Stevey Y

Hi it could well be the oxygen sensor my one was on its way out this is hanging in the exhaust just after the cat and has a horrible life, constant heated gas, and it gave the same generic code and did the exact same thing as yours its where the heater element in the unit begins to fail. Steve.

HI have the car scanned for codes this may well tell you whats going wrong. When you say the pedal switch was changed I think you will find the switch is part of the master cylinder which normally throws up the statement clutch position sensor implausible signal on the diagnostics. Steve.

I would like to point out that its two different models with two different size wheels and definitely different brands of tyres that are experiencing the same sort of problem, because my tyre pressures are checked every ten days by my local tyre supplier who's inflation devices are calibrated every month I have total faith in their accuracy, this is rubber stamped by the amount of miles I get out of my mid range tyres, so far 26k rears and 8k fronts half worn which on a cab is legendary, on Vinces advice I have always run the pressures at two pounds over pressure cold 38 pounds rather than 36 as this equates to an expansion rate of 42 pounds for motorway/loaded work but has the added benefit of not allowing the edges to wear prematurely because of wall roll due to frequent cornering, this advice comes from a tyre shop where the owner has over forty years of experience, [Hands On] and has a vast experience of many tyre brands and will tell you whats good and whats not even to the point of recommending a cheaper tyre over a top end tyre because I would get better milage for my type of work, thats why he has had my business for twenty years, I am in no doubt that many other Audi owners will have had the same problem and never noticed, most people who use these vehicles don't know a lot about steering etc, its just a lovely form of transport and the only time they ever get really alarmed is when something goes badly wrong, you said it yourself the car tries to tell you something, most ordinary owners only notice when whatever it is fails, I wish I had the time to have a schematic drawing of the boot and weigh each suitcase to place them in the precise location for optimum load level but I just use the old formulae heaviest/biggest over the rear axle and cabin luggage at the tailgate end, loading and tyre pressures have already been worked out before the car is sold to the public as have the wheel cambers and steering/suspension bush deformation rates under Max/Minimum loadings, which only leads to one conclusion its the road surface, same loading on tarmac does not produce the same results as ancient crumbling concrete. Steve.

Hi when was the last time you drove on the M25/M1 at speeds off 70mph, and at no point did I say that it was all cars I explained that different steering set ups behave in a different way on that type of surface also explaining that the Audi set up being finely tuned was susceptible to this type of problem on sub standard surfaces, this opinion is based on thousands of miles of travel on a lot of different roads the aforementioned roads being the worst, as for claiming all VAG vehicles are the same, never said that either, that ranks along side with the old saying for pubs, are you calling my pint a tart, I am glad Keith grasped the point of what I was saying before he rushed off to buy new suspension, tyres, tracking, its a problem with the surface, NOT THE CAR. Steve.

Hi get the boost hoses checked for splits especially the one that runs down from the turbo to the intercooler. Steve.

Hi what is anti squeak, unless its Ceratec or copper grease you have lost me, brake cleaner gets rid of the dust. Steve.

Thats the one, BUT its caused by the appalling state of our roads especially the M25 concrete sections which five years after its commission by Lady Thatcher started to break up AKA concrete cancer where the individual sections start to move away from each other which is why they are so keen to resurface the whole thing, if you take in to consideration that most heavy luxury cars run wishbone suspension with a 30 degree coilover shock absorber mounted to maintain dead centre pressure on the middle of oversize width tyre to stop this behaviour its no wonder that cars such as Audis fitted with any width tyre 235 + will drag due to the tyre foot print being so wide 225 is about as good as it gets with our roads, I think the generalisation that this applies to all VAG vehicles is a bit silly as most of the lower ranges use different width tyres which rarely exceed a 215 width and won't ever encounter this problem as I explained before when I had a conversation with my neighbour an ex powertrain engineer at Wolfsburg he explained that people think bigger is better so thats what they sell them regardless of the fact that large wheels say 19 inch and low profile tyres are 40% heavier as the rims are reinforced due to the lower tyre profile therefore they are more prone to aquaplane and tramline on deviant surfaces so its not the set up thats wrong its the road surfaces, they are a large contributing factor, if you watch the old rally footage of when the quattros first started you will notice they ran skinny tyres say 195x60 x15 for example as this cut out 75% of steering drag over very rough terrain, if I drive with four passengers and a full boot up to Gatwick on the tarmac sections I only need to make minor adjustments to the steering if I go round to Heathrow from there its like playing chase the ace on the concrete plus you have the infernal clicking from the road except where they have ground about half a mile as an experiment the clicking ceases as does the wandering, I came down from 19inch wheels with 40 profile tyres to 17inch wheels with 55 profile tyres which gave a better ride and no compromise with the handling as well as about 6 miles more to the gallon I always used 101 XL tyres and never had a problem in 240,000 miles and with 200 HP and 420nm of torque it was no shrinking violet, final analysis is if you want this type of thing to calm down go down to 17 inch wheels and a slightly narrower tyre, if not you will have to live with it for the looks, my car does it on 225x55x17 so god knows how much extra noise/dragging you would get with a wider aspect tyre and 19 inch rims. Steve.

Hi a little education for those who want to learn, Bavarius tyres are made in the Czech Republic and were originally back in the thirties a subsidiary of Michelin, in 1992 they signed a joint venture agreement with Continental AG [anyone ever hear of them], for the record one of the largest multinational corporations in Europe who produce just about every rubber O.E. part for German/European vehicles and as for Budget they could not be further from that or the Thames as the brand Barum only produce premium mid range to premium upper range tyres, tyres having watched this thread develop I can as a frequent user of the M25 concur with your problem as my car does the same depending on if you are driving on the concrete side of it or the tarmac side, this anomaly is due to the Audis steering set up as this is not to dissimilar to a version of centre hub steering this allows for very sharp and precise handling, the downside is if you drive on the undulating concrete crap thats known as the M25/M1 any largish discrepancy in the road surface drags at the steering, never had this problem with my Mondeos as they all ran Macpherson struts which the shock absorber runs on a ball race top mount so the strut moves with the steering rather than the steering moving around a static shock absorber, as for steering component wear, its highly unlikely as my A6 has now covered over 130,000 hard miles on a multitude of road surfaces and has no wear, when I could get them at a reasonable price I used Barum tyres for a good few years on my cabs and always got good miles and grip and I can vouch 100% for their winter tyres but alas they are now out of my price bracket so use Nexen another budget tyre company thats only been around for about ninety years which would lead you to believe they must be doing something right, just because you have never come across a brand before it won't mean its no good, just look beyond the name to see who owns the production licence. Steve

Hi they are also used to help with DPF regeneration, Cifford is thinking of the old post office engines which if the glow plugs failed needed copious amounts of Easystart [Ethanol Aromatic], things have come a long way since the advent of engine management systems and high pressure fuel systems. Your boy knows his stuff. Steve

Hi Roy the updates are for newer vehicles there are no more updates for your model therefore if you didn't update it you can still use it, just like manufacturer updates for the cars cease after six years also if you go to windows seven on an old laptop solely for your diagnostics that stops all the crashing, if you have other things on your existing laptop like your emails google etc that affects the diagnostic program. Steve.

Hi trouble is a lot of these vehicles are now coming to the time in their lives when things will go wrong all parts deteriorate over time /milage, don't get sold on the Legend of Audi invincibility they are the same as any other brand, they go wrong, the question you have to ask yourself is, has my car ever had a new EGR valve and am I going to invest any money in my current vehicle or rush off and buy something else, which will eventually go wrong. Steve.

Hi if TFL says its not compliant its not, they are not worried by the CO2 levels otherwise they wouldn't be letting ancient petrol cars run round London, no the dear old mayor is on a diesel bashing mission its all about ash/Nox particles because he is to thick to work out most Hybrid cars produce more CO2 than a diesel, watch the channel four documentary The Truth about diesel. Steve.

Hi if you think thats pricey have a look at VCDS that will make your eyes water, with this type of software you only get what you pay for, I have in the past bought other scan tools [very cheap] and come royally unstuck when halfway through a job when they loose the connection, case in point I thought the £140 unit I had bought for my Alfa Mito would be fine to re calibrate the power steering, WRONG!, it kept loosing communication in the middle of calibration which left me with an underivable vehicle, borrowed my mates Fiat ECU Multiscan and it flew through, I have just had a shot sharp lesson in buying too cheap which has cost me dear, old formula, if you buy a cheap item which fails to do what you want, you have lost both the item and the money, if you upgrade and the item does exactly what you want it to is all you loose is the extra money. Steve.

Hi that probably means the drive for the EGR pintle is going down hill, the other causes can be module related or a sensor that sits in the high pressure fuel pump, I would try a new EGR valve first its the cheaper option and sounds the most likely cause. Steve.

Hi despite coming from Birmingham it appears the tool was made in Wayne King which is a rather large area in China. Steve.

Hi latest update, the super seal tool has broken despite the sellers claims and now waiting for the genuine VAG tool which is twice the price, the moral of this story is DONT BUY THE CHEAP TOOL. Steve.

Hi OBD Eleven is about the best tool I have found that is not spiteful on price, retracting your callipers with a 12v battery is not good advice as its possible to spike the control unit and if you do the process with a scan tool make sure you have a battery charger/spare charged battery hooked up as well to counter any voltage fluctuations from your battery. Steve.

Hi do you mean P4077 as this has nothing to do with the EGR or Throttle its a valve that controls exhaust back pressure. Steve.

Hi parking position sensor on the gear stick, best get it scanned and see what it comes up with. Steve.

Hi go on the Parkers VED guide and that will tell you what you need to know. Steve.

Hi if you have changed the glow plug loom its probably one or all of the plugs are gone that will throw the same code as they are compromising the loom, worst case scenario they will get so knackered one will go open circuit and will really melt your new loom. Steve.

Hi Gareth all VAG/BMW/MERCEDES/VAUXHALL/FORD/BENTLY all use pads from the TMG group, just because these companies have been bought out the only thing it realistically means is that the companies products have to conform to TMGs stringent product standards, just because its got a manufacturers logo on it and was produced by TMG in the first place why not have the same thing with DON/MINTEX/BOSCH/DELPHI for about half the price if not less, I feel sorry for people who have spent their life buying badge engineered boxes for silly money, when the facts are out there in plain sight on the internet for all with a hunger to educate themselves to do just that. Most car producers when developing vehicles go round the parts supermarkets choosing whatever meets their needs and price, price criteria, No manufacturer makes their own parts other than engines/bodywork/interiors the rest is off the shelf I.E. brakes and pads these are manufacturers such as Bosch,ATE,TRW the pads for all of the callipers are the same for each manufacturer, there is only the odd anomaly to this such as A8 rear pads which were running two different suppliers for the rears one pad being about 2mm thicker but VAG got fed up with this so you could transpose each manufacturers pads but re adapt using VCDS to allow for the difference in the pads you had just fitted, brakes are a subject close to my heart as my life and the lives of my passengers depend on them being not just right but perfect along with the tyres, as I said I have tried pretty much every brand going and settled for what works, I have said before it won't matter how good/expensive your brake hardware is its pretty much useless if the brake fluid is old. Steve

Hi it may well be a sensor camshaft or crankshaft has anybody plugged the car in and scanned it for faults thats aways a give away, BTW good luck with the impending Chuddie. Steve.

Hi well done Roy I knew a guy once that got 500,000 out of a MK2 Transit luton he used for work just by changing the oil and filters every month, the only reason he got rid was the rot on the cab was absolutely epic. Steve.

Hi be very careful as the description Cr@p might offend the automatic insult monitor, example I put in a post the opposite of advance and it removed that as being derogatory. Oh what wonderful world we live in where you can't call a spade, a spade. Steve. Steve.