Magnet

Hello Steven, I would suggest sending the original poster a PM, since he hasn’t returned to the forum since a few days after posting some 9 months ago. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Harris, The more you post, the impression I get is that you are not unfamiliar with the basics, but I really think you are missing out on the first line logical approach, and diverting valuable brainwork by trying to think of lists of possibilities, before you have eliminated the simple things first. Everything you say points me to advising that it is essential that you get the battery serviceability checked, so it can either eliminate this, or prove it is suspect. Without carrying this simple test, you run the risk of spending unwisely by replacing other non essential items. Just don’t go there. OK, Halfords are 40 miles away, but surely there must be some local garage or motor factors closer by, who can test it for you. I’d be devoting my time to investigate this avenue. Having said that, it would not be surprising if the starter motor/solenoid/connections were found to be not as good as expected, but it’s simple things first - so definitely get the battery checked. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

OK. Useful additional information. This is a simple -free - test which is always worth carrying out. So we don’t have any evidence of significant exhaust smoke during normal use. We don’t have any loss of coolant or oil (as you said earlier). Sounds as if there is currently little to worry about. You now mention a new symptom of a smell of oil, and if this were mine, I would be investing in an oil and good quality filter change, and asking the garage to check it in relation to the now oil smell, which might be associated with a slight leak. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gary, Probably best to PM the original poster, since he has not been back to the forum since 2 days after joining. Kind regards, Gareth.

OK Harris, The story unfolds - as it usually does when more details are requested. The fact that the engine does not turn over until the 5th turn of the key suggests connection or starter motor issues, but you confuse me with reference to ...’ fires on the first turn but on the 5th turn engine rotation. Sorry, don’t understand! If you’ve tried jump starting it and does not turn over, then it could point to your battery having failed ‘open circuit’. Had a case where this occurred with a 15 month old car. If this were mine then I would be substituting the battery you are trying charge, with the battery from your wife’s car - seems you know what you are doing, so know the does and don’ts. If this doesn’t turn the engine over first turn of the key then you know you have connection or starter motor issues. You can, and I would, have your battery checked at Halfords for example - if open. To me, this would be essential, since until you know whether it’s serviceable or not, you are just wasting your time. Keep us posted. Kind regards, Gareth.

So this will be used on a regularly frequent basis - possibly as a daily driver car, and it’s unlikely to be practical for you to restrict the annual mileage to say 3,000 to 6,000 miles? I ask, since if you were, it might (only might, since it is less than the normally required minimum 20 years old) be possible to get this onto a classic car insurance policy. These policies do not depend on having a ‘spare’ no claims bonus, but neither does it generate one. You can also insure the car on an agreed value basis, but insurers will expect that the car will not be a daily driver. If these requirements do not meet your intended use, then you can effectively forget about the classic car policy possibilities. If that is the case, as I see it, you will simply need go down the normal comparison website route and obtain a cover which suits your needs. I believe there is an insurance contact on this forum, so you could start there. Hope some of this may be helpful to point you towards what may not be possible and what your alternatives are. Perhaps you could keep the forum posted on how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Richard, Perhaps you could let the forum know what this car will be used for - as your main vehicle, or as an occasional use car? If occasional use, what your anticipated annual mileage will be. Also whether it will be garaged or not while not in use. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks for coming back on this. The procedure seems pretty well described to me, but...... Drive the car as normal during its 10 mile road run. Park the car, but do not switch the engine off. ’.....get an assistant to rev. the car...(while stationary) ..........at a steady 2000rpm and hold it at that (engine rev.) for 2 minutes, while you observe the smoke from the exhaust - report back to the forum with your findings. Hope that procedure is described clearly enough. .....The usual kind regards.. .p.s. Try to pick a fairly dry weather interlude to carryout this test. OK, may currently be difficult now we seem to have lost our dry spell, but...

Thanks, If you are able to do so in the current situation:- Ensure coolant and oil are at the correct level when the engine is cold. Then take the car for at least a 10 mile run and ensure the coolant temperature reaches normal and doesn’t overheat. Immediately on return, get an assistant to rev the car to a steady 2000rpm and hold it at this engine speed for 2 minutes while you observe smoke from the exhaust - and report back. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Harris, Sort of what Steve says. It depends on the ‘capacity’ of the battery in Ah - which I would think would be at least 75Ah in your case. Does this RAC branded charger have an ammeter on it, to tell you what current you are charging it at - which should reduce as the battery gets towards fully charged? Unless this charger is a very simply trickle charger - which I doubt it is - if you’ve charged the battery for 24 hours then it should be sufficiently charged to turn this engine over enthusiastically, if the battery is serviceable. When it broke down and wouldn’t start, how long did it turn the engine over for before going flat? In any case, can’t you borrow a battery and some jump leads? Personally, I would not be trying to jump start your car from another car unless you are totally (in caps) confident and experienced in correctly connecting jump leads. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Angel, You need to give us some more information - such as petrol or diesel. Would I be correct in believing it is a diesel? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Alan, Is the price of £7,500 a typo for this 8 year old A1? I would be putting the registration number into We Buy Any Car and see what comes up in these Covid19 troubled times. Appreciating their figure will be a trading valuation, but this will better dictate its ‘value’ when disposed of. Personally, I’d be looking elsewhere if I had that money in my pocket, and not be too concerned about a missing service and again ask myself truly why this owner is parting with it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Colin, All very useful information, which should assist others considering what Gez was enquiring about. Shame the original poster doesn’t seem to have revisited the forum since posting his enquiry. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Alan, ’......more reason to walk away?’. Might be worth considering that if he is fed up with it after paying out a large sum of money on it, why would he think it would be fine and interesting to a new owner? It would be interesting to know how long he has owned it, and to know if the buying price makes it an overly attractive proposition. If everything stacks up and you are still attracted to it, then I would be investing in a professional inspection of the car, since it will not come with any guarantee - apart from having to comply with the advertised condition. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Carl Wow it is indeed. All the detail required to identify exactly what you could be looking at with the vehicle of interest. The only thing I would add is to ask, do you actually want the stiffer sports suspension and lower profile -harder ride - that goes with the S-Line package? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Alan, Thanks for the post. Could you let the forum know if this car is being sold by a dealer ( not a main dealer, I guess), or is being sold privately. If it being sold privately, then you are obviously able to talk with the owner. If from a dealer, then I would be wanting to speak with the previously registered owner. It may be prudent to ask yourself why this car is being sold straight after having a new engine fitted. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Harris, The coolant temperature sensor senses the coolant temperature and signals the ECU which then selects the optimum fuel mixture, based on the actual temperature - cold, signals the need for a rich mixture, hot, a lean mixture. Whereas this might be at fault, they normally fail to an arbitrary signal level rather than a total fail, so the car may struggle to start, whether cold or hot, but usually does start. Simple things first - worth checking and wiggling the fuel pump fuse, and if found to be OK, listen for the pump priming when you switch on the ignition. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Geoff, ’Had alternator replaced’ ... Reputable make/source? Opinions:- 13.8v is below par. As you say, it should be towards the mid 14s. Connecting an ‘ordinary’ 038 Morry Thou. battery into the system? In my view this a toffy hammer battery in terms of its cold cranking and Ah capacity compared with the requirements of a 2 litre diesel battery. Would I have done this? No, since the car is likely to be fitted with an ‘intelligent’ charging system and an ordinary non AGM battery might well result in alternator problems. Personally, I’m still not discounting a battery/charging influence on your symptoms, but of course, it will be interesting to see what the independents come up with. Perhaps you could let us know Geoff. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steve (England), Simply marketing. Dissatisfactions arise in all facets of life, and it’s often easier to attempt to resolve them and move on, simply on the basis of holding discontents in the mind can weigh heavy! ‘Dealers’ in general are having a tough time over the last few weeks, and (OK pessimistically?) I cannot see this pandemic going away in anything under 18 months. Life has, and will continue to, change, and tolerance will become even more of a virtue, as the northern hemisphere takes current experience from the southern hemisphere’s impending winter. Only after this, will we know the fuller picture of how this will affect our lives during the coming year. Anyway, a long way around of trying to get a point over of - if you are happy with your current independent’s work - great. If you have had discontents with a main dealer then just move on to more important worries. Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Peter, I must confess that the 1.4 TFS engine does not come under the umbrella of my experience, but as Steve says, the norm is water pumps are are usually driven by the cambelt where a belt is fitted rather than a chain. Personally, I would be seeking independent advice on this - your main dealer parts department ( not service) should advise if they are open. One further, most important consideration is what make of parts are your local garage going to use. Have you asked them? Using local garages may be OK, but generally, they use aftermarket parts available from the local motor factors - not generally a good broad brush policy to accept. Are you getting your local garage to do this because they are cheaper? It might be worth considering that this critical apllication is not a price is king job. If you want a half way house price then I would ask at a local independent. Personally, I would only use genuine Audi parts ( available at discount) for this critical application, and if the water pump is indeed driven by the cambelt, then renew it, but only with a main dealer one - no one exceptions. Worth considering renewing the auxiliary belt at the same time. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Geoff, Thanks for coming back on this. If charging the battery has had an influence on the severity of the problem, then it may indeed point to a failing battery issue. It will be interesting to know how it is after a good 20 mile run. The fact that the battery accepts a charge may not be the full story in effect of its serviceability. For example, if (in caps) the vehicle is equipped with a battery monitoring system, that system might be detecting below par battery characteristics and will start to influence certain systems. My non- Audi experience of this showed that although the battery passed the old conventional ‘drop test’, the battery was borderline unserviceable in terms of its monitored cold cranking efficiency - as detected, only on sophisticated diagnostics. Steering column UJ issue? Personally I doubt it, but.... Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andy, Sorry, but I wonder why you want to spend, probably a large sum of money, to have a gearbox rebuilt. Perhaps you could fill in a bit of detail. In the absence of the full story, my thoughts would point me towards a good secondhand one at a reasonable price. Worth trying on line search companies such as Partsfinder etc. although many breakers may not be operating, but there again, probably neither will gearbox reconditioners. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Geoff, On the basis of simple things first:- As Steve says - suspect the battery. Possibly now getting passed its best if stop/start function enabled. In normal circumstances, I would advise a good 20 mile run, switch off and retest. Now - leave the engine tick over for 20 mins., switch off and retry. If you have an ‘intelligent’ (in caps) charger suitable for charging AGM and stop start technology, then charge the battery for at least 12 hours, or as charger programme dictates. Test again to see if symptoms have disappeared. Perhaps you could let the forum know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello ?, Sorry to hear of your issue with this fairly new car. From your description, I would hazard a guess that this issue may have been caused by a faulty clutch release bearing assembly, but of course, the full story will not be evident until it is stripped. Whatever, Audi have to ask themselves whether a car which has covered only 2,600 miles (take it your earlier ref. to additional 20,000 miles is a typo?) has proved to be fit for purpose. One would expect that they cannot claim that in your case. If (in caps) Audi fail to honour the repair under warranty then I would be informing the selling dealer -in writing - that you will be getting the car repaired at another main dealer and will be requesting a report on the condition of the clutch assembly, which you will pass to them, together with the full repair bill for their reimbursement of the charges paid by you. Also inform them that should they still maintain that they will not meet that bill, then you will seek reimbursement via. the small claims court. It may be worth seeking advice from the CAB (if currently operating to any degree). Did you buy the car via. a finance arrangement? If so, I would be informing the finance company that the car is unfit for purpose. Even if Audi UK will not repair this car under warranty, then as I see it, the selling dealer has to honour any major failures which reasonably occur during the first 6 months following sale. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Although passing this to the Ombudsman may be an option, this is likely to take at least 6 weeks to resolve - during which time you will be unable to use the car - then you have to arrange repair after that.

Hello David, Curtis hasn’t revisited the forum for over 6 months. Probably better to send him a PM. Kind regards, Gareth.