rbdazza

the BMW was fine when i sold it. i removed it from my A4 but it wasnt causing any problems when i had it removed 

Yeah just take your time with the purchase and you'll be fine. 

Diesels dont currently have have an emissions test so no it won't fail

400 quid gets rid of any potential problems for good AND improves fuel economy. 

No brainer really

Just don't forget all the cars you're looking at will have dpfs which can be troublesome. But then again all modern diesels do. Make sure you have a good long test drive, get the car up to temp and up to speed. 

I assume you do a few miles hence wanting a diesel so the dpf shouldn't cause you many problems 

No. You don't even need to mention how you will be paying the deposit until you get approved for the finance 

I have no idea. I just picked a car that didn't have loads of reports of chewing it's engine up lol  I was originally looking at the 2l PDs and 2l 3 series. The BMW 20d engine in my price range is known for throwing it chain in a hissy fit so passed on them too  

when I was looking there were loads of a4 and a3s in your price range. You just need to look hard to find one with the mileage and spec that you're after. 

I wrnt high mileage so I could get an S Line in budget. But then mileage doesn't put me off like t does others. 

The earlier 1.9 PD engine is awesome, btw. 

Yup if that pump goes you're looking at a bill for thousands. 

The PD is the first 2l diesel after the 1.9 engine up to 2008 I think. The B7 has PDs, the B8 common rail

Success!!

before and after...

Not sure if this is the right place, but seemed most suitable.

over the next few weeks i'll have a full copy of VCDS (not lite) installed on my laptop along with the correct cable.

i'm located just outside Derby (border of Derby and Nottingham), if anyone needs anything doing feel free to reply and we can arrange for you to pop round. i could even throw in a cuppa!

as above, sounds servo related to me. Quick Fit (sorry to swear,...) offer a part MOT mid term, which is around 25 quid. they basically MOT the car without logging it and give you the results. 

yes that sounds much better! 

i even used the 'Earth' insulation tape so it is easier to see if it breaks away, not because i couldn't be bothered hunting out the black roll...

as for pricing, just do a run on autotrader and eBay of similar spec/mileage models and get yourself an average value to work from

the 2l PD engine is prone for oil pump failure! either buy one that has evidence its been done or dont bother, i wouldnt anyway. i stumped up a few more quid and got the later 2l common rail engine 

closing note, don;t worry about it until it causes you problems. when it eventually gets overly clogged you might get away with a good clean but they eventually start to fall to bits inside and kick up errors

i can;t comment on whether or not your car has one. if you give the reg to somewhere like TPS they can tell you. you could also look, it'll be somewhere after the turbo and look a bit like a medium size exhaust box although cylinder shape and have a bunch of sensors attached to it.

life expectancy varies but it could do much more than 100k. my a4 had 145k on what i assume to be the original DPF and it was fine. 

my 56 plate BMW had its original DPF and was on, i cant remember now, but over 175k when i sold it

I know you all want to see my 5 minute bodge haha

indeed lol, not good eh. ah well that corner now has  a nice fresh continental boot!

i have got to the bottom of my headlight issue. the levelling sensor has broke, a small bit of plastic on the bracket! phoned TPS, £130 for a replacement part would you believe!! Currently looking for a decent used part on eBay, they seem to be around £30 on there but i need to find one in decent nick and make sure i grease it up good to stop the tension breaking it again!

in the meantime, being the frugal sole i am, i've bodged it! 

comparisons are difficult, tyre sizes/pressures affect mpg as does the weather, massively. the hard cold truth is that modern diesels are no longer the economical reliable beasts they used to be. and its all down to emissions. 

if you want economy buy an old early naughties PD or even better a pre-PD direct injection diesel, you;ll even get the reliability we once had, although try finding one with less than 150k on the clock and with all the creature comforts that you are used to in your modern audi. 

 EGR valves, DPFs, etc. all impact on MPG. if you want your economy back get rid of them pain in the !Removed! optional extras ;)

Oh yeah, on that tyre. Happy frickin birthday to me lol

Kind of ties in with having my tyre replaced saturday

Posted this up on the other forum and we think it might be the level sensor. Gonna have a look tomorrow once I can get the wheel off. Working from home tomorrow will help lol 

that could do it. can you get it jacked up sturdy and give the wheels a good pull/pus/twist to see if there is any movement? i always start with anything rubber in it with wobbles and vibrations (once you know wheels and tyres a good of course). ball joints, lower/upper arms/wish bones/etc. if the rubber bushes looks perished replace them as a matter of course. no doubt when you replace the 5th thing the vibration will go lol

i'm pretty sure that it will need to go through a successful regen to stop getting the warning light. regardless of whether you have had it cleaned. the better option over cleaning would have beena forced regen. 

the reason being that the ECU is not that smart; it will say there is a problem (give you the  DPF/glow  plug light) when it is blocking (back pressure is high) BUT it's usual regen cycle is based on miles traveled, not on how blocked the thing is. 

my advice would be to make sure you have over half a tank and give it a good 50 mile blast up the motorway in 5th. try and make sure theres some hills on the motorway so you can get the engine nice and hot

i've had another look this morning and can;t see any switch. any other ideas?