Magnet

Hello Daniel, The first port of call has to be to get the alternator output checked, and equally importantly, the battery’s efficiency. It would be understandable that a six year old battery (if still on original) will be nearing the end of its serviceable stop/start life. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dan, The above is the fighting way, and I passed it passed you to see how you feel about putting up a fight. Fighting is fine if you have the back up, will, and time, and my feeling is Audi will put up a fight - as justified as sorting it out should be. I would put my money on the issue being a faulty (hasn’t lasted long) clutch hydraulic release bearing assemblies. They can be a pain, and live within the gearbox bell housing - so it’s gearbox out. I think Audi are hanging their hat on the fact that they will classify clutch mechanisms as wearing parts - which would be fair enough for clutch plates and possibly pressure plates even on a low mileage car. The release bearing (hydraulic section) should be long lived, and it’s very debatable that it also, could be classed as a wearing part, but....... If you don’t want a fight then I would suggest you bite the bullet and pay for a new clutch (release bearing assembly only?) to be fitted at an independent. Audi clutch parts can be daftly expensive, so I would recommend good quality aftermarket parts such as LUK (only LUK). If a fight is on, is the car being purchased on finance of any kind - inc. PCP? If so, they would need to be drawn into battle, since the vehicle will be in their ownership. Perhaps you could let the forum know which direction you will be going in, and how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Danny, Apologies, but I don’t have time at the moment to give a more detailed response, but perhaps the following might be advisable to move progress. Your girlfriend needs to seek assistance from someone on the consumer law angle of this. CAB, her car insurance , legal cover, or possibly (last resort) the breakdown cover provider. Put everything in writing and retain copies. Ensure the sequence of events (with estimated mileages) is recorded on one sheet and forwarded to whoever is going to be dealing with this for her. Be back later with more in-depth reply. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Estimated current mileage? General-use journey pattern? Daily short trips? Normal commute mileage?

Hello Richard, We are not talking main dealer purchase here? Apologies for my cynical hat on approach, but ‘oh talking different car, and yes full service history’ - heard that a few times. You are not putting a deposit of a car you haven’t seen are you? Deposits are non refundable, and you are at the mercy of the seller as to whether they return it or not if you don’t buy. Worth remembering that if you don’t like it when you see it, you will be pulling out of a previous agreement (deposit paid) to buy, so you will have broken a contract. Obviously ignore all the above if you have already inspected it, and I’ve got this ‘different car’ confused. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dan, Can you give us a bit more specific information:- Is the car still under 3 years old? Date registered? Mileage at which the clutch first caused you issues. When the latest problems occurred, when the dealer was notified and what mileage had it covered at that point? What is your proposed plan of action going forward from here? Kind regards, Gareth.

What is the current mileage Richard? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Harris, We need to clarify some facts before moving on:- Any degree of overheating prior to renewing the radiator - even moving slightly above the normal 90? ‘Low level light comes on even though no sign of leakage’. When the low level light comes on, is the coolant level actually low or not? Did you fully bleed the system (with heater set on max. temperature) after you fitted the new radiator? Where did you get your new radiator from? Kind regards, Gareth.

Sounds like a diagnostics next move Duncan. Maybe something completely different, so worth getting that done before jumping into anything. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Duncan, Has the car been standing for a while and not regularly used of late? If so, it is not unknown for low battery efficiency to throw up lights/codes. If not battery associated, and ride heights are OK, weak point can be the compressor (well actually the compressor piston ring). Known contact for replacement ring if that is the issue. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jasper, A consistent 50mA is fine, but as I said - consistent is the operative word. Not sure how you are going to continuously monitor this over an extended period without ‘timed-referenced-back’ equipment - sleepless nights and boring days! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Rob, I’m very much with Cliff - shoddy workmanship not have replaced the large grub screw, but not essential, and should not result in any disc movement when the road wheel is properly secured. I’m confused. Can you just confirm that there isn’t any movement of the disc when the road wheel is on and tight? You are referring to (understandable) disc movement only when the wheel is removed? Can we clear this up before moving on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Now modern K Seal etc. Cliff - probably another story! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello and thanks Ritchie. Sorry, but I’ve no idea on your model, but it will say in the car’s handbook or a correct year Haynes if you have either. If in doubt, it shouldn’t make a significant difference. The idea was that by cranking the engine over without it starting, it should get some oil circulating around before it fires up, but in reality, what you are doing by starting it should not be any worse than restarting after draining the oil and changing the filter. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello C.? OK, you have established your radiator has a hole in it, and that the radiator needs replacing. We know you have added Radweld or similar to your now highly diluted coolant - now substantially water, but still with a blue tint? We know you intend to make a 400mile journey in this car, before renewing the radiator. Bad news, obviously chance taking, with the potential for being stranded at the roadside, and at the mercy of whatever local garage to charge you -whatever- to sort it out. Assuming you haven’t toasted the engine in the process. We assume you have breakdown cover?? Is there any good reason why you cannot renew the radiator before making the journey? If that reason is cost based then see above for potential costs. Re coolant:- ‘Audi recommended and blue in colour’. This confuses, since most manufacturers were using red/pink OAT coolant around the time your car was new. Ethylene glycol and red OAT are two different coolants and should not be missed. To attempt to do so can result in the coolant coagulating, with obvious consequences. Personally, I would not use the car for this journey, but only you know the severity of the leak - but it sounds substantial from your description. I would certainly recheck the correct type of coolant, and if found it should be OAT, then the system needs to be thoroughly (in caps) flushed before changing to OAT. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Personally, I would not be too hung up about the use of Radweld etc. short term, since it is designed to be air hardening, so should remain in solution otherwise that at the leak site.

Hello Richie, It’s good that you are concerned, and seeking advice. To help further, it would be helpful to have an idea of how long the oil has been in the car - we know the car has been standing for almost two years, but..... The answer to this might influence whether it would be prudent to change it before trying to start it, but changing it come with its pitfalls. If it were mine, I think I would be making sure the oil and water are to the correct levels battery fully charged, putting a couple of gallons of fresh fuel in together with 1/4 bottle of Redex (in first). I would then remove the fuse feeding the fuel pump, and crank the engine over (it won’t start) for about 10 seconds. Refit the fuse, switch ignition on and off for a few seconds - say 3 times- to ensure the fuel system is primed, the attempt to start as normal. Leave it run for a few minutes once started, but treat it to an oil and quality filter change before use. It will also be necessary to renew the brake fluid before use, and of course have the tyres inspected, since standing on one section for two years will not have done them any good. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Continue to use Redex in the recommended dosage for the next 1000 miles.

Thanks Glyn. Perhaps stating the current tyre sizes in a simple comprehensive form may assist others to respond whether theirs are the same as yours.

Hello Tom, As Steve says - get the battery efficiency checked, since it’s probably now at the end of its stop/start life. OK, booking in to Audi is one way, but it may offend your wallet, particularly since their battery cost ( if needed) will considerably exceed the cost of a comparable premium brand battery purchased on line. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Glyn, Re tyres sizes, it’s a maths thing where you work out the increased tyre profile you will need to ensure outside diameter the smaller wheels (and greater rubber) matches as close as possible, the OD current set up. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Fergal, I think your experience with the fabric roofs is probably indicative of the general wear pattern - i.e. a fact of life, but at least you will now be in position to judge and compare the degree of wear. Re. Cambelt - your proposal to ensure it gets done before sale is exactly where I would not want to be, and I think you are on a road to an increased risk if you follow that path. If you consider that the seller/ dealer will agree to renewing it, then it’s realistic to believe they will go for the cheapest option in terms of parts for this critical application - despite what assurances they may make. Compare it with saying you want a new pair of trainers as part of the deal - ‘yes, of course’ , but they supply you with the cheapest pair they can find at the local market! Ok in that case, since you can see what you are having, but in the case of the cambelt assembly, it will be all unseen. My stance would be to cost the job at a local trusted independent, using genuine VAG parts - particularly the water pump. Take that costing forward to the seller, but I would not be realistically expecting them to meet the cost in full, since it can be considered as betterment. The seller, may still advise they do it, and confirm they only use OEM parts, but OEM can hide a multitude of sins. That option would not be for me. Not sure if this helps, Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Duncan, These ‘bulb-out’ warnings normally work by monitoring expected current/resistance across all lighting equipment. A working light with a higher than expected contact resistance can result in this warning, even when the light is illuminated. LEDs ? No a full strip’s worth? - similar I guess. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, My starting point would be to remove the auxiliary belt to confirm noise disappears. Kind regards, Gareth.

OK Jasper, As I see it the logic will follow this path:- They are saying that once the car has fully shut down, the measured drain was within ‘standard tolerance’. Can you confirm with them what that measurement actually was in mA? So let’s say it was acceptable at the time they monitored it after the car had fully shut down. So it was OK then. If the battery is subsequently draining - which it must be - then something must be ’waking up’ later, and staying awake, so the car’s drain would need monitoring over an extended period to confirm or refute that the drain is taking place. Puts me in mind of talking with a very prestigious marque technician who was trying to solve a repeated parasitic drain. Found the offending circuit - sorted the cause, and left the meter connected while he had a rewarding cup of tea. Returned to find the drain had returned! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jasper, As your thread heading suggests, there must be a parasitic drain on a circuit which is drawing current when the car is ‘shut down’.i.e. about 30 seconds after the car is locked up. Apologies if this is resisting the bleeding obvious, but you simply need to find out which is the offending circuit, then what within that circuit is actually causing the drain. It would sound as if you would benefit from the services of another auto electrician - one who can monitor the current (pardon the pun) amps drain, before removing each fuse in turn until that drain disappears. Presto! - that’s the offending circuit. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Normal ‘at rest’ drain should be around 50mA, so you are looking for drains greater than that.

Hello Paul, Not sure how much of this is going to help. Sorry to hear of your issues, and that the Lockdown has resulted in the car being out of warranty. Having said that, it’s always worth trying to raise a claim, particularly since you infer that the fault was known about within the warranty period, but Lovkdown has prevented its investigation. If you bought it from a dealer then I think you will find that the dealer is responsible for faults discovered within the first 6 months. If it were me, I would be taking some advice on what is reasonable to complain about to whom. Re. the issues and the repair costs - the independent? should come up with a reasonable quote, but if this were mine, I would be seeking a second opinion and repair costings from a trusted local diesel specialist - often better bets than marque specialist, for diesels. You ask a reasonable question regarding whether any other owners have had similar issues, since this may (just may) have some bearing on the potential for a claim on Audi, if this 5 year old car has complete main dealer service history. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Thomas, I believe (but would need checking) that again Pagid is an ECP own-brand name. Kind regards, Gareth.