Magnet

Hello Steven, Having experienced a significant deterioration in braking efficiency by fitting aftermarket pads on an ordinary A3, (quickly replaced) I now only use genuine VAG parts. OK, money can be saved, but..... Of course, there are once-respected aftermarket brands out there, but personally I would not use them anymore. If your driving style is such that you favour ‘enhanced performance’ braking then the likes of EBC offer a variety of specifications. It might be useful to let the forum know if you have some non VAG brands in mind, and no doubt you will receive some kind experienced feedback. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Vincent, Thanks for coming back on this. I think you are very wise to give the car a thorough service - it will endure you will have a good base point to move forward from for future maintenance. Good practice? For me, it’s always good quality materials, particularly since you will be making considerable savings by doing it yourself. I would change oil, air and fuel filters, and if not using genuine VAG parts then I have found Mann or Bosch brands to be good. Personally, I would not use any other brands, but simply search best prices for these brands. Air con? or too early. If it does then worth checking if it has a pollen filter, Engine oil? Please don’t accept this as accurate, but I would not be surprised if your car was originally designed to run on 10w/40 semi synthetic rather than the more modern 5w/30 fully synthetic. If 10w/40 is recommended then I have used Shell Helix in my similar age non-Audi. If (in caps) it is 5w/30, then I use Quantum Longlife 3. It seems you will be changing the thermostat, so a good opportunity to flush the system and renew the coolant with the correct antifreeze. The car was probably running on the old blue antifreeze, but check the current colour incase someone has updated it. Belts? Cambelt if not chain? Do you know when it was replace. Alternator belt :- always worth renewing. Obviously you will go through the braking system, tyres, hoses, etc. etc. Kind regards, Gareth. Haynes manual? I would have thought so ( unlike more current models). Worth checking on EBay.

Hello Vincent, A faulty thermostat sounds the most likely diagnosis. I would be wary of buying an aftermarket one, since they can be unreliable. OK, VAG ones are comparatively expensive, but worthwhile in terms of the potential for repeat labour, and the possibility of an aftermarket replacement causing overheating. Petrol smell?? Very difficult, but apart from the obvious fuel hoses, it would be worth looking at fuel filter connections and petrol filler breather tubes. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, Oops! Warning lights and below par batteries are a fact of life. Before worrying about ECUs/BCUs, it would probably be worth charging the battery overnight (or 12 hours) then getting its efficiency checked. Halfords do this, but the battery must be in a reasonably charged condition first. If the battery proves to be serviceable ( but why did it need jump starting?) then you have at least eliminated this as a possible cause with little or no outlay. If the battery is shown to be below par, then you need to fit a new one - up to you whether you buy from Halfords or not. Fitting a good serviceable battery may (just may) solve the problem, but even if it doesn’t, you would have needed to replace it anyway. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, Two things to consider:- Manufacturers claimed figures are generally just that. Pinches of salt comes to mind. I take it the car is relatively new and has yet to fully loosen up. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steve, OK, The logic is that if you don’t change it now, along with the cambelt assembly, then it’s going to stay put and be expected to do around 120,000 miles by the next time the belt change is due. Would you be happy to ‘take the risk’ with that mileage? Replacing the water pump at the same time as the cambelt assembly entails a relatively small amount of extra work in terms of extra labour. Changing it at some later date just doesn’t make economical sense. The cost of the water pump as a part? Around £100? ,so not changing it is going to save a bit of the overall large sum, but the risk factor of a blown engine at some point prior to 120,000 miles, of service has to be considered. If this were mine, I would be seeking alternative quotes at other main dealers, but ensure the work carried out will be like for like. I would then get quotes from reputable independents using only genuine VAG parts. Apologies for repeating. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Joe, ’.....trust me....’ . Really no reason to distrust you Joe! , but I certainly would question your opinion, but appreciate it’s always a person choice. ‘...saving at least 5 minutes’ (by using a pressure lance). So what are you going to do with this extra 5 minutes? Pressure lances are exactly what they say they are - they deliver water at a high enough pressure to remove grit and grime from your patio. They do the same thing for the far more delicate paintwork of your car, and over a relatively short space of time they will turn the paintwork lacquer milky due to bombarding it with water at a high pressure. OK so you have an extra few minutes spare at the end of each week -eventually enough time to contemplate the effects on the paintwork, and think if it removes heavy grim from your decking, it will certainly eroded your paintwork! Cool?? I’m very much with WPAWS, but as I said, it’s a personal choice. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gregor, Really sorry to hear of your sad loss. Could I suggest you list your asking price so you stand the best chance of finding it a good home. Kind regards, Gareth.

What I meant Graham was that you (in caps) e- mail them (in caps) outlining the problem, so the problem and the date it was raised, is recorded, and most importantly, you (in caps) have the evidence. If you are waiting for them to e-mail you, then you are probably in for a long enough wait to have missed the warranty deadline! Please don’t leave yourself open to that old dodge. Kind regards, Gareth.

Looks like low washer fluid to me too Janis. Any VAG dealers near to you? If so, worth calling in for advice. If it is low washer fluid then it’s likely to be due to a faulty level switch or a bad contact onto it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Have you put the all important bit in writing to them Graham? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Graham, Apologies if this initially appears to be unhelpful, but I really would not waste valuable time in trying to canvas opinion on the forum, when your far better option would be to book it into the main dealer and leave them sort the issue out under warranty. I’m sure you will appreciate that it would be very difficult for anyone to diagnose the actual cause of the problem without examining the car. If I may offer you advice:- Book the car in without delay and ( most importantly) e-mail them the details of the problem and the date you registered this discontent. If they say they cannot look at the car immediately then it’s even more important to e-mail them with the date and nature of the complaint. As I see it, if you have proof of registering the problem before the warranty expires, then they have a duty to sort it out, even if the resolution takes the time beyond the warranty and expiry date. I’m sure you will see the importance of having proof ( via. e-mail not simply phone call) for this to work. Time is of the essence here Graham, Good luck in sorting it out, and perhaps you would let the forum know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dariusz, I’m not sure if you are saying that you have now changed all tyres on the car to a different make ?? What to do? Worth reading all the posts and deciding what you want to do. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steve, If you search this forum under Cambelt change, you should find a recent post (within the last couple of weeks?) where I’ve attempted to cover this chapter and verse. Kind regards, Gareth.

No Mathew. My advice is based on what I would do if I was in your situation, and OK, it’s my logic, but I think it is a reasonable path to go down, and more often than not it’s not a bad thing to plough your own furrow, rather than getting someone to plough it for you. Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Michael, Sorry to hear of your problem. Is this really a 1968 car? If so, I wonder where you are going to find another one as a spares car, and if you do, what are the economics of buying that, getting the engine removed and swapped into your existing one, when considered against getting your existing crankshaft issue sorted via grinding and new bearings. Perhaps you could fill in a little more detail. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mathew, Sorry to hear of your issue. I would say that the route to claim would need to be through the ‘engine reconditioners’ rather than through Audi themselves. If the reconditioners were an Audi dealership, or the work was carried out on behalf of such a dealership, then that would certainly aid your claim. You say ‘....last year...’. Was that within the last 12 months? If so, there shouldn’t be any issue about claiming since the reasonable guarantee period is usually taken as 12 months. More than 12 months ago? Even so, the reasonable life expectancy of a reconditioned engine should be in excess of your covered 11,000 miles ( subject to evidence of expected oil and filter change). Why not take advice from CAB regarding making a a claim at the ‘Small Claims Court’ ( or whatever it is called now)? I’m sure it would be useful for the forum to know where and how you go forward from here. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jake, Sorry to hear of your issues. My advice for what it’s worth is please do not guess at what the reasons for this are - it’s potentially just too dangerous to continue to do this, and I would say it’s impossible for anyone on here to offer you any true explanation without actually inspecting the vehicle. A variety of guesses -yes, but guesses they will be. If this were mine, I would be getting this carefully inspected by a trusted local garage after they have road tested with you so they can experience the handling first hand. Some might advocate getting the alignment (tracking) checked and adjusted, but in my book, this should only be done once the car has been inspected and either passed as having no significant wear/ explanation, or the detected defects rectified. I would not delay on this Jake, since it sounds as if it’s handling like a three legged cow! Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Louis, Always difficult to try to diagnose without the vehicle. I think it’s important to differentiate between a misfire and simply ‘lumpy’ idling - which may be to do with fuel mixture variations rather than electrical issues. If it were mine, I think I would start by paying a visit to my local friendly MOT station and asking them if they would do an MOT emissions test on the car for you - following a 10mile run. This should give you some useful pointers, and may negate the next move of plugging it in and checking for fault codes, and if it is an actual misfire or a fuelling problem. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Mathew, Possibly one of the internet search purchases? Normally, selling dealers will demonstrate this by inputting your home address into the Sat. Nav. while you are completing the purchase. Talking Internet, I believe there are VIN searches which give you the build record which will point to Sat. Nav./no Sat. Nav. Worth a try?

Hello Colin, No problem at all in trying to help, but I fear I might be on the borderline of getting boring with this. I could have got this in a twist in my mind, but to me (and it might just be me!) the situation comes over as you being hell bent on going about obtaining a now replacement rear hub ( rather than a bearing as originally wanted) in a very protracted and heavy weather fashion. Contacting an Audi dealer and getting a part number might be an option, but it would be worth bearing in mind that they are not daft, and don’t like wasting their time giving part numbers to assist buyers in their aftermarket quest to obtain the right part. If you want to order an Audi part then just get in touch and give them your reg.no. and they will supply you the correct part. If you want an ‘any old aftermarket part’ then just do likewise with your local motor factors. If you want a ‘quality’ aftermarket part such as Febi. then follow earlier advice. Blinking heck Colin - it’s taking you longer to worry about getting the right ( any old aftermarket ) part than it should to do the job! Good luck with sorting it out. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Matty, Pending someone offering experienced advice on your particular model and specification, how about going to the garage you bought it from, and getting them to demonstrate the Sat. Nav. for you. If they are adamant your particular car is fitted with it then it shouldn’t be any problem for them. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Stephen, Sorry to hear of your issues. I think this is an hydraulic rather than a cable operate clutch. If I’m right, it wouldn’t surprise me if the problem turns out to be due to a faulty clutch release cylinder. If so, the bad news is it now usually lives in the gearbox bell housing - with obvious affects on the scale of repair charges. In days of old, these used to be sensibly located outside the housing and their replacement was simple. If it is this, then it would be worth replacing the whole clutch assembly - once known as a 3 part clutch. If not using Audi parts then my only alternative would be to use LUK clutch kits, without exception. Dual mass flywheel replacement at same time? Depends on mileage etc. Let’s hope it isn’t what I think it is. Kind regards, Gareth.

Oh blinking heck Colin. Fair do s as we say in theses parts - your persistence in finding out whether this hub has an integral ABS sensor or an external ring has to be ‘admired’. Again you are looking at spurious makes. How about:- Googling the U.K. contact phone number for Febi and asking for their technical department ( I have talked with them in recent months). Simply ask them for their part number for the rear hub and do an EBay search (or contact sellers) for that part. External ABS ring or not?? - just get the right part, and it will be right! You search EBay illustrations for days looking at generic images and still remain confused! As I say, change the backing plate if not already changed. There are good quality German ones out there and not so good, not much cheaper, alternatives. When changing the hub (or bearing if you are still thinking about going down that road) you will need the correct large splined socket together with a good impact wrench - and of course a hub puller. Sorry no one else is offering you the alternative advice you might want. Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Colin again, Just a couple of personal-view comments on your EBay link:- Compatibility charts are notoriously unreliable, and I always, check the application is correct by passing the registration number on yo the supplier. Images should always be treated as simply generic and may or may not represent the image of the actual part you will receive. Again, personally, I would not touch this with a barge pole, since it has probably been manufactured a ‘ few miles east of the Thames estuary’ and could be of dubious quality. If it were mine I would be looking at Febi, and find the correct part number for your reg. no. Probably won’t cost you much more than this, and even if it does, it’s worth considering the savings made by a labour-free DIY. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as if owners of your model are on here today to offer you alternative advice. Kind regards, Gareth.