Magnet

Well Adrian, that sounds like good and bad news! Still it eliminates the drains. Appreciating the pollen filter was changed, being a back to basics and check and recheck type of chap, if it were mine I would be taking the pollen filter out and having a look at it. Only then can you eliminate that as well. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Adrian, As well as checking the bulkhead drains, change the pollen/cabin filter. Usually lives below the glove box and is easily replaced once you locate it! Try You Tube. Hope this helps, Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Tony, I'm sure someone more experienced will give you an answer on this, but what you describe doesn't surprise me. It appears there is a quest to reduce the volume of paperwork with many manufacturers! You mention they have included a service book - which is great, but unfortunately no longer considered by the manufacturers to be the vital document it was, and its already being phased out, and not available with some prestigious marques - servicing being recorded only on the manufacturer's/dealer's databases. Not sure with Audi, but some now have a "Contact assistance/accident" button in the car. Pressing it puts you directly in touch with the assistance required, who will already know your location from the system. Frightening but true! Perhaps contacting the dealer will throw some light on this for you. Enjoy the car. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Marc, I think you are being wise in questioning this issue, since the consequence of actual low oil pressure can be serious. Perhaps it would be useful to have some basic information, and as simple as it may sound, confirmation that the oil is up to the required level. Yes, a bit basic, but you cannot ignore the fact that not enough oil was put in, or indeed there isn't an oil leak at the filter, drain plug or somewhere else. You will also need to know what grade if oil has been used and to let us know what mileage this engine has done. All things being equal, it could - just could - be as simple as a suspect oil pressure switch, but your really do need to get the actual oil pressure measured with a gauge to know exactly where you are with this. Assuming correct oil level and grade, no leaks, then I think there is some urgency in getting the actual pressure checked. Hope some of this helps and you are able to let us know. Good luck with it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello James, I'm not sure how much of this is going to help, but what I have found with advice about buying cars is generally the buyer serously wants the person they are seeking advice from to say it is a fantastic buy, and anything short of that can disappoint. You see, it's all about the potential buyer falling in love with the car they want to buy and the specs can get a bit rose tinted. I think you are going the right thing in passing it out for advice and I hope others will help you with things meaningful. Longlife services:- I have a relatively high mileage A3 which has generally had main dealer longlife services in our daughter's ownership, but personally, I prefer at least a basic oil and filter change once a year. c20K miles between oil changes is just too long in my book, but... Cambelt assembly changes? These are carried out at a mileage and time interval and may or may not coincide with a time for a service schedule. Ours has been changed on a 70K or 5 year interval but yours may be different. Costs? If you don't want to use an independent then best advice is to check with a main dealer (they sometimes have offers on these). They will advise on intervals and costs. If it were mine, I would certainly not treat this critical job as a best cost job. Always use genuine VAG parts only. Tapping on start up? Probably hydraulic tappets. If the seller is claiming this will be sorted by a simple oil change then why haven't they just changed the oil and cured it? Surely, if it has been serviced as required then the oil would not need changing simply to correct this fault. Beware, if the seller does change it before sale, he may just add an additive to minimise the effects of the wear. Good luck with whatever you decide. Gareth.

Hello, I suppose such decisions ultimately boil down to what the individual feels he wants to do, and it's easy to fall in love with a particular vehicle and all its impressive extras etc., and not bother to delay a decision while other similar vehicles are looked at. This is certainly not going to be of much use, but if it were me, I would be tempted to run away from it once I knew the engine had been pulled apart to change the head gasket. Why? If this is not concerning enough, then changing the - rear crankshaft seal? - and then being uncertain if it has been successful in sorting the original issue?? For me, too many points of possible concern to delay me looking at other examples, but as I say the final decision rests with the potential buyer. Apologies if this comes over as a little hash and unhelpful, but it might be worth sleeping on it for a couple of nights. If you decide to consider it, then it would certainly be advisable to talk with the previous (long term?) owner. If short term - why? If the dealer is unable to put you in touch, then it may be even more questionable. Good luck with whatever you decide. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gary, Sorry to hear of your problem. Could I ask who has diagnosed that it is faulty to a point where it needs replacing? These units are generally very long lived, and often lend themselves to oil and filter and reprogramming to sort out many problems. If not already done so, I would suggest taking this to an automatic gearbox specialist and if indeed it is beyond economical repair then you should be very capable of advising which boxes can be used to replace it. Good luck with it. Gareth.

Must confess, no I haven't yet Perry. Will do though when things are quieter and will let you know. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Hamad, Unfortunately, I cannot advise you on reliability - with experience of Audi vs. other German makes, but our local long established "executive " hire company who regularly talkes our daughter to and from Gatwick and Heathrow, turned up last week in a brand new black Audi! Lovely! Now .."only buy manual with the mileage it will be doing.." Oh dear! Worth thinking about New York taxis regularly doing 250K miles on auto boxes and that's from the 1960s - when I had hair! Why would you want to risk having to replace dual mass flywheels, internal clutch slave cylinders etc. at great expense? That's without having to spend your day waving a gear stick about. No brainier - as they say these days? - automatic every time for the use you will put it to. 8 speeds now even, so tick over rpm at motorway speeds. Good luck with whatever you decide on - and the business. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Hamad, Are you going to buy new or secondhand? If new, I think the answer is fairly simple, and the servicing should be carried out according to the recommended schedule. At 70k/ annum, you will of course cover just over 200k miles within the warrantee period of 3 years, and with mostly motorway mileage, this mileage should not present any issues if properly serviced, and respected. Just as a comparison, there are VAG Skoda Octavia taxis doing this annual mileage on mainly local trips. Not easy on a car! If you want to know the best value for money, least problematic cars to buy, then just talk to your taxi drivers. Our local chaps are now moving to Hyundai after being with Skoda for years. If you are buying secondhand, then the question is very much open ended, and depends on the mileage and service history and how it's been driven before you own it. Different story there! Kind regards, Gareth.

You are very welcome Danny. I should also have suggested visiting local motor factors, since again they may well have some old stock parts sitting on the shelves. I have found that they are now getting wise to the desirability of some of these parts (rather than dumping them as they often did) and quite often will even have someone dedicated to listing these on EBay etc. It probably goes without saying Danny, that this car will qualify for classic car insurance which will have the benefit of agreed value cover in the event of a total loss, and is not dependent on having a "spare" NCB to reduce the premium. Mileages are usually limited, but probably OK for normal enthusiast's use. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Danny, Looks like a nice little project. I think you will be surprised at what parts (well service items anyway) will be available for this. My advice would be to buy quality brand parts for filters, belts etc. and I think you should get what you want via. EBay search even. I wouldn't ignore making contact with you local (long established) Audi dealer since it may surprise what they may have on the shelf as left overs. Parts are now ordered in to satisfy demand, but when this car was new it as not uncommon to hold stock of parts pending enquiries. Might be worth trying them for an exhaust, and your local tyre/exhaust dealers who tend to have racks of left over exhausts. Making (welding etc.) exhausts up from such old stock is another cost cutting possibility. I'm sure you will get there if you search on the computer for a few hours. German suppliers seem to be popular for older exhausts at the moment. Good luck with it, Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mick, Glad you had it fixed. "All Audis use coolant!" - worth finding another garage! Just a couple of points to ensure everything stays as it should be:- I would advise keeping a regular eye on the coolant level over the next couple of weeks while inevitable air locks are expelled. Don't be surprised if you have to top up a little over this time, but not after. If it were mine, I would get the auxiliary belt (driving alternator etc.) changed. It's done it's time and when they do decide to go can sometimes get themselves cobbled up with the crankshaft pully - with potential catastrophic results. Final point Mick- what make water pump did they use? Personally, I don't favour aftermarket ( motor factor supplied) pumps which are known to be highly variable quality wise. Generally main dealer part only for this critical application. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Karen, Sorry to hear you have water ingress problems with your brand new car. To me, the situation is not at all complex, and you don't have to worry about the reason why, and simply have to return it to the supplying dealer and request they correct the defect under warranty. Any new car which leaks water is surely unfit for purpose, and if they cannot effect a permanent cure then you are within your rights to reject the car. Although not mechanical, this would be an unacceptable problem to me since the boot will stay damp, will smell and lead to deterioration of the structure of the car - just not on with a brand new car. Ignore comments about the weather being exceptional bad! No excuse. It might be worth doing a bit of research on this and I think you will find that this is not an unknown/uncommon problem with these cars, and Audi should know how to fix it by now. Some degree of continued pressure may be necessary to ensure it is fixed properly. Goid luck with it. Gareth.

Hello Wilson, I can understand your disappointment, but you really have to forget about comparing the economy with that of your previous BMW car. There isn't any scope there for a like for like comparison. I don't think you can realistically compare your on-road mpg with that which the manufacturers claim during bench testing etc. I think it's common knowledge that such figures are seldom achieved. Where I think you can reasonably compare, is what you managed to achieve in the same model driven in the same manner and conditions over the same journey, and by what you say, your current car is not as economical, and that is real. If it were mine, I would go back to basics and check the tyre pressures are as recommended ( you may or maynot be surprised how many people just don't check tyre pressures on a regular basis). Refill with non supermarket fuel ( to be sure) and reassess your mpg over the same journey conditions. If still the same and you have proof that the other same-model car was much more economical then I would be returning it for checks. Good luck. Gareth.

Hello Calvin, and a welcome from the homeland. Warning light issues:- Faulty signal bulbs? Does this refer to the indicators? If so, you may find that although the indicators are working there might just be two bulbs per side in say the rear lights, and one of them has blown. Having said that, you should find that if that is the case then they will flash at different rates side to side. I would suggest checking these in the dark and assessing if one side is not as bright as the other. Low coolant light? Back to basics- you say you have some coolant in the reservoir, but how much? Check when cold and top up with the correct coolant mix to just below the max. line. Low coolant light still on? You should find there is a low coolant level sensor built into the reservoir. This sensor has a plug going into it and it is worth a try unplugging this and giving it a squirt of contact cleaner and refitting. If the light is still showing then I would guess the sensor is at fault and should be replaced. I don't think these warning lights are anything to do with a need to reset them, but are giving you a warning that there is a fault of some kind. Good luck in getting it sorted, and it would be interesting to know what solves it. Kind regards, Gareth.c

Hello Graham, Not sure how much of this is going to be helpful since you seem to have covered most of what would be seemed logical to cover, so it may be time to further question the way in which you have done things. Apologies if this appears pedantic but this is what I would do I terms if rechecks:- With coolant at cold, turn the heater control to max. hot and drain the system (collecting the coolant if you can). Remove the thermostat and place in very hot water on the stove, and continue to heat the water until the thermostat is open. Carefully remove the thermostat from the water with a long nose pliers and insert a length of cotton between the body and the open valve (be quick!) The valve will now close and jam the cotton, and you can suspend the thermostat by the cotton thread. Armed with an accurate thermometer, gradually reheat the water - with stirring- and note the temperature at which the thermostat falls from its suspended cotton. This should be 88c or very near to this. Simply placing it in boiling water and making sure it opens and then adding cold water to make sure it closes is not accurate enough, You need to actually measure the temperature at which it opens, and assure youself it is 88. When the system is refilled, as you know, you will need to squeeze the hoses to eliminate as much air as possible and then bleed the remaining air via the bleed screws. I don't replace the reservoir cap at this stage, but start the engine and allow the coolant to rise until the thermostat opens and the top hose gets warm, at which stage I replace the cap and allow the engine to run until the fan cuts in - keeping an eye on the temperature gauge. Obviously making sure fingers and fan are kept well apart, I continue to squeeze the hoses, particularly the heater hoses which should now both be at the same hot temperature. Leave the car to thoroughly cool without slackening the cap. Top up when cold and road test the car with the heater still at hot. If the thermostat passes the correct opening temperature test and the coolant temperature still fluctuates then it's head scratching time again! Water pump faulty? Not had one do that yet and obviously agree with Trevor. Probably a lot of rambling and maybe not a lot of help, but... Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Vicky, Sorry to hear of your problems. If it were mine, I would get this car transported ( and I must emphasis transported - AA should onwardly transport you ) to a trusted Audi independent and get their opinion. This could be as simple as a faulty oil pressure sender, but you are wise to be concerned that it isn't driven until it is correctly diagnosed. Re. The hard brakes - sounds as if this is a lack of servo assistance and make be associated with some inbuilt engine limiting mode connected with a low oil pressure indication. Good luck with getting it sorted. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, One consideration not mentioned is that of ride comfort vs. handling. It sounds as if your car was built/bought for road handling rather than the ride comfort. Run flat tyres are inherently firmer since they have reinforced side walls capable of withstanding loads under deflated conditions. I would recommend non run- flat tyres for 'normal ' cars, but for yours , you might wish to consider the possible effect of handling if you do move away from fun flats. Not sure if this helps, but at least it might introduce more debate before you decide. Kind regards, Gareth

Hello Alan, Sorry, but I cannot really help you with the later 2013 A3, but with the earlier one, it is certainly above the passenger footwell (below the glove box) but it does hide itself very well! Might be worth having another look, since the black plastic cover (on the earlier model) simple sides in/out and is easily missed. Not sure if this helps. Kind regards, Gareth.

Haven't tried the magnet idea yet Owain, but will let you know when I do. Strange that the made-in-China replacement ones are available for all but the A3. To be fair, it's the only bit of this A3 which has actually broken in 138K miles, but our daughter has confessed it might be something to do with her clicking the catch as she drove along! What's a good Welsh named Owain doing in foreign parts in Oxford then? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jonathan, Sounds good and progressive, and fingers crossed its all going to work out well. I cannot stress enough that the quality of the components used is of paramount importance, and sometimes leaving it to the mechanic may result in having parts which the local motor factors have in stock, which may or may not be what you want. Would I leave it to the mechanic to chose a brand of water pump or cambelt? No I most certainly would not - I would insist he uses a main dealer one since the % on cost on the whole job will be marginal. For me, if not a main dealer belt, it would have to be a Gates one. The effect of fitting a substandard water pump in particular however, could be catastrophic. Not wanting to labour the point, but it's a bit like leaving someone to buy you a pair of trainers. You may well end up with a cheaper pair which just don't stand up to the wear you would expect. Hope this doesn't come over as being too dictstorial, but.... Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jonathan, No problem at all, it's just that I'm old enough to confuse myself! Re. a cylinder head off EBay, may I say without being pessimistic, that you could be buying your own - if you see what I mean. If it were me , I think I would try to get one which comes with pressure test having been done and ideally the mating surface skimmed to flatness. If you don't, you would be wise to factor in the cost of having these done, and I certainly would not recommend fitting a head without having it skimmed. You will probably realise that the lion's share of the cost (apart from the cylinder head itself) will be the labour cost, so I would ensure your mechanic uses good quality pasts, particularly the very critical timing belt and its associated parts. For me, I would only use Gates belts if you are not going to use genuine VAG parts. Another so important aspect is that if the water pump is being changed, I would recommend you don't, just don't , (in capitals!) use any aftermarket make pump otherwise you are leaving yourself more vulnerable to some catastrophic failure due to poor quality replacement parts. Worth spending once and wisely. Good luck with it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jonathan, Really exactly as Trevor says. A crack in a piston would not result in any coolant loss unless there was any other coolant associated issue with this engine. I think you may be well advised to get a qualified second opinion on this and have it explained exactly what is wrong here. Sending a piston off and getting it pressure tested!? Well that's certainly a new one on me! Cylinder head and pressure testing and finding cracks however, would make very good sense, and if this was at fault then a good replacement cylinder head should sort out the problem - assuming reference to a piston is incorrect. In summary, I would most definitely seek a second opinion before doing anything. Good luck with sorting it out and understanding exactly what the issue is. Kind regards, Gareth.

I couldn't agree more with what has already been said, but even if the car is used for short journeys, a serviceable battery should well accommodate that. The way to look at it is :- would Audi have sold these cars as new, if on infrequent use/ short journeys, they were not going to start? Basics and elimination it is:- simply get (the overnight charged) battery checked, by a reliable garage - preferably one not making volume sales on batteries. Avoid the large outlet type stores. If it proves to be unserviceable then replace it, but I would follow Trevor's advice on this and soend once and wisely. I would not buy any battery with less than a 3 year warranty and ideally (and generally no more expensive if you shop around) a 4 or 5 year warranty one. Premium brands such as Varta or Bosch would be my choice since I know, by shopping around, that I can get these for very little on cost. I have used Battery Warehouse ( I think that's the name) at Tewkesbury. Goid prices, mail order and service .No connection, and no doubt others have equally good recommendations. If the battery is serviceable then as has been said, you have a parasitic drain on the battery, and would need an appropriate meter connected in line with the battery while each fuse is removed until you find the offending curcuit. Probably best left to a half an hour's time with an auto electrician. Goid luck with it, Kind regards, Gareth.