Magnet

There we are Scott. So you’ve learned something new today then! Glad the forum was able to sort it for you. Bodges are bodges, fault finding is an art! Kind regards, Gareth.

Manual or automatic Carcharel? Kind regards, Gareth.

Same action suggested.

Hello Scott, Before doing any bodges, check for breaks in the wiring in the fluted rubber section where the harness runs from the body to the boot. Quite common for there to be issues there, due to the flexing of the harness as the boot is openes and closes - particularly in cold weather, when the wires become more rigid. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Apologies Peter, but this would be difficult to diagnose without access to the car, and could be anything from a poor fuse contact, through to any number of sensors. I note you say you have only bought it last week, so there should be some redress there from the seller. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Lee - understand the principle here. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Lee, OK, I give up! Audi would have topped it up for £15, rather than you buying it at around £7. Audi would log their addition of the correct oil, so reducing any argument about oil consumption in the future (which there is likely to be). The bonus to you is that you have saved around £8 on a vehicle which recently retailed at many tens of thousands of pounds! But there again, I guess £8 = one (free) McDonalds. Apologies - I’m being cynical. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Lee, Sorry to hear of your issue. I just wondered if you really were serious in rejecting their action of adding oil to the car when it was shown to be necessary. Telling them not to bother will potentially hamper any subsequent claim you may wish to make, since you are condoning using the car with a low oil level. Obviously your call, but is this risk worth taking to save £15? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Robert, I too missed the ‘just bought’ bit. Private sale or dealer? If dealer, you should certainly have redress, but do not ‘fiddle or try to diagnose’ anything, otherwise you could be judged as having a part in its failure. Simply, notify the selling dealer by e-mail and ask them what course of action they wish to tread. I would not be doing this by phone or text. If private sale? Does not necessarily discount redress. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mark, Might be worth adding some Redex diesel additive and some non supermarket fuel before embarking on your ‘Italian Tune’. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Robert, As Cliff says - the cause of your issues could be laid at the door of more components than you could throw a stick at, and again as Cliff says, trying to advice on any of these components ‘remotely’ will be no more than a black-art guess. I think it’s great that you are intending to carry out the repair of whatever is wrong, but you first have to identify where the problem lies - back to paragraph one! Without a correct diagnosis via. having the car inspected locally, then you will end up throwing good money in the wrong directions, so pessimistically, the answer to your question of ‘what’s wrong’ is highly unlikely to lie within this forum. If this were mine, I would be investing in an hour’s services of a trusted local mobile mechanic with a view to correctly identifying the offending component, then deciding that you can then rectify the problem yourself. Kind regards, Gareth.

You are joking Mart - aren’t you? This post is not far off 4 years old!

Hello Rob, To answer your question - ‘Do I need a new battery’:- my answer would be, simply, do you have any good reason why you do not wish to invest in a good battery? You may know that the battery was renewed x years ago, the brand is good, so you don’t think it would be the battery which is at fault. If you don’t have any evidence which points to being able to eliminate the battery, then yes, invest in a new one. Invest is the operative word, so do so by only buying a premium brand such as Varta/ Bosch, making sure you buy their blue or silver topped versions, with a minimum of 4 years warranty. These can be bought on line, mail order, from specialists suppliers such as Battery Megastore, Tanya etc. I tend to buy off their EBay listings where you get them post free - usually next day delivery. Personally, I would not be tempted to buy any other make. Hope this helps. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, Thanks for being in touch. As Tom says, if your car is a 2020, then the last thing you want to do is to worry why it’s leaking any fluid. You need to arrange to get it back to a dealer as soon as possible. Brake fluid and red in colour? I don’t think so, but whatever, urgency and safety is of paramount importance. For what it’s worth, red fluid sounds if if it could ( in caps) be a coolant leak. Perhaps you could let us know the outcome. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks for the additional information Ian, but I’m not really sure I follow the logic too well, but.... Kind regards, Gareth.

Obviously your call Peter, but I’m not sure why it was necessary to have looked for advice if you intended to use your on-stock oil anyway. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Simon, Common problem area (particularly in this cold weather) can be a break/partial break in the wire within the flexible harness which runs from the body into the tailgate. Carefully pull back the rubber covering and inspect. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Peter, For what it means, both brands mentioned are most likely to have been ‘bought on price’, and particularly with Triple QX, it often comes or can come, as part of a Crossland filter combination. Crossland were once a very well respected brand, but now a bought-out brand mane exclusive to ECP. WouldI use them? No, but that’s a personal opinion. Based on the fact that DIY maintenance obviously comes free of labour charges, I always invest the savings by only buying quality parts - at best possible prices. To this end, I have stuck with Quantum oil which is/was the VAG recommended brand, and is usually listed on EBay. It has stood me in good stead with the humble A3 which now has in excess of 160K under its belt. Filters? only Mann or Bosch unless using VAG (at discount). Not sure of any of this helps. Kind regards, Gareth.

Perhaps I can now understand your earlier post about wanting to rev the engine at standstill!

Thanks for the reply some 4 months on. Sorry, another question:- why would you want to rev the engine at a high level sr standstill? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, Might be worth having a look at Beemerboy9 recent post on charges post Brexit, before committing to buy. Kind regards, Gareth.

You are very welcome to the opinions you canvassed for Andrew. I hope you get your problem sorted at the dealer you choose to use. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andrew, ‘.....driving a cold car at 4 to 5,000 rpm would not be too far in my opinion.....unless you think that is wrong’. Sorry but for me, treating the car in that manner when cold, would equate to a high degree of disrespect for any piece of machinery. Couple this with your mother being inclined to drive on a flat tyre, then I bet there cannot be many potential buyers forming a queue to buy your used cars! Sorry Andrew, but you did canvas opinion. Anyway, your ‘misfire’ ( when up to operating temperature) obviously suggests something is wrong, and it may be associated with an incorrectly timed cambelt change by the main dealer, but that would realistically be rare - although not impossible. May I suggest you get the car inspected at another main dealer. Kind regards, Gareth.

Blinking heck Andy, never seen the likes! Just wondering what mileage this c5 year old car has covered, and what sort of service history it has under it’s belt? - or supposed to have. I would not be surprised if this filter may be the original, or judging by the state of it - may even have seen a previous life in another vehicle! If this were mine, I would be seriously looking to get the car comprehensively serviced by a main dealer or trusted local garage (using genuine VAG parts). Re. still smelling rich:- the car would benefit from a couple of good runs now that the new filter has been fitted. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Peter, Thanks for being in touch. As Kev says, in addition to listing your ‘wants’ on on line car breaker sits such as Partsfinder - there are more. Rather surprised this was categorised as non structural - quite nasty, and I would have thought not cheap to repair. Hope you find your parts. Kind regards, Gareth.