Magnet

Hello Trevor, Well unlike me, he did right a book - Mr. Nice, and there was a film of the same name starring Rhys Evans. What a character! The book is a good read whether anyone condemns or condones what he did. Kind regards, Gareth.

Good on you Brad, you didn't fall asleep then at the end! Pot ( America), yes, that was my high bit of '.....no longer deep, but high' Many thanks and kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Just in passing the late (great?, well character anyway) Howard Marks and I grew up together in the same village, but I didn't actually sample his wares. I could write a book!

Hello David, I always use main dealer filters bought at discount, since I consider the savings on a DIY oil and filter change warrant spendingmthat small amount more over buying cheap filters. If I do deviate from main dealer filters then I try to use only Mann as an alternative, but would avoid ones carrying (now bought out) brand names which we used love and respect. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Trevor, So age has its merits, but comes with an improving forgetory (my answer to memory loss!). But yes, I do remember the the CX and indeed Citroen were renouned for their inovation with suspensions (was it LMH fluid or something similar which also worked the braking system under pressure?) But of course, let's not forget their opposite end of the scale, 2CV - the upside down pram! Now being old allows you to have strong opinion - most of it being poo pooed - and to my mind, someone decided about 30 years ago that suspension systems should be designed to allow our everyday family car to go around corners as if you were on a race track. Great, but at the considerable expense of ride comfort, leaving us all with our backsides jarring as we travel along our potholed roads. The minority who want to permanently drive around corners at high speed (often on budget tyres with minimum grip?) do so with some bravado, while the average family motorist suffers from bad backs as a result of hard suspension. Of course, Dunlop brought out pneumatic tyres to replace solid tyres only to find that some 90 years on our "young enthusiastic press-on" drivers now run around on tyres about as deep and shock absorbing as the solid ones were. Progress!? Trendy? Most definitely. End of ramble. Cool! -well done Brad. This used to be something which wasn't really hot, but now I guess it's something which is trendy! Sorry Brad., only joking. Pot (as in potholes) used to be something like a deep pan - now it's no longer deep, but high. What I'm trying to say (very badly) is that some of these 'new' innovations are simply recycled concepts from many decades ago. Case in point, the current stop/start system recycled from the 1930s. Sorry folks, I could bore you for hours. Congratulations to those who stuck with it so far. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, I'm very much with Tevor on this, having used it in a now 140k 1.6 A3 since VAG recommended it. The car had been run previously on Longlife 3 on the longlife service schedule, but now its having a quieter life - but I still use the Longlife one even though I change it (and the filter) every year. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Craig, If it were mine, I would not even THINK about getting it repaired, but what I would think carefully about is getting the existing four road wheels removed and thoroughly inspected for such defects. Your life and other road users lives depend on that action, so I would not delay that. From the posted photo, it looks as if there may be another crack site on the same wheel?? There is something in my mind going back to when I had hair, that work had been done to assess the effect of road salt on such wheels, which had been shown up at the time to cause corrosion cracking. Just throw it away Craig, and thoroughly inspect whatever you buy as a repalcement - and as I said - all other wheels on your car. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ben, "Audi centre in Pontyclun"? Could be useful to know for others on here. Kind regards, Gareth.

OK Peter. I can understand you are attached to the car, and it looks like you will get it fixed for your £1200 outlay - that's great. I'm beginning to sound like the prophet of doom here! - but at least with bottom line situations, you can form your own views. Sorry about another second thought possibility - for the future - in relation to the cambelt change. Might be worth asking why Halfords are considerably cheaper to renew this very critical assembly. Yes, it could simply be that their labour charges are considerably lower than the main dealer, or it could also be influenced by the fact that they are using aftermarket parts whereas the main dealer would obviously use VAG parts. Halfords are likely to ring their local motor factors and obtain a kit from the cheapest aftermarket supplier - quality?? Might be worth looking at other forums to gain opinion on whether entrusting this critical job to Halfords is a wise move or not based on their price being lower. You didn't say who is doing the oil leak work for you, and I guess you have had a quote from them. I think you will find that a consensus of opinion across many forums in relation to cambelt changes is to use main dealer parts wherever possible, and if cost is really king ( and I don't think it should be with this application) then assemblies from Gates (only?) can be an acceptable alternative. If the water pump, forms part of this application, then I would avoid aftermarket pumps like the plague - they can be a source of potential short service life with catastrophic results. All in all Peter, it might be wise to first establish what parts are going to be changed and what make parts are going to be used to replace them. I would advise to beware of the often used OEM term. Main dealers sometimes/often? have offers on cambelt changes ( shop around) and some will give discounts on the supply of parts which then makes using aftermarket ones simply not worth the saving. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gav. Driving slowly and in high gears and little strain in the engine - well done - and there's me thinking you were flooring it!, Sorry Gav. - I think you are doing the right thing, but don't let the engine labour in too high a gear even with low revs. Adjudting it yourself? I wouldn't fiddle if it were mine. Bad for your case if you are going to progress this. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Peter, Not sure if this is going to help or hinder your decision, but I'm with Brad, and an appreciation that this car is 14 years old and X miles and reasonable oil leaks are likely to be a matter of fair wear and tear. I would guess the main problem is probably the rear crankshaft seal and this entails removing the gearbox to replace it. Since the gearbox has to be removed, I would expect a call to the effect "your clutch is fairly worn sir, and it it would be wise to replace it now the gearbox is out" and all of a sudden your £1200 bill has escalated to a value which approaches/exceeds the value of the car. Pessimistic perhaps, but might be worth bearing in mind. If it were mine, would I spend this amount of money? No I wouldn't, but... Two temporary actions. Simply clean down (get it cleaned down) so at least you have a window of time to actually assess how bad this is. Add an oil leak additive to the oil. I don't like this method since it causes the seals (all of them) to expand and minimise the leaks, but as an alternative to spending a minimum of £1200 plus the likely cost of a clutch ( if manual) ?? A lot of money for a bit of oil from an old car. Kind regards, Gareth.

Well it seems you are already on the right line of action. All I think anyone would recommend meanwhile is not flooring it in 3rd and fourth!

Hello Gav, It's the weekend, and the instant reply department is closed! Only joking. Question:- Is the whining noise audible when the car is at rest and the engine rev. ed slightly? If not then my stab at this would be that it is unlikely to be the cambelt - but I could be wrong. As a I see it, if you suspect the the belt is too tight, and the garage who fitted it contests this then the only option open to you is to have it inspected and adjusted (without delay) by another reputable garage or ideally an Audi independent. You would of course need to inform the dealer who did this that this is what you are going to do. The arguement of who pays (reimburses you) will be open for debate once things are sorted or agreed were OK in the first place. I would think that whatever information you get from the forum isn't actually going to resolve this "on the ground", and you do need independent hands-on advice. Good luck, Gareth. p.s. Genuine VAG kit (including water pump) used?

Hello, As with all spurious electrical faults, it is always worth eliminating the battery as being the source of any issues. Take the car on a good 20 mike run to ensure the battery is charged, before getting the battery serviceability checked by a trusted auto electrician. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gary, Thanks for the extra detail. I would most certainly refer this to the Audi dealership (possibly the one/s who servived it). OK, it's 2 months out of warranty, but you might find that Audi may be prepared to make some contribution towards any costs, due to the low mileage/ service history and the short elapse of time since the warranty has expired. Can I ask if you bought this from an Audi dealership, another car sales dealer, or privately? If not privately, it would certainly be worth contacting the last registered owner to enquire whether there is any history of this problem. It is just possible that if so, this may have been reported as a fault ( within the warranty period) but not rectified. If this is the case, this would be an important string to your bow in any discussions with Audi. If purchased from a dealer then it should be possible to get this problem rectified - without cost to yourself? Kind regards, Gareth.

Point taken, but I think I possibly did not explain my suggestion correctly? :- If these tensioners can be problematic, then it is quite possible that this work has already been carried out and then recorded as work -done. I wasn't suggesting that they formed part of the normal servicing items. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Caroline, I don't think I am going to be of much help, but it might be worth fostering relations with a regional classic car club coveting your area, since members often know of specialists in this sort of thing. You might just get a contact from there. Personally, I'm not sure if I would go down the route of replacing the whole hood ( unless it is in poor condition) simply to get the glass to bond with the existing hood. Seems a complicated route to me, when there must be suitable adhesive systems to deal with this. Not that it helps at all, but if you lived closer (or were prepared to travel) to S. Wales then there is a specialist hood maker/fitter in this area. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Piotr. So Chris should be looking closely through the service history to ensure something has already been done regarding the chain tensioners then? Chris:- Gearbox oil changed - OK for a few months. I thought Audi don't actually specify gearbox oil changes, so if it's been changed then that is a bonus, and should not need doing again for years. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gary, I'm afraid I'm just going to be asking for a bit more information which might help others in giving you helpful advice. Can we take it this is an automatic? I notice the car is a 2014. Is this still under warranty, or if not, how many months is it out.? Does the car have service history, since I would assume that despite its low mileage, it should have been serviced on an age basis? Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Mods:- is it worth moving this (and others under this section) to the correct section?

Hello Zoe, Re. "It can't be the battery I'm told" , I would be tempted to renew it as an insurance - but not with a £ shop one! In my view, the batteries (inc. spare fob) should be routinely renewed. I'm with Steve on this, and I'm sure you will find that everything is controlled from the driver's door mechanism. It might be worth injecting some WD40 or similar down the door frame towards the area below the lock barrel ( you sometimes see some sort of nozzle access point below the lock mechanism when the door is open). Possibly won't sort it but worth a try? There are varied suggestions for recync- ing key fobs, but I've never had any luck with them, but again you could try. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Daniel, Could you explain "doesn't work when stationary" since as far as I'm aware, this is the only situation it normally works under -so I am wondering if it doesn't work at all. Can see the car is 6 years old, and as they say, you live and learn, and this must be quite early? for this system. You would normally expect the original battery to have a service life beyond this age, but I'm not sure what can be expected where this stop/start system applies, since it obviously puts a far higher demand on the battery and indeed the starter motor. Since this "intelligent " system depends on monitoring the battery charge/condition level I would think it is worth getting a good auto electrician to measure the serviceability of the battery, after a good run to ensure it is fully charged. If it is found it does need renewing then you need to ensure the battery is of the correct (modern) type which deals with intelligent charging systems. Good luck in getting it sorted. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, I echo the sentiments - looks a nice car. My first port of call would be to try to obtain service print outs from the the main dealers who have been servicing the car. This should tell you what has been done and when, since you certainly don't want to be repeating work (particularly expensive work) which has been already carried out. Continuing main dealer servicing for a car of this age and mileage will probably prove to be an uneconomical route, and I would go along with the idea of using a local garage who you have either gathered respect for, or comes with a good recommendation. An alternative would be to use an Audi independent in your area. Perhaps someone could recommend. Others more familiar with this engine than I will advise whether this is a belt or chain camshaft driven engine and I think it would be wise to search the service history associated with these critical components as a good starting point. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Natasha, I notice you refer to the car having recently been serviced, and indicating that it's strange that the car is giving trouble so soon afterwards. Unfortunately, servicing is just that, and is no guarantee of any component being trouble free after that - really no different to a light bulb blowing - could be at any time. I would agree with your mechanic's (and Mark's) advice on getting the automatic gearbox fluid and filter changed as a worth- a-try operation first, although I think you will find this is not going to be that cheap a servive item. Automatic boxes can be relatively long lived, and manufacturers generally don't state fluid change intervals, but after 11 years, it would seem well worth while having done - problem or no problem. Your situation may be aggravated by the low mileage the car has covered, since auto boxes seem to cope less well with frequent short journeys. Good luck with getting it sorted, Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello John, I feel my comments are not going to help, since it appears that you have very much narrowed your options down to (only?)(understandably) the best for the least cost. I fear in reality that you may be asking too much, unless you are very lucky and someone may just have a good pair kicking around and are prepared to sell them at a reasonable price. Tall order? I notice you are intending to sell the car, and option (1) would have been to have sold the car on a basis that the wings need repair/replacement. Unfortunately, this option is no longer viable since you have removed the wings prior to finding acceptable replacements, so in effect you have reduced the value of the car. Not prepared to accept some from a scrap car due to rust? Well John, it might be a question of needs must, and rusty repairable ones are better than none at all. Easy in hindsight, but it really is safer to ensure you have the necessary parts to replace anything you take off before you remove what you have. If it were mine, I would now be lowering my sights and be prepared to accept something better than you had, and go from there, and really all I can hope is that someone does come to your assistance. Would probably be worth moving this post to Sales and Wants. Good luck, Gareth. ,

I feel far more information would be needed Dame, on the background to this headgasket failure, and the general condition and mileage of the car before any meaningful advice could be given. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steve, Thanks for coming back on this, and yes I believe it (only) costs £80 to get the existing number replaced with the original number, but I believe that if you then want to retain the current number then you will need to get that onto a Retention Certificate and this costs a further £30. Without that additional expenditure you will not have any claim to the current number - and of course it will not have any value to you! Please check this though to confirm/refute what I say. Kind regards, Gareth.