Magnet

Thanks Paul, The question that remains is whether 21 inch wheels were listed as an option, and if so what size tyre would have been the correct fitment. It could be me, but I remain surprised that such a large vehicle would be running on such narrow (185) tyres. Even our humble A3 was fitted with 205 wide tyres. The handbook/ Google search should come up with the answers. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Darryl, When was the timing belt replaced? Seems odd that whoever renewed the timing belt didn’t renew the aux. belt at the same time. Still, you got away with that one to some extent! Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome to the Audi Owners Club ! Good to have you onboard Hello Graham, Could be barking up wrong trees, but starting to work once it’s part way open could be significant. Potential trouble spot ( but your vehicle may not be old enough) is the fracturing of wires in the flexible harness section twixt tailgate and body. When the tailgate is partly open the wires may just touch enough to make contact. Worth an eliminating-look at. Of course, it could just be a fault tailgate lock. Kind regards, Gareth.

Sorry to hear that Darryl. Auxiliary belts are often ignored, but can cause considerable damage when they part company, particularly when they wrap around the crank pulley and result in cambelt ( if fitted ) jumping - disaster! You say you have only had it 3 weeks. Private or trade purchase? If trade, then you should have redress. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, Now you are testing the maths of an old timer here! - but my calculations point me towards your 20 inch spare (when it’s inflated, and it’s of no use deflated as it is) will be 67 mm greater in diameter than your in-use 21 inch low profile tyres and wheels. That’s a lot , and too much in my book, but please check by inflating the spare and physically checking one against the other. Have you had a look at the handbook to check the standard wheel/tyre combination, and the suitable alternative sizes that could have been chosen? Kind regards, Gareth.

What’s a pass Steve? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jim, I would have expected your car to have been fitted with (motorised) folding mirrors, but the certain way to check is to go into (not phone) your local dealer, and ask the Parts man to let you have a copy of the build record for your VIN - which you will have written down for him! Well worth spraying some WD40 at the mirror swivel points, and carefully easing them to turn, but if they are motorised, this may not be enough to sort the non-folding. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on Jim. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome to the Audi Owners Club ! Good to have you onboard. Hello Andy, Before investing in any further potentially expensive diagnostics, I would suggest you first get the battery efficiency professionally checked. A below par battery can result in numerous spurious warnings. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome to the Audi Owners Club ! Good to have you onboard. Hello Gary, Many thanks for sharing the detail of this recall, and although I’m sure you find it alarming, no doubt you rest assured that you are now knowledgeable on the issue, rather than being previously in blissful ignorance. As I see it, the main concern is the delay in getting the rectification work done, and to be progressive on this, have you rang around as many dealers in a reasonable radius to see if they can fit you in earlier? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Daryl, Just get in touch ( website) with Tayna - via. EBay is best -and quote your reg. no. and ask them to advise which is the correct battery for your car - possibly 096, but check. It’s quite possible they will point you towards an Enduroline brand. If so, search their site for the equivalent Exide Premium, which you are likely to find is cheaper -? If you order on EBay, there was a code SAVES8 which gives you an extra 8% discount I bought an Exide Premium 096 from them last week on EBay at only £66.40 delivered. I thought that was unbeatable value. Let us know how you get on Daryl. Kind regards, Gareth.

Great searching Kev, and hopefully of help to David. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome to the Audi Owners Club ! Good to have you onboard. Hello John, As I see it, you have repeated an error that someone else had made earlier, and adjusted the handbrake cable/s. It is purely an assumption that the cable has stretched - in practice, they rarely do to any appreciable extent. Having said that, the A3 does have a potential issue of the cables sticking/ not moving freely in the aluminium guide tubes where the cables run out under the car. The tubes are relatively cheap to buy, are handed ( from Audi -even!) and changeable, but it is well worth running copious amounts of WD40 down the cables first - having removed the central armrest - as I recall. If it were mine, I would be running the cable adjustments right off to ensure the caliper pistons can find their rightful position, before readjusting the cables - always the last job! If you feel you want to change the cables anyway - and it might not be a bad idea - I’ve used Febi to good avail, and worth having a look on Parts in Motion website as a possible supplier. No connection, and there are obviously others. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome to the Audi Owners Club ! Good to have you onboard Hello David, I’ve had a quick Google around your area, and come up with at least the following two auto electricians in your area:- Key Auto Electrics - Leigh. Fastlane at Wigan. Well worth you Googling ‘Auto Electricians’ and choosing the one you have confidence in. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome to the Audi Owners Club ! Good to have you onboard. Hello Rose, Two things to try first. Get the alternator output checked once running. Has the new battery been coded to the car? Kind rearguards, Gareth.

As with the seat cover - price please Dave-?

Price please Dave-? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Daryl, I’m currently buying Exide ( their Premium grade - not Excel) from Tayna Batteries ( mail order). 4 year warranty. If you look carefully on their EBay listings you might find an extra 8% off discount. No connection with the company except recently bought two batteries. Delivery is quick. I never buy batteries on price, I always buy quality at best prices. Let us know how you get on Daryl. Kind regards, Gareth.

Pittsburgh - PA - Roy!

Well worth Googling for others as well Phillip, so you have a good comparison. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome to the Audi Owners Club ! Good to have you onboard Hello Grant, I’m very much in agreement with your inference that spring breaks were rare in the past. Unfortunately no longer true (see possible reason in my first post under this thread), and certainly not restricted to the Audi marque. Now a frequent occurrence in the U.K. on many makes. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Daniel, Effectively you need rubbing compound ( available from paint or motor factors , or on line) - and plenty of manual elbow grease - not the commercial product marketed under that name! I think you will find quite a number of YouTube videos on the process. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Phillip, You try Adrian Flux Insurance listed on here. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome to the Audi Owners Club ! Good to have you onboard. Thanks for the enquiry, but could we start by asking you to fill in your profile. At the moment, you are on track to win a prize for the most incomplete profile! Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome to the Audi Owners Club ! Good to have you onboard. Hello Mike, Have you, the AA or the Audi dealership confirmed the battery tests as being efficient for its purpose? Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome to the Audi Owners Club ! Good to have you onboard Hello John, I’ve removed your e-mail address since this is an open forum. Interested parties can contact you via. a PM. Kind regards, Gareth.