Magnet

Hello Dean, Thanks for the reply. The original compressors are usually robust and relatively problem free, apart from the clutch mechanisms which, it seems, are prone to problems, but you have a good choice of aftermarket clutch suppliers selling on EBay from as little as £30. I looked at ECP and found they were selling some at c£108, and I thought they were just too cheap. Not to say they shouldn’t work though. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Thomas, OK, so it sounds as if you are not going to DIY this, so Steve’s suggestion of buying the best of parts/oil and getting your local garage to do the work seems the best way forward - if they are happy for you to supply the parts. If this were mine, it would be a ‘start again’ service, and treat it as if none of the filters have been changed. So change oil, air, fuel, and pollen. Adopting this method, will allow you to decide which schedule to service this under in the future - a Longlife type service which could run to c18K miles or around 18 months, or annually for example. Quality parts? If not using genuine VAG filters for example, then I only use Mann or Bosch ones. I never find I need to select anything else. Oil? I only use the past/ current VAG recommended Quantum brand, and alway go with their Longlife 3, although despite ours being changed every year and approx. 7K miles. Europarts? Why? Because they have ‘attractive’ discount prices on so called retail prices? Always check their after-discount prices with other on line competitors, and it’s rare to find they are competitive - and on-line get delivered to your door. Their own brand filters - Crossland was a once respected brand. Would I use them at any price instead of Bosch or Mann? Definitely no. Would I use their own brand oil in place of Quantum at similar price? No. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Charlotte, Are you really recommending that Chris spends £3,500 on a 7 year old car, just to get the sound system working? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Thomas, You would need to let the forum know when the car was last serviced, what level of service it had, what the current mileage is etc. Kind regards, Gareth.

Apologies, just realised I got my bends and noises in a twist!

Wheel bearing issues will normally result in the noise disappearing/altering dependent on whether you are taking a left or right hand bend. If you say the noise is from the driver side front, and you think it is wheel bearing associated, then you would expect the noise to get worse as you take right hand bends, and decrease when you take left hand bends. If this isn’t the case, then I would be tempted to discount wheel bearings. This may appear unhelpful Sasha, but trying to diagnose such noises without inspecting the car is unrealistic, and I fear that you could end up with a variety of possible, but unlikely probable, causes. One recommendation I would make, is to find yourself another garage. If I read it correctly, then charging you £300 to simply swop back and front wheels, could be considered expensive - to be kind! - but not sure if this would have included the time spent to unsuccessfully detect the source of the noise. Of course, there might be other more helpful replies on here, but meanwhile, if it were mine, I would be spending a little time finding a trusted local garage who you ‘can talk to’ about the issue. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Rob, Often measuring 12v at a point is taken as the wiring is sound. However, it must be appreciated that meters read voltage at very small current demand, so the 12v in this case (via. theoretically a single strand remaining) may not support the current loading necessary to start and run the motor. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Sasha, Does the noise come/go/alter when you take left or right hand bends, or is it constant, irrespective of turning the steering wheel to negotiate bends? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steve, Can you loan him one of your CCTV cameras? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dean, ‘.......replaced the compressor...’ With new/reconditioned or second hand. If secondhand, it could be a faulty magnetic clutch - quite common. Worth trying EBay listings and you should find replacements there from just under £30 - depending on your compressor male (Delphi or Denso perhaps?) and it’s model. Kind regards, Gareth.

Kwok, Any chance you could reply to one of your other threads to give an answer to whether you have any commercial connection with the link you promoted there, rather than starting new associated threads under different headings?

Hello Tom, Perhaps it’s me missing something, but have you inspected where Steve suggested? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ashley, Worth stripping back the flexible rubber covering over the harness section which links the harness from the bodywork into the tailgate, and inspection the individual wires. Often the source of fractures in wires, and always worth looking at before doing anything else. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andrew, LX7V = Monza Silver. LX7U = Oolong grey. According to my quick Google. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dan, Not sure how much of this is going to be of help to you, and most points would come under the heading of ‘thinking twice’ before committing, but here goes:- Have you actually seen the car, or are you just going by photos? If so, I would not be thinking too deeply about what are realistic and unrealistic offers until you are at a point of deciding to buy it. In-advance offers can seriously pee off sellers, and most will prefer to discuss figures when there is money on the table, and you actually want to buy it. Getting an idea of what you will need/would like to get done is great, but be aware that sellers may not see that they should be reducing the price in accordance to what you want to get done. To be fair, you could be asking them to totally finance your betterment. Investment, and selling on? I would simply forget that possibility and anticipate at least ‘normal’ depreciation, and just hope that it turns out that Covid does not have such an adverse effect on ongoing depreciation as might be expected. Might be worth looking on EBay, and I think you will (as usual) find comparable, lower and higher priced prices examples. If I understand it, the car has covered 7k miles since Dec. ( not insignificant in lockdown) and indeed he bought it since then, and has driven it 5k of those miles - presumably during lockdown. It could be me, but it hardly equates to ‘ not needing’, during his very short ownership. I would be interested in how long the owner prior this one had it. Important to know, since two short term owners can equal problems. ‘...my Pre Purchase Inspection...’. Can we take it that you will be inspection the car yourself, or you will be getting it independently inspected. Service and belts at 108k but no invoices, or bills for parts? I would tend to read this as simply some verbal attraction to sell it. Just some thoughts Dan, but thinking twice doesn’t usually cost anything. Good luck with whatever you decide. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Service history can be important, but can equate to the car having spent half a day at the dealers, have oil and some filters changed, and may, or may not represent how the car has been cared for by the owner.

Any commercial connection with this Kwok?

Hello Ajax, Budget = secondhand parts then? If so, register your wants with on line car breaker links, such as Partsfinder etc. There are more. Breakers who have what you want with then contact you directly. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jamie, I think everything, except your mate, is pointing you to walk away, so probably the sensible thing to do is to let your mate find something else to play with -rather than playing with your money. New engine? Why?? Wonder what that means. Different? as in second hand one from another vehicle? So called reconditioned? That engine now suspect? Not a good starting point Jamie. ‘............good bargaining point as they are nothing major’! I would certainly quality this with ‘... hopefully nothing major, but not surprised if it is...’ Let’s hope this forum does not need to wish you good luck, but as they say, ‘ If you can’t have good luck, have bad luck, since bad luck is better than no luck at all’ ! Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Penny, Yes, I understood, and appreciate that if it will be inconvenient/unacceptable to be without a car while this is being repaired ( local garage have a loan car?) then I guess you will have to find another. From my side, I still think I would get some costings before moving on, so you know how the economics stack up in terms of what you will get for the car as is + cost of new clutch, compared with the cost of replacing the car. Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Penny, Worth spending on? It’s often worth spending to get a job done if the car is otherwise serviceable - irrespective of value. Of course, spending the money to buy something different is an option, but it could be a case of the devil you know. If it were mine, I would at least be getting a couple of estimates before deciding. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Penny, Sorry to hear of your clutch problems. Not sure what engine you have, but we had similar - although juddering - issues with our 2006 model 1.6. In that case it was the clutch hydraulic release bearing mechanism, which unfortunately has for many years been housed inside the gearbox bell housing, rather than outside in days of old, so it was gearbox out and a new 3 part clutch installed. We found Audi clutch part prices too high, so fitted an aftermarket LUK clutch kit assembly instead. LUK would definitely be the only alternative I would consider if not going with genuine main dealer parts. Hope some of this helps. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. What mileage has the car covered?

Hello Connor, I can only repeat my first suggestion of steering well clear, ( but you don’t seem to want to do that ) and concentrate on looking for another example. From the standpoint of rejecting this car, you don’t have to worry about anything else at this stage, but obviously it’s your call. Kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks for updating the forum Gary. ‘DPF producing too much soot...’ ( and so increasing the oil level!??) Um! Now here is the simply question to ask them:- Where did the increased oil volume actually come from? I’m sure a lot of folks would be interested in that theory, since if you can actually ‘make’ oil from nowhere, then we’d all be in the money. I think I would rather go with my possibility. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Omar, The longest lasting tyres we have had over 150K plus on an ordinary A3 has been Michelin, but as I said, these become noisier as they wear. Of course, all tyres are now noise rated on labels, but I’m not sure if that is when new or when worn, but the answer should be Googleable. We have tried Continental Contact 5, but they don’t seem to compare wear wise. No doubt you will have other considerations to make in respect of road holding etc., but I guess you will have time for other experiences from here and talking around. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Omar, I’ve noted that even prestigious marques such as Mercedes, are now fitted with Hankook tyres when new. I had believed that they were previously considered only to be ‘mid range’ tyres compared with Michelin etc. Currently, I can only go with the experience of a family member who used Hankook on a non-Audi and was disappointed with the wear rate. I think it might be fair to say that most tyres become noisier as they get to their well worn condition - I have experienced this even with Michelin, but they tend to give better wear rates. Not sure if any of this helps, Kind regards, Gareth.