Magnet

All good then Graham. If it were mine, and I was going to get it tuned, I would drain the (probably the cheapest the seller could get) oil, refill with the correct quantity and grade of VAG’s Quantum and fit a Mann oil filter. Re. belt or chain? I don’t know without spending time checking. Better for you to spend your time doing that ( and we can advise further if it is a belt) which allows me and the other Mods. to spend time helping others. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on Graham. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Although I fear a possible impression of pessimism, I feel the forum has offered you hitherto unknown advice on:- Suppliers of brake discs and pads. The importance of changing air filters earlier than 45k. Ditto with cambelts if fitted. VAG oil. Recommendations for good ( non ECP!) filters, and the general need to check all of this before attempting to get more power out of this little car.

‘45K - that’s crazy’ (for an air filter renewal). So what are you going to do about that then? Indeed it is Graham, but not as daft as a 135 mile cambelt change recommendation - no longer with a normally 5 year time interval. Does your particular engine variant run on a belt or a chain? If belt, I would certainly get this belt changed on this 7 year old car, before embarking on any performance enhancing work - cambelts on ultra low mileage, covered over a fairly lengthy period, get a hammering, due to a predominance of stopping and starting over short runs. Reading back over my responses Graham, I realise I’m probably coming over as being off putting, but surely you realise that it’s important to ensure the current health of the car before trying to get more power out of it. To judge the health, you don’t just summarise that it has some service invoices ( which you don’t appear to have read to know whether -say the air filter has been changed or not - and it seems you are evasive on the questions of how many Audi services it’s had - when - and how many other non-sales services it’s had. Still, perhaps not our business. To summarise:- It seems you intend to get your granny to run a marathon, without first at least without taking any interest in her medical history. Good luck with that. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on Graham. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gojko, Unfortunately Harry, the original poster, joined and last posted a couple of days later in October 2021 and never returned to update the forum on how this panned out, so it’s unlikely that we are now going to benefit from his experience. Back to your similar issue Gojko, am I allowed to say you are wasting your money and time by adopting a changing-this-changing-that approach to sourcing the noise culprit here, rather than seeking advice from local (say gearbox) specialists as to where this noise is coming from. OK, perhaps a pessimistic and not too helpful a reply ( but aimed at avoiding further unnecessary expense) - it would be very difficult/ almost impossible for anyone on here to diagnose a noise that they cannot hear, on a vehicle they cannot drive or inspect. Having said that, indeed someone may respond with a solution to their believed-similar noise, so fingers crossed. Maybe a bit cheeky to ask, but perhaps you could keep us updated on the final outcome. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Graham, VAG recommended air filter change is a daft c45k, so I certainly wouldn’t be assuming anything ahead of tuning the performance of this car. re. Disc diameters-? Stick your reg. no. into Parts in Motion’s website and see what comes up, and/or try LLL parts for the original Audi part number - which should suffice for your sizing. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on Graham.

Thanks Graham, Not that it actually concerns me, but from a point of clarification, how many Audi dealer services has this car had during its 7 year life? The on-car disc skimming sounds interesting, and it would be good to hear how they actually skim the access-restricted inner face ( I guess it must be possible) and what the cost per disc works out at. Have you considered Brembo discs? Kind regards, Gareth. Oh, forgot - was the air filter changed?

No rubber inserts for the bars Colin?

Thanks Graham, So first bit first - I did suggest it would have had a handover service, but did enquire about its service history over the preceding 7 years. When you say ‘oil and filters’ we take it you meant filters in addition to the oil filter, so do you know whether it’s had its air filter renewed with a quality branded one, before you spend good money on trying to get more power out of it. Re. Skimming brake discs? Have you found someone who will make it a really economic proposition to remove your discs, store the car in its immobile state for couple of days? while someone skims the discs - then pay to get them refitted? Perhaps a simpler question would be ‘Have you found someone who will actually skim them? - at a price which would make the hassle worthwhile, rather than spending < £100 ( probably far less) on a pair of quality branded replacements off the shelf? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks, but rather strange you should join us and answer a question raised and already answered some 7 months ago.

Welcome Graham, Glad to hear you are pleased with your recent acquisition, and that you are looking to personalise it to meet your requirements. One question before moving on, when was this 7 year old car last serviced ( except for perhaps the service-before seller hand over service). Can we take it it has been serviced annually, since low mileage cars do not operate under the best of conditions? If it were mine, I would be treating it to at least an oil and filter (I use VAG’s recommended Quantum brand oil and Mann etc. filters). I would also renew the air filter, since Audi’s recommended service change is daft. Brakes? In my book, it defies any logic as to why you would want to add performance enhancements, and then think of skimming discs rather than replacing them. Sorry, but……. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Joel, Have you searched and read the numerous posts on here on this topic? Kind regards, Gareth.

You can’t tow this empty trailer with an A1 Matty. Maximum un-braked towing weight is 610Kg, so if you just couple up the trailer, and don’t put anything in it, you are already 140Kg ( not far off 3 cwt - in my old measurement) over loaded. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Shane, £192/hr. would not surprise me for a large city- located dealership. Preston? More than I would have expected. Have you tried any independents in the area? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Matty, Is your trailer braked or not? If not, then you can’t even tow it when it’s empty. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thank you for the explanation Peter, and due to your sign-on procedure, I now have doubts that you will even see this reply! I think the lesson is that if it’s important enough an issue to seek advice on, then it’s well worth returning to that request source to see if any responses have actually been posted - irrespective of whether ‘some system’ advises you to do so or not. Still…. ‘Onward and upward as we say. Re. your interesting reference to buying a different one and modifying it, would you now be kind enough to share the part number of the one you bought, and what the necessary modification was. I’m sure this information would be useful to others at some point in the future. Kind regards, Gareth.

Will see if I can look it up for you tomorrow Matty.

Many thanks for the explanatory message Matty. So I think you are asking:- If I tow a trailer which is 750kg in weight, what is the maximum load I can add into the trailer to keep within the maximum recommended towing weight for a 2012 1.6 diesel A1? Just let us know if that is what you want to find out. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks for joining Victor. So what is the oldest year you will consider? What is the maximum mileage you will consider. Are you prepared to travel countrywide, or x miles of your location? Specifications preferred?

Sorry Matty - don’t understand the question. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Gary, and thanks for joining. If you aren’t getting a good supply to the jet, have you checked the reservoir outlet for partial blockage? Washer reservoirs are very prone to generating undesirable ‘goo’ which restricts the flow by partially blocking the feed. Also possibility of a partial fracture in the tube due to flexing where the boot opens and closes -? Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks for your helpful suggestion Dave. Regrettably, this is just another example of meaningful/ helpful responses being offered into ‘thin air’. The OP joined on the 5th April and posted his plea for (free) help - probably at the same time of the day. I responded on the same day by asking him a valid question, and today, you have again wasted your time in offering him a useful contact. Fact:- OP joins and posts plea for help on the same day. Help is offered on two occasions, but he cannot even be bothered to revisit the forum to read the responses, leave alone offer thanks for the help given. This equals:- POST AND RUN ( no apologies for the caps). Disrespectful, rude - call it what you may. Anyway, Dave, many thanks for your help, and apologies for boring by saying it as it is. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Boris, I agree with Clifford - keep it simple. It may also be worth having your current shell width measurements - in case asked for. The only other measurement you can do is to clamp the end cap onto the conrod, and accurately measure the internal diameter of the conrod, in case there are conrod differences from one engine batch to another. This dimension, and the crankshaft dimension would dictate the thickness of the shell bearing. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Tom and thanks for joining. As you say, a previous owner has upgraded the door cards, and understandably you cannot plug the fancy lights into a suitable connection in the door casing - a bit like you buying an electrical appliance for a room in your house, but there isn’t a socket in that room. Cars are now generally built with harnesses to supply the equipment for that particular model grade, and understandably not to supply ‘ anything which may be part of a higher specification’. Way forward:- leave well alone, or try to get the corresponding plug from the upgraded model, and carryout the necessary harness connections and wiring to suit. You would of course need to know what you about with such things. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Lucian, and thanks for joining. It’s worth searching LLL Parts website and you might find the answer there. When you say you ‘want to buy another steering box….’ do you intend to buy genuine VAG, an aftermarket from a specialist reconditioner ( have you contacted any of them?) or a secondhand one? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello John, Apologies for another angle on this where it might be worth you doing a thread search on here for similar issues - well documented as I recall. Of course the verdict will rest with Audi’s assessment. Coincidences do occur, but let’s hope yours isn’t an example of that, and the fault is due to accident damage . However, worth being armed with some knowledge on this. Perhaps you can let us know what happens John. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jamie, Now sounds that only an absolute side by side comparison between old and new will resolve the difference. It’s probably me, but the tint vs. new glass seems minor-ish - and I can be a fussy devil! Still, you are 3/4 of the way down the line now, and Audi have to sort out whatever the difference twixt the two is. Kind regards, Gareth.