Stevey Y

Hi I would get someone else to check if the system has any gas in it, most independent garages have a decent aircon machine and will check it by seeing if it has ay gas and then pressure checking the system for leaks chances are its either run low on gas or has a hole in the radiator either way Cliff was correct when he said they can't block, therefore I would give the ZOONS at Halfords a wide birth. Steve.

Hi the newer Audis are mostly the same, not good except for possibly Q3s that use mostly VW engines and running gear, in saying that most car manufacturers are having the same cost cutting driven problems with the exception of Toyota that consistently produce good reliable vehicles, not as plush as the Audi but why pay that money for the A4/A6 with no inherent reliability. Steve.

Hate to point this out but even if you fit a new steering angle sensor you have to recode it, if it sounds like a lot of work, its not half as much work if you don't get the wiring right as well as the coding, the electronics on these vehicles has always been complex and if you fry a body control module [any one of about five] you then have a serious problem. Steve.

Hi it always says that, thats how they make money, you could try getting your garage to open the bonnet before plugging it in, if that won't work you are going to have to go the VCDS or OBDEleven route as both these have the capability to generate the challenge code to get in, Steve.

The lock is called SFD and any car post 19 that is VAG has it, most garage scanners won't touch it except if they have a newer platform software VCDS or similar OBDEleven pro which is the cheapest option, what are they trying to repair. Steve.

Hi that would do it, the remap has possibly done the damage as the pistons on these EA111 engines have a weak point insomuch as increased boost pressure and fuelling cause the ring grooves to fail and bits fall off of the castings where the rings locate which is probably why you have compression failure, having spoken to my garage they reckon timing chain tensioners can fail anywhere between 40k-60k which probably explains why in a short time they phased this engine out and bought in an upgraded belt driven engine. Steve.

Hi I think you need an auto electrician to sort this one out but I have a sneaking suspicion the comfort control modules have possibly been fried as they don't like water or being shorted to earth, my advice is tell the mechanic he has to pay for the fix. Steve.

Hi you can't just swap the airbag module as the steering wheel originally fitted is completely different, an auto electrician could probably sort the wiring but the new wheel would need coding in and thats if you don't need another control module. Steve.

Hi if its failed a sniff test its academic the gasket is leaking, I personally would do the same as the first garage if you take in to account that the head will most likely need a skim to correct any surface defects, then the valve seats would need to be lapped in, the timing chain is worth doing as even at 60k its probably stretched and the guides will be worn, factor in possible bore wear and you have the potential for a catastrophic wallet failure, from memory these engines were not good from new and if driven hard don't generally take to much action, you also mentioned improvements, one of them was not mapping was it? Steve.

Hi I doubt the brake change caused this it could well be the update or the camera mounted in the screen. Steve.

Hi might well be with doing if the pressure slows down it may well be the valve, how many miles has the car done as around that year they are famous for burning oil where they used skinny oil control rings, problem is they let oil up but also down which pressurises the sump, fingers crossed its the aftermarket valve. Steve.

Hi are you sure the new valve has a diaphragm in it the worrying thing is the amount of pressure coming out of the valve. Steve.

Head gaskets would be a whole new world of wallet pain but your description was very precise giving no indication of system pressurising, looking forward to a glowing success. Steve.

Hi I don't think you have wasted your money, find another C7 and use the codes from that as far as I am aware the coding number is an acceptance code to let the ECU know its had a new unit, the injectors are all the same and once accepted will re learn their values very quickly. Steve.

Hi don't worry it only gets critical when you reach the level of a pint of water per pint of oil then the ends rattle and the valve gear rattles as there is not enough lubrication for the lifters, I am quietly confident it is no where near terminal, seen worse where its cooked the head and big end bearings, did a Vauxhall Astra a while ago, same problem but worse and two gallons of flushing oil and three filters its still doing a nightly commute to London no issues. Steve.

Hi just had a look on line and its a Barsteward inlets off and the worlds supply of crud underneath the unit which sits in the middle at the top, easy enough to get to but a multitude of Torx fixings, all different lengths for certain holes so you have to draw a map of what goes where and a murderous amount of new o rings, only reason I think this is the problem is lack of reassure from expansion tank therefore not head related and you water is being fed into the oil system which is not good for any bearing within the engine so it will need a double engine flush after fixing to clear it all out. Steve.

Hi not a job I have ever done on an Audi 3.0, done a 2.0 CNHA and that was a real drama, try YouTube and see if its within your pay grade, I thought the 2.0 looked fairly straightforward until I got stuck in and the amount of other stuff you have to remove to get at it was a major faff, loads of bungee cables attached to various panels to keep the pipe work and electrical cables at bay. Steve.

Hi most likely the oil cooler the gaskets are flimsy and as the water pressure is higher than the oil pressure it lets water in to the oil system quite cheap for an aftermarket unit but a sod to fit. Steve.

I really am beginning to think this is a wind up or do you not know anything or have learned nothing from your previous ownership of any car, buy an electric bike its safer.

What about a self charging hybrid? Steve.

Hi if the strut is the same as standard but with a coil over set up instead of the spring and pan set up they should be fine but you may be better served just using stiffer dampers and standard heavy duty springs otherwise the coil over option may well lead to a harsh ride which will give all the link arms a hard time unless you are prepared to change the arms as well. Steve.

Hi the top mounts are solid because they don't have to rotate in the same way as a McPherson strut assembly where the shock turns with the steering, the strut never moves and the hub orbits the strut via the link arms. Steve.

Hi it was not fitted to the car originally if that is what's happening, OBDEleven does that and claims the credits even if the process does not work. Steve.

Hi buy from Westway Lubricants on eBay its about as cheap as it gets and and the oil meets VAG specs. Steve.

Hi you need to replace the whole thing, all four parts as it all wears as a set and the whole clutch will work out cheaper. Steve.