Magnet

Hello Paddy, Thanks for joining and posting your plea. As you probably know, the ‘signal’ that the reversing sensors are going to work is a short bleep when you go into reverse. A long 10 secondish bleep when selecting reverse indicates a fault. When you don’t get any bleep when selecting reverse then you suspect the reverse switch itself. So, first thing - are the reverse lights working every time? Please report back on this. If they are working correctly then two possibilities:- one or more faulty sensors in the bumper. Some say you can hear the good ones buzzing when in reverse, or indeed feel them vibrating, so you might be able to find the faulty one out of these 4 -? . That hasn’t worked for me! Second possibility is the reverse parking module which usually lives behind the o/s boot side panel. How do you fault find? ( assuming you have tested that the reverse lights are operating). Diagnostics I’m afraid, unless you just throw a full set of sensors at it and hope! Diagnostics will pin point the actual sensor at fault, and the system seems to work on one-out-all-out. New sensors -around £160 each from Audi ( no the 0 isn’t a typo!). EBay ( try Parkingsensors Direct) - possibly less than £13 each, and you will probably find they will be embossed with the actual Audi part number! Oh, you will need the part number. Those doing the diagnostics should be able to give you that. Bad news:- likely the bumper will have to come off if it’s a centre sensor at fault. Let us know how you get on Paddy. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. some advocate a good spray dose of WD40 into each sensor. Wishful thinking, but worth a try.

Pending someone coming up with an answer to this Adrian - it is well worth considering having the auxiliary belt renewed at the same time. There have been reported incidences of these belts parting company, getting tangled up in crankshaft pulley, and putting sufficient rotational strain on it to cause the cambelt to jump teeth. On-cost should only be around the cost of the belt. Appreciating you have enough expense ahead of you, but if you think the cambelt should have been changed in 2018 (and again now in 2023) then one expense has been ‘saved’. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Callum, When the disc was renewed, was the mating surface on the hub thoroughly ( in caps) de rusted and dressed to ensure a true mating contact. If not, there is a possibility that the disc is not running true and creating a greater degree of friction on the pads - even when the brakes aren’t being applied. Just a thought. Wheel bearings? I would have thought that the wheel bearing would have to be completely shot to transmit heat into the caliper - rather than the hub itself. Personally, I would be putting this possibility at the bottom of my list. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Neil, But ‘’rather than the usual routes you have mentioned” . I don’t think you are going to achieve any greater coverage on a national basis than the ones I have mentioned, so I’m not quite sure what other market you are hoping to tap into. There are now specialist ‘modern classic’ publications, but these would generally deal with pre 2000 vehicles, but of course you could try these as well. If you think yours is a bot special then it sounds like it’s best to include Pistonheads in your coverage. Repeating:- please put an advert on the forum. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Neil, Sorry to hear of your impending issue. It sounds a nice car. Good place to sell it? Can we take it you have tried EBay, Autotrader , Pistonheads etc. - all of which have national coverage. Of course, you are very welcome to offer it for sale on here. Just enhance the description, and add some more photos and the acceptable price. Apologies for adding to the downside, but it’s not really the time to sell convertibles - even outside emission zones - so I wonder if you might be able to SORN it until nearer to the spring. I hope it works out better than anticipated for you. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Part exchanging it further afield for the second car you are going to need ??

Thanks Stephen, The coolant that passes through the heater matrix is the same coolant that passes through the engine cooling system, so if it’s getting up to temperature, then replacing the thermostat isn’t going to alter anything - unless as I question, and you haven’t answered - does it get up to operating temperature within a maximum of 4 to 5 miles and stay at its ‘normal’ point? At this stage, it would be an assumption that the heater matrix is at fault. You state in your reply to Cliff that your mechanic ‘doesn’t seem to think it’s an airlock’. Again, that appears to me to be an assumption, unless he has proved that by rebleeding the system! Heater control issue perhaps? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jo, On one will know your car better than yourself, so if you think you are detecting something adversely different straight after you have had a gearbox oil and filter change, then there must be something wrong. If this were mine, I would be returning the car, demonstrating the reason for your concern, and asking them to rectify the problem. If you don’t have a satisfactory outcome quickly, then I would suggest finding another specialist and address your concerns with them. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Stephen, OK, if it’s not overheating during normal use, then why suspect the thermostat - unless it’s not getting up normal operating temperature with about 4 to 5 miles? Kind regards, Gareth.

Ok Nick, ‘OEM’ is the most misused term I have come across over decades. Sometimes it might be correct, sometimes it is totally fictitious. If you are trying to say that your chosen garage are going to use genuine VAG discs and pads ( with the discs in particular being expensive in comparison with aftermarket recognised brands) then yes, you will know what you are getting. If they are buying ‘OEM’ at best prices from their local trade supply motorfactors, then you take pot luck - in my book - and judging by your comment re wife and child, I don’t think this is where you want to be, otherwise I guess you wouldn’t have asked the question in the first place! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Nick, You could try Brembo. Hopefully other recommendations will be forthcoming. Perhaps you could come back to us when you are suitably armed with suggestions, and let us know what you decide. Where do you intend to buy your parts? Kind regards, Gareth.

What on earth is the photo showing us Marcus?

Hello, Electric handbrake releasing properly Callum? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Stewart, Have you had sight of this ‘impeccable service history’, and comprehensive evidence of its meticulous maintenance? Also, can we take it you have studied the on-line service history of the car? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Michael, For ‘sensors’ , I’m still reading ‘sender’ for gauges. Of course, the drive home will confirm the true state of affairs. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

David seems to have disappeared!

Hello Leigh, I think you have to boil this down to absolute like for like comparisons, otherwise you are going to be tempted to follow the cheapest quote - to get some sort of a job done. Would I consider getting the job done without replacing the water pump? No, I wouldn’t. Genuine VAG pumps are cheaper than they used to be anyway. It’s easy for me to say, since it’s not my money, but would you have walked away from this car - at a time when prices are escalating and price negotiations seem to be a thing of the past - if the car was advertised at £1,000 more? Worth asking yourself this question, in my book. Out of city quotes for like for like?? The all important difference should be the labour rate, since parts prices will obviously be the same. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Leigh, I’m loosing this a bit! So an independent quotes you ‘just over £1000’ . ‘Audi’ quote you a bit under £950 - cheaper than the independent, and you want to cry. We suggested you tried an Audi dealer - and guess what? They are indeed cheaper? Yes, a lot of money, but cheaper. Now I did suggest you try other out-of-city dealers, because they may be cheaper than your ‘Audi’ quote. Have you tried that ring around yet? Of course, you can also try out-of-city independents if wish. Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks for sharing your contentment with your main dealer Ian. We are so used to hearing tales of (justifiable) discontents, that your post really does make refreshing reading. Enjoy the car. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Michael, Many thanks for the additional information. Private or trade purchase? Test drives of say 5 miles should be sufficient for the coolant temperature to reach its normal operating temperature. If your test drive was shorter than that, or if it didn’t get up to temperature in that distance, then you are indeed in unknown territory. Has the car been transported to you then, since you don’t seem to mention anything of the ‘drive home’? Oil temperature -as already said - assess after a 10 mile run. It’s certainly not unheard of for new owners to find the oil light comes on part way home, when the oil gets up to temperature, so short test drives are always a chance. In your case Michael, it’s simply a case of test driving on that length of journey and reporting back with your findings. MGF?? Who have you upset then? - bless you. I guess someone has to own one! So that makes two of us now then, if you count in our TF! You should be well qualified to judge oil temperature gauges by now then. Just report back when you’ve done your test drive, but it would be interesting to have the rest of the background meanwhile. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello James, I would certainly not assume that any wiring should be there. Those days seem to have gone, where vehicles are now built to order specification, and ‘options’ wiring is unlikely to be built in. It would be plan for the worse and hope for the best. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello again Michael, I’ve always called them senders since their primary (and indeed only) function is to control the gauge. Others may call them ‘coolant temperature sensors’, but I reserve that description for such sensors that signal the correct fuel mixture etc. Gauge senders often have just 2 wire connectors, whereas the sensors have more - all a rule of thumb though! Oil temperature:- Some people assume that a car is up to operating temperature once the coolant temperature has reached normal i.e. with 2 to 3 miles. Not so, by that time, the oil is barely warm, and you need about a 10 mile run for the oil to be up to its optimum temperature. Definitely forget about idling! This will obviously be affected by outside temperature, but I would think about 110 in this sort of weather. Perhaps interesting that you suspect your oil temp. gauge maybe reading low as well, and there might (just might) be a connection between this and a low reading coolant temp gauge. However, your 19 year old car maybe too modern for this possible connection! - older cars were fitted with a voltage stabiliser that dropped the gauge operating voltage to around 9 to 10v to damp the gauge from fluctuations. These units used to cause issues, but probably not on yours. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Leigh, Don’t knock yourself about -you are not on your own! I don’t think it’s uncommon for owners to change their vehicles just before some large expenditure is due, but they too get ‘caught out’ with massive outlays on the ‘cost to change’ economics. I too would have thought c£750 sounds nearer to it, but as I say, just shop around until you have a reasonable figure from a source you have confidence in. You might find out-of-city dealers will offer you lower prices due to lower overheads. Perhaps you could let us know where you get to with this. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. There have been Cambelt ‘deals’ where they offer you free MOTs for life! Personally, I’d avoid these like the plague, since they can do serious damage to your wallet in the longer run.

Hello Michael, Many thanks for joining and posting your plea. Are you confident that the car is actually getting up to its proper operating temperature, even though the gauge isn’t indicating it is? If so, I would suspect the coolant temperature sender linked to the gauge, the resistance of which should change as the temperature increases. Try to obtain a reasonable quality one such as Bosch, although I have used Febi to good avail. Kind regards, Gareth,

Hello Leigh, Before we start, yours does have a belt rather than a change - doesn’t it?? Prices at independents can, and often are cheaper, but certainly not always. 1k would seem expensive to me, but I might be out of touch with the current ride in prices. Cambelts may be one such example, since main dealers often have offers on this, so it’s well worth ringing around and seeing what you come up with. For me, this critical application should not be treated as a price-is-king job, and I favour using reasonably price dealerships who you get a feel from. If it were mine, I would also consider getting the auxiliary belt and tensioner changed at the same time. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Colin, As far as I’m aware it equates to 5w 30 and not 5w 40, but hopefully someone else will be along to confirm or refute this. You say you be buying ‘fully synthetic’, but I would advise that ‘synthetic’ has become rather confused, and you now might encounter descriptions such as ‘synthetic technology’. Incase it helps, I have been using VAG’s recommended Quantum brand for many years - using their Longlife 3 variant, even though covering less than 10k per annum, and changing it annually. This is normally available at competitive prices from a number of EBay sellers. As well as investing in the correct specification and grade of oil, it is equally important to choose good filters. Your choice of course, but I stay well away from sellers who normally sell their products at high discounts off so called retail prices! Kind regards, Gareth.