spartacus 68

Couple of used parts matching that description on EBay for £280 GBP plus postage (Europe), new, part is £670 for info.

Indeed VCDS is a very valuable bit of kit, but the data only gets you far. For front sensors, remove the bumper. Not as scary as it sounds. You can check wiring especially connectors for corrosion. In the meantime, order a genuine replacement Valeo front PDC sensor. They come unpainted, but more on that later. If the wiring checks out, replace the sensors individually with the replacement one. Ignition on and check VCDS for errors. On PDC sensors, there's a slight pulse to touch. I spent ages on my wife's BMW i3 tracing similar fault. It has PDC and PMA (park maneuver assist) sensors as the damn thing can park itself. To paint the sensor, remove the rubber ring on it first. Wipe with rubbing alcohol. Use a cardboard cut out as a mask. Couple of light coats of plastic primer. 2-3 lights colour coats. On last colour coat, before it flashes (dries) apply first lacquer coat. Apply a further 2 coats. Leave to dry for 24 hours in warm room. Add rubber ring on it. Job done.

I think that's purely the after-market dealing with demand. Plastic rear roof spoilers for example are fixed with adhesive strips. If prepared properly (alcohol wipes) and 3M foam tape, they are fine for the lifetime of the car. I wouldn't attempt that with roof rails. They are subject to extremes of temperature depending on location, moisture, plus load if you potentially add a rack.

No problem Steve. To be honest it can be advertised as genuine Audi, but your guess is as good as mine as to its province. I'd only buy used Audi parts such as trim on Ebay.

Scan with VCDS will reveal.

There’s probably something in the pads and contact with the discs that’s causes the sticking in damp weather. You’ll be fine applying handbrake for short periods in poor weather or ensure brakes are up to temperature before applying. Leaving in park in the garage is a good solution. Only other option would be different pads. Would need brake strip down, clean and use ceramic grease on pad shoulders in the carrier. What are other RS owners using from their experience? You’ll need VCDS for rear brakes to retract EPB if Audi haven’t already progressed to dealer only software. I know VW Golf latest model is ODIS, which is ridiculous.

The trouble with halogen, apart from being shocking headlights are the bulbs, they’re just 55W. If you put in uprated bulbs they burn too hot. The aftermarket bulbs offer marginal improvement in brightness and definition but are short-lived in my experience. You could go down genuine xenon headlights, but you’d need to fit headlight washers too, which will mean new bumper. Easier option would be LED. HID from my experience requires ballast packs, plus you get into canbus errors. This is LLL parts, 2014, Europe built car. They offered halogen, gas discharge (xenon) and LED. There’s even a cornering version. Scroll down to find the section with part numbers. https://www.lllparts.co.uk/catalogs/audi/RDW/A3/745/9

Avoid EBay, these will be cheap, made in China parts, and the only thing holding it to the roof surface will be adhesive strip, and probably not 3M adhesive quality. If it’s purely aesthetic, then bonded rails are fine, however you get into scenario if you sell the car and the next owner? Here’s link to Audi A3 Sportback (2021) rails which bolt on. You can double check yourself. https://www.lllparts.co.uk/catalogs/audi/RDW/A3/596/8/860/860500

This will be a waiting game, especially if it’s low mileage. Even on average mileage, on a 2018 car you’re looking at 70k. Then it’s specification. If V6, I assume it’s 272PS engine, Tiptronic box, etc. Consider the A6 Allroad, again rare, but they do come up time to time. Also be prepared to travel. In your favour, most of these cars are down south.

2016 is B9 and it’s electric. Now before you go replacing anything, then get it scanned. I’d suggest it needs to be VCDS, check battery health, could be a sensor, rather than defective electric motor.

Sockets are called go through, or pass through which means you can get Allen key bit on a 1/2” ratchet and hold the socket with a spanner. Avoid Chinese EBay rubbish. Choose brands such as Draper, Laser, Halfords Professional, etc. if you’re feeling flush, Teng tools.

Sounds like height level adjustment is damaged, seized or malfunctioning. There’s a little swivel arm sensor on the passenger side front and rear suspension. As car is loaded, it’s adjusts headlight height. It adjusts on start-up when headlights switched on, if it’s doing it all the time, something is broken. A scan with VCDS will reveal or whip the wheels off and take visual look.

Used to average 40-44mpg, and that was on B8 A4 Allroad with same engine 177PS in efficiency mode (manual 6 speed box). So Quattro will always reduce fuel efficiency. On front wheel drive I’d expect high 40s. if you’re worried, change fuel filter. Should be done every 20k mikes. You can also run a can of Forte diesel fuel conditioner through it first on a quarter tank, then swap the filter. Mann filters are OE.

No idea. I have same car but in 3.0TDI V6 guise. Must admit, I've never heard this particular noise. Brakes are very good and much better than the B8 2.0 TDI version I had before. There's an electro-mechanical handbrake, but you'll be familiar with that noise with releasing and engaging handbrake, plus fuel pump priming prior to ignition. I know the B9 suffered from brake pressure switch issues. If you get this warning on the dash, then do not drive it, even if the car says its safe to do so. There's a real chance you'll screw up the ABS pump, so leave the car exactly where it is. The offending part is a few pounds from the main dealer. Only real way to check the car is VCDS scan. It will check brake modules for any logged errors.

Let’s not assume the ticking noise is catastrophic. To be honest, sounds like a diesel in winter. In my experience a well maintained 2 litre TDI doesn’t use oil. It very much depends on history to date. Get into habit of doing oil changes every 8-10k miles. I’d scan the car with VCDS obviously just to see what’s going on. I’d also drop the engine tray to see if it’s dry as a bone. Any oil staining will show up quite quickly, such as leaking sump gasket, rocker gasket or sump plug. When was the timing belt last done? On 2 litre, then 60k miles or 5 years, changing water pump and tensioner pulley. Noise could very well be tensioner pulley, or indeed a worn bearing elsewhere. Check condition of auxiliary belts too. Under engine cover, any evidence of fuel or oil staining?

Suspect motor modules that direct airflow. Either electrical or mechanical. They’re expensive and there’s a little work to replace. Get the car scanned with VCDS, once you know which modules, then you may be able to DIY fix under glove compartment (which you need to review).

Can't answer specifically, but its usually to do with offset to clear caliper, spacers, etc. Check for an A3 brochure for your car and see what wheel options were availablefrom Audi. Again is it stock ride height in terms of springs.

Can you get a multimeter on the starter motor to see if it's getting power? Again, this time of year sorts the wheat from the chaff so to speak with weak or old batteries. Also use multimeter on new AGM battery to double check. I normally stick it on a trickle charger to top up before installing.

Old laptop, in the respect, I’m out on the driveway and VCDS doesn’t need anything fast to run it. To be fair, VCDS updates pretty much every time I use it, so top tip, run it in the house before you use it, rather than braving it on a Baltic day while it searches for a signal!

Irwin wheel lug nut extractors are 1/2” drive, but not cheap at £80. That said, no point using EBay special as the sockets aren’t hardened steel and will slip as soon as you apply pressure. Don’t use a power driver. The socket needs seated with a heavy lump hammer, then apply torque with solid extension bar, not a ratchet on an extension bar. Drilling is a last resort and avoid at all costs. Again Irwin carbide bits, slow and lube with oil. Drill needs to be straight, not easy if you’re on the drive in the rain.

Pretty sure if it was available from new as an extra, then yes. Personally I’d go to an Audi retro-fitter. It’s not really a DIY thing unless you’re confident, and you probably need VCDS. There’s a certain amount of trim to remove, wiring install, and calibration. Expect to pay in region of £550-£600.

Ross-Tech is VCDS, available from Gendan. Starts around £225 for USB dongle and lifetime updates for 3 VIN licence. You’ll need an old laptop to run it on. When you scan the car then VCDS reads all the modules and you can clear DTC codes if present, then rescan. It the DTC fault remains (it lists priority and when it first occurred), then there’s a physical fault, mechanical or electrical and it will need resolved. I moved away from main dealers years ago. They are £180 an hour and most of the techs these day lack the investigative nouse to diagnose and instead work from an Audi technical script or throw the parts cannon at it in the hope it resolves the issue. First thing would be to scan the car, ensuring battery is in top condition. These cars are sensor heavy, so any drop in power will throw up an issue. Regards parking sensors, not unusual to have a defective one. They are made by Valeo. It’s plug and play, clear faults and see if that resolves it. Normally front bumper off to fit (easier than you think). You can swap sides too. No coding as such to calibrate. Certain components are security protected, such as certain second hand parts, MMI, ECU, etc. That needs dealer level ODIS to remove. If you’re not particularly tech savvy you can post error codes on Ross Tech forum and wait for a response.

Suspension and water leak won’t be linked, it will be coincidental. Does car have sunroof, if so check drain channels at the front. They exit above the door hinge. More likely is blocked plenum channels behind the bulkhead. The is where the wiper motor sits. There’s rubber grommets that are badly designed for a northern hemisphere climate, that eventually block. Decent torch, remove plastic windshield cowl to see.

The car is drivable after 12v battery change, however it’s advisable to code it.

In my experience, then Audi retrofit specialist. I did same thing and went for lifetime updates. With modern cars, then old EBay flash card process is fraught with difficulty due to version of MMI plus verifying source data of course.