Stevey Y

Hi if the guy has VCDS it should show the old code number for the original unit and is all you do is type in the code number for the new unit in new number box and press go and it normally accepts it. Steve.

Hi check the boost pressure sensor but its most likely the turbo vanes are sticking. Steve.

Hi Cliff, the concentration of the urea is in the purest forms of Adblue are a shade over 20% as you dont need anymore than that, believe it or not the quality of the water part of it is the most expensive component, I always used the top end stuff which was never in the tank long enough to crystallise so I only used the Forte a couple of times as a precaution, the crystallisation effect is only really caused by cheap Adblue and ageing whereby the use is infrequent which is why Audi recommend a complete drain of the tank and system flush every two years to prevent this problem, there are many chemicals in this life that via heating or cooling return to their native states over time, just look at the sweetener Aspartame when ingested and reaches body core temperature reverts to its native state, wood alcohol, adblue is the same whereby if left for sufficiently long will separate and the urea reverts to the crystal state.

Hi much as I hate to point this out, it has nothing to do with soot furthermore Rocks?, how on earth anyone could even consider this as a possibility is beyond me, SCR is its own system and suffers with crystallisation which blocks delivery pipes and pumps and spray heads at the catalyst end, good Adblue consists of approx 80%demineralised water and approx 20% of the solution which is synthetic urea derived from a fertiliser, it goes nowhere near the exhaust stream until it is metered in at the beginning of the cat according to information supplied by Nox sensors in the exhaust stream to convert Nox1 in to Nox 2 which is an inert particle and not harmful, there fore anything that stops crystallisation will aid the efficiency and the longevity of this system, unless you add adblue to the fuel , that will definitely cause problems. Steve.

Hi all independent garages buy belt kits, I can't even think of any I have used that just fit a new belt, new belt kit normally consists of cam belt, idler pulley, water pump, and associated bolts, they will if you ask them report back on cam shaft seals while its stripped and advise replacement or not, second hand gaskets are a myth as they self destruct on disassembly. Steve.

Hi its a panic now message just to worry the uninitiated, if its any help you can drive past this warning the one to watch for is oil service now, thats when the sensor in the sump has picked up oil contamination. Steve.

Hi it needs calibrating and coding again with VCDS or OBDEleven even if you bought a brand new unit from Audi it would still need the same, I suspect the garage did not lock the entering of the steering wheel when they fitted the rack it only has to be one tooth out to throw up the lights. Steve.

Hi how many more times are they going to spout such garbage, when the box goes bang [much more money for them] they will tell you that they never said it was sealed for life, just filled for life, they must be serviceable otherwise why does anyone bother buying the filter kits and oil, dont know where you are in Essex but there are a couple of garages in Rayleigh that specialise in gearbox services on German models, the gearbox should be serviced every 30k/3 years. Steve.

Hi they changed from HID to LED because they are cheaper than HID and allegedly last longer, only problem is when they do fail rather than pop in another bulb 9/10 you have to buy a new unit, I have them on my Passat and the main beam is nowhere near as good as the A6 Bi-Xenon set up which running uprated D5S 6000 Kelvin was a real pleasure to drive at night. Steve.

Hi sounds like a blocked heater matrix, solution is flush or replace the unit, from memory some older models have the silica bags in the matrix big problem when they rupture, it just blocks the matrix. Steve.

Hi, only get smoke when the bearings are shot, your problem may well be either sticky vanes or the vane control on top of the turbo is shot, if its vacuum controlled it may be the diaphragm in the unit if it electrically controlled its normally the control box thats fried, do you have any codes? Steve.

Hi it might be the front crank pulley as with age the rubber bonding on the pulley deteriorates and can be noisy at certain rpm, if the noise is at between 1800 and 2000 rpm its probably the rubber on the pulley going bad. Steve.

Hi the master cylinder and position sensor are plug in and play so no coding, I honestly would be looking for a wiring fault as the position sensor is what's known as a slave sensor its simply not giving the correct trigger pulse because there is a break in the link somewhere, you have proved that by getting the bypass to work, as for the fault finding being expensive just about anything on these cars is expensive, you are only left with finding a cheaper way of fixing them, believe me when I tell you I fixed most of the problems on mine but there is no cheap just cheaper, I have family in the states and one of them bought an RS6, the reason he got shot of it was every time he went to the dealers for a small fault it was a minimum of $1200, the Dodge Challenger he now owns has been more reliable as an older car and as he puts it just about everyone and their dawg knows how to fix em, for less $$$$$. Steve.

Hi just run it on neat screen wash until the current weather stops, then just top it out with water, it works for me. Steve.

Hi miss the whistle, thats normally a sign of a worn Turbo or a split boost hose, you should not hear anything on a variable vane Turbo its not like a fixed vane unit. Steve. Steve.

Hi I know exactly how you feel, confident but wary, did you bleed the brakes as well?. Steve.

Hi I would say that there is air in the clutch line but most likely the master cylinder for the clutch is failing, the most common cause is bad fluid where no one bothers to change it, if you replace the clutch master bleed the whole braking system with comma ESP4 and the clutch cylinder, any contact however light will force the release bearing on to the pressure plate, thats why they supply a foot rest. Steve. Steve.

Hi try Parts in motion on eBay or GSF. Steve.

Hi the alternators are not that much money unless you buy the Audi original part, I think they are made originally by Valeo or Denso but if you get the part number the world is your oyster, or just get your unit reconditioned. Steve.

Hi yes it can be very traumatic as I discovered and yes ownership is abusive for the DIY enthusiast as everything normal is a pain like changing the fuel filter as its under the drivers side floor shield then you have to buy a special pair of pliers to remove the spring clips on the hoses whilst being bathed in diesel, also your car has the SFD protection system embedded in the software so the car can't be diagnosed with most garages diagnostic programs, yes its like a real looker of a wife thats also an utter cow. Steve.

Hi thats because you disconnected the unit have you tried getting the car plugged in and deleting the fault?. Steve.

Hi NO they will tell you its filled for life, they dont do anything unless you ask and then when they agree to do it be prepared to sell an organ, much better to find an independent garage to do the job it will be better and a whole lot cheaper, they dont like doing anything that wont require a lot of money and getting dirty, I have known them to levy a charge for disposing of the old filters and oil. Steve.

Hi no worries, anything else you need help with fuel filter changes etc dont hesitate to ask, during my ownership I have faced just about every problem that these things can launch at you, they do have some nasty little tricks. Steve.

Hi Dave dont forget the ton of oil level sensors they sell and the rubbish trigger sensors on the bonnet hinge, so when you do your change make sure you put in the precise amount of oil and take it for a ten minute drive, leave it for fifteen minutes and then without opening the bonnet checked the level on the MMI otherwise it mostly tells you the level is too low and once you have added more oil too high. Steve.

Hi Stephen, that would of equated to you need a new engine cover on your next visit, only £160, there are no lengths to which these people wont go to extract more money from your wallet, who do you think pays for the spotless work shop and beyond Cr@p technician practises, many years ago my friend worked at a Ford main dealers and because he was new was put on fleet services, when he went to draw oil and air filters for the latest batch he was working on he was told NO, they only change them every third service and to just give the canister filters a wipe with brake cleaner to make them look new, this had the effect of causing multiple cam failures which the dealership replaced under warranty as Ford HQ was supplying the parts and paying the labour, Win/Win for the dealer. Steve.