Magnet

Hello J ( could you please let us know your proper name). Looking at it logically, you cannot be confident that it isn’t the scuttle panel drain, until you inspect a them and confirm whether the problem is there or not. Anything short of that must be an assumption. Similarly, it is an assumption that the Air Con drain tube is at fault, until you prove it is. One possible way is to use the car without the air con on, but are you sure that the drain pipe actually run through the car as opposed to within engine compartment/ bulkhead area? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks you Ian, but could I politely suggest it would be worth turning things down a bit.

Register your ‘want’ with on-line breaker link sites such as Partsfinder - there are more. Their websites will explain their services. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Be aware too when buying secondhand Adam - you could be buying your own! If it were mine, I would follow Steve’s advice and get a second opinion on this, before committing to purchasing anything. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Colwyn, So can we take it you are not interested in trying to find a reputable brand aftermarket one, in preference to getting a secondhand one?

Thanks Ian, but this has the potential for becoming like a game of tennis, so perhaps worth drawing a line under the current theme. Anyway, back to your issue :- If as you say, you need eccentric bolts to return the camber to what it should be, and it’s currently out of limits because the ride height is low, my logic would point towards returning the ride height to what it should be. If you don’t want to do that, then - unless you know better - you maybe left with the prospect of getting bolts made at a machine shop - with due respect to correct tensile strength etc. Not sure if this will be of any help, but I think the lower rear suspension wishbone on the A3 has eccentric bolts at the wheel end. Sizes?? But maybe worth some homework. Let us know how you get on Ian. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello again Gary. Noticed you have returned to the forum. Do you have an answer on your intention method of jointing?

Anyone else able to help Geoff out with this? If not, my suggestion would be to nip the car around to a couple of accessible bodyshops and ask there. Well worth arming yourself with a box of biscuits if you get a result. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks for asking us to advise you.

OK Robert. We will ask Admin to delete your Elvis sign on then, to avoid confusion. Thanks for the additional information, but it seems everyone is confused about the origins of this mystery nut then -? Very strange, since you would expect something inside your engine is missing this vital component! Not sure what words you have used which resulted in the Removed bit, but when you say ‘If others think it’s about right…..’ - are you suggesting you need additional responses from other members as well as what you have received so far? Kind regards, Gareth.

What logging in problems did you have then and what comments do you have in reply to the responses so far about your bill Robert?

Welcome John, but could you please re-post this under the appropriate section. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Robert and thanks for joining. I’m not sure why you have tagged your post on to the one you have chosen, since there doesn’t seem to be any relevance. Anyway….. I’m sorry to hear of your problem, but before discussing prices, I would be far more interested/ worried about where your bolt head or nut came from, but… To try to answer your question re. price and are you being ripped off with 4x ? , which suggests you think you are. You seem to be paying for around 10 hours labour at £x/hour to start with, and I would have thought that 10 hours could have been more. You have had the cambelt renewed together with injectors - I think. Head gasket set , and probably valve/s, head skimmed etc. etc. To me, it’s around expectations, but I could be wrong. It might be worth appreciating Robert that you could be lucky that the garage agreed to undertake the work, rather than write off the engine - as many would. Without further knowledge, I would be interested in your views which lead you to question why you question if you may have been ripped off - as you say. Kind regards, Gareth.

Wondered if you are going to return to the forum Gary, to read the advice you asked for -?

Any problem in finding a reputable brand aftermarket one Colwyn rather than a second-user ( new term to me) one? If there is a supply difficulty, have you considered a specialist rebuild? Kind regards, Gareth.

It seems as if the OP, Dean, joined, posted his plea for help, and never returned to read or acknowledge the advice given. Can the forum do without this time wasting, taking for granted type of member? I think so!

Thanks Denis, Now that we have a clearer picture of the car’s service history (we take it at a main dealer?) and your longer term intention, then I think everyone is better placed to advise you on its future servicing. If it were mine, and I intended keeping it for as long as possible, then I wouldn’t be untrusting it’s future servicing to main dealers, since the perceived short term ‘value advantage’ of full dealer service history ( if such a thing is real) would not apply. I would be investigating the cost difference between servicing at a trusted local independent, the main dealer, and a trusted local garage, and see what comes out of that. The advantage of using an independent over a local garage may only matter in cases of advanced diagnostics, so for ordinary servicing, a local garage maybe the option. When you say Major Service and all (in caps) filters changed -assuming main dealer - then I doubt if anything more than oil filters have been changed so far, since Audi’s air filter changes might now stretch to an undesirable 45K miles. Again if it were mine, I would be checking back on invoices to see exactly what has been changed and when. This will give you a better marker point for going forward. Wherever you get it serviced, always keep the invoices as evidence. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Denis, It would be good if you could let us know how many services this car has had to date - inc. dates and mileages - and particularly in respect of the last service, what components, e.g. filters etc. were changed. Also, how long do you intend to keep the car, and what is your anticipated annual mileage? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gary, I would seriously suggest you disconnect the battery before doing any electrical work on the car. What method are you going to use to join the new cables to the old? Kind regards, Gareth.

It’s that time of year again where we think of friends we may not meet during the year, but who we are in contact with by other modern methods that we can use to pass on good wishes. Our family would like to wish everyone on here a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year. I use the word peaceful since regrettably the world does seem to be in some turmoil, but we look forward to the time when harmony prevails. I would also like to thank all those members who take the time to try to help others when they need it. Be kind and considerate. Best wishes to you all, Gareth.

Hello Denis, Could you confirm your car is now just out of warranty - or not?

Every body will have a need to call on Percy at sometime. The one you don’t want knocking your door is Dai Lemma. He’s always bad news!

Thanks Steve, This is really straight from the book of best practice, and should always be done as a matter of course. DIYer have no excuse for not doing this - apart from ignorance, so certainly worth a mention. Garages not doing it, because it takes a little longer?? Anyway, thanks Steve. Kind regards, Gareth.

Come on, catch up Leighton. He is the best pal you will need when you are trying to keep chipping away at a problem! Kind regards, Gareth.

I can only wish you well with this Leighton. Life’s experiences with me, have pointed me towards an acceptance that a ‘supposed problem’ is likely to be the worse thing that’s happening to you at the time, and you will find that once something more worrying comes along, you wonder why you were so hung up about the first issue! Still, only one person’s opinion. My earlier point re. Percy Verance was that if you are going to take action, then make a determined, and more to the point, constant effort to sort it , rather than accept the ‘they are not coming back to me’ principle. Anyway, good luck with the outcome. Kind regards, Gareth.