cliffcoggin

Vagcom I guess is from VAG (Volkswagon Audi Group) so presumably is equivalent to VCDS.

I can't help on that score. A current similar thread came across the same problem and was lucky that repeated attempts at the door handle eventually worked. Note that a new door lock may need to be effectively coded to the car. I am not sure.

VCDS is a high quality scanner that plugs in to the OBD port of the car. It is connected to a computer for scanning of fault codes and diagnoses. There are a few other decent code readers available which are usually used by professionals. There are many cheaper code readers available that are aimed at domestic users, but they generally don't have the discrimination of better units which means they mislead users with wrong codes. I recommend you either buy a good quality equivalent or get the car diagnosed professionally. Don't waste your money on cheap readers.

A good decision. Did you phone the garage?

That's up to you, though I'd still check the other doors. They may not have been used as much as the driver's door, but brittle insulation will affect them all.

The driver's door lock is indeed the master lock, however the A3 is known for broken wires in the rubber bellows between doors and pillars. I suggest you remove all the door cards and inspect the wiring.

That's good news. WD40 should not be considered a long term solution because it congeals, so I suggest you add some ordinary mineral oil.

What further assistance do you need? If the car can be driven it can be taken to a garage for scanning with a code reader such as VCDS.

Getting access is half way to solving the problem, so that's a good start. You should examine every part of the linkage between handle and latch looking for slack connections as well as breaks.

Given that we have only seen a couple of small photos, whereas the professionals have examined the real thing, I can't blame you for taking their advice in preference to ours. The ultimate decision however rests with the next MOT test. When is that due?

I don't understand the logic of fitting secondhand parts of unknown condition as a way of diagnosing what is wrong with your car. If the car still judders with the replaced part does that tell them they have replaced the wrong part or that the replacement itself is worn out?

Were the above comments helpful Hugh? I know you have seen them.

If the noise can only be heard when driven then it's reasonable for mechanic to want to drive it. As for the £108 charge, it's a lot cheaper than an Audi dealer.

It was necessary I would expect a decent garage to have done it. It wouldn't hurt to phone the garage and ask.

Perhaps Dean and Paul it would help to look through the relevent section of the forum for that marque to see what problems owners face, though bear in mind only bad news is written there. We rarely get to hear the good news.

The function of the EGR (exhaust gas return) valve is to pass some of the exhaust gas back into the engine in order to reduce emissions enough to meet modern criteria. Removing the EGR will thus increase emissions, though whether that increase will lead to an MOT failure I do not know.

I am surprised. The Audi and the Skoda I am familiar with have that light on all the time.

Cleevely has one the best indendent EV reputations in Britain and is in your region. It would be worth asking there. https://www.cleevelyev.co.uk/

Fair enough. I thought you wanted one as a donor for parts.

Thomas. It might save much time wasting for everybody if you mentioned which particular bits of the crashed car you wanted.

That price suggests the whole inverter is going to be changed, but like you I am not convinced it is at fault. I mentioned your electricity supplier earlier and asked if it was controlling the times and rates of charging, which is something that the Zappi charge point is often used for. Have you checked that?

That light should be on all the time. That it is not is telling you the air bag is defective.

I'd agree with Gareth that the fault is probably in a low quality after market cylinder rather than a missing or damaged component.

It might be a faulty sensor, but it's more likely a blocked DPF in need of a clean. A detailed scan on a professionally reader should provide the answer.

Better to buy a proper light than to try to bodge up a cheap defective light by changing the code.