Magnet

Thanks Stephen, Can we take it you didn’t bother to get your old battery tested? What brand of new battery did you buy, and did you have it coded to the car. Re. reporting if you have a reoccurrence of the issue, could you do us a kindness and let us know at the end of the month whether the problem remains solved or not? Failure to respond would leave the thread open, and other members unsure of whether it was the solution or not, and we are striving hard to avoid that. Many thanks, Gareth.

Always eliminate battery inefficiency as being the cause/aggravator of any electrical issue before moving on to more complex possibilities.

Thanks Tony, Just check the rubber pipe is to J30 R9 and not R6, and check it for cracks every couple of months. This fuel pipe, even though supposedly to specification, tends to crack for a living. I understand Gates does a good one, so might well be worth investing in a length of this. Regards, Gareth.

In the flexible harness section twixt body and tailgate??

EBay for a sales brochure?

Welcome David from the homeland. If you do a search of very recent posts you will find reference to someone else looking for a part number. Just follow the reply to that. Regards, Gareth.

It seems totally illogical that both toothed and non toothed water pumps are alternatives for one another. A couple or so hopefully helpful tips for you:- Study LLL Parts website in relation to your car, and get the correct part number. Put your reg. no. into Parts in Motion website and see what specific information you get from there. If doubt still exists, phone them ( don’t EBay message them) armed with the part number and discuss it with them - they are usually very helpful. Why Autodoc and their postage rates? Also seldom found GSF to be generally that competitive. Please let us know how you get on.

Hello Laura, So has it been returned to the garage who changed the cambelt , if as you indicate, the car was performing fine before? Has any of the 3 garages plugged this into an acceptable diagnostic system? Sounds as if something has been disturbed/ damaged if the problem was coincident with fitting the new belt - assuming the belt was correctly fitted. Regards, Gareth.

Hello Harry, Re. light:- Worth peeling the rubber covering back on the flexible harness section twixt boot/tailgate and the main body. Very often the source of fractured and shorting wires.

Thanks Russell, There will be plenty of choice at competitive prices from P in M. You should be able to get a part number via. LLL Parts website. Back to P in M - I’ve found them very helpful via. a phone call. Not so with EBay messages, but always got there over the phone. Regards, Gareth.

Hello Russell, Have a search on here under ‘Part number’ or similar, and you should find references to a number of possibilities inc. LLL. Where are you searching and what brands are you considering? Regards, Gareth.

Beware with disturbing any sensor associated with impact signalling unless you want to run the risk of air bags going off. Please take experienced professional advice before touching this.

Thanks Chris, you know it makes sense as DelBoy would have said! Independent? I would make doubly sure they understand you don’t want them to carryout the emission recall. Please let us know the outcome of the inspection. Regards, Gareth.

Welcome Stephen and thanks for joining. My initial broad brush response to your question is that the choice sounds untypical, and I believe it shouldn’t be an either/or situation. I could well be wrong, but….. Could you let us know where you are searching in respect to obtaining parts, and what brands are you considering buying. Regards, Gareth.

Thanks Chris, My main concern - and I still maintain it is of more importance than the general condition of the vehicle - is you will leave it with them, and they will subject it to the emission recall, and by the consensus of earlier experience both you and your wallet will be adversely affected. Why not book it to a trusted local independent. We can only advise you on the basis of ….if it were mine…. Would you please do us a kindness Chris and let us know how you get on.

We can see you have returned to the forum, but not yet responded to questions asked. Shall we trust that you will respond over the weekend?

Please let us know what develops Matthew.

If you read back on this forum you will find many references to VAG’s current recommendation re cambelt change intervals and the removal of any time limit. Follow it at your peril, particularly with low annual mileage vehicles where the belt get far more of a hammering that that on a high mileage motorway vehicle. Your vehicle is approaching 9 years old and so is an around 5K/a, and should be due for its second belt change in 2 years time - by the previous recommendation. Your call Matthew, but if this belt decides to part company, then your vehicle will end up as beyond economical repair. It would be well worth reading through the threads before deciding that ‘it might not be that big an issue anyway’. Please let us know what you think.

Hello Matthew, The prefix number 6PK is used by Gates, but maybe used by other ‘aftermarket’ suppliers as well. If it is Gates, then it’s a reputable make. The problem is that Audi were/are? using Gates belts at the factory, and also in their replacement kits bought from the main dealers. The the answer to you question remains difficult since it could well be the original belt, or it could be a replacement Gates belt fitted to replace the original! Having said that, it does look newish from the photo, but….? Does your independent have access to record onto the VAG computerised service system? If so, what is recorded there? Regards, Gareth. p.s. Gates often has a use-by date on the box included in the VAG kit (usually 4 years on) so if all fails, it might be worth passing this passed Gates Technical for an opinion. Regards, Gareth. p.s. Was the auxiliary belt changed at the same time? If not, it should have been.

That’s fine Stuart (youngster by the way!). If the wet handling is indeed that bad then you are doing the right thing by replacing them. Interesting last paragraph which obviously demonstrates that a lot of people are brand conscious and can automatically deduce that any spurious brand = ‘ditch finder’. Some are I guess, and your experience has been useful.

Hello again Stuart, Your choice of course, but it has become very trendy to classify all non-premium brand tyres as ‘ditch finders’. This may well be true if your driving style is ‘enthusiastic’. We walk the promenade at the local seaside resort, and I’ve got into the habit ( yes I know it’s daft) of looking at 3ish year old prestige vehicles, and surprise, surprise - many/a lot are running on Chinese budget tyres. It would be interesting to know:- How would you describe your driving style - enthusiastic or not? What causes you to conclude Triangle tyres are rubbish? I confess I don’t have any experience of them, hence the question. Regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, If you read back over the years of the issues associated with emission recalls, then you will keep the vehicle as far away as possible from any Audi dealer, otherwise it will likely cost you and your wallet a lot of disappointment. Taking any 11 year old car to a main dealer for a ‘free’ health check would be unwise in my book, since whatever they find wrong with it will likely be due to wear and tear and not covered by your 3 month warranty, and they will mess it up re the recall. I would avoid any contact in that direction like the plague, but it’s your car. Regards, Gareth.

Please let us know what your eventual choice is Stuart, since this may help others to decide in the future.

Thank you Christine, For the benefit of other members who may experience a similar issue in the future, would you please share the solution with the forum? Regards, Gareth.

Hello again Stuart, With the necessary 35 profile tyres, this car is going to ride like a horse and cart! Add to that the fact that they understandably have to be XL (extra load) rated, means that it will ride like a horse and cart on a rough track. I’m afraid this is the penalty of fancy large diameter wheels. You have to hope that run flat tyres are not specified, since if they are, you just as well buy some solid hard rubber and wrap that around the wheels. Don’t forget that the Y speed rating must also be respected. Premium brand tyres are likely to cost you two arms and two legs. In case it helps, I’m currently using mid range Kumho to good effect on a non Audi. Falken may also be worth considering. It is important that all four tyres are 245/35/19 /93Y XL. Any deviation may adversely affect any insurance claim. Regards, Gareth.