Magnet

Thanks for your views.

That’s clearer now Peter. With you living in the W. Midlands, you know ‘midland vw’ are independents. Members on here have no idea whether Midland VW are independents rather than main dealers.

Yes please. You know the background - we don’t.

Very confusing Chris - we aren’t meant to be mind readers. Please explain the situation clearly at the point of posting, otherwise we waste our time, and you get incorrect information. All of which isn’t what anyone wants.

And you are really taking a 12 year old car to an Audi main dealer to fix?? Hope you’ve warned your wallet!

Hello Chris, Not absolutely certain for your model, but it would be highly unusual for a 2004 Audi to need to have its battery coded? What prompted you to buy a Moll battery for this 22 year old car? I recall reading up on these batteries some time ago, and if memory serves me well (which it doesn’t always) then these batteries were troublesome and VAG discontinued using them - ? Regards, Gareth.

So for absolute clarity Peter, is it a 2014 or a 2024 vehicle? Regards, Gareth.

Welcome Lizy and sorry to hear of your issue. First things first:- Did you buy this car from a dealer, and if so when? If yes, to the first question, and within the last 30 days to the last part, then you have grounds to reject the vehicle. Trying it pick the bones from what you say, the vehicle should never have been sold in the condition it’s in, and you would have done yourself a favour to have had it inspected prior to buying it. Apologies for a semi personal question, but was there any finance involved in its purchase? If so, this may aid to your case. Regards, Gareth.

Thanks. Yes we know, and it’s well recorded, what the dealer told you. Which equates to no recommendation to change on an age basis. Boiling it down, it’s now up to you (in caps) to decide which of the recommendations you go for. In your case you can wait a long time before you cover 149k miles. Perhaps it’s worth bearing in mind that the cambelt and its associated assembly takes more of a hammering on low mileage vehicles, where numerous gear changes occur, and particularly where stop/start is deployed. Perhaps you’ll come back to us with your decision Sean. Regards, Gareth.

Thanks Sean, So what are you going to do regarding your cambelt?

Welcome Toby, A forum search will come up with the information you need, but yes, one at fault and none of them work. Long bleep indicates fault. It’s identifying which one is question. Some have claimed all except the faulty one will make some noise - never found that myself. Squirting WD40 - no good. Diagnostics will identify the offender. You then have a choice of paying VAG north of £120 per sensor, or about £20 ish for an EBay one which is likely to have the VAG number imprinted on it. No brainier? Um, my experience - EBay one works fine during long periods of dry weather, but fails in damp or rain. So…. Regards, Gareth.

So does that mean you have checked on EBay etc. to see what sellers are selling as the original for your model year?

Thanks Alan, I very much respect the originality bit, but if it were mine, I would be searching out a trusted local car audio specialist and taking advice there. I’d be surprised if it isn’t possible to link in a concealed USB port - or whatever - retain your original headset and use that to play music from your phone. Re.my Alpine CD changer - being mercenary, I wasn’t really intending to give it away for a reimbursement of postage costs. Regards, Gareth.

There has to be an underlying cause, if they aren’t working below 5 degrees. Where that cause lies? - numerous possibilities from fractured wires in the flexible harness section twixt A post and door frame, failed switch, fractured wire within folding mechanism - the list goes on. If it were mine, and I wasn’t equipped with a suitable meter and knowledge to use it, I would be buying an hour’s time with a trusted local autoelectrician. By the way, the fuse location should be listed in your handbook. Please let us know how you get on. Regards, Gareth.

Welcome Lorraine, Maybe a daft comment, but the heating facility normally only works below 5 degrees C. You don’t mention if this failure to operate has occurred since the rise in temperature. Beware, if you find the fuse has blown, it will have done so to protect the circuit, so you have to find the cause before just renewing the fuse. Regards, Gareth.

Welcome Alan, These CD changers were notorious for jamming etc. but were generally reliable in other respects. I’m well qualified in the old fashioned stakes, but as I understand it, you can get better, as good as, music using your phone and an Ankor ( spelling?) speaker - I’m about to do that in a 60s classic car. If you don’t want to go down that route, I think I have an Alpine 6 CD changer here somewhere, ex an older Jaguar, which I would be prepared to part with. Regards, Gareth.

Thanks Alan, but we have to attempt to quote from authorised sources, and your mention of ‘…but still with a time limit (e.g. 5 years) is incorrect as we know it. There isn’t any time limit currently quoted by VAG ( that is the contention). I did quote the mileage change recommendation in an earlier post against another thread, and I recall it’s something like 125k miles without time limit - but all members are advised to recheck this since the memory is not what it was! I must also disagree with your differentiation between Newer Models. We understand the removal of any time limit applies retrospectively to all models. Many thanks, Gareth.

Alan. Where did you get the information from that you posted 4 hours ago? Kind regards, Gareth.

Is it the correct manual for your model?

Many thanks for the update Gavin. Glad that Parts in Motion were able to help you. I’ve spoken with Liam in the past, and I found him very helpful and personable. I must admit, they are my first go-to for parts I need. Regards, Gareth.

Almost unbelievable Andrew, but unfortunately true. I really hope you get a fair outcome with this. One question that comes to mind is - what about the poor unsuspecting who is going to end up as the second owner of this vehicle? Not your concern, but you have to feel equally sorry for whoever that might be. Good luck with sorting everything out, and it would be great to hear of the outcome. Regards, Gareth.

I think you will end up dissatisfied, and losing the services of your mechanic if you impose those requirements on him - I wouldn’t take on any work for you under those conditions. My suggested way forward would be to spray all possible offending bushes with ATF fluid and judge the effect - ideally spray one component and lest, but I can’t see a commercial mechanic adopting this time consuming approach. Please let us know how you get on. Regards, Gareth.

When you ask ‘…is it me…’, how could you describe your driving style - enthusiastic? Regards, Gareth.

I very much agree with Cliff in terms of the art of engine machining. Sound advice too re. Classic car contacts. Might well be worth looking up localish multi - marque classic car clubs, and going along to one of their meetings and seeking advice on where to place this work. Regards, Gareth.

Hello Lorenezzo, Work on the understanding that warranty companies work on the principle of being able to get under a snake’s belly with a top hat on, and you won’t be surprised, but will allow you to get your argument set up in advance, Regards, Gareth.