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The first thing I would do is test drive another version of the same car - without sports seats, which is what I'm assuming you have at present. If you find a comfortable option, look out on eBay for a set of seats (or even just a single driver's seat) in the same material your current seats are covered in. I'd then approach the dealer and ask them to swap them over for free as a goodwill gesture (actually, I'd get them to agree to this before you buy the seats) - and do a reverse swap when you come to sell the car (put them in the loft tightly wrapped in bin bags). You can punt the seats back out on eBay and likely make the cost back... That sounds like a lot of fuss, but if you're uncomfortable in the car, I think it would be the most cost-effective way to tackle the problem. Switching front seats is a simple matter, but I'd let the dealer do it in these circumstances...

So, the new air filter arrived today. I fitted it, then replaced the ductwork and the engine cover… …then poured the DPF cleaner into the fuel tank… …and took her out for a drive. As soon as I used even moderate throttle, there was a large intake noise, followed by the glow plug warning light flashing and it going into limp mode…🤦‍♂️ I drove back home and plugged in the OBDEleven… Sure enough, it was P2279 again. It cleared when I asked it to, but I’m now going to take the intake pipe off to see if I’ve kinked it or mis-fitted it where it joins the turbo or something. When I last drove it, I thought the intake noise was a result of failing to fit the intake ductwork. There’s obviously some large air leak somewhere - the intake pipe has to be the prime suspect…

Have you checked the new price? I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the relatively low cost of some VAG plastic mouldings…

Gareth, I think your hints have been too subtle 🤣😂🤣 David - post a price up! 😃

She has previous for that guv... 😆

Thanks again Steve, Roy 👍 Only the interior filter arrived today - hopefully the air filter and DPF cleaner will arrive tomorrow and I can get to testing the 'fix'...🤔 Mike😎 PS The good news is that Marnie is enjoying me spending more time with her...😃

Thanks for the comprehensive answer, Steve—every day is a school day 😃 Much of my mechanical knowledge was built around carburated vehicles—mostly motorcycles, which didn’t have the systems in use in mainstream cars for the past couple of decades. The idea of a filter letting more stuff through due to an increase in vacuum is new to me 👍 Anyway, the new filters should be here tomorrow or Tuesday, so I’ll reassemble, test and report back. This site is an excellent resource—thanks again for your detailed advice, Steve. Mike 😎

Stevey, having slept on it, isn't the nature of a dirty air filter to keep more stuff out of the air supply rather than less? In a petrol engine, a dirty air filter would typically manifest itself by producing a richer mixture - ie less air is getting through and mixing with the same amount of fuel. I'm not convinced that a dirty air filter lets contaminants into the 'clean' side of the intake box, and therefore into the MAS and this into the intake pipe. It may get dirt into the turbo from the base of the intake pipe where the breather hose was not clamped - but all indications are that the oil was coming out of that joint and plastering itself all over the surrounding area. Of course, it may only have been pushing stuff out on the overrun (and goodness knows how long it had been doing that) - but even if it was sucking air in, surely it was going straight into the turbo, where - once again - I'm struggling to see how it would affect the MAS, as it's so far downstream from it... Mike 🤔

Thanks Stevey, great input 👍 I knew it was an error as soon as I heard the noise the intake made. I’ve cleared the code and will not be starting the engine again until I have fitted the new air filter and ductwork. I have also got a DPF cleaner on order and my first order of business will be to put this in the tank and take the car for a gentle run, followed by an Italian tune up if the initial run goes well. If this solves the problem, then I’ll carefully take the original MAF apart and use the cleaner to try and refurb it as a spare. Mike 😎

So - good news and bad. I scanned the car and only the radio code came up (this is a permanent feature as I have an after-market stereo fitted) - Yay! 🥳 So - I still have the DPF filter warning on the dash. Since the car is apparently healthy in all other respects, and it's a lovely day - what could better than to take it for an 'Italian tune up' right now, to see if I can blow the excess carbon out of the filter? Almost straight away, I realise this isn't a great idea. Without the intake ducting fitted, the intake roar is really loud. Hey-ho - let's go. I drive up the bypass keeping revs above 3.5k and - predictably - after a few minutes, I get the glow plug warning light flashing and the car goes into limp home mode... I drive home and sit on the driveway whilst running the OBD Eleven diagnostic programme. Sure enough - it's the P2279 fault code again So - I reset it and it clears. I'm going to ignore it and leave the car in the garage until my new filters turn up; fit them; refit the intake ducts, and then take it out to see if anything I have done has made any difference. Amazon have delivered my 5 point star bits, so I'll be able to take out the original sensor and clean it - although it seems unlikely that this was the actual problem now. Anybody have any other ideas please? Mike 😎 PS On the positive side - no Check Engine Light this time... 😆

So, it's still pretty pleasant in the garage. Full shade and with a nice breeze. The air filter is in a shameful state - I don't think I have changed it since before I went to Italy in 2017. Of course, lockdown meant I have done very few miles in the intervening time, but I'm still surprised by the state of it. I already ordered an air filter and cabin filter from eBay, but they've not arrived yet. I vacuum out the intake void, which has a fair collection of straw, leaves and dead bugs in it, then refit the dirty air cleaner... I I push the new MAF into place - it fits very snugly (as it should) and I secure it with the two self tappers... I find a jubilee clip for the top of the breather hose - I reuse the spring clip for the joint at the bottom... I fit the plug to the MAF, refit the intake pipe - which proved to be a royal pain in the parts to do. I managed to lose both fasteners into the Graveyard of Parts, as I have now named my undertray, but replaced them from my spares bin. Anyhow, eventually it was all buttoned up, with the exception of the intake ducts and the engine cover, as I'll be replacing the air filter in a couple of days. I am, once again, absolutely filthy after this - and go and have a good scrub with Agent Orange followed by a few cool drinks whilst I give Marnie a bit of attention...😃 I suppose now would be a good time to go out and plug the OBD Eleven in and see if it worked, eh? 🤔

I got bored, the sun had moved round and there was a nice breeze blowing, so I thought I'd give it a go... 😃 The first thing that struck me was that there was a lot of oil and dirt down there, by the junction of the breather and the air intake hose - and subsequently on the joint of the air intake hose to the turbo. A lot... 🤨 First things first, though. Yesterday afternoon I was clumsy enough to drop my electric screwdriver into the engine bay - if you squint you can just see it lying on the undertray... That really is filthy... 😱 I have a couple of long reach gadgets... ...to try to reach, but it turns out that the simplest way is to unhook one of the fasteners in the driver's side wheel well and reach in and grab it... So I unbolt the MAF, and then the breather and the air intake pipe. I wipe some of the gunk off them in the garage using the last of a tin of brake cleaner, then cart them into the kitchen (no - Im not married... 😆). I start by cleaning my hands and forearms with some Fast Orange, which soon has them clean. I then run a hot sink full of water and a good dose of Fairy Liquid and take a nail brush and a washing up sponge to the parts... This takes a while... ...but eventually they look like new... I give the pipes a close inspection for any signs of cracking or deformation, but they both seem to be in good condition... ...and take note of their part numbers. This breather pipe is still available new - at some ridiculous price on eBay, (€85 or so) from Lithuania. The intake pipe doesn't seem to be. Both pipes are available used from a number of sources for between £10-25 or so. However, I don't think I'll be needing any new stuff. The breather pipe has one of those spring clips holding it on at the top end, but nothing at the bottom end, where it was leaking so badly. When refitting, I am going to put a jubilee clip on that joint (it has a ring on the moulding to take one - I'm guessing whoever had this off last time broke or lost a clip) and I think that ought to solve the situation. I'll pop the intake ducting off in a month or so's time and have a look down at the joint to see if there has been any oily build up... So - enough time here in the cool - time to go and refit things... 🤨

The MAF arrived in the post today... ...and seems to be identical to the OEM part fitted to the car, even down to the 'anti-tamper' five point star bolts holding the sensor in. I also got a can of MAF Sensor Cleaner - to use on the original part to see if it's recoverable as a spare... Trouble is, my garage and driveway are in full sun and very warm right now. I think I'm going to set an early alarm in the morning and tackle the job then...

No - all good except for the driver’s door trim…😆

Thanks Tom - it’s not a big thing, but I’m sensing you’re as particular about your car as I am… 😁

So, I took the door card off again today, and all but one of these clips... ...broke. Thankfully I over-ordered when doing the job last time and these clips... ...have been fitted in their place. I don't know whether they will prove to be stronger than the others, but they did sort of 'click' into place in the holders, where the earlier ones were pretty loose.These are thee ones from the Amazon link above. My situation (having to remove the same door card twice in fairly quick succession) was a little unusual, but I think I'm just going to treat these as disposable service items. I'll buy more every time I find the need to take a door card off...

Epic job on the bodywork 😃👍 I always think silver is one of the most difficult colours to make look shiny - you've certainly managed that! Quick question - did you throw out the old faux-aluminium trim? If not, what sort of condition was the driver's door trim in (mine's a bit scratched)?

So - once it had reached the UK (yesterday, having been posted in Poland on 23rd June 🤔), the Post Office delivered it the next day... So, it's meant to get a bit warm this afternoon, so lets go outside (in the shade at least) and fit it... This is familiar ground to me, having fitted the last module a few weeks back. Gently lever off the faux-aluminium trim panel. Undo the two torx and two crosshead screws revealed (mine only has one of the crossheads - and no spring clip for the second one to screw into, but this doesn't seem to matter; use a spudger, antique tortoiseshell comb or credit card (whicher you have to hand) to lever out the window switch cluster to reveal... ...the final hidden screw - another torx - which was incredibly tight. I can't remember putting this much effort into doing it up...🤨 Finally, the last crosshead screw at the bottom, centre of the doorcard. You can now pull the doorcard off, starting at the bottom, pulling the clips out of the door. Once you have it free, you need to disconnect the door handle cable, the main connector to the door ECU and the cable... ...from the tweeter loudspeaker in the front of the window. All but one of the brand new clips I had put in when doing this job broke... 🤦‍♂️ Thankfully I over-ordered last time and have plenty left - including some different looking ones from another supplier which I think I'll be using when reassembling... 🤔 The module is snuggled between the back of the ECU and the foam door lining. I get my trusty box of electrical connectors and get to work... I soon have the new module hooked up... ...and give it a test. It works perfectly 😃 I fit all new clips in the doorcard and reassemble everything - test it again and call the job a good one... 😎 Weak clips New clips - don't know if they are going to be any better, but they sort of 'clicked' into place in the slots, where the others were pretty loose. Work's not done yet, though. I got a text telling me that the Mass Air Sensor I ordered from eBay will be delivered tomorrow - so I'm going to do some prep work for that job... I pop the intake off, then remove the engine cover. It's pretty warm and I'm not fully focussed - and manage to drop my little Bosch power screwdriver down the front of the engine and hear it come to rest on the undertray... 🤦‍♂️ There's only one way to deal with this situation. Shut up shop and deal with it tomorrow. I run the car into the garage and close it down. Before doing so, I noticed that the sensor is held in the body of the unit by two screws, which I initially thought were security torx - but they turn out to be a five-pointed star with a security pin in the middle. I search my (pretty extensive) range of bits and don't have these. 🤔 I found these on Amazon, which will be delivered tomorrow.Time for a bit of rehydration and teasing my dog, whilst we wait until it's cool enough to take her out for a walk...

Thanks Steve - will do... 👍

So, the new number plate lights arrived today. It was a simple matter to remove the old ones - then a laborious process to clean the red grease off the left hand light - that stuff went everywhere... 🤦‍♂️ Still - the number plate lights and casting look pretty sharp now... 😎 ...and so I have managed to extinguish ONE of the warning lights... 😆 EDIT - I heard back from Kev, my Audi parts mate. The casting is still available, for just over £90... 🤔

I have been driving Audis for over 30 years, but on occasion their parts prices still surprise me... 😆

OK, after a chat with my local independent mechanic, who told me that he'd never found an air leak to have caused this fault in decades of spannering, I ordered a new MAF from eBay for £20 or so (should be here on Saturday), as well as a can of MAF Spray Cleaner (apparently it's essential you use this - not carb or brake cleaner), so that I can see if I can clean the current sensor up enough to have as a spare. I also rang my buddy at Audi Parts - to be told the genuine Audi part is over £300 - even with the generous discount he's able to give me... 😱 Assuming fitting the new part clears the fault code, I'll take the old girl for a bit of a hi-rev run to clear out the DPV, which should cure that problem 🤞 I'll post up results. Mike 😎

Sunroof - it's a convertible... 😃

Huge one 😆

I was on the road this morning at just before 0500, heading from Norfolk to Bristol for a business trip. Just after an hour into the journey I got the 'glow plug' warning light flashing... ...followed by a reduction in power as the cruise control clicked offline and the car went into 'limp home' mode. I pulled into a layby and switched the engine off and back on again - which cured it for about 30 seconds, after which it came back again. I turned around and headed home. At some stage, about 20 mins later I think, the 'Check Engine' light came on... ...followed, with a beep, some 10 minutes later, by the DPF Filter warning light... Oh joy. I made it back home and plugged in the OBD Eleven and got the following: P227900 - Intake Air System Leak static priority - 1 frequencyCounter - 2 drivingCycle - 255 km-Mileage - 170257 km This apparently suggests an air leak. I watched our very own Gav's YouTube video on the fault, which involved doing a smoke test (which failed to show any leaks) and then the replacement of a Mass Air Sensor. The car Gav was fixing was a later model than mine with a different engine (mine is a 2006 2.0TDi 140 with a BPW engine), but this seems a reasonable diagnostic course to follow, doesn't it? I'm tempted to think that the 'limp home mode' for over an hour might be the cause of the DPF Filter warning, and that an 'Italian tune-up' might well clear it. Any ideas or comments welcome. Thanks, Mike 😎 PS If you're not subscribed to Gav's YouTube channel, I recommend it - used it twice this week already! 👍