daycartes

Hi we have sold our fantastic A3 Red Convertible but we still have the item specified in the title. If you want to buy it for £50 please get back to me.

Hi Big-dom91,

Gravel could be the issue here. Sometimes little bits get lodged in the brakes between the pads and the discs. The answer, sometimes, is to reverse to try and dislodge the offending piece. Other than that it could be a water problem with the brake housing or part of it going rusty, this happened on my last A6C7. By the way this wasn't covered by the (extended ) warranty much to my disgust and the disappointment of the Main Dealer. Fortunately my main dealer is great and they gave me a whack off my next service bill.

Hi Nick, I've been driving A6s for a number of years now and am presently driving a 2.l Ultra manual, non quattro with 14k on the clock. I've regularly followed mpg threads on various forums and am also conscious when I drive, of mpg. In fact I usually have the DIS on mpg when driving so that I can monitor it. I have also passed the advanced driving test and on non motorway roads always keep to the speed limit as today speed limits, in general, have been adjusted to suit relevant conditions. However I am not fixated by consumption figures in that I don't drive purely to see what the best mpg is.
I would like to make the following points:
On the new C7 Audis the DIS reading is much more accurate than on the C6 models.
My long term driving of these models would suggest that the idea of increased mpg after it has been run in is a load of bunkum. Now I know that many, many people would argue against that. My reasons for this are: 1) why would Audi sell you a car with 35 mpg when it could sell you one with a run in engine that does 40 mpg? especially in today's world of maximising economy. 2) The whole idea of a man made machine being more efficient after use really defies all sensible logic and physics. There is an argument that says that when an engine is new there are gaps between the piston rings and the chamber which, after use, get blocked up making it more efficient. Well in the 1970s Cortina that may well be true but in today's nanometrically designed engines? Doubtful, otherwise we'd still be running-in engines. This leads me to the conclusion that this may well have been true years ago but very unlikely nowadays. Unconvinced? then read this:

http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php/159200-So-cars-get-better-MPG-with-age-not-according-to-my-data

This was not my thread and not my car but it did support the above. I hope that the moderators on this forum don't mind me linking to a rival forum.

What I have found to affect the mileage most is the weather. In the winter months my mpg reduces, not massively but noticeably. And this is logical since wipers, heaters auxiliary heaters are in operation sometimes continually. Another thing, I notice that you turn your air con off to save fuel. I read a very interesting article by someone who had spent his whole life in Air Conditioning engineering and his conclusion was that you only save fuel up to the time that the Air Con and Engine are running at their normal operating temperatures and from then on there was no difference. What is important here is that if you turn off your Air Conditioning then the pressure in the pipes and joints is lessened to a considerable degree and wear is exacerbated leading to potential leaks later down the line - most importantly, repairing those leaks can be very expensive. I'll try and find that article. I ignore anything written by the Daily Mail or media of such ilk.

My mileage? The present A6 I have had since March so no cold weather yet. Varies between 55-60mpg on a 70 mile run on a busy A road. 50-55 on motorways. My drive select, which i regard as a gadget rather than a serious aid is always set to dynamic. It's a gadget because if you set the steering  to comfort, after driving a few miles you get accustomed to the setting and then find that there is not much difference. The throttle response does work in a better manner and does mean that you have to press quite a lot harder on the throttle if you are in efficiency setting and hence works against itself!

Oh and regeneration. Well comes as a shock when it first happens as you think your car is overheating. It's fine when you get used to it. DPF problems? Not had one yet thank heaven but I bought my car with long journeys in mind.

Hi Lainie,

My wife had a leak in her boot in her A3 Cab. Took it to our local Audi Dealer and they searched for the leak. It took them 2 weeks to find and clear it as they were very thorough and didn't want to return it until they were sure. Cost 2 hours labour. Fantastic service and it hasn't leaked since. One of the rear roof seals was leaking. Car was not under guarantee at the time. 

Although many people moan about the dealers I have found that  if you form a relationship with them that they are very good. In the 12 years that I have been running Audis I have had peace of mind when leaving the premises and that has meant a great deal to me.

Yes, James. It's caught a lot of people out, including myself. They don't always explain it when you buy the car! I have noticed over time that the DPF regeneration happens less and less.

Definitely OK. This is a regeneration (regen). You will notice, when this happens, that there is a lot of heat being emitted from under the car. It's perfectly safe and I believe it is caused by the 'soot' being burned off at a really high temperature. It can happen at any time, my first time it happened at Dover just before I was to get on the ferry after I had travelled 400 miles.

I have VAGCOM and am happy to let you try it out on your car. I have used it to lower passenger mirror, needle sweep and the most useful, sidelight when cornering at low speed. I'm near Carlisle so you could pop in when passing.