Magnet

Hello Ryan, Have you registered your ‘want’ with online breaker link sites such as Partsfinder (there are more)? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Neil, I wouldn’t be surprised if the broken release to access and particularly to get out of the back seat is an MOT failure, and I would question the trading seller’s right to have allowed the car to proceed to a sale with this fault. I would be taking advice on this. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Steve. Didn’t realise it was the non clutched type. Kind regards, Gareth. p.p. Anyway, air con in a convertible? - unless the car has to be used as everyday transport.

Many thanks for the useful post Stephen. Just wondered if there was any particular reason why you wanted to disconnect the compressor. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andy, Can we take I your air conditioning isn’t working? If so, there is a recent -ish thread on here relating to the air con pressure switch ( not temperature though) which is said to be located on the condenser. Not sure if this might be what is the issue, but reading the thread (A6?) might throw some light on it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, Rapid P609 eh! Probably originated well east of the Thames estuary! Perhaps you will have to go with XL, but we take it you will go with the recommended size. Goodyear? These are a premium grade tyre, and the only experience I have with Goodyear has been with a family member’s BMax which was fitted with them from new - didn’t last as well as expected despite painfully careful! driving. Continentals? Got these on the large non- Audi and they have done well. Tried them on the humble A3, and not too impressed with the mileage achieved, so will be reverting to Michelin which gave much better mileage per £. Ok , may be more than expensive to buy but have lasted longer with us. Buying online? Yes OK, what I tend to do is get the best reasonable online price in carriage and inc. the all important fitting and see how this compares with say Kwick Fit who now seem to be very competitive. Armed with these prices, I then go along to me independent tyre company and enquire how close they can get. I feel we must support the local trade even if it may turn out to be a few pounds more - which it often isn’t. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gary, My first action would be to get the coolant system pressure tested. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, I understand where you are coming from, and a project can be very rewarding - well that’s an excuse I’ve used since I had hair, and that’s a long time ago! Classic car brokers include, Footman James, Lancaster, Haggerty, Adrian Flux, Peter James Insurance - and more. I’ve used the latter over the last 8/9 years or so, and you should find that get-you-home breakdown cover will be included in the premium, which is always a reassurance, since some normal breakdown schemes limit the age of the car. You mention your girlfriend with a similar eligible car, and you could find it might be advantageous to have both on one agreed value insurance policy - if at the same address. Annual mileages will generally be limited to 3K, but can be extended if necessary. Perhaps worth a thought when the time is right. Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, I’m really sorry to hear of your issues and appreciate your sentiments, and I wish you ongoing improvement. Perhaps I shouldn’t have mentioned about agree value and classic car cover, but it’s not uncommon for enthusiastic owners of ‘modern classics’ to be unaware that they can indeed get cover which will guarantee a pay out value in the event of the car being a total loss. I appreciate the car is ‘priceless’ to you, and it’s sentimental value is high, but sometimes it well worth trying to cover that sentiment and hard work as best one can. If your current insurers are simply listing the value you give them, then you don’t have an agreed value, and in the event of it being a total loss, it will be valued as any other car of a similar age - probably just scrap value. There are plenty of Classic car brokers about and I wouldn’t set out to single out any - but I could if it helps. I do not have any connection with Classic car insurance other than I have had such policies for over 40 years. Just a thought. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, Is this sensor the one that controls the fuel mixture, or is it a sender which operates the coolant temperature gauge - or both!? If you could let us know what is/isn’t working properly it would be great. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Ian, Seems like you are well equipped to decide on available shock absorbers. re. insurance - so is the car insured on the all important agreed value basis, since it sounds a nice example? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, Sorry I can help you directly with codes, but it’s not unusual to change highlighted faulty components, only to find the fault still exists. Since your mechanic is scratching his head, I take it he is not a diesel specialist, and if not, my port of call would be to find yourself a trusted local diesel specialist and entrust the diagnosis and repair to them - not an ‘ordinary’ non diesel garage. You can usually get recommendations on diesel specialists by asking at your local taxi rank. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, Your raise some interesting points here, and it’s obvious that you appreciate the adverse effect XL tyres have on ride comfort. I’m not sure if your XL are Run- flat as well, but both will add to the tyres inflexible characteristics. Couple this with 40 profile on a not stupidly wide tyre, and you end up with a ride quality asking to what we used to call a gumbo, or similar to solid tyres! Why XL? Well I guess it’s because it’s an estate, and it’s assumed you will be frequently carrying loads to it’s designed weight limit. If you aren’t, and you would prefer a more comfortable ride then it would be worth considering not fitting XL tyres. Tyre sizes fitted vs. specified sizes? It’s not uncommon for owners to opt for near-miss alternative widths/profiles if they can buy those alternatives cheaper, so it wouldn’t surprise me that that is what has happened here. What make are they incidentally? I would certainly consider replacing them with the specified size. Brands? Depends on how important your budget it, but to me, final mileage achieved from a set of tyres usually works out similar in terms of £s spent for mileages achieved. Backs still not specified sizes? I guess it depends on how you drive, since you might be introducing a number of variables here in terms of non XL on the front. Not sure how much of this helps. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, Great to hear you are the custodian of an earlier Audi. I think the answer to your question ( apart from the McPherson being the design bit) may be rather academic, since you could find that the current availability of various brands is limited by who still produces aftermarket ones for this 22 year old car, rather than allowing a fair degree of choice. Its always a bit of a toss up between opting for whatever new-old-stock ones are still about - with the increased possibility of seals etc. deteriorating over time, or going for manufacturer’s current stock where available. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Incidentally, I guess you are aware that the car could satisfy the requirements for being insured on a cheaper agreed value Classic car policy if it isn’t your sole means of transport.

Hello Martin, Along with Cliff’s reply, I would ask for more information about when this intermittent blue smoke is evident. There are two basic tests better judge the causes of blue smoke:- When the engine is fully up to optimum operation g conditions - i.e. about 5 miles after the coolant temperature reaches normal - allow the engine to idle at say traffic lights, and ask your following accomplice to note any blue smoke when you start to move away. You should also ask for blue smoke assessment immediately after travelling down hill, then accelerating. If blue smoke is evident on these occasions, then it’s likely the oil is passing the valve guides, either via. worn guides or more generally failing valve stem oil seals. The second test is to note any blue smoke on enthusiastic acceleration. This is usually attributed to worn piston rings. How much oil does this engine use Martin? More problematic starting may not be associated with the blue smoke issue, but as Cliff says - it might be. If it were mine, I would be wanting to eliminate/investigating any connection between the two, and first looking to other reasons why it’s not starting as well as it did. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, Many thanks for the update. I think you have now (unfortunately) eliminated the engine-driven components, and have reasonable evidence that the issue is likely to be engine-internal. If it were mine, I would now be seeking an urgent diagnosis at a trusted local independent. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Richard, In answer to your question ....’ should I get it independently assessed...? , I would say without doubt - yes. I would not fall into the trap of believing that full-service-history equals a trouble free car to date, or in the future. Indeed, many cars come to the market, simply because some expensive issue has been found at a service (and not necessarily recorded), and the owner has decided to sell rather than meet that expenditure. A good talk with the last registered owner will often provide more information about a car then a set of stamps in a book. Kind regards, Gareth.

Didn’t know you and the forum were into midwifery as well now Steve! Great - It’s reassuring to know I’m not the only one to fall victim to predictive text. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Russel, Sorry to hear of your issue, but can we take it that the 3 year warranty applies to new cars in Pakistan? If so, you really don’t need to worry about it, since it just becomes the Audi dealer’s responsibility to deal with the problem. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Peter, Matt hasn’t been pack to the forum for 20 months, so probably best to send him a PM. Kind regards, Gareth.

Two things Wayne:- I wouldn’t assume anything. You really don’t have any evidence to support your assumption. I would simply give this a most thorough inspection, and see what comes to light. Re. ‘Proper look when I can...’. The car is trying to tell you something, and personally I would suggest that any such noise warrants urgent inspection. I would not want to be in travelling near to this vehicle when whatever it is that is worn decides it’s had enough! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Wayne, Highly unlikely to be associated with brake pads unless it happens when you apply the brakes. Sounds to be more like a suspension issue, and I would suggest it would be wise to get the car inspected as soon as possible, unless you are adequately equipped and experienced to diagnose the problem on your own. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Ranvir, Sorry to be a pain, but when you say ‘surface scratches’ do these result in a lack of colour in the scratches, or are they simply scuffs in the lacquer? I probably didn’t explain clearly, but the pearlescent colour coats are applied first, and this paint is totally’ protected’ by coats of clear lacquer. So, if the scratches are only in the lacquer, then you are not going to be abrading the pearlescent coat at all, so there isn’t anything to worry about. However, if the scratches have resulted in colour loss, then you will be wasting your money on trying to ‘add paint’ by using scratch remover, so best to keep that money in your pocket and use it towards a smart repair. So called scratch removers generally only provide a short term improvement, and you may just a well consider using a coloured polish to try to minimise the effect. General rule of thumb would be that if you can feel the scratch with your finger nail, then you can forget about making much of an improvement by using scratch removers. Hope this helps, Kind regards, Gareth.

No need for diagnostic then Michael. Hope you didn’t use a Poundland type battery! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ranvir, I don’t think it’s so much of - can you use this scratch remover? - but more to do with if it is going to give you any significant improvement. It all depends on the depth of the scratch, and if it has removed paint (probably?) rather than just lacquer. If it has removed paint, then no amount of rubbing with scratch removers is going to add paint to the scratch. The car will have been painted with the colour and then overcoated with clear lacquer. If it’s just the the lacquer which has been damaged, then yes scratch remover will help to minimise the effect of the scrstch. If you have indeed damaged the paint film then it would be worth considering a ‘smart’ repair, ( more costly , but saving the cost of buying the scratch remover). Kind regards, Gareth.