Magnet

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.

That decision would need to to rest with you Tom, since only you know the motive for compromising ride quality. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Tom, Without boring you with the maths, your current wheels and tyres will have a theoretical rolling dia. of 653mm, and the proposed 20 inch ones will be 661mm, so not significantly different. Obviously what you do need to bear in mind is that the ride quality of the new set up will be much harsher than it is - 30 profile tyres are akin to solid tyres! Also worth checking whether the tyres are run-flat, since if they are, that will make it even worse. Not for me to judge why you want these, but what you will be doing is compromising ride quality for ‘nicer looking’ wheels - which of course, you won’t be able to see, since you are inside the car! Still..... The new wheels will be 10mm wider, so you will need satisfy yourself that you you have more than sufficient clearance to allow for this, if the offset is the same. Then there is the insurance consideration, which to me is a must consider factor to avoid the risk of your cover being declared null and void. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Philip, Personally, I would be taking some specialist advice on the correct (spray-on?) adhesive to minimise the risk of you don’t end up having any adhesive bleed-through etc. through your headlining, and it has the best chance of remaining re- stuck. Perhaps it would be better to delay any work on this until appropriate businesses reopen and you can seek advice. Trimmers would be a good place to start getting advice, but you can always gather more knowledge online meanwhile. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Tom, If you are looking to replace your original wheels with non original 20 inch diameter ones and are concerned whether they will fit or not, is a bit like asking if you will get away with buying and wearing oversize shoes! The answer to that will be - probably yes - but,.......... Questions:- Diameter of original wheels and size of tyres fitted? Are replacement 20 inch wheels genuine Audi, or aftermarket? Do these wheels (secondhand?) come with tyres already fitted, and if so, what is the tyres size? Let’s assume the wheel stud holes are the same as your original ones - but you don’t tell us - whether they are suitable will depend on the final outside diameter of the new wheel and tyre, being the same as your current ones, so bigger dia. wheels will require much lower profile tyres to ensure the car’s gearing is not affected. So Tom, bit of homework to do, and that’s before you inform your insurers and see how they react to fitting non standard wheels and tyres to your car. Perhaps you could come back to us. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello James, Sounds like a reasonable guess then. I would be tempted to book this in ASAP to any garage which is open, and it’s certainly worth checking the oil meanwhile. If the filter is found to be at fault and needs replacing, I would suggest you stipulate it is replaced only with a Mann or Bosch one - unlikely they will be able to obtain a genuine VAG one. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello James, As you realise, you need this checked as quickly as possible, so you will need to to find someone/ anyone who is open in reasonable distance. 500 miles a month may be considered ‘rarely used’ but not really in my book. You location-of-leak is unlikely to be meaningful since the underbody shield will mask the leak site, and make it appear to be located where the oil is able to egress from the shield. Hope some of this helps. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Has the car been serviced in recent times, and the oil filter changed? Just a thought that it may be associated with an ill fitting filter - and that would dictate a need for even more urgency.

Hello Lynsey, Are you talking the owner’s handbook here, or some sort of official Audi workshop manual? If owners handbook:- Tried EBay, and/or placing a wanted ad. in the specialist ‘classic car’ press? - e.g. Modern Classics, Classic Car Weekly, Classic Car Buyer etc. etc. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, Many thanks for the additional information. Pleased you think it’s wise to notify them in writing and ideally not to use the car. Re. the warranty:- For the first 3 months ( maybe 6) Lookers are responsible for ensuring the car remains fit for purpose, so it should not be a question of dismissing their responsibilities to Autoprotect. It would be worth you spending some search time to investigate the consumer law in relation to used car sales, and contacting the CAB (if open), so that you are fully clued up before any work is carried out on the car. Personally, I would be very wary of following any suggestion that you get the work done, pay for it, and reclaim the funds from Autoprotect. This should not be the way this is dealt with. Lookers should arrange, and pay for, any work necessary, and it would be up to them to decide if they want to claim off Autoprotect or not. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Justin, Sounds like it has a regulator issue. Are you intending to try to sort this yourself and do you have a suitable meter etc? Might be something best left to an auto electrician when you can get hold of one? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello David, Personally, I would not be doing anything with this car, or allowing anyone else to look at it until you have the agreement of the seller, otherwise it may be argued that someone else has contributed to the problem. If it were mine, I would be e-mailing the seller ( it is likely they will have access to incoming e-mails) and recording the issue, and most importantly, asking them for guidance on which course of action you can undertake. Do you have access to another vehicle? If so, I would not continue to use this car. We take it that you bought the car from a secondhand car dealer and not an Audi dealership. Kind regards, Gareth.

Harris, please do not fiddle with the non working remote until you fit your new battery. The car has started with your non working remote, so any fiddling with it may just introduce another variable. One step at a time! Kind regards, Gareth.

Great Harris, Personally, I wouldn’t touch this car (spark plugs etc) until you have had the battery checked. If you fiddle about with spark plugs etc. and the trouble returns, you will be left in a situation of not knowing whether you have created another issue. The battery efficiency is fundamental, so I would strongly advise to leave everything else alone until you are sure it is serviceable or not. Kind regards, Gareth.

Good on you Graham, It’s refreshing to know that you are taking a positive and ‘next move up to Audi’ approach to this unacceptable problem. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ryan, I’m never quite sure why people favour ECP as a preferred supplier. Something to do with their perceived % discounts on often so called retail prices? End result even after discount may possibly be found not to be competitive with other on-line suppliers selling at non discount prices. If this were mine, I would be investigating purchase routes via. open main dealers to have far more assurance that you will end up with the correct parts. Pre Covid-19, there were sources of genuine Audi parts at discount. Think one was Audi Parts Direct (or similar name ) - part of Cardiff Audi, now believed to be called Mon Motors. Currently open? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ryan, Can we take it you are attempting to buy your spring/s from an aftermarket source rather than from an open main dealer? As I see it, you will need to have your original spring set up identified via. its build record via. the VIN to be assured you are buying the correct replacement. Of course, someone might come up with the correct recommendation from the colours you quote, but then it’s a chance you have to take as to whether the information proves to be correct. Are you intending to change both springs or just the broken one? Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Harris and good luck with it. The best way to cope with worry is to only worry about one thing at a time. The major worry at the moment is about a thing called survival. Anyone who survives this can then worry about other things in an order of the next important issue. I really do wish you and yours well. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Angel, You have effectively serviced it then, so no need to do it again. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Robert, Personally, I would not put my contact detail on any open forum - in preference to ‘PM me for further details’. Kind regards, Gareth.

Yes, OK. Now up to you to keep an eye on it, and I think you would be wise to follow my earlier advice and invest in an oil and filter change, particularly since you’ve only had it for a month and do not tell us about any known recent service history. 4 miles a day is not good news, since the car hasn’t really had time to get up to operating temperature. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Richard, Sounds like you may be able to get a classic car insurance cover on this car and it’s intended use. Normally, such cover is restricted to vehicles over 20 year old, but there can be exceptions. Benefits can include:- Agreed value, breakdown cover, no need for a useable NCB, although a good driving record is. Requirements are that mileage limits will apply - usually 3k/a. although this might be extended to 6, car usually has to be garaged at night, and must not be your ‘daily driver’ car. Might be worth trying Lancaster Insurance, Peter Best, Haggerty, Peter James, Carol Nash, and other classic car brokers. I would advise against using any comparison websites for this type of insurance cover. Hope some of this helps, Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steven, I would suggest sending the original poster a PM, since he hasn’t returned to the forum since a few days after posting some 9 months ago. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Harris, The more you post, the impression I get is that you are not unfamiliar with the basics, but I really think you are missing out on the first line logical approach, and diverting valuable brainwork by trying to think of lists of possibilities, before you have eliminated the simple things first. Everything you say points me to advising that it is essential that you get the battery serviceability checked, so it can either eliminate this, or prove it is suspect. Without carrying this simple test, you run the risk of spending unwisely by replacing other non essential items. Just don’t go there. OK, Halfords are 40 miles away, but surely there must be some local garage or motor factors closer by, who can test it for you. I’d be devoting my time to investigate this avenue. Having said that, it would not be surprising if the starter motor/solenoid/connections were found to be not as good as expected, but it’s simple things first - so definitely get the battery checked. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

OK. Useful additional information. This is a simple -free - test which is always worth carrying out. So we don’t have any evidence of significant exhaust smoke during normal use. We don’t have any loss of coolant or oil (as you said earlier). Sounds as if there is currently little to worry about. You now mention a new symptom of a smell of oil, and if this were mine, I would be investing in an oil and good quality filter change, and asking the garage to check it in relation to the now oil smell, which might be associated with a slight leak. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gary, Probably best to PM the original poster, since he has not been back to the forum since 2 days after joining. Kind regards, Gareth.