Magnet

It seems that Edmund has no interest in sharing information which would be of help to others with older models. This is not what the forum is about, so he has been warned for failing to help - despite being prompted.

Welcome Alastair and sorry to hear of your issue. Diesel or petrol? When you say it won’t start, do you mean the engine cranks over on the starter but it doesn’t start, or doesn’t it crank over on the starter? Regards, Gareth.

Um, thanks Paul. Good luck with getting it fixed, as opposed to ‘there’s nothing wrong with it’.

The car must be fitted with a coolant temperature sender if it has a temperature gauge. Its function is that its resistance varies according to changes in the coolant temperature. This change in resistance alters the current to the gauge. Have you got a Haynes manual ( or similar ) for this car? If not, it’s a must have. Try EBay

Thanks for clarifying the diagnostics bit David. ‘Local VW garage’ …. would that be a main dealer type garage? If so that explains the high charge. If not, it seems expensive in terms of what you are after is no more than part of a basic MOT ( in our terms). Please let us know how you get on. Regards, Gareth.

It is indeed a minefield, that why you need to do all your homework, and view the evidence before committing. Private sale of dealer?

Definitely fit a replacement cover to prevent any debris getting tangled up in the mechanism and wrecking the engine. Also get the auxiliary belt renewed if not already changed. Do you know who fitted this belt, and when and why? Receipts to hand? How long has the last owner owned it? Take it it’s being bought from a trader -? Regards, Gareth.

Obviously the old style charging set up then. In that case, it should be possible to use as-short-as-possible extension lead, but:- If it were mine, I would certainly be investing in a dedicated best quality fused, surge protected lead of the shortest practical length, and ensuring all connection points are protected from the elements. Do not be tempted to use whatever Poundland type extension lead you have to hand - not on. If in any doubt please seek advice from a qualified electrician. Regards, Gareth.

OK Andrew - didn’t know that. Since you say all gauges are troublesome, not just the temperature gauge - which is OK at idle- then it sounds as if you have intermittent electrical connection issues. Dealing with the temperature gauge issues, have you actually assessed the coolant temperature at idle and then when rev’d? There are cheap hand held temperature measuring devices available. Just concentrating on the coolant gauge:- have you measured the varying resistance from the coolant temperature sender, or indeed renewed it? Regards, Gareth.

Hello David, Does your charging lead start as a conventional 13 amp plug?

Welcome Karl and thanks for joining.

Thanks David, but why a diagnostic check for a noise?

Thanks Andrew - thermostat??

Any chance you can let us have an answer Edmund, to help other members of older models?

Hello David, I don’t think you will get much support on here to use extension leads vs. getting a dedicated charging socket professionally installed. Do you know what current this draws when charging? Could be in excess of the normal 13 amps for domestic appliances. Regards, Gareth.

Many thanks David. As you probably know, your route to getting any recompense from the private seller will be down a very rough road, so best to forget it. We like to be as helpful and progressive as we can on here, and yes many members can/will come up with a variety of possible culprits - from anti roll bar bushes to broken springs, and most things in between, and yes you can Google it to death, but no one can actually positively pin point the source of the noise without examining the car. My route to isolating the offender would be to get a trusted local garage to inspect the car, and let you know where the problem lies and what the cost will be to repair it. My guess (in caps) would be on a broken spring near its end, but a guess it is, and I wouldn’t put money on it. Please let us know how you get on David. Regards, Gareth. p.s. Re heavy steering - have you checked and adjusted the tyre pressures to the recommended settings?

Many thanks for the update Andrew, and congratulations on your success so far. Re. water pump. Personally I am yet to have experienced water pump issues which relate to inadequate pumping - without letting you know it’s distressed and noisy. Sounds like you may have heater matrix partially- clogged issues, and might be well worthwhile investigating that possibility rather than concentrating on renewing the water pump. Regards, Gareth.

Welcome David and sorry to hear of your issue. A couple of questions to help us give you the best advice we can:- Did you buy it from a dealer or a private individual? What mileage has it done since it was last subjected to your equivalent of our MOT, and when was that test carried out? Regards, Gareth.

So it’s back to the same dealer who previously declared it as being OK then? If so, and they again declare it as acceptable - which is highly likely - what then? Regards, Gareth.

Too late now, Ryan, but I guess you didn’t spend £10 on a VCheck report before buying. Does the V5 list it as a Category x insurance loss?

Hello Martin, Is this for the Exide Premium rather than the Excel grade?

Which Audi Paul?

Welcome Ryan, Are you saying you didn’t know it had been in an accident before you bought it? Dealer or private purchase? If you haven’t changed the closing panel then someone has - marked A5 12 - in the usual breaker form. I seems you are asking whether there is any ‘cross bar’ between what appears to be radiator mounting brackets. Is that right? Well worth looking up LLL Parts website, where you should find a schematic drawing of what might have been there - if anything. Please let us know how you get on. Regards, Gareth.

Ok, a bit more of a trip, but best to return it to the dealership where you bought it. They were the sellers, and the responsibility to sort it out rests with them.

It seems you are measuring correctly, but just to double check:- Adjust tyre pressures to the correct pressure and ensure the car sits on level ground. Measure from wheel centres to the wheel arch lip. Never take measurements from ground to wheel arch. Possible that spring could have been changed by an independent or local garage and not recorded on the data base, but as Cliff points out - if it’s a non air suspension. Kind regards, Gareth.