Magnet

Personally, I would not be adding any flushing oil, in view of what you have already done with cleaning the sump etc. Quantum 5w 30 Longlife 3 is a fully synthetic oil and has adequate amounts of detergents which will both clean the engine and ensure the oil retains the correct lubricating properties. If this were mine, I would now be doing as you propose - but without the flushing additive. If you drain this off after an hour’s running then I feel you have then conducted an over-kill maintenance on the engine lubrication side. Since you are now going to need an extra 20 litres over the next 500 miles, have you looked on EBay for sellers of Quantum Longlife oil at probably more attractive prices than you have had to date - and delivered to your door. Not sure what filters you are using, but if not genuine VAG, there are again some good deals on EBay for Mann and Bosch ones. These are the only ones I would use if not using VAG. Keep up the good works. Kind regards, Gareth.

Sorry, too old to know what ‘Q’ is supposed to stand for!

Hello Steve, If indeed they haven’t tried that, then I would be seriously looking for another garage! You don’t tell us:- Engine rev. associated? Only when the car is moving? Being constructively critical, you are not giving us much to go on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Carl, Open the tailgate and look up - probably near the hinges - for where the harness links from the body into the tailgate. It will run in a fluted cover over the wires, and a shaped grommet secured into the body and tailgate. Peel the grommet out from either and pull the flexible cover back to reveal the cables that run through it. I you are unsure, or not confident, then I would return the car to the auto electricians. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Carl, Have a look at the harness where I said - if only to eliminate that as the cause. Doesn’t cost anything to inspect it! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Carl, So to clarify the situation:- You told us that the original window heating element was damaged in a number of places - to an extent where your only option was to have a replacement fitted. You have now had the screen replaced with a new one, but the the HRW still doesn’t work. You tell us you have had a ‘number of garages’ trying to diagnose why, but they ( how many garages?) have all failed to find out why. You are now going to consider taking the car to Audi for them to find out why it isn’t working, and presumably rectify the fault/s found. The story unfolds that although a simple visual examination of the heating element showed it to be damaged, it was assumed that that was the only fault with the whole system. Turns out, that assumption was incorrect. You might not know, but did the garage carryout a simple test to confirm the heating element was getting a full 12 volt supply and the earth was adequate? If this were mine, I would be pulling back the flexible harness cover off the section of cabling which runs out of the body and into the hatch - a common site for finding broken/damaged wires due to many years of opening and closing the tailgate. It’s always worth doing this even though you must measure 12v at the element, since a wire may still have a very basic remaining contact to satisfy the test meter, but not support the current necessary to operate the HRW. Have you considered investing in an hour’s services of a trusted auto electrician? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks David. Thought you were going to DIY it.

Hello Klyle, Driver’s door? - the most used. This sort of issue frequently occurs with the same fault in the flexible section which leads into the hatch/boot on ageing vehicles. Generally gets aggravated in cold weather when the cables are less flexible. Of course, the driver’s door is opened and closed more frequently than the boot, so quite likely to give problems. Well found! and thanks for letting the forum know. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Duncan, Preparation prior to painting will be king here, to ensure you are not disappointed with the end result. Do you intend to paint (and prepare) these in situ? Kind regards, Gareth.

Apologies for being a pain Wesley, but please don’t under inflate the tyres in an attempt to minimise flat spotting. You are better off moving the car about at regular intervals and/or slightly over inflating the tyres - of course remembering to reset the pressures before using the car on the road. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks for coming back Wesley. With regard to keeping the battery ‘topped up’ when not regularly used, I simply start the car twice a week and let it run for 20 minutes. Apart from keeping the battery up to par, it also ensures the engine gets up to operating temperature and gets a good lubrication. Moving it a few feet on the drive also assists by minimising the risk of the tyres getting flat spots. For me, the battery charger would be going back, since I guess it’s still not clear what (Chinese?) charging cycle it should be set on, so it’s unlikely to get used. Kind regards, Gareth.

Yes, that’s the contact I have, and he operates via. EBay. Dependent on the compressor being located in a friendly place to get at, I would be tempted to change the piston ring as a planned maintenance item anyway - if Andy does one for yours, Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Wesley, EFB batteries are suitable for stop/start, and in basic terms are ‘a poor man’s version’ of the AGM - bit of an ironic statement when you paid a high price for it. In terms of your charger, I would be asking Halfords, or better still, why not return it for a refund since you are highly unlikely to need it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Joe, What month in 2017 was this car first registered and how long have you owned it? Yes, sounds like hydraulics (slave cylinder/release bearing) failure, but you are at their mercy regarding the diagnosis on strip down. You could request an independent inspection (AA?) at the time the gearbox is removed. ‘.....I normally get over 50K at least out of a clutch...’ - Not meaning to be blunt, but that sounds as if you are a bit heavy on clutches - well over 100k would be totally realistic on average, before a clutch assembly (exc. modern slave arrangements) wears to a point of change. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, Air suspension compressors are hard working components, and although they seldom fail catastrophically, they do suffer from wear - generally with the piston ring. Normally, these compressors are quite small and may just fail to reach an optimum pressure, and the fault light will illuminate from time to time. There is good news with non-Audi compressors (possibly Audi as well) in so far as you can buy replacement piston rings ( contact available for non Audi) which generally sort out the problem. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Plamen, Sounds good - air con. should only work when the button is pressed to its position where the light is off. You are probably now at a stage where you will need some specialist input. It’s a toss up whether you invest in an hour’s time with an auto electrician or an air conditioning specialist ( commercial vehicle air con. specialists are generally a good bet. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Plamen, When you want to have the air co. on does the ECON button show the red light? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Plamen, Do you have an illuminated press button with ECON written on it, and if so is the red light showing? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Tim, If this were mine, I would be getting the battery tested as a starting point. Current vehicles are so dependent on correct electrical voltages, and a serviceable battery is a must. Why did it go flat? It’s not unknown for batteries to remain substandard following being left to go flat, and don’t recover on recharging. Halfords will/did test batteries if they are open. Buying a replacement from them if needed? Have a look on line for a premium brand first . Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Tina, I think you are more likely to get meaningful advice if you describe the damage and hopefully provide a photo. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mark, In addition to what Steve says, you cannot overlock the significance of the effect of a lack of lubrication on the moving parts of this assembly. The car is 12 years old, and it must be appreciated that the roof mechanism has been subjected to potentially harsh conditions over that number of years, where it will have suffered from varying degrees of humidity/condensation and heat. What we need to ask here is despite possibly a book full of the deemed important service history, has the hood mechanism/ linkages seen any form of lubrication in that time? Motor issues? Possibly? - but motors generally work or don’t work, and tend not the work properly when overloaded against resistance. Kind regards, Gareth.

Well, Sarah, if that’s what a pre sales service and service history amounts to then so much for that service schedule - where even the air co. was non operational, so not checked. You don’t share whether this was purchased from a main dealer or some other dealer/ car supermarket. ‘........I plan on getting a warranty and the dealer offered a month......You now say ‘....comes with 1 one ? warranty..’ I seriously think it’s worth you doing searches on consumer law in relation to car sales, to see what warranty period should apply in your case, rather than depend on what the seller tells you,

Hello Sarah, You must return this car to the dealer (main dealer?) who has to rectify the faults to ensure the car is fit for purpose. Re. warranties:- again the dealer is responsible for rectifying faults which render the vehicle unfit for purpose within the first 3 months (maybe more - so do searches on this and my 3 month figure). You must give them an opportunity to rectify the problems, but they do not/cannot, you should be entitled to reject the car. Simple observation that the car was not checked before sale, would be the non working air con. What is the history of the car service and ownership wise? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Savannah, The first potential culprit would be a sub standard battery - stop/start is usually the first function to stop working when the battery efficiency drops below par. Halfords were doing battery checks - when open. Buying a replacement from Halfords? Worth shopping around on-line specialist suppliers first. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Nath, I guess you are talking wheel spacers to increase the track of your car? If so, be aware that manufacturers design wheel hubs, bearing set up and wheel design to ensure that there is a natural inline and even loading on bearings and shafts. By moving wheels out by adding spacers, you are likely to end up with this loading being offset. Good idea engineering wise? No. Kind regards, Gareth.