Tech

There could be a few problems here. The internal earths of the engine ECU might be damaged along with a few other things. You need to take it for professional diagnosis. Tech

Hi Martyn, Unfortunately the DPF light will keep coming on if you're only doing such short journeys, the harsh reality is that it is the wrong car for the type of journeys you are doing, a petrol engined car would be a better option. To regenerate the DPF you need to drive at a steady speed (about 60mph in 4th or 5th is about right) until the light goes out. Failure to do this as soon as the DPF warning comes on will result in the EML coming on and the car going into limp mode as you have experienced. Failure to take action still will result in complete saturation of the DPF and expensive replacement is the only option then available to you. Despite popular belief, 'thrashing' the engine will not be effective at regenerating the DPF, in fact, it could block it more. A constant speed and rpm is what is required (see your owners manual) - thus the type of journeys you are doing will never get the DPF to the temperatures required for regeneration. Tech

The Audi centre network does use Hunter equipment and sometimes Beisbarth equipment also. However, it is different to the equipment used at non franchised garages and is set up very Audi-orientated. Carrying out a wheel alignment on a Q7 with adaptive pneumatic suspension also requires use of the diagnostic machine to set the basic setting of the ride height prior to alignment and again afterwards, as obviously this has an effect on wheel camber angles. If this was not done, then the alignment is probably worse now than when you took it in. This is most likely the reason why he was unable to get the camber 'in the green' and hence the reason why your steering is now heavier (greater negative camber = heavier steering). Tech

I would drop by your local Audi dealer and ask the parts dept to get you the part numbers of the springs and dampers for a 3.0 TDI q A6 with standard suspension, not S-line suspension. Either that of try and source some springs and dampers from a breakers for a 3.0 TDI A6 SE, might take some sourcing though. I think you'll struggle to find any soft set ups from aftermarket places but I'm probably not the best person to comment on that as I do not deal with much aftermarket stuff.

Soz, completely forgot to reply to this. I did not actually have any pictures anyhow. Seems a little implausible what they told you about 'programming the senders to talk to each other'. The senders have no programmable control units built into them, they are simply potentiometers that send a resistance value straight to the instrument cluster, which makes a calculation on fuel level from the two resistance values. However, if its fixed, its fixed, so happy days!

666, you have a full MMI system because the A6 only came with full MMI, however, you have the low-line monochrome screen version. You can still fit an ipod connection using the gateway systems mentioned above Tech

the problem is caused by resistance in the connectors between the two tank senders, inside the fuel tank. The connectors require cutting out and replacing, along with part of the wiring. Its a bit of a messy job, and a potentially dangerous one if the correct procedures aren't followed

Hi Phil, In a way I do think you have been quite unlucky, however considering the age of the car and not knowing its past history it is not unreasonable to to expect occasional component failure even though it can be expensive. A 52 plate focus might seem cheap, but even a 56 plate focus has nowhere near as much technology built in as your A3. These are the things you pay for with an Audi. In 6 years of working on Audis I have probably replaced only 2 A3 steering racks and one of those was for a slight clicking noise, not a failure - so generally, I'd say they were pretty good. There is no reason why you can't go to a breakers yard and get a rack off another A3 or MK5 Golf around the same age as your car. As long as the part numbers match or your cars part number or it supersedes to another compatible one. Your local Audi parts department will be able to tell you what number your original rack has and what supersessions have come since. Of course, if you do get a rack from a breakers, you will still need it coding and basic setting by your Audi dealer or an independent Audi specialist. Just thinking of how to save you some money here. As for your friends car, same thing really, quite an old car and you don't know how it has been driven in the past (for example, it could have been chipped or driven hard, too aggressive gear changes etc). Again, I have only ever stripped 3 Audi gearboxes in 6 years to replace worn syncros and a worn bearing in one case, and one of those was due to the clutch being worn out but the customer ignoring it. I have never replaced a complete gearbox, only the worn components inside. Replacing a complete gearbox is generally a lazy repair, unless of course, too many components are damaged to be economical to replace individually. Audis are really very good cars, as most people will tell you, but a bad used example can, like any car, have its problems. Tech

The ECU is built into the steering rack. it is an electromechanical steering rack as oppose to a hydraulic one. Take the car to Audi and get it properly diagnosed, I think you are jumping to conclusions a bit with a steering rack. It could be a supply fault or a problem with the steering angle sensor. It could of course be he rack but there is no point fitting such an expensive part without getting a proper diagnosis first. Clearly your garage is not well enough informed on the A3 EPAS to suggest fitting a rack then maybe an ECU when in fact, the parts are integrated together and are not available separately. Tech

There is also a software update available for the suspension on older Q7's to help reduce tyre wear slightly. However, such a heavy car will wear tyres, it's inevitable. Tech

It sounds like air is being induced into the hydraulic clutch release system, possibly through a faulty slave cylinder. Does it feel any better temporarily if you pump the clutch pedal a few times in neutral before you set off on a morning? Tech

Understated design and attention to detail does it for me. As an Audi Tech, the work that goes on behind the scenes to make everything run smoothly is very efficient too.

As mark says, make sure the format is FAT 32 Tech

There could be various things triggering the alarm Sam. With your car being an Avant, the first thing to check would be for water from the rear washer leaking into the connector for the boot lock. You'll need the boot lid lower inner trim off to check it. Tech

Hi Dilz19 You can not connect a standard 'wire' into the MMI system. The early MMI system uses an optical data connection known as MOST to connect the amplifier, radio and navigation in the boot with the CD changer and MMI driver behind the dash. Are you sure your car has a full MMI system (with navigation and controls near the gear leaver) or a radio 'Concert/Symphony' system (no Nav, buttons and single CD player in the centre stack). If you do have the full MMI system, you will require a device known as a Gateway 500 by a company called Dension to allow you to attach iPod, stream via Bluetooth etc. this device connects to the MOST bus along with the other control units in the MMI. They produce different versions depending upon your requirements: http://www.dension.com/product/iPod-iPhone-car-adapters/iPod-car-kits/bluetooth-car-kits/gateway-500 Hope this helps, Tech

The car needs at least 4000 miles to start returning its best fuel economy, ideally 10000. The engine and multitronic gearbox still have plenty of wearing in to do before you will see the best out of them. Very few cars manage anything close to the quoted fuel consumption figures, as these are obtained in a sterile environment on a rolling road without wind resistance, with no air conditioning compressor connected, very light alternator load etc. Cold days like present also worsen the consumption as the air is more dense and causes more aerodynamic drag. Tech

Yes, from my point of view, technically it is a great idea! However, unlike start/stop, it is a cost option. Start/stop is fitted on the majority of new cars as standard now. Would consumers be willing to pay a premium for the eco friendly technology?

I agree with Mark on the glow plugs. Only other thing that commonly causes poor cold starts on 2.5 TDI is when it has had a cam belt change and the commencement of injection on the distributor injection pump has not been set up correctly. Check the glow plugs first though

Congratulations Dani, well found. The 3.0TDI V6 does have plenty of wiring taking tight and awkward routes around all those pipes under the engine cover, there are plenty of places it could potentially rub and cause the problem. It might be worth tracing the open circuit on the wire back in case the live and earth are on their way out too. Tech

I've currently got one I need to get rid of myself from my old car (Golf). Mine is great, it was not cheap as I bought it new, but it was worth it. It took my Golf TDI PD 100 from 100 to 130 apparently, but it felt like more after driving plenty of standard 130 Golf GT TDI's. It also has jumpers inside to change the algorithm to how much power you want, to prevent clutch problems of over-fueling etc and it can be re-flashed by the manufacturer for a small fee to adapt it to any other power of 1.9 TDI PD engine Tech

You would need a new cluster, you can not fit a second hand unit. The immobiliser is also part of the instrument cluster so you would immobilise your car if you fitted one without coding. Tech

Yes, re-tapping should not be a problem if it comes to that Tech

Yes Steve it right, obstructions to the wipers can easily cause them to slip out of alignment slightly, as the wiper arms are simply held on to tapered splines on the wiper linkage. 1. Open the bonnet and use a small flat screwdriver to remove the black caps from the nuts on the wiper arms. 2. Remove the 13mm nuts 3. Wiggle the arm a little to free it from the spline and remove both arms. 4. Close the bonnet and use the 'one touch wipe' to cycle the wiper motor and allow it to come to its park position. 5. Open the bonnet and fit the wiper arms back in place where they should normally rest (about 1/2 inch from the to of the plastic trim at the bottom of the windscreen) 6. Re-fit the nuts and caps, close the bonnet and test them Should take no longer than 5 minuets and 2 pretty basic tools Tech

Yes Sunnybank, the BMN engine is PD

What does everyone reckon to Audi's downsizing idea of 'cylinder on demand' technology? There is a clip on the home page of this forum regarding the new 1.4 TFSI that can shut down to run on only two cylinders when it doesn't require all four. The technology first appeared at Audi on the 4.0TFSI engine in the A8, then in the Bentley Continental, the S8, S7, S6 and RS6. This V8 can shut down half of its cylinders also. Now it is an optional engine in the A1 and A3, is it technology you would be willing to pay a premium for? What are your thoughts? Tech