Magnet

Many thanks Jill. Plenty of reading on the forum regarding this. Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Martin, Apologies- didn’t know you had been there tried that. Re-flashing/ programming at a specialist at the same time? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, As Cliff says - you will need to have this plugged in to detect which (probably one of the wheel) sensors is at fault. If it proves to be be a wheel sensor then I would only replace it with Bosch one if not using a genuine VAG replacement. Personally, I wouldn’t opt to get one where you will get the best so called ‘weekend discount’. If it is a wheel sensor, then they can be difficult to remove, so worth some releasing fluid application before hand. Again, you may find that replacing the offending sensor will only effect a temporary solution, and you might have to subsequently change the hub as well - which had an inbuilt weak magnet to signal the sensor. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Martin, Many thanks for being in touch with the forum, and sorry to hear of your issues. If this were mine, I would be tempted to opt for the gearbox oil to be change first to see if this eases or eliminates the issues. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Russell, Let’s hope other owners come along with their experiences. Of course, this has been a potential issue since the post war models of the 1950s, and has continued since, and often dictated the use of mud flaps - in many cases resulting in the deal sealing request to include a set of mud flaps, and mats in the new car deal. Just wondered if these are listed as optional extras for your model. Re. Previous owner and gravel drive? Wondered if you noticed this at the time you bought it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Neil, That’s great. I’m sure the photos will help potential buyers to better understand its condition. Hello Kev, ’nooooo don’t scrap it...’ Just incase there is any confusion, there wasn’t any suggestion to scrap it, but simply use the current scrap value in conjunction with the cost of all repairs, so that a potential buyer can work out the difference in buying this and spending on it, as opposed to buying an oven-ready, drive away example. That logic seems sound in my book. Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Neil, I think your ‘honesty on enquiry’ principle is to be applauded, but if we are reading this correctly, it needs a total respray due to key damage and lacquer issues, and would appear ( recovered to garage) to have some current issue which results in it not been a going concern, and taking photos presents some difficulty. Can the garage take some photos of it for you? Re. value?? The known, and yet to be declared faults probably restricts its value to ‘ is it going cost far more than it’s worth to put it right...’? Probably yes. Not sure if this is going to assist in getting your mind around what - above scrap value - will be a realistic amount to accept, or expect someone to pay. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Stephen, No problem. I guessed the spare battery was just stop gap. Re. the main issue:- A pessimistic view may be that you will need some plug-in intervention to solve that. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Stephen, The symptom you describe sounds typical of immobiliser issues, where the car starts, but the immobiliser cuts in and safeguards the car. Others will hopefully be more specific with this, but It wouldn’t surprise me if the car needs to have some degree of re-synchronising to reset the immobiliser. 027 battery? - although probably OK is an emergency replacement, I wouldn’t consider it suitably powerful for on-going use. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Brian, As Steve says, blue smoke is indicative of engine oil being burnt, and would not be the colour of exhaust gasses you would expect from ‘regeneration’. If this were mine, I would take the car on a 10 mile run to ensure the engine oil is up to operating temperature, then get an assistant to follow you and observe the incidences of blue smoke emission. It would be expected that if it was due to valve guide/seals were that the blue smoke would be evident on moving away from being stationary at idle at traffic lights etc. If the blue smoke occurs on general acceleration, then that would indicate issues with bore/piston wear. Does the car burn any oil? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Neil, Many thanks for being in touch with the forum about your wife’s TT - it sounds an interesting project. Having given a very useful description of the car, could I suggest posting some photos and stating an asking price - along the lines of ‘....offers over £x....’ Many thanks and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello George, Thanks for being in touch with the forum. I would not expect there to be be separate manual for cabriolets, but I would be surprised if there isn’t one for the 1990s 80 model, which in terms of the circuits you want, they should be fine. Have you tried looking on line? You do sometimes come across them. Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Clive, ’...I guess the truth is there aren’t enough customers who feel the way I do.......’ Being realistic - unfortunately true. On a separate note, but connected with the green benefits of electric vehicles, and tyres in particular. You don’t hear must said about the tonnes of rubber that gets shredded to fine particles - to be breathed in - as the remnants of our forever-faster wearing tyres are distributed on the highways. Just a thought! Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Steve, I’m not sure I fully follow all of the logic, but it’s probably me. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Clive, ’....vast majority of drivers would prefer to have a spare wheel .......’ I’m sure you are right, and yes, I would join that band, but the fact is that manufacturers have declared it semi-redundant in favour of the compressor and goo. Nothing to do with economics of course, but all to do with less weight, thereby appeasing those who worship the green environment, so the principle is valid and understood. My only point is that if a spare is really that important to you, then it is most certainly going to restrict your market - of that there is no doubt, and as I see it, you will either have to go along with that, or buy a spare wheel and tyre (and jack) which you can permanently store in the boot to be used in cases of emergency. Apologies, Clive, but although I understand your principle, I see little alternative other than the above two suggestions. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello James from the Homeland. Many thanks for being in touch with the forum. In theory, the rate at which the tyres wear should not be influenced by the wheel diameter, since the logic is that the outside diameter of wheel plus tyre will remain constant, and this is achieved by lowering the profile of the tyre, as the wheel diameter increases. It might also be argued that since the profile is lower on larger wheels, that the rolling resistance is less, so this could even increase tyre life. You raise a good point about prices and availability, and yes, certain sizes can be inexplicably dearer, but the inexplicable bit is really explained by volume demand for that size. It sounds like you’ve been doing your homework - which is great. My personal experience also points to you making a good decision in terms of brands of tyres, if longevity is of primary importance. Two points I would make:- I would be far more interested in the adverse effect of ride quality on larger diameter wheels, due to the low profile tyres, and as an aside, you may find that the specified tyres are run-flat, which have an inherent increased lack of flexibility. All fine if swinging around corners is your bag, not so good otherwise! Cost of a new set of tyres vs. cost of the car?? Could be considered to be rather like being too worried about the cost of road tax? All just observations. Enjoy your search. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Clive, ’.....green credentials.....set-back.....’ Apologies but I’m not following this, in terms of no spare wheel. Trying to understand your requirements, but I think you are seriously limiting your choice by only buying a new vehicle which has a spare wheel, as opposed to the new norm of compressor and goo. Kind regards, Gareth.

Worth changing then on a planned maintenance basis, but whether it eases the issue will have to be seen. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Clive, Many thanks for being in touch with the form. As I understand it, the demise of the spare wheel went through the process of first being dispensed with in its original full size form and being replaced by the ‘space saver’ spare - all in the best interest of weight saving, and therefore fuel saving! I cannot recall it being stated that it would be of cost benefit to the manufacturer, but I may have missed that bit! The next ‘development’ (again with the same good intent as above) was to replace the weighty space saver wheel with a small and cheap compressor and an aerosol of goo to attempt to seal up up the puncture. I think that during this stage of the ‘development’, you could opt to buy a space saver spare to fit in the well. Now I believe that the well has disappeared, so there is no designated storage for a wheel, even if you wanted one. The so called puncture repair is no more than a get-you-to-the-nearest-tyre-retailer, where you are most likely to be met with a bill for a new tyre - assuming the repair sealer was actually capable of sealing the leak to get you there. Not restricted to Audi of course, but all the mainstream manufacturers. It’s progress Clive! Worth checking out with the salesman incase I’ve got it wrong. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, As I see it, whichever route you go down, you will need to get a key blade cut to match your current one. Personally, I cannot see any major disadvantage in going for a sound secondhand fob to match yours, since you will need to get it coded in any case - as you would do with a new (different) Audi dealer one. Kind regards, Gareth,

Hello Octavian, Well I think this debate boils down to:- ‘I’ve now passed the problem on to someone else’ ,and the response to the someone-else who complains in the near future that the oil light is coming might be along the lines of ‘well it wasn’t coming on when I sold it’! For what it’s now worth, your ‘ NOT semi synthetic’ is unfortunately not what it seems. ‘Synthetic technology’ is the marketing executive’s terminology for convincing a potential buyer (your self in this case) that the oil he is buying is fully synthetic, when it’s actually not - it’s semi synthetic. Still, water under the bridge hey... Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Robert, I guess it depends on how the warning alert has been set up. If I were you, I would of course do as the warning says, and contact the dealer - not to, may well not help your guarantee. The purpose of my reply was to give an opinion on what I believe may happen when you do. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Octavian, OK, your 10w/40 oil is fully synthetic. Things probably vary from country to country then. I’m yet to see 10w/40 in the U.K. in anything other than semi-synthetic, or sometimes ambiguously marked ‘synthetic technology’. Probably different in Romania. Kind regards, Gareth.

When was the pollen filter last changed Lavelle? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Robert, Many thanks for being in touch with the forum. Your issue is typical of an undercharged battery - probably due to the car having sat around somewhere for some period of time (in transit for example). The stop/start facility is the first to shut down under these conditions. I would expect the dealer to advise you to simply use the car - on extended runs if possible- and monitor the situation, and you should find the issue will minimise in frequency as the car is used. Obviously, if it doesn’t, then it may be suggested the battery is charged on a special charger (don’t use the old conventional chargers) for an extended period. All in all, the problem is likely to become less of an issue as the car is used. Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.