Magnet

I do believe it’s one out all out Barry, but I could be wrong. Kind regards, Gareth.

Sorry John, it would prove very difficult to diagnose the issue without inspecting the car, although someone might just have had a similar experience. Can we take it the noise is/isn’t there when the car is stationary and the engine is revved? I fear you will need to get this car to a garage since even if the offending part can be detected, it doesn’t seem as if you could replace it yourself. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Brian, Do you know why it’s now c140k miles, and do you know this is as a result of more recent changes of policy with VAG? Perhaps you can follow the advice given to Mr T on 13th June, - I.e. read the previous posts, and let us know what you decide in your particular case. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Mark, I’m not sure about a code for your entertainment system, but you can buy a ‘code saver’ device which will maintain some power while the battery is switched over. What you will need however, is to have the new battery coded to the car, otherwise the alternator will treat it as the old battery, and could cook it - and the alternator. What brand of battery are you buying, and from where? Kind regards, Gareth.

I’m with your logic. Never heard the likes, but Stevey Y is your man with the knowledge of these things, and I’m sure will have the proper reason. £100 for oil? seems to be near dealer charges unless it’s pretty special - which I would doubt due to its age. Anyway….. It will be job done.

Perhaps so Roderick, but questionable and arbitrary on a 14 year old car I guess. Still, job done. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Gary, For me to get my interpretation correct:- When you say the heater comes on, you actually mean the heater fan comes on - yes? Is the symptom any different if the heating is set to ‘Auto’, or indeed the whole system switched off -if possible? Any different if switched to air con? Any different if switched to fast demise/defrost? Just to get the full story:- does the coolant temperature reach 90 degrees in a sensible period of time - say 3 miles - and constantly holds steady at that? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks both, Yes, I heard of this - high temperature silicone in effect. What I can’t and still don’t, understand, why actually replace (in caps) the sump if it’s only the sealant which has broken down? Easier to charge the owner for a new sump pan, than to spend a small amount of time properly cleaning the old sealant off -? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Paul, Glad we could help. New (EBay international’ or secondhand?

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Hello Roderick, I think it’s unusual for sumps (gaskets themselves) to leak oil. Sumps can of course get damaged as can drain plug threads. Most ‘lower end’ oil leaks are associated with the front and rear crankshaft oil seals rather than any failure of the sump casting itself, so in effect, we don’t know the cause without having the car to inspect. Perhaps you can keep us posted. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Tom and thanks for joining. Have a search of the forum, and you should come up with a recent thread on the same sort of symptoms - turned out to be a dry universal joint on the steering shaft. Have a look and please let us know what you think. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Paul and thanks for joining. Not available and not repairable, points to most likely outcome of having to find a secondhand one. Well worth trying EBay - international as well as U.K. Also register your ‘want’ with on line car breaker link sites such as Partsfinder ( there are more). Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

You will need to tell us far more about this Steve, if anyone is going to be able to help you. Even manual or automatic would be useful. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Paul and thanks for joining. The simple answer to your question of whether ……97Y, is an acceptable alternative to ……91Y is yes, but….. At what cost to your ride comfort, since the 97Y may well be XL (extra load) tyres which will have stiffer sidewalls - hence compromised ride? Would I be right in interpreting your question as ‘I want to buy suitable tyres as cheap as I can’? Of course, you will appreciate that you are comparing the price of premium brand tyres with that of budget tyres - not really a fair comparison. Bit like comparing Nike trainers with ones on your local market stall! Would you buy and wear market stall trainers in preference to a premium branded pair? All important:- is this car your daily driver, and is used in all weather conditions, or is it locked-away- only-used -on-nice -days car? If you want to buy cheapest then don’t worry about the consequence and eventual £1/1000 mile cost outcome until you get into trouble, but if other factors apart from ‘cheapest option’ does matter, then you need to do some homework - e.g. wet grip etc.etc. Blackcircle are not the only discount supplier, there are more, and probably more competitive outlets. Perhaps you can come back to us with some answers/responses Paul. In the end:- 4 x premium brands = £520. 4 x budget brands = £320. Depends on how you value that extra £200 in relation to your need to fit a new set of tyres - hardly the cost of a minor service these days -? Have you considered mid range tyres? Kind regards, Gareth. Kind re

Have you been in touch with ecutesting Jonathan?

Welcome Terry and sorry to hear of your issue. There are a couple of You Tubes on this, together with other references found on a Google search. Worth a look pending other responses. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andrew, Thanks for joining. Not sure how many members we have in Germany. Based on information of a couple of decades ago, aftermarket parts availability was restrictive - unlike here in the U.K. - and Australia? Owners were therefore pushed to having to buy parts direct from main dealers. Now…? Sorry for being pessimistic, but your chances of getting leads from here within a couple of days maybe slim. Let’s hope I’m wrong. Can we take it you have searched EBay - ? Perhaps you could let us know. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Lilly, Many thanks for joining, and welcome. I sounds as if you have two nice cars there, and we look forward to hearing more about them and their use. Kind regards, Gareth.

Welcome Gregor and thanks for joining. We hope the forum will be of benefit to you, and vice versa. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. I’ve removed the ‘alert!’ from your thread title, since it suggests there is something to be alarmed about - which I’m sure there isn’t.

Helllo, Having a bit of a system tidy-up, and noticed you joined and posted on the same day, back in July, and were given very sound advice, but you don’t appear to have returned it read or at least acknowledge it. Just wondered if you have a valid reason -?

Any progress since Joe?

Thanks Cliff, I too wouldn’t contemplate renewing springs, shock absorbers as single items on one axle - not good practice. However, if there isn’t wear in the fixed points of the suspension, then, as said, the geometry remains the same, although the ride height from wheel centre to underside of wheel arch will differ if different spring heights are fitted, but….. back to the opening statement. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Roderick, Pricing things is a little like trying to price a house - costs vary from area to area. Way forward:- Check sump price on line :- EBay, Parts in Motion etc. etc. As you probably know, parts aren’t cheap anymore. The £428 - forget VAT, we’ve all got to pay it! - doesn’t surprise me if it works out at a 2 hr. job. Labour ( this is where we don’t know your local rates) is likely to be c£120/ hr., so you have over half your cost there. Perhaps you could let us know the sump (ribbed aluminium?) price Roderick, once you have had some quotes. Issue with your current sump? Thread damage perhaps? If so, considered Helicoil? Kind regards, Gareth.