Magnet

Hello Richard, Apologies, but that isn’t the way to go with tyre pressures. There is only one correct procedure and that is to adhere to the pressure stated in the handbook/ label on car. Do you know what that recommended pressure is? Have you got an answer for us whether your current tyres are XL or not, or run-flat or no? Can you come back to us on these points. Kind regards, Gareth.

They are not XL or even run-flat are they Richard? If so, both will have an adverse effect on ride quality. 40 psi seems high to me, but I dint know. Is that the handbook/sticker recommended pressure? Kind regards, Gareth.

It means personal message C. Your profile?

Thanks Lee, ‘Only ever had advisories for tyres’. Just saying it as I see it - careful owners respect their tyres and don’t present cars for MOT’s with tyres near the limit. Obviously I don’t know what the wording actually says, but if there were repeated references to uneven tyre wear then that would ring some bells with me. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, Thanks for advertising your car, but you will need to list far more details of the car, and hopefully some photos to generate sufficient interest. You will also need to state an acceptable price so that yourself and interested parties are not messed about. If you genuinely don’t know what will be acceptable then EBay may be a good place to auction it so that it finds its value. Could you please come back to us with the above details. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. I have removed your e-mail contact from this open form in the best interests of your security. Interested parties can contact you via. a PM.

Hello Andrew, Many thanks for joining. When you say you have spent a fortune with Audi, could you itemise what you have had done, particularly in relation to suspension and steering components. Also tyre brands and tread across each axle, and pressures used. Tyre profiles? When you say it feels horrible to drive - could you be more specific with what your discontents are. Mileage? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Richard, If you increase the tyre profile, you will increase the overall ‘rolling diameter’ and this will affect gearing etc. - so not recommended. The way forward would be to fit smaller diameter wheels ( with then the correctly increased profile tyres). Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello C ? I have removed your e-mail contact from this open forum. Interested parties can contact you by PM. Would you be kind enough to correctly fill in your profile please. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Fakher, I think it’s time for you to do your homework. LUK is a prime brand, so I would go with that. There are cheaper alternatives, but I wouldn’t fit them. LUK should do a kit which will include the release bearing/ concentric slave cylinder - same thing. Suggest you search EBay and/or other factors such as Car Parts in Motion - there are more. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello P, I think we can all sympathise with your plight, but regrettable the car is 2 years out of warranty, and Audi can and have dismissed their responsibility. Whether some ‘carefully worded legal assistance’ might reap some benefit is again debatable but might be worth a try. Is the local garage you used for the last service VAT registered? Did they use Audi approved oils and filters? Do you have the receipt? Yes to all will add to your case. I guess we are talking manual gearbox- ? Your local specialist - what does refurbished amount to? Perhaps you can come back to us P. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Any reason you are being shy with your identity and location?

Hello Lee, If you work on the principle that sellers say anything about service history until you ask to see the evidence, then you need to see the evidence! Have you studied the on-line MOT history? Is the seller an Audi dealership? If not, the pre-sales service usually equals an oil and filter change. You are right - this comparatively low annual mileage vehicle should have been on an annual service schedule, but it’s obviously been on the cheaper option service schedule. Probably company owned or ex PCP. Do you know-? Kind regards, Gareth.

In view of the amount of dismantling involved, it would not make sense to just renew the release bearing assembly. But it’s your and your mechanic’s choice.

Hello Lee, As you say, it’s been on a Longlife service schedule which is likely to have resulted in it being serviced around 18k miles and 36k - so yes, it would be due again now. Have you requested, and seen, a print out of the service history? Are they now going to renew the air and pollen filters at this service they are going to do - also the brake fluid. I guess this engine runs on a chain rather than a belt - ? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Fakher, It would be false economy not to replace the flywheel at the mileage of you car, when the clutch is replaced. It wouldn’t surprise me if you mechanic were to say they wouldn’t replace the clutch without replacing the flywheel Kind regards, Gareth.

Well worth searching on EBay Martin. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andy, It all depends on whether you want quality mats or not. I usually buy on line from a selection of EBay sellers selling various quality mats. The cheaper ones are just cheap. I would choose a premium grade carpet within the suppliers grade choice and always ask for a sample before committing to buy. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, My recommendation would be to use Gates if you are not buying from Audi - at discount. I well appreciate that Audi re-box supplier’s products. Indeed I quoted a couple of days ago that a ‘genuine boxed Audi ‘ cambelt kit (supplied in 2020) had a Gates belt in a separate Audi box within the overall boxed kit. Obviously sufficient evidence that Gates supply Audi. I’ve used Gates kits for decades, and had noticed that their in-box tensioners and idlers were manufactured by the well respected bearing supplier - INA. I do recall a few years back thinking that the INA tensioner in one kit was a bit rougher and sloppier than I had previously experienced. I now notice various other components under the INA brand, and just wonder whether this brand may have become a diluted brand name. Answer - I don’t know. All important water pumps:- For right or for wrong, I’ve always bought the main dealer pumps, and been prepared to pay that little extra cost within the overall expensive bill. I do this with Audi, since I don’t know who makes their pumps. So the upshot is that I don’t buy water-pump-included kits, but buy the water pump separately from a main dealer - usually with a bit of discount. Dayco has been mentioned, and again I can only quote from my (in caps) recent experience where the water pump on a family member’s car failed after two years. Bad luck probably, but I think we all learn far more from bad experiences than we do from good. Well Ian, I think you now have some diverse, and in-common, opinion on which you can draw and hopefully make your own decision. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Daniel, My suggestion was to change the hub on the offending wheel. Doesn’t seem as if you’ve done that - or intend to - unless I’ve got it wrong. Please ignore my suggestion if you want, but then you will still be in the situation of not knowing where to turn. Sorry, but I can’t make it any more clearer than that. Kind regards, Gareth.

No problem Daniel - I understood all of that before. What I didn’t understand was the earlier lack of mention of what had been suggested as a possible solution. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Pete, If it were mine, I would be following the U.K. principle of ‘ ……or 5 years, whichever comes first’, but it’s your car and your call. Your car has covered a small mileage over quite a length of time, and maybe it has covered that mileage in relatively short trips, rather than infrequent long journeys - you don’t tell us. If the former, then the belt is getting more of a hammering than a vehicle used for regular motorway mileage. If it is equipped with stop/start then that just compounds the stresses. The Audi dealer has done the right thing and offered you a cambelt change, but you have declined, so the risk now rests with you. Only you can judge whether having the money still in your account is more important than the risk of a wrecked engine should this belt decide to part company. Of course, it may not, and that is the gambling situation you are now in. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. If you find the conflicting information bewildering ( and I’m not sure why you go to American sites), then one school of thought would be to err on the side of caution and get it changed without further delay.

I’m not quite sure what you are saying Daniel. Are you going to consider changing the hub or not? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Pete, Thanks for joining. To try to answer your question - I don’t know why Audi USA sites don’t stipulate a service time limit. To take that to its logical conclusion, you could say, have a 30 year old belt that is considered to be still serviceable on a low mileage vehicle that has been started from cold more often than it’s completed a sensible journey. Just doesn’t seem right, but they do things differently in America! Does your information come from a genuine VAG site? If so, it might be worth asking Audi U.K. why their recommendations vary. Perhaps you can come back to us Pete. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Can we take it yours has already been done?

Hello Daniel, Sorry to hear the issue has returned, but also sorry you don’t know what to do about it now. As I’ve said, if the sensor and wiring on the offending wheel are serviceable, then there a fair chance that the in-hub sender is sub standard and the hub needs replacing. This theory would be supported by the fact that cleaning the hub surface giving a (very) temporary solution. Kind regards, Gareth.

Now done for you Thomas. Hope you have some luck. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Steve, Gates belt in the Audi belt box within the main dealer cambelt kit supplied for our A3 - about 2 years ago. Kind regards, Gareth.