Magnet

Hello Wesley, EFB batteries are suitable for stop/start, and in basic terms are ‘a poor man’s version’ of the AGM - bit of an ironic statement when you paid a high price for it. In terms of your charger, I would be asking Halfords, or better still, why not return it for a refund since you are highly unlikely to need it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Joe, What month in 2017 was this car first registered and how long have you owned it? Yes, sounds like hydraulics (slave cylinder/release bearing) failure, but you are at their mercy regarding the diagnosis on strip down. You could request an independent inspection (AA?) at the time the gearbox is removed. ‘.....I normally get over 50K at least out of a clutch...’ - Not meaning to be blunt, but that sounds as if you are a bit heavy on clutches - well over 100k would be totally realistic on average, before a clutch assembly (exc. modern slave arrangements) wears to a point of change. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, Air suspension compressors are hard working components, and although they seldom fail catastrophically, they do suffer from wear - generally with the piston ring. Normally, these compressors are quite small and may just fail to reach an optimum pressure, and the fault light will illuminate from time to time. There is good news with non-Audi compressors (possibly Audi as well) in so far as you can buy replacement piston rings ( contact available for non Audi) which generally sort out the problem. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Plamen, Sounds good - air con. should only work when the button is pressed to its position where the light is off. You are probably now at a stage where you will need some specialist input. It’s a toss up whether you invest in an hour’s time with an auto electrician or an air conditioning specialist ( commercial vehicle air con. specialists are generally a good bet. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Plamen, When you want to have the air co. on does the ECON button show the red light? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Plamen, Do you have an illuminated press button with ECON written on it, and if so is the red light showing? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Tim, If this were mine, I would be getting the battery tested as a starting point. Current vehicles are so dependent on correct electrical voltages, and a serviceable battery is a must. Why did it go flat? It’s not unknown for batteries to remain substandard following being left to go flat, and don’t recover on recharging. Halfords will/did test batteries if they are open. Buying a replacement from them if needed? Have a look on line for a premium brand first . Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Tina, I think you are more likely to get meaningful advice if you describe the damage and hopefully provide a photo. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mark, In addition to what Steve says, you cannot overlock the significance of the effect of a lack of lubrication on the moving parts of this assembly. The car is 12 years old, and it must be appreciated that the roof mechanism has been subjected to potentially harsh conditions over that number of years, where it will have suffered from varying degrees of humidity/condensation and heat. What we need to ask here is despite possibly a book full of the deemed important service history, has the hood mechanism/ linkages seen any form of lubrication in that time? Motor issues? Possibly? - but motors generally work or don’t work, and tend not the work properly when overloaded against resistance. Kind regards, Gareth.

Well, Sarah, if that’s what a pre sales service and service history amounts to then so much for that service schedule - where even the air co. was non operational, so not checked. You don’t share whether this was purchased from a main dealer or some other dealer/ car supermarket. ‘........I plan on getting a warranty and the dealer offered a month......You now say ‘....comes with 1 one ? warranty..’ I seriously think it’s worth you doing searches on consumer law in relation to car sales, to see what warranty period should apply in your case, rather than depend on what the seller tells you,

Hello Sarah, You must return this car to the dealer (main dealer?) who has to rectify the faults to ensure the car is fit for purpose. Re. warranties:- again the dealer is responsible for rectifying faults which render the vehicle unfit for purpose within the first 3 months (maybe more - so do searches on this and my 3 month figure). You must give them an opportunity to rectify the problems, but they do not/cannot, you should be entitled to reject the car. Simple observation that the car was not checked before sale, would be the non working air con. What is the history of the car service and ownership wise? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Savannah, The first potential culprit would be a sub standard battery - stop/start is usually the first function to stop working when the battery efficiency drops below par. Halfords were doing battery checks - when open. Buying a replacement from Halfords? Worth shopping around on-line specialist suppliers first. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Nath, I guess you are talking wheel spacers to increase the track of your car? If so, be aware that manufacturers design wheel hubs, bearing set up and wheel design to ensure that there is a natural inline and even loading on bearings and shafts. By moving wheels out by adding spacers, you are likely to end up with this loading being offset. Good idea engineering wise? No. Kind regards, Gareth.

Special kit Marcus. It’s a sort of manometer tube arrangement, best left to your trusted local diesel specialist. I’m not claiming this is definitely an injector issue, but these are often overlooked in favour of replacing glow plugs, which really only influence the cold starting ability in fairly cold weather. It sounds like you have spent a fortune on this car, and to my mind, it’s always worth investing in a couple of hours inspection by a diesel specialist ( for get main dealers or independents) before spending money on anything. Finding a good local diesel specialist? Ask for recommendations from local taxi owners. Kind regards, Gareth.

Leak-back test on injectors Marcus? Kind regards, Gareth.

Very much so Steve, Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ryan, Many thanks for the additional meaningful detail. A couple of points which you may like to consider:- I would put these items under the heading of ‘advisories’, and if was your intention to keep the car, then it is useful information to allow you to better plan its ongoing maintenance. Tyre wear - are the tyres currently showing uneven tyre wear? 3 mm left on thread could see you through, but obviously you will need to stay legal. Future uneven tyre wear - not really going to affect you if you are not keeping it. Since you are not going to keep it, my view would be to spend as little as you can on the car, since you stand very little/no chance of recouping your expenditure. Realistic situation is the car is worth ‘ 3/4 of not much’, and to spend on is likely to result in a potential buyer clapping his hands before offering you a good bit less than your asking price! As for trading it in, there will be a basic price dependent on visual condition with no add on for recent expenditure. If you couple the above with a possibility that some others faults may be detected when it is MOT’d - e.g. emissions etc. you may find you had spent to sort advisories, but worse case scenario will be it fails. Personally, I would get it MOT’d when you decide to part with it, and spend the minimum amount to secure a pass, and as little as possible meanwhile. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ryan, ‘.......had a full service....’. Who did the service? Trying to apply a bit of logic here:- If any of the wear issues were considered excessive, then the servicing garage would most likely have declared that, and would have been reluctant to let the car leave their premises. Have you had the car MOTD during your ownership, or did you buy it (from a dealer?) with a new MOT? When would the next MOT be due ( appreciating the Covid extension)? My plan would probably be to present it for an MOT. If it fails on any of the above then replace whatever it fails on. If any are listed as Advisories then schedule them as funds and time permits. If there isn’t any mention then I would be tempted to sit back and just keep a regular check on things. Perhaps you could fill in the detail. Kind regards, Gareth.

Chances of success with double sided tape??? Contacting Audi? If this were mine, I would be searching out trusted local (classic car) trimmers. I think that is where you will have the best chances of getting meaningful advice. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Terry, Just picked up your latest post. If this were mine, I would be investing in an hour’s time of an auto electrician. Trusted Audi independent. Audi dealer. In that order of preference. Kind regards, Gareth. .

Hello Terry, We take it the radiator gets hot since as you say, the coolant temperature reaches normal and maintains a normal temperature reading. I agree that’s it’s unlikely a code reader will give you any meaningful information in this case, and I am with Steve on this and my guess at it would be to suspect the actual heater control unit - ignoring the fan resistor, since I believe you said you can select various fan speeds. Blocked Hester core? Possibly, but unlikely in my book, since your description points to suggesting there was a sudden rather than a gradual deterioration in the amount of heat from the system. Kind regards, Gareth.

Apologies Terry. That latest question was addressed to Kev. I would suggest forgetting about your issue being due to a faulty thermostat. Kind regards, Gareth.

So the car would have been overheating then.

Jammed - open Kev? If so, then the coolant temperature would be reading below normal after say a 3 mile run. We now need to ask Terry - Does the coolant temperature gauge rise to normal and maintain that reading? If so, forget about a thermostat issue, if it doesn’t then indeed it could be suspect - but we need to know before passing judgement. Perhaps you could come back to us in that. Kind regards, Gareth.

How competent and equipped are you with dealing with the safe removal of the plastic edgings Philip? Worth thinking about that while also researching suitable adhesives.