Stevey Y

Hi it sounds like they might have spiked the air bag module. Steve.

Hi still worth looking under the cover/car to see where its coming from before whatever is leaking terminates itself, it could be a small leak from further towards the engine which is blowing down to the back of the car, like all cars Audi are not infallable and they spring leaks mine has done it a good couple of times since I have had it. Steve.

Hi let me know what you come up with, and if possible check the alternator output at the plug, back probe style. Steve

Hi is it a Quattro, if so its probably the Haldex unit sprung a leak, if not I would still be having the cover off for a peek as that looks like some sort of transmission fluid. Steve.

Hi Clifford that was exactly my point how can something that is doomed to fail at some point in its life at an indiscriminent time or milage be clever in its design, as you state you never said it was good which proves the point I bought my last one O.E. Valeo two years ago and that ones on its way out, keeps sticking and parking half way across the glass, they are a rubbish design with built in failure points, I can see why wiper delete kits sell well. Steve.

Hi Tony if you can give me P.M. with your Vin and engine code I will run it through my parts system and see which ones fit your vehicle. Steve.

Hi if you go on LLL carparts or ZAP 7 and put your VIN in that will normally come up with the part number for the discs for your car or come to that any motor factors as they all have an Audi parts system, the problem with euros is they don't have many staff who knowhow to use a system, the VIN is the key to the build spec as with my car there's three different sizes of disc unless you give them the VIN, then you get the right size straight away. Steve.

Hi Clifford why do you think most motor manufacturers use a separate washer nozzle mounted above or by the side of the wiper arm, you don't get this problem, my last Mondeo went to its new owner having never had a rear motor and with 270k on the clock, how can something that saturates itself in a mixture of corrosive screen wash and water and then lets it back into the motor gearbox to rot that out be a clever idea, thats built in obsolescence at its finest. Steve.

Hi check the voltage from the alternator should be 14-14.5v on a multimeter from the back probe, if this is ok then check the plug wring from the alternator for corrosion I have known it to be corroded under the insulation and the wire is brown and not copper coloured which causes a resistance especially on the pulse wire to the ECU, there is also a situation where the regulator in the alternator is going up the wall and sends a voltage spike which will also cause a similar problem as the BEM will signal the ECU to shut down the voltage so it won't damage other components, how old is the alternator as it can only realistically be that or the smart charge wiring, 13.5 volts is a good average and is this problem throwing a light up. Regards Steve.

Hi I seriously doubt they are original but they are well past their sell by date, thank you for publishing this as it might well wake up a few others to the benefits of regular brake checks, also if you change the brake fluid every couple of years that has a really big impact on pad/disc wear. Steve.

Hi the diagnostic charge is a total fraud, the prices for the eBay units are cheaper and probably as reliable as the design is flawed anyway having the water for the washer run through the drive spindle, the O.E. units are made by Valeo/Marelli who are well known for producing crap. Steve.

Hi what leads you to the conclusion that your alternator is not charging, the whole point of smart charging is that the alternator steps up the voltage when the battery is becoming drained to compensate for the loss of voltage, therefore it would be cheaper to buy an upgrade alternator rather than blow the electrics by feeding in power to a 60amp socket instead of out. Steve.

Hi it is the motor and if you think £300 is what Audi would charge dream on, they charged one guy on here about the same just to take the rear panel off and refit the feed for the washer pipe, I think the motor from them is about £200 and then labour at over £100 per hour plus VAT, find a more sensible garage, the part is probably £60 on eBay. Steve.

Hi my mistake if its a 3.0 diesel its a chain driven engine just assumed its a 2.0 tdi apologies. Steve.

Hi check its had the cam belt done as if not that could become a real big problem very soon othervthan that check the brake linings and disc condition. Steve.

Hi the speedo situation might well be a failing PCB in the unit or a dry soldered joint, best policy would be to enquire with ECU Testing or similar, tell them your problem and they can probably repair it. Steve.

Hi all tuning boxes work on the same principle they plug into the fuel rail and fool the car into thinking its running cold all the time therefore it runs richer this in turn allows over fuelling which washes the bores and the pistons, so in conclusion it looks like the remap is the better option as that controls the fuelling in the correct manner commensurate with throttle demand and not the boxes way of lets throw extra fuel in an see what happens. Steve.

Hi the resistor will be in the blower box on the side usually in the passenger footwell it will be bolted to the box, the one on the gearbox is the crankshaft speed sensor so that measures crank speed/position. Steve.

Hi Kev was it a manual or auto and can you give the engine code, if he had to change the clutch I can only see it being the flywheel Clutch assembly and backing plate to take the manual box if its got the ECU with it could well be just a case of pairing it to the car even with a bit of fiddling its still a worthwhile cheaper fix. I suppose it all rests on the bargaining on price, Bonnie Lad. Steve.

Hi Steve I think you will find that the instrument cluster from my understanding would be controlled by the body control module but anything to do with starting and emissions is the ECU I will ring those that know Tuesday to confirm if the block and heads are all the same it should just be a case of bolting on all your existing emissions gear, it might be a bit of a faf but I am working on the theory based on my car that the block and head are the same as each other my engine is CNHA but the DETA engine on my neighbours Q5 is virtually the same but with different ECU programming but before we get carried away we await milage etc from KEV, will look in to the other engine. Steve.

Hi its probably the oil level sensor in the sump, not expensive unless you buy it from Audi and an easy job to do. Steve.

Hi try Retrofit Labs they do both. Steve.

Hi Steve they achieved the extra capacity by using the same pistons but slightly shorter con rods [old Ford trick] the old Kent 1300/1600 used the same piston with different sized rods but the block was the same in every respect, might be well worth giving Kevs engine a go as it will save you a bundle as well as the fact it comes with the ECU, if he says its mint I would definitely agree as it beyond doubting his experience and judgement. Steve.

Hi cheap upgrade is Phillips diamond vision halogen bulbs available on eBay they give about about 80% more light for not a lot of money if they are projector lenses it might be the chrome has burnt off of the reflector bowls but with out seeing the light unit I am just guessing. Steve.

Hi if you can post a picture of the headlight and confirm xenon/halogen bulbs you have options to improve both. Steve.