Magnet

Hello Robert, Retro fitting any ‘extra’ is seldom, if ever, cost effective. You may be lucky and find an example which was fitted with CC new, but it could seriously restrict your choice. Not that it helps, but a couple of decades ago, I was interested in an executive non-Audi, and was put off it because it didn’t have air con. The advice I was given was - if it’s that important write a cheque for a new one with air con. It turned out to be sound advice and the car didn’t disappoint. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, You have to have the correct AGM battery for your car - if that is what is specified. If you don’t, you will save money in the short term, short being the operative word since the saving you will make by fitting an old style battery, will pale into insignificance when you find you will require a new alternator! Where are you looking for a replacement battery? Buying cheap with these things is false economy, and personally, I only buy Varta/Bosch with their grade of a minimum of 4 years warranty. On line suppliers include Battery Megastore, Tanya, Plymouth Batteries (there are more) and all do mail order. Just search for the most competitive price from a reliable supplier. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Robert, If the arches are starting to rust, I would be questioning other parts of the car, any of which could be sub standard to some degree. Would we correct in thinking you are buying the car because it’s cheap? If so, then it has to be cheap enough to make it worthwhile buying two wings and paying for them to be fitted and sprayed. Trying to find a pair which are the right colour, and above all free from ‘storage/handling’ scratches will be a bit of a tall order. Have you tried registering your ‘wants’ on car breaker link sites such as Partsfinder (there are more)? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Kam, Have you tried TPS (Trade Parts Supplies)? Alternative main dealer discount might be from Audi Parts Direct (Cardiff) - they do mail order. If you contact TPS and say you are not sure which O2 sensor you actually want, they might e-mail you a drawing with the part number on. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. You could also try Bosch, either via. a website enquiry (quoting VIN) or look up a U.K. technical helpline. Bosch would be a good alternative.

Hello Kelle, If you cannot find the information from Kev’s link, then there are two options:- Wander in to you local Audi dealer and ask for the Parts Dept, and ask the nice folks there. They should be able to help you. Try Googling ‘Build records from VIN’ - or similar. You are likely to come up with an Audi/VAG enquiry one, which should give you the detail. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Sam, Thanks for being in touch and sorry to hear of your problem. I’m sure members on here would like to help you, but it’s always difficult to diagnose any noise without hearing it and ideally inspecting the car. By what you say, I would suggest you find yourself another mechanic, since this one doesn’t seem to know what it is. Unfortunately, I think you will just have to ask around for recommendations for a good garage/mechanic, but I would treat this with some urgency, since the noise with this car is trying to tell you something. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Kam, Thanks for being in touch. We must take it that you don’t want to buy a genuine Audi then - even at discount? Of course, if you do, it’s just a question of walking into your nearest dealer. So, if it’s a cheap generic one you want, then you would usually have a selection via. an EBay search, with the seller confirming suitability when you give them your registration number. If you are prepared to pay more for a proper one, then let the forum know and we can give you a contact for genuine parts at discount, but it will not be a cheap as any other ‘brand x made in China one’. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mark, Thanks for coming back on this, and thanks to David for sharing his experiences with his 4 year old sports suspension car, on which he is going to modify the suspension. So it seems David thinks even the sports suspension is wollowy, - so the normal suspension is likely to be even more so. It might be me Mark, but respecting that you like to drive fast around country lane bends, so you do indeed believe you warrant the benefits of a harsher sports suspension, so I’m losing the plot when you say that you will now go for normal suspension. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mitch, Thanks for being in touch. Recommendations regarding wheel spacers are always difficult, since it’s not only spacers which have to be considered, but the effect on the adequacy of the actual wheel studs/bolts in terms of length and strength. I must add that this forum would not support the use of a few washers as an alternative for this critical application. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mark, Thanks for being in touch. The simple question to ask is:- Are you likely to be cornering at speed along your uneven country lanes? If not, then the answer must point to the smaller wheel, normal suspension model. The 18 inch wheel model will have lower profile tyres, and if you add the effect of sports suspension ( and probably run-flat tyres) , the combination will obviously result in a much harsher ride. Of course, the car will corner better at speed - if this is indeed more important to you than ride comfort and reasonable handling under a normal driving style. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Megan, Thanks for being in touch. This seems typical of low battery efficiency, so my first port of call would be getting the battery checked. Just let us know if you need a replacement, and we should be able to point you in the right direction. Respecting the battery is ‘only’ 6 years old, it’s easy to assume it should still be good, but batteries really do now get a hammering on modern cars. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, Thanks for being in touch. Do you have the same issue? If so, can I suggest you start a new thread - better than tagging on to a 3 year old one. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mo, ’...fully charged about 2 weeks ago and driven ( how many miles?) today ...’ and some of the values not looking too healthy (64% charged and your opening voltage figure of below 12v), suggests the battery is below par. Do you know if this battery is the original? If it is, then it’s highly likely it’s on its last legs, and if so, if it were mine, then I would only replace it with a quality brand such as Varta/Bosch, bought on line at the most competitive price. Having said all that, it would obviously be well worth getting the battery efficiency checked before replacing it, and getting the alternator output checked at the same time. So one step at a time and get the battery checked. If it is serviceable, and the alternator output is fine, then there is another possibility to consider, but no need to go into this yet. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steve, and thanks for being in touch. Taking this one step at a time, the presence of ‘white goo’ in the oil filler gap, is not really an indicator that the head gasket has failed - and certainly not, if the car is not losing any coolant ( as in your case) - since white goo will either occur due to coolant mixing with the engine oil, or equally likely, from condensation due to short runs etc. Having said all that, the HG can fail and allow combustion gasses to pass between cylinders (rather than between a cylinder and a water way) or between a cylinder and an/the oilway. If this were mine, I would first check/ have checked, the compression pressures on each cylinder to establish whether there are any issues in line with those mentioned in the last paragraph. If so, you know you have some HG failure, or if the compression pressures are acceptable then you don’t. If you don’t, I would be checking the engine breather system, and first considering an oil and filter change using quality oil and filter. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Johnathan, Wondered if you got any further with this. Kind regards, Gareth.

Sounds sensible Niall, and different and understandable and different from what you sated in the opening post! So now you need to get the oil pressure values read - under optimum running conditions. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks for the additional information Niall. So with your mate’s background, it would seem you are totally equipped to successfully fix both issues then. Apologies, but I’m still confused by the oil warning - you say it was an oil level warning, but since the oil level is OK you assuming it’s an oil pressure warning? Sorry, don’t understand. Anyway, good luck in getting it fixed, and it’s quite possible that someone on here may have had the same problem and will share their findings with you, but if not, it would be great if you could let the forum know how you get on. Many thanks and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Niall, Thanks for being in touch. I will attempt to answer your questions:- Will renewing the valve sort out the (falls?) oil level warning issue? More basic question will be, will replacing this valve, sort out your boost problem? If may, but it seems you are assuming that your mate’s diagnostics (basic kit) is pointing to the correct offender. Many and indeed most, owners put their faith in theses codes, and assume that if the code points to component x, that x is at fault. It may be, but it could be ‘at fault’ due to receiving an inadequate signal from component y. So, a long way of saying changing the N75 valve unfortunately comes with no guarantee of solving even your boost - it may, but may it will be. If this were mine, I would be first wanting to check all associated pipework to check for leaks - which could Your oil warning. Was this a warning for a low oil level, or a low oil pressure? Very much two different issues, and needs to be clarified. Way forward:- Throw a new valve at it in the hope that it will solve the issues, or - better option in my book- invest in an hour’s time of a trusted local diesel specialist, and move forward from there. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dennis, There are three options here as I see it:- Continue to try to understand and ‘repair’ what you have. Look for a secondhand unit. Buy a new unit from your main dealer. These options are listed in order of maximum effort and hassle, and minimum outlay - if that is the most important consideration. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mantus, Thanks for being in touch, but I think it’s going to be impossible to correctly diagnose the source of your noise, when we have so little information to go with. I’m sure you will appreciate that any such noise needs to be assessed by actually examining the car, and if this were mine, I would be treating the diagnosis as being urgent, and getting the car booked in to be inspected without delay. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Derek, You may be lucky with someone coming up with an answer based on your description. OK, you may have previous poor assistance experiences at an Audi dealer, but surely this is where the answer lies via. the shortest possible route. If it were mine, I would be visiting my local dealer, armed with your salvaged bits and location description, and talking with the parts department who should be able to provide a schematic of what you need. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Richard, Thanks for being in touch. Sounds a lovely car, well described, and for sale at a fraction of its cost when new. Let’s hope it finds its next appreciative owner quickly - I’m sure it will. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Josh, Thanks for being in touch, and it’s certainly worth asking Terry what eventually happened, since posts frequently remain open ended. If I were you, I think I would be sending a PM to Terry, since he hasn’t visited the forum since the end of May. Perhaps you could let us know the outcome. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Aide, Sorry, I cant help you on your engine, but yes, it is behind the alternator on our humble 1.6 A3. It will probably help to get the part first - take it you are buying a genuine one rather than an aftermarket. Audi may come with the housing, so that will aid finding its location. Audi Parts Direct at Cardiff should be able to supply with some discount, and mail order. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Derek, For ‘.....my garage.....’ should we read this as not being a main dealer or an Audi independent? If it were mine, I’d be asking myself - can I afford an oil and filter change, and if so, I would be tempted to get it done, since it is not really a waste of money, as David DTi points out with short engine use journeys - never the best operating conditions. The only caveat I would add (if not main dealer or independent) would be to ensure whoever does it uses a recognised good branded oil and filter. If that isn’t the case, then there would be a case for not changing it if quality parts were used at the last service. Kind regards, Gareth.