Stevey Y

Hi I was privileged to a conversation between two Ford engineers who work on the development of commercial Diesel engines, apparently they were launching the new all electric Transit and were scoffing at the range which was quoted at 250 miles, they then told me it was easy to get the range down to 100 miles when carrying only half of its alleged ton and a half maximum thats why they were only building five hundred to start with, never heard any more after the launch. The subject went on to HGVs and they told me that the race was on to produce the first thousand horsepower Diesel unit for lorries, Scania were ahead of Ford the idea being that a thousand horses will have an incredible amount of torque between 900-2000rpm so no need to rev it and with the addition of upgraded Adblue systems 45 percent less emissions, they were amused when I asked if they had tried to produce an electric lorry the answer was no because as they explained a 40 foot trucker going to Manchester from London would need stop at least five times to recharge therefore with current HGV driving laws the journey could take up to two days if not more plus the load capacity of the vehicle is much reduced due to the weight of the USS Nimitz sized batteries. Steve.

Hi sorry you will have to buy a new filter as the sealing ring comes with the filter, or are we talking of a split in the metal housing in which case they are bolted to the engine and are replaceable even if its a second hand unit, it will help a lot if you can pst a picture of the offending split. Steve.

Hi Steve, with regard to the chip oil I went into that myself and what was required, basically you would need to have your own small refinery in the back garden and then the purchase of the additives to make real Bio Diesel, the cost did not quite make it a going proposition as unless you were going into major production the savings were minimal which is why McDonalds who run their lorries on their waste oil get it blended at a refinery which in view of the volume makes it a cheap option. We then came to the tale of the Bio Diesel plant that opened up on an industrial estate next to my local garage, at 30p a litre cheaper than them I thought it would start a price war, WRONG, the garage was not getting in to a Dutch Auction with the Bio boys because they already knew what was going to happen, Shell makes fuel at a refinery and it has to reach stringent criteria to be sold, look at the Tesco fiasco a few years ago when an over treated batch of fuel was terminating the customers engines. I digress, in the event everyone and their dog was making a beeline for the Bio boys outlet, this went on for most of the summer then when the world cooled down thats when the fun started a lot of my fellow cabbies were using Bio and were suddenly experiencing loads of limp mode, one of them asked me to plug his in to find any faults, virtually all the 1.8 tdci and 2.0 tdci I plugged into that day had the same problem, low fuel pressure which begs the question how can so many HPFPs fail at once, the answer was in the first one I changed the fuel filter on it and it was full of what appeared to be black Rowntrees jelly, because most of the early Mondeos had the filter housing hanging down by the rear subframe and open to the elements and whatever was in the Bio solidified and inhibited the fuel flow, new filter and a clean out of the filter housing produced miraculous results, the moral of the story is if its that cheap, why is it that cheap, you wouldn't give your family recycled food waste. Steve.

Hi Anton the tanks on our models hold at least 17litres 10litres normally shuts it up, its easy to do and unless you put HGV Adblue in you can't go wrong all brands for cars are twenty-five percent Urea and seventy five percent water, yes good old H2o, it is not corrosive and is easily dispersed with tap water it will stain cotton clothing as the bleach in the Urea [urine] will attack the dye. You can't overfill the system as there is no level monitor as the usage is monitored via an ECU calculation per litre of fuel burnt, I always fill mine until it comes out of the filler neck, then wash the cap under a tap and refit the cap then wash the whole thing inside the filler cap with a watering can, job done, sometimes it won't even take the fuel 10litres this is where the ECU has over calculated the usage. Steve.

Hi Steve as you pointed out its all about the TAX, I still think it will make hysterically funny viewing when they try to tell the car owners in America they can't drive their Dodge Rams and Ford Rangers anymore, what you have to factor in is the fact that a large percentage of this country know nothing about cars except how to steer them and a lot of them have problems with that and will buy whatever they are coerced in to purchasing because the government says its better than what they had before, prime examples are people who have already purchased Hybrid Audis are already posting problems that no one really knows any definitive answer to, these poor souls are trapped in their own little universe between main dealers who won't give them answers because they don't really know and want to land them with an eye watering bill why they practice on the customers car, then us who simply don't know, or from my perspective don't want to, come on guys do your homework rather than being worried about how cool you will be with an electric/hybrid car no one in the real world gives a rats !Removed! about green credentials, its about the survival of your future lifestyle with your family, do you realistically want to mortgage a car, anyone who wants to buy a car if they have any sense will ask themselves the following, will the family fit in to it and if so what are the running costs, are repairs and servicing going to be affordable, can I fix small problems myself with help/advice, if the answer is none of the above go buy electric/hybrid and you get life membership to the I just bought the latest LEMON club, google in about the field just outside Paris with redundant Renaults etc where the batteries have died and they don't know what to do with them, no available disposal plan. Steve.

Hi no problem, its just a bit frustrating when you can't physically see the vehicle and are just hoping you are giving some advice that may help, thank you for publishing what did and did not work this will at least give someone else in your position a few options they might not otherwise have been aware of. Steve.

Hi it won't come back as good, the clicking is the solenoid on the starter trying to engage the starter dog gear without sufficient power, other than that the starter unit could be extinct, or even the alternator, the battery is a good place to start. Steve.

Hi thats a bit different the transponder is that part to the left with the winding coils and the beggar is cold soldered in, if you can get the part number for your key there are loads of new un programmed fobs on eBay for not to much money, I was expecting to see a black transponder chip wedged on the board somewhere, I have spoken to a friend who is an automotive locksmith and he said the plug in keys are a nightmare which is why later models had the key modulation from the fob rather than the key having to be physically inside what was the ignition barrel, I would consult a local car key locksmith as they may well have a solution for you, Jamie has always told me what fob to buy and where to get it from and then programmed it from the original. Steve.

Hi can you publish the bulb types you have originally. Steve.

Hi you can buy a new lens on the internet, you will have to take the unit out and take off the old cover with a heat gun or similar, plenty of videos on youtube on how to do it and it is the consuming but the savings are massive. Steve.

Hi its quite a big husband and wife concern with branches all over London so its perfectly possible, head office I believe is in Thurrock. Steve.

Hi have look at youtube on the my turbo diesel site they set theirs with the vacuum gauge you have. Steve.

Hi, worn ARB links on the back or shock absorber top mounts, ask Steve Q about that he had a real pearler with that one, mind you his car had been to the moon and back milage wise. Steve.

Hi when the turbo is built they go into a flow tank with coloured air which is read by a photo cell that determines the optimum flow rates at different rpms, then when a balance is achieved the adjuster nut is locked in that position I was lucky enough to watch the Mitsubishi unit being rebuilt and calibrated for my Mondeo at the local turbo specialists, I don't think anyone will be able to give you an exact formula for adjustment as they all differ when built as most turbos [Garret] are built in Italy, best idea is have it rebuilt and let the company who is doing it set it up as they will have the tank to do it and you will have a perfect turbo. Steve.

Hi only a suggestion, look for another model as I am sure these will not be peculiar to your car, alternatively contact your nearest manufacturer of car body kits as they will be able to produce them in ABS plastic it probably won't be cheap but it will look very similar, think you may have taken on a live one here as that was built a long time ago and the strip manufacturer has probably retired, look on some of the retro car trim sites. Steve.

Hi sorry I am with Gareth as thinking rationally the vent motors have always given problems, the one I had that went sideways in the back zone 4 did not show up on VCDS so I stripped the front venting off and then watched the two main supply flaps moving when I changed the temp control on both sides and sure enough no4 was not even opening so I bought a second hand main vent unit £60 problem solved. Steve.

Hi they definitely go on the sill/rocker panels in the door shuts, you can buy the same material on eBay for about £25 for three metres my Mondeo had it on all four door shuts to stop the high heels from killing the paintwork, Steve.

Hi Audi recommend vacuum bleeding and you can get a cheap kit off eBay. Steve.

Hi, its not that close but I can recommend Regal Engines in Purfleet Essex, a lot of my cabbie mates have used them and they are very good, might be worth giving them a ring as they are very friendly and don't mind handing out advice. Steve.

Hi sorry to hear of your troubles, you have replaced just about everything that would cause low pressure, the only thing I can think of would be a fuel line collapsing in when put under pressure I had one on my last cab the outside of the rubber pipe looked fine but inside was a flap of rubber that kept interrupting the flow when the demand for fuel increased, can you please publish any codes you have. Steve.

Hi no not until it thinks the DPF is blocked, but no lights for regeneration when it begins or finishes, I know some people on the Ford forum I used to be on had wired in a little light to tell you when it was regenerating but I wouldn't recommend that with an Audi as the wiring and software are ten times more complex and it won't take a lot to upset the equilibrium of the whole lot, it would be useful though. Steve.

Hi Dale I am glad to have helped and the fact is the problem is solved, we got there in the end, trying to auto diagnose problems can be super difficult as both Gareth and Steve Q will bear witness, they have both given very precise information based on only half the information about the problem from whoever posted the problem and then being told they are wrong, its a thankless task sometimes but hats off to them they still keep trying, your info has been very good and I thank you for that. Steve.

Hi the key coding is in the pcb inside the key, the transponder is just the medium between the pcb and the pick up ring around the ignition barrel or key recognition point printed on the dash to the right of the climate control, no one could buy just a transponder and start your if they don't have the code thats embedded in the pcb, you might have to re pair the key but there are plenty of videos on youtube showing how to resurrect the communication, once the ECU recognises the code it will work. Steve.

Hi, good man you can't let this one slide, there are some real Bottoms out there. Steve.

Hi both seals in the diagram are on the release bearing, the driveshaft seal is again separate but on another diagram I have but it made sense to rush out and buy one as the original had been on for just over 100k and was a bit crusty, all three seals were £30 from Audi. Steve.