cliffcoggin

If you can hear or feel it click when energised it is definitely a working relay. If you can not hear or feel anything the question is still open what it is.

Sorry, I somehow missed your mention of an automatic. I reckon the best starting point is to get the car diagnosed on a professional code reader. The cheaper domestic readers are often inadequate to read every available code.

I think picture 4 is the relay rather than the fuse.

Thanks Steve. This is a something we have been trying, often unsuccessfully, to convince owners of for a few years. Any unexplained electronic problem should always start by having the battery tested professionally, which involves measuring the voltage while drawing a large load. A simple multimeter measurement without a load does not reveal faults such as sulphation of the electrodes that causes high internal resistance.

A forum member wanted to change or update his maps a few months ago without paying Audi prices. He reported successfully buying from a company called something like mapsofbritain. I can't find the post and did not bookmark the website so you would have to do your own search.

Well that's excellent news, particularly on a four year old car.

Dabir. The function of the Adblue is to help is to help the soot burn off during regeneration. Unfortunately the Adblue system itself is prone to blockage, which is probably why you saw it counting down despite being full, so DPF regens were not happening, or at least were not effective. Mapping out the Adblue has not solved that problem; it has merely masked it so that you don't see Adblue warnings. Bear in mind that the DPF light is brought on by a pressure switch on the exhaust system, which measures the difference in pressure before and after the DPF. I'd say either the switch is faulty or the DPF is choked. In this case I believe your DPF is choked with soot despite what Carly is telling you about ash levels. The only way to be certain is to have the DPF chemically cleaned.

Glad to hear you are satisfied with the Bridgestones.

Unfortunately Ingrid, unless you can find in the paperwork that came with the car a guarantee covering the cambelt you are fighting a losing battle. The only recourse I can see is legal action in the courts, but that would be horrendously expensive and unlikely to succeed against the resources of a huge company like Audi. Sorry that I can not offer much hope. I wish you luck.

Thanks for eventually answering the questions. Bridgestones are middling quality, so I am surprised you regard them as useless and without grip. Perhaps your driving style is harsher than you believe.

Gary. It would be worth searching the history of this forum regarding Japanese imports, because I recall a couple of problems in the last two years with owners being unable to get the full registration or related paperwork.

You have given us precious little information to work with Claire. Too little in fact to diagnose anything, so please tell us more. Is it manual or automatic gearbox? What lights were coming on, panel lights, cabin lights, or head/side lights? What sort of code reader was it plugged into, professional or amateur? How old is the battery?

Thanks. I guess it was the pipe that Spartacus mentioned that often break or block.

Were you told which pipe had blocked?

When I wanted some clips for a Citroen I found them on Ebay after searching for panel clips or trim clips or something similar. All sorts of clips are available there so close examination of pictures and dimensions was necessary but it paid off.

Very ingenious.

Thanks for letting us know of success. Was it a standard camshaft that you had fitted, or a high performance part?

A car audio specialist is probably your best source of help.

Yes it's sad but true that Audi standards in all stages of making and selling cars have dropped over the last two decades in its efforts to enlarge market share. Audi is still trading on its prestigious reputation from that time, but that can not last as more and more defects come to light.

If you really are not mechanically minded do not attempt this project yourself. Pay a professional to do it for you to avoid wasting money on the wrong parts or making the car the car dangerous. And remember to tell your insurer that you have modified the car. Insurance companies love the huge premiums they can extract from the owners of modified cars.

It read to me that you were not prepared to pay the bill, but I am glad that's not the case because that would be fraud. If you really want to be smart with money why take an eleven year old car to Audi? That does not make sense. Go to an independant VAG specialist or in this case a gearbox specialist as suggested by Chris, but never an Audi dealer.

So you chose the main dealer for its convenient location and its provision of such things as the "health check", yet you are not prepared to pay the bill? Or have I misunderstood something here?

Welcome to the real world.

Knowing that the local specialist charges less per hour than a main dealer, why did you still choose to go to the dealer?

Damian. The oil consumption is very high, but I would have thought a litre per 1500 km is cheaper than an engine rebuild if it only has to last for five months. A compression test should reveal any fault with the rings and valves if you wanted certainty. My money is on the themostat. The temperature should remain rock solid at 90 once the engine has warmed up. If the ECU senses a lower temperature it may be over fuelling thus causing at least some of the smoke and the poor performance. I suggest you renew the thermostat before attempting any major work on the engine.