Magnet

Hello Robert, Spring failure is now almost a fact of life, since coils have thinner cross sections, less coils and more tension - something has to give, sooner than it used it when engineering was not controlled by marketing. Take it you are renewing both sides-? Kind regards, Gareth.

Great - well that’s different from ‘as soon as possible’.

Hello Paul Wishbone ‘started to part’ on a 2016 model? ‘…..so I’m told….’. Personally, I would want a second opinion on this from an independent source, or a thorough personal inspection, before renewing these wishbones at this time. A caveat maybe if the vehicle has covered a higher than average mileage, or has been used under rougher than normal terrain for the model. If indeed they need changing, I would go with a good aftermarket brand, such as Lemforder, bought at most competitive price from sellers on EBay etc. Gearbox oil? Strangely, I had thoughts yesterday that I should be considering changing the oil on our 168K, 16 year old A3! Car has been owned from new, and it’s never been changed to date. Not sure if that helps. Caveat - yours is also manual -? If auto, worth factoring this in within the next couple of years. Differential? Pardon my ignorance, but Haldex system? If so, could be worth considering. Search for a trusted transmission specialist and talk with them. Once the vehicle is out of warranty, all things maintenance is not Audi dealer or even an independent, but a trusted local knowledgeable source. Hope some of this help. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Teresa, ’As soon as possible’ maybe too late - unless you are not using it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, Many thanks, What price do you want for it - apart from ‘offers’? Kind regards, Gareth.

Simple things first Vinny. Eliminate the battery as the culprit. If you know what you are doing ( all in caps) then connect up some jump leads to another vehicle that has a good battery. If you are not completely confident and competent at this - DO NOT DO IT. Kind regards, Gareth.

I add Mann to that list. We are talking oil filters here - not air filters-??

Hello Matt, Yes, of course - you are certainly welcome to advertise your car on the forum. Just provide a fullest of descriptions of the car that you can, and ideally some photographs. Also post the price you want for it. Do not include any phone or e Mail contact details since this is an open forum. Interested buyers will be able to contact you via. a PM. Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello whoever-you-are. You set this forum an impossible task by not even outlining the minimum of detail - not even your name! Could you start again, by including your name, location, vehicle details inc. engine size petrol/diesel, mileage, history of service, when it was last serviced, whether any advisories on MOT etc. etc. I’m sure someone will then be able to help you, once you’ve helped us to help you. Perhaps you would also be kind enough to have a look at the forum rules. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, Thanks for joining and posting your advert. You say ‘…..unlikely to find better at any age/price..’ , but unless I’ve missed it, I cannot see the price you want for it. Would you be kind enough to let forum members know what price you require for the car. Please avoid ‘offers’ since this is likely to result in yourself, and forum members being messed around. Many thanks and kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks for the update Chris. Bit confused by the last paragraph/question - to who? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Michael, Why high performance bushes? Are you going to be using this regularly on track, as opposed to normal road use and driving? Kind regards, Gareth.

OK Lee - that’s quite a bit clearer. To me, from the photo - it appears to be more than a crack in the paintwork ( through metal?) but I’m sure you will appreciate its difficult to determine simply from your photo. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, Thanks for the reply, but the question remains:- Not available new?? ‘…….searching …….scrapyards ….’ Are you intending to use Partsfinder etc., or just searching random scrapyards via. your own searches? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Lee, It could just be me, but I can see any ‘crack’ . Photo 1 - nothing. Are you talking about photo 2 and the ‘tape line’ where it appears (perhaps) the panel has been resprayed and the masking tape has been poorly applied - not allowing the paint to fully cover up to the window trim? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, Part unobtainable from dealer? If so, second hand is of course the only option. Have you tried the on-line car breaker links, such as Partsfinder? - there are more. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Simon, The bit about servicing/MOT station. Are these one and the same, and/or does the servicing garage get the car MOT’d at the same time as the service is carried out. Any intention of taking the arm to the MOT station for them to see what they have missed about 3 months ago!? Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Simon, Apologies, but I really think you are mis-directing your concerns about how long these components should last, and your primary concern should rest with the MOT centre and/or the servicing garage, both of whom have put you in a life threatening situation with this vehicle. To try to box this up:- Is the servicing garage also the MOT testing garage? Irrespective of your answer, I would be steering well clear of them/the pair of them, since they have both put you and yours in this unacceptably dangerous situation. You mentioned ‘both sides renewed -when happened’, which may suggest this didn’t happen yesterday -? If this rusted component failed within 3 months of the MOT date, then you could/should have notified VOSA, who would then have investigated the MOT station. This might well have saved others from a similar fete in the future. If this were mine:- my objective would be to find another trusted local garage, and an MOT station as soon as possible. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mario, You have now sent me 3 PMs! - with the same information! Please, do not send me PMs on this topic, since I cannot personally help you. As asked earlier, could you please just write your responses against the thread, so that other forum members will know the up to date situation. Sorry Mario, but I can’t make it any clearer. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Simon, Thanks for posting the question of how long these critical components should last. It may be considered that 11 years is not long enough, but the location and design make these vulnerable. However, there will be other variables such as what region the car has been used in, that will indicate the likely amount of winter salt used, etc., so for me, I would think the question is generally unanswerable. What really concerns me here is how on earth a car with such an obviously corroded component like this would have passed an MOT in the last 12 months - and even if it did, why it wasn’t marked as an advisory. When did it pass its MOT Simon, and in terms of maintenance, how long have you owned it, and when was it last in a garage for servicing? If this were mine, I would be renewing both sides, and considering renewing the shock absorbers since they might also be rather/well rusted. Perhaps you can come back to us with the detail. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Kevin, Thanks for the PM, but could you please post it as a reply to this thread, so everyone will know the up to date situation. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Richard, Yes, as I said/ thought - you isolate it on start up, and once you switch off, you have to isolate it again. Permanently isolating even via. VCDS etc? Maybe, but I think if it is indeed possible, there may be certain system downsides (BCM associated) which might be adversely affected. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steve, I think there were quite a number of posts about air con. issues associated with a ‘pressure sensor’ - possibly vacuum sensor, which seemed to solve a number of poster’s problems. Probably well worth having a search back. Kind regards, Gareth,

Hello Steve, You really need the correct paint code for the car, rather than relying on paint names. You should be able to obtain the code by requesting a build record via. the VIN. Any dealer should be able to provide that for you. Getting a good match:- aerosols sometimes (regularly?) result in off shades, so be prepared. Pearls often need a specified coloured primer to get nearer to the end results you hope for. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Steve, hence the now (6 year plus?) Audi service database - far less open to any fiddle. As you say never ( in caps) accept any claim of service history without confirming it from an independent source before committing to buy. Kind regards, Gareth.