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Hi, yes you can activate other features but only if they were fitted as a dormant option when built/specced, you will also need VCDS not the cloned version as this will only let you do certain things, look on youtube as there are plenty of how to activate on most VAG vehicles. Steve.

I will certainly keep you posted. I'm going to try my local garage who have been pretty straight with me though the years various cars if I get no joy with GCS.We have a backup car (2001 rover 25, simple and reliable as ****) so can have the audi off the road for as long as it takes to resolve. Thanks to all for your comments and advice, I will post as and when things happen. Cheers.

Hello Michael, Thanks for being in touch. If you have any sections which look worse for wear - as you say, then you should first check the whole element for continuity. Unfortunately if electrics are not your thing, (and taking it you might not have a meter which you are familiar with ) then you are going to struggle to fault find this system - irrespective of what additional tips you may gain from here. If this were mine, I would be investing in an hour’s time with a trusted auto electrician. He will easily diagnose the cause, and inform you of the anticipated work. One place I can point you to looking at, would be the flexible harness which links from the body to that tailgate. It would be worth carefully pulling back the rubber covering and checking for any broken cables in this section. Very prone to breaking due to flexing as the boot is opened and closed. Kind regards, Gareth.

I guess you may have gone as far as you can with your current equipment, as Gareth mentions it is more common now to use a vacuum system or more cheaply pumping fluid from each wheel cylinder back to the master cylinder pushing any air on its way. The kits for DIY are reasonably priced but a bit ‘low rent’.

No need to apologise at all Gareth as you are correct, just using the word as a catch all for any potential or actual battery drain, including of course all the monitoring systems. Ian, as Gareth suggests need to know alternator output, both when battery is fully charged and when under load, i.e, headlights on, heated screen on, heating on etc. With what you have described you could have a dodgy cell taking the battery down which can potentially take your alternator down as it is under maximum duress, or it could be your alternator only putting out a low or intermittent current which will take your battery out if it drops much below 12.1v.