Magnet

Hello Nickolay, As you may know, the A of AO signifies its recommendation for use on Audi cars - the M of MO for Mercedes. You are likely to find other similar/same size tyres by the same or other manufacturers which don’t show any such markings. Forright or for wrong (so please double check) I have always taken these markings to be desirable requirements, rather than must- have. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. just re-read your post, and I’m having indications that you are referring to secondhand tyres?? Apologies if I’ve misread your description.

Hello Harry, I fully understand your desire to have a Quattro, and pardon my cynicism, but I wonder if you are just trying to justify your desire. OK, snow ice and mud, but in reality for how many days in comparison with the number of fine days in the year? Please pardon my direct opinion, but if you add on the possibility/probability that a Quattro will have been driven ‘more enthusiastically’ - again being polite! is a Quattro a realistic would like to have? I would repeat, Harry - if I were in your position, I would not be buying anything without paying for a professional inspection before purchase. Kind regards, Gareth.

As Cliff raised earlier - do you really need a Quattro Harry? My aim has alway been:- select the model (shape) which appeals to your looks and requirements. Then look for the best example which falls into that category. Trade off toys etc. as necessary to find the best example with the best pedigree that ticks as many boxes as possible, but do not pass over examples which don’t tick all or most of the boxes. You are buying a secondhand car at a fraction of its original costs, so ticking all the boxes and being in prime condition is a very vey tall order. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Harry, Not for me to influence what you do about this, but all I can say is that if I was in the market for such a car, then I would cross this one off my interested- list. Good luck with your quest. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Harry, A 3 month MOT will be an off put for many people, so the request to have it re MoT’d would not be unreasonable, unless the price is reduced accordingly. Cliff raises a good point about the servicing records of this car, and it would be important to establish what it has in evidence of maintenance and repair. How far from you is this car? Can you view it, and decide whether it is attractive to you subject to a reasonable inspection and re Mot? Not being personal, but can you afford to gamble c£4? If not, view the car, and be aware that you ‘buy into’ your gut feeling about the seller - ‘nice cars should be bought from nice people over a nice cup of tea’. If after doing your homework, everything stacks up, then invest a couple of hundred pounds in a professional inspection before purchase. How long has current owner owned it? Private or trade seller? - as asked. Cambelt renewed:- OK 37k ago, but what year was that done, and is there a receipt from a VAT registered garage. The belt should ideally be renewed every 5 years. Kind regards, Gareth. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Harry, Thanks for being in touch with the forum. To try to minimise over thinking this, is it really wise to spend your hard earned on any car which only has a couple to three months MOT?? Why not ask the seller (private or trade?) to get the car re - MOT’d if you have an interest in it. Genuine sellers should not be too averse to this - let’s say, if you were prepared to fund the test cost. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Andy, I’m sure you will appreciate that it’s virtually impossible for the forum to explain the precise noise you are experiencing, but we will try to help you. Was the noise there before the new tyres were fitted? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Amit, OK, but what comes over to me is that the examples suggest that they are talking go about products bought new. I think you would need to take legal advice regarding your redress in terms of an 11 year old product, six months after you bought it. Let’s hope you are right in applying this to your car. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Babu. I’m wondering where and how extensive the coolant leak was, to have cost that amount of money to rectify. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Tony, Is this a brake light warning, or a brake wear warning. Difficult to see from the image. If indeed a brake light warning, is worth taking the rear lamps out and re checking, since I’ve seen some units with twin bulbs carrying out one function, so although you quite rightly believe the light is illuminated, (so it’s not that) you could find one of the two bulbs has gone. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Amit, As much as I sympathise with your plight, I guess you are being advised that technically your guarantee elapsed 3 months ago, and the only redress you might now have would be via. any goodwill that the seller may extend to you - unless I’ve got it wrong. The only way I see you having an actual claim against them is if the defect was reported to them within that 3 month window. Apologies if the above is wrong, but of course, opinion can only be given on the information you give in the post. Anyway, whatever, I genuinely wish you good luck in getting some recompense. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Amit, Thanks for being in touch with the forum, and sorry to hear of your issues. If this were mine I would be first taking advice (free from CAB) about your rights in terms of the length of time you have owned this car, and what you can reasonably claim from the seller. You have now owned this 11 year old car for 6 months, and as I understand it - and I could be wrong, hence the need to take legal advice - you can reject the car as being unsuitable for purpose, within 30 days of purchase. It is usual for the seller to give you a statutory? 3 month warrant, and buyers are often encouraged to purchase extended warranties, for which the dealers receive commission. Did you buy an extended warranty? If not, then if I were you , l would need to clarify your situation with regard to claiming against the seller 6 months after you bought the car. OK court action may be possible, but personally, I would rather hang my hat on obtaining professional legal advice, rather than such legal advice from a mechanic. It would be a great shame to cause yourself even more problems than you already have. Kind regards, Gareth.

Sorry Ian, I missed your response to the car cleaning bit - no excuse on my part! I just wonder if the aggravator/ accelerated deterioration rests fairly and squarely with the local car wash folks with their jet wash. Personally, I wouldn’t let anyone with a jet washer anywhere near any car of mine. If you consider that a jet washer will remove debris from your patio, then just consider what it does for the paintwork of your car. If that isn’t enough, then wheel cleaning consists of dosing the wheel in acid, before blasting that acid around the wheel and between the ‘spokes’ - including the brake discs and any associated suspension components. Real bad news in respect to preserving the finish on any component. I’m with Steve’s method if you want to correct the damage already done, and sorry Ian, but I think blaming Audi for the result of any aggressive cleaning regimes at any time, maybe a a step too far. if you do opt for the dealers ‘temporary’ fix then I would be staying well away from anyone wielding a jet lance in future! Apologies for the adverse comments, but the reasoning is well meant. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Ian, Looks typical of corrosion of the centre of the brake discs - not uncommon as the discs age - and largely cosmetic. The difference here is that that surface rust is manifesting itself in a relatively short space of time, and is not a good advert for Audi. Rust treating and painting should improve the situation, and if done properly, should last longer than it has so far. Now the one question you haven’t answered Ian is how and where the car is cleaned. Could you let us know. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Alan, Sorry to suggest what you have covered - always helps to state what has already been eliminated. When this noise gets to its maximum, have you tried accelerating and decelerating to see if the noise alters under these conditions? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Alan, I’m not claiming this is the cause of your issue, but have you taken the wheels off, and had the tyres thoroughly inspected for defects? Simple first-port-of-call elimination. Kind regards, Gareth.

Very interesting Steve. I was minded to make a similar comment on the validity of the battery test. A family member had a JLR vehicle from new, and when it was 3 months out of warranty, the stop/start stopped working! Two battery tests with sophisticated testing equipment showed the battery to be serviceable. The vehicle then went to a well respected local JLR independent who tested it on JLR diagnostics, and it failed the cold cranking current parameter - even though the car always started without issue. Rather sceptically, we renewed the battery with the equivalent Varta, and hey presto, all was well again. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, Thanks for being in touch. It’s probably me, but I’m having difficulty in clearly identifying precisely where this corrosion is - inner wheel rim, or ‘wheel attachment area’ on the car. Perhaps you could clarify. Could you also let us know how and where the car is normally cleaned. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Richard, 23K would have been a reasonable expectation in my book, and the 30/40K would have been considered salesman’s speak. Of course, tyre wear will vary according to driving style and the type of journeys undertaken. Most garages recommend tyre changes once the tread wears below 3mm - leaving 1.4 mm of tread wear before the legal limit is reached. Of course, you can run tyres to as near to the legal limit as you can get away with, but adverse affects on grip and handling in varying conditions will be the trade off, and only you can judge whether that compromise is worth it with your large and expensive vehicle. Could you enlighten us on what the £375 actually refers to? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Brian, Thanks for being in touch with the forum. There has been previous debate about the significance of the last letter, and I believe it can be rightly claimed that the last letter only signifies a later edition of the same part. This isn’t going to answer your question, ‘later edition’ may mean yes it’s identical, or yes it’s the same part, but there are subtle modifications - which may or may not matter. On the ‘may matter’ front, you could find electrical connections have changed etc. (just an example). There is another school of thought that indicates that the basic long part number is the generic number for all such components - e.g. cambelt kits - and the last letter is indeed meaningful, and signifies different kits for different engines. Apologies for not answering your question, but it may mean you have to suck it and see, if you have the option to return it at you cost, if it turns out not to be a suitable fit. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Derek, Sorry, don’t know about it’s removal, but someone may be along to offer advice. Are you going to replace the alternator with a Euro Car Parts or similar best offer one? If so, I wouldn’t, in preference to getting a new bearing put into yours. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, Thanks for being in touch with the forum. These faults can be typical of a below par battery - even though it starts the car OK. That would be my first port of call if it were mine. It would be best to get as sophisticated a test as possible carried out. Not sure if Halfords testing kits would be adequate, but might be a good place to start. If it is found to be below par, would I replace it with a Halfords battery ?? How old is the battery, and what make is it? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello James, Thanks for being in touch with the forum. I’m not sure about the smell syndrome, but in terms of the pitfalls of not steering well clear of Audi’s recalls, the experiences are listed and complained about on here, and cover multiple pages. Well worth a forum search and read. Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Michael, So you have Mannol giving you a significant saving over Castrol, and just c£12 less for 10 litres if you buy the Castrol derivative - Quantum. I suppose it depends how important that £12 saving is over a year’s motoring. Obviously if you are buying in bulk of 20 litres to save a little more, then of course you have to invest more than that £12 up front for longer term savings. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Stuart, Many thanks for being in touch with the forum. It seems as if the car could indeed be suffering from a parasitic drain, and if this were mine, I would be getting that checked by an autoelectrician (rather than a local garage). Be aware, that the draining current, should be assessed at least a couple of minutes after the car has been locked down and the alarm has fully set. Drains of around 50mA would be expected - anything much more is undesirable. Having said that, battery condition is king with these modern cars, as is of course the alternator output, to ensure it’s kept fully charged. New battery? - absolutely the correct AGM type for the car?? Make as a matter of interest. Kind regards, Gareth.