Magnet

Hello Andy, Sorry to be a pain and keep this going, but I would forget about what roof bars you are going to use, and give very very serious consideration to having someone (who would you be thinking of?) actually drilling holes in your roof. IF you are prepared to allow someone to drill, are you going to be sure they will be drilling in the exact place they should be drilling, can accurately match one side to the other, are capable of removing and refitting the headlining before drilling etc. etc. If you still come to the decision that this is a road you are happy to go down, then you have to first research the availability of the correct (VAG I guess) roof rails - forget about the bars for the time being. You will need to ensure that the rails come with clear instructions regarding exactly where to drill etc. Of course Andy, this assumes yours doesn't have any visual fixing points showing on the outside of your roof. If it has, great. If it hasn't, then I would most certainly give this a good coat of thinking about before you even consider what make of bars you are going to use. It could be useful to others to know if your roof does show any visible outside fixing points. Perhaps you could let us know. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andy, I don't know whether this is going to throw a spanner in the works, but the reason I asked if you had roof rails fitted was that I too got all enthusiastic about fitting roof rails and bars on our 2006 A3 Sportback. That was until I realised that fitting roof rails (if not already fitted) entailed drilling the roof! - well at least on the 2006 model year. It would be wise to check if yours has any built in anchor points front and rear for the longitudinal roof rails to which the Thule cross bars will attach. If not, decide whether you are prepared to hand the responsibility of (correctly- first time?) drilling holes in your roof. Probably well worth doing some homework before thinking about the roof bars. Of course, the quality and fitting of the roof rails become of paramount importance. Let's hope your model year is different, and that it has built-in securing points for the rails. It would be great if you could update us - do doubt useful information for other. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. I recall there were some aftermarket rails which 'hooked' under the top of the door shuts, but I decided against this.

Hello James, I think you are making a wise choice with EBC as an alternative, if you don't want to use genuine VAG parts. I'm not sure if you are thinking of modifying the system to take larger brakes, but if not, you just need to pass the registration number to a couple of the on-line sellers and they will point you in the right direction in terms of the correct pads. As you probably know, EBC have a variety of pads to suit your driving style and requirements, and by what I recall, their website clearly explains the differences. As always, I recommend spending once and wisely. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello James, I very much admire your sentiments. Of course, you are heading for a substantial bill, so getting involved with garages may not be th best way out with this. As I see it, what you need is a competent enthusiast, so it may be worth looking up a local classic car club (appreciating this isn't a classic car, but...) and you will probably find someone there will be able to point you in a direction to find the right person to tackle this car for you. Good luck, Gareth.

Hello Andy, Can we take it your car already has the front to back roof rails onto which you want to secure the rood bars? I don't think there is any doubt that Thurle are the quality you buy once and wisely. A good bit of logic for this safety critical job. Kind regards, Gareth.

Having just received our AA renewal and notice it's gone up by a fair amount ( the bank's discount no longer applies), I wonder if anyone has any recommendations for other breakdown cover. We have two cars which need cover - the oldest now being 15 years old - and I doubt if it's going to be economical to add breakdown to each insurance, so I'm looking for a blanket cover which would cover my wife and myself with whatever car we were in at the time. Recovery would be essential, since I wouldn't want the cars being at the mercy of garages outside of my area. It would be great to have some competitive recommendations and ideas of the costs to cover the above. Many thanks in anticipation. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jon, When you say the engine is not getting hot, do you mean not overheating, or not getting up to temperature? if its not getting up to temperature then it would be wise to have the actual running temperature measured. For both, Sensors such as the coolant temperature sensor can cause the fan to run all the time if they become faulty or go open circuit, since the system goes into fail-safe and runs the fan as it would do if it was running over temperature. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jason, I think - but I am not sure- that the power steering is linked to the speed/revs, and the amount of assistance decreases as the speed increases and vice versa. Is this lack of power steering associated with any particular road speed or engine revs? I would agree with Steve regarding the influence of a failing battery, but I would have thought an original battery at 6 years old should still be serviceable. This assumption is based on the original battery still being with the car, and not having been swopped at some point of sale. Might be worth checking what labelling there is on the battery. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, I would follow Steve's advice, but try to remain realistic with your expectations. Full service history may be a rarity on a 13 year old car, and certainly the absence of the odd ding will be. I would not get too hung up about a comprehensive service history on a car if that age, since many owners of cars say older than 8 years old will very often find a good local mechanic to maintain the car, and the lack of the old stamp in the book may be the trade off for having the car looked after as a cash job. Cars which have not been well cared for tend to show themselves as such, so you can often eliminate the ones which are not worth investing in a paid -for inspection. Simple first line check - are both tyres on the same axle same make? There are of course many many more items which give you pointers. AA or RAC inspections are fine, but you might also consider a local independent where you may get greater brand and model experience. Good luck in finding what you want. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Anthony, Sorry to hear about your problems. Stab in the dark! (couldn't resist that), but have a look at the flexible wiring harness which is visible when you open the hatchback. Carefully strip back the covering and examine the wires themselves. The wires become brittle as the hatch is opened and closed - particularly in the cold winter months, and bare wires can touch and cause issues such as this. Let us know if it's not and we will have another stab at it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks for coming back Kev. Pointless labouring this but I wasn't really referring to We By Any Car, but to valuations from valuation sites such as Parkers etc. OK, differences of opinions on the monetary value of extras on a 7 year old car, but logic would suggest that you take the current value of the car compare with its value when new and let's say it's now was 30%. But, I think you will find that the add-on value of the extras is never going to be worth 30% of what they cost new. I feel the haggling could be interesting, but whatever the 'discount' is going to be, it could be off an already inflated price. Of course Kev, as you say, they can take it or leave it so you hold the ace card, except they have the car you want. Let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Kev. I have to be careful not to convey the impression that I am being cynical about this - and if that is the impression then I apologise. Re. the price:- I think you have answered your own question with the value of this 7 year old vehicle by saying the same model and mileage but without the same amount of extras which cost £6K when new, is retailing at £4K less than the one you are interested in. 'Thimple' as the little animal standing on its hind legs would say - you are potentially paying £4000 extra to by 7 year old toys which reality are 'worthless' , but on a positive side do make the model more attractive. It would be your call whether this on cost is important to you, and my feeling it is when you opened your post by listing them. My maths may be questionable and doesn't take account of falling in love with something, and there isn't anything wrong with that. Valuation sites and extracting utine! Well they value vehicles on evidence of sales and insurance pay out values, and that's not to say the owner would part with it at that price or think it's worth more. I think we all value our vehicles at a higher price because we know them, but getting someone to actually write out a cheque at what we think they are worth is another issue. I really wish you well with this Kev, and I have a feeling your negotiations with the dealer are going to be interesting. All I can advise is not to lose track of the importance of the history of the car itself , it's independent assessment and the 'quality" of the guarantee you will be offered. Good luck with this, Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Kev, I've probably missed it, but I'm not sure what year this vehicle is. Retail value at a dealer ? Should be easily assessed via. On-line valuation services, and complimented by searching for similar vehicles being sold by other dealers. Part exchanging:- often a source of confusion since folks tend to get hung up about getting another £100 or so from another dealer, but are not too concerned that the vehicle they are buying is say £200 more at that dealer. In all of this, the only figure you need to compare with different dealers is the 'price to change', ie. How much you have to add to your car to buy the car you are interested in. Inflating retail prices and part exchange prices still comes back to that 'price to change'. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Stuart, Apparently ( and you need to do your own research) Osram was at least one of the brands subject to faking - Philips?- hence my suggestion to go to Halfords where you would have some warranty against such things. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Peter, Interesting. Not sure why the previous owner would have changed just two glow plugs - a bit like changing 2 spark plugs rather than the set. If the two original glow plugs test OK then my money would be on injectors, and it would then be worth having a leak-back test done on all four. If it were me, I would by pass an independent in favour of goung straight to a local diesel specialist, particularly since normal practice is for the garage who you may take it to would probably drive it around to the diesel people and charge you for secondhand assessment, plus a bit understandably added on for their involvement. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Peter, Sorry to hear of your problem. There is a common belief that fault codes are king, and if there isn't a code there isn't a problem. I must admit that code reading is not my sphere of experience, and I'm sure that it is indeed an essential tool in problem solving, but I have some concerns about the possibility of cause-and-effect being ignored when the diagnostics show up a fault on one component and that fault may be linked to a problem with another component. Anyway, opinions over! My hopefully postive path from here would be to ask if there was any associated smoke when the idle is erratic/ after cut out and restart? Dependent on your answer to this I might suggest a trip to a local diesel specialist who will probably test the injectors for you, since it is possible that this is where the answer lies. Take it the glow plugs have been checked. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Stuart, I think your mechanic's advice is sound, and it seems to be common knowledge that auction sites are awash with cheap replica bulbs which just do not last, and indeed I have read ( fact??) that there are even fakes of well respected brand names. You can of course take a chance and hope you get the service life you hope for, but a chance it might be. OK, Audi want £181 per bulb for this luxury car - possibly contributing to the reason why these cars are so expensive when new. Luxury doesn't come cheap! A positive alternative may be to try Halfords for example - they may be cheaper- but I doubt you will have anything more than a guarantee of 1year's service life - same as Audi I guess. If you do decide to buy your bulbs with them then personally, I would have them to fit them (forget about their fitting cost compared with your mechanic) so that you don't adversely affect your guarantee. Kind regards, Gareth.

No Kev, the dealer is not legally obliged to register a vehicle in their name. The complete V5 which the previous owner had would be handed to the dealer and the dealer or previous owners had to forward the small yellow (trade transfer of ownership ) slip off the V5 to DVLA. One possible reason for a dealer to register a car to themselves (where the car would then have another -short term owner- is that it masks out the previous keeper's details. I would think in this case all would be fine - but I would check its fine. I take I you have not had sight of the V5 , so bottom line is this vehicle could have been owned by Manchester or wherever Plod or any other organisation where it's had 1 careful owner but 100 careless drivers. You will appreciate that I am exaggerating a probably OK situation, but that would be my first port of call l before I worried too much about the toys on it. Not meant to be hatch Kev, just step back and do the homework before spending on an assessment. Good luck with your next move. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Kev, Notice the car has one previous owner. Can we take it that owner is recorded on the V5 rather than the dealer having registered it in their name? The true story of this car (and equally essential to know as the service history) rests with contacting this owner. If the dealer refuses to let you have this detail prior to purchase - no confidentiality concerns since you will know it after you have bought it - then I would be tempted to walk away. Same suggestion if it has been registered to the dealer to mask the previous keepers details. Great idea to have an independent assessment of the car, and if it were me I would be considering using a trused Audi independent who obviously has specific brand and model experience. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Trevor, I would not like you to pre judge the cause, based on my assumption. Obviuosly, no one can diagnose such a problem without actually assessing the car. Let's hope for a uncomplicated, reasonably priced and relatively economical outcome to this. Let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Trevor, First port of call is to consult the handbook and find out which fuse runs the reversing lights, and check that this hadn't blown. If it has, replace it with another of the same value. If that blows - take further advice. My guess is that the fuse hasn't blown and that the reversing light switch is probably at fault, but a guess that would be. It is possible/probable that the rear sensors are controlled via the reversing light switch. If it were mine, I would be looking up a local auto electrician and take it there rather than going through a third party garage. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dave, VAG are/were recommending Quantum oil, and I have always used this where it hasn't gone to Audi for servicing. It is available on line at very reasonable prices and I use their Longlife 3 as Steve says, but tend to change it every year even though the car is covering low mileages. No other reason than an annual oil and filter change is an inexpensive insurance. As I say, - easily available on the online auction site - generally with free delivery. I bought some last week, and it was literally here the following day- from Scotland, so I didn't have to go hunting around for best prices. Not sure what you intend to do about the equally important oil filter, but I only use Mann filters as an alternative to VAG. I would not entrust the choice to whoever is going to change it, since the quality of some aftermarket filters can be questionable. Genuine VAG are also often available on the online auction site at discount prices, so you can compare the costs of the two brands. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Peter Lee, How long has this poor running been going on for you to be be able to say the oil consumption has increased? Any smoke? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks for coming back Matt. Interesting about the free MOTs for life bit ... "which isn't bad.. . Not that it applies to you now that you are going independent, but it might be worth reading Welsh Sue's posts on here somewhere. Fair do s as we say, whoever thought of that one at the dealers deserves a pay increase! Free lunches?? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Matt, I think you are very wise to consider having this changed now, and even wiser to consider doing this via. the best rather than the cheapest route. Your particular engine is a little out of my experience zone, but your main dealer quote does seem rather high to me - but could be competitive. It would probably be worth checking with a couple of other main dealers in a slightly bigger radius to get a feel for it, and I know some dealers have special offers on such things from time to time. As you say, cheap is not always the best , and in reality, I've never known it to be. This is certainly an engine critical part/s, and in my book it is essential to spend once and wisely, and particularly in respect of the parts that are fitted. Some may say "I had my cambelt done for £X (low)" but what quality parts were used? Personally I would not take chances and would opt for genuine Audi parts and as far as the water pump is concerned, most certainly VAG only - without exception. Do you know what make parts the independent are going to fit at their more competitive quote? Well worth checking. IF they are not using genuine VAG parts, then I would consider an alternative of Gates , but not using their water pumps. VAg parts can be available at discount (pm me if it helps) so there isn't really much point in using anything else. Changing the thermostat at the same time? Maybe worth thinking about if it lives more accessible when the belt assembly is changed, but I don't think these come cheap - unless they are the potentially unrealiable aftermarket ones. Someone else will problem advise. If it were mine, I would certainly renew the alternator/serpentine belt at the same time (Gates would be fine for that if necessary) since if this decides to part company it can tangle itself with pullies and possibly cause the timing belt to jump a couple of teeth. Kind regards, Gareth.