gsmdo

So, here's the strange thing. He hasn't had to order a hex drive in as long as he can remember. This chap has been a mate of mine for 30yrs and isn't spinning me a line. He was tongue in cheek about the cost of a replacement engine (to make me look at it pragmatically). Replacing the hex drive will be an expensive job. I understand that one has to make a value judgement on these things - the hex drive certainly has a lot of anecdotal evidence of failures, but I'm not convinced that the extra work (especially) and outlay on the chain and sprocket set is worthwhile given my low mileage use and the age of the car... Sell me on the idea, Steve 😃 - I'm minded at the moment to just get the hex drive done... Thanks, Mike 😎

OK—cool enough this evening to get the convertible out of the garage and see if I can make some sense of where this air leak is. My prime suspect—Exhibit A: …is this guy which is a tight S shape (number five in this diagram). It has been drenched in oil and dirt for ages, since the breather hose lower connection was not held on with a spring clip. The oil and dirt you can see is after a good dose of brake cleaner. It feels spongy, although I'm unable to detect any splits or leaks from it in place. It's pretty easy to access, so I'll pop it off in the next day or so with a view to replacing it, whether it turns out to be the culprit or not… Next up—Exhibit B: On the face of it, this looks to be in good condition and I don't think it is causing the leak, but feeling underneath it, there is a really soft spongy feel to it. I think it's going to have to be replaced as well… Then there's Exhibit C : …which appears to be in good condition… …all the way to the intercooler. I can't get good access to the bottom of the intercooler to have a look at... ...pipe seven yet, as I ran out of time. Having said that, I can see a lot of oil and detritus down there, so it'll likely be worth replacing it as a precaution. I'll search for parts and prices this evening. Before I go, though—can anyone explain how the battery cover is meant to work? I can see it has a spring thing on one of the terminals... …which common-sense would say was to put some pressure onto the lid as it slots into place… Except mine doesn't slot into place. It just floats about. Has mine been broken or something? Not a big thing, but it bugs me a little… Cheers, Mike😎

Just been having an interesting text exchange with my mate at Norwich Audi. He makes a good point - that I can get a replacement engine for £1000 or so - he questions doing any of it. I think I'm still going to have hex-drive done, but that's all...😎

I'm unfamiliar with the A1, but my first action would be to open the trim (as if you were going to change the bulb) and see if you can see what's rattling...

OK, I’ve done some searching and found this kit. I assume this is the parts you mean Steve? Is there much more disassembly needed to fit it, do you know? Is it something that’s prone to failure?🤔 Mike 😎

OMG - there’s MORE? 😱😆

Hard to believe, with the thermometer currently showing 36°C, but one day it will get cooler and wetter. And when that day comes, I won't be so keen to drive the Convertible (which currently resides in my garage with new bling, but an intake fault meaning it's not driveable)... As a relative noob to the site, I have gradually been reading all the posts relating to my car (BPW engined 2.0TDi 140) - and was rather alarmed to read the 'stickied' post about the tendency of the hexagonal oil pump drive to fail - typically at around 130k miles. Since my car has around 107k miles, it is clearly in need of having this done, if only as a precaution. What I wish I had done, was watched Gavin's excellent YouTube video before I had the car in to do the flywheel and clutch, as I am sure it wouldn't have been too many hours more while the old girl had her undercarriage down, to add this to the list. We are where we are. I've been quoted eight hours (at a very favourable rate) to do the job, as Norwich Audi says it involves removing the subframe and subsequently doing a four-wheel alignment to complete the job. To replace a part that costs under £10 dammit! So - does eight hours sound about right? Regarding the hexagonal drive - I understand there are two versions (my buddy will get both parts in for me) - has anyone produced an aftermarket one that has better longevity (not that I expect to another 130k in the car - I'll be dead long before then... 😆)? But if there's a tungsten-carbide ceramic coated titanium version, made by blind Swiss nuns in a secret European mountainside factory, I might give it a look... 🤔 Comments welcome - the job will likely get done in October or November this year. Cheers, Mike 😎

Thanks, Steve - are they on the hot or cold side of the intercooler?🤔 Mike 😎

Thanks, Steve - I reached out to my parts buddy at Norwich Audi, and he sent me these pics: I would imagine, with the amount of noise from the intake, the split hose shouldn't be too hard to find. It'll just be a case of how difficult it is to change, I suppose... Mike 😎

Hi Steve, I think we'll all agree, it's a tad warm for getting under the bonnet and working today...🥵 Has anyone got a decent diagram of where the hoses go, between the turbo and the intercooler, please? I understand (as you face the engine under the bonnet) that the intercooler radiator is at the front right - and that it'll have an 'in' pipe from the turbo (hot side) and an 'out' pipe to the throttle body/inlet manifold (cool side). How much disassembly is required to remove/replace these hoses to check if they are split? Does the turbo have to come off? 😱 Any help (or a diagram or annotated pic) really appreciated - I don't know what temperature it will have to drop to in order to venture into the garage, but I doubt it'll be anytime today or tomorrow... Thanks, Mike 😎

Thanks, Steve - that's exactly what I had planned. To go back to an earlier point you made - did you mean to buy a length of silicone hose (with the correct OS diameters) to replace the pipe, or just a section to fit into the bottom joint? 🤔

So, having tarted about fitting carbon fibre trim inside a car I can't drive this afternoon - I thought I'd better do something about that... 😂 It being a fairly cool evening, I rolled the convertible partway out of the garage, opened the bonnet, and went through the fairly familiar routine of removing the engine cover and air ducts... I soon had the main air pipe off... I'd had it in my mind that I'd find that I'd twisted or kinked the lower joint of the pipe, where it feeds into the turbo (thus explaining the very loud intake roar)... ...but the pipe showed no signs of being distorted... 🤔 ...indeed, everything looks as good as new. No sign of any leakage from the (now clamped) breather hose - although it's probably only done three or four miles since being replaced. I'm a bit stumped, so I roll the car back into the garage, wash up, and open a bottle of wine. I've bought another (used) intake pipe from eBay - it should be here on Wednesday, which, coincidentally, may well be the next time there's a civilised temperature to work in... Any ideas welcomed... Mike

Yes, I took them. They aren't too bad, although there's a bit of lifted clear coat on the gear lever surround. If I hadn't already worked on the gear lever surround and ashtray, I'd clean them up and use them... Trouble is - if I wanted to use them, I'd have to drill holes for the controls (or reposition them - which I'm not minded to do). If I fitted the ashtray without the gear lever surround, it would look odd. I'm just going to keep them in a box, and then they can go as a job lot if I take the trim off to sell it in the future... 😎

So there I was, thinking, "It's about time I did another search for carbon trim"... Two hours later... The trim around the light switch was the most complex to remove - but YouTube guided the way... 😃 It was expensive, but you can't take it with you. Also, it introduced me to a new VAG tuning shop and breakers over in Fakenham, less than half an hour away...😃 The gear lever surround and front ashtray cover weren't in good condition, but, as luck would have it, I didn't need either, as I have a phone charger hard-wired onto the ashtray and the controls for my aftermarket heated seats on the gear lever surround... (Sorry for the quality of the pic - quite dim in the garage) So - whilst I had the trim around the headlight switch off, something dropped into the driver's footwell... ...(key for scale). I'm unable to see anything missing (and it may have arrived with the new trim)... ...any ideas? Apologies for slightly hi-jacking your thread, Tom - I promise I'll shut up now... 😄

I'm pretty sure it's no longer available. It's not something that keeps me awake at night 😆 I keep looking for a set of Carbon-fibre trim from an S4 on eBay... 😎 I wonder if it would respond to T-cut, or simple polish, to take the minor scratches out... 🤔

I cannot believe how clean your boot shut area is... 😮 We may well be cut from the same cloth - I replaced the boot struts on mine as one of the first jobs - simply because they were rusty looking... 🤣😂🤣

About the same as mine Tom - thanks anyway... 🤔

Ask about - the field (and car) will belong to someone. You just have to do some legwork to find out who - then have a conversation with them...

Whose field is it? 🤦‍♂️

They belong to someone - of course you can't just take them 🤣😂🤣

The first thing I would do is test drive another version of the same car - without sports seats, which is what I'm assuming you have at present. If you find a comfortable option, look out on eBay for a set of seats (or even just a single driver's seat) in the same material your current seats are covered in. I'd then approach the dealer and ask them to swap them over for free as a goodwill gesture (actually, I'd get them to agree to this before you buy the seats) - and do a reverse swap when you come to sell the car (put them in the loft tightly wrapped in bin bags). You can punt the seats back out on eBay and likely make the cost back... That sounds like a lot of fuss, but if you're uncomfortable in the car, I think it would be the most cost-effective way to tackle the problem. Switching front seats is a simple matter, but I'd let the dealer do it in these circumstances...

So, the new air filter arrived today. I fitted it, then replaced the ductwork and the engine cover… …then poured the DPF cleaner into the fuel tank… …and took her out for a drive. As soon as I used even moderate throttle, there was a large intake noise, followed by the glow plug warning light flashing and it going into limp mode…🤦‍♂️ I drove back home and plugged in the OBDEleven… Sure enough, it was P2279 again. It cleared when I asked it to, but I’m now going to take the intake pipe off to see if I’ve kinked it or mis-fitted it where it joins the turbo or something. When I last drove it, I thought the intake noise was a result of failing to fit the intake ductwork. There’s obviously some large air leak somewhere - the intake pipe has to be the prime suspect…

Have you checked the new price? I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the relatively low cost of some VAG plastic mouldings…

Gareth, I think your hints have been too subtle 🤣😂🤣 David - post a price up! 😃

She has previous for that guv... 😆