Stagn8

Coincidently, have just towed the van down to Blandford Forum. which for me is M3. A303, A354 and the car behaved impeccably, it was quiet relaxing! Not a hint of waywardness, so, for me it does confirm that road surface is the problem. Thanks for all the comments, it has been interesting, particularly the comments from Stevey Y. Cheers all.

Thanks for a this information Steve, it is reassuring to have a bit of background on why it happens, I was finding it a bit stressful not understanding the root cause. For others not experiencing it, it is only under particular circumstances, very poor surface and heavy loading. Unless you replicate the situations Steve and I describe then hopefully you won't ever get it.

Thanks Steve for your information. Also pleased you have noticed the same thing on the concrete sections of the M25 (have also noted it on motorways in France) I guess as a cab driver you were often heavily loaded as this is when it is noticeable, four adults in the car. The weight in the back of two adults and particularly when towing (about 80kg downforce at the very back of the car) will certainly alter the loading at the front wheels and I imagine could quite easily alter the way the steering reacts on certain surfaces, particularly if it designed to be pin sharp, leading to these tugs on the steering wheel. I am going to get four wheel tracking done just for ‘an abundance of caution’ and the fact that the rear suspension is adjustable as wondering if the extra squat caused by the weight causes some unwanted movement in the rear suspension, impacting on the front end. Not sure when I will be repeating the fully loaded trip on the dreaded M25 to see if there is any improvement though.

It’s due an interim service so will get my local specialist to take a look and see what they come up with.

Think you are getting a bit hooked up on this budget tyre thing Gareth. They are not the most expensive at around £100 a corner but after 4,000 miles they still have 8mm of tread, so somewhere under a mm of wear.

No, same between 50 and 70mph. Only noticed it on motorways so couldn’t say if it does it below 50mph.

I agree Gareth, not keen on getting the tracking done as I not aware of anyone around my area who isn’t a multinational. Not saying they aren’t any good, more that their heart isn’t in it! Changing tyres over is a good call, as I believe it is something marginally different somewhere as it only seem to happen when heavily loaded and certain surfaces. Took four people ( including me😀)to Eastbourne on Friday, M25, A22 and the car was scary on the M25 concrete section. Came back via Brighton and A23 and it was the usual comfortable drive. Seems the road surface plays a big part in this, but the car should be able to handle it, never a problem on other cars I have driven on the same surface. Looks like there is nothing definitive and probably just something on my car, so a bit of experimentation required 😕. Thanks for the help and if/when I find something I will update the thread.

Tyres were new when I bought it at 18,000 miles so only 4,000 miles of wear and nothing noticeable on wear accross the tread. If you look at the Tyre pressure sticker there are three settings, 'comfort' being the first and lowest setting. Tyre pressures are spot on for normal loading and use. The inconsistent steering isn't a pull in one direction, it needs constant input from me to keep it online. Normally a motorway should be relaxing with minimum input on the steering but I am having to make small adjustments all the time. It only seems to be on certain road surfaces and fully loaded.it I'll get the tracking etc checked as it seems a good starting place. Do I need just the front or four wheel alignment? Not sure how much is adjustable at the rear. Thanks all.

Checked the tyres against the sticker on the door and they are as specified, they are also XL. So, all good there. On line reviews for the tyres aren’t exactly glowing but equally no one is flagging them as terrible.

H’mmm good thought Gareth, not pumped them up from normal on this trip, though they are set to the mid level rather than comfort, didn’t really think of it as it hasn’t been important on any other vehicle I’ve had. However, I was towing a caravan with it in France earlier this year ( that means an extra 80kg loading at the extremity of the rear of the chassis) and had the same problem, and I know I had the tyres at the correct pressure for maximum loading, as recommended in the handbook and door plate. In case it is important, it is on 19” wheels which seem to generate a lot of noise at the back over bumpy surfaces. It does seem that road surface plays a part but, what impact does tracking have, I have no idea what Audi recommend but I am under the impression it does have an impact on straight ahead stability, small amount of toe in to help with tracking in a straight line. Load rating is 96y which is 730 kg I believe. PS. Not too Far East, Czech and part of continental, so not all bad 😀.

Can anyone shed any light or have suggestions on the following issue please. Audi A5 cab Quattro. When driving on a motorway fully loaded, four adults that is, the car just wanders about the road and needs constant steering input, sometimes a bit more than a nudge. It is particularly noticeable on the concrete sections of the M25 but also happens on other motorways (including in France). It is much less noticeable solo or two up. Car is low mileage (22,000) and has new tyres (came with four new Bravuris 5HM 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️ when I bought it) just passed it’s MOT which suggests none of the myriad of bushings were looking nasty. It does seem to me that certain surfaces upset the car but should it be happening, or could be as simple as tracking? Any thoughts appreciated.

You may want to google FTC before you part with any money, as very few are convinced that they are any thing other than ‘snake oil’. As the old adage goes ‘if it seems too be good to be true then it almost certainly is’. They have been around for donkeys years, previously I think they were called Brockets and came in a small bag. They didn’t work then and they don’t work now, a few scientific studies are around to prove it. As ever, your money, your choice but if you do get them try doing some reasonably challenging tests to prove or disprove their veracity. A few tank to tank mileage checks would be a good start.

I have bought exactly the same one and it is in the glove box ‘just in case’ as so far not had the problem 🤞🏻. I think the price is about right as if it is a pressure sensor all that’s likely to be in there is a sprung loaded bit of material which reacts to the vacuum generated in the servo and relays an ‘on’ message to an ecu to confirm the servo is operating. If the ecu doesn’t get the signal then it compensates by operating the abs unit, which we all know know can’t take fairly continuous operation. No idea how VAG justify their prices but the one I received has ‘made in Germany’ on it, so hopefully not been anywhere near China. Having said that, the Chinese are more than capable of producing very high quality parts if they want/need to and I am pretty sure all the German manufacturers have a fair smattering of Chinese parts made to their own exacting standards. ( Not sure what standards were being followed for these sensors though, pretty minimal ones I would hazard)

Rover used to have an optional auxiliary heater available on diesels which preheated the water so gave a warm start with instant defrosting and warm interior. They were diesel powered and available both with a timer or a remote system using a mobile phone signal. Could it be something along those lines?

Did have an imported Nissan Pulsar GTiR for a while! Looked pretty mean so just had boost adjusted to 280 bhp.

I've got a 45 tfsi but it is an A5 quattro cabriolet. Mines a few years old and I did think quattro was the only way to get this engine but could be wrong. I am getting 30mph on gentle driving around town, a long term average of 30mph and a maximum of 35 on a mostly motorway journey. I don't hoon about and it is mostly on economy so I would guess this probably as good as it will get 😀. Seems reasonable to me as was only getting around 36 with an Outlander diesel.

Great advice to solder before using these devices Gareth.

Different experiences lead us all to different preferences 😀 and of course preferred solutions. Terminal blocks work well and I believe from the picture that is what has been used, wrapped in tape for extra protection and most importantly with a loop to remove strain, without that the movement will pull the wires out quite quickly. My beef with them is the difficulty of getting all the strands neatly into the block and once you have tightened the screw only a few wires will actually be under the screw and secured so overall quite a weak join. House wiring is all single core and doesn’t move, soldering, wago, terminal blocks all work well, it is multi strand that causes difficulty. Sorry to derail thread but my own view is that shared knowledge and experience along with discussion, if relevant, should be the backbone of a good ‘forum’. Perhaps I am wrong.

An open circuit means a break in the circuit somewhere, as you mentioned, a broken wire would do it, just means voltage or current can’t travel past the break so nothing reaches whatever is being actuated so it doesn’t work. It would certainly be a probable cause of the actuators/ solenoids in your doors not working. Equally it could be switches not working, modules not outputting, all sorts in fact, so take Steven Ys advice and get it scanned for the correct module number, cheaper in the long run.

It’s all in the twisting Cliff 😀! I was in electro-mechanics for many years and had many solder failures (dry joints, fractured joints, high resistance joints, so not a fan, though have used on occasion) as a good solder joint depends on a fair amount of skill along with the correct flux, iron etc. So, for the average Joe mechanic a twisted joint with heat sleeve is reasonably simple and reasonably fool proof. There are some superb in line jointing devices available these days including ones which shrink and have a bonding agent to make them waterproof but of course you need to have them at hand before discovering the need 😀. If there is sufficient slack in the loom to allow for a loop and a reduction in the stress of opening and closing then both methods would have equal merit but if the loom is a bit on the tight side then careful consideration will be needed as to the best solution and perhaps an extra bit of cable will need to be spliced in.

Just as an aside, soldering wires seems a great solution but with movement the brittle solder will crack as mentioned in one of the above posts. A better solution is to mechanically twist the wires together and then cover with heat shrink tubing to keep it all together. This way movement can be incorporated without risking further breaks.

Just for clarity Gareth, 160 cm is the width of the material ‘on the roll’, it is then pulled off and then cut to the length you require, based on units of 50cm for pricing. Hope that helps? Kind regards Keith

What is your heating like Peter, should be pumping out lots of heat within a few minutes, probably easiest if you to put front screen demister on and feel the temperature at the screen. The reason for asking is there should be a thermostat keeping hot water in the engine and heater system, temporarily bypassing the radiator, a slow warm up and not reaching temperature suggests that the thermostat is staying open leaving the main radiator in circuit hence the slow warm up and cold running. If that is the case then it needs to be fixed pretty quick, as you have mentioned it will impact on all sorts of things, oil will be too thick to properly lubricate, fuel mixture will be all wrong leading to low mpg, etc,etc. If this was a few year old or high mileage car I would definitely be suspecting the thermostat but on a new car it would be odd, perhaps it is as simple as a temperature sensor reading wrongly but whatever it needs fixing and quickly. I'll put my hand up to being old school but I am pretty certain that there will a time frame for min and max engine temperatures, if the engine doesn't reach, or exceed these then a code will be thrown and I would of thought an orange engine management light as a minimum, suggesting you get it to a dealer quick! It really shouldn't happen on a new vehicle but with so much complexity something is bound to go wrong, frustrating, but on the bright side you do have the warranty. I spend all my time listening out for odds noises, dodgy gear changes etc but that is just me. Still enjoy the car though. Hopefully another visit to the dealer will illicit some decent replies and of course you are a bit better armed this time!!

You don’t need to worry as all is under warranty but you are right to think there is something very odd and requires some explanation. A petrol engine should be up to temp. pretty quickly, mine is up to 90 degrees within a three or four miles (45 TFSI). If this isn’t happening you do need to know why, as running under temp. can lead to excessive wear as the engine is designed around a specific running temp. I would of thought not reaching the correct temperature within a specified time would throw a code as it is an important parameter. Assuming this is an Audi dealership then ask them for a copy of the diagnostic print out and post here. The tyre thing is very odd as that suggests you will be needing a new set before a thousand miles, at your mileage they will only just be about scrubbed in and working at a 100%. Again, the dealership need to explain to you how the tyres have become that worn in so few miles, or alternatively how have they come to that conclusion, do they know the dread depth of a new tyre of that manufacturer or are they generalising? I think a revisit to the dealership with a request for a proper explanation of both situations, emphasising that you don’t believe either of these things are normal. If no sensible answers are forthcoming let them know you are going to escalate to Audi direct.

Not wanting to teach granny to suck eggs here but have you looked on the door pillar for a sticker? All vehicles should have one and if you don’t perhaps you need to be asking why? If the sticker is missing then you should be able to get a replacement from your Audi dealer. PS. It might be on the rear edge of the drivers door, under the locking mechanism.