Magnet

Hello Nellie, I think you are right in questioning (everything) before signing anything. When you say you are picking the car up next week, we must assume that you have already signed something which links your name as a customer, to order a car for delivery. If you believed your were buying the car on PCP but now think it’s ‘purchase’ will be via. HP, then either the dealer hasn’t explained the mode of purchase in a way in which it has been adequate for you to understand, or you (understandably) simply don’t understand it. So at this point, you are wise in taking a step backward and doing some homework before signing any contract. If I were in your position, I would be first asking questions at the dealership - worth writing down what concerns you so you don’t forget to ask something which is important. Obtain a draft copy of what you will be expected to sign, and study it. My next port of call would be Audi UK and seek clarification on anything you are not absolutely sure about. Third port of call - CAB - armed with you draft copies, and answers to you homework questions, and seek their advice. Finally, if you are still unhappy/confused about anything, then delay collection and signing until you are fully equipped with the answers to all the questions which concern you. Yes, I know they will tell you you have a cooling off period, but better not to get yourself in the hot water in the first place. As I say, I think you are being wise at this stage. Kind regards, Gareth.

Wesley, bless him, has not returned to the forum since he last posted his request for assistance, so no one benefits from his progress, or the worth of the forum’s advice.

Hello Zee, The fact that the brake pad light has come on, is not good news in terms of the car’s maintenance history. Most main dealers or independents will normally advise pad renewal at the time of service, if they believe the limit will be reached before they next service the car. Anyway, yours need renewing, and I notice you are seeking advice on alternative ‘OE’ pads. The question I need to ask is why not use genuine Audi replacement ones? Would I be far out if I guessed the words ‘want cheaper ones’? If so Zee, then I would question your long term logic, by wishing to do a cheaper fix. Why risk alternatives? Story:- Our humble A3 had it’s first set of replacement pads of aftermarket OE ones. Within weeks of bedding these in, it was obvious that the brakes were nowhere as sharp as they were, and we decided to throw these away, and to revert to genuine VAG ones. Braking efficiency returned to normal. Now at 160K, this car has never had anything other than VAG brake pads, and the brakes still impress. Lesson learned as far was we are concerned. Audi pads at discount? You could try Audi Parts Direct at Cardiff ( part of Cardiff Audi/ Mon Motors) - no personal connection, or you could try TPS. Kind regards, Gareth. Are you going to replace the discs? If the price of Audi discs frightens you, you could try Brembo.

Thanks Cliff. I can’t hear it at all! By what you say cliff - similar to a loose/ flapping engine undershield perhaps? Just another guess! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Zara, Sorry, but your recording doesn’t work in my system. Re. costing if (in caps) it turns out to be a top mounting - sorry, but I would need to search the part cost, and know your independent’s hourly rate. I say if, in caps, since any attempt to diagnose the actual source of the noise will just be a stab at it, and it’s highly unlikely that anyone on here will be able to make an accurate diagnosis, without examining the car. If it were mine, I would be just taking this one step at a time - the first step is to arrange for the car to be road tested and inspected. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Zara, I fear making the correct diagnosis of the cause of your noise - once we have more details - is likely to be a bit of a black art, without examining the car. I can see that you have had the car inspected by a couple of garages, which is reassuring, this this car is trying to tell you something! If it were mine, I would be looking up a locality Audi independent and asking them to inspect the car. It’s likely there will be more expertise and experience there. My stab at it based on your description so far - possibly ( in caps) suspension leg top mounting, but a guess it is obviously. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Nicola, It must be appreciated that a high percentage of used vehicles will have suffered damage to some extent through their lifetime. It’s the severity and extent of this damage, and the way in which it has been repaired, which are the all important factors. From the photos you give us, it seems (obvious?) that your car has suffered some damage, and it would appear that this damage - the extent of which we don’t know- probably hasn’t been well repaired. You must appreciate Nicola, that no one on this forum has the opportunity to actual examine the car - as you do - and we can only take a stab at assessing the true situation from some photos you have supplied. So it’s been damaged, no big deal? Extent? Everyone cringes at the thought of buying a ‘write off’, but vehicles are declared to be ‘beyond economic repair’ dependent on their retail value at the time, so a dent in the wing and cracked bumper on an older car could render it beyond economical repair. Insurance companies now categorise damage to give an indication of severity and this should be recorded against the car’s searchable record. Having said that, if you scrape the side of your car, and decide not to claim on your insurance, and get Fred down the road to apply some filler and a lick of paint, then that obviously it won’t be recorded. Your particular situation:- If you bought it from a car retailer then they should have ‘HPI’ checked the car before sale and notified you if it had been declared beyond economical repair. If you now want to check the car’s history, you will have to pay for that search ( a number of on-line companies do this). If it turns out it is a Category x damaged car, then I would guess you have some redress. If it isn’t, then the onus was on you at the point of purchase to check the bodywork. If you weren’t equipped experience- wise to do that, then it would have been wise to have employed someone who was. Unfortunately that is the fact of it when examining the cosmetics of any secondhand item. Where from here? If it were mine, I would be seeking advice/estimates from a trusted local bodyshop. Perhaps you could update us on how you get on, and whether the forum advice has been of any help. Kind regards, Gareth.

Wonder why tyres, if the noise is only on one side Kev? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Nicola, Thanks for being in touch. This looks like poorly repaired accident damage where the filler and/or paint used has shrunk over time. Kind regards, Gareth.

Sorry Simon, but it’s getting very difficult to advise you where your redress is, since we don’t know whether the car was OK after the main dealer fitted the cameras, but has given problems only after the tracker was fitted. If that is the case then your main dealer will likely to be charging for any investigation and repair work, since the issue will not be their fault, but until you give us a clear order of who did what, when, and when the problem arose, then obviously everything is just assumption. Sorry, I don’t think I can advise you at this stage. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Simon, Sorry, but you are not telling whether these gadgets were fitted at the main dealer or not. Were they? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Craig, I think you are in danger of forming - indeed have formed- a conclusion that your issues are due solely to the tyres currently fitted to your car, when in reality you know the only difference tyre ‘height’ difference between your old model and this is probably an insignificant 14mm. If this were mine, I would be first swopping backs and fronts (as said) to see if that influences the vibration issue. I don’t think I would be visiting Kwik Fit at this stage if I were you, since you are minded that your issues all all tyre brand associated, and changing brands will solve it. Couple this, with KF’s understandable marketing and branch targets, and you are likely to be driving away with a new set of boots! I would do this stage by stage, but... Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Simon, Many thanks for being in touch. When you say ‘they (who fitted to gadgets?) refuse to listen’ - who are ‘they’? Can we take it you have had this work carried out on your new car at the main dealer? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks James, Sounds a good idea to try to dry it out quietly. Hope it solves the problem. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Jonny, That’s great. It just didn’t seem to make sense that you couldn’t get such a part anywhere, when the first port of call would have been your Audi dealer, not your garage - who obviously just hadn’t tried. Kind regards, Gareth.

Last call:- £34. + p&p as last resort. Does it fit others as well?? Please check the main dealer price to decide how cheap this is. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Vic, Thanks for being in touch. Some detail please! Are we to understand you are looking to obtain this part, but you have failed? If so, what avenues have you tried so far? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Craig. 235/55 on old model = 129mm of tyre wall height. 255/45 on current model = 115 mm. So you have 14mm less tyre ‘height’. Significant? Would not have thought so. Tyre brands and sidewall flexibility? Others maybe more experienced on this, but I would have thought that the main tyre contributing factors to ride quality would be XL (extra load) - where the sidewalks are less flexible, and of course run-flats for the same reason. Are you still confident that neither of these apply to your current tyres - particularly the run-flat aspect? Not always apparent, so worth visiting your local tyre retailer? Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Hugo, Great. 20€/hr! Wow. Pardon my ignorance - particularly since I used to enjoy Geography - but where is Almancil? Save me looking it up! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Sumeet, Thanks for coming back. Maintained Mercedes petrol or diesel should see 100k miles, sigh, and cover the next 100k with the same effort. Ones which have previously suffered from a lack of maintenance will, like any other marque, soon let you know. Some will put all (in caps) their faith in the ‘quality’ of a vehicle, based on its service history. SH is important, but may just equate to a vehicle having spent half a day at a dealer every 18 months or so, and might not give any indication of the way it’s actually been cared for in daily use. We have a local executive hire company near to us, and his vehicles can cover around well over 200k in under 3 years. His drivers are queuing up to buy them because they know they have actually had a good and active life. I’m not saying low mileage is the reciprocal of this, but they can take a bit of a mechanical hammering via. constant short distance journeys, and of course, the interiors, doors etc., have to withstand a far higher than normal amount of getting in and out. Anyway, Sumeet, good luck in finding what you want. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Sumeet, I’m sure other will give you the pros and cons or should that be the other way around!?) of these gearboxes. On the more general principles, you are looking to buy an eleven year old car and have set your maximum mileage requirement to an example which has covered between 4 to a maximum of 6,000 miles/a. Not very realistic in my book, and very restrictive in terms of choice. It obviously follows that such low mileage examples will have been subjected to numerous stop/ starts, more not-up-to-temperature use , and a much higher clutch operation - i.e. not the best of operating conditions. Clutch (release bearings) will certainly suffer over time. Cambelt and water pump schedules are not strictly in accordance to mileage, but also to time periods, irrespective of mileage - generally every 5 years. Hope some of this might help pending more in depth comment. Kind regards, Gareth.

Tried swopping back wheels to front Craig, to see if that makes any difference? As said, 55 profile are generous, but were the satisfactory 19 inch fitted with say 60? Suspension specs between the two any different? e.g. Sport vs non Sport. Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Craig. That profile is very generous for 20 inch wheels, and should give you good ‘insulation’ from varying road surfaces, so nothing there to point you to a cause, I’m afraid. Just to confirm:- tyres are matching in terms of brands and amount of tread? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello James, Warning lights often work by picking up circuit resistances outside of the norm, so the bulbs may still illuminate, but might have higher than expected contact resistance. If this were mine, I would be investing in a spray can of contact cleaner, removing the offending bulbs, giving everything a good spray, then refitting and wiggling the bulbs in their holders. See if that does anything. If not, let us know, and there is one more area you could check, but the car would not really be old enough to expect to have that issue. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Craig, Could you let us know the width and profile of your 20 inch tyres and whether they are run flats or perhaps extra load (XL) ? Kind regards, Gareth.