cliffcoggin

Glad to hear the car is running again. If you have flattened the battery a few times in the past its capacity will have been reduced, so it might be worth keeping the new battery.

Dave. You don't need to remove the battery to charge it, though I appreciate it may not be practical if you park in the road.

I am faced with a bewildering choice of wireless rear view cameras, ranging enormously in price and presumably quality. Has anybody here any practical experience of fitting one to an A3? I am particularly interested in the minimum of exposed wiring, ease of fitment, and usefulness at night.

Since writing the above I see several companies in England will do the work for about £150.

That's hard luck, and potentially expensive. I have heard of faults in the dashboard instruments causing this sort of problem. I also vaguely recall reading of a company that will rebuild or repair the dashboard at a fraction of the cost of a new one. Unfortunately I don't remember the name or location of the company. Perhaps an internet search will help you find someone local to you.

Thanks for the information Lynne. As other electrical systems work and the battery has enough power to turn over the engine, it looks as if the engine control unit (ECU) is faulty. That's a specialised job and beyond my competence. I suggest a car electrician should be your next port of call. If there are none at hand you may have to resort to an Audi main dealer, though I have not been impressed by what I read on this forum about their diagnostic abilities. P.S. As the problem appeared shortly after the car service and MOT I wonder if the mechanic has dislodged an electrical connection.

You haven't given us much information to work on Lynne. Have you checked the battery connections? Did the central locking unlock from the fob? Do the sidelights work? Do any other electrical systems work? That sort of data will help to locate the fault which could be anything from a dying battery to simple blown fuse.

So are you now responsible for putting it right? That could be expensive. There could be any number of things causing your problem so ideally you need to get a professional diagnosis. That will cost money, but will still be cheaper than installing new parts at random in the hope that you might cure it.

My advice is to take it back and let the dealer sort it out.

My suspicion is that the original diagnosis of a faulty head gasket was wrong. Testing the acidity (which is what pH measures,) is not conclusive proof of such a leak to my mind. I suspect your leak is elsewhere. Can you see any wet patches or antifreeze stains anywhere around the engine when it is up to full temperature?

Kay. I share Gareth's cynicism regarding electronic diagnosis. All too often I have seen such diagnoses on this forum that bore no relation to reality.

That's like asking how long is a piece of string. Without more detail nobody can say. If you bought it from a dealer I suggest you take it straight back for him to repair. If it's a private purchase your options are limited. Try discussing it with the seller to see if any settlement can be agreed.

What has the windscreen got to do with the radio?

Well if the clutch is new and the slave cylinder is new that only leaves the master cylinder as being faulty. (There's a very remote possibility of the release arm not being located properly, but let's ignore that for now.) Note that master cylinder seals can let by without there being an external leak, (the oil leaks back to the reservoir,) so I suggest you renovate or renew the MC. As an aside I did not realise hydraulic clutches were still in use nowadays. They were common decades ago, and always struck me as easier to operate and maintain than cable systems. I guess cables were cheaper than oil.

If all else fails you could utilise any convenient bolt that screws into metal as long as you clean any paint/grease/dirt off the connection.