Magnet

I’m still biased towards loading and appropriate tyre pressures as being the principal contributors, with road conditions as the aggravator.

That’s fine if you are happy, but there are some pretty dodgy aftermarket clutches about. I could have advised you what to go for if interested. Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Colin, You could also do a quote for the 911, with a start date of say 21 days hence, so you have a true period for period comparison. What year was the 911 as a matter of interest? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Colin, I don’t think it’s as simple as Audi A4 vs Carrera, I think you may be a victim of a ‘new quotation’ where (so I understand) rates have been hiked across the board, as car parts increase in price along with everything else. I guess you have run this through a /couple of comparison websites, and if so, it would be interesting to know what quote you would get if you had to insure the Carrera from the same point in time. That will give you the current true comparison. Perhaps you could let us know Colin. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Maelo, You don’t give us much information to go with. Have you or anyone else recently renewed the pads and/or discs? Or has this issue recently occurred with the car, although no brake work has been carried out? Has the car been sitting around unused for some time? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Carrie, Many thanks. Make of parts he is using? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jo, It’s not really clear what you are asking, but it sounds like a warranty query, in which case someone would need to see copy of that warranty to be able to answer. Have you tried asking the AA? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Pippy, It’s loose ends tidying time, so wondered how you are getting on with this. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Corina, Tidying up some loose ends, and wondering where you are with this now. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Abu, Just tidying up some loose ends, and wondered what you did about this after - ? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Graham, OK battery may be only 2 years old, but I wouldn’t ignore Clifford’s experience, and would suggest that you have a ‘sophisticated’ ( or whatever word you choose) test carried out on your battery - if only to eliminate it from the equation. This test would include cold cranking amps and other parameters, and not simply % efficiency. Not sure if your car is too old to be fitted with a battery condition monitor, but…Also worth getting the alternator output checked at the same time. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Evan, Does light braking affect this, and/or is it any worse after moderate braking? If the answer to these is no, then I would be getting the driveshafts and wheel bearings checked, together with all suspension bushes etc. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, I too would suspect the cold start sensor - valve? - not sure about the valve set up. Availability? - take it you’ve checked EBay. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jo, Thanks for joining and posting your plea. You need to get the alternator output checked, together with the battery efficiency ( when it’s been fully charged again). Halfords should be able to test this for you. If it proves to be alternator issues then I would favour getting yours reconditioned via. an auto electrician, since there can be some inconsistent quality ones available, which may be cheap to buy, but not so cheap when you pay for removal again after fitting. Hope some of this helps, Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Steve, So to try to boil this down, are you saying that this ‘difficult handling’ is a characteristic of the car - and even the VAG brand - and the tyres can almost certainly be eliminated from being a contributory factor, and indeed the suspension/ steering set up will be the culprit here under road conditions encountered on the M25? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gavin, Is the noise more evident on one lock direction than the other, and does it occur in the straight ahead direction as well. It might be worthwhile getting a local second opinion before moving forward to replace the joint or the complete shaft. I’ve bought quality aftermarket parts from Car Parts in Motion ( no connection) at good prices, so might be worth seeing if they do these. Alternatively, I did use Driveshafts U.K. ( I think that’s what they were called ) in the Midlands a few years back. They were doing a repair service then. Hope some of this helps. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Glynn, Yes, I know somebody in your area. It’s a Welsh thing you see, we need to know where people are from, since we may know someone within a 100 mile radius! - and that results in a stamp of approval. Yes, I know it’s daft, but it’s a friendly Welshness. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Hope we solved your query.

Deleting the DPF and MOT?

Hello Glynn, Thanks for joining and posting your plea. Heating the jets, I would have thought. Hope this helps. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Note your humour with your Location, but a proper location would be nice - and appreciated. Many thanks.

Hello Richard, Do you then lose the battery condition monitoring function? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello both, Nimbus also comes under code LZ7X, which may be the same colour under two different codes, or could be the same named colour ( but not the same colours) over different models on different years. I think I would follow the dealer route ( if no access to a local paint specialist) since the dealer will most probably have access to the build record from the VIN. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ewen, Most reliable source would be your local Audi dealer. It would be worth arming yourself with the VIN incase it’s needed. Kind regards, Gareth.

Well done Keith. These budget ( ooops - sorry) tyres seem remarkable to have not worn 1mm in 4,000 miles of motoring, including load and towing use. That should easily give you a 30K plus life expectancy. Great. As I see it Keith:- You either have tyres which aren’t up to the handling characteristics you would expect of them. You are not inflating them to the correct degree for the load conditions. You have as yet, undetected wear in the suspension/ steering components. The car may have a possible hidden history of incorrectly repaired accident damage. Or a combination of some or any of the above. As I see it, the next action is dependent on what you feel you want to do about its further investigation, since any without-car-examination will simply boil down to guess work.

Many thanks Jon, Apologies for a differing point of view. Budget tyres at 4K miles will be at least 1/3 worn, so any wheel alignment will certainly be evident by this time. If there isn’t any evidence of irregular wear then I would be leaving well alone, as said. OK, free check, but the temptation is to correct even minor discrepancies, and why would you if there isn’t any uneven wear. - as the poster has said? In my book, if a tyre is misshapen then the result will be a shudder, but again the poster doesn’t complain of this. Same with wheel balancing. I think you are right Jon in suggesting to get the car inspected ( for wear) despite the mileage. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. just noticed Keith’s reference to recent MOT - so another inspection? Ensure correct inflation for load and test again? Worth seeing if Keith can borrow another set of wheels and see what the difference is?

Hello Keith, Thanks for joining. If your car has only done an average of 4K miles a year, then your cambelt has had a hammering ( as we say in Wales) unless your mileage has been covered in irregular long trips. Short journeys, and particular if stop/start is engaged, will result in higher than normal stresses on belts, so yes, it does need changing at the 5 year interval. I would recommend you also have the auxiliary belt renewed at the same time. Kind regards, Gareth.