Magnet

Hello Corrina, Do you actually leave your phone plugged in in its holder when you are not in the car? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Peter, Notice you’ve returned to view the response to your question. Was the reply any help to you - or perhaps not? Kind regards, Gareth.

Just look back through the numerous posts - and on EBay - and I’m sure you will find one. Kind regards, Gareth.

Simple thing to eliminate/incriminate first - age and serviceability of battery? Kind regards, Gareth.

Price you want for it James - rather than ‘offers’ -? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Pippy, Thought it worth trying to tidy up a few ends, so just wondering what the latest state of play is with your issue - ? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello John, I would have thought that Audi Customer Services would be your contact here. They should be able to give you ‘a figure’. - with apologies for inference of the accuracy of other once- recorded figures! Kind regards, Gareth.

Interesting Jon, but who funds the trial on your posted link? With appreciation of being blown out of the water, it’s always been VAG pads for me ( bought at discount) - except one deviation - when the pads were changed back to VAG. Obviously a personal view, but the efficiency of the braking systems of all other family cars are compared with the Audi, and rated to that being the top. Ferodo, Mintex, etc. (the industry standard at one time) are now bought-out brand names. No more responses from me on such topics! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steve, Another school of thought would be that they now get a hammering with the stop/ start systems. Any chain or belt is under maximum stress on start up. Originally the vehicle was started once at the start of its journey. Now, it be restarting half a dozen times on a 2 mile run to Tesco! It’s an engineering disaster waiting to happen. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mick, The windscreen needs a thorough clean. You could try some washing powder sprinkled onto a wet windscreen and rubbing this in gently with a cloth, before hosing it off again. I follow this with a good wiping with meths ( personally I would not use carb. cleaner since it contains acetone, which will attack the rubber). Also wipe the blade edges with meths, and follow this procedure with a good wiping with windscreen washer fluid. We take it you are using the correct concentration of washer fluid. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andy, It would be interesting to know how much regular ( reasonable distance) this car gets. ‘……. leaving it on the drive ……’ May not be the best option. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Christopher, Thanks for joining, and posting your advert. Photos and price? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Ian, Sounds odd that a hose would have dislodged corrosion from the outer edge of a cast brake disc, but….. If it were mine, I would certainly be having a look at the pressed steel brake back plates. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Kim, Don’t quote me, but my understanding with most marques is that the locking/unlocking is silent except for the sound of the lock action. Most systems will bleep when it detects an issue - such as a not completely shut door - but not when everything is working properly. I guess it might be possible to code in a bleep when properly locked if requested, but wouldn’t be certain on that. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andy, Your quoted prices seem much cheaper than I would have expected. I think you will find most things will need coding - inc. the battery. Kind regards, Gareth.m

Hello Ian, It is highly unlikely that the pieces of corrosion you have found are from the brake discs. Almost certain to have come from the brake backing plates - which can corrode quite quickly. ABS and ESP lights - Washing car? Bucket and sponge? Unlikely if the washing has dislodged pieces of corroded metal. Pressure washer? Sprayed with wheel cleaner first? The warnings you have could well be associated with one of the ABS sensors and/or the hub signalling. Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Andy, It is likely that the battery used under stop/start conditions, is now nearing its ‘fully serviceable’ lifespan. It might not have anything to do with your problem, but an assessment of its efficiency in terms of all the parameters monitored by the battery control module, would be useful to know, and eliminate. Main dealer diagnostics and assessment? Wouldn’t be for me, with all due respect to my wallet! I would be talking the issues through with a trusted local independent, who you can hopefully ‘talk with’ as opposed to talking with someone who simply books it in, but your call of course. Others far more knowledgeable than I with the ins and outs of the electronics will probably be along, but possible Body Control Unit issues might come to mind?? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andy, Let’s eliminate the simple things first - has the battery been renewed yet on this 5 year old car? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Simon, Just an afterthought:- A nine year old ‘company car’. If (in caps) this car has been retained by a one owner then is there a possibility that it is an ex taxi? Is/was the age limit for taxis set at 10 years? Probably not an ex taxi, but…. Steve Y is your expert on age limit, and whether the seller has to declare if it has been used as a taxi. You will need to eliminate that possibility . Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Simon, Many thanks for coming back on this, with some useful additional information. Not wishing to be critical, but your assumptions are simply that, until you prove it to be fact, and the pre-purchase time is the time to do all your homework - not once you’ve got it. Assumption:- It’s been a company car - explaining the mileage. It may well have initially been, hence high mileage - but it’s a simple assumption. High mileage = motorway driving - again an assumption. Steve Y on here, does similar mileages in his taxis. Companies seldom (never?) retain cars for 9 years, so where has it been since it’s assumed company ownership? If they have indeed retained it that long, then it might ( just might) have spent its latter years with them as a pool car - with a high number of careful/careless drivers. Have you carried out a DVLA Vehicle check on the car? This will tell you when the last V5 was issued - which tells you/ gives a clue into how long the last owner has owned it. Assumption- Full service history (is the be all and end all). It’s good, but the level of workmanship cannot be guaranteed - it should be, but sometimes isn’t. Positive - it’s a really good starting point. Engine -…’ is there a high risk of engine failure…?’ Apologies, but you seem to be hanging your hat-of-concern on this. Yes you are right that after 180k motorway (assumption) miles that the engine will still be fine, and you are probably right, but there are many other expensive components which can wear out and be costly to replace. Manual or automatic for example? Manual - clutch? Auto - gearbox oil services? All of the above is intended to reign you in from a dose of enthusiasm, and allow yourself to carryout all the checks you can before committing. Having said all that, I’ve had a couple of high mileage cars over too many decades to mention, and quite a few worn out low mileage - back and fore to Tesco cars. Good luck with the homework. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. The main dealer ( from whom your full service history print out will be obtained ) oowill probably be able to tell you from the service history when ownership changed.

Hello Simon, Thanks for joining the forum and posting your plea. ‘Full service history’. Have you obtained a copy of the print out of how many services the car has had, and what work and repairs it has had during its 9 year life? Has it been in the same ownership from new? If not - very important- how long has the last owner owned it? Cambelt and water pump renewed at 107K miles, and now on 180K. On an average of 20k/ annum, that work could have been carried out around 4 years ago, and based on the normal recommendation of change every 5 years (irrespective of mileage) it could be due again within the next year. Cost? If the MOT history references tyres ( near limit?) then its only fair to question how well the car has been cared for, if the owners are not fussy on ensuring the car has a good set of tyres at MOT time. Just some thoughts to ponder on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Kev, Dealing with such small and conspicuous areas is alway difficult, since to do the job properly, you will need to considerably enlarge the area to ensure you are back to non-rusting metal. I wouldn’t suggest you do that in this case, since the repair is likely to stand out. Yes, you will most certainly need to treat the rust, and you will find an array of products available. I have used Vatcan to reasonable avail, but there are many more. How rusty is this stone chip? Has it been left untreated for some time to allow it to get to its current state? Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Steve, It really is ‘good’ isn’t it. Timing chains:- a family member has a JLR Ingenium diesel and has just paid out in excess of £2K to have the 2019 uprated chain fitted to the 2016 49K mile vehicle. It was starting to rattle on start up, despite annual oil changes rather than ‘Longlife servicing. All you can say is ‘cheaper than a new engine if the chain lets loose! Steve Q. - do I recall your good lady has a Jaguar XE. Diesel and pre 2019? Let’s hope not, but if so, I can give you the full SP if you want. Steve Q - Good to hear your experience of Rates Ford. This certainly echos my experience with buying parts from them for Ford owning family members - always a great mail order discounted service via. EBay purchases. Am I right in thinking Rates places the orders on the Ford warehouse, and the parts are dispatched from there? Audi parts at discount. I now have two sources ( which I’ve mentioned on here a few times). So do I need TPS (if they would deal with me)? No, I don’t. I have also fostered good relations with a JLR dealer, who again gives a nice little discount and normally delivers free of charge, the following day. The service is both efficient and very friendly. Apologies for rambling on, but I’ve also used Car Parts in Motion for ‘quality’ aftermarket parts at best prices. I think you’ve mentioned them before Steve Y, and I think you’ve also benefited from their good services. Perhaps some of this may be of benefit to others. I don’t have any connection with any of the companies mentioned - apart from experiencing good service from them. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steve, Sorry to hear of your problem, and about TPS’ reaction. It could just be me, but it seems they may be heading for choppy waters, since it seems they won’t even talk with you if you aren’t an account holder. I now have a couple of main dealer contacts who will offer discounts and do mail order, so for me, TPS or no TPS - it really doesn’t matter at all. But as you say, when branch sales figures start to go the wrong way, they might just realise that it can be a difficult road to go back along. One thing will never change - the buyer will always retain their right to vote with their feet. Kind regards, Gareth.

BHP or Kw rating Graham? Kind regards, Gareth.