cliffcoggin

The ECU could be inhibiting the starting as Steve suggested and you would need to get the car scanned by a decent code reader to find the fault. On the other hand there may be a more straightforward electrical fault which you can test yourself if you have a suitable multi-meter. Check: the output from the ignition switch, the operation of the starter relay, the soundness of the starter cable connections at both ends, the earth cable/strap of the starter, and the soundness of the battery connections.

Sorry, you've lost me. What seals are you talking about? We were discussing rusted screws.

O rings? I don't know what you are referring to.

Chris. Rusted screws can be a pain to remove. Get as much rust out of the screw sockets as you can so that the Torx driver is fully engaged. The most reliable method to break the rust is to get the screw red hot, but that is out of the question here because of certain damage to everything else in the engine bay. Many people will suggest penetrating oil. Personally I have found it to be useless even when left to soak in for a few hours, but it won't do any harm here. A third method is to strike the screw very hard with a medium size hammer, (1 lb. is a suitable weight), via a brass or similar soft metal drift to avoid damaging the screw head. I can't say if that is feasible here as you need room to swing the hammer and the screw needs to be set in a rigid base, not sheet steel. Possibly your best bet is to twist the Torx driver with locking grips clamped onto the shaft. Press the driver firmly into the screw while turning to prevent it rising out of the splined hole, and hope that neither the screw or the driver splines break. Good luck, you'll need it.

Rich. Reviving a ten year old topic is not a good idea. One contributor has left and the other two have not visited for eight years, so your chances of getting a reply are zero. Please start a topic of your own.

That attitude was abandoned several years ago. Audi is just another car maker cutting corners to gain a bigger market share.

There are dozens of such adaptors on Ebay and Amazon. The cheap ones are all junk so buy a decent brand such as Anker.

Whatever the cause, and it may be something else, get the dealer to sort it out.

Fingers crossed.

Can I assume you have investigated the many suggestions listed in this topic over the past seven years?

If it's a diesel it may well be the EGR cooler. That's an expensive repair so he should return the car to the dealer before it is too late.

That's unfortunate, but DMF faults are well known and expensive. What are you going to do about it?

Terence. Please do not hijack topics that are unrelated to your question, particularly as you have already opened a question of your own elsewhere. Topic locked.

Victoria. Have the replies been helpful? Have you come to a decision about the car?

Agreed, but that is the way of things now. Glands or replaceable O-rings are more expensive to manufacture, and it is price rather than quality that is the prime concern of most motorists.

If you are prepared to buy secondhand and have it repainted I suggest you look at online car breakers.

That won't solve the leak that caused the problem in the first place. It's your money to burn as you wish, but Steve is right, the best solution is to buy a new one.

Your mechanic sounds like a good man to know. Solving that problem without error codes means he used his brain rather than a computer.

It has a great deal of relevance. The type of air conditioning and heating that is installed depends on the climate in which the car is sold. Cars sold in tropical countries have different aircon systems than those sold in arctic countries. That is one of the reasons we ask for location in your signature and profile. I ask that you amend your location to something more sensible than B.

It depends what country you are in, which you have not told us.

Whether the oil is evaporating or burning or leaking is all a bit academic until Brian tells us what his real consumption is. Until that happens I shall add nothing more to the discussion. Well Brian, are you going to answer the question?

It's not impossible the head is cracked but it is very unlikely if it has never over heated. I suggest you get the cheaper and more probable problems worked on first, before taking the head off. That means the thermostat and EGR cooler need to come off for examination and testing. (Test the thermostat by putting into boiling water.) If both are OK refit them and refill with coolant, ensuring you eliminate all air locks. Air locks can be very difficult to get rid of. I used to apply vacuum to expand any air to the reservoir, but I appreciate that few people have the ability to do so.

It certainly sounds as if it is not firing on all cylinders. The usual culprit would be the injectors, but the absence of an error code puzzles me. How many miles has the car done? Does it drink an excessive amount of oil? Is the exhaust smokey?

Agreed. Get the battery professionally tested for an indication of its health. A simple multi meter voltage test under little load will not reveal internal faults.

Unless I missed something we have not established what engine we are discussing. If it is a diesel the loss could be happening via the EGR cooler.