cliffcoggin

Thanks for the update. The spare wheel has solved the noise, but can not explain the hot disc. Is the opposite side just as hot?

Looks like you need an electrician.

Fair enough, then it must be something else unless damaged by draining it flat.

I have never known tyres to perish as a result of ageing until well over ten years old. Four years at 10000 miles per year is going to wear them out long before the rubber degrades.

Forget the voltage of the battery. The right voltage and the ability to start the engine do not mean it is in good condition. Internal faults can interfere with the car's electronics and cause false warning messages and symptoms such as limp mode, loss of radio presets, loss of cruise control etc. So I ask again how old is the battery?

Glad to hear a new thermostat resolved the problem. A shame you were talked into a new water pump before investigating the simplest solution.

I doubt it was the jump start that caused the problem. My guesses are: [1] the head unit you removed was integral to the ECU. Can you refit it to test? [2] the 12 volt battery is dying. How old is it?

Have you seen this topic from just a few days ago? https://www.audiownersclub.com/forums/topic/28917-new-tailgate-struts/

Failure of the instrument cluster is well known. Fortunately they can be repaired by several companies for a few hundred pounds, which is a fraction of the price of a new cluster from Audi. As the RAC said, you need to remove the cluster and post it to the company for repair, and then refit it on return. ECU Testing is one such company which has a good reputation on this forum.

While I am pleased to hear Stansted Audi are accepting responsibility, it does their reputation no good at all to have sold the car in that condition. It discredits the whole Approved Audi scheme.

Ah, so you did. Apologies.

That sounds about normal for a couple of hours work.

A new transmission on a six year old car is surprising. How many miles has it done?

It might help if you told folk what PCD and number of holes you are looking for.

Have some patience Guy. Your question was only posted 24 hours ago. If there is no response in a week it's safe to assume that nobody here knows or is willing to respond.

Dumitru. Considering the potential for damage to delicate electronics by reversing the polarity it will be a miracle if the car can be restored without help from an auto electrician.

The fact that there is a dashboard warning means an electronic problem. Get it scanned as a first step to diagnosis.

It's inevitable that the more complex one makes a machine, and modern cars are extremely complex, the more prone it is to failure unless built and maintained with levels of quality assurance that are unaffordable to individuals. That is why airliners cost many millions of pounds to buy and to maintain. There's a lot to be said for simplicity when it comes to reliability. Like Richard, I stopped going to Audi dealers for maintenance and repairs years ago because they were too expensive and too incompetant. Their electronic diagnoses are all very well when they work, but the technicians do not seem to have the practical experience and rational thought processes to fall back on when the computers don't work. Independant VAG specialists were my choice. They combined the intimate knowledge of a specialist with a level of service long lost by the large corporate dealers. If you can find one make him your best friend.

You'd have thought so from the point of view of a practical mechanic, but the "master technicians" that Audi employ can only plug in their computers and read the screens, and if the computer says "no" you are out of luck yet still face a large bill.

Nonsense. You asked a vague question about oil additives. "I'd appreciate any advice out there about oil treatments" were your precise words. That's not a technical question, nor is it framed in the precise terms one would expect from a supposed engineer. And when the replies failed to match your hopes of a magic solution you resorted to accusations of unhelpfulness and ignorance. An old adage comes to mind here: "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink." For an alternative argument consider the matter in a logical manner. If the snake oils you are investigating really worked, do you think Audi would have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on an engineered solution if a few bottles of thixotropic viscosity modifiers such as polyisobutylene were sufficient?

Jason. I have merged your two identical topics. Please do not create duplicates. You won't get any extra attention by doing so.

Have you progressed this matter Martin?

I repeat "nothing you can do by way of additives or treatments will help". Sorry you find that unhelpful. Would you prefer me to have advised you to spend silly amounts of money on useless materials? It's your money to waste as you want, but don't expect me to condone it.

In that case we need to find a way to diagnose the fault, which is going to be nearly impossible just on written descriptions. Perhaps the best way forward is to get a diagnosis on a different machine. Code readers differ greatly in their abilities.

One possibility is a failing battery. I suggest you get it professionally tested. Do not rely on a simple voltage reading to indicate the state of health of the battery, nor should you rely on its starting ability. If the battery proves to be in good condition we need to investigate other possibilities.