Magnet

Welcome Robert and thanks for joining. I’m not sure why you have tagged your post on to the one you have chosen, since there doesn’t seem to be any relevance. Anyway….. I’m sorry to hear of your problem, but before discussing prices, I would be far more interested/ worried about where your bolt head or nut came from, but… To try to answer your question re. price and are you being ripped off with 4x ? , which suggests you think you are. You seem to be paying for around 10 hours labour at £x/hour to start with, and I would have thought that 10 hours could have been more. You have had the cambelt renewed together with injectors - I think. Head gasket set , and probably valve/s, head skimmed etc. etc. To me, it’s around expectations, but I could be wrong. It might be worth appreciating Robert that you could be lucky that the garage agreed to undertake the work, rather than write off the engine - as many would. Without further knowledge, I would be interested in your views which lead you to question why you question if you may have been ripped off - as you say. Kind regards, Gareth.

Wondered if you are going to return to the forum Gary, to read the advice you asked for -?

Any problem in finding a reputable brand aftermarket one Colwyn rather than a second-user ( new term to me) one? If there is a supply difficulty, have you considered a specialist rebuild? Kind regards, Gareth.

It seems as if the OP, Dean, joined, posted his plea for help, and never returned to read or acknowledge the advice given. Can the forum do without this time wasting, taking for granted type of member? I think so!

Thanks Denis, Now that we have a clearer picture of the car’s service history (we take it at a main dealer?) and your longer term intention, then I think everyone is better placed to advise you on its future servicing. If it were mine, and I intended keeping it for as long as possible, then I wouldn’t be untrusting it’s future servicing to main dealers, since the perceived short term ‘value advantage’ of full dealer service history ( if such a thing is real) would not apply. I would be investigating the cost difference between servicing at a trusted local independent, the main dealer, and a trusted local garage, and see what comes out of that. The advantage of using an independent over a local garage may only matter in cases of advanced diagnostics, so for ordinary servicing, a local garage maybe the option. When you say Major Service and all (in caps) filters changed -assuming main dealer - then I doubt if anything more than oil filters have been changed so far, since Audi’s air filter changes might now stretch to an undesirable 45K miles. Again if it were mine, I would be checking back on invoices to see exactly what has been changed and when. This will give you a better marker point for going forward. Wherever you get it serviced, always keep the invoices as evidence. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Denis, It would be good if you could let us know how many services this car has had to date - inc. dates and mileages - and particularly in respect of the last service, what components, e.g. filters etc. were changed. Also, how long do you intend to keep the car, and what is your anticipated annual mileage? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gary, I would seriously suggest you disconnect the battery before doing any electrical work on the car. What method are you going to use to join the new cables to the old? Kind regards, Gareth.

It’s that time of year again where we think of friends we may not meet during the year, but who we are in contact with by other modern methods that we can use to pass on good wishes. Our family would like to wish everyone on here a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year. I use the word peaceful since regrettably the world does seem to be in some turmoil, but we look forward to the time when harmony prevails. I would also like to thank all those members who take the time to try to help others when they need it. Be kind and considerate. Best wishes to you all, Gareth.

Hello Denis, Could you confirm your car is now just out of warranty - or not?

Every body will have a need to call on Percy at sometime. The one you don’t want knocking your door is Dai Lemma. He’s always bad news!

Thanks Steve, This is really straight from the book of best practice, and should always be done as a matter of course. DIYer have no excuse for not doing this - apart from ignorance, so certainly worth a mention. Garages not doing it, because it takes a little longer?? Anyway, thanks Steve. Kind regards, Gareth.

Come on, catch up Leighton. He is the best pal you will need when you are trying to keep chipping away at a problem! Kind regards, Gareth.

I can only wish you well with this Leighton. Life’s experiences with me, have pointed me towards an acceptance that a ‘supposed problem’ is likely to be the worse thing that’s happening to you at the time, and you will find that once something more worrying comes along, you wonder why you were so hung up about the first issue! Still, only one person’s opinion. My earlier point re. Percy Verance was that if you are going to take action, then make a determined, and more to the point, constant effort to sort it , rather than accept the ‘they are not coming back to me’ principle. Anyway, good luck with the outcome. Kind regards, Gareth.

That sounds fine Lisa, and I do understand. Only one (pessimistic, I’m afraid) point to make. Dealer paying you about 80% of its private sale value? I would be very surprised if you achieved that from a dealer. Just consider:- their mark up profit would be subject to around 25% tax, then they have 20% VAT to settle, in addition to having to honour a guarantee on anything that goes wrong with it for a minimum of 30 days. Still, I think we all wish you well in achieving your goal. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Steve. Price please? Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Bruno, Good tip, which I think most regulars on here are already aware of. Glad you were able to take advantage of the basic check information available via. DVLA and MOT history you were advised to carryout. In my book, these are always the first pieces of homework to do before even contacting the seller. Please let us know if you find anything else of interest, and if we can help you, we will. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Lisa, Do you want to advertise the car on here? Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Loraine and thanks for joining. Although we appreciate your enquiry, the solution to your issue doesn’t rest here, and it’s irrelevant if anyone else has the same problem - you have, and the vehicle can be considered to be dangerous to drive. On the ‘any advice’. If it were mine, I would threaten to reject the car. If you are going down that route, address your e-Mail to the Dealer Principal, stating Registration no. and VIN, the issues you have had, and their inability to rectify the faults, even though you have given them them the opportunity to do so. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth,

So what was the cause of the issue then James, since you seem to have marked the thread as Solved, but don’t give us anything about the actual cause?

Please keep us up to date then Leighton. Percy Verance is your best pal if you can’t establish contact - just keep trying. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Bruno, and thanks for joining. Are you considering buying an a 2016 A4 then? If so, and you want to check on its service history, then simply visit ( not phoning or e-mailing)your nearest main dealer and enquire there. Arm yourself with the VIN ( available from the seller) in case needed. Have you checked the DVLA Vehicle Check to establish when the last V5 was issued . Can be an indicator of short term ownership by the previous keeper - potentially not good. Also have you checked the on-line MOT history? Kind regards, Gareth.

Any progress Leighton?

Hello James, You appear to have joined and posted on the same day - November 28th, and don’t appear to have returned since. Do you have any update for us please?

Any update Leo?

Many thanks Amelia, Well worth putting on the back burner in terms of the worry file. It’s not uncommon for a variety of things to go wrong, and very often I find I just can’t worry about the latest one for a couple of months, because I’m currently too busy worrying about other thing! Take care, and have a great Christmas. Kind regards, Gareth.