Dionlewis

Hi All, this is a long term issue that I have been reluctant to go to a mechanic for because I am stubborn and like fixing things myself. However, I am now starting to question whether something is an issue or not. Approximately 1 year after buying the car (2011 A6 C6 3.0 TDI manual) my wipers stopped working completely. I was quoted £500+ to have them fixed, I bought used linkage from a breaker and replaced myself, resealed the windscreen scuttle panel with 3M weather sealer (probably the start of my issues). IMG_1972.mov 2 years later which takes us to October 2024 I discover a huge amount of mush (leaves, soil, water) in and around the linkage area and ECU box on the opposite side of the engine bay. I sucked out and cleaned as best as I could, water seemed to drain normally after that. I cleaned the old 3M weather sealer from the scuttle panel to windscreen joint and applied a more flexible black silicone sealant, which when dry feels like rubber. IMG_0326.mov A month ago I clean my car (snow foam, pressure washer etc) and afterwards I lift the bonnet to dry the plastic cover at the top of the engine bay (the plastic cover that slots into the plastic scuttle panel). When doing so I notice a load of snow foam that had found its way into the crevices near the ECU box and the wiper linkage area. Not much water just foam, I use an air duster to displace the foam and dry the area. 2 weeks ago I discover water in the drivers footwell after rainfall. Yesterday I remove the wipers, scuttle panel, wiper linkage and realise that when I cleaned out the mush in October, the grommet gasket that allows the bonnet release cable and some electronic wiring passed from the engine bay to the cabin, that grommet isn’t seated properly around the grommet passing into the cabin, which is how the water got into the cabin. I seated it properly and then also put some black silicone sealant around that gasket. (By this point you’re probably thinking about investing in black silicone sealant shares with me around) Like before, I refit everything and resealed the scuttle panel with…… you guessed it…… black silicone sealant, this time though I put some in the groove, pushed the plastic panel into place and then smoothed over to create a seamless joint for water from the windscreen to pass over and into the scuttle drain. IMG_0605.mov Had a little look this morning, footwell is dry! But looks like water is still getting into the linkage and ECU area. At this point I’m wondering if that is just normal behaviour and I should just allow it to happen. Looking at the drivers side wiper drain hole in the panel, it seams to just drop the water very close to the grommet that was letting water pass into the cabin. i have attached 3 videos. 1 of the mushy leaves and soil, 1 of the foam/leaf discovery and 1 from this morning showing water that is found its way to near the linkage bushings and ECU box. If anyone has a greater understanding of this matter then I really would like to know, I’m at a crossroads between putting everything into this car to keep it going (it’s only at 92,000 miles) or selling and going for something like a newer (2016-17) A6 or A7, which would possibly have its own set of problems

Hi Cliff, not as of yet, I did try one of those autoglym sanitizer bombs, and while it smelled really nice initially, it lasted around 1 day before the smell came back. When I took my car for a service at an Audi “Specialist” (whatever that even means), I mentioned about this smell and I would like it to be looked at, the verdict what that he suspected that somebody possibly intentionally poured something down the scuttle panel (like milk) and that could be causing it. I don’t think this is the case. All of the above took place over a year ago. with it requiring further inspection, and with it being around the Christmas period, it’s an expense that I could do without at the moment. After the new year I will take it in to be looked at, so you think a regular garage would be suitable, or should I go to a place that focuses a lot on AC systems?

Hi All, this is an intermittent problem that I have know about for the past couple of years but never really gotten around to investigating it. I have a 2011 S-Line with the 3.0 TDI engine, manual gearbox. It’s just north of 90,000 miles. There is the strange feeling sometimes when coming to a stop, usually after driving for a bit when the engine is fully up to temperature. I will be at a red light waiting, in neutral with the parking brake on and I will feel the car beneath me moving sporadically, this movement also coincides with either a drop or a rise in RPM, albeit very slight. It has just happened now after i drove about 60 miles and had parked up, I was able to take a video showing the movement to the needle, if anyone has any idea what could possibly be causing it and if its cause for concern I would love to know. I’ve been finding little thing recently that are honestly making me consider getting a new car, but when I got this on 2021 the whole reason I bought it was because it was a low mileage diesel with, what I assumed to be a lot of life left in it, but now I’m not too sure 😞 Please let me know your thoughts. IMG_2135.mov

Hi All, this issue started out a couple of years ago and was only triggered by using the AC, I would use the AC and then when switching back to regular air the windshield would fog up pretty bad along with a bad smell, This is still an issue to this day, and requires me to be tactical when using AC. however more recently the damp smell has found its way in to the regular climate control system, and after start up the smell is pretty bad but will go away after a few minutes of driving. I took apart the scuttle panel last week and did find a large amount of trapped water/leaves/dirt sitting around both the wiper linkage and ECU. I cleaned both areas out as best I could, and was hoping that this was the cause of the smell. A week later and it seems to be ineffective, I’ve tried turning the heat to maximum in the cabin to dry everything out that way, all this did was cause the MMI screen to start glitching out presumably due to overheating. I’m at the point now where I’m wondering if it’s ever worth bothering with it anymore or if it’s just a lost cause, it’s just a little sad as it’s only just ticked over to 90,000 miles (3.0 TDI 2011 model) when I first got the car in 2021 there were very little codes that would pop up that list has grown exponentially. I’ve not had any trouble with water making its way into the footwells, but sometimes just the general feeling inside of the car is a bit muggy and the seatbelts will feel slightly damp to the touch. I’ve not got a sunroof that could be causing this. if anybody has any steps that I could take to try and alleviate the problem I’d be very appreciative. I’ve attached a video just to show what I was dealing with in the scuttle panel blockage. IMG_1971.mov