Magnet

Hello Richard, You could try a new switch, but try will be the operative word, since you don’t know that there isn’t any stored information that the oil pressure was actually low when last used. If it were mine, I wouldn’t now be just changing the sensor (programming-in part?) but first getting the actual running pressure assessed. That way, there is unlikely to be any assumption associated with your issue. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Aiden, You sent me a ‘report’ - to action? - but there isn’t any text with it. Perhaps you would be kind enough to let the forum know what the perceived issue is. Kind regards, Gareth.

Try Malcolm at Aberdeen Audi, Robert - they are usually quite accommodating on discounts - appreciating Audi discs are not cheap, but at least you will have a discount marker price if you do find an aftermarket supplier. Kind regards, Gareth.

The come-back against a private seller will depend on how the advert description compares with the vehicle. That’s why some adverts just say ‘Starts, stops, runs’! etc.

Hello Chris, My primary concern would be to know how much oil this car is actually burning, since it appears that it is sufficient to oil up the plugs. What is its oil consumption Chris? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello John, Thanks for the additional information. No criticism intended, but it’s yet another case of the disadvantages of buying any vehicle (ex internet search?) and the comparative impracticalities for any offered warranty. The theory is that the seller must be allowed to correct any faults, and the warranty may (in caps) dictate that faults found within period x of the sale date, must be financed by the seller. Some (many?) warranties allow the buyer to get the car repaired at a garage of their choice, but it’s not uncommon for garages to not want to be involved due to the potential wait for payment. Anyway, and hour with the small print will tell you where you stand. In my experience, noises are not characteristic of a model. The car is trying to tell you something. Possible clutch issues? Carefully check your warranty for any ‘wear and tear’ exclusions. Temperature gauge fluctuations? Not normal and quite likely to be what I said. Your call John, but if it were me, I would still be following my earlier advice regarding notifying the seller. You can specifically ask that you get the car inspected at your local Audi dealer, but again, I would get that done with the minimum of delay if they agree. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello John, Many thanks for being in touch. ‘Metallic high pitched rattle’ :- It is always very difficult/ impossible? , to diagnose such issues without test driving and examining the car, so unfortunately you boil down guesses, like timing chain ( if chain driven) and/or a result of the timing being advanced enough to cause the engine to pink under load. ‘...felt through the clutch pedal...’ guessing again - possibly DMF issues would tie in with this. Variable coolant temperature? My first port of call would be defective thermostat. Right, having said all that, you should not have to be concerned with the causes, but certainly concerned about their rectification, and you should be informing the seller (in writing) of what the issues are. Taking it to an Audi dealer? I certainly wouldn’t, without the consent and agreement of the seller, otherwise they could rightly claim that a third party had been interfering with the car. To me, time would be of the essence in terms of notifying the seller - I would be doing this as a matter of urgency, rather than Googling the symptoms to death! Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Steve, I think it’s time to agree to disagree on motor manufacturers not placing specifications on major component and material suppliers, and it maybe irrelevant to know that my working role was associated with the control of such material supplies and specifications. Still... As I said, I definitely cannot, and certainly don’t want to, challenge your extensive user experience, and I’m sure that that experience is, and will be, of benefit to folks wishing to consider what brands they may wish to fit to their vehicles. I think my many difference of opinion rests with your claim that ‘a brake pad is a brake pad, is simply a brake pad’. I’ll ignore the bit about ‘no practical experience........not fair and unbiased advice’. And the ‘inane analogy’ which, if it actual is, maybe considered so, since it just doesn’t fit into the argument logic! Anyway... Many thanks again Steve, Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Tony, Sorry to hear of your issue, and I’m not sure what investigation work you have carried out to date to try to eliminate some of the numerous possible causes. Perhaps you could let us know. Whatever, I think you are now going down the responsible road of getting this professionally looked at as a matter of urgency - irrespective of the limited remaining warranty period. Again, perhaps you could eat us know the outcome. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Kevin, I would suggest you take the car to you local trusted tyre retailer and get them to remove the nuts. If they have been put on with an impact gun on full torque then you are going to need an unreasonable amount of non impact leverage to remove them. The tyre caps are also likely to have the special sockets to remove rounded nuts. I would be arming myself with a new set of wheel nuts/studs beforehand, and then ensuring they are torqued to the correct torque. It might just be my experience, but many tyre bays put the nuts on with an impact gun, then carefully get the torque wrench out to make sure it clicks! Goodness knows what they are actually torqued to. Kind regards, Gareth.

I certainly don’t question your experience Steve, but your final paragraph disproves your theory that manufactures don’t supply to individual specifications. Apologies for labouring the point made in your first paragraph - so it would appear that a manufacturing supplier supplying let’s say Tesco, would supply the same specification for Tesco Finest as they would for Tesco Value then - since it wouldn’t make fiscal sense to do otherwise?? Kind regards, Gareth.

Price Matt?

That’s better Syed. So you added the correct quantity of oil, and you don’t have an oil leak. Logic would point to a faulty oil level sensor - or does it have to be recalibrated at every oil change?

So what is the listed handbook capacity for an oil and filter change then? ‘ ....around 7 litre...’ . - was that what you put in, or was that what you were supposed to put it? Not sure I like the ‘around’ bit. Kind regards, Gareth.

Exactly what volume of oil did you put in the car Sayed, in comparison with what was quoted in the owners handbook under ‘engine oil capacity including filter’? We take it you also renewed the oil filter. Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Robert, and it’s clear that you obviously asked the sensible questions relating to the main dealer’s ambiguous report. If this were mine, I would simply be placing my trust in the local garage’s inspection, and be following their guidance regarding the need to do anything in a hurry. Discs ‘lip’, and the lip often appears worse due to the inevitable increased corrosion on the extreme outer rim. The all important bit is to have the overall thickness measured against the minimum allowable thickness limit. Again, discs score, so the garage will be able to assess the severity against normal. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on Robert, but I sense a ‘no panic’ outcome at this stage. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, Many thanks for contacting the forum. Unfortunately, the answer to your brief question, does not lie in its history, but with your capabilities and desires in terms of carrying out any work it needs, and your motivation for buying it in the first place. If that was for monetary gain (and nothing wrong with that) then you dispose of it at a profit and move on. If the perceived gain is longer term, and you have suitable ‘free’ storage, then you retain, maintain, and renovate it, and sit back and wait for the long term benefits of appreciation in value - if (in caps) that happens, as we push on with EVs. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Robert, Many thanks for the additional information, but unfortunately, I remain confused regarding the pad wear since I gues you are quoting from the dealer’s ‘report’, rather than questioning it and genuinely understanding it. No personal criticism meant - except of the dealer, if this is their wording:- ‘.......pad wear ......stated as 20% of their original thickness....’ Are we right in believing this statement as written (in caps) and the pads are only worn a couple of mm., or are they worn down to 20% of their original thickness? Re. large part manufacturing groups who supply to the motor manufactures, producing the same quality/specification parts under all their brands as they do to the manufacturer of the vehicle when new, is unfortunately not the case - the important word being ‘ specification’ - which differs from new and aftermarket. I could elaborate, but I won’t bore, but quote a practical case where your top brand battery that comes with your new car, lasts longer than the same make replacement! Again, am I the only one to believe you get more mileage out of the set of say Michelin tyres that came with the car when new, than you do out of the replacements ? Same brands, same specification -?? Kind regards, Gareth.

On the basis of simple things first, spray some contact cleaner on the level switch and wiggle the connector, and see if this has any effect. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Maurice, Is your intention to upgrade the braking system based on wanting to use the car for track day events? Do you know what make of pads are currently fitted to your car? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Robert, Thanks for being in touch with the forum. I wonder if we can have some clarification:- You say the brake pad wear has been described as 20%. Do you/the dealer mean just that - that they have been worn by 20% of their original thickness, or if they are now only 20% ( approx 2mm remaining) of their thickness? If the former, they don’t need changing now. You then talk about brake disc wear, but you don’t quote what the current thickness is in comparison with the manufacturer’s recommended minimum thickness. The dealer should have been able to provide these figures. ‘Premature brake wear .....and obviously been driven hard....... won’t be replacing with OEM after this experience’ Unfortunately Robert, since the banning of the use of asbestos in brake pads, two things have happened :- pads can wear at a fast rate, and the current pad make up is known to increase brake disc wear. Gone are the days where you were almost guaranteed to get 2 x brake pad renewals before you changed the discs. Not fitting genuine VAG pads again? I think this would be a serious retrograde step, since in my experience the original brake set up and efficiency is very good, and using aftermarket pads has shown a marked decrease in braking efficiency. Personally, I wouldn’t go there. Appreciating VAG charge uncompetitively high prices for their discs, you might like to consider using Brembo discs to go with the new VAG pads. If you are going to go with Steve’s advice of getting a (cheaper?) quote from an independent, then I would be checking what brand of parts they will be using, before committing . Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Tom, Pending someone coming up with the specific answer, then the rule of thumb is, if it hasn’t got a sump plug then it must have a suction facility. Does it have a sump plug? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ieuan, Sorry to hear of your issue with this car, and please excuse the pun, but it’s a pity Cardiff Audi can’t hear about it too! Is this the dealer which has now been ‘rebranded’ - Mon Motors - at Cardiff Gate? Just to be clear on the history, did you buy it direct from them, and was there any form of finance involved in its purchase/lease? I would advise that if there is any finance/lease involved, that you formally complain there as well, and copy them in with all correspondence. As Cliff says, retain a log of all dates and reactions. If this were mine, I would be following their suggestion - simply because this is what they recommend d you to do - and getting this car checked at another main dealer - ideally outside the area that this one operates in. OK, that can be inconvenient, but I would be Googling to find a good reputation Audi main dealer in say the Bristol area and entrust it to them. Of course, they are likely to have access to the history of your complaint, but stress that you are just following the advice of Cardiff Audi. Perhaps you would be kind enough to keep us informed of how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Karolina, Very sorry to hear of your plight, but fortunately, I certainly think you are doing the right thing by being cautious. If I were in your situation, I would simply be getting in touch with your breakdown service and getting them to relay the car and yourselves home. I certainly would not be attempting to drive this home. If you take it to a local garage then I would think your breakdown service may well not assist further unless that garage says they cannot fix the car. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Stacey, Cutting to the chase, you could be ( most likely to be) doing yourself a disservice. Brake disc wear, and scoring is not at all uncommon following changes in the brake pad materials many years ago, which has resulted in discs wearing much quicker than they did. Couple this where MOT inspectors can mark this scoring on ‘Advisories’ and you arrive at your situation, although there is very little wrong at this stage. It’s from here that things can go in the wrong direction ‘.........I’ve asked .........they replace the replace the discs and pads..’. What you are likely to end up with is a set of discs and pads which are the current ‘best deal’ at the local motor factors who supply parts to your garage. They are highly unlikely to/will not match the braking efficiency of genuine Audi pads, so you will be worse off. The analogy would be ‘....give me a new pair of trainers...’ , and you end up not getting the designer brand you wanted. My advice - for what it is worth - yes, have the car re-MOT’d, but do not allow them to replace the discs and pads. Kind regards, Gareth.