Magnet

Hello Allen, Has it rained twixt clearing water out and it reappearing - as Steve asks? Fitted sunroof by any chance. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jon, I thinks it’s clear that Mike has invested in a considerable amount of time and effort to clarify this situation, and to ensure that dealers should (in caps) convey this extra servicing outlay to its customers at the point of contract. As Steve says ‘. ..fantastic work …applauded…. ‘ Potential leasers on here will now be fully equipped ask meaningful questions, and that is great. As you point out:- how much does an extra approx. £11 per month over 3 years bother folks who are going to be signing a contract to pay £300 to £500/month to simply lease a car which will never be theirs? The effort to clarify certainly remains applaudable - the effect, decision changing? Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks again Mike, To try to boil this down to one simple answer to Jon’s very valid question:- The effect is that leasers are likely to have to spend out an extra £400 on servicing over a 3 year period. The causes include the unfair inclusion of the ‘seldom unused’ marketing description - ‘……up to…’. Repeating, and in danger of being patronising, your very time consuming researches and actions has resulted in potential leasers being now being fully aware of their anticipated servicing costs - and the forum is indebted to you for that. Some, like yourself, may now decide to minimise the cost of that extra servicing, and spend a much higher monthly premium to lease the car over two years rather than three. Others may wish to minimise monthly payments and lease a car - and even include a service plan- and tailor the costs to an affordable payment over a much longer period. As much as I applaud the outcome of your efforts, my personal ( in caps) view is that if anyone is involving themselves in financing say a £40,000 vehicle, are they going to be too concerned about spending an extra £133 a year over 3 years? Many thanks again Mike, Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Tony, Pleased you have found the detail you wanted to know - just a little confused really why you needed to know, rather than depending on the air con. specialist’s knowledge. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Nope ( really!?) One simple two word component to check before spending anything:- Battery efficiency. Kind regards, Gareth. ( real name)

Hello Steve, I used to favour KYB, but had a couple of incidences of poor service life (not on an Audi) whereby they became (rock?) hard in a relatively short space of time - gas issues? I was possibly unlucky - twice. The other make you mention is an unknown to me. Something new to learn every day! Many thanks again Steve. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks thanks Peter. One omission ( should be added Trevor?), from this set of Forum Etiquette ‘rules’, is that all important and most frequently overlook principle Politeness. Why does it now appear so difficult for many, to use the words Please and Thank you? Constructive grizzle! - How many new posters do we see who simply wade in with ‘ Can you tell me how to…..’? The other (more often) ignored aspect is to acknowledge advice given. Finally:- follow-up on advice given. This is so often ignored, that when it happens, it really is surprisingly refreshing! Grizzly over! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Norm, You could try Audi Parts Direct ( Cardiff Audi). They usually do a bit of a discount. Phil is the man to see there - from memory. Kind regards, Gareth.

As Cliff says Arron. As you appreciate, the car is trying to tell you something is wrong, and there is something wrong, and it might mean some dismantling/ replacement to sort it. Probably nothing to do with i, but back to your initial post - you mentioned you replaced the drop links/ ARB links. Where did you get them as a matter of interest? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Norm, Thanks for joining the forum. Where have you tried so far? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Oliver, Shame the original poster asked for advice, got it with 24 hours, looked at it, but decided not to respond in any way. That’s how it goes, it seems. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Joe, Thanks for joining the forum and posting your plea. All the fault codes you show -and more - could (in caps) be associated with a below par battery, but it would be a bit of a coincidence that these should be displayed immediately after you have fitted different wheels sizes - and tyres. What size wheels and tyres were originally fitted? What size wheels and tyres are now fitted? Are the current wheel and tyre sizes listed as alternative fitment for your model, and if so, have you adjusted the tyre pressures to their recommended level? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steve, Thanks for being in touch. Re. bonding the screen? Google Classic car Trimmers in your area - they should be fully equipped to deal with that for you. If you cannot find any trimmers, then it’s worth asking one of the principals at a local classic car club. Kind regards, Gareth.

Sounds like they fitted new bearings into your old hub then. Rather a labour intensive way of doing it.

Does that include the cost of the part Andy? - hub complete with bearing replaced, or just bearing? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Sid, Are you talking about the driver seat height adjustment lever nor working as it should? If so, manual adjustment seats or electric? So some of the advice offered when you asked for it, did prove to be useful then - yes? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Richard, Many thanks for being in touch, and for joining the forum. Although an Audi specialist could be considered as a sensible first port of call, I’m not surprised that they are disinterested in doing this job on an older vehicle - if only because they might not have a listed time to do it. Yes, the front main bearing may have some wear, but a new, more supple seal will probably effect a reasonable repair. I would be talking with a trusted small local garage as my next port of call. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jeremy, Thanks for joining the forum, and sorry to hear of your plight. Well worth while registering your ‘want’ with on-line car breaker link sites such as Partsfinder - there are more. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello John, What paint do you want to buy? Touch up, aerosol? If all else fails, then nip it into any main dealer, and there should be enough recentish experience there to identify the colour by name. Getting the code will then be easy. Alternative - you are likely to find the same colour of the same year on an odd car at Tesco’s - or Waitrose if that way inclined! Quite likely the owner can help you. You could also ask at a trusted local bodyshop - there will certainly be experience there. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Matt, Should be plenty of choice on EBay for ‘aftermarket’. Kind regards, Gareth.

Don’t worry Cliff, we will be on to rotors (for brake discs), rocker panels (for sills), hoods (for bonnets) etc., etc. next as Google guides us across that vast water to the land of the Stars and Stripes! For me? - I too will stick with the correct British terminology, but I fear I’m getting too old for this. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Simon, Thanks for joining the forum. Steve has already covered most of the essentials to look for, but if you haven’t been used to buying cars as old as this one, then it’s worth being aware that you are now more likely to encounter the ravages of wear and necessary major servicing requirements. When you say ‘Full service history’ - how many services has it actually had, and at what mileages. How detailed have these services been? You can get a fair idea from the number of recorded times the brake fluid has been changed - for example - and the pollen filter? Can we take it you have obtained a service printout from an Audi dealer? Have you checked the on-line MOT history and analysed failures and how advisories have been attended to? Have you checked the DVLA vehicle check, which tells you when the last V5 was issued, which can be an indicator of how long the last owner has had it. Short term ownership can be bad news. 24 month warranty? That’s unusually long, and you could find you are ‘paying over the odds’ to have this included in the price. Have you studied the warranty, particularly the exclusions/wear clauses, since these can sometimes render the warranty to be relatively worthless? Are you buying this car relatively locally? If not, owarranties and resolving issues can again become impractical. All of this probably sounds negative, but all are fairly simple bits of ‘research’ which may save you a lot of money in the long run. Secondhand car prices are at an all time high, so you will be spending more to buy this car than you probably expected. Irrespective of warranties, it may be well worth investing in a professional inspection of the car before purchase, unless you are confident in your own abilities and knowledge. Hope some of this helps. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steve, For what difference it makes, can we disagree on the terminology? The track rod end fits onto the end of (guess what?) the track rod! It wouldn’t surprise me that Arron has a broken spring - but there again, it’s all guesswork without thoroughly inspecting the car. It’s all good stuff! Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks James, Glad I saved suggesting all that you have done! Detail is King. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello James, Thanks for joining the forum and posting your ‘want’. Before suggesting ‘try here, try there’, could you let us know the extent of your own searches so far. Kind regards, Gareth.