gsmdo

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! 👍

Steve Q has almost certainly hit on the answer here. The water collects in the trough under the scuttle cover and then enters the car via the cabin pollen filter, above the left footwell. If that turns out to be the snag, replace the pollen filter at the same time - and find a sudden improvement in airflow around the cabin!

What a damned shame - nice looking car... ☹️

I'd join you in ignoring it then. It's annoying when you can't pin down a cause, isn't it? 🤨

Is it the noise that suddenly rises in pitch then stops in the video? It certainly sounds like a starter issue - it sounds like the motor is suddenly running without load. When they replaced the starter, did they replace the bendix as well? I would have thought it was more related to that. Weird it only does it frrom cold. If you immediately switched off, would it do it again from cold, or is it only on the initial start?

So, today my new alloy casting arrived. I followed this guy's YouTube guide, which told me everything I needed to do for the job (with the exception of removing the handle actuator, which was easily sorted). So, here's the new casting in place. I have temporarlily remounted the LED lamps from the old casting, but they will be replaced by the new ones when they arrive. I used some red rubber grease to help seal one lamp in - but I'll clean it out and perhaps use some silicone sealer when I fit the new ones, as I'm not a fan of the 'crime scene' effect it gave the car. To answer my own silly question - the bolts are M3 16, which I got from my 'come in handy' drawer. As I'm using stainless screws into an alloy casting, I gave the threads a generous gob of copper grease. The bolt is really awkward to do up - but I managed to find a use for a little ratchet driver I've had gathering dust for a couple of years, which did the job perfectly with just a hex bit fitted in it. The only pain in the parts aspect of the job is that the number plate needs to be removed to get the casting out of the car. No problem if it's held in by bolts, but mine was held in by sticky pads. Luckily I had some spares - but cleaning the old foam off was a bit of a pain... If it wasn't for that, this is a job you could comfortably do in an hour or so. Once you have the old casting out, you can take it away from the car and switch the parts from old to new in the comfort of your house, rather than stretching over the boot lid outside.

⭐Hi there, I shut the boot this morning and something fell onto the floor. It was the right hand number plate lamp 🤦‍♂️ As you can see, the whole alloy housing is badly corroded, and I remember having to use a self-tapping screw and some epoxy to hold things together when I fitted LEDs a few years back. So, I have managed to source a new OEM housing for a pretty reasonable £80 delivered, and I'm going to order a new pair of LED lamps to fit into it (which I will be treating with a good degree of water and salt proofing to avoid a repeat of this).The only thing I don't know, is what size screws/bolts hold the lamps in place - can anyone give me a steer please? Whilst we are on the subject - is this likely to be an involved job? I see I'll have to remove the boot lock - is that going to come out in one piece with the latch mechanism? It's clear I have no idea what I'm doing, isn't it? 😂🤣😂 As ever, any help and advice appreciated. Mike 😃

Well the vendor has been brilliant 😃. Here's the response from him first thing this morning: Hello I found out what is the issue. You have a rare version of software in door ECU and this is actually making a mess. It happened only twice so far for a few hundred modules already sold. Today morning I posted a compatble version of the remote control module that will solve the issue. Tracking available at XXXX We stay in touch. Regards I don't think you can ask for better service than that 😎 The vendor is based in Poland, so from experience it'll take a week or so to get here. It'll be ten minutes work to fit it (now that I have the right door clips - and some spares😆). My car is a 'facelift' 2006, which I have found differs from its predecessor and successor in some weird ways - like keeping the relays under the ECU, for example - so this may be another anomalous example of that. I'l post the result once it's been fitted. Cheers, Mike😎

There was a chap in Essex who advertised on eBay to solve any A4 Convertible roof problem. Unfortunately, you're a long way from his neighbourhood. That said, he might be worth giving a call? I saw his listing a while ago and - owning an A4 convertible - made a note of his details: "I've been in the motor trade for 35 years and have extensive knowledge of VW and Audi convertible roofs and can fix most problems on the first visit Please call 07850685729 or 01728685729 I only operate in Suffolk Norfolk and Essex" I think the first thing you need to do is find someone with an OBDII to see if there are fault codes being stored about the fault. That will give you a place to start... Cheers, Mike😎

Hi there, I had a remote roof module fitted in my A4 about six years ago and it worked fine. Recently it started playing up - specifically it wouldn't open the hood remotely. I thought six years was fair for a cheapish after-market gadget, so ordered another one to replace it - this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143424315368 I removed the door card to fit it and, since it was similar in appearance to the defective unit, and had identically coloured wires, I just cut the old unit off and, using crimp connectors, joined like to like. Before I put the door card back on, I tested it. Nothing - not a sausage.🤦‍♂️ I put the car away for the night, having also discovered that I had bought the wrong size door card clips. 🤨 The following morning, I came out to the garage with a mate of mine to explain the snag. Before we took anything apart, I tried the unit again (you press 'lock' three times within five seconds to raise the roof; 'unlock' three times within five seconds to lower it) - bingo - it worked perfectly 😃👍 My mate (an RAF Techie on the F35 LIghtning) just said "Ferking canbus - there's no understanding it" 😆 He reckoned the canbus does a system check during down time and finds and adopts new stuff. This might not be accurate, but certainly follows the early snags I had with the original module, which was a nightmare for 24hrs - and then worked perfectly... 🤔 Fast-forward two weeks and it has become unreliable. Normally when you press the remote for the third time you'll get a 'click-click' noise from the car, and then it'll enter its routine. Today I've been unable to raise or lower the roof remotely (although the button on the centre console still operates normally, as does holding the key in the locked or unlocked position in the driver's door to raise or lower the roof). Anybody have any ideas on what might be causing this, or how to persuade it back to normal operation please? I'm going to drop the vendor a line with a link to this post, although my feeling is that it's not a fault in the module - more likely another canbus interface thing. I recognise that this is likely the ultimate first world problem 😆 but any advice/experience would be appreciated. Thanks, Mike 😎

Hi Ann, A couple of garbled posts there - have you fixed the problem? Mike🤔

Excellent news! 👍

Holy crap - this should be interesting... 🍿

OK, I did a further search for the correct part number on Amazon and found these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08S1WWZW8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I bought a pack of 20, as they would be delivered the following day - and the sun's out, so I wanted to use the car... 😎 They arrived this morning, fitted perfectly, and I've just refitted the door card. So, for anyone looking for the correct clips for a facelift 2006 A4 B6/B7 Convertible door card, you need Audi Part Number 8Z0868243, or the link above (which you can find by doing a search for the part number on Amazon). Cheers, Mike 😃

Hi Steve, Many thanks for the link - great value! I've just got off the phone to my friendly parts chap - the part number is listed as 8Z0868243, which, when put into the Vehicle Clips search, comes up with these: https://www.vehicleclips.co.uk/interior-door-card-panel-clips-for-seat-8e0868243/ ...which look like the ones that are on the card at the moment. These were £3.80 for 10 with free postage! I've ordered 10 anyway - handy to have on the shelf. I can get the real thing from Audi for 98p each, which still isn't excessive, although I'm going to call that Plan C... 😆 Thanks very much for the input Steve - Vehicle Clips' site is now bookmarked... 👍 I'll post results of this up when I get a solution... Mike😎