Magnet

Hello Niall, I very much agree with Steve, and I think it would be a good move to have the battery tested ( Halfords shops do it) before embarking on any other testing. Batteries get a hammering, and 4.5 years plus could be considered to be good service life these days. Worth getting the alternator output checked at the same time. It would be worth you coming back to the forum before committing to buy a replacement - if needed. Kind regards, Gareth.

Apologies. It seems I have frightened our Les away!

Hello James, The fundamental issue here is whether the battery is as serviceable as it needs to be. How old is it? Its condition is likely to be aggravated by short journey use - possible barely recharging the capacity necessary to start it in the morning. Does it have stop/start and is it working/ do you isolate it? Solar chargers? Probably well worth doing a search on their efficiency before diving into buying one. If it were mine:- I would be charging the battery overnight with an ‘intelligent’ charger, or take it for a 30 mile run, before getting it efficiency checked. Halfords stores will usually do this while you wait. This would be my first elimination check - unless the battery is near-new. If it is deemed to be below par, just come back to us before committing to buy. Perhaps you could come back to us with the question answers anyway. Kind regards, Gareth.

Same as the other other you are advertising Kyrie - price please.

Hello Kyrie, Could you please post the ‘genuine price’ you want for it please. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Jack and thanks for joining. Sounds like a nice project. You could try e-mailing this photo - with reg. no. and VIN to Audi Parts Direct at Cardiff ( part of Mon Motors - once Cardiff Audi). They should be able to indenting it and and give you a quote- usually with a bit of discount. Kind regard, Gareth.

Thanks for posting Damian, Could you please list the prices you want for them.

Thanks again Dawn, £7680 as a private sale price, or a dealer price? Yes, of course you could take out temporary insurance cover - at your expense - but you could well have ended driving this car without insurance, if you hadn’t checked Askmid! I guess it’s over to you now - buy, or not to buy?? Perhaps you could let us know what you decide Dawn. Kind regards, Gareth.

Can’t you measure it across the flats then, and work from there?

Hello Jubel, It could be potentially leaking externally from many areas, so really that just amounts to a guess. If it is due to an external leak then there is a high possibility that there will be visible evidence of this ( if accessible to the eye). No drips doesn’t necessarily mean no leaks, as the pressure will reduce as the engine cools. If this were mine, I would be carrying out the test I suggested, and if all is well there ( or particularly if not) get it thoroughly inspected and tested by a trusted independent. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks for the update Dawn, Upshot is that you cannot take this car on the road, since it isn’t insured. Dealers could, since they would have motor trade insurance. Naughty to have it taxed and not insured - guess he will have an alert from DVLA soon! Of course, you can tax a vehicle, as long as it has an MOT, if applicable, and you no longer need to present insurance cover at the time of taxing. Price:- I would think your £8K would buy you a 2015, and roughly add about £1K to the Parker’s guide price for this lower mileage example, so my belief is that this car is indeed overpriced - by some! Private sales are fine, if you know the car and the seller, otherwise you take risks with the unknown, and little room for any come back. If I was in your situation, I think I would favour buying from a trusted dealer, where you have a warranty. Having said that, I would always advocate spending on an independent inspection before committing. Always ( in bold caps) request e-mailed copy of service history before viewing. Good luck with your search. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks again Dawn, The DVLA vehicle check will confirm whether it’s on SORN or not, but the all important aspect is if it is showing on the AskMid insurance database - you can check that out. Your average private owner would either have to have a ‘spare’ NCB to make it economical to retain insurance on the old car, once he insures the new car, or would need to take out a temporary additional cover, so it doesn’t necessarily follow that because it isn’t showing as SORN, that it is actually insured. If I were in your situation, I would most certainly be requesting e-mailed copy of the service history before going to view it. It’s surprising how full service history can disappear into the ether once the evidence is ask for. Re valuation:- what was the private sale value for the same model and year for the 111K mileage? Again, I don’t want to influence you, but it’s been often quoted that (as you say)…’ something doesn’t seem quite right..’ it usually isn’t. Independent inspection:- search Audi independents in the area the car is for sale at, and have a chat with them about inspecting the car prior to purchase. The seller’s reaction might be interesting! They might also assist with a reasonable valuation. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dawn-Marie, Since this is a private sale, you can obviously kiss goodbye to any warranty or come back. ‘Banging on about how well looked after it’s been…..’ Sounds salesmanish to me! If it’s that good, why is he selling it!? I take it you have requested and seen the evidence of its service history, and you are happy it is as comprehensive as the seller makes out. Garaged for the last month:- so can we take it it’s now on SORN, you will not be able to road test it , and you will be buying it simply ‘as seen and without trial’ -? £8,000 for a 10 year old 75K A3 being sold privately would seem to be in orbit territory to me - in fact oh blinking heck, to be polite, but I’m open to correcting on this. Can we take it you have checked out the valuation on Parker’s for example, to confirm what you are about to buy, is indeed sensibly priced? Re. Independent inspection:- ‘ only just been serviced …’ would not cut it with me as a reason not to have it independently inspected - serviced, may simply equate to an oil and filter change. Obviously your choice, but… Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Nick, As Stevey says. I been putting a dampener on anything to do with large wheels for some time, since the trend seems to be for the largest wheels and the skinniest tyres - because they look good. Yet, you cannot see the wheels when you are sat in the car, but you are the one who suffers the adverse ride quality. Add to the potential of harder sidewalls, probably XL etc. and everything gets magnified. An equally aged friend found the ride to be not to his liking on an S.Line with skinny tyres chosen for him by his children - it went back. Mind, I’d not be too happy about the expense of changing wheels and tyres, but… Interesting you mention Bridgestone, since I have been considering these on our non-Audi. For me, I want as comfortable ride as I can get from the tyres, and as much mileage as poss. so any recommendations are welcome. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Dawn-Marie, and thanks for posting. Nice to hear you are doing the homework before you commit to buy, and what you have been told was, and is correct. Incase it help, I intend to stick with the earlier 75k or 5 years - whichever comes first, since I just cannot understand the logic of an open ended time interval - except that it increases the risk of another wrecked Audi, and the sale of another one! If it were mine, I would be catering for replacing this now. Private sale? Have you seen evidence of the service history, checked the on-line MOT history, looked up the DVLA Vehicle Check to see when the last V5 was issued ( indication of owner change). Are you having the car independently checked before purchase? An Audi independent near to where the car is would be a good place to start. Last but certainly not least - I’m not sure if the 2014 TFSI engine was still within the range of model years which could be affected by the dreaded high oil consumption issue ( possibly up to 2015??). Stevey Y on here will be far more knowledgeable than I’m on this, so worth sending him a PM to see if he can help. Good luck, and kind regards, Gareth.

Who are ‘they’ Beany? VAT on top? Possibly 6+ hours? But that’s a guess. Whatever, they will no doubt have Autodata or similar to refer to to get a book time.

Hello Beany, How many hours have you been quoted, is the quote from a main dealer, independent, or local garage, and what is the hourly rate from the quote? Sounds like you have a ‘labour only’ quote and want to do some arithmetic to calculate the number of hours they are charging you for. Couple of points to bear in mind:- Do we recall you are supplying the parts? If so, your guarantee from the fitters will be limited. Also the garage may want to ‘add a little bit’ to make up for their loss of profit on the parts. Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks for the very useful update Mike. Kind regards, Gareth. .

Thanks Les.

Thanks Mark, If you search - say EBay - you will find sets of variable sizes, one of which should suit your needs, and who knows, some of the others maybe of use at some other time. Repeating - you don’t need to find the size, just buy a multi set. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks David, Have I got it wrong, but did you post a similar thread recently? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Les -? Saying it as it is, the only clue you give us is that it’s a stop/start battery, and regrettably you have chosen/can’t be bothered to, either give your name, model of car or your location. As one of the other moderators often says ‘ we are a friendly and helpful group’, and indeed we are, but….. help yourself to gain the help you need! Rant over, except a please or thank you wouldn’t’ go amiss. Answer - almost certainly yes.

Hello Jubel, I would say any such coolant consumption - irrespective of model or engine - is abnormal. Our humble 174K A3 barely needs anything between it now 6K/year use. There is either an external leak, or it is being combusted. Have you carried out:- Inspection for any visible external leakage? Run the car for about 10 miles, park, get an assistant to rev. the engine to a steady 2000 rpm and hold it there for 2mins. while you observe the colour of the exhaust gasses? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Anthea, Welcome and thanks for joining. Failing rear electrics - the car is old enough to potentially suffer from fractured wires within the flexible harness section twixt body and tailgate/boot. Not claiming this is your problem, but always worth a first line eliminator, before moving on to more complex causes. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mark, Are these the inset/internal hexagonal plugs? If so, Apologies but I don’t know the size off hand. What I have here is a set of Laser brand multi sized hex ( and square I think) drain plug sockets. These were cheap at the time and probably not the best for continuous work, but has served my DIY needs when put into use. This would be my choice for the way forward. One tip (which you probably know) is always undo the filler plug first. Never undo the drain plug first, Incase ( why does Incase always come up with a capital I with this system!?) you then find you can’t undo the filler. Big problem then! Kind regards, Gareth.