Magnet

Hello Nellie, Thanks for being in touch. The simple advice here is to notify your main dealer without delay, and arrange to get this under-warranty car inspected and the fault rectified. Fortunately, you don’t need to concern yourself with the whys and wherefores, but just have a responsibility to place it in the hands of the dealer to sort out. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Carl, Thanks for being in touch with the forum. Keeping my advice short, just simply, and totally, discount this car, walk away, and find something else. Even if was given to you, it has ( particularly in terms of the oil light) the potential of emptying your wallet, to a degree which would out weigh it’s worth. Take a detached view, and don’t fall in love with the look of the car. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Will, It’s possible (likely?) that the non-start is not associated with the vapour from the exhaust, but of course you now first have to establish why it’s not starting, and it would seem to me that you are first going to need some local hands-on assistance to diagnose why. Pretty impossible from this forum. Back to the vapour:- any continuous white smoke would lead you to consider whether coolant is entering a cylinder/s and being burnt off and emitted with the exhaust. For this to be the case, the car would have to consume some coolant, so no (in caps) coolant loss would eliminate that possibility, and point to straightforward condensation as being the issue. In summary, it is vitally important here to be certain that the car isn’t consuming any (in caps) coolant, and to do that, you would need to ensure the coolant level when cold - first thing in the morning - is exactly (topped up) to a predetermined level - say the max. mark. Check again in a couple of days to assess where this level is. If you let us know how you get on with that Will, then we should be able to recommend the next test you will need to carryout. Of course, if the non-start is indeed diagnosed as being associated with the exhaust vapour issue then please let us know on that as well. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Feon, Thanks for being in touch with the forum. Wondered if you are considering buying from a main dealer or not? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Luke, I would discount the water pump in favour of suspecting the thermostat. If it were mine, I would be getting the thermostat renewed - preferably with a main dealer one ( at discount), but if that is considered too expensive, then only a very good quality aftermarket one. As they say ‘ a poor man ends up paying twice’. In other words ‘buy once and wisely’. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Will, Thanks for being in touch. Can we take it this is a diesel? If so, any smell of diesel? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Adam, I seem to recall you posted on this earlier in the week, and it was suggested you DIY it. A reasonable suggestion if you are capable and know what you are doing, but obviously can lead to problems if you are not competent with such things. Unfortunately, I cannot help you with recommendations in your area, but the quotes would not seem to be unreasonable to me for the amount of fiddly work involved. If it boils down to simple economics then it might be worth reconsidering whether you really want to go ahead with this, since the 3 quotes are reasonably consistent, and it might simply be a case of deciding which of the three instils you with the greatest confidence. A couple of points which might help:- Ask for bodyshop recommendations at local car sales sites (when open). These chaps are usually knowledgeable about who to use or not to use. Also, regional classic car clubs can again be knowledgeable on this subject. One further point I would add Adam. The de-chroming might suit your taste, but possibly not everyone’s. Might be worth bearing this in mind, since the economics of possible de-valuation plus the cost of getting it done, might be worth a coat of thinking about. I would say that this process would not be reversible. It won’t simply be a case of removing the paint! If all these downsides are of no consequence, then great. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Tom, I think the primary important bit here is your statement ‘.....worth the risk to buy to save £1k’. An important piece of information in one respect, but of little meaning in terms of the potential saving over the capital outlay. Without checking out prices, it’s difficult to answer your ‘economics’ question, but I would guess that you are going to find variances of that amount simply from example to example. If the car suits your requirements and budget, then why not get this car inspected at another independent, and satisfy yourself that the mechanical aspects are as they would expect them to be. They should also be able to give you a better feel for the actual value of the car. Let’s say everything adds up there, then my next move, before committing, would be to see if you can get a local bodyshop to access the quality of the repair. As a simple starter, have a look at the rear driver side door gap to the rear wing - and compare it with the other side. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Darren, Thanks for being in touch. Not sure if you have looked on EBay, but there are a couple of aftermarket barrels listed on there with delivery by next Tuesday. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Michael, I think Trevor raises an interesting possibility, and if this were mine, I would be giving the behind-and-above clutch pedal area a good squirting of contact cleaner to ensure the contacts on the switching arrangements are as good as they can be. Such areas get more than their share of dust and debris. Always worth a try! Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Colin, so could you let the forum know more details about the specific re- map you are considering, to see if other members have any experience of that. Kind regards, Gareth.

OK Paul. Borg and Beck was once a very well respected clutch supplier, and could then have been rated as being amongst the best you needed to buy. Now, a bought-out brand name? - with the add on value of being able to trade on the reputation built up in its original form, and just the make to impress the grand parents! Yes they are available cheaper than many of their competitors, but quality? They may be considered to be a worthwhile aftermarket fitment, but for me, I would only use LUK if not using main dealer parts. Of course, this is just a personal opinion, and it would be up to you to decide what make you are going to allow the garage to now fit. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Colin, Thanks for being in touch. The economics should be fairly easy for you to work out. You will need an estimate of the increased mpg from those who you propose to use to remap the car. You then work out how much less fuel you are going to use over your 22K annual mileage, and compare this with the re-mapping costs, to work out how long it’s going to take you to simply get your money back. Whether the whole thing becomes an economic consideration will of course, also depend on how long you intend to keep the car. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, Many thanks for being in touch with the forum, and sorry to hear of your issues. ‘Clutch abuse’? Well, not impossible I guess, but failure within a couple of months?? Your driving style? - Enthusiastic? Substandard component?? This may be meaningful, since I doubt if they would have used genuine Audi clutch parts which are usually very expensive. If this were mine, I would be asking what make of (aftermarket?) clutch they used, since you might not want them to use that make again. Perhaps you can fill in a bit more detail for us Paul, Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Garth, No more than a stab at it I’m afraid - dual mass flywheel issues?? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Garth, Many thanks for being in touch with the forum, and apologies for the delay in responding. Could you confirm that this is a manual, rather than an automatic before we move on? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks for coming back Daryl, and for posting the video. To be honest, I’m not seeing much from it, except some evidence of a possible oil leak (not major) from the driveshaft flange to gearbox casing. Sorry Daryl, but I sure you will appreciate that the forum has a ‘duty’ to advise where a request for help has been posted. That advice must be in the best interest of your and other people’s safety, and as such, personally, I must stick with my original advice of getting this professionally inspected as soon as possible, using facilities and equipment which will allow that inspection to be done thoroughly. Kind regards, Gareth.

You might be right Ryan. Difficult to say really - the original poster hasn’t returned to the forum since the day after he first joined. Kind regards, Gareth.

Apologies for the late response Robert, but are we talking about the ‘bit of bent wire’ which forms a hook, to hook into the plastic wheel centre? If so, I see no reason why this shouldn’t be there together with the remainder of the kit. This should be available from the dealer. Its worth giving this and the locking wheel nut a lick of yellow paint, so it’s easily visible when being used, and less likely to be left on the side of the road! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Daryl, For your own safety, and others on the road, please get the steering and suspension thoroughly inspected by professionals without delay. It will be impossible for anyone on here to correctly guess (in caps) what the problems are without having access to the car. This car is making a good job of trying to tell you something is wrong, and I think you would be well advised to treat these warning with respect. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Clive, Are we talking unburnt fuel here, or exhaust fumes? Smell inside the car, or when standing outside? Kind regards, Gareth.

OK Debbie. So there isn’t a fail certificate for an MOT test then, so technically it hasn’t failed, and you cannot therefore go down the route of disputing the (intended) failure. Was this service carried out by a main dealer? I note you say you will (now) ‘stay local’. So does that mean you had your car serviced outside of your locality? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Damian, I could be wrong, but I doubt if there is going to be any ‘aftermarket’ suppliers for this, so I guess it’s a question of either paying Audi prices for new, or ‘taking a chance’ on a secondhand one. If the main dealer price is not too frightening, then it may be possible to get a bit of discount to bring the new price down. Another thought:- secondhand and potential problems? Do you know if these are handed? If not, how about opting for a passenger side one, since that it likely to have sustained less use than the driver’s side one? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello again Debbie, Just an afterthought to the high intensity lights flashing on and then off when the sidelights are on:- It is not uncommon to encounter issues with the harness that links the body to the boot - in a flexible rubber covering. The wiring within this harness can become stressed, particularly in cold weather, and this can lead to breaks in insulation and/or individual stands within the wire. Worth a check just in case. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Damian, In terms of the least number of words:- either a main dealer ( if available as a separate section) or a breakers. If the latter - try the online breaker link sites. Your harness not repairable? Kind regards, Gareth.