cliffcoggin

Terry. If the sophisticated reader at Audi does not find anything, your cheap reader has no chance. All I can suggest is that you find an alternative garage to test it. We often recommend independant VAG specialists over main dealer. An internet search should find those near you.

There is no almost about it, it is dangerous and undoubtedly an MOT failure. That sort of wear does not happen suddenly, it developes over many months. Is the car a recent aquisition?

That is madness. Fitting new parts at random will cost you much more than taking the car to a properly equipped and knowledgeable garage.

Some of the real story is now emerging. 1/ You had the turbocharger replaced at a non Audi workshop, but have no receipt so it is no surprise that Audi will have nothing to do with it. Why did you not return the car to the turbo fitting shop? 2/ Audi labour charges are always high, but no worse than other manufacturers. None us like it but sometimes there is no choice if you don't want to find an independant specialist as I suggested. 3/ A cheap code reader will be money down the drain. Either buy an expensive machine such as VCDS or pay somebody who has one.

By coincidence I need to replace the Michelin rear tyres on my wife's Skoda because the shoulders are starting to crack and crumble even though the tread depth is still 3-4 mm and the side walls are unscathed. The tyre fitter's comment on seeing them was "typical Michelins, the rubber's perishing from the weather."

Sorry Reece, I will not download files from untrusted sources, however your description suggests you need to get all the other steering and suspension joints checked, as well as the top mounts of the struts and the wheel bearings. Once they are in good order the steering alignment will need to be adjusted.

Glad to hear it. If it happens again at least you now know there is a good chance it can be repaired.

Irena. I sympathise with your predicament, but without a firm diagnosis from a code reader we can only guess which of the many possible faults are responsible for the problem. Those possibilities include a blocked diesel particulate filter, a dying battery, faulty fuel pumps, faulty mass air flow meter, and several others as well. It is clearly uneconomic to renew every possible part in the hope that you will be lucky. Audi should be able to diagnose a car as young as yours, and I am puzzled your workshop can not do so. Is there an alternative Audi workshop you could try? Are there any independant VAG specialists you could try? (Many of us here prefer independant workshops for reasons I need not mention here, but I do not know if they exist in Germany.)

Scott. You are not telling us the full story here, so how about you give us some details about the symptoms of the starting problem, what you have tested, and what you have attempted to do about the problem?

Do you seriously expect a 12 volt system to work on 9 volts?

Best for what? Maximum dry grip? Maximum wet grip? Cheapest? Quietest? Minimum wear? "Best" depends entirely on your criteria, so what qualities you are looking for?

Hmm. Perhaps Steve you'd be better off with a Massey Ferguson than an Audi. Very big grin.

9 volts? It should be at least 12.4 volts with no load! Charge it it up and test again.

You have given us precious little information to work with Roger, so please tell us: 1/ Does the heater fan work? 2/ Does the temperature guage read 90 when the engine is hot? 3/ Has the coolant system been opened recently? (A new thermostat for example, or a leak fixed.) 4/ Do you need to top up the coolant reservoir more than once per year.

That the display shows Drive is selected, yet there is no power to the transmission suggests a gearbox fault. If so it will be a very expensive repair. Is it too late to return the car to the vendor? You have 30 days from purchase to return it to a dealer, but if it was a private purchase the onus is on you to fix it.

No problem John. Every forum is different in the ways reply and quote work. Be aware that all replies go to the forum whether you try and quote or not. As to your lighting question, I leave it to you to wade through the Construction and Use Regulations to find the heights and seperations of lights which are legal. Steve Q mentioned a light bar over the number plate which I assume complied with the regs.

The battery is clapped out. You should get it properly tested if you want confirmation, but the drop in voltage under the trivial load of the ignition system shows me it is defective.

Was the above comment of use to you John? I know you have seen it.

Thanks Adrian. I have seen Erwin mentioned a few times in the forums, but never looked at it.

There is nothing you can do at home to test it. I suggest you remove the cluster and post it to one of the companies that specialise in the testing and repair of such things. ECU Testing is one such company.

Faults could include a blocked heater matrix or a faulty air flap motor amongst others. Best get the vehicle scanned on a decent quality code reader.

Thanks David. So you had to buy a new subscription. This is a nasty underhand practice that is becoming prevalent throughout the motor trade. It verges on deceipt because car sellers never reveal its existence when you buy a car. No wonder car dealers are viewed with suspicion. Arther Daley still lives.

Never did. Another P&R merchant.

If the liquid is definitely not washer fluid then forget about the seals I mentioned. The water leak must be elsewhere.

It sounds as if the steering lock is not disengaging. When turn the ignition off are you still turning the wheel or do you release it first?