spartacus 68

Normal regeneration is every 300 miles and is linked to ash/soot level once it gets to 40-45%. Normally after a decent journey, when car is up to temperature, then it will kick in. On stop/start, then it can be switched off via VCDS software. Car is new to you, and on 160k, so anything is possible. Yes, you can manually disable too via instrument switch, but that would reset, each time. A weak battery could also be attributed. You’re doing well to get 7-8 years from a battery now, and cars are susceptible to voltage drops. New ones are usually AGM and coded to the car. On cold, not started, with a multimeter, you should be getting 12.4-12.7V. VCDS software isn’t just for scans, as mentioned, you can prime fuel filter, retract rear electro-mechanical brake for new discs, perform learn process if you were replacing sunroof motor for example, add sweep on rev counter on start up, dip passenger wing mirror on reverse, etc. Something to consider down the line.

Forgot to mention, its a timing belt too. Personally speaking, 5 years or 60k miles for interval. Change tensioner pulley and water-pump at the same time. These are very good engines and will run for years if properly maintained. Change oil annually (5w30) or by 10k miles. VCDS is diagnostic software available via Gendan. No real issues with these cars. Panoramic sunroofs are known to leak. If bi-xenon headlights (better than halogen projectors), then headlight washers should work. Rear spring seats corrode. Check the exhaust central clamps (usually rust through), replace with stainless Mykalor clamps. Brake calipers if still original suffer oxide corrosion that forces dust sleeve to swell and you end up with sticky caliper, brakes overheating. I rebuilt mine with Budweg kit.

Euro 5 common rail diesel engine (177PS), no AdBlue. However will have DPF, EGR, cat, etc. Tail pipes shouldn't be sooty. Any indication of turbo or actuator work in history? Engine will normally regenerate after a long drive once up to temperature. Car should have start stop. If that's not working, it's either been disabled, or needs regen. If you're concerned about emissions, add Forte diesel conditioner to the fuel tank when you're on low fuel light and drive hard for 10-20 miles. Replace the fuel filter (lives under the driver's side). Mann filters are very good. Few underbody fasteners to remove to get to it. Assuming you don't have VCDS, (as there's a prime function), then engage ignition to hear fuel pump prime (but don't start), a 5-6 times to prime it. Top up with some premium diesel and see if situation improves.

That’s unfortunate. If you’re with AA or another breakdown recovery they may be able to help. However that tends to be on older style cars, using a wedge on door lip. If it were me, I’d break the passenger door glass. The glass will splinter. The rear will be factory tinted I assume, so finding exact replacement could be tricky. The B8 from memory has auto lock on exit set up in MMI in settings. You will probably want to change that down the line. It’s happened to me before, but had to get a friend to drive to retrieve the other key. For new glass, the door card will need to come off.

At end of day it's your decision. Audi will subcontract roadside to one of main players. Basic roadside from AA is £72 a year. Cars outside 3 years manufacturer warranty, then study the smallprint in detail. If no quibble policy except for wear and tear on brakes, tyres, timing belt, then go for it. You could simply put the money aside as contingency fund. If auto box, such as S Tronic, then that needs serviced every 38k miles. I doubt that's covered. Also get car through full health check before signing. Rear spring rubber seats on A4 Avant for example are inexpensive parts, but expensive to fit.

I take it you’ve checked in the boot, under the floor? On the B8 model it was on the right hand side next to the spare wheel, clipped in. Suspect B9 would be the same next to space saver wheel.

Audi’s service plans are very expensive. They are designed to appeal to new owners and usually a bolt on package that some people accept at purchase, especially when spending thousands on a car. The reality is somewhat different. Let’s break it down. The basic plan is £719 for two years. That buys you an oil service (basically oil and filter) and an inspection service (oil, air and pollen filter) every 9,300 miles. I’m sure there was a query on the site recently as it didn’t include spark plugs. Usually due at 40k miles. https://www.audi.co.uk/en/owners/service-and-maintenance/service-plans/ Main Audi dealer doesn’t not buy expertise. Like Frank, I moved away from main dealer garages probably 30 years ago. I can see past the branded coffee cups and courtesy wash and vacuum, and know that the £200+ per hour rate, a fraction will go to the technician. The rest pays for the franchise running costs, plus a healthy profit. As the car is new, then find a garage you trust, preferably Audi or VAG independent that know what they are doing. I’ve had similar experiences with BMW as my wife has a i3 REx. Great car and the support or rather lack of it from the main dealer was evident when there was an issue withe the generator engine. They failed to fix after three attempts. That was their master tech too. Spent over £1k and said never again. Bought ISTA software, so service both my wife’s car and VCDS to run my own. Not suggesting you break out the spanners. Maintain the warranty, especially if the car is is mild hybrid. That tech is increasingly complex. Anyway enjoy that new car feeling.

Annual servicing all day long, but certainly every 10k miles. Audi moved to long service regimes because they were shifting cars with finance and offered free servicing as an incentive. They also introduced it to seduce fleet dealers who hoped to reduce their running costs. The whole thing is a fallacy. The reality is no synthetic oil can retain the lubrication properties to protect an engine after 18k miles. Down the line, an unsuspecting new owner will buy an ex-fleet or leased 3-4 year old car and discover premature engine wear and pick up the bill. For all the costs of an oil filter and 5-6 litres of fresh oil, just change it. I personally do it every 5k miles, still use Castrol Edge 5w30 LL, but my 2017 plate 3.0 TDI Allroad will be my last diesel.

If LED or LED Matrix - unfortunately that's the price. It's one of these scenarios whether you go through your insurance, given costs. Breaker yards are also fraught with difficulty, in terms of description and comeback if there's an issue with the headlight. Used breakeryard.com - never again. If it was me, then Charles Trent. With second hand - you'll likely find component protection that can only be adapted with dealer level software such as ODIS, however I could be wrong though.

The electric handbrake (electro-mechanical handbrake or EPB) to give it it's correct name is usually pretty robust. You'll probably need to scan the car to see what error logs are there. My wife has a BMW i3 and she had similar issue, however I traced that to the physical switch. Does the handbrake button illuminate, but no handbrake? Usually you need VCDS if you're swapping rear pads for example, to place in the service position. There are some YouTube hacks including 12v power-supply, but I would avoid unless you want further issues. Speaking of batteries, you can get issues with a failing battery too. If it's old - then consider swapping it out. A new one needs coded to the car. Check the fuse too. You can get VCDS from Gendan for around £200 and find an old laptop to run it on. Best money you'll every spend.

Glad it's sorted.

Only change the tyres once you've had the 4 wheel tracking checked. On the rears - there's and eccentric bolt for toe-in and out on the lower arm, but I think there's eccentric adjustment on the upper arm too for camber. I'm running Nexen tyres, again a mid range tyre, but have been impressed with them in terms of road handling. That rear coil spring lower mount as mentioned is a weak point. You tend to get 3 years out of them. Relatively cheap in terms of parts, but Audi will want an arm and a leg to replace or choose a reputable independent. It's a bit more complicated with a rear axle with quattro, but doable if you are spanner handy.

Difficult to know without more details, mileage, etc. 5mm is average wear when you first got the car. To be honest I’d expect fronts to wear first with engine weight and steering. No personal experience of Falkens, but they are mid-range tyre. Were tyres always inflated as per specification? Always worth getting full tracking and alignment done if car is new to you. With Quattro, then replace in pairs or you can damage the diff. Any indication of replacement springs on the rear? There’s an eccentric bolt that controls toe in and out. Also check the rear spring seat bush. They are known weak point and corrode from within.

Welcome to the forum Darren. You’ve managed to post A4 in A2 section. Admin can you move please. I’ll be honest, throwing money at a B7 Audi is ill-advised. You never see a return on it, unless in RS guise, so you have a couple of choices. Pretty sure B7 were still halogen projectors. Shocking headlights. You can try uprated bulbs, but the result is pretty marginal. Phillips Extreme bulbs are decent, but they are 55w which is stock. They burn brighter, as a result they are short lived. If headlights are pitted, consider headlight refinish, wet sand and polish. Anything on the second hand market is old now. Plus you get into breaker territory, so do your research. If the car is a keeper, consider a bi-xenon headlight upgrade. However going down this route you’ll need to change bumper, add headlight washers, etc. Night and day over standard halogen.

Not necessarily a new headlight, but yes the LED DRL part can dull over time. My understanding is the DRL is a separate circuit board that uses a acyrilic light bar to transfer the light across the headlight. You’ll need to take off headlights to investigate and fit, and means dropping the bumper. Sounds worse than it is. Usually Torx screws top and bottom and bolts under the wheel arch liners. Watch the parking sensor wiring and headlight washers if fitted. A bit of old carpet to drop it on to would be perfect. Few videos on YouTube. Avoid EBay DRL deals, do your research as to who make these things. Valeo would have made the headlight originally. Probably be wise to change both for uniformity.

This video is as good as any (2010 A3 Cabriolet). Seems the window motor is behind plastic trim which uses a mastic to seal. That’s likely to be the hardest part. Other tools will be deep socket or Torx for any screws, 10mm hex socket, etc. Electrical connections can be a pain too. Invest in a head torch, and a couple of small screwdrivers for these connections. Regards the motor, normally daft money from Audi. Probably made by Valeo anyway, and suffer water ingress. Either the physical connection or the motor, so check these when stripping out. Take the part number and source from EBay. I assume the motors may be similar to the fronts? You can double check on LLL Parts. I wouldn’t have thought it was fuses if other windows work, but hey, check anyway.

Do the windows drop slightly when you open the door (when it was working), then rise once shut? Not familiar with convertibles, but assuming as frameless doors, then this would be the function. If that’s the case, then first suspect would be window regulator motor. Accessing window regulator, then strip out interior door trim, which is likely Torx screws and clips. If you had access to VCDS, then a scan would be worthwhile too.

1.2 will be CBZA or CBZB engine code. Here’s what you need to put it back to factory. https://www.lllparts.co.uk/catalogs/audi/RDW/A1/708/1/133/133002

For Coupe 8KC - (22 plate European built RS5) here you go: https://www.lllparts.co.uk/catalogs/audi/RDW/RS5/847/8/857/857040 You can cross reference with existing mirror part number unless it's gone walk-about!

I've used both manual bleeding and pressurised bleeding. You can use both, if you have access to Draper kit, just don't over-pressurise. Certainly helps without having to constantly top up at reservoir. Often with swapping out calipers, you may need to bleed several times. I'm assuming you're starting at furthest wheel from caliper and doing it in order? As suggested, swap out the older flexi hoses at the rear. If car is manual - there's a bleed valve on the clutch too as it shares circuit. If clutch feels fine - then no need to go near it.

8 years is very good, and who’s to say, you couldn’t get another 2 years out of it. Batteries tend to let you down when you least expect it, so If money isn’t an issue, then swap out like for like. Will be AGM. Also needs coded to the car. Sure you can run a multimeter on it, but that doesn’t tell you health under load, just voltage. Anyway, that’s my tuppence worth.

Plenty S3s out there. Find one that's been unmodified.

Assuming it's component protection linked to ECU. That said - car is 2009. Quick search suggests this started with A6 and A8 back in 2005, which you can only over-ride with dealer level software such as ODIS. This video is quite a good example to swap data across damaged unit and the second-hand part by copying the data from the EPROM chip.

If you have 2 VAG cars, then VCDS every time. You can get 3-VIN licence from Gendan for £222, then all you need is an old laptop to run it. That gives you access to Ross-tech forum for more detailed answers if you load scans, lifetime software updates, etc. On new VAG cars such as Golf Mk 8 for example, they have started to limit accessibility, such as using dealer level ODIS software. In addition, what was pay-to-view erWin is dealer only now. Start of things to come.

Thanks for update. Found out erWin can no longer be accessed by paying public. Purely trade now.