Magnet

Hello Tim, Many thanks for the extra information. Re. pre sales service - can we take it it was it bought from a main dealer? If so, there shouldn’t be any issues with say the air filter quality, but I guess we are assuming (in caps) that it was renewed as part of the service, since it isn’t always. Worth a check? We really do need to get some other owner experience here, so come on folks! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello John, I think you are very wise in asking for owner’s comments before dipping your toe in the water - let’s hope that experience is forthcoming. Pending that, my general comment to would be to ask whether the ‘look’ of the car is more important than ride quality? If so, then ride quality will certainly be compromised by larger diameter wheels with low profile tyres, and the likelihood of these tyres also being run-flat, which in themselves, significantly hardens the ride. If you are ‘buying on appeal’ then it’s worth checking what you are getting in terms of wheels and tyres, before you add to that the inherent effect of sports suspension. I can understand the ‘buying on appeal’ bit, but in practical terms the appeal is directed to the passer-by rather than the owner, since much of the appeal factor becomes invisible to the driver when the car is being driven. Would owners be kind enough to help Tim out with their experiences? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Tim, Pardon my ignorance of your particular engine, but is this close to 3 litre? It’s disappointing that no one has yet come forward to share their experience - come on folks, help Tim out. Pending some response Tim, I take it the car is well serviced in terms of air filters etc. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Roger, Many thanks for being in touch with the forum. ‘Downsizing’ wheels is a fairly rare choice, but understandable in my book, if you are looking to improve the ride quality. Downsizing by two inches is a fair decrease though, Having said that, I guess you appreciate that the tyre profile will need to be increased to ensure the outside diameter of your proposed 18 inch wheel + tyre, will be equal to that of your current 20 inch. One other point - you will need to check if 18 inch wheels were listed as an option on your model year. If so, no problem, but if not, you will need to inform your insurers that you have fitted non-standard wheels. Appreciate the above does not answer your question about off set, but I would expect that if 18 inch wheels were an option then they are likely to be a straightforward fit. Of course, if you are thinking of aftermarket wheels then this information is of importance. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Glyn, Many thanks for being in touch. I would share your potential (understandable) difficulties in obtaining Y rated winter tyres. Y speed rated tyres are capable of withstanding speeds in excess of 160 mph, and it would be difficult to imaging why anyone would be thinking about driving at over twice the legal limit on snow and ice! - particularly around the beautiful rural lanes of Shropshire. Kind regards, Gareth.

What colour and what side Gerry, incase someone on here comes across anything?

Hello Olumide, It’s probably me, but I’m not following the logic of your statement. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Bradley, Thanks for being in touch with the forum, and for sharing your experience with your tyres. I too would certainly consider your tyre wear rate to be (grossly) excessive, particularly since most of your mileage has been on motorways. Couple this with previous experience of getting a normally acceptable 17.5k, and it must be concluded that there is something ‘different’ about these tyres - as opposed to your driving style. Wonder if you would like to share what make they are Bradley. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Kenneth, Many thanks for being in touch and sharing your experience. As a matter of interest, are you talking about a genuine Audi replacement pump here? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jose, Many thanks for being in touch, and sorry to hear you have been in difficulties with your foot, and I can understand your need to change to an automatic. I would be say that unfortunately, it would be totally uneconomic to convert your current manual to automatic. The car is 8 years old, and if it was practical, the cost would outweigh the value of the car. I would say you would be best to discount the idea, and start looking for a comparable auto model, and set about selling yours. Hope the economics doesn’t disappoint too much. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ewelina, Thanks for being in touch, and sorry to hear you are having issues with ‘stray’ rodents. Although I can understand you thinking that the Audi dealer’s quote is expensive, I think it’s worth bearing in mind that their labour charges are likely to be in excess of £100/hr ( not inc. VAT?). If you consider that, and the fact that they are unlikely to have a recorded scheduled time for this repair, then it may not be as unreasonable as you might first think. If this were mine, I would be seeking advice/quotation from a trusted local auto electrician, and you might find his quote may be lower. However, my overriding concern would be to eradicate these rodents (where do you park the car overnight?) since they can do untold damage to any part of a vehicle they take a fancy to, and although £315 may be an expensive bill to contend with, I think you could find yourself open to much more expensive bills, if you don’t sort out the primarily cause with some urgency. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Pete, I would suggest you first need to/get somebody carefully inspect the linkage mechanisms, looking for wear or points which would benefit from some cleaning and lubricating. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Pete, Your last post refers to the test with the engine switched off and the clutch depressed?

Many thanks for being in touch David. I think you are making a wise move in opting for the Longlife service schedule since it seems you will be covering >25k miles a year. My stab at the service intervals would be that it’s likely to run to 9 months (generally c18k intervals). What I would point out is that Audi are likely to recommend the replacements of certain wear items based on the ‘before next time they see it’ it will need doing, so you could find yourself say changing brake pads etc. before they come near to acceptable limits. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Pete, Sorry to keep asking questions, but does the change seem notchy when you you move the lever (with clutch depressed ) with engine off - between changes? This would be useful to point towards a worn/ needing adjustment selector rod mechanism, or an actual clutch issue. Kind regards, Gareth.

No problem David - we’ve got the picture now (pardon the intended pun!)

OK, so just one label, and the pressures against the XL tyre were initially missed.

Hello Paul, Thanks for being in touch. I would not like to claim this is the answer to your issues, but it could be that the car is overfueling/ running too rich and contaminating the plugs, rather than faulty plugs or coil packs. Does the car use any significant amount of oil? If it were mine, I think I would be considering a simply emissions test at your friendly local MOT station. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, I’m quite capable of confusing myself - without outside assistance! How many labels have you got, and where are they? - inside fuel filler flap? Or are you saying you have one label, but you’ve now found it differentiates between the XL, (which you thought you didn’t have) and the the same tyre sizes in non- XL form? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Pete, It’s probably me, but I’m still not sure of the exact nature of your issue from the description you give us. Is the gear lever notchy? If it is, can the lever be moved through the gears smoothly with the engine switched off and the clutch depressed? Are you talking about the lack of smooth acceleration between the gears? Is there any clutch judder, or does the clutch feel any different to what it used to be like? Kind regards, Gareth.

Sounds like it’s bucket and sponge, and the Hoover then Nigel! MOT expires 23rd June. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gerry, Thanks for being in touch. Could you let the forum know what side wing, what colour, and what colour code you are looking for. We take it you are looking for a secondhand wing of the same colour as your car, which is understandable. The issue you have is that greatly reduces the chance of finding one, and in my experience, even if you do, there is a strong possibility that it will have suffered from a couple of storage scratches and surface imperfections. Possible sources, EBay, Gumtree, for breaking this model. Registering your want with online car breaker links such as Partsfinder etc. ( there are others) which alert car breakers of your want. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Nigel, Thanks for placing the advert and for leaving a phone number for any more detail. Trust you don’t mind me pointing out that you don’t mention any thing about mileage, MOT ( appreciate theses can be looked up on line but it saves anyone having to do that), service history, and of course price. Perhaps risking appearing critical when it’s meant to be constructive, but it will probably pay dividends - interest wise - to invest in a valet. Good luck with the sale. Kind regards, Garetg.

Hello Ashley, I can’t claim this is the the cause of your issue, but ‘bulb out’ warnings usually activate by monitoring resistance in the circuit, so it associates an abnormal resistance by indicating the bulb isn’t working. Now LED bulbs may ( and probably do) have a different operating current/ resistance from the normal original non LED bulbs, so it assumes it’s a ‘bulb out’ issue, and throws up that warning. Test:- fit new standard bulbs and see if it resolves your issue. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Pete, Thanks for being in touch, but you really will need to give us rather more of a description than you have. Can’t help noticing you have a strange description of the this car and it’s year! Kind regards, Gareth.