Magnet

Hello Harris, Sort of what Steve says. It depends on the ‘capacity’ of the battery in Ah - which I would think would be at least 75Ah in your case. Does this RAC branded charger have an ammeter on it, to tell you what current you are charging it at - which should reduce as the battery gets towards fully charged? Unless this charger is a very simply trickle charger - which I doubt it is - if you’ve charged the battery for 24 hours then it should be sufficiently charged to turn this engine over enthusiastically, if the battery is serviceable. When it broke down and wouldn’t start, how long did it turn the engine over for before going flat? In any case, can’t you borrow a battery and some jump leads? Personally, I would not be trying to jump start your car from another car unless you are totally (in caps) confident and experienced in correctly connecting jump leads. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Angel, You need to give us some more information - such as petrol or diesel. Would I be correct in believing it is a diesel? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Alan, Is the price of £7,500 a typo for this 8 year old A1? I would be putting the registration number into We Buy Any Car and see what comes up in these Covid19 troubled times. Appreciating their figure will be a trading valuation, but this will better dictate its ‘value’ when disposed of. Personally, I’d be looking elsewhere if I had that money in my pocket, and not be too concerned about a missing service and again ask myself truly why this owner is parting with it. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Colin, All very useful information, which should assist others considering what Gez was enquiring about. Shame the original poster doesn’t seem to have revisited the forum since posting his enquiry. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Alan, ’......more reason to walk away?’. Might be worth considering that if he is fed up with it after paying out a large sum of money on it, why would he think it would be fine and interesting to a new owner? It would be interesting to know how long he has owned it, and to know if the buying price makes it an overly attractive proposition. If everything stacks up and you are still attracted to it, then I would be investing in a professional inspection of the car, since it will not come with any guarantee - apart from having to comply with the advertised condition. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Carl Wow it is indeed. All the detail required to identify exactly what you could be looking at with the vehicle of interest. The only thing I would add is to ask, do you actually want the stiffer sports suspension and lower profile -harder ride - that goes with the S-Line package? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Alan, Thanks for the post. Could you let the forum know if this car is being sold by a dealer ( not a main dealer, I guess), or is being sold privately. If it being sold privately, then you are obviously able to talk with the owner. If from a dealer, then I would be wanting to speak with the previously registered owner. It may be prudent to ask yourself why this car is being sold straight after having a new engine fitted. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Harris, The coolant temperature sensor senses the coolant temperature and signals the ECU which then selects the optimum fuel mixture, based on the actual temperature - cold, signals the need for a rich mixture, hot, a lean mixture. Whereas this might be at fault, they normally fail to an arbitrary signal level rather than a total fail, so the car may struggle to start, whether cold or hot, but usually does start. Simple things first - worth checking and wiggling the fuel pump fuse, and if found to be OK, listen for the pump priming when you switch on the ignition. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Geoff, ’Had alternator replaced’ ... Reputable make/source? Opinions:- 13.8v is below par. As you say, it should be towards the mid 14s. Connecting an ‘ordinary’ 038 Morry Thou. battery into the system? In my view this a toffy hammer battery in terms of its cold cranking and Ah capacity compared with the requirements of a 2 litre diesel battery. Would I have done this? No, since the car is likely to be fitted with an ‘intelligent’ charging system and an ordinary non AGM battery might well result in alternator problems. Personally, I’m still not discounting a battery/charging influence on your symptoms, but of course, it will be interesting to see what the independents come up with. Perhaps you could let us know Geoff. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steve (England), Simply marketing. Dissatisfactions arise in all facets of life, and it’s often easier to attempt to resolve them and move on, simply on the basis of holding discontents in the mind can weigh heavy! ‘Dealers’ in general are having a tough time over the last few weeks, and (OK pessimistically?) I cannot see this pandemic going away in anything under 18 months. Life has, and will continue to, change, and tolerance will become even more of a virtue, as the northern hemisphere takes current experience from the southern hemisphere’s impending winter. Only after this, will we know the fuller picture of how this will affect our lives during the coming year. Anyway, a long way around of trying to get a point over of - if you are happy with your current independent’s work - great. If you have had discontents with a main dealer then just move on to more important worries. Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Peter, I must confess that the 1.4 TFS engine does not come under the umbrella of my experience, but as Steve says, the norm is water pumps are are usually driven by the cambelt where a belt is fitted rather than a chain. Personally, I would be seeking independent advice on this - your main dealer parts department ( not service) should advise if they are open. One further, most important consideration is what make of parts are your local garage going to use. Have you asked them? Using local garages may be OK, but generally, they use aftermarket parts available from the local motor factors - not generally a good broad brush policy to accept. Are you getting your local garage to do this because they are cheaper? It might be worth considering that this critical apllication is not a price is king job. If you want a half way house price then I would ask at a local independent. Personally, I would only use genuine Audi parts ( available at discount) for this critical application, and if the water pump is indeed driven by the cambelt, then renew it, but only with a main dealer one - no one exceptions. Worth considering renewing the auxiliary belt at the same time. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Geoff, Thanks for coming back on this. If charging the battery has had an influence on the severity of the problem, then it may indeed point to a failing battery issue. It will be interesting to know how it is after a good 20 mile run. The fact that the battery accepts a charge may not be the full story in effect of its serviceability. For example, if (in caps) the vehicle is equipped with a battery monitoring system, that system might be detecting below par battery characteristics and will start to influence certain systems. My non- Audi experience of this showed that although the battery passed the old conventional ‘drop test’, the battery was borderline unserviceable in terms of its monitored cold cranking efficiency - as detected, only on sophisticated diagnostics. Steering column UJ issue? Personally I doubt it, but.... Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Andy, Sorry, but I wonder why you want to spend, probably a large sum of money, to have a gearbox rebuilt. Perhaps you could fill in a bit of detail. In the absence of the full story, my thoughts would point me towards a good secondhand one at a reasonable price. Worth trying on line search companies such as Partsfinder etc. although many breakers may not be operating, but there again, probably neither will gearbox reconditioners. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Geoff, On the basis of simple things first:- As Steve says - suspect the battery. Possibly now getting passed its best if stop/start function enabled. In normal circumstances, I would advise a good 20 mile run, switch off and retest. Now - leave the engine tick over for 20 mins., switch off and retry. If you have an ‘intelligent’ (in caps) charger suitable for charging AGM and stop start technology, then charge the battery for at least 12 hours, or as charger programme dictates. Test again to see if symptoms have disappeared. Perhaps you could let the forum know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello ?, Sorry to hear of your issue with this fairly new car. From your description, I would hazard a guess that this issue may have been caused by a faulty clutch release bearing assembly, but of course, the full story will not be evident until it is stripped. Whatever, Audi have to ask themselves whether a car which has covered only 2,600 miles (take it your earlier ref. to additional 20,000 miles is a typo?) has proved to be fit for purpose. One would expect that they cannot claim that in your case. If (in caps) Audi fail to honour the repair under warranty then I would be informing the selling dealer -in writing - that you will be getting the car repaired at another main dealer and will be requesting a report on the condition of the clutch assembly, which you will pass to them, together with the full repair bill for their reimbursement of the charges paid by you. Also inform them that should they still maintain that they will not meet that bill, then you will seek reimbursement via. the small claims court. It may be worth seeking advice from the CAB (if currently operating to any degree). Did you buy the car via. a finance arrangement? If so, I would be informing the finance company that the car is unfit for purpose. Even if Audi UK will not repair this car under warranty, then as I see it, the selling dealer has to honour any major failures which reasonably occur during the first 6 months following sale. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Although passing this to the Ombudsman may be an option, this is likely to take at least 6 weeks to resolve - during which time you will be unable to use the car - then you have to arrange repair after that.

Hello David, Curtis hasn’t revisited the forum for over 6 months. Probably better to send him a PM. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dave, Batteries and service life? No longer any guarantee that they will last the warranty period -as you say! Recently had a battery fail catastrophically on a 15 month old non Audi, to the extent that it wouldn’t even start with jump leads. Also, one on a prestige vehicle which was just 3 months out of manufacturer’s warranty. All important - what make battery are you now buying? Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. 50mA is nearer the drain once everything has shut down.

I have a genuine Audi Cambelt kit - Part no. 06A-198-119-B for sale - all new, boxed, with an expiry date of 01/2024, so current stock rather than new-old-stock. Believed to be the correct fitment for the 1.8 A3 to 2003; A4 1.8 to 2001; and the TT 1.8 to 2006, but please check these applications to ensure this information is correct. The all important bit of the part number is the last letter (B in this case) which dictates the application. Will also fit same engined Seat and VW? These kits have a recommended retail price of £130. Will accept £45 plus p&p. Sorry no offers. Please message me for further details if necessary. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Dave, Might be worth removing the connector onto the alternator as a trial. Might be (only might be!) discharging through a faulty alternator. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Aaron, I guess you have checked how many owners it has had and importantly how long the last owner has owned it. Also when the cambelt was last changed - assuming it has a belt rather than chain. Schedule believed to be every 5 years irrespective of mileage, so this 11 year old car should be due next year unless done (with evidence) within the last 5 years. If chain - tensioner needs respect. Guess you’ve checked it out on HPI re insurance history etc. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, Yes, I would think an e-mail will do to start. Personally, I think ‘the story’, how it’s panned out, what actions have been taken, and what the proposed action plan is must be recorded in one document at this point in time. E-mails are fine as a record, but I would certainly be following it up in writing and sending it by Recorded Delivery. If the dealer is closed, and there isn’t anyone to accept the letter, then it should be returned to you. If it isn’t, you can assume it’s been received, but your idea of supplementing it with an e-mail, can only help your case in the longer term. Good luck with sorting it out. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ian, Sorry to hear of your issue. If this were mine, I would be formally writing to the dealer principal and informing them of your discontent with the car. I would mention that you understand the problem has been assessed, agreed and reported on by their technicians, and the matter is now in the hands of Audi Germany. In view of the current situation, you are obviously prepared to await the outcome of that, but should the problem escalate through continued use, you will not be prepared to accept any contributory blame. Most important bit:- if the issue is not resolved in a reasonable timescale then you intend to formally reject the car. Ok, you may have indicated all the above, but you would be wise to formalise it in writing. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Paul, Simply changing wheel diameters is not straightforward - spigots or no spigots. It is usually overlooked that the outside diameter of the new larger wheel and tyre, must remain the same as the original standard wheel. This can be achieved by fitting tyres with a lower profile ( assuming the larger wheel is not wider). It needs thought if gearing and speedo readings are to remain accurate - more to it than simply fancying larger diameter wheels. Of course, this is before you find it necessary to inform your insurers that you have non standard wheels fitted, so they don’t invalidate your insurance in the event of a claim. Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. Nice to see you back Steve.

Hello Keith, A 5amp parasitic drain means that the battery is likely to run flat in less than 24 hours if the car is not used. That is a phenomenal drain, and equivalent to something running a wattage of around 60w - equivalent to at least 10 sidelights being left on. I think you will better understand what needs to be done if you read the threads, but you will need a meter obviously capable of accepting/ measuring currents around 5 amps. Be interested to know how you measured your parasitic drain. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Jon, Yes, these are the main dealer discount suppliers I’ve been talking about. Closed now due to the current situation? Kind regards, Gareth.