bad smell of burning oil yet the car doesnt smoke... putting my nose near the exhaust tips (of course with the car off) i can smell it, its 100% from the exhaust, oil consumption is 1l between 1000-2000 miles.

i do have a decat but it hasnt always smelt like this.

On 9/21/2022 at 7:28 AM, Steve Q said:

Could be the switch. Was it doing it prior to the remap? 

sorry for the late reply steve, its done it since i bought it, so prior to the map.

23 minutes ago, Steve Q said:

Could it be clutch related? 

i was thinking this but it was mapped recently by r-tech and they said my clutch was spot on. someone mentioned something about a clutch switch to me.

12 hours ago, Steve Q said:

When you say the needle flickers is it just the needle or is the engine revs definitely off. 

Literally il let off the throttle or when I blip when I’m driving the rpm needle will flicker, it doesn’t do this if I am stationary and rev, only when driving. It also happens when I am driving downhill without touching the clutch or accelerator. My rocker cover gasket is leaking but dno if that will have any affect on this scenario. 

On 9/14/2022 at 9:27 AM, cliffcoggin said:

Does the engine speed also go up and down, or is it just the tachometer reading that changes while the engine speed is constant?

Is this the same jalopy you asked about in June and failed to inform us of the outcome?

sorry mate i thought i had replied, this is a different car, only the rpm needle flickers. 

3 hours ago, Steve Q said:

I'd recommend a diagnostic check to see if any fault codes flag up. 

Worth getting the MAF and lambda sensor looked at. 

absolutely no fault codes mate, i did have a vacuum leak caused by the downpipe which was fixed, maf is fine, lambda sensors havent been looked at though i dont think.

as the title says, when im driving a long and it doesnt matter what gear/speed im doing, when i let off the throttle the rpm needle jumps around and its quite annoying, has anyone had this issue and what was the cause, thanks.

car is a manual and its been smoke tested and nothing found leak wise.

I am off to view an 8p audi s3, the owner states that he purchased the car with a stage 1 map on it, he then fit a decat but didnt have it mapped in, he says every 200 miles ish that the eml will come back after being deleted with the following fault code (p0171 system too lean- bank 1).  he said he has replaced the likes of the pcv, diverter valve, brake booster etc and even had it smoke tested and couldnt find anything, what im wanting to know is, could this potentially be the decat due to it not been mapped to the car.

Had it to a 3rd mechanic who couldn’t find any issues… today I removed the battery as I’ve noticed a lot of engine movement and I’ve found that the gearbox mount has a lot of play in it, that requires minimal force to move side to side, going to change it and hopefully that’s my issue solved 

Took it to the local mechanic and they said everything was perfect… it just doesn’t make sense, it either has to be the shocks or shocks and top mounts. 

52 minutes ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi its not the rack, probably a top mount bearing been bashed to death by the lack of damping.

Steve.

Found a local mechanic Steve, literally up the road, gonna give them a call tomorrow see when they can book me in , luckily they close at 6pm, which makes it 10x easier for me 

4 minutes ago, cliffcoggin said:

So it's getting worse. What do you expect?

I’m dreading the racks got an issue, the car to me is not worth spending that much money on.

Whilst where talking about my issues, now I’ve noticed when I turn my steering wheel side to side while stationary it’s now creaking quite a bit whereas the other day it was only lightly doing it.

51 minutes ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to work out that the shocks/springs are toast, after the amount of years the car has been running and the corrosion on the shocks I would get the units changed on principle, if you ask most manufacturers of suspension components most use time/milage as a rule of thumb when advising on possible replacement.

Steve.

Il buy some shocks mate, the springs look ok, what else should I replace? I may aswell get new top mounts for what they cost. 

1 minute ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi nothing wrong with TRW as they were fitted O.E. along with brake callipers and a ton of other stuff.

Steve.

That’s why I bought them mate, I’m gonna see what local mechanics I can find to book me in to have a look, because I can’t cope with how rough it feels now, it’s fine on decent roads but as soon as I get to a rough one it’s horrific.

2 hours ago, Magnet said:

As Cliff says Arron. As you appreciate, the car is trying to tell you something is wrong, and there is something wrong, and it might mean some dismantling/ replacement to sort it. 
Probably nothing to do with i, but back to your initial post - you mentioned you replaced the drop links/ ARB links. Where did you get them as a matter of interest? 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

 

 

Gonna have to take it to another mechanic, and from eurocarparts mate, I purchased trw ones

Went to my mechanic, he couldn’t find any issues under the car but there is deffo an issue somewhere, the car feels harsh going over rough road and the knocking noise seems to be getting louder.

4 minutes ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi unfortunately this is the side of ownership of any car no one cares to mention in polite conversation but its a fact of life that after eleven years the diversity of logic says components will fail, thats what makes me smile when people like my neighbour bought a fifteen year old Fiesta with 36k on the clock, his opinion was that there won't be a lot wrong with that, as soon as his daughter started using it for a work commute 50 miles a day bits were failing at an alarming rate within a month, its the age thing rubber mounts, wheel bearings, shock absorbers, lower wishbones, driveshaft boots,

just count yourself lucky your car is a lot better built.

Steve.

 

i totally agree steve, people think because a car has lower mileage that it will suddenly live longer, chances of engine etc being in better shape are much higher but as you say, rubber perishes regardless. i will keep you informed. thanks for the help.

9 minutes ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi my guess is its to do with the shocks and springs as when they are misbehaving sound/vibration transmits, sounds like it needs stripping down to find the true combination of worn parts.

Steve.

fingers crossed on friday the problem is all sorted mate, expensive week its going to be as i also need 2 new back tyres.

9 minutes ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi you won't hear any creaking whilst moving as there is no static pressure between the tyre and the road as the wheels are turning and have less friction, it sounds like a spring is turning in the seat.

Steve.

its 110% coming from under the car mate, you can hear it in the footwell and then when i put my head near the front wheel it was underneath. fingers crossed its just the tie rods like we say.

54 minutes ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi what you have that is worn won't cause uneven tyre wear as the ball joint is obviously still ok and the tie rod is still within tolerance, the only thing that will cause premature even wear is the shock absorbers as lack of damping control tends to give a harsh ride as a lot of the axial pressures normally taken by the shock unit will be transferred to the tyre, I always found this with the cabs I have run, rapid wear is a sign of weak units so when changed the tyre life was increased dramatically and when I mention wear this was over a period of months not days, if it happens over a couple of days you would have a major component failure in which case you could move the wheel assembly at all sorts of angles even when not jacked up, if you go for it and change everything that is required you will see where the money went on your first drive, the steering will be sharper with less cabin noise and cornering will be much more precise.

Steve.

I’ve got her booked in for Friday Steve, today I noticed when I turn the steering wheel when stationary with the engine running I hear a creak Near the footwell, so I got my girlfriend to turn the wheel side to side slowly whilst I listened near the front wheel and it’s 100% coming from the front driver side and deffo near the steering rack, again can only stipulate its the tie rods until then. I’d assume if it was the steering rack it would be a lot more obvious or am I wrong? Other than when turning stationary I don’t hear any creaks etc when turning.

32 minutes ago, cliffcoggin said:

Do you realise that is wrecking the front tyres?

The thing is ive checked my tyres every day for at least the past 4 days and they don’t look to be wearing unevenly, this is what’s odd.

just an update guys, decided to jack the car up and if i grab either front wheel at 3 and 9 o clock i can turn it quite a lot, i tried it with the steering lock on and it was making a noise, which i can only assume is the steering lock itself. ive looked at the springs and they look fine, but i did notice today on my 80 mile trip home when going over rough roads i get the metal knock noise but the car also feels very harsh going over rough terrain, almost like the shocks on its way out, again i can only assume.  fingers crossed it will be sorted by the end of next week.

1 hour ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi your tie rods are definitely knackered thats because the ball on the inner end sits in a nylon cup which when worn will allow metal to metal contact, these units screw into the end  of the rack and are cheap to buy and replace and no you should not be able to rotate the spring even when jacked up, looking at the pictures the sprig pan on the shock looks well corroded and will eventually collapse, the term tie rod is the correct one which is frequently confused with the track rod end which is the threaded bit that goes into the ball joint so you can adjust the toe in/out on the wheels.

Steve.

Hi Steve is the spring section you’re on about that’s corroded the bottom part just under the spring? Does look a bit bashed up doesn’t it, only just realised you mentioned it. So realistically I’m looking at a few bits that want changing. 
 

also which bit did you mean needs replacing on the track rod/tie rod whichever one it is? The nylon bit inside? Or the end itself.

16 minutes ago, cliffcoggin said:

Being able to move the spring a little is meaningless while it is not under load. You need to look right up into the top of its mounting to see if it is broken, and if you can not see the top end well enough then the whole strut will need to be removed for inspection.

a little? its clanging when i move it, the other side doesnt do it at all, surely not normal?