Stevey Y

Hi have you checked the linkage on the gearbox as they sometimes fail and its difficult to select first gear, how did you try to ventilate the slave cylinder, have you got a good clutch pedal?. Steve.

Hi yes is the answer as if you use a non stop/start unit the battery charging wont be the same. Steve.

Hi everyone thinks head gasket, the usual culprit is the oil cooler a rather snazzy little device that normally sits below the oil filter housing, it is a box that allows water and oil to circulate around each other through different channels so the oil cools, problem is the gasket fails and allows the two to mix, fairly cheap fix just a bit fiddly and requires a coolant flush after to get rid of the oil in the system, Vauxhalls are notorious for it, done a few of them, gearbox fault will require a diagnostic scan to reveal what's going on. Steve.

Hi the only thing I have ever used on any bolt I have re used is a dab of blue thread lock they wont move with that on them, I get fed up with all this rumour spreading about stretch bolts the rule of thumb being anything to do with the engine, clutch, timing belt you use new bolts, anything else provided the thread is good can be reused. Steve.

Hi yes, with any braking system cleanliness is all, as far as they are concerned a quick spin of the wheel and the pads are ok tells them everything, NOT SO in view of what's happening to you I would not be telling you its ok without having stripped the callipers down and inspected everything, pad runners, slider pins, is the piston easy to push back, brake fluid quality, I have not seen the car but in your place I would in view of the age consider all the above then, replace the slider pins both the rubber and chrome bits, clean the pad runner surfaces and then the two hoses followed by a complete brake fluid change using Comma ESP 4, that should about cover most things, slider pin kit £15 ish fluid £12 from Halfords , hoses around £12 each, all parts are fairly cheap, please note if the new discs are warped you might be in for a new set. Steve.

Hi just do it the simple way, they have a 2-3 working day turn round, there was one guy on here that had the same problem and they told him the original unit was irreparable so he bought a second hand unit and sent it to them and they programmed it from his old unit checked the doner unit out so it was plug in and play, no brainer really when you consider Audi quoted £3000 + the coding. Steve.

Hi is it both sides?, most common cause of this is the callipers not releasing fully due to the rubber hoses that run from the metal pipe to the calliper collapsing and not allowing all the fluid to return properly, this phenomenon is usually caused by lack of brake fluid changes, brake fluid is hydroscopic and absorbes water which in turn rots out just about everything in the braking system, calliper cylinders, brake hoses being the prime target. Steve.

Hi unfortunately the solution requires you to buy another plug [available from eBay ] and get ready for a serious soldering festival, alternatively you might get away with a good dose of contact cleaner. Steve.

Hi as cliff says its either a bad live/earth the indicator will still work as thats a separate circuit ie 2 lives 2 earths my guess is that one of the earths inside the female plug that fits on to the headlight is burnt or corroded. Steve.

Hi Body Control Module, you can't believe everything you see on YouTube as you have to read between the lines and have a good working knowledge of how the system works. Steve.

Hi Steve you are correct but its more caused by the fact that the clowns in the passenger seat say can I push this seat back a bit then push as far and as fast as they can to the stops on the seat rail, then wonder why they have trouble getting out, its men mostly who have delusions about how long their legs are, when asked I say no as there is already plenty of room, its mostly sub 5ft 6in that like to indulge in seat destruction. Steve.

Hi if you have the stalks thats fine but you may have to get another BCM, what you have to weigh up is the cost and agg of retro fitting this you may be better served contacting a retro fit specialist first. Steve.

Hi most things that should be simple are not because how would they justify the exorbitant labour charges if it was made easy to do, most Audi techs hate the brand because they get at most £20 per hour while the bosses cream off the other £120. Steve.

Hi quite possible that the Chinese version on Amazon is defective, they are all built in China but Audis level of Chinarism is somewhat higher. Steve.

Hi I would be checking the module itself before replacing it most of the time its down to corroded/bad contacting pins in the plug units a quick hose down with a good contact cleaner and then reassembly often works wonders, working on the intermittent bit the ECM does not have the ability to self diagnose therefore it only has two modes working and dead, worst case scenario you can haul it out and send it to ECU Testing I have used them multiple times for different vehicles the fair bit with them is they will tell you if its damaged internally, if its repairable even if it isn't they will give you best advice on where to get another unit, I know there are people who sell refurbished units that are just plug in and play, if you buy a second hand unit it will need recoding and may only have a limited service life, try cleaning the plugs to the unit first you may well save a few bob. Steve.

Hi if you keep us updated the information will be invaluable to other members and myself. Steve.

Hi unfortunately in my experience 99% of basic code readers are not worth trying on post 2008 vehicles you would see codes if you went up a couple of levels say Snap on or VCDS, the cheapest and most effective is OBD Eleven at sub £100 this will also enable you to code the battery which is a MUST or the the battery will fail as fast as you can blink, I dont know if your plan is to keep the car but I wouldn't mind betting that a scan with a decent reader would throw up a pandoras box of codes most of them irrelevant but would include the codes you need to solve your problem. Steve.

I wish you luck, but with a good torch and an eye for the part number and the right shape it wont be to difficult just time consuming. Steve.

Hi absent any codes why do you suspect the pump, I would get the fuel pressure checked first, both from the lift tank up to HPFP and then to the rail, what did you scan for codes with. Steve.

Hi unfortunately this has always been a problem with Audis from year to year they change the site of modules and as in my case you just play chase the Ace with all the suggested locations, you will need a good trim removal kit and patience, sorry I can't be more precise. Steve.

Hi if the earth cable was melted you have a bad short somewhere my guess would be the starter, quick question when you replaced the battery did you re code it. Steve.

Hi are we talking the control unit or one of the sensors?, does it show the distance bars on the MMI. Steve.

Don't hold your breath Gareth you will only turn blue. Steve.

Hi the motor electrics have gone, the many symptoms are as follows, no movement, running constantly, partial movement and finally DEAD, easy fix, unplug it at the motor until you get a new unit. Steve.

Hi I think the point that Steve was trying to get across was if you buy a refurbed unit with the immobiliser shunt built in its plug in and play, if its a used O.E. unit it will need programming, aside from that if its a refurbed unit and it still wont work there is definitely another problem further down the line, I.E. crank position sensor or cam position sensor. Steve.