Magnet

Thanks Steve. Apologies Trevor! If forums such as this are not platforms to communally move progress on repeated (safety) issues, then surely this must come under the heading of ‘.....could do better.......’. Whatever, I feel it might be too late coming to the party! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Tom, So we can reasonably discount any connection between header tank renewal and the start of this issue. Back to Steve’s suggestion? Kind regards, Gareth.

Six pages of posts and almost 3 years on, and still issues with these tyres, but remarkably no one dead or seriously injured yet? -well that we know of. Personally, I’m surprised that the administration of this forum hasn’t yet commented on why the forum hasn’t initiated pursuing this with the manufacturers. Surely with the collective evidence they have been made aware of, they are in a better position than most to initiate collective inroads, than a series of individuals acting on their own. Isn’t not to do so, rather remiss? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Kwok, Nothing to do with car manufacturers paying design engineers good salaries to get the steering and handling characteristics correct at the manufacturing stage then!?

Hello Tom, Did the noise start, or not, when the header tank was replaced? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Alfie, Sorry to hear of your issue with oil consumption. Wondered if you had recently bought the car, or if you have owned it for some time, and it’s only now using oil. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jamie, I can understand your concerns. Unfortunately, your description of the symptoms has been confused by this, and led me to believe the noise was there when the car was stationary and the engine running - which you have now confirmed, it isn’t. Apologies. Advice regarding informing the dealer remains, since it is possible that they may not be in agreement with anyone else working on the car. I would be giving then an opportunity to advise - via. a confirming e-mail response. Your current description of the noise only being steering associated puts everything in a different light, and I too would be taking it to a local garage for diagnosis, and estimated costs, but as I say, getting the dealer’s agreement to pay for these repairs before moving on. I think you will find that the costs will have to be met by the dealer and not the warranty company, so I would be wary of meeting any costs yourself and attempting to claim the money back. Effectively, it is the dealer’s responsibility to sort this out for you. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jamie, I am discounting your description of the noise being associated with the car being ‘on the move’, but concentrating on the fact that it is now apparent when the car is stationary and idling. Very concerning, and to my mind needs urgent diagnosis to avoid the possibility of anything going catastrophically wrong. To your last point:- ‘.....should I contact the dealer...?’ Definitely and without delay. Using the car? Personally I wouldn’t even start it, but would be suggesting to the dealer that you get the breakdown service (if you are a member) or a local garage who would come and look at the car, rather than driving to anywhere, if you are going to respect the possible significance of this noise. This is why I would not be going anywhere in it. Possible causes? I’m sure that you will appreciate that it’s a very difficult task to ask anybody to identify an unheard noise without access to the car. Possibilities:- near-total-failure cam belt whipping against cover, dual mass flywheel, or something totally different. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on Jamie. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello, A family member has a lack of air con. on the above 77K A4. It loses pressure, and the problem has been diagnosed as a faulty compressor (leaking?). Have done a quick on line search for a new replacement and prices seem to vary from as low as just over £100 to the mid £300s. Wondered if anyone has any experience of buying replacement compressors and could share some good contacts, and/or ones to avoid. Also, is this problem relatively common, since I would have expected this part to have lasted longer than it has? Many thanks and kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Diesel - incase it matters.

Already been said Chris.

Hello Mark, Not saying it is, but sounds like injectors then. If they are suspect than they are quite easily tested by a leak-back test. If it were mine, I would be entrusting it to a local recommended diesel specialist - not an ordinary garage. If you bought it recently from a dealer, then you should have redress. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Lee, Are you selling the boot lid, or want one? If selling - price?

Hello Mark, Can we take it you can smell diesel when you see the grey smoke? No loss of coolant? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello High, Thanks for the additional details. I cannot see that there would be any warranty implications if the car has been serviced in accordance with the dashboard alerts, but it would be useful to talk with the dealer now that they have experience of your usage. Things like brake fluid will need to be changed on a time (irrespective of mileage) basis anyway. I guess it will be worth considering how long you are likely to be keeping the car for, before discussing service schedules in more detail, since if it isn’t your intention to keep it beyond a couple of years, then obviously the cheapest route to adequate but minimal servicing, may be the way to go. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. re servicing costs, I would suggest shopping around dealers within a 20 mile radius to get the best price. Costs are rarely absolutely fixed, and often open to negotiation, but be specific in what will be renewed - e.g. pollen filter changed or not?

Hello Hugh, Has the car been serviced once already? If not, I would guess it’s on a Longlife schedule which normally extends the servicing interval to around 18k miles or x months, whichever comes first. Guessing again - no longer than 2 years? If indeed it is on a Longlife service schedule then this is probably not the best schedule for your low mileage use - a normal timed schedule would probably ensure the car is better maintained. On PCP or direct purchase? If PCP - perhaps not to be too worried about, provided you have had it serviced according to what you are instructed to do. Service cost? Sorry cannot help there. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Carl, The coolant temperature sensor will not affect the actually running temperature of the coolant i.e. the cooling system works as it should do and the operating temperature will stay at normal when up to the operating temperature. What this sensor does is to simply monitor this temperature and signal it’s varying resistance value to control the fuel mixture. Coil packs? I would expect the that if these were suspect, you would was experience missing associated with the black smoke. Injector issues?? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello CJ, OK, but couriers now leave signed-for packages at you door if you are not in. I don’t automatically go ECP’s x% off and assume it’s a good deal - it often isn’t. Re. other on line motor factors:- EBay is awash with them - all competing with each other on competitive prices. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Carl, I’m not saying this is the offending component with your car, but faulty coolant temperature sensors can give similar issues. They work on the principle that they sense the coolant temperature and signal the ECU to set the correct mixture for that temperature - rich when cold, lean when hot. If they fail, they do so to an arbitrary resistance value which can result in over rich mixtures when hot, and indeed too weak when cold. Does the car start instantly from cold? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Ian, We ran Michelin on the ordinary A3, since as with your car, they were original fitment. There is little doubt that they are likely to give you the greatest mileage, although the downside we noticed was that they tended to get a bit noisy when they were fairly worn. What I would say is that the original factory tyres appeared to give a greater mileage than the replacement set. Rather like replacement batteries when you fit a like for like brand. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, In the absence of any other replies to date, I would say it’s likely your 15K tyres are about 3/4 worn,( if originals) but that will be a guess, and to estimate average tyre wear is rather like ‘....how long is a piece of string...?’. This will depend on brand, driving style, how often the tyre pressures are corrected, and particularly the typical journey. Long motorway runs will result in tyres lasting over far more mileage than running it back and fo to Tesco. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello CJ, Just wondering why you are restricting you search to ECP. There are many more on line factors who can usually supply at more competitive prices irrespective of ECP’s apparent discounts off ‘original’ prices. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dennis, As Cliff says, but with the caveat that the repeat alignment check is carried out by another recommended tyre retailer /garage. Altimax sounds like a budget brand to me, unless this is a tyre pattern name used by a well recognised manufacturer. If your rear tyres were (also) budget and started with ‘A’ , they could have been Accelera. These are budget, and I have used this brand on non-Audi cars for some time without issue, and has been my budget tyre choice brand. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mustafa, If you didn’t buy it at the registered address, how do you know you bought it off the registered owner? Unless of course you know that person. Personally, I wouldn’t take it to the small claims court if I were in your situation. I would just swallow my pride and move on. ‘Such people should be punished..’. Well perhaps, but they survive via. dealing with buyers who may not have had their eyes wide open when buying. An unfortunate experience for you. I would be thinking carefully about what you expect from this car before spending, particularly bearing in mind it’s value/appeal will always be reduced my its Category N history.

Hello Dennis, I’m sure you will appreciate that information and detail are of vital importance to be able to offer sensible advice. We now know far more than we did. So to get this right, was the rear (budget?) tyre nearly new and evenly worn when you acquired the car? i.e. confirming the uneven wear has occurred during its use with you - only on the rear of the car. Just an observation, but if this is indeed a budget tyre and its lasted 20k miles and would still have ample wear left if it was even, then that’s some budget tyre. Kind regards, Gareth.

Did you buy it directly off the registered owner who’s name was on V5 ? Did you buy it at the address shown as the registered address on the V5? Did you buy it at a price less than £895? I guess you did appreciate it was an insurance damaged vehicle before you bought it. OK, it’s in a category of good condition, but note that the seller only refers to any judgement of condition in terms of the inside. No EM light showing? I can’t see you would expect it to be showing, since I take it it as the when you road tested it. Only you can judge whether it’s worth taking this to the Small Claims court. I would think that if you do, you will need a written report from whoever diagnosed the problem for you (cost for that report?) and it is likely whoever writes the report will need to attend the court to answer any questions (costs?). Is it really worth it? As Cliff says, winning the case is no guarantee of getting your money back. If it were mine Mustafa, I would either be getting it repaired on the basis that even if it costs you as much as you paid for it, it’s still not a great amount of funds for buying a (then decent?) car. The alternative is to part with it an accept the loss, but obviously it’s your call. Kind regards, Gareth.