Magnet

Thanks Malcolm, To summarise:- For belted engines, the rule of thumb was to renew belt assemblies at c75K miles or 5 years - whichever comes first. (The last 3 words being of significance). It now seems that not only have VAG removed this time limit, but increased the mileage limit to c135K, so you can choose whichever camp suits your thinking. By the previous recommendation, you would be renewing the belt assembly this year at its 5th anniversary. As mentioned to Deborah, it’s well worth renewing the auxiliary belt at the same time as the cambelt. Please come back to us if things aren’t clear enough to allow you to make a decision. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. It would be worthwhile checking actual ‘new’ mileage recommendation with a couple of main dealers, since I’m going from memory - which isn’t as reliable as it used to be!

Your choice I guess, but it appears it has been subjected to some form of ‘mileage correction’ at some time, if the infirmation can be substantiated. Two things to consider:- The car will have a lower value due it it’s higher mileage. The car shouldn’t be resold with any indication that the odometer mileage is correct, so this will obviously limit its selling appeal, and again devaluate it. As I see it, you will have the option to reject the car within 30 days and to receive a full refund. Two things that remain unclear from your original post:- When did you actually buy it? What diagnostic system have you used that provides you with the data in your opening post? Kind regards, Gareth.

So have you yet attempted to get a service print out via. an Audi specialist? I did mention the possibility of a replacement ECU having been fitted. Sorry to be make a suggestion of bad news, but it looks like the reading on your odometer does not represent the distance this car has covered.

Hello Andy, One thing at might (in caps) aid your case is if it has full Audi service history. Does it? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Malcolm, Have a look, at today’s latest posts against a thread by Deborah. ‘…. Struggles on initial start up.. ‘ or similar wording. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Alex, and thanks for joining. It appears that apart from the Goodyear, the rest seem to be a cocktail of budget tyres, which you might find have varying grip in wet/ adverse conditions. Recommended brands? I think you are going to have as many different recommendations as you get replies. For what it’s worth, I have generally stuck with Michelin which I have found give me more miles/£1, but I’m sure you will have other recommendations. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andy, Thanks for joining and posting. For me to get this in my mind, the car is now around 7 years old, so 4 years out of warranty. The accelerator pedal snapped and Southend Audi? - or another dealer? wants to charge £300 to repair the car, and you think this should be covered by warranty, although that expired 4 years ago. This is just a personal view, but I think this is an unreasonable expectation ( if the above facts are as I make out from the details you give us), and again, it could be me, but £300 repair cost doesn’t surprise for Audi, and the model you have. You may find an independent maybe a bit cheaper for you, so worth an ask. Although this forum has no reason to defend Audi, or any of its dealers - based on what you tell us, regrettably, I cannot support your view ‘….I cannot believe the poor level of service they are demonstrating’. If the other Mods, or Admin. feel my response is too harsh, then obviously I’m very happy to withdraw anything. Apologies Andy, that this is not the supporting response you were expecting. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Deborah, This car is obviously going to be woken up! From 4K miles a year to over 20K. Based on this, personally I wouldn’t be leaving this for a year and another 20k, but budgeting to get it done within half that mileage. Sorry, I assumed it was going to have a quiet life - shows where assumptions go wrong! It would be well worth getting alternative quotes, even from main dealers, who sometimes have offers on such expensive jobs. Be prepared for them to inform you it doesn’t need changing. Also worth trying other trusted independents. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Sharad, 45 days wait doesn’t put Audi in good light. Have you tried other main dealers within a sensible travelling distance? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steven, Is the boot water in contact with any electrical junction boxes etc. or wiring? If so, this needs to be mopped up, all electrical components carefully dried with a hair dryer, before spraying with contact cleaner. It would also be worth having the battery efficiency checked, before engaging in any more expensive diagnostics. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on Steven. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. It is obviously desirable to fix the source of your leaks - usually the air vents, but a forum search should colour in the detail for you.

Hello Robert, Welcome and thanks for joining. Could you explain ‘….plenty of battery power………..only winds over for a few seconds’ - the two things are confusing. Did your breakdown company give you an opinion on what the issue may be? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Tony, As Steve says, you should find advice at any large local bodyshop. Just pay visits rather than e-mail or phone, and by doing it that way, you will get a feel of your confidence in them. Kind regards, Gareth.

I’m very pleased it’s all worked out for you Deborah. Sounds good. Re. Cambelt- what did the the Audi independent advise? My rule of thumb has always been to change the belt and assembly every 75k miles, or 5 years - whichever comes first. So your car should be due for its second belt change next year, but doesn’t appear to have been changed at all yet. This might seem ‘over- servicing’ in the case of this car which seems to have averaged approx. 4K miles/an over its life, but low mileage use does present its own increased stresses, where cars are used on infrequent barely up to temperature short journeys. It seems VAG have now dispensed with their age limit, and are now recommending renewing the belt only when the vehicle reaches 135?k - or similar figure, so according to that logic, your belt will not need changing until it’s over 30 years old in in the scrapyard! Daft in my book. If it were mine, I would schedule to get it renewed during the next year. If you do decide to go ahead with that, I would also get the auxiliary belt changed at the same time. What sort of feel did you get from the garage that inspected it, and were you able to talk directly with a technician, rather than a service receptionist? Many thanks for the update. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Assuming this engine runs on a belt rather than a chain.

Hello Sharad, We guess you have invested/committed to pay a fair amount of funds into this now 1 year old car, and as such, you should be able to enjoy it, safe in your understanding that whatever goes wrong, the warranty will cover your issue. We really do try to be helpful on here, but my best advice would be:- Bleep - book it into the main dealer and entrust the solution to them. You haven’t paid good money to diagnose issues. Seat bolsters:- Accept the dealer’s offer to replace them, and keep requesting replacements under warranty if those turn out to deteriorate. Hope this is a positive way forward. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello W. Midlands Steve, To avoid undue dismantling and expense:- consider measuring the outside diameter and buying the appropriate straight connector to re join. If it’s a very low pressure breather, you could even find that a plastic push fit connector may suffice. Should be plenty on EBay. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jacob, Welcome and thanks for joining. Although the 18 inch wheels you prefer would probably fit your car, it’s not quite as simple as this, since the tyre profile would have to decrease to ensure the dia. of 18 inch wheel + tyre, remains the same as your current 17 inch, otherwise it will affect the gearing etc. I used to work these out for members, but now simply suggest referring to websites which supply wheels, where you should find a calculator to input current tyre widths and profiles, then it works out what profile you will need for the increased diameter wheel. Once you have that information, it would be well worth checking on tyre prices - demand and availability may make them a lot more expensive than your current size - or indeed cheaper, but doing homework before committing avoids surprises. Perhaps you could let us know what you find out Jacob. Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Maidenhead Steve, I very much understand the (very?) significant disadvantages of using high pressure lances to clean vehicles - I always steer well clear of any situation where this might happen, and on the very rare occasions any owned vehicles have to go into a main, or substantial dealership, I wash the vehicle before hand, and specifically instruct - do not wash vehicle - vacuum only. You are quite specific in singling out the starter motor and alternator, and my assumption is that you believe that the water ingress was due to the pressure washer directing water at high pressure, through the grille and this water found its way onto, and stayed with, the starter and alternator. I can understand this if the lance was directed horizontally into the grille, as opposed to what would be normal practice of directing it at an angle. Again to try to understand this, we would need to consider the distance the car was driven between the point where it was washed and your home. If a few miles, then you might expect the water on the engine would have dried significantly, or at least sufficiently, not to leave pooling water which would subsequently freeze. ECU location on this model? - somewhere where water ingress would hold and freeze? The last point I can make is that although pressures from pressure washers are high, volumes are generally low. Apologies Steve, if this comes over as challenging your theory, but I think it would be helpful to fully understand the logic. Again with apologies - I can’t resist returning to Steve Y’s comment that it was likely caused by arson - if it was, it was probably someone arson about! Kind regards, Gareth.

What abrasive polish are you using?

Is it just the lenses that have gone cloudy then Gordon?

Thanks Gordon, Well worth searching EBay, and if you are prepared to consider secondhand, you could register your ‘want’ on on-line breaker sites such as Partsfinder ( there are more). Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Judy, Welcome, and thanks for joining. Pardon my ignorance on location abbreviations, but I’m guessing you are based in the States, by your description of ‘shop’ , as opposed to UK’s ‘garage’. Bearing in mind that this is a pre-Covid thread, I think it would be difficult to guess at what this job would now cost in the U.K. - States?? Probably impossible to estimate, but I’m sure you will easily be able to obtain a couple of quotes to choose from. Sorry we cannot be more specific for you. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Daniel, Apologies if this isn’t going to be practical - always difficult to gauge from photos- but can’t you sleeve a suitable small dia. brass/ hard plastic etc. pipe down into the section in the tailgate, leaving enough to push the plastic piece over. Obviously you would need to find a suitable dia. sort stub of pipe, or get one turned down. Thoroughly clean both pieces and Araldite the sleeve pipe in. Easiest way to measure the OD you will need is to carefully insert a drill bit etc. until you find one which is a snug fit. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Gordon, Where have you looked so far? Kind regards, Gareth.

Oh bless you Graham. Let’s hope it works out for you. I made a conscious decision a decade or so ago that Lion would be at the bottom of my buying list. Might be better now - but all modern cars depend so heavily on top efficiency batteries. Incase it helps for the future I bought a couple of Exide Premium batteries last year at very competitive prices from Tayna Batteries ( no connection), and Exide has become my current brand to buy. ECP? Seldom found them to be competitive in in past, even with their then high % discounts off so called list price. For general parts, I usually look at Parts in Motion site ( again no connection), but also scan EBay for premium brands at most competitive prices from reputable sellers. Kind regards, Gareth.

Great last comment Steve!