Magnet

Hello Glen, Sorry to hear of your issue with the car. In the absence of other replies to date, my comments would be:- When you say you recently purchased the car - how recent, from what source, and what did the wording of the advert imply? It’s very difficult/ impossible to diagnose such issues without having the car. Down to the problem, 85K miles seems low to experience DMF issues, and indeed clutch issues in general, apart from possibly release bearing issues. Exceptions would be if the car has covered the mileage via. mostly frequent short local runs. Your neighbourhood mechanic may be right, but I would think this certainly warrants a number of second opinions before - as you say - spending a significant sum of money, only to find out you’ve been chasing an incorrect diagnosis. It this were mine, I would be seeking opinions from (a) a trusted local garage - probably leaving the car with them for a couple of days trial, and (b) taking it to a trusted diesel specialist and getting their opinion via. similar testing - this option being the preferred one. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello GS, It’s good to share your experience. Many thanks for that. Let’s hope Hauden gained reassurance, but it seems he has not been on this forum since early May. Shame really, since it’s always useful to have the promised feedback. Many thanks again and kind regards, Gareth.

Many thanks Trevor, and apologies it’s come your way. I do - to some extent- understand the limitations of the system, but surely the editing out #Removed# system is driven the logic of certain words which will have been inputted into the system on the understanding they might offend. Isn’t it just a question of adding the abbreviations as they occur? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Joe, Apologies, but as I read your post it infers you are originally from Europe, recently moved to Australia, but located in Chicago ( is there a Chicago in Australia?) Guess there must be. I could be wrong, but I fear the specific advice you require may not come in volume from a number of opinions on this U.K. forum. Can’t your new friends who offered you the advice to have a Revscheck tell you what it’s all about, and how to progress it for a selected vehicle? Sounds to me like you will get further faster, by asking questions at source. Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.

Perhaps it’s worth repeating:- ‘garage guy’ should = recommenced local diesel specialist. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Nadz, I wondered if it was a diesel before I got to your last bit of the post. ‘......by the time I take it to the mechanic....... he doesn’t see what I see.’ Why not leave it with them overnight? Better still in my book - get a trusted local diesel specialist to check it over - again leaving it overnight. Does it show any smoke or smell of diesel when it shakes? Injector/s issue possibly, but that would just be a guess. Kind regards, Gareth.

Wondered if this a trade type sale Steve. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Brad, Glad that suggested route worked out for you. Yes, I know it’s rewarding if you can do everything yourself, but if you weigh up the time, effort, struggle and frustration you spent on this, you now have to ask yourself why did you bother. Add to this the potential of doing yourself some serious injury, and/or rounding off bolt heads etc. because you just didn’t have the right tools or facilities, and I think it’s lesson well learnt for the future. Not for me to suggest what you do re the ‘.......they didn’t even charge me a penny’ bit, but if it were me, I would be quickly returning with a nice box of biscuits to go with their tea. You will then be recognised as the nice appreciative chap from up the road, rather than someone who calls in for a favour for nothing. Such contacts are worth the world. Look after them and they will look after you. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Connor, Speculation is fine, but in basic terms it’s no better than assumption , and as some wag once said ‘Assume’ translates to making an !Removed! (out of) u and me! Working on fact and basic logic generally pays dividends, whereas assumptions tend to lead you off at tangents. Again it’s great to be self-contained when carrying out jobs, but it boils down to the right tool for the job. If you don’t have it, then it’s best to employ the aid of specialists, unless buying the tool will be covered by a sufficient volume of future work. In this case - highly unlikely. Another benefit of going to the specialists with your oil cooler is the likely possibility of being able to pick experienced brains - always worth that little bit of outlay. If it were mine, I would be treating this as a one thing at a time job, and trying not to worry about the next stage until you need to. Was it Yogi bear who said ‘Worrying never did help none!’ Changing the oil when you get to the root cause of the problem? Most definitely - using only good quality oil and filters. For me - Quantum oil and Mann filters if not using VAG filters. Kind regards, Gareth. The #Removed# bit is the first three letters of the word assume!! No one really wants to tell me why this great? editing system removes this for the example, but allows the abbreviated form of four letter words to sail through.

Hello Nigel, Just wondering if the 3 year warranty applies over in Ireland - ? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Connor, I must applaud the attention to detail you have taken in describing the symptoms, and the way you have gone about the rectification procedure. I agree with Cliff regarding the usefulness of compression testing for certain symptoms, but in my book (apologies Cliff - and it’s only my opinion) I wouldn’t be going down that road at the moment. Compression testing is great for major gasket failure detection, where the gasket has failed between say two adjacent cylinders, or to detect valve or piston issues, but seldom ‘minor’ oil/coolant mixing problems. If this were mine, I would be removing the oil cooler it’s it’s not too difficult - usually isn’t- and subjecting it to your flushing/ cleaning routine, before having it pressure tested. Automatic transmission specialists can normally do this. This could be the source of your issue, so needs to be eliminated/ confirmed before going further into anything else. If it prove to be serviceable, then I would then ( and only then) move on to getting the coolant system pressure tested. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on Connor. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Richard, Checking the Cold Cranking Current (CCA) efficiency is a way of assessing the efficiency of the battery under load, and many vehicles are now fitted with a battery monitoring module which continuously monitors its efficiency and it has set parameters which must be satisfied otherwise warnings are given, even though the battery may now show any symptoms. It could be said, yours is too old to be fitted with one. I could narrate a very recent example of this type of ‘failure’ on a so called prestige vehicle, but it may bore. If it were mine I would be looking to substitute the battery for another, after I had checked all battery linked cables and associated main earths. Kind regards, Gareth.

OK, short answer = yep! Next question:- what parameters of the battery were checked? Included cold cranking current values?? It’s still - kind regards to you in Guadeloupe from Gareth in Wales.

Hello Alan, I too would suspect the immobiliser. Sounds typical. Worth trying another auto electrician? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Richard, ’....... battery is fine’. Have you actually had it checked and confirmed as so? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Richard, I suppose the first obvious thing to check would be the battery efficiency, followed by the charging rate if the battery proves serviceable. Perhaps you could let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello, My alternative-to-Audi first, port of call would be TPS (Trade Parts Supplies) where you get genuine VAG parts, often at discount. If you are going down the aftermarket route then the rule of thumb is never simply buy on price, but buy quality parts at best prices. In my experience, I have used Febi Bilstein parts and generally they appear to be well manufactured. Meyle may be another make worth looking for, or of course (depending on what parts you want) Bosch. You will be able to get competitive prices by comparing on the well known auction site. What did you do about the engine oil after? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mathew, Sorry to hear you are understandably disappointed with the range of the car, and I think your experiences will stand other potential buyers in good stead, and perhaps encourage them to request extended road tests before committing to buy. Re. the &#removed bits, and the abbreviated language - shame in my book, since I think it spoils the integrity of a most helpful post. Still, it’s probably just me. Kind regards, Gareth. To Admin:- I there any valid logic which understandably removes words considered to be offensive, yet allows similar words in abbreviated form to remain in the text? Just doesn’t make sense to me. Not sure if this comes under your umbrella Trev. ? If so apologies for adding to a work load. Many thanks, Gareth.

‘Writing an off put’ Shez. Yes, I understand it would lead to a need for closer inspection etc., but I think I would keep an open mind rather than dismiss it. Writing too neat for scrap yard!? Am I allowed to say that? Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Shez, As Dirk said - an independent inspection is a must, must, must. 3 owners? Well, yes, be wary - particularly if the last keeper has only had it ‘five minutes’ - suspect issues you won’t know anything about. Full service history is good, but not the be all and end all, and gives little indication of how it’s actually been cared for, apart from a couple of half days out with an Audi dealer. Warranty? Important, but not as important as reading and understanding the wording of exclusions. These are cars people fall in love with, but they have complex characters, so are not to be married in haste! The character and the look must match, so back to Dirk’s recommendation - spend on an independent inspection - and thoroughly examine all aspects of the paperwork including getting a service print out. Another must. Good luck and kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Josh, Sorry to hear of the issues with the car. Before further ado:- can we take it you bought this as a private sale? If so, how long had thre seller owned it? Do you have access to the wording of the advertisement? If so, did the wording describe the condition of the car? Even private sales have to fairly describe the goods - if the advert doesn’t, then there should be an avenue for redress. This is why you now see an increasing number of adverts for vehicles for sale simply describing them as ‘Starts, drives, stops’. No comeback in such situations - assuming it does what the statement describes! If this were mine, I would be getting this assessed by a trusted local diesel specialist ( not an Audi dealer or independent). Even I’m getting bored with writing this statement, but recommendations for trusted local diesel specialist? Ask at your local taxi rank - these chaps depend on such sources for keeping their cars on the road. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Brad, I think solving your problem rests in ‘.........I don’t have a powerful impact wrench...’ If this were mine, I would be getting this to my local trusted friendly garage or tyre retailer, and asking them to put their ‘proper’ impact wrench on the bolt - before you start to damage/ round the corners off bolt head! These bolts are normally treated with thread lock from new and can be xxxx to undo, so my advice is do not play about trying to remove something which you don’t have the tools to deal with. Blowtorch? Little propane burner with a largish flame? Don’t worry about the Plusgass Brad, just worry about the petrol tank/filler. Not really for me to tell you what to do, but don’t do it! Anyway, the heat output (from propane alone) of these burners is unlikely to have much effect on releasing such a bolt from its heat-sink assembly. It went in, so it has to come out - with the correct tool. It’s not so much brute force but more about continuous ‘shock’ rotation. Let us know how you get on Brad. Kind regards, Gareth.

Very difficult to say Owen, since your posts introduce isolated problems with one brake then moves to reported problem with another brake - without knowledge of whether the first affected is still affected - if I’m reading this correctly, and I really don’t know if I am. Diagnosing at a distance? 3/4 impossible. All I can ask is:- why would a faulty master cylinder only affect one or two wheels rather than all four? Why would a faulty servo ( brake effort assist) do the same? If it were mine:- Get it to a local accommodating MOT station and get the brake efficiency checked at each wheel. This is an essential starting point. Then run the car and re- establish which wheel/s are causing any degree of overheating ( by comparing each wheel). You will then be getting a much clearer base point, and a feel for whether the situation changes wheel to wheel over a day or so. I’m sure your garage will renew any component you suggest - why wouldn’t they? It’s all work and money. Out come? ‘Well you asked us to change them sir’. Great question Owen! Really depends on having complete comprehensive detailed symptoms from a series of tests, so I cannot answer that unfortunately. ABS unit???? But note the ?? marks. Worth trying another garage and simply allowing them to diagnose the problem rather than suggesting to them what you think it may be? If they change something and it doesn’t solve the problem, then you talk about who pays for what! Keep us informed Owen, Kind regards, Gareth.

Good luck Owen, Not a logical decision in my book, for reasons already explained, but........ Hope it sorts out your problem. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello William, Glad you have the diagnosis sorted - new battery required. The bit I’m not so keen on - but it’s not my car - is the jump leads and bump start bit. I really wouldn’t want you to be stuck, so do you mind if I just re- stress that this battery is likely to fail without warning. A couple of months ago, I was asked to jump start a 15 month old car which was failing to even attempt to turn over. The car would not jump start since the battery had failed ‘internally’ and would not allow any current to flow through it. Never in my x ( large figure) years have I experienced that. Battery was obviously replaced under warranty by the **** manufacturer - not VAG group. I think I would be investing in a new battery without delay. Starting handles and getting away with batteries not holding charge. Less complicated motoring days I think Cliff! Kind regards, Gareth.