Magnet

Hello Gary, Thanks for being in touch. I think you are right to suspect the battery - if we assume it is the original. I would be thoroughly inspecting all the connections and main battery and body earths as an initial check, and if satisfied with those, take the car for at least a 15 mile run and then get the battery efficiency checked. If it proves to be suspect then I would only replace it with a quality brand, such as Varta/Bosch, but selecting their grades which give you at minimum of 4 years warranty. I tend to buy from on line battery specialist such as Battery Megastore, Tanya, Plymouth Batteries etc. who offer competitive prices and delivery to your door. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello James, When you say oil sensor light, do you mean low oil level warning, or low pressure warning? Re. Cost of oil and filter change? Any local garage and or large tyre retail chains etc. etc. will give you quotes. Kind regards, Gareth.

Apologies David, We take it it’s only the codes from EOA down, you are in doubt about. Unfortunately, it would appear there isn’t any expertise on here to be able to answer your question. If this were mine, I would be ringing the parts department of your nearest dealer - or indeed Audi Customer Services, and I’m sure that either/both should be able to decipher the codes via. an e-mailed copy of the label. I’ve had helpful response on these build record codes from parts departments in the past, for non Audi. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Stephen, Thanks for being in touch. As I see it Tom has answered your question better than I would have. The leasing company are the owners, and you have agreed to their terms, so you must comply with them. ‘Strictly in line with the manufacturer’s recommendations.........only by authorised Audi dealers’ is unambiguous, and if this were mine, I would be sticking with the supplying dealer to service the car, since there cannot be any debate about the correct level of service it should (in their - the supplying dealer’s judgement) have. We take it this car is on a PCP? If so, hand back condition can be a cause of debate, so any deviation from contract is likely to cost you at that time. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Stuart, Hopefully there will be other recommendations for premium branded tyres with good wear records, but for me it’s always Michelin. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Manjit, Many thanks for the additional helpful information. To try to keep this as simple as possible - If it were mine, I would do exactly the same same as you did with the Vectra. The relationship between you and your garage, worked for you then, and I see no reason to deviate from it just because it’s an Audi. In effect, it seems you have a concern regarding difference in the value of the Audi when it reaches 10 years old if it has full Audi service history or the same level of service (with maintained receipts) if it is serviced at your local garage. As I see it, at ten years old the difference -if any- will be marginal, and certainly will not be accountable in terms of the extra spend at Audi. Others may have alternative opinion, but my recommendation would be to follow your experience, but ensure that whatever parts you buy are genuine VAG (at discount), or a limited number of aftermarket brands. Kind regards, Gareth

Hello Bob, This may not sound too polite, but you really need to ditch your two mechanics, and substitute them for an hour’s time with one trusted local autoelectrician. I would certainly not be changing anything until both battery and alternator are tested - both simple tests. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Bob, It seems you have posted two posts quoting similar, but not quite the same symptoms, but both appear to point to battery issues. Have you had the battery tested Bob? This would seem to be the obvious place to start. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Will, Many thanks for being in touch, and hopefully other owners will contribute with their actually-achieved figures. As a broad brush stab at it, I would consider your figures to be reasonable if compared with the quoted claims - which are notoriously optimistic. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dave, Many thanks for being in touch. Good question, for which there will no doubt be varying opinion. It sounds like the previous owner liked his mods/drove this enthusiastically, and ultimately the decision whether to revert to ‘How Audi designed it’ or not, becomes a personal thing. If it were mine, then originality would be king, and back in goes the original filter set up. If you prefer mods and enthusiastic driving then you could choose to leave it, and even consider adding other ‘upgrades’. Not sure if this really helps Dave. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, Many thanks indeed for sharing your experiences at your Audi dealer. Most interesting, helpful, and paints a clear picture from a different angle. There’s a lot of dealer - often referred to as stealers by some posters - bashing on here, and grizzles that dealers won’t give part numbers so they can buy the correct aftermarket parts, and so on, so it’s refreshing to have an alternative point of view. Competitive prices on tyres in relation to Kwik Fit is indeed interesting since KF seem to be far more competitive - even cheapest - than they were. Let’s hope that your post may help the original poster to come to a decision that suits him. From my standpoint, it frustrates that posters join the forum, post a question, and don’t return to look at the responses which people compile at the (considerable) expense of their time. Still, there might be valid reasons why this frequently happens! Grizzle over! As a matter of interest David, do you come south to Cardiff for your main dealer, or is there one nearer to you? Cardiff Audi as was, now seems to trade under Mon Motors, so just interested in the Monmouthshire/Mon Motors connection. Many thanks again and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mathew, Thanks for being in touch with the forum. This could be a door latch issue, or (but not the exactly sure with yours) all doors can be controlled by a module in the driver’s door. I would feel this is a job which it would be worth referring to a trusted local independent, who has probably come across this before. As a matter of interest, do the rear doors open as they should be double clicking the remote? Kind regards, Gareth. Having read your post again it’s worth checking you are doing this as you should:- pressing the unlock button on the remote once, should just unlock the driver’s door. Pressing it twice in quick succession should unlock all doors. Perhaps you could come back to us to clarify what you are actually doing.

Hello John, I’m not sure here whether you have 3 not connected, issues, or 3 separate issues. So difficult to advise without more in-depth meaningful detail, but:- Scraping noise - have you checked that any part of the undertrays etc has not become dislodged? Sticking throttle? - don’t know Throttle and acceleration out of sync. - again difficult, but worth Googling resetting the throttle position sensor. Not sure on your particular model, but it would be something like switching on ignition and pressing the accelerator pedal to the floor, and return 5 times within a specified time ( say 20 seconds). After the 5 x presses, wait for something like 20 sec. and fully press and return again, and switch off ignition. The above is from memory, so please Google and follow the procedure. Kind regards, Gareth.

Ok David, Following on from what I thought, and what you say you dismantled, if this were mine, I would now be minded not to do anything in respect of getting a wheel alignment check, but simply keep a close eye for any tyre wear which wasn’t present pre the hub change. I make this decision based on that sometimes the sophistication of the machine exceeds the operator’s abilities to correct any perceived misalignment - a question of leaving well alone, unless seen to be an issue. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, My gut feeling is that you would not be altering the rear alignment by changing the rear hub, but since you did the job yourself then you are going to be more aware of anything you took apart which wasn’t any way ‘adjustable’. £120 at Audi - not surprised. Why not get it checked (usually free of charge for the check) by a trusted local tyre company on their now-usual four wheel alignment equipment? This equipment is sophisticated, sometimes beyond the expertise of the operator! - so carefully select who you use. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Chris, Appreciating that the low oil level warning may ( in caps) be false, it may not have been - in fact it’s more likely it isn’t - then you have been driving around for 3 months with a low oil level! OK it’s under warranty, but an resultant issue may not manifest themselves until the warrantee has expired. Seems very odd and remiss that common sense hasn’t prevailed here from the outset, and that they simply drained the oil off and carefully added the specified quantity of oil. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Manjit, Thanks for being in touch with the forum, and there really isn’t need to apologise - your questions are very valid. Others may have different opinions, but as I see it you are indeed able to choose between servicing at an Audi main dealer, an independent specialist, or indeed a trusted local garage. With the first two, the car will be serviced using genuine VAG parts, whereas the local garage may use aftermarket parts, unless you specify you only want Audi parts to be used, or even talk with them about you buying the parts and they do the servicing on a labour only basis. Only you can choose which one suits you best, but the following may help:- How long are you intending to keep the car, and what is your annual mileage? Do you consider that full - dealer - service history is likely to enhance any trade in value to the extent that it will cover the extra cost of having it serviced at the dealer? No service book to stamp, and recording the servicing on the Audi system? Independents should have the facility to input into the Audi system, but you will need to double check, and be assured that they actually can/will. Local garage won’t be able to, but in all cases of servicing then always have a comprehensive receipt outlining what has been done, and file that with the car’s information. Costs at Audi?? We don’t know what region of the U.K. you are in, but rates vary, even within the same region, so always check around dealers, but make sure you are talking like for like, e.g. renewing air and pollen filters. You might find your brake fluid may now be scheduled to be changed ( if not already done) so again question this. Last thing - service intervals? Is yours set to a Longlife schedule, or an annual one? Longlife normally means the car covers average annual mileage or above, and services are likely to come around at c18K mile intervals. Annual - means what it says. What mileage are you covering, compared with previous owners? Hope some of this helps Manjit, but please let us know if there is anything in doubt. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Christopher, Many thanks for being in touch, I can understand your concern, and being from the old school! - I too bemoan the lack of a dipstick. Back to your issue:- Oil and filter changed 3 months ago. How soon after did the low oil level warning light come on? Returned to the dealer, but did they top up the oil for you, or have you now topped it up as recommended in the handbook? We hope so, but if not, how many miles has the car covered since the the warning light came on? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Michael, Many thanks for being in touch, and for placing your advert. To aid it’s sale, would you be able to provide more information e.g. MOT and ownership details, bit more about ‘fair’ condition, photos, and an idea of the price you will accept for it? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Borg, Thanks for the additional information. As Cliff says, unfortunately, new may not equate to serviceable, despite the odds against a couple of them ( from the same supplier’s batch?) being defective. Couple of points here Borg:- Are we talking oil level sensor, or oil pressure sensor here? Make of the sensor/s and where you bought it/them? ‘.....not cheap...’. Have you compared the price paid with buying a genuine VAG - hopefully with a little discount? ‘ Fuse is fine...’. Have you removed the fuse, sprayed some contact cleaner, refitted and waggled the fuse to ensure you don’t have any contact resistance there? Contact on to sensor nice and clean/ cleaned and wiring check for any damage? From the book of simple things first - make sure the fuse and connections have been cleaned with contact cleaner. You don’t tell us whether the warning light goes out when you change the sensor, then comes back on, or if it doesn’t go out at all. Simple question, to which I don’t know the answer in your case, but does the fault code need to removed as part of this job before the light will extinguish? Again, worth checking - it could be as simple as that. Anyone on here with any direct experience of this? Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth. Perhaps

Thanks Dan, I would double check that he will indeed be concentrating on a compression test rather than just spending time (and your money) on other things. Kind regards, Gareth.

Well David, ‘.....not bothered whether parts are new or 2nd hand ..’ Now ‘.....trying to buy parts on the cheap since the STEALERS (your caps) charge a fortune..’ Fair do s as they say in this neck of the woods - you have managed to confuse me. Understandably, dealers are not in business to supply part numbers to folks who want to buy elsewhere. I can only wish you good, and repeat my suggestions under ‘... if you want to buy secondhand...’ Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Daniel, Sorry to hear of your issues with the car during these troubled times - not what you want. If this were mine, I would be getting a compression test done on the engine before doing anything else. This will establish whether the car is suffering from valve and/or piston wear, and you can then hopefully eliminate this as the cause of oiling up these plugs. If this checks out OK, then you are at least assured that the engine mechanicals are serviceable, and you can proceed to recheck coil packs and feeds (swopping them over if possible) and plugs. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Vij, If it’s only primer that is visible, but not bare metal, then touching in with a brush could be a way of simply making it less visible, but if you intend getting it professionally attended to soon then best not to do anything at all, apart from giving the car a good wash! - before taking it in on Monday. This gives the impression that you are fussy about the car , so better chance of getting a good job done - wherever it gets done. ‘Taking it to the garage you bought it off...’ - sounds OK, but just beware that they may, just may, suggest they do it for you, which could be they take it somewhere, and they add their commission to the cost. If it were mine, I think I would be asking around for recommendations before committing to anything. You then get the correct impression of whoever is going to do it. Back to estimated costings:- I would be surprised if you were quoted more than £300, but I’m not sure of the general rates in your area. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Vij, Thanks for being in touch with the forum, and sorry to hear of your issue. To respond to your questions:- (1) DIY? If you are asking this question and seeking advice on ‘kits’, then please steer well clear of any attempt to do this yourself. Sorry but you are more likely to make a mess of it than you are to do it to an acceptable standard. Apologies if sounds offensive, but it’s meant to ensure that you don’t make things worse than they are. (2) Chips Away quote of £270 to £360 seems high to me, and if you couple this with the work being done ‘on site’ in cold damp weather conditions, then if this were mine, then this would not be the direction I would be going with. Alternatives:- Depending on what your general standard of care is with the car -e.g. get it washed once in a while, or very fussy about it’s appearance ( do the photos give some guide?) then you could decide to simply cover over any visible metal surface and forget about it for a while. Or, seek alternative quotations from recommended specialist body shops in your area who would deal with this repair in a correctly heated environment. I would normally suggest that you seek recommendations on who to approach from smaller car sales sites. These chaps usually know where to get good work done at reasonable cost. However, I guess these sites will also be closed in your area due to Covid restrictions. Kind regards, Gareth.