Magnet

Hello Ashley, You first need to find yourself a recommended local mechanic. If this were mine, I would be doing two things in this order: - Get the coolant system pressure checked. If reasonably acceptable then on the basis of simple things first, renew the thermostat, but only renew with a genuine VAG one. If you find this to be too expensive ( even with buying at discount) and you feel inclined not to buy once and wisely, then only buy one of the top aftermarket brands. Whatever you buy, I would be testing the new thermostat to ensure it opens at the correct temperature before fitting. You will probably experience opposition to that from most mechanics, but it will reap benefits. If anyone considers dunking it in boiling water to be an adequate test, then find another mechanic, or test it yourself - I can tell you how, if you are serious in going to this length. If a new thermostat doesn’t sort out the problem - and it may not - then you will be in for more testing, but just let us know. Petrol or diesel by the way? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gareth, Any such noise must be considered serious, either in terms of the current cause, or the potential for catastrophic failure of another component . If this were mine, I would be getting the auxiliary belt removed as a matter of urgency, to see if this influences or eliminated the noise. Further, I would not be using this until this issue is sorted. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ashley, Some more information needed:- How long have you owned the car, and roughly how many miles have you covered in it? - to give an idea of how long you have put up with this non-heater issue. Have you previously needed to top up the coolant reservoir, before this motorway incident? Has the temperature gauge gone above the 90 mark before your motorway incident? Does it go above 90 now - on non motorway journeys, and do you have to keep topping up the coolant? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Michael, I had exactly the same issue with a family 2015 A4 diesel. Ok. the fault code showed that’s what was at fault, but it didn’t have one either! I would need to investigate what the fault actually was after. Plugging in code readers can lead owners up expensive dead end roads. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Richard, The often quoted advice is that if you want to tick all the boxes, then you write out a cheque out for a new one! Every car you view will be imperfect in some respect. To be fair, this 1 owner car would seem worth following up on to me, and yes, if you have to turn up at a front door, then that might be what you will have to do. Question? Is it worth dismissing, in comparison to doing some homework? Only you will know that. Are you likely to find one which appears to be better, and will the ‘homework digging’ be any more straightforward with that? Just some thoughts. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Richard, The ‘proper’ history of this car and potential faults lies with the previous keeper, and does not lie with the pages of a stamped service book. I don’t want to appear pessimistic, but simply to open the ‘in-love’ eyes, before committing. If I were in your situation, I would be attempting to contact the previous owner, and if the seller won’t help then it’s worth asking yourself why. Even the location of the last MOT can sometimes lead you to the owner. If you have a ( understandable?) concern regarding this car using oil, then I would question why the seller? has serviced this car before finding a buyer. The don’t normally, and simply await a buyer, and then service it. Was it very low on oil before coming in to them, for example? Doing homework is the key here. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, Thanks for being in touch with the forum. Looking at the age of your car, and taking note of the symptoms, I would first be wanting to eliminate the battery as the source of your issues - but it wouldn’t surprise me that it is the culprit. Do you know if the car is still running on its original battery? If it were mine, I would be taking it for an ‘essential journey’ of at least 10 miles, then getting the battery efficiency checked - Hartfords were/are doing this - although 2 points:- I’ve known batteries to pass the old ‘drop test’, but still be sub standard in terms of cold cranking limits etc. Also, if the battery is found to be at fault, what replacement do you buy? For me, it has to be Varta/Bosch ( generally the OE supplier’s), and I buy from specialist on- line suppliers such as Battery Megastore, Tanya etc. and I only buy the grade which has a minimum of a 4 year warranty. Look on suppliers EBay sites, where you normally get free delivery. Oder direct from them, and you generally don’t! Why?? Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth. h.

Hello Emily, Thanks for posting, but personally, I would not be listing my phone number on an open forum. You could ask enquirers to contact you by PM, as an alternative. Please let me know if you would like me to delete your post, and you can re-run it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Nicholas from the Homeland, Apologies for boring, but my first port of call would be to return to the thermostat and replace it with a genuine VAG one - if that isn’t what you used as a replacement. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ben, It isn’t impossible that the fitter who worked on your brakes may have disturbed something, but it’s unlikely, and judging by the garage’s reaction, you aren’t going to get very far down that line. Parking sensors can be problematic, and even be affected by dirt etc. It might be possible to tape over each one in turn until you identify the offender - never tried this method, by it may work. If not, then you would probably be down to investing in some diagnostics. Short of all of that, would incur removing the bumper and checking each one in turn. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Richard, Thanks for joining the forum. Just wondering if your interest in this stems from having the same issue with a vehicle you own. Perhaps you could let us know. Regarding a response from the original poster - he joined and last visited the forum within under two weeks, almost 4 months ago. I would suggest it would be better to send him a PM. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Phil, I just wonder whether Alan, the OP did resolve this issue and perhaps rejected the car as you suggest. Perhaps he could let us know. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Marks, Bulb replacement is usually hampered by restricted/ highly restricted access to removing and refitting the bulb, and it’s not uncommon to see vehicles with grossly misaligned beams due to the inevitable issue. This would always be my first port of call in all such cases. Sorry but I’m not sure about the difficulty with access with your particular car, but as said - even though it’s some time ago - I would be returning to the fitter and seek his advice/ resolution. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andy, Unfortunately this poster joined and posted some 10 months ago, and hasn’t returned to the forum since the following day. I would suggest you PM him, in the hope of getting a response. Perhaps you could let us know if you do. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Billy. Location of module? Sorry I really don’t know, and unless you are equipped with the necessary diagnostics and knowledge, then I can only repeat my suggestion that you have your local independent diagnose this for you, and estimate the cost of sorting it out. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mark, Thanks for being in touch. It’s possible that the fitter may not have seated the bulb correctly in its holder, rather than having disturbed the whole headlight - but of course we don’t know. If it were mine,I would be returning it to him for correction? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Justin, James has not visited the forum since late November, so it would be better to send him a PM. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Vijay, What battery did they fit? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Joe, As I understand it, the service-due indicator was either set on a Longlife service interval ( usually coming up at around 18k or 18 months), or an annual interval for low mileages covered in a year. If this is still the same, then dealers tend to set the indicator on an annual basis, since the car will return to them more frequently, and to be fair to them, your annual mileage would suggest that would be justified. Maintenance contract? Debatable, but you should be able to obtain an estimated cost from them ( would not suggest getting this from Sales Dept.) for annual servicing. What does the maintenance contract include. Consumables? - such as brake pads etc.? Again, you will need to look in detail at the terms of your PCP - where it may dictate that you must have the car serviced only at an Audi dealer, as opposed to ‘an Audi schedule’ which could allow you to have it serviced at say an independent. Hope some of this helps. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Ian, I don’t want to be pessimistic, but that’s a new one on me! Never heard the likes, but despite having more than a ‘few miles on the clock’, we are not too old to learn. Could you let us know how you get on Ian? Many thanks and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, Sounds like they may be M6 bolts. Easiest and quickest route under our current situation is to look on EBay. You are likely to be spoiled for choice there. Beware, metric threads might have a number of different thread pitches for the same dia. but you can afford to go with the most popular variants and order a couple to compare. To check the treads are the same pitch, simply line up the new one tight against the old one. Some bolts used on vehicles have a flange of shouldered head so a washer isn’t required. This type should also be listed. Kind regards, Gareth.

Well done. I guess we all need a bit of TLC - me in particular!

Thanks Tony, Sorry, but it always interests me what folks do with this extra decimal point of a second that they have spent considerable chunks of wallet relieving cash on to achieve. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Vijay, Thanks for being in touch. Sounds typical of battery issues - which would tie in with the anticipated service life of a battery fitted to a car with a stop/ start system. Worth getting the alternator output checked at the same time, but I wouldn’t anticipate any problems there. If it needs a new battery, then it becomes important that you spend wisely on its replacement, rather than any ‘brand x’ make which the garage may obtain from their local motor factors. Battery efficiency is vitally important these days. For me, I only use Varta/ Bosch with a minimum of 4 years guarantee. These can be delivered to the door by on line specialist suppliers such as Battery Megastore, Tanya, Plymouth Batteries etc. All of these, and more, sell on EBay, where you will normally get free delivery. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Thomas, Thanks for being in touch. Sounds typical of near side wheel bearing issue. Kind regards, Gareth.