San

On 27/11/2016 at 9:24 PM, Simon R said:

Hi all. 

Am new to this forum and would be grateful for some advice. I am planning to change my car from a "project" discovery 1 to something that suits my needs more nowadays. An Audi A4 estate is what I am planning to go for as I have not heard any bad reviews from those I know who have owned / driven an Audi. 

Regarding the A4 estate, I am on a budget of about £2500 - £3000 max. What kind of price or age should I be looking to grab a good deal? Are there any issues I should particularly look out for and things to avoid. 

In terms of economy and insurance, I am assuming diesel is still the way to go. 

Any other tips and advice would be very well received.

Many thanks. 

Simon. 

Had mine from new for 12 years and little to complain about. Corrosion/seizure of the wipers mechanism is I believe common - but imagine that would have already failed on a car at £2-3k. Check the crappy plastic hinge on the glove box isn't broken - trivial but annoying.

Touch wood the problem was actually quite simple in the end. Clip holding the top hose was rusted and not gripping, and the o ring that sits behind  the clip was lost when the pipe disconnected from the radiator. 

Both clip and o ring very cheap from eBay. I am guessing mine won't be the only one with the clips rusting (the bottom radiator hose also had a loose clip due to rust) so if it is of any help to others:

Clip part no 1J0121142

4mmx32mm O ring part no. N-907-653-01

Dripping from back of engine bay was separate problem that seems well documented with drain holes beneath the battery blocking and rain collecting beneath the battery.

Hello,

The top radiator hose on my 1.9tdi is loose and leaking coolant heavily. The hose itself is in decent condition, but it looks like the metal spring clip is rusted and no longer gripping. I am struggling to find a part no for the hose with clip - anyone able to advise?

The pic is not of my car, but does show the part I am looking for with the downward pointing arrow.

Any help much appreciated.

Edit - having looked closer- while there was definitely leakage from the top pipe, there is also clearly dripping at the back drivers side - rear collant flange? Anyone able to say if it is just bad luck that apparently simultaneously I have leaks at two points in the system, or does it indicate a common cause?