Magnet

Thanks Sarah, Not wanting to protract this, but trying to concentrate the mind in perhaps a positive manner - air bags deployed may represent major damage or minor damage. Since I sense you are understandably attached to this car, it might be worth sitting back and giving the repair route a coat of thinking about since you will have a budget of >£4 ( less whatever they will change you to buy the salvage ) to get your ( in caps) car back to the condition you cherished. Having a bit more cash than offered? It may sound attractive to barter for another couple of hundred or so, but then you have to find another similar car of unknown pedigree. Having said that, only you know the full extent of the damage. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks for coming back Sarah, OK, cutting to the chase - what has been said is reasonable, constructive and progressive. I note you still say that yours has ‘this and that’, whereas others don’t, but it will be boring to repeat that such one-time-expensive extras are effectively worthless as the car ages. Your ‘near enough’ Autotrader link is in reality a mile-off as a comparison since it is a 3 year younger vehicle, and its reassuring to note that you too don’t see it as worthy of comparison, but it leads me to believe that you are still looking for that exact match ( specification wise) rather than looking at the more reasonable broader picture valuation. It would be great if you you could share the extent of the damage, and by considering the repair route, you will of course end up with an exact match for what you had, and who knows, by buying the salvage and paying for repairs, you may just end up with some money in your pocket! Regarding any offence taken in respect to not actually using your name, I feel I must defend Cliff’s post ( if I need to) since I’m sure the last thing he intended was to be offensive. Its interesting Sarah that you say you have other things to do apart from staring at a computer - don’t we all! I would again defend this forum as being an absolute free source of assistance - at the drop of a hat- for anyone who feels they only need to ask for it, and it’s now my turn to moan, but it’s rare ( as hen’s teeth?) for a very few to hang around and subsequently take their time to help others. Now that’s my rant! - with apologies. I don’t want to claim any accolades for contributing on here, but if you can spare a couple of minutes to calculate the time I’ve spent on posting/assisting/boring posters at over 2,600 posts at say an underestimated 4mins/post, I bet it represents a fair (waste?) of my time. Anyway, I really wish you well with your quest to obtain an higher than offered pay out, following compiling your supporting evidence. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello William, So is there a problem finding a quality aftermarket one without the part number? Kind regards, Gareth. You could try TPS and ask them if they could send you a photo of the drawing to make sure you are enquiring about the correct part.

Hello William, Thanks for being in touch. I wonder if you would be kind enough to fill in the story of why secondhand. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Peter, I suppose the all important question to answer first is - Is there a ‘retrofitter’ who could possibly/ said they can, retrofit this system for you? If not, then the second question of why they can and Audi can’t, is rather academic. Could it be that your Audi dealer doesn’t really want to try to fit it, rather than they cannot? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, I must say that your research should stand Sarah in good stead with regard to arriving at a realistic valuation for her car, and the suggestion in your last paragraph may be of particular interest, since as you say, the decision to declare the vehicle a total loss seldom equates to serious damage on a vehicle of that age. Having said all that, and respecting all the time, interest and research which goes into compiling these helpful replies, it’s a great shame that the original poster appears to have shown zero interest in all of this - having joined, posted and last visited, all within a 3 hour window. Apologies for being blunt, but it really does make you wonder why we bother to try to help, since this is not untypical and not certainly restricted to this post. Sorry, but..... Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Sonny, Sorry, but the full information is coming through slowly. So you’ve owned it for 2 months, but was the car indicating any (in caps) misfiring issues when you bought it, or very shortly afterwards - how many miles have you covered in it? Depending on your answers, I would be finding yourself another trusted mechanic who will be able to provide you with test data which will confirm the car has HGF - if it in fact does. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Sonny, Thanks for the additional information, which would have been good to have had within your first post. If the diagnosis is that the head gasket has failed due to the engine overheating - and it hasn’t and doesn’t overheat, then you have to seriously question the diagnosis. Can you tell us how long you have owned the car and what mileage it has covered before further advice is given. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Sonny, Thanks for being in touch. Misfiring cylinders usually result from problematic coil packs or associated wiring, and isolating the actual cause can sometimes be helped by swopping coil packs from the cylinders which are firing fine, and seeing if the problem gets sorted/ moved to another cylinder. Great, if you have the experience to do this, but if not, then you will obviously need to get a trusted local garage to check it out for you. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Johnathan, Thanks for being in touch. I share your concern with regard to having to add oil to this new car. Just to make sure we understand it correctly, this car was bought ‘new’ earlier this year with a delivery mileage of 33 miles, and has now covered a total of 1500 miles (in how many months?) and at which point it needs to be topped up with 1 litre? of oil. Perhaps you could confirm we have the detail correct. My first port of call would be to register this fact (by e-mail will do) with the supplying main dealer, and anyone who may be involved with providing finance for the car - if applicable. My feeling is that the dealer/Audi will claim that it’s not unusual for vehicles to consume oil in the first few thousand miles, and it is possible that this consumption will decrease from that point, but..... It would be interesting to know how long it’s taken you to cover this 1500 miles, and what your average journey mileage is, and what type of roads (speeds?) are used. Re. Grade/specification of oil to use - see handbook. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Liam, Thanks for being in touch, and sorry to hear of your issues. Before taking the gearbox out again, I would be carefully examining the engine and gearbox mountings to ensure they are sound and serviceable. They can take a bit of strain when attempting to remove the gearbox. If they prove to be OK, then I guess it is gearbox out again for a recheck. Can we take it you changed all three clutch components, as well as the DMF? I guess so. Knowing that Audi clutch components are very expensive, would I be right in thinking you used aftermarket parts, and if so, what make did you use? Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Steve, Euro Car Parts then? Attractive discount code!? I’m not saying this new part may be faulty, but personally, the only make sensor I would fit - if not a genuine VAG one - would be by Bosch. Not sure about the fronts, but the rears are signalled by a weak magnet in the hub.These (rears) can be a source of problem, and if at fault, the only solution is to replace the hub, irrespective of the bearings being serviceable. Kind regards, Gareth.

Rather terse Kevin, and yes, based on this, it’s still possible that someone might just step out of line and actually help you. But the likelihood of this ?? Still....... However - still kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Sarah, Thanks for being in touch, and sorry to hear of your problems. Your thread heading gives the forum a good indication of where you currently are with this, when you state ‘Loss Adjuster’, rather than ‘Assessor’. I’m not sure if this your choice of title, but loss adjusters are employed to minimise claims made against insurers, whereas assessors actually assess that loss. A subtle but important difference! Some basis facts that may help to illuminate the picture:- The car is 12 years old and will certainly have a greater ‘worth’ to you than it’s actual market value. Statements like ‘....new MOT...’ will add little to the discussion on price, since yes, it must have an MOT. Unfortunately, no one on here is going to be able to give you a definitive valuation on the car without examining it, and having information on it’s mileage, service history, history of ownership etc. Even armed with this information they would then need at have access to trade valuation guides ( which your ‘loss adjuster’ should). If this person hasn’t actually viewed your car, then she cannot come up with a reasonable valuation - but only a guide valuation - and it appears she is simply pushing a guide valuation to some sort of limit due to your (understandable?) discontent. ‘Cannot find another for sale in the UK....’. Obviously you aren’t going to find an identical vehicle, but surely you will find many 2008 3 door A3s for sale - exact same spec? - possibly not, but all the bells and whistles seldom influence the market value when the vehicle comes to the age it is. I would do two things here:- Compile of short list of advertised prices of 3 door and or 5 door 2008 A3, noting mileage, service history etc. You can then average these figures to give you a better understanding of whether what you are being offered is reasonable or not. Second (and more direct route) would be to wander over to you local trusted used car sales site and ask them for assistance. They are most likely to have on-screen systems where they can value the car for you, in terms of retail and part exchange valuations. I think, these systems are now able to base the valuation via. your actual registration number, rather than the more generic model, age, mileage basis. Hope some of this helps Sarah, and although I can respect you are angry (as you say) in my experience, anger never wins the day, reasonable discussion and reasonable aims ( for which you will have done your homework) generally leads to those making the decision being more lenient in your favour. Good luck with sorting it out, and perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Eric, Sorry to hear about the issues with the car. As has been said, the issues are minor for a 13 year old car, and are surely sortable with some specialist input. Since both faults are electrically associated, If it were mine, I would be investing in an hour’s time with a trusted local auto electrician, who should be able to at least diagnose the causes, and possibly sort them for you. Not sure when the car was last serviced, and whether you have local independent specialist who you use, but if it’s not been serviced lately, it might well be worth rewarding it with a good check over. Kind regards, Gareth.

Um! Ok. Come back the old BT advert - ‘It’s nice to talk’! Why is the mobile phone industry a multi billion pound industry?

Thanks Kevin, E-mail? If it were me, I would be picking up a phone and having a good old fashioned chat with them. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Brenda, Many thanks for coming back with the additional information. Not much point in going backwards, but signing up for services and MOT is the road to putting more money into the seller’s pocket, and particularly in respect of MOTs where it can be lucrative to find issues which they can then charge you for. In addition, you don’t have any control over the quality of the parts used for the services, or possibly the type/level of service you are getting for your money. Anyway, going forward:- I would still do what I suggested and check (with Cardiff Audi - now Mon Motors?) that it is belt driven, and whether ( from the reg. no.) there is a record of it being changed. You can also check their prices, but worth asking if there is a promotional price for the belt - in particular - there often is. Back to those who sold you the vehicle:- ask the mechanic who said you can wait until next year to change the belt ( if it’s now due) if he would like to guarantee his advice! It seems your previous unfortunate experience will stand you in good stead as far as his statement is concerned. Second, and very important consideration, is what parts are they going to use? Aftermarket parts can be of variable quality, particularly water pumps, and personally I would only use main dealer parts for this critical application. Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Raith, Our 2006 1.6 Limited Edition (base) has been in the family from new and has now covered a mileage of over 160K, and I’m happy to share my experiences of this particular car. Before that, perhaps I should point out that your mileage limits may restrict your choice if I understand it correctly - a 15 year old car up to 120k, or an 8 year old one up to 60K. I can only speak for the older end of your range, but they seem to be well built and can stand the test of time, but with all secondhand cars, issues can arise with individual examples. To me, service history, whilst being important, is never the be all and end al of the judge of the car’s condition, and certainly no judge of how the car has been cared for. Simple pointers for cars with caring owners may include same make tyres on the same axle and ideally all round, MOT history in terms of failures and advisories, invoices for work done, and brands of aftermarket parts - if non VAG parts are used. Personally, I would try to avoid buying at an unrealistic distance from home, since you can kiss good bye to warranties due to the practicalities of returning the car for repairs. Old fashioned? Probably yes! Having said all that, I can return to our 1.6, which bless it, has done all that has been asked of it, and has only required a replacement clutch (due to the usual slave cylinder issues which apply to most marques) at around 130k. The car has always had Audi parts at servicing, and was main dealer serviced until c60K, but by ourselves since that. We have treated it with respect, and it has with us! Schedule for belt and water pump changes every 5 years. Hope some of this helps. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Kevin, I believe (in caps) that 505 is the longer life variant of 502, and is suitable for diesels as well as petrol, so 505 should be a better alternative, but...... the true answer lies with Castrol, not me. If it were mine, I would be looking up the phone contact for Castrol technical Dept and giving them a ring with your query and concern, and they will give you the definitive answer. Perhaps you would be kind enough to come back and let the forum know the outcome Kevin. As a matter of interest, how often to you change the oil and filter? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Brenda from the Homeland. Thanks for being in touch. I wonder if you could let us know whether you bought the car from an Audi dealership or not. If not a main dealer, is there any particular reason why you returned to the seller for servicing? First, it needs to be established whether the car is fitted with a timing belt or a chain, but if fitted with a belt, then the seller will (quite rightly?) claim that renewing the timing belt is a service item which is chargeable to the owner, and they are likely to have a complete disregard to the fact that you have to (again quite rightly?) pay for this service item. Apologies for being the devil’s advocate, but service history and what has been done, and what will be required to be done in terms of service items in the near future will be seen as the responsibility of the buyer - i.e. doing the homework. Having said all that Brenda, If it were mine, I would be nipping the car down to your nearest main dealer, and checking what has been done, checking if your engine is belt or chain driven, and if a belt, checking when it should be renewed. Belts are almost always scheduled for renewal at x years or x miles - whichever comes first. x years is usually 5 years, irrespective of mileage. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Um ! Perhaps another free plug Christopher?

Possibly your business James? Would need to be looking up the Director to be sure.

Even bespoke ones to your own design/colouring are removable in the same way as off the shelf ones would be Derek. Kind regards, Gareth.

Sorry Derek, at my age, thoughts come in dribs and drabs! You might not fancy this, but a practical alternative to add some contrast, might be to consider adding the same outline in stick on ‘decals’. As I understand it these can easily be printed off on a computer, by sign writing specialists. Kind regards, Gareth.