Magnet

Hello Mario, It’s not uncommon to have condensation within light units. You could try removing your ‘mastic’ and thoroughly drying out the unit with a hair drier, before carefully resealing it with a good quality sealant. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Neil, Always worth checking the alternator output. Eliminate possibilities before moving on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mario, It’s possible that adding a bead of mastic has made things worse since you’ve probably now ‘locked in’ the condensation. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Marc, Sorry to hear all your good work and expense has unfortunately not solved the issue. I’m very much from the school of DIY fixing wherever possible, and so can sympathise with your plight. If it were mine, having spent time, effort and expense on it, I would now seriously consider ‘investing’ in an hour’s expertise with a trusted local diesel specialist - not an ‘ordinary’ local garage. It’s quite possible that they will have come across such issues before, and would be able to home in on the offending component. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Nickie, Many thanks for joining, It certainly sounds as if adding an additional earth lead has worked, so I guess it’s a case of biting the bullet and giving it a try -assuming the battery is as serviceable as it should be. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dan, It seems you are working through it, and you will eventually eliminate leaks or faulty units. If the compressor is below par - as they often are due to ceramic piston ring wear, then Bagpiping Andy ( on Ebay) will be your best source of parts or replacements. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Welsh Andrew:- sorry not sure what you are trying to say.

Hello Jordan, Its usually spotted when you fully lift the tailgate and look up towards the hinges - a convoluted rubber ‘hose’. Kind regards, Gareth.

The answer has already been written in the above post - in my experience.

Hello Stephen, Thanks for joining. It’s worth checking the wiring within the flexible harness twixt body and tailgate. This is a favourite place for wires to fracture - particularly in cold weather - due to years of flexing by opening/ closing. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks A, Well cars sell when advertised, and biding time is fine, but a decision to buy or not to buy has to be made during the time slot when no one else has bought it. I guess we’ve all been there, and my conclusion is that if anyone was that keen in the first place they would have bought it. Please accept this as not being too critical, but I think your concern about the water pump, gave you an excuse -rather than a reason - not to commit to buy it. Having said that, hopefully this thread will have armed you with enough additional information to do the essential homework before expressing any serious interest in the next vehicle. Good luck with your search. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, As I understand it, E10 has been the norm on the Continent for a few years, and again as I understand it, there hasn’t been many reports of disastrous consequences with its use in older cars. I used it in three 20 year + cars last year, and a bit when allowed during Covid - well they are still running! I get the impression with yourself that ideally it’s E5 - or nothing - and I think you will have to consider the possibility of the ‘or nothing’ bit, since fuel stations are unlikely to occupy one tank with much slower selling E5. Again, I think it’s been justifiably pointed out on here that E10 is ‘up to’ 10% Ethanol, and doesn’t necessarily mean the ethanol content is consistently at that maximum. Just a thought. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Richard, Many thanks for joining and posting a very informative advert, for what seems to be a ‘nice buy for someone’. Let’s hope it finds a deserving home. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello A, Wondered if you decided to buy it or not - ? Kind regards, Gareth.

So what are you going to do Graham?

Hello Graham, Please see the responses under the duplicate post. I would certainly follow the advice of the supplying dealer ( rather than Audi’s crazy schedule) and get the cambelt and water pump changed, and indeed thank them for stepping over the line. My regime is to change it every 5 years, irrespective of mileage. Worth getting the auxiliary belt changed at the same time. Of course, you don’t have to use the main dealer, but being old fashioned, I would ensure a main dealer water pump was used. This is reinforced by a rattling 2 year old /10K miles covered water pump on a family non Audi. This kit was from a reputable ‘manufacturer’. Of course, it’s your call in respect of whether you renew the belt assembly or not. Perhaps you would let us have your thoughts Graham. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Shark, If you are looking for improved comfort, why on earth are you looking to use run-flats, and put up with their inevitably much firmer sidewalls - unless rim design dictates. OK no one can argue about the significant benefits of run-flats on the safety scale, but it’s a bit like walking around and going dancing in safety boots - Incase something falls on your toes! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jon, Can you be specific and list what price you want for the car please? If you are all unsure, you could list it on EBay etc. and let it find its worth by auction. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Valerie, The answer may(in caps) be within your last paragraph. Corroded valve seats are not uncommon, and various warning lights appearing can be a classic symptom of a failing battery. How old is your battery, and have you had it’s efficiency checked? Since you are having TPMS warnings, what are your actual tyre pressures as measured on garage or tyre retailer’s air pumps? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Steve, Re. Material for cambelts having improved over time:- I think we had a poster a couple of weeks ago where the cambelt failed on his just over 5 year old low mileage vehicle, and I’ve got a feeling there was someone else with a similar failure. Of course, we now have the engineering averse stop/ start system that puts regular and sustained increased stresses on belts, so I’m really surprised that Audi don’t /no longer do, put a time limit on belt changes. I know what I’m going to do. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello, I’m sure you’ve got the logic in the right place with this, and there is one thing for certain- Sports suspension coupled with ‘fancy big wheels’, dictating low profile tyres, with the ‘extra load’ specification, all adds up to an uncomfortable ride. I haven’t used the wheel size calculator - preferring my old maths! - but it all boils down to using the smallest diameter wheel that was available on your model at the time - the important bit being that the rolling diameter is maintained, by increasing the profile by the correct amount as the wheel diameter decreases. To enhance ride quality, it would be advisable to stay away from XL tyres unless you are carrying heavy loads in this estate car. If at any time you are carrying such loads then obviously you will need XL. OK, pessimistic, but having increased tyre profile via. smaller wheels, you will still be left with the inherent stiffer suspension of the S Line, but…… Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Steve for this very informative information. This document really brings it home to me that that panacea for many, of the importance of ‘Full Service History’, really boils down to very little in terms of looking after a vehicle in a way in which it has the best mechanical attention. If you want the least maintenance requirement (cheapest in time spent in the workshop), then this is great news, and great news it will be for fleet operators, and indeed private owners who are enticed to pay monthly premiums for maintenance contracts - where most of the charges are for high labour rates, rather than parts used. Best in terms of looking after the moving parts ?? Most frightening:- Cambelt not until 131k miles with no time limit! So, someone doing 7K/a ( with fitted aggravating stop/start) can follow Audi recommendation and not have the belt renewed until the vehicle is 18 years old. Crazy! I will continue my regime and recommendation of ‘…or every 5 years, whichever comes first’. Air filters running to 56K miles irrespective of age? Sorry, not for me, where mine gets changed every 2 years. Strange that they put a time limit of 2 years service for pollen filters, when that’s the one filter that has little adverse affect on mechanicals. Diesel oils running to 18K or 2 years. OK, but with oil dilutions on modern diesels, I would still be doing an annual oil and filter change. Never renewing fuel filters on petrol engines?? Gearbox oil changes not mentioned -? ‘Full main dealer Service History’ vs enthusiastic owner maintenance - I know what I would choose! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello John, Have you tried listing your ‘want’ with the on-line car breaker link sites? Partsfinder is just one of them. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Denis, Are you concerned that simply the ‘unknown’ cable is there, or the fact that you don’t know what it’s for? If it’s that concerning, why not request the dealer to ask the previous owner to get in touch with you to discuss its previous use - or at least explain to them what it was for, so that they can tell you? Kind regards, Gareth.

Great Kev. I too always go to EBay as the first port of call for secondhand bits wanted - but many don’t. Kind regards, Gareth.

Homework and evidence is always king -A! Car sales? Best procedure is to always treat everything they say as if it never exists, until you actually see copies of the evidence they claim to be true. Have you checked the on line DVLA history to see when the last V5 was issued? Can sometimes give an indication of short term ownership (discontent?) with the last owner. Not being unkind, but you seem to be hung up with a water pump and ignoring the remaining pedigree - or lack of it. Trust all of this is taken in good spirit, and will hopefully be reassuring rather than negative. Let us know how you get on. Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.