Magnet

Thanks Simon,

Could you stick a price on this to save any messing about. 
Good luck with finding a good home for the kit.

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

Thanks for clarifying Steve, I thought I’d seen reference to this (duplicated?) thread before. 
Bless you if you are learning from me! The pupil will only be as good as the tutor - so that’s not saying much! 
Take care, and good luck to Wendy with her battery check. 
Kind regards,

Gareth.

Thanks Wendy,

Commute should be adequate to maintain the battery. Cheap option first - as said, get the battery efficiency checked. 

Any update for us Anderson? 

Hello Wendy,

Whoever suggested ‘battery’ ( who was it?) has come up with a good call. 
One of the first systems to shut down as the battery’s efficiency declines, is the stop/start function - good news to me, since this is one of the most engineeringly averse systems to be designed! 
Take the car on a 20 mile run to ensure it has a reasonable amount of charge, and drive it along to one of Halford’s stores, and ask them to check the battery’s efficiency for you -and the alternator while you are there. 
If it tests as substandard, then please come back to us before agreeing to buy a battery from them.

Kind regards,

Gareth. 
p.s. what is your average journey - distance and frequency wise? 

As I suggested then Will -? 

Yes. 

Hello Alex,

I believe it should lock. Possible cause - sticky solenoid plunger which moves to lock the cap. Open the flap, and look to the side of the inside recess to locate the plunger, then give it a squirt of WD40. Alternatively, you may need to remove the boot inner side covering and attack/ replace it from there.

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

Any good reason why you cannot make your request on a person-to-person basis with the Parts. Dept. representative via. a walk in visit? 

Hello Anderson,

Opinions will vary greatly -  from spending extra on Audi pads since your labour is going to be free, to any of the ones you have mentioned, and many more.

I certainly would not use Mintex based on my experience of last using them  on a Rover Cabriolet with rapid wear despite new calipers. Once one of the most respected brands, but now…???

You mentioned Pagid, so I wonder if you are looking at ECP as a supplier-? I seldom use them for parts, and prefer to use Parts in Motion, and some other eBay suppliers who have given me competitive prices on quality brands, and overall great service. 
Worth trying P in M. 
I’m currently ‘experimenting’ with Brembo pads and discs on a family member’s non - Audi to good effect, so I currently favour those. 
Hope some of this helps.

Kind regards,

Gareth. 
p.s. Do you have a wind-back tool for the rears? 

Thanks for joining Anderson,

Have you ever renewed discs and pads before, and on a car equipped with an electronic handbrake - which I take it yours has? 
If not, do not attempt it, but entrust the job to your trusted local garage (which just cost you substantially less than the main dealer quote).

What brands of discs and pads are you considering? 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

Who, at the dealership did you ask Jay? 
Incidentally it’s not a ‘Build list’ you are after, it’s a print out of the ‘Build Record’. 
Naughty boy! - to the back of the class, for not reading the question and answer properly.

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

Thanks Fi,

Yes, Kent,  so no lead there on why the subframe is rusting ( as is not too unusual). Guess it depends on how long it’s been ‘gone North’ as we used to say in the Rugby world! 
Are you having to travel far to see it? If so, if the service history evidence comes to you and you are happy with it, I would suggest you Google a recommended Audi independent in the sale area and arrange for paid-for inspection before travelling.

Should have mentioned that it’s worth enquiring about remaining tyre tread on all wheels. Should be relatively even on all four on 4 wheel drive.

Good luck,

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

Thanks Fi,

If those are the first two characters of a personalised number, then unfortunately it will not help.

Knowing where it has mainly operated in can help to determine the likely adverse effect of high usage of winter salt in some areas of the U.K. 

If by chance GC is its ‘returned to’ registration, I think that would have been from the S.E. - but that is from memory, which is a bit chancy! 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

Many thanks Natasha, 

A consumption of 1 pint every 200/250 miles is certainly on the excessive side of excessive, and at that consumption you would expect to see blue smoke from the exhaust when you rev. the engine. Do you? Also, are you aware of any oil leaking externally? 
Sorry about all the additional questions, but has its consumption  changed during your ownership? What grade oil do you use, and  has it had an history of sound servicing, before and since you have owned it?

Many thanks and kind regards,

Gareth. 

Hello Mick,

Thanks for joining, but without being dismissive, you really should entrust this issue to your supplying dealer. You will have/will be paying a lot of funds for this new vehicle, and you really should not be expected to trouble-shoot issues with it. 
Have you contacted them? 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

Hello Fi,

Unfortunately, this issue is not too uncommon even on ‘modern’ cars, but its extent and severity can only be assessed by inspection. It’s really all to do with simply spraying a light coat of black paint on subframes and associated suspension hardware, rather than subjecting them to a good coating of preservative. 
Upshot is, you would be well advised to get an independent and experience assessment on it, and if found not to be too bad at this stage, get some Waxoyl type treatment applied to reduce the deterioration. 
Is this worth it? Depends on how it stacks up when the service history is requested and the evidence seen. 
What area has the car been operating in? First two letters of the registration? 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

Very good point on age Steve.

Kind regards,

Gareth. 
 

Hello Ionut,

Declan hasn’t returned to the forum since the date of his last post. I would suggest you send him a PM, and perhaps you could update us on how you get on. 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

Buying the salvage and repairing it Will? 

Sounds good Pete,

I guess you can moderate your asking price in relation to what you paid for it 3 1/2 years ago, unless you bought it with a view to making a profit on it - and that’s fine too. 
If you want your space back, I would suggest you list it on eBay with a starting price of what you paid for it, and see how it runs from there. 
Good luck with finding it a good home.

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

Hello Brain, (not Brian?). 
Sounds great - as Steve says - but to me, an expensive overkill at that mileage. 
Basics - OK ‘with genuine Audi parts’…. your choice of course, but I would simply use (just as good) German origin filters such as Mann, Bosch, Hengst, at a comparative fraction of the cost, with no compromise. As an aside, if this car has been serviced to schedule it will still be running on its original air filter since it hasn’t yet got to 45k ( yes, daft I know). 
Why pay your independent £90 to carry out a four wheel alignment when they are likely to subcontract this to a local tyre depot? Not sure what your local ATS is like, but the chaps at my local branch are great, and they do it for around £60. But the over riding consideration is:- does it need doing? Are the tyres wearing unevenly? If yes, get it checked, if no, very much leave well alone. 
Why are you renewing the glow plugs on a 44k vehicle? 
Gearbox service - not normally until c75K.

Apologies for questioning/contra opinion. I’m very much into adequate, even reasonably over, servicing, but within sensible limits. 
Hope this is not too negative, but have you had a good study of the benefits and downsides ceramic coating? 
Good luck with it all.

Kind regards,

Gareth.

Hello Jennifer,

Pending finding a permanent solution, follow jdragon’s advice above. 
Kind regards,

Gareth.

Perhaps you could update us on the definitive answer from the Parts. Dept. of your local main dealer Bill.

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

Can we start by requesting you to fill in your profile properly?