Magnet

Hello John, I think you have answered your own question. You are considering a model with the suspension biased towards road holding and not comfort. I think the S Line attracts due to the additional features which come as the package, but the trade off is understandably a harsher ride. Don’t like a harsh ride? Best not to buy an S Line. As well as so called ‘sports suspension’ you will probably find it has low profile tyres, and maybe have the much harder sidewalls of run flats. If not, possibly XL. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mark, Sounds typical of clutch ‘release bearing’ (slave cylinder) issues. Not at all uncommon unfortunately. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Lel, Unless the car’s interior is absolutely dry before you cover it, then you are creating the perfect environment for mould to grow - humidity, increased temperature, and lack of air flow. Kind regards, Gareth.

What offer would you consider reasonable then Matthew - to avoid being messed around? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Geraint, My first port of call would be to consult the owners handbook. If the recommended grade is indeed 5w/30 then I’ve used Quantum Longlife 3 (VAG recommended) to good effect for years. Although ‘Longlife’, I change it annually at around 7k covered. Perhaps an overkill, but… I buy this at most competitive price from reliable suppliers on EBay. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with Mannol with the correct specification - it just boils down to a personal choice. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello James, Thanks for joining, and sorry to hear of your oil consumption issue of around 70 miles to the pint - in old English. I fear all the information you need will be in the earlier posts, and unfortunately it does not make good reading. Without reading back over the posts, my memory points to Audi now washing their hands of this issue where the vehicle is over 10years old ( please check) so any redress/ goodwill doesn’t exist any longer-? Let’s hope someone can answer your last question, but follow-ups can be rare on this, and other forums. Apologies for the pessimism, but it sounds as if you would be wise to cut your losses at this stage and dispose of the car without further loss. Almost certain to be too late now - 4 months on from purchase - but why did you buy a car with the EML on, and why has it taken you so long to discover it’s consuming oil at the rate of c70 miles/pint? If both these issues had been addressed much earlier, then you might have had some redress against the seller - particularly if bought from a trader. Kind regards, Gareth.

There are far more Gregg. Vintage Supplies ( Paul Beck) being just one of them. I wouldn’t restrict my search to just Woolies. Also search ‘ Rubber extrusions’ or similar. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gregg, ‘Perished’ probably means beyond salvage, but just incase not, I have seen rubber/polythene tubing being fed down the rubbers to boost them back to shape. Possible suppliers:- Google ‘classic car trimming supplies’. You will come up with Woolies and a few others, and they may just have something that might be of similar profile. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks for the additional detail Adam. I can see the impracticality of returning to the retailing dealer in this case. Visiting your local dealership and 90 day warranty items dealt with?? Don’t see why not, but obviously you would need to check. Follow up service poor? Perhaps not surprising if they retailed a car with tyres worn to near the limit . Not a good start for you. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello John, I’m not sure why you think Brian? works for Audi, but… The hard knocks fact is you are right, that ‘the car should not have engine failure to this extent if looked after correctly’. Indeed such engines should be capable of 200K miles and more. The problem here isn’t to do with sub standard build quality, but all to do with the servicing dealer not alerting you to the (essential) need to get the belt assembly renewed when the car became 5 years old. If they had done that, and they had indeed renewed it, then the engine would have sailed on for the next 5 years. So again the hard knock fact is - it hasn’t been looked after correctly. Your fault? No. As I see it, your ‘claim’ rests fairly and squarely with the servicing dealer, and not actually with ‘Audi’. Audi set up the servicing schedule requirements that the dealers need to adhere to, and alert owners of ( as they did with Brian) and as I see it from what you tell us, the servicing dealer has fallen short in your case. You have no blame in this (from the facts you tell us). Belts actually going in the 5th year? Not common, but modern stop/start functions ( you have s/s?) put a far greater strain on belts than they used to - particularly in cold weather. Hope some of this helps you and your case John. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Adam, Sorry to hear of your plight. A couple of points as I see it:- ‘…tyres almost worn to the limit…..’. It used to be that car retailers had to ensure any (non-trade) vehicles retailed had to have a minimum of 3 mm of tread remaining at the point of sale. Still is? If it had been mine, once the locking wheel bolt became over difficult to remove, then I would have returned the vehicle to the retailer under the 90 day warranty, and requested that they remove the locking wheel bolts. If they ( the retail dealer?) have pointed you to a specialist, then why not entrust the car back to the dealer, and request they arrange with the specialist. I’m not sure why you should feel wary of the recommended specialist -? Mc.Gard? Well proven supplier. Why not look up their contact details and give them a ring? Alternative:- it wouldn’t surprise me that the specialist would be well versed in the availability of replacements. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on Adam. Kind regards, Gareth.

Yes, it does sound a reasonable ‘investment’. Sorry to be pessimistic, but have a read of the recent topic ‘Q5 engine failure’ - or similar. Not sure what engine you have, so well worth a check. Servicing plans at main dealers can leave you open to wear items such as brake pads and discs etc. needing renewing - at Audi prices! Breakdown cover is roadside assistance only, I think - rather than get you and the car transported home? but…. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks John, So no one at the Audi dealership advised you to get the belt replaced prior to, or indeed just after, it’s 5th birthday -irrespective of the mileage? Sorry about all the questions, but when did you actually buy the car, and was that from the dealer who did the last or earlier services? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks John, Is this engine running on a belt rather than a chain then? Pardon my ignorance, but I thought they ran on a chain. I could be wrong -? If (in caps) it is a belted engine then the rule of thumb is that it’s changed at a time interval of every 5 years, and as such the Audi dealer should have advised you of this when the vehicle reached 5 years old, at some point during 2022. Did they? Are there any positive indications to date that the engine work will be carried out under your extended warranty - or indeed indications that it won’t be? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, Still under warranty I guess -? If so, I would not be bothering to enquire whether anyone else has had a similar issue, but simply booking it into Audi to get the problem resolved. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello John, Thanks for joining, and very sorry to hear of your plight. Could you let us know what happened immediately before and at the point of breakdown. What does the Audi dealer say is actually wrong with the engine? Could you let us know the service history of the car, and when ( at what mileage) it was last serviced, and whether at a main dealer or not. Have you owned it from new, and if not, how long you have owned it? Kind regards, Gareth.

What part of S. Wales, James? - unless you have now found someone and had it done. If so, perhaps you could let us know by who. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, Worth checking the wires in the flexible harness section that runs from the body to the tailgate. Wires can become brittle in colder weather and fracture and possibly contact other partly fractured wires. Always worth an initial elimination of this being the cause. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Bill, Many thanks indeed for updating the forum on your unfortunate experience. Please don’t apologise for the delay - unfortunately such responses are rare, so are very welcome when they come through. Having re-read my initial response, it’s I who would like to offer apologies, since I now feel the tone of that reply was unsympathetic towards someone faced with a £2,000 bill through no fault of their own. It may have been was factually correct, but lacked any sympathy. I’m sorry about that. I too would have expected this belt (and it’s assembly?) to have been a scheduled change part, and it seems illogically daft that it wasn’t. It wouldn’t surprise me that that might change. Not that it applies to your car, but I advocate changing the serpentine belt when the cambelt is replaced - usually every 75k miles or 5 years - whichever come first. Of course you are correct that such decisions shouldn’t be left to the knowledge of the owner - who like yourself, puts his trust in the expertise of the servicing dealer. Back to FMDSH. This is a desirable starting point for most owners for correct maintenance, but it is by no means king, and in reality boils down to the vehicle spending a couple of hours in their workshop every year or so. In the meantime, it can suffer from a glorious lack of interested owner attention, never getting its oil, coolant or tyre pressures checked for example. FSH will attract a higher part exchange allowance and an easier sale, but the vehicle may not be that well maintained overall, and certainly has no guarantee of enhanced reliability - as you have unfortunately found. For what it’s worth:- Use the main dealer during the 3 year warranty period and supplement this with your own ‘care and checking’ between servicing. After that, use a trusted local garage or independent, and one where you can actually talk with the mechanics to discuss their findings and any concerns you have. Retain all receipts and service documents in a file along with the vehicle documents. To me, this is evidence of an interested owner’s care, and that is rather priceless. Many thanks again Bill, Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, Worth checking within the flexible harness section between the door and the body A post. It’s not uncommon for wires to fracture within this section due to regular opening and closing of the door - particular in cold weather when the harness becomes more brittle. Kind regards, Gareth.

Positive thinking now Kev. 9 more to go to the 3 score and 10, then you are on overtime rates. Keep enjoying what you can do well. Have a good one. Kind regards, Gareth.

Youngster Kev! Kind regards, Gareth.

Apologies, originally posted in incorrect section. Wishing you all whatever you wish for in the coming year, and trusting 2023 will be kind to you and yours. I’m currently contemplating my ongoing participation on the forum, so would also like to take this opportunity to wish you all well for the future, and to thank you for taking an interest in the thousands of posts made in the hope of helping others with their issues. Take care all, Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Derek, Um! Alternator output would have been good, as would a check for any parasitic drain, but it would not have been out of the ordinary to simply replace the battery. Lion batteries? From experience, Lion would be at the top of my ‘last brand to buy list’. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Derek, Was the alternator output checked? Was the new battery coded to the car? Make of new battery as a matter of interest? Kind regards, Gareth.,