Magnet

Could well be helpful advice Nigel, but a shame the original poster apparently hasn’t revisited the forum since he first registered and asked for help and quidance. Good isn’t it? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gareth, Electrical issues tend to cause more concern than mechanical issues, and the sourcing of the actual (should be in caps) fault may equate to solving a detective story plot. Such things are often best progressed by buying an hour’s services of a good auto electrician, who will be far better placed to source the actual issue than either trying to solve it yourself, or by seeking advice without the benefit of the offending car being to hand. It is quite possible that Dann is on the right track, and indeed you could try replacing the stalk in the hope that it will solve the problem, but pessimistically, it might not, and you have wasted your money - which might have been better spent on buying in some expertise. I guess you bought this known-to-be-faulty car at a very reasonable price, so some bought in fault assessment might indeed be money well spent. Re fault codes:- They can of course be meaningful and point to the actual problem. On the other hand, it would not be wise to always accept that as simple fact, since the old ‘cause and effect’ could come into it, where the actual fault code shown is influenced by another problem ‘further down the line’. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dan, ’......going down in wheel or tyre circumference ....’ and effect on speed indication. That’s why I overworked my brain! - with the maths, to ensure that the overall outside diameter remains as close as possible to the original specification wheel and tyre set up. Re. extra load (XL) tyres, my initial interpretation of the need for these was for estate cars etc. where weight carrying may be a regular occurrence. I could be wrong. Kind regards, Gareth.

I’m with you on anything like a 65 profile tyre Dan, and in an ideal world, the opportunity to try the 17in wheels with 50 profile before committing would be great, since I too wonder what the overall benefit may be. Only thing I would perhaps query would be the need for XL tyres if using 50 profile, since I wouldn’t have thought that 50 would be considered low profile. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Koen, Thanks for the additional information. If you now have 245/40/18 then the depth of the rubber on these will be 40% of 245mm which equals 98mm. I notice you are now considering a narrower 225 tyre and is so, the depth of rubber will be as follows:- 50 profile gives you 112.5 mm (an extra 14.5 mm). 55 profile would give you closer to 124 mm ( an extra 26 mm) . My maths points me to your current 18 inch wheels with 40 profile tyres having an outside diameter of just over 653 mm. To retain that outside diameter using 17 inch wheels, and using 225 tyres you would need to use 50 profile tyres which would result in an outside dia. of just under 657mm , which is close enough to your current 18in wheels with 40 profile. Worth bothering to buy new wheels and tyres for just another 14mm of rubber?? Of course, Koen, the suspension set up will remain the same, and I’m not sure what the end result of changing the wheels and tyres would be - you may not notice much difference. Other things to consider is whether the car currently has run-flat tyres fitted - if so, these are going to give you a harder ride. Also if it is perhaps fitted with ‘extra load’ XL tyres - which again are less flexible. Not sure how much of this will be of practical help. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Sam, I am unable to help you with an answer, but I may be able to point you in a direction so that you can establish what you want:- Were any examples of this model not fitted with air.con? If so, simply visit your local motor factors and ask for a belt for the non air con. variant. If they were all fitted with AC then you could try running some non stretchy string around the pulleys (excluding the AC compressor), and measuring that length - together with the width and number of ribs etc., and referring to the motor factors or the technical section of a belt manufacturer - say Gates etc. I think you may find the the part number is an amalgamation of the belt width/ ribs and its length. One point I would raise is - will it be possible to route a shorter belt and still avoid the confines of the AC compressor? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Koen, Sorry to hear of your skiing accident. I’m sure there is room for inprovement in the ride quality of the car by fitting smaller wheels and then increasing the profile of the tyre to give you more cushioning between the wheel and the road. In order to help us to give you more helpful advice, could you let us know the size of the tyre fitted to your standard 18 inch wheel. Once we have that, it should be possible to calculate the maximum profile tyre you can fit on 17 inch wheels, since the theory is that the outside diameter of the wheel and tyre together must be the same as your current 18 inch wheels and tyres. Congratulations on your good English. Kind regards, Gareth.

Absolutely Cliff. I’m on the same wavelength as you and If this were mine Chris, I would be treating the warning as a signal that you indeed have low/zero oil pressure until you prove otherwise. That respect would extend to certainly not using the car until the actual oil pressure was checked. Anything regarding a sensor being at fault must remain pure assumption until proved to be correct. Kind regards, Gareth,

Hello Jim, Some might (rightly?) say that since the car has only covered a low milage then changing the belt and assembly after 5 years is unnecessary. What often gets forgotten is that once a car gets to operating temperature and is say even covering high mileages on the motorway, the long term stress on the belt may be less than a low milage car which has been mostly used on short trips where it seldom gets up to temperature. As a matter of interest, what kits with water pumps have you been looking at? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Adam, As with all such things, it’s wise to eliminate the simply things first, and I would be following on from Dan’s question and wanting to know exactly how serviceable the tyres are. This would not be a walk around and kicking procedure, but removing the wheels for a thorough examination. I’m sure that if you have a favoured local tyre supplier, they would carryout this investigation for you and you could then ask them to do as Dan suggests and swop the fronts for the back. While there, you could ask them to assess the car for any steering or suspension wear. Personally, I would not have any wheel alignment work carried out at this stage, just get the tyres checked and swopped around. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on Adam. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andy, I don’t know what mileage you have covered in your automatic, and indeed I’m not sure what VAG recommends in terms of transmission fluid changes (if any), but sometimes symptoms such as yours can benefit from a fluid and filter change. Not a cheap job, but the car is 11 years old, and I assume (silly me!) that it has not been done before. If this were mine I would be entrusting an investigation to a trusted automatic gearbox specialist, and I would guess there must be some recommended business within the not too distant Midlands at least. The fluid change is often followed by resetting the correct change parameters. Perhaps someone on here could come up with a recommendation. No doubt, whoever you chose will eliminate such possibilities as engine mountings etc. Kind regsrfs, Gareth.

Hello Gerry, Many thanks for sharing this definitive reply, and if there is one lesson to be learnt here it is that you can have as many opinions on recommended mileage intervals, as the number of persons you ask! Just a couple of comments on VAG’s reply:- The time limit is within reasonable expectations, but in my opinion ( and this shouldn’t really count) the mileage interval seems rather high, but in your particular case, it has no meaning since your 75K car is unlikely to get near to 140K by the time the car is 5years old and the belt will need changing on the age limit. I’m not sure if their .....’the revised recommendation .....’ statement confirms the 140K is the current figure or if this statement has some bum covering element. Not very clear, but.... So you can forget about it until next year then Gerry, but when that point comes, I think this job has to be respected for the critical application it is. Personally, I wouldn’t use anything other than VAG parts ( Gates might be an exception but not the water pump). It would be unwise not to replace the water pump, but in my book, never use a cheaper aftermarket one. I would also change the auxiliary belt and tensioner at the same time, since these can go and wrap themselves around bits which can cause major issues. Still, you should not have to worry now. Many thanks again Gerry, Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gerry, Indeed, safe not sorry. And the book doesn’t mention any time limit? As I said, my feeling is, if it doesn’t, then distrust the book until proved to be correct. Good luck, and perhaps you would be kind enough to let the forum know what the ‘official’ limits turn out to be. Kind regards, Gareth.

Different angle on it now then Derek, and if the speedometer works, then the cable cannot be at fault. What is at fault is the odometer, and the usual cause is a fibre gear which drives the digits. You now have to give up trying to find a new cable, and concentrate on either finding a replacement speedometer which you will then need to ‘clock’ back to your current mileage reading. As an aside, we used to referred to ‘clocked’ cars as being ‘hickory dickory docked’ - the mouse ran up the clock! The better alternative would be to entrust it’s repair to Speedy Cables, but you may find that their repair lead time could run into months. Respecting the fact that the car is on a limited mileage (possibly 3K max/ annum?), I doubt if your insurers would reasonably expect you to discontinue using this car because the odometer has stopped functioning. They will have access to your previous annual mileage and unless you expect to increase the useage from this point on, then I’m sure a reasonable attitude would prevail once they are aware. You can keep a log of the estimate , but fairly accurate trips done until the odometer is repaired. Best time to pass the speedo to Speedy Cables would be in the autumn, but it’s always worth asking what their current lead time is. Hope some of this may help you. Kind regards, Gareth.

You are very welcome Hauden. Of course, you may wish to get your trusted local garage to change the oil and filter for you rather than DIY. Slight problem is that they rarely allow the old oil to get hot before draining it, and seldom have time to allow it to drain long enough - time is money! Good luck with it. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. My great grandfather hailed from Wem, so there’s a bit of the border’s lad within the Welsh roots!

Hello Del, You are effectively talking ‘classic car’ territory here, so it will be well worth doing online searches for classic car parts suppliers. A better alternative would be to wander into you local motor factors and enquire there - it’s surprising what remains on their shelves. Even if they cannot get one for you, they might be able to give you an aftermarket part number so you can check elsewhere. Unfortunately my ‘First Line’ cable book does not list any speedo cables for Audi, but does list for the Golf etc. of the period, which makes me ask the question was this cable driven? Another alternative would be to wander into as many (long established) Audi dealers as possible. OK the days of building up stocks of parts are gone, but one could still be laying on a shelf gathering dust. They might be able to give you a part number, and there might still be a round robin system where parts requests are relayed to dealers nationally. All worth a try. Finally, what’s wrong with your cable? Have you had it out and confirmed the cable is at fault? If you have, and you know where the fault lies - e.g. broken inner - then there is a company up the Swansea valleys by the name of Speedy Cables. They can remake to pattern, and also do instrument (speedo etc.) repairs. Not cheap, but.... Not really sure why you won’t drive this car until the cable/ speedo is fixed. If you drive it a bit slower than the immediately surrounding traffic then you should not run a great risk of exceeding the limit. Hope some of this helps Del. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gerry, I think you are very wise to question the intervals at which the timing belt and it’s assembly should be changed. I would add a couple of points to the helpful information you have now gathered:- Change intervals are not based on mileage alone, but on age limits as well, so if you are reading 133k miles, there will be - or at least should be an...’or x years, whichever comes first’ ( where x is generally in the order of 5 to 8 years ). If the handbook does not mention any time limit, then personally I would question its accuracy. I don’t want to put a dampener on your findings, but handbooks can be generic and are obviously not updated with manufacturer’s changing recommendations. Upshot - beware! 133K miles seems on odd figure and doesn’t seem to tie up with an expected round km figure. OK, it is understandable that contra advice by main dealers is due to their money grabbing nature, but .....’ all are saying the belt is due for change at 75K miles.....’ might ring some bells, and since the word ALL comes into play, it could be that VAG’s recommendations have indeed changed. Sorry Gerry to cast second thoughts on this, but this is a critical part application and really does boil down to belt (pardon the pun!) and bracers research to avoid catastrophic results. You could try e-mailing Audi UK - giving them your VIN and asking for a definitive up to date (including these words) recommended mileage and age limit for changing. Whenever this belt is changed, you should also change the auxiliary belt (driving alternator etc. etc) and it’s tensioner etc. since failure of this belt has potential for wrapping itself around the crankshaft pulley and causing the timing belt to jump teeth - bad news. If (in caps) it is confirmed that the timing belt can run to 133k miles, personally I would be changing the auxiliary belt before this - say at 100k. Apologies for cats and pigeons, but.... Kind regards, Gareth. Experience is based on making mistakes:- Had a Cavalier from new, which was always serviced according to schedule. Cam belt snapped at 72K miles when recommended change was 75 K. Found out to my cost that Vauxhall had subsequently amended the recommendation to 50K!

Hello Ian, As Dan says, diesel contamination of engine oil is not good news, and does put some urgency on getting this issue sorted, and of course getting the oil and filter changed once sorted. You are correct in thinking injectors are expensive, and my experience of diesels does not extend to be knowledgable about whether seals are the key fix here. Personally, I would not simply entrust this to an Audi independent, but I would be seeking the services of a trusted local diesel specialist, since these will be the source of your expertise. Apologies to those reading this who have heard this on a number of occasions before, but advice on trusted diesel in your locality, can often be obtained by chatting with your local taxi drivers and asking for their recommendations. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Hauden, Please do not suspect head gasket issues until proved to be so. What you describe can be typical of the effects of condensation, and can be aggravated by short runs, when the engine does not operate at optimum temperature for long enough. If this were mine, I would be acquiring 5 litres of fresh oil ( I only use Quantum Longlife 3 - as was recommended by VAG, and available on the auction site), - please check your grade, if not 5w/30, a quality oil filter ( I only use Mann if not using Audi) , before removing the ‘mayo’ build up, and taking the car on a 20 mile run. Switch off and again clean off any remaining ‘mayo’ before draining off the old oil, fitting the new filter and refilling to the max. mark with the/new oil, and checking for any leaks. It would be wise to take the car on another 20 mile run and again remove any remaining ‘mayo’. Changing the oil again in 1K may be worthwhile. One question I would ask is:- does the car use coolant? If it doesn’t use coolant then your ‘mayo’ just cannot be due to head gasket issues. Perhaps you can let us know if the car is used on short runs, and if it does use coolant. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. I guess it would not have been possible to have amended your thread heading once entered, otherwise the wording would not have been in capitals.

Hello Peter, As much as you have provided information on the issue, it would be very difficult to diagnose the problem without assessing the car. With regard to ‘... warm, which takes an age’ - this would suggest thermostat problems, and would entail renewing it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, You will be better placed than most to have a ball park figure for the for costings at your Audi dealer, since you know what you paid your local garage, but expect the labour rate to be around £90/ hour plus VAT. Personally, I wouldn’t have anything done to this car other than get an assessment at Audi, since your local gagare will understandably wash their hands on any remidial work, if someone else has been working on it. I would still have the used part number details off them beforehand. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Peter, Is the car new to you, or has it suddenly delevoped this leak? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, I’m sorry, but I cannot give you a definitive answer to your question. By the way, you will find the ride height is measured from the wheel centre to the underside of the arch - not from the ground to the arch. My money would be on the probability that your local garage has fitted aftermarket springs supplied to them by a motor factors, rather than ones purchased by them from a main dealer. If so, they could well be wrong, and I’m sure you are right in believing it is no longer sitting as it was. If this were mine, I would be asking the garage to give you the part number and make of the springs they fitted (they will know this from the delivery note). Armed with that, you should be able to establish what the free/unfitted length is, but it might, just might, not be anything to do with the actual pre-fitted length, but the ‘strength/cross section’ of the spring itself. You will be needing to do some homework Chris, to get to the bottom of this, and if you are then still experiencing a reluctance for the garage to sort it out, then you will need to take the car to an Audi dealer for their opinion, and knowledge of the correct part number - from which you should be able to work backwards with your aftermarket make/number. Good luck in sorting it out. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Oli, Thanks for coming back on this. Here are the facts as I see them:- The car is certainly a high mileage vehicle, and it’s value will be (considerably?) reduced because of it, and my advice would be to first seek a true valuation on it. The car has been wrapped - by someone at some time, and for some reason. Any attempt to work out when and why, will be pure assumption. If (in caps) the car was initially the driver’s company car, and he bought it (say after 3 years of company ownership) then the car will be a 2 owner vehicle, not a one owner example. As I said earlier Oli, the true history of this vehicle rests with that (last/first) keeper, and personally, I would steer a mile from it, if I had not been able to speak with that owner before committing to buy. Have you seen and more importantly studied the V5? If you take the Document number off the V5, you can input it into the on-line MOT history enquiry and get the contact details of all the MOT stations. Can we take it you have contacted the servicing dealers shown in the service book, and asked if you can get a print out of what has been done to the car? Um! Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Richard, It’s probably time to stop Googling and simply get the system flushed and regassed, since it has to be done anyway. The people carrying out this procedure usual thoroughly check the system anyway. Kind regards, Gareth.