Magnet

Hello Mark, This problem can be typical of injector issues, and this would be my first port of call. Guess it also smells of diesel and annoys the neighbours! If you are taking it to an ‘ordinary garage’ then I think you could be in for a fair degree of mess around. If it were mine, I would be investing in an hour or so of the services of a trusted local diesel specialist. It would be worth enquiring for recommendations at your local taxi rank, since these chaps generally still use diesels and depend on a good economic turn around when things go wrong. Self diagnosis? I wouldn’t bother. There is a simple basic test for injectors, but you need specialist equipment. Perhaps you would let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Vivian, It seems it’s not that uncommon for springs to break these days. Generally, the coils are of thinner cross section that they used to be and significantly hardened. Generally it’s better to replace as a pair, and I’m sure someone on here will be able to advise whether it’s worth updating your springs since you are towing loads. Kind regards, Gareth.

What engine Iain? Kind regards, Gareth.

Heel Chris, Sounds good progress. Cambelt? Good move. Have you decided what quality parts are to be used? All important, since local garages just tend to use whatever is on ‘best offer’ at their supplying motor factors. If not using genuine VAG parts (available mail order at discount) the garage are likely to tell you they use OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts, but this can often hide a multitude of sins. Then there is the question of the all important water pump. It it were mine, I would not use any other pump than a genuine VAG one - no exceptions. Too many reported catastrophic issues with early failure of aftermarket pumps. If your garage is going down the route of an aftermarket belt and tensioner, then the only make I would use would be Gates, but I wouldn’t use their water pumps - for the sake of a small saving. It’s great to have the belt assembly and water pump renewed, but just leaving at the garage and collecting it, is a bit like saying you want a new pair of trainers - and off they go and supply you with a pair they have just bought at the local outdoor market. Might be worth thinking twice and getting a good job done once. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Stewart, Sounds a great pointer. I wondered if this is just A6, and the reason for asking was that a family member has an early 2015 A4 Avant, and has experienced poor/lack of air con. Issue was diagnosed as a faulty magnetic clutch on the compressor, but the mechanic didn’t want to change the clutch part - in favour of a complete compressor. With Audi wanting £1000 ( with discount) for a compressor, the car was fitted with a Brand x replacement. Upshot, sort of cools air a bit, but does not consistently chill and it. Diagnosis is now an unreliable valve in the new compressor. Just wondering Stewart:- Do you know if the sensor is common to the A4 as well, and if so, and the sensor goes faulty, can it result in cooler, but not chilled air, as well as not cooled at all? Many thanks and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello George, If it were mine, I certainly wouldn’t be breaking the car - just too much effort and space taking for the potential reward, leave alone the fact it would be a shame to lose the car as a complete unit. Worth? Really don’t know, and it might be worth considering that finding a good and enthusiastic home for it may be more important than the actual money raised, unless money is tight. As I see it George, the car is likely to owe you 3/4 of very little. It has been a good and reliable friend, and whatever you reap for it may be rather like selling the dog! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello D, You have already decided to buy the car, so really - end of. As I see it, sorry, but it’s a bit too late to be doing the homework now. Previous owner on V5? - take it you have seen that before committing to buy. Good luck with it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Scott, Sorry to hear of your issue. It will be a hard decision, but one which may be tempered by first having to be sure what is causing the (ridiculously) high oil consumption. As I understood it, these engines sometimes do not exhibit the classic signs such as excessive smoke, so is this a piston problem or not, or indeed as well as say valve guides? I cannot see that it will be possible to estimate the extent of work necessary and the parts needed until this is determined. Being realistic, I think you are right in believing this won’t be an economic repair, and with due consideration for not wanting to pass this issue on to some private buyer buying this from you, you could consider seeing what We Buy Any Car will offer. All their vehicles go through auction, where it’s buyer beware! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello, OK. If it were me, I wouldn’t be touching it without speaking with the last owner, but it’s obviously your decision. You are simply assuming the reason for the exceptionally high mileage in recent months, and have no idea why it has returned (through a number of Audi dealers) to be resold - at what must be a considerable financial loss to the last owner. You also don’t tell, us whether the price of the vehicle has been suitably reduced in line with its chequered ownership history. You say ‘I am purchasing it...’ so we must take it you are doing just that, and personally, I get the feeling you are looking for support that ‘yes, go ahead - good buy..’, and I feel that is not something which this forum can reasonably advise on. Of course, I could well be wrong. Since we don’t know where you are, don’t know whether you have just wandered into Audi Huddersfield and seen the car ( a distinct advantage/ essential), or whether you have agreed to buy the car via. and Internet sale - sight unseen. Let’s hope someone else on here can give you the support you look for to confirm you are doing/ have done, the right thing in buying this car. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello George, Interesting vehicle, and not an easy decision. My slant on it is a consideration of some of the following:- Do you have a sufficient nostalgic attachment to it that warrants you keeping it - come what may? Do you need the longer term return from the car’s ‘investment potential’ ? Do you really believe you have the time, dedication and fund allocation to fairly quickly bring this car back to its full potential? If you do, do you (in caps) feel it’s a worthwhile project on which to spend your time and funds, and then find the time to use it? If you received a ‘good offer’ for it in its current condition, would you sell it? If so, I think that answers most of the above questions. I think from what you tell us, you are sufficiently experienced to make a decision on all of this, and to appreciate that simply retaining the vehicle equals further deterioration - that deterioration often out stripping any investment potential. Not sure how much of the above concentrates the mind George. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello D, (a bit abbreviated on name and location!). One question I would be asking myself - why own a car for only 3.5 months and then part with it - at a supposedly high depreciation in the meantime? Yes, I appreciate the seller will come up with some reason/excuse, but.... Well there is another question really:- What (main dealer?) servicing has been carried out in this 13.5K miles? Possibly nothing if it was serviced at 18K. Are you buying off the owner? If not, are you able to make contact with that person? Kind regards, Gareth.

Glow plugs just come in circuit at temperatures below 5 degrees C, Kev? My money would be on a simple leak-back test on the injectors. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Asher, We take it you don’t want to go down the Audi parts route then. If not, can you give us a guide to the profile of what you are looking for. Photo perhaps, with some dimensions? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Tim, The symptoms you describe are typical of injector/s issues, although could also be other faults. If this were mine, I would be seeking out a trusted local diesel specialist rather than a normal local garage. There is a fairly simple basic test for the injector efficiency. Kind regards, Gareth.

I like the ‘more’ bit Steve! Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Mark, The joy of forums is that opinions vary, and that’s healthy. Wear and tear on low mileage engines not now an issue?? Possibly less than was with the superior lubrications. Wear and tear on clutches, drive trains, steering, suspension due to small around town mileages? I’m certainly not saying low mileage isn’t good, but it’s certainly not necessarily king? It’s great that you have the necessary experience to be able to judge better cared for examples than unloved ones. I’m sure you will find the right car. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mark, Steve manages to come up with some great links. One thing about your logic I would question is ‘low mileage’. Low mileage can OK, but can be very harsh on engines and drive trains, so it’s likely the low mileage has arisen from short trips, where the engine has been subjected to a far greater than average number of warm up periods and frequent stop starts - all not good for engines. If you put a warmed up car on the motorway at the legal limit, and do high mileages under these conditions then you may well find that mechanically, that higher than normal mileage car is in better order. Again, ‘Full service history’ is taken as read as being the be all and end all, must have. It certainly helps, but can equate to little more than the vehicle spending half a day at the main dealer every 18 months or so, and for the rest of its time, there is no guarantee that it’s been cared for. To my mind, the overall condition of the car should speak for itself, and if full service history is to hand then that’s a bonus. Timing chains and issues? Are these engines truly not fitted with a replaceable chain tensioners?? With chained engines, it’s not unusual for the tensioner to become less effective, and it’s a matter of replacing them at sensible service life. Good luck with your quest Mark. Kind regards, Gareth.

Surprised that nobody wants this ahead of a scheduled cambelt change. Final reduction! £38 + p&p ( probably cheaper than a Brand x aftermarket one. It will be relegated to the shelf, not to return, if no interest now. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ryan, (from the home Town) I would say the advice given to you (by Mr. Sinclair’s empire?) seems sound. If it were mine, I too would fill it up with non supermarket fuel (I use Texaco next to the Tech. - no connection) having first added half a bottle of Redex. I would then give it a relatively gentle 10 mile run to get it fully up to operating temperature - switching off and on if restricted performance. I would then take it for a good 50 mile ‘hard’ drive, keeping the revs. up in lower than normal gears. i.e. an ‘Italian Tune’. Hopefully, that should wake it up! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Rich, I think you have answered your own question regarding buying secondhand, and it’s reasonable to expect that many of the secondhand ones will have been retained salvage having fitted new ones under insurance claim. Re. repairing yours? Yes, I would say it would be repairable and splits can be repaired by plastic welding. If it were mine, I would be working out the economics of replacing with secondhand and repainting, then taking advice on well trusted smaller local bodyshops, and getting a couple of estimates. For recommendations, visit a couple of local smaller used car sales sites and ask them who they would suggest. These boys work on tight limits, and need good work done at reasonable cost, so are always a source of local knowledge. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Phew! glad you didn’t suffer a premium increase following notifying the insurers that you had had an accident. I wouldn’t take it for granted the ‘for information only’ works, since the general question now is worded around ‘Have you been involved in any accidents’? Not whether you have made any claims.

Hello Jamie, Sorry to hear of your issues. Unusually bad luck, so quickly after getting the belt assembly renewed. As a matter of interest, did they renew the water pump at the same time, and also the auxiliary belt? Cost to repair? Sounds like an exaggeration, but...... Irrespective, it will be zero cost to you, and I guess you will have a courtesy for the duration of the repair? Actual repair? To me, it would seem to be a more economical route to fit a replacement engine rather than repair yours - if that estimate is correct. Keeping the car thereafter? I think if it were mine, I would be more reassured if a new engine was fitted than if yours was repaired. If repaired, I would want to know exactly what work was carried out, before deciding to keep or not. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Richard, My recommendation would be to get yours professionally repaired and repainted, since I would think that actually finding a secondhand replacement, getting yours taken off, refitting and repainting the new one would not be cost effective. Similar with an aftermarket - questionable fit? Insurance? ....’ although I did notify them....’ Um!? Too late now, but claim or not, they are now aware that you have been involved in an accident, and even if you don’t claim, it could affect your renewal premium. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, I’ll try to respond to your comments:- We all gain more experience from making mistakes than from doing things correctly, so lesson learnt re. thoroughly checking the service history next time. Ignore Halfords reference to checking cambelt. If you read it, it refers to checking the interval at which the belt should be changed, not examining the belt for serviceability ( not possible anyway without some degree of dismantling). Seems someone likes to tick toothed belt boxes annually! If this were mine, I would take it that the belt, tensioner and associated water pump have never been changed and are now overdue x2, since the timed interval is generally every 5 years, even if the mileage covered is low. Forget Haldex if not Quattr. ATS? Defending my corner, I didn’t say they were bad and certainly not ‘really that bad’. The upshot is Chris, if you are happy with them, and what they carryout in terms of what you consider a ‘full service’ then I would be tending to stick with them, and simply not worry about what they actually do, and don’t replace. Come to think of it, it was me who ‘complicated’ matters by asking what they did do for your believed expensive service charge! Just as a aside, I knew a fitter who worked for ATS for years, but bought the same brand of tyres cheaper across the road, than he could at ATS using his staff discount! Things might have changed. I think you will be suited to getting your servicing done there, and that’s fine, but I would now be concerned about the apparent long overdue cambelt change (judging by the available evidence) - and the potential for serious issues if this is ignored. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, No problems at all about asking additional questions. The asking bit is simple - it’s the answers are more complex! 3/7/18 servicing work? Brake fluid and toothed belt (the all important cambelt) change, ticked but not stamped. Can we take it you just have a tick in the box but not an invoice? Have you got any information to point to who ticked the boxes/did the work? If not, realistically it should be treated as dubious. OK, the brake fluid not the end of the world for the moment, but an overdue belt renewal might be. Sorry to pass potentially bad news, but.... Just let the form know if you need more info. on this. It would be worth checking the service book for an earlier (stamped) toothed belt change. ‘How do I know which parts I need?). Do you have an invoice for the last (Halfords) service? If not, but the book is stamped, what have they ticked as being renewed? Possibly just engine oil and filter? If this were mine, and I intended to keep it long term, I would be renewing oil filter, air filter, pollen(cabin) filter, and fuel filter. You will then have a good base point to move forward from - sorry, I think I have already said that. If you are from the school of ‘a service is a service’ and you are happy about that, then you could just accept what is done/not done and be happy with a stamp in the book. If you want to ensure the car is best looked after mechanically, then you ask exactly what is going to be done for your money - in relation to the filters etc. already mentioned. Quality of parts used? In terms of filters, I would only use main dealer ones (at discount) or Mann or Bosch as alternatives (nothing else). There are some pretty poor quality ones about! You are now left with being able to ask sufficient questions of whoever is going to do the work - and personally a trusted local garage who you can have a conversation with sounds a good bet. You can now decide whether you are going to have the brake fluid changed, and more importantly do the background homework on the ‘toothed belt’ done or not done saga. Hope some of this helps Chris. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Haldex and oil? Is yours a Quattro? If not nothing to worry about. Engine oil brands? I use Quantum (by Castrol?) This is/was the VAG group recommended brand. Available on EBay.

Hello Chris, Many thanks for the additional information - it really does help. Since as you say the last service was an interim service, I think you are wise to consider having a comprehensive service now, so at least you will have a base point from which to plan ongoing services. I think I would be wise to then consider the on-going servicing schedule from that point on, since this will dictate whether you opt for a Longlife type schedule (which uses a specific oil) or whether you will be getting it serviced annually. To cut to the chase, I would not rate ATS’s service charge is being expensive, but I would question the ‘quality’ of parts which they would use - possibly ‘best deals’ from their local motor factors. Personally, I wouldn’t use such outlets for servicing, but would either investigate the costings at local independents, or local garages -where you can dictate what parts are to be used. Having a service is essential, but using any old Brand x oils and filters etc. may result in the whole thing perhaps being really not worth bothering with. Probably questioning any of the above with ATS will be met with ‘We only use OEM parts’. You don’t mention if the service history includes a cambelt change within the last 5 years, or when the brake fluid was last changed. Kind regards, Gareth.