cliffcoggin

Keith. In the absence of any useful information about your problem and what you have tried to resolve it, I echo Gareth's advice. If you don't have a meter rig a test lamp to test each circuit. Alternatively, remove each fuse one at a time and find what effect that has on your battery capacity.

I had to look up wedge lamps as I am unfamiliar with them. It would seem the bolb holder would have to have been changed, which in turn means some sort of modified connection to the original wiring loom. I would look at the integrity of those connectors first of all.

The dependence of the noise on the amount of load suggests to me the CV joints, but we have seen similar mysterious reports that have had no reported solution. (Sorry about embedding the topic. I tried to to put only a link but the forum would not allow it.)

Sorry I can't help with this sort of electrical fault. Do you know if your lights have been modified from original? I ask because my A3 is also 2007 yet it appears to have tungsten filament lamps.

It might be worth considering the response dated Wed 26 Jul 2017 12:39 in this piece: https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/119187/any---legality "Car Mechanics asked the DVSA for their response to fitting an EGR blanking valve and they said : "DVSA's priority is to help you keep your vehicle safe to drive, ensuring that it meets required roadworthiness and environmental standards. Vehicles may fail the MoT where emissions control equipment has been tampered with but irrespective of the MoT such modification is an offence*. DVSA continues to work with DfT to persue such offences, including taking disciplinary action against any MoT garages found to be conducting modifications." * Road vehicles (construction and use) regulations (Regulation 61a(3)). Removal of an EGR valve, diesel particulate filter etc. will almost invariably contravene these requirements, making the vehicle illegal for road use. The potential penalties for failing to comply with Regulation 61a are fines of upto £1000 for a car or £2500 for a light goods vehicle."

Carissa. If the side lights were defective when you bought it, and it was from a dealer, take it back and get him to fix it. Unless MOT rules have changed recently the side lights must work by law.

Why do you want to disconnect? If it's a decent battery it will be good for a few months untouched.

I recall a similar problem being discussed here a few months ago. Look through old posts from earlier in the year.

John. Can you slacken a fuel connection as close as possible to an injector, or even remove the injector completely, and then crank the engine to see if diesel is being delivered? I have never done this so I don't know how practical it is to do on your engine, but it was a recognised test years ago. That would prove whether the pumps are working properly. Hold a rag over the injector to prevent fuel spraying everywhere.

Praveen. Like many on the forums you referred to I do not understand how a faulty DMF can lead to clutch slip, but then I don't have enough knowledge of them to give an informed opinion. I have read somewhere that the springs in DMFs can break and cause vibration. Incidentally both forums suggested remapping as a likely cause of similar problems. Is that relevant to your car?

At a complete guess I suspect the ABS system is rapidly releasing the rear brakes because they are locking. Does the S3 have a different brake bias to the A3? Or perhaps the wheel speed sensors are different?

From what you have told us I really can't point the finger at any particular culprit. Look at the recent history. The gearbox has done 40000 miles and has not been overhauled. It can not possibly be in mint condition at that mileage. The DMF is now very secondhand, even if it was renewed 25000 miles ago. The clutch is new yet it appears to be slipping. It should not be warped or significantly worn under normal driving conditions, but can easily suffer those faults if maltreated by harsh driving for as little as 20000 miles. For the bearings to fail in the previous gearbox is unheard of in my experience, which suggests it had a very hard life. That in turn also suggests the whole transmission had been equally overloaded. All I can suggest is to remove the gearbox, clutch and DMF and thoroughly inspect and, if necessary, overhaul them.

Let's accept that you don't drive so harshly normally and get back to the history of repairs, which I am not completely clear about. Are you saying that there have been two new clutches recently? One that you did at the time of your gearbox failure and another that the previous owner did 25000 miles previously? Was the secondhand gearbox that you fitted reconditioned or overhauled in any way?

Certainly sounds like clutch slip. If you routinely drive "intensely with harsh clutch drops" and "keep my foot to the floor" then it isn't really surprising that the transmission is failing.

£1300 may be the value of your car but what will it cost to buy a comparable replacement vehicle? The value as a seller is always much less than the value as a buyer. The DSG and DMF have dodgy reputations from what I have read on this forum, but I have no personal experience of the problems, and I hope not to as I too have a similar transmission. Sorry I can't advise on that score.

According to my manual the fuel pump fuse is FC27 in the dashboard. There is no mention of a relay, though logically I would expect there be one. Do you realise the driver's end of the dash needs to be prised off for access?

Well done and thank you.

To the owner of this forum. I appreciate it is difficult to keep out spammers but I notice that although the latest one is enrolling under a different name each day, all his posts have the word "university" in them. Perhaps a temporary filter on that word would block his messages until he gives up.

Thanks Steve. That confirms my view of Audi incompetence when it comes to diagnoses of car faults. Glad you got it sorted.

Well if it wasn't an Audi code, where did it come from?

Thanks for both the update and the compliment David.

They are both spammers Gareth. Note that they both promote specific locksmiths which I have no doubt they own.

Thanks Gareth. I'll bare that brand in mind when I come to change pads. I've driven a variety of servo braked auto transmission cars for the last 35 years and have adjusted to most levels of servo assistance, but none has had such savage braking as the A3. Audi and independent mechanics I have spoken to say it is more or less normal for the model but agree that the level of servo assist is high.

Interesting comments about pad quality Gareth. One of my few dislikes about my A3 is the excessive amount of servo assistance which makes gentle joltless stopping impossible, so I would be interested in having some pads that give less grip. What brand were yours?

60000 miles is the usual recommendation. Yours is well overdue.