Magnet

PHello Praveen, Sorry to hear of your problem, and it is likely that what I am suggesting you think about may not be to your best advantage. From your description, it would seem you were pulling out of a side road into the road on which the collision occurred, and despite the bus driver calling you out, I think you will find it is your responsibility to ensure the road you are pulling out into is clear. In this case it wasn't, and the the moped rider collided with your car when he was (seemingly) correctly overtaking the bus. In other words, as unfortunate as it is for you, the accident appears to have been caused by you, and the moped rider has little to lose by claiming against you. If he does, then there is no point in you repairing the car yourself since your premium will be affected irrespective of the total value of the claim' so you just as well have your car repaired by a body shop. Now of course, you may well have other relevant information which points to the moped rider definitely (should be in capitals) not claiming against you for some reason. Good luck with sorting this out. Kind regards, Gareth,

Hello our new member from Torquay. I am not sure on what panel this defect is, but I am guessing the lower part of a door, but to me, the depth of the chipped area suggests this panel has been repainted. It has become increasingly rare for main dealers to retain their own body shops, and more often than not, paintwork is subcontracted out to local paint shops. If this car was mine, I would be taking it to a well established body shop (not too near the dealer) and asking them for advice on how best to correct this (I don't think this is rust, but a localised associated low paint adhesion defect) and asking them to measure the paint thickness on this and surrounding panels, to establish the extent of repainting. There is a simple rest-on-paintwork 'gauge' which measures the current thickness in relation to the manufacturer's original thickness. Armed with this independent information, you can then return to the dealer as soon as possible and discuss the findings of the specialist body shop. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. To Steve and Paul - it appears that recent new members are either not recording their names, or if they are, the name is not being shown.

Hello Brew? (Why aren't new members listing their names?) I could be wrong, but... £80 to transfer the number directly to another vehicle in your ownership. £110 if you want to retain it on a Retention Certificate if you subsequently want to sell it to another person. Kind regards, Gareth.

SHello ? (Sorry, you don't give your name), Sorry to hear of your problem. To be able to have a better chance of offering meaningful advise, a little more detail would be helpful. Did you change the water pump and thermostat after the trouble started? If so, why water pump, since it is highly unusual for these to fail to pump water and cause such issues. Thermostat - did you use a genuine VAG replacement part? - since there is always potential for aftermarket thermostats to be faulty. Similarly, what make water pump did you use. Have you thoroughly bled the coolant system ( with heater set on max. setting) to ensure you don't have any air locks? When the car is up to temperature both heater hoses should be at the same temperature to the touch. It is always good practice to squeeze all hoses (watching hands!) while the system warms up. 2 litres a day is at least 20% of the system's capacity so that is really worrying. Simple test to perform:- Get the car up to temperature, and get an assistant to rev the engine and hold it at a steady 2000rpm for at least 3 to 4 minutes while you observe any smoke from the exhaust. Any? Is so, what colour? Perhaps you can let us have the answers to all the above, at which point it may be possible to suggest a further simple thing to check/replace as a trial. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steve, I think you are taking a responsible attitude by 'regularly' checking your tyre pressures to ensure they are set at the manufacturer's recommend pressures, since deviation from these pressures can certainly affect the handling and influence wear. Now it probably me, but I am a bit confused by where you are with this, having supposedly checked the pressures. Simplistic approach:- Look on the inside of the fuel filler cap, or handbook for the recommended tyre pressures for the vehicle. Go to another tyre inflator and ensure the machine is set to the value you want for the fronts and add or reduce air until the actual pressure is what you want. Repeat for the required pressure for the rears. Apologies if this is what you have done, but I'm not sure from your write up. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Josh, I can only wish you luck in trying to sell this private (cherished ) number. I could be wrong, but I would think it is barely worth the cost of putting it on retention (c£110) and that is probably why it may have come 'free' ? with the car. Some of the cherished number plate dealers may suggest it had a value-to-you, so could always try registering it with them and sit back for some time. Good luck with finding a buyer. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, I'm not really sure anout the A3, but some of these high level brake lights on other marques and models can be linked LED type units and as such the 'bulb' would not be replaceable, and the light unit very often had to be changed as a unit. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Thomas, The idea of removing the auxiliary belt is to test whether the noise is from anything driven by this belt, so obviously if the noise doesn't go away when the belt is removed then you know the problem is with the engine/something driven by it - someone is going to let us know whether this is belt or chain driven - chain? '... Booked in on Friday ...... '... next week' ....... .?? Personally, ( and not having been able to hear this noise) I would have concerns about using this car. If it does indeed have a cam belt, it could , just could be this, and if that goes you can say ta ta to the engine and the car. I really hope you get this sorted quickly and without needing to use the car beforehand. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ade, As Adrian advises. Don't quote me on specifics, but work on a rule of thumb that if the nail is within 1inch of the sidewalk then it's unlikely to be legally repairable. Changing in pairs? Others more knowledgeable than I on these vehicles will advise, but I think tyre depth on all wheels should be reasonably equal. In any case, for me, I dislike uneven tread depths on the same axle and particularly mismatched brands or tread patterns. Good luck with getting it sorted. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Thomas, Sorry to hear (can't hear!) of your problem. Doesn't seem to play on my system but take Steve's opinion on difficulty of picking this up. Two points if it were mine:- If ( and only if) you are handy with the spanners then remove the auxiliary drive belt and check if the noise is still present. Find a recommended local diesel specialist (your local taxi drivers usually have good recommendations) and entrust a diagnosis to them. I think you are wise to be concerned about this since the car is trying to tell you something is wrong! I would treat its solution with some urgency. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on Thomas. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andy, I think it's been mentioned on other similar posts, but have you checked with your insurers to see what effect this will/might have on your premium? I know mentioning this is sort of anti enthusiastic, but best to know first if indeed it is bad news. Kind regards, Gareth.

I too must say that Stuart's offer really does represent everything which is great about forums such as this. I was going to suggest some possibilities, but no real point now unless for some reason Ryan cannot take up the kind offer. Good luck to you both, Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Sashi, I really don't want to counter any other advice given, because it's all sound in the long run. However, I'm from the school of doing simple things first, so personally, I wouldn't bother too much at the moment about doing a coolant system pressure test (no you cannot DIY this without the correct equipment). Interesting about this being a winter issue - makes sense. When was the oil (and filter) last changed and what brand oil was used? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Sashi, Suspected head gasket issues is always a knee jerk reaction with emulsion around the filler cap, but this can be caused by short runs, inferior oil etc. If it were mine, I would now treat this to an oil and filter change. I use Quantum Longlife oil 5/30 , but you would need to check the recommended grade for yours. This brand oil is VAG recommended. I either VAG or Mann filters. Make sure the oil is very hot before draining off. Kind regards, Gareth.

Sorry, but not surprised to hear that Matt. Always worth a go I guess though. I'm one step better off than you insofar as mine will actually start the car, but won't remotely lock/unlock, so I've decided to just live with that. Worth checking with any local VAG independents to see if they can do it cheaper? Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Radek, I might be well worth getting the battery voltage/ condition checked, and if necessary the alternator output (comparatively cheap/free) before any other expenditure. Kind regards, Gareth.

It's strange how most if not all of the posts associated with this very serious issue (in my opinion) seem to end up open ended.

Hello Mark, Sorry to hear of your issue. What is the cause??, but logic would suggest it isn't the motors since it would be unlikely the two window motors would be suspect at the same time. Possible relay?? What I would say is that a straightforward continuity test can be meaningful, but it simply relies on a very low voltage supply. Measuring actual voltages is far more meaningful and it might be worth checking that. The driver's door is the main controller and of course is the door most often used, and the flexible harness into it can become brittle over time. Some of the harness wires may be virtually broken, but still satisfy a continuity test. If it were mine, I would be investing in the services of an auto electrician for an hour to fault find this, and then you could carry out the repair yourself if you want to save some funds. Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Liam, If it were mine, I would not ( should be in capitals) drive this car - not even to the garage. You have a low oil pressure warning, and the worrying thing is you have an engine rattle. This car is trying to tell you something - such as the lack of oil pressure which this light is advising you of. This could be - and you hope not - a symptom of no oil being pumped under pressure around the engine. Sorry Piotr, but personally I would not be inclined to think along the lines of a faulty oil pressure warning switch. The engine is rattling which suggests low/zero oil pressure , rather than good oil pressure and a faulty sensor. Please Liam, treat these symptoms with respect. I can just wish you good luck with it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Karen, I think there is a danger of over complicating this. If you are buying secondhand, then I cannot really see a great advantage in part numbers for panels. Simply take photos of the parts on the good side and ask potential sellers to e-mail exchange photos with you for what they have. If you really do want to have the part numbers then I would be ringing an Audi dealer,armed with the registration and VIN numbers, and asking for prices and part numbers. Kind regards, Gareth.

Spot on Trevor. Many thanks. I'm sure you are much better with figures than you think Steve. The logic behind this was that the numbers applying to the A and D of Audi had already been given in Skoda, so you only needed the U and I Best clue was with the adjacent letters V and W which also had adjacent numbers 22 and 23, out of the 26 letters of the alphabet. So A would have been 1 or 01 and Z =26. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Karen, A couple of possible pointers for you (apologies if you have already been there):- Try registering your 'wants' with the secondhand car parts search companies with which scrap yards, nationally, link into . Any holding the parts you want will then contact you. One is Partsgateway or Partsfinder ( or similar) I think, but you will find more on a search. Tried good old E.Bay? I think you will have to expand your search to the correct panels in any colour. Obtaining the correct colour is likely to be very much of a long shot, and even if you do, you will inevitably find the panels will have storage marks and will need to be refinished anyway. Good luck and kind regsrds, Gareth.

I go along with James' advice of always checking with your insurers before doing anything such thing- it could otherwise result in a serious monetary discontent, or indeed a straight refusal to even quote. Extra power is fine, but if I was seriously considering having a car remapped, then I would make sure that the air filter, fuel filter, oil and oil filters are all renewed beforehand with good quality components. Otherwise it's a bit like buying and wearing a posh new suit and having ragged underpants! Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Mario, There are a couple of things I would be doing (as a matter of some urgency if you say this is since hitting a pothole):- Remove the road wheels and very carefully check each tyre and wheel in great detail, looking for bulges etc. on tyres and cracking/distortion on wheel rims. You may find this easier to have done at a tyre depot, but please ensure they take this inspection very seriously. If everything is found to be in order then you will need to check the brake discs for distortion, and you will need to find someone with a dial gauge to do this. Perhaps a good tyre depot or a brake specialist. If you are still failing to find the cause after this then please come back to us. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jamie, It might be me or my system, but unfortunately the video doesn't show me anything or present any noises. Can you record your noise and post it on here? - otherwise we are all/ well at least me are shooting in the dark. Kind regards, Gareth.