Magnet

Many thanks Paul, I still think you are being unnecessarily premature in getting the gearbox and differential fluids renewed on a 6 year old, sub 40K vehicle, and I stand by the principal of the earlier post where I would have thought 75K ( or say 8 years) would have been more acceptable. However, I would welcome additional views from other forum members. Having said that Paul, it’s your money, and you must do with it what you may. Costings? For gearbox change, I thought around £400 was about the ball park, but things have increased in price - but to £600? Again, others may have more up to date experience to go with. If this were mine, I would be more inclined to follow the wishbone replacement requirement/not yet required as my priority. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Vinny, Sorry your are not getting the replies you require. Back to your battery - when you say you have checked the battery voltage - with what equipment, and what was the voltage reading? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, To get straight to the point- what exactly is now going to cost you £900 - the gearbox service, plus a normal service, and renewing the wishbones?? Or just the gearbox service?. Has some independent experienced person inspected the wishbones yet, and declared them to require attention in the immediate future? Apologies, but I’m a bit lost with this thread. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Emma, Sorry to hear of your issues. If this were mine, I would be seeking an alternative quote, since c£3k sounds rather expensive to me. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Liam, Have you considered searching for a secondhand one as a temporary measure pending receipt of the new part? Search Partsfinder or similar on- line car breaker link sites. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Karen Many thanks for joining, and for posting your plea. The days of ‘Whats the price for cash?’ have long gone - if they ever existed for long. A sizeable chunk of the salesman’s commission is reaped from commissions from arranging finance, and from selling you add-ons. As I understand it, you can arrange the finance deal and settle in full the following day without penalty to you - the salesman’s commission? - not sure. Your £250 plus a couple of services? - again I don’t know, so you will need to enquire at the source. Are you really struck on getting £250 from them, and again , do you really want to be locking into a ‘free’ service? I ask, since it’s not unusual to find some wear item that apparently needs renewing, and your ‘free’ service ends up costing you! Having said all that, there are advantages to you in taking out finance ( at a low interest rate?) and hanging on to your funds, if only, if something goes pear shaped with the car, then you have a finance company involved who may back up your case, due to their interest in the vehicle. Just noticed, the car will be under manufacturer’s warranty, so this might influence your decision. Kind regards, Gareth.

OK, discount that possibility then. Next constructive suggestion:- get both cars tested for emission values ( as U.K. MOT ) and compare. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Airgars, I thought sure I’d replied to your post, but it no longer shows. Anyway, you should be able to get an online valuation via. Parkers etc. It would also be worth checking with We Buy Any Car and other on- line buyers who will provide you with a bottom line figure. As with all ‘valuations’ they can only be taken as guides, and may not represent what a prospective buyer would be prepared to pay. Hope some of this helps. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Sherif, You seem to have carried out a comparative test using an identical car over similar journeys and the consumption seems to be high to me. Questions:- has your 5 year old car been recalled and dealt with under the emissions issue? If so, was this done before you owned it? Has your friend’s car been dealt with under the emissions recall? Kind regards, Gareth.

Sensible indeed! - funds permitting. My family are ‘banning me’ from such activities on age grounds, and I’m trying to avoid being detected! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gary, Many thanks, but you confuse me, and I’m well capable of confusion myself! The history is jibberish in my system. When you say ‘I presume it’s all online’ - yes it should be, and I thought you had confirmed a full service history before buying it, and would have requested print outs for your satisfaction. ’An oil change is due to 8k miles’ - does that mean in 8 K miles on from its current mileage? It will hopefully make sense when you present readable copy of the service history. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gary, Not quite sure what you mean by ‘how does the servicing work on these?’ Question:- when was the last recorded service , and what parts ( filters etc.) were changed then? What mileage has it done and what is your anticipated annual mileage? These answers will influence its service schedule going forward. Kind regards, Gareth.

Great Gary, What about the fixing costs for the advisories that you enquired about? Kind regards, Gareth.

Where’s the oil leak showing in the photo then Sam? Kind regards, Gareth.

Um!

Hello Gary, Your best bet is to ring a local independent and ask for prices for:- Supply and fit off side suspension wishbone. Supply and fit pair of front shock absorbers. (would not advise to just change one). Rear spring corroded ? Depends how badly, and again change as pair. What is the service history like on the vehicle? Are you buying locally? If not, consider the impracticality of getting any warranty work done. Last V5 issue date? ( available on DVLA Vehicle check). This should indicate how long the last owner has owned it. Short length ownership would be iffy. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Airgas, Have you looked up a valuation on Parker’s or similar, and/or had a bottom line figure from the likes of We BuY and Car etc.? Kind regards, Gareth.

Asif hasn’t returned to the forum since 1st September Cliff. Guess he’s busy buying oil! - bless him.

Hello again Paul, Yes, I would certainly have the wishbone bushes checked by another garage at some point in the near future. Has it been through an MOT since you bought it, or will it need to be MOT’d in the next 6 months? This may give you reassurance/ second opinion. Auto boxes and oil changes? Forget my comments on manual boxes! Auto gearbox oil changes are recommended although not necessarily specified, but I would have thought that 40k would be rather premature - perhaps 75 K, but there may be sounder opinion to follow on here. Age can also be a factor, but again I don’t think it would bother me at this stage. Diff. Oil - same. In effect Paul:- get a second opinion on the serviceability of the wishbones. Only do your homework on the gearbox and diff. at this stage, advance of having to do something in say the next couple of years. Gearbox oil and filter change estimate sounds reasonable, but ‘part change’?? - sounds odd. Just give everything a good coat of thinking about, but not spending on at this stage! Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Robert, Spring failure is now almost a fact of life, since coils have thinner cross sections, less coils and more tension - something has to give, sooner than it used it when engineering was not controlled by marketing. Take it you are renewing both sides-? Kind regards, Gareth.

Great - well that’s different from ‘as soon as possible’.

Hello Paul Wishbone ‘started to part’ on a 2016 model? ‘…..so I’m told….’. Personally, I would want a second opinion on this from an independent source, or a thorough personal inspection, before renewing these wishbones at this time. A caveat maybe if the vehicle has covered a higher than average mileage, or has been used under rougher than normal terrain for the model. If indeed they need changing, I would go with a good aftermarket brand, such as Lemforder, bought at most competitive price from sellers on EBay etc. Gearbox oil? Strangely, I had thoughts yesterday that I should be considering changing the oil on our 168K, 16 year old A3! Car has been owned from new, and it’s never been changed to date. Not sure if that helps. Caveat - yours is also manual -? If auto, worth factoring this in within the next couple of years. Differential? Pardon my ignorance, but Haldex system? If so, could be worth considering. Search for a trusted transmission specialist and talk with them. Once the vehicle is out of warranty, all things maintenance is not Audi dealer or even an independent, but a trusted local knowledgeable source. Hope some of this help. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Teresa, ’As soon as possible’ maybe too late - unless you are not using it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, Many thanks, What price do you want for it - apart from ‘offers’? Kind regards, Gareth.

Simple things first Vinny. Eliminate the battery as the culprit. If you know what you are doing ( all in caps) then connect up some jump leads to another vehicle that has a good battery. If you are not completely confident and competent at this - DO NOT DO IT. Kind regards, Gareth.