Magnet

Well it’s still on the shelf here, rather than rightfully being on someone’s car. Are we all really certain that no one wants this genuine Audi full kit? Such a shame that it sits unused when it likely that owners are paying far more for cheap aftermarket ones. Would the very daft price of £25 +p&p now entice anyone, before it goes on EBay? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Derek, Many thanks again for coming back on this. The only thing I would question in your response is ‘……as long as I don’t get stuck in a queue, whatever the issue it should be manageable’ . By your logic, the conserves of this that if you do get stuck in a queue then it isn’t manageable! But of course, it is manageable at zero cost, by simply reading the temperature gauge (which - no criticism meant - you didn’t do last time, at your cost) and switching off the engine. ‘Thimple’ as our little stand up friends say. If you want to take that on a step, then under the modern stop/start technology, you simply would not have an issue. Yes, Derek, you can indeed take complete control of this issue. Re. part numbers:- I still revert to my posted understanding that Yes, the last letter is indeed significant, and although I bow to Steve’s broader experience, and a knowledge that Ford and even Jaguar have used the last letters as simply ‘updates’ of the same part , my belief is that Audi don’t. If it were mine, I would be giving this a good coat of research before dipping my toe into the buying market. Kind regards, Gareth.m

Thanks for coming back on this Derek. If it were mine, I would not be in a rush to get a new module, based on ‘……..suspects it’s the module…’ I would be wanting something much more concrete than that before spending the best part of £400 on a bit for a 19 year old car. Possibly considered as a daft suggestion, but is it really worth spending this sort of money -if (in caps) it is that - to cater for a situation where you are stuck in traffic for an unreasonable period of time, particularly as winter is not that far away. There are two things which come to your aid here:- You have a fully functioning temperature gauge which you can keep a close eye on (this time!) when stuck in traffic; you also have an ignition key by which you can switch off the engine if the temperature starts to rise. A combination of use of both, should result in a cost free solution to your issue. If you and your mechanic are confident that this module is indeed at fault, then you could go through the various breaker yard search systems and enquire about a used one. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Derek, As I understand it, the last letter is indeed the (in caps) critical identifier of the correct part, so yes, it is very meaningful. Of course, your garage will know that it is definitely this part which is at fault, but generally the common cause is a faulty thermo switch which completes it’s circuit when the temperature gets to a critical point above normal, and this circuit completion activates the fan. Probably Audi has devised a far more complicated design!, but worth a bit of research before committing this component to the faulty bin? Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. TPS should be able to confirm the current part number of the module, and this may have been superseded over the last 19 years.

Hello Andy, Apologies for jumping in on Steve’s reply - if WD40 does easy the issue and, and the bushes are still sound, then a more permanent cure might be to dose them in ATF fluid after the application of WD40. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, Thanks for being in touch with the forum, and for attempting to break the record for the number of expletives in one short post! - please read the forum rules. Anyway, back to your issue:- The car is new to you, and it’s handling characteristics will be different, unknown, but should be acceptable under reasonable driving styles. Looking at where you live, you too may have (uncharacteristically!) had a recent extended dry spell, followed by some heavy rain, and the roads will be more greasy than normal. You say you have confirmed the tyre pressures are correct - which is great - and the tyres are fine. Could I ask if you have matching brands on both axle, and what brands they are, and let us know if the wear pattern across all tyres is indeed even? All things being acceptable there, then my next port of call would be to get all steering and suspension joints thoroughly inspected on a lift. Kind regards, Gareth.

Sounds good Karl. Please check/search the 30day ‘norm’, just to be sure of what footing you are on. Sorry to be a pain, but if it were me, ‘constant dialogue’ would also be followed by e-mails outlining that dialogue, and what had been agreed. Having said all that, I think it’s realistic to keep reasonable expectations for any 14 year old car. Kind regards, Gareth.m

Thanks John, Good news indeed. And a guaranteed purchase price on the new car? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Karl, Back to your reply explaining how you bought it:- whatever you say, you still have a guarantee (for a minimum of 30 days I believe), so my earlier suggestion to seek professional legal advice is paramount - and urgent. Meanwhile, at a minimum, you would be advised to notify the seller by e-mail what your issue is - not using too many words. A silly point perhaps, but why do you feel inclined to ‘floor’ this car as you call it? Is that a driving style you like to adopt from time to time? Sounds as if you bought the car some distance from home - is this correct? Sorry to generate pressure Karl, but you really do need to be assertive with this (in a hurry), or be prepared to damage your wallet - whichever best suits. Perhaps you could let us know what you decide. Kind regards, Gareth.

OK Henry. So you bought like for like against a non original battery then? As said, it would now be progressive if can confirm you have the correct specification against the original equipment battery. Well worth going through this process of elimination first. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Henry, Sorry to be pedantic, but was defunct battery on the car, the original battery when the car was built? It sounds as if you matched the new Bosch battery to that which you found on the car, which isn’t necessarily good news, since people can put any old battery on a car when trading it in. All of this may be meaningless, but I always eliminate the basic things first, so if it were mine, I would be double checking the original specification for the car’s battery, to ensure you have the correct one. This doesn’t cost anything! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Karl, Although the dealer can initially refuse to take it back, he cannot refuse to put into ‘fit for purpose’ condition at his expense. When you say it was your fault for not getting a proper warranty, what exactly do you mean Karl - by being your fault? Did you by any chance haggle and get a discount, and then your haggle price was accepted on a trade basis - condition as seen, tried and accepted - without warranty? Sorry for more questions, but was this bought outside your locality, and did you test it before agreeing to buy it? Sounds like you are going to need legal advice in a hurry. CAB should be able to assist. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Henry, I guess it would be a daft question to ask if you made sure the replacement battery was an exact specification replacement for the original supplied new with the car, rather than a like for like replacement for the one that you just replaced - assuming of course that the battery you just replaced was not the original? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Karl, I guess you have this on hold while you debate about the issue with the car. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Henry, Many thanks for being in touch, and apologies, since I’m not sure I can answer your question with a convincing explanation, but since no one else has been able to help so far, perhaps the following may be worth considering as a first point of searching:- I have concerns that your car is too old for this to apply, but certainly with later cars, the new battery has to be coded to the car, to ensure it recognises it is new, and does not treat it as it did with the old one. Long shot, but worth investigating? Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello John, As Richard says, it’s been pretty well documented, and it’s unlikely that the dealership would have involved you in downside the potential for additional delays when they took your order - they just want your order! I would be interested in the guarantee in respect to actual price you will be expected to pay at the point of the (delayed) delivery. Also, if your current car is going in part exchange, was the value agreed (and future guaranteed) at the point of order? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Carl, Sorry to hear this. As Kev says - take it back, without further delay. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks for coming back Clancy. You will be able to find your annual mileage from the MOT history, and then just calculate your average monthly mileage, to work out how far 3 ltr. takes you would not seem far by what you describe. Still, as you say, you like the car, so continue to enjoy it, and not worry too much about the additional cost of 3 ltrs of oil over a month- particularly when we work out how much petrol has gone up recently. As a matter of interest, what engine do you have, and what grade of oil is specified, and what grade do you use? For all that, I would just continue to enjoy it. Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Clancy, Thanks for being in touch with the forum. To try to boil this down, it seems the consequence of the issue with the car when you bought it 2 years ago was never successfully addressed, if addressed at all, and the recommendation at the time you received it back, would have been to monitor its oil consumption, and reject the car if it was excessive. Too late now obviously. What mileage do you cover in a month Clancy, to try to calculate your oil consumption? Whatever, in my book, fully ‘reconditioning’ the engine to reduce the oil consumption on a 15 year old car, would simply not make any economic sense, so it sounds like your only option is to continue to do what you are doing, and just keeping your fingers crossed that it will satisfy the MOT emission requirements. In a nutshell ‘ any advice on where to start ….’ would really boil down to …don’t start. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Karl, The grade you need will be specified in the handbook. Brand? I’ve used Quantum (their Longlife) for many years in the humble A3 - once/still is? recommended by VAG. Try searching EBay for good deals with this. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, Certainly as Steve says in my experience. One tip which may be useful, is to mask very carefully, but remove the masking tape immediately you have done a reasonably small section. Don’t leave the masking tape any longer than you have to once you have a nice smooth and even surface, otherwise removing the tape tends to lift the edges of the Tiger Seal. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello George, Thanks for being in touch with the forum. You mention EBay, but I take it you have searched there, since you say ‘the only……are at Audi Parts Direct…’. An alternative (cheaper and as good??) source could be via. a local ‘printer’ who makes up computer generated graphics for signwriting vans etc. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on via. this route. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Nath, Thanks for being in touch with the forum. Were the Audi dealership able to confirm that the windscreen in the car, is the one originally fitted when new - and in fact did they check for that? I seem to recall that some replacement screens have been criticised for being far more prone to marking than the original build ones were. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ron, The answer to your in-bold question is a qualified yes. Qualified, since by the mileage you were doing, the service indicator should be set at an annual service. The alternative (if it’s still the same) is based on a higher annual mileage and is/was termed a Longlife service schedule, which often ran to 18k miles, or c18 months, whichever came first. If you swapped to this schedule, you would obviously save one service in 3 years. I would ask the question - why do you want to be governed by having this 6 year old car serviced at a main dealer, and if that is so important, why would you want to save the cost of one service in that 3 year period - by which time the car will be 9 years old? Short journeys are not good for vehicles, since they are seldom operating under optimum conditions, so getting the oil changed once a year is a sort of investment. If this were mine, I would be untrusting future servicing to a local trusted garage and insisting they use good quality parts. This should be cheaper than operating via. an 18 month schedule at Audi, and give you the same level of servicing as you have now. Some will insist that main dealer service history enhances the future value, but at 6 year old and more, the respective values will not cover your servicing costs. Perhaps you would let us know what you decide to do going forward. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Graeme, So independent professional -technical, and separately legal - advice is now essential. Everything will need to be recorded in writing. Kind regards, Gareth,