IHK 11

Theyre quite hard to find these days. Especially in good condition. Cheaper on tyres too.

Hi from what ive been told by a few people in the trade your car should run on E10 petrol but in the long term it will damage certain parts of your fuel system especially fuel lines as Steve Q said. Also things like the inside of your petrol tank you hsve various mechanisms around the fuel pump and your fuel accumalator which is underneath the car are made out of metals and materials which will degrade faster from E10. If you cant get E5 then id use E10 as a last resort. I wonder if theres a fuel cleaner that would help to use occasionally if running on E10.

If the waters coming in from high up it sounds like others are saying theres a blockage under the scuttle at the bottom of the windscreen. I think you need to get thst off snd look inside there. There could slso be some blocked drainage in that area or some kind of grommet either missing or leaking. Worth checking it out. Do you have a sunroof?

Hi it might be worth checking the drainage at the bottom of your doors. When it rains water goes down through the gap between your window and rubber and should drain outwards at the bottom of your door. If you look underneath your door you should see some kind of drainage holes which do tend to get blocked up in winter by dirt and leaves. Just something might be worth a look at. Good luck.

Hi i just wondered what everyone thought about dying a car interior. Ive got a 1990 Audi coupe b3 and originally the car had a light grey interior which was quite good but always used to show up any marks. As the car got older it seemed to look a bit out of date. I seen a coupe with a dark grey version of my interior on a coupe in Germany and thought it looked really good. Well i decided to dye my interior with autoglym black dye and thought it worked pretty ok. I think it could do with another coat or two but i think it looks tidier. I know it was the original interior and probably not what a lot of real enthusiasts would of done and i totally understand that. I think the carpet looks better with it. Just wondered if anyone else has dyed theyre interior and what product you used? Thanks from Ian!

Hi everyone just wondered what wheels people thought would be nice on a Audi coupe. Ive got a 1990 Audi coupe b3 in red and ive currently got 17 inch Audi alloys which are similar to a tt wheel. I like them. I think the original 15 inch speedline wheels look a bit small. I also think the Bola B10 wheel looks good on them. I was going to try some white B10s on mine maybe even 18 inch but might look over the top. What does everyone else think? Has anyone got some good photos of theyre wheels. Thanks from Ian

Thats great thanks. Its going into the garage friday so hopefully its not too expensive. The car drives really well and all the other gears are fine. Cross fingers. Thanks.

Hi ive got a 2004 Audi a4 1.8t cabrio and its a brilliant car but lately when i select 2nd gear whether going up to 2nd from 1st gear or down to 2nd from 3rd gear the gearstick makes a grinding sound even with the clutch pedal fully pressed. Is this really bad news or a simple fix? Is it likely to get worse. Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks from Ian!

Thanks for replying. Il try and borrow a different cigarette lighter and the unit from my girlfriends Audi which is exactly the same car but hers works and see what happens. Thats reslly helpful thanks. 👍

Hi does anyone know why my cigarette lighter keeps blowing a fuse? My cars a 1990 Audi coupe e. Ever since ive owned the car the cigarette lighter has never worked. I removed my centre console around the handbrake and the gearstick and discovered that the cigareete lighter to disconnect the auxilary gauges to change a bulb and discovered the connectors wernt plugged in. I thought maybe theyd come out and when i put them back the cigareete lighter would work. When i plugged them in ensuring the wires were all in tact the same fuse kept blowing. Do you think this is a problem with the wiring or maybe the actual cigareet lighter? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks from Ian!

No problem 👍

Hi Colin im no expert but i had a problem with my temp gauge being tempremental and then not working at all. If its a wiring issue then it will either be at the instrument cluster or the coolant temp sender. If you havent removed the instrument cluster then its more likely to be at the temp sender. The wiring can be very thin and brittle going into the sender especially as the cars are quite old now. Its also an area with a lot of heat around aswell. I fitted a new temp sender to my Audi 80 coupe and i managed to weaken one of the wires going into the sender as i put everything back. My temp gauge was always slow moving and stayed low and then stopped working altogether. Once i repaired the wiring the temp gauge has been ok ever since. Its possible it might be something at the instrument cluster tho seeing as its a temp gauge and a fuel gauge. I had a similar problem on a Bmw e36 where the fuel and temp gauge would work fine then totally drop to empty and cold and this ended up being a fuse that just wasnt in fully. I dont know if this is any help to you but i hope you manage to sort it out. Good luck from Ian!

Thanks Greg

Hi ive had the same problem getting a steering rack for my 1990 coupe. I cant see my part number on the rack whilst its on the car and didnt want to try and remove it incase i mess it up and cant get it to the garage.i phoned my local Audi dealer and gave them the reg and engine size of my car and they gave me the part number which helped me get another one. They were really helpful. Someone on this forum suggested i phone Audi and i was a bit sceptical as i havent been able to get information in the past from them. Id recommend you phone your nearest Audi garage and if you dont get the part number try a different Audi garage. Good luck from Ian!

Hi Gareth and Greg thanks for all of your help and advice. I phoned my nearest Audi dealership to ask for the exact part number for my steering rack and they were really helpful and gave me the exact part number which i was really grateful for and this helped me to find a new steering rack which i picked up yesterday. This will be fitted next month. Ive really missed driving the Audi. It will be good to get it back on the road. Im going to keep the original steering rack and have it refurbished as a spare so really pleased. Thanks from Ian!

Ye youre probably right about them not being cheap. I think the roofs just wearing as the cars getting older. Thanks for replying.

Hi Gareth and Greg. Thanks for both replying. I was planning on sending the rack away to be refurbished to a company in Yorkshire but the problem ive got is im not confident id be able to remove the rack myself and the garsge ive used said they couldnt remove it as it would be stuck on theyre ramp and they wouldnt be able to use the ramp then. I see theyre point. A mobile mechanic was suppose to come to my house to remove and then refit the rack when refurbished but keeps being delayed.! Il ask the guy in Scotland. Thanks for your help. Much appreciated. Ian!

Hi ive got a 1990 Audi coupe 2.3e B3 which ive owned for 10 years now. Ive spent quite a lot of money on it this year with new suspension brakes clutch and exhaust and now the steering racks leaking fluid and completely gone. Ive tried to buy a replacement for about 2 months now but im really struggling as there are so many different versions im told. When i give my chassis number im told this is not recognised and dont want to buy the wrong one as it will be a huge job for the garage to remove. Ive tried looking for the part number on the rack thats on the car but cant see one. Does anyone know the part number for this part or know how i could find out or even know if one off ebay fits my car? The car is off the road now as the mot has expired but i really want to get this car driving again. Any help or advice would be really appreciated. Thanks from Ian!

No problem.

Hi i had a similar problem on my coupe a few years ago. Is that the 2 litre 16v 140bhp dohc engine you have? Id check a few things that could be causing this. Make sure your air filters clean and the clips are closed properly on the airbox. This can be a nightmare around the airbox on these cars. Then make sure your metreing head rubber boot is totally flush with the metreing head cos any leaks here can cause idling and revving problems. Id also clean any rubber hoses going into the metreing head rubber boot as these can get clogged with grease and stuff and even perish or collapse. Its good youve cleaned the cold start valve which can be problematic on these. Im not sure if your cars got a isv on it. A idle stabilizer valve. On my 2.3 10v this is located at the front of the engine near the grill and has 2 hoses going into it. One goes to the metreing head rubber boot and these can get very dirty. If your car has one then id clean all of that and the hoses out with a bottle brush if you have one and hopefully youl see a huge difference. I hope this helps you. Good luck from IHK 11

Hi i had the same problem many years ago on a 1993 2 litre audi coupe.the cars hazards would come on when i indicate either left or right and this would sometimes last for about 2 days then it might not do it again for a month or 2 but would always eventually do it again. The problem turned out to be that there was an old alarm on the car that was intermittent. The garage removed the old alarm and any connections from it to the battery and the car was fine afterwards. This might not be relevant but i had the same problem many years ago on a 1991 mitsubishi colt and the problem with that was a faulty flasher unit. Sometimes tapping the flasher unit would stop the hazards coming on when indicating but eventually i had to replace the flasher unit. I hope this is of any help to you. From IHK 11

Hi my girlfriends got a 2004 Audi A4 1.8t cabrio which is a really good car and something she really enjoys. The only problem is when it rains as much as it has done recently the roof does tend to leak. I was wondering if anybody knows where i could buy a hardtop roof for winter from or have a part number. Ive heard that they arent standard but aftermarket ones are out there.ive been trying for a while but cant seem to find one as theyre very rare. Any help or information would be much appreciated. Thanks

Hi i have had similar problem with a 1993 Audi coupe 2.3e i bought which had not started for 10 years but i have had running. Firstly id check youve got fuel in it which you have then make sure the fuel pump primes. If the fuel pump primes then id check your fuel filters not clogged up which does happen. Then id make sure you have a good spark. If all of these are ok then id check the rubber boot is totally flush and has no kinks on top of the metreing head. If the car doesnt start and you know its got fuel it primes theres no air leak and you have a spark then id say your metreing head is clogged or damaged. Could also be injectors or injector seals. Im not a mechanic but ive hsd 3 of these cars and have had similar problems with them. The metreing heads can get blocked especially when the cars not been used for a while. Good luck from IHK 11

Hi Gareth thanks for your help. I know now i need to to look for a m6 bolt with a 10mm head. I think i might know why my cars temperature keeps dropping while driving. I know the thermostat works and the thicker end goes nearest to the engine and the oring goes on between the thermostat and the housing. I think the problem might be that the thermostat is installed with the cross metal piece fitted horizontally from 9 to 3 o clock when it should be installed vertically from 12 to 6 o clock. I read an article saying this can cause an airlock behind the thermostat inside the engine block and can also cause problems with the cars heater. Im just waiting for a new oring to arrive then im going to change it and see what happens. Im hopeful this will work. I fitted the thermostat horizontally because the old one was fitted that way but the heater was never good then. Thanks for all the advice youve given me previously. Its been really helpful and much appreciated. Il let you know how i get on when i change the stat around. Thanks Ian! The top image shows how the stat is installed at the moment and the bottom image shows how i think the stat should be fitted. Theres no air or bleed hole or arrow so i think it doesnt matter which way up it goes. Thanks again Ian!

Hi ive got a 1990 Audi coupe 2.3e B3 and ive opened the thermostat housing up so many times the 2 bolts holding it in place dont seem too good. Im worried incase i round them. Does anyone know where i could find some or have a part number? I know i open them with a 10mm socket. Thanks Ian!